Ottawa: ByWard Market Adventures #1

As promised in my last Uni Life update entry, here is the first of my (hopefully) numerous ByWard Market adventures! Again, I've been frequenting the area often in the last two months (both for pleasure and school) that it just seemed right to blog about the things to do and see here for anyone looking to visit! Or you know, just for curiousity's sake. Either way, here it is!

According to various Ottawa tourist sites, Restaurant 18 is a must-visit. I've yet to try it out (hopefully sometime soon) but it sounds great! I mean, just check out their website and try not to drool.

So going off of ByWard Market's historical walking tour, I took my camera and comfy Vans and decided to explore the place on my own! Started off at Clarendon Court, between George and York Streets. I had absolutely no idea that there were these little alleyways that existed!

Some art pieces displayed along the walls - so, so pretty!

Coming out the other side of Clarendon Court, I was greeted by the York Street Millennium Fountain. Again, had no idea this piece of history existed. According to the panels by the fountain, the city used to have about 30 similar fountains during the late 19th/early 20th Century. This particular one is a replica of one of them, and it's been around since August 2000. It's located on an island on the intersection of York and Sussex, so you won't miss it!

On to Jeanne-d'Arc Court, between York and Clarence Streets...

...and I was greeted by this fella! This dancing bear statue was created in 1990 by Inuit artist Pauta Saila, who is well known for his bear pieces. I dare you to not snap a photo of this cute guy!

A few steps away from the dancing bear is this 'Young Girl'. The statue was created by John Ivor Smith, and shows a 'young woman holding a hoop over her head' with an apparent reference to Heaven and God. It's right in front of the Jeanne-d'Arc Institute, which used to be run by nuns in 1917 and housed young women. Since then, it's been converted into a condo/office space.

My last stop on this trip was Notre Dame Basilica (375-385 Sussex Drive). I'd seen photos, but man, to see it in real life is amazing! The architecture is amazing, and the interior just... I'm speechless.

How gorgeous does the interior look? I've yet to attend a mass here, but I'm definitely looking forward to my next visit.

What other adventures await here at ByWard Market? 

We shall see! Definitely stay tuned for the next installment of my ByWard adventure!

October Faves!

So, it's that time of the month again where I share with you my favourite discoveries (and re-discoveries) from the past few weeks! How is it already the last week of October? I don't know.

Anywho, I've found myself reaching for my Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer once again this month. It was a definite must-have for me during the summer, and I've fallen back in love with it. It's a lightweight formula so it's great if you don't like that cakey feeling foundations can sometimes have. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone. I've also been pairing that with my MAC Pro Longwear concealer (another fave from last month and it get's a double feature!) and I've been applying that with the Sonia Kashuk concealer brush. I gotta say, those two products (and a tool) are pretty much all I need, especially when I'm in a mad dash to get to class cause you know, who doesn't like to sleep in for an extra five minutes?

That being said, I've been good with giving myself enough time to finish making myself looking half-decent, so I've also been loving the Passionate Quest quad from MAC. The purple shades are absolutely beautiful for both daytime and nighttime looks - I particularly love Brazenly (the top right shadow in the photo) all over the lid! And because no eye-look is complete without eyeliner, I've been using the Kat Von D tattoo liner in Trooper. I haven't quite yet mastered the cat flick, but with this, I'd say I'm pretty close to perfect 90% of the time! Once my sample of it runs out, I may just have to get the full sized product. 

Other products I've been reaching for are the Kat Von D Immortal Lash mascara (you can get the mascara and liner set like I did from Sephora here), MAC blush in Gingerly, MAC bronzing powder in Sculpt (in the LE Maleficent packaging that I just adore!) and the NARS lipgloss in Viva. 

As for my favourite lippies this month? It's definitely been a red/burgundy type of month! You can't blame me - after all, it is on trend for the season no? Anywho, I've been loving (t-b) MAC's Fashion Revival (a purple-berry mix with a matte finish), Rimmel's Diva Red (a deep, brick red), Rimmel's Bordeaux (a vampy red colour) and MAC's Darkside (a deep burgundy). 

I'll definitely try to get out of this red-phase I'm currently in! But honestly, you can never go wrong with a nice ol' red lip. 

Other beauty items I've been loving this month are Revlon's nail polishes in Divine (sparkly burgundy, no surprise there!) & Motorcycle Jacket (black), Essie polish in No More Film and the Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Treatment for my hair! Because the weather has been dropping lately, it hasn't been great for my hair and this oil definitely works wonders! It keeps the frizz and dryness at bay, and because you basically just have to spritz it on and comb through, it's foolproof. 

And on those days where I'm feeling quite up to playing around with my hair, I've been loving accessorizing with bows! The ones pictured are from Aeropostale, and I am in love! So girly, but not overly so. 

My non-beauty faves:

Lattes from the Nestle Toll House Cafe, particularly with a caramel shot? Love! This was a fairly recent discovery, and I am hooked! Suddenly heading downtown (it's right in front of the UO by Rideau Centre) has gotten a whole lot more exciting for me. If like me, you are a tad bit addicted to caffeine and love caramel, this is the one to try out. Plus, they have a 10% discount for students, so score!

As for the song that's constantly on repeat in my head? That'd have to be Sarah Paulson's cover of 'Criminal' from American Horror Story: Freakshow! I am just... in love with her voice. It's so sultry and smooth and I could listen to this cover for ages. No lie. I'm definitely hoping she's got more songs coming up in the next few episodes. Oh, and Jessica Lange's cover of Lana Del Ray's 'Gods and Monsters' is pretty kickass too. Definitely pleased with AHS this year - minus the clowns though. It's still a bit of a struggle for me to sit through scenes with Twisty without squirming. Just... no. 

What have been your favourite discoveries this month? And if you're an AHS fan, how are you liking this season?

As always, 

Happy discovering!

The Book Wishlist

As I've mentioned before, my addiction to books is pretty bad. So it really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that one thing I love doing over the weekends is heading to Chapters and just perusing down the aisles. There's something very therapeutic about it and I will honestly admit, that in times when I feel overwhelmed and stressed, you can find me calming my nerves in a bookstore. So you can say it's both a disease and a cure. 

Anywho, I have been spotting quite a few good prospects lately and because I do need to maintain what we call a 'budget', it's been killing me that I can't take a few of them home. I've been resorting to taking photos of them on my phone and building up on my so called 'Book Wishlist'. 

Here are only a few of the titles I've been coveting over the past two months and god, I need them in my life. It pains me, I kid you not, that they are not sitting on my bookshelf. I sound insane. I know. And I'm sure there are others like me out there, so don't judge. 

I daresay these have to be my top picks - Becca Fitzpatrick's Black Ice being the numero uno on my list. I've loved the Hush, Hush series since the first book came out (I love me some Patch and Nora), so to have another work by her? There's no doubt I'm going to be all over that. 

So you know, anyone who knows me out there and is wondering what to get me for Christmas... hint hint hint. Please and thank you? Haha!

What's on your wishlist?

Happy discovering!