Stress will age you…

October 1, 2013December 28, 2013 ~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment

munch — You gotta love Munch’s The Scream

I’m not writing as many entries in here as I would like, the reason being that work has been a major drag as of late. I can no longer keep silent. The worst thing you can do for your skin, and your psychology is to have a draining, unfulfilling job. Women are trained to give, from childhood until adulthood then motherhood, we are expected to give…as if there were no limits to our energy, time and will. This can be problematic when fast-forward into the future, we are grey and old, our children resent us, and our husbands are looking elsewhere. We’ve given all our lives and have gotten little to no recognition.

This is also the norm in the workplace. I’ve been working retail now for many years, and I do it as a job to clock in some hours, be productive, and pay some bills. Technically, I work for fun, as my vocation and profession has always been in the Fine Arts area. But recently, I’ve been feeling more like a slave than as an agent working for fun. The terribly hip and trendy store I work in has recently gotten more and more demanding to the point of blackmailing me to work harder than I am comfortable doing for my rate of pay and my position. It’s not healthy, I am skipping breaks, and just ending the day on total energy drains…sure they want to make an extra dollar, but why should I let them on the cost of my psyche and youth? It is not worth it.

Many people are astonished by my youthful appearance. When I get I.D.-ed for a bottle of wine, I get many responses. My most fun one yet…the cashier looks at the year I was born, smiles, looks back at me, back at the card and he declares: “what a pleasure”. Really. A pleasure. So I’m not joking when I say that I am youthful looking for my age. Back to my point: my youthful appearance is probably not free. My wrinkle free skin does have a limit. And I am not going to spend another moment in an energy draining workplace for an average paycheck. I know maybe it is my vanity that is motivating this decision but I believe enjoying life is the secret to staying young, and it’s not too late for me to turn away from this gig. I know that with my background and experience, I will be able to find another job in mere weeks…barely giving me enough time to win back a rosy tinted glow from a stint of unemployment rest.

To take care of your skin:

1. Drink lots of water

2. Try to avoid stress. Don’t over work yourself to the point of exhaustion.

3. Give enough moisture to the skin: vitamin E oil, night creams…etc.

4. The use of gentle non soap based face cleansers not more than once a day.

5. Try using eye gels/cream. The skin around your eyes is different from the face.

6. Sleep-in whenever you can.

7. Believe in something, whether it be religion, or your inner good…always aim for something that will give you happiness and hope.

scents review: my current faves!

September 12, 2013September 13, 2013 ~ Emmie Reve ~ 2 Comments

Perfumes are one of my most valued make-up arsenals, because it’s not superficial, like lipstick or blush. Its use is a lot deeper, it’s emotive, personal, and connected to the mind and spirit. I’ve always loved ancient Egypt for it’s advanced culture and sophistication. Perfume began there, where it was highly prized, only the highest of society wore it, and it could bring you closer to the gods. And what a luxury it was. Fast-forward to today and all the heaps of designer fragrances out there, it’s easy to be disillusioned. Perfumes today appear to be over-marketed cosmetic junk (try to find a celeb that doesn’t have their own scent). But in reality they are the best way to complete a look for the day/night.

I myself tend to use indie labeled scents. What are indie labeled scents? It’s basically scents that are not mass marketed, and not commercially endorsed. They are not always, but usually eco/animal friendly (yay!) and they are not heavy, or strong, to the point of making you sneeze at a close whiff. There are some great indie perfumeries, such as Lollia, Love and Toast, Tokyo Milk, but the ones I am focusing on today are a bit less expensive, but equally as delightful.

Pacifica:

The price point of this company is to die for. I get mine from a local shop in my city and it is less than $10 for a roll-on travel size. But be careful, not all scents in this line are made the same. The coconut one is really faint to detect, and some of the other ones are too strong and not refined enough. You don’t want to smell like bathroom air freshener. My current Pacifica fave is “Tahitian Gardenia”. It has a warm floral scent with a lingering ginger spiciness.

Skeem:

More recently I picked up Skeem, a slightly higher price point perfume roll on, but definitely more light. It is harder to notice, and you have to wear more of it, so the bang for your buck is not as great. “Sweet Pea Vanilla” had a sweet candy tone to it, with a mild floral note. It was very subtle and pretty. My current scent in this line is the “Night Jasmine”. It is a bit heavier, a powdery musky floral base with hints of jasmine. It’s romantic and soft. I don’t usually go for musks, but this one does it right.

The best thing about these less known perfumes are their originality. No one knows these scents, they are lovely, and when they compliment you and ask you what perfume you have on, you can give a mysterious, less heard of answer to give them! And most experiments with new scents are successful. My favourite places to roll these on? The wrists, behind the ears, top of your cleavage and on your collar bone. My suggestion is to not wear so much that they smell you coming, but enough that they feel you going!

Reverse Hombre Hair

July 31, 2013August 7, 2013 ~ Emmie Reve ~ 2 Comments

I am glad that I didn’t fall into what everybody else is doing these days, which is those hombre highlights. When I walk down the street this summer, at least 20 girls that pass me are wearing that new hair trend of having the hair shaft get lighter midway, all the way to the tips. I admit is kind of pretty and frames the face well, but once too many people start doing it, it ruins the beauty of it.

So what I decided to do with my hair colour this summer is perhaps less noticeable, but it’s not following the herd, so I actually like it a lot more. I did it in reverse. I’ve been lightening and colouring my hair for the last year with an ashy blonde colour from Wella. When the colouring is added to my dark hair with 40 volume peroxide, my hair colour neutralizes to a strawberry brunette colour. After a year of that, I decided one tone colour was boring, so this summer I did my mid-shaft to tips dark brown, but left the crown of my hair the lighter colour. And voila, you get the “reverse hombre”. So far, it’s been pretty subtle, and I haven’t gotten any compliments on it. 😦 But I like it a lot, and I feel it’s very natural, and helps my colour processed hair look healthier!

Also, I don’t feel like the latest fashion zombie, sporting half lightened hair, like most of the brunettes in Toronto. (No offense to those reading that have hombre highlights–they are pretty too!)

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