How I Style a Denim Dress for Winter ft. eShakti

I could not live without denim. I don't care what it is. Jeans, shorts, skirts, shirts, dresses. Light, dark, medium, acid-washed. Give me all of them! I haven't met a denim I didn't like. I've met plenty of fits of denim I didn't like, but that's a whole other ballgame!

Today, I'm featuring the newest piece of denim to my collection. eShakti was kind enough to send this to me and honestly? I think this is my favorite piece I've gotten from them yet! You can see my other two dresses here and here. Also in the second one, I still had my knee brace and walker. What a difference a year makes! Hallelujah!

I'm sharing two ways that I change up my dresses and in this case, a denim dress. I'll also share another way or two that I would style this and a few current pieces that I am loving that are available at eShakti right now. One thing to know about eShakti is that they cater to a lot of different sizes (0-36!) and you can customize just about every item. Pockets, you guys. You can add pockets!

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January 2017 Favorites

The first favorites post of the year is always exciting! I'm getting this up a little earlier than I normally would, but only because I have some great posts planned for next week! I've got a case of the "Fridays" today and it's hard to find the drive to do anything, as I'm just soooo ready for the weekend! Well, maybe not super ready as I have physio tomorrow and that always knocks me on my butt- in a good way, of course. Even if I am a zombie when my PT is done with me! Oh heck, I'm practically a zombie before I go in too...Saturday morning sessions, man.

Here's my favorites from this month! And as always, I'd love to hear about anything that you're loving. Hope you have a great weekend!

• Arbonne Shea Butter Hand Lotion - This apricot vanilla scent, though. Yum! And the Shea butter keeps my hands super soft.
• ColourPop Cosmetics Supermodel Shadow - My go-to base color right now.
• Tarte Amazonian Butter Golden Pink Lipstick - Works perfectly for me as an everyday shade.
• Cocoon Apothecary Ancient Mud Mask - Reviewing this next week! I am loving this face mask.
• Olay Regenerist Facial Oil - I know facial oils are all the rage right now, but I can't afford (and/or won't stomach paying that much) a good lot of them. This is a great drugstore alternative and it's working great with my foundation routine. I definitely notice a difference! Full review still to come.

New Year, Improved Me

I'm seeing a lot of "New Year, New You" and "New Year, New Me" posts lately. I get it with the new year and all. In a way, this is one of them but I'm not looking to be "new". Just "improved". I don't like to make resolutions that I will not reach (waaaayyy too much pressure), but I do like to make goals that are attainable and can improve my life in various ways. So here are some goals that I look forward to working on this year!

1. Read more. I love to read, but I feel like I pushed it more to the side last year.
2. Try more new recipes. I've already gotten a pretty good start on this and have been sharing a few of the ones I've tried on my Snapchat (@wendybanner).
3. More date nights. I'm happy with nights in, but sometimes we get into a rut. And we always love a good date night! It feels fresh!

4. Skincare and pamper days. It may not come across on my social media, but I'm actually really bad at taking some time to wind down and pamper myself or remembering to take as good care of my skin as I should. Time for more of that! (Skincare featured is by Cocoon Apothecary and the review is coming next week!)
5. Be present. Often times my phone is my shield, my BFF, my lifeline. Last year, I got better at putting it down and just being "there". But I want to build on that.
6. Buy less fluff and more of what I truly enjoy. My spending habits have gone way down in recent years and I'm really learning to be more particular about what deserves my money. I want to continue this path and not just buy to be buying.

7. Be more active. My knee injury forces me to be active, because it has to MOVE. I still rely on a cane sometimes, but I'm walking a little more without it on each outing. I know I can do better. I want this to be the year that I get my knee as straight as I can, bend it as much as it will allow, and build my stamina back up to be able to walk without getting tired and winded. "He who limps is still walking" is my mantra this year.
8. Talk to you guys more. I do my best to respond to every comment, email, you name it. I'm not a "big blogger" by any means and I don't mean it to sound like that. I just know that I really like it when a blogger takes the time to respond to most of my questions and comments. Every blogger and person on social media should take the time to communicate or why bother being on here?
9. Think more positively. I'm one of the first to say "I can't..." or "I don't think I..." I want to start taking away some of those negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones. 
10. Keep this blog going and growing. Last year was one of my most successful years and I want to keep that going. This year is off to a promising start! I keep hearing about how video is this year's thing, but I'm not entirely comfortable with that. While I have a YouTube account that I use daily, I very rarely upload to it. Editing requires a lot of time and effort on top of the time and effort this blog and social media already takes. I find the most successful YouTubers do not seem to be bloggers, so it is great that they have a main focus and that one channel to market. For me, my blog is my focus and passion. I'm also not very comfortable in front of a camera. I understand video being huge, but I'm not sure it is in my future at least not in an everyday way. I might fiddle around and see if I can figure a way to make it work for me. You'll be the first to know, if so!

