EVERYDAY ATHLEISURE
If you follow my blog and Instagram closely you might have picked up on my weight gain confessionals. It's harder to admit to myself than it is to you guys that I've recently gone up a pant size. I have ripples where I don't want, I feel like I jiggle when I walk and above all else, concealing muffin top has become a daily struggle.
Most people in the fashion & beauty industry might freak and run for the hills but why? Sure I'm not as skinny as Chiara Ferragni and I don't have a cute bubble butt like Dani Song, but I'm okay with that because beauty comes in all shapes. Interestingly I'm the happiest I've ever been and I'm not going to let a few pounds stand in my way.
Out of comfort (and perhaps weight gain necessity), I'll often throw on some athleisure wear on my days off. My favourite pieces are a loose fitting top and some comfortable stretch bottoms, like the cute LolΓ« shorts I'm wearing here. I'll blog from home and run errands in my comfy gear because it's more than just for practicing yoga and sometimes I don't want to deal with skinny jeans (are you shocked?).
It's not to say you have to gain weight to wear some comfy pieces, but it just happens that's when my appreciation for it came to play. Now I mix and match pieces according to how I feel and of course, I'll often accessorize with a cute bag and some jewelry.
I'm currently working on getting fit and eating better but I'll know I'll still be wearing my LolΓ« pieces for a long time to come.
For any yoga enthusiasts out there, make sure you check out the LolΓ« White Tour happening this Thursday. I'll be giving away two tickets to the tour so be sure to comment here, on IG or Twitter to enter. Good luck!
Photography by Tristan O'Brien
In sponsorship with LolΓ«. All opinions are my own.
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5 OF MY FAVOURITE LUXE ITEMS
I can't believe how busy it's been recently and that I haven't done a favourites post since May! The reason I like doing these kind of posts is because my favourites change all of the time. Between the PR samples that are sent to me and my regular visits to Sephora (which average on 3-4 times a month. Okay. Maybe 5-6...), I'm always trying out new products and experimenting with different techniques. Here are 5 luxe items that I'm currently loving and I think you might love too.
BECCA x JACLYN HILL CHAMPAGNE POP FACE PALETTE
When YouTuber/makeup artist Jaclyn Hill released her limited edition Champage Pop highlighter in collab with Becca Cosmetics last year, I was one of those people who fell for the hype. Half a year later it's still my favourite highlight, so naturally I was excited when she extended her collaboration and released the Face Palette, with 3 blush shades and 2 highlights, including the original Champagne Pop.
Not only is the packaging the gorgeous, but the colours are beautiful and look natural on my kmedium olive skin. The powder formulas are buildable and the longevity is amazing! I always use a face primer to help my makeup stay on longer, but it's been a hot, sweaty AF summer and if this blush is still on at the end of a long day, then it's good!
TIP: HOW TO KEEP YOUR MAKEUP FROM FADING
Use a face primer after you moisturize and before applying your makeup. I've been loving Dermalogica's Face HydraBlur face primer. I have about 10 face primers in my collection and this one works miracles in keeping my makeup on all day. I put it to the test during a 2 hour photo shoot in the sun and aside from some shine, my makeup was still on. I'm working on an extensive primer story for you guys as we speak so stay tuned!
Sadly the JHxB Face Palette is sold out on Sephora online, but you might be able to still find it in store. I frequent Mapleview Mall in Burlington, more than I like to admit, and I saw a few there last week. If you missed out on the palette, fret not. JHxB have just released blush/highlight duo's that are just as beautiful!
CHARLOTTE TILBURY HOT LIPS LIPSTICK
This post is all my luxe favourites and can we just take a moment to appreciate how beautiful and luxe these new CT lipsticks are?
Packaging aside, I have been loving Hot Lips so much I carry them everywhere I go. The formula is velvety matte and wears comfortably on the lips. For longevity, you will need a need to set these with a nude lip liner, otherwise they'll fade. I've been using Pillow Talk, also from CT, because it doesn't alter the colour from the tube.
