Beauty Haul: L’Oreal Warehouse Sale Fall 2013

Let the conspicuous consumption begin! I recently had the chance to check out the L’Oreal Warehouse 
Sale thanks to a dear colleague who had a buttload of passes. If you’re unfamiliar with this sale they’re held bi-annually and by invitation only. Many of the brands under the gargantuan L’Oreal umbrella are available, including Lancome, Vichy, La Roche-Posay, Biotherm, Redken, Matrix, Garnier, Maybelline, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Cacharel, Yves Saint-Laurent  and of course L’Oreal Paris and L'Oreal Professionnel.

I didn’t take any photos at the sale because a) I needed my hands free for the grabby grabby and b) even on a Wednesday night it was crazy in there, I can’t imagine the chaos on a weekend. I did set a budget for myself and though I wasn’t sure what to expect I made a list of items to keep an eye out for, most of which I didn’t find. So here’s what I picked up:

Skincare: I was thrilled to see a small selection of Kiehl’s products were available. I found a gift set (the Kenny Scharf Holiday 2012 collection) priced at 46.75$ chock full of products I’ve already tried and loved. I know that in store 100% of the proceeds from the Kenny Scharf products went to various children’s charities. I would like to think that the same holds true for those sold at the warehouse sale but not even I’m that much of an idealist. I’m currently pretty well stocked in skincare so I bypassed the La Roche-Posay, Vichy and Biotherm.

Hair: I needed shampoo, conditioner and a hair mask. Sadly there was no Kerastase in sight. There were Redken products but none from the Color Extend line which is what I’ve been using so I ended up getting a couple of regular L’Oreal shampoos and conditioners. At 2.50$/bottle they were hard to pass up. There was a variety of L’Oreal Professional products available (including Mythic Oil) but hey, I had a budget! For the hair mask I just finished the Living Proof restore mask that I’d gotten as part of a 500 points perk at Sephora and I love it but it’s regularly priced at 50$ and so at Sephora it remains. I ended up getting a Matrix Biolage mask (or "conditioning balm", if you prefer) that I’ve heard good things about for 18$.

Make-Up: When I saw the brand list on the invitation I had my fingers crossed for Armani and YSL cosmetics but none were to be found. If there were any they probably flew off the shelves during the employee pre-sale. I’d also been hoping for a Lancome mascara but the closest thing I found was the brow shaper. For those interested in Lancome I saw foundation (ex. Teint Idole was priced at just under 15$), bronzers, quads and glosses, and there were testers out. I couldn’t spot the Touche Eclat dupes by L’Oreal and Maybelline through the hordes of shoppers so all I picked up in terms of drugstore make-up was a L’Oreal Infallible eyeshadow in Bronzed Taupe (4.50$)

Nails: There were tons of Essie nail polishes priced at 4.75$ with a buy 5 get 1 free deal so I picked up a base coat, a top coat, a cuticle cream, a metallic polish (L'il Boa Peep) and two reds since I don’t actually have any red polish. Jag-u-are is a sexy-glossy-race-car-meets-Kitchenaid-mixer-of-my-dreams red and Leading Lady is a gorgeous red glitter, it looks like Christmas in a bottle!

There were a variety of fragrances and I was very tempted to pick up a bottle of Stella McCartney (30$ for the mini EDP) but I have more than enough perfumes at the moment.

My budget was 125$ and my total was 118.42$ with tax. And a free Skinny Cow bar.

Have any of you been to this type of warehouse sale before? Haul-a back! (Terrible. I’m so sorry.)

Have a happy day!xx

Scenes from a Carbicide

Had a little impromptu date night with my favorite rock chick Mel last night. With a couple of bottles of rosé in hand we hit up Mozza in the Gay Village.

 Zara blazer,scarf,top, Gap pants, Marc by Marc jacobs earrings, F21 cuff, Rebecca Minkoff bag

Foxy Mel and her foxy foxtail

When your bestie describes the cuisine as "porn food" you're walking in with high expectations. Bonus awesomeness points right off the bat for being a BYOW, having a disco party bathroom and the adorable waiter asking if we'd like our dishes with extra love. Aaaawwww.... Everything on the menu is offered as a table d'hôte so you better believe you're rolling out of there at the end of the night. It was actually my second time at Mozza, the first time around a certain dish caught my eye but I ended up going in another direction. This time, however, I was tackling the linguine with oka and dark chocolate. Also joining the chocolatey cheese party were jumbo shrimps, cherry tomatoes, walnuts and brandy.

The result: evil genius.

Edible evil genius.

Mel and her linguine with green apple and brie share a moment...

Four courses, two bottles of wine and nearly four hours of increasingly incoherent babbling later we eventually stumbled out of there, too full to breathe and too happy to care...

