Here's Why I love "Beauty and the Beast"

Ok, I know the live-action Beauty and the Beast movie was released months ago, so it may seem like I'm behind the ball on this one, but as I re-watched this movie, I was reminded of why I love this movie so much.

If you've read through my blog, it's easy to see that I am a Disney fan, but that's not the only reason I love this movie.  I think that sometimes Disney princesses, and fairy-tale princesses in general, get a bad rap.  They're sometimes portrayed as "damsels in distress" and they get criticized for seeking a man's help (more specifically, a prince's help) to get out of whatever trouble their in.  This brings me some of the reasons I love this movie so much, and why I think Belle is one of my favourite princesses.

Please note I am doing my best not to spoil the movie for those who have not seen it, but I can't guarantee that you will not see things that you didn't know about the movie.

1 - Belle is a polite and caring person.  As she walks through the village in the opening seen, she is faced with people calling her peculiar, strange and even rolling their eyes at her.  But she greets everyone with a smile and a polite greeting.  Please don't mistake this to think I mean we have to accept people being disrespectful to us, but I think a smile and a greeting go a long way.  Belle goes on to show a little girl how to read, even though it is not an activity that others in the village believe that little girls can do.

2 - Belle is imaginative and creative.  Not only does she imagine the world outside of her little village, but she puts her creativity to work to come up with a washing machine for herself.  Very clever!

3 - Belle recognizes there is more to a person than just outer appearance.  Gaston may be handsome (and he definitely is in this movie), but his personality is not so attractive.  While others fawn over him, Belle is not taken in by his outward appearance and recognizes his unattractive personality.  And ultimately (SPOILER ALERT) she falls in love with the Beast for who he is on the inside, not his outward appearance.

4 - Belle is brave and strong.  While initially frightened of the Beast (and who wouldn't be scared of this towering creature that has captured your father and locked him away), she is not afraid to stand up to him.  She speaks her mind and openly disagrees with him.  And it goes without saying that when she volunteered to take her father's place as prisoner, that showed the ultimate courage.

5 - The visual effects in this movie are out of this world.  The colours, and the way Disney brings the objects like clocks, candelabras and even a wardrobe to life are amazing.

6 - Le Fou.  Le Fou is sometimes underrated, but there are a few reasons I like Le Fou, and I actually prefer the version of Le Fou in this live-action version of Beauty and the Beast over the cartoon one.  Le Fou holds Gaston in high regard, as many of the villagers seem to, which even results in a song dedicated to Gaston (one of my favourites in the move).  Despite the pedistal that Le Fou places Gaston on, he also has a conscience.  As the movie progresses Le Fou makes a transformation from a follower of Gaston to someone that starts to value himself and recognizes the error of Gaston's ways.  I love this transformation.   And finally, Le Fou injects some great humour in to some darker scenes of the movie, he has some of the funniest lines in the movie.

I could probably expand my list well beyond 6 reasons that I love this movie, but I will leave it there.  If you have not seen the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast, you really should.  If you have seen the movie, do you agree with my list?  What did you think of it?  Leave your thoughts in the comments section, or connect with me on social media to let me know what you think:

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Nail Product Review

I love getting a good manicure.  I have shaky hands, so I'm not very good at painting my own nails.  So I love treating myself to a nice manicure.  A couple years ago, I tried getting gel nails.  I loved them, because they lasted so long and looked great.  With regular nail polish, even high quality ones, I rarely had more than 1 or two days without a chip.  I tried shellac, but that only gave me a few more days of wear - maximum 5 days.  I've even tried nail stickers.  They gave me about the same amount of wear as shellac.

On a whim, while in a drug store waiting for a prescription, I decided to pick up some press on nails and give them a try.  I bought a few different varieties, and I decided I would review them for the blog in case any one was looking for recommendations!

To start I should note that your own experiences may vary.  I am very hard on my nails.  I don't wear gloves while cleaning or washing dishes.  I also have baths a few times a week, so my nails are subject to a lot of water and cleaning products.

