Now that cold weather has officially become the norm in Montreal, me and my fellow university students have come to accept that the our city's 5-month winter season is here to stay, and that we can/should dress appropriately. However, I will be escaping to sunny Barcelona as of 2014, and therefore have chosen to embrace winter fashion as much as possible until then. My latest obsession: head warmers. If right now you're wondering "what the hell's a head warmer?" then you probably just know them by some other name such as a head turban, head scarf, knit/wool head band, knit/wool hair wrap, etc. 

Below are some of my current lust-worthy warmers ranging from budget-friendly to as if prices:

How do I love thee head warmer? Let me count the ways:

1. They keep your ears warm - this can be underratedly necessary when it's cold as $h!t
2. They are much easier to throw in your schoolbag/purse than earmuffs.
3. They can also be thrown in the wash (for the most part) if dirty.
4. They can be worn all day to cover up greasy hair, though I would recommend a lighter option to prevent sweating i.e. more greasiness. Don't judge me...sometimes those extra twenty minutes of sleep are really more necessary than a shower.
5. Like scarves, you can wear the same head warmer every day without anyone really noticing.
6. Bad hair day? s'NO PROBLEM!
7. They come in a variety of colours and textures to coordinate with different scarves, moods, coats, and weather conditions.

So come on guys, let's stop complaining and moping around indoors all day. Embrace the cold! Love the wind! Or at least get a head warmer, and the next five months might not seem so daunting.

There is nothing quite like watching a great movie to inspire, relax and lift your spirits. Now that the winter season is fast approaching in Montreal (as I write this it is presently -2 degrees Celsius), there is nothing I crave more every night than cuddling up in a blanket with a nice cup of herbal tea, a cool breeze from the window, the glow of a candle, and a great 90 minute film. To be honest, I am not a a fan of recent trends in entertainment where movies are now two hours or longer. Ain't nobody got time for that (I'm talking to you Benjamin Button).

I will soon be celebrating my twentieth birthday and I believe that justifies reflecting on my childhood as if it happened quite a while ago. Let's be honest, the world is a much different place than it was ten years ago. I also have significantly less time to devote to movie-watching, let alone re-watching a movie I've already seen. Therefore, I decided to pay homage to the movies I used to watch incessantly, to the point where people would get frustrated because I quoted all the dialogue while watching. Many of these movies were not extremely successful, critically acclaimed, or well-received by the general public. Regardless, watching any one of them provides me with that warm and fuzzy feeling of nostalgia and great family memories. This winter, we should all try to set aside some time, ideally 90ish minutes, to make some popcorn, escape our daily worries, and snuggle with some great company to watch a movie. Below are my top ten choices (in no particular order) that can be enjoyed by all ages/genders and appeal to your inner youthful spirit:

1. Spaceballs (1987)

Ok so I'm going to be honest, I barely understood the multitude of amazingly witty and clever cultural references in this movie when I used to watch it. ("That's funny, she doesn't look Druish") All I know is that I found this hilarious and my family used to watch this all. the. time. Essentially, the storyline is that planet Spaceball is running out of air, and President Skroob decides to send Lord Dark Helmet to Planet Druidia in order to steal their air. The Princess ditches on her wedding to Prince Valium, and Lone Starr is the only once who can save the Princess and the precious air of Planet Druidia. This movie has a little something for everyone, and is my secret party weapon ice breaker, since everyone who has seen Spaceballs loves to talk about Spaceballs.

Note: superstar Mel Brooks wrote, directed, produced, and starred as President Skroob; talk about an over-achiever. Also, the late John Candy kills it as Mog, Lone Starr's half-man half-dog sidekick.

2. Paycheck (2003)

For years, when anyone used to ask me "What's your favourite movie?", I would say "Paycheck" without a moment's hesitation. Ninety-nine percent of the time, this was immediately followed by "What's Paycheck? Never seen it. Never heard of it." Well, shame on all of you because Paycheck is awesome. Similar to the much-more-respected Memento, Paycheck is a fragmented flashback memory-thriller starring Ben Affleck, Uma Thurman and Aaron Eckhart. Michael Jennings (Affleck) is a reverse engineer, meaning he is hired by a company to imitate/improve a competitor's technology for short-term contract durations. In order to protect their intellectual property, his clients wipe Jennings' memory once his contract is complete. One day, Jennings gets an offer he can't refuse (we're talking lots of cashmoney), but the project is a three-year job, which is significantly longer than anything he had done in the past. Jennings wakes up after the three years only to find out that people are trying to kill him, and he has no clue why. To make matters worse, he finds out that past-Michael withdrew the huge paycheck from his bank account, and only left him with twenty useless household items. I can't really explain why I love this movie so much, especially since Mr. Affleck himself has since admitted that he was not at all proud of Paycheck and that it inspired him to stop making shitty movies (ouch). Ignore him, go watch it, just don't have any high expectations. Also, Paul Giamatti has a small role as Shorty, Jennings' friend. That alone should be enough motivation to have you torrent Paycheck stat.

3. Eloise at the Plaza (2003)
honorable mention: Eloise at Christmastime (2003)

Confession: I never read the Eloise books as a kid. But who cares, because this movie series is amazing regardless. Eloise is a fun, adventure-loving, curious, friendly, spoiled, and compassionate six-year old girl who just so happens to live at the Plaza Hotel in NYC. The movie adaptations starred a young Sophia Vassilieva, undoubtedly one of the most talented actresses of my generation. The movies also feature Julie Andrews and Jeffrey Tambor, so like you really should watch them. These are the ultimate feel-good movies that I had no shame watching over and over. There's love, New York City, princes, the Plaza, fancy balls, all explored through an innocent, blunt and adventurous narration. Eloise is like To Kill a Mockingbird without the lawsuits, racism and rape. I dare anyone to watch this and not feel better after.

4. The Parent Trap (1998)

Of all of these movies, The Parent Trap definitely had the biggest impact on my life. Once my mother told me that there was just one girl playing both twins Annie and Hallie, I was so amazed by production magic and Lohan's acting abilities that I was inspired to start acting myself. Lohan kills it, and Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson are rather adorable together. For anyone who has somehow not seen this (go change that now): the movie tells the story of two identical girls at Walden summer camp who were both raised by single parents. Awkwardly enough, it takes ripped up pictures of their respective missing parental unit to even realize they were twins separated at birth, as if strangers can actually look that much alike by fluke. Realism aside, this movie takes heart-warming to a new level. 

Note: If nothing else this movie deserves legendary status because it made dipping your oreos in peanut butter a thing. Also, I was so obsessed with this movie that the Debs (my momma dearest) was determined to get me my own "Cuppy" bunny stuffed-animal. I never had a sentimental relationship with a blanket or toy as a child, but that bunny received more of my love than any other beanie baby/inanimate object in my collection.

Biologically, human wellbeing is driven by connections created with other people. Forming strong relationships with friends and family have both been proven to provide value and meaning to our lives, thus increasing our health and happiness. I do believe in the validity of this outlook. However, when it comes to happiness, I also think that there should be equal emphasis based on one’s connection with oneself. These views are the pillars behind my motivation for starting this blog. This may not appear to make any logical sense, and so I have chosen to explain my reasoning through a most underrated medium, the numbered list:

1. In our modern world, connections are not simply made through physical contact. I have been reading blogs + forums + websites and watching online videos for nearly a decade, and I can attest to the fact that Internet communities and virtual communication can contribute (in their own unique way) to those feelings of connection and belonging that we crave. 
   
2. Documenting my thoughts and my life through writing (or any media form) has several personal benefits. It is therapeutic and relaxing, provides an extremely fun creative outlet, and serves as a journal/scrapbook/diary to look back on in the future.
   
3. I am going away to study in Barcelona this January, and was intending on starting my blog then with an emphasis on travel and documenting my experiences. But life is short, and I felt like getting a head start. Besides, this blogging thing will probably take some getting used to (hence the present awkwardness).
4. My mother and best friend aka the “Debs” is my number one fan and online stalker. If even one person will read and appreciate these blog posts, then I’ve already won. And trust me, Debs will read every one of these (love you Mom!)
5. I am such a hoarder of beauty, lifestyle, fashion, décor and food blogs. I legitimately have two bookmark folders on my computer dedicated to organizing my daily reads (one for beauty + fashion blogs and one for the others). It was about time I started contributing some content.
   

And with this, I officially welcome you to Megan|Taylored. The name has been chosen because (a) Megan Taylor is my name and (b) I enjoy the pun on the word “tailored,” meaning simple, not elaborate, and having a neat appearance (essentially, I am implying that this blog represents a tailored version of my life, in case that was unclear).

Instead of deciding on a specific theme or direction for blog posts, I will simply let my writing style evolve naturally and write about whatever I want when I feel the need to share it. I should warn that there will probably be a helluva lot about cosmetics (i.e. skin care, body care, makeup), some occasional fashion, entertainment and lifestyle, and a sprinkling of recipes and/or obnoxious pictures of food that I eat.

Talk about a concise intro! Be warned, I never shut up. You’ll get used to it. And now that I have significantly depleted tonight’s sleeping hours, it’s probably a sign that I should say goodbye.

Goodnight,

Megan