Recent Loves

Oh my... I'm finally feeling perky enough to write up posts during week nights. Woohoo!

Suddenly it's summer time in Toronto and it meant that I had to dig through my stash to rotate warm weather delights into the daily routine. I guess my mind is still set firmly on the aqua/coral combo as well as the sea.

Lise Watier Lip Kiss Crayon Gloss in Mango Punch; Essie Mint Candy Apple; Essie e-nuf is e-nuf

This Lise Watier Crayon Gloss is a punchy orangy-coral that coats the lips like lipstick but has the stickiness and gloss of an opaque gloss. If you love bright lips, you'll like this one. I was boarding the bright lips trend and getting more adventurous with makeup in early March but fell off the wagon pretty quickly. On Saturday while sporting a no foundation face, I put on my sunglasses and swiped on this crayon gloss and never felt more awesome. Instant mood picker upper! And so are the Essie polishes. I'm quite enamoured with e-nuf is e-nuf. Last week I wore it on my fingertips and this week it's on my toes (as shown in my previous post). I've yet to truly warm up to Mint Candy Apple but I think it'd look amazing with an all-white outfit or on toes with silver sandals.

Sephora Beach Glow Melted Body Butter

I'm not one to slather on bronzers, self-tanners or shimmery things, but here is this giant tube... and I swear on Chanel, Dior and Guerlain that I will do my best to use it up this summer. I haven't spent a lot of time outdoors yet but already the tops of my forehead and feet are slightly tanned. Applying this on my arms and legs will hopefully even out the shades all over when I choose to bare that much skin. (I'm always terrified of this staining white clothing though!)

H&M Bracelet

I don't like bracelets that dangle too much, and I always wear them on my left wrist because my dominant hand is the right and I don't like getting accessories caught on things or getting in the way. The dilemma is that I usually wear my beloved Burberry watch on my left wrist but it looks too damn serious for the summer season. I'm replacing it with jewellery instead. It's just a matter of getting used to, right? Right!

Oceane eau de toilette by Outremer

This is a medium sweet marine scent that instantly dispels fatigue and general feelings of the "bleh." (When I'm at the office, it's more like "BLEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHH.") My daily love Caudalie Thé des Vignes definitely works better with my body chemistry, but the slight fruitiness of Oceane adds a playfulness that is essential to that laid back summer feeling. Spraying this brings me the same feeling as splurging on ice cream or running through the sprinklers on a really hot day.

H&M Necklace

I showed this already as a good match to Chanel June along with some greens. What I didn't know then was that this is a locket! There's a hinge and everything and I don't know how I missed it. My mom took one look at it and asked whose picture was in it and I was like, "IT OPENS???" Would it be weird and sad if I store my vitamin pills in it? First of all, who develops photos these days anyway, and secondly, who has the time to develop a face that small and cut it out to fit it into a locket? (Props if you do.) Thirdly, whose face shall I choose??? (I can't help but be reminded of this little scene from one of my all-time favourite shows. <3 VP Clemmons.)

What are you guys enjoying lately? What are your new or old summer loves? FACES OR VITAMINS???

Nail Care

Last week I gave my baby sister a mani/pedi in preparation for a wedding she was attending and had to give a deeper thought than usual to nail care. Usually I just apply base coat + colour + fast drying top coat, but I do have the accessories for a longer routine should I wish to indulge. I'm always curious about what other people are using to maintain their own nails, so here's a peek at mine. I show you mine, you show me yours, yes?

Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover

I picked this up on sale for around $5-6 when I really started to get into nails and blogging... and rarely use it. I don't like messing with my cuticle since it's generally smooth and healthy. I don't do anything fancy with my hands like doing regular scrubs or moisturizing. I always apply a rich hand lotion after washing my hands and try to work that into the skin around the nails where they are prone to hardening. Then at night I use a thick body butter as an overnight hand cream and never really have issues with raggedy cuticles or hang nails. (And when the skin around the nails get really tough as they do regardless of how much I moisturize... I clip off the surface with the nail clipper while I cut my nails. Gross or do you do it, too?)

But on days when I feel extra particular, I squeeze a drop of this instant cuticle remover over each nail along the edge and wait a few minutes. Then I gently push back the cuticle with the flat end of...

...this Nail Cuticle Tool (it doesn't have a fancier name??)

