Best Buys 2015

Taking a look back on 2015, I was able to add some great basics into my wardrobe that will be around for a few years to come. I thought I'd share my five best buys of 2015 - those items that I constantly reach for and were great additions to my closet.

Hunter Boots

I can't believe I haven't styled these for the blog yet. I've worn them a ton, but I guess mainly to work, and I often don't have time for photos on work days. I'll be sure to include them in a style post very soon. I need to get some boot socks for them so I can wear them comfortably as a winter boot too.

Gap Jacket and Diesel Jeans

These have been on constant repeat for me all year. The jeans just keep getting better with more wear, as premium denim tends to do! This field jacket is perfect to throw on with just about any casual attire and is roomy enough to fit a sweater underneath.

Town Shoes Boots

Black tall boots are a wardrobe staple in Canada. These have been worn so much since I bought them!

Madewell Jeans

I spent several hours in the Madewell store in Scottsdale, and one of the items I came away with was these jeans. They are the perfect rise! I chose to leave them long and roll them instead of hemming them. It would be fine by me if Madewell came to Canada!

All of these items can be considered pretty basic, which is why I reach for them so often. I'm ever so slowly edging more towards a minimalist look.

All the best to my blog readers for a very happy and healthy 2016. See you in the New Year!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Holiday Casuals

I hope your holiday was filled with laughter and love. Mine definitely was. Christmas Day here in Halifax was unseasonably warm - 14 degrees! It made for lovely travel weather if you had to drive or fly anywhere.

I kept it casual on Christmas Day and wore clothes that allowed me to easily eat and cook, which is how most of the day was spent! Of course, I had to have some sparkle via the tank top.

Details

Sweater: Gap

Scarf: Zara

Jeans: Madewell

Sneakers: Converse

Tank: Old Navy

Bag: Nine West

Sunnies: Coach

Now it's between holidays and a bad head cold is really kicking my butt. I've been catching up on Season 3 of Orange is the New Black and taking some solid naps!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

The Week Before

As much as I love this time of year, I get a bit frazzled in shopping crowds. I'm not a fan of standing in long lines or bumping elbows. I work close to the mall and grocery store, so I tend to do a lot of errands at lunch. I had all of my shopping done last week, so I had no intention of going anywhere near the shopping centres this past weekend.

Turns out, the only time of the year I ever hear R say, "Let's go to the mall" is at Christmas. So to the mall we went.

Details

Vest and sweater: Club Monaco

Jeans: Madewell

Scarf: Gift

Shoes: Also

Bag: Nine West

Bracelet: Banana Republic

Turns out, the mall a few days before Christmas isn't bad when you're not rushing around getting gifts! Too bad we were only there for ten minutes before we had to go to the grocery store... where things weren't quite as jolly!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Girly Stuff: A Haul

For the second time this year, I was able to redeem $200 of Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum Points. I thought I'd show you some of the more fun things I picked up on my spree as well as a few things I ordered on-line from Sephora on Black Friday.

The only thing I dislike about these lipsticks is they easily smudge on the cap. I like things neat and tidy.

Primrose (left) and Orchid (right)

Essie Gel Setter top coat

Lately I've been using the OPI Infinite Shine top coat, but that's not available at Shoppers and I really needed a new one. I decided to try this Essie one and I'm not disappointed. I had red nails last week and they lasted 5 days with absolutely no chipping and on the sixth day it chipped a tiny bit. I was bored with it anyway, so I changed it, but I could have lasted another few days I'm sure. 

Revlon Ultra HD lipstick in Orchid and Primrose

I have this type of lipstick in Magnolia which is gorgeous, but more of a summer shade. I wanted something bold for the winter so I tried these shades. They were on sale too! I love both colors. They make your lips feel really soft.

Sally Hansen Complete Manicure in Tropical Thunder and Branch Out

Tropical Thunder is on my nails right now and it's a beautiful dark blue/teal. Branch Out is a dark brown that will replace my super old Sephora polish that is similar. I love the wide brush on these polishes.

Boscia Pink Peppermint Blotting Linens (from Sephora)

Now that my skin has decided to go oily, I wanted to try some blotting papers. I've only tried one on my make-up free face just to see how they worked. I'll try them with makeup soon and see if they disrupt things. 

