I’m BAAACCKKK...

I really wish there was a Tahoma font option here.  

I’ve been away too long, they’ve changed things on me.

I’m taking an online class, so I have a reason to write again...procrastination.

I got an e-mail from Weight Watchers…”You had the best intention to live your healthiest summer yet, but if all didn’t go as planned, don’t despair. Fall is like a faux New Year’s. It’s a time to start new routines, establish new habits, and set new goals. Consider it your fresh start”.  Dammit Weight Watchers, you always know what to say to me!

So I’ve decided to go back on Weight Watchers again.  I’m not telling anyone...and since no one really reads this anyways, I’m not too worried about it being broadcasted to my friends and co-workers.  I just hate it when people you don’t have really personal relationships with, ask you how it’s going and I’m like “no thank you, I do not want to talk to you about my struggles with body image and my failing attempt to gain control of my junk food addiction”.  I’ve been 174 all freakin summer, even after paying my best friends brother to kick my butt to the point where I wanted to puke, I still did not lose anything.  I will say that my body changed shape and I did feel...tighter?  Is that a thing? I didn’t feel as jiggly which was nice. But now I’m at the point where things are starting to slowly get back to they were and there is NO WAY I’m going back there. 

So I went for a run through the trails and tripped on a crab apple.  I rolled my ankle pretty good and I cried in the woods alone worried that this meant I was going to gain all the weight I had lost.  (I am PMSing hard this week.  I cry a lot when I PMS.)

Here’s the thing.  I get bored really fast.  Even when things are going really well, I get bored and move onto the next more exciting thing.  (I do it in my professional life, workouts, new years resolutions, etc.)  And I also don’t like spending money, and living in Oakville means everything is more expensive and something like “Hot Yoga” (which I and the love of my life very much enjoyed) is something like $17 a class!!  Guess what, in Whitby Hot Yoga studios charge way less than that for the same thing.  Just because it’s trendy and the rich Oakville moms will pay for it and then go out for $5 Soy Latte’s after.  And they’ll get soy because it’s cool, not because they have problems digesting dairy.  (ALSO side note, did anyone else get a post card from Starbucks this week advertising that my GOLD membership card will no longer get me free soymilk in my half sweet caramel macchiato?  Discrimination.  I shouldn’t have to pay 60 cents more because milk rattles my colon for a week and bloats my food baby Edwardo from 2 months to 3 and a half.  No thank you Starbucks…you’re lucky I don’t like Tim Hortons and I don’t work near a Second Cup.

So here I am.  Day 2 of my third Weight Watchers change my life around phase, and here’s hoping 3^rd times a charm means I’ll finally be at my goal weight come spring time.

J

How To Take Two

Double feature

Second try

Fingers crossed

So I’m not terribly thrilled with the quality of the videos, and I'm a little frustrated with youtube and my lack of computer problem solving skills.  I feel like you can’t really see anything because it's so grainy, but at least the lighting is good.  Hopefully next week I'll have worked out any bugs and you'll have yourselves a bbeeaauuttiiffuull tutorial that I'm happy with.  For some reason last week youtube was all “you can’t load this it’s too big!” and I was all like “thanks…it’s not like I work hard on these things…”  Trial and error is the way to go like anything else, and at lease I have a video up this week!  I’ll take it!

Today is a recreation of the never aired Glowy Angel Skin from last week, and a shout out to Jessica Dowson's request for some eyebrow advice.

*  If you are uncomfortable shaping and tweezing your own eyebrows, I would highly recommend seeing a professional.  It's okay if you cant do them yourself, and your local spa therapist is a wonderful tool so please use them!

Here is a list of products used today

Primer: Benefit “The Pore-fessional” pore minimizing

Benefit “That Gal” Brightening

Two Faced Shadow insurance

Concealer: Almay smart shade anti-aging - light 010

Face powder: Maybelline New York FIT me! - 135 creamy natural

Translucent powder: Stila –  hydrating finishing powder

Contour: Two Faced – Chocolate Soleil & Cocoa Rose

Blush: Two Faced – Sweet Pink

Highlight: Two Faced – Candelight Glow

Eyebrow: Two Faced – Teddy Bear (*any matte brown eyeshadow that matches your brows will do!)

Products used but not mentioned…

Liquid Liner: Maybelline Master Precise by Eyestudio - Black

Mascara: Almay Get Up & Grow – Black

            Lancome Hypnose Doll Lashes – 01 So Black!

