020815 How To Style: The Sequin Pants
Having always wanted sequin pants I ran to my nearest H&M when I heard these bad boys where on sale for only $10! Granted they are one size too small around the waistband so they're a bit tight but the legs fit perfectly so why not?
Don't get overwhelmed with thoughts of how to style sequin pants. Simply dress them as you would anything else in your closet and stay true to your personal style. I love t-shirts so I choose a heathered grey one to go with my pants and kept the look monochromatic. Throwing my navy faux fur overtop keeps me warm in the winter and gives the outfit some luxe texture. A black leather jacket would work here as well.
To accessorize I went with my black Givenchy Pandora bag (mine is the small size). I like the clean modern structure of this bag that makes a statement without competing with the sequin pants. For shoes I followed the same rule of clean and modern lines and chose my black 3.1 Phillip Lim kitten heels. Remember, it's about complimenting the pants and not competing with it.
I hardly wear belts but here a belt adds a nice break since the pant and shirt are similar almost the same colour.
I love the mixed metals of silver and gold from my Bulova bracelet watch (a gift from my parents). Mixing metals is a fun way of playing with jewelry and it keeps the look from being too perfect. The devil is in the details.
This Zara faux dur is my go to on the weekends. It dressed up even the most basic out outfits and goes with pretty much everything!
Zara Faux Fur
Aritzia heathered grey shirt
Free People belt
H&M sequin pants (I cuffed mine)
3.1 Phillip Lim kitten heel boots
Givenchy small black Pandora bag with studs
Lola's Vanity rings
Stila Custom Blush in Coral
Benefit Hoola
Sonia Kashuk contour brush No. 17
Sonia Kashuk blush brush No. 02
Nars Audacious Lipstick in Rita
Bulova Watch
Salvatore Ferragamo black glasses
020615 Target Cosmetics Must Buys
Alright dear friends, before Target is gone for good, here are a few things that I highly recommend. They are my all time favourite cheapie cosmetic finds that won't disappoint. With the liquidation that began Thursday, all cosmetics are 30% off right now so I'm stocking up on some old faves and some items that won't be available in Canada once Target leaves. And remember friends, be courteous to each other and the staff while your out there. Liquidation isn't an excuse for forgetting your manners.
I've just discovered these Velvety Matte Lip Crayon's by Sonia Kashuk, under $8, and I prefer these to the Nars Audacious lipstick that I bought last month. I've been wearing Poppy Nude (an orange red) for about two weeks now and I get compliments everywhere I go. I also picked up Coral Nude (an orange coral) for a more subtle are look but only bought one of those. The staying power and vibrant colours on these crayons are beautiful so go pick them up!
Lipliners are a must for me and I love the one by Annabelle called Demure. It's the perfect nude that it's too brown or pink so that means it doesn't alter the colour of my lipstick. At under $4 at Target, I wish I'd stocked up on more but they all seem to be gone. Consider yourself lucky if you get your hands on some and stock up!
I read about the No.1 Powder Brush, $19, by Sonia Kashuk in Allure magazine who called it one of the best. I've been using this one for a couple of weeks now and I love, love, love it! It distributes a nice thin layer of powder which means no more cakey face. The bristles are also super soft and so far they haven't shed once. Since I loved the No.1, I also grabbed the No.2 Blush Brush, $17 - another goodie that applies my Stila blush beautifully. Finally just grabbed the No.17 Multi-Purpose Powder Brush. Since the bristles are angled, I figured this brush would be excellent for contouring my cheekbones.
I came across this Cover Girl mascara over six years ago and I've been re-buying it since. At the time I was looking for a drugstore dupe of Dior's Diorshow Mascara and found this. The lashes I get from the CG Lashblast are thick, long, separated and NEVER SMUDGE!!!! My skin is on the oiler side so a lot of eye makeup smudges but this stuff stays put. I apply 2 coats to the upper lashes and one coat to the lower lashes and it stays on all day till I wash it off. Right now I'm not using makeup remover and Consonant face wash just gets it all off. LOVE IT!
I heard about the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer on a YouTube channel and ran out to grab it after hearing it's a dupe or Nars Radiant Concealer. I love my Nars and I swear by it but I'm also concealer obsessed and couldn't resist trying this one. It's creamy and has excellent coverage that lasts. I apply mine with my Beauty Blender sponge and I love the flawless look I get. Oh - and don't forget to set it with powder using your No.1 Sonia Kashuk brush so your concealer won't go anywhere! (I'm using shade 20 Sand, a light shade on the yellow side for my medium olive skin.)
For brows I love my Annabelle Eyebrow Crayon in Medium Brown. Even at the end of the day my brows are still on my face and the colour looks so good. I just love this pencil. Again, it's $4 at Target so stock up now because all Annabelle products are double the price at Shoppers!
Okay so this one isn't a cosmetic but it's a super adorable carrying case, by Orla Kiely Etc, that is perfect for travel. They are perfect for my ever growing makeup collection and will make me happy on my next trip. And before you all say anything about the pattern and colour on these cases I have to tell you something. I actually really love cute things like Hello Kitty and Totoro and the colour pink, almost as much as I love black and leather and gold!
If you guys have any amazing drug store finds that you can't live without, let me know. I'm always looking for new goodies.
020415 Box of Hearts
If you read my last post on the Butter Avenue spring tasting you'll know that I was lucky enough to sample some amazing off-the-menu and on-the-menu items. To clarify, you won't be seeing savoury waffles in their stores anytime soon, but the Valentine's Day treats are available for special order.
For those who haven't tried Butter Avenue macarons yet I should mention that their patisseries taste even more phenomenal than they look! I'm not just saying that because they've spoilt me with macarons but I honestly mean it. Go try them and let me know what you think! ;)
Thank you again Butter Avenue. Love you guys!! xo
Heart Shaped French Macarons and "All My Heart" cake by Butter Avenue, Toronto
Chanel perfum bottle gold foil print by I See Noise, Vancouver
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