I went to London & all I bought was a bag!

(Top Shop on the top & Selfridges in all other pics)

Last week I was on a layover in London and my first stop was Oxford Street. The thing is I never end up buying anything! First, the exchange rate is crazy vs the Canadian dollar. However, exchange rate aside as any experienced shopper knows when travelling the price is not usually frowned upon. Does this also happen to you? Seems like when I'm in a foreign country the mentality while shopping is, "I just can't find this back home therefore the price is not a factor," however being that travelling is part of my job I no longer look at it that way (atleast I've tried tricking my brain into thinking that way). So for the most part I speed shop and end up with nothing except a Starbucks tall iced mocha latte with soya milk in hand looking like the typical North American tourist. I would also like to point out that contrary to what most think, flight attendants don't have 3-day layovers in foreign places, more like less than 30 hours to sleep, eat, and try to fit in shopping. So do the math! Yup, professional speed shopper would be me or shall I say professional window shopper:) Ironically, I ended up buying a shopping bag (save plastic bags) from Harrods to put all my purchases in or lack thereof.

I also regret not buying this dress from TopShop, the picture doesn't do it justice. It looked so cute on & the back was sexy, I would've added a belt though. Oh darn it! I should've got it...but I find Top Shop can be so overwhelming. Its always busy, countless shoppers, & countless items to look at, and I find the layout of the store on Oxford to be confusing.

What are you faves in London?

the Digital clutch

For the last two months all I've been lemming is a notebook computer and quite frankly I wish I was more decisive as I am with buying makeup. I just can't decide! And when I finally made a decision on purchasing the Dell Inspiron 10 (literally I was a click away on buying the Cherry Red version all I needed was to add my method of payment), I see the HP Mini Vivienne Tam! Wow, look how fashionable cute it is! OK so maybe fashionable cute is not exactly a must when purchasing a notebook vs components but it sure is tempting. Upon further research its actually on par with other notebooks in its category however the real deal breaker is the price! Its approximately $250 more that the Dell Inspiron 10, yikes...although the "digital clutch" is tempting I think I will stick with the Dell in Cherry Red. It might not have the peony-inspired design but it will get the job done.

*Scarf & tote sold separately

(photo credit amazon.ca)

Herbal Essences Giveaway Winner(s)!

And the winner goes to......

Halifax & Michelle!!!

Congratulations to both of you! The kind folks at Palette have decided to have both of you as the winners of the Herbal Essences Giveaway, please email me your snail mail address & I'll get the products out to you.

Thank you for entering my first giveaway:)

Bijoux,

Monica

Joe Who?

I have been searching every Loblaws & Great Canadian Stores (grocery stores in Canada) for stock of the new Joe Fresh Beauty line & finally found a few items (everything else was sold out). I love Joe Fresh clothing so I was excited when their makeup line was released. For those that don't know Joe Fresh, it's the creation of Joe Mimran. He is not your average Joe! This is the man that developed Club Monaco and many more other fashion brands. However, what makes Joe Fresh so great is the fashionable clothes & accessories at affordable prices. To read more on Joe Fresh click here for an article on the brand & the man Joe. Behind Joe Fresh Beauty, makeup artist Simone Otis worked as the consultant. Check out her work here!

Now on to the review! I was hoping to try out their Cheek Tint ($4 cdn) but sold out, what I did buy (literally there was nothing left) were two of their lipglosses; Sheer Pink & Ginger each at $8 cdn. I loved both of these shades! Packaged in clear slick plastic these glosses are pretty big. The applicator is a screw top brush wand. Slightly fragranced but not over bearing (thank goodness) I dislike fragranced makeup. The texture of the lipgloss is slightly tacky & a bit thick, goes on smooth & glossy. I would definitely repurchase these glosses & excited to try the rest of the line, once they restock:) I guess they are really Fresh! Rating: 5/5

Spring has arrived!

Colour at the Anna Sui Spring'09 show & on the face at Gucci Spring'09

(credit:style.com)

Spring'09 {more accessories}

This Spring there's definitely something for everyone in terms of finding the right accessories.

