A Glimpse of Glam

Hey everyone!


I hope you all had a happy Halloween! Did you guys go out and party, or stay in and just dress up for a good Instagram photo? I did none of the above. I had to work, and study, so none of that fun for me. Though, at work we did dress up. We had an ocean theme, and if you follow me on Instagram you will know I went as Mr. Smee from Peter Pan. It was kind of an impromptu costume. So kind of a semblance of a costume but not really a costume... What did you dress up as?

It’s been a long time since I was actually nominated for this Blogger Recognition award. (Random thought but when I started with that phrase it instantly brought to mind Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s song "See You Again", anyone else?) I was nominated back in August and September, so a good couple months ago (cue awkward chuckle and shrug). Huge apologies because I’ve been meaning to do this post for awhile. I’ve just been planning it out and all. I felt like November was a good month to do so. 


Side note: Can you believe it’s November already? I swear it was just summer yesterday. I feel like all the back to school craze barely even happened this year because everything went by so fast, and now it’s almost time for holidays! 

I have prolonged this post for awhile because one year ago at around this time is when my blog really started taking on its identity. November is also the month to give thanks, a month of reflection if you will. I was nominated by TWO lovely fellow bloggers, the blogging duo of Aleeha and Lucy from halesaw.com as well as Barbara from barbiegirl06.wordpress.com. I definitely recommend hopping over to their blogs to see what kinds of things they post. They always got up interesting posts to read, and I always enjoy getting a taste of their character and personality from their posts. 

So, what are the rules to this award?

1) Write a post to show your award
2) Acknowledge the blogger who nominated you
3) Give a brief story about why you started blogging
4) Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
5) Nominate 15 other bloggers/blogs for the award

I guess I can cross off the first two. Check and done.




Why did I start blogging? Good question. I’m glad you asked. And if you didn’t, just go along with it and pretend you did. 

I initially started blogging back in February 2014. I launched this blog when I was a senior in high school. This was around the time when the air was filled with thick angst from the pressure of our unknown futures ahead. People in my generation already grow up in a world filled with social media that showcases all the successes of others. To the point where it can almost feel suffocating, like a huge weight. I’m not someone who doesn’t know where they want to go. I know where I want to be. But I am someone who doesn’t know how to get there. 

Many of the little known YouTubers whom I had watched for years were finally gaining more and more recognition around 2014. More people were starting their own channels in hopes of attaining success like them. I chose a different path. It’s not just fame or success I want. I created this blog for a space where I can be completely myself. What I wanted to do was to put myself out there, to do something outside of my comfort zone. I wanted an outlet where I can voice my thoughts, and to share these opinions with other likeminded people. Or at the least have a way to reach out to and meet others. That’s what I feel many people intentionally wanted when they started their own YouTube channels or blogs. 

By creating this blog, I did something for my own future. I took control and made sure there was something there for me that made me happy, something that can be a constant, something that could at the least help me find a way to be where I want to be. As cliche as that sounds… 

I did stop blogging for pretty much a year and half. I relaunched this blog last fall in 2015. Finishing high school, starting university, and basically taking a step in what resembles the real world was a stressful, emotional time. Hence the year and half hiatus. There were lots of changes in my life, and it took awhile for me to get back to blogging. 

But I’m extremely glad I did. I really love blogging. I’m not just saying that in a cliche way that you have to say. I truly view my blog as my baby. 

Here are two pieces of advice to new bloggers.

First off, welcome to the blogging world! One thing I definitely recommend when you start your blog is to really figure out what it is you are trying to do for your blog. I guess, find a direction you are going. You don’t need to have a full understanding of what your blog has to be like, and you don’t need to follow a particular standard. You can always change it up whenever you want because it is your blog after all. But at the least, know what it is you want to do with your blog. With that, you build more of an emotional connection to your blog. At least it did for me. Blogging can get stressful; it is like a job in itself sometimes. But by always keeping in mind what I wanted to do with my blog, this helped motivate me. Keep going, and don’t give up. You know what it is you want to do, and just keep doing it. 

