Design your own boot

I've designed my own Dr. Martens boot for their Boot Design competition. Show your support & vote for my boot! Thanks in advance:)

Have a great long weekend!

Summer = Sangria

Summer has officially arrived! And there's nothing better than sitting on a patio drinking sangria. Of course it would be nice doing so in Madrid, however, I'll have to settle for my hometown, Toronto. Not quite the same! But, Toronto does have some really cool patio/bar's that make tasty sangrias. Thus, I present you with my sangria inspired outfit!



I absolutely LOVE the glass beaded popsicle necklace from Karmaloop, perfect for the summer. The necklace combines perfectly with the cuff bracelet from Carmaworld, its actually an Indian "kada"& part of their bridal collection. I also love that the belt buckle from Asos matches the buckles on the sandals, which are from Priceless. For all other items just scroll over the pic for shopping info.
Lastly, I couldn't write about sangria without giving you my recipe:

Beauty Parler’s Sangria1 bottle of dry red-wine
2 cinnamon sticks
½ cup of granulated sugar
1 orange sliced
1 green apple in chunks
4 shots of brandy or Grand Marnier

lots of ice & chill before serving
*sometimes I substitute the orange with strawberries
*also if you like you can add soda water, either plain or lemon flavoured

Cheers!

on the set of the Sex and the City movie

One of my favourite scenes in the Sex in the City movie was Carrie's apartment make-over. I just love the use of colour in a small space, and her use of space for that matter. OK so my blog is about beauty, fashion, and skincare however interior design has more in common with fashion than you think. One not only has to keep up with fashion but with interior design trends as well. Fashion houses such as Missoni and Zara have also expanded into the interior design realm with collections ranging from textiles to home accesories:

Missoni Home

Zara Home

Therefore, its no surprise that there has been much written about Carrie's apartment makeover on various blogs and featured in the July'08 issue of Traditional Home magazine. When I was reading one of my favourite blogs MadeByGirl, she had an entry about the set. Which initially caught my eye and prompted me to share with all of you. Here are a few pics from the set. Enjoy!







photos credits: Craig Blankenhorn/New Line Cinema
credits: CasaSugar

In case your curious, the fantastic purple rug is from The Rug Company and the wall paint colour was a custom blend but smiliar to Benjamin Moore's Electric Blue. (quoting production designer Jeremy Conway, from the CasaSugar interview)

*new blog feature*

Just added a reading list section on the left-hand side. More books to come...Feel free to add some of your fave beauty or fashion books suggestions in the comment section! Thanks for looking:)

Bijoux

vintage inspired beauty products

I love the look of apothocary inspired beauty products. My favourite vintage looking products are not only beautifully packaged but are great products.
Here are a few of my favourites:

http://clausporto.net/index.html

http://www.clausporto.com/flash.php

Founded in 1887 in Portugal, Claus Porto soaps are some of the most recognized soaps in the world due to their quality & packaging.



They're also Oprah's fave --> http://www.oprah.com/presents/2007/holiday/gifts/gifts_oft_350_110.jhtml

Next, is the Italian toothpaste Marvis which comes in many flavours; mint, jasmine, & ginger.
http://www.beautyhabit.com/marvis.html and many other locations.



Another toothpaste, Couto which comes from Portugal & created in 1932. This one is only available in one flavour.
http://www.madisonperfumery.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=16

http://www.beautyhabit.com/pasta_dentrifica.html and other locations.

Next on my list is the Rosebud Perfume Company, which began as a small drugstore in Woodsboro, MD in 1895 by George F. Smith. I love the Rosebud Salve as a lipbalm!
http://www.rosebudperfume.com/

http://www.smithsrosebudsalve.net/



Lastly, Creme Benamor from Fabrica Nally, an old favourite from Portugal. Used for years as a facial anti-aging cream however I use this as a hand cream as I find the rose scent a bit strong.
http://nowkatrineta.blogspot.com/2007/12/vida-portuguesa-loja-de-catarina-portas.html
The above is a great link if you can read Portuguese. A cute little vintage-inspired store called A Vida Portuguesa, in the Chiado area on the street Rua da Anchieta, in Lisbon, Portugal which sells the cream as well as Claus Porto soaps. (Creme Benamor is also widely available across grocery stores & pharmacies in Portugal. I have yet to find it sold online or outside the country)





Enjoy!

Chanel has a new girl in town!

