Rowena Francis

Hair Removal

Published on August 25, 2018August 24, 2018 by Rowena Francis2 Comments

Did you hair about the newest trend?!

I don’t know. That was the best joke about hair removal I’ve got.

I remember the first time I seriously thought about getting rid of the peach fuzz that I dared to call leg hair. I asked my mother if I could shave. No. I was too young. I decided she didn’t know best and waltzed into the bathroom, grabbed the nearest razor and went to town. By the time she found me, I was half-way done.

Since that day about a quarter-century ago, I have tried many different hair removal options. Here are my findings and the methods I swear by.

Shaving

Good ‘ole shaving. You lather up with some shaving cream and let the razor do it’s thing as it glides along your curves of your epidermis.

I hate it.

I mean, I loathe shaving. I actually use this as an absolute last resort.

However, if I must, I only use Schick Intuition (it has a built-in moisture bar so you don’t need shaving cream).

Here is the method that I find leaves my legs at the ultimate smooth-fest:

Step 1 – Dry Brush
Step 2 – Shave
Step 3 – Exfoliate
Step 4 – Shave Again

Waxing

I grew up watching my mom wax her legs. She would tell me that waxing was the best because it pulled the hair out by the root. After my initial start with a razor, I asked my mom to start waxing my legs.

I loved it.

Call me weird or whatever, but there’s just something about waxing that I love. You only have to do it every few weeks. Eventually, your hair gets sparse and thin, which is a beautiful thing.

After I got married, I bought my own wax warmer and began waxing on my own. The downside of it was that it was messy, sticky and took about an hour for a full wax.

However, I soon found a wax roller that was super clean and easy to use. It was so quick and easy that I could whip it out and do a full leg/bikini/underarm wax in under 20 minutes. This is the process I use:

Step 1 – Dry Brush
Step 2 – Warm up my legs – waxing and goosebumps don’t go well together
Step 3 – Wax (roll wax on/rip strips off)
Step 4 – Massage coconut oil over waxed area

Epilating

One day my aunt came over and showed us this contraption she bought – an epilator. She tried convincing us this was the next best thing and was easier than waxing.

She didn’t convince us.

Fast forward twenty something years later and her leg hair was null. Genius. I went out and bought one for myself.

Ok, it might hurt a bit, but not for me. One of my weird quirks is that I love the feeling of hair being ripped out from the roots. Everyone thinks I’m crazy, but in 20 years when I don’t have hair on my legs anymore, they’ll all be jealous. Unless the trend is hairy freedom.

I’ve been using the epilator for just over a year and I’ve already noticed a considerable difference – especially my underarms. I really only need to use it every 2 weeks or so. The downside is that it takes a long time and the thinner my hair gets, the harder it is for the tweezers to grip the hair – thus making the process even longer. Lately I’ve had to go over the peach fuzz with my razor – although if I was smart, I would just use my wax roller to supplement.

Here is the process I use:

Step 1 – Dry Brush
Step 2 – Epilate
Step 3 – Supplement if needed
Step 4 – Moisturize

In the end, I still stand by epilating because I’ve noticed the most difference in the shortest amount of time. I’ve had my epilator for a year and I’m looking into buying a heavier-duty one.

One of these days I might use some of that pocket change and see if there’s anything to that laser hair removal. Have you tried it? Let me know if you think it’s worth it in the comments below.

Sephora VIB Appreciation Sale | 2018

Published on August 22, 2018 by Rowena Francis3 Comments

Ack! Sure, as soon as I make it official to the world that I’m going on a month-long spending hiatus, Sephora has to announce that they are having a sale.

Good news is that it doesn’t end until September 3rd, so I guess that means that ‘no-spend August‘ will be followed up by ‘prodigal September‘.

Sephora thought it would be a great idea to celebrate Beauty Insiders and the changes to the Beauty Insider program.

