Author: Emmie Reve

I am a beauty professional based out of Toronto, Canada with a background in Fine Arts. Besides having a passion for fashion, make-up, cooking, baking, movies, music and culture; I also make and sell hand crafted skin/haircare with gentle natural formulas. My e-store is currently in construction so please stay posted by subscribing. Contact me anytime: shop@dreamecosmo.ca

Why Cruises may be the best vacation out there…

~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment

I feel like vacations are important. They are part of the well being and mental health routine; way up there in terms of a non drug treatment for common malaise and mild chronic depression. Day to day life needs adventure, leisure, and change…we’re not all rich, so what can give us all of that at a decent price? Why I think that would be a cruise. I recently came back from a 5 night vacay on a ship going to the Caribbean for the second time, and I can definitely say that I had fun, relaxation and thrills. Pretty good food and just amazing travel views. That is what is in store on a cruise on these beautiful ships. Whether it’s an old vessel or new one, big or small, the glamour of sailing the high seas is alive and well in this culture. And without trying to sound like a travel agent trying to sell cruise vacations, here are the reasons, for me, why it may be the perfect getaway from our land locked lives!

On my very first Caribbean cruise. Is it obvious that I liked it? The deep blue sea was amazing!
  1. Value: Because cruising includes food and entertainment and lodgings, even transport between ports on the itinerary, there is no need to use our wallets that much. I’ve come back from land vacation trips where the expenses while in that destination was astronomical. (New York City, I love ya, but what gives?) While cruises do tend to have a lot of add ons and while in port there is often spending, it’s just not equal to what is doled out for land vacations where a dinner out can be hundreds and tourist sites can chart a hefty sum to visit. While it’s also expensive to book excursions with the cruise line, one can simply decide to stay on the ship, or tour ports on their own, with a bit of research. In that way, one can tailor a cruise: is the trip going to be a splurge trip with specialty dining and fancy excursions? Or a more pared down budget friendly option? It’s adjustable to each sailing.
  2. Being truly removed from anywhere: “Like Robinson Caruso, it’s primitive as can be..” lyrics from the old t.v. show Gilligan’s Island, it rings true with cruises. Being on a ship in the middle of an ocean feels like a remote desert island in some way. And because we are removed from the everyday, we have time to think, time to problem solve and time to really disconnect. There are no reminders of home on land and suddenly just “existing” is at the center of it all…
  3. No dishes and house chores: Let’s be honest…daily life and life chores are mundane. Going to get groceries, cooking, doing dishes, taking out garbage and such…it’s all really boring. Going to work daily…these are just boring motions of modern society. Cruises are the antithesis of that! Just show up on the ship, get taken care of daily in cabins that are cleaned and meals that are lovely…explore what new foods can tickle the tastebuds without even washing a plate! No lining up at the grocery store…everything just appears! just like that!
  4. Live Entertainment is just a short walk away: On my two past cruises, I saw singers and dancers, stand up comedians, acrobatics, and live music that would get one dancing in the isles. Cruise directors and their team hosting game shows and trivia…and it was all soooo close to my stateroom cabin. All so accessible…there is no city or travel spot in the world that can give that same convenience.
  5. It’s Educational: Not that one can’t learn about big tourist cities when visiting, but because cruises visit many ports during a sailing, the opportunity to get a wider scope or perspective on a larger area can be acquired. For example Caribbean cruises visit many islands, and because it’s just for one day, it can make it extra special to learn about the speific place while in port…since tomorrow, a passenger will be elsewhere. And in that sense one can get easily acquire general knowledge about a geographical region in a short time frame. Same thing goes for Alaskan or Mediterranean cruises. It’s easier to get a general view of a geographical area.
On my second cruise and I felt at home…There is lots of glamour to be had on designated “formal nights” on many sailings!

I used to relate cruising to that of a expensive luxury, a past-time for “older folks” with time and monies…but now after trying out two cruises, I can say I’m hooked. The truths about cruising for me is that I find them culturally valuable and time well spent. A vacation that is actually a thoughtful getaway from daily life. Whether lounging poolside, having an adventure on a shore excursion or playing shuffleboard on deck seaside…life is good when on the high seas. And the leisure component of vacationing is truly potent when sailing away on these big ships in the middle of the vast blue ocean.

