Here We Go Again

My internship at Flare has come to an end. It definitely flew by; I feel like it was just yesterday when I was writing my first blog post, ready to embark on my journey.  From helping to plan the World Runway Tour happening in October in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, to attending events, organizing media lists and the typical (not-so-glamorous) intern tasks, I experienced a lot and learned more about what I want to do. I was actually asked to stay longer to help plan the whole World Runway Tour but I made the tough decision to turn it down. Some people would think that I’m crazy for doing so but in the same way that I knew my place at my previous digital agency wasn’t for me, continuing my internship with Flare wasn’t for me either.

Going to miss these girls!

Although I loved being exposed to everything in the fashion industry and enjoyed the planning I had started for the World Runway Tour, I also really enjoyed liaising with the media and missed the agency side of things. I definitely don’t regret leaving my previous agency because this internship was a great experience and I learned something huge, which is a slight alteration in where I want to take my career. I’m going to give Public Relations a try but not just any PR, PR agencies specializing in fashion, beauty and luxury boutiques. It has all happened so fast but I’ve been offered an internship position with an agency that couldn’t seem like a better fit for me! I’ll tell you how it all came about next time because I start tomorrow, so it’s goodbye Flare, hello Lotus Leaf Communications!! Here we go again.

Goodbye gift from my managers

All the Rage: A Balenciaga Ring for Each Finger aka The New Arm Candy

When the Balenciaga rings hit the runway in their S/S 2013 show, fashion bloggers and girls all over the world fell in love, me included! Last summer was all about #armcandy and stackable jewelry, the more bracelets paired together on your wrist, the better. Not to say that this has gone out of style, but step aside arm candy because there is a new trendy accessory this season and it’s all about stackable rings. The Balenciaga rings are all over fashion blogs, Instagram and Pinterest and seen on many celebrities, making it hard for a girl not to lust over them.

Given that the Golden Thick Tube Ring Set is very hard to get your hands on because they are sold out almost everywhere and not to mention quite pricey ($765 for a set), there are other ways that the trend can be pulled off and incorporated into your summer looks. Although there are many options on the market for knock-offs, if I can’t have the real thing then I would rather go for something of a similar nature that is still on trend and fashionable but not a fake. There are five variations of the tube ring and two versions of the wrapping wire piece, which have been seen worn together, separately or a set of all for each finger (for those extra lucky girls.) Stacking rings and mixing thicker ones with more dainty ones can achieve this same look.

I was at my cottage this past week, where my favourite spot for silver rings is. I picked up a few to add to the ring that I already wear and I’m loving how they all look together!

Born Lucky or just Lash Extensions?

Last summer my friend got lash extensions (you can read her review here) and they looked stunning and since then they were always something I wanted to try. I hemmed and hawed over them but in the end just decided that I could make due with false lashes if I wanted a little extra volume for a special event. This got me through the year  and I sort of forgot about lash extensions altogether but a couple months ago I had a wedding to go to in Florida and the idea of lash extensions came back to me and I had to have them! I didn’t want to have to worry about the heat and putting on make up, especially for hitting the beach or laying pool side, so extensions seemed like the perfect solution. The idea came to me while in the office at Flare and I had to have them right then and there so I started researching lash salons in the area on my lunch break. I discovered Mync Lash Lounge & Brow Bar in Yorkville, Toronto and luckily I was able to get a same-day appointment and walked over there after work.

Upon arrival, I was offered a beverage and asked to take off my contacts and any eye makeup. I took a seat in the chair and spoke to my lash stylist about the look I was going for. What is my everyday lash look she asked – how long and dramatic did I want them to look? I went with their “Born Lucky” set with 45 lashes per eye. I didn’t want high drama lashes as if I was going for a night out but something a little more subtle, just the way mother nature intended – or was I just born lucky 😉 ? I laid back and closed my eyes and about an hour and a bit later, I had my new lashes!

In Florida – poolside

Now with lash extensions, you have to be careful with the makeup you use close to your eyes, they have to be oil-free and this goes for your makeup remover too. They sold oil-free makeup there – shadows, liners and mascara. Some girls choose to wear mascara over their lash extensions but that seems redundant to me – why get extensions if you’re still going to put on mascara? I don’t wear much eye makeup to begin with, just liquid liner so I bought their liner but I haven’t even been using it that much because with the lash extensions you don’t really need it, which is such a time saver because I literally roll out of bed in the morning and go! My only reservation with the extensions was the fact that I sleep with an eye mask and I was worried about this crushing them. My lash stylist told me this would be a bit of a problem and that I should try to sleep without it but I’m a bit of a diva when it comes to sleep and I need my eye mask! I’m happy to say that I still sleep with my eye mask and I haven’t had any problems. The one problem I have had is wearing my glasses because the lashes hit the lenses. I mostly wear contacts but on the odd day I won’t feel like putting in my contacts and just want to throw on my glasses. I mean it hasn’t stopped me from wearing my glasses but they can be a little annoying.

