I spent years searching for the right nude lipstick, which could magically transform my appearance in 30 seconds from a pale ghost into a lovable lady. I don't have time in the morning for extensive beauty routine (although could benefit from one), because just like anyone else, have to be at my workplace by a certain time.
There one ritual I always stick to-apply a lipstick. There is something magical in this small phallic symbol, transforming my dry lips into well-hydrated gates of wisdom and truth.

This review is not sponsored. First group of lipsticks are my absolute favorite in all categories: amazing color that compliments my skin, smells great, hydrates my lips, color lasts for 2-3 hours, the lipstick is visually pleases my senses.

My absolute favorite #1 Too Faced Peaches and Cream Collection "Sure Thing".
The packaging has a tiny golden peach on front, with a logo beautifully written in gold. When you open a lipstick, you notice a divine peachy smell, good enough to eat the lipstick ha-ha! Just three easy swipes on the lips, and voila-lips are hydrated, smell peachy, have a beautiful mate peach color. In two hours lips are still hydrated, look and smell great! I am sold!

My favorite #2 is MAC Cremesheen collection "203-Creme Cup"
It has light texture that goes on very smooth, hydrating lips and visually plumping them up. I love the smell of MAC lipsticks- it promises a good day and it delivers! The color is very complimenting and it stays in place for some time without drying. Lips feel hydrated and plumped.

Favorite #3 is Charlotte Tilbury "Pillow Talk"
It probably shares the second place together with MAC in my heart, but I needed a structure.
The first thing- this shiny object can't go unnoticed. It looks so gorgeous, so expensive and it smells divine!
It actually is very expensive- $39 plus taxes. That is why third place in my hit parade.
Pillow talk has a great color that accentuates the lips, without being too much. It has smooth silky coverage, smells divine. Definitely a must for special occasions, when you want to feel million bucks version of yourself.

My second group of nude lipsticks that made the cut: NARS Bahama Lip Tint, NARS Bahama velvet matte lip pencil, Clinique Chubby Stick Intense A39.

The reason this is second group, as it is lacking presentation and smell. However I still use this group regularly, as it provides good color and hydration.
My favorite #1 Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Curviest Caramel provides soft cushiony color, it is made with comforting oils and Vitamin E. It glides very smooth and the coverage depends on how much you apply: it can be sheer or a full coverage. It lasts a while, keeping my lips well-hydrated.

My favorite #2 is NARS, as it looks great! Hydration and nourishment are not great here, but at least the product doesn't dry lips either. Staying power is good. First I apply matte crayon and finish with shiny veil. Lips look amazing!

​This review will cover three mascaras: Milk Makeup- Kush mascara, YSL - Volume Effet Faux Cils, Burberry - Cat Lashes. None of them were waterproof.
My first choice is Kush mascara- perfectly curls, elongates and separates each eye lash. It has amazing staying power- lasts all day (also walked outside in a rain). The lashes look natural but super long and curled naturally ( it is like super expensive high quality lash extensions). The packaging is brilliant- very comfortable to hold the wand and work it's magic!

My second choice is Burberry Cat Lashes in jet black.  Burberry mascara doesn't quite curl, but it definitely adds superior volume/builds lashes. It will be upon the user to build the length, volume, moving the wand in different directions. It also separates the lashes. It has pretty good staying power- tested in humid environment while on vacation in Thailand.
I did not like that lashes looked like after using a mascara- with tiny clumps of product.

My third choice is YSL- Volume Effet Faux Cils left me with a raccoon eye each time I tried to wear it. I tried to use setting powder, not using moisturizer in the morning, same effect.
At first this mascara delivers a "wow" effect, truly adding volume, defining each lash, slightly curling, but after 2 hours it ended up under the eye. Maybe I will try waterproof version in the future, but I am pretty happy with Milk Makeup Kush for now!

September is a transitional month between a hot summer and a cold winter, when our skin needs extra moisture.
I find it super important to intensively moisturize throughout a year without compromise. To tackle that task, I use Aloe Vera serum in combination with a cream. The products from my review are from Korea and I find them suitable for my skin type (hyper sensitive, dry, maturing) and Canadian climate. 
 After cleansing my skin, I use Aloe Vera Essence by The Saem. It has slippery-wet consistency, mild scent and absorbs by skin very quickly. 

