Tendril

Happy Monday! If you follow me on twitter, you'll know that I recently fell in love and bought a gorgeous beaded dress from Urban Outfitters. I'm always obsessed with different textures in my clothing, so when I found this piece with a bonus fringe hem, it was love at first sight.

The dress is very easy to wear, and can be easily dressed down. Since I've been wanting to wear it during the day (I have no life and no fancy events or date nights to go to), I decided to pair it with an oxblood sweater. Oxblood and blush nudes are a favourite colour combination of mine, especially during the spring. The oxblood just brings so much warmth to the blush, a reminder of warm days and pretty blossoms to come.

Top: H&M (similar here)

Dress: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Sam Edelman

Hat: Anthropologie (similar here)

Linked up with - The Pleated Poppy -

Winter Skin Saviors

It's winter and you know what that means. Dry, irritated and possibly wind burnt skin from days skiing and hiking in the mountains.

With the change of seasons, a change in skincare is called for. Our skin condition changes given the weather, and in the winter, we're more prone to dryness, dehydration, and irritation – especially if you're living in a winter desert (hey Calgary). 

This winter, I bought a few new products, and returned to a few old goodies lying around in my cabinets unused that are perfect for the winter.

FACE BALMS

Avibon - The French beauty cult classic. This is thick, ointment like... cream? Balm? I dunno, but it's thick and feels like vaseline. It's chalk full of vitamin A (probably the most you can get in a product without going full retinoid), and moisturizing oils to fend off the dryness vitamin A likes to cause. And given it's thick texture, it's the perfect overnight mask when you're feeling particularly dry, or even just a bit wind burnt. I love it when my skin is irritated from too many drying products in the winter, but I don't use it everyday. 

You will need to warm it up in your hands a bit before smoothing it on your face, or else you'll find it impossible to spread. The thick texture feels like it might be a bit pore clogging (especially if you're oily and prone to clogged pores like moi) and I find little whiteheads after a few days of continuously using this. This is most likely a result from the vitamin A though, which can really purge your skin of all the gunk, and then those breakouts will stop. I'm too scared to find out though. Don't let me scare

 you though, as it truly is a great mask once a week!

Skinfood Avacodo Rich Eye Balm - Not a skin balm, as this is meant specifically for the eye area, but I'm putting in the same category. This stuff is nearly solid, but easily softens up to a spreadable texture when you rub it between your fingers. This is great for prepping my eyes for concealer in the winter, and it keeps things hydrated and thus, not cakey. Oh, and it doesn't cause creasing, so really, it's quite brilliant.

Innisfree Green Tea Deep Cream - This isn't quite a balm, but definitely thicker than any cream I've tried before, and is a part of my daily winter arsenal. This cream works best if you melt it a bit in your hands first, and then spread and pat into your face. Perfect for both the morning and night, this gives a wonderfully dewy look, but won't make you greasy. According to Innisfree, this cream helps your skin to retain moisture by improving your skin's moisture barrier. 

FACIAL OIL

Boscia Tsubaki Beauty Oil - My favourite facial oil that I've tried, this is lightweight, but highly moisturizing. It's great to use in it's own as a daytime moisturizer, to add extra moisture to your regular cream when you need, or layer on top of your creams and serums to seal everything in. I use three or four drops when I'm using it on it's own, and two or three to mix into my creams.

MASKS

Laneige Water Sleeping Pack - The tried and true, and the love of many a beauty blogger. This is a lightweight gel, that absorbs easily into the skin to supply much needed water to dehydrated skin. Personally, this isn't enough in the winter, so I add a drop or two of facial oil into it before applying. Also, I use a hefty portion, about a grape size, but hey, I wake up to dewy skin in the morning, so it's totally worth it, even if I use the entire container within a month. You can read the full review here.

LIPS

EOS Lip Balm - Another cult classic, this spherical lip balm is just too cute to not want to try. I originally purchased the EOS lip balms a year a go, and I was utterly unimpressed. I recently tried it again when my favourite Nivea was out of stock one day, and my mind was blown. The formula has definitely changed, and is no longer overly waxy. Instead it's moisturizing, and almost a tad oily – perfect for the winter. I stocked up at Costco, and now have about ten of these babies sitting on my counter. If you weren't impressed when they first came out, you might want to give them a second chance!

All That Glitters

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had wonderful parties drinking champagne and chatting with friends (or whatever it is you do)!

I always have a small party with a few close family friends New Year's Eve, and this was no exception. Like Christmas, no one really dresses up, but that's okay – I just needed an excuse to wear this sequinned dress.

This is what happens when you screw up the f-stop. Your dress is in focus, and your face isn't. =P

The dress is gorgeous and I had a giant internal debate in buying it as it's not my usual style, nor is it something I can just wear everyday. My friend actually convinced me to buy it specifically for New Years parties. Oh well, it's a joy to look at at least. Besides, who can resist when a fellow Topshop customer tells me I look fabulous in the change room(his words, not mine). The other selling factor was that it's fleece lined, meaning I can wear it in the winter to a club and not freeze my butt off.

