HOW COOL IS THIS?!

SECRETLIFEOFABIONERD PUT MY DIY TREE IN HER VIDEO!! I feel so cool, I love her!! This is the picture I instagrammed and tagged her!

And then I was watching her video randomly today, totally unaware that she was putting pics of her viewers trying her last DIYs, I wasn't even paying attention and then I was like OMG..THAT'S MINE! It's nice to know that someone as well known as her on YouTube actually checks the pictures people send to her! It's encouraging me to let other YouTubers know when I try something that they've suggested! Of course..I print-screened it..duhhh

Anyways I feel special so I thought I would share..hehe :)

xoxo

Shivani

Very mini lush haul!

As promised, here's my mini Lush haul! (on the same night too! That's how you know I don't want to study for exams..) I bought 3 items and got two samples from Lush last week! I love Lush products mainly because of the smell, but I also love that they're made with natural products so they're good for your skin, hair etc. Here's what I got: 

ITEM #1: REHAB SHAMPOO

I've been wanting to try Lush shampoo for a while. I figured this would be the best one to start with because I have very fine, damaged hair - and the sales person said this one might be good to try! It of course smells wonderful, it's a very subtle fresh scent. So far I've only used it a couple times but it definitely has made my hair a lot less greasy and more smooth. 

ITEM #2: VEGANESE CONDITIONER

 

I really got this because of the name. No I'm totally kidding. But it does sound cool! I mainly got this because I didn't want to mix another type of conditioner with the Lush shampoo, so I thought why not try one? It has an amazing lemon scent, quite fresh and strong! I apply this only to my roots and so far it gives my hair a very smooth texture and leaves it smelling great! 

ITEM #3: SEXY PEEL (MY FAVOURITE SOAP!

This soap is kind of an inside joke between my cousins and I, but maybe I'll explain that another..ANYWAYS, it is my ABSOLUTE favourite soap in the entire world. It has this amazing fresh, citrus scent and scrubs the skin so well because it has actual bits of fruit in it! I prefer rougher soaps because I feel like they're actually cleaning my body!

SAMPLE #1: SANDSTONE SOAP

When I mentioned that I liked rougher soaps the sales associate mentioned this soap..he said that it makes your skin very smooth because it scrubs away dead skin, dirt etc. So I thought why not get a sample - I haven't tried it yet but it has a very subtle soap smell, so it should be nice!

SAMPLE #2: NORTHERN LIGHTS SOAP

I COULDN'T GET MY EYES AWAY FROM THIS SOAP! The colours are just so damn vibrant and beautiful. You know how I love my fresh scents - and this soap is NO EXCEPTION. It smells wonderful! It has a strong lime and cypress scent, which is a great out-of-the-shower smell in my opinion. But jeez isn't it just SO PRETTY?!

That's it for now guys, I'm so excited to try these soaps and hopefully buy some full-sized ones..again I should probably go back to studying now..

I'm thinking of trying the BIG shampoo by Lush next. Has anyone used it?

What are your favourite Lush products?

xoxo

Shivani

New Years Resolutions

Hey everyone! I decided to do a new years post instead of a Christmas post because..well to be honest I don't have much to say about Christmas. It's great to spend time with family and everything,  but I strongly dislike snow, and sometimes Christmas can get a bit too materialistic for me. For me it's more about spending time with people - which I will totally post about with pictures LATER :)

ANYWHO - I decided to do a post about my new years resolutions. I've been thinking about these for a while, so I thought I would share them with everyone.

Now I know most people don't really keep their resolutions, but I think even the process of REFLECTING on one's self is important, so that even if these changes don't happen within the next year, at least they're something you've acknowledged about yourself - and can hopefully improve upon at some point in life.

So here are mine:

#1: ACTUALLY WORKOUT
I don't have a very consistent workout schedule. At all. And it's pretty bad, because I want to be fit and healthy..and I'm just not there yet. I've found that I'm not the kind of person who will work out on my own, I need to actually set a schedule and stick to it. I've been exposed to so many different types of workouts: drop-in dance classes, barreworks, step class, hot yoga..you name it. But for some reason I just can't seem to stay consistent with it! So my hope is to organize some sort of schedule for the upcoming year, so I can actually stick to it and reach my fitness goals!

#2: STOP BEING SO CRITICAL
I've noticed that I'm very critical about a lot of things. Now, it's definitely okay to have your opinion - in fact it's great to exercise your mind and form opinions on things, but I really think that sometimes I form opinions without knowing all the facts. OR, even worse, I think sometimes I'm critical when there's absolutely no need to be. So that's definitely something I'd like to work out, educating myself on things before I form opinions on them, and ensuring that if I don't have any nice to say I don't say anything at all.

