Skincare Sunday: The Face Messager & Why You Need One
Part of my job as a blogger is to review and write about all kinds of products that land my way. A couple of weeks ago this messager and facial essence from The Body Shop landed in my mail box. It's part of their new Oil's Of Life skincare collection, which is aimed at brining tired skin back to life. I received 2 of the 5 products from the OOL range; the Intensely Revitalising Essence Lotion and Twin Ball Facial Messager.
THE BODY SHOP OIL'S OF LIFE SKINCARE REVIEW
TWIN BALL FACIAL MESSAGER
There's no denying it, this little contraption looks quite comical at first glance but no you pervs, it's not a sex toy. It's a facial messager and I'm saying that you all need one! It's said to help circulation, stimulate blood flow, and helps reduce puffiness and wrinkles. To use it, just roll it along your chin, cheeks, forehead and neck in that order, starting from the middle of your face, outward. The messager gently pulls on your skin as you drag it along your face, feeling like a mini message.
I'm really exhausted these days and I've been seriously dehydrated and sleep deprived, so I can't say that I saw a noticeable difference in using the Facial Messager. I'm sure if I was sleeping more, I'd see results. Regardless, I love the messager for making my skin feel good and I look forward to using it every time I wash my face. At $20, it doesn't break the bank and it's an added bonus to your skincare routine, just set aside a few extra minutes each day and enjoy.
INTENSELY REVITALISING ESSESCE LOTION
If you're not already familiar with it, here's the deal with essence. It's not a toner and it's not a serum. What it does is help restore your skin's pH levels after cleansing and it prepares your skin for the next step in your skincare routine. It helps moisturize the skin which is where the word "lotion" comes into play with this product. This essence contains three cold-pressed seed oils; camellia oil, rosehip oil, and black cumin oil, which can be seen sitting on the top of the bottle. To use just shake, pour a bit into your palm, and then pat onto your face. Follow with an oil, moisturizer and a facial message.
If you've read any of my other skincare reviews, you'll know that I'm very sensitive to synthetic scents, and I try to stay away from any skincare that's heavily fragranced. The smell on OOL's essence lotion is subtle and natural - I've grown fond of the scent and find it comforting. Similar to the facial messager, I feel like I'd see better results from this product if I wasn't feeling so dehydrated right now. And as for the essence trend in general, I like it, but I also feel like it's not a necessity in my skincare routine like a good moisturizer, SPF, or facial messager! ;)
The Twin Ball Facial Messager is cat approved! My little guy loved getting messaged by this thing. Now excuse me while I go douse it in alcohol.
Mad Money for a Handbag? Not Yet!
I bought my first designer(ish) bag in my early twenties. I was working as a Marketing Assistant in an entry level job and hadn't planned on dropping 4-bills on a purse. At the time my boyfriend, now my husband and I, had just come back from holiday in Miami where I had seen an amazing Marc By Marc Jacobs bag on sale at Barneys for $150! It was a small duffle in a rich brown leather with cute MBMJ branded hardware. I drooled, cried and threw a tantrum over the bag because he had dissuaded me from buying it. We'd just stated planning our wedding and a designer bag wasn't in the budget.
When we got back home we made a trip to Holts where naturally, I led him to the handbag section. I came across this cute yellow and blue jacquard bag with a subtle L.A.M.B logo all over the fabric. (Gwen Stefani was all of the rage back then.) I thought to myself, "I am my own woman, I can spend my money how I want" and then I turned to my BF and told him I was buying it. When he realized I was serious, the blood drained from his face and he went to sit down and twiddled nervously with his hands as I paid. I was the first of his girlfriends with a penchant for designer bags and this was a whole new nightmare for him. I still laugh when I think about it and he still shakes his head.
These days I'm much more careful when I buy a designer bag. Typically I don't pay full price because: A) I prefer to save a bit of money. B) I've learned the hard way that unless it's Chanel or Goyard, most bags WILL depreciate in cost. Remember that really popular Alexander Wang Diego from back in the day? I've been trying to sell that sucker for super cheap well over a year now with no leads. Why? It's no longer "on trend". My closet now holds Givenchy and Saint Laurent (all purchased on sale thank you), but I'm not the type of girl to drop 4k on bag. Not now anyway. When I'm ready to drop mad dough on a bag, it'll be a Chanel. In the meanwhile, you'll find me in the sale section. As for the bag in this post, it's from JCOS Studios, not Celine. It's leather and costs well less than four grand, meaning I have money left over to put in my savings jar.
xo, Nathalie
WHAT I'M WEARING
Free People beaded jacket (circa 2012).
Mackage leather jacket.
Rag & Bone zippered skinny jeans.
