Splurge alert- A little Balenciaga never hurt anyone....

Hello Friends,

I hope that your weekend is going well! Mine is going great so far, filled with lots of family time, tons of great food and of course.... shopping! You see, a few weeks ago I was greeted with some very good news regarding my income tax return. After looking at the finances I realized that I had a bit of funds left over for a little pre-mother's day treat and decided to splurge on a really great designer bag. I was originally looking at getting the Chanel 2.55 caviar single flap bag which already was wayyyy above my budget and I found out recently that they are going to hike up the prices again tomorrow, May 1st. Apparently they are trying to reach the status of Hermes. Yah, okay, good luck with that.

So instead, I decided to go another fashionable route. I wanted to look for a bag that was of excellent quality and had a pop of color. And this is what I found:

Oooh... I wonder what's in the pretty pink bag?

Oh look what's peeking out....

I am a huge fan of Balenciaga bags. I already have the black city and have abused it for many many years (I've left it on bathroom floors, let my kids play around with it) and it still looks great. What I love about Balenciaga bags is that they are just like women: They get better with age. Although green was never my first choice for an investment piece this color is so neutral that I can picture wearing it with so many different outfits this season. And look at the silver hardware, isn't it just stunning. Also, the fact that this bag can be worn three ways: as a tote, as a shoulder bag and, as a messenger bag was a huge seller for me as I needed a 'hands' free bag while going out with the kids. Welcome to the family, my beautiful Militaire, I look forward to taking lots of OOTD pics with you in the future! 

So what did you think about my pick? And what do you think of Balenciaga bags?

My Royal - (tea) celebration

Hello Friends:


Confession time. I didn't watch any of the royal nuptials. I know, crazy as it is I may be the only one in the entire universe who doesn't give a crap that history was made today. I just remember as a child watching Diana and Charles walk down the aisle, millions of us sharing in their joy thinking that it was the most amazing thing in the world, that a commoner married a prince. However, look at how their marriage turned out. Just sayin'.

On the bright side though, I do agree with one thing that the royal fans are doing to celebrate this oh so joyous event. It's having a tea party! Apparently there are thousands of tea parties happening all around the world, some starting as early as 4am (what the hell?). And lucky me, I recently had the opportunity to join two of my dearest friends for our own adult 'tea party' at the Windor Arms Hotel here in Toronto:

The hats are for display only, I got in trouble for trying to put one on (hence, no picture of me in old lady hats)

This is where we ate, and ate, and ate (until they kicked us out)



Scones, mini sandwiches, whipped cream and jam. SO.GOOD.



Oooohh, Dessert time, my favorite time of the day!

An absolute fun time was had by all. Not the cheapeast food (starts at $35 per sitting) but the experience is definitely worthwhile. Plus it all doesn't look like a lot of food but all those carbs filled us up so quickly that we had to take a care package home.  If you are ever in the Toronto area, you should definitely check out the Windsor arms hotel for their high tea package. And the great thing is that you didn't have to be part of royalty to enjoy such a fabulous ritual :)

What about you? Did you get a chance to watch the royal wedding? Was it worth the hype?

OOTD- Ruffles and Leopards

Hello Friends,

So I guess that you already notice from my OOTD outfits so far that I have two loves: the color black and leopard print. But now you can add another item to that list- Ruffles:

Dress: Alice Temperly for Target
Shoes: Cole Haan
Sunglasses: Chanel



Oooh... how I love this dress. I got it in Target when I was visiting my in-laws in Florida and had to snap it up at $34.99. Holy cow- this was cheaper than a dinner for my family of 4 at McDonalds!  The high buttoned collar was a far cry from my love for V-neck cuts but it made me feel like a sexy school teacher. I also really dig the pouffed out shoulders (slightly Balmain looking, non?):

I'm also constantly finding an excuse to wear my Cole Haan leopard print heels and thought that it would be a match made in heaven with the dress:

And you'll notice that I had no bag with this outfit. This is because I was going out to a party with my kids and had to run around with the all important diaper bag:



Look, my diaper bag matches my shoes!!!

 Ugh, I can't wait til the little one is toilet trained and I can finally trade in this diaper bag that is falling apart for something a little classier, say, a Louis Vuitton Never Full?

Hope that you enjoyed todays post!

So tell me, are you a fan of leopard print as much as I am?

OOTD- What to wear for Egg Hunting

Hello Friends,

Happy Easter everyone!

