Redefining Beauty
Happy February, folks! I hope this month brings you health, happiness and lots and lots of loooveeeee. You know, this month being THE month for looovvveeeee and all 😉
Today, I bring you my very FIRST YouTube video of 2015, and in a weird way, the very last of a certain phase of my channel. I’ve typically been focusing on more beauty things because that’s one of my greatest passions, but seeing as it’s 2015, I figure it’s time to switch things up and to pursue other things.
It’s the new year! It’s time for a fresh start, a clean slate, a new beginning. That’s my favourite part about commencing a new year, and though it’s sad that most of wait until the clock strikes 12 to make promises to change who we are and/or what we do, it’s the name of the game. Society’s somewhat haphazard strategy, though, will never leave you feeling like you are alone as you begin to start anew. 🙂
My thoughts on last year? Well, 2014 was… an interesting year. There were definitely some momentous moments – good and bad. To be honest, there is something about 2015 that I’ve been yearning for, compelled by even, for months now. I feel like 2014 was a bit of a “blah” one for me, but 2015 is going to be a fantastic year, I can just feel it. I just know that this will be the year that I will make some huge steps towards who I’ve always wanted to be, whether it be in terms of my career, romance or just becoming a better, more complete person.
I’ve made a whole slew of resolutions for myself this year, some personal and some “standard,” but I think my most important resolution is to be a better me; to be the best me I can be (so cliché, I know, but it’s true). I vow to put in the time, effort and energy it takes to take care of my body, inside and out, nourish my brain, relax and enjoy time with my family and friends, be more spiritual & more positive, to let go of negativity, to procrastinate less, to be more proactive, to be more creative….the list goes on and on, because there will always be things that I can do differently to improve myself. Though, I’m always striving to be the best me I can be, ironically enough, I’m a perfectionist so I often get caught up in the details and don’t take a moment to step back and look at the bigger picture. Well, I’m going to try my very best to do that a bit more often, because life is short, and if anyone knows that, it’s me.
So, what else is on the list? Ha, this is where it gets a bit tricky. I’ve decided not to share my list with you this year…well, kind of. We all know that I am always full of hope,dreams and promises, but I usually can’t quite fulfil them. So, this time, I’m going to take a new approach. I’ve written a full (and very pretty, might I add) list of all the things I resolve to this year, and I’ve put it on the back of my bedroom door so that I can see it multiple times a day. Come the beginning of June, I will write a “mid-year check” post to let you know what I have accomplished so far, what I still have to work on, which ones I’ve forgotten about and whatever lies in between. I will also write a “final check” post at the beginning of December just to see how far I’ve come, because I always find progress of any kind, great to read and/or write about. Plus, it will serve as a sort of a diary for me to share how it’s going and to also serve as a form of constant motivation and a reminder not to quit when the going gets tough. It’s really easy to give up on resolutions, in fact, most people, if they’ve even made any, give up by about now, but I sincerely hope to keep them going all year and/or possibly longer, depending on the resolution. I guess we shall see come June, right!? 🙂
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Loving my iPhone wallpaper from Ashley Brooke Designs! It says “Let’s Do This!” and it’s exactly what I need to kick-start my year! 😀 You can download it from her website here. Oh, and if you’re wondering why I have Make It Happen written across the top of the page in the back, it’s my official mantra for 2015. :)[/caption]
As I was planning out my month, all I kept thinking was “I’m ready for you, 2015.” This is a bold statement to make, I know, but I’m actually ready for a ride (and, hey, one of my resolutions is to be more bold, so there you go)! I hope that this year brings my loved ones and I loads of good fortune in many, many ways, and I truly hope that the worst moment of the year will be something petty like “I only went to Canada’s Wonderland once” or “I didn’t buy that nail polish I wanted,” but who really knows. Regardless, I’m ready. Uh-oh,here it comes, another bold statement that I probably shouldn’t make…but…oh….it’s coming anyway….. 2015, do your worst.
So, what about you, friend? Did you make any resolutions? What is one thing about your life that you could change for the positive? Is it attainable? Let me know, I’m ready to read!! 😀
Here’s hoping you and your loved ones and everyone in the entire freakin’ world has a fantastic, safe, healthy and most importantly, happy year.