Second piece of advice is to just be yourself. Don’t be afraid to really let your true voice out. Don’t do what you don’t want to do, and don’t feel like you need to do what others are doing. Honestly, the types of bloggers I follow religiously are the ones who write in a way where you can really get a sense of who they are. Yeah, they might be posting the usual OOTD or Beauty Favorites or Haul or whatnot. But, it’s the way they go about it, the format of their posts and their blog, that makes it more than just reading some random webpage you stumbled across. Ignore the pressures of society, and just do you.

(I know it’s only two pieces of advice, but I also really wanted to say that making sure you are a part of the blogging community is very important. Very important. After all, it’s a community and you can’t just sit there like a loner and expect others to approach you.)

The 15 fellow bloggers I nominate for this award are as follows in no particular order:

Roberta milleunrossetto.blogspot.com
Kay shoesandglitter.com
Jasmine thesixthdisneyprincess.blogspot.com
Sora viasora.blogspot.com
Jenn thepinklemonadegirl.com
Julia Kaylee jkdawn.blogspot.com
Kayla kaylasvibrations.com
Samantha mybeautycloud.com
Aly alyinwanderland.com
April beybiapril.wordpress.com
Lovingrose lovingrosestyle.blogspot.com
Marianne myhappybubblexx.blogspot.com
Vildana living-like-v.blogspot.com
Farah vatkinary.com
Pallavi wildfirecharm.com

**if you've already been nominate before or already did this, sorry it's been awhile since I've seen this award going around so I lost track of who has been already nominated and all**


If you were not nominated, I still highly encourage you to comment down below why you started blogging! I always love finding out more about you guys! Lemme know in the comments below the best advice you've got to bloggers, new or old! Also, comment down below what you did for Halloween!

Thank you all for reading this super long post! I think I took a lot of steps with this blogger recognition award post. But oh well. Unapologetically, I thank you all for reading! I wish you are all having a wonderful week so far! Happy November! 


Till next time,
~A

Hey everyone!

As you can tell from the title, I was nominated again for the Liebster Award!! I was nominated by Julia Kaylee from jkdawn.blogspot.kr. Huge thanks to you girl for nominating me! I really appreciate it. I recommend to all of you, my lovely readers, to go check out her blog because she posts awesome content.

What exactly is the Liebster Award, you ask? Basically, this is a fun little tag/award kind of thing where bloggers nominate other bloggers to answer questions. The questions can be as random as they come. It's just a way to find new blogs, and to get to know new people.

So the rules for this tag award thing is basically to:

Thank the person who nominated you and link back to them
Answer the 11 questions they posed for you
Nominate 11 new bloggers
Create 11 new questions for them to answer
Let them know you nominated them

It's so awesome how I got nominated again for this. I think the timing is what strikes me as interesting. Easter had just passed, and this was actually the time of year when I first got the idea to create my blog. Well, sort of. To some extent. Because my blog did already exist, but not like it is today. So I think it's pretty cool how it came almost full circle.

I hope you guys all had a lovely Easter! On the Saturday before, there was a huge Easter egg hunt event going on at the mall where I work. Well, it's not exactly a mall, but more of an outdoor shopping center, with a gazebo and fountain and such. It was a bright, sunny day out as well. So many people were there, the crowdedness was reminiscent of Disneyland. I've never celebrated Easter myself, but after seeing all of that, doing an Easter egg hunt seems fun! Did you celebrate Easter? If so, comment down below how it was! I'm always curious to hear about the things going on in your lives too!

Last year at around this time was when I first reworked the direction in which I wanted my blog to go. Not many of you were here when this blog first started back in early 2014. I sort of stopped blogging in mid 2014 because I lost sight of where I wanted to go, and I had some things going on in my personal life that distracted me greatly. Last year at this time, I rediscovered the passion and desire to blog again, and I officially reentered the blogging world this past September. That said, in a way I consider Easter (and basically this time of year) as a marking point as well for this blog because of that.

Like I just said, I've previously been nominated a few times for the Liebster Award as well. If you guys are curious, or just got some time in your hands to waste, check out those posts: Liebster Award, Liebster Award: Part Two, and Liebster Award: Part Three. It will allow you to learn more about me, or it would just give you a good laugh because you will see how weird I was back then compared to now. Well, that's assuming I've changed since then. I'm hoping so. Changed for the better, that is. I'm still pretty weird though.

When you read them, you can really see the growth and change my blog has gone through. Reading old posts to me is like reading past journal entries. It makes me chuckle and reminisce on the things going on in my life at that time of the post, you know what I mean? 