Missoni Spring'09

Anna Sui Spring'09

Marc by MarcJacobs

(credit:style.com)

Toronto's LG Fashion Week is underway

Fall/Winter 2009 Collections March 16-21, 2009

(photo:fdcc.ca)

Spring'09 {accessories} pt.1

Spring'09 has lots of accessories to choose from; hats, necklaces, bangles, clutches, & even a side bun in your hair!




Gucci Spring'09

Chloé Spring'09

Burberry Prorsum Spring'09

3.1 Phillip Lim Spring'09

(photo credits: style.com)

memory lane {retro ads}

I love looking at old beauty ads, its fun to see how beauty tools & cosmetics have changed (or lack thereof). One thing that I noticed about most of these ads is the written content whereas today there is no long write-up about the product. Enjoy & I'm sure you'll have a few giggles too:)

1972 Panasonic hairdryer ad-I don't get this ad!

1972 Sun-in ad, Who remembers Sun-in? Your hair would would turn orange not California beach blond.

Max Factor 1972-I always swim with makeup ha!ha!

Can't believe Great Lash has been around this long (since 1971) & still rated #1...well not in my opinion

1973 Maybelline ad

1975 'Super' Lashmaker, look at that wand! That looks like alot of work.

1956 Avon ad

1973 Herbal Essences ad, by the way don't forget to enter the Herbal Essences GIVEAWAY1973 Coppertone ad, "Pass the butter, please!" yikes!

( flickr.com, flickr.com from the group Retro Beauty & Cosmetics Group & Vintage Beauty of the 70's, 80's)

Hello Hydration & who doesn't want a Long Term Relationship {GIVEAWAY}

Hello Hydration! Herbal Essences has revamped their hair care line. I was fortunate to review this line thanks to the kind folks at Palette PR. Palette is also sponsoring a Herbal Essences Giveaway so continue reading & you'll have a chance to win your own haircare products corresponding to your haircare needs, more details at the end of the post.
On to the review:

First up is Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Moisturizing Shampoo with a fusion of orchid & coconut milk. This is for dry hair which is me! For reference I have long, wavy, highlighted, thick, dry hair (whew!) & I need moisture. This shampoo is a milky blue shade & sort of looks like conditioner. Smells divine but not overbearing. This smells like coconut & vanilla, sort of beachy! Now does it moisturize...yes! Leaves hair tangle-free & does a good job cleansing the hair. Does moisturize however if your hair is not that dry try the other Herbal Essences shampoos as I had my sister try this too & she found that it left her hair limp (for reference her hair is more on the oily side but dry-ends & straight). However, for parched hair this could work for you & the frizzies!

Overall rating: 3/5

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Moisturizing Conditioner-
Looks similar to the shampoo but thicker. Works well on the frizzies & leaves you with smooth hair. All you need is a little & on ends only! If your hair likes 'cones than this will work for you.

Overall:3/5

Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship for Long Hair with a fusion of raspberry- I absolutely love the smell of this Long Term line, although it does smell raspberry/fruity its not an overbearing smell. This shampoo is a milky pink shade & a bit thick. Cleanses hair well (a bit more than the Hello Hydration) & leaves it soft.

Overall rating: 3/5
By the way you don't really need long hair to use this:)

Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship Conditioner for Long Hair-
I really liked this conditioner! Left my hair tangle-free & soft. Also, my hair looked shinier. I also used this as a hair masque (leave-in for a few minutes) & hair was smoother & conditioned.
Overall rating:3.5/5

Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship Leave-in Split Ends Protector-

If you abuse your hair with hair appliances than this leave-in is a good drugstore buy option. I used about a small dallop on wet hair, blowdryed my hair & I had no frizz. Hair was smooth & shiney. I also didn't feel the need to add any more product to my hair once dry (I usually put a few drops of a serum on ends). Hair smells really nice & fresh too!
Overall rating: 3/5

Giveaway time (by the way this is my first giveaway)!!
To enter to win your own Herbal Essences just follow these easy steps:

1. Take the Herbal Essences Fantasy Quiz (click on quiz image to enlarge) before March 21, 2009.


2. Leave your results from the quiz in my COMMENT section of this post.

*Sorry only open to those with Canadian addresses. The winner will be posted after March 21st so check back to see if your the lucky winner!

(photo credits: drugstore.com)