From 2016

you are beautiful

Eyelet and Mesh Shift Dress - Gap | www.femmesociety.ca | Photography by Royce Sihlis

There’s something so awakening with the feeling of spring. Everything feels so much more vibrant and alive. One of my absolute favourite things about spring is seeing all the gorgeous cherry and magnolia trees in bloom.

In addition to my previous blog post about my favourite ways to welcome and feel rejuvenated this spring, I thought that spring should also be welcomed with a little beauty of our own; self-love. With busy work schedules, families, kids, and everything in-between, how often do we stop and take time for ourselves once a day, once a week, or even once a month? I had the pleasure of spending some time last week at a workshop hosted by a lovely woman by the name of Jenny McKinney. Some of you in the Okanagan may know her as a makeup goddess but I’ll tell you, she taught us so much more than the power of false lashes and contouring. Jenny made us feel welcomed but beyond that, she made us feel important. She congratulated us on taking a few hours that day to pamper ourselves by attending the workshop and for investing time and love in ourselves. And most of all, we celebrated the beauty of a group of women coming together, who are more alike than different.

Whether it’s an afternoon pedicure, an evening bubble bath, sipping a glass of your favourite pinot noir, or even a kids-free trip to the grocery store, set side some time this week to do one thing that is just for you. I want you to tell yourself that you are beautiful, that you are deserving and most of all, loved. For me, showing myself love was purchasing this little white dress simply because it made me feel beautiful. 

When was the last time you did something just for you? Even if it was yesterday (in which case, keep it up!) I want you to set aside some time this week to do whatever it is that makes you feel beautiful, intelligent, safe, alive, loved, and all the adjectives in between. Practice doing more acts of self-love in your weekly and daily routines to sustain your self-confidence and your inner light. Want some ideas for acts of self-love? Email me at hello@femmesociety.ca and I’d love to give you some inspiration.

3 ways to welcome spring

Spring! I always feel so rejuvenated when spring finally arrives that I can hardly wait to get out there and enjoy it. Along with excitement for this new season, welcoming spring also means transitioning out of winter hibernation-mode. Part of this transition involves making changes that reset your body, mind, and your surroundings to help you embrace spring in the most refreshing ways possible.

Here are 3 fun and easy ways to reset for spring:

1. nourish your body

I think we can all agree that healthy eating is probably the most challenging in the winter months (at least for me, it is). In order to give your body a spring detox, transition your diet to allow for more seasonal fruits and vegetables instead of the go-to comfort food of winter. One of the best places to take advantage of fresh, seasonal produce is your local farmer’s market. Green smoothies all the way!

Another way to rejuvenate your body for spring is to get outside! Depending on where you live, Spring might be pretty wet, but is otherwise boasting with sunshine and warmer temperatures. My favorite way to enjoy the spring sunshine is to grab a coffee and take a walk along the lake. If you’re a real go-getter, you can go for a hike with a buddy or take your workout routine outside.

2. clear your mind

This one is a big one for me personally. One of my favourite mind-clearing activities for spring is cleaning my car from top to bottom. Spending a few hours outside cleaning, vacuuming, buffing, and sometimes even scrubbing your car to make it sparkle and shine again is not only rewarding, it also clears your head AND gives you a little fresh air. Total win.

Another great way to ease the mind into all that is spring is to create a spring to-do list or bucket-list. This is the perfect way to organize your thoughts and reminders for the upcoming season. Maybe you plan to visit family for Easter, take your car in for a service, or finally check out that cute coffee shop that just popped up in town.

3. de-clutter your surroundings

Ever since I was a kid I loved ‘spring-cleaning’ time. Spring-cleaning is one of the most effective ways to reset for spring, which is why I saved the best for last. I’m going to make a bullet list here because there’s just too much to say:

  • Clean out that closet! Put all your winter clothes into plastic Rubbermaid containers and get rid of any clothes you haven’t worn in the last year.
  • Make a pile of everything you’re parting with and donate it a to a local charity.
  • Now go through the rest of your house and purge. You don’t need to keep that broken shoe rack. That extra Brita water jug isn’t doing anything by collecting dust. Anything that is either broken, taking up space, or could be donated to someone else needs to go.
  • Make those cleaning supplies WORK! Dust off the blinds, sweep the porch, Windex ALL the windows, and clean until your house smells better than a Lysol commercial. They don’t call it spring-cleaning for nothing, folks.