Lipstick: L’Oreal Infallible – 512 intensely mauve

Check back next week for False Eyelashes!

http://www.youtube.com/user/angiek8max

<3  Angie Kate

Glowing Angel Face & A Pink Lip

 Beautiful Complexion

Shimmering Glow

Lip Flush

This look is a different take on festive makeup.  You don’t have to be a wiz with eye shadow to pull this one off too.  I was browsing sephora.com, and one of their adds had a beautiful glowing woman who looked like an angel.  I thought, wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could harness that and show all my beauty’s on the interwebs!  So here it is. 

I would recommend using a proper meant to be face highlight because I had a little sparkle control problem using the high pigment shimmer. Also, if you need more coverage that a tinted moisturizer can give you, go ahead and use your normal foundation…and because I’m not a huge foundation user myself I couldn’t tell you what brands I recommend.  I guess I have some homework to do eh J

The products I used today are…

Tinted moisturiser: Organic Wear – Ivory to Fair

Primer: Benefit “Stay Don’t Stray” for concealers and eyeshadows

Concealer: Almay smart shade anti-aging - light 010

Face powder: Maybelline New York FIT me! - 135 creamy natural

Bronzer: Organic Wear – light

Blush: Smashbox Blush Rush – Chiffon

Highlight:

Eye Liner: Annabelle metallic kohl eyeliner – 168 Mojito

Eye Shadow: Almay intense i-colour shade 1

Mascara: Almay Get Up & Grow – Black

            Lancome Hypnose Doll Lashes – 01 So Black!

Lip Stain: CoverGirl Outlast – 415

Lip Gloss: Aveda Lip Shine – 671 / juneberry

When I started these makeup tutorials, I really wanted to target an audience who wasn’t overly comfortable using makeup, showing them some tricks that are easier to build confidence.  My goal is to show every young woman, that they are truly and wonderfully beautiful in their own way, and my mission statement will to always encourage a healthy body image and positive self esteem.  I do plan to progress in skill level and colour intensity at some point, to grow with my viewers, but for now I will only be teaching simple techniques. 

If you are looking for more intense looks or different styles of technique, I can recommend the following youtubers and their tutorials.

Leesha is Xsparkage, and I really enjoy her tutorials.  I’m pretty sure she gets paid to be on youtube and run her makeup website doing reviews and getting free stuff from cosmetic companies.  Her style is very colourful and exciting, and you can find her at http://www.youtube.com/user/xsparkage

Josh is Petrilude, and he is the most beautiful man I have ever seen.  His alter drag ego is Misty Maven and his style is very dramatic and kind of reminds me of Curque Du Soliel.  You can find him at http://www.youtube.com/user/petrilude

And for some other local talent, a young woman I went to high school with is Make-up by Hannah.  Her tutorials, I think have a retro influence to them because she loves the 50’s eyeliner and has eyebrows like Marilyn Monroe.  You can follow her beautiful creations at http://www.youtube.com/user/Hannah23Bell

AND of course, check me out every Thursday at http://www.youtube.com/user/angiek8max and don’t forget to subscribe J

<3  Angie Kate

Smoldering and Sexy

Trying to look dark and mysterious?

Afraid of black eye shadow?

Want to try that smoky eye but don’t know where to start?

Well if you answered yes to any of those questions then look no further!  Holiday season is the perfect time to try out new colour pallets for special occasions, and a sultry smoky eye is a basic for any party look.

What I want to do is use the same products consistently only exchanging a shadow pallet here or a lip colour there in hopes of building confidence and not confusion explaining different makeup techniques.  I must stress that you should only use products that you are comfortable with, and EVERY good base starts with a moisturiser!  I seriously can’t stress enough the importance is soft supple skin, especially in the winter months when your skin is going to want to turn into snow and flake off your face…

Nivea visage aqua sensation eye crème

Nivea visage rich moisturizing day care SPF 15 cream

Even in the winter I use an SPF…I just plain refuse to be a leathery old bag full of sun spots and skin cancer, and the best way to prevent that is SPF everyday.  I’m fair skinned, and I learned to deal with it years ago.  You know what’s fun is everyone complaining how gross they look pale, well I don’t look gross pale so that’s one more thing I can add to the list that is beautiful about me J

Coming up with a makeup routine is essential, this way when you’re looking to bump your look up a bit, you’re not paralysed by the range of colour you wish you could use but are too afraid to play with.  Only use foundation if you need it.  I always use concealer under my eyes to help brighten the look, but beyond that I only use a setting powder. (Unless of course there is a plaguing pimple hanging around where he isn’t wanted.)

