Author: Lea

Life, Review, Tips and Tricks, Travel

I Went on a Contiki Trip! ~ European Encounter 2019

by LeaLeave a Comment on I Went on a Contiki Trip! ~ European Encounter 2019

Hey guys! So today I am talking about my trip to Europe. I have mentioned before that I went to Europe for two and a half weeks in May, but I don’t think that I explained that I actually did a Contiki trip! In my post I’m going to explain everything about Contiki and my trip. And the end I will also give some general tips about travelling in Europe.

What is Contiki?

Contiki is a travel tour group designed for 18-35 year olds. They first started in Europe but now run tours all around the world. The tours vary in length, from 10 days to a month or more. They have more that 140 trips in Europe, so you basically just pick where you want to go and they organize everything for you. You travel with around 30-40 other people on a coach bus. They organize all the hotels and around half of the meals for you. On top of that, there are some included activities along with a bunch of add-on activities that you can do (which I will break down below).

Contiki, along with other travel groups for young people, have a reputation as being a party-bus. They are known as just being 18-22 year-old, mainly Australians, just getting drunk the whole time. Contiki is also known for being high-pace, with barely any time in the locations you are going to. Also some of the accommodations are not the greatest. I learned all of this through reading reviews on the website and also reading other blog posts.

So why did I choose Contiki? I was travelling by myself. All my friends were either still in school, too broke to travel or travelling other places. I decided that I didn’t want to wait all my life to travel, so now was the time. Of course my parents were extremely worried about me travelling by myself, so we settled on me doing a group travel trip. I choose Contiki because despite its reputation and a few bad reviews, the majority of the reviews were amazing. I also liked the trips they had compared to their competitor, Topdeck.

My Trip

I did European Encounter in May 2019. I went to ‘ten’ (really nine because we only drove through Belgium) countries in 17 days. I was abroad for 18 days because I stayed another day in London after.

My trip was: start in London, Amsterdam for two days, Berlin for two days, Prague for two days, Salzburg for one day, Venice for one day, Rome for two days, Florence for one day, Cinque Terre for one day, Luzern for one day, Paris for two days and then back to Paris. I had the most amazing time in Europe, it was one of the best experiences of my life.

I really liked the route and the layout of my trip. Obviously there are still some places I would like to see, but I felt that I was able to see a lot of Europe. The three cities I felt that I didn’t have enough time in were London, Paris and Rome. T be fair these are some of the biggest cities in the world so it’s hard to see everything in two days. I think the trip was also good at picking out which cities we should days to spend one day in versus two days. For example, Venice is so small that I think if we had spent two days there I would have been bored.

Now to address the ‘reputation’ of Contiki. For some reason, there are a lot of Australians and New Zealanders who go on Contiki trips, and my trip was no exception. But there was a nice mixture. There was six other Canadians, six Americans, a couple from South Africa, and a girl from India. So I would say only half our of group was Aussies and Kiwis. The other thing was the average age of people on our trip was older than others. A few people on my trip had done Contiki before, and they said that our trip was older and more tame compared to the other trips they had done. I would say the average age was probably 23 or 24. There were a few 19-20 years olds and a few 30 year olds, but most people on this trip were around my age or older. There was also a lot of couples on this trip, six to be exact! Almost half the people on my trip were in relationships, which I think helped tame things down. We all liked to party and have fun, but it was not an every night type of thing. I think that the length of the trip and the destinations we were going to, along with the time of year, drew in a older group. All of this was fine by me because I wanted to have fun, but I didn’t want to be hung over every day.

I think the people were really the stand out part of Contiki. I liked the majority of the people on my trip. It was so cool to talk to people from all over the world. Not only was I learning about Europe on the trip, but also all the places people were from. I am so surprised with how close I got with some of the people on the trip, I am definitely planning to visit some of them soon!

The other great people on the trip were my trip manager and driver. A trip manager can really make or break a trip, and we got lucky with an amazing trip manager. The nice thing about doing a tour group besides solo travelling is that you have someone there on the trip whose job is to give you recommendations and make sure you are having a good time. My trip manager was amazing at giving good recommendations, and was very quick to solve any issues we were having.

Hotels

Contiki has options to stay either in hotels, hostels or camping. Call me a princess, but I personally wanted to stay in hotels. I know hostels are cheaper and some of them are really nice, but since I didn’t have a say where we were staying I thought that the hotel option would be better. I noticed that some of the reviews were quite negative about accommodations, so I was a little worried going into it.

Overall I would say that I was pleasantly surprised. I would say everywhere but Italy – with the exception of Rome – we stayed in pretty decent places. I noticed that generally the nicer the places, the further away from the city centre we were. For example, my favourite hotels were in Amsterdam and Rome which were super far from the city centre. But in some cities, like Berlin and Prague, we were closer to the centre so it really varied city to city. The hotels in Italy were generally the worst, but they weren’t awful. They were only bad because they were really outdated.

The worst hotel was the one in Florence. We stayed in the Albergo Auto Park, and honestly don’t ever go there. When I first walked into the room it smelled so strongly of cigarette smoke, it was disgusting. I went down to the front desk and mentioned it, and they basically said just open the windows. Then as I was trying to take pictures of my room, I heard through the super thin walls that some had found bed bugs. We were all staying on the same floor, so every on the trip immediately panicked and looked for bed bugs. Luckily no one else found any, and the hotel was good enough to switch the guys who found bed bugs to a different room. The rooms were tiny, and everything was outdated except for the bathroom. The bathroom was redone, but they had done a pretty crappy job. Overall, I think you could find better places in Florence then this place.

A final note on hotels/accommodations. I had paid extra to get a single room, since I was travelling by myself I wanted my own space. But if you were travelling with other people they were really good about it. They had friends room together, and all the couples were able to get rooms together. The only funny thing was that I often got better rooms than the couples. For example, in Europe it’s cheaper to have two single beds pushed together than an actual double bed. So I would often have a double bed while the couples had two singles. But overall it wasn’t a huge difference in quality of the rooms.