The shades I've been loving are: Miranda May, a coral pink, created for the beautiful Miranda Kerr AND Secret Selma, a deep rose-plum, created for actress Salma Hayek.
You guys know I'm lipstick obsessed and i just love these! I have my eyes on a few more shades so I might do a full review and wear-test at some point!
HERBIVORE BRIGHTEN PINEAPPLE ENZYME + GEMSTONE ISNTANT GLOW MASK
At almost $60 a jar, I've been apprehensive about buying this mask but I'm so glad I did. I slathered before going to bed one night and let it work its magic for 20 mins before rinsing it away. The results, smoother, brighter, clearer skin that made me giddy with joy!
HOW IT WORKS
Brazilian Tourmaline: a micronized gemstone powder that naturally brightens complexion.
Pineapple Enzyme: A natural alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) to gently exfoliate and rid of dead cells.
Rice Powder: Brightening and skin smoothing, used in Japan for centuries.
MAISON FRANCIS KURKDJIAN PARIS
I've often heard about layering scents but I've never tried it until I got these MFK fragrances. Both of the ones I have are refreshing, refined and smell luxurious. I tried a few of the MFK scents when I was at Saks one day but these two are my faves and like I said, they layer beautifully together but they're excellent on their own.
Aqua Universalis
It's sparkling floral accord is heightened by a touch of sandalwood and a sumptuous jasmine absolute. It releases a generous freshness, with bergamot from Calabria, Sicilian lemon, lily of the valley, syringa in a swirl of light and musky woods
Γ la rose
A rosy duo in one fragrance: two hundred and fifty Centifolia roses from Grasse (May Rose) in the form of an absolute produce a very floral base note with sweet honeyed and carnal accents. One hundred and fifty Damascena roses from Bulgaria in the form of an essential oil create a top note with a playful blend of pear and lychee.
Γ la rose has the crisp tenderness of rose petals, a whimsical free-spirited style and an elegance that radiates femininity.
HERMES TWILLY SCARF
Last summer I was all about tying bandanas around my neck, wrist and hair. I'm doing it again this year but I wanted something for refined and less bulky than a cotton bandana. Enter, the Hermès twilly. Michael, @globalgarcon, and I bought our together and we haven't stopped wearing them since. My favourite way to wear it - around my wrist for a touch of colour.
*Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips and Maison Francis Kurkdjian fragrances were provided as gifts. All other items were purchased by me. All opinions and photos are my own.
THE NO-BOHO FESTIVAL STYLE
It's only Monday but I'm already thinking about the weekend. Geoff and I will be going up to the cottage for a week away starting this Friday night. Can you tell I'm counting down the days? Then on Saturday we'll be heading over to Barrie for WayHome!
I went last year and even though the day was long and exhausting, I have good memories of seeing Modest Mouse play live. The first time I saw them was after the album Good News For People Who Love Bad News had just come out which was back in 2004. (I feel old just writing that!) I also got to meet Kendrick Lamar last year just before he hit the stage. It's pretty awesome because half a year later, I'd be seeing him perform live at the Grammys in LA. He's so amazing live, probably one of the best artists I've ever seen perform.
Ok, enough reminiscing because today I'm talking about this years WayHome. I'm excited to have teamed up with Rudsak to bring you guys some bad ass festival wear. I stopped by the store recently and picked up a few things for the weekend including these cute sports inspired shorts, crossbody wallet on a string and this leather trimmed fedora. The outfit is festival ready but also good for hanging out in the city, or by the water, basically wherever you chill out this summer.
Make sure you guys keep logged into my IG and Snapchat (@woahstyle) this Saturday because I'll be posting live from WayHome with my blogger bestie Michael (@globalgarcon). We'll also be taking over Rudsak's snapchat account so we can't wait!!
Until then, I have lots of new content to share so be sure to check back on the blog daily for new outfit inspo and new beauty posts, including an in-depth interview with founder Alicia Yoon of Peach & Lily. Her interview and skincare tips seriously gave me life and I can't wait to share it with you all. Happy Monday and have a good week everyone!
xo, Nathalie
For my Festival Survival Guide, including what to pack and what I like to munch on (hello Thirsty Buddha!), make sure to check out my post here.
