I'm a huge fan of natural products. I think it's important to be aware of what we put on our skin and in our bodies. Recently I've started making a lot of my beauty products myself. I don't wear a lot by way of makeup, but deodorant is obviously an essential! I've always hated the idea of antiperspirant - sweating is a natural occurring thing, it's something our bodies are suppose to do and need to do in order to remove toxins so we can function properly, it's not something that we should be inhibiting. That's why I prefer deodorant, it allows our bodies to still sweet, but regulates the odour that comes with it. Unfortunately women's deodorant is hard to come by, store shelves are filled with antiperspirant. I used men's deodorant for years before deciding to make my own.

I came across this recipe on Hummusbird. I've been using this deodorant for about six months now and I absolutely love it so I thought I'd share it with you all.

Here's what you'll need:

3/4 cup organic coconut oil (unrefined, virgin is best)
1 cup mixture of natural baking soda and organic arrowroot flour
15 - 20 drops organic essential oil

Here's what to do:

Mix the coconut oil, baking soda, and arrowroot flour together. Make sure it is mixed well so it becomes a smooth, creamy paste. Then mix in your essential oil. Store in an air tight container.

* The recipe on Hummusbird instructs to use 1/2 cup of each dry ingredient for regular skin or 1/4 cup baking soda and 3/4 cup arrowroot flour for sensitive skin. I have sensitive skin so I use the latter method and I haven't had any problems with irritation.

** Likewise, use 15 drops essential oil for sensitive skin or 20 drops for regular skin.

*** I used lemongrass essential oil, but feel free to pick a scent that invigorates you.

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10 Ways To Live Freely

Side Note: As you can see, there's still snow on the ground in these photos. Not to worry, this is an old, unreleased, photo-shoot, all that white stuff has long since melted, the grass has sprouted and everything is luscious and green.

I wore almost this exact same outfit to a Free People interview I had back in January. It's so comfy and whimsical that I just feel very much myself in it so I thought wearing it to the interview would give me that extra bit of confidence I may have needed. Unfortunately I didn't get the job, but that's okay, it was a great experience in and of itself and the other girls being interviewed were all so lovely, so I'm truly happy for whoever the lucky lady was. Congrats!




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The weather is finally warming up (or so I hear, Ontario is still experiencing snow, freezing rain, and below zero temperatures) so it's time to shed the layers, pull the covers aside, and venture outdoors. To help prepare you for Spring, here are 10 Spring wardrobe essentials for all you boho babes out there.

10 Bohemian Spring Must-Haves

1// Vintage-inspired, flowy dresses.

2// Retro sunglasses.

3// Sun-kissed, beachy locks (I'm also loving the fishtail braid!)

4// A fringe cross-body bag.

5// Strappy sandals (if it's warm enough, try going with a pair of bare foot sandals!)

6// Light-weight, colourful scarves.

7// A floppy, wide-brim hat.

8// Accessories - bold, patterned headbands; lots of rings; funky earrings; hand chains (slave bracelets); bangles and heavy-metal bracelets; long necklaces; anklets. Jewelry is a must, you really can't go wrong, just think along the lines of tribal, ethnic, wood, feathers, beads, shells. But please don't wear it all at once!

9// Ponchos, kimonos, dusters, shawls, blanket scarves.

10//  Floral patterns, Aztec patterns, turquoise, earthy tones.

So there you have it, 10 ways to transition your bohemian style into Spring. Like the season itself, bohemian style has a light, airy, and natural feel to it, so play that up and have fun with it!

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Hello lovelies!! Did you notice something different about my blog today? I'm so excited to finally share my new blog design with you!! If you've been with me from the start, you've probably noticed me changing my blog theme about once a month (all lovely designs, but none were the perfect fit for me). If you're new to this blog, then be thankful that you didn't have to go through the confusion of a constantly changing web space.

Local Wanderer 

www.localwanderer.com

Rebecca Jacobs (Wanderdust)

www.rebecca-jacobs.com/wanderdust

The Something New

www.thesomethingnew.com

The Fox and Fern

www.thefoxandfern.com

The Cup of Life

www.theteacupoflife.com

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The other day I wrote a post on my Instagram about how people, the world over, are slaves to consumerism. One of the intentions I set for myself this year (which you can read about here), and ultimately for the rest of my life, is to live a much more simplistic lifestyle than what I currently enjoy. So combining those two thought processes, I thought I'd elaborate on them here.

Please keep in mind that I am by no way trying to impose my beliefs onto others or judge the lifestyle that many people lead. I am merely discussing my views on how I believe I can have a happier experience in this amazing gift of life.

