Livin' Life With Style : May 2015

Friday, 22 May 2015

My Skin Care Routine!

I don't know about you, but I have very sensitive skin. I have tried so many brands out there, and most of the products seem to irritate my skin in some way, except for 1 product line- Dermalogica!!

I was first introduced to Dermalogica about 7 years ago by one of my friends, and since then I haven't stopped using their products.

I wanted to share with you, the products that I use and love. Here is my skincare routine:

Every morning and night I start by using the special cleansing gel on my face and neck. It’s a soap-free cleanser which contains calming balm mint and lavender extracts. It's soothing and super gentle in removing toxins and impurities without disturbing the skin’s natural moisture balance. I love that the gel feels so light on my skin and that it doesn't have any artificial fragrances and colours.

After the Special Cleansing Gel I use the Daily Microfoliant. I absolutely love this product! It's my holy grail! It's so gentle and non-abrasive on my skin. It leaves my skin so soft, refreshed and bright after every use!

I use it twice daily (morning and night) and this has become an essential part of my skin care regimen. The rice-based powder simply dissolves on wet hands and I rub it in gently all over my skin and rinse it way with water.

To keep my skin moist, I apply the intensive moisture balance all over my face - morning and night. I have very dry skin, especially in the winter. Using the intensive moisture balance I find it hydrates my skin and makes it feels so smooth. I love that it doesn't make my face feel greasy and really absorbs into my skin.

I know we all have a busy life, and sometimes we forget or just get lazy to wash our face but it's so important. I keep an extra bottle of the special cleansing gel and daily microfoliant in the shower and apply it while I have my conditioner on in the mornings. My others bottles are beside my sink for when I clean my face at night before bed.

My skin feels so healthy and younger looking using Dermalogica products. I cannot recommended them enough.

For more information on the Dermalogica line or to find a location nearest you that sells the products, check out their website HERE

Friday, 15 May 2015

Our Visit to Ripley's Aquarium of Canada!

A few weeks ago, my husband asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day. I told him, all I wanted was to spend some quality time as a family, so we took the kids to Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto.

This was our second visit to the aquarium. The first time was opening weekend when my son was 2. Now that he is almost 4, I can't believe how much more fun he had. He was so excited to see all the fish and sharks.

We were very lucky it wasn't that busy. Ripley's Aquarium is a tourist attraction, so the lines can get pretty long. The wait can sometimes be 1-2 hours. I strongly recommend purchasing "Time Tickets" which are discounted on the website instead of the "walk up" prices.

Once you enter, you start at the "Canadian Waters" Gallery. It was nice to show our son what type of fish were in our waters. Some of the featured animals were the Largemouth Bass, American Lobster, Giant Pacific Octopus and China Rockfish.

Next we went to the "Rainbow Reef" Gallery. All of the tropical fish were so beautiful, colourful, and vibrant.

The "Dangerous Lagoon" is by far the most popular gallery at Ripley's. It's also our favourite. The best part is everyone gets a great view going through the lagoon. They achieve this by have a moving walkway that takes you through the underwater tunnel full of fish, stingrays, sharks and many more animals. Like I said, the aquarium gets very busy, so having this moving walkway gives everyone an un-obstructed view. It moves very slow so you can enjoy all of the amazing animals swimming all around you.

After you leave the "Dangerous Lagoon" you enter the "Discovery Centre" that has a lot of things to do for kids. They have a "Shark Reef Kids Crawl" which is a small tunnel the kids crawl through to see sharks. They also have a submarine that the kids can play in, a slide, and a horseshoe crab touch pool where the kids can get their hands wet.

Also located in this area is a restaurant/ snack centre if you wanted to grab a quick snack or sit and have lunch!

"Plant Jellies" Gallery is pretty cool. It's a giant wall full of jelly fish that is back lit and has colour-changing displays.

The "Life Support System" is a pretty neat area. It shows you a behind-the-scenes look at the life support and filtration equipment used to maintain the Aquarium. It also has real-time stats about the water quality and conditions.

While visiting "Ray Bay" we saw a proposal which was so sweet. I didn't even know they did that! There is a fee, but it includes admission and a gift.

Finally, you come to "Shoreline Gallery" where you can touch small sharks and stingrays.

They do have a gift shop where you can purchase a souvenir. They have everything from stuffed animals, books, clothes and toys.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit their website HERE. There are so many other fun things to do at the aquarium such as sleepovers, yoga classes, photography classes and so much more. You can even have your child's birthday party there as well!!

Saturday, 9 May 2015

Last minute gift ideas for MOM!

If you left your Mother's Day gift to the last minute or are unsure what to get her, check out some of my gift ideas below!

I hope you all have a great weekend and for all the Mom's out there- Happy Mother's Day! I am excited that this will be my 1st Mother's Day as a Mother of 2 beautiful kids. I can't wait to spend the day with them, and reflect on how lucky I really am to have them in my life, and be their Mom.