As I’m recalibrating how I feel about summer this year, I’m looking for clothing that is easy to wear, comfortable, but still makes me feel amazing.
Black Prairie girl chic
I grabbed this prairie girl dress from Aritzia (it's still on sale!) and added my white sandals and who doesn’t love eucalyptus?
Easy, breazy, beautiful prairie girl!
Happy Thursday!
Location: www.988concept.com
Price: $$ - $$$
Clothing types: Women and Menswear, Unique pieces
Style type: for those looking to make a statement
Bad Bitch look in Las Vegas
988 Concept helped make my summer 2019 a hot girl summer. Sophia, the owner of the boutique (had a storefront at the time) really helped me curate key looks for my Las Vegas trip and for everyday wear over the summer. 988 Concept carries unique items in limited quantities, so if you have your eye on anything in particular you need to snap it up. At this very moment I hesitated on a lovely fringe cardigan and it's no longer on the site. What I really like about 988 Concept is that the customer service is superb, they have great quality clothes and pieces you’ll love forever.
While we’re stuck inside many of us are staring longingly at our closets and that has us evaluating all the clothing we own.
One staple that everyone should own is a pair of well fitting black pants. Whether you’re new to the workforce (just graduated, etc.) or you’re trying to simplify your wardrobe (e.g. capsule wardrobe) a good pair of black pants can make all the difference and is worth the time it takes to find the perfect pair.
Black pants are a staple because they are a great base for dressing up or down. I’ve styled my black pants to fit in casual, work, and dressy situations. If you’re trying to get the most out of every piece in your wardrobe black pants will go the extra mile.
As our chat went on we discovered that we went to high schools down the street from each other in Scarborough, we had similar experiences growing up with African parents, and continued to talk about style that we love and hate and shared some shops we frequent (COS, Aritzia, Simmons, Massimo Dutti etc.). Also exploring some new brands on the 4th floor at the Bay (do not sleep on those sales on the 4th floor!).
We never found out who that couple in the picture was but it was a great way to finish off a great conversion!
Read MoreHey y’all I made a quick video about clothing care - mainly saving your sweaters from hangers!
If you’re interested in some other clothing care tips check out my previous post.
Since Pat McGrath starting dropping hints about her foundation, I was AMPED! As a fan of her work and makeup I knew this foundation would be amazing. I am here to report that this foundation is gorgeous, it’s lightweight, and will give you an amazing glow.
I was able to try out this out at Sephora while in Vegas this past week. I had missed my makeup makeover appointment, but I was able to get a 15 minute skin-mini makeover. During this session my skin was prepped and I was colour matched. Luckily the brand representative was present and gave me some tips on how to match my colour and how to apply the foundation. For some context I have normal skin with a shiny T-zone. My foundation colour for Fenty Beauty is 430 and Cocoa in Huda Beauty.
Notes from brand rep:
Pre-foundation: when trying to find your colour put a bit on your forehead, cheek, and chest to find your best match. I’m colour Deep 31, Deep 32 was too orangey-red and Deep 30 was giving a grey tinge.
This is a water based foundation and you should not mix with non-water based products as it will cause the foundation to separate
If you use a water based moisturizer you can avoid the primer
Auntie Pat applies the foundation starting from the centre of the face moving outward
I took my sample back to the hotel room and applied it a bit later and OMG! It looks fabulous, see the pictures below:
Before the club: Other than the eye makeup I’m only wearing foundation - no powder, blush, bronzer or highlight.
After Travis Scott performed: Chillin by the pool
I applied the foundation with my fingers (I didn’t pack any foundation on this trip but that's another post). Las Vegas is HOT-hot (42 degrees celsius) and this foundation didn’t move. Rolled up to the Travis Scott show at Marquee, got sucked into the crowd and had to fight my way out, and finally chilled by the pool for another 2 hours by the pool and this foundation was locked in.
I would definitely recommend this foundation. The price tag is steeper than your average foundation, it’s listed on Sephora at $90.00CAD, the Primer is $80.00CAD and the setting powder is listed at $80.00CAD. In total if you buy the 3 products together in what Pat McGrath calls the Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection The System you’re spending $250.00CAD. You can find some savings if you buy The System directly from Pat McGrath’s website for $205.00CAD and it’s free shipping and no duties to Canada. You pay $93.00CAD for just the foundation on her site so you save $3.00CAD if you only want to buy the foundation from Sephora. If you want the setting powder its $75.00CAD on Pat McGrath’s site so there is a $5.00 savings there.