I added my cat eye sunglasses for a bit of extra Hollywood glamour, even though I wasn't driving and didn't need them. I wore them earlier, so it's okay right? My Coach clutch adds a bit of extra sparkle, because if you're gonna be a Twilight vampire for New Years, well, you may as well go all out.

Dress: TFNC 

Boots: Nine West

Rings: Jennifer Meyer and random street shops

Clutch: Coach
Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters (similar here)

Linked up with - The Pleated Poppy - Style Elixir -

Boxing Day Shopping

Oh Boxing Day, Canada's Black Friday. I'm the biggest sucker for sales, and needless to say, I spent a ton in the past two days. I purchases these Rag & Bone jeans for $100 off during a pre-boxing day sale, and I might have a little (very expensive) something else to show off in two weeks. 

A basic white tee goes perfectly with distressed denim, and even though it's not my usual look, it's a go-to when I'm shopping amongst hoards of people. T-shirt, jeans, a small purse, and a cute pair of heels (short please!) are the perfect shopping outfit. A smaller purse is unobtrusive and won't get caught on anything (or bang against other shoppers (as a Canadian I worry about this!)), while shorter heels lets me walk swiftly to steal what others want!

Aritzia carries their exclusive brand Wilfred Free, which makes my all time favourite v-neck tees. They're extremely soft, drape perfectly, and wear well. Whenever there's a sale, I stock up. Which really means I just buy one in a new colour (or shade). Because obviously I don't have enough white or grey tees in my life.

On another note, my parents got me the best Christmas gift every. Well, best two. A new Canon 50mm f1.8 lens, and let me tell you, I've been able to get some bokehliscious backgrounds with it. I'm still having troubles getting it to focus on my entire body using a low enough aperture for the bokeh effect, but I swear I'll be aiming for better pictures in the new year. The other gift I've been loving is the book, How to be Parisian Wherever You Are. I highly recommend it, as it's witty, charming, not necessarily practical (don't answer his calls but send gushing texts? Why?) and easy to read. Plus, it describes my own little paradoxes so well. Next time someone complains about my spending money on lingerie no one will ever see, or being absolutely astonished when I'm dumped, I'm just going to tell them I'm a true Parisian. It says so in the book! But seriously, these girls did an amazing time writing this, and I highly suggest you take a look. There's an excerpt on Vogue.

Top: Wilfred Free (similar here)

Bottom: Rag & Bone

Shoes: Enzo Angiolini

Accessories: Coutukitsch necklace, Stampede sunglasses (similar here)

Purse: Botkier

Linked up with - Style Elixir - More Pieces of Me - The Pleated Poppy -

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone has had happy holidays and an amazing year! 

Sorry for the abundance of photos today – I just couldn't get enough of this red skirt against the snow! I snapped these before heading out to a small Christmas Eve gathering with my family and godparents. No one really gets dressed for it, but I like to look nice. Dress to impress right? 

While a bit cliché, I love the combination of red and white, especially around the holidays. A pristine white shirt (or some pristine white snow) is the perfect complement to such a vivid colour. This Zara shirt has the cutest bows on the sleeve. It's perfect for the holidays or adding an interesting detail to a simple white shirt and jeans outfit – something that I've been wearing quite often amidst the stress and rush of Christmas shopping.

Happy Holidays! I hope they're cheerful and full of laughter!

Top: Zara (similar here)

Bottom: ASOS

Boots: Nine West

Bracelet: Marc Jacobs

Linked up with - Style Elixir - The Pleated Poppy -

Hint of Pink

I love blush colours for the winter. This jacket is the perfect shade of not quite white, but not a true blush pink either. Just somewhere in between and I think it's beautiful. Especially against the snow. It was a rare find in the Zara TRF section, a section which is usually cheaper in both price and quality. Every now and then you find a gem, like this wool coat though.

A good wool coat is essential for the winter season, and one of many needed to get you through the cold while looking amazing. I have plenty of wool coats – I buy a new one (okay, maybe a few new ones) every fall or winter. A light blush pink is the perfect compromise between a neutral coloured jacket, and something that pops. It wears well with anything, while still remaining feminine and trendy, yet uncommon. 

Jacket: Zara (in love with this)

Top: H&M (similar here)

Bottom: J Brand

Boots: Nine West

Linked up with - More Pieces of Me - Style Elixir - Shopping My Closet - The Pleated Poppy -

Etude House Baby Choux Mint Base Review

Hello all! I'm back with a bunch of beauty reviews for you as that's where my money seemed to go for the month of November! This time I'll be reviewing the Etude House Baby Choux Base in mint.

I dabbed a bit of red lipstick and applied the baby choux base on the top half. You can see the difference between where I left the lipstick alone, and where I covered it with the base here. The redness isn't completely gone, but it's blurred to blend into my skin.

