Who Am I? Who Are You?

Hello folks,
Happy Halloween!



I hope you've all had a fun day filled with cute costumes and yummy candy! Since I work with kids, I was obliged to dress up, and chose to be a baby! Onesie, soother, pigtails and all.



Anyway, with Halloween having come and gone, we are moving into a new season. I have recently realized that over the last month or so I have gained a few followers, as well as just casual readers. Because of this, I thought I would do a teeny "getting to know you" sort of post.

While I was taking a gander over on Charlotte's Web, I found her most recent post included ten questions. So, I thought I would take the challenge and answer them in between trick-or-treaters' knocks at the door.

1. Who are you?

- Well hello! My name is Olivia (Liv for short). I am 21 years old, I am Canadian, and I work with kids at an autism clinic.

2. Why do you blog?

- I blog because I love to share things. I also love to write and take pictures, as well as attempt to be creative. Blogging is the perfect way to combine all of these things, and even get some feedback from it!

3. What's your favourite song?

- My current song on repeat would have to be "Story of My Life" by One Direction. It's just so different from all of their other songs, I absolutely love it.

4. Snog, Marry, Avoid: Ron Weasley, Harry Styles, Jude Law?

- Snog: Harry Styles - because who could say no to that face?

- Marry: Ron Weasley - he does seem like marriage material, doesn't he?

- Avoid: Jude Law - don't get me wrong, I love Jude Law. But he's just a little old for my taste, I think.

5. What are you doing right now?

- At the moment I am watching 'Hocus Pocus', writing this of course, and handing out bags of Sweet Chili Heat Doritos to trick-or-treaters.

6. Tea or coffee?

- Definitely tea. I just can't get used to the taste of coffee at all! But I have a whole shelf filled with canisters of loose leaf tea from DavidsTea, one of my favourite stores.

7. Favourite book?

- I really enjoyed Harry Potter, as well as the Hunger Games trilogy, but my favourite book would probably have to be The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. What a tearjerker!

8. Favourite movie?

- A movie I could watch over and over again would have to be "Life as We Know It" starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel. Another favourite would probably be The Little Mermaid, or She's the Man.

9. Which blogs do you visit religiously?

- I follow only a few blogs on BlogLovin', but I check for a few quite often: Sprinkle of Glitter, Zoella, Tanya Burr, Cup of Jo, and Fleur de Force. At the moment I'm looking for some new blogs to follow. What ones do you recommend based on the ones mentioned above?

10. What's your URL?

- This one is for you to answer. I want to get to know you people on the other side of the internet! So, if you have read and enjoyed this post even a little bit, go ahead and answer these questions in the comments. Then, feel free to leave your URL for others to find their way over to your little slice of the web.

Looking forward to hearing about you!

Happy Halloween,

Liv :)

Excitement Abounds

Hey all,

Welcome back!

Tonight I just wanted to do a quick post about something I gleefully snatched up off the shelf this afternoon.

(I forgot my camera at work, so a phone photo will have to do).

Bioderma micellaire solution (or micellaire water, whatever strikes your fancy) is something that several UK beauty bloggers have been raving about for quite some time now. Knowing that this is a product common in France, it never occurred to me that I might find it here in Canada. Well, well, well. Was I ever surprised and excited when I found this pretty bottle perched upon the shelf at Shoppers Drug Mart! 

Now, you may have guessed that this cost a pretty penny. Being an imported product, it doesn't run cheap. At $22 for this small bottle, I probably won't repurchase it no matter how amazing it is simply due to the price. However, prices are usually jacked up at Shoppers, so you may be able to find it for less at somewhere like Jean Coutu, a French pharmacy. 

As soon as I got home, I put on some dark eye makeup to test it out. When I say "makeup", I really mean that I went for the Miranda Sings slap-it-on look.

But no matter. After holding a soaked cotton pad on my eye for about 30 seconds, all of my makeup (including waterproof mascara) came off with one swipe. Little spots needed to be swiped again, but you catch my drift. It's a miracle worker! No rubbing necessary, the product does all the work to remove your makeup. I love it already!