Below I have a slideshow of all the pictures of the rooms that we stayed at. I have included the names of the hotels and also just my thoughts, in case you are looking for places to stay.

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Activities

As a part of Contiki, there are some included experiences along with a list of ‘free-time add ons’. These free-time activities are not free though, you do have to pay. Some of our included experiences were a number of dinners, which you would get free food but would have to pay for any drinks. The quality of these dinners would vary, but overall pretty good. Some of the other included activities were a bike ride in Edam (small town outside of Amsterdam) and in Prague, a bunch of free walking tours, a leather demonstration, a Swiss watch demonstration and a perfumery tour.

The free-time add ons basically feel into three categories: dinners, tours or others. There were six dinners, and I did half of them. I didn’t do all the dinners because I had heard mixed reviews online and they were expensive. The nice thing about the dinners is that the alcohol is included and endless, so you can really get your money’s worth if you drink a lot. The food at the dinners were generally above average but not the best I’ve ever had. The nice thing is that they always feed you a lot, I never left those dinners hungry. For choosing what dinners to go to, I would recommend picking the ones that you think you would like the food the best. I did both of the Italian ones but passed on the Dutch, Czech and Austrian ones.

The tours are generally ones that are above your average walking tour. Some of them had food included, like in Berlin and in Venice. In Rome, to go into the Vatican and Colosseum we had to pay, but the nice thing is that we got to skip the lines. As a history person I would definitely recommend these tours, because I got to learn so much from them.

The final type of add ons were the ones that were unique to the cities but super cool experiences. In Amsterdam there was a canal cruise, in Venice a gondola ride and in Switzerland a lake cruise and a ride up to the top of a mountain. These were some of the best experiences I had on my whole trip. They are not things you can do anywhere else in the world, and so it was so cool to do it. The canal cruise in Amsterdam was such an amazing way to see the city, and we also had an open bar! Going to the top of a mountain in Switzerland was super fun to do, because for a lot of my friends it was their first time seeing snow!

The final thing I liked about these add-ons is that the fact that you are doing them with your group. Yes it’s possible to find your own restaurants or book some of these tours yourself, but it can be hard to do with a big group. The nice thing is that you are with all the new friends you have made. When trying to decided what activities to do, I would just pick what interests you. I would say the majority of the add-ons were worth it, and I enjoyed them.

Overall Thoughts and Recommendations on Contiki

I friggin loved Contiki, but I don’t think it’s for everyone. Contiki is definitely meant for extroverted people. Yes it’s possible to leave the group and do your own thing, but you are still spending many hours on a bus or at dinners together with these people. Most of the time you get about an hour in the hotel sometime during the day to freshen up, and then whatever time at night before you go to bed by yourself. You are with people 24/7, so if that’s not your thing, then Contiki can be very draining.

Contiki is also very fast-paced. We stayed a max of two days in a city before moving onto the next one. It can be very tiring to constantly be moving. While I was sad that my trip was over, I was definitely started to get burnt out by the end. If on your holiday you want to spend more time in one place, then Contiki isn’t the way to go.

I think I should also mention that on Contiki you do spend a fair amount of time on a bus. There are some large distances between places that can take a time to cross. I personally didn’t mind the busing. My cottage is 7 hours away, so I have no problem sitting in a car all day. I also spend most of the time talking to my friends or playing games – one of my friends brought a card game and we would play multiple games a day. I also watched a few movies. My trip manager was also great at using this time to talk to us about the places we were going to. You can also nap on the bus as well. I would just recommend bringing some ways to keep yourself entertained on the bus and also some stuff for motion sickness if you are prone to that.

Something I didn’t do, but a lot of my friends did was add time in a city before or after their trip. I would definitely recommend this. People either came a few days before and toured London, or stayed after in Paris or London. Because we didn’t really stay much in London, this is the only way to really see the city. It can also be nice to actually stay put somewhere after moving around for so long. I would personally recommend doing this after the trip, because then you can hang out with the people on your trip if they happen to be doing the same thing. Some of my friends were stayed in London after, so I was able to hang out with them the one extra day I add.

General Europe Travel Trips

In North America, it is way more popular to use cards to pay for everything but that is not the case in Europe. Definitely bring cash and use it. Especially for paying meals, it’s way easier to use cash because they don’t split the bill. What happened is that usually either everyone would pay cash, or one person would pay the full bill with their card and everyone would pay them back. This happened quite often with Ubers and cabs as well.

Try and get a good data plan. While in North America there is wifi almost everywhere, wifi isn’t that great in Europe. Even in hotels it can be crappy. It is way easier to have data to be able to get Ubers, look up directions, look up places to eat, etc.

My two favourite places were Berlin and Prague. I liked Berlin because there is so much history but there is also such a fun party scene as well. All of the Holocaust/WW2/Cold War museums are free, so it is really easy to learn about their history. In Berlin, I highly recommend going to karaoke because it was so much fun. I really liked Prague because it was pretty and cheap. Prague has a very cohesive look to it, so it feels like you are back in time. Prague is also really cheap, so you can go out and eat well while you are there.

If you want to do shopping, Prague is a pretty good place to go because it’s so cheap. If you are looking to get makeup, I would definitely recommend France especially French brands because they are way cheaper than back home.

I don’t have a ton of restaurant recommendations, but I would recommend Lokal in Prague, Ristorante Wanted in Rome (right near the Colosseum) and Carluccios in London for brunch.

But ya that was my trip! This was honestly the trip of a life time, and I definitely have caught the travel bug now! Can’t wait to go somewhere else! If you guys have any questions about any of the places that I went to just let me know and I have answer them/offer some suggestions 🙂

Lea

Beauty, Review, Skincare, Travel

What Makeup + Skincare I Travel With

by LeaLeave a Comment on What Makeup + Skincare I Travel With

Hey guys! So as a part of my travel series, today I am sharing what makeup and skincare I brought with me on my two and a half week trip to Europe! I brought a lot of stuff (my suitcase was almost overweight…) but too be fair I did use the majority of the products. Because I brought so many products, this post would be so long if I were to review each product. Most of the products I have reviewed before, but I think that it’s pretty obvious that I like most of these products since I brought them with me!

