Month: July 2018

Introspection & Appreciating What You Have

July 30, 2018

Good morning! I hope you enjoyed your weekend. We had friends visiting this past week and it was nice to catch up and spend some time together. This made me realize that sometimes we do get cut up in our routine and forget to follow up with friends. We don’t realize how long it’s been until we look back. It made me reflect on a general note on things we have every day but maybe don’t appreciate justly.

Friendship

There are a few people in my life that became great friends and still are part of my life. I will be honest, we don’t talk every day nor every season actually but that does not mean we are no longer friends. When we do catch up, it is like no time has passed at all and we just update each other on our lives, dreams and goals. I still meet new people and make new friends and some are getting regular updates on my life because of their proximity (I mean it in a geographical/physical sense). Although they might be more up to speed on a few things, true friendship will sustain to test of time and proximity even when we don’t talk every day. Also, the older we get the fewer friends we have but the closer we get. Find people that feel like family and cherish your true friendship.

Relationship

This one is something I try to work on. We spend so much time around our spouse that we sometimes forget all the little things they do for us on a daily basis. They also need to be appreciated and recognized for their part in our lives. There will be some big romantic gestures throughout our lives but to me, the most meaningful things are the daily attention and help I get. It is the «I love you», «I made this for you», «I know you had a hard day so I did X», etc. Find someone that will make you laugh and will join you on adventures.

Career

Having a career is not for everyone or even everyone’s dream but for me I truly enjoy it. I enjoy the people I work with and the daily tasks I do. We do live in a world that encourages money over many things. Don’t give me wrong, money is a great way to accomplish and realize some goals but it should not be the end goal. I also accept that we have bills to pay and we need to eat. I choose to do something I enjoy so that every day would not feel like a choir but would be enjoyable. It is not always rainbows and unicorns. Some days are hard and some days are really fun. I believe it is all part of the experience and allow us to learn and grow. Find something you enjoy and can pay the bills.

Things

I intentionally put this last because it should be. It is nice to have nice things in our nice home with a nice car in the driveway but all this should never come before your tribe, your relationship and your main occupation. I prefer to see them as treats I get to enjoy in due time. There are many things I would like to own or replace current possessions. I am not very patient and would like to skip the process for certain things but I try my best to remind myself of where I started, how far I have come and how fortunate I am to have what I have.

I hope you enjoyed this little reflection and this encourages you to do some introspection. You might not realize how fortunate you are until you look around. We compare ourselves with others and wish we could change some aspects of our lives. Please share in the comments below what you are thankful for. As usual, please subscribe to receive a notification every time I post on the blog. You can also keep in touch via my social media (see the top menu). I hope you find some joy and positivity in this reflection. I look forward to seeing you again on my blog and wish you all the best for the coming week.

Finding a routine

July 27, 2018

Good morning lovely readers! I hope your morning is off to a good start (or whatever part of the day you might find yourselves in). My mornings are so early and rushed that I am not quite awake for parts of my routine. I have not yet found the perfect routine but it does help me go through my mornings prepared and do things that need to get done. For the past few weeks, I have played around with my routine to create new habits and include healthy changes. It is not perfect but by changing only one habit at a time I can adapt and adjust before feeling overwhelmed or regressing to old habits. So today I will share with you some of my habits, some of the changes I would like to make, some of my fitness/health habits I would like to create and what my morning and evening routines look like.

Habits

It is always changing and evolving but currently, my few habits I try to do every day is working out in the morning, eat breakfast, pack a lunch, and take a coffee at work while on social media before work. I am not a very nice morning person (ask anyone who talked to me before coffee) but I do enjoy starting my day early, which is paradoxical. Some habits I have in the evening is changing when I get home for comfy clothes (I do work in an office), make dinner, look around Instagram, write for the blog, occasionally watch Netflix (less in the summer), and some beauty treats like baths, masks or home manicures.