Valentines’ Day: A day for lovers? or for loving oneself…

~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment

Midwinter has set into North America and while most of us are dreaming of warmer days and the sun, this peculiar holiday of Valentines’ Day pops up. Almost as if to validate the desperate souls that hunkered down with a body earlier in the winter; even so “cuffed” couples and couples of convenience don’t count. Solidarity in friendships, family relationships/love don’t count. No the irony and pain of Valentines is to celebrate a certain kind of love: Serious LTR kinds of love. Husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends. And every other kind of love can kiss it’s butt. Valentines is very exclusive, and attempts to include other types of relationships/love are often rejected–deemed as pathetic. (the way one of my girlfriends shuddered at the thought of “Galentines” Day will forever taint my mind). I will detail this holiday’s ability to exclude: At the end of the day it celebrates something that not everyone has or can have: A committed love relationship.

Getting more personal, my last Valentines was rather sad and lonely. Not because I was single, but because I wasn’t. In fact all my unpleasant Valentines fell into years where I was “with” somebody. And that says a lot. It says that Valentines reminds us that the amorous relationships we have are not always the perfect mainstream ones that are deemed as acceptable. Last year my ex only texted me “Happy Valentines” on the day of. There were no gifts, no dinner, no chocolates or flowers. Not even a hang out or make out session. It really framed how much it sucked to be in a non serious relationship, and the sting that this holiday highlights. I really cared about my ex and I’m not bitter that he didn’t take me out for an overpriced dinner, buy me flowers or jewelry. But as a make-up expert, it hurt me that I had didn’t have a reason to preen, I had no pressure at all. It left me feeling more unloved than ever. And looking into my past, even the years where I had a legitimate boyfriend, I always stressed that we would not celebrate epically enough to represent our love relationship. Feeling actually loved on Valentines days is so hard to attain, in my experience. And again, I’m not bitter, just sad and feeling like I’m missing out. Is this why this holiday was created? The exclude the uncoupled and put pressure on the coupled to buy things?

This year, I’m actually happy for once. I’m at peace and not even the slightest bit lonely or desperate. How did I get so pleasantly at ease and grateful to be single? I feel the hurt is not worth it. I am not expected to celebrate Valentines Day nor do I want to. I am so thankful for the chance to overlook it, and to watch the real, actual healthy love couples celebrate it. And I can be happy for them. Those lucky ones that have found that someone special and it means something. And I feel lucky myself. Lucky to find myself excluded from Valentines, a holiday that has eluded to give me joy even when I was in a relationship. We all need something real something to celebrate. Or not at all.   

I believe self love, acceptance and respect is where it all begins. And understanding we are whole beings even if we are not coupled. Heart shapes represent any kind of love.❤️

Avoid the “Holiday Blues” without resorting to “Cuffing”

~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment

Over the years I’ve heard about the phenomena of Christmas Blues: it’s the holidays, and a lot of gift giving and family togetherness is expected, but a lot of people experience loneliness and depression on a higher level this time of year. I even wrote an article about this last year too. So now that the holidays are coming up fast, I think it’s great time to mention some emotional triggers during this time of year that affect my well being and personal happiness. I assume it’s also mistakes a lot of other people make too…so it’s never a bad idea to hash out these ideas in an entry and really delve into what some causes of holiday blues and mental distress are, so that we can end 2023 in better spirits and more beautifully.

  1. Do not participate in “Cuffing Season”

Over the recent years, I’ve heard the term “Cuffing Season” thrown around a lot during the autumns here in North America. And the term is very popular here in Toronto, where the winters are long, cold and dark! It’s very depressing. Things are closed early, people stop socializing and going outside, and the snow and ice make it hard to, even if we want to. It’s just easier to lay cozy and warm at home on the couch and watch something.  In that sense cuffing season is just like another covid lockdown but only voluntary…and apparently, it’s not fun unless people drag another warm body down with them to do this isolating with.  Thus the term “Cuffing”.