The brands I tried for purposes of this review are:

• L'Oréal® Colour Riche® Press-On Nails
• Nailene Nail Studio
• imPRESS®
• Kiss® gel FANTASY™

So there were good and bad for each type, so I will tackle each one individually.  

First, L'Oréal® Colour Riche® Press-On Nails.  Here is a picture of the nails I chose:

The positives:

• These were the nails I got the most compliments on for the design.
• The sizing was clear and it was easy to locate the same size nail.  Nails had numbers on the back to let you  know the size.  So if you found the correct size for one thumb, you didn't have to keep measuring, you just looked for the nail with the same numbering on the back.

The "not so" positives:

• They chipped at the tips relatively quickly.  The black colour made it more noticeable.
• The adhesive was not very good, I had 3 nails fall off within 3 days.  I had to stick them back on with nail glue, but even at that, they weren't on a full week.

• Of all the nails I bought, these were the most expensive.  They were approximately $15 when I bought them (January 2017).  

Next, Nailene Nail Studio.  Here is a picture of the nails I chose: 

The positives:

• These were the most inexpensive of the nails I tried.  Purchased in January 2017 for $10.
• You could purchase them in a variety of lenghts.  This is a nice feature because I like my nails short, and it is difficult to find press-on nails that are not really long.  I chose the "short" nails for this review.
• They lasted just over a week for me.

The "not so" positives:

• These do not come with any adhesive pads or nail glue, you must purchase that separately.  The Nailene nail glue was $1.50.
• The pink part of the nail was relatively see-through, so it made the nails look sloppy when you look up close:

• If you don't take the nails off yourself, if they break off, it is particularly hard on your nails.  My nails were a mess after this set.

Next, imPRESS®.  This is a picture of the nails I chose:

The positives:

• There was a lot of variety in the way of designs.  Everything from simple French, to some wild patterns with fluorescent colours.  Lots for everyone to choose from.
• The adhesive pads are on the press-on nails, no separate adhesive to fiddle with, no glue.  These were the easiest to apply.
• These were the nails that lasted the longest for me.  I had them on nearly two weeks with no issues.  The only time I had one fall off is when I caught it on my car door, but I stuck it back on with nail glue.
• Easy to take off.  The adhesive is flexible, it doesn't rip at your nail.  Once the nail is off, just put some nail polish remover on the remaining adhesive and it comes off easily.
• Price at time of purchase, January 2017, was $11 regular price, and I got them 25% off.  Bonus!
• They didn't chip. 

The "not so" positive:

• Nothing.  I honestly loved everything about these nails.

Finally, Kiss® gel FANTASY™.  This is a picture of the ones I chose:

The positives:

• The picture doesn't do these nails justice, they were seriously gorgeous.
• These nails had a ton of really beautiful designs.  Very elegant.
• The adhesive pads that came with the nails worked well, I kept these on for a week with no problems.
• The price was similar to imPRESS at $11 to $12.

The "not so" positives:

• The nails seem to come only in one length, which are longer than I'm accustomed to, so I had to file down quiet a bit, and the design I chose had sparkly tips, so I ended up filing off a lot of the sparkle.

So, which were my favourite?  The imPRESS nails, which was probably obvious by my comments.  They were followed closely by the Kiss nails.

Check out my tutorial/review video for the imPRESS nails:

Have you tried press-on nails?  Do you have a favourite brand?  Good experiences?  Bad experiences?  Please share in the comments!

Note: All prices quoted in this article were at time of purchase, January 2017, at WalMart in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.  Prices may vary at your local stores.  

I was not sponsored or paid for this post.  All views and opinions are my own.

Travel Review: Grand Memories Varadero

My family and I had the fortunate opportunity of traveling to Varadero, Cuba in April 2016.  I won a trip courtesy of FamilyTravelCA and Sunwing Vacations.  Although we received our trip free, the opinions in this post are all mine, and some my family wanted to share as well.

