What Every Contact Lens User Should Know

I've been wearing contact lens for 11 years now! That's a long time.. In that time, I have learned a lot about proper handling techniques for contact lens along with general tips and tricks. Some tips I learned when I first started wearing contacts and others I've learned throughout the years. I don't see a lot of talk about tips and tricks about this topic and I thought that I could share some of what I have learned. Contact lens are tricky because one small thing could cause an infection or irritation. They are simple to use but not nearly as simple as one may think. I always recommend that you consult your eye doctor first before using contact lens. Of course, I am not a professional but here is what every contact lens user should know (in my opinion)!

1. Wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap before touching your eyes or contact lenses.
2. Dry your hands using a towel or paper towel. This will prevent lint from sticking onto your fingers and travelling onto your contact lens. A piece of lint can easily scratch the eye or your contact lens.
3. Change your contact lens case frequently. Unwanted bacteria and dirt can build up after prolonged use.
4. Don't stock up on contact lens solution as they have expiry dates. Always check the expiry dates before using a new bottle of contact lens solution.
5. Before using a new set of contact lenses, be sure to wash them thoroughly in contact solution. You never know how they were packed.
6. Only wear your contact lenses for the duration they are made for. IE: don't wear daily contacts for a week at a time.
7. Beware of your contact lens around long nails! Your nails could end up scratching or tearing your lens.
8. Long nails are more prone to trapping dirt and bacteria which could cause infections when handling your contact lens. Try to get them at a reasonable and hygienic length.
9. Even though you may be tempted to wear contact lens for prolonged periods of time, it's best to always give your eyes a break by giving them some extra oxygen love.
10. Contact lens have expiry dates too! Check before you use them.

Do you have any tips and tricks for contact lenses?

~Usha

10 Uses for Q-Tips

So many of us forget about q-tips in our grooming routines. I'm sure many of us have an unopened pack under the sink or in our linen closet. When we think about q-tips, we usually think about the traditional uses such as making our ears squeaky clean. However, there are so many other uses for q-tips than just the conventional way. There's so much big potential in these little guys! I thought it would be fun to put together a list of 10 uses for q-tips!

1. Dip your q-tip in nail polish remover to clean up the nail polish around the edges of your nails.
2. Use them to make designs on your nails by dipping in nail polish.
3. You can apply eye shadow in the crease or the inner corner of your eyelid using a q-tip.
4. Use a q-tip to create a smudged look with your eyeliner.
5. Mix your pigment with a mixing agent by using a q-tip.
6. Apply liquid lip gloss from a tube or in a palette using a q-tip.
7. Mix different lip colours to create a new lip colour by using a q-tip.
8. Clean up a makeup mistake by dipping in makeup remover (ie. applying eyeliner).
9. If you are going to pop a pimple, don't use your fingers! Use q-tips!
10. Apply eye brow gel or powder by using a q-tip.

As you can see, q-tips are a great, inexpensive and versatile tool to keep around the house. These are only a few uses for q-tips but I am sure there are so many other things you could do with them. Let me know what are your top uses for q-tips both beauty, wellness or other related. I would love to know!

~Usha

About Me!

Do you have an interest in all things glam, beauty, makeup and wellness but you're not big on the latest crazes, spending huge heaps of money or buying every single new product?

Well good. I'm like that too. I think we'll get along just fine. 

Hi! I'm Usha and I live in Ontario, Canada! Canada has many wonderful things like Tim Hortons, snow, hockey and the CN Tower!

If you love makeup, beauty, health, wellness and you don't like to be broke or use complicated products, you've come to the right space. Here you can find tips, tricks and advice on all things beauty and wellness related from my daily experience in this wonderful journey we call life. I'm not an expert or a professional makeup artist but I love to share ideas and be creative. You might have a tip or two to share as well! I'm always learning and I don't think I'll ever become an expert or 'know it all'. I hope we can travel along this journey together.

I started Just Random Little Things as blogging was always a dream of me and I wanted to share all the wonderful things that life has to offer. During my 25th birthday I finally decided to turn that dream into reality. Since that time it has grown to so much more! For me blogging is a creative outlet and a way to share ideas and connect with others who have similar interests.

There are so many beauty and wellness blogs that dedicate so much time and money on makeup and buying the latest products (and nothing is wrong with this!). However, I'm not about that. I rarely buy makeup. I don't have a makeup room and my makeup collection is the size of travel makeup case. I just like to share tips and tricks and love learning!

Makeup and wellness play a significant part in my life and how I feel as a person. It makes me feel beautiful, complete and amazing and I want to share that with others! Take a look around and explore what I have to share. There's a lot of content to share.

I love books, coffee, colouring, cooking, popcorn, chocolate, ice cream, pjs and travelling.