There's a new girl in town & she's replacing Keira Knightly as the new face of Chanel Coco Mademmoiselle. She's 18 year old Emma Watson also know as Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter films. She signed a two-year contract with Chanel valued at $6 milllion US.

Watson has already developed a close association over recent months with the luxury fashion brand, which has dressed her for film premieres and parties. Chanel is expected to officially announce the Coco Mademoiselle deal next month. Guardian.co.uk, Monday June 16 2008-Mark Sweney

Also, another replacement will be of Nicole Kidman with the actress Audrey Tautou, known from films such as Amelie & The Da Vinci Code. Tautou will become the new face of Chanel no.5 in 2009.

*new blog feature alert*

Hi ladies & gents!

I've started a new feature Look of the Week, its on the left side of the blog. Every week I'll feature a look that I like, weather it is makeup, fashion, or accessories. Let me know what you think:)
Bijoux

Is your makeup kit ready for summer?

Tomorrow (June 12, 2008) is the release of MAC's Cool Heat Collection in the U.S & Canada. Although, I like MAC & have several of their products I will add that I don't love MAC. I find that over the years the formulations have changed & so has the company (owned by the Estee Lauder Companies Inc.). Nevertheless, the selection of colour choices is endless. That being said, the Cool Heat collection reminds me of summer, exactly the colors I was looking for.

TEMPERATURES SIZZLE…BUT THE PERFECT BALANCE LIES WITHIN REACH. COOL HEAT. NOT AN OXYMORON: SUMMER’S CHILLEST LOOK. FIVE SLIMSHINE LIPSTICKS, SEVEN EYE SHADOWS, AND TWO SKIN-COOLING FRAGRANCES: SUMMER’S FAVOURITE TURQUATIC, AND INTRODUCING ITS SISTER SHADE, TURQUATIC HEAT. SOME LOOKS ARE TOO HOT FOR SUMMER TO HANDLE BUT NOT COOL HEAT. FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR, IT FEELS JUST RIGHT. MAC Cosmetics

Slimshine Lipstick ($17.50)CDN
Tropic Glow Blue pink with silver pearl (frost)
By Degrees Neutral brown pink (frost)
Gentle Summer Light clean yellow pink with white pearl (frost)
High 90’s Clean pink orange (frost)
Swelter Sheer clean red (frost)

Eyeshadow ($16.50)CDN
Solar White Frosty muted white gold (frost)
Warming Trend Frosty light taupe (veluxe pearl)
Warm Chill Frosty seafoam green with gold pearl (frost)
Gulf Stream Frosty mid-tone blue green with green pearl (frost)
Cool Heat Frosty teal with multi-dimensional pearl (frost)
Climate Blue Mid-tone violet blue with pink pearl (velvet)
Blue Flame Dirty metallic navy blue (veluxe pearl)

Two fragrances ($28.50)CDN

Turquatic & Turquatic Heat

Image credit: specktra.net

Sex and the City (SATC) -- Back In Fashion

Sex in the City & that black belt...

I finally had a chance to watch the Sex and the City movie. Of course this movie has everyone talking about the fashion, a key component of the film. Aside from The Devil wears Prada, this is the only other time where I was more interested in the costume design/styling of a movie then the actual plot. Quite frankly ladies we could've predicted the story line here! And without spoiling it for those that have not seen the flick, its a happy ending (depending on who you actually wanted to see Carrie end up with). Although, I will add I was a bit disappointed in the fashion. I would've have liked to have seen "less labels", and a little more original pieces. Meaning, any fashionista could have predicted the roman type sandal for Summer'08 (which by the way were they not in fashion last year?). Alas, of the four main characters I really liked Miranda's wardrobe (which was not the case on the actual series) and bonus points to Charlotte as well. As for Samantha, hmmm I just wasn't feeling the 80's retro vibe thing going on. Lastly, Carrie...OK so she's unique in her own style which is essential to her character and I loved the whole "dye your hair dark break-up period thing" because who hasn't gone for a complete makeover after a break-up. But, she was missing something & I can't put my finger on it. Although, I will point out that she did wear that vintage black studded belt throughout 90% of the movie. Was that suppose to signify a type of symbolism in the movie or did Patricia Field (the costume designer/stylist) not have another belt (which I'm sure was not the case) N.B-the belt was vintage so no promo/marketing affliation. Lastly, its was a great movie to spend Friday night and I will watch it again once it comes out on DVD. But that black belt....(how many times can you spot the belt below?)