I prefer using the flat edge to push everything back evenly and I'm not even sure what the rounded edge is supposed to do! Hmm... I thought myself kind of a pro but this post is showcasing how much I'm not!

Nail Buffer

Then I use the four-sided nail buffer to file, buff, polish and shine. Usually I like to cut my nails and be done with it, but sometimes I do need to clean up the uneven edges with the file. Then having filed it, I'd feel the routine lacked a little more and go all the way with the buffing and polishing and shining. I do have ridgy nails so the buffing is probably not a bad thing, though I don't like the idea of buffing the surface of the nails too much. Luckily my nails are fairly thick and strong and they break due to trauma rather than splinter regularly. (So, I know that glass files are the rage right now but I'm just not yet at the level where I need to invest in one.)

Essie Protein Base Coat

This is only the third base coat that I've ever tried. The first was China Glaze and the second was Sally Hansen. I sent them both to the waste basket at about the halfway point as they got goopy and weird. I decided to splurge for the Essie Protein after my nails became brittle due to (a) general health/nutrition, (b) changing my polish too often, and (c) using overly harsh products too frequently (Sally Hansen all-in-one coat as base and Sally Hansen polish remover). So far I like it. I wondered at first if the milky look of it would provide a better base for colours but it dries almost clear on the nails so that's not really a factor. I changed up a couple of other things in the routine as well so I can't say that the protein base is bringing the wow, but everyone from the girls at Trade Secrets to the real pro nail bloggers (like Mimi at Makeup Withdrawal) say this is a good one, so I'm just going to trust them on it.

OPI RapiDry Top Coat

I have some complaints with OPI, one of which is their sly tactics to trick customers into buying extra things, and another being their stupid ass names for their shades. But my Seche Vite got left in the Philippines with the other sister and I ended up with this one somehow. And to be fair, it's a very good fast dry top coat. I don't have dragging or shrinkage issues with it and it dries to a nice glossy finish. I'm not going to say that it's the best ever, but I'd buy this again over Seche Vite.

Zoya Remove + and OPI Polish Remover

After I gave up on the Sally Hansen polish removers (they'd leave white streaks on my nails and the surface of my nail would peel off if I pressed too hard or left the soaked cotton pad over them too long), I caved and got the Zoya Remove + in March after hearing rave reviews about it. I was pretty amazed at how well it removed as well as how gentle it felt and how it smells like lavender. It's the least offensive nail polish remover I've tried. But it's quadruple the cost of a Sally Hansen remover and now that I'm not quite as flush, it's going to be a real splurge to buy that again. Luckily, I came across the jumbo size of the OPI Polish Remover at Winners, going for about $12 instead of the usual $30+. The OPI also removes well and feels gentle on the nails, so I'm quite happy about that. Since I'm also not polishing as much lately, these two should last me quite a while.

Also, I figured out why I wasn't so crazy about the recent Essie purchases. Though the blues and greens are calming and pretty, what I really needed for perking up was juicy and vibrant pinks, reds and oranges!

* * * W A R N I N G * * *

TOE PICS!!!

Essie e-nuff is e-nuff

And finally, sometimes people ask me how to keep nails from chipping and all I have to offer is:

1. must apply base coat to bond the polish effectively
2. apply 2-3 thin or medium layers of nail polish with ample drying time in between layers 
3. finish with a top coat

Because I work in an office and in a department that doesn't even deal with physical papers or files, my hands have it pretty easy. The most rigorous thing I do is type, which isn't rigorous at all. So as long as I follow the three steps, my nails don't even experience tip wear until a week later. But lately I've been helping my parents with a lot of manual labour and found the polish chipping after a few days. To that I have no answer and I think if you work with your hands a lot, there's no magic product out there that can prevent chips from occurring. You might have to cap off the tips of the nails with an extra layer of top coat, but when the nails are banging against dishes and other hard surfaces, there's only so much that can be done, ya know?

So, what do you guys use for your nail care routine? I'd love to see some posts on it or just hear your opinions in the comments. And if you have additional tips for preventing chips and such, bonus points!

And then there are days like this.

