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TEST COUNTER: JESSICA’S EXPERIENCE WITH ALCON AIR OPTIX’S CONTACT LENS

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“Pull you lid all the way back!”

“Just drop it in!”

“Look at your eye, the contact is folding over because you’re squinting!”

These were common phrases heard by my poor optometrist as she patiently waited until I put Alcon’s Air Optix Colors onto my retinas. Before last week I have never put contacts in my eyes and boy, was it a mission. After about my 150th attempt and 45 minutes grueling minutes later, I finally got them in. I jokingly told her they’re never coming out – she looked at me and said I needed to learn how to properly remove them too or else I wasn’t allowed to leave. Geez, tough crowd.

The time and effort it took to put Alcon’s Optix Colors into place was actually SO worth it in the end. I have brown eyes naturally so when choosing my shades, I went for ones that were a lot different from mine – “Gray” and “Blue” to be exact. The “Gray” was my favourite because it enhanced my hair and skintone while creating a softer look to the rest of my facial features.

When I looked into a mirror the first time with gray eyes, I was shocked at how natural they looked. Gray! Who knew? The colour didn’t seem too animated and it was the perfect mix of vibrant and subtle shading. You wouldn’t know I was wearing coloured contacts unless I told you. As far as anyone knows, they’re my natural eye colour until further notice.

Taking a closer at the contacts themselves, they weren’t one solid colour. Alcon’s 3-in-1 technology blends 3 shades which simultaneously work together to add additional depth and vibrancy. The colours on the contacts also have a dotted design, allowing my own eye colour to seep through for a naturally beautiful look.

Once I had the contacts on, they felt a little weird at first. I would compare it to putting mascara on for the first time. You notice it’s there for the first five minutes then after awhile you forgot anything is there at all.

Alcon’s Air Optix colored contacts never irritated my eyes or got in the way when I cooked, did my makeup, read or walked outside. My eyes could still breathe, and by the end of the day they felt as if they were part of me (which I wish was true so I wouldn’t go through the hassle of taking them out).

The contacts themselves were $30 each and my optometrist said I am able to wear them every day for an entire month!

If you’re like me and never worn contacts before, I’ll admit it’s a little tough to get in your eyes at first but trust me, if I can do it – anyone can. In a matter of seconds (if you can do it fast), the contacts give you an entirely different look! Not to mention they’re super comfortable for everyday wear, and no one but you needs to know they’re not your real shade.

My latest post for Beauty Echoes Magazine

* This post is sponsored by Alcon #AirOptixColors. From time to time, Beauty Echoes Magazine does accept compensation and/or press samples from companies, but such transaction does not control or influence our personal opinions of the product, nor does it affect our judgment to write about the product/service in a negative or positive light. All opinions are solely based on our own experience and we will only choose to accept sponsored posts by companies and products that we truly love. Integrity is at the heart of everything we do. With that being said, we have received compensation from Alcon to test and review their contact lens and are more than happy to share our honest review.

I’m still here!

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Woah nelly, I just realized I haven’t written a post at all in 2015.

Checking in to tell you I’m still around! To give you a quick run down of what I’ve been up to – I’ve been super busy at work, I’m freelancing every night when I get home (speaking of which, I have a couple pretty neat articles to share with you soon, one involving almost losing my eye), every Saturday I’ve been up early to coach soccer to cute little kiddies, and any spare moment I have I’m either watching re-runs of Friends (bless Netflix) or attempting to have a social life, which usually entails me going over to a friends house, stealing their food, watching more Friends then passing out. Party. Animal.

Despite my full plate, not a day goes by that I’m not grateful for what I have and for the supportive people in my life. If I haven’t responded to you, know I read all your comments, emails, tweets, etc – and even if you’re just saying hello, it puts a smile on my face. 🙂

For example, I got this email from Katharine recently and it made me very, very happy..

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Gosh she’s sweet. Maybe in the summer I’ll start doing YouTube videos again, I miss hearing myself talk. 😉 I’ll put it on the list of things to do this summer. In case you’re wondering I’ve already written out my summer goals, but you won’t get to see them until April. Mwahaha.

Ok I legit have been procrastinating for 20 minutes now. I need to go write an article that’s due like..now. I’ll talk to you soon, don’t miss me too much.

xo

Jessica

Stain Resistant T-Shirt Put To The Test

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For those prone to food-related spills and accidents, your embarrassing stain-on-clothing-days may be over thanks to the subtle wearable tech innovation of Threadsmiths!

The Australian clothing company has created a stain-resistant t-shirt using a patented hydrophobic nanotechnology. When the surface gets wet, water droplets are created just like it does on a lotus leaf or a blade of grass. This is known as surface tension – liquid resists an external form.