P.S. Don't be shy! Stop by and say hi! You can find me on Instagram and Pinterest. Or you can leave me a comment or send me an email. I would love to hear from you!

Oh! Don't forget to sign up for emails whenever a new post is up! Fill out your email address in the subscription box found on the top right hand corner. 

Protect Your Skin - Foundation Expires!

All of us can be guilty about keeping makeup longer than we should. There are so many times where I keep using expired lipstick or nail polish. You just don't think about makeup expiring. However, we really should; especially when it comes to foundation. I gave this no thought until recently when I was applying my foundation and it just wasn't doing its job. I knew something was off and that was when I discovered that foundation does expire! I thought I would share a few points on how you can also determine if your makeup expires.

1. For one, your skin will look darker. The foundation tends to oxidize much more when expired than when its not. You will definitely notice that something is off with the colour of your skin. If this happens, check your foundation.
2. Even though my skin was looking darker, I kept on using my foundation for a few more days. I thought that maybe the discoloration would stop after a few days. However, in addition to my skin looking darker my foundation was just not giving me the complete, flawless, smooth look that I was aiming for. I know how well my foundation performs and applies on my skin. When you notice that something isn't right about the application or finished look, most likely it can be due to expired foundation.
3. This is a weird one but I also noticed that my face was a lot more oily then usual (and I use an oil controlling base before I apply makeup). It just didn't seem right as I wasn't running a marathon throughout the day for my skin to be that oily. Also my diet didn't change and was pretty much the same. With the above two points combined with my oily skin, I knew that I was dealing with a case of expired foundation.

Luckily I had a brand new bottle of my usual foundation on hand as my first bottle was almost done. I then switched to the brand new foundation and boy, did it make the world of a difference! I knew instantly that I definitely was using expired foundation for a few days. You can just tell.

I don't think I'll be using expired foundation anytime soon as now I know what to look out for! I hope my experience can at least be of a little aid to you in what to look out for in your foundation. A good tip is to write the date on which you bought your foundation directly on the bottle. This way there are no excuses to loose track of time. Besides, you want to ensure that you are protecting your skin especially the skin on your face since it can be extremely sensitive.

I hope this helps! While I know what to look out for in foundation, I can definitely use some assistance in determining other expired makeup products - lipstick, eye shadow etc...

What tips do you have to tell when makeup products are expired?

~Usha

My Whole 30 Experience

What is Whole 30?
I'm not an expert at explaining the whole program. You can read the full details of the program on their website: http://whole30.com/.

How did you learn about Whole 30?
Through my cousin who visited in December. He did the Whole 30 and said it was a great experience!

Why did you choose to do the Whole 30?
As the year ended and the new year embarked, I really felt the urge to just throw myself into a challenge! A HARD challenge! My husband and I were talking about this and decided that the Whole 30 could be the challenge. It was something I've never done before or never thought I would ever do. Reading the program information on the website screamed 'challenge' to me.

Secondly, I wanted to be a little more toned in my body. Up until this point I've always felt that I've eaten healthy and I've been going to the gym fairly frequently. However, I could never achieve my desired weight/body type.

How did you prep for the Whole 30?
I bought the book :) I would highly recommend buying the book for anyone who is interested in doing this. The book goes over the rationale, tips, advice and many recipes that can't be found on their website. While you could do the entire program by reading the website, the book pumps you up and encourages you even more!

Another key thing to prepping was going through my fridge, freezer and pantry and throwing away food that was not compliant. I knew that keeping certain foods around the house was not going to help.

I also meal prepped the hell out of my week! On weekends I always dedicated some time to meal prep. I made sauces, mayo, chopped, marinated etc.. I also always planned my meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner), snacks and emergency foods.

Yes, I was even prepared with emergency meals in case for whatever reason I was unable to make my planned meal. Best lifesaver as it stops you from eating non compliant foods and encourages you to not break the 30 day challenge.

Results of the Whole 30
I lost 6 lbs! My pants were loose. I had higher energy levels. I was awake and ready to tackle the day when I woke up in the morning without hitting my snooze button. Sometimes I would wake up before the alarm. I no longer had the 3pm 'need a pick me up' feeling. My skin looks brighter, cleaner and I had no pimples throughout the 30 days! My face and hair were less greasy. I was a lot more positive (than normal) and I had less disagreements with my husband (win-win for everyone)! For those wondering, my husband also did the Whole 30 with me and lost 14 lbs.

What did you learn from the Whole 30?
I have learned so many things! I didn't really discover any food intolerances. I did discover what foods make me feel bloated and cause me to have less energy. I also discovered what foods I really love, what foods I 'thought' I loved but really don't and what foods trigger unhealthy eating habits. I have learned so many new recipes! I've learned specifically how to be creative in the kitchen and that I don't necessarily need bread, rice or pasta to make a complete meal. I've learned that having a good, large breakfast is just as important as having a lunch and dinner.