There you have it! I would LOVE to hear if you have any of your own traditions or things that you like to do to embrace the spring season. Let me know in the comments!

Travel Review: 4 Tips for Short-Haul Trips

Okay so who doesn’t love to travel, right? I think we can all agree that a well-deserved trip away from home is one of the best things in life. Especially when it includes a nice hotel, some shopping and good eats. I mean… it doesn’t get much better than that! On a recent trip to Vancouver, Alex and I planned each day from morning until night making sure we got to do ALL the things. And like all plans, they don’t always work out how we expect them to. Thus, here are 4 tips for getting the most out of short haul trips:

 

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1. Always Make Reservations

Okay so this one seems like a no brainer right? Well not always. For me, I get waaaay to excited about first getting to the destination, then the hotel and ALL the activities in between that before you know it… it’s dinnertime and you’re STARVING and you haven’t made any dinner reservations in town. Sure enough, this was exactly what happened. On Saturday night we had plans to meet up with some friends and go to one of our favourite restaurants in Yaletown. When we finally met up after getting super excited (and also pretty hungry) you guessed it… the restaurant was full for the night. Thus we resorted to finding ANY restaurant at this point with the quickest wait list – not the best scenario on a Saturday night with growling stomachs. My advice: do a quick Google search while you’re on the road, or at your hotel, and give the restaurant a quick call to reserve a spot. That 5 minutes will save you later on and will ensure a seamless dinner date with your pals.

 

 

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2. Budget, Budget, Budget

Again, a no brainer right? I’ll admit something to you… I have yet to master this thing called budgeting and whenever I rely on paying by debit or credit, I almost always spend more than I should. I could be wrong but I don’t think I’m alone on that one either. From food, to parking, to coffee, to shopping, to snacks, to tips… it’s incredibly difficult to keep track of it your finances on a holiday. So what is my solution? Change jars! Get a plain jar or even a piggy bank and promise yourself to put any loose change and bills into that jar for the months leading up to your trip. The less you put in, the less you can spend on that new Chloé satchel you’ve been eyeing from Nordstrom. Although this tip might be kind of difficult for trips planned on shorter notice, it sure helps the bank in the end.

 

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3. Luxury Doesn’t Always Win

Like many people, I want to feel a sense of luxury when it comes to staying in hotels. On our trip we ended up booking with the Pan Pacific Vancouver – luxurious right? Wrong. Long story short, we didn’t do our research and booked spontaneously, thinking that the Pan Pacific will be the nicest hotel we’ll ever stay in. The room was outdated, the baseboards were banged up, we hardly saw any hotel staff except for the front desk thus the customer service was minimal to none, parking was $20 more expensive than its competitors, the bathtub was exceptionally small, and the duvet looked quite old/yellow…. Our advice: do your research, read online reviews, and choose wisely. Don’t solely rely on the name of hotel for your booking decisions.

 

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3. Be Practical

Packing for trips and vacations is one of those subjective topics because everyone has a system that works for them, making packing advice so personal. That being said, when I’m traveling I usually opt for packing practical items for both my beauty routine and my clothes. For makeup and hair I only bring what I need to get the job done. For example, 1 styling tool, 1 styling product (usually hairspray) and that’s it. For makeup, I (try to) limit myself to a small makeup bag. It might be tough but you’ll be glad you kept your chunky eyeshadow palettes at home. For clothing, I plan my outfits for each day and specifically choose items that are versatile and can serve both day and evening looks. Depending on the length of the trip, I’ll usually bring one comfy outfit for traveling and the rest I make sure I can easily mix and match depending on my mood that day. My go-to picks for Vancouver? Waterproof tall black boots, black leggings/pants, oversized top/blouse, trench coat, and an umbrella. Always.

 

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There you have it! I hope you can apply some of these tips to whatever trips you having coming up this year. Do you have any go-to tricks while traveling? Let me know in the comments below – I’d love to hear!