Wishlist Find #3...and #4!

Actually, to be honest, I didn't have jewelry on my wishlist at all. 

But it was still a find! I actually saw this necklace sometime in the fall and seeing as how it was $18, I decided against buying it.

While out with mumsy on the town this weekend, we went into RW&Co to look at the dresses and jewelry. I saw the same necklace...for $4. Score! Of course, I bought it. 

And a ring. Why not?

Apart from a few new cosmetics, these (plus trench and makeup palette) are all we bought over the weekend! Such conservative spending compared to past mama-daughter shopping extravaganzas. 

Though that's leaving out the $$ we spend on awesome food. ;)

Can't wait til the next one!

necklaces

Magazine Inspiration: April 2011

I think I've fallen for colour-blocking.

Or just colours in general. They make me giddy.

Guys, it's spring. Time to break out the gladiator sandals, the bright handbags, the light trenches and floral skirts!

Here are my picks this month from the April issues of InStyle, Glamour, Flare and Elle.

 

 Look at those blues! The red! The orange!

I already have some of these things (trench, gladiator flats, floral skirt), but this spring/summer I'm going to branch out and try a maxi dress, bright-coloured cuffed trousers (I saw a pair for $10 at H&M but the promo might be over now), and high-heeled sandals (in love with a pair at Nine West.

Most importantly, I'm looking forward to warm weather so I won't have to cover all my colours up! Can't wait til I can pack those coats away for another year. :D

What are your favourite spring trends?

gladiator sandals

Wishlist Find #2: Spring trenchcoat

This is big. 

I've wanted a beige/tan/cream (light-coloured) trench coat for as long as I've had my black one, which I got for a job interview when I was 19.

But I was picky. Really, really picky. I was willing to pay the price for this coat to check all my boxes. It had to:

- have epaulets

- be knee-length

- have awesome buttons

- have a back vent/flap

- not wash me out

- be water-resistant

- be single-breasted

Well folks, we did it. Ma and I strolled into Manteaux Manteaux (french for "coats coats") at the end of our shopping day on Saturday and managed to actually find one that checked ALL the boxes. 

For only $100. Yep. We're quite the team.

 Trench: Green with Envy; Scarf: Ardène

 Frank had a hoot with this photo shoot (rhyme alert!)

Then he got the idea that since I have a trench coat, I have to pretend to be a creepy streaker.

Because that's what all people who have trench coats do. Right?

He learned English from watching That 70's Show...probably not the best influence.

I said "no. not really Frank." 

But he jumped around and argued that it's just like wearing a dress!

Ya gotta give him that. It really is the same.

Besides, he made my legs look good. And the photo is pretty wicked.

So retro. That Frank sure can work a camera! :)

trench coats

Wishlist Find #1: Sephora Colour Palette!

So, I abandoned the idea of the Sephora Colour Flip ($18) as soon as I mentioned to mom that there was a bigger version (still Sephora brand) and she hunted it down. Wow.

This thing is amazing. It has 5 different palettes that can each be popped out and placed into the travel-sized case on the far right.

I am so pumped to try out these colours. I have very little eye-shadow experience...and I have no idea what colours work on me. This is a pretty awesome way to figure it out. 


I've tried a few of the lip gloss colours and they stain really well. I thought they'd be pretty weak. Not so! I would have liked for one of the blushes to be more of a bronze, but the one on the far left could probably work. Or I could just dip into the browny-gold eye shadows...


For $30, this was a pretty magnificent find at Sephora! Mom and I were amazed. :)

More to show laterrr. ;)

palette

Weekend Round-up (27.03.11)

Dizzying...but pretty accurate!

Mama's here this weekend for a shopping extravaganza.

Including wine. And good food. And America's Next Top Model marathons...(we're watching the last half of Cycle 13 of ANTM and both yelped when Erin got eliminated. Ugh! Whatabitch).

