Lifestyle

One of the best things about Summer is the freedom to enjoy ice cream with absolutely no need for a reason or excuse! As much as I love to explore the different trendy ice-cream shops that have popped up all over Toronto, I am not a huge fan of lining up for hours just to get my hands on one! Therefore, we love ending a Summer evening with a bowl of ice-cream at home.

Not sure if any of you have the same problem in your household, but each time we buy a carton, we tend to get bored of the flavour mid way through each tub ends up being half full and then eventually thrown out when they’re finally covered with freezer burn. I recently (brilliantly) figured out a simple ice cream hack to make any ice cream flavour at home without an ice cream maker or fancy ingredients!

Inspired by my love for NESPRESSO coffee, I decided to create this simple “homemade” chocolate chip coffee ice cream from a tub of store-bought vanilla ice cream!

Shop my these cute ice cream bowls!

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When it comes to makeup, there is one thing I will absolutely not leave the house without. And that is drawing in my eye brows! Now, I do have hair on my brows, but just like many of you, I find that the hairs are too light, grow unevenly, and the left and right side are off balanced. Shaping and tweezing is definitely important, but drawing them in makes the added (and huge) difference! Over the years, I’ve tested out plenty of brow products and in the most recent year, I’ve switched to a pretty basic routine. I used an eyebrow brush and an eyebrow palette. The issue with this lazy routine is that half my brows go missing midday. The pigments often slip off throughout the day due to sweat and oil and the palette I used was just not up to par.

Luckily for me (and you), Benefit released their newest BROW COLLECTION that consists of nine amazing products that are meant to WOW!

Shop the entire collection:
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When it comes to creating new recipes, throwing a quick dinner together, or even hosting an elaborate party, having herbs at home, dried or fresh, can go a long way. It can instantly transform any ordinary dish into a crowd’s favourite or even turn you into a master bartender by adding herbs into basic cocktails.

As part of the 2016 Scotts® Gro Grew, one of my missions was to create my own potted herb garden! I’m so pleased to share that with the help of a couple premium Miracle-Gro products I’ve successfully grew fresh basil, chives, rosemary, oregano (to name a few) and they’re ready to be used in my daily culinary adventures.

However, for those of you who have grown herbs before, you already know that an immense amount of herbs can be harvested in a very short period of time. I’ve come to realize that at times, I’ve got more herbs than I can use. Therefore, I went on a quest to find ways to save the large quantities of herbs on hand, and so pleased that I discovered a simple and practical way to freeze and preserve my precious herbs with olive oil, to be used at a later time.

Read more to find out how to grow and freeze your fresh herbs for future use!

To kick off the Canada Day celebrations (and for my fellow American friends, forth of July), I prepared this simple Coconut Lemonade just in time for the BBQ parties happening over the next couple of days. Natural coconut water is a great alternative to plain H2O not only for hydration but it is said to offer other great benefits such as helping with weight-loss efforts, facilitates digestion, reduces blood pressure, and even promotes healthier skin.

I personally love the taste of coconut water, especially from a fresh coconut! But, fresh coconuts are obviously not all that convenient especially in our country, so I opt for the next best option – Thirsty Buddha’s line of Coconut Water products, they are all-natural, gluten free, with zero fat and zero cholesterol. Now, Kyle isn’t all that keen on the natural flavours coconut water offers, therefore, he was actually the inspiration behind this simple beverage recipe. Thanks babe!

Read further to see literally HOW easy it is to prepare a Summer Fresh Coconut Lemonade and chance to win a Thirsty Buddha gift pack!

A few weeks ago, I shared a fun and easy protein packed Breakfast Cup recipe combining yogurt, fruits, granola and Genuine Health‘s fermented Greek yogurt proteins+ products. This is the first time I’ve ever tried protein powders and products for an extended period of time and I felt inclined to share my overall experience with you and of course – another quick, simple, and delicious recipe as well! Inspired by my mini lime tree, I decided to try this Kiwi Key Lime Smoothie with an added touch of the Genuine Health fermented Greek yogurt proteins+ in the vanilla flavour.

Read more to see the full Kiwi Key Lime Smoothie recipe and my full review!

