Let's Talk

Hi guys, this post isn't going to be beauty or style related but I feel it's probably the most important post I will write on here. This post is also really hard for me to write but today is the perfect day to talk about it. So, Let's Talk.

If anyone knows me, they know I'm a bit of a worrier. Growing up I just thought I had a tendency to worry about a lot of things and take things very seriously. I just thought it was part of who I was and that I could eventually grow out of it. But as I got older, I noticed that my worrying intensified. It was like no matter what I did I felt uneasy or anxious about it. I shaked the feelings off and continued to blame it on me being silly and worrying too much.

One day, last year, I was reading a blog post from one of my favourite bloggers/YouTubers, Zoella. She was talking about how she suffered from panic and anxiety attacks. She was listing all of her symptoms and I identified with almost all of them. That was when I began to realize that maybe the uneasiness I felt so often could be something more. Maybe I had anxiety. 

While this was going on, I had something more coming my way. Every one who knows me knows I am a very emotional person. I can cry over the stupidest things, everything makes me cry. Earlier, I thought this was hilarious and a little bit embarrassing. But once again, I thought that was just who I was. As I got older, I would have moments of intense sadness. I just thought it was hormones or I was being too emotional. I remember one day over Christmas break in 2011, I spent an entire day in my bed just crying for no reason. I couldn't understand what was wrong with me so I just ignored it. This should've been a red flag for what was about to come a year later.

In October of last year, I began to start feeling really sad. I would think of the worst possible things and it would make me even more sad, to the point where I would force myself to sleep just so I could escape my own thoughts. I kept thinking I was going crazy because I hadn't felt happy in months. Normally, I am a very happy person and it felt like no matter what I did, I couldn't be happy. Then for two weeks in December I hit a breaking point. Every day I locked myself in my room, cried, slept, and tried to stomach a piece of fruit. It was then that I had to finally talk to my parents about what was going on because they started to notice my unusual habits. My mom decided to call a therapy group that she uses through her work benefits. I was set up for an appointment to speak with a therapist about what was going on with me. I was terrified because I had a feeling I knew what they were going to tell me but I didn't want to hear it.

I met with the therapist and after a week, we met up again and she told me what was going on. I was depressed and had just experienced a manic depressive episode. This meant I had depression. I knew she was going to tell me that and I wasn't ready to hear that I could be depressed. I always thought people with depression were always sad, would inflict pain upon themselves to feel better and feel suicidal (two things I didn't do nor did I want to). I was, also, scared of being labelled crazy and then someone would give me pills to calm me down. 

I learnt that depression is really just a chemical imbalance in the brain. Every one experiences depression, just some experience it more than others. I, also, learnt that it made me feel a lot better when I talked to someone about how I was feeling. It felt like my parents couldn't understand how I was feeling and they would tell me to "let it go". My therapist listens to me and helps me to deal with days when I am feeling down and doesn't always ask me about my bad days, but mostly my good days. Also, I found out that a lot more suffer from depression than I thought. Even people close to me. It made me feel better that I had more people that I could go to to talk about how I this and they would understand.

So, the point of this post is to raise awareness. Today is Bell Let's Talk Day. Bell donates 5 cents to mental health awareness for every text sent through the Bell network and for every tweet that has #BellLetsTalk in it. I knew this day was important for others but it is really important for me as of recently. An important thing you can take away from this campaign is that EVERYONE is affected by mental health issues. There shouldn't be a stigma around it where no one takes it seriously enough or don't understand how mental illness happens.

The most important thing you can take away from all this is to TALK. Talk to someone if you're unsure of how mental health affects you or others around you. Talk to someone if you don't understand mental illness. Talk to someone if you start feeling something different than what you're normally feeling. If any of you just need to talk to someone, I am always here. You can tweet me, send me a message on Tumblr or you can message me on here. I am here to listen.

Does this look like someone who suffers from a mental illness? Educate yourselves and become more aware of mental health. Don't be so quick to judge. 

Thank you for reading :) New beauty post is coming next week! 

Love you all to the moon and back,

Rachel xo

Christmas & Boxing Week Haul

Hi lovelys!

Hope everyone had an amazing Christmas! I definitely did. Got to spend time with my family and eat lots of yummy food so I'm pretty happy :) I was spoiled this year and got a lot of great gifts from my family. I, also, spoiled myself with some Boxing Week shopping. Thought I'd show you some of the stuff I got!

Beauty

Essie Nail Polishes in Sew Psyched and Mink Muffs. OPI Nail Polish in OPI Ink

Perfume Sampler with Lady Million, Prada Candy, Lacoste Love of Pink, Burberry Body, Ralph Lauren Big Pony #2, Wonderstruck, Donna Karan Cashmere Mist, Givenchy Very Irresistible, Viva La Juicy La Fleur, and Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue

So far my favourites from the sampler are Prada Candy and Big Pony #2.

Givenchy Roller Perfume Samples in Very Irresistible L'Intense, Hot Couture, and Very Irresistible

Crown Brush 10 Piece Pink Syntho Set from HauteLook

Clothes

Striped Cardigan from Forever21

Leopard Print Cardigan from Forever21 (Look familiar? Haha)

Cross Print Cardigan from Forever21

Heart Pattern Wool Sweater from Forever21

Floral Print Pant from Forever 21 (Another familiar item hehe!)