Change

My plan is to start preparing my gym bag the night before with my clothes for work, beauty care and towels. I currently do it in the morning and did forget things a few times (like a bra, yeah!). I also want to start rotating beauty products to empty all the travel size products I have in the bathroom at the moment. It might take some time but it will also make me test drive some more high-end products. For the evening, I would like to create a better night routine before bed. I would like to make dinner and relax after a day at work before working again (on the blog this time). I need to adjust my screen time with YouTube videos and writing for the blog before bed. As you might know, I am a big fan of Audible and love listening to books while doing cardio at the gym. So, the plan is to listen to Audible before bed instead of YouTube or social media. What are the things you would like to change in your routine (include or subtract)?

Fitness

Another big change I tried to bring back to my routine is yoga. I use to do it every week and I don’t remember why I stopped. My issue at the moment is to find the time of day to incorporate it. As a adjust my day to various activities and friends, I am considering using the Fitbit app for yoga or YouTube videos (Yoga with Adriene) while at the gym. This will be new because I now have wireless headphones (yeah!). Another addition to my workout routine, which is alternate weight and cardio 4 times a week, I would like to add HIIT. Do you guys have any recommendations? Either on YouTube or other.

Morning

So, in the morning I wake up around 5:30am and actually get out of bed around 5:45am. The cat is very excited to see people so I pet him for a while and we cuddle before I change into my workout gear. The next step is to prepare breakfast and lunch. We are on a health journey so it usually is a smoothie (PB&J are my favourite at the moment) and a spinach salad with chicken. I may include some fruits as snacks because I do enjoy sweets. Usually, this will take until 6:30am which is the time we have to leave the house for work.

Evening

I finish work around 5pm and there isn’t much traffic getting home at the moment. We will start cooking dinner around 6-6:30pm and dinner vary between vegetarian, heavy carbs or meat. It depends what we have on hand and how the weather is like (we enjoy barbequing). I will watch some YouTube videos, sometimes an episode of a TV show, and I try to write a little every day for the blog to create great content for you twice a week. After all that is done, it will be around 9pm and I will start to get ready for bed with a shower/bath and some more YouTube videos.

It doesn’t matter the time of day, we all do things in a certain order, even when we don’t realize it. That is why finding a routine is so easy, it just happens a day at a time. Finding the routine you want is a whole other story. You have to be mindful and change your habits with intention. I use to view routines as a “set in stone ritual” but now I see it as ever changing habits reflecting my progression, style and goals. I slowly improve my routine to get is where I would like to be by changing one habit at a time. I am curious to read what is your current routine morning or night. How do you fit health in your day to day life? Also, if you like the content, please subscribe to know when new content becomes available or follow me on social media, links are available at the top of the page. Please leave a comment in the section below. I really enjoy reading and answering you. I hope to see you again on the blog and wish you a very good day.

What being an ethical or sustainable fashion shopper means

July 23, 2018

Good morning reader! I hope your day is going great. Lately, I have been reflecting on fashion as I continue this transition to a more conscious living. I have changed some of the products I use in my beauty routine for more natural ones but just started to touch on fashion. You see, I didn’t really need any new items for neither the winter or summer. I am trying to use what is there or buy used, as you probably saw in my spring/summer haul. You might know this but there is a difference between ethical fashion and sustainable fashion. I was amazed when I learned that difference while watching The Green Closet’s videos on her YouTube Channel (link). This started a reflexion on fashion and my conscious way of life. Eventually, I would like my wardrobe to be both ethical and sustainable but in the meantime, I would focus on sustainability.

Ethical Fashion

This type of fashion looks at how the clothing was made; e.g. organic cotton, locally made, workers were fairly compensated for the work, etc. There are lots of brands making ethical clothing and accessories from vegan leather which would fall under this category in my opinion. It is a way to support good commercial and business practices from around the world. When shopping ethically, you want to look at who made it, where was it made, what is it made of and the positive impact of the purchase as sometimes they will support local or community programs. I see more and more companies promoting products ethically made. It means you still purchase new items but make a conscious effort to search how it was made.