 I really despise this practice…because it has nothing to do with love or attraction or even connection! It’s all about distancing emotionally while being with someone physically…Worse part is come Spring, the cuffed people agree to break up as if they were just using each other like inanimate objects that served their purpose; and the truly beautiful or worthy partners are still out there to find and persue.  What a sad depraved practice this is. And “cuffing” is often done in conjunction with other don’t do’s on this list.

My advice on this matter is to avoid people looking for this and don’t be a person setting this type of “situationship” up. It’s essentially using people. I mean I too enjoy vegging out on a couch doing nothing in particular, but that activity can be done alone.  Don’t drag a real, feeling human being into it and then chuck them when the first light of spring comes and the groundhog is still deciding if it sees its shadow.  Don’t do it! Just DON’T. We will never regret not using another human like a tool for our own comfort.  And the feeling of this moral restraint is something that will truly lift us up during the harsh winter season.

On the other hand, be able to detect when somebody is proposing to ”cuff” us and avoid it like the plague! It’s easy to fool ourselves into thinking that it’s actually a relationship, but there are always signs that it’s not. Listen to those signs and get out before getting “cuffed” and tossed in the Spring.  It hurts our feelings and deflates our hopes of finding the right person for us.  It’s just not worth the 3 or 4 months of cuddling and company.  We’re worth so much more that being a body pillow for someone else, and the hurt never really goes away after being used.  Even with the best intentions it hurts us so DON’T do it.

Signs of A Cuffing Situation (If one of more of these criteria happen, it points to a possible cuffing): It’s fall time, a person wants to be “friends” but also wants to snuggle, no talk of future plans, ex flames popping out of no where to rekindle, no real clear definition of what the relation is. No real dates out, just home time, No valentines/xmas day presents, Never meeting friends or family of theirs. And no talk of anything serious. Come spring there will distancing guaranteed. I know from experience.

Netflix and Chill? One doesn’t need to “cuff” another body to feel cozy and warm at home. Being single during the holidays can be peaceful with out being pathetic.

Ok, so not that I’ve made it clear Cuffing is harmful and unhealthy, moving on to other unhealthy winter holiday habits:

2. Do not over eat, drink or spend

Over consumption is a problem in developed countries because we are bored and food and drink is so easy to come across. There is never a shortage of something to stuff our faces with, drinks and vices to indulge in, and selections of physical goods to purchase.  But what ends up happening during the holidays is we hate ourselves for letting our figures go, feel low on energy from over indulging and are broke from buying too much and spending too much…

Always think before consuming something…Ask why we are consuming. If it’s food, is it because we are hungry, or filling a void?; if it’s wine, ask if we want to relax a little, or just ignore our problems?; if it’s consumerism ask if we need these items or are we buying it as a form or retail therapy or to show off to someone. Our actions and motivations matter and affect us in the long run even after the holidays going all the way to the New Year.  Time to have positive energy.

3. Do not lounge at home like a slob

Even if we are at home during the holidays and have no plans to work, go outside or see people, don’t do  the house thing in a sloppy way. A good practice is to shower, wear nice home clothes, that are both comfortable, and look good, like we are the star in our own movie. Nobody sees us, but we see us. I like to check myself at home by thinking if my ex saw me, would I be embarrassed or avenged by the way that I look? Would I send him reeling with desire for another chance with me? Or would I make him happy by seeing I was put together? Or would he pity me for seeming to fall apart after him? It’s better to aim for pretty loungewear that actually say I’m taking care of myself than sloppy dirty bum clothes. We feel how we look. Enough said.

4. Don’t isolate at home:

There are lots of people that care about us, and think about us. It’s important to communicate, socialize and reach out to people and their offer of company. So many times in our lives, we see people and friends as a distraction from the more “important” things in our lives. (ie. career and making money) But truthfully speaking, people are all that we’ve got that has meaning in our lives. So instead of looking inward during the holidays, be open to looking outwards and beyond. Existence is not about our work, but it’s about the riches of spending time to smell the roses or spending time with loved ones.