Tag: Toronto
A big part of this blog revolves around how I approach life. I think balance in most everything is key, and I think it’s important to be good to yourself (and, sure, for me sometimes that means eating ice cream or a doughnut, but it also means going for a run with a girlfriend so we have time to work out and catch up). A refreshing routine in which you put yourself first and treat yourself well; now I don’t always succeed at this, in fact, I typically feel like I”m running on empty, but then I make sure I keep it in check by then pausing to get that balance back into my life by, for example, skipping that party because a night in is really what my mind and body needs.
My beauty regimen is another way I look to treat myself. Yes, I do get many products to test out, but not for a second do I take it for granted. The girly girls and beauty junkies reading this should related to how you’ll always have the tiniest squeal of joy when you pull that luxe lipstick out of your handbag and touch up your lips, or how good it feels when you catch a whiff of your own favourite perfume.
Most recently, it’s been a skincare line, Refresh Botanicals, that’s been rewarding me daily. The natural line is based out of Toronto and is 88% organic, so it feels good to know it’s local and free of harsh chemicals. What struck me most about the line when I first tried it (and indeed one of the things I love most about the line) is the clean, fresh scent it has; cucumber is the scent I sense first and foremost and instantly makes me feel as though I’ve escaped to a spa. Because I’m often running late and rushing out the door, I typically slap on my skincare as fast as I can, but since I’ve started using Refresh Botanicals, at night I take the time to apply it with care and try to imagine I’m getting a soothing facial as I massage the product into my skin. I know it probably sounds really corny, but those two extra deep cleansing breaths as I do this helps me calm my mind, which is often just set to go, go, go!
So far, my three favourite products include the following (and I’m soon testing out the toner and makeup remover, too).
Refresh Botanicals Daily Facial Moisturizer, 100 mL, $18.99. This product is free of artificial fragrances, oils and alcohols, and is 99.7% natural or naturally derived. I have combination skin, but with the cooler temps now, I thought this might not be hydrating enough for the dry skin I can get, but it’s worked well for me. While it has a light texture that absorbs quickly, it’s still rich enough to keep my skin hydrated.
Refresh Botanicals Intensive Serum, 50 mL, $23.99. This contains fig fruit extract and grape seed oil to help diminish fine lines, and also a proprietary Aquacell complex that includes watermelon, apple and lentil extract, that reduces fine lines within two hours and boosts intracellular water by 85% within two weeks. I doubt it’s apparent to others, but I think I see a subtle difference in my skin’s suppleness (and even if only I can detect it, well, that’s worth it in itself because it makes me feel good from the inside, right?).
Refresh Botanicals Night Restore Complex, 50 mL, $23.99. Like all of the line’s products, this is free of parabens, gluten, petroleum and animal by-products. It feels deliciously cooling going on, and it also boasts the same Aquacell complex as the Intensive Serum. My skin, which often feels parched and tired (because it is…) has definitely had a little boost since I started using this at night.
Oh, and last two things: I like the simple white and green packaging and love that these three products are 100 mL or 50 mL as I can easily travel with them.
I’ll be incorporating a few more of the Refresh Botanicals line into my routine soon. I’m particularly keen on trying the Eye & Face Makeup Remover.
(sponsored)
October 30, 2015
Fall is for many runners the best season for running. The cooler temperatures are more comfortable for working up a sweat and you can often run at a faster pace. For runners new to the sport, though, sometimes the cooler temperatures can sometimes be intimidating, and they may put off running until the spring. But this Sunday, November 1st, Adidas is challenging Toronto to #runmore.
And we essentially don’t have a good excuse not to. After all, November 1st is the day we turn the clocks back an hour. The 10k race kicks off at 1 a.m., and one hour later at 2 a.m. is when we turn the clocks back. Which means we’ll have taken advantage of that extra hour to fit in more running, and we’ll be done and celebrating the race at the same time the race started. Pretty wicked race concept.
As much as running a race that kicks off at 1 a.m. sounds fun and exciting it’s also a bit daunting, even for a night owl like myself (it brings up all sorts of running issues, like when to fuel, for example, and for non-night owls, how to make sure they’re not sleepy come go-time!). But we have a post-race party to look for with DJs and beer, not to mention a bold looking medal. The race kit itself is also pretty sweet. And proceeds from the race go to the Canadian Olympic Foundation, so runners can feel good about their funds going to help Canadian athletes.