Alexander Wang Nadine cut out ankle boots (circa 2013).
JCOS Studios medium box bag.
Lisbeth Jewelry star and bar necklaces.
Artikel gold toned cuff and rings.
TRENDING: ANKLE BOOTS + HOW TO STYLE THEM
Remember when I told you guys I’ve been really busy lately? Well, it's no exaggeration and I’ve been holding back on some secret projects until now! On a rainy afternoon, I got into my Fiat and drove up to Newmarket’s Upper Canada Mall for their Gorgeous Magazine. I had a chance to sit down with Jennifer Kleinberg, UCM marketing director, to bring you guys a video on fall trends, what inspires my personal style and how to dress one of my favourite items ever, the ankle boot! Inspired by the theme, I felt it was appropriate to wear my Kate Bosworth x Matisse boots for the occasion, and paired it with my favourite Rag & Bone jeans.
During my visit at UCM I had a chance to stop by Browns, where I found a pair of star boots, almost exactly like the ones I was wearing. Of course I had to pick them up to style with one of my two fall-inspired outfits for the shoot. I built the outfit with Parisian-street-style-chic in mind and put together a simple outfit of distressed jeans, a t-shirt and a beautiful jacket, all from H&M. In my opinion, fabulous accessories is what brings an outfit to life, so I gave my girl a navy hat and a Bordeaux coloured bag for a little bit colour.
My second outfit super casual and grunge inspired. She’s a girl who loves layers and doesn’t think too much about what she’s wearing because she’s cool and effortless. This black modal midi dress is just begging for layers so I took a plaid shirt and wrapped it around her waist. Fall weather = leather jackets and I grabbed this one from the men’s section at Forever 21 for an oversized look. The silver hardware on the jacket ties into the necklace, and then down to the silver buckles on these cute little ankle boots. And finally, is there anything more effortless than a cross body bag? This one is pale dusty rose with gunmetal hardware. It’s tough but still pretty and it picks up on the colours from the plaid shirt and keeps the outfit from looking too dark.
Make sure you check out my video with Upper Canada Mall’s Get Gorgeous Sessions here as well as the latest issue of Gorgeous Magazine here. Thank you so much for having me UCM!
Xo, Nathalie
Click to read the Fall/ Winter issue of Gorgeous Magazine.
Back Alley Vogue feat. Global Garçon
So this happened unexpectedly... Michael, of Global Garçon, and I decided to throw this post together just the night before. (Yes, we coordinated our outfits in case you're wondering. So what? ^_^ ) On the day of shooting, we were crazy pressed for time to get it done as quickly as possible. The sun was going down and we were loosing our light fast. To add to the mayhem, the back alley where we shot this, suddenly became a hot spot of activity with all kinds of people (garbage men!) walking through and giving us oddball looks. We persevered nonetheless, with our black and white outfits and Vogued the hell out of that alley. The thing is about fashion bloggers is that we are heavily determined to get a good post for our blogs and nothing, not the cold weather and not even the garbage men will prevent us from getting a good pic. ;)
xo, Nathalie
I call this shot, WoahStyle x Global Garçon.
WHAT I'M WEARING
Zara army jacket.
Urban Outfitters deep V, tissue t-shirt.
Lisbeth Jewelry necklaces.
Rag & Bone zippered skinny jeans.
Larsson & Jennings watch.
Givenchy Antigona Bambi clutch.
Armani sunglasses.
Target hat.
For Global Garçon's outfit details, check out his awesome blog here.
Life Lessons + A Pop of Pink
It's funny how even as an adult I'm still getting to know myself, and having this little blog called WoahStyle, is helping me push my boundaries outside of my comfort zone. Since launching WS, I've learned to conquer video interviews but I'm still crap at making small talk. Read on for more quirks!
- I am bad at small talk. Seriously. Put me in a room with people I don't know very well and my mind goes blank. I have nothing to talk about and I feel uncomfortable. I think they call that being an introvert.
- On the other hand, put me in a room with people I do know, and I'm outspoken and come to life!
- I like hiding behind glasses in photos because I'm still a bit camera shy. Almost seems silly to admit at this point.
- In the first 2 video interviews I ever did, I was so nervous that I was almost hyperventilating. I just shot my third video, which you guys will see next week, and I fucking killed it. I can say that because I really did! ^_^
- I love being around good people with good positive energy. I don't care what you look like or if your handbag or shoes are designer because at the end of the day, it's what's inside that counts. (Funny enough I once had a blog called "What's On The Outside Is All That Counts".)
WHAT I'M WEARING
Everlane Sweater.
Zara jeans.
Sandro Paris ankle boots.