Sustainable Fashion

This is thinking about fashion with the environment and time in mind. When purchasing sustainably, you look for a piece you will wear for years and the quality will make it last. Also, you might consider the cleaning of the garment in this type of fashion because of the environmental impact of taking care of the fabric but also to help to keep it in good condition for a long time. Thrift stores are a very popular way to shop sustainably. You can find great quality products made of easy to care for fabric. You want to make sure it fits in your wardrobe and keep in mind the possible uses of the fabric when it becomes unwearable. (1)

Which kind of shopper are you: ethical or sustainable? Are you a mix of both? What are your favourite brands? Please share in the comments below. Also, don’t forget to like the post and follow me on my social media for more inspiration. I wish you a very good day and hope to see you back on the blog soon.

References

(1) Foundation of a sustainable wardrobe – My Green Closet

What does the green « clean at Sephora » sticker mean?

July 20, 2018

Today, I had a whole other post for you guys but my heart wanted to discuss this really nice thing at Sephora that was launch at the beginning of the summer. This is not a sponsored post, although that would be so cool. I wanted to share with you what I noticed a little while ago at Sephora Canada on their website. They added a green logo “clean at Sephora” to some of their product. I was so enthusiastic and excited that a big brand like theirs decided the promote natural beauty products. But what does the logo stands for? I did some research online and there is not a whole lot of information out there but here is what I found.

Ingredients

Customers have been asking for a while what ingredients are used in their beauty products. We become more aware of the armful effects of certain chemicals or synthetic ingredients. According to their website, they met with brands to discuss the contain of products sold at Sephora. The main aspect of this campaign is to help customer find brands and beauty products free of the following ingredients, which will eventually grow:

“Sulfates SLS and SLES, parabens, formaldehydes, formaldehyde-releasing agents, phthalates, mineral oil, retinyl palmitate, oxybenzone, coal tar, hydroquinone, triclosan, and triclocarban. “(1)

This is great news! As you know, I really enjoyed the brand Beauty Counter which has a similar concept to avoir certain ingredients in their products.

Brands

I was happy surprised to see so many brands appear in the various categories. There were some that I already knew about; Indie Lee, Tata Harper, Boscia, Tatcha, Origins, Drunk Elephant, and Caudalie. I also discovered brands I have never heard of like Coola, Biossance, Consonant, Ren Clean Skincare, Herbivore and Youth to the People. There are many more on their website.

I am curious to see if any of you notice this new sticker on some of their products. Did it influence your purchase? Will you go and have a look at their website? Please leave comments below and don’t forget to like the post if you like the content and would like to read more. I hope to see you on the blog soon and wish you a very good day.

References

(1) Sephora

(2) Review by Well+Good

How simplifying can make you feel more productive

July 16, 2018

Have you ever notice how much time you have in a day if you are not cleaning, organizing, putting things away, doing dishes, making lists and washing clothes? Simplifying or downsizing is not an easy process nor a short one. We get attached to objects because of the memory or the feeling they give us when we look at them. It is bittersweet to let them go but it is freeing. Have you tried to look at how you spend every minute of every day? Have you dreamed of having a very productive day or simply more time in a day? It seems we all strive for productivity and efficiency lately. It is everywhere and everyone wants to do more in less time. Simplifying can make you feel more productive but it comes down to how you decide to spend your time rather than deleting everything off your schedule. I noticed it comes down to how you see tasks and your time.

Decluttering

Having less clutter in our life (material or other) can help us in our day to day tasks. Your mind is a wonderful organ and can do so much, sometimes at the same time. That being said, people have noticed a difference in their mindset, behaviour and emotions after decluttering the physical things in their house. They feel free, less stressed, have a better mood, feel like they have more time for other things and do more with their time. If you ask me to explain how it is possible, I have no idea but let me tell you that I do want less stress, to be happier and enjoy more time in my days. A big plus in my opinion is if you have fewer things and less space you will have less to take care of, like cleaning and organizing.

Time management

I see everywhere people offering courses online or blog post about being more productive or doing more or being more efficient and as much as I get attracted to all those terms, I try to remember that I choose how I spend my days. Those days will become weeks than months than years and eventually, my life. The way I spend each day reflects my priorities and what I value (money vs time vs values). I strive for productivity when I can and relax when I can by finding balance and listening to my mind and body.