Etude House says this is a makeup base to correct skin tone and create a smooth, powdery complexion. It comes in three colours, each with a different purpose – peach to correct sallow skin, berry to brighten, and mint to even out redness. It contains moisturizing properties, as well as SPF 33 PA++, meaning you're getting some pretty good UVA and UVB protection if anything.

As you can see, the base has a fluid texture making it easy to spread and blend out with either your fingers or a sponge. It blurs redness really well. Like... amazingly well. I would definitely recommend this is your suffer from red skin or rosacea. 

This doesn't offer any sort of real coverage, but you wouldn't want it to anyways. Apply too much, and you'll find yourself a pasty ghost! While this doesn't cover my more prominent acne scars (which are more of a purple tone rather than pink or red), this is excellent in covering the redness of acne, as well as reducing how red my face becomes due to the dry weather. I even used it to get rid of the redness around a stye I had, with no irritation and only good results! It also works to fill in wrinkles, pores, and the shallow acne scars I have.

I prefer to tap this into my skin with my fingers rather than rubbing it in like I would a silicon primer. This has a slot of slip and a powdery texture, just like traditional western primers, but feels a lot lighter on my skin. However, it doesn't do anything to increase the lasting power of my makeup. For reference, I only use a small amount – about half a pea size. I took a tip from Korean beauty blogger Pony, and apply it only to the areas on my face that have a tendency to get red – my cheeks, and around my nose – versus all over. The red areas blend into my natural skin tone this way, without making the normal areas overly pasty, meaning I don't need to use foundation after if I don't want.

This hasn't broken me out, clogged my pores, or given me any adverse reactions despite my acne-prone skin. However, it does have a light floral scent, so if you're sensitive to fragrance, you might want to stay away.

You can buy the baby choux base in the tube, or in the ever popular cushion form. I paid about $10 for mine from Beautynetkorea.

Pros

Amazing at covering redness
Fills in pores, and shallow wrinkles and scars
Not irritating

Cons
Some might not like the added fragrance
Need to buy online

A Little Bit of Winter

We're having a really mild winter at the moment, and I'm taking advantage of it. It was a whopping 10 degrees (Celsius) out, so I brought out a fall jacket.

The trapeze silhouette and three-quarter length sleeves are the perfect cool weather statement – snow or no snow. A sweater or rolled up sleeves look absolutely gorgeous underneath, and are keeping me warm enough for now. The slightly mod shape of the coat  is adorable, and I'll be sad to part with it once it's below zero again. It just adds a bit of feminine flare to any outfit. 

I love that I'm getting the extra chance to play around with light layers this season, and the snow makes for a gorgeous backdrop.

Jacket: Asos

Top: H&M (similar here)

Skirt: Zara (similar here)

Shoes: Aldo (similar here)

Purse: Celine

Linked up with - The Pleated Poppy - Because Shanna Said So - The Penniless Socialite - Style Elixir - Happiness at Midlife -

Studded

 Last of my old fall photos guys. I'll have to deal below zero weather now. 

I love how easy it is to layer in the fall. I also love how easy it is to transform this outfit for the winter weather. Add a pair of tights, over the knee boots, and an oversized sweater and voila – totally ready for the snow. Dressing for winter is never easy for me, and I much prefer the fall and spring, but I'm looking forward to winterizing some of my favourite fall outfits for you.

Top: Wilson Free (similar here)

Skirt: Ladakh x Revolve

Coat: Nasty Gal (similar here)

Boots: Sam Edelman

Linked up with - More Pieces of Me - Style Elixir - Sequins and Style - The Pleated Poppy - Birdie Shoots -

Karl Lagerfield Reincarnates Cara as the Empress of Austria

Photo courtesy of Allure Russia

So I finally watched the Chanel film, "Reincarnation," featuring Cara Delevingne and Pharrell Williams. I mean, they sing! Who wouldn't want to watch?

I loved the video – very cute – but guess what I loved more. Cara's dress and hair was obviously inspired by Sissi, the Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary (I'm half Hungarian and biased and I think it's cool, okay?). The story is supposed to be about the history of the iconic Chanel jacket - from it's inspiration as a humble lift-boy's jacket, to it's reincarnation as the icon it's known as today. But hey, it also makes sense that Cara is a reincarnated queen.

Seeing this brought back a lot of memories of my trip to Vienna a few years ago. In other words, I've seen the original dress and hair ornaments (okay,  the original was stolen so technically I only saw a well made duplicate), and I was giddy to recognize that Karl Lagerfield took inspiration from them.

Is Cara the reincarnation of the Empress of Austria?

I loved that rather than taking the original jewels and dress exactly, Lagerfield created a modern and unique take on the Empress's famous outfit. I loved that Cara's stars were flowers while her dress stayed relatively true to history. She also had a pair of earrings that I feel were inspired by the original Hapsburg jewels.

The star on the right is the original Hapsburg jewel know as the Koechert Diamond Pearl, or the Sissi Star.

You can take a look at the video here! Geraldine Chaplin is adorable as Chanel. Seriously, watch it to the end, she's amazing!