Have any of you tried this foundation yet? What do you think? Were you able to find your colour?
Is it summer in Toronto? It’s 10 degrees celsius and cold enough where even my tights couldn’t save me! I’m really wondering what kind of summer we’re going to have? Shorts - no, short dresses - definitely not, swimming - in what lake? The only saving grace we have is that while it's not hot it will definitely be sunny! Which means we can always wear our sunglasses (I mean it's sunny in the dead of winter too).
This season anything goes when it comes to sunglasses, do you want a Grace Jones-esque cat-eye, the tiny nose percher, or are you feeling the FENTY hater blockers? I’m enjoying the variety of sunglasses in different shapes and styles this season and this variety makes me feel like buying a pair for every mood. Sunglasses are a great accessory whether they are from Forever21 or Celine and they make me feel like it's summer even if the weather isn’t cooperating.
Here are some of my favourite styles (click on the pictures for the links):
Wedding season is upon us! I love wedding cake and and dancing the night away, but I’m sure we all dread figuring out what we’re going to wear.
Read More
Post Cleaning :)
In my last post I spoke about how to care for your sweaters before you store them for the season and this week is speaking about boots. I find boots to be a lot easier to manage than sweaters because you normally only have two or three types of materials used in the construction of the boot. You can have leather, synthetic leather, nylon and suede or a blend of all four materials. Leather and nylon boots can be cleaned in the same way to some extent whereas suede is a little bit more labour intensive.
Suede Boots
I recommend using lukewarm water and 1 to 3 drops of dish soap detergent.
Then dip a rag or a cloth into the water (water and soap) and rub small circles into the boot.
Once you no longer see the white marks from the salt leave boots to air dry.
Leather Boots
With the same solution dampen your cloth/rag. DO NOT SOAK WITH WATER, damp means it should be halfway to dry.
Lightly wipe the boot down, do not leave the rag resting on boot.
There shouldn’t be any excess water on the boot once you’ve wiped down the boot, take a dry cloth/rag and wipe away any excess water.
Mixed Material & Pleather - I would repeat the steps for the Suede boots but use the last step in the leather boots.
See my video below, on how to clean your boots. FYI if you are given specific directions on how to care for your boots please follow those directions.
I’ve had the leather boots for over 10 years and the Uggs for the last 3 years.
I touched on the transitioning between winter and spring clothing this week on instagram this week. Before you start being productive and packing your things away we need to start with cleaning these items first. To preserve your clothing you want to clean them prior to packing them away. When deodorant, sweat, stains, etc. linger on your clothing and sweaters in particular they damage the fabric itself and can lead to holes, thinning, and discolouration.
Wool - is notorious for shrinking whether it be 20% or 100% of the makeup of your sweater. I would advise you Dry clean any wool sweater that you love. Even on gentle/delicates cycle you run the risk that it shrinks a little bit.
Cashmere - no argument if it is a 100% cashmere sweater definitely dry clean if you want it last you for a long time. If the sweater is a cashmere and cotton blend (20% Cashmere and 80% cotton) I would advise you to wash it in the gentle/delicates cycle. Regardless of the blend definitely line dry.
photo by: Dan Gold
Merino Wool - this can be washed in the gentle/delicates cycle unless the tag says otherwise. There are merino wool pullovers sold by athletic brands that may allow you to wash in the regular cycle. When in doubt gentle/delicates cycle and hang dry
Cotton - this really varies based on the company, read the tag. If you’ve cut out the tag I would wash as regular and cold water, and tumble dry. If you want to be extra cautious line dry.
Blends - polyester, acrylic, etc. honestly always wash cold and tumble dry low. (I would say you should stay away from blends but we can talk about this another time.
When in doubt, hand wash or machine wash on delicates and line dry.
Also here is a guide to some of the images you’ll find on your clothing tags:
Clothing tag icon legend (this is not exhaustive).
This spring has been pretty dull and wet - a standard in terms of weather but in fashion it’s been full of colour and fun! I am loving a number of things but the main stand outs at the moment are the spectrum of colour, skirts, platform sneakers, and fun nails.
I am partial to a pleated skirt with a fun pattern or multiple colours. They are a great way to add some fun and depth to your outfits. Also, I really like the flow of a pleated skirts; when you walk it adds a whimsical vibe especially if there is a breeze. A knit skirt is a nice touch for texture and comfort. Knit skirts can also create an optical illusion and provide a great silhouette to any shape.
