29 April 2012

The Slow Productive Sunday


Oh Sunday. That day you roll over later than you usually would, have a luxurious 30 minute breakfast while reading this month's Harper's Bazaar (wishing you could acquire Mila Kunis's wardrobe and bright sparkling eyes), take naps, drink tea and ultimately - do nothing. Or perhaps that's just me. I personally believe this day is designed for us to be happy and sloooooow.


After several hours of lounging I usually get around to doing a few things that are a must for me on Sundays since I usually don't have time or energy to do them any other day of the week.

Here's what usually happens at some point in my Sunday:



Cleaning make up & hair brushes


This is important for me to do at least once a week because my skin is very sensitive to, well, everything. So I clean all of my brushes with a mild detergent and lay them out in a line to air dry. Men, clean your electric shavers/trimmers and your hair brushes also because they harbour bacteria. You probably will not do this any other day of the week so I think it's a good way to start the week off fresh.

Exfoliation

Smooth glowing skin is everything. I usually scrub myself with a body brush daily or once every 2 days but on Sundays I ensure I also exfoliate my face, neck, hands and feet especially. Shaving also removes the top layer of dead skin but still exfoliate to reduce ingrown hairs. People often exfoliate their faces but forget their necks - pay attention to your neck! If you can't go out and buy a product now or you forgot, you can always use some good old baking soda or make an olive oil and sugar scrub.

Nail clipping/filing

It's important to me to keep my toe nails as short as possible and my fingernails filed at all times. I have long fingernails so I soak them and file them on a Sunday to get rid of any nicks or chips that I may not have fixed during the week. I also believe a well groomed man keeps his nails short. 

Shampoo & Deep Conditioning

I shampoo my hair once or sometimes twice a week. If I shampoo during the week I usually only leave my conditioner in for a few minutes then rinse but on Sundays I go all out. I apply my conditioner and put on a shower cap first and usually sit under my heat cap for about an hour. I rinse and apply my carrot and coconut oil to my ends, brush the ends out and add a dime-sized amount of some argan oil or almond oil to my entire head (I have long hair so use an amount that suits your hair length, but you don't want to be all greasy and whatnot).

Consume something sweet

This is a new part of the routine as I'm trying not to ingest the absurd amounts of sugar I usually do. I have sacrificed drinking Coca-Cola since my return from Toronto and I intend to give it up permanently. The hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. No, really.

I indulged in a lot of cake in the last 2 weeks (2 back-to-back birthdays) so I'm getting more diligent about my sugar reduction now. I intend to limit myself to a sugary treat every Sunday evening with my tea but keep my sugar intake low during the week. I'm still doing more research on the many ways too much sugar affects our bodies but basically - it's sweet destruction.

Have a great Sunday!

Yours,

A.

4 April 2012

New Music: Steve Aoki feat. Kid Cudi & Travis Barker - Cudi The Kid

Kid Cudi is continuing on his rock rager trend on this track with Steve Aoki and Travis Barker. This is more of a rager meets dubstep but I really like it and also appreciate the artistic concept of the video. It reminds me of dreams I've had and I have an extra inclination to like the song because I love the video (am I the only one that happens to by the way?).

This feels like a continuation of 'WZRD' which Cudi dropped in February with producer and friend Dot Da Genius. The album was very rockstar and featured the rapper doing more of his new favourite thing - singing (as he does on this track with Aoki). A lot people essentially said, "get back to rapping." Cudi fans however went out and got the album and fully endorsed his new sound because after all, it's Cudi, he's a talented and creative guy and it's always interesting to see what his new music will consist of. I appreciate when my favourite artistes try new sounds, it says to me that they aren't stuck, that they're willing to try new things and step out of their comfort zone. Musical evolution and exploration - I see nothing wrong with that. Don't we all have to try new things at some point in our lives to avoid a rotting existence?

Learn more about WZRD here and check out the new video below.


Yours,

A.

New Music: Rita Ora feat. Tinie Tempah - R.I.P.

Brit songstress Rita Ora, who made her US debut earlier this year with 'How We Do', is back again with 'R.I.P.' The ROC's new female artist is flaunting a very Rihanna-like style in the video, accompanying what I find to be very blasé vocals. Tinie Tempah's verse saved the song for me but this is not one I'll be listening to in my spare time. It leaves me wondering if with all the controversy surrounding Rihanna and Chris Brown collaborating, allegedly against Jay-Z's wishes, Rita Ora is now being prepped as her replacement. I doubt I'm alone on this but the way she fluctuates her tone is very much like what Rihanna is known for.

Now, I say all this not because I'm one of those people who love to compare a new artist to an established one, but because it's plain as day for me to come to these conclusions. This is not comparable to when Rihanna first came out and everyone was comparing her to Beyonce. They don't even have the same sound nor did they have the same look at the time (aside from hair colour). People just LOVE to do that whole compare and contrast to stir unnecessary drama/beef/whatever you want to call it. With Rita and Rihanna though I think after watching the video you'll be able to understand why the comparison is so evident.

Here are some stills from the video:





And here's the video:


Let's just say it's a good thing Rihanna's back to black.

Yours,

A.