Saint Laurent Paris pink monogram cross body.
Armani sunglasses.
Fall Shopping with Andrews
To wrap up my collaboration with Andrews, we had an in-store event this past Saturday at their new Sherway Gardens location. I was thrilled to meet my long-time Instagram friend, Mr. Global Garçon, who came out to say "hi"! We clicked instantly IRL and took a million pictures before setting on a silly one to post on IG. I also had a chance to meet a really kind fan who made my day when she told me that she's been following my blog since almost the beginning. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
As for the new Andrews store, it's beautifully laid out and impeccably merchandised. I think the owner and the buyers do a phenomenal job at putting together a well curated assortment of women's clothing and accessories. It's the kind of boutique where you can shop with your mum and also with your girlfriends because there really is something for every one. While that might sound like a broad age group, it really isn't a farfetched idea, especially when you're selling beautifully made luxury items that are all thoughtfully merchandised. The store reads like a department store with an assortment of outerwear, evening wear, day wear and office wear, and yet the shopping experience is on a more intimate level. There's a lot of versatily in the store and they do a good job at setting up like a one-stop destination for busy women.
I hope you have a chance to stop by Andrews, Sherway Gardens and see why I was excited to bring you guys this collaboration.
xo, Nathalie
WHAT I'M WEARING
Zadig & Voltaire: Small Quilted Leather Bag.
Chan Luu: Fresh Water Pearls Sterling Silver Long Necklace.
Equipment: Striped Silk Blouse.
J Brand: Coated High Rise Maria Skinny Jean.
All items of the above items can be found at Andrews.
Unboxing: September Birchbox
I just signed up with Birchbox and I was excited to get my first one in the mail recently. I've been holding off to unbox it for for you guys here, so with that, let's just dig right in and see what's inside September's box. PS - how cute is this months design?
September's box has a good selection of hair, skincare and beauty products. Right away I see a Tocca body scrub which I'm excited to try since I've always loved Tocca. (BTW - I know it's almost the end of the month and you guys have probably already received your Birchbox but I want to share it here anyway since it's my first one. Hope you don't mind!)
My September's Birchbox includes:
- Davies This Is A Sea Salt Spray
- Tocca Giulietta Body Scrub in Pink Tulip & Green Apple
- 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream (for dark circles & puffiness)
- Japonesque Velvet Touch Eye Shadow in Shade 02
- BioRepublic Aloe Rescue Revitalizing Fiber Mask with Vitamin E (for all skin types)
My first impression on the products:
- DAVINES THIS IS A SEA SALT SPRAY
SAMPLE SIZE: A generous 100 ml. Should last a few uses.
Davines makes an excellent hairspray that I'm using right now but I'm not overly thrilled about getting this sea salt spray in my Birchbox. I've tried it before and I find it makes my hair frizzy and wild. I have thick, wavy hair that is majorly prone to frizz so I have to be careful about what products I use. I'm curious to know if anyone else with wavy hair feels the same about sea salt sprays.
- TOCCA GIULLIETTA BODY SCRUB IN PINK TULIP + GREEN APPLE
SAMPLE SIZE: 1 oz. equivalent to 1 use in the shower.
It smells pretty, feminine and fresh and makes me want jump in the shower right away. Too bad the sample isn't bigger because I think this product would be a hit with a lot of women. The label reads "gently moisturizing, sugar-based body scrub contains crushed olive granules, rich in natural oils. Paraben and phthalate free." I tried it on the back of my hands just now and it felt really nice and the scent lingers once you rinse it away.
PS - I couldn't find this product on the Birchbox site which is too bad. :(
- 100% PURE COFFEE BEAN CAFFEINE EYE CREAM (for dark circles & puffiness)
SAMPLE SIZE: 8 ml. Enough for a few months.
I'm not happy to write this but, I'm very sleep deprived. Every morning is a struggle to conceal my dark under eye circles and fake out that "fresh-face" look with makeup. I'm excited to try this eye cream to see if it'll help but in reality, I should just get more sleep. This one is 100% natural and 100% vegan which is always nice. I might put my tube in the fridge to see if it helps with my puffiness a bit further and soothe my tired eyes.
- JAPONESQUE VELVET TOUCH HIGH PIGMENT EYE SHADOW (SHADE 02)
SAMPLE SIZE: 1.5 g. Looks like a full sized.
It almost looks pale gold at first but this eye shadow is actually a shimmery, pale, mossy green. I've heard good things about Japonesque so I'm excited to try this. The packaging features these bold, colourful brush strokes that remind me of the Sept Birchbox design. Hmm... could this have been their inspiration?