I've also learned that I could achieve something I've set out to do. To be honest, when I first started this challenge, I was so scared! I was having nightmares about the Whole 30 before starting, that's how scared I was. I was scared to change my eating habits for 30 days and I was scared that I wouldn't be able to commit to the entire 30 days. In fact, I told myself that if I could do at least 1 week of Whole 30, I would be happy - and I ended up doing 30+ days of Whole30! I'm super proud of myself for this accomplishment.

Life After Whole 30?
I didn't have the perfect Whole 30. I ate so many snacks throughout the whole thing (all compliant). That was one thing I just couldn't stop but maybe something I try to bet better at during a future round of Whole 30. Adopting a complete Whole 30 lifestyle is just not for me. I'm glad I did it for 30 days and I've learned a whole lot! However, I LOVE ice cream, chocolate, cream, desserts, rice and pasta way too much to completely give this up entirely. It's just not realistic for me. Instead, I eat Whole 30 about 80% of my time. The other 20% is non compliant. I also choose to eat non-compliant food when I want to and when it's worth it. I think I've learned to stop overindulging and to know when I've had enough of something. For example, I love chocolate and I can be satisfied by eating a tiny square. I just couldn't eat a whole chocolate bar.

Have you done the Whole 30? Do you have any other questions that I have answered? Let me know in the comments below!

~Usha

Best Lip Colour Combos

Lipstick is an essential in my makeup collection. I have a very small lipstick collection but I can safety safe that it is well loved. I've never been the one to collect huge amounts of makeup. I also find that I enjoy what I have more since I can remember what I own and find it very easily. Owning a small lipstick collection has allowed me to become creative with colours and combinations. While I may not have a lipstick colour to match all of my outfits I can certainty mix and match to create a whole different lip colour look. Here are my three best lip colour combos.

MAC Up The Amp + MAC Media
I love this lip combo in the spring and summer. You can make it as dark or light as you want. I apply a full layer of Media first. I then apply Up The Amp to the center of my lips. This creates a somewhat gradient/ombre look to the lips without much effort or hassle. Go darker by applying more Media and go lighter by applying more Up The Amp.

MAC Diva + MAC Vino
This is my go to lip combo for a red lip or a winter and/or fall look. I start by lining my lips with Vino. I then apply Vino to the outer edges of my lips, applying colour to one third of my lips on either side. I then go in with Diva and apply a full layer across the lips. I love this look as it gives you a different feel and appearance from your normal 'red lip'. If you are looking for a change or to switch things up, try out this deep purple and red combo.

Jordana's Cabernet + Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm in Sultry
I've always found it difficult to find the perfect nude for my skin tone (I have a medium to medium deep skin tone with an undertone of yellow). That search was called off when I found this colour combination! Wearing an all nude colour just washes out my face and lips. Instead I decided to experiment by combining two different tones of colours. I first line my lips with Cabarnet. I then fill in colour to one third of my lips on either side. Then apply one full layer of Sultry to the middle of the lips. I wear this colour combo all year around for various occasions; from just hanging around to getting all dressed up for a party!

What are your favourite lip colour combos? Would you try any of these lip colour combos?

~Usha

Favourite Mani/Pedi Combos (Tropical Inspiration)

Sorry for the long absence....things have been so busy around here with work and going away on vacation. I just couldn't get right back into the swing of things. I'm slowly, but surely getting there! How are you?

It's been kinda cold and rainy where I am. This type of weather calls for a desperate need for warmer weather! I can't wait for spring! An easy way for me to instantly uplift my mood is by a mani and/or pedi. It's such a great way to continue regular bodily maintenance and add a splash of colour to the dull winter weather around us. Once the cold weather creeps up, we often forget about taking care of ourselves - particularly regular hand and feet maintenance. Just because it isn't summer doesn't mean we can't maintain good hygiene on our hands and feet.

This thought sparked me to share my favourite mani and pedi colour combos - but with a twist! Tropical inspiration! I love the tropics with all its colours, fauna, flora, animals and warm weather - and since I recently came back from the Caribbean, I couldn't think of a better time to share! I thought this would be a fun way to put colour combos together. The tropics always makes me think of bright pinks, purples, greens and neons. Here are my favourite mani/pedi colour combinations with a tropical twist!

From top to bottom; left to right: First Timer and Madison Ave-Hue; DJ Play that Song and Cute as a Button; Off The Shoulder and Mint Candy Apple. My all-time favourite combo is #2!

When you're using the tropics as inspiration, I don't think you can really go wrong with any colour combination. I love to stick to my pinks, purples and greenish/blue tones when going for nail colour. The only rule when choosing your colours is ensuring that you are having fun when doing so!

What is your favourite mani/pedi colour combo?

~Usha