My Yorkies

So I was recently tagged to do the Furry Friends Tag on YouTube. I decided to accompany the video with a blog post so I can introduce you to my two puppy babies, Ivy and Remi.

It was just over a year ago and I was graduating from my bachelors of arts. I knew I was moving home and was getting puppy fever. I've wanted a yorkie since I could remember. I would constantly creep petfinder.com or breeder's websites, but I never seriously inquired. I somehow convinced my parents that it was a good idea to get a puppy. At the time I had my 15 year old Bichon Frise (Basil). He was a Christmas present when I was 8. He unfortunately passed away this past January and I miss him everyday, RIP Basil :(.

Basil lounging in his chair

I also had my 3 year old cockapoo, Sawyer. I adopted him from a rescue when he was 8 weeks old. He was initially from a puppy mill. The puppy mill sold him to a pet store where he was bought by a family. The family returned him after they discovered that he dislocated his knee at his first vet appointment, and off he went back to the puppy mill. The puppy mill usually puts puppies down if they're unwanted (because they can't make money off them) but this puppy mill luckily had a deal with a local rescue where they'd give the unwanted puppies to them. 

I initially planned an appointment with the rescue that day to see a female westie-poo (and she was adorable, she actually looks like a golden retriever puppy full grown) but I fell in love when I saw Sawyer.

He was so chubby and adorable. He was extremely hyper too. I just couldn't leave the rescue without him. So off i went with my little ginger fluff. He is my first baby and I will always love him.

Sawyer with his ice cream cone

So back to where I was, Ivy. I had already done so much research on a bunch of breeders and decided to go with a breeder that had yorkie/silky cross puppies. She had a male yorkie, a male silky, and then a few silky females. Majority of these dogs were rescues too - so power to her! 

I emailed her just in time, she was taking deposits for a new litter. I let her know that I wanted a female and Ivy was the last female to get claimed (she initially was going to keep Ivy but decided not to at the last second). I obviously fell in love with Ivy, she was the sweetest little thing ever.

Baby Ivy the day I took her home

Flash forward to a year later. My mom wanted to get a yorkie because I'm moving away for school this September and taking Ivy with me. So we went back to the same breeder. While we were there I fell in love with one of the puppies and quickly decided that I was going to adopt another one so that Ivy would have a buddy. 

Baby Remi!

So this is my little happy puppy family now. I wish I could take Sawyer with me to school but he gets really bad separation anxiety so I don't think he'd handle me being away in class or at work very well. So he is happiest at home with my parents for now. He has also grown attached to my mom's puppy, Mati, so maybe it is for the best.

with my furry minions!

Ivy and Remi absolutely adore each other. She protects him like a little brother and she likes that he's not overly dominant or hyper. 

If you want to see a video of the day I picked out Remi (and my Mom picked out Mati) Then Click here (the formatting is kind of off for the video)

so sweet

You can also check out more details about Remi & Ivy by checking out my YouTube channel here

Nail Polish Haul (...I have a problem...)

So I've been on a huge nail polish kick lately. Why? Because I feel completely maxed out on make up, skincare, and fragrance. My nails are still recovering from my shellac experience where they put acrylic tips on (why did I do that again? ugh) so I just want to make them pretty again.

My awesome friend/sorority sister Liz shared the most amazing (yet terrible) information with my yesterday (p.s you can check out her blog here). She let me know that http://www.nailpolishcanada.com had major sales on a bunch of nail polish AND there was free shipping. I tried to resist the urge but it was pretty much impossible.

I've heard a lot of beauty bloggers talk about Deborah Lippmann nail polishes and could never seem to find them in Canada (and it's a blessing in disguise - these polishes are $20+). They are currently getting rid of the brand (for whatever reason) and the polishes are around $13. I know, I know, $13 is pretty steep for a polish. But I'm so sick of spending anywhere from 6-12 dollars on a polish and having it chip or completely peel off. I have yet to hear a negative review about DL polishes so I figured, why not give it a go?

I only ordered them today but I will do a follow up review later showing the colours and the pigment on my nails (and maybe a follow up showing how it holds up after a week). Anyway, onward to the colours!

So the first colour I grabbed is called "Whatever Lola Wants". It's from the collection that Deborah Lippmann paired up with Kelly Ripa for. I'm hoping that the polish is soft and gives a nice pink iridescence to my nails.

The second colour is called 'Purple Rain'. My hopes are that it is a lavender colour with a pearl finish.

The next colour is called "Let's Go Crazy". It is a polish from their Fall 2012 collection. The glitter polishes are what first got me with this brand. I don't know what the heck it is, but they just look so good!

The next polish I got was the Umbrella Waterproof Top Coat. I know what you're thinking - why the heck does a nail polish need to be 'waterproof' - isn't it already? Well apparently not so much. The coat says it is waterproof and UV-resistant with a high shine. It brings oxygen to the nail to makes it chip resistant. I am still on the search for a good top coat so I'm hoping this little gem doesn't disappoint.

And last but not least, I grabbed some colours to do nail art with. There's this one brand called 'Art Club' that carries nail polishes with the long thin brush (so that you can draw on your nails precisely). They had a set of 8 pastel colours for $33 - so I definitely couldn't resist! The colours are: Pastel Blue, Lilac, Lavender, Sky Blue, Pink Pastel, Mint, Natural and a top coat sealer.

I had my nails done recently with a bow (yes, I know I know) and I've been dying to recreate the look at home. So I'm hoping that the Art Club colours do not let me down - I will definitely do a review and a tutorial with them once they come.

bows on bows on bows

So that's all the excitement from my purchases. I could resist discounted nail polish with free shipping. Keep your eyes peeled for my tutorials/review. I will be posting the videos on my YouTube Channel, my Twitter, as well as the written portion here :).

I hope you all have a lovely Monday, and don't forget to put a bow on!

xo Hill

But seriously - Who Am I?

Hello World! My name is Hillary and I am a puppy addict, a bow enthusiast, and a Youtuber/Blogger (I guess you could say that). If you haven't stumbled upon my blog, YouTube channel, or my social media before then let me give you a quick run down of what you can expect.

Click here for my YouTube Channel

If I was to choose 3 words to describe myself then I'd say: tenacious, passionate, and resilient (all in the best way possible). I'm a highly energetic individual, a lot of my friends know me as the fun spontaneous friend that is always in for an adventure (but actually, I've been woken up in the middle of the night by friends to go have a snow ball fight at 2 am, bake cookies, or go jump on the next door neighbour's trampoline). I'm an optimist, and I believe that there is good in every person and every situation in life. 

I have plenty of passions in life. I absolutely love my pets and would do absolutely anything for them, I love to paint, I absolutely love music (especially the Foo Fighters- Dave Grohl is amazing), I love DIY's (I mean I have to, being a sorority girl and all), and I LOVE trying new things. I actually made a bucket list with one of my friends last summer to ensure that we made the most of it and tried something new every day (and I highly suggest doing it - it was so fun! Maybe I'll do a summer bucket list video?)

I am extremely passionate about beauty products - I have this thing where if I'm going to know something then I have to research it extensively and legitimately understand what I'm talking about. I don't like giving people advice or speaking about something if I'm unsure or don't feel like I have enough information. Therefore, I can assure you that I have researched every product extensively before I share my thoughts on it (whether that be here for my YouTube channel). That being said, I'm not perfect, and I'm always open to hearing your opinion and advice. 

I don't really want to peg my channel as a 'beauty channel' or myself as a 'beauty guru'. I think that's kind of silly because I feel like I'm pigeon holed. We're all plastic (not barbie plastic!). What do I mean by this? I mean that we are ever-changing. You are who you are, but don't let that stop you from exploring new opportunities and further developing who you are.

I don't want to close doors to where I may take this blog or my YouTube channel in the future. I'm not saying I'm going to stray and be inconsistent, that definitely is not the case. I'm just saying that I want to take my infectious happiness and share it with the world - and how I share it will be driven by what currently makes me happy and what you (yes you reading this right now) want me to talk about. This isn't just a one way street of me blabbing at a camera and tickling the keys of my laptop. This is a conversation - a friendship if you will. 