Here is the low-down on the sale:

VIB Rouge
20% off
Fri 8/24 – Mon 9/3
Use Code: YESROUGE

VIB
15% off
Thurs 8/30 – Mon 9/3
Use Code: YESVIB

Insider
10% off
Thurs 8/30 – Mon 9/3
Use Code: YESINSIDER

So, my account states that my VIB status will expire in December 2018. If I want to keep it, I need to spend $180 before the end of the year. If I would like to jump up to VIB Rouge, I would need to spend $830 before the end of the year.

I’m pretty sure spending that much money would be frivolous, but it’s fun to dream about being so rich that spending $830 on makeup is pocket change.

So with that, here are my potential lists for the sale.

If I want to keep VIB:

Too Faced
Born This Way Super Coverage Multi-Use Sculpting Concealer
$36

Dr. Jart+
Water Fuse Ultimate Hydro Gel
$48

Bite Beauty
Agave Lip Mask
$30

Too Faced
Born This Way Foundation
$49

If I convince Brian that beauty is priceless, I will add:

Iluminage
Touch Permanent Hair Reduction + Epilator Cartridge and Precision Adapter
$556

Anastasia Beverly Hills
Brow Wiz
$27

Benefit Cosmetics
Hoola Matte Bronzer
$38

Dr. Jart+
Water Fuse Hydro Sleep Mask
$60

Atelier Cologne
Collection Azur – Cedre Atlas (100ml)
$160

Chances of reaching VIB Rouge in 2018 is extremely thin. However, seeing as I’m low on (or have already run out of) foundation, concealer and face cream, it’s highly probable that I will at least keep my VIB status through 2019.

Are you shopping the sale? What’s on your list? Let me know in the comments below.

Budget Wars | August 2018

Published on August 18, 2018August 18, 2018 by Rowena Francis4 Comments

One of the most common things I heard after we paid off our mortgage was about how rich we now were.

I realized that people didn’t really get it.

Now, maybe it isn’t like this for everyone, but the few people I know that paid off their mortgage were all in the same boat…

Recovery.

Yes, recovering from paying off your mortgage. For us, we put aside things for a long time (like decorating our house) so that we could focus on getting out of debt. So once that mortgage payment was null, it wasn’t like we all of a sudden had $380,000 in the bank. I mean, that would be great if it worked that way! However, it doesn’t – unless we sold the house and became homeless.

Now we are at the place where we still have all of these things that we need to do to the house, so we are saving that mortgage payment until we have enough to get ‘er done.

So, that leads me to August.

Budget life.

August budget life.

No spending August budget life.

Yes, that’s right. I’ve decided I’m going to go the whole month of August without spending extra.

Guess what that means.

Bare minimum groceries

When Brian and I were first married and actually had no money, I spent $50 every other week on groceries. We survived. I’m sure we can do it again. Right?

Passing up amazing deals

I am one of those people who has an extremely hard time passing up a deal. I’ve recently run out of a few staple products that I use and they were available to add-on to my FabFitFun order for a fraction of the price – like I mean $7 instead of $30 and $20 instead of $100. Then I thought about it. I can live without these products. AAACCKK!! Yes, it’s true. Luxury is just that, luxury. Not necessity. I’m sure I can deal without these products for a bit.

Putting makeup on the shelf

Ok, I don’t actually mean giving up makeup. I do mean putting it back on the store shelves – not buying it. This one is a bit hard for me because I’m running low on lots of makeup products. For instance, I ran out of my foundation and I’m extremely low on my face cream. However, I have samples kicking around and will use those until September.

Funny story – I used a sample of foundation the other day that was a few shades too dark for me. No biggie. I just blended it well, wore clothes that helped and made it work. A friend saw me in the hall at Church and commented about how tan I was. I chuckled to myself and graciously said my thanks. Little did he know that all that tan would be washed down the drain later that day.

No take-out

This one is a stretch – especially because yesterday I took a nap and while I was sleeping Brian ordered a pizza. I mean, I wasn’t mad at the decision. Cheese Wheelz pizza is only the best pizza around! Plus, I didn’t have to cook. Wow, I’m totally distracted. Let’s move on.