It’s hard to believe a t-shirt could contain these properties so, we tested it for ourselves.

As the first company in the world to be making 100% cotton t-shirts that completely repel dirt and liquids, we took a Threadsmiths shirt and drizzled common food items on it such as water, jam, orange juice and BBQ sauce. What happened next was to our amazement.

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While other white t-shirts soak in liquids and stain, these shirts dubbed “The Cavalier,” uses hydrophobic properties causing liquids to bead-up and fall off the fabric. A very true statement. As you can see from the example below, the water droplets didn’t soak into the shirt it simply beaded up. When we picked up the shirt, the water and orange juice droplets easily slid off. The thicker liquids such as the jam and BBQ sauce washed off with a splash of water, no excessive rubbing required. Our reaction were along the lines of, “holy smokes, this actually works!” and “What other food items can we throw on here?”

The patented fabric nanotechnology is free of carcinogens and is completely safe for regular wear. Threadsmiths hopes to work with other designers to expand the technology with industries such a medical, hospitality and sports.

If you want to try it for yourself, or you know of someone who spills their lunch more than they eat it, these shirts are now available for purchase ($61 CDN) online on Threadsmiths. Want to see the stain repelling in action? Watch the video below!

My latest post for FASHIONOTES! Click HERE for more!

Blank Space / Style (Taylor Swift Mash-Up)

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Have I mentioned I’m seeing my girl Taylor Swift in concert come October? I’ve only heard good things when it comes to her live performances and I’m SUPER excited to shake it off with my best friend Katie (whom I surprised with tickets for her Christmas/birthday present).

Taylor recently tweeted about the mash-up below and now it’s gone viral! As it should, it’s a good one. Plus, it combines my two favourite songs on her 1989 album “Blank Space” and “Style,” although “New Romantics” and “Wonderland” are up there as well – they’re all just so catchy!

#GIRLBOSS – SOPHIA AMOUSO

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You’ve heard the term many times throughout the past year and probably wondered what it takes to be a #GIRLBOSS. In this day and age, being a #GIRLBOSS is much more than owning your own company and ruling the world, it’s owning yourself and making decisions for you because ultimately, it’s your life and you should decide how you want to live it.

#GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amouso was a gift from my own boss when I first joined the team. On the inside cover there was a handwritten a note saying, “May this book inspire you to work hard, be your best self and #OWNIT. Become the best #GIRLBOSS you can be.” I’m all about girl power and marching to your own drum, so I knew without even reading the first paragraph that I would enjoy this book – intuition didn’t let me down.

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I finally got around to reading #GIRLBOSS the morning after Christmas, and it honestly held my attention from cover to cover. I thoroughly enjoyed Sophia’s story on how she created her own business (Nasty Gal), the trials and tribulations of her upbringing and the solid advice she gives women who want to be successful on their own terms.

I also appreciated the “Portrait of a #GIRLBOSS” section where after each chapter Sophia had #GIRLBOSSes such as Leandra Medine from ManRepeller.com and Alexi Wasser from IMBOYCRAZY.com talk about how they gained success, mistakes you should avoid and insightful advice for career-driven women of today. All these women gained massive success on the internet by building their repertoire, networking and essentially being smart, well-rounded bad asses.

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My favourite part of the book had to be Sophia’s advice such as:

“There’s zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.”

“When your goal is to gain experience, perspective and knowledge, failure is no longer a possibility.”

Sophia also had a paragraph in the book about being a self-proclaimed introvert. She mentions that being an introvert doesn’t necessarily mean you’re shy, it just means you get your energy differently from extroverts. Extroverts get their energy from being around people all the time, introverts get their energy from being alone, “much of the world from school to the workplace is set to reward extroverts…no way does being an introvert doom you into a life in the shadows.“ Sophia considers herself an introvert, so does the like of JK Rowling, Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs. They make fewer risky financial decisions, more persistent when faced with a problem that aren’t easily solvable and are typically very creative. I’d like to say I’m more of an introvert too. Again, it doesn’t mean I don’t love being social and meeting new people, but after a long day of talking and crowds the most fun I can have afterwards is being by myself, reading a book or watching TV to recharge.

All in all, loved this book. It was easy to read, the tone was awesome and honest – highly recommend to anyone looking for a bit of inspiration and career advice from a modern day #GIRLBOSS herself.

The Holiday

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I’m not totally clear on how or why I haven’t seen The Holiday before last night. I bawled for the last 25 minutes of the movie but not a “I’m sad” sort of cry, more like, “I can relate to this situation, Kate Winslet you’re my spirit animal and Jude Law is so handsome I can’t even handle it” type. Ya know?

