011415 Behind the Scenes
If you follow my Instagram you'll know that I recently undertook the exciting project of converting one of our spare rooms into my dream space - the walk in closet, or dressing room as I like to call it. It's a project that needs more time and care that I could give it right now but I'm happy where it's going. I have about three bookshelves in the space to house my shoes, handbags and some magazines. You can't see it in the photos but a desk to one side offers a spot for blogging while a small love seat makes the room cozy to hang out in. Oh, and in case you're curious, my hubby really likes the space and in fact, this project was his idea! More pics to come once I complete the space. In the meanwhile, I hope you guys will enjoy my in progress post.
I've repurposed a white bookshelf to house my shoe collection. It keeps me organized since I used to have a terrible habit of leaving my shoes all over the house.
White curtains will replace the floral ones that once belonged in my teenage bedroom.
I'm thinking of replacing the dark (handbag) shelf with a white one to keep the furnishings consistent so that my accessories can stand out more. Don't mind the clutter!
Happy in my new space surrounded by the things I've worked so hard for.
011315 Isabel Marant Angie Boot
I haven’t done a proper shoe post in a while so here we go. My new loves from last month, the Isabel Marant Angie boot. These are my first pair of IM shoes and I was lucky to have scored them on super sale on Ssense just before they sold out. (You might remember me posting about them on my Sale Shopping article here.)
I was drawn to these ankle boots immediately and what sold me was the 3.5” heel height and rounded toe which make it comfortable for walking. The navy blue leather wraps have a beautiful contrast against the grey suede. The leather is also super soft and I don’t think these shoes will need to be broken in. From what everyone on IG has been saying – IM makes super comfortable shoes. I will be wearing these with insoles as I do with most of my shoes for comfort and for a better fit. (These are a half size too big. Ssense doesn’t carry half sizes so I always size up.)
I wear a lot of black and white but I figure these shoes are neutral enough to wear with most of my wardrobe. I’ve only worn them once so far, for my flares post here. I think I’ll wait for nicer weather for their second wear. These shoes deserve to shine.
Isabel Marant Angie boots | Target wool hat | Blue Piston speakers in gold | 3.1 Phillip Lim Depeche small clutch in Cash Only
011015 NAVY + DENIM
I like to keep my outfits pretty simple especially, on the weekends. This navy faux fur coat from Zara is my statement piece and gives me the visual interest I always crave when I get dressed. It also keeps me pretty warm considering the weather in Toronto has been feeling like -20 degrees celsius these days. Since I was running errands, I kept my layers light and braved the cold to do a quick outdoor shoot. Happy weekend and keep warm!
Zara faux fur jacket and jeans | Aritzia neoprene sweatshirt | Chanel glasses | Hoi Bo washable paper pouch in the medium | Alexander Wang boots | Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella
DIY STYLE - I cut two straight slices on each knee of the jeans and purposely positioned them in different heights to make them more fun. Before I made the cuts, I put the jeans on the marked where I wanted the slices to go.
010915 Stripes & Leather
Some things are just made to go together like black & white. I've always loved stripes and this Rag & Bone t-shirt with bold graphic stripes is always fun to wear. I paired it with my favourite jacket of all time and my black Acne Studios mini skirt. Black and white is never boring.
Mackage leather jacket | Rag & Bone Jean striped t-shirt | Salvatore Ferragamo black frames | Acne Studios black mini skirt | Alexander Wang boots | Helmut Lang bag | Jenny Bird palm cuff | Topshop wool hat
010815 Review: The Cheap Pencils
My BFF is obsessed with beauty and skin care products. I wish she had a blog because we’d all learn from it but instead she just chooses who to pass her wisdom to. Being her closest friend I consider myself lucky because she shares so many great tips with me. A few months back she mentioned that a lot of beauty bloggers where preferring the Annabelle eyebrow pencil to that of Anastasia. Recalling this info recently, I drove over to the drugstore (Shoppers to be exact fellow Canadians) and picked up the eyebrow pencil and an Annabelle lip pencil and fell in love!
DEMURE - a true nude colour that is the perfect balance of pink and beige and isn’t too dark, too light or too muddy on my olive skin. I use nude liners when I want to give my coral lipsticks a subdued look.
CORAL - this coral lip pencil is just bright enough without being neon if I want to make a statement with the coral lipsticks that I already own and really makes the colours pop.