First is makeup! I bought a new makeup case specifically for this trip. I wanted a hard case one in order to keep all my makeup safe and in one spot. I got the ROWNYEON case from Amazon and it worked like a dream. I was able to fit the majority of my makeup and my brushes in this case. The only downside is that because it’s so protective it can be heavy, so that is something to keep in mind. I ended up carrying it on the airplane because my suitcase would have been overweight if I had put it there.

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So as you can see from the above photo, I brought a ton of makeup, and everything but my Jaclyn Hill x Morphe palette fit in it. I’m just going to go through order of how I apply my makeup.

So first for eyeshadow primer I had the Smashbox 24 Hour Photo Finish Shadow Primer. It’s the only primer I use, so of course I brought it. For eyeshadow I brought my Colourpop single shadows that I mentioned in my Current Faves post in a mini Z palette. Then I brought the Jaclyn Hill x Morphe palette. I know that Jaclyn is currently going through some controversy with her brand right now, but at the end of the day this palette is amazing (and my trip was also before all this controversy). It just has such a nice range of shades, I was able to create some many looks with this palette. It’s also super study so it fit nicely on the side of my suitcase.

For eyeliner I brought the NYX Matte Liquid Liner and the Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon in the shade (Earth)quake. I always travel with a brown and black liner. I brought two mascaras – the Tarte Tarteist Lash Paint Mascara and IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara. The Tarte mascara is more daytime while the IT Cosmetics is more big volume-night time looking. I also brought one set of lashes, the Battington Lashes in the style Monroe. For eyebrows I had the IT Cosmetics Universal Brow Pencil and my ride-or-die ABH Brow Wiz.

For face primer I brought my Dr. Brandt Pores No More Luminizer Primer and the Smashbox Photofinish Primer. The Smashbox primer I have in a mini, so it was super nice to travel with. For foundation I brought my Physicians Formula The Healthy Foundation. I had decided to bring the full bottle of foundation with me because when I went to Mexico at Christmas I had depotted some but didn’t have enough so I didn’t want to have that problem in Europe. The nice thing is that this bottle fit perfectly in my makeup case, so I had no issues with it breaking. For concealer I brought my Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. I brought two powders with me. I would usually apply my Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder (in the mini size) in the morning and then use my Wet n Wild Photo Focus Pressed Powder to powder myself through the day.

I decided to bring my CoverFx Perfector Face Palette mainly because it has a big mirror in it. I used this mirror almost every time I was doing my makeup. I would also use the face products as well, especially the highlights. I still brought tons of face products ahaha. For bronzer I brought the Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk’r Bronzer which I had in a mini! Another mini I had was the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in the shade Paaarty – it was apart of the birthday present from Sephora a few years ago. For blush I also brought my Laura Geller Baked blush. I brought my Colourpop Pressed Powder Highlight in the shade Here Kitty Kitty. The formula is so creamy that I wasn’t afraid of it breaking. Finally for setting sprays I brought minis of my two favourites – the Urban Decay All Nighter and the Mac Fix+.

For lips I brought a ton of options, but to be honest I didn’t use most of them. Whenever I know I’m going to be eating food I will usually just wear lip balm or lip gloss. But just in case your curious, I brought: Colourpop Ultra Glossy Lip in Champagne Mami, Tarte Tarteist Shimmering Lip Paint in Flaming Hot, Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Patina, Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in Fenty Glow, Covergirl Katy Kat Matte Lipstick in the shade Catoure and finally MAC Matte Lipstick in the shade Velvet Teddy.

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Now to make this long post even longer – my skincare! So I kept all my toiletries in bag that I’ve had since I was 14, so I don’t think its available anymore (it was also a gift so I have no idea where it’s from). It has lasted me really well! So I keep all my shower products in the front back, and then inside I keep all my skincare to one side and then hair care to the other. As you can see from the photos, I keep some mini products in it all the time. In this post I will not be talking about my hair care because I am planning to do another separate post about that.

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In this photo most of these products are full sized, but on my trip I had either minis of everything or they were in travel bottles. First for cleanser I brought my Fresh Soy Cleanser and the Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser. I hadn’t tried the Drunk Elephant cleanser before going on this trip which was a mistake. This cleanser is too strong for my skin, so luckily I brought my Fresh cleanser because I had to stop using it. For toner I had some of my Origins Zero Oil Pore Purifying Toner.

I had two moisturizers – the Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Moisturizer and my CeraVa Moisturizing Cream. For makeup removing, I had my classic Garnier Micellar Water and Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover. I also had some makeup wipes as well. In the shower I always exfoliated with my St Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub. Finally I had minis of two of my favourite masks: The Origins Out of Trouble 10 Minute Mask and Retexturizing Mask with Rose Clay.

And those were all the products I brought with me to Europe! This post really gives you a good look at what some of my favourite products are (and how much of an over packed I am haha). Stay tuned for Tuesday when I will have a post up about my actual trip!

xoxo

Lea

Life, Tips and Tricks, Travel

What I Packed on my 2+ Week Trip to Europe during Spring

by Lea1 Comment on What I Packed on my 2+ Week Trip to Europe during Spring

Hey guys! So this next week I will be sharing what I packed on my two and a half week trip to Europe! The next two posts on my blog are going to be all about my trip. On Friday I will be sharing what I packed in my makeup and toiletries bag, and then next Tuesday I will be about my actual trip!

I decided to write this post because I personally researched online what to bring with me, but I struggled to find a spring specific post. I was gone during May and was in both the North and South of Europe, so I had to pack for different climates. I was also pretty unlucky that it was unseasonably cold in a few places, so if I could have changed anything I would have brought more long sleeves and less t-shirts!

So just to let you know, I am going to explain everything I bought, and give some suggestions/things I would change. At the end of my post I will have a list of everything I bought, so you can always just scroll down and check that if you want!