Oodles and oodles of love,
S♥
ps – if you haven’t guessed already, I was the luckiest girl in the world on Christmas Day 2014, as my parents got me a DSLR CAMERA!!!! WOOOHOOOOOO!!!! I told them exactly which one I wanted, told them when the best time to buy it was, and not to get me a single other gift. I literally told them to put every cent that they would to the usual group of gifts into this very, very expensive one, if they could. I didn’t think it was going to happen, to be honest, until about the middle of December when I saw a single box sitting under the tree for me and nothing else. Come Christmas Day, it was still the only box, and I knew….and within minutes, I was holding my very own Canon EOS Rebel t5i!!!! AHH! I’m still getting to know it and all of its amazing functions, so you may have to bear with me a little over the next few weeks. However, please know, that things are looking up in every way for us here at Beauty Bylaws! YAYYY! Thank you so, so, SO much Mom & Dad, you are literally the best parents in the world. Love you to the moon and back ♥
Howdy hello lovelies!
How are you? Long time no speak (don’t even get me started)! I hope you are fine and wonderful and enjoying your day so far!
Oh my, all I can say is thank GOODNESS it is May! April was a crazy month for me (hence my absence, but I’m not going to fall into my usual pattern of apologies and then swearing I’ll make it up to you, as I’ve recently learned/re-learned that actions really DO speak louder than words, so…stay tuned :D). I had my job that I had been working at since January to wrap up in the beginning of April, then exams to focus on, then I went on vacay (YEA! I went to Philly with the parentals over Easter, twas fun! :D), until now, when I get a little bit of a break before I go back to work (same company, different building) on May 5. PHEW!
I’m really excited it’s May, though, because that means it’s actually getting so close to summer that Mother Nature will finally have to give up the crazy mission she’s been on lately of driving us all crazy and just get to the hot weather. Seriously, I honestly do not know what is going on with the weather where I am, but if the madness doesn’t stop soon, I’m willing to put out an APB on her. All I want is sunshine and warm, breezy days…you know, what spring is SUPPOSED to be like!!! But, no, instead we get cold, dreary days, then rain, followed by CRAZY wind, followed by rain, and oh, what’s that? Oh yea! MORE RAIN. I understand that old saying, “April Showers brings May Flowers,” and really, I’m trying to stay positive about this. BUT HONESTLY. I just want sunshine!!! Is that too much to ask!? Let’s hope May turns things around. It is, after all, the unofficial start to summer! I want to insert a cheery “YAYYY!!!” here but I don’t know, I don’t want to jinx things. I’m superstitious like that. 😉 But, let me tell you, if we don’t have some warmer weather soon, or at least some breeze that doesn’t make you wish you had your winter coat on, I’m telling you, I’m going to take serious action to change things. If a fictional character can perform rain dances to get it to rain to stop the girl he loves from going away on a work trip so he can tell her how he feels (What up #HIMYM reference!?), then surely real people can perform…I don’t know, sunshine dances to get it stop raining, right!? (Sure…but don’t call me Shirley ;P)
Anyways, I won’t keep you long, I just wanted to pop my head up from the woodwork to say hello and to reassure you that I am alive. Get ready for May, though, because some exciting stuff is coming your way, including something I’ve never done before. Ohhh, the intrigue 😉
Stay tuned! 🙂
Much love,
S♥
S♥
ps – Is anyone going to be tuning in to the Academy Awards tonight!? I know I will be – it’s one of my FAVE nights of the year! I love everything about it, the fashion, the talent, the spectacle, the fashion…oops, did I mention that already? Haha, I will be watching, with bated breath, and should be back to do a post soon featuring every fabulous fashion moment and, of course, the *ahem* not-so-fab moments as well! Better get the popcorn ready! 😀 If you are interested, I’ll be live-tweeting throughout the show tonight, so be sure to join the party by following me on twitter @siobhanchloex0x! It’ll be fun! Can’t wait to chat with you! Ta ta for now 🙂
We made it! It’s the second chapter in the novel that is 2014! Sure, that’s not some super accomplishment, as we still have 10 chapters left, but it’s not too shabby. If you make it through to the second chapter of a book, this is where the author really hooks you in. If you had any resounding doubts about if you want to continue reading, or if you can really connect with the characters, this chapter is usually the one to seal the deal. This is an exciting notion, because I know that many of us make New Year’s resolutions or just generally hope and dream for what we want this new year to be, but sometimes these ideas can be forgotten or put on the back burner. But, just like the second chapter of a book, those doubts can fade away if we persist juuuusst a little bit longer. It’s a new, but not totally new beginning. A second chance, if you will. I like.