The race is less than 48 hours away and I hope you’re registered already because it has indeed sold out. My race plan? With the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon just two weeks prior, I’m not prepared to go full out; my body still needs for me to give it a bit of a rest and stick to an easy pace for at least another week. Also, I want to make sure I’m prepared and healthy for the Rock n Roll Las Vegas Half-Marathon that I’m running two weeks after this Adidas #RunMore 10k.
Can’t wait to see everyone in the late hours of Halloween night to run out and back on the Martin Goodman Trail along Lake Shore Blvd. — be sure to wear your best reflective run gear so we can glow in the dark together (I’ll be in this outfit here; the jacket sleeves are highly reflective, which will great for this night race, and I’m liking the Energy Boost sneakers, they’re light on my feet and I love the crisp colour way)! And be sure to check back next week on the blog for my race report.
For more details on the race, check out www.runmore.ca.
(sponsored)
October 30, 2015
How can it be fall already? I’m still catching up on summer blog posts, oopsie. Like back in June (June!), I spent the afternoon with Ford Canada learning about the Ford Edge crossover vehicle and also doing a bit of “living on the edge” — more on that in a bit.
The Ford Edge has a number of cool features I discovered that day. I can’t talk to you about horsepower (and I doubt you expect me to!), but how about the nifty tiny jetwasher that keeps the camera clean? Whenever I’ve driven a Ford, having that rearview camera help me with parking, and now the view is not only kept clean with this jetwasher, but the camera technology is such that it allows you to see around corners (viewing things that you just seated in the driver’s seat can’t!). For example, way before you spot a pedestrian walking past behind your car, you’ll view them on the screen.
And parking has never been my forte (friends can attest to that…) and I’m a huge fan of active park assist. Now it’s been enhanced. Some features of enhanced park assist: There are now sensors that help you with perpendicular parking and as for parallel parking, the feature now helps you with parallel parking on either the left or right side of the road.
And a feature I’m fond of (as is a friend of mine who also drove a Ford with me recently: blind-spot information system. There are radar modules on the vehicle and when a vehicle is in your blind spot area, a small light in the corresponding rearview mirror blinks on.
My fourth favourite feature: the lane-keeping system. A camera in the car monitors your driving compares to the lines on the road that define the lane. If the camera detects movement that indicates you may be drowsy, the car alerts you and recommends you take a break.
Having the experience of driving with these features in the Ford Edge allowed me to drive and live on the edge, as they framed it, but all safely. And it’s all about safe driving now, isn’t it?
To top off the day, we literally got to live on the edge by taking part in the CN Tower EdgeWalk. If you’re not familiar with it, it involves being harnessed basically at the top of the CN Tower, walking around the Tower, while also completing a number of poses. I don’t particularly have a fear of heights and based on photos I’d seen of the EdgeWalk, I’ve always thought the experience looked a bit lame.
LET ME TELL YOU I WAS OH SO WRONG.
So the actual walk around the Tower is a bit boring as I’d expected, and I found most of the poses quite easy to complete. Leaning at a 45-degree angle with the harness holding you securely? No problem; all I had to do was stare straight out towards the horizon. But one pose had me shaking with fear and I just barely completed it. This was when we were to step to the edge of the platform and have our toes extended over the edge of the platform. For me, the reason this had me shaking like an 8.0 magnitude earthquake is because having to extend your toes over the platform meant I was forced to look down…down alllllllllllll the way to the cement streets and sidewalks of downtown Toronto. I can feel my heart beating faster just typing about the experience. I failed on my first try (stepping back quickly) but the second try I forced myself to get the very tippy toes of my shoes over the edge for the quickest moment, before stepping back to stand solidly on the platform.
It was the exhilarating way to cap off the day (a day in which I even drove in rush-hour Toronto traffic, which in and o f itself is its own adventure, haha, through various neighbourhoods I don’t usually get to, so it was a bit like being a tourist in my own city). Thank you, Ford Canada, for the adrenaline rush!
September 24, 2015
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