Had two great beauty conversations today, completely out of the blue. The first was this morning while I was getting a coffee at Tim Horton's (only because there was no other option). I've been running on a routine without much zeal or excitement, and each morning I automatically give myself a few spritzes of Caudalie Thé des Vignes as a last step before running out the door. While I love the fresh but grounded scent of this "eau fraiche", I've never been complimented on it as I always supposed it's too light for others to detect unless they're invading my personal space. And yet, this Tim Horton's employee caught it from across a wide counter over the smell of 10,000 scalding coffee pots.

Flamboyant coffee dude: I loooooooooove your perfume! Is that Jo Malone? 
Me: No, it's Caudalie. But I'm excited that you can talk Jo Malone. 
Flamboyant coffee dude: I love Jo Malone! What's Caudalie? 
Me: It's a French skincare brand based on harvesting the power of the grape, sold at Sephora. 
Flamboyant coffee dude: It smells like [Jo Malone] Earl Grey Tea and _______ [something I didn't catch as I hadn't had the coffee yet].
Me: I AM SO MAD THAT THE TEA STUFF WERE LIMITED EDITION. 
Flamboyant coffee dude: I KNOW, RIGHT???  [excited talk about layering this & that]
Me: Hey, you should work at Jo Malone. 
Flamboyant coffee dude: I KNOW, RIGHT???
Me: And when you do, remember this moment and get me some discounts. Small regular, please.

The other conversation happened this evening as I was telling my mom about Almay sending me a foundation to review and she got all excited. Then we moved on to talking about Revlon, then Shiseido, and out of nowhere, my dad decided to jump into the fray with:

"AMORE!"

This is the man who wasn't even aware until yesterday that his youngest daughter (my baby sis) was turning 30 this week. If I ask him when my birthday is, he'll think about it for a good ten minutes, then answer me with the month and then have the day off by about 10 days at least. The fact that he was paying attention to our conversation flabbergasted me, and then the fact that he knew a cosmetics brand to offer to the conversation had me in stitches.

It just felt nice to have the day bookended by some beauty talk. :-)

Beauty Blues... or what I fondly call the Beauty Malaise

It was another mentally and physically draining week, and at some point during it, I realized that about two months passed since I entered a new phase of life. While waiting to meet up with my baby sis for some sister bonding time yesterday, I caught these Essies on discount and thought that it was finally time for a little break and indulged in a mini splurge.

Borrowed & Blue, Mojito Madness, Mint Candy Apple

Well, I guess I'm never going to fully reduce that nail polish stash. ;-)

In a way, it was kind of a breakthrough. A month ago the thought of spending precious $$$ on nail polish was heartbreaking. Yesterday it felt like a win, that I was able to enjoy what's considered the usual pleasures of life. Today I feel mixed. I'm wearing Mojito Madness on my left hand and Mint Candy Apple on my right, and neither look right and I'm just not feeling the love.

I'm suffering from an ongoing beauty malaise.

But I know that it's okay to feel like this and it's okay to step back and re-examine and test the boundaries again. Like when you're not sure that breaking up with that person was the right thing to do. Sometimes we're indecisive and have to go through periods of doubt. It would be weird if we didn't take those pauses to consider things more carefully.

I said before that I was going to try to get rid of as much stuff as possible on the blog sale and feel no regrets, but I did feel many twinges of regrets as I took stock and slashed prices and reconsidered the items' values. Sometimes I even removed the items from the blog sale pile and put them right back into the train case where they came from! (Now they're back on the sale again and there they shall stay until new owners find them.)

It is powerful this feeling of want. Want of adding to the stash, hanging on to things, feeling secure in the amount of things we have rather than the value they add to the quality of our lives.

Old habits die hard. Even while I'm scrimping and saving every penny, I can't help but to browse the drug stores and department stores to see what's new and exciting and how they look in person. That inner beauty blogger is firmly rooted in my soul whether I have the funds or not! It's a rallying cry from the heart to continue to do what I love to do, and at the same time this awareness of it is a whisper from the brain to be more prudent and cautious than I was in the past.

So, I'm slowly making my way back into the fold yet not fully immersed in the shouts of excitements over new things and future collections. I choose to abstain with purpose and cultivate this underrated thing called restraint until it becomes something more elastic that I can control, not a hard shell around me or a guilty feeling from within me. Hey, kind of like THE HULK, wouldn't you say? (I finally caught The Avengers, and while it was terrific fun, I found it a tad overrated. Nonetheless, I'm so there for the sequels.) Funny that I also picked green polishes when I usually avoid greens. I found them a refreshing alternative to the usual blues and aquas saturating summer collections. I also like how they look within the green frames of the blog template!