This post is sponsored by Rudsak. All opinions and photos are my own.
SPA DAY FEAT. DRUG STORE GOODIES
Between blogging, Instagramming, Pinterest, Twitter and Snapchat, I feel like my life is ruled by technology. It's probably a no-no, but I do take social media breaks every now and again to just feel like a normal person who isn't ruled by my iPhone.
OMG it's 8am, I need to post something!
Wait, should I put this on Snapchat?
Geoff, take a picture of my outfit!
OMG, it's 10pm, I needed to post something half an hour ago!!
I generally try to pick one day of the week to relax, unwind and mentally detox.
For this post I was inspired by the spa getaway I had with the Garnier a few weeks ago. I gathered up some of my favourite goodies to show you how to have a spa day at home spa using mainly drug store items.
Today I challenge you to light a candle, do some yoga, drink some herbal tea and put on your favourite face mask. I hope this post inspires you to find some time "me" time this week and and relax and declutter your mind.
Post work out, it's time to wash up. I have combo skin that's more on the oily side during the summer so I've been using the charcoal formulated products from the SkinActive Clean+ line. Charcoal is known to help draw out impurities and keeps pores clear, making it ideal for me to use this time of year. While charcoal is hard working, I find the formula on this line to be gentle enough to use everyday.
- The wipes are excellent on-the-go and I keep them in my gym bag.
- MUST TRY ITEM: The micellar water for waterproof makeup is excellent for taking off stubborn eye makeup and preps my skin as a pre-cleanse at the end of the night.
- Finally, I wash my face. I add a pump of the cleansing gel to my Foreo to help get rid of all of the oil and gunk. I do this morning and night.
In the shower I'm all about the Coconut Oil & Cocoa Butter hair care collection which smells amazing and does it's job well.
Post shower, I spray on the Flat Iron Protector even if I'm just blow drying my hair to help prevent further heat damage on my hair. It smells so good and it's easy to apply on wet or dry hair.
SPA TIP: Apply conditioner to the tips of your hair. Then, combo the Tangle Teezer through your wet hair from root to tip to further work in the conditioner. The bristles of the TT feel like a mini scalp massage! Finally, let your conditioner penetrate your strands for 3-5 mins before rinsing.
Post shower it's all about skincare. I've been loving the Anti-Puff Eye Roll because it helps battle any morning puffiness, dark circles and it feels nice and cool when applied. I follow it up with my Anti-Wrinkle Firming Eye Cream because I need the added moisture on my under eyes. For my face, neck and neck I use the Miracle Wake-Up Cream, with antioxidant complex hydro-glycerin to give my skin a moisture boost. If I'm heading outdoors, I like the use the Ombelle SPF 60 ultra light lotion and then some BB Cream over top. (The BB Cream + Blur only comes in light right now, so I've been adding a drop of brown pigment to darken it a bit.)
I like to do this last step at night but you can do it whenever you want. First up, what's relaxation without a cup of herbal tea? Toronto based Sahara Tea makes a lovely white tea with pomegranate, coconut, pineapple, safflower, cardamom, papaya and rose petals. I sip it midday just to relax or if I'm doing a face mask. Right now I'm liking the charcoal based Pore Purifying Clay Cleanser + Mask, which can be used as a cleanser or a face mask as the name suggests. I do all of this with a scented candle lit to help me relax even more. (I fell in love into aromatherapy when I quit my day job and started working from home. I blog full time for those of you wondering.)
At the end of the day, just before going to bed, I'll slather on Garnier's Miracle Sleeping Cream a couple of times a week to repair my skin and give it an extra boost. I to use the Miracle Sleeping Cream Eye Cream nightly because I find my dark circles aren't so pronounced in the morning when I use this stuff.
*This post is in collaboration with Garnier Canada. All pictures and opinion are my own.