Have you tried Bioderma? If so, where did you get it? Is there a cheaper way to obtain it in North America that I was unaware of? Also, what is your preferred makeup remover? Let me know in le comments!

Until next time,

Liv xx

The City that Never Sleeps

Hello there! Welcome :)

              As you may have guessed from my previous posts, I am a bit of a travel addict. I have been very lucky to have been able to travel with my family to a few places in the States and the Bahamas so far. I have also had the opportunity to go on several mission trips with my church within Canada. However, last summer was my favourite and most life-changing mission trip as of yet: the Bowery Mission in New York City.



              While I had been to New York a few times before, I had never experienced it like this. Twenty-eight youth and leaders stayed in the 'volunteer quarters' of a homeless shelter/soup kitchen/men's reform centre for a week, and were recruited to do many different tasks each day. This included cooking and serving meals, cleaning, giving out clothes, handing out food in the park, playing music for the daily chapel services, and more. We also really got a chance to chat and bond with the men in the program and hear their life stories. This was a really eye-opening experience not only for the kids, but for me as a leader as well.

              Though we had many responsibilities during the day, we also had the evenings and a Saturday to do some sightseeing. This meant that we would get to bed each night around midnight and had to be up by 6:30AM (5:45 if we were on breakfast duty). Needless to say that by the end of the week we were all exhausted and hated each other a little bit, but it was well worth it in the end. I am so glad I had this opportunity and am able to share it with you. Here are some photos from our time away at the Bowery Mission!


The girls with one of the men we met from the reform program.


A friend and I at Strawberry Fields (not sure why there is a strange haze over me, this is not so on my computer!)


Our entire group on the roof (again, what is that haze?!)


Men In Black headquarters from the movies.


The chapel at the Bowery.


Me with one of the men from the program, just before leaving.

              I have over 700 photos combined from my camera and phone, but I don't want to be too overwhelming here... This is just a little snippet of my personal highlights from the week. Hope you enjoyed! If you would like more information on the Bowery Mission or are wondering how you can get involved, you can visit their website at www.bowery.org. It really is an amazing place. What was one of your most life-changing experiences? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,
Liv <3

Autumn Bedroom Tour

Hey everyone,

As I've mentioned before, I have officially made my foray into the YouTube world! I have made one other video previously, but I have some cool ideas saved up now and I'd love to keep up with it as a hobby! So, just a quick little post to share with you my latest video: my Autumn Bedroom Tour.

It's quite short as I don't really have too many cool things in my bedroom, but I figured this is a good video to start with that I don't actually have to be in... works for me! Let me know what you think in the comments!

Until next time,

Liv xoxo

Simple DIY Chalkboard

Hey everyone,

welcome back! I have just returned home from a lovely weekend with friends back at my old university, and am ready to finally present my crafty tutorial from last weekend!

I kind of skipped the photographing of a couple of steps, but the craft itself is pretty self-explanatory. This is more of an idea post for you! Here are the supplies you will need:



- Any shaped wood you wish to use as your chalkboard. I chose this pre-sanded and painted shape from the craft store.

- A fairly wide paintbrush.

- Coloured chalk.

- Chalkboard paint (it doesn't have to be Martha Stewart).

- Not pictured here, you may also want a complementary colour of your choice for the border of your chalkboard.

Start by covering your board with three coats of chalkboard paint!



When it's finished and dried, use something round (or measure a border if you're using a square shape) to create your border, and paint that with two coats.



Et voila! It's that simple. You have your very own chalkboard to use however you please! It could be a grocery list in the kitchen, a message board in your entryway, or just a cute decoration.



If you make one of these, take a picture and tweet it to me @livloves17

What DIY crafts have you been loving recently? I want to know!

Until next time,
Liv :)

What Did I Just Watch?

Hey everyone,
welcome back!

In my last post, I said I would be back shortly with a crafty post. Due to a memory card malfunction, I may have to recreate this crafting idea to be posted at a later date. But rather than leaving you hanging all weekend, I thought I would tell you about something I will never forget: the worst movie I ever did see.



If you're like me, you might have heard about this movie, and gotten super excited about its awesome cast. Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, JAMES FRANCO. The trailer made the film look like a happy-go-lucky vacation gone wrong, but this was not the case at all. From the beginning scene of full frontal nudity, I had not a clue what was going on. The plot was easy enough to follow, but then again was there really a plot?