So far I've purchased a new foundation brush (40% off!), an AWESOME trench coat, a make-up palette from Sephora (omg) and some other little things. So excited for today! We're heading to downtown Montreal for our last day of shopping. :)


In celebration, here are some shopping-related links for the frugal among you:


5 Frugal Shopping Tips from today's guest blogger at Chasing Davies (though her idea of what's inexpensive differs from mine, the tips are pretty good!). 


Shopping requires money. How to make more on the side. A garage sale > online surveys.


Some nifty thrifting tips from Jentine at my edit. Apparently if you want a lower price...ask for it! - note: pretty sure this would only work in a thrift store. Don't go trying to haggle in H&M. ;)


7 must-visit vintage shops in Montreal. Including EvaB! I pop in there as often as I can, and they buy your clothes from you. :)


More in Montreal: a list of thrift shops by area written in The McGill Tribune. If students approve...you know it's not pricey.


Have a great day everyone! Can't wait to share my haul with y'all! 

(ha. I love when I rhyme)


xoxo!

cuffed trousers

Spring layers!

I wore a T-SHIRT yesterday!

Under a denim jacket, yes, but that's huge! I didn't layer a coat over a jacket over a sweater! Big news. Big big news. :P 


Of course...I had to make Frank document this monumental day.

Uhh Frank? Straighten the camera please...

Much better. :)

Jeans: DKNY

Boots: Kamik

Jacket: RW&Co

T-shirt: H&M

Hat: Sanibel (QC brand)

Scarf: xmas gift

Mama and I are off shopping today in Montreal! We're rested, caffeinated, pumped up and ready to spend some dubloons! 

Enjoy your lovely Saturday, folks!

denim jacket

PSA #24: Invest in rainboots.

You probably don't have to be told to buy rainboots, but you'd be surprised how many people think they can get away with cheap rainboots, or use their Uggs as rainboots (really? gross.) 

I grew up in Nova Scotia, Canada, and spent my undergraduate years in Halifax...which is extremely wet and windy. Instead of snow in the winter, we got slush. I was in denial for those years, thinking I could just wear sneakers in the rain and deal with it. 

If only I'd know the joys of good rainboots...

Then into my life steps Penny. My first month here in Montreal in 2009, she convinced me that I needed rainboots. Or maybe I'd already done that on my own and she just pointed me toward a certain brand...

Either way, I will always credit her for leading me to the best.rainboots.ever.

They're Canadian-made, totally waterproof, adorable AND superbly comfortable.

They are Kamik rainboots. 

Here are mine! Such a cute pattern, that goes with black, brown, grey, navy, tan, purple...well, pretty much anything actually.

Bonus: They are also warm. I've had my leather boots in the "shop" for the past two weeks for repairs, and it has rained, snowed, melted, flooded, and snowed again and these boots have seen me through all of it! I have no idea how I lasted 4 years in Halifax without these.


What was I thinking?

Thank you Kamik! You make amazing boots.

(btw, Kamik has no idea who I am. This isn't an endorsement, just a proclamation of my undying love! :D)

Kamik

Manicuring for the perfectionist

If you are quite anal like me, and cringe when manicurists do your nails because they're sloppy or totally butchering your nail shape...it's probably best you do your own. My cousin has actually completely redone a manicure immediately upon returning home because it just wasn't as good as her own...she can do an immaculate french manicure free handed.

I guarantee it's going to be a time investment, because you are NOT going to be happy the first time around and you will have to do a LOT of waiting. 


It's hard to be perfect.

Here are 8 key steps that will guarantee a pretty impressive mani every time.

1. Invest in the right tools. Ever since I bought a base and top coat, my nail colour lasts so much longer. This is the reason why you'll do so much waiting. At minimum, you'll need to apply 5 coats total. 1 base coat, 2 coats of colour and 2 top coats. 

The base coat helps the colour adhere AND prevents it from dying your nails some freaky yellow colour. The top coat keeps the colour from chipping.

Other tools: Q-tips, an emery board and nail polish remover ON HAND. I pour a bit of remover into the bottle cap before hand, ready to dunk the Q-tip at any moment!

 Tools of the trade: base coat, top coat, emery board, Q-tips!

And the colour...of course. ;)

2. Pre-game warm-ups! You don't just rush into a manicure. And you wouldn't want to manicure jagged nails anyway would you? This is where you break out the file. Place the side of the board under the tip of your nail and file in one direction (never back and forth). Give the entire nail a few swipes with the file to buff out rough bits (I have a ridge on one nail that looks very obvious with OR without colour, so I even it out). Then buff the end of the nail in a down-ward motion a few times (gentle, gentle!) to almost give the end of the nail a ">" shape...though you wouldn't actually be able to tell. 

Right before applying the base coat, gently push back your cuticles on each nail. This is especially beneficial for shorter nails, as it gives them a longer look. Hurrah for illuuusions!

3. A steady hand makes for a steady brush. Place the hand getting manicured on a table and steady the other elbow. If you've got shaky hands, you may even want to steady one of the knuckles on your brush hand. Ol' Penny holds both hands in front of her face to apply polish and it makes me wince every time. If I did that I'd have nail polish all down my arm.

4. Take your time. Don't try to swipe polish on 3 nails at once. Even if dob a bit of polish on a few nails and manage to spread them all before the last dob gets gooey...they will all look sloppy and hurried. And you can never really guarantee the last gob won't start drying before you get to it...

I'm definitely not perfect. I get sloppy and polish does get on my skin. That's what the Q-tip is for! Dunk it in remover right away when you get some on your skin and rub it off. Works like a charm. :) 


BUT even though you need to take your time, don't take too much! A few, well-planned, precise swipes per nail should do it. If you get finicky, it'll start drying mid-swipe and then it'll just become a big mess. We don't like messes. Avoid them!


5. Perfect your method. Apply base coat to all nails. Dry (completely). Apply 1 coat to one nail at a time. Dry (completely). Repeat with second colour coat. Add top coat to all nails. Repeat. (I watch ANTM to keep the waiting from getting unbearable).

 I don't remember how much these were, but they are worth every penny! They're both made by Revlon and they apply so easily and evenly. Definitely recommended.

6. It's all about timing. Don't do this right before you have to cook/get dressed or undressed/clean/shop/etc. Do it before bed, or on one of those laaazy days where you just sit watching movies all day. You want to actually give it enough time to dry. Even if it FEELS dry, it may not be. And you will get SO frustrated when you go to change clothes or pick at something when all your hard work gets ruined. But if you DO ruin it...


7. Emergency procedure: If some colour gets smooshed or scratched off, you DON'T have to clean off the whole nail. Get your Q-tip, dip it in a bit of remover and gently rub it around the iffy area until it's smoothed out. If you can see your plain nail, apply base, colour and top coat again, but JUST to that area. It may look funny, but it'll dry fine as long as you keep it even with the rest of the nail. 

8. Follow up every few days. I am really bad at doing this, but I do notice that after a few days I can see white nail poking out at the tip. So give the underside of your nail tip a swipe or two with the file and than apply another top coat. This will help it last longer.

 Oy! It's been 2 years and my middle finger still looks broken... :S

What are your home manicure tips and tricks? What is your nail-shaping method? Please feel free to share any amazing products you swear by for achieving perfect DIY manicures!

Almost Friday folks! Get them nails did! ;) 

 

Sephora nails

The trouble with bread...

My bread is as flat as the cake on the left...and I want the bread on the right!

Woe is me.

I'm posing a question to my gluten-free readers out there.


I baked bread yesterday. Another failure! It tastes good, it's got a good, crunchy crust...

but it's flat. I might as well have omitted the yeast altogether.

It happens every time, and I just deal with it...eating ridiculous-looking sandwiches that all of the contents tumble out of. But I'm getting pretty frustrated. I want BREAD. If I wanted pitas...I'd set out to make pitas.

