Fashion, Photos

Woke up in a panic

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Have you ever had those days where your alarm didn’t go off at the time it was supposed to, and you woke up in a panic?

That happened to me last week. In retrospect I should have gotten out of bed when I first rose at 6:40a, except I decided to get another 20 minutes of sleep which resulted in 2+ more hours. At 9am when my husbands alarm went off, I woke up thinking it was my own. I checked my text messages from Jessica, saying she was on her way to collect me. Sacred heart of jaysus, I’ve never been more mad at myself.

I was out the door in 8 minutes. After waking up. Goodbye Half Moon BayWaking up late meant I had no time to shower. I’m pleasantly surprised at how voluminous my second day hair looked. Don’t be fooled, it ended up getting oily throughout the day.

I shouldn’t be surprised though, since this happens to me a few times a year. I set my alarm, but I don’t turn it on. As I was getting ready she told me she was on her way. Living 2 miles away from one another, makes for a quick drive on her part. With my hair still pinned up from the morning face wash and teeth brushing, I grabbed the make-up I had left to apply, even hair straightener, and bolted to her car so we could make our reservation on time. Not sure why I brought the hair straightener. Not like I could apply some sort of heat to my hair in her car.

Jessica and I had plans to drive to the gorgeous little town of Half Moon Bay and eat breakfast at Navio in the Ritz Carlton, with the most incredible view of the Pacific Ocean. My wallet would only allow me the cheapest thing on the menu, a $13 fruit parfait and a water. Bring me my water, Charles. Pep pep!

Berry Parfait Navio Ritz CarltonIt left me a little hungry, afterwards — but I enjoyed the moment while I was in it.

Selfie at Ritz CarltonI wonder how many people have taken sleepy-eyed selfies in this floor to wall marble bathroom? At some point I’d love to afford the $600/night, just once.

Our view while eating breakfast was absolutely breathtaking. Gardens of Ritz Carlton

I’m happy to be close to the ocean again. Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay

A few people enjoyed their breakfast outside. I wonder which one of them drove the Aston Martin that was parked out front?Ritz Carlton

 Selfie outside Ritz CarltonYeah, those are goosebumps on my arm. I think I’ve acclimatized to California a little too quickly.

Jessica and NancyJessica’s a photographer-champ and has some gorgeous pictures up on her site, as always. Check them out.

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Climbing, Fitness, Photos

Climbing out of my comfort zone

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I think I will always be a little shy. I’ll never truly grow out of it. Which is why I did something out of the ordinary for me, two days ago.

Last week, I received an e-mail from a long time reader of my blog, introducing herself as someone who lives sort of close to me in the Bay Area. She knew I was a climber, and suggested we meet up and go for a climb at the local indoor rock climbing gym. It caught me a little off guard since I never receive e-mails from readers, let alone a reader wanting to hang out with me! That, and she never left a comment on my site before so I didn’t really know who I was meeting. We added each other to Facebook first, so at least I had an idea as to what she looked like :)

It took me a few days to get the courage to write her back and tell her I’d join her at Planet Granite for a climb. I AM SO GLAD I DID. I was totally on the fence for a moment there. I mean I’d be afraid to contact a person who’s blog I’ve been reading, asking them to hang out — it’s not something I’d think to do. I’m just not that outgoing! I’d be so afraid of rejection hahaha.

Looking back, I wished we had taken a few photos together, or at least a photo of the place inside so I could show you how amazing “my” new climbing gym is. I can’t wait to go back already. You’ll have to deal with this selfie, that I took after we climbed for a few hours.climbHer and I are on the same climbing level. Meaning, we climb the same route-difficulty as one another. Which is such a good thing to find in a climbing partner. It’s not as much fun when you climb with someone who is just a beginner, where you have to teach them technique and ways to position themselves, or someone who is a powerhouse and can climb 5.13’s with ease. That being said, I’m surprised at how strong I still am. Considering I haven’t really climbed hard, and regularly for about 10 months. So I managed to do one (or two) 5.10a’s that afternoon and it felt amazing. #StillGotIt

Next time, I’ll take photos while inside. I think I’ll head in for a bouldering session within the next few days. Already itching to get back at it.