The Power of Consumerism

Taking a step back, and looking at how we humans interact and live on a daily basis, an outsider may describe us as zombies. The majority of us are stuck in the same routine. We spend most of our time indoors, surfing the internet or watching re-run after re-run on t.v., consuming so much garbage that we ultimately forget how to think or act for ourselves. Instead of living our own journey, figuring out for ourselves what makes us happy, we've essentially been brainwashed by mainstream, corporate messages that tell us how to live our lives. And that's just the mental clutter. Think of all the excess we have in our lives - at least one McDonalds in every town, a Tim Horton's or Starbucks on every corner, sure the convenience can be nice on occasion, but when did we get so busy that we couldn't feed ourselves or brew ourselves a cup of coffee in the morning? What about the 10 pairs of jeans you have hanging in the back of your closet? What about everyone's rush to get the latest iPhone, even though the one you bought only 12 months ago was the most powerful computer system this world has ever seen? In my mind, these things are simply unnecessary and are a major cause of the overall unhappiness of the world. We've created a culture of always wanting more but the fact of the matter is, we really don't need it. So what if you have last year's iPhone!? Look around you, compared to millions of people on this Earth, you live an extremely privileged life. You've got it good my friend!

It's easy to blame it all on politicians, the economy and big corporations, but the problem with that is there'll never be a resolution, corporations will always want you to buy their products so they'll always push that message on to you. The power to change has to come from you. You are free to make choices that affect how you live your life. If you're willing to change your mindset, then you may realize that you already have all you need to live a happy and fulfilled life.

You've heard it time and time again, that money can't buy happiness, and yet we all still continue to go down this path. But what if you did the opposite? Instead of filling your life with more and more 'things' to make you happy, what if you tried to eliminate the overabundance of 'things' you already own from your life. You bought them to make you happy in the first place, and yet you're still in the exact same situation now as you were then, craving more material things to fill a void in your life. Why spend your money on things that you have to work so hard to afford and then never have time to enjoy them because all your time goes into your work so you can afford these things in the first place? It makes no sense. So maybe consumerism isn't the answer to your happiness, maybe it's minimalism.

So what is minimalism?

Minimalism is essentially removing all the clutter from your life so you're left with very few personal possessions. I've heard people say you have to own less than 100 things, or less than 60 things to be considered a minimalist, but I don't think there's really one set definition of minimalism that suits everybody. We're all different and this is something we have to interpret in the face of our individual lives. I see minimalism as a way to relieve ourselves from the burden of consumerism, a way to find happiness without the need for possessions. There's so much more joy in life that passes us by each day because we're simply too busy or too greedy to notice it. I want to rediscover that joy.

It wasn't until very recently that I started to introduce this concept into my life, however I became aware of my need for it years ago. In 2010 I moved to England for a year as part of a law exchange program with my university. I ended up bringing 4 suitcases plus my carry-on of stuff with me to England and returned home with 6 suitcases. (To put this in perspective, my best friend just moved to Australia for a two year law program and she only brought a carry-on and one suitcase - that was smaller than any of my 6). It was ridiculous. But I felt like I needed to bring all of my possessions with me to feel comfortable and be happy. Looking back on it now though, I didn't even use half of the things that I had lugged half way across the world with me. It was a colossal waste of effort and money. What I thought would make me happy, actually caused me unhappiness in the long run by costing me so much money and eating up a good chunk of my savings.

"Minimalism is about getting rid of the things in your life that don't add value so you can focus on the things that do." - - Colin Wright

The benefits of minimalism

Acquiring a minimalist lifestyle is not easy, and I've barely made a dent in eliminating some of my unnecessary belongings, but I'm already starting to feel a sense of happiness and empowerment over my own life. Physical clutter leads to mental clutter and by reducing the amount of things sitting around on shelves collecting dust, my mind has started to free up because it has one less thing to worry about. My goal in life is ultimately to be a full-time traveler, so having less possessions makes me happier as it's easier to see that dream come to fruition knowing that I don't have as many things to pack up or leave behind. It's really amazing how one small action can make such a huge impact on my dreams.

After deciding to switch career paths and focus on my creativity as opposed to the law, I was worrying myself crazy with how I was ever going to support myself financially. But after adopting a minimalist mindset, I've found peace in realizing that I only need to make enough money to sustain my lifestyle, so by living a simpler way of life, I won't have as many financial burdens weighing me down. What good is it anyway to work so hard to afford to be able to live but never have the time to actually live? That realization did wonders in terms of my level of happiness.

The important thing to keep in mind though is that it's not the act of minimalism that makes you happy, it's the opportunities that you gain because of living a minimalist life that ultimately contribute to your happiness. Getting rid of all your possessions is not the key to happiness. But by getting rid of all the extra clutter in your life, you begin to realize what is truly important to you - you may spend more time outdoors, strengthening relationships with your friends and family, improving your health, pursuing your passions, and these are what bring happiness into your life!

