I recently went to the launch of High Beauty, a line of skincare made with Cannabis sativa seed oil you can now find at Hudson’s Bay in Canada. I’ve been using the products for a week now and my skin feels soft and radiant.
I was so impressed with the products and beautiful packaging, I wanted to learn more about the brand. I’m really interested in new products that contain anything derived from hemp for cannabis.
I reached out to the founder to get a bit of a backstory and learn more about the company. Scroll down for my interview!
Last year I explored taking probiotics and started earning about gut health. It really opened me up to know more about my body, what foods are best and expanded my knowledge of microbiomes. A couple of weeks ago I got an email to try out a gut health test from Atlas Biomed. Obvs I was 100% down. They also sent a DNA Test which I had Sean do because I did one a few years ago.
Side note, since I did my DNA test, we’ve been very interested to find out Sean’s DNA results and what percentage of neanderthal DNA he has. This is because when I did my test, we found I had a larger percentage of neanderthal DNA than the average human. He’s been bugging me about and calling me ‘Cave Casie’ since lol.
Atlas Biomedlaunched in Canada this past summer and offers DNA & Gut Health testing in order to help people in heath & wellness. They’re the first company to offer both test directly to the public. Read more about their launch here.
“Our mission is to deliver knowledge directly to consumers to help them live longer, healthier lives and we’re excited to be able to bring our products to health-conscious Canadians.”
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, a woman is diagnosed EVERY 15 SECONDS. Multiple women will be diagnosed by the time you read this post.
I was asked to be part of Estee Lauder’s 2019 Breast CancerCampaign with a goal to raise $9M for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. By joining the campaign, I’m here to raise awareness and money to help fund more research so we can *hopefully* beat breast cancer. It breaks my heart hearing stories about how many people die from it and also talking with friends & family about our own personal connections to breast cancer. It can affect anyone.
This year, an estimated 268,600 women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and 62,930 women will be diagnosed with in situ breast cancer. An estimated 2,670 men in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
25 years ago, Evelyn H. Lauder created the Cancer Campaign and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (#BCRF) and since have raised millions to find research, education, and services. All Estee Lauder companies participate in donating the BCRF and you can shop their pink ribbon products here.
It really is something that can never be done by any one person; it has to be done by a group.
It’s been years since I’ve had my hair long as it is right now. I can’t remember the last time I was able to put my hair up in a pony, do french braids, or pop in extensions. I love it! It’s so fun to be able to play around with barrettes and accessories to change my look. At the start of summer, I stopped into SassoonTorontoto brighten up my blonde and trim my little bob.
LET’S COLOUR
In this post, I’m breaking down some of the different colour options you can get at Sassoon and what they mean.
I use to do all-over colour (blonde) but in effort to grow my hair longer and healthier, I’ve switched to highlights. They’re
BALAYAGE
This popular technique is pretty low maintenance if you’re looking for a look that doesn’t need a lot of upkeep. At Sassoon, they mix freehand painting with foiled highlights meaning you can have a natural sun-kissed look or something more dramatic.
Commitment: 2-3 Months
Great For: Creating soft, sun-kissed hair that is natural-looking, wearable, versatile
I love this look and it is VERY Sassoon. This technique uses darker tones underneath laters of lighter colors to create depth and tone. It’s a bit more of a commitment than balayage but so stylish! It really accentuates a haircut like this one I had a couple of years ago.
Commitment: 6-8 Weeks
Great For: Adding depth and tone to an amazing cut
On set for a shoot w/ Umbra
FACE FRAMING
Face frames blend into your natural colour accentuating your face and can be a variety of colours. This helps to illuminate your look and brighten your face without a big commitment.
Chances are you have probably had highlights in your life. if you’re like me and were in high school in the 2000’s you might have done the old cap/pull-through method as a teenager. Don’t try this now! Sassoon offers highlights and lowlights to either and some lights bits to darker hair or a few dark slices for depth and dimension. Highlights are great for hiding grey or if you’re moving away from all-over colour (like me).
Commitment: 2-3 Months
Great For: Enhancing natural colour, adding contrast, works on any hair length
Highlights
Lowlights
I think the most important things when it comes to your hair is finding what makes you happy. For me, my hair has always been a big part of defining my style and personality. I love working with Sassoon, they know who I am and how important my hair is to my look. I’ve learned over the years that a bright blonde is best and if I stray from that, I won’t be happy. Trust me!
BOOK A COLOUR CONSULTATION
Sassoon Toronto is happy to work with you to find a new style or enhance your current look with a cut and/or colour. I have my colour done by Kim, a wizard with blonde and cut by Tricia, the salon manager.
If you’re looking for a new look, they’re often looking for hair models for the Sassoon Academy or give the salon a ring at (416) 920-1333.
At this point, I’m committed to growing my hair. It’s going to be a long road and I consider cutting it once a day BUT I WILL NOT DO IT. Right now, I’m determined to have a cute lob (long bob) in a couple of months. This super cold winter we’ve been having has been great for hair growth because I’ve been wearing a hat almost every day!
I got a trim the other day at Sassoon and asked my stylists to recommend some tips for hair growth. Thought I would share for anyone in the same situation. Do you not just wish there was some modern version of the Peanut Butter Solution?
Here’s some style tips from Sassoonto to help your hair long and healthy. If you’re looking for short hair inspiration, feast your eyes on my Short Hair Styles Pinterest board. Heaps of looks for all different lengths from buzzcut to bob.