It’s going to be a hot one in Toronto this weekend! If you’re looking for something fun to do with friends and family, the Taste of Toronto is in full effect and for you foodies out there, you’re not going to want to miss this! I was invited to join Chef Victor Barry and Master Sommelier Elyse Lambert at a private coffee & food pairing event yesterday with NESPRESSO, the official coffee sponsor of Taste of Toronto and had the opportunity to enjoy the ultimate tasting experience and launch of NESPRESSO’s newest and most intense Grand Cru of the Lungo family – Envivo Lungo.

As a proud member of the NESPRESSO Coffee Connoisseur Club for the past several months, I’ve had the chance to taste and learn about the variety of intensities, notes, and flavours that NESPRESSO coffee has to offer. I’ve also come to share their appreciation of combining exceptional coffee with excellent food, these two elements really do go hand in hand.

Earlier this week (June 21), as part of the Rethink Reuse Campaign, Value Village took over Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto with this art installation to kick off their International #GiveAShirt event. The primary objective of this is to spread a very important message – to create public awareness on our clothing footprint and our impact on the environment. Together, we can collectively make a difference by simply considering making our next new t-shirt a thrifted or reused one.

I am personally a big supporter when it comes to recycling and reusing clothing items. As seen in many of my previous DIY projects, I love transforming pieces of clothing and shoes I already own into new wardrobe items. This is a great way to reduce the pollution generated by the clothing industry. I hope you’ll join me and Value Village in creating awareness on the Give A Sh!rt campaign.

No matter what age, what gender, what ethnicity you are, let’s face it (no pun intended), we all have skin concerns! For as long as I can remember, my skin concerns have always been 1) combination skin (extremely oily T-zone) 2) occasional acne outbreak and 3) sun exposure. Since my teenage years, I’ve been on the hunt for skin care products to help me address those exact issues. Sometimes, I would luck out and find the perfect product. However, as seasons change and unfortunately, with age, my skin tends to require different products to treat or prevent the same set of challenges. Therefore, I’m never really done when it comes to keeping a lookout for great items to add to my skincare routine – it’s an ongoing and evolving journey!

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to stay at the beautiful Langdon Hall for the Garnier #SkinActiveRetreat where I was able to learn first hand about the skincare innovative and technology that SkinActive has to offer. I also received advice from Garnier’s Skin Expert, Dr. Noah Wieder and a personalized skincare prescription to aid me in battling my skincare troubles.

If you can relate to some of my concerns, read further to see my personalized skincare prescription!

Father’s Day is this coming weekend and if you’re still struggling what to get Dad this year, I’ve got a great recommendation for you. Tonic Blooms, best known for their on-demand, flower delivery service (two hours within GTA and delivery is free!) has curated a special BBQ themed gift box just in time for Father’s Day.  This special edition gift box put together just for Dad features amazing local products from producers spanning from Vancouver Island to Prince Edward County.

If you’re not able to meet Dad this Father’s Day, why not have this delivered right to his doorstep? Better yet, invite Dad over and cook him up an amazing BBQ dinner and send him off home with these goodies?!

For those of you who are well traveled, you’ve likely come to appreciate that different cultures have their own set of preferences. When it comes to coffee, that’s certainly no different! Europeans prefer their coffee short (typically from an espresso machine with more intensity). Meanwhile, North Americans enjoy their daily dose in larger, dripped formats. As for me, I prefer to start my day with lighter intensity and generally in a larger sized cup. But I do enjoy an dark roast espresso shot as an afternoon pick-me-up!

Last Friday, I had the pleasure to join the Nespresso and Chef Ricardo at the Nespresso Cafe, on celebrating the launch of the #NespressoMorning campaign. Over a delicious breakfast, we celebrated the release of Solelio (“rising sun” in Italian) and Giornio (“day” in Italian), the two newest addition to the VertuoLine Grands Crus range as breakfast blends. For us coffee lovers, we often associate the smell of coffee with waking up, and what better way then to wake up with the perfect first cup from Nespresso’s newest Grand Crus large-cup coffees that was designed with Canadians taste buds in mind!

Read more to find out how you can sample a complimentary cup of your own!