Anyways, without further adieu, here are my answers to JK's questions:


I hope you all enjoyed reading this post, and thank you very much! I wish you all a lovely week!


Til next time,
~A

Hey everyone!

** This post has ben re-uploaded due to technical difficulties **

Huge apologies for being absent the past several days! I was spending time with family and friends for the holidays. Christmas for me is typically spent at my aunt's house in Canada. Because of that, my parents, my sister, and I would stay at my grandmother's house, which is nearby, for a week or so for the holidays. My grandmother's house doesn't have any Wifi, making it difficult for me to have access to the outside world during my stay. I don't have phone service in Canada either because I'm not about to pay extra, as my phone plan doesn't extend internationally. I'd rather save my money for more important things, like Adele concert tickets (which by the way are SOOO EXPENSIVE!!), and mooch off Wifi from the nearest Tim Horton's instead.

How did you spend the holidays?

Speaking of.. (that segue there though) I wanted to end the year off by writing about my newest music obsession. 25 by Adele. The "one and only" Adele. See what I did there? Yeah, all you Adele fans get me. I've been obsessed with Adele since forever. My favorite thing to do isn't to Netflix and Chill. No. I like to Adele and Cry. And Adele and Eat. And Adele and Sleep. And Adele and Try-To-Study-But-Not-Really. And Adele and *Insert any and every activity ever*. Because that's how obsessed I am with her music.

Prior to November 20th, the release of her newest album, I prepped myself by listening to all her past albums and singles on repeat. Continuously. Nonstop. Day and night, and night and day. When the long-awaited day finally came, I was without a doubt, FREAKING OUT!! I was so excited, it was all I could talk about.

I literally kept annoying everyone by telling people how I've been waiting 3 years for her to release new music, and how pissed I was that 25 wasn't on Spotify. I desperately wanted the album, and was planning on purchasing it as soon as possible. However, a surprise was waiting for me back home. My parents had gone and purchased me the album as part of an early Christmas present. That made my day. Ever since, that album has been playing on loop all holiday season long. Other than the holiday music playing on the radio in my car and at work, Adele's been the soundtrack of my life for the past couple months. While Elle King's Love Stuff marked my summer, it's been an Adele winter for me.



Seriously guys, if you haven't listened yet, DO IT NOW! She's absolutely amazing. The long wait was worth it in my opinion. I'm pretty sure a lot of you have listened to "Hello" by now, as that single was what spurred that whole Adele-craze that happened because of her finally releasing a new album. There's no better feeling than to wake up with your new favorite song stuck in your head, and staying that way for the entire day. It actually kept a smile plastered on my face all day long, I bet I looked like a freak.


Whilst going about my Adele craze, I stumbled upon a video where Ellen takes "Hello" and creates a hilarious sketch with it. Check it out! I just had to share something as amusing and entertaining as this with you guys.



My current favorites from 25 are as follows in no particular order:

When We Were Young
Water Under the Bridge
Million Years Ago
All I Ask

They are all so amazing. Those are just a few of my favorites, but I do love them all. These are the songs that sends tingles down my spine, and waves of emotions over me. Her voice is so powerful and conveys such great, deep emotion. The whole album just really speak to me, and I can't stop listening.

Which ones do you guys like from this album?

Adele's music is what got me through some rough years of high school. As I rode the roller-coaster of life, Adele's music was the soundtrack playing alongside. Each and every song holds great meaning to me. You know when you listen to a certain song enough during an eventful time that when you listen to it later on, it conjures up memories of that moment? That's basically how it is for me.

Thus, why I chose to end the year off rambling about my love for Adele's music and her newest album. Music has the ability to hold such significant, yet different meaning to each person. It is so personal and universal at the same time. Something that we can use to break the ice. Something to fight over, or bond over. Similarly, 2015 means something different to each and every person. We all experienced unique things that changed us, for better or for worse. 2015 holds its own special significance that can't be changed, and things will forever be marked as "2015".

2015 has been a wonderful year for me. There were its share of ups and downs, but looking back overall, I am thankful for everything that has happened. I've made new friends, and reconnected with old ones. I started my first job. I finished my first year of university with wonderful grades. I was able to further improve and expand my skills in sewing. Most importantly, I found the motivation and inspiration to blog again. Life has its way of running its course; despite the fear, stress, happiness, depression we all undergo, in the end I believe that things happen for a reason. We make things happen for a reason.