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First, I wanted to mention that I found my suitcase at Winners for only $100! If you are looking for suitcases, I highly would recommend going there. I really liked the one I got because it was a front open instead of opening in half, so it took up less space in my room. I also liked this one because the print made it stand out compared to all the black suitcases. This suitcase also matched the size restrictions I had. Beside this suitcase, I also brought a backpack and a backpack purse. Also when I was coming home I brought a tote bag on the plane.

There was a bunch of stuff I bought for my trip, because I have never travelled abroad to Europe before. I bought a power adapter in order to charge my electronics. I got a sleeping mask that also came with ear plugs. I didn’t use it but it was pretty inexpensive and I had a friend borrow it anyways. Next I bought some bed bug stuff because I had read a few negative reviews online about the places we were staying, and I thought it was better to be safe than sorry. I did use the bed bug trap in one hotel, but I never used the pillow.

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Next up I bought travel locks and I would highly recommend getting some. I used them on both my suitcase and my backpack purse. If a hotel didn’t have a safe in the room I would always lock my suitcase before leaving. It was also much safer in busy crowds to have the lock on my backpack purse.

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I brought with me a microfiber hair towel along with full body microfiber/Sham-Wow-esque towel. I got the microfiber hair towel at Walmart in the spa section and I used it a ton. A lot of the hotel didn’t have a good sized hair towel, so it was useful to just have my own. I only used my full size towel once, most of the hotels had nice towels. I also brought it to go swimming, but it wasn’t warm enough so I didn’t use it for that. I got my towel awhile ago from a swimming store. I would recommend bringing microfiber towels because they are smaller than normal ones but are very useful. I also brought a face towel (not shown) because sometimes I feel guilty getting makeup all over the hotel’s white towels, but I’m fine with getting my own personal towel dirty.

I definitely recommend getting luggage tags. I got these cute Canada ones from Winners. If you have plain suitcase they can help make your suitcase stand out. I got a two pack of Cottenelle wipes just in case, but I didn’t use them at all. I wish that I had brought wet wipes instead of these, especially since they were so bulky and took up a lot of room in my suitcase. I also brought two travel blankets with me. I probably should have just brought one, but I am really happy that I brought it. I used it at night if the duvet cover looked gross, but also on the bus to take naps.

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I brought a ton of candy and snacks with me, and ended up buying a ton more there. I brought some Fuzzy Peaches and M&Ms because those are my favourite. I brought a ton of gum because I am susceptible to motion sickness and I find gum helps with it. I also got these maple syrup flavoured candies. It was fun to share a piece of home with my new friends. Finally a bought a few granola and protein bars, which were useful for when I didn’t have time for breakfast.

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I definitely recommend getting some packing cubes and vacuum seal bags! I organized my clothes into categories and had a packing cube for each category; so one for shirts, one for pants, etc. The vacuum seal bags were ones that you didn’t need a machine/blow dryer for. They were pretty good at squishing down bulky items such as sweaters. I also rolled all my clothes within the packing cubes in order to fit more into each cube.

I brought with me six pairs of shoes, which was a lot. I had my Vans, a pair of Nike running shoes, a pair of rain boots, a pair of Adidas slides, my Birkenstocks and a nice pair of mules. Most days I wore either my Vans or my running shoes. I wore my slides all the time in my hotel rooms, and once in a gross shower. I didn’t wear my Birkenstocks once, but that’s because we got unlucky with bad weather. I think if you are going during early spring then pack rainboots, but by late May you should be fine and pack sandals instead of rainboots.

Besides my backpack purse I brought along this Aldo fanny pack. This fanny pack was amazing. It is both a fanny pack and a cross body bag. I would wear it as a fanny pack during the day and then as a cross body at night. It also comes with a cute little card holder!

For coats I brought three, all of which got a ton of use. I brought a raincoat, a jean jacket and a light puffer jacket. The puffer jacket was good because we had some colder days, as well being something warmer to wear at night when it cooled down. I also brought an umbrella with me as well.

Besides that, I had a few things in my backpack. I had my iPad and all of my charging cables. I brought a notebook, a travel journal and my pencil case. I had a little mini pharmacy bag which included: Tylenol, Gravol, muscle pain meds, diarrhea meds, Benadryl, medicine for yeast infections, band aids and a thermometer. I brought a bunch of stuff because I heard it can be hard to get over the counter medicine in Europe. I also brought a Brita water bottle, which was an amazing purchase. I saved so much money by not having to buy water all the time. Finally, I brought my Polaroid camera with me, which was fun but I honestly didn’t use too much and took up a ton of room in my bag.

So my ultimate Europe during Spring Packing List is:

  • packing cubes
  • seven pairs of bottoms
    • three pairs of jeans
    • three pairs of leggings
    • one pair of sweatpants
    • one skirt
  • three dresses
    • two casual, one fancy
  • two sweatshirts, one sweater, one cardigan
  • two long sleeves
  • five t-shirts, three tank tops
  • underwear, socks and bras
  • five pairs of pjs
  • six pairs of shoes
    • Vans and running shoes
    • Rain boots
    • slides and Birkenstocks
    • fancy shoes (high heels or flats)
  • three coats
    • rain jacket, jean jacket and puffer jacket
  • two purses
    • backpack and fanny pack/cross body
  • bed bugs supplies
  • bag locks
  • towels
    • hair, face and body
  • travel blankets
  • toiletries + makeup + pharmacy/medication
  • food/candy
  • adapters and charging cables
  • notebooks + pencil cases
  • travel documents

Yes, I realize that I definitely over-packed (fun fact my suitcase was overweight oops). But honestly I have just come to terms with the fact that I am an over-packer. You can take my list and adjust it to your own personal needs. Anyways, stayed tuned for Friday for my toiletries and makeup bag!

xoxo

Lea

Beauty, Favourites, Review

Current Beauty Favourites

by Lea2 Comments on Current Beauty Favourites

Hey guys! So I’ve realized that it’s been awhile since I’ve shared my favourite beauty products. I purchased some new makeup during the Sephora VIB sale, but I also went back to some old favourites during my trip in Europe. So this post includes a nice mix of old and new products!

