Day 1: Transformation Thus Far

Day 1 and I'm thinking it's CRAZY how easy it is to burn through money.

Took out $200 for the week and it's already dwindling. Ah.

Here's what I spent so far:

-$25 on a top @ H&M. Had a gift card & wanted to free up the space in my wallet. It's a cute pink lightweight sweater-type top. Will look great with black leggings. That'll be the only piece of clothing I buy all season (IT BETTER BE).

Cool bonus: got a $5 gift card with my purchase. Saw a cute little $6.99 cami I could get.

So MuCh FoR nOt BuYiNg ANY cLoThInG ... there's always room for 1 little exception, right?!

-I previously bought a "group buy" deal - $75 for a vegen straightening & smoothing treatment + cut. NOT BAD, EH!? Anyways, I had to pay like $10 in taxes and $26 on special shampoo. Plus $10 tip. So that comes to $50.

SO IN THE END I SPENT $75 TODAY.

Was going to go out for dinner but clearly I spent too much so will make something here.

Food-wise, I did a bit better than I did in the $ department.

I had half a vegan brownie for breakkie, then a nice colorful vegan coleslaw for lunch (with delish cilantro and grilled corn). Then for a snack, organic spent grain crackers with PC organics peanut butter. For dinner, I'm thinking maybe basmati rice with the amazing curried carrot concoction I picked up from Edna's Pickles, one of the local food vendors @ the CNE (devoured the eggplant, which was out of this world) *http://www.ednaspickles.com/

Sunday brunch @ Rawlicious

Brunch + Debbie + baby(!) = best day ever

I was skeptical about trying Rawlicious but when Deb said it could cater to her kosher restrictions, I was all for it.

Turns out the place is great. I'm definitely gonna try to get there more often, for a double dose of healthy. Everything on the menu is meat free, dairy free, gluten free, and void of any refined sugar. 100% wholesome.

When food isn't cooked (or isn't cooked over 118F, as @ Rawlish), you wind up getting all of the finest enzymes, vitamins and minerals in their naturally delicious state. Just clean, chemical-free nutrition.

I suggest the Strawberry Milkshake – (nutmilk, stawberries, avocado, agave, and vanilla - $6.50) and the *MMmmm Cheesecake (cashew based cake on top of an almond crust - $9).

http://www.rawlicious.ca/Rawlicious/Yorkville.html

So ExCiTiNg -> *1st ever Ignite Insight FREE GIVAWAY!

The iPhone (or iPod or iPad) addicts amongst you are really gonna luv me for this...

Here's what's happening. All you have to do is take the short, fun quiz (bolded below) courtesy of GPSmyCity.com and send answers to quiz@gpsmycity.com. The potential payoff is well worth it - answer all the questions (you don't even have to get them all right!) and you'll likely win 3 city walk iPhone applications to cities of your choice.

It's that simple. Really.

So what are you waiting for!? Get to it and tell me what you think.

Toronto Fun Facts Quiz:

1. Within a 160 km radius of Toronto lives _____ of Canada's population.
A. Half
B. One third
C. One quarter

2. On what building can one find a giant neon weather station?
A. Canada Life Building
B. National Trust Tower
C. First Canadian Place

3. How many languages are estimated to be spoken throughout the city?
A. 50+
B. 100+
C. 200+

4. Which one of these movie stars was not born in the city of Toronto?
A. Christopher Plummer
B. Mia Kirshner
C. Jim Carrey

5. The CN Tower held its record of the world's tallest building for 34 years, until the Burj Khalifa and Canton Tower were built. It now remains the tallest free-standing structure in:
A. North America
B. the Americas
C. the Western Hemisphere

6. A serious ____ occurred in 1995. It was the worst day in Toronto history.
A. Subway crash
B. Fire
C. Storm

7. What do Bloor Street, Danforth Avenue and McCowan Road have in common?
A. They are all the same street
B. They run diagonal
C. They all run west-east

8. In 2006, City Hall told which group of people to leave and never come back?
A. Charlie's Angels
B. Guardian Angels
C. Black Angels

9. Which of these cities is not officially part of the Greater Toronto Area, but is still considered by some as "part of Toronto"?
A. Oakville
B. Hamilton
C. Pickering

10. Toronto has had many city-nicknames along the years. How was Toronto never called like?
A. Hogtown
B. the City that Sleeps
C. The Big Smoke


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Shellac Manicure: Worth the Shell Out?

Beyonce's doing it. Ri Ri's doing it. And now I am, too.

Before going home to MTL to visit fam, friends, and bf, thanks to a $20 off coupon promotion I found on the facebook fan page of Sitamaa I decided to treat myself to a shellac manicure. Unable to resist the allure of perfect, virtually chip-free nails for the entire course of my time in la belle Province, I booked my appointment and began the countdown.

Here's the lowdown on this supposed Rolls Royce of manicures:

*The claim is a shiny, chip-free 14 day manicure that withstands the wear & tear of everyday life. Some people insist that if you get a light colour (one that won't be so noticeable as it grows out) you could sport it for up to 3 weeks.

*It is the first of its kind: 'hybrid' nail colour offering the strength and high-shine finish of a gel nail treatment + the color selection and easy application of a nail polish.

*Like gels, to get that "flawless finnish," thin layers of gel are applied to the nails and treated under a UV light.

*It is non-yellowing, odorless, strengthens nails, and best of all, involves virtually NO DRYING TIME! It was cRaZy being able to touch and do anything immediately afterwards (more exciting than any magic trick I've ever seen).

But before you freak out and fall too hard in love, take a look at the list of downfalls:

*Limited colour options and 50% more expensive than regular manicures

*In order to get the mani removed, nails need to be soaked in acetone. Apparently you can do this at home, but my esthetician recommended I go back to and have her do it professionally -- a service that doesn't come cheap.

From what I've heard, many salons soak your whole hand in the acetone. This seems like a bad idea, as acetone is a yucky chemical that is easily absorbed by the skin and is bad for your liver (which has a hard time breaking it down).

A friend of mine has a manicurist that, instead of placing her clients' whole hand in acetone, only puts it on the nails (by placing the substance on cotton swabs and letting them soak like that for a short while before beginning the removal process).

*After each coat that is applied, you have to put your hand under UV light. which puts you at a greater risk of getting skin cancer.

SO THERE YOU HAVE IT KIDS. NOW IT'S UP TO YOU TO DECIDE IF THIS TIME-SAVING, EASY-TO-MAINTAIN YET POTENTIALLY HEALTH-THREATENING PRODUCT IS RIGHT FOR YOU.

PLEASE SHARE YOUR INSIGHTS - TELL U ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH SHELLAC OR ADD TO THE PRO/CON LIST IF THERE'S ANYTHING I'VE MISSED.

XXOO,

Me.

PS - Take a look @ the pic for a looksee at what my nails look like after almost 3 weeks!