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It's been a while since my last post. Don't worry, I didn't forget about you, I just took time to practice what I preach. The holiday season is the time to slow down and connect with your friends and family, so I took a break form blogging and social media and instead focused on me. But now that all the celebrations have ended and people are headed back to school and work, I figured it was time for me to get back at it too!


The New Year has always been seen as a time of change, a time to commit to bettering yourself. Each year people make a list of resolutions that often include things such as going to the gym, eating healthy, quitting smoking, etc. And after about a month, we get too busy in our lives and forget these resolutions were ever made until the following December when we feel bad for forgetting about them and scramble to meet all our goals before the year is over.

Instead of resolutions, I, like many of my fellow yoginis and boho babes out there, prefer to set intentions. So what's the difference?

Resolutions seem to be based on 'wants' or 'needs'. They give off an "I'm not good enough" vibe and so the focus of them seems to be on fixing yourself - assuming that there's a problem with you that needs to be solved.

Intentions on the other hand are about embracing who you are. They focus on the inner you, your soul, and they help you find a way to let your natural light shine through. Intentions are all about self-awareness. They reflect who you are on the inside and allow you to change yourself from the inside out, not 'fix' yourself from the outside in.

By setting intentions for ourselves, we can create a sense of balance and alignment within our life. Intentions help you to rid your mind of negative thinking patterns and behaviours and replace those with habits that add some focus to your life. They help you to align who you are at the present moment, with who you truly want to be by finding harmony amongst your dreams, goals and passions.

So what are my intentions for 2015? 

Recently I've been trying to organize all my thoughts, ideas and dreams in my head into some kind of life plan. I've been trying to eliminate a lot of the stressors in my life and ultimately work on finding peace and happiness. So my main intention for 2015 is to be the creator of my own life. I want to follow my own path without feeling like I have to live up to other people's expectations. I want to be truly myself (a person who has become lost over the last few years) even if who I am isn't recognized within society as who a 25 year old Canadian girl should be. My intentions to help me along this journey are to be present at all times, to learn to forgive, to accept what is and to create a deeper connection with nature. Some activities that will help me achieve these are practicing yoga daily, journaling and finding the time to incorporate more travel and adventure into my life.

The New Year is a time of rebirth. Set some intentions to guide you along your journey, just remember to be gentle with yourself.

Slippers are from Marks.

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Today I turn 25 and as an early birthday gift, I received this lovely Roots pullover sweater from my sister.

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It's that time of year again when we have to start thinking about finding that perfect present for our friends and family. I've put together a gift guide of some of my favourite wish-list items to help you find the perfect gift for that whimsical, nature lover in your life!


1. Crosley Record Player from Urban Outfitters // 2. Nakiska Slippers by Sorel // 3. La Playa Collection Blanket by Give Perf // 4. The Winter Boot by Blundstone // 5. Magical Thinking Mystic Folk Tapestry by Urban Outfitters // 6. Tattered Up Shred Slip by Free People // 7. Biodegradable Bamboo Toothbrush by Got Wood // 8. Atlas Elektra All-Terrain Snowshoes from MEC // 9. Leather Ring Set (Peace Sign Ring and Native American Inspired Bead Ring) by Eco Design Project

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For years I've been on the search for the perfect oversized cardigan - something warm and cozy, stylishly knit and large enough to wrap myself in. Oh, and it needed to have a hood!

I found one that I truly fell in love with and for three years I put it on my birthday / Christmas wish-list and for three years I never received it. When I went to put it on my list this year I was devastated to see that it was sold out and would not be coming back in stock. (Why I never bought it for myself, I have no idea).

So when my friends and I went shopping at the new Tanger Outlets in Kanata a few weekends ago and I came across an almost identical cardigan at Boathouse I snatched it up right away! I've honestly never been so in love with a sweater before!! (You can ask my friends, since I bought it I've done nothing but rave about it and show it off).

I swear I wear this sweater almost every day. I'm afraid it's going to get worn out faster than anything I've ever owned just because of how much use it gets.

I've styled this sweater to show you a typical "day in the life of Carly" outfit. My style is focused on being casual and comfortable while also showing off my personality. Outfit details can be found below.








Sweater by Debut from Boathouse // Long Sleeve by H&M, similar (here) // Jeans by New Look, similar (here) // Hat from Ebay // Carly Conquest Short Boots by Sorel // Necklace handmade by me (available soon) // Watch by Urban Outfitters, similar (here) // Bracelet by Nharo! from Hearts and Crafts // Ring by Accessorize // Hakuna Matata Ring - gift, similar on Etsy (here)

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Image Source 

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