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First is the Dr. Brandt Pores No More Luminizer Primer. I kinda hate that I like this product because it’s so expensive but I just love it. I got it in a Boxycharm and I just fell in love. It’s adds the perfect amount of glow to my skin. I’ve tried other luminizing primers and found that they were way too much. This primer just adds a subtle glow under my foundation. I have been using this primer almost exclusively the past couple of months. I just love it.

Next up for foundation has been the Physicians Formula The Healthy Foundation. I remember my friend complimented me on my skin while wearing this foundation. I just love this foundation, it’s actually the only one I brought with me to Europe. It feels lightweight, has a light-to-medium build-able coverage and has a beautiful satin finish. It also wears nicely through the day. Since my skin has been clearer lately, I have been enjoying a lighter coverage foundation. The shade I have also matches me really well – if you have neutral undertones this line is really good. I know Physicians Formula isn’t the cheapest brand at the drugstore, but this foundation is so worth it.

To round out my face product, my favourite concealer has been the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. I love this concealer because it has good coverage but doesn’t look or feel heavy. For example, while Tarte’s Shape Tape has amazing coverage but can look heavy under the eyes if you apply too much. With the Nars concealer, I find that it look more natural compared to the Shape Tape. This is also the only concealer I brought with me to Europe and I loved it.

A new product to me is the Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk’r Bronzer in the shade Shady Biz. I have the mini because they were sold out of the bigger ones at the time, but man now I wish I had the bigger one! This is my new favourite bronzer. It’s fairly similar to the Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer, but with a way better shade range. This is the perfect shade to bronze with – it’s warm but not orange. I like that it’s pigmented but not too much because I really like to build up my bronzer. I think that this shade is also perfect for me because when I’m paler I just use a lighter hand but can go heavier once I get tan. I am so happy I found this right before summer!!

Another new favourite is the Laneige Lip Glowy Balm. This might be controversial, but I like this more than the Lip Sleeping Mask! I find it a pain to dig my finger into the jar! This packaging is easier to use and more hygienic. I also just love how this makes my lips look and feel. My lips look so glossy but they are sticky, and it does an amazing job hydrating my lips. I know $20 is expensive for a lip balm, but man this one is sooooo good.

Next is a product that I don’t mention very often but wear the majority of the time of my eyes. I have three Colourpop single shadows that I use all the time as all over shades or just with a little highlight on the lids. Wake Up Call and Made to Last I often just wear all over my crease and lid with just a bit of mascara. Bel Air is slightly darker and cooler than Wake Up Call, and I will usually just a highlight shade on my lid when I wear this shade. This Colourpop single shadows are only $4.50 each, and they are so effortless and easy to use. I have been using them I would say 80% of the time that I wear makeup. I’ve had them for over two years and still haven’t hit pan either. I highly recommend buying some Colourpop single shadows!

My favourite mascara rotates, but currently I am loving the Tarte Tarteist Lash Paint Mascara. I like mascaras that give me lots of length with just a hint of volume. I also like how I can apply a little for an every day look or load it up for a night out look. I brought two mascaras with me to Europe, but I found myself reaching for this one more. I really like this one!

My final favourite is somewhat surprising, but it has been the NYX Dewy Finish Setting Spray. My skin was quite dry this winter (did not like the extreme cold oof) and I was reaching for more hydrating products. I found that this setting spray made such a huge difference in the look and feel of my makeup. If I ever was looking dry or powdery, this setting spray would just revive my makeup. And it’s only $10 CAD!! I am almost out of my current bottle, and I am definitely going to repurchase it.

And those are my current favourite makeup products! Let me know in the comments what your current favourite products are, I am always looking to try new products 🙂

xoxo

Lea

Fitness, Life

I Did Kayla Itsines’ 12 Week Bikini Body Guide

by LeaLeave a Comment on I Did Kayla Itsines’ 12 Week Bikini Body Guide

Hey guys! So one of my New Year’s resolution was to get in shape this year. It hit me when I was down to Mexico this past Christmas. I was climbing a Mayan monument with my brother and was literally out of breath after 20 steps. I was fed up with feeling unhealthy and out of shape, and wanted to make a change. I have been working out on and off for years, but always had trouble sticking with it. I remember someone once mentioning to me the Bikini Body Guide (or BBG for short). After taking look at what the guide entailed, I decided to try it for myself.

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What is BBG?

BBG is a 12 week program created by Kayla Itsines. You can purchase the ebook or buy the Sweat with Kayla app (I found the pdf online……..). The first 8 weeks has 2-3 resistance training sessions (gym workouts) and 2-4 light cardio sessions. The last four weeks also includes HITT training.

The workouts are grouped together, so weeks 1 and 3 are the same thing. Every four weeks the workouts get more intense, but are similar to the past weeks. For example, week 1 is 15 push-ups, week 5 is 15 decline push ups and week 9 is 20 drop down push ups.

Each workout consists of two circuits with four moves each that you do twice. In total there are eight moves that you do twice each. The full workout is supposed to take around 30 minutes. There are three workouts for each week, focused on either legs, arms or abs.

What did I think of the BBG workouts?

I like to preface with saying that I was very out of shape when I started this guide. I 100% should have started with some basic exercising before starting this. I was exhausted by the end of the workout. After doing weeks 1-4 I decided to do them for another week in order to build up my strength more before moving forward. So it took be 14 weeks to complete the 12 week guide.

I really like the layout of the workouts. Since I’m not super in shape, it would take me around 10 minutes to complete a circuit. I could complete the workout in around 40 minutes.

I like that the workouts don’t need a ton of equipment so I could do some of them at home. But the moves I hated the most were the ones I had to do most often. There is a ton of push ups and burpees in this guide. By week 6 the burpees were starting to hurt my knees, so I reduced the amount that I was doing.

