30 is the new 20

I’ll be honest with you, turning 30 years old really made me realize I had to adopt new routines that had health benefits and had a positive impact on my everyday life. 30 is the new 20 but you’ve got to work harder at it. For me, turning 30 made me feel more confident. I know exactly what I want, when I want it, I love my job but it is also a more stressful time where every decision is important starting with health. And yes, let’s not forget that with 30 comes the appearance or threat of wrinkles.

Here are some of the healthy routines I’ve adopted that make me feel good and healthy:

1 – Do not compromise sleep – I know everyone says this, but going to sleep before midnight is sooo important. It immediately shows in your skin, under your eyes, you have so much more energy during the day and your brain is more alert. It is super important to establish a sleep routine and start your nighttime routine around 9:45pm, so you can be in bed ready to sleep (not on your phone) by 10-10:15. This trick has really changed my habits. Yes, it was very hard to adapt to, especially with the fact that I have a full-time job and run a full-time website but it is all worth it at the end.

2 – A good skincare routine – To fight and prevent those wrinkles you need a good skincare regimen, that you will religiously use. I’ve recently started incorporating the new L’Oréal Revitalift Cicacream in my skincare routine, which is fragrance-free and paraben-free. This cream’s key ingredient is Centella Asiatica, a plant from ancient Chinese Medicine that was used for centuries as a wrinkle fighter. L’Oréal Revitalift Cicacream basically acts like fitness for your skin, in a preventative manner and repair your skin’s barrier today in order to prevent premature aging. If you are close to my age, ladies, you need to think about this; we need to prep our skin to fight against aging and establish good skincare regimens.

3 – Drink a ton of water – This I can tell you is something I am proud to say I’ve mastered a very long time ago. I’m the girl at work that asks everyone is they drank enough water during the day. I never ever leave my house without my water bottle. I drink close to 2L a day and it makes a huge difference on my skin and on my mood.

4 – Food and exercise – Everything you ingest is immediately apparent on your skin. In the last couple of months, I’ve adapted my eating habits to eliminate bread as much as I can and really focus on a balanced diet. I always ate healthy, but I am now more careful on my intake of vegetables, fish and good proteins. As for exercise, I won’t lie, I wasn’t really good in the last couple of months as work took over my evenings. However, in the last month, I decided to create a routine and discipline myself to work out from home at least 3 times a week with a program. After only a couple of workouts, I noticed glow-y, healthier skin. 

These tricks are not anything you haven’t heard before, but what I can tell you is that by incorporating these changes, you will see a difference in your skin, your energy, your mind, your mood and everything else! 

This post was created in partnership with L’Oréal. All opinions are my own.

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How to colour your hair without the damage

It's almost been 9 months that I first noticed a grey hair and let me tell you that I freaked out. My parents started getting grey hair pretty early as well so I knew I was lined up for this. I let it go and the more and more that time went buy, the more and more I was noticing so much more grey hair. It sounds like my head was full, I'm exaggerating but it shows so much more on really dark hair. After a couple of months, I just couldn't look at them anymore. I will not lie to you, I was indeed plucking them out because who the hell wants grey/white hair in a nice high ponytail. I obviously wanted to colour my hair but I did not want to start this crazy routine and I did not want to damage my hair. After some research, I realized that there is a whole world of hair-colouring called semi-permanent colouring. I was so happy and I figured if I didn't know about it maybe some of you ladies didn't either, which brings me to my partnership with L'Oréal pro. 

Cela fait près de 9 mois que j'ai remarqué mon premier cheveu gris et laissez-moi vous dire que j'ai paniqué. Mes parents ont commencé à avoir des cheveux gris très tôt aussi, alors je savais que ça allait arriver bientôt. J'ai mis cela de côté, mais plus le temps avançait, plus j'en remarquais. Bon, j'exagère, j'en avais pas partout, mais sur les cheveux très foncés, ça paraît beaucoup. Après quelques mois, je ne pouvais plus les regarder. Je ne vais pas vous mentir, j'en ai arrachés plusieurs, parce que vraiment qui veut des cheveux gris. Je voulais évidemment colorer mes cheveux, mais je ne voulais pas commencer cette folle routine et je ne voulais pas abîmer mes cheveux. Après quelques recherches, j'ai réalisé qu'il y a tout un univers de coloration des cheveux semi-permanente. J'étais si heureuse de trouver ceci et je me suis dit que probablement plusieurs d'entre vous ne connaissait pas cet univers, ce qui m'amène à mon partenariat avec L'Oréal pro.

L'Oréal Pro invited me to MCoiffure in Montreal to test out the DIA Richesse hair colour. Loïc, the amazing hairdresser started by applying the DIA Richesse hair colour on my roots, as this was the main area where I had grey hair. He explained to me that the DIA Richesse hair colour is perfect for ladies looking for low-commitment hair colouring (ME!) or ladies that want to dye their hair for the first time while avoiding the possible damage from colouring. The DIA Richesse hair colour also has no ammonia and provides a tone-on-tone effect which leaves your hair looking so rich and healthy. The semi-permanent lasts up to 4 weeks gradually. After the 30 mins process, my hair looked amazing, no more greys, super shiny and healthy. Then, I decided it was time for a change, so Loïc cut a couple of inches off my hair and convinced me to do a little balayage action and I am COMPLETELY in love with what he did. I simply wanted to add a little texture to my hair, to add movement and life and he nailed it. I swear, every time I look at myself in the mirror, I am beyond happy. I'm even thinking of going back for more next month. 