The way I do time management is not in days because to me it is too little time. I use the app productive to help me (remind me) with little day to day things I would like to accomplish every day/week, e.g. drinking water, meal prep, yoga, meditation, going for walks, blogging, etc. Those things are important to me because they make my days smoother but also makes me feel better. I get into my work and forget the time and miss those little things which is why that productivity app helps greatly. I like to have those silent reminders. I use Sundays to plan my week ahead of time and block time for certain things with deadlines than I leave the rest on a list and up in the air but they need to be done by the end of the week. That way, it leaves me with the opportunity to adjust when a day at work is particularly busy or if an invitation comes up or if we choose to go out one night.

Simplify

It is so easy to get overwhelmed with everything you want to do and accomplish in one day that you miss the big picture and opportunities. I am not suggesting to be lazy here or delegate to others. I would like you to simplify your to-do list by priorities. Remember that you choose how you spend your days and what you do with your time. Make sure the urgent/important tasks are done first. Spread your little tasks throughout the week, e.g. laundry on Sunday, clean the kitchen on Monday, clean the living room on Tuesday, vacuum on Wednesday, etc. There are charts you can find online with 4 squares of priority. Another way to simplify would be to do a complete master list of everything you want to do, no matter when or how. You keep that list nearby at all times (I recommend using a digital list – Evernote is great for that) and whenever you get a 5-10 minute you pick something to do from that list. However you decide to organize your list, make it as simple as possible for you to tackle it. If it is simple, you are more likely to do it.

Also, if you decide to transition to minimalism or simple living, you will own fewer things. Therefore you will need to clean less because you have less to clean. If you decide to be more environment-friendly, you will replace single-use items with reusable ones. As a result, you will have less trash but maybe more dishes to do. You feel more productive because there is generally less to do. Your mind can rest without having to think of the next thing to do or remind you of upcoming events.

In my opinion, it doesn’t matter how you decide to approach it, being a minimalist, conscious shopper and environment-oriented person allows you to clean less, have fewer things and produce less garbage. This gives you a new perspective on your life and your time which consequently makes you feel more productive. You value your time differently and in line with what brings you joy. Don’t give me wrong here, I still work for a living and I still do clean my house even if those things don’t bring me as much joy as other things. Some things just need to get done.

How did you simplify your life? Do you understand what I mean by more productive? Tell me more about your simple conscious life and how your transition affected your day to day routine. As always, please don’t forget to subscribe, follow me on Twitter, IG or on my Facebook page (all links in the top right). I hope you will be back on the blog soon and wish you a very good productive week ahead.

Finding alternatives

July 13, 2018

We are very fortunate to live in an era so connected with communities all over the world. Travelling is easily accessible, although sometimes pricey. We have the freedom to explore and discover the world around us and its various cultures. It offers so many ways to live, think and act which we decide what best suits us and our lifestyle. The great thing about all this is that we can be different from our neighbours, we have access to alternatives way of life. We can be part of a community of like-minded people from all over the world. We are free to try a new way of life and explore the possibilities. You can be part of one or more below group/movement and it will be different for everyone. Today we explore some alternatives I discovered over the months and see what they are all about.

Eco-friendly/zero-waste

Most people nowadays know about the impact we have on the environment and how we should limit it to a minimum. The interesting thing for this category is the zero-waste movement. So this movement started a few years ago and their goal is to produce close to zero waste from everything they consume (food, clothing, packaging, home, etc.). It is very interesting to read about it because you discover ways to reduce your current waste. For me, this was true especially for food waste (compost, food going bad), clothing and recycling. I did not know we needed to clean most of the plastic we put in the bin and be mindful to not contaminate plastic, paper and others.

They also promote the use of a reusable or compostable product such as coffee mugs, water bottle, metal straws, silicone bags, silicone muffin cup, etc., rather than a single-use or plastic item.

If this is something that interests you, you might want to have a look at some of these books on Goodreads. Also, they prone a membership to the library rather than purchasing books, just FYI.