Overall I liked the leg workouts the most. I was able to master the majority of the moves and I felt satisfied after completing the workouts. I equally disliked the arms and abs workouts. Half of the arm exercises are some form of a push up, so as someone who isn’t good at doing push ups I was not pleased. Abs depended on the week because some weeks were harder than others.

For the cardio portion I did it twice a week. I tried a few times to do three times a week but that was too much for me. I would do yoga for one of my cardio sessions. For the other session I would either go swimming or go on a walk. Since I was going this in the dead of winter it was way too cold for me to run outside. I also never did the HITT workouts. I was going to do them, but I was so busy with school that I didn’t have time to add another work out.

Overall I am pretty proud of myself for doing all 12 weeks of the guide. There were a few weeks here and there that I would miss one cardio or workout, but for the most part I did it all. I think this is the longest I have ever consistently worked out in my life.

What changes did I notice in my body?

One of the biggest changes I noticed was the amount of energy I had. After not working out for months, I was shocked at how energized I was. I liked to work out before class, and the days that I did work out I was much more awake in class than the days I hadn’t. Since it was also winter, I noticed that working out really helped improve my mood. Winter can be depressing (like actually seasonal depression is a thing), and I noticed that overall I was in a better mood compared to past winters.

Another HUGE difference was my immune system. I have a relatively week immune system. Last winter I was sick the majority of the time, so I was so surprised that I didn’t get sick ONCE this winter. I had a few days where I might feel a little bit of a sore throat or a little congested, but it was gone the next day. I had no colds and no illnesses, which is absolutely shocking for me.

Physically I did get stronger. For example at the beginning I couldn’t do one sit up and by the end I was able to do ten. Visually I did not notice a difference. I did take before and after photos, but I don’t see a difference. To be fair, its only been 3 months, and it takes awhile to actually see changes. Finally, I did manage to lose 10 pounds over the three months. Unfortunately, I stopped working out during exams and then while I was away in Europe, so I have since gained those 10 pounds back (oops haha).

Would I do BBG again? Would I recommend BBG?

I have decided to group these questions together because I won’t be following BBG again BUT I would recommend.

First I have decided not to do BBG again because I hated half of the moves. But what I will be doing is taking the format and placing in my own moves. So for those who are curious, I am planning on working out at the gym three times a week and then doing cardio twice a week for the next three months. I will definitely update you guys about that in August!

While I am not doing BBG again, I think the structure is really great. I think BBG would be good for anyone who is in a rut or needing a routine that will keep them motivated to go to the gym. I think it is a good place to get started.

Overall I think BBG gave me the push I needed to get in shape. It helped me both physically and mentally, and now I can’t wait to do my own thing! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments, I’d be more than happy to answer them 🙂

xoxo

Lea

Beauty, Boxycharm, Review, Skincare

May 2019 Boxycharm Review

by LeaLeave a Comment on May 2019 Boxycharm Review

Hey guys! I am officially back from my trip to Europe! Sorry I didn’t have any posts go up the last three weeks – I ran out of time before my trip to write and decided to just enjoy my trip instead of worrying about posting. I am an amazing time on my trip, and I will be writing a few blog posts about it so stay tuned for that!

Even though I was away most of the month, there was no way I would be missing a Boxycharm box! I haven’t had much time to try the products, but I wanted to at least give you guys my first impressions of the items in the box. This month’s theme is Make Waves.

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The first item in the box is the GlamGlow Gentlebubble Daily Conditioning Cleanser. I have used this cleanser a few times now and overall I think it’s pretty average. It’s a nice gentle cleanser, my skin didn’t feel stripped or dry after using it. It also does a good job of foaming up, just like it claims. I personally can’t stand the scent though. I know a lot of people like it, but it reminds me of alcohol. I actually checked the ingredients to see if there was alcohol in this cleanser, but GlamGlow says that it is ‘drying alcohol-free’. Either way, this green tea-apple combination is not my favourite. Overall I will probably continue to use this cleanser now that I have it, but I would recommend others over this one. Price: $28 USD, $35 CAD

Next I got an Eyelash Curler from PUR Cosmetics. Not going to lie, I’m bummed that I received this item. I already own an eyelash curler, and this tool is not really one that you need multiples of. I am sure it’s a create quality lash curler, but it’s just not something I needed. I haven’t decided if I’m going to keep it or give it to a friend/sell it. Price: $18 USD

The next item I got is the Oryza Opaline Top Gloss. I thought this product was a lip gloss, so imagine my reaction when I put this on my lips and it dried down completely within seconds. I have never tried something like this before! It has the shimmer impact of a glossy lip topper but the durability of a liquid lipstick. Now this is not a lippie that I would wear all the time, only for certain occasions when I want a ton of glitter on my lips. But I could imagine having a waterproof shimmer could be good for a festival or fun event. In the end, I wouldn’t say everyone should run out and buy this. I probably won’t use it very often but it does what it claims to do. Price: $14.99 USD or $17.99 (I don’t know what currency but the second price is what is on their website)

More glitter! The next item is the Ciate London Eye Lustre Creme Eyeshadow. Wow this are fun! This creme eyeshadow is extremely pigmented. I put one swipe on my eyelid and I was able to cover it completely all the way up to my eyebrow haha. I think just a little bit of this place on the middle of the eyelid would be so beautiful. While I found that the eyeshadow didn’t crease, it was still tacky. About an hour later I was able to wipe it off using my finger. I’m not sure how long wearing this product would be. Overall I think this is a fun creme eyeshadow that I will definitely play with more. Price: $22 USD

The final product is the Alamar Cosmetics Colorette Blush Trio, and I got mine in the shade medium/tan. Man these shades just scream summer to me! I can’t wait until I am a little more tan because for now these shades are just a hair to dark. My set includes a coral, a peach and a rose shade which are my favourite to wear as blushes. These blushes aren’t so pigmented that I have to be careful not to over do it. Instead they are buildable and blendable. I really like the eyeshadow palette that I own from Alamar Cosmetics, so I’m not surpised that I like this blush trio. If you like blush, this is a gorgeous trio. Price: $22 USD

And that is my May Boxycharm! While I miss exploring and all the new friends I met abroad, I am excited to be home and have the chance to sit and play with my makeup again!

xoxo

Lea

Home Decor, Life, Room Tour

University Room Tour

by Lea1 Comment on University Room Tour

Hey friends! Today I am sharing a little tour of my room that I had in university. Sadly I have moved out and this room is no more, but many of the pieces will be coming back with me to my parents’ place. If you are interested, I recorded a room tour as well, and it is up in my Instagram’s story highlights (@xoxoxoleelee). Anyways, I will try to link what I can, but a lot of this stuff is a few years old. But you can use this as inspiration, especially for how to make a small room cute!

