Having a clean and simple 5-minute makeup look is a total necessity for me. If you are running late for work, school, or just life in general (it happens to the best of us,) this is a great way to look polished and put together in only a few minutes.

Before we dive on into things here, I feel the need to share my “daytime makeup philosophy” with you. LESS. IS. MORE. (<– bold anddd italicized because it is THAT important!) I am all about keeping my makeup as natural and simple as possible during the daytime. That way you can show off your natural beauty, and pretend like you don’t wear makeup at all. (AKA the lies we tell men all the time haha! I still maintain a strong front to my boyfriend that I never wear makeup 😉 )

Makeup is supposed to enhance your natural beauty, not cover it all up. Soooo, to look your most gorgeous during the daytime, be sure your makeup is bringing out your best features and not hiding them!

For my first makeup tutorial I will start with this super simple makeup look that is literally done in less than 5 minutes. This is important for efficiency queens like ourselves, because we obviously have important things to do and people to see! 😉

Here’s the skinny on how to get my 5-minute makeup look:

1) Start by applying a light powder to your whole face. Get it alllll over! Your eyelids and everything.

2) Next, contour your face by adding your bronzer. Go heavier on the bronzer on the frame of your face and just below your cheekbones to get a more defined look. My fave bronzer is Chanel’s “Healthy Glow Sheer.”

3) Eye shadow time! All you do here is take a light matte color, and put it in your inner eye lid and just below the arch of your eyebrow. This will open up your eye and make it look brighter. The Naked Basics palette (featured in the photos above) is my go-to shadow set for the day. As you can see I use the “W.O.S” shade every day haha.

4) Now take a slightly darker color (neutral and matte as well) and carefully blend it in to the crease of your eyelid to make those big beautiful eyes pop! I used “Naked 2” from my Naked Basics palette. 

5) Last step!! (See? I told you this was ridiculously easy) Mascara!!! This is the holy grail of makeup. For me, it is the most important step of all. I could skip all the rest and still be happy with just mascara haha. So apply your mascara evenly right from the base of your lashes all the way up. It is super important to get the mascara right down the base of your lashes, especially if you have light coloured hair. This way you wont have any awkward blonde lashes peeking out at the roots. I have used the same mascara since forever, and it is…. * drum roll * Lancome Hypnose!! It is seriously the best. Just go buy it now, and you won’t regret it… promise!

And you are done!! This look is really simple, and is a super quick fix for anyone who is in a rush. Nobody will know that you spent less than 5 minutes getting ready, and you can get along with ruling the world, like I know you do 😉

Give this quick look a try, and tell me what you think in the comments below!

x,

Fajitas are my go-to dinner choice. If anyone ever asks what we should make for dinner, it takes me less than a second to respond “FAJITAS!!!!!!” They are just so freaking awesome. I don’t know if I will ever get over them. We are in a long-term relationship and have celebrated many happy anniversaries together. 😛

Not only are these fajitas super tasty, but they are a skinny meal as well. You get protein, good fats (a few bad ones but we don’t talk about those 😉 ), and lots of nutrients. I am always so satisfied after eating these, and love the process of making my own fajita. It seems silly, but getting to put together your own little fajita is so much fun.

What’s in it:

• Whole wheat tortillas
• Avocado
• Fresh salsa (tomatos, cilantro, purple onion, salt, pepper)
• Shredded marble cheese (not so skinny, just don’t think about it haha)
• Sour cream (also just pretend this has no calories)
• Chicken breasts
• Cajun spices
• Purple onion
• Peppers (red & yellow)

Alrighty. Let’s do this.

Start by making your salsa. I always like to make my own because it is SO delicious and literally takes 2 minutes. Just chop up the tomatos, cilantro, and purple onion and mix em all together like a happy little family. Yes, a happy little family of salsa. Finish the salsa by squeezing some lime on top, and mixing in a little salt and pepper.

Next, prep your chicken by covering it in extra virgin olive oil, cajun spices, and salt/pepper. Veggie prep time! Slice up those peppers and purple onion and put a little bit of olive oil and salt/pepper on them. Heat up two frying pans, and cook your meat and your veggies separately. Make sure the chicken is cooked well, because raw chicken is just plain nasty. Confession: I am a major stickler for properly cooked chicken. I literally can’t stand it when chicken isn’t done well enough haha. So pleaseee just cook the chicken well and don’t get sick!

Once your veggies and chicken are cooked, you are ready to roll! Slice up the grilled chicken and set out all your other ingredients so you can make your own custom fajitas. If you like this kind of “make-your-own” meal, check out these Fish Tacos as well. 

