Wedding Destressers

Yes I haven't posted in nearly 2 months and no I am not proud of it.
My days and nights have been spent preparing for the wedding....which is now in less than a month!
Throughout this whole engagement, I have had  a lot of fun planning and organizing, shopping and getting pampered, but I have also been a big ball of stress. No matter how well you plan for something, you can never really be at ease because anything can go wrong and all your hardwork and efforts gone down the drain. I will try not to be a pesimmist here, but when it is your day, you get pretty nervous!

Over the past few months I have been preparing my body, hair and skin for the big day! Below are my personal tips for making sure you are photo ready for your big day!

1) Skin Analysis
You want your skin to be glowing and radiant in your pictures, and makeup can help with that, but I highly reccommend getting your skin assessed at a skin clinic or by a dermatologist. If you are like me, I had very bad acne bumps under my skin that would not go away. I was tired of trying different cleansers so I finally decided to make the trip to a professional and have my face assessed and treated. With a series of chemical peels, my face has shed off the dead layers of skin and have allowed my congested skin to brethe again.

2) Laser Hair Removal
Since being engaged, I started getting laser hair removal for my underarms. Since it takes about 10 months (1 session a month), I decided to get started early and be ready to rock in my strapless dress.
I can not tell you how amazing it is NOT to have to shave every day. Razor burn and bumps no more! Hello smooth and hairless armpits. I highly reccommend this service for anyone...not just brides. Definately worth the investment.

3) Hair Colouring
If you are like me and change your hair colour as often as your socks, you may have some trouble selecting your hair colour for your wedding day. Throughout my 10 month engagement, I have been a red head, a brunette, a dirty blonde, and a platinum blonde. If you want to be a blonde for your wedding, and you are naturally dark, I reccommend starting to go lighter at least 3 months before the big day. It takes time to lighten and depending how light you want to be, it could take months. If you are looking for long luscious locks for your day, I also reccommend clip in hair extensions that can add not only length but lots of volume which always looks luscious and amzing.

4) Massages
Has anyone ever told you planning a wedding is stressful? Full body massages from a registered massage therapist are great for tension and stress relief. Going for a massage once a month has helped me destress and relax.

5) Exercise

Want to look fit and fab in your dress? Of course working out is the only way to do that. And eating properly! |And bonus: exercise also helps to reduce that stress. It can be tough to stick to a routine, but I find even if I don't feel like doing a full blown workout, I try and do a small one...even if it's only 5-10 minutes in my bedroom. And no need for fancy equipment either...I have found tons of YouTube videos of amazing home workouts.
This is one of my faves. Perfect for anyone wearing a strapless dress to the wedding!

And those are just my pre-wedding tips!! Again, these are my own personal experiences and reccommendations.
What are some of your routines/tips?

IPSY Bag - July 2013 Reveal

So it's been a while since I cancelled my subscription to Glossybox. I just couldn't justify spending over $20 a month on products that are just nice to haves. *Sidenote, Glossybox no longer provides their subscriptions to Canada. I guess I wasn't the only one who felt jipped with the price increase!

Anyways, my friend Tania, who also happened to introduce me to Glossbybox, told me about a new product junkie subscription: IPSY.

At first I was hesitant to join, but at $15 a month, which includes a few mini glam bag with every package, I couldn't resist. So I signed myself up last month and just received my first package of goodies!

Fancy Packaging!!
 

The products came in a bright and shiny pink package which made me more happy, because we all know how much I love pink!!

As I ripped open the package, I was excited to see some fun summer themed treats:

1 - Coola Sunscreen : Perfect for everyday wear on the face. The bottle is pretty small so I don't think it will last me all summer, but a good thing to keep in your bag when you are on the go. The ingredients are all organic which is neat as well!


2- Pouty Pop Crayon- I have been using this on my lips, but I am sure you could use it on your cheeks  for a hint of colour as well. I am a big fan of the large pencils. I feel like I have more control when applying. The only downside is sharpening...I will have to buy one of those large sharpeners if I want to continue to use it.