Have you experienced a beauty malaise in the past? Are you going through one now? What's the cure?

Blog Sale Updated!

New items added and prices reduced. Click here to see and help me reduce the stash! Thanks for your interest.

One Rant and Three Loves

Hope you're all enjoying a lovely weekend full of well-deserved rest and fun!

I was going to devote one whole entry to a packaging failure that has me seething and foaming at the mouth, but I like to post about happier things on the weekend and riling up people is best reserved for the week day, no? So, I give you One Rant + Three Loves. The three nice things should balance out the negativity of one rant, right? Here goes.

I HAVE ISSUES WITH URBAN DECAY.

See what happened here? I had this up for the blog sale and it seemed perfectly fine. I hadn't used it more than 3-4 times and I guarantee that LIZ HULK SMASH did not happen in this case. I usually treat my products with care and knowing that this was going to someone else made me even gentler than usual with it. But when a lovely fellow blogger wanted to buy it and I took it out of the "for sale" box, I found that the cap encasing the dispenser point had completely fallen off the tube along with the dispenser! I took a picture and tweeted Urban Decay's tweeter who ignored me and went on retweeting and responding to only positive comments. I was already pissed off that a perfectly good product had to go to waste (the primer potion was already drying up in the tube and wouldn't even come out to be depotted) but brands who ignore legit customer queries and concerns seriously bring out the Hulk in me. SMASH SMASH SMASH - UNFOLLOW! What's the point of having a Twitter account? This is why I follow very few brands on Twitter, if any. All they do is retweet every single praise sent their way and clog up your timeline with useless non-information. The point of Twitter is two-way communication resulting in interaction. Brand Twitter accounts are a resource as valuable as a FAQ, not just self-promotional blabbering. Many brands don't manage this well and that's why I just follow other bloggers who are much more discerning and retweet only useful things.

In any case, I returned the UDPP at Sephora where a couple of wonderful sales associates spent up to half an hour tracking down the SKU since it was a limited edition product. They apologized and gave me some samples as well, though the apology is certainly not theirs to make. I'm done with Urban Decay! They and their silly packagings can bite me.

</rant>

I HEART!

Colourful lightweight scarves light up a boring neutral work outfit. And they don't necessarily have to be expensive to be good quality. I find many items lacking in durability from H&M but this scarf was washed multiple times without falling apart. One of the best $17 ever spent.

One of my favourite TV shows, Nikita, was renewed for a third season! I have a habit of falling for quality shows that are always on the verge of cancellation, season by season (hello, Veronica Mars) -- so I was really happy to hear that it lived in favour of Ringer which was just terrrrrible. Though Nikita seems like another silly CW fluff, it's one of the better balanced shows out there right now with just the right amount of light and dark, action and exposition, character development and plot development.

I'm finally on Pinterest and I NEED HELP. It's like a giant wish board and all I have lately are wishes. I resisted creating an account because I knew that it was going to be addictive and I'd no longer live a physical life but just exist via pins and repins... but I'm thinking of transitioning into some sort of marketing career and mastering the beauty of quality pins seems like it might assist that nobler goal. You can follow my mad pinning sprees by clicking on the button on the right column or here.

And that's it. What are your raves and rants this week?

2012 Empties Part 4

Oh, the empties. I used to look forward to them but now I dread. Spending money on beauty products is the last thing I want to do. Yet during April's busy rush, I kept having to toss one empty container after another into this bag. It's amazing how much you finish when you're just going through the routines and not thinking about it.

Boscia Peppermint Blotting Linens

I've talked about them many times. It's basically the only blotting linens I use. I stock up on them at Christmas when Sephora sells them for half price and they last me all year. I blot once an hour while sitting at the office doing my 9-5 and with a lot less frequency if I go straight home or a lot more if I go out to socialize. It does what it's supposed to do without fuss. This silver peppermint one is from Christmas 2010 and I thought I had finished that lot way back when but discovered a stray packet while cleaning my desk last month. Right now I'm using the gold peppermint ones from Christmas 2011.