So who's got some tips for me? How long do you wait for it to rise? How much yeast? How much sugar? Are all of your ingredients at room temp? 

I used 3 cups of flour, which should make a good-sized loaf. 

While we're at it, let's make an exchange: Give advice, ask a question! I'm a pro at muffins and cookies, and I make a damn good birthday (or bachelorette party) cake! ;)

On another, much happier, note: my Ma comes to visit TOMORROW! I get FOUR whole days with my mama, just shopping and wining and dining! :D Mimosas for breakfast! 

Ok, maybe just dinner.

I've been savin' some dollas for this weekend and you can bet you'll see the results soon! ;)


Have a lovely day err'body! 

loaf pan

Spring is a tease.

What happened to 9 degs Celsius?

It snowed like mad today. Big, fat, wet snow, falling fast and a-plenty. But then it melted when it hit the ground...so it was just a wet, gross introduction to spring 2011. 

I took inside AND outside photos today. Inside in the morning and outside in the evening!

Frank is always gone before me in the morning. I can never catch him for a photo session until dinnertime.

Went all monochromatic today. 


Everybody who knows me is familiar with my love of navy.

 Sweater: AE; tank: Gap; jeans: Jacob (thrifted), necklace: Forever XXI; scarf: gift

 Do you remember me telling you about my Kamik rainboots?

Here they are! They're amaazzing.

coat: Simon's; aviators: thrifted

Don't worry Ma! I buttoned up my coat for the walk to school. :)

aviators

The hens were a-cacklin'!

Oooooooo boy, bachelorette parties sure are hilarious!

We all had a fantastic time celebrating the impending marriage of our friend, who is also my co-worker...

which means I get to make fun of her today when she shows up to work still hungover. ;)

Here are the tamer photos of the evening. Notice there are only 3... 

 Our sashes for the evening! Everyone definitely knew what we were up to.

 A fellow Nova Scotian! We had been chatting on and off all evening, and only at the end  realized we're from the same province! We then proceeded to confess how much we missed Pizza Corner and the Alehouse in Halifax.

And how unsettling the lack of salt air in Montreal is.

 The whole crew! Well, minus some who left early. That's the bachelorette in the boa!  :)

(and if you're interested):

my dress: Jack BB Dakota 

:) Happy Monday!

Jack BB Dakota dresses

Weekend Round-up (18.03.11)

 Doooooooooh!!!! What a rascal!

This is EXACTLY what our old family dog (Jake) looked like when we got him (in 1991). It makes me so nostalgic for puppy bites and yelps. Gosh, web-surfing can be so emotional!

I hope everyone else is enjoying an improvement in temperatures this fine weekend. I'm walking around (probably looking like an idiot) taking deep,happy breaths every minute or so. 

Here are some links to start off your lazy, lovely Sunday with. :)

Drawing vs. Photography. Must we choose? I love this melding of the two. 

8 Ways to Prevent Diabetes! I can't even describe to you how much I've learned about Type 2 Diabetes in the past couple years, but basically, you want to prevent it. It leads to sooooo many health problems. The worst is children are now developing it when it used to be a condition diagnosed in adulthood, and those kids will deal with 30+ extra years of metabolic stress on their bodies. It's just not good. Stay healthy please! <3


Another $100 Shopbop gift card giveaway over at O My Heart. You have until the 25th to enter! :)


Some delicious-looking cinnamon scones (courtesy of the Pioneer Woman) to whip up this beautiful morning. I mean, if you don't have time on a Sunday...what other morning is there?

Chelsea of Maritime Shopaholic makes me really want a maxi dress for this summer. C'mon. A cool, breezy nightie that's appropriate for outside the house....that's very appealing.


I could stare at this picture forever. How was it done? Is this a real place? I want all photos to show these hidden wonders!