All I know is that my channel will always have beauty (inside AND out - let's be serious here), DIYs, gluten free (and vegan!) cooking, fashion, and important life advice (but like actual advice, seriously). So if that sounds like your cup of loose leaf tea then feel free to subscribe to me here and subscribe to my YouTube channel.

Have a lovely day and don't forget to put a bow on (because you're a prize)

Xo Hill

Sephora VIB Rouge!!!

So I don't know if I should be proud of this, or ashamed, but I had a lovely little email in my inbox today congratulating me on reaching VIB Rouge status at Sephora.

What does that mean? Well, it means that I've spent $1000 in the store since January (ya, I know, but I did buy TWO clarisonics in that time and my mom/sister put their points on my card sometimes). It works exactly like the VIB does (but more!). So if I qualified today that means I'm qualified until July 25th 2014 and then it extends to December 31st 2014 - how awesome is that? I didn't know that before, I always thought that it meant I was a VIB (or VIB rouge) until the end of the calendar year (so December 31st 2013), but a whole other year of bonuses? Yes please!

What else? You get a swanky red card with a red bite lipstick (I still have to go pick mine up). You also get free shipping from sephora.com, free make up applications (unlimited), and 'special surprise gifts'. I've heard a few other rumors but who knows if they're true (such as bigger perks beyond the 500 points, meet and greets with brand designers, and other cool stuff!). I'll be sure to do a separate post once it's officially announced, I don't want to be passing around rumors or anything.

My New(ish) Skincare Routine

So I Recently got into a new skincare routine and have been seeing amazing results! I'm really big on staying away from sketchy chemicals that may be carcinogenic (cause cancer) or are harmful to my body in other ways. However, I still want my skincare to work (& I don't want to be throwing stuff on my face that may be 'good' for me but have no benefit for my skin). So off I went to Lush!

I used Lush skincare a few years back (I mean I've gone from Lush, to Dior, to Aloette, to Nude - and plenty of other skincare lines in between that I'm definitely forgetting). So what sparked this sudden turn around to Lush (aside from the fact that you can read and understand EVERY ingredient in their products and why it is there)? I was actually stuck in the Orlando airport a couple weeks ago and decided to stop by the shop and have a little chat to pass the time. Next thing you know I was sitting in a chair with a mask on my face and a hand massage. I loved the products but I settled for a toner and a sample of a moisturizer and was on my way. I don't like sampling products just to get some free stuff - I will typically buy something if I try it and I like it.

Just a little background on my skin. I used to have amazing skin (but seriously). I never had a single blemish, blackhead, or any other 'imperfection' on my face. The texture of my face was normal (sometimes combination based on the weather) and I had no sensitivities (minus extremely potent tea tree oil - that definitely burned my skin). I had zero worries in the world, I never wore foundation, tinted moisturizer, nothing, why? Because I didn't need it.

Flash forward to now. My job requires that I wear a full and 'inspirational' face of make up. Working long hours with everything from primer, to a full cover foundation, and a setting powder (and everything in between - you think of it, and it's on my face) caused my face to go 'HILLARY WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!" next thing you know, I had insane break outs, blackheads putting up shop on my face, and oily skin. I didn't know what to do, my skincare routine that I was so loyally committed to did not have a 'treat' step that was focused on break outs. I knew I had to change but I was honestly kind of scared - being 22 years old and JUST dealing with break out prevention was extremely weird - wasn't that suppose to happen like 10 years ago?

So my first step in the right direction was towards my Clarisonic (I initially had the Mia, but then I gave it to my mom and bought the newest model - the Aria). Why the Clarisonic? It works with the elasticity of your skin (the brush oscillates back in forth rather than spins like other brushes - spinning can tear your tissue and be rough on your skin), it pulls out the impurities, and it completely changed the texture of my face. You can use it twice a day - seven days a week. It is seriously an amazing investment.

My Clarisonic Aria with the deep pore cleansing brush

So after a few months of trying a bunch of skincare lines (which were lovely - but just couldn't get my face back to what it was) I finally settled on my first love - Lush.

Now I know, I know, I shouldn't sing my praises until my complete cell turnover (minimum 28 days) but I've already been so happy that I just can't help but to share my excitement! I will do a follow-up in 28 days though - with photos of my face (day 1 and day 28) to see if there's a change.