#3: WAKE UP EARLIER IN THE MORNING
Okay I'm seriously the worse for this! I'm so incredibly bad at waking up in the morning! I've found that if it's for something SUPER mandatory then I can, for example work or something. But when it's something I've planned for myself, or CLASS for instance..I usually end up not waking up and sometimes sleeping my day away! Thus, I really want to work on going to bed at a more decent time and start utilizing my mornings..this way it won't be such a struggle for me to wake up for things like work, because I'll already be used to it!

#4: SPEND MORE TIME WITH MY GRANDMOTHERS
This is something I've wanted to do for a while, and I've tried my best to be better at it but I feel like work/school/friends always get in the way. And that's just so horrible. I love my grandmothers so much, they're both such different people. At the end of the day I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the both of them, so they mean the world to me. I really need to take more time out and make sure I'm not only calling them, but also going to see them more often - it's the least I can do and they deserve it. I never want them to feel alone or not loved or forgotten - not after everything they've done for me. 

#5: START CLEANING AND COOKING MORE
I tend to get really busy with school and work. I end up buying the majority of my money on food, which doesn't need to happen. So next year, instead of buying food out all the time, I really want to start buying groceries and making healthier food at home. I have a veggie cookbook and I never use it! So I'd like to start. I also notice that I leave cleaning to the ABSOLUTE last minute. I absolutely will not clean my room/car anything until it REALLY needs it. This is horrible because  things tend to get messy and unorganized, which kills me because I hate it when things aren't organized! So I want to start cleaning as well on a more consistent basis, perhaps have a cleaning day once a week or something like that.

What are you New Year's Resolutions?

xx

Shiv

pet names!

I know this is so random..but for some reason sometimes the cutest pet names pop into my head! Most of the time I won't lie I think of dog names, but really they could be for any pet. I'm so weird with pet names seriously, once I had 3 fish and I pretended they were a mafia of fish and I named them Frankie, Joey and Louey..I know I was a weird child..

Cute pet names:

PEACHES
TROOPER
BATMAN - how funny would it be every time you said it?
PAISLEY 
PUMPKIN
MONKEY - this would be for a pet that ISN'T a monkey..
MUNCHKIN
MONSTER - why are there so many M's though..
CANDY
SWEETS 

The pink names are the ones I just CANNOT WAIT to use!

Seriously I was keeping this list on my iPhone..like WHY DO I ALWAYS THINK OF PET NAMES?! So weird I know..

Thought I would post about my weirdness HAHA :)

xx
Shiv

Things I've learned while being in university..

As I'm finally coming across my last year of university, there are a couple tips and tricks I've learned throughout the years! I figured I'd share these things, because they may actually be quite helpful if you're in your first year, or entering university soon. Here goes.

GO TO ALL OF YOUR CLASSES
I know a lot of people can succeed without going to all of their classes, but in my experience skipping class is never worth it. It helps keep you on track, and prevents you from having to waste time catching up later. Even if you barely take notes (because lectures may be posted online or something) it's still worth going and taking in information, that way when you're studying it doesn't seem like you're learning everything for the first time.

TALK TO YOUR PROFS OR TAs
Classes are huge. They're not gonna know you unless you introduce yourself. Someone once told me of a rule she had where she came up with 3 questions a week, one for her prof and two for her TA. It helped a lot because it forced her to know the material enough to form questions and she learned things by discussing with profs and TAs. On top of that, she actually go to know them because she was always talking to them. Aside from this, I would recommend talking to them about every assignment, project, paper, to make sure you're on the right track. Remember you're paying these people, they're there to answer your questions.

GET INVOLVED
I found that I learned a lot more about life outside of the classroom than inside. I would recommend only choosing two things to be involved in, especially if you're going to be working as well. I always tended to overload myself..which ended up sometimes negatively affecting school. But if you only choose two things, then you're able to stay organized while still getting involved and not overwhelming yourself. 

USE AN AGENDA
I seriously don't know how people function without one. It's the best way to know exactly what's going on on day. You can organize your due dates, parties, events, daily tasks - and in my opinion it works better than any online program or app. I also recommend colour coding things, so it's easier to differentiate when you're looking at your week overall.

GET PROPER SLEEP
I know I've talked about this in another post before, but it's so important for university. University students never get enough sleep and it's horrible for your brain! It also sucks to stay up late doing work only to miss your morning classes. If you get into the habit of waking up early everyday you're less likely to waste time sleeping in until 2:00PM everyday.

DON'T CRAM!
Don't leave ANYTHING to the last minute..and I mean ANYTHING. Whether it's a paper, making a banner for an event or studying for an exam..THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY! Cramming never helps, and the more you push things to the next week, and the next week - the less time you have to actually get it done! As long as you prioritize you'll always have time to do fun stuff and you won't be stressed out!