This recipe is a great meal to make any night of the week, and leftovers are always tasty to have for lunch the next day. 🙂

Give this a go and let me know what you think!

x,

Happy New Years everyone! It is officially 2015, how crazy is that?! Just wanted to say a quick hello, and share these pics we snapped last night before we went out. I am so beyond stoked for 2015, and am confident that it will be even better than 2014! In the words of Walt Disney, “if you can dream it, you can do it.”

Hope you all have a great first day of 2015! Lots of love 🙂

x,

As promised, this post is going to get real. Ohhhh so real. 😛 But actually, I am totally guilty of never looking back and refleting on all the great things that have happened. I have a slighttt tendency (slight might be a bit of an understatement lol) to always be moving forwards without ever taking the time to reflect on the past.

Today, being that New Years Eve is tomorrow and all, I want to take a moment to think about what a great year it has been. 2014 has truly been amazing, and there have been so many significant moments that I never stopped to appreciate. There are lots of great things that have happened this year, but I will keep this short and sweet. 😉

GRAD!! 
To be honest, I wasn’t really that excited about graduation when it first happened. Probably because I actually graduated while I was on exchange and then had a delayed grad ceremony. Either way, thinking about it now, it seems pretty damn cool if you ask me. I now have a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia. Definitely will be doing another degree at some point! MBA perhaps?! 

SKINNY BELLE!!! 
Thissss is by far my favourite thing that has happened this year. Seriously, I cannot even tell you guys how much I love this place. It is such a fun and positive environment, and nothing makes me happier than reading your comments and getting to know you better. So thank you, for allowing me to do this!! I have so much awesome stuff planned for 2015 and I can hardly wait to share. 🙂

STUDY ABROAD!! 
This was also unreal. I am SO happy I was fortunate enough to have this opportunity. The first 4 months of 2014 were spent in Prague, Czech Republic. Here I studied and completed my Bachelor degree. “Studied” is a loose term… 😉 We saw many beautiful places, and met such great people from so many different countries. I was able to extend my trip by spending my summer modelling in Milan, Italy. This was also a highly rewarding experience, and I finally got to see my homeland! (I am actually an Italian citizen, believe it or not!)

Taking this time to reflect on 2014 has showed me how much great fortune I have had this past year. My experiences have been unparalleled, and I have learned so much. I truly believe that you never stop learning, and am looking forward to the things I will experience and learn in this coming year.

I encourage you to take the time and think about your 2014, and all the great experiences you had. Damn it!! I promised myself I wouldn’t get all emotional… but here I am all emotional n’ stuff. Anyways, that’s enough realness for one day haha. 

Let me know in the comments what your favourite memory of 2014 is! I would absolutely love to hear about it. 🙂

x,

New Years is almost here!!! New Years is one of my fave holidays. Why? It is purely an excuse to dress up and spend time with friends, all while enjoying great food and drinks. What’s not to love? It also gives us a great opportunity to reflect on the year that has passed, and what we are looking forward to in the coming year. BUT… I won’t get all real on you guys today. I will crack that can of worms open another day haha. This post is about booze!! I mean… an elegant beverage that you should consume responsibly. 😉

So I came up with this beauty of a drink and am quite positive that it will be making a big appearance on New Years eve. It is great because it is made with mostly water, which will keep you hydrated throughout the night. If you know what I meannn.

What’s in it:

• 4 tsp sugar
• 8 tsp water
• 16 blackberries (not really necessary to have this many, I just like lots)
• 2 oz white rum
• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• Sparkling water (I used San Pellegrino)

Start by combining your sugar and water in a small cup. Mix warm water with the sugar is it can fully dissolve. Now, put 3 blackberries in the bottom of two separate glasses. Muddle those bad boys until they are nice and smooshy (<– totally is a word, let me have it haha.) Next you add about 6 ice cubes per drink, and pour half of the sugar & water mixture into each cup. Add 1 oz of white rum to each glass. Throw about 5 more blackberries in each cup. Don’t muddle these ones! They are meant to look pretty. Nowwww fill those cups up with your sparkling water, and add 1 sprig of rosemary to each cup! DONE AND DONE. You killed it. I can just tell. 🙂

I made this drink for Skinny Belle, because I wanted to make sure I shared a New Years drink recipe with you that wont break the bank in calories. You should really avoid drinking your calories whenever possible, because it is wayyy more fun to eat them haha. There is only 2 tsp (30 calories) of refined sugar per drink! Not bad if you ask me.

Give my Skinny Belle Blackberry Rosemary Mojito a try, and let me know what you think!

x,