Melmira Bra & Swimsuits

Last month I went to Costa Rica on vacation, and I needed a new bathing suit. I am sure I am like most women in that I hate bathing suit shopping! I rather go to the dentist that is how much I despise the whole progress. I’m 5’ 9” in average shape and I hate bathing suits. I can never figure out why, when standing around in my underwear and bra I look fine (well I can live with it! Ha I guess I have no choice) but put on a bathing suit and lumps and things just seem to appear.  Then you swear you are going to starve yourself until you leave for vacation, go into a depressive state, and possible break out in hives (yes bathing suit shopping is that stressful for me). 

Not wanting to go to Bikini Village again, I googled other swimsuit places in Toronto and stumbled across Melmira Bra & Swinsuits. This is not just another run of the mill Swimsuit shop here they actually fit you to your bathing suit.  I went there on a whim and usually you need to make an appointment but fortunately they were able to fit me in that day. I go upstairs which is their swimsuit area, they take me to a fitting room and then a stylist came to talk to me about what I am looking for. I wanted a one piece that was sporty but girlie, for surfing. She asked me to lift up my shirt, I assumed to get a better idea of how big the belly was, but she wanted to see my torso. She said you have a long Torso so we need to work with that, than she was off. She came back with 3 suits to start with, the first one looked great No lumps, No camel toe is this possible?! The second was not so good and my stylist said "take that off that's awful!" This was not said in mean way it was the truth and we both knew it. The third one was PERFECT, sporty, girlie and OH SO flattering I actually felt comfortable in a bathing suit.

This was my first swimsuit purchase that did not cause me stress, insecurities or hives. My stylist was wonderful; she knew exactly what would work for my body type. I highly recommend this to you girls out there; the gals at Melmira know what they are doing. My stylist knew that because I was tall I need to go a size bigger than I normally would get, and she was right everything she picked fit nicely. I think the biggest problem we make is picking up the wrong size, or the wrong suit design for our body types which makes us discouraged, frustrated and just want to hide. 

If you don’t live in the Toronto area I am sure there are other shops that provide the same service, try one next time you need a new swimsuit you’ll be VERY happy that you did, I know I was. I’m going to go back soon and get fitted for some new Bras. FUN!

 
Single Gals Approved!

Keratin Hair Treatment

So ladies, I have what I call crazy hair, it’s wavy, porous (as per my hair dresser) and frizzy. It becomes like Monica’s hair in “Friends” when she was on vacation with the gang in the tropics – I hope you all remember that episode, and if you do that is me in the summer, maybe not that bad, but it’s not good.

I read about Keratin hair treatments in a magazine and I was thinking of doing one except the price I saw in the article was outstanding at around $600 (because of length, time, product etc…), which I’m sorry I can’t justify spending on. In my talks with my hair dresser he mentioned that the price I read was over inflated and said it would be around $350 or so given my hair length etc…So as a treat to myself I thought I would do it.

I have to say I have not been disappointed at all with the results. My hair is so manageable now and I haven’t had a bad hair day since I’ve had the treatment. For me or for any women I think that is a blessing. With that said I have heard and read that this treatment is carcinogenic because it’s synthetic keratin and not the real stuff that your hair naturally produces. If it is cancer causing which I hope it isn’t I am sold.

There are some additional costs which I should mention, the biggest being that you have to buy specific shampoo and conditioner which is pricey but is needed to ensure you don’t ruin the treatment and to make your investment last longer. There is also the time cost in that you have to be at the hair dresser for about 3-4 hours and you can’t get your hair wet (even rain is a no go) for 3 days. I don’t wash my hair everyday but I do wet and condition it regularly so this kind of made me feel gross. There is also a weird smell from the Keratin that is annoying but it’s not totally offensive so if you can get through all this then you’re fine.

The benefits are that you don’t have to buy or put any other products in your hair, which is a savings depending on the products you use. As well there are time benefits as my hair dries a lot faster and the style lasts so I am not having to do my hair every day.

I wouldn’t recommend this treatment for anyone with fine, limp hair but if your hair is crazy and frizzy and totally unmanageable it’s a big buy from me.

Queen B

Maybelline ‘The Falsies” Mascara...

I may not be the best person to write a review on this because I really don’t wear make-up except for mascara, and even then I only put it on when I am going out. For years I have used Maybelline’s Great Lash mascara, however when I saw ‘The Falsies’ commercial it was the first time I wanted to try something new. This product boosts that you will get:

Instant false glam in a tube

The Falsies Mascara delivers a false lash look; giving you a full set of voluminous, bold, fanned out lashes and the appearance of no gaps from any angle.

Well, I found it clumpy and yes there were no gaps because my lashes were clumped together. They looked thicker but that’s because I had a big wad of mascara stuck to them. Also I noticed that after a night out, I would wake up looking like Alice Cooper and I am not sure his look was ever considered glam.

Since I do remove my make-up before hitting the sac, I really should not wake up looking like a 70’s rock legend. I believe ‘The Falsies’ mascara is a lot harder to remove, due to its thickness.  This definitely not a mascara that you’d want to have on when hitting the gym…YIKES!

The Alice Cooper look never happened with my Great Lash Mascara, I guess there is a reason why I have used it for so many years, it truly is the best. As for ‘The Falsies’ I’ll pass on this one and just go back to the old tried and true until something else catches my eye.

If your experience was different please let us know, maybe I am applying it wrong.

Single Gals Disapprove :(

Cookin Greens Spinach, Kale, Rapini and Designer Mix

Cookin’ Greens are dark-leafy greens that are farm picked and within six hours, double-washed, double blanched, chopped and flash frozen. There are four Cookin Greens products available which include chopped spinach, chopped kale, chopped rapini and a Designer mix which is a blend of spinach, collards, rapini, yellow bean and onion. My favorite is the kale, I would never have bought fresh kale because I have no clue what to do with it. However with Cookin Greens it is easy, I just heat up some olive oil, add garlic, add my cookin greens chopped kale, I also like to add sun dried tomatoes, diced chicken breast to make a complete meal. Cooking greens is great for a Single Gal because you can use as much as you need and put the rest back in the freezer. You can add greens to everything when you have Cookin Greens on hand, all you have to do is reach into the bag and grab a handful to toss in pasta sauce, your omelet or stir fry.

This is a great product to add to a healthy diet and the quick easy convince is just what a Single Gal needs. To give it a try look for it at a retailer near you.  

Single Gals Approved!