Make Up For Ever Sens' Eyes (Travel Size)

This is a travel size that I had for a couple of years now (eeep). I kept it on my vanity over the winter to try to finish it off before it went bad. When I messed up on my eyes in the morning, I'd dip a Q-tip in the small bottle and remove the mess without taking off the entire look. When I felt less delicate, I turned the bottle upside down and tried to squeeze out a dab on to a tissue. The problem is, it's not a squeezable bottle. One morning I was particularly rushed and basically went, "HULK SMASH!" It resulted in the mess above and I depotted whatever I could into a Sephora sample container. Friend A swears by this remover and I do find that it's extremely effective and gentle. I've shelled out for the full size in the past but I don't wear enough eye makeup on a regular basis to justify that. Also, I mostly prefer liquid removers that soak nicely on cotton pads and that can be pressed over the eyes for a clean wipe.

MAC "Just A Pinch" Gel Blush

Tracy sent this to me when I made a purchase from her blog sale way back when. I loved the pop of bright red in the pot and its effect on the cheeks. However, it was in the dead of winter when the poor jar made its way across the vast Canadian provinces and the cold had made the gel texture separate into clumpy bits floating in oily liquid. I've had to bid it a sad farewell and put the pot aside for B2M.

Clinique Lash Power Mascara

I made great progress in reducing my mascara stash down from about a dozen in 2010 to just 2-3 in 2011. For 2012, I'm determined to have only one mascara going at a time. Also: this is the first time that I wore mascara almost every day and finished a tube. I never knew when a mascara finished or not and tossed it at the 5 or 6-month stage because I was afraid it had expired. This is the first time that I felt that the tube was empty and dry. Currently I'm using a L'Oreal Beauty Tube that's about half the price of Clinique Lash Power but I'd definitely like to go back to Lash Power later when $20 mascaras aren't detrimental to the wallet. (I'm considering going mascara-free for the summer when it's too hot to fiddle with too much makeup anyway.) This is my fourth Lash Power and I always go back to it after philandering for a while because it's clump-free, smudge-free and does make a difference on my tiny puny lashes that are invisible on their own.

Marcelle Essentials Night Cream

I don't use night cream except in the winter. Marcelle is a great Canadian drug store brand that is dermatologist-recommended and remains at an affordable price range. This cream did not irritate my oily, acne-prone skin and in fact seemed to help for a while. When the weather got warmer, I finished it by using it on my neck and decolletage and only around my mouth and eyes where the skin tends to be slightly dry. Yep, I'll buy it again in the winter.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil

I had better results with the Thursday Plantation 100% tea tree oil so this was kept on the back burner. I now can't stand having little unfinished bottles taking up room so it had to go. I used it alone for the most part, without adding moisturizer on top as the slightly oily feel was enough to trick my uber oily skin into feeling hydrated. It just doesn't have enough tea tree essence to make a difference on my face, but it was better than nothing. Right now I'm using another 100% tea tree oil from a different brand which I don't find to be as good as Thursday Plantation but stress and the change in season has made my acne flare up again and it's hard to tell what the heck is going on.

Murad Exfoliating Acne Treatment Gel

This is good stuff. For those suffering from minor acne, slathering a layer of this all over before bed might result in a clear face by morning. I need this along with the spot treatment for full treatment but loved the gel so much that I pounded out every drop. I'm looking for a similar treatment that's less expensive, but Murad's mid-level range pricing isn't as horrific as Aveda Outer Peace, so... repurchase? If the current tea tree oil doesn't turn things around, I'll have to by using Shoppers points.

Slatkin & Co. Lilac Blossom Candle

Flower scents I like: lilac, rose, hyacinth, honeysuckle. I picked up this 4 oz size for $5 when spring hit us early in March. I was actually surprised by how long this one wick candle burned because I automatically thought that smaller candle = shorter burn time but I think the three-wick action on the bigger candles results in bigger flames and faster meltdown.

However, the single wick was found wanting when I reached near the end as it just broke off while a good layer of wax remained at the bottom. :-(

Etude House Happy Teatime Milk Tea Cleansing Cream

It sounds lovely but it's crap. It's creamy and feels/smells lovely but even after cleansing there's still makeup remaining on my face. I was trying to finish this at the same time as the matching cleanser but the cleanser outlasts it by one empties post. Some time ago I gave up buying wet wipes as they seemed to be a waste of money when massaging the face with warm water over the sink with a remover seemed more economical and effective. However, I'm doubting that now after this remover's #totalfail performance. I'm currently using a Marcelle makeup remover but want so badly to return to my favourite, Philosophy Purity Made Simple.

