Trending: OTK Boots
Things have been pretty busy at WoahStyle recently so I'm going to keep the written portion short and let the street style pics do the talking. All I can say is that there's plenty of cool things coming up and tons of new content. This week you guys will see a few style posts, as well as new skincare and beauty articles. Can't wait to share but in the meanwhile, hope you guys enjoy my latest rocking these OTK boots from Aldo and my new Aritzia cocoon coat. What do you think?
xo, Nathalie
WHAT I'M WEARING
Aldo Haskova Boots in taupe.
Aritzia Wilfred cocoon coat.
Lisbeth Jewelry necklaces in Layla and Naveah.
Rag & Bone distressed zippered jeans.
IRO Paris fringe top.
Mackage leather moto jacket.
Givenchy small studded Pandora bag.
Old Navy mirrored sunglasses.
CURRENT OBSESSION: THE UTILITY JACKET
Every so often I end up getting a new piece of clothing that I can't stop obsessing over and honestly, I've been wearing this Mother utility jacket every single day since I got it at Winners last weekend! On the second day of wear, my BFF said "Oh, you're wearing it again?" and on the third day she remarked, "Really?!"
It's not like I don't have anything else to wear, it's just I love it! My jacket is super soft and goes with everything. It keeps me warm when it's cool out and keeps me looking cool when I'm indoors. (Like what I did there?!) The length and oversized shape is another plus in my eyes since it allows for easy, effortless layering. It also takes me back to being a teenager and listening to Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. I looked up to those grungy rock star gods so much that I wanted to dress like them. Fast forward to 2015, I still admire the grunge vibes, but in a more feminine, chic way, with leather leggings, a frayed chambray dress from Zara, Sandro ankle boots and the chicest of them all, my Givenchy Pandora bag.
We can't help what we fall in love with and sometimes we just have to embrace it. Translation: You'll be seeing a lot of this jacket on my IG so get used to it! Now, what's your current obsession?
xo, Nathalie
Makeup Monday: The Best 5 Red Lipsticks for Olive Skin
When I was a young girl, I'd try on all of my mum's lipsticks in secret behind locked doors. My mother was very strict and the only time I was allowed to wear a red lip in public was during Halloween. Regardless of my costume, I'd always ask to borrow her lipstick because I knew she'd say yes for this one day of the year. Then I grew up and realized that not all reds are equal, and to my dismay, a lot of the blue-red lipsticks I was draw to previously where actually very unflattering for my olive skin. Through trail and error, and some really gnarly lipstick choices, I learned that orange-based reds are best for us with yellow undertones. I've made it easy for you guys and listed 5 of my all time favourite reds, along with lip liner pairings that work best with these unique shades. Pucker up!
xo, Nathalie
- GIVENCHY LE ROUGE IN MANDARINE BOLERO 304
I love this colour as a daytime red so much, that I just recently repurchased it. It's a soft orange-red that leans more towards a deep coral and yet somehow, it almost looks pink on my skin (see swatch down below). The formula on this lipstick is matte and stays on pretty well but I recommend a nude lip liner for staying power. - MAC MATTE LIPSTICK IN SO CHAUD
This lipstick is a touch more orange than red, making it appropriate for summer. I on the other hand, like a pop of bright lipstick in the cold months to help liven pale skin. I'd recommend wearing this shade when you want to stand out. Pair it with a deep coral lip liner for longevity. - SONIA KASHUK VELVETY MATTE LIP CRAYON IN POPPY NUDE
Another bright red! It's pretty close to So Chaud, but this one leans towards being more red. The true matte formula on this lipstick means you can forgo a lip liner because it stays on pretty well. Also, it's a wooden pencil which means you can draw a nice precise line when you sharpen it. - CHANEL ROUGE COCO IN GABRIELLE 19
Named after Ms. Coco Chanel herself, Gabrielle is the perfect classic red. It has more of a blue undertone than the other reds on my list, but it's still warm enough to compliment olive skin and those with yellow undertones. This formula is pretty creamy, so I like to pair this with a red lip liner for staying power. - MAC MATTE LIPSTICK IN CHILLI
This is an old favourite of mine and I've been using Chilli since I was in college. It's the deepest red of all of the ones on my list, which is why I put it last. It almost looks more brown compared to Givenchy's Mandarine Bolero, but it's still very much a deep orange-based red. To bring out the red, pair it with a red lipliner and to let the true colour shine, wear it alone. On the days when I want a more natural flush on my lips, I dab a lit of Chilli on my lips, followed my lip balm. Voila, my version of "au natural".