I can tell you this much: this movie was basically a montage of pink ski masks, guns, money, murder, drugs, bikinis, and James Franco creepily whispering "Spring break forever..." about 75 times. I was just baffled!



Now, I am not usually one to negatively critique movies like this. I am a firm believer that every movie has it's positive sides, and if I don't like it someone else will. However, I had to speak up about this film, because I have no idea who this movie will "speak" to. I also wanted to forewarn anyone who hasn't seen it.




Have you seen Spring Breakers? What did you think? Let me know down there in the comments!
Hopefully the next time you hear from me, I will be back with that crafty post I promised you.

Until next time,
Liv <3

MeTube, YouTube!

Hey everybody,
welcome back! Just a little housekeeping for today, and I'll be posting a regular lifestyle-ish post when I get home tonight! For now I just wanted to highlight a couple of things for you:

- I have a Twitter, you should go follow it here!

- My friend and I are working on a cool project for my YouTube channel, kind of as an official kick off. It involves filming at various locations, so it is going to be a little while in the making. So as a little treat, I decided to upload a funny little music video I made with a friend back in June. It's nothing too special, but I thought I'd share it anyway! You can check out and subscribe to my YouTube channel here.



- I want to make an "FAQ" page here on my blog. What I would love is if you could all post a question in the comments below, so I can compile them onto that page!

Well, now that all of that is out of the way, I'll see you tonight with a crafty post.

Until next time,
Liv :)

My Day in Photos

Hey everyone,

welcome back! Today I thought I would do something I have seen on a lot of blogs, which is the "Day in Photos" tag. From the time I woke up until now (3:30) I have taken a photo at each hour to document what I have done! I would continue all day, but I know I will just be writing papers and watching TV, rather boring! So without further adieu, here is my day in photos!

At 8:30, I arose from my slumber and hopped into a shower.



At 9:30 I was at Tim Horton's waiting in the drive-thru line.



By 10:30 I was at church, helping run the sound system for this week.



After church, at 11:30, my friend and I went for a country drive to enjoy the nice autumn weather and colours. I thought this abandoned baseball diamond looked pretty neat!



At 12:30, I came home to Thanksgiving dinner on the stove and in the oven.



While I was waiting for dinner to be ready, around 1:30 I was getting caught up on my YouTube subscriptions.



At 2:30, dinner was served!



Finally at 3:30, I reorganized my dresser and settled in for some homework and Hawaii Five-O watching.



So there you have it! That's pretty much my day, all summed up in an aesthetically pleasing manner. I want to challenge you all to do this post yourself, and leave a link to your blog in the comments below so I can see!

Until next time,
Liv <3
PS: A big Happy Thanksgiving again to my Canadian readers! I hope you've all had a great day with family/friends wherever you may be :)

Ke$ha in Person

Hey everyone,
happy Saturday!

In my entire life, before this year, I had only ever been to two real concerts. One was the Moffats (please tell me someone remembers them), and the other was Hilary Duff. This past August, I had the awesome chance to go see Ke$ha in concert during her Warrior tour. Since I never really even posted any pictures on Facebook, I thought why not share some snaps with you all. Because of the really bright lights, I don't think I actually managed to get a good picture of Ke$ha... but you can at least see some things that we did and saw!











As you can see, we may or may not have gotten photobombed in that one.

And here is a little video!



The next concert that I will be going to is ONE DIRECTION and I can hardly wait! What concerts have you been to, or do you look forward to attending in the future? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,
Liv :)

I'm Thankful For...

Hey everyone!
To all of my Canadian readers, Happy Thanksgiving!



Thanksgiving is a time where friends and family gather together to share a meal, and reflect on what they are thankful for. So today I wanted to write about what I have been most thankful for in the past year.

I am thankful for friendship. For the ones I still have, and the ones I don't. Even if they might not have stuck around for this whole year, each person I met taught me a lesson. I will always be thankful for that.

I am thankful for everything I have. A roof over my head, a good job, an education, and food to eat. I know that not everybody has these privileges, and I'm thankful every day that I can afford them.