First, I just want to mention that I did paint the walls when I moved it, but my landlord didn’t want me to paint them write. The previous paint was this ugly brown-purple. I decided to paint my walls a light grey, but the previous paint underneath gave the ways a slight purple hue, which I don’t mind.

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On the wall across from my bed I have all my prints. Most of this I also had in first year in my dorm. I got Le Chat Domestique et Son Caractere poster and the green typewriter poster during a poster sale that happened at my university. The watercolour church print I got at an antique sale. The cat and dog prints I got in a small boutique in Toronto. My three other prints I got from Indigo. The only one I could print is my animal alphabet one.

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Next beside my window I have this geometric shelf. I actually had bought the shelf, and when I came home my dad told me to return it and he would build me one himself. My dad is a pretty handy man, so he built this shelf! On top I have some battery powered candles and then a book that is cute in the shape of an L (since my name starts with an L lol). I am unsure where the L came from, since my mom got it for me, but I have seen similar ones a ton of places. I’ve seen them at Antropologie, Winners and on Etsy. On the other shelf I have my small perfume collection. If you are curious what perfumes I own let me know and I can do a review of them!

Next up beside my bed I have my beside table. It is the BRIMNES Nightstand from Ikea. Both my lamp and my alarm clock are broken haha! My lap shade doesn’t sit straight, and I have an old iHome that doesn’t connect to my iPhone and the alarm doesn’t go off anymore. I only keep it because it still tells time correctly. Next I have a little dish that is meant for jewlery but I keep hair elastics and lip balms in. Beside that I have a rose quartz skull. I got in at the CNE in the International Pavillion, but there are similar ones online like this one. Finally I have my essential oil diffuser. I got it for Christmas, but I believe it is the Aroma Om from Saje. Above my nightstand I have this print that I got from an antique fair as well. The frame I got from Winners.

Next up is my bed. My bed frame is from Ikea, it is the BRIMNES Bed frame with storage and headboard. I really like it because it has storage drawers underneath. I also like the headboard because it has a shelf and little chubby holes on the side. I don’t know where my duvet is from, because that was a Christmas present (a running theme for items in my room haha). I got my backrest/reading pillow from Bed, Bath and Beyond. I got my sequin pillow and my stars pillow case from Urban Planet two years ago.

Above my bed I have this National Geographic World Map Decal that I got from Indigo. Really random, but I love looking at maps, so I knew I wanted one in my room. I really like the look of this one because it looks vintage-y. On top of my headboard I have a bunch of knick-knacks. I don’t know where the L is from, and beside is it a picture frame and jar that was a gift. I have a bunch of mugs from various places, many of which were birthday presents. I got from Light Box from a place in Toronto, but tons of places sell them. Then I have some plants and another sign my mom got me, along with my lamp.

Next up is my desk (and sorry for the bad lighting, it was getting dark outside). My desk was actually my grandmothers old vanity. My dad just repainted it and changed the hardware. On top of my desk I have some little knick-knacks, along with some jewlery cases and my Himalayan salt lamp. I got mine from Winners. I also keep my speaker on my desk, which is the Sony SRX XB40 portable speaker (I love it!). I also keep all my makeup on top of my desk. If you are interested in how I store my makeup, check out here. I also have a cork bulletin board with my schedule and some pictures (also yes I know my calendar was still set to February ahaha). Above my desk I have some photos hanging along with my polaroids stuck to my mirror.

My desk chair is also from Ikea, I can’t seem to find it on their website though but to be fair it is three years old. I do have a stain on the seat, from makeup of all things, so I just covered it with a blanket for the photo. The final part of my room is my closet, which is way to messy to share. But it has two huge sliding mirrors to cover it, which was super nice to have and to take ootds in.

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And that is my room tour! I loved this room so much and I am so sad to have left it! I had so much fun living in my university house, and I will miss it dearly. But stayed tuned for a new room tour once I get settled back into my parent’s place!

xoxo

Lea

Life

Life Update – Done University!

by LeaLeave a Comment on Life Update – Done University!

Hey friends! Here is the Life Update that I promised. So much stuff is happening in my life and it is definitely affecting my blog, so I wanted to let ya’ll know about it!

So I was pretty MIA most of April. I had my final university exams! I am now officially done university, which is pretty crazy. I think I mentioned this before, but I was going to university to study Communications. I have finished my degree, but have decided to do another year. I will be attending a different school, so I had to move back to my parents place.

I have spent the past week moving back home which is a has been a ton of work. I have a mini room tour up in my Instagram highlights, and I am planning on doing a full blog post for next week. Now I am completely redoing my room back home, since the last time that was done was when I was 15 haha! But it’s been a slooow process. I will definitely be posting updates about that as well.

The really big thing is that I am going on a big trip to Europe! I am pre-writing this post, the day it goes up I will be leaving! I will be gone for two and a half weeks, but I am trying to pre-write a ton of posts. I might be posting less on Instagram though, since there will be a seven hour time difference, and I am unsure how much WiFi I will have. I am already planning on writing some posts about my trip when I come back.

After I come back this summer I will just be working, so hopefully everything will go back to normal. I actually want to send this summer revamping the look and function of my blog, so stay tuned for some updates!

