Quick Tips: Olive Oil Hair Treatment.

Here are a few snap shots of me putting olive oil in my hair. Yes, I did. My friend told me about this neat trick, and it really works! It totally made my hair soft, shinier, and silky smooth! It doesn't cost much and it's totally natural! What to do: Heat a small amount of olive oil in a bowl (I did so in the microwave). Put a small amount on the ends of your hair (I may have used too much). Wrap your hair in a warm towel and let sit for 20 minutes. Then, rinse in the shower! Please note that it will initially make your hair oily. I had to wash it three times in the shower to get the oil out, but then after I realized I may have taken too much of the oil out! 

Happy Christmas Eve Eve!!

Challenging Sexist Christmas Songs--And Enjoying them?

If you're like me and you practice Christmas, than you love this time of the year. You like Christmas traditions, especially their nostalgic aspects, Christmas decorating, spending time with family and friends, eating and making/baking homemade foods, appreciating others, giving to others, and, of course, getting from others.

But do you ever notice the creepy and sexist aspects of Christmas? I know, it's not something I want or necessarily like to think about either. But I think it's important to acknowledge. For instance, traditional Christmas songs, even new Christmas songs, are embedded with patriarchal ideas. 

I recently watched this video over at Feminist Frequency:

As happy as I am that this video necessarily points out many of the deep-seated ideas about women and sexual violence that exist today, I'm also a little put off by it, and I'll tell you why. What about when you like and enjoy Christmas traditions and songs, even though they are incredibly sexist? This is a tough position. But before we can talk about how to reconcile such a position, if that's even possible, perhaps we first need to acknowledge and emphasize the normalized and oppressive ideas that are reinforced and promoted year after year at Christmas time. This is why I love Feminist Frequency's videos. At the same time, I wonder if it is possible to acknowledge--even challenge--such ideas while also participating in culture, albeit a patriarchal and racist one. 

That's why it's important to actively engage in our lives and in society and culture as feminists--because we're needed and can do this! These songs (especially "Baby, It's Cold Outside", which is disgustingly creepy) indicate that we live in world that neither listens nor hears women. We live in world that does not consider women fully human beings, but rather condemns them as inferior, unimportant, pathological, and much much much much more. Feminists should not be defined according to popular myths about us--come on, those were socially constructed, and although they may have been or may be true, it's time to see beyond them. Let's actively participate in culture (we're not cultural dupes) by, for instance, performing our genders, AND challenging oppressive ideas.

3 f*ing days until Christmas!!

Derek Lam Inspiration: Heavy Metal Eyes.

Although I still feel funny taking pictures of myself...for some reason...I love experimenting with makeup. I love art, blending colours, and seeing what I can come up with, so it makes sense. This make-up tutorial is inspired by the heavy metal eye make-up that has been on the runways this Fall, especially in the Derek Lam fashion shows. 

The inspiration.

This is the make-up I used. Golds, charcoals, blacks, pinks.

Foundation and cover-up applied here only.

Gold all over the lids here.

Charcoal in the creases and around the lids.

A champagne colour applied to below the brow and in the corners of the eyes.

Again.

The final result! A small amount of black eyeliner applied to bottoms of the lids, topped with a gold liquid liner, pictured above.

5 days until Christmas and I'm loving life! (Trying to forget, for now, about the stresses in the back of my head.) I have to do pick up one last gift today, do some baking and cooking closer to the weekend, and wrap some more gifts but then that's it. How are you Christmas preparations going?i If you have any, that is. 

* Photos taken from here and here.

Saturday Night: Wine, Dancing & Christmas Partying

Thrifted Danier leather skirt//Smart Set top//Change Tights//F21 headband//Locale Boots//Necklace handmade by my friend Katherine

Went out Saturday night to my friend Chantal's Christmas party. I brought wine, a housewarming gift, and these yummy Chocolate Caramel Cookie Bark squares (pure butter and sugar goodness and a recipe from another good friend). I had a lot of fun spending time with Chantal and her family and friends. We mingled, danced, drank, and ate. It was such a great way to reconnect! (Also, notice that I painted my nails! First time since...probably last Christmas!)

Chocolate Caramel Cookie Bark

1st Layer:

1 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tbsp. water

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

Beat butter, sugars, vanilla, and water until smooth. Add flour, baking soda, and salt until combined. Press dough into  17" x 11" baking pan and bake for 15 minutes.

2nd Layer:

1cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

Bring butter and sugar to a boil over medium high heat. Spread mixture over partially baked cookie dough. Bake an additional 8 minutes, or until caramel is bubbling.

3rd Layer:

2 packages (540 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Remove baking pan from oven and immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips. Wait 5 minutes and spread melted chocolate over cookie mixture. Cool in fridge until set. Cut into squares. Enjoy!

6 days until Christmas, I can't believe it!

Quick Tips: No Crease Blouses.

Interesting tip: If you're running out of time and you want to get some quick creases out of a blouse (or whatever), use a straightener! This is especially handy for in between the buttons. Works like a charm!

This is quick because I'm leaving for the airport...now. Oh, how I love travelling! It's so thrilling, and I feel so important! Woo hoo! See you in Ottawa!

Recently.

This post was inspired by this post on Flashes of Style. It's a little glimpse into my life via Instagram, an awesome app. for the iPhone. So, here's what I've been up to lately.

Zuchini muffins, mmm...

Christmas tree snow globes, so making some of these as seen here!

 Cinnamon and sugar almonds, from this post.

Tea and saucer jewelry display (just glue the tea cup down to the saucer with crazy glue!)