I really hope you guys had a wonderful holidays, and I wish you all a happy new year. Let's make 2016 just as, if not more memorable. Check out the fashion resolutions I posted awhile ago, where I discuss some other desires I have for the coming year.

Lemme know in the comments below, what you think of Adele's new album! Share something memorable that happened in 2015! 

Here's to the new year, the new and improved us!


Til next time,
~A

Hey everyone!

Not only did I have a relaxing weekend because of Thanksgiving, something else pretty awesome happened as well recently. I was nominated for the Liebster Award by the lovely, Roberta Romeo . A huge thanks to Roberta for nominating me! I really appreciate it, and it means a lot. Definitely check out her blog, she posts about really interesting stuff!

I don't know how many of you were following and reading back when this blog first started, but I have coincidentally been nominated a few other times before as well. I started this blog back in the beginning of 2014. Since then, this blog has gone through some MAJOR changes, including the rebirth of sorts that resulted in the blog you all know of today. Not only has this blog changed, but I think I, myself, have changed a bit as well since then.

If you are curious to read, here are the posts for the previous times I had been nominated: Liebster Award and Liebster Award: Part 2.


Here are my answers to Roberta's questions:

Here are the rules:
1. Thank the person who nominated you and comment on their blog.
2. Link back to their blog.
3. Nominate 10 bloggers for this award, and notify them.
4. Answer the 10 questions you were asked, and create more for the 10 bloggers you nominated to answer.
5. Include the rules in your post.

These are the questions I came up with:

1. Name your top three ultimate favorite songs of all time.
2. If you could only use one brand (makeup) or wear one brand (clothes) for the rest of your life, which would it be?
3. What's your favorite holiday drink?
4. If you could trade lives with a celebrity for a week, who would it be?
5. Name your favorite book.
6. What is one food you absolutely cannot stand?
7. What is one thing you really want to learn to do?
8. Where is the ideal place you would like to live when you retire?
9. What about the holidays are you looking forward to this year?
10. What's the one thing you really wish to accomplish with your blog?


Til next time,
~A

Hey everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving!! I hope everyone is having a wonderful day today, to those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I made some apple pie. Homemade apple pie with a crumble topping. Apparently, this is a Dutch style apple pie because of the top. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Oh, and did I mention that it is also gluten free?

Why does the crumble topping end up looking like ground beef before it is baked? WHY?

Tomorrow morning I am planning on going Black Friday shopping. I used to go almost every year, but I didn't the last two years. I usually spend Black Friday looking for new shoes. This year, I am also looking for some new shoes, but also a good winter coat. Hopefully I will be able to fight my way through aggressive shoppers. I swear I am getting old or something. I used to not be this vulnerable to the cold. I used to be almost immune, wearing a thin shirt and feeling fine. It's weird.

Anyways, just wanted to share a quick post with you guys. I hope you are all doing well.

Lemme know in the comments below what you are thankful for! I would love to hear what you guys have to say! 

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving, and thanks for reading!


Til next time,
~A

Hey everyone!

Guess what? I received yet another surprise! I was nominated a THIRD time for the Liebster award! Three times in one week! This really made me so happy!

I was nominated by Belle from http://belleslook.blogspot.co.uk thank you so much for nominating me!! I'm so happy that I was nominated again and this means a lot to me. Although I recently (as in my last blog post) did the Liebster Award, I still would like to participate and I will answer the questions. Click here to see the 11 facts about me and my answer's to Grace's and Ana's questions!

So, without further ado let's jump into the questions

Hey everyone!

So I was scrolling through my blogfeed the other day and guess what I stumbled upon? I was nominated TWICE for the Liebster Award!! At first, I was thinking, what exactly is this? I Googled for awhile and I found out that this is an award for new and upcoming bloggers. Liebster means beloved or dearest in German. I feel very honored to have been nominated twice in one week! This actually means a lot to me because now I know that people actually read my blog and that people like what I have to say. Thank you to Grace Collett from http://poshballoon.blogspot.co.uk/  for nominating me! Thank you to Ana Valentin from http://fun-sizedfashion.blogspot.com for nominating me!