Otherwise no complaints, mostly just a new obsession. I never want to go back to mascara again! But they are on the pricey side, the set I got was $125 and they recommend you come in for a refill every 2-3 weeks, which will cost you between $60-$75 depending on how much fall-out you’ve had. I haven’t gone back for a fill yet and its been about a month (see picture below of me now), they still look pretty good for skipping on a refill but I have to make the decision whether I want to incorporate this into my beauty regime.

Maybe I’ll have to do some research and see if there are any salons or lash stylists that do it for cheaper. Stay tuned…

The Headpiece – Yay or Nay?

I’ve always been drawn to the bohemian headpiece, there is just something about it that intrigues me. It screams summertime and music festivals and with summer right around the corner, they have sparked my interest again but I can’t decide whether it is cute and something I could pull off or an accessory that would just look silly and better left to the celebs. Maybe it also has something to do with the celebs that have rocked them because they happen to be a couple of my girl crushes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you think? The headpiece – yay or nay?

The Chop!

A few months ago I wrote a post entitled, For the Need of Change and I actually said “I will never go short with my hair”. Well I can now say that was a lie and that one really should NEVER say never! After what feels like my entire life of having long hair, I impulsively decided to cut it off. I needed a trim because the ends were terribly dead and every time I go in for a trim, I always ask my hair dresser to leave as much as she can and only take off what is really REALLY necessary. I honestly can’t tell you what happened in my mind this time but I went in there and she asked what we were doing this time (obviously expecting the usual), instead I said we’re taking it off. Here’s my inspiration:

I’ve always loved long hair because you can hide behind it but like I said, it was dead and flat and I never change up my hair. When I told my boyfriend I was thinking about cutting it off, he said “Do it! But it’s going to be a big change..it’s a big part of your look.” That definitely freaked me out but that proved to me all the more reason for a change! Aside from loving long hair, there are two other reasons why I’ve stayed away from shorter hair. 1) I’m extremely lazy when it comes to styling my hair. I don’t do it unless I’m going to an event, otherwise its wash, air dry and go. My hair is naturally wavy and I thought that with shorter hair and therefore less weight, my hair would be pouffy and form a triangle around my head. And 2) I thought shorter hair would make me look younger than I already do and if you know me, you would know that looking younger is the last time I need. But even with these two doubts, I went for it and I’m glad I did! It dries fine naturally, I can still be a lazy girl if I want to and the cut actually makes me look older or at least it doesn’t make me look younger. You tell me!

The outcome:

Before

After

After just a couple days with my new do, I decided I wanted to go shorter! Here is my final look.

Don’t mind my lack of smile..

For now…All I can say is, going shorter is addicting!

Monday Words

This week’s quote to guide me comes from Vivienne Westwood. “Buy less. Choose well.”

This is definitely something I need to keep in mind this week to keep my spending in check. I need to focus on those classic pieces that I can go to time and time again, that are made well, fit well and feel great.

JW Anderson Topshop Launch with FLARE

Being the Marketing & Events intern gets me personal invites to our events, both the ones I help plan and set up or just to take it all in! A couple weeks ago, Flare hosted an event with Topshop Eatons Center for the pre-launch of JW Anderson’s line for an exclusive pre-shop with one of our Fashion Editor’s Truc Nguyen. Invitees were given the chance to shop the new Topshop line before it became available to the public and get the inside scoop from Truc from Milan Fashion Week, where she had a chance to see JW Anderson’s line on the runway.

If I were to describe Topshop’s style, I would say a lot of their pieces can be a bit riskee, daring and unique. JW Anderson’s line definitely fits right in, topping the list of unique lines. He took casual men’s clothing and altered the cuts only slightly to bring us a grungy women’s line with a school-girl feel. The line includes jean dresses, boxy men’s button up shirts, an argyle knit skirt and top “suit”, a thick jean kilt-like skirt and not to forget the high flatforms. If you’re in Toronto, you can shop the line at the Eatons Center because it is only available at this location or for everyone online! Check it out here.

Jude and I

It was a great night filled with cupcakes, lemonade and shopping! Check out all the photos from the event on FLARE.com here.