Socially responsible

This movement is so inspiring and full of hope. They encourage business and corporation to use sustainable and ethical business practices, such as fair paid work, encourage local farmers/markets and businesses. It promotes the support of equal rights, fair pay, lower environmental impact, encourages community spirit and fights against human trafficking, injustice and big profit corporation to invest in people. Some business owners help homeless or youth with job opportunities and trade qualification or help rehabilitation of people who suffered hardship by offering a safe place and working skills to help them back into the world. Other businesses offer some of the proceed of their sales to causes in their community. They also provide alternatives to the classic “one season $5 t-shirt” for a long term addition to your wardrobe.

If this is of interest to you, I encourage you to check the socially conscious woman group on Facebook or do some research in your area (my Instagram also has lots of businesses you can discover).

Frugal living

This movement picked up around the 2008 crash in the US. Our grandparents’ generation were also big on saving or “stretching your dollar as far as you can”. The main goal is to save money and make the most out of it. I enjoy this movement because it promotes experiences and time rather than money and gifts. It encourages creativity to use what you already have and appreciate it. This ties in with the environment group above very easily because you don’t want to waste your hard-earned money, especially with single-use items. It teaches to recognize quality over quantity and multi-purpose tools. One of the main things I love about it is the learn to live within your means and think about the future while appreciating the present. It really makes you think outside the box. Inspiration for almost anything you want to do with what you have can be found on Pinterest.

There are so many blogs and books out there on this subject so I recommend you look around. You will find your niche and community of like-minded people to share and get inspired.

Simple living/Simplicity/Minimalist

This follows quite nicely with the previous movement because of frugality comes simplicity. There is no point to possess things and store them everywhere if you don’t use them. Here there are various levels of simple living all the way to minimalism. This also includes a capsule wardrobe, a tiny house and the art of minimalism. I have to say this is so intriguing and I am very curious to read more about this. The main blog/postcast on this is The Minimalists. The main objective is to live with only what you need, use and love, nothing more and nothing less. I probably need to devote more time to clear the house of unused and unwanted things but the more I declutter the better a feel. This is discussed in further details on their blog. I highly recommend it.

If this is of interest to you, I might recommend you declutter responsibly and donate what can be donated, reuse, repurpose, and all the other “re” before using the trash.

Sustainable Fashion

This is very much like socially responsible and environment impact related but in the fashion industry. Sustainable fashion is more about making better use of our clothes already produced and making new clothes in an eco-friendly way. The best blog I discover on this topic is My Green Closet. She also has a YouTube channel. It makes you realize the impact of jean dye has on the environment as well as all the fabric in the landfills. When reading further on this, it makes you reflect on how you can change your consumer habits to encourage better fashion practices. She also lists brands and companies on her website.

Natural living (beauty)

I will focus on beauty for this one as it is what I mostly discovered but there are way more on this to be discovered. So this mindset or movement promotes the use of natural ingredient or as close as possible to their natural state in beauty products. It recommends avoiding certain chemicals that might have harmful effects on our bodies. I discovered so many chemicals were in my daily products while using the Think Dirty app. This is mostly what inspired me to make changes in the products I use every day. I have to give the warning that not everything is harmful and not everything in nature is better. I always will recommend research to base your own decision on what you want to use on your skin. Some active ingredient are chemicals because they are not found in nature but have no harmful effect on our bodies. Simply be aware and careful when purchasing new products. With that being said, I noticed a difference with my skin since I started to transition away from traditional brands for one using natural ingredients in a positive way.

This movement can also be applied in what you eat and medicine you use. This is how I discovered essential oils and their impact on the human body. I’m not saying it replaces everything but as the title says it offers alternatives.

Modern worker (remote/from home/4 hours work week)

This is so popular at the moment and gaining momentum. People of the Millennial generation want to invest their time in experiences, travel and culture. Therefore, they want their options open and companies slowly adapt. There are nowadays jobs to work remotely for companies anywhere in the world, work only 4 days a week but more hours, work from home, work 3 years full-time and have the 4th year off (this mostly means 1/3 of your salary is taken for 3 years and it is how you are paid the 4th year); the possibilities are almost endless. You can freelance some work or start your own business or create content on YouTube or social media. Modern jobs differing from the classic 8am-4pm or 9am-5pm are taking over the job market. I also see so many people creating amazing small businesses and doing very well after a few years of hard work. You can sometimes find jobs where you work 9-5 but have the option to work from home on occasion. This would probably be my dream come true and the best of both world in my opinion.