The beginning of this month means we get a chance to take a step back and reflect on the month of January, and make new goals for February. It’s a short month (with 28 days clear…), but I know that we can accomplish short-term goals and take another step toward those long-term ones, nevertheless.
Anyhow, stepping off of my motivational horse (Happy Lunar New Year! It’s the year of the Seabiscuit Horse! Wooo!) and onto my FUN one, it’s quite the exciting month we have ahead of us! There’s Valentine’s Day to celebrate (or mourn, depending on your relationship status, lol #foreveralone), Family Day (if you are in Canada), Fashion Week, PLUS it’s Black History Month AND the Winter Olympics begin in Sochi in just a number of days! Yay! I particularly love February for all of the “small” holidays that it has, and that, being a university student, I get a week off towards the end of the month! Score! #getexcited
While I always joke about hating February (in my area, we usually get the brunt of our winter’s snowfall in February, plus it’s soooo cold) to my friends and family, I rather like it. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about the atmosphere and people’s attitudes in February that seems so…fanciful. Everyone is so cheery and optimistic! It must be all of the red and pink everywhere… Oooh! It’s almost like love is lingering in the air and it’s affecting everybody’s moods. Ugh, I know, I almost choked on all of that cheese, but it’s true. 🙂 I’m going to call it the February Effect (or something scientific/scholarly sounding ;)).
Anyway, be sure to expect lots of different beauty, fashion and some lifestyle posts for the remaining days of the month, and get ready for some changes to the website’s look that should be happening soon! I hope that you all have a lovely, safe and warm day and you have a fabulous February!
Much love,
S♥
Happy new year my lovelies! I hope you all had a safe and magical New Year’s Eve & Day, and are having a good Sunday! 🙂
So, it’s 2014. Oh my goodness. I can’t believe it. WOWZA. It feels like just yesterday that I was watching one of my favourite movies as a child, Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, thinking what the future will be like. I TOTALLY thought that I would be living in a Spay-Stay as an adult and venturing to Earth for vacation, where I would use my flying car to get around. It’s weird, and I probably say this every year, but I never really thought of life in 2014. I did think about all of the things that little girls usually think about, my career, hosting dinner parties, going to weddings, getting married myself, having kids…but I never thought about what life would be like in each specific year. It’s kind of crazy to say, actually, but I honestly can’t believe we are 2014.
Let’s put this in some perspective here:
– It’s been FOURTEEN years since the whole Y2K conspiracy/thing.
– In June, it will be FIVE years since Michael Jackson passed away.
– It’s been EIGHTEEN years since the Spice Girls dropped their debut album, and SEVEN years since they dropped their final album, “Greatest Hits!” :O
– It’s been SIXTEEN years since “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” was first published in North America.
– It’s been FOUR years since Vancouver took the world by storm and hosted, in my opinion, one of the best Winter Olympic games yet.
– In May, it will be TEN years since the cult classic television show, “Friends,” ended.
Do you feel old yet? LOL. Honestly, the mind boggles.
Anyways, getting off of that slightly sad subject, it’s a new year! A new year means so much, but the most important thing in my eyes is a new beginning. All of the things that you told yourself you could do better in 2013, and all of the hopes and dreams that you didn’t quite get the chance to conquer, this is your chance. It’s a fantastic time of year, really, as most of us reflect on the year gone by, all of the bad events and all of the great, and hope for a better year ahead. A lot of us make resolutions as well, things to accomplish or to try to remember to do on a daily basis. I am one of these people, though, like most, my resolutions fall apart or are forgotten by the 2nd of January. However, not this year, folks. I’m going to try my hardest to actually accomplish these things, and to still remember them and strive for them as eagerly on July 20 as much as I did on January 1. Here’s hoping.
For any of you wondering, here’s my list:
1. Be a better person
So cliche, right? I know, but hear me out. As humans, there is always the opportunity to improve. While I like to think of myself as a fair, kind and positive person, there is always a chance to smile and brush things off instead of complaining, to help out those in need instead of being selfish, to expand my mind and be flexible instead of being rigid, to be fair and just instead of being close-minded, and to let things go instead of holding a grudge. It’s all about being Pollyanna, and I truly mean that. I do believe that people who are generally happy, laugh, smile, and have a positive outlook most of the time live long and happy lives, and isn’t that what we all strive for?