 

3- California Collection Eyeshadow from bh Cosmetics- This super cute pack came with 3 fun colours that go great with my light eyes. I have already used the "San Francisco" colour and it looks amazing!

 

 

4 - BeneTINT from benefit - This is a lip stain/blush that has a nail polish like consistency. It is dark red so I am a little scared to use it on my lips in case it doesn't come off. I have never tried a stain before, but it looks like it will stay put!

 



 

5- Healthy Sexy Hair Beach Spray - This was probably my favourite item in the bag. I love beach spray in the summer time! I just spray some on my strands, scrunch and go. It smells amazing and I used almost the whole bottle on my first time of use. I was sad that it was only a small bottle but happy that I got to try this brand!

 

 

6 - And of course, this is the little glam bag that all the products came in (except the spray, it was too big). How cute!!! I can use this as a travel case. And I think I get a new bag each month, so  that is exciting!

 

 

Overall I was pretty pleased with the Ipsy bag. I must admit that it wasn't as fabulous as Glossybox but I wasn't expecting it to be. The only reason why I liked Glossbybox better was the size of the products. With Glossybox I would always get at least 1 or 2 full sized products with each package.

 

I will continue with Ipsy because I am curious to see what other products I will get. If you are interested in signing up for the subscription, please click this link: http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hi7uvbl1wxklxq

If you subscribe through my link, I will receive ipsy reward points!

Thanks dolls!

 

xo

Tasha

 

Serendipity Salon - Review

This past weekend Eric and I got our engagement photos done in downtown Barrie. I had set up the shoot over a month ago, so I was really excited to have them done. We went for a winter photo theme, as we want to use the shots for our Save The Dates. We used Melyssa G Photography and couldn’t be happier with her. Her photos are amazing and she is a very sweet and fun girl. She had great ideas and made us both feel really comfortable. For the shoot I bought a giant pink balloon from Michael’s and some fun signs that I found on Etsy. Just to be different!

Since we all know the camera picks up absolutely every detail, for the shoot I decided I needed to have my hair and makeup professionally done. It took me a while to decide where I wanted to have my services done. There are only a few hair salons in Bradford, and I have only been to one before but it was ridiculously overpriced.

So last week while I was getting my laser hair removal treatment done at the Serendipity  Beauty salon in downtown Bradford, I asked my esthetician, Shannon, if they offered makeup and hair services. I wasn’t sure because I had only ever been to Serendipity for laser hair removal treatments. (Which are amazing and the prices are very fair). Shannon said they just hired a new girl, Chazz, who could probably do my hair and makeup for me on the day of the shoot. I like this salon, so I agreed to book with Chazz.

When I arrived for my appointment on Saturday morning, I was greeted by Chazz, who consulted with me on what I wanted to have done for both hair and makeup. She was very friendly, outgoing and made me feel really relaxed. We decided to go for a natural look for the makeup and add some volume and shape for my hair. The whole appointment took a few hours, but it felt like I was only there for 10 minutes. Chazz was so much fun, dancing around to 80’s pop tunes on her Ipod, and telling me fun stories from her career as a hair and makeup artist. It felt like I was just kicking back at a girlfriend’s house, sharing some laughs and doing hair and makeup.

Chazz used a nice copper shadow on my eyes. I rarely use copper because I always just go for a dark brown shadow, but the copper really made my eyes pop. She also used some light powder around my eyes  to give me a bit of a glow.
My hair was really fun and full of volume. I felt like a Barbie doll when I was all done.

I was really impressed with the service at Serendipity. It was a fun experience, and I just loved being made up by Chazz. All the photos from the session are not fully ready yet, but I will post some so you can see the work when I am done.

Both Chazz and Shannon are sweet girls and I am glad I found a good place to go to in Bradford. If you are ever in my neck of the woods, check them out!! J