Music Monday: Niall Horan, Matthew Heath & Grady Griggs, Shawn Mendes

Niall Horan - Slow Hands
I have to admit, I didn't really like Niall's first single as a solo artist (This Town) but I can get down with his new single, Slow Hands. It's got a good groove and easy lyrics to sing along to. I love a song I can sing along to in the car.

Matthew Heath & Grady Griggs - Slow Down
I have no idea who these people are but they sing my current favourite TV theme song. It makes me so happy to hear it every time Terrace House starts. Sometimes when I listen to it on my commute, I picture a montage of clips with my name, age, and profession listed below me hahaha. It's strange that the Japanese version of the show uses Taylor Swift's "New Romantics" instead - it threw me off when I first saw it. Terrace House isn't the same without hearing "Slow Down".

Shawn Mendes - Ruin

I have to give Shawn Mendes some love on my blog. I remember when I first heard him on the radio, I didn't think much of him. Then he performed at Niagara Falls for a New Years Eve' TV special and he did not sound good live, especially when he performed with Nick Jonas and you could easily hear the difference in skill. Fast forward a few months, I decided to download his album and give it a listen. The second I heard "Ruin", I fell in love with the song (and the rest of the album too). The kid actually sings with a lot of heart and you can tell that he's worked hard to improve his live performances. The fact that he's a good Canadian kid from Pickering makes me happy that he's getting well-deserved success now. 

My Makeup Journey

It's crazy when I think back and realize I've only started wearing makeup on a consistent basis about 4 years ago. I never wore any back in high school and university except for special occasions, and even then I had no idea what I was doing. Then I discovered YouTube beauty gurus and everything changed. For the better? Definitely for the worse when it comes to my wallet, haha. There were so many things to try - mascara, eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks, highlighters, bronzers - I wanted it all! There was definitely a learning curve (and some terrible attempts at a winged eyeliner) but I think I've finally figured out my makeup style. Going with full coverage makeup doesn't work for me - I actually prefer how I look when I remove all my makeup on those days. I've managed to come up with a natural everyday makeup look I like using the products below. And I can complete it in less than 10 minutes!

Top Row: 

1. Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Fair

2. It Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness

3. The Body Shop All-In-One-Face Base in 045

Middle Row:

1. The Body Shop Bronzing Powder in Medium Matte

2. H&M Powder Blusher in Tawny Peach

3. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Rose Gold

Bottom Row:

1. NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Yogurt

2. Tarte Lights Camera Lashes mascara 

3. Lancome Juicy Shaker in Vanilla Pop 

If I'm feeling fancy, I'll use eyeshadow and attempt a winged eyeliner but it still needs practice. No amount of YouTube videos I watch can help me nail down that darn wing. 

There are still definitely many days I'm completely bare faced (especially on days I have to work - sleep is more important!) but it's kind of nice having makeup skills now. A bit of concealer and mascara can do wonders in boosting confidence :) 

The 5 Love Languages

The other day, I was browsing Buzzfeed videos and I came across this one about Love Languages. I can never resist an online quiz so I decided to look more into it. It turns out the Love Languages are actually based on a book that was written in the 90s which explains that there are 5 universal ways that people express and interpret love.

In a nutshell, the 5 Love Languages are:

1. Words of Affirmation: expressing affection through spoken praise or appreciation
2. Quality Time: expressing affection by giving your undivided attention
3. Receiving Gifts: giving/receiving gifts that are meaningful or thoughtful to show appreciation
4. Acts of Service: lending a helping hand; actions are used to show you care
5. Physical Touch: physical connections (e.g. hand holding) makes you feel safe and loved

There's a bunch of different quizzes online but I decided to try this PDF one, mainly because it was from the official website and I didn't have to register my email to do it. 

For the most part, my answers were spread out pretty evenly but the one that was the highest for me was "Physical Touch", which now that I think about it, is quite true. If my boyfriend is standing in front of me, I like hugging him from behind. If we're watching TV together, I like resting my head on his shoulder. If he's sitting down, I'll give him a shoulder rub. And I appreciate the reciprocated actions :) It's odd because I've never been really touchy-feely (e.g. I'm not usually the one who initiates hugs with friends) but maybe being in a relationship after eons of being single changes a person. 

