Kyla's Spring Faves & Finds During Quarantine
What a Spring we’ve all had! If you could sum up your spring in one word… what would it be? Or should I even ask? Late last month I was interviewed for the Have You Met Her Yet? Podcast. The episode will launch this week on June 17th, so stay tuned! My friend Lindsay, who founded the podcast, asked me what word I would use to sum up the whole Covid-19 situation. What a doozy! Somehow I came up with: ‘shake-up’. The pandemic has affected everyone on such drastically different levels, but - my on-the-fly response of shake-up seemed appropriate.
Spring has been a season of stripping down and rebuilding in so many ways. Everything that has happened has been BIG… and heavy. This blog post is not that! This blog post is dedicated to some of the little, light-hearted things that have brought happiness to everyday life. Some things I’m sharing are completely new discoveries and others are rediscovered items that have helped put some cheer and normalcy into this extraordinary season.
So let’s go…
CHEERS TO OUTSPOKEN EARRINGS
Early on in quarantine, I was introduced to ZOOM. I am so grateful to Vancity Business Babes for beginning to host their virtual events in this way. I’m not often an early adapter to technology, but this ‘forced’ me to participate and allowed me to stay connected, dress-up from the neck-up and show-up!
Stretchy pants are a daily staple, and are - of course - completely acceptable on a zoom call! lol But with that in mind, I wanted to show everyone else that I had come with my A game, so I kept my earring game strong! I personally felt that I wanted to represent my brand and my own identity over zoom as being put together, fashionable and creative. I hope that putting a little thought into my look from the neck up showed those on the calls that I respect them enough to come to the party at my best.
LIPS THAT SPEAK VOLUMES
Along the same line as the earrings, I also love a good lip! Liquid lipsticks have taken the game to a new level, allowing you to virtually sculpt the shape of your lip in a bold new way… even if you prefer a softer, nude shade. I have been loving The Pink Orchid Studios Send Nudes Lip Kit - which is a great local brand! Lipstick is a must on camera - whether it be a ZOOM call or creating insta stories. I love to show up with great lips!
HIT THE BOOKS
With my birthday on April 9th, I was a ‘QBG’ this year. That stands for ‘quarantined birthday girl’. lol On the bright side, I got to pick out my own birthday gifts on Amazon and I decided to order a few of the exciting new cookbooks that have launched recently including Monika Hibbs’ Gather At Home, Karlene Karst’s This Kitchen Is For Dancing and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Table Volume 2. I was excited to add these to my collection!
As a graphic designer, I love cookbooks for more than just the recipes… I love the feel, the smell… and of course the beautiful photographs and typography design. I love to look through for inspiration when I feel a little board in the kitchen. I don’t always follow the recipes word for word. Sometimes when I’m about to do a grocery order, I just look at the photos and flavour pairings and then incorporate the ideas and ingredients onto my list, then make them my own.
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OTHER COOKBOOKS I LOVE IN MY COLLECTION INCLUDE:
Jillian Harris and Tori Wesszer’s Fraiche Food, Full Hearts
Kyndra Holley’s Craveable Keto
Vanessa Barajas’ Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind
FRESH FACE
I love to stroll my local Shoppers Drug Mart to check out what’s new in beauty and personal care. Prior to quarantine, I had picked up this QUO Cleansing Sponge. It looked interesting and reminded me of a beauty blender. Not too long ago, I found it in my drawer and decided to give it a try. I - LOVED - IT. This little sponge has just the perfect texture and amount of bounce that it feels like a gentle exfoliation mixed with a bit of a facial massage. I enjoy using this in the shower with a creamy face wash like this one from Amie which I also got at Shoppers a while back. (Sadly, they don’t seem to carry it anymore.) The mix of this sponge with a cream cleanser feels like pure spa luxury!
SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT
My new Oral B Vitality toothbrush by Braun has been a happy surprise this spring! While I’ve used the battery operated toothbrushes in the past, this is my first electric toothbrush splurge and it has been well worth it! It sits on a charging dock which I have set up on my vanity. It has been a game changer… leaving me feeling dentist-visit clean after brushing. So, so good!
FLASH THOSE MAGNETIC LASHES!
Prior to Covid, I had been LOV-ING getting lash extensions applied in the salon for some time. I have a few guilty pleasures in my repertoire, but lash extensions would be my number one. I love getting my nails done… but I think I would even choose lashes over nails. (I know, major!) Because I have hooded eyes, long lashes really help me look wide awake and put together.
Since lash appointments have been off the table (and I continue to hold off on this for now), I was curious about other options. The shape of my eyes paired with the fact that my eyes are extremely sensitive and water easily, inhibit me from using strip lashes. Too many times that has ended in a big old mess for me!
I decided to try magnetic lashes and have been pleasantly surprised! I’m happy to report that I’ve found an option that works quite well for me with the Ardell Magnetic Lash & Liner Wispies set.
Using the small chiseled applicator, you apply two layers of the magnetic liner. After the second layer, the lashes (which as you see have 4 mini magnets along the band) will EASILY adhere to the liner. Lashes come with 4 magnets, because my eyes are smaller, I trimmed them to fit.
The liner takes a bit of finesse to work with, but what I love is that it does not feel wet and dries quickly. Because of this, it does not affect my sensitive eyes which are prone to water when I use liquid products.
In my world, lash extensions receive a 9/10 – with 1 point deduction because of the time commitment for appointments. These magnetic lashes receive an 8/10. I would prefer extensions because they stay on 24/7, but other than that, these are the next best thing in my books!