Preparation steps to leave for a backpacking trip

Once again, I should be studying for my exam on tuesday, so all my mind can think about is backpacking. While I was pondering on how to make my packing as efficient as possible, I started thinking about the different step I go through when preparing for a trip and I thought I would share them!


This is usually the process I go through when I decide I want to leave for a backpacking trip. I wouldn't call it planning exactly, it's more like a decision and research process in addition to preparing for departure. Thought it could help someone leaving for the first time!

Mathieu and I leaving for our third backpacking trip together, last summer :)

1) Decide where to go

2) Decide how long and when according to weather during the chosen period

3) Decide budget overall

4) Look up plane ticket prices and average daily expenses for chosen destination according to the level of comfort you are looking for

5) Using overall budget, plan an approximate daily budget

6) Make sure passeport is valid for 6 months before + after trip date

7) Figure out time off, what to do with apartment, bills, car, pets while gone

8) Research the visa situation for the destination according to your country of origin

9) Buy plane tickets

10) Buy travel insurance

11) Arrange for Visa if needed

12) Get shots and prescriptions for needed medication

13) Research your destination to know what you absolutely want to see

14) Get a good backpack suited to the length of the trip and your frame

15) Plan clothes according to the weather

16) Pack

17) Make photocopies of important documents and leave a copy with someone at home

18) Consider taking passeport pictures to bring if going from a country to another (for visa purposes)

19) Enjoy your backpacking trip!

Haul + Rave : Audio Technica ATH-M50 Headphones

I've wanted a good pair of headphones for a while now. There is often a lot of noise around me (and by that I mean loud music, not ambient sounds) and my current headphones weren't good enough to drown it. I decided now was about time I get something a little more high quality so I got the Audio Technica ATH-M50!

These are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! The sounds are so crisp and perfect with these headphones, I simply cannot get over it! They are very comfortable to wear, and even though they aren't noise cancelling, they still reduce what I can hear around me quite a bit, even at a reasonably low volume (in other words, obviously, if I blast extra loud music, I won't hear anything else, but these headphone allow me to hear nothing but my music, with the volume around the half way point). Totally worth the investment. Bonus : I think they look super cool :)

Actually, these are so good, they are probably a little bit overkill for my needs. :P

March 2012 Favourites

I haven't done a monthly favourite products in a while! I have been more into making myself up this month than I have been in a while so here are the products I enjoyed most in the process!

1 - Revlon PhotoReady foundation : I love the coverage and flawless skin it gives me. Plus the color Ivory matches me perfectly so I can apply it only where I need it for a super natural look.

2 - Stila In the Lights Palette : I haven't worn much eyeshadow besides this palette for a few weeks now.

3- Equate Facial Cleansing Towelettes : Not only are these ultra cheap, they have a lot of moisture, are quilted, remove all my makeup (even mascara and eyeliner) and are super soft. Love these! Also love the 60 pack so I don't have to repurchase as often :)

4 - N.Y.C. Sunny bronzer : It doesn't have any shimmer in it so it gives me a natural tan. Since spring is approaching, I'm kind of over the pasty white look!

5 - Garnier Ultra Lift Night Cream : this is super rich and creamy, but it absorbs quickly into my skin. Super moisturising and non greasy, it's perfect for my skin right now.

6- Maybelline the Falsies mascara : Love the curved brush, the volume it gives me and how black it is. Also love that is isn't too dry.

7 - Blistex Lip Medex lip balm : Not everyone might agree with this but I love the mediciney smell this product has. I also like that since it contains menthol it has a cooling effect. This month, my lips were so chapped, they burned. This product was a life saver!

8 - Flat face brush and small angled brush from the 22 piece Coastal Scents brush kit : Love the face brush for foundation, powder, blush and bronzer. It's extra soft and gives a flawless finish. Love the angled brush for lining my eyes. It's better for me than a larger angled brush since my eyes are super round. That way it's easier to follow the contours of my eyes.

9 - NYX Eyeliner Pencil in black : pretty black and applies without too much tugging. It's probably not the smoothest pencil liner out there, but it's the best I was able to find so far. Any suggestions on that?

Food Snapshots : Valentine's Day Meal

Now, I know Valentine's Day was forever ago, but I have a couple pretty pictures of the meal I cooked for Mathieu and I for the occasion, so I thought I would share. Anyway, the food itself isn't Valentine's day themed or anything, it's just what we had for supper that night :)

The oreo cheesecake cupcakes I made :D

Since it was a special occasion, I took the time to make maki rolls instead of serving them temaki style. Turned out great 

Chardonnay to accompany the sushi and cheese fondue. Didn't take a picture of the fondue, because it wasn't nearly as pretty as it was tasty!

One of my all time favorite guilty pleasures : baguette bread <3

Just the ingredients all chopped up for the sushi before I made the rolls

The rolls, right before I cut them up into pieces :)

Natural Smokey Eye using Stila In the Lights Palette

I've wanted to upload a look using only the Stila in the Lights Palette for a while now. This is the look I came up with, a really natural smokey eye, perfect for everyday wear. It really makes the eyes pop and makes them look better. It's been my go to look, ever since I first made this. To make it even better, it's super easy!

How to achieve the look

1- Use Kitten wet all over the lid

2- Smoke out the outer corner and outer half of the crease using the black shade (Ebony) on a blending brush. Make sure to have a light hand or it will be too dark

3- Add a small amount of the Luster shadow to the middle of the lid to soften the gradient between kitten and ebony.