Brian and I have Fridays off together, so we typically go out for breakfast for a cute little morning date/debrief from the night before. It’s one of my most treasured dates with him. However, this summer we have set aside our breakfast place to save that little bit.

We also used to order pizza or Chinese food or something once a week. That’s also something we’ve limited over the summer.

The great thing about this decision is that it’s forcing me to learn some mad cooking skills. I mean, I need my kids to like more than just my grilled cheese and chicken nuggets.

There are a few other things that I’m doing to save money, but all in all, I really just ask myself if it’s a necessity or if there’s a more efficient way to get it done. If it’s a necessity, I will buy it; if it’s not, I will pass it up.

Are you a spender or a saver? Is it hard for you to go a month without extra spending? Do you classify makeup and takeout as necessities? Am I crazy for doing this or do you think any little bit will help? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Lays Poppables | I Let My Kids Review

Published on August 16, 2018 by Rowena FrancisLeave a comment

A few weeks ago, Influenster sent me some free swag.

That’s right, they sent me a bag of chips to try.

Lays Poppables.

I would love to say that I tried them and loved them, but for real, my kids took the whole bag and ate them ALL before I had a moment to try them.

I guess that means they were good.

Here are their reviews.

Essential Oils

Published on August 15, 2018August 11, 2018 by Rowena FrancisLeave a comment

A few years ago, a friend of mine tried selling me on using essential oils. I wanted nothing to do with it because I figured it was just another money-making gimmick that would be a waste of money (and we know how much I hate wasting money).

Needless to say, I moved on and forgot all about it.

Until one day when we were visiting family out-of-town. We were supposed to go to a theme park when Violet started crying, doubled over in pain in her gut. She ran to the bathroom and….I don’t need to tell you the rest. Except that she was in horrible pain and I didn’t know what to do. Every few minutes she was running back to the bathroom in tears. I didn’t even know if there was such a thing as Immodium or Pepto for kids, but I told Brian just to go find me something at the drugstore. My sister-in-law asked if she could first try something she had in her cupboard.

ZenGest.

Willing to try anything to help Violet, I agreed. She put one drop on her belly and literally within minutes, Violet was back to laughing, playing and ready to go. I was skeptical, though. She told me to put it on her belly every 2 hours for the rest of the day. When we returned, I figured the episode that morning was probably just a fluke and stopped putting the drops on her belly.

Sure enough, after 3 hours, she was back in the bathroom starting the whole thing all over again. I tried the drops and within minutes, she was fine again.

That was when I realized that there may be more to this whole essential oils thing.

I started buying everything I could, but quickly realized that I was spending money on oils that sounded good, but I just didn’t use. So, I evaluated what oils I loved and used constantly and now I just buy those.

Here are my favourite and most used oils/blends.

Easy Air
Respiratory Blend
I use this when we have stuffy noses. I put this in the diffuser at night and also a drop or 2 on the chest. I also use this when I travel. When the air in the plane feels stagnant and stuffy, I usually open the bottle and take a few whiffs (or if it’s really gross air, sometimes I put a tiny drop under my nose).

Citrus oils
I just put citrus because there’s something about diffusing citrus oils that invigorate your senses and wake up tired minds. My favourite citrus oils are grapefruit, orange, lime and lemon.

Deep Blue
This is a gym favourite! When you’ve worked out and your muscles are recovering, Deep Blue cools and relaxes them better than icy hot or anything like that. I keep a bottle of the rub in my gym bag. This is also great for those times when Aunt Flow comes to visit. A little soupy mix of FCO, geranium, peppermint and clary sage topped with Deep Blue and I quickly forget that there’s an angry contract negotiation business meeting happening inside my abdomen.

Peace
Have you ever just asked for peace and quiet before?

Yes.

All. The. Time.

I am generally a great sleeper. By that, I mean that I can hit my pillow and be deep in solemn slumber within seconds of closing my eyes. However, when I can’t, sleep eludes me like a missing puzzle piece.

