020315 Butter Avenue Spring Tasting
I want to start this post by saying thank you to Calvin Su and Chef Tina Su, for inviting Geoff and I to a wonderful evening sampling their spring tastings menu. Alongside some other very talented Toronto bloggers and Instagram-ers, we joined Calvin and Chef Tina (siblings in case you're wondering) for some artisan brewed coffee, special savoury waffles and ate one of the most beautiful (limited edition) heart shaped raspberry, lychee cakes ever! It's released especially for Valentines Day btw. I hope you'll enjoy this special behind the scenes post because the magic of Butter Avenue is real and now we love it even more!
xo, Nathalie
Vacuum brewed coffee provides an excellent way to bring out the full flavours of the Vanilla & Chocolate Guatemalan coffee that was served. Each small pot took about about 10 mins to brew but we didn't mind. It was fun to watch and delicious to drink!
Being the only vegetarian there, Chef Tina still made me feel included by serving me a special dish of beautifully marinated veggies to go with the waffles. Everyone else got smoked salmon with raspberry vinaigrette.
To cleanse the palette we were served a Pink Refresher of pink grapefruit and lemon. Sweet and slightly tangy. Yum!
While the whole evening was so fun and special this is kind of where I lost it! Chef Tina assembled the "All My Heart" cake in front of us. Fresh raspberries and lychee filled with raspberry cremeux were gently placed on a cake made of creme d'amande rose and raspberry spirit. A heart shaped macaron tops off the cake that's perfect for two. After the cake was assembled we sat down for a taste and instead of a piece, an entire cake was brought out for each of us to take home! Amazing!
Along with our cakes we all got a "Box of Hearts" French macarons to enjoy for the next day. The box of 6 contains 66% dark chocolate, raspberry and vanilla caramel. It is limited edition and was available for order starting now. I'll be calling Butter Avenue to grab a few of these before they're gone. Oh - and in case you're wondering why you don't see heart shaped macarons often, it's because they're very difficult to make. That just makes them even more desirable and special if you ask me.
For Valentine's Day orders call Butter Avenue directly at their order desk at 647-341-8686.
020215 Calm After The Storm
Who would have thought that I'd have so much fun kicking snow around in the forest. It's not my usual fashion post but when it snows, get out there and have some fun! (That is till your toes freeze from wearing inappropriate rubber shoes!)
Roots pompom beanie | Armani sunglasses | Tom Ford lipstick in Wild Ginger | Zara faux fur coat | Mackage jacket (worn under) | Aritzia wool fringe scarf and knitted mittens | Alexander Wang Diego bag | Rag & Bone zippered skinny jeans | Michael Kors rubber moto boots
012915 Falling In Love Again
Chanel Blush | NARS primer | Sonia Kashuk No.1 powder brush | Fjord Munan Watch in silver - Get 50% off fjordtimepieces.com with discount code LOVEWOAHSTYLEDOTCOM | MBMJ Quilted iPad Mini Case (see below for more) | Saint Laurent Babycat Studded Loafers | Birds Of A Feather bracelets | Lola's Vanity rings | Logiix Blue Piston Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
Marc Jacobs was one of the first designers who's clothing truly resonated with my own style. I was going through my own grunge stage when he was sending the supermodels of the 90's down the runway of Perry Ellis in flannel shirts and ripped jeans. Remember that?
Fast forward to my first real job working as a Marketing Assistant. So much of my closet consisted of MBMJ at the time. They clothes and accessories were fun and versatile and I loved everything! Marc Jacobs was with Luis Vuitton and his success blew up. Not too long after, MBMJ became predictable and boring and I fell out love.
But something happened recently. Now that he's left LV his designs are back! His current accessories collection for MBMJ has my heart racing again and I have a mile long wish list of so many things that I'm coveting. Welcome back Marc. I've missed you!
012715 REVIEW: Sephora Teint Infusion Foundation
I recently picked up this Sephora Teint Infusion Foundation, $30, because I heard the formula was comparable to the Armani's Maestro Fusion Makeup, $68. The idea behind these light foundations is to give you a no makeup feel with even coverage. With the stuff at Sephora being about half the cost less I thought, why not give it a go! Read on for my review.
My first mistake was not letting the sales girl at Sephora do a proper foundation match with one of their specialists. I had originally chosen the right colour for my skin, medium with yellow undertones, but the pale sales girl with (seafood coloured lips and mismatched foundation herself) insisted I go a shade lighter. I shouldn't have listened. In the bathroom light my foundation matched but in the sunlight it looked too light, artificial and cakey. Whoops! Word to the wise, take the time to get matched for the right colour.