As the second step I use snail repair moisturizer by Mizon. These two products work in tandem to brighten dull skin and thoroughly moisturize it. I also found out that using cream with snail secretion extract aids to post-acne scars healing over time. 
For the under eye area I used White Bomb Eye cream by Elizavecca.

My decision to try this cream was based on list of ingredients, but when I read some reviews I was hesitant. Reviewers said they did not see any difference while using this cream. 
However I am glad that I got it, as it definitely works well for removing dark circles, at least for me. It also moisturizes under eye area very well. 
​That is all for September!

​I was trying to find myself in a community, surrounded by women with straight blond hair and bright blue eyes, looking great in black lululemon leggings. Me, short legged, slightly overweight sheep. I believed I had to look like the people I saw in the community to fit in, to be accepted, to make friends. I purchased lululemon pants (although I love skirts), went to yoga classes and highlighted my hair. 
But when and why did the taste makers of our culture decide that if you are "different", then you can never be "beautiful" or "enough"? Why does our society choose to constantly feed into those detrimental narratives? And why is it so quick to satisfy itself with checklist diversity? Real inclusiveness takes place in the mind and shows up at the decision-making table. It challenges our previous notions of beauty, value, and representation. Not only is it easy to miss beauty (talent), but it's equally easy to vilify an "other", someone we are not familiar with. The same goes for people who makes us uncomfortable because of their strange sounding accent, their different-looking clothing, or even the color of their skin. But vilification starts as in-curiosity, ignorance and fear can quickly transform into danger, isolation, and life-threatening oppression. People fear what they do not know. Have you noticed that any decision-making group (Kelowna City Council for example) might include only one person representing minorities, but mostly doesn't?

There's an incredible pool of potential that gets marginalized. We all miss out on the benefits of this reservoir of talent that gets set aside. Nature, the purest form of beauty, knows that diversity is strength; we have yet to fully recognize and benefit from this natural truth. Our look, our style, our thoughts, and our beliefs, define and strengthen us. Everyone of us shares at least one common denominator with every other human - life itself. And the fact that you drive Mercedes/BMW/Tesla and vacation in Hawaii doesn't mean you are better person. 
I wish we (society) can overcome fear and spread curiosity. Learn from one another. We might look differently and speak with/without accent, but if life allowed us to cross paths, believe there is always a foundation of shared humanity. Beauty is mindfulness and appreciation of our differences. But you feel it if you choose to be open to its presence.

      To allow ourselves  to see the beautiful Okanagan scenery from our windows, we need to clean them after the winter season. If cleaning windows inside is a simple task, outside might be not so simple to access depending on how high your windows are from ground floor.
The solution - window cleaning companies. We had Men in Kilts Kelowna do our windows lately. They are terrific! Two guys showed up on time and efficiently cleaned all windows squeaky, sparkly  clean.

The windows are spotless! I also loved that they took an extra mile to clean deck glass and deck glass door (some companies would expect you to finish those up). Great local company!

If you are planning to visit Phuket, I would recommend to book a hotel beforehand, since it is a very busy place.
Our choice was Sugar Marina Resort due to it's close proximity to the beach and breakfast  included with stay. It worked out very well: we usually got up, had a nice breakfast and ran to the sea for a swim at least twice a day.
Sugar Marina resort has nicely decorated rooms in various fashion designer's themes, minibar is stocked daily with fresh water, beer, coke, chocolate bar. The room is pretty spacious with comfortable beds and clean linens. The only covet is location of the room close to swimming pool means noise and location on the upper floor is quite but water pressure does go low (intermittent showering experience).

The breakfast was always a delight: choice of fresh fruit, eggs your style, pastry, cereals, salad bar, waffles, coffee ( restaurant style machine made very nice latte, cappuccino), juices. And my personal favorite: Thai style sweets! That was sticky rice and coconut mousse variations.

I made sure I had sufficient fruit intake every morning, since we are lucking good fruit in Canada during winter months. I admit indulging on omelet with cheese and ham, it was delicious! By the way, I did not gain any weight during our trip to Thailand.