It’s gone.

I used to mix Juniper Berry (very easily my favourite oil), Lavender, Grapefruit, Ylang Ylang and Vetiver when that would happen, but then doTERRA came out with an oil blend called Peace. I’m certain it’s the exact combo that I would mix because it smells exactly the same as my concoction. Anyway, this stuff is the bomb! (does that mean I’m old when I say things like that?) I would use this over a sleep aid any day!

ZenGest
If you read my story at the beginning of this post, you know exactly why I keep this around. This is also an oil I love to travel with because you never know when your gut is going to turn on you in a foreign country.

I do use other oils and blends, but these are my most used oils. There is one other blend that I put together, but it is a top-secret bedroom type oil (and one I wouldn’t want to go without)…send me a message if you want the low down on that oil.

Brush or Sponge?

Published on August 11, 2018August 11, 2018 by Rowena Francis6 Comments

I used to apply my foundation with my fingers. (That’s a no-no, right?)

Then I began using those triangle wedges, which I thought were the bomb!

One day, I overheard my sisters talking about how the new thing was to apply foundation with a brush.

I went out and bought one.

I only used it once because it didn’t blend anything and left my face looking like a construction site with tire grooves left in the mud.

Not cool.

I went back to using those trusted triangle wedges, thinking that would be the only thing I ever used from that point forward.

When I began watching makeup tutorials on YouTube, I learned that there was a better brush to apply your foundation. I tried it and loved it. My only problem was that sometimes my face looked like I used debris for foundation, especially in the winter months. It wasn’t until I realized that it was exfoliating my skin that I decided to look into other options.

This is where the term damp beauty sponge came trotting along into my life. I bought a beauty sponge and tried it out – running it under warm water until it had soaked up enough H2O to hydrate an elephant. That might be an exaggeration, but for real, I had no idea what I was doing the first time I used this technique.

So, should we apply our foundation with a brush – or a damp beauty sponge?

Brush
Pros – faster application, blends nicely, works well with fast-setting foundations
Cons – exfoliates during application, not the best for dry or sensitive skin

Damp Beauty Sponge
Pros – melds product into skin, leaves a flawless finish, great for sensitive skin
Cons – can breed bacteria if not cleansed/dried properly, slow application, doesn’t work the best with fast-setting foundations

We’ll go back to my question – brush or damp beauty sponge?

I say, ultimately it depends on factors such as skin type, foundation type, personal preference and the amount of time you have. As a matter of fact, I prefer the sponge, but the Becca foundation sets extremely fast, so unless I’m Speedy Gonzalez, it doesn’t blend well with the sponge – so I use a brush to erase any harsh lines I get.

What application method do you prefer? Let me know in the comments below.

Fitness Update

Published on August 8, 2018 by Rowena FrancisLeave a comment

**Please consult a physician/professional before starting a fitness routine. While this may work for me, it may not work for you.**

Did you know that you use your shoulder muscles to take off your shirt?

Also, you have muscles in your tush that are required to sit on the porcelain throne?

I’m sure I knew this, but it’s also possible that I’ve blocked out that first leg of my fitness journey when I started in 2016. Now I really know this.

This week marked my first full week back to the gym since my hiatus over the last 6 months.

I think it’s safe to say that I’m an all or nothing kind of a person. Which, usually means I go overboard with my workouts and expect immediate results. I don’t really recommend starting this way, but for me, if I start slow, I can’t gain enough momentum to keep me going. One thing I have changed this time around is that I’m only going to the gym 4 times a week. I have also exchanged my typical 2-hour session into a 1-hour one (sadly, this is probably because I don’t have my sisters to talk to).