The formula itself seemed promising with a lightweight coverage that looks natural. I was excited to see how it would make my skin flawless. I applied the foundation like the sales girl recommended, by dropping a couple of drops directly onto a foundation brush (use one with stiff bristles like this one here) and just buffed it into my skin. Well I did something wrong because the more I buffed my foundation the more I could see the it beginning to dry and cake on my face. I took a makeup sponge and buffed it in further to make it look more natural.
I tried using Teint Infusion a few more times and eventually I found the best application was to smear the foundation on my face using my fingers and then buffing it in with the foundation brush. It seems to work better than applying the foundation directly on the brush which just seems to apply more foundation and just continues to move the formula around until it dries up (which is where I was left with an unnatural finish). It's also best to work sections at a time starting with the forehead and moving around the face since this formula dries quickly.
PROS
- This foundation has a nice velvety formula that is lightweight and does appear to melt into the skin as promised.
- The foundation does dry to a powder finish so you can skip the powder. I didn't because my skin is on the oily/ combination side.
- The $30 price point is reasonable compared to so many other brands out there. Sephora's return policy is excellent so even if you buy it and it's not for you, it can still go back for a full refund.
CONS
- Though this foundation has a lightweight formula, it still looks very cakey on my skin. I have good skin and I moisturize well and yet no matter how much I blended, it never looked natural. Maybe it had to do with the fact I had the wrong colour.
- Setting my foundation with a bit of loose powder made my foundation look even worse! To solve this I spritzed my face with Jurlique's Rosewater Balancing Mist to make it look more natural.
- Blend, blend, blend. I love using foundation brushes but the amount of time I spent blending this formula into my skin was tiresome!
- Quite simply, did not look natural on my skin.
In case you haven't caught on, this foundation is going back for a refund. I'll continue using my Boscia BB Cream in the meanwhile. I've been using it for 3 years now and I love the formula and coverage, but I always feel like my face is just a half shade too light for the rest of my body. The foundation search continues.
012615 Style Inspo: Faux Leather Pants
I thought I would do a different kind of post today - something fun and silly but still inspirational. I've been on a big Zara binge lately and I just got these faux leather pants and they totally inspired this post. They're under $60 and are perfect for everyday wear. Here we go... 3 ways to wear leather pants, whether they be faux or real!
I don't know what drew me to this pastel coloured faux fur but I love it! I went with a little rock and roll vibe for the first outfit. A white basic tank, a studded Diesel belt and my babycat Saint Laurent Paris loafers anchor down the pastels from the coat and the pink box bag, both Zara finds!
For the second outfit I chose my Zara silk blouse that I picked up for $23! Not bad considering I've been in desperate need of one. Pairing the pretty shirt with the faux leather pants and my Isabel Marant boots gives the outfit a cool laid back Parisian feel. Again I kept on the studded belt and tucked the shirt in just a little at the front so that the look doesn't get too precious.
The third outfit is a little more causal and is totally monochrome. I chose these adorable START STOP sneakers from the Zara SS15 collection. They remind me of something Acne without the high price tag. PS - they're available in silver! I paired the shoes and pants with my white button up shirt from New Classics. I love the lightness of this shirt and the loose fit so I don't mind that it's a bit wrinkled.
There you have it! A different kind of style inspo post to break things up. I hope you didn't mind the duck faces and enjoyed the post. I know Marvin did!
012615 Sports Luxe Redux
I'm back at the bleachers in sub zero temps, wearing my new shorts from Velvet Kimono. I think I'm in denial about the weather these days but I couldn't help it. These shorts were asking to be shot at a track!
With the sports luxe trend still going strong, I paired my sweat shorts with my favourite Miu Miu's. I haven't had the best experience with Miu Miu in the past, so I was really happy to find that these shoes are as comfortable as they look. The metal pointed toe makes it a bit more sophisticated than your average slip on and the white contrast sole gives the shoe a cool vibe. I also accessorized with my Alexander Wang Rocco duffle bag. The hardware on this bag is rose gold but I don't mind mixing metals. In fact, I prefer it for the contrast.
I'm wearing my black muscle tee from kor NYC which is actual athletic wear. To keep the look from being "I just got back from the gym" and more "urban sports wear inspired", I topped off the shirt with my leather jacket. This is the perfect example of why it's important to invest in quality jackets, shoes and bags. They can really change your entire outfit in such a dramatic way and keep you looking polished. If you're on a budget, look for pieces with beautiful details. These sweat shorts are under $50. They have piping in the front and the back, a drop crotch, two front pockets and a white drawstring with metal tips. They remind me of the Alexander Wang pants from 2010. Bonus: they didn't shrink in the dryer like so many other sweats that I have.
