Colds, Complaining and Carly's Voice

I'm lucky to have a cold.

A cold, (while it turns me into a miserable little child who just wants my mother to come to my apartment and make me stracciatella soup) reminds me that my immune system is slightly irritated and I need to take better care of myself. It also brings me down to a place where everything bad seems worse.

I recently read an article, "A New Voice for Autism" while sitting in my hair dresser's chair over the weekend and it made me change my perception of what it means to complain about "struggle."

The article is about an autistic girl named Carly and was written by her father who explained their family's journey and challenges with her condition. The article highlighted Carly's daily struggles with basic communication until she had a breakthrough while typing on a laptop.

It really resonated with me that when Carly finally found her "voice," she had this great desire to help other people. She believed that there were people out there that needed her kindness even though she was faced with her own grand challenges. She didn't seem to think negatively about her situation and ask for pity, instead she used her voice to be positive and educational. 

With relevance to my aforementioned cold, it is really easy to complain about our coughs and aches and pains. It takes nothing to moan about overcooked noodles, rude service, crappy weather and failed expectations. My social media feeds are half full of people bleating their mini "problems" to the world. But where does this get us?

While I can't say that I'll never complain about being sick (it does bring out the toddler in me) I am going to try and focus my energy on thinking of new ways to connect and help other people. I have many ideas but always seem to find excuses to make it work. After reading Carly's article, I no longer have any.

On another note, below is the latest mini-shoot from Stef. It was super quick and shot on the day of my birthday in the wee hours of the morning before work at a coffee shop. The shirt I'm wearing below I scooped up on my last trip to New York for $4.99 at a Salvation Army in Williamsburg. How pretentious and "hipster" does that sound?

Speaking of Williamsburg, I'm off to New York today for a PR-related trip in Manhattan and will be spending the rest of the weekend with Stef and some of our friends in Brooklyn!

Be back soon! xx

Note: this is a real phone call

Are you a Lippygirl?

While I adore my makeup bag like the next girl, I'm always on the lookout for natural and organic products. While I've changed my skincare routine to reduce my chemical consumption, I find it harder to find natural cosmetics.

I first heard about Lippygirl through Twitter when other tweeters were raving about this natural makeup company. Lippygirl was created by Darcey Diehl, a working mom from Vancouver who developed the line after she started re-evaluating the ingredients in her diet and cosmetics after she got pregnant. After I tweeted about my curiosity, Darcey was kind enough to send me over some samples to review.


Lippygirl's organic lipsticks are made with organic beeswax, natural oils, organic jojoba, grape and castor seed. They are hydrating and creamy (despite the notion that organic products wouldn't be as luxurious) and have some really cute names like "Mother Pucker and Home Wrecker." My favourite these days is the neutral shade aptly titled, "Nudist."

While the price tag may feel a tiny bit more than your drugstore find ($15.50 for one but reduces $2.47 for every three purchased) the knowledge that the products are earth friendly, animal friendly, Canadian and chemical-free are enough to make your lips shout at your wallet.

So check it out for yourself at http://lippygirl.com. My puppy Bailey thanks you. He's cute enough without makeup on. xx

Quarter Century

When talking to my mother on the phone recently, I relayed my thoughts about turning 25.

She told me that every year, on her birthday, she allows herself one hour to sit around and mope. She gives herself this limited amount of time to reflect on the year and soak in any feelings of nostalgia or "broodiness" as she calls it. She says that this hour has nothing to do with getting old in a vanity context (you won't catch my mother crying about wrinkles or contemplating botox) but she says, it's more about reflecting on the process of reaching another age and the mixed feelings that can come with that.

Once the hour is up, she goes about her day, practicing gratitude for life and starting fresh. There is no moping or sadness or complaining after that. She gets on with it. 

While I'm turning a big milestone today I can't help but think about the things that lie ahead and behind me. I have been thinking about the responsibilities that come along with getting older and the pressure to achieve certain things. However, today I will try and focus on the new adventures that lie in front of me and believe that wherever I am today, is exactly where I should be. I will not compare myself to other 25 year olds (past or present) and make my own path towards something new. I hope that I don't even use my allotted one hour.

Above is my first gift from my parents: a new pair of "real woman shoes" as I call them and a classic Kate Spade watch.

Here's to another quarter. xx

Hair on Top

I've decided that I must befriend Beyonce for one very logical reason: we need to talk about our hair.

This past week, Miss B created a social media frenzy by launching a Tumblr of personal photos. I couldn't help but notice a strange resemblance to the beach photos of her natural hair as my own coif does a pretty similar thing when I hit the salt water. My sister (who does not share the same hair genetics as me) found it quite funny when I shared this insight and she created the photo to the right.  

While I know that Beyonce can't give me hair advice, I turn to other curly haired girls. See below for my latest for The Kit. Enjoy! xx

Curly Hair Frizz Fighter

I can’t count the number of mornings I’ve woken up with a halo of frizz from tossing and turning, or arose to squashed lifeless curls matted on my head. It can be frustrating to go to bed with dreams of looking like Venus de Milo and instead wake up looking like Sideshow Bob from The Simpsons.


Recently a fellow curly-haired soul took out a spray bottle in broad daylight and started spritzing her hair. I’m always looking for new solutions to my mane so I immediately gave her the third degree. “What is that?” I asked. She scoffed at my curly haired naivety, and showed me the bottle.

Mist-er Right by Deva Curl, it said. I was intrigued enough that she bought me my own bottle. Despite the witty name, the product is a day-after-ponytail curl saviour. The curl mist has a touch of lavender that helps to refresh the scalp and bring those day old curls back to life when it’s not quite time for a wash.

It can also reactivate products that are already in your hair to bring the bounce back. I always love to mention that this product is also 100% sulfate and paraben free and smells amazing. And here I thought the straight haired girls had all the fun with their fancy dry shampoo.

Now if only I could find the real Mr. Right…

Not A Model Mantra - On Advice

Have you ever received unsolicited advice?

You know, like when your mouth is full of sushi and before you can say, "What do you think?" the person in front of you is already spewing their response?

I find that the more people I ask for advice, the harder a decision gets.

The more outward approval we seek, the more difficult it is to listen to that little person in our heads (let's call mine Alfredo). Alfredo understands me, he lives in my heart and tells me what's right. But I don't always want to listen to him (he can be too honest) and instead I seek external validation from others.

This week's Not A Model manta is simple: “I can’t give you a surefire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all the time."- Herbert Bayard Swope

Lately, I'm trying to ask less and listen more. It's okay to get some differing opinions, as long as you don't change your mind because of other people's perceptions and experiences. You usually know the answer, before you seek it. Remember, the rest is just sushi talk. xx