I finally managed to snap some decent pics of a lovely installation I've been walking by forever. Essentially the last line of the Village Manifesto, it loosely translates as "There will be a place for each of the liberties you want to allow yourself."

Restaurant Mozza Pâtes & Passions

1326, rue Ste-Catherine est





Coup d'Coeur

I don't work in the best neighborhood. Truth be told I've had to side-step syringes littering the street on more than one occasion. That's what makes finding an oasis like De farine et d'eau fraîche so incredibly wonderful. If I walk up Amherst street about a block or so, there nestled among the vintage furniture shops (also definitely worth a look) is the most adorable little jewel of a bakery that feels like my own personal little slice of heaven whenever I go there. (And nary a crackhead to be found).

Lunch! Half a grilled cheese sandwich and broccoli soup.

Topped off with a delicious organic latte for the road.

I've tried most of the sandwiches: the grilled steak, pear and gorgonzola panini is also a must try.

The homemade caramels are absolutely delicious, my favorites so far are

the fleur de sel and chocolate chipotle.

The gorgeous little cakes start at 60$ a pop but one look at how exquisitely crafted they are almost makes it seem like a bargain. I don't know if I'd have the heart to slice into one though.

I am head over heels in love with the fresh, whimsical design of this enchanting little bakery.

The design was done by Montreal-based Surface 3.

Next stop: Wonderland.

De farine et d'eau fraîche

1701 rue Amherst

Streetstyle Round-Up: Blanc Slate

Wear white after Labour Day? Damn straight you should!

images via loulou magazine, the sartorialist, the fashion spot, vanessa jackman, fashionologie & stockholm street style

Guest Post: DIY Organic Face Cream

Last night I paid a visit to my gorgeous and talented friend Naomi (of NomiOrganics, site coming soon!), by the time I went home I had a tummy full of delicious home-cooked food, freshly plucked eyebrows and a gorgeous smelling, super supple, freshly made organic day cream (mine had extra lavender)! Luckily for us, she's sharing some of her secrets:

Naomi in her fridge full of goodies

Creams, creams, and more creams! Winter is coming and Iʼm sure lots of you have noticed that your skin is starting to change. Before you run out to buy the most expensive looking cream that promises you the sun, moon and stars, back up for a minute and take a look at the ingredients. It might shock you to know that there are phtalates, carcinogens and irritants lurking around in that moisturizer of yours! Rather than giving in and buying them anyway, stop, and listen to what these ingredients are telling you: “I have LOTS of moisturizing ingredients, which is great because I have lots of moisture-stripping ingredients in here too, and I need to compensate, so buy me for $100 and donʼt ask any questions!” Hereʼs a handy check box with what you should always avoid.

Once you go through your checkbox, youʼll probably find that even “organic” brands, are not so organic. The problem lies within different organizations and their respective definitions of what organic actually is. Even a USDA certified organic product could have up to 5% of unorganic materials, and in a creamʼs make-up, you only need a few parabens to be successful in what you want them for (preservatives). So, where does that leave the modern consumer? Completely and utterly confused.

You can make your own cosmetics extremely easily and cheaply too! And of course, since you are making your own cosmetics, you know what youʼre putting on your skin. For example, at the end of a workday, did you know that glycerin mixed with a little bit of olive oil is an EXCELLENT make-up remover and cleanser for your skin? Just rub it on and rinse it off with a wet washcloth- your skin will love it! As for your skin cream, use aloe vera and mix it up with your favourite oils: almond, chia, grapeseed, olive... whatever your fancy! And then you can throw in my absolute favourite new oil: carrot seed essential oil (about $12 for 15ml), along with whatever your skin type needs.

Oily? Try oregano and tea tree and throw in some clay powder. Normal? Try frankincense with neroli and patchouli. Mature? Try frankincense with rose, jasmine,bergamot and marjoram. There are a million combinations out there and Iʼll be shocked if you canʼt make your own in a few seconds.

creamy goodness, shaken, not stirred

Still confused about which mix is right for you? If you're in the Montreal area and would like a more hands-on approach, Naomi offers two-hour workshops for 40$ per person, in which you'll go home with your own face cream and knowledge of how to make it in the future. Contact Naomi at NomiOrganics: 514-618-3295.

Liv's Day Off

Topshop jacket, Kersh sweater, AA leggings, Michael Kors bag, Zara boots, YSL ring

Sorry I've been posting so sporadically lately, my days feel about ten hours long lately when I could use thirty-six (please check out my Halloween-themed guest post at I Know, Right? for evidence that I'm not quite as lazy as I seem! And also because Jen's blog is incredibly fabulous!).  But taking the day off yesterday was well worth it, I finally got my hair did: I went with a collarbone length angled bob with bangs in a rich dark shade. The permanent colour is only on the roots and the rest is a gloss so the ends should lighten with my old honey-ish highlights coming through. I can't wait to see how my hair changes over the next couple of weeks.