Here are my basic starting stats:

Height: 5’7″
Weight: 130 lbs
Waist: 27″

My starting goals:

Strengthen the muscles around my knee to help with pain from my knee issues
Firm and shape my rump so it doesn’t look like a saggy bag of flour
Drop a pant size so I can fit into my favourite Silver jeans again
Washboard abs – ok, maybe this is pushing it, but we’ll see
Form a solid cap on my shoulders
Strengthen & define my triceps
Learn/form better nutrition habits

Schedule I followed this week:

Monday – Chest & Triceps

4 x 10 Chest Press
4 x 10 Chest Fly (machine)
4 x 10 Rope Pushdowns (SS1)
4 x 10 Overhead extensions (SS1)
4 x 6 Skull Crushers
15 minutes Recumbent Bike (cardio)

Tuesday – Back & Biceps

4 x 10 Pulldowns
4 x 10 Mid Row
3 x 5 Chin-ups (assisted)
4 x 10 Cable Rows
4 x 10 Cable Rope Curls
4 x 10 Bicep Curl/Hammer Curl/Lateral Bicep Curl (Tri-set)
15 minutes Recumbent Bike (cardio)

Wednesday – Legs

4 x 10 Leg Press
4 x 10 Leg Curls
4 x 10 Leg Extensions
4 x 10 Romanian Deadlifts
4 x 10 Side Skaters (SS1)
4 x 10 Single Leg Deadlifts (SS1)
10 minutes Recumbent Bike (cardio)

Thursday – Rest (mostly because I work 12 hours)

Friday – Shoulders

4 x 10 Shoulder Press
4 x 10 Cheer Press
4 x 10 Cable Rows
4 x 10 Cable Pull Throughs (SS1)
4 x 10 Cable Upright Rows (SS1)
4 x 10 Front Raises (SS2)
4 x 10 Lateral Raises (SS2)
4 x 5 Around the World Raises
4 x 15 Steering Wheels
20 minutes Recumbent Bike (cardio)

Saturday – Rest

Sunday – Rest

My final thoughts this week? I’m trying to figure out what weights I should use. I didn’t want to overdo it by lifting the same weights I did 6 months ago, but I also didn’t want to shortchange my progress by lifting too light. With that being said, by the end of the week, I realized that I still had a lot of muscle memory and could lift close to the weight I left off at.

I also didn’t do any ab workouts this week because I was trying to get back into the swing of things first. Working my abs takes extreme concentration because I don’t have much feeling in that area and that makes controlling those muscles difficult for me.

The other thing that I stand by is that the right supplements can really make a difference. BCAAs will help with endurance and pain by breaking up the lactic acid that builds up in your muscles following a workout. When I drink water during a workout, it takes about 5x the water for me to be able to handle the same workout I can do with BCAAs (this is my favourite). The other sups I take are fish oil (I call them my happy pills because they help with my mood) and sublingual B12 pills (I have a B12 deficiency, so these help with energy).

All in all, it was a great week and it felt so amazing to get back into a workout routine. I’m always adding to my list of motivational phrases to keep me pumped, so if you have any that work for you, leave me a comment and let me know.

New Favourite Foundation?

Published on August 4, 2018 by Rowena Francis5 Comments

If you read my July Empties post, you already know that I ran out of my beloved Too Faced foundation. I still haven’t had the time or extra pocket change to restock my favourite, so I’ve had to make do with other samples I had lying around from last year.

Ok, there’s a chance I’m procrastinating on buying a full-size foundation because my skin tone has been going through some interesting changes lately and my normal shade is starting to look orange on my skin…so I’m really hoping I can make these samples last until my skin tone levels out.

Enter Becca Ultimate Coverage 24-Hour Foundation.

If my memory serves me correctly, last November I got a sample in the shade Buff (light/medium beige with neutral/yellow/golden undertones). I remember trying it once and my foundation turned out pretty cakey. I didn’t try to figure out why it looked like that; I just set it aside and moved on to the next sample I got.

So, fast forward to this past month. I wanted to film a video and needed to quickly do my makeup. For some reason, I grabbed the Becca sample and threw my face together. It turned out beautiful. It wasn’t cakey. It wasn’t too thick. It just looked flawless – on camera and in real life.