2. Excel in time management
I have a lot going on in my life, especially this year. I find it hard to juggle between school, work, YouTube, my blog, family time and a social life, and let’s be honest…I usually fail at managing my time. I’m always letting someone down, whether it is my YouTube audience, my readers or, most importantly, myself. I know people who have MORE on their plate and they not only manage to keep everything afloat, but they do it gracefully. I vow that this is the year that I will become an expert time manager, and I will not let my lazy, procrastinator self prevail. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…
3. Lose weight
This one is such a personal and emotional goal for me. I truly and utterly believe that since 2010, I have become a much less confident, less exuberant, less happy person. I blame a lot of that on the fact that I have gained about 25-30 pounds since then. And while I realize that I am like 90% more healthy than I was, I would like to be healthy at the weight that I was then. I managed to lose about 10 pounds towards the end of summer of 2013, but I soon lost my way, and eventually put all of that weight back on. However, I truly want to and am willing to do whatever it takes to slowly, gradually, healthily lose some weight this year. It doesn’t have to be much, and I am no way expecting to look like a Victoria’s Secret model by the end of the year, but it would mean SO much to me if I could just make a little difference. I first have to get over the emotional component that comes with food, and resist temptation. After that, I have to put in the physical work that goes into working out and hopefully then, I will be able to make a change for good. Who knows where the year will take me, but I know that even if I lose a pound but I do it the right way and I manage to keep it off, that will make me super happy and I would feel like I’ve lived up to my own personal demands and achieved my goal. It’s going to be hard, for sure, but I think it’s time. It can be done, so it will be! 🙂
4. Learn a new skill
Cooking. Dancing. Kickboxing. Yoga. I already do these things every now and then on a subpar level. I want to learn something new. Something exotic. Heck, I don’t really know what I want to learn, but I know that I would like to get out there and try something new. On a general level, I think that I’ve become a much more closed off person in the last few years, and this is the year I plan to change that. I’m going to let everything go and while I won’t forget the past, I won’t make it a part of my present. I’ll be more approachable, and I’ll add one more skill to the roster. Yes I can.
5. Learn Sign Language
Wait, what? Didn’t you already say you want to learn a new skill, Siobhan? Yes, yes, I did. There’s a bit of a story behind this resolution, but I won’t bore you with all of the details. To sum it up, though, after the events of 2010, I decided to take up sign language. I wanted to actually become fluent in it. I swear to this day that it had something to do with the same reason why I am obsessed with makeup in the present day; something switched in my brain during the summer of 2010. But, hey! I’m not complaining, as, random as the decision to learn it was, it was something that made me happy (and so is makeup). I got to the point where I knew half of the alphabet and knew a couple of key phrases, but I never actually got to the point I wanted to be at. So, this is the year. 2014 = the year Siobhan learnt sign language. Yea, that sounds good 🙂
6. Learn how to eat with chopsticks
I know, I know, another learning one. I am always striving to learn and enrich my brain…as cheesy as that sounds. This one comes from a place of comedy, as I am quite often asked why I don’t eat with them, and the answer is simple, because I don’t know how. Considering that my dad is almost fluent in Mandarin, and we eat Asian cuisine *ahem* a lot, I really need to get on that! So, to appease my dad and the family friends that ask, I’m going to learn this year! I hear it isn’t THAT hard, but considering I have about as much hand-eye coordination as a barbie doll, the road is going to be an interesting one… Oh boy. Haha!
Alright, those are my resolutions for the year of 2014! Woohoo! Will I be able to live up to them? I sure hope so! Maybe I’ll do a couple of posts throughout the year to let you know how I’m doing. Would you like to see that? Let me know in the comments below!
Anyways, what are your hopes, dreams and resolutions for 2014? Do you feel hopeful for 2014? Are you nervous for anything in 2014? Can you even believe we are in 2014!? LOL, let me know, I’d love to hear!
Well, that’s it for today, but I just wanted to take this time to thank you for being the most understanding, supportive and amazing readers on the web, and here is to an amazing 2014! YEA! 😀
Much love,
S♥