And that is what is up with my life right now! Going through a ton of changes, and just thought I would like ya’ll know 🙂

xoxo

Lea

Beauty, Haul, Skincare

Sephora VIB Sale Haul

by LeaLeave a Comment on Sephora VIB Sale Haul

Hey friends! So today I am sharing what I got during the Sephora VIB Sale. The sale goes until Monday, so if you still have a chance to pick up some stuff! I went a little crazy, but 20% off is a great time to stock up or get items that you have been eyeing for awhile.

vib sale 2019

First, I repurcahsed the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser. You guys know how much I love this cleanser, so I had to pick up a mini for when I travel later this month. I think once I finish this one I will invest in the full size one.

I bought a second cleanser, since I like to use a different cleanser in the morning and night (yes I’m that extra). I got the OLEHENRIKSEN Find Your Balance Oil Control Cleanser. I was looking for a new cleanser meant  oily/acne prone skin. This one had good reviews and smelled pretty good, so I am excited to try it out.

The final skincare bit is my Beauty Insider birthday gift! I decided to go with the Drunk Elephant giftset. It comes with a deluxe sample of the Prontini Polypeptide Cream and the Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser. I have never tried anything from Drunk Elephant but I seen many good reviews of their products. I’m going to try them out, and if I like them they will be the perfect size to bring to Europe with me.

Next up I bought two lip balms, because you can never have too many lip balms. The first is the new Laneige Lip Glowy Balm. They are completely sold out online, but they still have a few Pears in store. I have a feeling I am going to like this more than their sleeping mask! I tried it once already and I loved it. It is thinner and feels amazing on the lips. Excited to wear this more!

The second lip balm is the new Bite Beauty Agave+ Daytime Vegan Balm. I have the original Agave Lip Balm, and I am curious to see how different this new one is from the original. I know the big difference is that this balm is now vegan, which is pretty great! Let’s hope that the formula isn’t too different and that is just as amazing as the original!

Next I really wanted to pick up the new Fenty Bronzer, but they were sold out in the shade that I wanted in store. BUT they did have the Lil Bronze Duo, which includes a mini of the Sun Stalk’r bronzer and a Match Stix bronzer. I got the shade Shady Biz and Sinamon. I haven’t tried the Match Stixs yet either, so I thought this would be a fun set to purchase!

The final products I purchased are a new BeautyBlender and the Liquid BlenderCleanser. I usually purchase a new Beauty Blender every VIB sale since they are a bit pricey but are honestly the best makeup sponge I have tried. I have used the solid Beauty Blender cleanser and I really enjoy it, but I find that is gets gross pretty quickly. The last time I used it I found little black dots, which I think is mold. I thought that the liquid cleanser would be more hygienic, so I am going to try it out!

And that is what I got during the VIB sale! I am excited to try out all my new products. I am curious what you are purchasing during the sale, let me know down below in the comments!

xoxo

Lea

Beauty, Boxycharm, Review

April 2019 Boxycharm Review

by LeaLeave a Comment on April 2019 Boxycharm Review

Hey guys! I AM DONE UNIVERSITY!! I can’t believe that it’s over! I will be posting a life update on Tuesday, so stay tuned for that. For now I have my April Boxycharm review. Now April has been a crazy month for me, with final papers and then exams and then moving back home. I have barely worn any makeup this month, so I haven’t really had much of a chance to test out the products I got in my box this month. I did one look with the box, so this post is going to be more of a first impression then an in-depth review.

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The first product is the Luxie Summer Daze 3PC Brush Set. I love Luxie brushes, they are some of the best I have ever used. They are super soft but also durable. They don’t get scratchy after multiple washes. I actually already own the 512 small contour brush, but I don’t mind a second one since I also like to use this brush to highlight. I always like getting brushes in my box, especially these Luxie ones since they are such high quality. Price: $28 USD

The next product is the Bodyography Eye Pencil in the shade Bali Bronze. I tried it in my waterline and it applied quite smoothly. Some wooden eye pencils can be quite stiff, but this one was creamy. I didn’t wear my makeup very long, so I don’t know how long wearing this pencil is. I am not sure how often I would use this pencil, since it is a sparkly bronze shade. Price: $14 USD

The big item in this month’s box is the Festival Palette by PUR. I only used a few shades, but this palette is so gorgeous that I have many more in mind. The shade Wild Child, the bright pink, was the perfect balance of pigmented and blend-able. Sometimes bright shades are so pigmented that they can be hard to blend out. This shade is beautiful. I really like that they included two pressed glitters in the palette. These glitters are in a clear gel so they are pretty easy to use but it does take a bit to build it up. When using the glitters I would recommend using a glitter primer underneath. By the time I had finished doing my makeup the glitters were already starting to crease. Overall I really like this palette. I think it has a nice balance between wearable neutrals and fun pops of colour/glitter. I will definitely be using this again! Price: $36 USD

The lippie in this month’s box is the Appeal Cosmetics Holographic Lip Gloss. I really like this lip gloss! I will say it isn’t what I would picture for a holographic lip gloss. There isn’t a ton of glitter particles, so it just adds a nice hint of shine to the lips. But the base of this gloss is so juicy. This is like a nice almost clear gloss with just a hint of sparkle. Love it! Price: $21 USD

The final product is the Artist Couture Diamond Glow Powder in the shade Purple Dream. I have another one of the Artist Couture powder highlighters, and WOW they are great for festival season. These highlights have very fine glitter in them, so it makes your cheeks pop. It’s a little much for everyday use, but great for special occasions. I wore my other highlight during my school’s Frosh Week and got so many compliments. This shade is also super fun. It’s a peach base with a beautiful purple shift. Not something I would wear on the daily, but fits perfectly into the festival theme of the box. Price: $27 USD

And that is this month’s box. Overall I think this box was super cute and would be perfect for anyone planning on going to a festival this summer. What did you guys think of this month’s box? Let me know in the comments down below!

xoxo

Lea