Rimmel Brow This Way

No more shelling out $30 for Benefit Gimme Brow! I discovered this brow gel over the summer and while it's maybe not quite as good as Benefit, it's so much less money and the difference to me is really minimal. 

Quo Art of Blending sponge set
These little Beauty Blender knock offs are too cute! I've not tried a Beauty Blender so I can't comment on a comparison, but I quite like the dewy finish these sponges give. My skin has gone cray-cray again this week, so I've been leaning toward a higher coverage face. I need to play around with these a bit more to try to get full cover.

Tarte High Performance Neutrals Cheek Set
This was a Black Friday Sephora deal. I got the little Tarte set last year with the stick blush and mini lip crayon and I use it a lot so I figured I'd love this set as well, and I do! The pan blush is a really pretty neutral and it does have shimmer, but a tasteful amount. The stick blush is less shimmery and is a color that would probably work on anyone.

If anyone has any specific questions about the products above, throw me a line! A huge thanks to fellow blogger Sara at Girl Met Blush who helped me out a lot with the SDM haul.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Changes

When I've hit a bit of a slump, there is one thing that will get my motivation back on track. New workout gear! Are you shocked it involved clothing? No?

For the past many months, I've been struggling to stick to any type of exercise. I have a great week or two, then I get exhausted and can't drag myself down to the basement to work out. As an ex gym rat, I often consider getting a gym membership again, but the thing is, I KNOW I don't need one. I can do this with what I already own. I've been doing incline training on the treadmill and throwing in some Beachbody workouts as well.

Any of the health-related info below is specific to me - I'm not pretending to be a doctor and what works for me might not be the right thing for you. 

The following may be oversharing, but that's sometimes what bloggers do. Several months ago, I decided to try seeking the advice of a naturopath to see if we could get to the root of why I always felt so freaking tired. It was getting to the point where I'd spend my work breaks sleeping in the reading room. Not cool, and not normal. To make a very long story short, I'm teetering on the edge of hypothyroidism and low B12. What I didn't know is that there is a vast range of "normal values" for both thyroid stimulating hormone and B12 (both which affect energy and thyroid affects metabolism), and when you're symptomatic, you can try to try to treat both to see if it makes you feel better. It's been a long few months of injections, blood tests and new medications, but I'm starting to feel better for the most part. Some weeks are better than others, and I feel almost euphoric with energy. Other weeks, like this past one, I've been feeling sluggish again. 

I'm still dragging around extra pounds and waiting to see if my thyroid meds need adjusting, but I'm more in tune with what my body needs for its best functioning. For me, it's making sure I'm getting enough protein and limiting carbs to around 100 g per day. Not to say that I am perfect at sticking to it, but at least I know why I was feeling so gross and bloated all the time. I was eating far too many carbs. My skin has also been suffering from all the changes in hormones, but I'm getting that back on track as well. 

This new gear from lululemon arrived at the perfect time. Christmas is a hard time to keep snacking in check, and when I'm working out, I tend to eat healthier. These clothes make me want to be active!

Details

Top: Runderful c/o lululemon

Bottoms: All the Right Places Pant c/o lululemon

Hat: Forever 21

Sneakers: Asics

I'm loving everything from lululemon! These pants are fabulous for streamlining - everything is held in place! This top is great for working out, but could be worn in other settings as well. The staff at the holiday pop-up store in Halifax Shopping Centre were so helpful - and not having to worry about parking downtown to access lulu is a gift in itself!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

No Thought Fall Uniform

There is nothing wrong with a style equation to make getting dressed easy. Much like the long sweater + leggings + infinity scarf, the button-up + skinny jeans + boots combo is a quick way to pull an outfit together.

Details

Shirt: Old Navy

Tank: Smart Set

Jeans: Guess by Marciano

Boots: Call it Spring

Hat: Le Chateau

Necklace and Bracelet: Stella & Dot

How's everyone doing with Christmas preparation? I'm feeling much better this week, as I made some progress with shopping. I've done a mix of on-line and store shopping this year. I try to hit the stores on my lunch break to avoid the crowds on the weekend. Once again, I'm really thankful for the RBC Avion holiday lounge at Halifax Shopping Centre. Free poinsettia, cookies, hot chocolate, tea, water, fruit, and gift wrap? Amazing!!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl