BLOG - The Pretty Secrets

Lifestyle Favourites March 2021

Dancing on the Edge of Saccharine Melancholy

Historic Lowell Arizona

Full Face of Honest Beauty

Morning Skincare Routine Winter 2021

Lifestyle Favourites March 2021

Lifestyle Favourites March 2021

Mar 18, 2021 | At Home, Blog, Watch

Dancing on the Edge of Saccharine Melancholy

Dancing on the Edge of Saccharine Melancholy

Mar 4, 2021 | Blog, Listen

Historic Lowell Arizona

Historic Lowell Arizona

Mar 2, 2021 | Blog, City Guides, outfits, Style, Travel

Full Face of Honest Beauty

Full Face of Honest Beauty

Feb 25, 2021 | Beauty, Blog, Watch

Morning Skincare Routine Winter 2021

Morning Skincare Routine Winter 2021

Feb 18, 2021 | Beauty, Blog, Watch

Buxom White Russian Collection

Buxom White Russian Collection

Feb 11, 2021 | Beauty, Blog, Watch

Shop My Stash

Shop My Stash

Feb 4, 2021 | Beauty, Blog, Watch

2020 Empties

2020 Empties

Jan 28, 2021 | Beauty, Blog, Watch

The 2020 Blooper Reel

The 2020 Blooper Reel

Jan 25, 2021 | Blog, Style

« Older Entries

I haaaaaate needles but I couldn't have been more

I haaaaaate needles but I couldn't have been more thrilled to be eligible to get the vaccine. I even took my favourite party animal with me for support today. Please have faith in science and get vaccinated as soon as you're able to. ❤ (Alberta has opened up vaccinations for anyone over 30 now!!!)

My candle story had to migrate to the record conso

My candle story had to migrate to the record console because my taxes have officially overtaken the dining room table. At least this corner is pleasing to look at 👀 #SandyJoeAtHome #MyMavenMood

It's my second quarantine birthday and I'll cry if

It's my second quarantine birthday and I'll cry if I want to 🌝

Springtime in England makes me want to walk around

Springtime in England makes me want to walk around listening to The Smiths while hiding my tears in the rain

Also, the crocus is one of the most perfect flowers of all time.

London March 2017

#SandyJoeTakesLondon #SandyJoeTravels

Just me with a car. That's it. 🚗 #SandyJoeTakes

Just me with a car. That's it. 🚗 #SandyJoeTakesArizona #SandyJoeStyle

🌵🌵🌵 #SandyJoeTakesArizona #PrettySecrets

🌵🌵🌵

#SandyJoeTakesArizona
#PrettySecretsNeon

Lowell, Arizona Feb 28th 2019 #SandyJoeTakesArizon

Lowell, Arizona
Feb 28th 2019
#SandyJoeTakesArizona

Historic Lowell Arizona is a town frozen in time.

Historic Lowell Arizona is a town frozen in time. But apparently the Bisbee Breakfast Club has a good huevos rancheros, I cannot confirm because it was after business hours when we visited in 2019. Learn more about the town in my latest blog post #SandyJoeTakesArizona #SandyJoeStyle

Interior Decoration By Beatriz González 1981 On d

Interior Decoration
By Beatriz González
1981
On display when I went to the @tate in March 2017

The inspiration behind this piece couldn't be more relevant to the state of the world currently.

#SandyJoeTakesLondon

When I first started blogging I was immensely emba

When I first started blogging I was immensely embarrassed having my photo taken. Gawking strangers made it a difficult process for how utterly self-conscious I was. But in the end, the desire to document my outfits won out. (Clearly since it's been over a decade now!) Maybe it's age, but I could give a sh*t about what someone walking by thinks of me. When I traveled alone to London in 2017, me and my tripod captured my whole trip and I'm grateful I did it. Don't let the judgement of other people hold you back from doing the things you want to do. Their opinion has zero impact on your life. They aren't the ones who are going to have to live with your regret of unrealized aspirations. #SandyJoeTakesLondon

Dining Alone at Pizza East⁠
Shoreditch, London⁠
March 12th 2017⁠
#SandyJoeTakesLondon

Four years ago I decided to try a dating app for t

Four years ago I decided to try a dating app for the first time ever. My very first match was with this dreamy fellow who asked me to go get a drink with him. The date just happened to fall on Valentine's day. Since we both agreed that the "holiday" was purely a capitalist observed farce, we met up and that's how Jesse came into my life. He was my first match and first and only online date. It's been a thrilling four years and I'm just here to express my deep appreciation for him. He's funny, adventurous, thoughtful, and above all, so very kind. So here are a few of my favourite photos of him from the last few years. This is my Official Jesse Appreciation Post 🥰

Maybe if I close my eyes and sit close enough to m

Maybe if I close my eyes and sit close enough to my space heater it will ~feel~ like I'm in Arizona. Even looking at these photos a year later, I'm blown away by the architecture of Arcosanti 🌵🌵🌵 #SandyJoeStyle #SandyJoeTakesArizona

Every day I'm grateful for having discovered brow

Every day I'm grateful for having discovered brow products. It's the little things. #SandyJoeBeauty

Lately when I feel down, I reflect back on other d

Lately when I feel down, I reflect back on other difficult times that I managed to survive