Have you ever tried rock climbing?

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Beauty, Daily, Photos, Reviews

Hand Creams I’m Currently Using

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I love hand creams. Wait, I should rephrase that. I need to love hand creams because throughout my entire life, I’ve had cold, scaly dry man-hands. I’ve been called lizard hands by someone in the past. I can see why they said that. Painted a pretty picture for you, didn’t I?

I always have hand creams in various places of our home, my car, and my purse. Needless to say, I don’t always apply it. I really should.

Here are a few not necessarily top picks that I’ve been using since moving to California, where my hands are still going to continue being dry. That’s okay. I’ve learned to live with it, no matter how far away, or close I am, to an ocean.

4 hand creams I’m currently using

Must-have-hand-creams

Caudalíe

This hand cream is pretty great when and is the most reached-for cream on this list. I’ve purchased more than a handful of tubes of these creams. It’s the most lightweight feeling of the four shown above. I’ll definitely keep buying this. $19CDN // $15USD at Sephora.

Bobbi Brown Extra

A little luxury to my collection, I’ve recently added this one to my assortment of hand creams. The Bobbi Brown counter at Macy’s lured me in. Had no idea Bobbi made hand cream. I tried it out, loved the way it made my hands feel. Then left without purchasing. Thinking about it constantly the next few days, I popped into Sephora to see if they sold any, which they didn’t. A few days later I headed back to Macy’s and asked for it. Luckily they had some in stock. It flies off the shelves, apparently. I don’t really know why. It’s $31. It’s expensive. It just seems like a regular hand cream, just in some fancy name brand packaging. It’s nice though. I’d repurchase it. However, I’m going to use this sparingly because it was so costly. I want to enjoy it. Would I recommend it? Only if you’re a hand-cream addict like myself. $31USD at Macys.

 World Market Hand Cream

Ok. I have no idea who makes this since there’s a bunch of names spewed all over the packaging. I bought it at World Market, thus the title. It feels, not greasy but quite silky once applied. After a few minutes, it evaporates and keeps my hands from feeling dehydrated and gives it a healthy look. Comes in a variety of scents, but I love anything citrus so the Grapefruit & Tangerine went in my shopping basket immediately after I smelled it. $4.99USD at World Market.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

I’m not the biggest fan of the scent with this product. But it’s bearable. I’ve heard a lot of great things with this brand healing eczema prone skin, and I received a sample of this a long time ago. I only just found it in my hand-cream stash so I thought I’d keep it around to try it out. Not sure I’ll purchase it in full-size when I like other hand creams better. $15CDN // $12USD at Sephora.

Honourable mentions

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula

As much as I still dislike to admit it, Mothers are always right. The top pick I recommend to anyone who wants a non-greasy formula, that is incredibly powerful and keeps your hands moisturized after many hand-washes, is still Neutrogena Norwegian Formula. It’s like a thick ointment-like consistency and is scent-free. It’s just so hard to rub in, especially when your hands are really dry or chapped. A lot of my climbing friends back in Newfoundland still use this product. I haven’t looked for it here in the USA yet, but I presume it’s readily available at any drug store. Read more about my rave reviews on it from 2012. $7.99CDN on Well.ca // $5.29USD at ULTA.

Ahava hand cream

I never thought I’d be able to find it again. It was whisked off the shelves in Ontario, Canada. I went through 3 or 4 tubes of this. Hands down, my #1 splurge for a hand cream. It has the most spa-like smelling hand cream I’ve ever tried. When I had an office and I applied it, my old co-workers walked down the hallway, asking who sprayed on perfume, or who smelled so good. It was always my hand cream. Not one person who tried it, didn’t like it. I bought it for my boss before I left work to head down to the states here. I was surprised to find it at ULTA. For the Canadians who’d like to try it, you can get it for  $22CDN on Well.ca // $21USD at ULTA.

Everything was purchased by me.

What are your favourite hand creams?

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