We flew with Sunwing direct from Fredericton, New Brunswick, to Varadero, Cuba.  The ability to take a direct flight from a local airport was so convenient.  No airport transfers to deal with, and no long distance to drive to board our flight.

When we boarded our flight, my daughter received a Sunwing bag with some crayons, colouring page and an inflatable beach ball.  Each child on the flight received one.  My daughter was so excited to get hers, she put her stuffed animal right inside.

Our Sunwing flight featured sparkling wine, a new movie (Creed was the selection on our trip down), a meal, and beverages.  A great way to start our vacation!

Upon landing in Cuba, once we got through security, we exited the airport to find a Sunwing Representative to directed us to our bus to make our way to the resort. 

After a bus ride of less than an hour, we arrived at the Grand Memories Varadero.  We were greeted by a beautiful lobby and helpful staff.

The check-in process was quick, and we were on a trolley on our way to our room very shortly after.  Once we arrived in our room, we were very quickly asleep, but in the morning, woke to this view:

Not a bad way to start the day, right?

Next, it was off to the buffet.

So many choices every day - from pancakes, French Toast, omelettes, bacon, fruit, yogurt and more.

After breakfast, we made our way around the resort to see what there was to offer.  First, we found the "quiet pool", a beautiful and serene setting with a zero entry pool and a waterfall.  A great place to relax!

There was another pool at the resort that was a little more active.  This pool had several sections including a smaller kid's pool (not very deep), a shallow section for loungers to be put in the water for a cool rest, and a swim-up bar.  

This pool is very active with activities happening at most hours of the day.  There are plenty of "full sun" areas, but equally as many shaded areas.  The schedule can be found just outside the buffet - it includes the activities for both the pool and beach:

Next to the pool is a fantastic snack bar where you can get snacks 24 hours a day.  The pizza was my daughter's favourite.  I really liked the French Fries.

For lunch and supper, the buffet featured a wide range of foods such as pasta, hamburgers, french fries, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, chicken, pork, beef, shrimp and even lobster on some nights.  My daughter is a very picky eater and she never had trouble finding something to eat.  Rest assured that none of us lost any weight on this trip.

The evening featured shows in the very large theater, close to the buffet.  There is a bar at the rear of the theater for your refreshments, and the shows were lively and fun.  This was one of my daughter's favourite things to do at the property.  As an added bonus, for kids involved in the Kids Club, they often put on a show just prior to the main show for the evening.  This Kids Club Show was a highlight to the vacation for my daughter.  She couldn't wait to perform each day.

The fabulous dancers!

And then there's the beach.  Anyone who has ever been to Varadero knows how beautiful the beaches are, and the Beach at Grand Memories is no exception.  Gorgeous clear water, and even warmer than the pool!  Always busy and lots of activities happening.

When I told my daughter I was writing this post she wanted me to make sure I mentioned the Kids Club.  There is a building next to the "activity pool" that has a playground and a very shallow "baby pool".  This is the Kids Club.  Each day there are activities planned for kids to participate in.  Some inside the building, and some outside.  The activities range from arts and crafts, to sand castle building at the beach, swimming, games and shows, and even visits from Toopy and Binoo and the Berenstain Bears!

The schedule posted outside the Kids Club

And, as mentioned above, the kids have the opportunity to participate in a little evening show, which they practise for each afternoon.  

The staff at the kids club were so friendly and welcoming.  They would often walk around the pool to recruit kids for their programs.  My daughter has said that she can't wait to head back to Grand Memories to play at the Kids Club again.

Don't forget to take some time to head off resort as well to take in the sights and sounds of Cuba.  We actually were able to pre-purchase a trip in to Havana while on our plane ride down to Cuba.  This day-trip was a long one with lots of walking, so be prepared for that, but we had lots to see and the tour guide was very informative.