So today was easter dinner at the In-laws and of course egg decorating and hunting for the little ones:

My outfit goal was to choose something that was cozy enough to run around in (as 2 year and 5 year olds are fast little munchkins) yet with a little splash of style. So this is what I came up with:



Cardigan: Aritzia
 Belt: Boa
Necklace: Tiffany
Leggings: American Apparel
Boots: Browns
 Sunglasses: Chanel

I



 I absolutely love this cardigan. It's a mixture of silk and cashmere and is so comfy that I sometimes feel like I'm in my jammies. I cinched it with a wide belt to create the illusion of a waist and paired it with my worn leggings that have served me so well this winter that it might make it's way to a goodwill bin very soon. I chose to go light on the accessories with my Tiffany's heart necklace (a xmas gift from my very thoughtful husband who realizes that EVERY woman loves the sight of that special blue box) and my beloved Chanel sunglasses. I'm hoping that this is the only OOTD post where you see me with my boots for the next 4 months but given the schizophrenic weather lately you may see them again once or twice more.

As I did overindulge in tonight's dinner of mouthwatering ham, plates of crescent rolls and second helpings of apple pie, the belt did have to come off. Thank god that I wore those leggings, they really are my buffet pants.

So how did you spend your Easter? Did you gorge on as many chocolate bunny rabbits like I did?

First ever Outfit of the Day (OOTD)- Please be kind :)

Hello Friends,

Guess what? The sun is FINALLY shining here in Toronto. It's been so long that I forgot what it looked like. And since I recently got hooked up with a wireless remote and a tripod I thought that I would try to do an outfit of the day post. And since it's Earth Day what better way to celebrate then do a mini-photo shoot outside? 

Just to give you an idea of how I dress, I always think to myself, will it be ruined if the kids threw up on it (or peed on it, or spilled stuff on it)? I think that that's why a lot of my wardrobe is black, because it just hide stains better :) I also like clothing that is pretty unrestricting and very easy to wear. That said, I also like my designer items and like to incorporate them into my everyday outfits. So here is an example of what I would wear just hanging out with the kids:

Jacket: Vera Moda, Tank: T by Alexander Wang, Jeans: Citizens of Humanity, Boots: Forever 21

Regarding the jacket,  I had seen both of our receptionists at work wearing it (same day too!)and they looked fabulous so of course I demanded to know where I could get that striking jacket. Turned out that they bought them downstairs in our work building for $29 (at the Mendecino outlet) so I literally ran to the elevator, knocked a few people over in the process (sorry to the grandma that gave me the evil scowl) and picked up the LAST one in my size. I love this jacket. It's a great alternative to a blazer and is light enough to wear inside the office when that blasted airconditioner is on and it's still -5 outside. Besides the price, the back of the jacket is what I thought was the big selling point:

Oh so cute, right?





My forever 21 boots were also an awesome buy at $39. They are kick ass boots for a kick ass price. They are so comfortable and I just love the gold stud detailing. Don't they look designer to you? I can't wait to wear them in the summer with a pair of jean shorts:

Well that wraps up my first OOTD day post. Hopefully we'll have much more to come :) Have a happy Earth Day!!!

Coming clean about Shu Uemura cleansing oil

Oil is not the first thing that pops to mind when it comes to skincare. In fact, the last time any oil made contact with my skin was a few months ago when I was frying up bacon and yelped in pain when the oil leaped out of my pan onto my thigh. Lesson learned- never fry up bacon with no pants on (don't ask, long story). However in this case oil can be good for your skin if it comes in the form of a Shu Uemura cleansing oil. I know, we've all seen the pretty bottles (and the hefty price tag) and wonder if this product is as good as the pros say it is? Well, thankfully the nice folks at the Shu Uemura counter at Holt Renfrew were nice enough to provide me with a few samples so what are we waiting for? Let's get to washing faces.

So first things first, as there are 6 different formulations to choose from, which one is right for you? Well, the bottles are color coded to represent different skin types and to discover which one you are (and the benefits and ingredients list for the oils) please click here. I opted to get samples of the Premium AI, which the sales assistant assured me would be perfect for my sensitive skin.

My little sample, so cute.



Normally I like to use makeup wipes (my favorite are Oil of Olay makeup towelettes) however they are not that ideal because they can be expensive and are not enviromentally friendly. I was excited to try this product as I had heard that it didn't leave your skin feeling dry and devoid of natural oils. So the day that I tried this cleanser this is what I was caking putting on my face:

1. Primer
2. Tinted Moisturizer
3. Eye shadow Primer
4. 3 different types of eyeshadow
5. Water proof eyeliner
6. Smudge proof/Water Resistant mascara
7. Cheek Stain
8. Blush
9. Highlighter
10. Lipstick and Lipgloss
11. Eyebrow makeup

Holy crap, that's a lot of makeup. Who the hell am I, Tammy Faye Baker? And I also just got back from the gym so that added a whole new layer of sweat and grime to the mix (eww!).

So I opened the packet:

The recommended amount is 3-4 pumps

   

There are 5 types of oil in this cleanser including Jojoba seed oil and Avocado oil



Then, as per instructions I smoothed the cleanser all over my DRY face (and I must say that the cleanser smells so nice, like lavender, as I massage the product all over my skin I close my eyes and pretend that I am at a nice european spa). The more I massage, the more I feel like my makeup is dissolving. The oil does feel foreign on my face but I slowly get used to it:



Just be careful and don't open your eyes too much during eye makeup removal!