BORDEAUX - a perfect rich wine colour. Not too red and not too purple, I like wearing this one with my Chanel Rivoli lipstick.
MEDIUM BROWN EYEBROW - My hair is a natural (yes, un-dyed) medium/ dark brown but my eyebrows black and sparse. It is so hard to find an eyebrow product that works for me without looking too heavy. This one almost matches the colour of my hair, and makes my whole face look brighter!
BLACK KOHL EYELINER - A black kohl liner is good to keep around for quickly lining the eyes. This one draws a smooth line and stays on pretty well considering most eye makeup disappears on my eyelids after a while. (Primers are a must for me.)
RIMMEL LONDON SOFT KOHL IN PURE WHITE - Okay so it’s not Annabell but with all of the Youtube videos I’m watching, I was convinced I needed a white liner for my waterline and this one was recommended to me. Compared to some other white liners I’ve used, this one is soft and holds up nicely through out the day.
All of the formulas I mention here are creamy and go on nicely without tugging at my skin. They also come in beautiful rich colours. At Shoppers the cost was about $7 a pencil but I found them at Target for under $4!!!
To give you an idea the lip and eye pencils that I had in my makeup bag before trying these are: Chanel, Armani, Benefit, MAC, Stila and Givenchy. I recommend trying the cheap pencils. With good formulas, colours and staying power, they're a great way experimenting with looks! I'll be picking up a blue eye liner next!
010515 Fjord
I have a serious love for watches and while some people rely on their iPhones to tell the time, I'm a more traditional kinda girl and just have a look at my watch. In my opinion it just completes an outfit and dresses up my wrist nicely. Without a watch I feel naked.
The team at Fjord sent me this beautiful black ceramic and steel watch. They were also kind enough to size the watch for me so I didn't have to worry about then it it arrived.
010415 Rainy Day Flares
Inspired by the Tommy Ton photography on Style.com and the fabulous Jenna Lyons, I thought I'd try my hand at some key trends for 2015 - bold lips, slicked back hair and flares. In case you haven't heard, makeup trends will be all about the lips in 2015 and for fashion, flares will make a come back. Just remember this look when you start to see it everywhere. ;)
I'M WEARING: Aritzia Cocoon Coat and boyfriend blazer | T By Alexander Wang long sleeved tshirt | Jbrand denim flares (very similar below) | Isabel Marant Angie boots | Chanel Glasses | NARS Audacious lipstick in Rita
010215 Trending Bordeaux
My last shopping trip of 2014 had me craving bordeaux with this Rudsak business card holder, NARS Audacious lipstick in Rita and a brass handpiece by Jenny Bird.
Since so many ladies on IG rave about the staying power on Nars lipstick, I knew I had to get some. Feeling brave, I asked the lady at the beauty counter to pick a colour for me and she chose Rita from the Audacious collection, a true red with slightly orange undertones that compliments my olive skin very well. (I'm using it with MAC's Kiss Me Quick lipliner.)
I've been looking for a business card holder for some time but I'm extremely picky in what I want. My wish list includes Balenciaga, Givenchy or YSL in specific colours that never seem to be in stock. I went for this rich wine coloured card holder by Rudsak until my dream colder holder arrives in my life.
I totally thought this was a bracelet at first and it wasn't until I tried it on that I realized it was a palm cuff! Loving all things peculiar and brass, I couldn't resist. (My number one shopping rule: only buy what you love!)
Some how everything in my clutch ended up coordinating that day and left me trending red.
Rudsak leather card holder | NARS Audacious lipstick in Rita | Jenny Bird Luna palm cuff | Chanel glasses | Armani glasses | Alexander Wang black Fumo iPad holder used as a clutch
010115 Zara Faux Fur
I couldn't resist my first fashion post of 2015 being about my new Zara faux fur. After searching for high and low for the right fur, I finally found one that does't make me look like a furry animal. The indigo colour on this one is just divine and I simply love the pop up collar. I want to wrap myself in it and wear it with everything.
In case you didn't notice, I have added new pages to WoahStyle.com - Fashion, Accessories and Beauty. I want the blog to be even more exciting and inspirational in the new year for the things that I'm so passionate about. Thank you all for helping me get this far!
xo, Nathalie
I'M WEARING: Zara faux fur in the colour Petrol | Chanel glasses | Oak + Fort tank & faux leather pants. FEATURED: Alexander Wang Adina Sandal