I decided to look into why I had very different results both times. Here are the results of my findings.

First things first.

Lighting.

You’re all going to judge me for this, but I’m cool with that. I didn’t have any other options. Here goes. I have always put on my makeup in my bedroom with the light off or in the car while Brian is driving.

Until. That is, until I started filming for YouTube. Then I started doing my makeup with all my filming lights on. What a world of difference light makes. That’s a whole other post all on its own. It was so much easier to apply an even layer and blend out my foundation when I could actually see where the product was going. Game changer.

Next, with this foundation, you literally need the tiniest amount ever. It is full coverage and a little goes a long way. The little Sephora sample I received will probably last me until school starts up again. When I tried it back in November, I used the same amount of product I use with other foundations. That’s a mistake. Remember, with this one, a little goes a long way.

So, those are my tips for making this foundation rock your look. Now let’s address the whole 24-hour thing.

Can I just ask, who in the world is staying up for 24 hours needing their makeup to be flawless that entire time? 24-hour foundation just doesn’t make sense to me.

However, I wore it for 19 hours on Thursday and the results were pretty great. Throughout the day and into the evening, I had people comment to me on it. Then, when I went to wash my makeup off (at 2am, after wearing it for 19 hours), it looked almost exactly how it looked when I first applied it.

So, although it wasn’t quite 24 hours and I probably won’t ever wear makeup that long, it stood up to the hot weather, wind in my face in my Jeep on the highway and every time I touched my face throughout the day/night.

Down to the real question. Will this replace my favourite foundation? No. Will this be added to my makeup collection as my other favourite? Yes. It’s ok to have more than one favourite, right?

Have you tried Becca Ultimate Coverage 24-Hour Foundation? Leave me a comment telling me your thoughts.

Water Creams|Hot or Not?

Published on August 1, 2018July 31, 2018 by Rowena Francis1 Comment

If there’s one thing that gets under my skin, it’s a bad face cream.

No? Ok, I’ll start that over.

There’s nothing worse than needing a drink of water on a hot day and just not being able to get to one. It leaves you parched, dry and feeling a bit like the Sahara.

On the flip side, a nice cold glass of ice water on a hot day refreshes every part of you like nothing else.

Lately my skin has been crying out for that extra touch of moisture. I haven’t been able to get by without a face cream, for which I’m actually grateful. I never used to use face cream because every one I tried left me feeling greasy and like I was wearing a mask that was suffocating me. It wasn’t until this past year that I tried a water-type cream and it revolutionized my skin care routine.

Here are the ones that I have tried and my thoughts on them.

Garnier
SkinActive Moisture Bomb
$16.97/75 ml

This moisturizer claims to be an antioxidant super moisturizer. I picked it up because the 50% off stick slapped on it caught my attention. Then I noticed it had hyaluronic acid in it. Since I’ve been on the hunt for a super hyaluronic acid cream, this sounded pretty good.

Can’t go wrong. Right?

Ok, so I don’t love this one and I don’t hate it. It has the consistency of sunscreen, looks like sunscreen and smells like sunscreen. Not necessarily a bad thing, but because of that, it left a slight film on my face. I wasn’t in love with the fact that it caused me to worry about clogging pores and budding acne. It didn’t, but I thought about it way too much. My skin actually did feel soft, hydrated and plumped to perfection. So, all in all, the end result was ok.

Glam Glow
Waterburst
$62/50 ml

I think I would have loved this one if it didn’t have such a strong smell. Don’t get me wrong, the smell brings me to a land of lollipops and sugar plums, but it makes me feel like I’m cheating on my diet when I apply it.

Wait, I just realized that it smells like the fruity, minty toothpaste that the dentist uses.

Besides the smell, the texture is nice and turns to a water-like consistency when applied. My face definitely felt hydrated after using this.

Tatcha
The Water Cream
$82/50 ml

The smell of this one reminds me of a day at the spa. It is definitely something that I love when it comes to skin care. The consistency is a bit of a thicker water-like texture, but definitely not heavy or pore clogging.