The weather was gorgeous, people were very helpful and hospitable, and the accommodations were great!

Our trip home was comfortable and included a movie, beverages and food.  The Sunwing crew was happy to answer any questions, and prepared us well for arriving back in Canada by providing the proper customs forms and answering any questions we had.

Overall this was a fantastic experience.  We look forward to heading to Grand Memories again, and we will definitely be travelling with Sunwing in the future!

Product Review: L'Oreal Paris Fibralogy

I was happy to have been selected to review L'Oreal Paris Fibralogy products for Influenster.  I received Shampoo, Conditioner and the Booster, free of charge, to review, compliments of L'Oreal and Influenster.  So what did I think?  Let me start by sharing a  "before" picture:

My hair is typically flat and dull, with very little body, as you can see.  I have extremely dry hair because I am so hard on it (hair colouring, straighteners, curling irons, hair dryers, etc).  So when I received the Fibralogy products, I was excited to give it a try.  Fibralogy products are meant to thicken your hair and provide you with more body.  Sounds good, right?

First, you begin with the Shampoo, once it's rinsed from your hair, you add a small amount of the thickening booster and, without rinsing the booster, add the conditioner, then it gets rinsed out together.   Ultimately, the products are meant to leave your hair feeling clean, thicker and softer.

I've been using these products for a week now, I'm not sure that my hair feels much thicker, however, I do notice my hair is softer and certainly appears to have a little more body to it.  Here is my "after" picture.

My hair after using @LOrealParisCanada 's #fibralogyworks products. #GotItFree from @influenster

A photo posted by Katie (@katie_nb) on Apr 24, 2015 at 8:06am PDT

What I love about these products is that a little goes a long way.  You only need a small amount of product for it to do it's work.  I also love that my hair doesn't feel greasy or weighed down after I use the products, as some products have done in my past.  They also don't have an overwhelming smell, which is great, because I have had some shampoos that are so scented that I can't wear them to my scent-free workplace.

So what does this all mean?  I think these are good products.  I'm not sure that I would purchase them to thicken my hair, but I love the way my hair feels when I use them.  I've scouted these products out at some of my local stores and the prices are very comparable to other similar brands, so you're not breaking the bank for great quality.  I would recommend these products if you're looking for softer hair with a little more body, but the jury's still out on the "thickening" claim.  I plan to continue to use these products to see if I notice a difference.  I will share once I'm done the bottles!

Have you tried the Fibralogy products?  What did you think?

Review: Stella & Dot - Chelsea Tech Wallet

You may have heard of Stella & Dot - they offer bags, wallets, jewelry and other accessories.  I knew a number of people that raved about their products, but I never experienced any of their products myself, until now.

My friend Jill was a true fan of Stella & Dot and ultimately became a Stella & Dot personal stylist!  She encouraged me to try out one of the products, and I chose the Chelsea Tech Wallet because I loved the pattern, and I liked the idea of having a wallet that could hold my cell phone.

This wallet has lots of sections and a few spots for credit/debit cards.

What I love about this wallet - it has plenty of room for money and cards.  I am notoriously famous for carrying too many cards, but this wallet was able to accommodate all of my credit, debit, loyalty and membership cards, as well as hold my cash, and still left plenty of room for my cell phone.  It has a wrist strap that was very sturdy and allowed me to go without a purse and carry this alone.  

My family and I went on a recent vacation to Florida, so I carried this wallet with me and couldn't believe how many compliments I received!  It's stylish and practical.  I LOVE this wallet.  

There is only one change I would make in this wallet, and that is that there is no change compartment.  I initially put the change right in with my cards/cash, however, they coins got stuck in between cards and were hard to find.  Eventually I settled on putting a small change pouch in the wallet to hold my change.  It still holds the pouch, my cards, cash and phone.