What are some of your goals for this year? I'd love to hear them!

Gift Guide: Valentine's Day 2017

Valentine's Day is just around the corner! I'm not sure how that happened, because I could have sworn we just welcomed in a new year and now we're already nearing the second month. It's been a dreary month here with hardly any sunshine, which is not great when I have quite a few blog photos I need to take. I know cloudy days are best anyway, but not when it is as dark as it has been most days. When the clouds are just right, you can probably find me taking what feels like 50,000 photos.

Maybe it's because it has been dreary or maybe because Valentine's Day is coming up, I've been surrounding myself with color. Red lips, pink nails, bright accessories, whatever it takes to liven things up a bit! Today, I'm sharing some things I think any girl would love to receive (or buy for herself! #treatyoself) on Valentine's Day.

• Makeup - A given, but especially something sweet like the Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons palette. This bad boy screams "I'm perfect for Valentine's Day!".
• Perfume - Something light and delicate like the Chanel Chance Eau Tendre will be a hit.
• Jewelry - You don't have to break the bank unless you want to. I'm always happy with a new Pandora charm for my bracelet.
• Nail Polish - A great gift to give your best friend! The one shown is Just Stitched.
• Gym Gear - For the health nut...or not. I don't consider myself a health or gym nut by any means, but I have to stay active for my knee since breaking it. Yoga pants, mats, etc. are always welcomed in my eyes! But my main attraction is my S'well water bottle. One of the best things I've bought in recent months and keeps my water ice cold all day!
• Experience - I love sentimental value over everything else. Write a love letter or try baking something. Movie night, dinner out, slow dancing in the kitchen after a meal at home. Those types of things and events are what stick out in the end. Even the year that my husband tried to make me dinner (he avoids cooking like it is the plague) and I found out the hard way that I am allergic to lobster is still one of the best memories. But yeah, no lobster in my future... :)

Palette // Water Bottle // Bracelet // Perfume // Nail Polish

What's one of your favorite Valentine's Day memories?

Buxom Style Icon Eyeshadow, Come Over Eyeliner, and Sultry Mauve Lipstick

These three items in this post make up the Bundle Up, Baby set that I got from Sephora during the Boxing Day sale. For $15, I received a full-sized eyeshadow in Style Icon, a mini Hold the Line Waterproof Eyeliner in Come Over, and a mini Big & Sexy Bold Gel Lipstick in Sultry Mauve. Each of these are available outside of the set!

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Tarte Amazonian Butter Lipstick in Golden Pink and Clay Blush in Tipsy

This Pretty Posse set was sold during Sephora Canada's Boxing Day sale for $15. For two full-sized Tarte products. I repeat, $15 for two full-sized products. I bounced on that faster than you can say "Amazonian clay"! I thought the last Tarte deal on Black Friday was pretty good, but this one topped that one and blew it out of the water.

This set is no longer available, but the products are. Here are my thoughts and swatches on the Amazonian Butter Lipstick in Golden Pink and the Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Tipsy!

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2017 Golden Globes Best Dressed

I'm late on this post, but I usually share my thoughts on the best dressed and I am one who enjoys tradition. I did stop doing the worst dressed version a year or so ago, as I chose to not focus on the negative. Fashion should be fun and you should be allowed to take risks. Maybe you like something that others don't. That's okay!

Same can be said with the best dressed. Maybe you don't like some of my personal choices for best dressed. It's all personal opinion. But I don't want to bring attention to or say something is horribly bad that a designer worked so many hours on and that a celebrity and many others happen to love. You start questioning your taste and it can feel very polarizing. So I focus on the positive and here I am to share with you my favorite looks from the 2017 Golden Globes!

Sources: Venturelli/Wire Image, Getty Images, Getty Images

• Emma Stone in Valentino Haute Couture - My favorite of the night. Those stars and that pale pink! 
• Brie Larson in Rodarte - Red hot! I love the drapey layers and that bodice. Simple, but far from basic.
• Zoe Saldana in Gucci - I didn't like it upon first sight, but it really grew on me. It's practically Hermione from the Yule Ball. I'm soooo okay with that!

Sources: REX/Shutterstock, Getty Images, Getty Images

• Hailee Steinfeld in Vera Wang - I love lilac. It was one of my wedding colors! A bit risque on top as an unexpected touch!
• Lily Collins in Zuhair Murad - Full on princess, like straight out of a Disney movie. The amount of detail is just right.
• Millie Bobby Brown in Jenny Packham - Age-appropriate and stunning. Completely suits her sparkling personality!

