jobs and grown up life

how's it going everyone?

as some of you may know i've been rather unsuccessfully searching for a job. i thought i wouldn't have any problems finding one seeing as all the university students have left for school and high school students are at school during the days. but it seems i was wrong with that assumption. WHERE HAVE ALL THE JOBS GONE!?

i'm still on the search but in the mean time i'm literally doing nothing productive during the days. my parents are cool with it and say it's actually a great opportunity for me to sit and think about what i actually want to do for the rest of my life since most people my age don't have that opportunity. my sister for example didn't go to university but got a job at my mom's work as a general admin. right out of high school. she's worked her way up to office manager which is amazing but she is really unhappy at her job! it pays her bills but she wishes she had gone to university or college so that she would have had more opportunities to try something different. she also moved out at 16 and has had two homes, mortgages, and other such bills to pay for which i never really experienced. when i left for school i was 18 and i came home to visit rather often and my school bills were basically payed for through a scholarship and my granddad's help (thanks granddad!). my sister had help from my granddad for her houses as well since that wouldn't be fair if i got money for school and she didn't. but it was still a struggle for her to stay afloat. it is just funny to see how our different choices have put us in such different places right now. the funnier thing is, we're both jealous of each other right now! i wish i had a job to make some moolah and she wishes she wasn't working so she could test the waters with different job options. although my parents are cool with this, i think my grandparents are panicking a bit haha they're concerned for what my future is going to look like (40 year old me living in my mom's basement is probably what's floating around their heads). so, that, my sister should be thankful she doesn't  have to deal with.

a couple days ago i actually had a great entrepreneurial idea. it's a secret for now though muahaha;) anyways i've been like a mad scientist in my kitchen experimenting with different things. if it turns out, which hopefully it does, then i'll share it with you guys. i hope to sell it when it's perfected:)

stay cheeky!

twitter handle

hey guys!

for frequent updates of what's going on in my life or just for some of the random thoughts floating around this noggin of mine, add me on twitter!

@alexandra_allan

how to make your hair dye last longer

so, as some of you may know, i reverse ombre-ed my locks a week or so ago and i loved it! well, actually i still do, but i have a little problem...it's almost all washed out! i was warned by my hairdresser that red hair is actually the hardest to dye because of it's bright colour, bright highlights and just it's over-all red tone! apparently it just doesn't like to hold on to dye. *sigh*

anyways, i'm pretty cheesed that it's basically washed out in only 6 days seeing as it was done with permanent dye! i was hoping my hair would hold it's colour. of course, i can go back to my hairdresser and try it again but she's pretty busy and i'm pretty poor...post university problems :/ so i've been sort of bummed about that but i now know that i have to do certain things if i want my hair to keep it's new colour for when i get it done again next time!

here are my tips to have your hair dye last longer:

1. don't wash your hair as often. however, if you are like me, that's not really an option. i have extremely greasy hair. i can shower in the morning and my hair will be greasy by 5pm. it's horrible. i've always been that way though so don't tell me it's because i shower too often, that's a myth my friends--greasy people need to shower daily. but i have a semi-solution to this problem, try using baby powder or spray in shampoo like batiste to buy yourself an extra day. or just wear your hair up and hope no one comments on your unwashed hair :).

2. wash your hair with cold or tepid water.

3. use colour enhancing shampoos or shampoos that protect dyed hair.

4. use hair dyes that have little or no red tone to them, those are the ones that wash out fastest! (that includes auburn and warm browns).

5. use permanent dye not semi or demi permanent they won't last very long at all.

stay cheeky!

20 few things travel has taught me

1. walking is the best way to explore some place new. your feet can bring you to many cool places that a car can't. it's also good exercise.

2. the popular "must-sees" around the world are great, but it's the places that nobody talks about that are cooler.

3. if your bag is so heavy you can't lift it, you have a problem. only pack what you need, odds are you probably won't wear half the clothes you packed!

4. bartering with someone is a skill. a skill you should learn.

5. people hearing about your travels are as inspired by them as they are envious. just remember that.

6. sleeping on airport floors is gross and extremely uncomfortable but you gotta do what you gotta do sometimes. who knows it could be more comfortable than the bed you may get in your hotel room.

7. postcards may seem lame, but trust me, anyone who receives one will love it and probably keep it forever. it's the thought that counts!

8. try and learn the language of the place you're staying in. you don't have to be fluent but it can really help you out if you get lost, are ordering food or just trying to say a friendly hello.