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.
Makeup Monday: 10 Products for A Fresh Fall Face
Whether we like it or not, fall is here which means it's time to update our beauty routines. Unless you're constantly traveling to sunny locations, we're all a bit paler this time of year. We have to adjust our lipstick and foundation colours accordingly to keep from looking like Sally, from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Read on for my current faves/ mini reviews on 10 products I can't get enough of for fall.
1. SMASHBOX CAMERA READY BB WATER
OMG this BB water is the shit!! Shake the bottle well and apply this watery BB fluid to your skin using either your fingertips, brush or sponge. Regardless, it always looks natural and flawless. Bonus, it's buildable coverage that works well on my oily/ dry skin/ combo skin. (I bought mine in Light/ Medium.)
2. NARS RADIANT CREAMY CONCEALER
This concealer is excellent for covering up my dark under eye circles and helps my complexion look smoother. My skin is a medium olive shade and I buy this concealer in CUSTARD, a light yellow-based shade. (TIP: This is a liquid to powder formula so you don't need powder to set it. Caution: if you use powder to set it, you might end up with cakey makeup.)
3. NYX BEAUTY BALM
This BB cream is encompasses everything that I love about NYX Cosmetics - it's affordable, high quality and is a cruelty free. I like using this cream on the weekends and on the days when I don't need much coverage. I use shade 3, the darkest colour of the line and it's excellent for my medium skin. Any darker and I'm afraid this wouldn't be flattering.
4. PIXI GLOWTION DAY DEW (BRIGHTENING LOTION)
I've been searching for a product like this for a long time now! Glowtion instantly brightens my complexion when it's dull. It's a creamy iridescent lotion that works perfect under my BB Water. If there's one product I could recommend for tired skin that needs an instant pick-me-up, this is it!
5. NYX HIGH DEFINITION BLUSH
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: BEACH BABE (BRONZE), BABY DOLL (PINK), AND CORALINE (CORAL)
The colour payoff on these blushes is superb, making them suitable for so many skin colours. I use Beach Babe as a light contour on my cheekbones, followed by Coraline for coral wash, and then I dab a bit of Baby Doll on the apples of my cheeks for light flush. I might sound like a lot, but the finished look is natural when you use these blushes lightly.
6. MAC MATTE LIPSTICK: SO CHAUD
This is the perfect orange-red for a pale complexion. The matte formula has incredible longevity, with or without lip liner.
7. GIVENCHY LE ROUGE: MANDARINE BOLERO
My favourite day-time red regardless of season. Use a nude lipliner to make it last longer.
8. PIXI MATTE LUSTRE LIPSTICK: PLUM BERRY
I've been creating a light-ombre effect on my lips by layering this berry-shade on the outer portion of my lips, and then blending it in with my fingers. This shade is perfect for transitioning my summer lipsticks to fall.
9. NYX DREAM CATCHER PALETTE: GOLDEN HORIZONS
With plenty of golden browns and rich gold shades, this eyeshadow palette is excellent for creating a smoky daytime eye. I use the white to brighten my brown bone and the charcoal to accentuate the outer corners of my eyes. All skin colours would benefit from this inexpensive palette.
10. MAYBELLINE NEW YORK THE FALSIES PUSH UP DRAMA MASCARA
If you're into thick, long lashes, then this latest from Maybelline is for you! It's smudge free, wears well all day and washes away with soap and water. What else could you ask for?
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.