Sources: Steve Granitz/WireImage, Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

• Justin Timberlake in Tom Ford - Mr. Suit & Tie! I love that charcoal jacket.
• Donald Glover in Gucci - A brown velvet suit? It has some retro vibes going on and he really makes it work.

Whose style did you love on the 2017 Golden Globes Red Carpet? And can I just also mention how Tracee Ellis Ross wins with all of the bling she was rocking?! More is more sometimes!

What I Got For Christmas 2016

I'm not going to show everything. A lot of it will pop up in my Instagram feed over time, I'm certain. And I got a lot of the typical stocking stuffers of candy and little knickknacks that I am happy about, but I don't want to photograph or share every little thing. So instead, I'm sharing a few of the items that were deemed as my "special" gifts. That's what my husband and I call the gifts that are under our tree and the family tree at my MIL's.

Insert typical disclaimer here about the not bragging or rubbing things in anyone's face. I happen to enjoy these types of posts immensely and I often get ideas (and new additions to my wishlist) from seeing what others get for various occasions. If you don't like this type of post, I understand if you choose to skip it and read my other material. But do know it's not about the material things at all. As I noted in a previous post, my best Christmas gift came in way of a long lost wedding card from my grandmother. So many emotions! Feelings of love, happiness, faith, and peace. That's my Christmas.

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2016 Beauty Favorites

Do you know how hard it is to narrow down the amount of beauty items that are the dearest to your heart within a year's time? Hard. Super hard. I've managed to get the number down to 12, but there are definitely some good products left out. But honestly, you can get a good idea of the items in my collection that get the most love by viewing my monthly favorites. That's partly how I determine what gets listed here- what got featured and used the most.

So let's see what products had me swooning this year! There's a few tried and trues and a few that were new to me this year. If you've done one of these round-ups, let me know!

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Sephora Boxing Day Haul 2016

Sephora is one of the only Boxing Day sales that I took advantage of. The other one was with a clothing store to grab some new pants for my husband. I didn't go overboard, but I think I got some impressive deals. One set that I wanted (the Boscia kit) sold out between me adding it to my cart and checking out so thanks for saving me another $15, Sephora. Ha!

If you've never taken part in their Boxing Day sales, every deal offered is C$15. Some deals are better than others. I try to do my homework before they go live to know exactly what I am interested in and what is getting me more bang for my buck. So here are the three items I chose from the sale. I also grabbed another set of my favorite hair ribbons to bump up my order to free shipping.

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Blog of the Month: January 2017

In December, Andreanne from A Certain Romance was my featured blogger. You can read that post and see other past featured blogs under the "blog of the month" label! Being my blog of the month gets you a designated blog post, a sidebar button, and a mention on my Twitter account. The sidebar button stays up all month long. I don't believe in necessarily making bloggers pay for advertising and I'd much rather show you blogs that I really enjoy reading. And I hope you end up enjoying them too!

This month's featured blogger is Melanie from I'm Not a Beauty Guru! Melanie focuses mostly on beauty, sharing her hauls, swatches, reviews, and more. And lately, she's been bitten by the same ColourPop bug as I have. I am telling you right now, it's contagious! :D Melanie is incredibly sweet and fun to chat with. If you check out her blog, feel free to let her know that I sent you!  

InstaMonth for December 2016

Happy New Year! I'm back from my Christmas break and getting back into the blogging action. Time to dust off the keyboard and get caught up! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday break. As usual, it went by far too quickly. Writing and saying 2017 still feels weird, but I am excited to see what the new year brings.

As for 2016, here are a few pictures from my Instagram last month. Gosh, that was sooo last year. ;)

1. November favorites. // 2. Gift ideas for hosts of parties. // 3. Some new goodies.

4. These perfumes are A+! // 5. Intro to Tarte // 6. Arbonne Sheer Glow Duo

7. Indy looking dapper. // 8. Smashbox Studio Lighting Secrets // 9. Cutest holiday sweater ever.

10. Holiday sweaters. // 11. ColourPop Bianca and Echo Park // 12. Care package from Australia!

13. Happy place. // 14. Christmas essentials!

15. ColourPop Flutes, Supermodel, and Wattles // 16. December favorites.

I'm so sad to see December end, because that means my favorite holiday is over for another year. My tree is still up for this week and I'm going to spend as much time in front of it as I can. I typically wait until January 6th for Epiphany to pack everything away. When do you take your tree down?