The makeup I used to day…

Primer: Benefit “Stay Don’t Stray” for concealers and eyeshadows

Benefit “That Gal” Brightening face primer

Concealer: Almay smart shade anti-aging - light 010

Face powder: Maybelline New York FIT me! - 135 creamy natural

Eye Shadow: Almay - intense i-colour powder shadow 403 smoky-i for hazels

Lashline: colour 1

Crease: colour 1 & 2

Highlight: colour 3

Gel Liner: Maybelline New York Eyestudio – Blackest Black

Blush: Smashbox Blush Rush – Chiffon

Mascara: Almay Get Up & Grow – Black

            Lancome Hypnose Doll Lashes – 01 So Black!

Lip Gloss: Burts Bees infused with acai berry oil

I hope you enjoy your Kim Kardashian eyes ladies!

Check me out @ http://www.youtube.com/user/angiek8max

<3  Angie Kate

Tadaa!

Snow White

Youtube

Makeup

What do all these things have in common? My debut on youtube with a makeup tutorial on natural holiday makeup inspired by fairytales, is up and running.  Exciting?  Yes!

I find that a lot of tutorials are geared at a professional level using techniques that the average gal might not feel comfortable trying on themselves.  Question…if you wore nothing but eyeliner, mascara and bronzer everyday, how willing would you be to apply a crazy amount of make up on a special occasion?  So I decided to start and the basics, go over some simple tricks of the trade and share with the world the little tips I’ve learned along the way.

I just got the “go ahead” to start booking clients at work for makeup applications.  (Another very exciting piece of news right now.)  My clients are looking for natural, pretty, yet special makeup that enhances their beauty not alters their looks.  So, as I was thinking about what kind of makeup artist I want to be, I was watching movie trailers online.  Snow White, princesses, and other fairy tales are very popular right now, which landed me with the wonderful idea of natural magical looks that are beautiful yet simple.

The products used in my first look are…

Primer: Benefit “Stay Don’t Stray” for concealers and eyeshadows

Benefit “That Gal” Brightening face primer

Concealer: Almay smart shade anti-aging - light 010

Face powder: Maybelline New York FIT me! - 135 creamy natural

Crease and Outside Colour: Matte plum/purple (generic faux “MAC” pallet)

Highlight: Clinique - Like Mink

Sparkle: L’Oreal Colour Infaillible - 004 Forever Pink

Gel Liner: Maybelline New York Eyestudio – Blackest Black

Bronzer: Organic Wear Light Skin

Blush: Smashbox Blush Rush – Chiffon

Mascara: Almay Get Up & Grow – Black

            Lancome Hypnose Doll Lashes – 01 So Black!

Lip Gloss: Lancome La Laque Fever – Plum Savvy

Who DOESN’T want to be a princess right!?  I would rather be pink and glowy, than have racoon eyes that take 20 minutes to get off with remover at the end of the night.  Snow White makes me think of fresh faced and lashes.  It’s kind of a period look from the 1950’s or 60’s just because of the heavy black line on top, but add a little pink, and – BHAM! – you get a princess.

Feedback is muuuuuuch appreciated.  I am a little goofy in the video and I talk a lot (which I edited out quite a bit of) and I’m just getting over a throat infection…but it’s a start!

Check me out @ http://www.youtube.com/user/angiek8max

<3  Angie Kate (my youtube name – teehee!)

"...THEN DON'T EAT IT."

Lactose intolerance

Allergy to dairy

Milk sensitivity

Whatever it's called, it turns whatever dairy I eat into lava in my belly plunging it's rage mercilessly through my body...but that's more information than you signed up for.  When I was 16, I discovered that ice cream (as delicious as it is) was not my friend.  So as any normal teenager I would occasionally indulge in the sin of mint chocolate chip heaven and suffer the consequences.  My father used to joke saying “Ange, why do you bother? You only rent ice cream!”

The symptoms of lactose intolerance are unpleasant and if you don’t know what they are you can google it because as much as I do love to share the tales of my bowels, my mother would be mortified that I was sharing too much information on the interwebs.

So the years go on in the recent months my body presents new and obnoxious symptoms that I would have blamed on a change in fabric detergent had that been the case.  Little pink itchy rashy looking bumps started appearing on the tops on my hands, the fleshy soft underside of my arms, my belly and upper thigh area…needless to say it was dreadful.  Then the bloating started to get obscenely noticeable, and my tongue always had those little swollen sore taste buds hanging out making my life miserable.  So as any paranoid person plagued with bizarre symptoms does, I searched the world wide web looking for the cause of my ailments.  For a good 20 minutes I had convinced myself that I had scabies.  (It is a real thing, and is not limited to pirates.)  I soon realized I was overacting and not infested with mites, and moved on to other plausible explanations like a reaction to an allergen of some sort.  Some browsing and a revelation later I self diagnosed an allergy to dairy. 