Did you know about all the different movements, ideologies and trends? Which one did you discover? Which one would you like to try? Share in the comments below or on social media. I love to read you and get the conversation going. As usual, don’t forget to subscribe, join our Facebook page and follow me on Instagram. I try to post regularly and love to take you with me on some of my early morning gym sessions. I hope to see you on the blog soon and wish you a very good day.

Things I have not yet converted to ethical or natural

July 9, 2018

There are a few things I did not let go of in the transition to ethical, sustainable and natural living. It is not because there are no alternatives or that it is too expensive. Just like we keep things without using them just in case or that cute top with all the memories, I am not ready to let them go and I accept the fact that it is not aligned with the rest of my transition. The other reason I have not let go of some things yet is that I am not there yet to make the change or I accepted it would take me longer to get there.

1. Hair colour

I love colouring my hair and changing it with the season. I tend to go lighter in the summer and colour them darker in the winter. I also like to plan with the cut and styles. There are hair colour dye alternatives out there but they require much more time than traditional chemical way. I have come to terms with this and accept that it might be a thing I will not change for a more natural way.

2. Nail polish

Those were mostly gifted to me and I intend to use them all. I don’t colour my nails often and usually keep it for the summer. Because it is not something I regularly purchase, I don’t see why I would need to transition. If you know alternative brands using more natural ingredients, please leave them in comments below. I am curious to see what is on the market.

3. Cleaning products

There are so many great brands out there using natural ingredients and essential oils rather than the traditional chemical agents. The reason I have not transitioned yet is that I had stocked up so much on those products over the years that I have yet to need to purchase new one yet.

4. Food

We started to eat more fruits and vegetables with our daily meals and tried to limit the amount of meat consumed at every meal. We love to try new recipes and culinary trends like paleo, vegan, keto, gluten-free, vegetarian, etc. All that being said, we still enjoy meat and seafood every week and at the moment have no intention to cut it out completely out of our diet. Because we enjoy food so much and trying new culinary trends, we don’t really fit into a “diet” category but try to find a healthy balance including everything in moderation.

5. Kitchen appliances

As previously said, we enjoy cooking and food. Therefore with have a fair amount of small kitchen appliances we use, e.g. Kitchenaid Mixer, Crockpot, Instant Pot, Ninja blender/food processor, etc. I honestly don’t know if any brands out there offer alternatives and frankly will probably continue to purchase from those brands because it is part of what we use regularly. I don’t intend to replace any of them in the next 10 to 15 years and I highly regard those brand for the quality product they produce.

What are things you can imagine transferring to ethical, sustainable or natural option? What are the things you might consider? Please leave comments below or like if you enjoy the blog and the various posts. I hope you will visit again soon as there are 2 posts published every week so don’t forget to subscribe. I wish you all a very good week and look forward to reading your comments.

Favourite Youtube Channels – Minimalism and Ethical living

July 6, 2018

Good morning! How is your morning going? Don’t know if you are like me but I love vlogs and routine videos on YouTube. It almost takes up half or more of my time watching tv (ok, on my tablet but you get it). I subscribed to a lot of channels: fashion, minimalism, ethical living, beauty, and both in French and English. I admit it is all over the place because I have a wide range of interest. I like to watch channels other than ethical, natural and minimalist for inspiration. I enjoy fashion and beauty so I try to stay on top of current trends but I also look for alternatives. On that note, I want to share with you today my favourite channels and I will point out if they are about ethical and natural living themed. Please beware that some of them are not related to the theme of this blog but just things I like to watch for many reasons.

Pick up Lime – (M) 

Sadia is a Canadian nutritionist living in the Netherlands sharing her love for vegan food on her channel. She started it about a year ago and already has almost 950 000 subscribers. She mostly shares vegan recipes but touches minimalism, mindfulness, money and general healthy habits. She also has a blog with the same name.

Yoga with Adriene 

As you might know, I started the 30 days of yoga challenge following her videos on YouTube. She offers a wide range of yoga practice exercises. I really enjoy that they are only 30 minutes (most of them). I highly recommend trying one of her videos to experiment with yoga practice and explore the various poses.