I’m really enjoying the resurgence of colour in everyone’s wardrobe - from neutrals to tie die it’s nice to see the variety in people’s wardrobes and in their expression of self! An easy way to add colour to your overall look is painting your nails in a fun print or a rainbow with each nail being a different colour.
I tend to land on the streamlined classic sneaker end of the spectrum but these platform sneakers are definitely turning my head. Maybe it’s a Baby Spice throwback or I just like the extra height that I get without wearing heels, either way these are fun and comfortable. Bonus points when they are an Oxford platform - RIP my pair from Zara that I had to get rid of.
These are just a few of my favourite spring trends but my advice to anyone reading this is to be brave and have some fun!
Hair Pins by The Loved One
When Solange released the album art for A Seat At The Table with her wearing all of those roller hair pins it sparked a hair trend with everyone and their grandmother wearing tons of hair pins. Since then, we seen a revival of hair accessories across the Spectrum from velvet scrunchies to padded headbands.
Part of my dive into the hair accessories trend is - jewelled hair pins and clips. Hair Pins and clips are a great way to dress up a look, they are easy to apply and work well in multiple types of hair. With wedding season around the corner, I definitely consider them to be a great accessory. Personally I used gorgeous hair pins to style my short hair on my wedding day and they looked amazing.
The pins below are great for everyday looks and the pearl clip I think would be your go-to to add an elegant touch to a little black dress or jeans.
I have linked to the stores that I bought the pins from but you can also check out Urban Outfitters or Amazon!
Discover & share this Tea GIF with everyone you know. GIPHY is how you search, share, discover, and create GIFs.
This week I stumbled upon something EXCITING! Costco is selling mid to high-end skincare for 15%-60% less than Sephora, Amazon, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Saks Fifth Ave. You can purchase these items on Costco.ca without a Costco membership.
Any of the items at Sephora that have a savings of 20% or more are a really good deal, as Sephora only has it’s 20% off sale twice a year. The items highlighted in green are an extra good deal and if you like the Sisley products listed they are a highway robbery if you buy them through Costco.
I’m not going elaborate on this to death, rather see the list of the available products and the savings below:
P.S. I think the skincare products that Costco.ca has in-stock change regularly, so a month or two from now some of these items may not be available. I will confirm in a couple of days!
Chau!
***Cover Photo credit: Photo by Audrey M Jackson on Unsplash
Do you have that one item that you bought because you just couldn’t get over how extra it was? For me my EXTRA AF item is my Pello Bello Silver Grey Vest, I bought it on sale and on a whim at Saks a randomly. I love the texture of the feathers, the pockets can hold my iPhone 8 plus, and it's surprisingly warm.
I’ve worn this vest on numerous occasions since I’ve bought it, I would say the trick to wearing your Extra AF item is not caring about the occasion - you wear it because you love it!
I paired this vest with oversized Diane Von Furstenberg Silk Pyjama Top (I bought the top with the purpose of wearing it out - not to bed), Uniqlo jeans distressed jeans with unfinished hem, and my go-to Frank and Oak heeled ankle boots.
See outfit details below (click on images to shop the look):
Photo - J.Crew
Photo - Anthropologie
Photo - Zara
It’s Friday and I am here with a style tip to take you into the weekend. For those of us who work in a corporate setting Fridays are normally “casual Friday” - a day that leads to a lot of pondering on what you can wear and why your closet sucks. One thing that has been irking me lately is I only have one pair of non-ripped jeans that I can wear to work, and lately I haven’t been loving that pair of jeans, so I had been looking for an alternative. I landed on some wide legged cropped cotton pants which is a style that has been trending over the last year.
Here are 3 reasons why you should consider adding these pants to your casual Friday rotation:
You can wear a dress shirt or a t-shirt add a blazer and you’re ready for any last minute client meetings.
Heels, flats, or sneakers are no problem - go with your mood.
Comfortable, these pants are meant to be comfortable
Bonus points: these pants should work with everyone’s wardrobe and can/should be worn outside of work too!
Have a great Friday and weekend!
Neon has been trending over the past 3 years and I’m not sure who started it but as someone who isn’t quick to jump on trends, I decided to try neon out this past month. If any of you are familiar with my blog or instagram page you know that I’m a huge fan of Aritzia, while shopping their winter sale for sweaters, I scooped up this sweater (Wilfred Free-Isabelli Sweater- Waffle-knit crewneck sweater) in neon chartreuse to try it out. Functionally, I love this sweater because its soft and warm, which really saved me for the last couple of month when it was -20 Celsius. Now to the best part, yes I have actually worn this sweater to my corporate job (multiple times - it was really cold!). Unless you work in a company that is a very strict/formal dress code the only thing you have to fear is standing out. I will say glowing like a highlighter will garner attention because you’re literally a beacon but otherwise I’m perfectly in the parameters of my companies policy.
I’m sure you’re thinking, yes your brave and you stood out but how can I possible work neon into my work clothes? What does neon chartreuse match with? I’ve pulled together 3 looks with my neon sweater that you can wear to the office (if permitted).
Neon & Black Pants - Bonus points if you pair this with a non-black shoe. Everyone should have a pair of black pants (if you don’t please email me), this is an easy look and very comfortable for a day in the office and with a colourful shoe transitions well into an evening look.
Neon & Tan High-Waisted Pencil Skirt - At first glance, these two colours shouldn’t work together. I personally like the contrast of the two pieces and the colour of the skirt falls into the neutral category which tones down the brightness. It creates a unique look paired with comfortable black stacked heel ankle boots. The boots aren’t too high so you can comfortable get from meeting to meeting without feeling your feet go numb.
Neon & Navy Wide Legged Pants - Blue and Yellow work well together, using different tones of both colours make it easy to pair the sweater and pants together. Personally, I like wide-leg pants for work because you can wear them with flats and heels and look cute in both.
The moral of the story is that you can wear neon to work! If you have something in your closet right now or you were eyeing an item, try it out!
P.S. I wasn’t joking about the black pants, if you don’t have any please email me - you’re clearly in dire need of a closet rehab!
Lately, I’ve noticed there are a number of new companies selling organic tampons and pads as an alternative to Kotex, OB, Always (feminine products that are laden with a number of chemicals; including bleach). With this topic trending, I wanted to throw in two other alternative period options - period undies and the two brands that I personally use; Thinx Period-Proof and Knix Leak-Proof Undies.
I would like to preface this with this review will be categorized as #ThingsIBoughtFromPodcastAds
Image via Knixwear Instagram page
I’ve been using Thinx, a US brand for the last 3 years and I will say that they have underwear for everyday of your period. They have 4 different Period-Proof underwear types with different cuts that you use depending on the heaviness of the flow. Knixwear is a Canadian brand that sells 4 styles of Leak-Proof underwear that I decided to try out while buying one of their bras (the bra didn’t work out).
One thing I want to emphasize is that using period underwear is different and than what we’re used to using tampons and pads. *gross alert* When I first started using the Thinx underwear I would described it as free flowing. We are so programmed to be afraid of leaking that the idea of letting yourself leak into your underwear on purpose is quite jarring.
As per the Thinx website, “Our washable, reusable undies absorb your period and are a more sustainable solution than single-use disposable products. Every pair of THINX is made with our signature 4-layer technology for ultimate protection.
Moisture-wicking cotton - A natural fiber closest to your skin for added softness and breathability.
Odor-trapping lining - Neutralizes odors and fights the growth of bad bacteria.
Super-absorbent fabric - Hold up to 2 regular tampons’ worth, so you never feel too *moist*.
Leak-resistant barrier - So you stay fresh ‘n’ dry, even when you feel blah and crampy.”
The Knixwear website describes its undies as “Period panties look and feel like normal panties but they have a built in super-absorbent pad with leak resistant backing to prevent any period or other moisture leaks. Plus ours are seamless for max for comfort you. Suitable for heavy flows too.”
Image via Thinx website
Thinx has underwear for everyday of your flow. As I’ve used their heaviest flow undies to their lightest flow underwear, you won’t be disappointed by the literal coverage you get with these underwear. My favourite thing about the high waisted heavy flow underwear is that, on the first day of my flow I’ll wear them to bed and I don’t have to worry about leaking through my pjs and onto the sheets. They literally got your whole butt covered!
Three of the four Knixwear Leak-Proof undies claim to hold two tampons (the bikini, boyshort, and high rise styles) while the thong style holds 1 teaspoon of blood. I tried the bikini style undie on my heavy day and I definitely had a leak. Whereas the thong is perfect for light days and I didn’t experience any leaks. I would advise you use both underwear for your light days and if you spot pre and post period.
Thinx has two underwear styles per flow type for their Period-Proof underwear, which means they have 6 different styles: High Waist, Hiphugger, Boyshort, Sport, Cheeky, and Thong. As I have ⅚ styles (excluding the thong), I would suggest the High Waist and Hiphugger for your heaviest days (this follows the website guid) and the Boyshort and Sport cuts for you medium days (I didn’t like the boyshort for my heavy day) and finally the Cheeky and Thong for your light days (as suggested by the website). I find all 5 of my undies to be very comfortable during my period.
Knix has 4 styles of Leak-Proof undies the bikini, thong, highrise, and boyshort. I only have the bikini and thong which I find to be really comfortable and sleek.
I would say that the Knix Leak-Proof underwear are just that, Leak-Proof but not full period underwear. Meaning, I would pair them with a Diva cup or tampon. I will say they aren’t as thick as the Thinx underwear but closer to your regular seamless underwear that you would normally buy. Which is great for your light days or pre/post period spotting. I would say that if you wanted to wear these undies under something figure-hugging you would be perfectly fine. Thinx underwear are true Period-Proof underwear and a great alternative to pads and tampons. I’ve had my Thinx underwear for 3 years and have thrown them into the washing machine after every period and I haven’t experienced any rips or unravelling. Both underwear are great quality and will cover different parts of your cycle. Further, using these underwear decreases the amount of disposable feminine products and are sustainable options.
*Cover Photo by Drew Roberts on Unsplash
If you live in Toronto and hangout on Queen Street West, I’m sure you’ve walked by the Bite Beauty Lip Lab numerous times. I was always curious and this curiosity came to fruition this month.
As a lipstick lover who is friends’ with another lipstick lover, I was struggling to figure out what to get her for Christmas. We both spent too much at Sephora last year but what do you get for a makeup/beauty lover who already has everything they want at the moment (this is always a short moment). I figured an experience would be the best way to go and our shared love for lipstick lead me to Bite Beauty Lip Lab on January 6.
I chose the Bespoke service where you create 2 custom lip colours. The process is pretty straight forward, you sit with one of the Bite Beauty’s Colour Artists they ask you what colour you have in mind. Once you’ve decide on a colour the Colour Artist will mix the lip pigments, until you find your colour of choice. I created two different shades, a nude in the sheer finish and a raspberry-orange in a matte finish, it took about 3 or 4 pigment mixes to find each of these colours.
My 2 Bespoke Lipsticks
The colourful jars are the lipstick pigments that the Colour Artist mixes together to create your bespoke lipstick and the tiny jars with liquid in them are scents that you can choose to add to your lipstick as well.
Rating: 💄💄💄💄💄(for experience and product)
If you want to make your own lip colour I would highly suggest this service! Austen was our Colour Artist and he was great. Very knowledgable about what looks good on your skin tone but also narrowing down to the colour you desire. Further, I hadn’t used Bite Beauty lip products other than their agave lip balm. Can I say that the formulas are amazing! The matte was very moisturizing and not drying, while the sheer formula still have great colour payoff and is fairly long-wearing. Also have you ever chosen a scent for you lipstick? I had never noticed any of my other lipsticks have a obvious scent. For my raspberry-orange colour I chose the citrus scent because I plan to wear this colour out summer 2019. I believe I selected wild-berry for my nude colour scent.
Last week I served you a red monochromatic look for a work holiday party. That look is for those of us who don’t mind standing out at work events. This week I’m bringing you something cute and sassy that will have you sashaying into the party and maybe onto the dance floor for a little one-two-step. As always, I aim to put together work looks that anyone can wear and feel amazing in!
This holiday looks is pretty simple - the two elements that give it the holiday vibes are the headband that is crown-like and the sparkly tights. I love the billowy sleeves on the Rebecca Minkoff blouse and knitted pattern around the arms and at the top. The black skirt I bought in Paris and it’s been my fun/party since I bought it. Now the tights and headband I bought from Urban Outfitters and they a really the icing on the holiday fruit cake. Headbands have also been really big this year and let's be frank, they’ve been been around since forever so definitely try one out this holiday season. If you live in a cooler climate you definitely wear stocking/nylons in the winter time. Why not make this seasonal mainstay apart of your holiday look? These tights are really sparkly, fun, and will keep your legs a little warmer. Finally, the ankle boots with a bit of a heel give this look a bit of a 90’s girl vibe but are practical and easy to wear throughout the day.
Happy Work Partying! If you want to put this look together see links below:
