Fifty Shades of Big Lips

Can I get a HOLLA to all my sistas

who have large and in charge lips!

 

I would LOVE to wear 50 shades of lipstick and change up my lip color for every outfit...

But unfortunately,

most colors make me look like I just ate a rainbow for lunch.

 

I tried the big bold red lip one day....

and my husband asked me

What happened to my face.

 

 

Trying to extenuate something that's already

rather large apparently doesn't work for me.

 

So I tend to keep in the

pale pastel and nude shades.

 

My ABSOLUTELY FAVORITE lipstick brand

is Yves Saint Laurent.

From the packaging, to the selection of colors,

to even the smell of the lipstick..

It's just beautiful.

 

$39.00 at Sephora

 

I love MAC's lipstick

in Rose Lily

$16.00 at the MAC in the Bay 

 

An inexpensive brand of lip color

and moisturizer I also use is

Baby Lips by Maybelline.

 $3.95

at Walmart or Shoppers

 

Lipstick color can be a hard one to shop for,

but when your husband thinks you resemble that of a clown with anything brighter than pale...

your choices become a lot easier.

 

Next time your out shopping for that fabulous shade of red lip color,

pucker up and love every second of how fabulous you look.

 

I can only dream!  

 

 

 

 

 



Food and Friends make Fridays my Favorite!

 

 

There's something about completing a week of obligations,

and entering a weekend of choice..

which makes Friday the most anticipated day

of the week for Monday-Friday-er's.

 

I am SO fortunate to have a boss who allows me to work 

hours that accommodate my early rising self! 

(5:10am baby)

I start at 7am, and finish work at 2pm.

 

For me, Friday afternoon wine and cheese starts at 230pm...

Which usually leads to

"date night" in the evening

 

13th Street 2011 Sandstone Chardonnay

is one of my favorite local Chards

Retails for$29.95

 

My girlfriend and I enjoyed a bottle on Friday,

along with our usual snacks to tie us over until dinner.

 

After consuming mass amounts of cheese and such,

 a nap is usually in order to re-fuel for the evening.

 

My husband and I usually hit up one of our fav Friday night spots, the Keg in St. Catharines.

 (I will write about the Keg in a future post)

 

My girlfriend joined us this week,

and together we enjoyed a wonderful evening out.

 

 

Fridays rarely disappoint,

and this one was no exception!

 

Good Wine..

Good Food..

 

and good company!

 

What more could you ask from a Friday?

 

Mondays don't suck as much when you can anticipate another Friday only 5 days away.

 

Give yourself something to look forward to at the end of the week,

you've earned it!

 

I ain't no Cougar, Leopard on the other hand...

Leopard should be a color.

 

I find it looks fabulous on females of all ages

 

 

 

I have a hard time resisting purchasing anything with a leopard pattern on it

 

 

A tiny glimpse of a fraction of Leopard items I own..

Purses, shoes, scarves, bathing suits, socks,

undergarments, blazers, blouses, makeup bags,

 slippers, eye mask... you name it,

I'll probably have it in leopard. 

 

 

One of my favorite items is my travel pillow,

of all things.

 

 

Id be that person walking down the street

in a full on leopard jacket.

 

One day, if I'm blessed with a girl of my own...

she will resemble that of a leopard.

I will start her off at birth in one of these:

and then proceed to dress her

like she belongs in Africa

 

 

A shout out to those of you who share

my love for this sexy pattern.

 

Embrace the animal in you!

 

Prrrrrr

 

 

 

 



Arbonne Consultant Vidal, At your service

 

I'm the New kid on the "Arbonne" Block

 

 

My decision to "sign on" to Arbonne as a consultant 

was based on the fact that 

I actually LOVE these products!

 

The fact that the Arbonne is organic and comes from nature, personally, doesn't mean as much to me as it would to many of you... They could be made out of Big Macs and I wouldn't mind,

as long as

 THEY WORK!

 

Being a user of Arbonne products for a bit over 2 years now,

I am confident this skincare line actually make a difference in your skin,

and overall well being.

 

*Above is the current collection of Arbonne products I use daily*

 

The unfortunate way I discovered that I relied on the Arbonne RE9 facewash,

was when I ran out of the stuff before re-ordering,

and thought Bath and Body works soap would suffice in the meantime.

My face broke out in the most ridiculous rash I've ever seen in my life.

 

I actually went to work with band aids on my face. #noshame

 

I have extremely sensitive skin, and any other products I've used either dried out my skin, or didn't clear up what I wanted it to.

 

Arbonne offers many different lines including:

Skincare

Bath and Body

Makeup

 Hair

 Sun

 Fragrance

 Nutrition

Men  

(Jesse is testing this line out for me, my pretty boy :) lol

Infants

 

The thing I find the most reassuring about Arbonne,

is the 45 day money back guarantee

if you are not satisfied.

 (which I can personally guarantee you will be!)

 

So why not give it a try?!

 

If your interested, I have a sample pack I can give you to try - no pressure at all!