What I loved most about the flick was its reliability. From my interpretation, The Holiday circled around the importance of letting people into your life who make you feel significant. All four main characters – Iris, Amanda, Miles and Graham craved a certain kind of attention, the type that makes you feel loved and attained by someone else. For example Iris, Kate Winslet’s character, was in an unfortunate situation where she was with a guy for three years who wanted her, but didn’t want to love her. It’s a mind-game people play and fall victim to. We let people into our lives who don’t see us as significant enough to respect our feelings or have the nerve to communicate theirs.

With online dating, social media and apps where you’re able to swipe left or right for a desirable suitor, it’s difficult to date someone who sees you as significant because we’re all consumed with options. There are so many eligible girls and guys in our surrounding area, why commit to one when you can simultaneously date five. Mediocre dates and conversations are cool, right? Or, you can be a grown up and look at romance as an outlet to be creative and create memories, even for a brief amount of time (quality is much more important than quantity).

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The Holiday also taught me the importance of seeing the world in another perspective and opening yourself to opportunities. If Iris didn’t realize there is more to the world than this one jerk who has been dragging her down, she would not have befriended Arthur. Arthur was the old Hollywood legend she met while visiting LA from London. She convinced Arthur to accept his film appreciation award, even though he declined many times prior since he thought he was too old and insignificant for anyone to show up and support. But, as we see, a room filled with people who DO appreciate him (this is where the bawling began). If you open yourself to new experiences and opportunities, new experiences and opportunities in turn find you.

I highly recommend this movie, I give it a solid four napkinheads out of five.

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“I understand feeling as small and as insignificant as humanly possible. And how it can actually ache in places you didn’t know you had inside you. And it doesn’t matter how many new haircuts you get, or gyms you join, or how many glasses of chardonnay you drink with your girlfriends, you still go to bed every night going over every detail and wonder what you did wrong or how you could have misunderstood. And how in the hell for that brief moment you could think that you were that happy. And sometimes you can even convince yourself that he’ll see the light and show up at your door. And after all that, however long all that may be, you’ll go somewhere new. And you’ll meet people who make you feel worthwhile again. And little pieces of your soul will finally come back. And all that fuzzy stuff, those years of your life that you wasted, that will eventually begin to fade.” – Iris

The great shower debacle

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Hey everyone!

I haven’t done a rant post in awhile. Gosh, I miss it. I miss writing and going on streams of consciousness. You know what? I’ll do on one now. Not sure where this will go, but we’ll find out together!

I’m currently in my bed, listening to John Mayer at 11:26PM debating whether to shower tonight or in the morning. If I shower tonight I have to fully blow-dry my hair which takes a good 25 minutes, or I can shower in the morning but I’ll have to wake up an hour earlier, not to mention it’s FREEZING in the AM. Or, I can shower tonight and go to bed with my hair semi-wet, but if I do that I have to straighten it in the morning or else it will be a disheveled mess. The problem with that is, I usually forget if I unplugged my straightener while on my way to work and have to text my brother to check. It’s an uncomfortable feeling wondering if your house is burning down or not, you know? Maybe I won’t shower at all.

Oh wait, I am seeing a friend at lunch so maybe I will.

In case you’re wondering, this whole shower scenario is literally a debate I have with myself every single night.

Should I be re-evaluating my life choices?

That’s a whole other topic we won’t get into tonight because a) I have to go to bed in the next 10 minutes and frankly, re-evaluating my life takes up a lot of energy and b) I still have to shower.

largeI’m happy it’s almost Christmas! I need a day to myself soon. Watch movies and veg. I haven’t done that in a long time. But, as of right now, I do need to stop. I have to carry on with the night, and bathe (ugh).

SWEET DREAMS!

xo

Jessica

Update: Brother just got into the shower and I’m way too tired to wait until he finishes. I tried to be clean and presentable, I really did. Wasn’t in the stars for tonight. Awell, ya win some, ya lose some.

This guy wanted to make something happen…

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“This guy wanted to make something happen and he truthfully believed, ‘if I’m mean to you, it will make you like me more.’ We have to stop entertaining that kind of B.S. – if we accept that kind of behaviour and we reward it with our time, our energy, our focus, our bodies, our emotional presence, we are telling men it’s ok to be rude and mistreat women, and it’s not. So, as a whole, we all need to decide ‘I’m not putting up with this, if a guy acts like an ass hole to me, I’m not going to entertain it any further.’ Maybe he’ll change, maybe he wont but it’s not my job to be a catalyst in that process.”

– Amy Young