It's more than a little wind-blown, but you get the idea.

 Melissa's gorgeous Michael Kors boots

Huddling for warmth

Afterwards I met up with my lovely friends Sonia and Melissa for some sample sale madness at the Beyond the Rack Warehouse Sale (the first one for the online private sale retailer). It was freezing but we were kept warm by high hopes of the awesomeness we would find inside. No such luck: the sale began at noon and we arrived after 4pm, and it had thoroughly been raped and pillaged. Case in point:

Transparent blue multi-animal print drawstring pants. How I've managed to live without these for so long, I cannot say...

Note the plethora of pink terrycloth behind me.

Sure a couple of luxury items caught my eye, like an adorable green Balenciaga (1099$) and a YSL canvas tote that seemed oddly overpriced (899$), but my limited budget does not a Balanciaga fit. Besides, after all that Ed Hardy and pink Juicy Couture we were fist pumping our way out the door faster than you can say GTL. And so off to stuff ourselves with insanely delicious Greek food, followed by a lackluster (aside from the company) night out at Gasbar. Could there really be a person left on this Earth that still wants to hear Black Eyed Peas' I Gotta Feeling? It gives me the feeling that I want to stick BBQ prongs in my ears just to end the suffering.

Do I sound grumpy? I don't mean to, I'm actually in a fantastic mood! And the best part about having Friday off? The weekend's just getting started! I'm off to do a little shopping at Zone now, lovelies, have an amazing weekend!!xx

Martinis x Cheesecake = Bliss

So last night I had the immense pleasure of attending a martini & cheesecake birthday party (the more festive counterpart to the ubiquitous wine and cheese gathering). The guest of honor was none other than the incredibly sweet and lovely Solmaz, bargain hunter extraordinaire as evidenced by her blog Sweet Deals!

Sol had quite the spread going on... boozage and mixers as far as the eye could see and these phenomenal little cheesecake cupcakes from Broadway Cheesecake Co. that changed my life.

Sonia the Mixmaster

*sigh* I love that watch...

The stunning guest of honor!

Fresh off her juice-fast (check out her hilarious blog Me and My Snuggy),

I've never seen someone so happy to see a cheesecake...

Me and my lychee...

Thanks Sol for an awesome night, Happy Birthday, love!! xx

Sew what?

Calling all talented, amateur seamstresses! And, um, seammisters... (okay I made that word up)

Textile giant Fabricville is hosting a fantastic contest, open to all Canadian residents, click here for all the details! Unfortunately I can't sew to save my life (I never did finish that pencil case in High School Home Ec class, sorry Mrs. Dudar), but I've always been extremely envious of those who could. And I'll be even more envious of the lucky needle-weilding fashion ninja who snags that 1k to spend at Holt Renfrew. *sigh*

You have until November 7th to submit your entries! Go!!

The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing... and Fabulous Dining

Happy Monday! Okay, I suppose that's somewhat of an oxymoron but I'm still riding a food-high from Saturday night. I finally checked out Le Club Chasse et Pêche in Old Montreal, rumored to be one of the very best restaurants in my wonderful city full of incredible dining options. One of my friends is observing Ramadan this week so it was a great excuse to indulge ourselves.

Terrified we'd be turned away after being stuck in a traffic purgatory that made us half an hour late for our 9:30 reservation (there is construction everywhere), our fears were assuaged when we reached the restaurant. The dark, cozy, understated glamour of the decor paired with the incredibly sweet and attentive staff (a wonderful wine recommendation and helpful parking tips!) created an ambiance that was utterly unintimidating and refreshingly unpretentious. And don't get me started on the food. The portions may be small, but we savored every bite. We shared three starters: the chanterelle tartelette, the seared scallops with fennel purée end the veal sweetbread. I can't get the perfect texture of those scallops out of my mind. Next up two of us enjoyed the seared tuna with foie gras and our lovely friend tried the bison. The noises that came out of us were obscene, luckily no children were present. And finally, dessert. Good God. The description of the "Celestial", dark chocolate mousse with marsala ice cream and cherries does not do justice to the little piece of heaven I was served. The strawberry fraisier with maple cream and the rhubarb tart were also gorgeous. But I'm a chocolate kinda gal... ;-)

Afterwards we hit up the W for some drinks but I peaked at dinner. If you're in Montreal, this place is a must-try. Do it for me!!!

image via Apartment Therapy

Anvils and Bibles and Cheese Curds, oh my!

the dress I've been living in all summer

On Sunday my boyfriend and I headed to the Marché aux Puces (Flea Market) held every weekend at a drive-In in Saint-Eustache, just for shits and giggles. We didn't leave with any treasures, just a mild sunburn and tummies full of poutine. Fries, gravy and cheese curds... how can it be wrong when it feels so right?

aaaawww.... yeeaaahhh....