Peter Pan Embellished Collar Dress from Forever21

Peplum Embellished Collar Top from Forever21

Peter Pan Embellished Collar Sleeveless Dress from Forever 21 (Very Breakfast at Tiffany's right?!)

Embellished Long Sleeve Collared Shirt from Forever 21

Wilfred Free TShirt from Aritizia

So, there's my haul from Christmas and Boxing Week! I hope I inspire some of you to go and pick these items up for yourself :) Comment down below with some of the presents you got or any questions you have for me. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter and Tumblr :) Also, I'll have a beauty review of the beauty products from Lush and Sephora I received for Christmas so look out for that!

I may not be updating for a bit because I'm going to visit my friends in Quebec City for New Years and for my friend, Roxie's birthday :) Hope everyone has a great New Years and all the best for 2013!

Rachel xo

All I Want For Christmas...

Hi everyone!
 I'm so sorry I've been away for over a month. I was really busy with school (I had four assignments going on at once plus midterms gah!) and I had some personal issues going on so that's why I haven't updated in so long but I'm back now! I thought I'd let you guys know some items that are on my Christmas wishlist in case you need ideas for Boxing Day sales, last minute Christmas shopping or for next year :)

Floral Print Pants

Not going to lie, I was not a fan of the floral print pant trend when it was around about a year ago because most of the items I saw looked gaudy or like a couch I'd see at my Grandma's house. But recently, the prints have become more wearable and I've become obsessed with this trend. You can wear this print during the winter season, you just need to match it with colours that are in style (so darks or jewel toned). I prefer to toughen up the look by wearing it combat boots with an oversized sweater.

Peter Pan Collar Shirts

I have been waiting for this trend to blow up in North America since seeing so many beauty bloggers and gurus from the UK wear these shirts. I am loving this trend because it's so classy and cute. If you want to make a look a little more girly, this is the go-to item! Wearing this with a top bun would make this look more classic and chic.

Oversized Cardigan

There is nothing easier than throwing on a cardigan over a simple looking outfit to make it pop a bit more. I am particularly lazy when it comes to dressing for school so cardigans with a cool print are just so easy to throw and complete a look. Also, they're very cozy and warm for those cold Canadian winters.

Glossybox Subscription

I heard that Glossybox was coming to Canada in the summer and it quickly became the first thing to go on my Christmas list. It costs $21 a month, you get a box mailed to you every month and it's filled with some high end beauty goodies. If you're big on beauty products and trying new ones out then this a perfect gift! 

Lush Products

Lush is my current obsession. Every thing in that store smells amazing, is good for you, and is vegan! I have heard some wonderful things about Lush and have wanted to try some of their products out. My must have items are Cosmetic Warrior Fresh Face Mask, Rub Rub Rub Scrubby Sea Salt and Mimosa Shower Wash, Dream Cream, Vanilla Puff Powder, and Dirty Body Spray. I will post a review of all the products when or if I receive them for Christmas.

So, there is a list of some of my most wanted items on my Christmas wish list. I hope it gave some of you ideas for next year, Christmas gifts for others, or things you'd like to buy for yourself! I will posting a haul from Christmas and a review of the beauty products I will receive. Thank you for reading and comment down below on some items that you asked for for Christmas! 

Merry Christmas :)

Rachel xo

Review: Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream

Hello lovelies! 

I have my first beauty related post for you and it's going to be a review of the Garnier BB Cream (as you can tell by the title of this post)! I've been on the fence about using BB creams because I am so used to wearing foundation and wasn't sure how the coverage of a BB cream would be. I, also, have very sensitive skin and have had problems with different foundations/tinted moisturizers because they make me break out like crazy. I decided to try out this BB cream because it was the most recommended and I wanted a change from having to wear foundation to school every day because it got very tedious. 

Overall, I am very impressed with this product. I did notice a difference I had applied it to my skin. I usually have redness if I don't wear any kind of foundation and I'm a bit blotchy too but as soon as I applied to my face and blended it in, I noticed my complexion got smoother and was more evenly toned. It looked like I was wearing foundation, but there wasn't the heaviness you can feel. It went on like a moisturizer and left my skin feeling soft and light.

The best part about BB creams is that they're good for your skin and this brand is especially made to make your skin even better. Garnier says that the Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector is meant to renew radiance, brighten your complexion, even your skin tone and blur imperfections, hydrate for 24 hours, and protects against dryness and environmental factors. I suffer from really dry skin and I found that it kept my face hydrated all day. I haven't seen any radiance or brighter complexion but if I continue using it, I am expecting it to do this over time.

 So, if you're looking into using BB creams, I would definitely recommend this one. It is a little pricier than the other creams available but I will continue to splurge on this because the results are pretty fantastic. Hopefully I helped some of you if you're debating on whether or not to start using BB creams.