HealthNut Nutrition 

Nikole offers healthy recipes on her blog and channel of the same name. She also shares her life in her weekly vlogs and routines. She posts a few times a week and promotes waste-free and eco-friendly products. It is very entertaining to watch and the recipes are great alternatives to change things up or try new things.

Vivre avec moins – (M)

Vicky is a French-Canadian living in Quebec. She started with her blog of the same name sharing her experience and transition to minimalism/simple living. She made the change after accumulating a high amount of debts and wanting to change. Her whole channel is in French but I find it interesting to discover minimalism and simple living. It gets judgy sometimes but great in general.

My Green Closet – (M)

In my humble opinion, Erin is the queen of ethical and sustainable fashion. I learned so much through her blog and channel. She explores alternatives in the fashion industry and shares her capsule wardrobe as well as advice. It is one of the first channels about minimalism and ethical fashion that I found and cannot get enough.

Exploring Alternatives – (M)

Mat and Danielle explore alternative ways of living, mostly tiny house. It is so interesting to discover and follow them touring the world and discovery the various alternatives people live in. It is inspiring to watch and I find myself wanting to make changes in my life as a result. They also touch on zero-waste living and minimalism.

Lydia Elise Millen 

This is probably the least minimalist or ethical channel of them all but I enjoy watching her so much. She gives the feeling of being someone very simple, happy and genuinely nice. Lydia started her blog a few years ago about high fashion and her fitness journey, which turn out to be most of what she did for a while. Now she mostly shares things she loves in high fashion, trends and vlogs on her channel. I love this channel because she gets my high fashion and trend facette a fix. It also inspires me to still enjoy that style but with alternative means (second-hand or ethical brands).

Which one of these blog/YouTube channels did you discover? How many did you know about? Which would you recommend I add to my list of subscriptions? Please leave all in the comments below. As usual, please don’t forget to subscribe, like and joy us on my Facebook page where I share more things I find on the web. I hope to see you again soon on the blog and which you the best of weekends. It was quite warm here the past few days so we will enjoy the mild weather this weekend.

Simple conscious living – accomplishment & goals

July 2, 2018

Hello everyone! Welcome back to my blog or welcome if you are new here. If you want to know more about me, please visit this page. I hope your week is off to a good start this Monday morning. We are now halfway through 2018 guys. It feels surreal to write this but it is true. July is just starting and there are another 6 months of surprises and potential ahead. Today I want to talk with you about new year’s resolutions and see how are we doing so far. I personally don’t do year resolutions because I lose focus and interest fairly fast so I do them every few months. It is just enough to get the habit going but short enough to still be excited about the positive change.

Beauty

Review

I discovered some amazing brands and products. It was so exciting to test them out and share that experience with you. I also met great people sharing their own brand with me. The overall review would be the change to more natural products for the following: moisturizer, toner, sunscreen (although I am not in love with one yet), makeup remover, primer, foundation, mascara, body scrub, and hair treatment (mostly oils).

Plans

My next steps will be to change deodorant, body wash, eyebrow pencil, body cream (I will make my own body butter), cleanser, shaving cream, and more. I discovered so many

Blog

Review

I am proud to finally have started this blog. It took a while to figure out and set a schedule that works for me but so glad I did. I touched a few subjects (ethical fashion, minimalism, a capsule wardrobe, natural beauty, etc.). It seems you guys are enjoying it since views keep growing and for that, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Plans

There are a few projects I am currently working on coming your way on top of the monthly favourites and the regular bi-weekly postings. If you would like to learn more about something or if you would like me to test things, please email me or comment below.

Fashion

Review

I have donated so many clothes and purged to create a work and casual wardrobe. I know more about my style now and what is comfortable for me to use on a daily basis. I only need to make laundry every 2 weeks now.

Plans

There is more to be done to downsize to get closer to a capsule wardrobe in the near future. My goal would be to have 2 sets (1 winter and 1 summer) with only pieces I wore daily for work or casual. I am missing some key piece but will continue to thrift to find them. I also started to use a website to find designer clothes at a discount that are second-hand. I will discuss my experience in more details in a future post.