Now Down to the Routine...finally....

So for a cleanser I went with the Ultra Bland which is an amazing gentle cleanser & make up remover. It comes in a pot in a cream form and you just rub it into your dry skin and then wipe it off with a warm damp cloth. It honestly gets all my make up off - which I find is a very difficult task. 

I went off brand with my exfoliating scrub. I went with Burt's Bee's Acne Solution's Scrub. I got this because I wanted something natural that still had a salicylic acid in it (and willow bark - which is natural) to help with my break outs. I find that this scrub is gentle and has definitely helped with the texture of my skin.

Now I'm a HUGE mask junkie. I will typically do a mask at least once a week, if not twice a week. I fell in love with the one that I got to try out at the Lush store - and that was the Mask of Magnaminty. This mask is amazing! It has peppermint in it so it is super cooling on your skin. It also has china clay which acts as a magnet for pulling impurities out of your pores. The vanilla helps with redness and the honey soothes your skin. It honestly is everything I want in a mask all thrown together (and it's green - my favourite colour!)

Blue Steel -MEEEYOW!

It's Hulk Paste!

I chose the Tea Tree Water for my toner and it is unreal! I used it on my plane ride as a refresher and my face was the happiest little panda. It helps with redness, kills bacteria, and the best part? It's alcohol free! 

just the baby bottle for now

And lastly, a moisturizer! I went with the Vanishing Cream and oh man, this bad boy is the best. My skin feels so great and I don't have that awko taco oily residue going down. It has witch hazel (which is awesome for blemishes) and it is an extremely light lotion that completely melts into your skin (also, a little goes a heck of a long way!)

So that's all for now! My findings thus far? The Rocky Mountain that took up camp on my face has almost vanished, and the little ski hills are simply distant memories. My face has a beautiful (healthy) glow to it - it used to look like a perfect place to sautee some mushrooms. I was actually comfortable enough to leave the house today with NO make up on - just an itty bit of lip gloss and mascara (because why not?). I'm starting to wonder why I ever left my beloved lush - they have such an amazing variety of products and it smells like absolute heaven there. Not to mention - you get a free fresh mask every time you bring back 5 of the black pots (so that they can recycle them into new pots).

Make Up Forever Smoky Extravagant Mascara Review & Tutorial

I have a confession, I'm a total make up hoarder.

I always have at least 3 or 4 mascaras on the go - which is sucky because I have to toss them after 3 months (bacteria) and end up not getting my fill. So I just tossed out my last round and decided that I'm going to try to be good and only open one. The lucky mascara that I opened was the new mascara by Make Up Forever called 'Smoky Extravagant'.

I had my fingers crossed while I opened it because I didn't want to be disappointed (which would lead me to open up another mascara, and next thing you know - I'd have 4 mascaras on the go at the same time). I luckily was not let down. 

The brush is shaped like a pine tree and a prominent amount of the formula sits at the tip of the brush.

There definitely is a technique to applying the mascara. If you apply it like any old mascara then you will not get the full benefits. Hold the brush upright (parallel to your nose) and brush your lashes from the base and about a quarter of the way up your lashes. This will pack on the product (as there is a lot that sits at the tip) this will also help groom your lashes to be separated and keep shape once you do step two. Next, hold the brush perpendicular to your nose (how you would typically hold a mascara). Grab your lashes at the base (where all the formula is sitting from step 1), wiggle the brush left and right, then run the brush to the tip of your lashes. Result? Amazing, full, long, and curled lashes.

My lashes on my left eye

a better view of length of lashes on right eye

These pictures were both taken after wearing this mascara for 6 hours! As you can see, the lashes haven't dropped and my they look awesome (I also drove a car without a/c for 40 minutes and ran through a sprinkler a few times during the 6 hours). I definitely love this mascara and will use it to death over the next 3 months. I think a big deal breaker would be the formula drying out. So I will definitely get back to you guys about how the mascara wears over time (in regards to the formula drying up, flaking etc).

Hope you all have a lovely day! I'm hiding out in my basement with my puppies due to tornado warnings, and as always, don't forget to put a bow on :)

Xo Hill

Check out my video review!

Visiting Disney World!