LUSH Sex Bomb Bath Bomb

 It was part of Ashley's lovely birthday package and I was so excited to see it in the box after having read Dovey's lovely review of it back in January. I was also at the tail end of my love-affair-with-roses phase, so the lovely scent and colour of this bath thrilled me to no end. LUSH baths are definitely a treat and at $7 a bomb, it's rather pricy. But I think that one bomb per week or month, depending on one's budget, is definitely splurge-worthy as sitting in deliciously scented foamy froth while listening to your favourite song with a glass of wine (or hot chocolate in this instance) goes a long way toward melting away stress and negative feelings. I still have a few bombs left to enjoy. :-)

REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask

I bought this on www.strawberrynet.com after Friend J recommended the site as a great way of getting free delivery, frequent discounts and great value for Canadians (at par with US pricing). This was the replacement for my beloved Juice Green Apple Peel which is no longer available from Sephora. It's much gentler -- and at first I wasn't sure that it was having any effect. After I introduced the Clarisonic Mia into my routine, I found that using this on a weekly basis did have a subtle but effective change on my skin. It's a light orange coloured gel that you smooth over the face and leave on for 10-15 minutes which is removed with warm water and a cotton cloth that is provided with the mask. I suppose the extra exfoliation that is done with the cotton cloth and water adds to the post-mask glow, but the cloth and water wouldn't be as effective without the mask in the first place, maybe? I'm not repurchasing this despite the positive review as (a) I'm going to use up all the exfoliating products in my arsenal first, including samples, and (b) I'm going the DIY route for a while after with a lemon & sugar scrub, continued use of cotton towels + warm water and the Clarisonic Mia.

My one quibble with this product is that the mask is encased in a baggie which is then placed in the container. I thought it might be refillable, but it's not, so I don't see the point of the double bagging unless it's to protect the product from expiring quickly. Still, you'd think a sealed bag would be enough? Buying refills would be both economically and environmentally helpful. I tried "LIZ HULK SMASH!" on the tube but to no avail. These REN people know how to make a sturdy package.

Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel

I liked this so much that I used it quite sparingly and managed to parcel it out for almost two years. If I use Philosophy Purity, there's no need to double cleanse. But on days when I use a separate makeup remover and need to cleanse the remover off the face (redundant task - what's the solution?), I liked using this to gently but effectively remove all the icky stuff and smile into the mirror at the end of the day. Would like to repurchase but probably won't this summer.

Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar Foam Burst Body Wash

Bought it on clearance for about $5, and true to the name, was it ever foamy. The foam would continue to stream out from the dispenser long after the shower was over. I don't like the metal can nor the dispenser nor the cap, and I'm tired of these overpriced B&BW shower stuff. While I do still like the smell of Warm Vanilla Sugar, it's more of a toasty fall/winter scent for me. Excuse me while I skip off to something more refreshing and light for the summer!

Fekkai Summer Sunshine Shield Spray

I mentioned this before as one of those summer-oriented stuff that doesn't really do anything. I finished it by using it as a smoothing spray. It's light enough not to feel greasy but not strong enough for anything else except to add a little weight to the frizz-prone hair. As for its UV-defence claims, who the hell knows? Judging by how quickly it was discontinued, I suppose it wasn't all that protective after all.

TOTAL:

Today's Total:

Jumbo: 0

Regular: 11

Travel/Sample: 1

Tossed: 1

2012 Total:

Jumbo: 2

Regular: 31

Travel/Sample: 14

Tossed: 3 

How are your empties going? (While I'm on the subject, I have to give a shout out to Lil Lady's Life who actually completely finished a MAC blush. Click here to check out what that looks like -- and to get a completely different take on Clinique Lash Power Mascara.)

It's Finally Spring

Spring is such a short season in Toronto that we have to take the time to savour it as much as possible. Soon we'll be sweltering in heat and humidity (*excited fist pump*). I didn't go anywhere exciting or do anything special; the following are snap shots I took on short walks around the neighbourhood and elsewhere in the city while running to and fro.

 

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Hope you're all having a great weekend!