4- To help blend the black shadow, use the matte brown shadow called Bliss on a large shading brush and place it over the crease up to the brow bone.

5- Highlight the brow bone using the matte beige color called Bare.

6- Line the lower lash line using ebony from the outer corner to the middle of the eye. From the inner corner to the center, apply kitten again.

7- Line the eyes using either Ebony wet on a small angled brush or with black gel liner. I recommend lining the eye only until about halfway and flicking the liner a little bit.

8- Line the waterline using a black pencil liner.

9- Add lots of your favorite mascara

And you're done!

Tell me what you think of this look in the comments!

TAG : 7 Deadly Sins of Beauty

1. GREED: What is your most inexpensive beauty item? What is your most expensive?

Most expensive would be either the Stila in the lights Palette (expensive, but many shadows and a full size liner) or my Urban Decay Primer Potion (22$ CAD). My least expensive products are my Wet n Wild Lipsticks (1.50$ CAD each).

Most expensive : Stila in the Lights Palette 55$

Most Expensive : Urban Decay Primer Potion 22$

Cheapest : Wet n Wild Lipsticks 1.50$ each

2. WRATH: What beauty products do you have a love/hate relationship with? What product has been the hardest to get?

Foundation in general, often I find it looks unnatural on me, and if I have any little dry patches, it picks up on it like crazy. However, if I only apply it to a couple spots on my face I like the result.

As far as a product being hard to get, I'd say the Wet n wild palettes which I couldn't find anywhere for a long time. Even now, the only place I've seen them is Walmart. Another product that I can hardly ever find is my Essie 3 minute miracle which I can only find at Zellers. Also NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk took me a while to locate. Finally my Sèche Vite top coat was a lucky find since I found it at Winners, I don't think I could have found it anywhere else in stores in Quebec.

Hardest to find : NYX Jumbo Pencil

Hardest to find : Aussie 3 Minute Miracle

Hardest to find : Sèche Vite Top Coat

Hardest to find : Wet n Wild Palette

3. GLUTTONY: What are your most delicious beauty products?

My hard candy Glossaholic lipgloss which smells and tastes like birthday cake, Lipsmacker chapstick in Pineapple and Blistex Strawberry Lemonade Chapstick.

Most Delicious : Hard Candy Glossaholic, birthday cake flavour!

4. SLOTH: What beauty product do you neglect, due to laziness?

Lipstick. Since my lips are often uneven, it's a lot of work to make them smooth enough for lipstick to look good on them. I skip the step complelty most of the time.

5. PRIDE: What beauty product gives you the most self confidence?


Nail polish, blush and mascara.

6. LUST: What item did you lust most after before getting it?


My Stila In the Lights Palette. I debated a really long time on getting it because it was so expensive. I'm so glad I went for it though!

7. ENVY: What items would you most like to receive as a gift?


Probably a MAC Mineralized finish powder or lipstick. Can't afford them, but they look very nice :)


This tag was a lot of fun to answer, I tag everyone who would like to do it! :D

Essie Shine of the Times polish sneak peak

I got the Essie Shine of the Times polish last week end and I was so excited I had to try it immediately.

I layered it over Sally Hansen's pacific blue and the results are stunning! :D

Collective Haul : Zellers, Walmart, Drugstore

I've done quite a bit of shopping in the past month since I've been to Montreal a few times. There's a Zellers closing near my parents' house and all the cosmetics were 30-40% so I had to take advantage of it! The Zellers is being replaced by a Target soon, so I'm super excited about that! :D I also got some stuff from the drugstore and Walmart!

Anyway, here is what I got :

Everything I bought!

Maybelline Eyeshadow Quad in Natural Smokes

This will be perfect for more natural smokey eyes!

I don't think I had any shades like the lid and outer corner colors in my collection. Glad I picked this little palette up

Brand new Color Icon Bronzer from Wet n wild. I couldn't find the Natural bronzer from Rimmel I wanted so I got this instead :)

I wanted a deeper bronzer for spring and summer since the one I had is pretty subtle.

Essie Shine of the Times polish. I mentioned this in my drugstore wishlist. It's a beautiful flaky. It's simply perfect

Maybelline Colosssal Volum' Express mascara

Another of the products I mentionned in my wishlist. Walmart had it for 6$ less than what I had seen at Jean Coutu

Love this concealer for under my eyes! Maybelline Mineral power concealer. It was the last one at Zellers and it's my shade, score!

Revlon ColorStay Blemish concealer. Love this thing, it's super opaque!

This wet n Wild Blush I got at the Dollar store for 2$, couldn't pass that up

This is a Wet n Wild cream bronzer which I also found at the drugstore.

Once blended in, it gives a pretty bronzed glow!

Maybelline New York Eyestudio Gel liner in blackest black

I've had the brown of this for a while and I like it, but I'm more into black liner lately, so I picked this one up.

Two more Revlon lip butters, one in Strawberry Shortcake and the other in Creme Brule

A Revlon lipstick, can't remember the name

Maybelline Instant Rewind foundation in Creamy Ivory. Not sure yet, but this might have given me a rash :X

Revlon PhotoReady Foundation in Ivory. Took advantage of the 30% off for this one, because it is normally really expensive (19$ or something)

That's all! Tell me in the comments below if you are interested in a full review of any of the products above! Also, if you have tried any of these, tell me what you think :)