STUDY IN GROUPS
Even if you ultimately study better on your own, at least go to some group study sessions before you start studying. You'll always learn new things or maybe reiterate things that you forgot about! I always try to find a group of responsible friends and summarize readings/lectures before the exam, that way it's less work but you have all the info at your fingertips! I find that talking about things really helps you remember them as well. You're all in this together after all! 

MAKE FRIENDS
You are the company that you keep. Don't be one of those people who goes to class and goes home. UNIVERSITY IS AN EXPERIENCE! Have fun! Work hard and party harder! Your friends will enrich your university experience, and it's always nice to have people who are going through the same things as you. Make memories! 

These are things I just thought of off the top of my head but I'm sure I'll think of some more soon. ENJOY! :)

xx,

Shiv

Outfit of the day!

HI LOVES!

So I've been wanting to do Outfit of the Day posts for a while, I finally decided to start! Here's what I'm wearing her!

TOP:

Blue Long Sleeved Shirt - TNA

BOTTOM:

Gray Tights - TNA

ACCESSORIES:

Rose Gold Watch - Micheal Kors 

Infinity Scarf - H&M

Silver Ring - Swarovski

SHOES:

Cowboy Boots - SPRING

Stylenotes:

I was in a comfy mood today! Hence all the TNA haha. As a style note, I LOVE COWBOY BOOTS! I honestly wear them all the time with any outfit, I think it adds texture and style to any plain outfit. As well, this scarf from H&M is awesome because it's SO BIG! You can double it up so it fits tighter around your neck as well but I love it long and hanging in front of my shirt, it adds a nice layer to the outfit. 

Scarves are honestly my favourite accessory for fall, I feel like my outfits are so plain without them! And they're such an easy way to add a pop of colour to any outfit.

What's your favourite fall accessory?

Little things you can do to be healthier..

I've noticed little tips and tricks I've heard from people over the last little while, of ways that you can be healthier by changing small things about your lifestyle. So before I forget I figured I should share them with you all!

10 things I try to remind myself:

1. DRINK WATER ONLY - Stop ordering pop when you go to restaurants and ask for some water! Even fruit juices have a lot of sugar in them most of the time, so ensure you're getting your 8 glasses of water a day!

2. WALK MORE - If you're gong somewhere that is seriously only a 10 min walk away, DON'T DRIVE YOU LAZYBUM, WALK! Adding more physical activity in your day does wonders to keep you from getting tired fast. The more active you are now, the more active you'll be ABLE to be later on in life. (PS. Use the stairs too, not the elevator!)

3. EAT HEALTHY SNACKS - Instead of picking up pringles or chocolate, eat crackers and cheese or veggies and dip! They are so much healthier for you, and they can help you ensure you're getting your daily doses of veggies or carbs!

4. EAT SMALLER PORTIONS - Having 5 or 6 smaller meals a day is actually healthier than having 3 big meals for the day. Try it!

5. STOP EATING OUT - Eating out once a week isn't a big deal, but every meal shouldn't be fast food or even restaurant food. Those foods usually have preservatives, are often fried in oil and tend to have lots of sugar! (Depending on what you're ordering of course). Eating home-cooked food is much healthier!

6. TAKE MULTIVITAMINS - My mum used to pound this into my head growing up, and I never listened to her, but now I really realize how important it is. Especially for girls. Taking a women's multivitamin can help with things like hair growth and estrogen levels. But even if you don't take a multivitamin, you can always take calcium, b12, iron pills - all important for staying alert and healthy! *You can get these all at a natural foods store.*

7. GET GOOD SLEEP - Your body is way more immune to sickness if it isn't rested. Sleeping well is also very important for brain functioning - your brain needs rest to work well! Also as a girl, changes in your sleep cycle can cause your menstrual cycle to be irregular. So be careful!

8. DO SMALL STRETCHES IN THE MORNING/BEFORE BED - This does wonders to wake you up, as well as help to exercise your muscles before you start your day, this way you're much less likely to have aches and pains, or pull something throughout the day!

9. BE POSITIVE - Happier are people are healthier people! It sounds crazy but it's true. Keep positive about tough situations. Negativity can put a lot of stress on the body and cause backaches, headaches, muscle pain, depression, loss of appetite..and a lot more. Don't worry, be happy!

10. DON'T EAT FOOD RIGHT BEFORE BED - It's hard, I know, especially when you're studying 'til 3:00AM, but there are lots of reasons this isn't good for you. Since you're obviously less active when you're sleeping, you're less likely to burn the calories you ate before you slept. So make sure you give yourself about 90 mins to digest your food properly before you go to bed!

I hope those tips can help you to stay a bit healthier in your day to day life! Again, I'm not perfect, I don't do these things everyday, but they are things I'm trying to implement every day - and they're EASY! So you should try too :) Hope you enjoyed this guys!