I have no problem recommending this hotel to anyone and getting the breakfast included, especially if you go with your family (totally worth it!).

We Cafe is probably one of the best places to eat for westerners not seeking out spicy indulgence. They pride themselves on freshly made soups, salads, burgers off the grill (patties hand made the same day), pasta, pizza, lasagna, baked mussels and so much more. This is a heaven for vegetarians, vegans and simply people eating healthy.
I had the best pumpkin soup in my life, with a freshly baked bun.

I also ordered Yam salad with salmon, which looked like a huge portion, but when I started eating, I could not stop! The full plate was gone! Every ingredient in the salad tastes superb.

Here is my plate after... Just a few onion rings left...

I loved the atmosphere there, it is like having a brunch in a tropical forest setting. Everything looks environmentally friendly.

Oops, almost forgot to mention their chicken burger- delicious!

I knew the moment I stepped inside Kim's Massage and SPA, it would be an unforgettable experience. This SPA has the ambiance of a green oasis in the middle of a hot +34 C Phuket town.
A smiling hostess brought a refreshing herbal ice tea and cold lemongrass water soaked hand towel to refresh the face and hands. The menu has a variety of massage, manicure, pedicure.
I went for a 1 hour foot massage and manicure. The foot massage started with a foot wash, than I was comfortably seated in a wide leather recliner and treated to a blissful massage.
Masseuse uses the knowledge of reflexology to activate vital organs/body centers through acupressure points located on the bottom of the feet. Foot massage also included hand and neck massage. In the end I felt relaxed and rejuvenated.
I was amazed by a glamorous washroom of this facility, take a look!

Manicure took place in a special cozy room, where I was seated in a comfortable arm-chair. Manicurist took her time to thoroughly beatify my fingers: cuticle care, shaped and buffed nails, applied 2 coats of nail polish, finished by massaging my hands with some light hand cream. It was a good experience, I would definitely go back!

Pho Soc Trang is a traditional Vietnamese cuisine restaurant downtown Kelowna, at 1530 Water Street. They are open during lunch hours 11:30 AM to 2 PM and for dinner 5 PM to 7:30 PM. Skip the dishes driver can deliver your online order as an option.
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We ordered vermicelli bowl and deep fried won tons. Vermicelli bowl portion was large, tasty with juicy pork patty, crispy fried spring roll, BBQ chicken, shrimp skewer. Bean sprouts and salad was fresh and crunchy. Deliciousness in a bowl!

Fried wontons were super crunchy and delicious! The plum sauce complimented pork wontons, making this appetizer an outstanding beginning of the meal.
The service is always friendly and fast. I would highly recommend PhoSocTrang to culturally diverse crowd and those who appreciate a tasty meal on a budget.

What is the best food during cold winter months? Warm soup, of course! That is why we went to Wasabi Ramen Izakaya offering authentic Japanese Ramen. The owner and a  chef Jyunya Nakamura makes noodles every morning by hand and cooks ramen broth for hours to achieve the precise consistency and potency.

If you never tried ramen soup before, we suggest to start with Traditional Ramen (pictured above). It provides superior taste and nutrition in one bowl. Pure bliss!
​If you are ready to branch out from ordinary, there are so many other varieties available!

The only approach is to try different varieties and choose for yourself, based on your preference. The broths include Original, Miso, Spicy Yuzu Pepper, Curry, Vegetarian, Tan Tan Men and Shio to go with your favourite toppings. Soups starting at $9.50.
Appetizers include gyoza, okonomiyaki, chicken karaage, takoyaki, ebi chili mayo, spicy tofu and more. Prices start at $4.95.
We tried okonomiyaki, which is octopus deep fried balls with seaweed and fish flakes. So delicious!

We also tried Tan Tan Men Ramen which is creamy and rich with caramelized ground pork. It was very satisfying! 

In conclusion wanted to mention dinner hours 5:30 PM to 9 PM, lunch 11:30 AM to 2 PM. They are closed on Sundays.
Wasabi Ramen and Izakaya is a very popular place for locals, students, hippies and the food is well worth the wait!