Its 9 a.m. and the hike begins! For the first half of the hike we’re in great spirits, meeting great people, having fun and on pace.  We stop at Horseshoe Valley for the mid-hike checkpoint to eat pizza, change and venture back out on the trail at dusk.  At this point we are starting to feel it, muscles are tight, feet and hands are a little swollen and mentally getting tired of just walking, but we push on.  By the next checkpoint I’m in agony.

With a sore pinky toe for 20 km,  it finally ruptured, I mean literally exploded.  I hobble to the medic tent to receive treatment only to have the medic ask me if I want help to the car to go to the hospital; I look at him a little confused, ‘cant you just wrap it up or something, I can’t quit!’  So that’s what happened.  I hobble back to my team get our gear and we head out to the next section.

We’re approaching the next checkpoint and Beth experiences the same toe issues, so we stop for another medic visit before pushing on.  It’s the middle of the night, as we hike the only noise comes from my iPod. Lindsay in the lead calling out tree, rock, hill, stump as a warning and all we can see is the small pool of light from our headlamps.  At this point tired isn’t even a option, all you can think of is the pain and soreness in your joints and it hits me – this is what some people around the world have to endure to get to clean water, food or supplies.

I signed up for this as a sporting challenge but it brought me awareness of how good my life is and how easily we take things for granted. This revelation makes me determined not to quit or give up; the money we raised and the awareness we can spread for Oxfam and its global assistance can make a difference.

The last 9 km felt like a year to walk.  Our swollen raw and blistered feet wouldn’t fit into a pair of shoes, so in socks and sandals we crossed the finish line in 26 hours 31 minutes and 5 seconds, meeting our goals, surprising ourselves and placing 16^th out of 66 as a team of four.

What an amazing experience, we still to this day reminisce about the laughs we shared, moments we thought we could not possibly continue, amazing work and help from our support crew, families and the Oxfam organization – this is why we’re back again this year to compete again, hopefully without the blisters ~

Our training is well under way and fundraising has begun with a goal this year of $5,000.00 ~

To support our team please visit:  http://tinycc./blistersisters

To sign up for Trailwalker or to Volunteer go to:  www.oxfamtrailwalker.ca

Here is a compilation of some of the songs that came to mind, when summing up 2010. There were so many to choose from so we asked around for opinions.

Enjoy !

Create a MySpace Playlist at MixPod.com

image via

Our friends over at MAC Cosmetics sent this over – thought I would share. Tons of latest trends from MAC through Fashion Week ! Enjoy !

M·A·C COSMETICS’ BIGGEST SEASON EVER: FALL/WINTER 2010 FASHION WEEKS

This Fall/Winter 2010 season marked the 15^th Anniversary of M·A·C Cosmetics involvement in New York Fashion Week and our impact in London, Paris and Milan was bigger than ever before!  M·A·C Cosmetics supported nearly 200 shows during the Fall/Winter 2010 Collections.  M·A·C continued as the official sponsor of London Fashion week, had a strong presence in Milan and Paris, and hosted shows, events and presentations at M·A·C & Milk and throughout New York.

Fall/Winter 2010 was an inventive and inspiring season for beauty.  This season, Makeup Artists asked the question: “What is luxurious makeup?”  The answer was not opulence, but, rather, a sense of individual enhancement based in reality.  Lyne Desnoyers, Director of Makeup Artistry for M·A·C, called it “flirting with luxury on a contemporary face.”

A few memorable products that created the latest trends include:

• M·A·C Opulash This new mascara with a supersized brush produced plush, extravagant lashes on the runway.  Adding dramatic volume and curl, it formed lush lashes – bigger, badder, more opulent eyes. Opulash was key in such shows as DSquared², Blumarine, Max Mara and Chado Ralph Rucci.

• M·A·C Prolongwear SPF 10 Foundation: Creamy and lightweight, this yet-to-be-introduced foundation was a hit!  Providing ample playtime and easy blending, it also demonstrated 15-hours of wearability and garnered raves backstage at Chado Ralph Rucci, PORTS 1961 and Timo Weiland.

• M·A·C Eye Kohl in Smolder A backstage essential, Smolder Eye Kohl lined lids throughout all four cities.  Its creamy texture and versatility allowed for smudged, smokey looks as well as dramatic, etched dark definition.  It framed eyes at such shows as L.A.M.B., Zac Posen, Tadashi Shoji and Vivienne Westwood Gold Label.