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A DAY IN MY STAN SMITHS
I've been secretly going through a white sneaker phase over here and I've been holding off until the right pairs came along.
The first are my Nintendo edition Vans, which I'll show you guys in an upcoming post. The other, as you might have guessed, are my new Stan Smiths which I got from Town Shoes. I've been wanting a pair for a while now but I get side tracked whenever I see gold footwear... anyway...
I wore my white kicks with all black and a sprinkling of Hermes, McQueen and Givenchy. Typical to my personal style, I leave the outfit simple and let the accessories do the talking.
Since blogging (aka; shooting new outfits) takes up so much of my time on the weekends, I thought I would try something new and bring the camera with me on one of my real life activities to show you guys what I do when I'm not on social media or uploading posts on WoahStyle.
Geoff and I got into the car and headed to Ball's Falls, a ghost town part of the Niagara Region. With the promise of waterfalls, I was excited to hike to the top and get an awesome shot overlooking the valley, but it was all dried up due to the drought we're experiencing in Ontario. That's mother nature for you.
Finally, I'm excited to announce that I shot my first video for my YouTube channel! I've been wanting to do this for a while now but I never knew where to begin until now. It's a short clip to accompany this post so I hope you guys enjoy it.
xo, Nathalie
WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND: SON OF A PEACH PIZZERIA, BURLINGTON
Alright Torontonians, I'm daring you to get out of the city for a day and *gasp* head west to Burlington for pizza. That's right. If you haven't already ventured there, I highly recommend you check it out. With cafes, bistros, bakeries galore and a vegan cupcake shop all just a walk away from the lake, Burlington is pretty and picturesque, almost like a cross between Montreal and Toronto, tucked away in this suburban downtown core.
I got into my car with mama WoahStyle on a Friday afternoon and ended up in a pizzeria called Son of a Peach Pizzeria for a quick bite. This highly Instagrammable place is as tasty as it looks.
Mama and I ordered tempura style cauliflower bites with garlic aioli and roasted lemon to go with our Peach Iced tea (OMG yum!). Stone baked Tomato and Mozzarella pizza followed, with in-house smoked virgin mozzarella. Cheese, bacon, peameal bacon, peppercorns and tomatoes are all smoked in house. Pizza dough is fermented for 3 days so the dough is easier to stretch and makes for softer pizza. Mmm. Doesn't that sound worth getting out of the city for?
THE BEST DAMN MATCHA FRAPPE EVER!
I was out running errands the other day when a craving for a Matcha Frappe hit me. Funny thing is I've never had a matcha frappe before but I had a very specific idea in mind of how it should taste - kind of like a light smoothie with a matcha flavour, refreshing and tad bit sweet. Mmm...
I concocted a quick recipe in my head as I drove home and made a mental check list of what I needed:
matcha powder β
ice β
almond milk β
agave β
vanilla extract β
Ok let's do this.
VEGAN MATCHA FRAPPE FOR 1
1 1/4 cup of ice
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp of matcha powder (mine is from SBT Seabuckthorn)
1 tbsp of agave (add more or less depending on how sweet you like it)
1 teeny tiny splash of vanilla extract
In a blender, add all of the ingredients and mix on high until ice is completely crushed.
Pour frappe into a mason jar. Add a straw & garnish with mint to make it pretty.
Success. It tastes exactly the way I wanted!
Cheers!
FRAPPE MAKING TIP: The more you mix the frappe in the blender, the more the ice will clump together but don't worry, you'll be able to sip it through a straw. If your frappe is clumped together, use a spoon pour it into a glass so you don't make a mess like I did.
Special thanks to the lovely people at SBT Seabuckthorn for sending me an advance of their new Wellness Matcha.
"This product is 100% Canadian, caffeine free, packed with vitamins & minerals, and it's 24% protein! It's a powerful anti inflammatory that increased energy (naturally), supports heart & liver health, promotes radiant skin, and even helps with weight control." - SBT Seabuckthorn
Ya. But it also taste damn good!