So I recently went to Disney and had SO much fun! I knew going into this that the parks would be insanely busy, so I did a bunch of research and made a plan of attack. You can check out my video outlining the main tips below:

Check Out My Video - Click here!

I've wanted to go Disney since I was 5 and my parents bought the VHS (yes, a VHS!) about the parks. They told my sister that they were going to take us and guess what? We never went! My sister (who is 25 now) and I have been hanging this over my parents' heads since then and they finally got the message and took us.

We ensured that we'd get the most out of your pricey admission and have the best experience ever. You can see some of my tips talking about fast pass, what to see, how to tackle the parks, helpful apps, etc. 

But here's some tips that I did not include in my video that I feel I need to share.

Wear SPF! It was 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) for a couple days while I was there. I honestly thought I was going to melt into the pavement. You definitely do not want to get burnt because that's a first class ticket to a miserable trip.

Go to a dollar store and get a spray bottle (or one of those spray bottles with a fan). It will be a complete life saver and you'll be kicking yourself if you don't buy it because they're $16 in the park. 

Take breaks and drink water! Nothing sucks more than being dehydrated or tired. You don't want to be miserable once the afternoon hits because that's no fun for anyone. So make sure you remember to chill out, get near some air conditioning, and hydrate.

Buy mole skin (the fuzzy sticker stuff) from a drug store. This will be your best friend if you get blisters.

Bring ziplock bags for your cellphone/other important items. You'll be thanking me later when you go on water rides.

Side note: a lot of the water rides have lockers that you can rent for free while you go on the ride. Toss your stuff in there (it's locked with a code) and pick it up when you get back to ensure that you don't lose/ruin your belongings.

That's all I have for today folks! Stay tuned for  my next blog on Gluten free options in Disney & Universal Parks :)

 

Welcome To My Blog!

Helllooo and welcome to my blog!
Let me tell you a bit about myself.

My name is Hillary (a lot of my friends call me Hill - yes I know, real original). I'm 23 years old (although I've been mistaken as still being in high school  - good genes I guess?) and I have a communications degree.

I have TWO (yes -two!) yorkshire terriers. Ivy is a year old (she enjoys being sassy and rolling in the mud) and Remi (her half brother - they share a dad) is 13 weeks old and he enjoys licking everything and copying whatever Ivy does.

Ivy

Remi

I'm currently on the home stretch of my 'year off' between my undergrad and my post grad. I'm actually heading back to my old university town in September to attend a College for a post graduate certificate in Integrated Marketing Communications.

My year off has been pretty awesome. I actually started working in the cosmetics world and have had the honour of being educated by amazing make up artists about make up artistry, brands, ingredients, etc. This sparked a passion for me (that I NEVER thought would happen - I used to wear mascara and maybe a little eyeliner) but I guess this was meant to be. I decided to take this passion and pair it with my life long passion to inspire and educate individuals. So why not start up a blog and a YouTube channel about all things beauty?

I'm a very strong believer in quality over quantity. By that I don't mean 'buy something expensive'. In fact, I mean quality in regards to ingredients. There are a ton of really sketchy chemicals out there such as PEG, parabens, mineral oil, pthalates and more. I've been doing a lot of research as to what these ingredients do - and trust me, I'll be passing it onto you as well :).

That being said - I'm not perfect. I have a ton of make up in my collection that harbors these dangerous ingredients, and yes, I still use them. It's a work in progress- but I'm hoping to have a more 'healthy' make up collection in the next year or so. There are tons of mainstream brands out there that do have products that have eliminated a lot of the dangerous ingredients, so it definitely is possible.

So on this blog I will do different series of dangerous ingredients (and breaking down the facts etc), I will do tutorials, product reviews, hauls, DIYs, favourites, fashion, and pretty much anything else that I feel would be beneficial.

I'm an optimist so I really want to keep this blog positive - let's call it a burst of sunshine. I want to change your day one smile at a time.

This Blog is currently under construction. Check out my tumblr (http://putabowon.tumblr.com) for the time being until this blog is up and running.

You can also subscribe to me on YouTube  and follow me on Twitter

I hope you're having an amazing day - and don't forget to put a bow on :)

Hillary