9. write about everyday. believe me, there are some things you forget, no matter how fun they were in the moment!

10. you'd be surprised how small the world actually is.

11. go with the flow, don't let anything stress you out. everything always turns out.

12. if a street performer made you stop and stare, they deserve a couple bucks.

13. deep fried cactus is actually pretty good. slimy but good. but then again, everything deep fried is good.

14. be careful of the water where you are. it can mean sickness if you're not careful.

15. always carry snacks.

16. coconut water is like water of the gods. it can cure anything. it will give you diarrhea if you have too much though.

17. lose your passport, you're fucked. guard it with your life.

18. home sickness comes as fast as it goes.

19. sunscreen is a necessity.

20. celebrate always.

10 travel tips

1. pack lightly-- if you can get on a flight without having to check your luggage, that's a major plus!

2. bring a refillable water bottle and be sure to carry it with you everywhere, you never know how long you'll be without seeing a place to buy or get some water.

3. bring your camera everywhere and pack loads of batteries!

4. suncreen is your friend.

5. make sure you have more than one bathing suit, it's just better to have two, trust me.

6. wear comfortable footwear.

7. sleep as much as you can whenever you can.

8. grab a little souvenir from every place you go, and when i say little i mean little. grab something like a cool rock or buy a small button from a local shop, you can make cool travel memory boxes with these! (i collect buttons personally, i have a backpack absolutely covered)

9. talk to as many locals as you can, they're usually friendly, and always have the best advice for local places to eat and sights to check out. or, they could just be an interesting person to talk to!

10. try and see and do every single thing that you can when you're there, you never know if you'll be back again!

contests!

don't be fooled by the title of this post, i am not doing a contest for you guys just yet. but i've come to realize lately that my blog which i sort of started off as and hoped to be a beauty blog has turned into more of a travel blog, which i personally think fits me better since i travel lots and i love to blog about it. so i thought what i am about to talk to you all about is quite fitting for a travel blog! one of my friends just entered this contest run by Free and Easy Traveler called "100 day giveaway" on facebook and i thought it looked pretty rad. they're giving away 100 days of travel to a lucky winner and you can pick from a number of places like Indonesia, Peru, Thailand and Greece! *hearts in my eyes* so here's the thing, when you enter you get this url and if people click on it to enter as well, it gives you more chances to win, pretty sick, right? so i thought i'd post it on here for all of my lovely cc readers to check out and enter as well ;) and then get your own url's and post those on your facebook, twitter, and possibly blogs if you chose! it's free, why not enter?

here's my url
https://fnez.com/dream-trip/9ol2yfvd1qb37ch8

if you enter through my url thank you so much and good luck!

stay cheeky!

new hair

what's going on cheeky chatters?

on saturday i went to get my hair done for the first time in a year...i know, gross. i had been thinking about doing something a little different with my hair since i haven't really done anything fun with it in years. when this whole ombre fad became popular it intrigued me. i love the way it looks and it's a style i could do on my ginger hair. i've always wanted to dye my hair but knew that i just wouldn't be able to deal with the up-keep of constantly dying my orange roots. ombre has no up-keep which is sweet. so, i have been going back and forth for the past two weeks deciding whether or not to go with the ombre or to just leave my hair the way it is. but also if i did end up doing ombre, would i do dark or light on the ends. i looked on the internet for pictures to see what either would look like and i honestly had so much trouble finding either! especially pictures with dark on the ends. so, at the last minute, after talking with my hair dresser i decided i wanted to do reverse ombre. not only because i felt like blonde on my ends would make my gingerness stand out more but also because i really haven't seen reverse ombre on anyone, and i like being the person who takes something popular but changes it slightly to make it unique ;). i also had my younger sister beside me getting BLUE put in her hair, so i felt like maybe i should be a little more adventurous like her haha anyways this is how my hair turned out!

i love it, it's so different from what i'm used to but i like the change! it's just what i was hoping it'd look like so props to my hairdresser, she's awesome. 

excuse my horribly messy dresser...

here's another picture to give you a better look at it. what do you guys think of it? i want to hear your honest opinions!

beautiful flower

also my hairdresser's daughter who is around 5 or 6 years old and is totally into art and knew i went to school for art, gave me this amazing painting she did! honestly how good is it!? that was probably the cutest/sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. i was so flattered. 

as always, thanks for reading:)

stay cheeky!