- BIOREPUBLIC ALOE REVITALIZING FIBER MASK WITH VITAMIN E
SAMPLE SIZE: 1 mask.
My BFF went to Korea a few years ago and brought me back a bunch of Korean fiber masks as a gift. I've been hooked since. I can't wait to try this Aloe mask since it's supposed to be hydrating and my skin has been feeling really dry recently.
Keep an eye out for next month's Birchbox review where I'll be announcing something exciting for my Canadian readers!!!
Street Style feat. Andrews
I’m so excited to finally tell you guys about my latest collaboration! It’s with a Toronto-based store called Andrews, and I’ll be celebrating the opening of their third location at Sherway Gardens! Come by this Saturday and hang out with me! Let’s chat about fashion and life, upload pics on Instagram, take videos for Snapchat and of course, shop! Some of you guys leave me comments saying that you want to go shopping with me. Well… let’s do it! I’d be happy to help you pick out some new pieces for your fall wardrobe!
A bit of background on Andrews, they carry a diverse selection of luxury clothing and accessories, from Mackage, Jbrand, Smythe, Zadig & Voltaire to beautiful cocktail dresses from Greta Constantine. They take pride in catering their shopping experience to the busy woman, and provide services like on-site alterations and at home delivery. I took advantage of one of these services when I told the staff I was looking for coated jeans. They ordered in the amazing Jbrands that I'm wearing in this post. Thanks ladies! (TIP: Coated jeans are excellent if you want the look of leather without the hefty price tag.)
I think my favourite part of Andrews has to be their contemporary section, where I picked up this beautiful silk blouse by Vince. It’s the perfect transition piece for fall and I can wear it to the office and dressed down on the weekend. You guys know that I’m accessory crazy and I fell for this Zadig & Voltaire quilted bag almost immediately. It’s edgy and elegant goes beautifully with everything in my closet. The hat is also Z&V and is probably my favourite part of this outfit. I have a few black wool hats in my collection but nothing fits and looks as good as this one. Finally, the necklace is Chan Luu and is sterling silver with freshwater pearls. Just like everything else I’m wearing, it's both edgy and elegant. I think Andrews does that well.
I hope you guys enjoyed this post and I hope to see some of you there this Saturday, Sept 26th! I’ll be chilling at Andrews from 12-2pm and I can’t wait to meet you!
Xo, Nathalie
WHAT I'M WEARING
Zadig & Voltaire: Felted Wool Hat with Feather Trim.
Zadig & Voltaire: Small Quilted Leather Bag.
Chan Luu: Fresh Water Pearls Sterling Silver Long Necklace.
Vince: Silk Band Short Sleeve Top.
J Brand: Coated High Rise Maria Skinny Jean.
All items of the above items can be found at Andrews.
Bag Spill + New Faves
I feel like there’s so much excitement happening right now I can’t wait to share it! Stay tuned because on Thursday I'll be announcing the first part of something very exciting. GTA followers, you're going to be able to partake in this one! In the meanwhile, let’s do a bag spill/ current faves – the early fall edition.
- This beautiful leather box bag from JCOS STUDIOS just arrived in the mail the other day. It’s bigger than my Saint Laurent nano Sac De Jour so I’m really enjoying the extra interior space.
- I'm also loving this pretty wallet from Australian brand Status Anxiety. It fits my iPhone 6+ comfortably with room to spare for a lipstick - perfect for when I ditch my purse.
- Pixi Beauty just launched their Fall 2015 collection which includes their Mattelustre Lipsticks. I got the shades Pure Fuchsia and Plum Berry. I find the formula is surprisingly creamy, and not cakey and heavy like most matte lipsticks. They're also infused with peptides and vitamins C & E to help create a fuller, smoother lip. I wear mine with a nude lipliner for extra staying power.
- To keep the berry theme going, I just gave my nails a nice coat of Essie's Fishnet Stocking, a sultry berry-red shade. I love Essie for always being on-trend with colours.
- For eyeliner, I'm currently using Pixi's new Cat Eye Ink in Intense Black. This one has a nice slant felt tip that applies the liner comfortably. The colour payoff is awesome and it wears well until the end of the day.
- A brow pencil is something I almost always carry around. When I was younger I over-plucked my brows and they've never fully grown back. The Endless Brow Gel Pen, also by Pixi, helps me fill in sparse areas quickly.
- I'm super picky with fragrance but Italian Summer Fig from The Body Shop is beyond heavenly! Seriously, I just want to bathe in this scent! It smells like freshly cut greens but also smells a bit complex. I don't know how to describe it exactly but go smell it and tell me what you think!
- Lastly, I'm never without my Dior eyeglasses. I couldn't see without them! >_<