Finally, not really a link, but I have become totally addicted to this cycle of ANTM. Alexandra is the worst person, but seems to be a pretty awesome model. I loooove Jaclyn and the nice ladies. The catty ones I am NOT fond of...but they make things so interesting, no? Should I watch Canada's Next Top Model too, or is it not as good...? I need something to watch now that Lie to Me and Dexter are finito until the fall.


Enjoy your day, everyone! Go take a big deep breath outside!!! Mmmm.

maxi dress

Spring on my street

I spent last night baking a very inappropriate cake for a bachelorette party, which is why today's post is nice, pretty, innocent photography. 

I felt the need to get my head out of the gutter for a while.

I really love my street. All year round, but right now there is still the smell of wood smoke in the air, but it's so sunny and beautiful at 6:30pm! I noticed the very distinct smell of wet grass finally exposed to air today. It's one of those special signs of spring I've always noticed. It reminds me of home because we have a s***load of grass. You could always smell it when the snow receded. 

It's amazing how spring makes me feel like we're all coming out of our little caves after a long hibernation period. Everyone stepping out into the sun, blinking and confused ("what are these? Colours?!") It's amusing and refreshing.


So here is the current state of my street, at about 7pm. Aaaaah.

 Lookin' out my front door. Sunset at 7pm. 

Which is three hours later than for the past couple months...

 To the north!

 To the south!

Up!

SO BLUUUE!

I love this time of year. 

I bet it feels great to be a flower. 

All crunched up for months and then STREEETCHING OUUUUTTTT! 

That's such a relaxing thought.

Happy Saturday! :)

flower-print

PSA #23: Take a Moment

A lot of bloggers are choosing not to blog today (March 18th) as part of a day of silence for Japan. 
I will be joining in (and therefore posting this before midnight on Thursday). 

I felt the need to explain the absence, that's all.

So I suppose it's appropriate that my message this week is to pause for a moment and really acknowledge what has happened and what it means to you and the rest of the world. It doesn't take a genius to realize that Japan has a large influence on our day-to-day lives...unless you don't own anything electronic, or an automobile. My mom had to remind me today that my father's business (selling motorcycles) greatly depends on the manufacturers in Japan to supply him. I hadn't quite thought of that.

I also encourage you to ponder for a moment the impact that this has on an entire nation of kind, innovative, patient, lovely people. A dear friend of our family had just returned from a trip home to Japan to see her family, with her husband and baby. We are all happy they're alright and that her family in Japan is also safe, though deeply saddened.


It feels like these disasters just keep getting more and more frequent and increasingly devastating. Aside from donating to the Red Cross, I'm sending out positive vibes to the Universe to mellow out for a while (get yer damn tectonic plates in order, already!). 

I hope you'll do the same.

Also, turn off the TV and go for a walk. The News can be quite depressing and addictive.

I love me an Irish pub

This is an especially relevant post for today (unplanned!) because it's Saint Patrick's Day! Whoopie! I'll be wearing my green chapeau today, you can be sure. :)

It was my friend's 30th birthday last week and on Saturday night we all celebrated at an Irish pub in downtown Montreal.

(I had 2 pints of cider and a plate of nachos, so it was pretty much the best night of this whole month so far.)

May I just show you a few hilarious people I know? The blonde, we call her Mega. The guy wearing my green hat? That's C's legit Irish man. He owns another Irish pub in town. The redhead? That's his ridiculously tall ginger Irish pal. They are all wonderful.

 

 The face! Just get a load of the face! Oh my. 

This guy has an elastic face, and it kills me.

 This girl has a mega laugh. That's the truth.

 C trying to mimic R's Irish accent. Not going well...

 

 Getting sillyyy.

 Looks like I'm flippin' the bird, but I'm not! I swear. I was just scratching my eye!

"Folks who make me choke on my beverages"

Good night! If you're in Montreal looking for an Irish pub, check out Hurley's 

(or O'Regans, where the dude in the first pic works!)

Happy St. Paddy's Day everyone!