Here’s the thing.  Most of the time milk allergies are self diagnosed because of the low severity of reactions the skin test comes up inconclusive and your doctor will tell you, “If it doesn’t make you feel good, then don’t eat it.”  I did a 10 day dairy free challenge, and for the first 3 days it sucked.  I was itchier, I was gassier, I was cranky and funny enough going through withdrawal.  By day 5 I was a new woman.  It was really really hard let me tell you.  Did you know that milk based ingredients are in a ton of stuff…like the breading on chicken fingers or onion rings, the binding agent that keeps it all together is milk based.  Foods infused with protein…modified milk ingredient.  Margarine contains whey protein, and whey is the other half of a curd which is dairy.  Lactose is one of the ingredients Lays potato chips uses to keep the seasoning on their chips.  My diet was extremely limited because as part of my dairy detox I could not have anything that even came into contact with milk products.

(*Side note, I read the ingredients on everything and you’d be surprised to learn that soy is an ingredient in pretty much EVERYTHING.  Kind of makes you think because too much soy isn’t good for you because of all the estrogen it’s got in it.  So I decided instead of a soy milk replacement, I drink almond milk…it’s delicious.)

It’s been over a month, and my body is reaping the benefits of my decision to stay dairy free.  I’m finding great alternatives to milk, but I am having a terrible time finding a replacement for cheese…the last attempt tasted like butter and feet. 

I will follow with my delicious vegan cupcake recipes that I’ve been raving about over facebook.  They have no eggs or butter in them so that means they’re good for me right? ;)

NOM, NOM, NOM <3 

Back Rolls, Cozy Toes, and Victoria Secret.

I may joke, but I’m not happy about it,

At least my new shoes make me feel good,

Good enough to buy a new bathing suit? 

We’ll see.

I joke a lot about my chubby face, my back rolls, and other parts of my body I think are chubbier than the average model.  Let’s be real…pretty much everyone is chubbier than the average model and that’s alright, but does that mean it’s alright to make fun of myself?  Does that make me comfortable in my own skin? Or am I merely desensitizing myself to my insecurities?  I didn’t realize how much I was joking about it until someone told me “You’re beautiful just the way you are, I like your chubby face, I don’t know what you look like skinny.”  I know they meant it as a compliment, but it was still really strange to hear someone other that myself call me chubby.  I call myself chubby all the time, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready for other people to do that.  My feelings weren’t hurt, but it was a wake up call.  I have curves, and I am proud of my beautiful curves.  Are there parts of my body I want to change? Yeah of course, but joking about full body liposuction isn’t a healthy way to accept myself the way I am.  I’m always the one to do back flips convincing beautiful girls they are not fat, but I’m having a hard time translating that into language I can believe for myself.

I bought new shoes.  Really cute running shoes that make my feet feel like little snugly and supported buddies J  I found wearing slippers all the time made my feet hurt, and made me tired, and made me not want to go to the gym because all my energy is used to get my poor and sore calves and heels where they need to go.  I wear sweat pants or lulu’s and I look a little sporty which is different for a girl of curves and someone who doesn’t identify as a sporty person.  I’m ok with this look right now because I feel good…and the shoes and pants make my but look pretty darn good too if I do say so myself.  This new look inspires my desire to go or the gym believe it or not.  You know the feeling…I’m wearing gym clothes and people looking at me as they pass by must think I’m a gym go-er.  Mmhmm, me and my cute blue runners, my flattering lulu’s and my awesome behind are a group of gym go-er’s. 

Now…This all comes together; the feeling good, the sexy-bum shoe-pants combo.  It all comes together to a bathing suit.  I haven’t bought a new bathing suit since; oh I don’t know grade 12 and a half-ish?  (Before I started my first year for sure.)  I am currently using an older bathing suit my mother lent me that my girls up top do not fit in.  It’s a cute suit but not exactly stylish or age appropriate.  I want to buy one, but they are expensive {the well made ones that make the girls look decent}.  The skinny b*tch {pardon ze language} inside of me says “wait till you’ve lost all that university weight till you purchase a little piece of spandex on the Victoria Secret website to cover your body.  {http://www.victoriassecret.com/swimwear check it out…the suits are incredible.}  The insecure chubby girl feels the same way, in fact she’d rather invest in a full body wet suit, but that too would be skin tight so maybe a moo-moo and we’ll stay out of the water.  I’ve been watching a lot of fashion television, and there was a segment done on plus size women modeling lingerie and swim wear…and let me tell you they looked AWESOME!  It really opened my eyes to the fact that skin does look better when there’s a little meat under it!  Instead of bones, you see flesh, and instead of thighs that are the size of my arms, they touch when they walk like a normal woman!  These girls are size 14, and guess what…they have back rolls.

Love yourself, and it’ll love you back.

xo Angie

P.S.  Happy International Women's Day!