 

For any more information - or if you are interested in improving your skin... wrinkles... or tan

please feel free to contact me by email or phone :)

 

tvidal4730@gmail.com

 

Alright, go Hump this Wednesday away!

 

 

 

 

 



What's cookin at the Casa

Saturday night Special

at the Casa de Vidal
 

 

Breaking in the new stove with

a top notch dinner cooked by

Master Chef Vidal
 

 

 

 

 

 

My husband is an incredible cook;

I like to think of him as my personal chef.

 

 

 

 

About once a week,

he'll cook us a restaurant worthy dinner

 and pair it with one of our

"special wines" from the wine cellar.

 

 

 

 

 

This Saturday was Italian Inspired.

 

 

 

 

The wine of choice was an outstanding

bottle of 2007 Chardonnay Reserve

 from

Gann Family Estate in Napa.

 

 

 

 

For the Chardonnay lover,

this wine was buttery, thick and flawless on my pallet.

Retailing at $29.95, I'd purchase a case..

it was THAT good.

 

 

 

To start, we had a Caesar salad and Garlic Bread

 

 

While he focused on the "more important part"

of the dinner, I prepared the starters. 

My Caesar wasn't nearly up to caliber

with the one my husband makes..

he does his like the restaurant "Jacobs and Co." in Toronto,

and makes the dressing from scratch.

 

 

 

For the main,

he made

Pasta a La Vodka with Lobster and Prosciutto

 

 My husband rarely follows a recipe,

 so all he could give me was the ingredients he used:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Penne

Vodka

Garlic

Shallots

Diced tomato's

Prosciutto

Butter

Lobster

Heavy Cream

Salt/Pepper

 

 

 

It was delicious and the Chardonnay paired beautifully.

 

 

 

 

My taste buds were doing the tango Saturday night.. and after that meal.. so were we ;)

 



A little bit of August in February

 

http://www.augustrestaurant.ca/

 

On Friday, our "Vineland crew" of foodie friends

 decided to take advantage of

FREE CORKAGE FRIDAYS (WHAT!?)

at August Restaurant in Beamsville.

 

 

Being the winos we are, it's always a selling feature when a restaurant offers a corkage fee...

But FREE corkage?!

That's fabulous!

 

Together, we brought 4 bottles

to accompany our food selections.

 

To start, I had a small side Caesar salad

and the Crispy Duck Rolls.

 

For the fellow duck lover,

this is an exquisite appetizer.

 

My husband and I's wine contribution was a bottle of 2011 Tempranillo

from a winery we visited in BC called "Moon Curser."

*Another fantastic point - the wine doesn't have to be local*

 

My main was the Potato Parmesan Gnocchi,

with double smoked bacon,

chicken and spinach

in a tomato vodka cream.

My favorite part of it was the bacon. Yum.

 

 To finish off our meal,

we shared the Warm Sticky Toffee pudding.

 

It was DIVINE!

 

What surprised me the most, was the bill!

 

For the two of us to enjoy a 3 course meal,

 with a beer to start, and wine flowing

graciously throughout the evening,

the bill came to $96.00 .. with tip!

 

I'd highly recommend hitting up this local Beamsville

hot spot on the next Friday you have

 a great bottle of wine you'd like to pair with some fabulous food!

 

Bon Appetite!

 

 

 

 



My favorite pair of Genes ;) - Part Two

 

You all have them... 
that favorite pair of jeans that always seem to fit perfectly, and look great on.

 

My favorite Jeans.. or rather Genes,
 are the ones I got from my parents.

 

 

 

+

=

 

People have questioned me in the past if all I eat is salad and health food..
and I have to laugh..
 because that is so far from my reality...


I am blessed with a fantastic metabolism
and was raised by very active parents.


My mother goes on daily walks and is an active volleyball player,
and my father is a dedicated cyclist,
and mildly obsessed with lifting weights.


Growing up, my parents always had us playing sports and keeping active.

 

But there was a time where I took my genetics for granted.


Prior to turning 21, I had never been to a gym.


All of a sudden, I noticed a big change in my body.
I went to see my doctor,
and turns out I had an underactive thyroid.


At my peak weight, I was 22 pounds heavier than I am today...
and of course,
it was around the time of a best friends wedding.


After seeing her wedding pictures,
 I was determined to kick my thyroid problem.


I tried dieting - but was grumpy and hated every second of restricting myself from certain foods.


I had no choice but to start working out
to get my body back into a shape.


25 minutes at the gym, 5 days a week over the course of 3 years is what it took for me. I didn't change my diet what so ever.
*On a future blog, I will give my tips on how to get yourself in a routine and outline my 25 minutes*


A year after my own wedding,
I lost my final 12 pounds.
My thyroid problem was kicked,
and my old body came back to life.


I continue to workout more now than ever before, without limiting myself from any food or drink.


Gaining that weight 4 years ago due to my thyroid,  was the reality check I needed in order to appreciate how lucky I am to be able to eat whatever I'd like,
but also,to realize how important it is to have  some physical activity in your life even if you are blessed with good genes!