Health/Fitness

Review

We decided this year to make health a priority and try to eat better (more fruits and vegetable every day). We added breakfast smoothies, salads for lunch and saved treats for special things (no longer in the house but is it treat when we purchase them on the go).

Plans

With a change in our schedule, I now workout in the mornings before work. I still need to set a program that fits my needs and goals to make the most out of my time. So far, I do some weight training and cardio. Let me know if you have any recommendations for fun training exercises.

Minimalism

Review

We started downsizing since we moved in together a few years back now. It is an ongoing process and we try to limit our possession to things that bring us join and serve a purpose. I also added more plants in the house because I enjoy the green but mostly they stay aline now. I don’t have a green thumb.

Plans

I would like us to only have what we need and use. Therefore this might change over the years and with our lifestyle. I don’t want to set something very strict in this category because I believe it is different for everyone and over time. I want to feel comfortable with what we have and not cluttered or limited.

Travels

Review

We both travelled a lot in the past years with Mexico, Australia and our last trip (Austria and Croatia). We also travelled locally and visited PEI and part of Nova Scotia.

Plans

We want to explore more of Nova Scotia (South and Cape Breton). We have a lot more countries on our bucket list to visit but we need to save and plan. I also want to bring you with us on hikes around town.

Conclusion

There you have it. A review of what I wanted to work on this year. It is not an exhaustive list but these were related to this blog. What were your resolutions for this year? Have you succeeded? Are you still working on some of them? What are your plans for the rest of the year? Share in the comments below or on the Facebook page. As usual, don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe if you like the content. Can’t wait to read you. I wish you a very good week and hope you will enjoy the nice warm weather we have planned.

June Favorites

July 1, 2018

Good morning everyone! And Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians. I hope you have lots of fun things planned for the day with your family and friends. I am meeting up with friends to spend the day and staying to watch the fireworks. I won’t keep you long today, I promise.

Beauty

Light daily makeup

I have not tried new beauty products I fell in love/liked this month. I still have a lot to use before I need to make new purchases, so please leave recommendations in the comments below. All that being said, I have been enjoying light makeup as the temperature rises. I mostly use the Nude by Nature foundation and Bare Minerals tinted moisturizer with some concealer, mascara and eyebrow pencil. It is very simple and easy/quick to do every day. If you want to know more about those products, I shared them in my monthly favourites (April or May)

Hydration & Moisture

Not sure if I am the only one but my skin and hair are drinking hydration/moisturizer product like no body’s business. They love it, drink it and ask for more. I try to give them as much as possible with masks, body cream, and moisturizer but they keep asking for more. Any suggestions?

Fashion

Thrift Find

I am still in love with the few pieces I shared on my thrift store finds (link here). I am loving the green shirt because it is so light and flowy. Another of my favourites are the dresses. It’s been a little cold in the morning here still but in the summer I love dresses and skirts as they make you look put together for work with minimum effort.

Lifestyle/Travel

30 Days Yoga Challenge with Adriene

I use to do yoga at least twice a week for years. It was a great way for me to exercise and relax while in college. I am not really sure why or exactly when I stopped a few years ago but I am so excited to bring it back into my daily life. I have been practicing irregularly for months now but on July 1st I will start this 30 days challenge. The great thing about it is that you receive emails from her with the daily routine but you can also find her on YouTube. She shares various types of routine and has over 3.6 million subscribers now. I highly recommend visiting her channel.

Meditation with Headspace

This is an app I discovered through a YouTuber and blogger. I first tried it with the basic pack and was very diligent with the practice for weeks. I fell off the wagon a few times but notice a difference when I do practice regularly. Therefore, I will add this practice to my daily yoga challenge.

Have you ever tried meditation or yoga? What are your favourites at the moment? Please share in the comments below. Don’t forget to subscribe to know every time I post on this blog with the link via the top left menu or join the Facebook page by clicking the link at the top right. I can also be found on Twitter and IG. I hope you enjoyed this monthly favourite if so don’t forget to like this post. I hope to see you back on the blog soon for more posts.

Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian readers and Happy 4th of July to all my readers from the USA.