Also, I am VERY sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I've had a lot of midterms and papers due recently and I'm hoping to get back into posting more as I don't have anything due until December. Thank you for sticking with me and reading my posts. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter and Tumblr :) 

Rachel xo

Outfit of the Day & Haul: Toronto Edition

Happy Monday everyone! Yesterday, I went to Toronto for the day because I went to see Ellie Goulding in concert. If you don't know who Ellie Goulding is, she is a synth-pop singer from the UK who recently released her sophomore album, Halycon last week. She recently has become "big" in North America with her song, "Lights". I definitely recommend giving her a listen. 

Anyway, the concert was amazing. Nightbox (one of my favourite bands) opened for her and they definitely amped up the crowd before Ellie came on. Ellie, herself, knows how to perform and give a great show. She was fabulous and I'm really happy I went. Unfortunately, I have only crappy pictures of the show that I took on my Blackberry because I was not allowed to bring in my camera since it was considered "professional".

But before the concert happened, I spent the day with my three friends in Toronto. My goal was to hit up Queen Street since I never get a chance to check it out whenever I go because I usually just go to the Eaton Center, but this time I got to go! I didn't really find anything that I was willing to buy (mostly because I had spent enough already) but I was happy I went to check it out because I fell in love with the area, itself. 

My outfit for the day

Jacket: Forever 21, Skull Back Top: Brandy Melville, Disco Pants: American Apparel

Combat Boots: Globo Shoes

Bowler Hat: Urban Outfitters

Now let's get on with the haul! I had made a trip to Toronto in the summer with my parents and I saw that Topshop and Topman were being sold at The Bay. Then, I heard that they were expanding the brands into whole sections of the store and as luck would have, the expansion was done a week before my day-trip and I got to check out the new Topshop and Topman areas. The design of the store gives off this really hip and cool vibe and the clothes definitely match. Also, the employees are very helpful and friendly. I spoke with two employees, one said I had the "Topshop look" which basically made my entire day and the other just talked to my friend and I and asked how our experience was. Overall, a very good experience that ended in myself purchasing two items (how could I not?). 

Jersey dress $46

Jersey high low top $26

My next purchases were from MAC. I've been on a search for a darker, almost black, red lipstick because I'm really into the vampy look for fall/winter and I knew MAC would be able to help me. The girl who helped me was amazing. She knew exactly what I was looking for and even showed me a few tips and tricks to perfect the vampy lip look. 

Satin Lipstick in Media

Prep+Prime for Lips

Lip Pencil in Nightmoth

Thanks, again, for checking out my blog! I really appreciate it and I love reading the comments you guys leave for me! Don't forget, you can follow me on Twitter and Tumblr! 

Rachel xo

Fall Favourites

Happy Thanksgiving everyone (or everyone from Canada)! In my books, this is the true beginning of fall and as the season is upon us, it's time to switch up our summer wardrobe and bring out the layers and try out some new colours schemes. So, here is my list of what my fall favourites or essentials are for this year.

Jewel Toned Jeans

Last season, primary colours were in for the summer and fall. This season, it's all about the jewel tones. I am obsessed with maroon, emerald, and amethyst tone jeans. I recently picked up maroon skinnies (for a mere $20 which I am VERY happy about) and I can't wait to dress them up with a chiffon top or button down and dress them down with a chunky grey sweater and military jacket.

Utility/Military Jacket

 

These jackets have been in style since last fall and it doesn't seem like they're going anywhere for a while. I wear my utility jacket almost everyday. You can pair it jeans, leggings, a leather skirt... Pretty much anything! It's probably the most versatile piece in your wardrobe for fall and the beginning of winter. 

Combat Boots

Combat boots are my biggest essential for any season, but especially for fall and winter. If you want to toughen up a look, these are the first things you should think of and they totally make you look like a bad ass. You can wear them with any type of bottom and still look good.

Beanies

If you're like me and you have a bad hair day 99% of the time, hats are a must own. And as the air around us gets chillier, beanies are my go to for those days when your hair just needs to be hidden. You can pair beanies with anything to dress down your look.

Denim Shirt

Denim shirts have always been in style (anyone heard of a Canadian tuxedo? Haha), but the way they are styled has changed. I am huge fan of denim shirts that are studded, buttoned up to the collar, and tucked into high-waisted pants or a leather skirt. If you want to make the look a little more schoolboy-esque, add a bowtie. Plain denim shirts are good as an extra layer. You can wear it with a graphic, plain or striped tee and black jeans, pants or leggings. 

Disco Pants

I recently have purchased these and I am already obsessed with them. They hug you in all the right places and make your butt and legs look amazing. But the best thing about disco pants are that they are extremely versatile. You can dress them down with a crop top, jacket and combat boots or you can dress them up with a tucked in button up and sandal wedges. They are quite pricey but I highly recommend spending the money on them because you will want to wear them with everything.

So there are some of my favourite fall items for this season. I hope I can inspire some of you to try them out for yourself! Thanks for checking out my blog and don't forget to comment down below :) Also, you can follow me on Twitter and Tumblr (links at the top of the page). Next post, I will have an outfit of the day and haul from my trip to Toronto for the Ellie Goulding concert this Sunday! Hope you all have a wonderful week.

Photos used are from Forever21 and Polyvore.