My Turkish Bath Experience

My mom and I went to the spa the other day for a special treat since our trip to California got cancelled due to the Coronavirus… We went to the Hammam Spa by Céla at Bayview Village in North York, Toronto and it was so relaxing and gorgeous that I just had to share my experience! Below is a picture of the tea lounge.

I got a custom facial for my first treatment which was pretty standard and and felt super nice, and then my second treatment was something called a ‘Turkish Bath’. This is the description of the treatment on the Hammam Spa website:

“Cleanse your body and soothe your spirit with this purifying and refreshing ceremony, modelled on one of the world’s oldest cleansing traditions. Center yourself in our steam room before heading to our calming Turkish suites. Lay on a heated marble table while hot and cool water treatments stimulate your senses. Feel renewed as you are exfoliated with a Céla exfoliating mitt, then experience deep cleansing as layer upon layer of moisturizing bubbles are gently placed on your skin, leaving you softer than silk. The treatment concludes with a final cleanse with stimulating eucalyptus black soap. To finish, unwind in the tea lounge with warm tea, baklava, and Turkish delight — a perfectly sweet ending to this ethereal experience.”

So basically you start in their steam room for 15 minutes to get all your pores open and ready for cleansing. This steam room was SO cool. It is a big room with gorgeous Mediterranean looking tiling and a big pole in the middle where the steam generates. It gets SO steamy in there it was kind of hard to breathe in there sometimes (but I liked it hehe), and you could only see about 1 metre in front of you. It had cool LED lights that changed colours and really soothing music playing. It was so trippy in there it felt like a mild LSD trip with the combination of steam, lights and music LOL.

Then I went into this gorgeous marble room with a marble table that I lay on. They give you disposable underwear to put on and a small towel to cover your boobs, so you’re basically naked. It starts with the splashes of warm and cold water, and when I say ‘splashes’ it’s literally an entire bucket of water poured all over different parts of your body. It’s mostly the hot water that is used but you also get a few cold splashes of water on the top of your head, back of your neck, and all over at the very end of the treatment (but the water really isn’t that cold, more refreshing). After the first few splashes, she then takes an exfoliating mitt and work on my whole body from head to toe. My skin was SO soft after, not a trace of dead skin was left.

The next part was my favourite. Your whole body gets covered in bubbles!!! Legit you look like the Michelin Man, your body is completely covered and you can feel them dissolving over your body it and it actually feels really nice. When the bubbles are still on you, they will take a black soap and cleanse your entire body with it as it mixes with the bubbles. It feels SO soft on your skin and they kind of massage your body as they do this. After that they splash you with more water to rinse, and have you lie on your stomach so they can do it all over again for your back. And as I mentioned before, the treatment concludes with a final splash of cold water on your front and back. After the treatment, I went into the steam room for one last steam.

This was unlike anything I’ve heard of before and it was such a unique experience. It’s not something I would do all the time (it really is just a glorified shower) but it’s definitely a luxurious treat from time to time. The next time I go I want to try a clay wrap!

I definitely recommend the Hammam Spa for any of you Toronto readers. It’s a little pricey but definitely worth it for a day of luxury!

That’s all I have for now!

xoxo,

Sarah

 

My Lash Lift Experience!

I used to be all about that lash extension life, but I’ve noticed that they really do cause damage to your natural lashes. So many technicians out there say that this doesn’t happen when you use the right technique or some say that they just appear smaller because you’re so used to seeing them so long. Both of these are lies because even the most experienced technician who has been doing it for over 10 years admits that there will almost always be at least a bit of temporary damage. It’s nothing that a lash serum can’t fix but the temporary damage is definitely still annoying and it takes about 2 months for my lashes to grow back to their full extent afterwards. Since I’ve been trying to do modelling on a more professional level lately, I think going with a natural look is better for the industry anyways, so I thought I would try a lash lift instead while I let my lashes grow back.

Whenever I try something new I always love to share my experience to see if can educate anyone else! So here it is, my first lash lift experience.

My friend referred my to this girl on instagram who does lashes out of her house part-time. She’s based in Etobicoke (West-End Toronto for anyone who isn’t familiar), and her prices are pretty decent. She is @xonikibeauty on instagram if you want to check out her work!