I am thankful for the internet. As strange as it sounds, during the times that I felt so down this year, I could read blogs and watch vlogs, and know that I wasn't alone. There are so many people out there who felt the same why I did, and knowing this and sharing their experiences helped me get through those tough times. This is also where I found my inspiration to start this blog!

I'm thankful for all of the opportunities I've been given. In the past year, I've graduated university, gotten the chance to go to Orlando with friends, been accepted to four different Masters' programs, and gotten an au pair job in London. Though the last two opportunities didn't lead to anything extraordinary, just having the chances that some people are not as fortunate to receive is something I am always so grateful for.

So, as my mom starts to defrost the turkey and I get to see all of my friends that are home for the weekend, I wanted to take a moment to share with you all of the blessings in my life that I am really and truly grateful for.

Even if it's not Thanksgiving where you are, what have you been most thankful for in this past year? Share it in the comments below!

Until next time,
Liv <3

My Celebrity Dinner Party

Hey everybody,
Welcome!

For today's post, I thought I'd try something a little different. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have all of your favourite celebrities, dead or alive, in one place? I know I have. So what I've decided to do is compile a list, in no particular order, of who I would invite to my celebrity dinner party and why.

1) Khloe Kardashian Odom

Say what you will, but Khloe is probably my favourite of the Kardashians. She is so funny, and is always getting into some kind of shenanigans. So imagine what fun events she could bring to a dinner party! I know I'd love to find out.

2) Bryan Cranston



You probably recognize him as Walter White, the bad-ass meth manufacturer from Breaking Bad. But what I want to know is: is he really that bad-ass in real life? And if not, how does he channel his inner criminal? This could be a really good discussion.

3) Zooey Deschanel



She just seems so quirky, doesn't she? I absolutely love every movie or TV show she has ever been in, and I would love to just sit down and talk to her and experience her uniqueness (is that a word?) in person.

4) Niall Horan



Well, to start with, who wouldn't want to just stare at Niall for the entirety of a dinner party? I know I would, no problem. But if you've seen One Direction's movie "This is Us" (which I have... twice), you will know that Niall has a really funny, creative streak. While watching that movie, he may have just earned a soft spot in my heart. I'd love to know his thoughts on the band's whirlwind success and everything that comes with it. And with his and Khloe's crazy antics combined, everyone will be in for a treat!

5) Cory Monteith



Since I first started watching Glee, Finn was always my favourite character. So earnest, funny, and determined. Cory Monteith, as a person, was also an inspiration to me. A Canadian like myself, he worked many unfulfilling jobs before finally making it big at age 27. Although he died in a terrible way, his life continues to be an inspiration to many. I would have loved to get a chance to meet him, and talk to him about what motivated him to keep trying for as long as he did and pursue his dreams. Rest in peace, Cory.

Well, I don't know about you, but if I were planning on having this dinner party at my house, I don't think I'd have room for too many more. But what I'd like to know is, who would you invite to your celebrity dinner party?

I'm going to call this the "Celebrity Dinner Party Tag", so I want to 'tag' you all to do this post on your own blog! Post a link to your blog in the comments, so I can read your guest list. If you don't have a blog, write your guest list in the comments! I'm interested to see who y'all would pick.

Until next time,
Liv xoxo

Liv in London!!

Hey everybody, great news!

If you've been following my blog since the beginning, you might be familiar with my previous plans to move to London for a year. You may also know that this plan did not work out due to other commitments and responsibilities! However, an exciting development has emerged.



From May 25th to June 8th, 2014, I will be flying with my bestest childhood friend, from Canada all the way to London! I can not even begin to describe how excited I am. This is something I have dreamed of doing for as long as I can remember (to be honest, probably since Winning London, the Mary Kate and Ashley movie was released). Not only that, but while in London I will be attending... drumroll please... a One Direction concert! If you read my old post about trying to win tickets this summer, then you will know that this makes my heart go all a-flutter just thinking about it.

Have you ever wanted something so bad your heart ached, and you finally got the chance to have it? This is how I feel right about now. Although my plans to live in London fell through, even just a small taste of life there will be enough to get me by for a little while. I can't wait! The eight months until then feels like about 150 years right about now.