BODY BRONZERS | SPRAY VS. LOTION AND HOW TO APPLY THEM
Body bronzers are an easy, simple way to "tan up" quickly. There are 2 kinds that I'll be talking about here, the spray and lotion. Regardless of formula, you'll get similar outcomes from both although there is one product here that has become my new Holy Grail this summer. Keep reading to find out.
SPRAY ON BRONZERS
Not nearly as intimating or messy as it sounds, I surprisingly found spray on bronzers were easier to apply that I'd initially thought. The trick to making it natural looking and streak free is all in the application. The sales associate at Sephora recommended I use a mitt to buff it in, but reached for a big fluffy body brush instead. I found the brush had more coverage vs. the mitt and I liked how it applied overall but it took a bit more time.
I used Sephora's Perfection Mist Airbrush Bronzer for face and body. For $21, it's the cheapest product I'm featuring here with no odor and an excellent bronze colour that's neither too orange or too brown with a light shimmer. It's good for those looking to amp up their existing tan since the coverage is more on the sheer side so I wouldn't recommend this if you're pale AF. It's also pretty transfer resistant as long as you don't sit in a hot car with leather seats during 30 degree weather. (It happened to me.)
LOTION BRONZERS
Easier to apply than spray, lotion bronzers are my personal fave. They're easy to mix with SPF, foundation or tinted moisturizer or they're perfect used on their own. They can applied with a mitt, but I prefer using my hands as I would lotion since it's super easy and practically fail proof.
First up with Benefit's Hoola Zero Tanlines. Let me start by saying I LOVE Benefit. I really do. The original Hoola is my favourite all time bronzer and contour powder. With that being said, I do not love this new product. While it's buildable in colour (yay!) and easy to apply (double yay), I find that the colour is a bit more on the orange side which gets more pronounced as it's layered. For reference, I have medium skin with olive undertones but my legs are a bit paler than the rest of me. (What you see on IG is all fake tanning and meticulous use of bronzer.) Like the Sephora mist, this one is probably best to accentuate already tanned skin, but then again I haven't seen how to colour looks on fair skin tones. Anyone?
Next up: Benefit's Dew The Hoola face bronzer, another new one from Benefit. Sure it's not a body bronzer but it feels right to talk about it here. Unlike Zero Tanlines, I really love this product! It looks natural and dewy on it's own or mixed with your existing makeup. I like to apply it with my fingers in place of foundation for a sheer bronzed glow. Then I just apply my concealer overtop in the areas I need and finally set it with powder. Instant Tan!
The last product is my new holy grail - Vita Liberata's Body Blur. This one is pricey at $50 + tax (!!!) and I probably wouldn't have bought it had it not been sent to me BUT, after trying it, I would definitely repurchase. Straight up, this product is more like makeup for your body but I freakin' love it!!!! I have small scars on my legs I could do without and Body Blur makes them all magically disappear. It's probably due to the micro light reflecting shimmer which helps skin appear flawless. I find the colour to be spot on and screams "I just got back from Ibiza".
Diana, (my BFF/ contributing beauty writer for WoahStyle) was reluctant to try this product but she did and also fell in love.
Michael (my blogger bestie) always comments when I wear it "you look so tanned!" and then I disclose it's fake and he screams "Oh really?!" in disbelief.
Even my bare legged pictures on Instagram look better and more tanned when I wear this bronzer. I just loooooooove it!
So downsides? The formula is similar to makeup, which I personally like, but other people might not. It also transfers. Not a lot, but enough so beware when wearing white or light colours. To my dismay, a bit transfered on my Stella McCartney denim tote and on my leather car seat when I was driving on a particularly hot day. With that being said, I still love this product and I reach for it every time I go barelegged. #addicted
10 OUTFITS TO WEAR THIS SUMMER
No matter how many clothes we have stuffed in our closets it seems almost inevitable to utter the words "I have nothing to wear". With that, I put together a list of my 10 favourite outfits this summer based on what you guys like on my Instagram (meaning the highest liked outfits). Keep scrolling for outfit inspiration that should last you well into next week.
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