10 yrs ago, I moved to London after graduating from Ryerson Uni. Feeling trapped being back home in YEG 6 months after graduating, I naturally decided to blow up my life & run away from my problems

My experience of being a foreigner trying to work in a country that just started hiring after the ‘08 recession was frustrating. I kept getting the same answer at every magazine job interview: “you’d be a great fit for the position, it’s just that you’re… not British.” I resorted to interning despite having spent the past 4 yrs putting in the time in a myriad of internships assuming that once I had a *degree* I’d no longer be subjected to this thankless line of work. Often it’s not about talent or schooling but rather how long you’re able to afford to work for free until a job is offered

I landed a hip fashion mag internship under the guise they’d hire me 6 months in. Quickly I realized that wasn’t going to happen. I watched the publisher, a man who never knew poverty, refuse to pay his bills. As a freelancer, I loathe these types. He was a true classist asshole. The office was a 4 story townhouse by Oxford Circus. He’d inherited it from his father, a famous & celebrated abstract painter

I was living in a world class city but shovelling coal at work to keep the studio warm. The dichotomy of London. Another new intern almost killed us with carbon monoxide because they shut the chimney flue. I felt like I was living in a 19th century novel & would joke about getting the black lung

Our home life was even worse. Living with The Funk (our terrible roommates nickname) included cups of tea abandoned all over for days while the cream molded, dirty dishes, stolen food, sewing needles on the floor, etc. I was so familiar with their sex life that I could discern when they were cheating

The England Saga was a difficult time. There were a few bright spots peppered throughout but I inevitably came home long before my visa expired. I often wonder what would have happened if I stayed. This winter is proving to be a difficult one, but if I survived 2011/12, surely I can get through this.

I’m nearing my 10 month mark of staying home and

I’m nearing my 10 month mark of staying home and the isolation is finally getting to me. It’s been a can’t-wear-anything-but-pjs-drinking-chocolate-chips-from-the-bag-for-breakfast kind of week. Everything feels pointless. I try to work a little bit everyday just to feel any sense of purpose but I’ll be honest, the majority of my day is being spent completely distracted while Vanderpump Rules plays quietly in the background as ambient sound. So if this melancholy sounds familiar to you, please know you’re not alone. And I hope for all our sakes, that it will get better. One of the small tasks I completed thid week was my blooper reel. Here are a few slides but the rest reside on my blog theprettysecrets.com. I hope, at the very least, it makes you smile just a little. #SandyJoeTakesArizona #SandyJoeBloopers

Learning to make pasta from scratch is one of the

Learning to make pasta from scratch is one of the few things I've managed to make happen this past year. It's almost as relaxing as putting on makeup, aside from when you discover a spider hiding in your box of basil you're prepping to make pesto out of.... But enough about me, what small joy have you discovered this past year? 🍝 Peep my how to make fresh pasta video on theprettysecrets.com 🍝 #SandyJoeAtHome

The Yeti Goes Skating. One of the fun things about

The Yeti Goes Skating. One of the fun things about documenting all your outfits over the years is revisiting them and seeing how your style has always revolved around absurd vintage pieces. This was from 2015 and I still love all of it. #SandyJoeStyle

PRODUCT REVIEW Schmidt’s Hemp Seed Oil Enriched

PRODUCT REVIEW Schmidt’s Hemp Seed Oil Enriched Natural Deodorant - Sensitive Skin Formula

BACKGROUND INFO
- I was gifted these from Schmidt’s
- I have been using natural deodorant since 2005ish so I’m long past the transition period many ppl have when they stop using antiperspirant
- This review is based on nearly 2 months of testing

INGREDIENTS / IRRITANTS
One of my biggest complaints about natural deodorant was it irritated my armpits to the point where skin would be peeling off. After many painful experiments with different brands, I realized it was due to one singular ingredient: baking soda. While baking
soda is great for odour absorption, it’s also abrasive. Once I figured thay out, it was easier to narrow down which natural deodorants would work for me. If this is a problem you’ve had in the past, I would recommend checking ingredient lists

FORMULA / CONSISTENCY
I’ve used different Schmidt’s deodorant formulas over the years and their normal line (w/ baking soda) doesn't work for me AT ALL. The Sensitive Skin line was a bit better but I still found it to be on the chalkier/dryer side. I think they've finally nailed it with this new formula - it’s for sensitive skin (no baking soda) but avoids the usual chalkiness with the addition of the hemp seed oil. The formula is a much smoother consistency and glides on with ease

STAINS
There are no issues as of yet with it staining any light/white garments. But if you're concerned w/ white deodorant streaks on dark clothes, I regret to inform you that this deodorant will do that. If this is a dealbreaker, I would suggest trying a salt based deodorant, they’re not quite as effective but they also don’t stain. I’ve used the Saje deodorant spray for years

SCENT
The Sage + Vetiver scent is very subtle and I would recommend it to anyone who is bothered by overly scented things. The Rose + Pepper is also on the milder side but is more rose forward than pepper. Not like grandma’s soap collection forward, but similar to walking by a rose bush in full bloom on a summer day. After application, I didn't notice either of the scents at all

Continued in the comments 👇

I think I'll just spend the rest of the year in a

I think I'll just spend the rest of the year in a vintage robe. #SandyJoeStyle