Intern Survival

Ok so clearly I have been terrible recently with keeping up with blogging but I have been unbelievably busy with not a moment of down time! From my internship, to my part-time job at Tory Burch, I have not had a day off since I started. Almost 2 months! Needless to say, I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed and crunched for time and not to mention exhausted but things are starting to pick up at Flare and I am pretty excited. My internship started off with the typical intern duties – cleaning our gift bags and samples closet, couriering magazines and product to brands and the media, expenses for my managers and running errands. The other day I had to deliver a legal document and when I got there, was told that it was missing an important piece of information and of course I couldn’t get in touch with my manager because she was in a meeting so the man then slammed the door in my face. I headed back to the office, expecting to be sent back later to fix it, on top of all the other tasks I had to complete by the end of the day. I stayed late to finish up my work and rushed out the door to deliver the legal document before the man left. Mission complete. This isn’t what I am excited about of course but stay tuned, I will share what I have been working on and will continue working on shortly.

At lunch, a few of the interns and I try and find the time to squeeze in a quick bite together and get away from our desks (this is not including running errands for our editors). Our chats usually include office gossip and complaining about being broke. We motivate each other to keep going because we’re in it together. I leave you with a key piece of advice from one of my fellow interns, “To survive here, don’t ask questions. But if you must, then ask everyone but the one person that has the direct answer.” Words of intern survival.

Look like a Jetsetter

Feel like the summer is too far away and don’t see a tropical vacation in your near future? This is how I feel right now and some may disagree but I always feel better with a tan, just healthier looking with a bit of a glow and my freckles come out. Ok so maybe I can’t exactly fake the freckles but I can give myself a bit of a glow. I’ve been testing out some self tanners that gradually build you some colour and give your Winter skin a little pick-me-up. I have fallen in love with a product that can make you look like a jetsetter and not like a total fake because we all know you can’t be a bronzed goddess in the middle of February. The product: Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanning.

This product is specifically for your face and decollete and claims to refresh and soften and it does! It is build-able so you can achieve just the right colour you are going for and BONUS it smells good! It is the only self tanning cream that I have come across that doesn’t have the typical bad fake tan smell. Throw it on before bed or over your day cream before you put on your makeup in the morning, head out the door and start seeing colour within 2 hours!

The Permanent Manicure – Who Does it Better? Bio Sculpture Gel vs. CND Shellac

In addition to my internship, I’ve started a part-time job at Tory Burch. Now, if you know me, you know that I am a nail polish junkie – changing up my colour every week, you will almost never see my nails plain. I also have a basket full of nail polish to last a couple lifetimes (last year I had to put myself on a ban from buying any new nail polish). So when I was told that Tory is all about the natural, clean look – meaning only natural colours on the nails, I died a little inside. No more are the days of bright, cheery red nails or pretty mint green pastels and so begins my search for the superior permanent manicure.

I was always against the permanent manicure because I don’t like to be stuck with one colour on my nails for too long. But now this is exactly what I need – the perfect french manicure all the time! So here we go:

CND Shellac – looks like a nail polish and goes on like a nail polish but sets with a UV lamp so it dries instantly and lasts up to 3 weeks.

Bio Sculpture Gel – goes on from a pot with a paint brush and sets with a UV lamp but has a thicker consistency so it can be used to “sculpture” and build up and add length to the nail and can last up to 2-4 weeks.

The Main Difference: Bio Gel is a nail treatment with vitamins to promote healthy nails and growth, while Shellac is strictly a permanent polish.

What I Want in a Permanent Manicure:

I’ve always loved the look of fake acrylic nails. So perfect, square and shiny. With Bio Gels I (think) I would be able to achieve this square, fake nails look but Shellac doesn’t have this “buildable” ability. But the most important thing for me is to have a perfect french manicure for an extended period of time, not having to worry about chipping.

What I’m Nervous About:

I think compared to others, my nails grow pretty quickly, so I’m not so much worried about chipping as I am with regrowth. Bio Gels are claimed to last as long as 6 weeks but this doesn’t benefit me because there is no way I could go 6 weeks without cutting my nails or going crazy looking at the regrowth so this difference doesn’t make the Bio Gels stand out for me. I also read that Shellac can be a bit damaging when you have it removed, while Bio Gels actually benefit the nail because it is indeed a conditioning treatment. I don’t typically have weak or brittle nails but I wouldn’t want to ruin them and have to go through a long rebounding period.

The Least Unfriendly Option for my Wallet?

So should I go with the more expensive upfront cost of around $60 for the Bio Gels and get them redone every 3 weeks or so for $30 or go with the $35 Shellac manicure every 2 weeks? Decisions, decisions.