The Great Mascara Search

I have been slowly buying more "green" products when things I have run out. I was quickly running out of mascara a while ago but kept using what little amount was left to stretch it longer than I have ever done before. Girls, you know what I mean. A mere smudge on my lashes. I was holding out knowing the Green Living Show was only a short time to wait. 

We went to the Green Living Show in Toronto for the second year in a row. One of the first booths I stopped at had mineral make up. The girl behind the table showed me the mascara she was selling. It came only in black and she had only one tube left. Sold! $28 later, I was happy not realizing how much $28 for mascara really is. Yikes. I have been searching on-line and knew it was not cheap but I also didn't really think when I said "I'll take it!".

I must report after a few weeks of wearing it I am very pleased with it. I have in the past had trouble getting mascara off. I stopped buying make-up remover last year (after I ran out) and I had resorted to basically pulling the mascara off my lashes. Not pretty and not completely effective either. Anyway, unless I am going swimming or bawling my eyes out (thankfully I do neither of these very regularly), the mascara comes off with just water. It goes on just like other mascara's but comes off like washing dirt from your hands. Easy and effortlessly. The brand is called Lavinia and it is from Australia. I was told it is not available in stores here yet. With that news I hope my new wonder mascara lasts a long time!

My next beauty product to run out will be the foundation. I know of a few places in the area that sell it so I am not as panicky. Please, if anyone knows of a brand they use and like, let me know. 

Life Wheel

What is a life wheel you ask? 

When I was at the doctors yesterday, she gave me an article from an old Canadian Living Magazine called "Give Your Life a Makeover". It is about how to take stock, set priorities, and find balance.

Basically, the article is about creating a new you and the experts are all life coaches, something that I find fascinating. Who wouldn't want someone coaching and cheering them along in life? The article says in order to know where to start your makeover, you need to "take stock". 

To do this, draw a circle and divide it into 8 equal parts. Label each pie piece like the one shown above. What you do is rate each category by how satisfied you are in it. The centre of the pie piece is a one and the largest part is a 10. What you end up with when you connect the dots is a wonky circle which gives you a clear idea of what you need to work on first to get your circle more in balance. If balance is what you want more of, this will show you where to start. 

I made a list of the categories in order of the lowest scoring. I started only with my 3 lowest and wrote out changes or goals for each of these areas. It was easy to see where I needed to focus myself. 

It is hard to take on all the changes at once so start with one thing at a time and work from that base of change and move forward. It will be making one small change at a time. If we take on too much we are not usually successful. 

Here are some suggestions from the article:

Be creative.

Start small.

Be realistic.

Celebrate your successes.

Spend time each day working on your goals and write about your progress.

Many areas of your life can be improved by reaching one goal.

In time, re-draw your circle to see if balance is being restored.

I know from organizing that it takes a while, 21 days, to form a new habit. We need to be supportive of one another and start small. I will see if my wheel becomes less wonky with time.