While we still have a few weeks left of winter, check out my Winter Hair Care Tips post from last year.
Tips for Growing Your Short Hair
Get regular trims, scissors are your friend!
Avoid heat as much as you can. If you can, air dry!
Don’t shampoo every time you shower
Cold rinse at the end of your shower. I have learned to love this!
Conditioning treatments – Pamper your hair with your hair with serums each week
Avoid hair ties, they can break your hair!
Years ago, my old boss gave her hair growth a boost by eating heating heaps of Jello. Apparently, gelatin helps hair and nails grow too! You can also take supplements (ex. Viviscal) but I haven’t tried anything just yet.
One of my tricks through the awkward stages is to do small braids, wear scarves, or throw on a hat. I’m almost at the half up/half down stage.
Scarves for the win!
Love this look.
If you have any tips of magical witchcrafy ways to make hair grow, I’m all ears!
I don’t know if I’ve ever spent so much time at home, inside the house, as I have the past month and during the Polar Vortex. Thankfully, today our upstairs patio door is no longer frozen shut but winter is far from over. Long winters like these are often hard to get through and the constant dull weather can really bring down your mood. If you’re feeling stir crazy or craving some something to boost your mood, here are a few things I like to do to make me feel happier when the SAD kicks in.
Home Spa
Love yourself and self-care your mood to a higher frequency with a little time, DIY beautyhacks, and products. You don’t need heaps of money or fancy stuff to pamper yourself like the queen you are. I love doing masks and usually get them from Shoppers. Also recommend checking out the beauty section of Winners, they almost always have a good selection at a great price. I got this set of metallic masks to nourish, brighten, and hydrate plus an applicator brush there the other day for $7! ?
I Pinned a few DIY recipes with ingredients you probably have on hand here or scan the pin code in the Pinterest App. Make a quick body scrub by mixing your used coffee grounds with coconut oil. Or make a simple lip sugar scrub with and a combination of white/brown sugar plus olive oil/coconut oil/honey, with peppermint, lemon, grapefruit, lavender, or activated charcoal to brighten. My mum makes a GREAT, thick, face cream with marigold, frankincense from New Direction Aeromatics. I love it!
Mum has been making us this great cream the last couple years. It’s so thick and moisturizing with all natural incredients and aromatherapy oils.
Light Therapy
This helps to boost your mood, deal with SAD, and can (not an expert!) help depression. I have the Phillips Hue light system in my room that includes Hue Light Bulbs and Hue Go Lamp. I use them every single day and can set them to create the illusion of a warm spring morning or a summer sunset. I also created a custom setting to replicate natural light that makes everything seem sunnier during grey days. There’s a soft pink that’s really nice on sunny days. ??
Next week I start Light Therapy at MOCA Toronto not too far from home. It’s only available for members so bought a $50 individual membership and signed up for 1 session/week for the next 5 weeks. Can’t wait to see how it makes me feel.
Exposure to light is used as a treatment for seasonal affective disorder (SAD), milder winter blues and sleep disorders caused by jet lag and overwork, or lack of daylight. Because it has no proven side effects and everyone can use it, light therapy can improve our busy lives and make us feel happier.
I am turning into a plant lady and I love it. I’ve always been connected to nature and I love being surrounded by lush green leaves. It makes me feel warm and they inspire creativity. Plants always brighten my day and there’s always room for one more. I wrote about some planty places in this post. ?
Urban Gardener on Dupont
Urban Gardener on Dupont
Urban Gardener on Dupont
Some of my plants!
Get A Glow
I absolutely love a sun-kissed glow but it’s a little hard to get naturally when you live in temperatures like Toronto winter. Obviously, vacation is the ideal situation but that’s not always an option.??? I’m a big fan of St. Tropez products, you can get them at Shoppers. beautyBOUTIQUE. I’ve been using this brand for years and use the products year round. My favourite for a nice bronze boost is the Classic Tan. For a slight glow on light skin try the Bronzing Water Mist. If you want a deeper tan, the Extra Dark will have you ready for the beach.
Bronzing Water Mist, light glow
Classic Bronzing Mousse, my fav.
Extra Dark Tan, this is what I use for vacation.
Exercise
Get ff the couch. Go outside. Do some situps. Make a Pinterest board of exercises you might do. Take a walk. I’m trying to learn to love the gym and am getting back into yoga after my shoulder injury. I have to woek at not letting things get in the way but I like how working out it makes me look and feel.
Exercise is good we all know this, but most of us (deff me) need a reminder to get in gear. You got this.
Organize
No really. Over the last month (with the help of the Marie Kondo documentary) I organized almost everything in the house and I feel good. I hardly ever show photos of our house because, to be honest, it’s not always spotless and until recently, there was stuff everywhere. I started with the pantry, moved to the kitchen drawers, closets, clothes, under the bed ( was hiding a lot of clothes here), and Emily’s room. We’re not 100% done but the ball is rolling. I find clutter clouds my brain and stresses me out. I am a recovering hoarder, I used to keep everything! I’m having less stuff is bringing me joy because everything has a place now and I can get to it with ease.
It might seem daunting at first but start with something small and go from there.
My newly organized and much smaller closet.
New organizing magazine. I can’t be stopped!
Next space I’m looking to renovate is the entryway.
Hope you find this useful or inspiring. I’m sending you sunshine thorough the internet!