When I just opened up the jar to smell it again, I noticed that there was a tiny bit of product left in the lid. That makes me so happy!!

Lise Watier
Sublimessence
$116/46 ml

I don’t even know what this is supposed to be for, but let me tell you. I love the smell of it and the watery/serum type consistency is beautiful. When it dries down/absorbs, it doesn’t get tacky at all. I’ve been using this every day and my face constantly feels refreshed and rejuvenated! A friend gave this to me and I will definitely be looking into this product more!

Tarte
Mermaid Skin Hyaluronic H2O Serum
$55/50 ml

I feel like this one is similar to the Lise Watier serum, except the scent is ever so faint. The consistency is more of a serum than a cream and when applied, stays tacky for about 3-5 seconds. When it dries down, my face feels like it’s a new day with a clean, smooth slate to start with.

Dr. Jart+
Water Fuse Ultimate Hydro Gel
$48/50 ml

Agghhh! This is by far my favourite of all of the creams I’ve tested!! This one literally makes my skin feel like it is drinking a tall glass of ice water. The consistency is perfect, watery-gel-like perfection that has no residue, no stickiness and leaves my skin feeling like it can take on the world!

All in all, I’ve learned that skin care is expensive. However, good quality skin care is absolutely worth it. Leave me a comment letting me know if you think spending money on skin care is worth it.

When I have a plethora of pocket change, I will use the Lise Watier. Until then, I will add Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse to my skin care staples.

Fashion Haul|July 2018

Published on July 28, 2018July 28, 2018 by Rowena Francis3 Comments

I LOVE shopping. I shop all the time. Constantly. Ever since the idea of online shopping became a thing for me, I now have the luxury of shopping at home, in my pjs, every day.

If only there was some sort of fund that allowed me to follow through and make all these purchases a reality.

Pocket change.

Until that happens, I’ll continue to be frugal with my coins and engage in fabulous thrift store finds (comment below if you’d like to see a post on thrifting fashion).

Ok, let’s get down to my favourite part of this blog – the part where I tell you that my husband, Brian actually did the leg work for this haul!

Yes, that’s right. I was at home working on filming a video while Brian took our son to his soccer tournament. In between the games, he went shopping. Unsolicited and unknown to me.

You know what? I loved what he bought me!

So, without further ado, here is what he bought.

Bench
Track Jacket in Black

Sweaters/jackets like this are a fall/winter staple in my wardrobe. I don’t even think Brian knew that I broke the zipper on my only other black sweater, so this was a great purchase. I think my favourite part of this sweater is the raised logo written across the back of the collar.

Bench
Hooded Workout Jacket in Grey

The zipper on this one goes slightly into the hood, so it will be great for chilly evening activities outside – like driving with the top off my Jeep. It also has reflective strips around the pockets and on the arms. The best part? Thumb holes. Yes, for some reason I just love thumb holes. I’m not entirely sure why since my arm length matched with my finger length usually prevents me from being able to utilize these features.

Puma
Workout Top in Soft Teal

For those who know Brian, you know that shopping at Puma is nothing new. We should probably own stock in the company because he loves it that much. No joke. So, this was no surprise. However, this is my favourite colour and the fit is what I like to wear – not too tight, but light and flowy. How does he know me so well?

Puma
Workout Tights in Grey/Soft Teal/Blue

Ok, once again, Puma. Shocker, I know. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve been wearing the same 2 pairs of workout pants for the last 2 years, or maybe he just saw them and thought about how much I would not only use them, but absolutely love them because they are 100% me. I don’t know. Kudos to him though, because wow. People might not even recognize me at the gym now that I’ll be wearing something new (or colour for that matter).

When Brian came home and showed me his finds, my heart was tickled. Gifts are fun and always welcome from him, but that wasn’t even what I loved about this. I love the fact that he thinks of me, that he knows me and that he gets excited when he surprises me.