The "language" with the lowest score for me was "Quality Time", which makes sense to me. I'm the type of person who is loyal to the people I care about regardless of time spent together. Even if we haven't spoken in a while, I will always have your back. You can live halfway around the world or on the other side of the country and we may not get the chance to chat very often but you can be sure that my feelings for you won't change - once a friend, always my friend :)  

"Receiving gifts" was my second highest by the way *wink wink, nudge nudge, Darrell* hahaha

Music Monday: Beyonce, Harry Styles, Lorde

I know it's officially Tuesday now, but I started writing this post on Monday so here's 3 songs for my Music Monday that I've been loving lately.

Harry Styles - Sign of the Times 
Being the One Direction fan that I am (no shame!), I was originally sad to hear that the band was going on hiatus but it's actually worked out well. I'm liking all of their solo projects. It's interesting to see all of them have such different musical styles. I like this rock vibe that Harry is going for. The song is a little repetitive but the ending makes up for it. Now we're just waiting for Liam to release music...

Lorde - Green Light
I can't believe it's been 4 years since Lorde's last album. I didn't even realize how much I missed Lorde until this song came out. Every time I hear this, I want to break out dancing - weird, Lorde-esque dancing - punching my arms in the air and whipping my head back and forth. This song is especially fun to sing when you're in the car and you happen to be at a red light: "I'm waiting for it - that green light, I want it!"

Beyonce - All Night
(For a better version, click here - starts at 3:00. I couldn't upload the official video to my blog.)
This might be my favourite song from Beyonce's Lemonade album. I actually didn't think much of it until I heard it playing on an episode of The Mindy Project one day. Beyonce just has a way of making me feel the feels.

Guess Who's Back, Back Again.

So, I'm back trying to do this blogging thing once again. I know, I know -  I said the same thing 2 years ago and it was an epic fail. Who knows, maybe I'll give up on blogging this time around too - we'll see how long I can keep this up. I'm finding that as I'm getting older, my memory is getting worse so it's nice to have something to look back on once in a while to remind myself of all the things I liked (and how awkward I can be). It's also kind of fun to be writing again.

I originally named this blog, "Cupful of Joy" because I wanted to document all the random things that made me happy - vacations, music, hot celebrities, etc. It seems appropriate to be writing on this blog again because I'm at a point in my life where I really do feel joy. It took 8 years of post-secondary education (at 3 different institutions) but I'm finally done with school and I have a job that I honestly enjoy and that I'm good at. I moved into a gorgeous house that is awesome enough to not make me sad about moving out of the house I lived my whole life in. I have 2 adorable nephews who can turn any bad day into a good day the minute you see them. And I have a boyfriend who is such a sweet guy and I can be myself around without worrying if I seem uncool or dorky. I mean, let's face it - I am uncool and dorky but I found someone who can appreciate that :) 

Speaking of the boyfriend, it's funny how life is sometimes. I am a firm believer that things happen when they're supposed to happen. We actually knew of each other back in high school but I'm almost positive that if we dated back then, it wouldn't have lasted. The nerd in me would have put school as a priority and I would have been a terrible girlfriend. Fast forward to 2016 - I graduated, I started my career as an RT, and I was finally ready to venture out into the scary dating world...and there he was. Awkward online dating avoided! Whew! It's actually scary how easy (and quickly) this whole dating thing unfurled, not that I'm complaining. I guess when you know, you know. No need to play games.

Anyway, that's a quick update on my life. I plan on updating this blog with random things - most likely less life updates and more light, fun stuff. That's the goal anyways. 

Music Monday: The Weeknd, Carly Rae Jepsen, One Direction

It's been a while, whoops. So much for updating this blog on a regular basis. School stresses me out too much. Here's 3 songs I've been loving singing along to and dancing to.

The Weeknd - Can't Feel My Face
It's my Calgary trip theme song! Makes me miss hanging out with Becky.

Carly Rae Jepsen - Run Away With Me
Her new album dropped and I already knew I would love it before I even heard it. Carly Rae Jepsen has a way of making me want to dance all the time.

One Direction - Drag Me Down
First 1D music video without Zayn...I still love them. This song is so easy to sing along to and then it gets stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

Bye Bluebell :(

The Hart of Dixie series finale made me tear up! I know the song at the end was cheesy but it was such a perfect end to the show. Hart of Dixie and the small town of Bluebell always made me smile. I love when shows know their final end date. It's hard to say goodbye but at least they get to wrap up the show without any loose ends.