I highly recommend having a look at what Stella & Dot has to offer.  You can have a party at home with a personal stylist to show you everything  (and, bonus, you get some great deals), and there's even an opportunity to have a fundraising party where proceeds from sales at your party goes towards a cause close to your heart.  I'll be doing the latter in a couple weeks with Jill as our personal stylist!

Have a look at Stella & Dot though the link below, and, BONUS, the wallet I reviewed in this post is on sale at the time of this publication!!!

http://www.stelladot.com/ts/5pe66

Have you tried Stella & Dot?  Share your favourite products in the comments below.  

*Note - I received the wallet free of charge to review (Thanks Jill!), but the opinions are all my own.

Element5 Spa - Review

I recently had the opportunity to enjoy half a day at Element5 Spa in Saint John, NB.  If you're anything like me, it can be difficult to find the time to have a "me day", but I highly recommend it.  I have felt guilty in the past when I take time for me, but I truly believe that when you're happy and relaxed, it's contagious - a good contagious.  

I've had gift certificates before for a spa, and I usually stretch it as far as I can - multiple appointments on different days.  This time, I decided to try something different, book them all at the same time.  One big package.  And it was AMAZING.

Whether you live in Saint John, New Brunswick, or if you're planning to visit, I highly recommend a visit to this spa.  I'm going to share my experience in hopes of encouraging you to make your own "me day".  

Element5 Spa is located in Market Square, one of my favourite buildings in Saint John.  A beautiful, bright space surrounded by shopping, eating establishments, and even a museum.  One of the best parts, particularly for people visiting the area, it's connected by an "inside connection" to hotels, the Canada Games Aquatic Centre, Harbour Station (hockey rink/concert location), Brunswick Square (more shopping) and the iconic City Market.  You can easily make a whole day out of visiting this area of the city.

Element5 has recently had some renovations which include a new entrance and reception area with lots of products to browse through.

As you enter the reception area, you're greeted by a friendly staff, and taken to a relaxing waiting area with a fireplace, comfy chairs, and some Aveda Comforting Tea.  The tea is amazing, and the perfect way to start an appointment.

I began my appointment at 9 AM with a visit to their changing area where I was provided with a locker and a robe to wear for the duration of my visit.

I started with a leg wax.  Best to get the uncomfortable bit over with first.  My esthetician helped me feel relaxed and I barely noticed any uncomfortable feeling. A fantastic result, nice smooth legs, to move on to the remainder of my appointments.

Next, was a facial and a massage.  The massage was fantastic.  I've been to Element5 for massages before, and their RMTs are always very professional and discuss with you, before you begin, any trouble areas you may have, and what your goals are for the massage.  And the facial...this was a new area for me.  I had only had 1 facial before, and it wasn't a great experience, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but the facial was so relaxing, included a hand and head massage (heavenly), and my skin felt fresh and moisturized afterwards.  

Here is a picture of me feeling relaxed after these first few services.

And of course it was relaxing, check out the treatment rooms:

On to a pedicure and manicure.  Their rooms are equiped to handle groups as well, so you can have a pedicure and/or manicure with your friends and/or family.  Both the manicure and pedicure include trimming and shaping of your nails, cuticle treatment, foot filing for the pedicure, massage for both, and polish.  

The result:

Just prior to beginning my pedicure, I was actually brought a menu to order some lunch from a restaurant close to the spa, Ryan Duffy's.  I ordered fish and chips, was taken to a room after my pedicure and was able to eat and order a glass of wine.  It was delicious and continued my relaxing experience.

Check out my delicious lunch!

After finishing all of my appointments, I vowed to make another "me day" again sometime soon.  I left there feeling like I had just had a vacation!  Don't believe me?  Check out my "after" photo... this is the face of relaxation:

I had multiple staff take care of me during my day at the spa, and each was professional and courteous.  

So my recommendation - take a "me day" and visit the spa, and, if you have the time, book more than one service... it's the ultimate in relaxation.  I can't wait to get back!

Have questions about my experience?  Feel free to leave questions in the comments below!