Parisian corner. Smallest canvas was a Christmas gift from my lovely friend Angi, who painted it herself!

Green tea in some new green tea mugs! Received two of these at my work party gift exchange!

Coffee date at Starbucks.

Again.

The Daily Grind. Great cafe on the way to work.

Lower Water Street, Halifax.

10 Days until Christmas! Why does time go by extra quickly around this time of year?

DIY Peppermint Stick Cocoa

This is such an awesome gift. I made it for a Christmas gift exchange at my work party last week, and it was a hit! I found it on Pinterest, of course, but it was pinned from this website. It was so fun and easy to make! See the ingredients and directions below. The tag I used I bought from this website, which has some pretty amazing crafting stuff! 11 days until Christmas and 2 more sleeps until I leave!

Ingredients

1 cup powdered milk

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy

Directions

Layer powdered milk, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, chocolate chips, and peppermint candy.

Note: This mix will fill a 1-quart jar (12 servings), but if your containers are different sizes, just keep the ratio of ingredients constant. On the back of the tag, write: "Mix contents in a large bowl. For each serving, place 1/3 cup cocoa mix in a mug and stir in 1 cup boiling water. Store remaining mix in airtight container.”

New In: Hats & Scarves

Hush Puppy boots// Silver jeans// Gloves gift from my Dad// Snap coat// H&M purse// Pashmina scarf

Bought these hats an scarf (not the one I am wearing) last week. I was in desperate need of a new scarf and I really wanted a beanie hat. The scarf I have now is all frayed and itchy. I realize that it pays to buy a better quality scarf! I hope this one lasts longer! And how can you go wrong when there's 30% off at the Gap?

The scarf I'm wearing in the photos was a gift from my managers at work. I do love Pashmina scarves! It's very sparkly, and I love the colour palette. Perfect for Christmas!

Speaking of which, I leave on Friday for my parents house in Ottawa! I'm so so so excited. I can't wait to see my parents, hang out my dog, put up our tree, bake & craft, and relax!! Only 12 days until Christmas!

Monday Inspiration: Sylvia Plath

I love Sylvia Plath. I love her poetry, her literature, her writing-style. I love what she writes about and how she writes. Her confessional style of writing really had an impact on the world of poetry, and on my life. What a life she had, full of sadness and loss. Yet what courage she had, too! One of my favorite poems by Plath is "Daddy". Hear read it out loud below. Wow, is it ever powerful...

"And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt."  - Sylvia Plath

Guess what? 13 days until Christmas! Well, if you celebrate (I always feel like I need to say that because I know not everybody does). I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and is prepared for this Monday!

*Photos taken from here, here, here, here, and here.

CBS's Unforgettable is...Unforgettable!

CBS's new fall show, Unforgettable, is just that: unforgettable. It's quickly become one of my favorite TV shows this year. When I sit down to watch TV, I like to be entertained. When I'm not watching sarcastic comedies like The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Up All Night, I want fast moving mystery or crime shows. (Although I've also recently become fascinated by AMC's The Walking Dead, a drama about zombies and a group of survivors trying to escape them). I loved Without A Trace, and hence I was automatically intrigued when I noticed that Poppy Montgomery (who was also in Without a Trace) was the lead in Unforgettable.

Despite my love of crime shows; I am always skeptical of them. Anita Sarkeesian over at Feminist Frequency sums it up pretty well: 

"I usually can’t get over the glorification of the American Justice System. The cops and the prosecutors are usually depicted as 'good guys' who protect us from all the horrible, vile people in the world.  This is such a conservative, skewed worldview that is perpetuated in the abundance of cop shows.  These weekly crime shows also tend to have an extraordinary amount of violence against women, dead women, and evil murdering women as a way to maintain sensationalism."  

This show most definitely reinforces a dualistic and limiting (and often a raced, classed, and gendered) worldview of "good" vs. "evil". Think about it: who's considered "good" and who's considered "evil"? At the same time, Unforgettable is an extremely powerful and positive show, especially because of Poppy, or, Carrie Wells. Carrie remembers everything, every detail about every day. Except for her sister's murder, which she painfully struggles to remember and "solve". As a police officer, her memory also helps her "solve" other murders. 

Carrie's memory plays a prominent role in this show. Indeed, the plot is constructed around her memory. The show is subversive just in that it prioritizes a woman's memory, a form of knowledge that is not often considered "legitimate" in a world of "rational" men and positivist and post-positivist knowledge. Although Carrie's fascinating role may essentialize women; making white women's experiences stand in for ALL women's experiences, it also portrays Carrie in a complex, three-dimensional way. Poppy does not fall into, as Anita Sarkeesian states here, the "usual pit falls for 'strong women characters' by not playing the tough, badass, tortured, pessimistic, misanthropic woman."

All in all, there are problems with this show that are most definitely worth acknowledging. But that doesn't mean that it can't also be incredibly subversive, too. What do you think? Also, I want to note that there is NO good trailer for this show. Notice how it's her male  "sidekick" that tells her she's good and that her memory is "legitimate"?

Photo Shoot Fun

Here are the results from our photo shoot last Thursday. Do you like them? I'm really happy with them! There were so many to chose from but we were only able to chose 8. I like these ones because they reflect how happy and playful we were during our time there, in the studio of Shaun Simpson Digital Photography. Anyway, I hope you enjoy these! 

Today is a busy day for me! I really hope to get some serious reading for school done, and I have to get out of the house to do it. Wish me luck!

17 days until Christmas!