L'Oréal Pro m'a invité à MCoiffure, un superbe salon à Montréal pour tester la coloration DIA Richesse. Loïc, l'incroyable coiffeur a commencé par appliquer la coloration DIA Richesse sur mes racines, car c'était la zone principale où on retrouvait mes cheveux gris. Il m'a expliqué que la coloration DIA Richesse est parfaite pour les femmes qui recherchent une coloration des cheveux à faible engagement (MOI!) ou pour les femmes qui veulent se teindre les cheveux pour la première fois tout en évitant les dommages possibles de la coloration. La couleur des cheveux DIA Richesse ne contient pas d'ammoniaque et procure un effet ton sur ton qui laisse vos cheveux si riches et si sains. La coloration dure jusqu'à 4 semaines et disparaît très progressivement. Après le processus de 30 minutes, mes cheveux étaient incroyables, plus de gris, super brillants et en bonne santé. Puis, j'ai décidé qu'il était temps de changer, donc Loïc m'a coupé quelques pouces et m'a convaincu de faire un petit balayage et je capote sur mes cheveux. Je voulais simplement ajouter un peu de texture à mes cheveux, ajouter du mouvement et de la vie et il a réalisé exactement ce que je voulais. Je vous promets, à chaque fois que je me regarde dans le miroir, je capote sur mes cheveux. Je pense même y retourner pour un peu plus de couleur, le mois prochain.

One thing is for sure, I am super happy I discovered the semi-permanent colouring from L'Oréal Pro, it makes it such an easy and non-damaging way of treating my grey hair. I can know tie my hair up in a ponytail without being annoyed by the greys. I hope this helped some of ladies make a decision on how to take care of your grey hair. Let me know if you have any questions! 

Une chose est sûre, je suis très contente d'avoir découvert la coloration semi-permanente de L'Oréal Pro, qui rend le traitement de mes cheveux gris si facile et non dommageable. Je peux maintenant attacher mes cheveux sans être agacée par les gris. Bon, j'espère ce petit article va vous permettre de découvrir qu'il est possible de faire disparaître les cheveux gris sans abîmer vos cheveux. N'hésitez  surtout pas si vous avez des questions! 

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What really changed my eyelashes

This post was sponsored by RapidLash as part of an Influence Central campaign and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Since November 2017, I stopped applying eyelash extensions as I wanted to take a break. My eyelashes were in a good condition since I have the best eyelash extension specialist in town ;) but you can't help but notice a lack of volume. 7 weeks ago, RapidLash approached me and put me to the test of using the RapidLash for a period of 6 weeks, once a day, to see if I was really going to notice a difference. 

I remember back when I used to work in the pharmacy (at Jean Coutu), rewind 7 years ago, so many women would purchase this serum to give a little step to their eyelash game and because it was so affordable. They sold so fast, so you can imagine how I was curious. Jean Coutu still carries RapidLash, so I know how to quickly get my hands on it.

Applying the RapidLash is super easy. After completely removing your makeup and washing your face, you can more forward with your regular nighttime routine (serums, creams, eye cream, etc.) and simply complete with the application of the RapidLash. You simply pull out the dainty wand which consists of product and you apply it just like you would apply an eyeliner. Takes 2 minutes. 

In order to correctly judge the results of this product, I made sure to use the same mascara during the whole period in order to be able to notice a difference with my eyelashes. 

After only 3 weeks, I noticed more volume in my eyelashes, specifically in the inner corner of my left eye. This was a very small section of my eyelashes that were weaker than the rest, since I sleep on my left side, face in the pillow. 

After a good 5 weeks, I noticed it was easier for me to curl my lashes, I had more of them and it gave a fuller effect. Every time, I talk to you guys about a product, it’s because I really gave it a try during a good period of time and I am then comfortable enough to speak to you guys about it. 

I just passed the 6 week mark and I can really tell you that this product really increased the strength of my eyelashes. I really really wanted to go back to eyelash extensions after 5 months of stopping but I’m going to give this whole natural thing a-go. 

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Always a Nomade

I can't even remember where my love for traveling and exploring the world came from. Coming from a culturally mixed family really impacted my vision and my values on the world. My dad left Morocco, his home to come study and explore Canada where he met my mom that fled Lebanon because of the civil war. Both coming from a strong cultural background, they completely adapted to a new home and created one for their 2 girls: my sister and I. 

Since our young age, both my sister and I have had the urge to explore, to discover the new, to seek places that other people call home. At the age of 18, I decided to explore where my father had called home and that completely opened my appetite for discovery. 

Recently, one of my favourite brands Chloé released their new scent, Nomade. Properly named, this new fragrance embraces the spirit of an adventurous feminine soul which totally fits with me and my crazy need to explore. The floral notes and fresh woody fragrance embodies one of a real Nomade. Nothing makes me happier than travelling, I feel like myself the most when I end up in an unknown place that I need to discover, to study, is that unusual...I'm not sure. 

Meeting new people, being exposed to new cultures, new food, new history simply makes me happy. All of these feelings were amplified when I met my boyfriend who comes for a latin background and shares this exact same need to always discover. In the last 11 years of being together, we've been to many many places from Armenia, to Qatar, to Portugal and New York, stepping into a new city brings us closer together and brings out the best of both us. We have so many new adventures that await us this year, being a Nomade is just part of who we are...

All products were gifted by Chloé.

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