As the snow continues to come down today, it’s pretty clear that I was a bit premature celebrating what I thought was the arrival of Spring! Rest assure, soon enough the warmer weather will make its way, and that’s why it’s never too early to start adding new Springtime pieces to the closet!
If you’ve ever seen the movie Up in the Air, you would have learned a thing or two from George Clooney on how to navigate through the world of business travel. When you’ve been in the air as much as his character Ryan Bingham has, you’ll too pick up on a few tips and tricks.
Over the past 10 years, I’ve traveled quite extensively for business. One year, I spent over 120 non consecutive days at various Marriott hotels and pretty much lived out of my suitcase over a three-month period. With all that business travel under my belt, like Ryan Bingham, I’ve become quite efficient when it comes to packing for my trips.
A few warmer weekends ago, I took a stroll through Yorkville in my fancy lace dress (which I scored for under $20 during ZARA’s end of season sale!). When I was in University, I wandered around the upscale, “Mink Mile” neighborhood quite a bit. The Toronto campus was so close by which made it super convenient to take a a break in between classes during the afternoon.
It was always a window shopping exercise, gawking at the designer clothes and bags perfectly displayed. I honestly don’t recall being able to afford luxury fashion until much later in life, a few years into my full time career. To be honest, even now, I only splurge from time to time, on the most beloved items.
I’ve been using various types of micellar water for makeup removal for quite some time now, and my obsession with this product continues. On my quest to replenish my stock, I decided to put La Roche-Posay’s new line of Micellar Water ULTRA to the test.
The primary reason for my love of this type of makeup remover is that it is an easy peasy, one-step process. And secondly, it doesn’t leave my face feeling extremely oily or slimy compared to oil-based makeup removers. I find that when I use oil based removers, I must follow with cleansing my face immediately.
It’s been some time since I shared my thoughts and advice from my desk, and with tax season fast approaching, I’ve partnered with TurboTax on sharing a three-part series on how to ace and gain the most from this tax season!
I started to receive stacks of tax receipts and related mail over the last couple of weeks and couldn’t help but to think, who actually enjoys sorting out paperwork and doing their taxes?!
Well the truth is, Canadians are actually early birds when it comes to filing their own taxes, with 80% doing their taxes as soon as they have all their paperwork in order! You wonder why there may be such eager beavers out there? That’s because nearly two thirds of us are expecting to receive a tax refund this year! Which means we’re able to pay down our debts/loans (36%), tuck it away for a rainy day (32%) or put some aside for RRSPs (11%)! And, for some of us, perhaps a little shopping spree (5%)?
As a DIY enthusiast, I have major appreciation for all things handmade and each year when I visit the One of a Kind Show, I’m always so in awe of the time and effort that each artisan puts forward in order to bring their best work and pieces to the marketplace. Each product is like a work of art, because when it comes to handmade goods, every item is unique. No one item is identical to the next, and that’s what makes them all so very special.
Many of you wonder how I can manage a full time gig and my side hustle as a blogger. Well, the secret is … I start my workdays early (I’m at my desk by 7 am!) and I am always looking for ways to cut down any unnecessary time spent on getting ready or preparing meals.
However, it also means that on extremely lazy or dreary days, I’m not always looking my finest during the wee hours of the morning, and admittedly, I also find myself reaching for unhealthy lunch and snack options just for the sake of saving time.
I love Valentine’s Day because it always gives me the excuse to dress in pink! And honestly, I also LOVE seeing all the cute heart shaped products that get released, they are all so adorable! We celebrated Valentine’s Day early this year by visiting FIGO for an amazingly delicious prix fixe brunch. If you’ve not yet visited FIGO, I highly recommend it. Not only are the cocktails and food fantastic, but the interior decor inside is on-point and so romantic.
I sported some pre-Spring items for our brunch date, including this floral dress from Joe Fresh (I linked more options below) and a crepe pastel pink blazer. I also picked up this pair of grey suede boots, I’ve been eyeing them for a while and so glad to see that they’re currently 50% off!
Last month, I introduced Nespresso’s limited edition release of SELECTION VINTAGE 2014, an Arabica coffee that was harvested three years ago. The coffee endures an interesting taste of woodiness combined with fruity notes, and a velvety texture. And since it was recommended that this special breed of matured coffee was to be enjoyed black, I was inspired to pair it with the bold flavors of aged meats and cheeses.
I’ve learned from my time with fellow Nespresso coffee connoisseurs that, just like wine, coffee, when paired with food, can exhibit different flavours and aromas.
A little while back, I shared a very personal story about my journey of losing my hair to alopecia areata. Suffering from alopeica (hair loss), especially when it is unexpected and sudden can be extremely detrimental, both physically and emotionally. For those of you who are/have (or know friends and family) experiencing or experienced with any form of hair loss, I hope you were able to find some level of comfort or encouragement after you read my post from last April.
I am happy to report that since my last update, I’ve not experienced another episode and with the help of some amazing Aveda hair products, I’ve also managed to keep my hair and scalp nice and healthy!