A lash lift is basically like a perm for your head hair but you would do it on your lashes. It’s a multi-step process. First, they put on the under eye gel pad to make everything comfortable, then she took my lashes and temporarily glued them on to a board on the top part of my eye, between my lashes and my eyelid. This board is what gives it that upward curl look. Once they are glued to that curved board (making sure they are all evenly separated, it’s time to apply the perming solution. I’m not exactly what it is that they use, but they put some sort of solution on the lashes glued to the board, wait for it to set for 15 minutes, and then wipe it off and repeat that step twice. Once you have permed it and let it set for 30 minutes (two 15 minute cycles) it’s time to apply an oil solution to remove the glue and separate your lashes from the board on your eyelid. Once the board is removed, the lashes should be perfectly curled upward into place.

You’re not allowed to wet your lashes for 24 hours afterwards (same with extensions) and your eyelids are left feeling kind of weird after, it’s like there’s a film leftover or something. Some of the lashes are also a little clumped together right afterwards, but once you are able to wash your face all of these feelings should subside, and the lashes will look as they should.

The lift should last about 6 weeks, and I didn’t get a tint along with it because my lashes are naturally dark anyways. My technician actually recommends against getting a tint in the same day as the lift, because adding the tint makes it last not as long. If you think about it, if we’re not allowed to get it wet with water in the first 24 hours, why would ink be okay? It should last longer if you don’t get it with a tint, and it’s cheaper too! Most technicians don’t admit this because it’s all about getting more money for them, rather than caring about the integrity of their work.

Overall, I definitely recommend a lift as a more natural alternative to lash extensions, and it’s better because you can wear mascara with them! It’s also a much smoother comedown period, there’s no messy gaps in your lashes or lashes that refuse to curl upwards like sometimes happens with extensions. It removes a lot of the annoying things we have to do when we have extensions, so I think I’m gonna keep up with this for a while!

That’s all I have for now!

xoxo,

Sarah

 

 

Meet Rasha – Our Newest Blogger

Hey everyone!

My name is Rasha and I am so excited to join this lovely team of bloggers at Live Life in The Floral Lane. I am a journalist who is passionate about media entrepreneurship and the arts. I came across this beauty and lifestyle platform a few months ago and knew it would be the best platform to not only share my knowledge about skincare, healthy lifestyle (nutrition and fitness) but also learn from others.

Like most young professionals, I graduated Ryerson School of Journalism eager to dive into television and publicity. I am a communications lead by day and producer for 1030rn.com Media by night. Being on the go and cramming my schedule with projects I love and absolutely can’t say no to has taught me a few tips and tricks in keeping my body, mindset and lifestyle optimal and fun!

Living “healthy” and “happy” means different things to everyone. My philosophy regarding this is shaped a lot about what my mom (aesthetician and amazing baker!) has instilled in me – to continuously acquire knowledge that will allow you to make the best health, beauty and self care decisions for yourself. We all are unique, so know what works for you!

Feel free to follow me on Instagram (@rashareh) and support a media arts and culture platform I have co-founded (@1030rn, Instagram).

My Experience With Plastic Surgery and Fillers

This is a post I’ve been hesitant to write for a while just because I know people are very divided on the topic. I know some people say that you should just be happy in your own skin and learn to love yourself. But like just because I didn’t like my nose doesn’t mean I didn’t love myself LOL. I legit was just unhappy with my nose for years, and if I had the funds to make a change, then why not. I went to Dr. Torgerson located in Yorkville and that man has magic fingers I swear, every patient of his comes out looking fab.

Facial Plastic Surgery & Laser Centre – Toronto

I got it as my University Graduation present on May 1st 2018. And while the month of May was probably the worst month of my life (bloody loogies, not being able to breath out of your nose, dry mouth etc.) I would do it 1000 times over again I had to. I absolutely LOVE my nose and I’m 10 times more confident when I go out. And I don’t know if it’s just me, but when when I look prettier I feel happier.

I’ll insert some before and after pics right here.

 

 

The best picture is right after it happened and my face was all swollen and bruised. It is just hilarious to me!

One thing to note is that when cartilage heals, it heals very bumpy. My nose had different bumps in various places on different days, it was quite strange! They say it takes up to a full year for everything to be completely healed.