Velvet Kimono is offering my readers a 20% discount with coupon code WOAHSTYLE20. A bit on VK, they are based out of Winnipeg, MB and launched their online shop last year. Their style philosophy is to offer women edgy, trendy clothes at reasonable prices. Below are some of my favourites from their shop, all under $60.
Armani sunglasses | Mackage Mary A leather jacket | Kor NYC tank | Velvet Kimono Sundaze Shorts * | Fjord watch | Alexander Wang Rocco bag | Miu Miu slip ons with metal toe | Sonia Kashuk Velvety Matte Lip Crayon in Poppy Nude
012415 Heritage Stripes
Another day, another bag. With the whole 70's trend making it's way back this spring, I thought it would be fun to bring out my Gucci Boston bag with the heritage stripes. I'd bought it a few years ago and I fell in love with it for the vintage vibe that it has. While I have a tendency to sell the pieces I no longer wear, I knew I wanted to keep this one. It's so classic and pretty and it was only a matter of time till it would come back. What piece have you held on to year after year?
Zara navy faux fur jacket | Jcrew turtleneck | Rag & Bone distressed jeans | Chanel glasses | 3.1 Phillip Lim gunmetal Quinn loafers | Gucci vintage original GG canvas Boston bag | Givenchy Mandarine Bolero lipstick | Lola's Vanity rings
012115 Zara Shoe Haul
With my IG obsession still going strong, it’s inevitable that I’d be influenced by what I’m seeing. So many feeds that I follow feature the cutest stuff from Zara so I couldn’t help hitting up their winter sale. I picked up three pairs of shoes and since they were so inexpensive, I went with some wilder choices to mix things up a bit.
These awesome chain boots are a such a rip off of the original Chanel’s but they’re so cute that I couldn’t pass them up. Since they have a squared toe and short block heel, I feel the style is a bit more tough than what I’m used to, but somehow they work! I’m dying to wear them with my leather leggings and a cute dress in the warmer weather. I think I’m going to have a lot of fun with this boot! I did hear that the chains fall off easily but that’s okay because I can easily mend them with some needle nose pliers.
Song Of Style Chanel Chain Boots
These glitter Chelsea boots are inspired by the Saint Laurent Paris version and they're just as show stopping. Pieces like this are fun because they're such a good way of playing up the basics in my closet. 2015 is the year where I want to take more risks with my fashion choices and these are the perfect way of doing it. When layering a piece like this into your outfit, I think it’s important to stay true to your personal style. Just look at the ladies below for some inspo.
Saint Laurent Paris pink glitter boots
I’m a sucker for ankle straps. They’re so pretty and feminine and make women’s legs look better. These studded satin flats are inspired by the shape of the Valentino Tango shoe. The studs around the ankle remind me of Valentino's Rockstud and the bling on the shoes remind me of Miu Miu's. With my minimal style playing with a shoe like this adds something fun and unexpected to my outfits. I'll be wearing them with distressed denim and of course leather pants because everything goes with leather pants!
Manrepeller.com Valentino Tango Pump
012015 Cozy Casual Knits
I love getting dressed and even when I’m sporting a casual look I think it’s important to focus on the details.
These Acne Studios sneakers were a bday gift from my hubby. They where on my wish list for months so when I finally got them, I was over the moon! I love how the shiny patent leather elevates the look of the shoe. Of course that adorable little face also helps.
I went with my distressed Rag & Bone jeans in faded black. Instead of rolling up my pants like I usually do, I let the cuff out and let them bunch around my ankles for a more relaxed look. This is why I can never hem my pants. I always feel like that extra bit of fabric could come into use somewhere down the road.
Since it’s still winter, I wore my white cotton knit from Acne Studios – a lucky find on The Outnet. I really love the relaxed fit of this sweater and I find myself wearing it all year round, weather permitting. Layered over top is my trusty Mackage jacket which I’ll never tire of wearing. The leather is super soft and the cropped cut of this piece is truly unique. My knitted Oak + Fort beanie in grey breaks up the black and white nicely. Living in Canada I’ve worn my fair share of beanies and I’m really loving the cut of this one. I should probably pick it up in black before they sell out!
To accessorize I went with my purple Chanel glasses that I can’t get enough of right now. The little bit of colour makes a good statement with my mainly black wardrobe and I really love the oversized frames. Chanel makes some of my favourite eyewear and I think I might need to pick up a new pair soon! My silver watch is from Fjord and I really like how it brings subtle “bling” to the outfit. The stainless steel mesh band is thin and has a beautiful texture to it. The face of the watch is oversized as it’s men’s inspired, but it’s still feels appropriate for a woman. Since my style is very minimal, the little details really make a big impact and can bring my entire look together.
From January 20th - February 14th get 50% off FjordTimePieces.com using code discount code LOVEWOAHSTYLEDOTCOM