Yes, this is my inaugural Spring outfit post…socks be gone!!! Spring has sprung and it’s a positively balmy 10 degrees celsius in Toronto folks! We are sweltering up here, and my blue ankles only prove there’s got to be more of this GLORIOUS weather to come (please God, please, please).
F21 Everything, minus the Zara shoes and Micheal Kors bag.
Forgive the pose. I get “one shot” at glory and this is a big winner, no eyes closed.
Not White Socks- Spring has Sprung!
Woo Spring
After hearing people rave for years about the Shellac manicure, I finally got one to see what all the fuss was about. My nails are naturally brittle and short, and without major daily pampering will quickly morph into an unsightly mess. Fully aware of this predicament, I make a point to manicure my nails every few days, so I wasn’t expecting too much scolding when I arrived at the salon. HA! The most refreshing part about conversing with a person who doesn’t speak your language is that all subtleties are quickly lost in translation.
“Your nails are bad shape and too short. Not good for Shellac, but I’ll do.” Hmm. Having already made the trip to the salon, I thought “What the hell!” and committed to the two-week procedure. As a serious colour chameleon, selecting a colour that wouldn’t bore me to tears for two weeks was a big decision, but happily I settled on “Rock Royalty”, a purplish-black shade that is reminiscent of my favourite shade ever made, OPI’s Siberian Nights.
The application process is pretty straightforward. Unlike gel nails, where the nail bed is roughed up for preparation of the polish, a Shellac CND manicure only requires a Shellac Basecoat, which is smoothed on in two quick coats. After the base coat comes the Shellac CND polish. Why I am annoyingly repeating the whole name of the Shellac CND polish over and over? Apparently some salons offer “Shellac” manicures which aren’t certified, guising with just gel polish (it must be the Shellac brand) so ensure to eye the bottle before starting the procedure.
After baking my nails twice under the UV light, I was good to go. The shine! The gleam! My nails had never looked so good, and you can’t beat the drying time (0 minutes!). After thanking the Technician and promising to come back in two to three weeks for the removal process (HA!), I left the salon no longer a Shellac virgin.
The durability of Shellac nails is really impressive- almost unbelievable. Cooking, cleaning, typing, commuting, store renovations, NOTHING can chip this Teflon-tough manicure. In fact, the polish was so smooth, shiny and perfect, that after 17 days, I started to resent the cocky motherfucker. Won’t chip, eh? So tough, huh? What will it TAKE?! I’d heard that only 100% Acetone nail polish remover will remove the Shellac manicure (surely those who go back to the salon for removal are suckers?!) and decided that Non-Acetone Polish Remover will work just fine, thankyouverymuch. Right then. Not a smudge, not a trace, not single smear to be had on the cotton ball after a minute of hard pressing. Ok, so maybe I didn’t have Acetone, but I did have me a mighty fine knife in this here drawer! NOTE TO SELF: The red flashing light of “you’re going too far” should have went off at this point, but when presented with a challenge, Miss FFF always takes it ON! And on it went. The scraping. The picking. The peeling. The utter horror of realizing halfway through this nail mutilation that this was a horrible mistake, and there’s no turning back now! After a good 30 minutes of scraping, I had successfully managed to remove every trace of Shellac from my nails- or what was left of them. Tattered shreds, scraped and bruised, that no amount of fiber-filler or base coat could conceal for weeks. The removal process is no joke, and unfortunately I learned the hard way that it’s apparently not called Shellac for nothing!
The Shellac verdict? Go pro or go prepare to go mental, but definitely go for a long-lasting manicure that can withstand literally anything you throw at it.
In today’s digital age, anything can be purchased online. Travel, food, soft lines, hard lines, love interests, friends, sex- you name it, it can be purchased with the ease of a credit card number. This got me thinking. Yes, it’s quick and easy, but is it preferred? Personally, I rarely shop online. Living in Toronto and working downtown, I realize I am spoilt for choice when is comes to retail options. Stealing away on my lunch break to everything Canadian retail has to offer is an activity I sometimes (frequently) indulge in. But accessibility isn’t the primary reason I shop in-store. Shopping in person provides a satisfaction that the click of a mouse just can’t beat. The thrill of the find, the atmospherics, the option to try before you buy and the instant gratification are all reasons I prefer the traditional retail experience.
Shopping to me is an adventure in itself, which also leads to discovery. An intriguing store opening in a rather obscure part of town or city is often the carrot to bait me to the neighbourhood. I explore and find new favourites (restaurants, parks, events) that I probably wouldn’t have found otherwise.
Most importantly, shopping is an escape away from my computer, which I associate (mainly) with work. In my limited amount of downtime, I’d rather be enjoying human contact and soaking in inspiration, rather than holed up behind a screen, clicking my way to a great deal. I’ll even shamefully admit that the possibility of extra savings off my purchase isn’t enough incentive for me to shift my habits. In this high-tech world, maybe I’m just an old-fashioned traditionalist, but they don’t call it retail therapy for nothing!
A Feeling Money Can't Buy
Fashion and home decor go hand in hand- you can’t really love one without appreciating the other. The Design Files is a Melbourne-based design blog that inspires my inner Martha. I’m ready to move into this place right now! It has all my favourites: an obscene amount of vases, roses, the Med, Missoni and blue, blue, blue. I’m home.
Home Sweet Home
Come On Over To My Place
When a necklace is this good, it deserves a post. I picked this baby up from H&M for $19.95, after a coworker tipped me off “cuz I have a major thing for necklaces”. Of course it’s love! Thanks Bianca!
Best Barbizon Model Pose
The Star. H&M Neon Necklace
When this story broke a few days ago, I was in utter disbelief. In a drastic effort to lose weight before their wedding day, brides are turning to the controversial feeding tube diet, or “K-E Diet”. The “diet” involves being fed intravenously through the nose a mixture of vitamins and nutrients, while toting the liquid feed bag around as you “go about your business”, as quoted by one dieter. Business? Only a person with no responsibilities in life would have the time to entertain such nonsense. The fact this is even called considered a weight loss plan is terrifying. What’s worse is that a medical professional is standing behind this diet, boasting that “brides are able to lose massive amounts of weight on this plan” to achieve their weight loss goals.
Of course they’re losing weight- they’re dying! One would think that these woman would feel shame, or at least a bit silly going about their “daily business” with a feeding tube attached to their face (when they are otherwise physically healthy) but appallingly, they are taking comfort in the fact that “people just assume that I am dying of a terminal illness”. Well, I won’t argue that any woman who resorts to such asinine measures to drop a few pounds before her wedding is clearly sick in the head, however letting on that one is terminally ill is just plain sick. To think, all this misery in the quest to achieve the “happiest day of your life”.
The Feeding Tube Diet
Diet aside, the most frightening part to this crazy diet has got to be the monster Bridezilla that would emerge out of this plan! A ravenous, raging psycho bitch, ready to tear into her bridesmaids for the slightest wedding miss. Bridesmaid survival Strategy #1 when dealing with a crazy bitch on this diet? Avoid vanilla-scented ANYTHING at all costs, unless cannibalism is your thing. Mazel tov!
As the mercury rises, I’ve noticed around the city that the capri has been taken to new fashion lows with the pairing of tall boots.
Dressing for Spring can be a delicate balance. The weather is neither ideal for full-out Spring dressing, (frozen toes at 7am, blistering heat on the evening commute…) which can often leave woman perplexed on how to tackle the day ahead. While I am a strong advocate of layering, there are certain seasonal boundaries that must not be crossed. I’ve dubbed this style breach the “no man’s land” territory. That ugly space of exposed skin between the capri and the boot is not only heinous, it makes absolutely no sense! If it’s warm enough to expose the knee, it’s warm enough for a shoe. By venturing into this ultimate frump territory, one is essentially declaring open-season for style critics everywhere to tear you a new one. Don’t do it!
NO Man’s Land: The Great Divide
NO Man's Land: The Great Divide
I’ve squawked for years about my inability to wear bangles, as wearing them actually pains me- the fit is typically so loose that they rub my chicken wrists raw. I’ll suffer for fashion, but I draw the line at blood and band aids. Although fit-specific items (apparel, shoes, rings) have traditionally come in a range of sizes, the bangle and bracelet were oddly left out of the sizing chart. Not anymore. It seems that retailers have finally got the newsflash that although we are sexy grown-ass women, some of our wrists stopped filling out in the 6th grade.
H&M to the rescue! A whole inch difference in circumference from standard bangles, (silver), I couldn’t believe my eyes when I spotted these small treasures, tiny enough for my spindle wrists. At two for $9.95, I’ll be stocking and stacking up for summer. Go now!
The Easter Bunny brought the colour palette and it’s here to stay for Spring 2012. Shopping for Spring clothing this season feels like taking a stroll through Candy Land: cotton candy pinks, orange sherbet, mint creme and butter cream yellow are all dominating the shops.
Soften up with these sweet options:
Rachel Roy Dress $398
Alexander McQueen $450
Lipsy Cut-Out Pleat
Zara Dress w Crochet Bodice $49
Zara, $25.90
H&M Silk Shirt $34.95
Kendra Scott Earrings, $6
Zara $79.90
Asos, $255 Mules
T.Babaton Sweater, Aritizia $95
H&M $17.95
After waiting many months for hotly anticipated Marni for H&M collection, my expectations were extremely high, perhaps even over-inflated. Marni is known for its trademark prints; wild, colourful and positively distinct. It was obvious from the start that translating this hallmark to a lower price point was going to be a challenge. My hopes were high after the online preview, but seeing it in-store could only be described as a massively underwhelming experience. In person, the collection was garish and tacky and my immediate thought was “Marni for Carny“. The structured pieces had the drape of stiff cardboard and the silk pieces, although pretty, just looked plain cheap.
Marni for H&M
Marni for H&M
Marni for H&M Silk Dress
Can we talk about pricepoint? As much as I love a good designer collaboration, it’s important to maintain the retailer’s price point integrity. Although it’s Marni, it’s still Marni for H&M, which makes it really hard to justify spending $179 on poorly made silk dress. It’s H&M, people! Jason Wu got it right with Target. Everyone knows that’s it’s the poor man’s Wu, but the price point was aligned and on target (natch, ha), which maintains critical elements to a fast-fashion retailer: spontaneity and affordability.
The saving grace for this collection were the amazing accessories. The look was undoubtedly upscale and expensive, but were aligned with H&M’s typical price point. The earrings were absolutely exquisite and completely on-trend. For $24.99, it’s a shame they were snapped up so quickly.
Marni $34.95
Marni bracelet $34.95
Marni earrings $24.95
Marni for H&M necklace $34.95
Marni for H&M necklace $59.95