And I wish I could say it stopped there, but it didn’t LOL. I have never really been a fan of my butt chin, so for my birthday present to myself this year I got a little bit of a filler in my chin to get rid of the dent and elongate my face just a little. I’ll insert pictures below.

And finally, I wouldn’t be a millennial girl if I din’t try lip fillers at least once. I went to this place called “New You” and Yonge and Davisville which had a deal where you could get 50% off your first filler treatment. And they called her the ‘Lip Doctor’ and rightfully so because I absolutely love them! I told her I didn’t want to change the shape of my lips just make them a little more plump all around, which I think she did perfectly. I had these done in September 2018 and they are still holding up strong!

Home

Now I really wanted to be honest in this blog, I’ve never once given the impression to any of my friends or followers that I didn’t get any of this stuff done. I believe in complete honesty and that you should own up to your shit. I’m not ashamed of what I’ve had done, and I don’t think it’s something that others should judge me for too. We’re all just people trying to be happy and make a name for ourselves in this world so lets try to keep the love okay ❤

Some people will probably say oh it’s because she lives in the Kardashian generation and wants to be fake like all the other celebrities out there. And it’s extremely plausible that that influences me in some way, being a girl in 2019 it’s almost impossible to avoid these images and messages. But these are things I’ve wanted for years, not just because the Kardashians told me so. I always say that people who are judgmental are just unhappy with something in their life, so I try not to listen to any negativity that I get.

I understand that I’m extremely fortunate to be able to afford all these things, and I am forever grateful that I made these decisions in my early 20’s. My surgeon said the most common ages to get these procedures done is early 20’s right before your adult life starts, and after 40 when all their kids have grown up. So in my mind, why wait??

Dr Jart Tiger Grass – Is it Worth it?

So I have tried both the Tiger Grass Serum and the cream, and let me tell you, I was more than underwhelmed! So it was supposed to be for redness (which I have a lot of) and I used up both products completely and I legitimately did not see a difference! I figured with the products being green and all, they would mask redness on the day-to-day, but that didn’t really happen. I tried the serum first, and although I liked the applicator (the little button at the top) I went through it so quick! And for 60 some dollars I don’t think it’s really worth it.

So then my dumbass thought well if the serum didn’t work then maybe the cream will! It smells really good and I like the packaging and how it looks all medicine like. But the cream was suuuuper thick and not really for my skin type. I would put it on and I would sweat from my upper lip (is that weird idk), and then within the hour my skin would feel oily again. AND THE REDNESS WAS STILL THERE!

So goodbye Dr. Jart, I tried and you failed. Hopefully other people get enjoyment out of this product.

A Photo Collage – Happy Place

So about a month ago this exhibit called “Happy Place” came to Toronto (initially started in LA). And basically it’s just one amazing photo op after another, and I think my followers on insta are starting to get over my posts LOL. So I thought it would be cute to put them all here, and it’s perfect timing because you can still buy tickets if you’re in the GTA! Get them here –> https://www.happyplace.me/ available until Jan 6th!

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Fall Recap – Sarah

So now that it’s started to snow in Toronto and has literally become effing freezing, I feel it’s appropriate to recap my fall adventures, as winter is coming….

Well it started off with my 22nd Birthday in late September, where my best friends and I had a good wine dinner. I passed out at 10:30 PM…Classic Sarah.

Another highlight is my trip to the apple orchard with my lovely boyfriend Jake. It’s just such a classic fall activity and we couldn’t pass up on a cute photo op!

Then he took me to the theatre (so classy lol) where we saw Bat out of Hell at the Ed Mirvish theatre downtown Toronto. I’m not exactly a meatloaf fan..but it was still a fun time!

And what is fall without a trip to the corn maze…It wasn’t that much of a maze tbh but at least I got cute pics HA! There were farm animals too! Did you know that sheeps wag their tails like dogs, I was so in love!

And finally, the best part of fall, is the fall scents. Bath & Body Works is a girls best friend. My fave candle picks this year was “Pumpkin Patch” & “Pumpkin Caramel Swirl”, and I love me a good room spray, I chose “sweater weather’ for this year! So beyond basic it physically hurts. Yolo. I also love me some good fall decor, but that’s for another post!

And that’s basically it! Winter came early this year but I bet it’s gonna be just as great as the fall!