If you live in or have been to London before, what do you suggest we do? So far on the list are: the London Eye, the Harry Potter Studio Tour, and the other obvious tourist attractions such as Buckingham Palace, etc. What are some of the less known places to go? Let me know some things that Expedia might not tell us about.

Until next time!
Liv...
WHO IS SO EXCITED SHE CAN'T EVEN SIT DOWN!

The Most Awkward First Date Ever.

Oh hello again!

Surprised to see me so soon? It just so happens that I have no major schoolwork this weekend, so I plan on writing a few posts for your enjoyment.

Today I want to tell you a cringe-worthy life encounter of mine. Let's title it:

#ItWasTheMostAwkwardDateEver2011

We set our scene in a mall. I was there with my best friend, who had been dating this guy for about 3 months. Just as I finished looking at the leggings and moved on to the dresses, my friend announced that her boyfriend was coming to the mall, and we were going to a movie. Not only this, but he was bringing his roommate. Oh. Okay.

One thing that she failed to mention, however, was that this roommate was painfully shy. And by painfully shy, I mean SILENT. We entered the movie theatre and were seated, and cue the silence.

Here is the best part. Upon being seated and waiting for the film to start, my friend from home called. A friend who is not very emotionally stable, and who was in "crisis". I was then required to calm her down from my movie theatre seat.

When the movie ended, we checked our phones to find that we had missed the last bus. "Let's walk home!" was the bright idea of the night. I was then required to walk next to this boy for the entirety of the 20+ minute walk home, in SILENCE.

Now, I bet you want to ask me "but Liv, why didn't you say anything?" I have asked myself that question, many times. Well, my own anxiety took over in this lovely situation, and I was at a loss for words. Thus making this the MOST AWKWARD FIRST DATE EVER (in my life anyway).

I have since recovered from this tragic event, moving on to bigger and better things. I have even SPOKEN to that boy on a few tipsy run-ins at the club. But I knew it was probably a good thing that I did not date this boy, as I later found out that he was sleeping with a 57 year old mall custodian. I still never fail to cringe every time I look back on this occasion, and thought I would share some of my embarrassment with you all on this fine weekend.

So, until next time!
Liv :)

Leaving the Nest

Hey all,
welcome back! Tonight I wanted to talk about one of my life experiences that everyone will eventually go through, and might like to hear about: moving away from home/going away to university.

When I was 17, I left home to go to university about 1.5 hours away from home. Mind you, I would still be coming home for the summers, but living away from home for 8 months at a time is still a big deal. Having skipped a grade, I graduated high school at age 17 and 2 days, and flew the coop shortly thereafter.

If you've ever heard the phrase "university is the best 4 years of your life", it really is true. Here are a few snaps from my time away:

Frosh Week.


Toga parties (I was in charge of the barbecue)...


Awesome friends.


Awesome friends that make you awesome Valentines.


People with interesting.... interests.

These are just a few pictures from my time away! To be honest, I wish I had taken more pictures. I know there are some things I didn't document that I'll wish I remembered when I'm old and grey!

Leaving home can be a scary experience. When my parents and I packed up the SUV and drove up to campus, I was greeted by an enthusiastic group of frosh week leaders waiting to unload all of my belongings into a tiny room. I remember that as we pulled into the parking lot, a loud, bearded man approached the window, and I turned to my mom and said "I'm scared." Boy, am I glad I moved past that initial feeling of terror. Little did I know that I would be in charge of the group scaring innocent new students the following year!

Living away from home teaches you so many things. For one, it gives you a chance to totally start over. Decide who you want to be. No, that does not mean you should be someone you are not. But when all of your new friends have no expectations of you, it's easier to let the best version of yourself shine through. I also learned how to fend for myself. Nothing says independence like cooking your own meals (no matter how simple they may be). Finally, I learned how to bullshit an entire paper and still manage to get a good mark. This can be a very useful skill indeed.

Whether you're going away to university, or just moving away from your parents, make sure to embrace it all! It may seem scary, but trust me: if you let it, it will be the best experience of your life!

Until next time,
Liv xoxox