• M·A·C Lip Pencil in Cherry: Forget subtlety – this season, bold, bright lips were front and center.  Lip Pencil in Cherry was the crucial ingredient, forming, priming and making colour come forward.  Paired most often with Lady Danger and Russian Red Lipsticks, it was seen at DSquared², Doo.Ri, Donna Karan and Moschino.

Please click on the links below to access key Fall/Winter ‘10 daily recaps where you can find key artists’ inspirations and products used for select shows.  Also attached is the “Comprehensive List of Shows,” which breaks down all the shows M·A·C supported this season.  Please find the complete Fall/Winter ’10 over all recap below as well detailing four trends that spanned all four cities!!

***Links will be live until Apr. 7^th. ***

• New York F/W ’10 Daily Facecharts
• London F/W ’10 Daily Facecharts
• Milan F/W ’10 Daily Facecharts
• Paris F/W ’10 Daily Facecharts
• Complete F/W ’10 Recap

We hope these are helpful for your backstage stories!

]]> http://www.thebrokenheeldiaries.com/2010/03/31/mac-fashion-week-fw-10-facechart-recap/feed/ 1 http://www.thebrokenheeldiaries.com/2010/01/04/happy-new-year/ http://www.thebrokenheeldiaries.com/2010/01/04/happy-new-year/#comments Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:45:31 +0000 krissy http://www.thebrokenheeldiaries.com/?p=2344

Happy New Year to all my readers and supporters ! I wish you the best in the new year, success, health and prosperity to all. Thank you for your continued support ! I look forward to growing with you in the new year.

I hope they are able to help, even if a little, please let me know your thoughts !!!!!!!!

1. Remember to love and be loving at all times, NO MATTER WHAT, even when (especially when) it hurts. If you keep this in mind when facing hardships, I guarantee you they will seem less bigger than they really are.

2. If you want to receive %100 out of a person or situation, you must first be willing to give %100 of  yourself. You will get what you put in, at all times.

3.  Believe in yourself and your potential at all times. If you don’t no one else will.

4. Never take anything in your life for granted, be grateful for every opportunity, every person. Remember it could always be worst. The moment you begin to take things for granted in your life, they will be taken away.

5.  No matter how bad it seems, always remember that it will come to pass. Obstacles are placed in our way to help us grow and learn.

6. Never be afraid of taking a risk (well calculated of course), you may never have that chance to have the same opportunity twice.

7. Life doesn’t wait for anyone, remember to make the most of every moment and live every day to the fullest.

8. Dream big and dare to make your dreams come true ALWAYS ! You only have one life and you don’t want to wake up with a bunch of regrets, wondering what could have been.

9. Don’t waste any of your precious valuable time on anyone who doesn’t deserve it. If they don’t recognize your value or worth, keep it moving. Don’t try to argue or understand why, it will only cause you to doubt yourself.

Although this is the last rule, it is the most important one. Without this rule none of these are possible, so last but not least.

10.  ALWAYS put yourself FIRST, if you fail to do this, you will most likely fail at a lot of things. It is impossible for you to care about anyone, excel at anything if you refuse to take care of yourself first. All too often we forget this rule and it creates a lot of chaos when we do.

“Making resolutions is a cleansing ritual of self – assessment and repentance that demands personal honest and, ultimately, reinforces humility. Breaking them is part of the cycle.”

-Eric Zorn

We all know, that time is almost upon- Christmas time ! The decorations are slowly going up, Christmas music is slowly getting played everywhere. Everyone is getting into the mood, one day at a time. One thing I am thinking about, other than going home to be with my family, I can’t help but already think of  New Year’s Resolutions. I am always late on this, I wake up the 31st, preparing for my New Year’s celebration, and I quickly run through my year, thinking about whether or not I achieved my resolutions from the year before, and what my new resolutions should be. Not everyone makes resolutions, call them what you want, whether you actually make them on New Year’s I think we all make some sort of plan for the upcoming year. I decided I would start thinking about it early this year, so I can take enough time to think back at 2009, without rushing, and see how I measured to the resolutions I had set.I always find it interesting, that on January 1st or the week following, most people have a brand new optimistic approach, and a new set of goals. I always wondered… How many people stick to their resolutions?

Do you set resolutions on New Year’s? How are you so far with the resolutions you set for 2009?

One thing is for sure, I think I should write it down this year. LOL I normally just make a mental note of it.  To me January 1st represents a new beginning, it’s almost like the first day of school. (Probably also because my birthday is in January) I know that I don’t actually need a new year to do this, but this is what it is for me

Do you use January 1st, as a fresh start? Is there another date that you use or time of year that you use as a new beginning? Have you already started thinking about resolutions? What are some of the resolutions you would like to make for 2010?