 After about 20-30 seconds of massaging the oil on my face as per instruction I added just a touch of  lukewarm water to the cleanser for it to emulsify (fancy word for foam) then after a few seconds it turns into a milky cleanser. And this is where the magic happens:



God what an unflattering shot. Got some cleanser in my eyes by accident and am squinting

I massaged my face for another 20-25 seconds and then rinsed with lukewarm water (and don't put it all over the floor like I did- sorry hubby!). And then I was done!


All Clean!!!

So what did I think?


Pros:

• Removed every trace of makeup (including my stubborn smudgeproof mascara). I couldn't believe how well it removed my eye makeup. I didn't have to tug or pull, it just dissolved without hardly any effort at all. I used up all 3 days of samples and noticed the same results every time.
• Smelled awesome, made washing my face turn into a spa-like experience
• Left my skin feeling moisturized and well taken care of. I didn't break out afterwards and even the next day my skin felt really soft and smooth.

Cons:

• Other reviewers of this product claimed that it did leave a bit of a film on the skin. I did notice this slightly but it was more of a moisturizing layer then a feeling of greasiness. It might be an issue for those with oily skin.
• The price: It retails for about $40 CAD (insert gasp here).

The Verdict:


I really like this product, and I will be saving my pennies to buy it in the future. The technology behind this cleanser is truly remarkable and I haven't encountered a cleanser that made my skin feel as good as this one did .So the next time you pass a Shu Uemura counter just go and ask for a sample. Hopefully it'll do as good as a job for you as it did for me!


What about you? Have you tried the Shu Uemura cleansing oil? What was your experience like?

Sephora is my crack!

Hello Friends,

Hope that you all had a great weekend! Mine was spent doing copious amounts of laundry, playing indoor frisbee with the little ones and watching the snow flakes fall outside my window. WTF- last time I checked it was April, not middle of November. Nevertheless, I still made time to go to the mall and what started as a simple trip to return an item at Zara's ended up with me spending most of the afternoon at Sephora's. And why you ask? Because it's Sephora's 15% off for V.I.B members! I can't resist a deal, so with the help of a very patient makeup artist (Iris, this is a shout out to you!) I left with a big smile on my face and a bag full of fun stuff:

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer and Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer

I love, love, love this stuff. These two are for me a match made in heaven. The tinted moisturizer provides such nice, sheer coverage (you can layer on for additional coverage) and has SPF 20 in it so you don't feel guilty about 'forgetting' to put your sunscreen on. The primer works very well underneath the tinted moisturizer, it actually helps with shine and makes your tinted moisturizer (or any foundation) glide on nice and smooth. Not the cheapest products but a little goes a long way. A tube of each would last me almost 6 months!

Stila Eyeshadow Trio in Venus

I was in the market for an eyeshadow palette, however was smitten with this trio as it was pretty affordable and contains a base, crease and liner all in one adorable package. This would be great for travel! I am quite unadventurous when it comes to eyecolor and wanted a bit of a change from my usual neutral look. Actually, all of the eyeshadows I own are from Stila, they are heavily pigmented and they stay put all day. 

Nars Glossy Lip Pencil in New Lover

There's no question that I am a HUGE fan of Nars products. This is my first glossy pencil purchase (I do have their matte pencil in Cruella which is a great vampy red for those days where I'm feeling quite naughty). New Lover is a lot more subdued, a bit darker then my natural lip color and has these gold flecks that sparkle on your lips. This is perfect for those days where I'm on the go and need to do my lips on the subway. It's not drying as all and surprisingly moisturizing.

And here's a picture that I took right after my mini-makeover at Sephora with the Stila Venus eye shadow and the Nar's New Lover gloss stick:



So what about you? What do you think of my picks? Are you a huge Laura Mercier, Nars or Stila fan?




Happiness is...........................



an unexpected bouquet of flowers

a giant pair of curious brown eyes



my $0.99 iphone photo app (with balenciaga as my model)


AND



some new goodies to try (Shu Uemura cleansing oil and Prevage Eye cream)

Happy Friday everyone!!!!!





Sharon goes shopping at Prada

Hello Friends,

The other day I was out shopping with some girlfriends on Bloor Street, and came across this little store named Prada. Perhaps you have heard of it? Haha. So instead of standing outside salivating over the delicious leather goods that taunted me by the window (sounds slightly stalkerish, no?) we decided to hop in 'just for fun'. And then, something absolutely gorgeous caught my eye and I fell in love:





Then... unable to resist I try them on (as well as the Prada bag- I love that trying things on is free!):



Omigosh, I was literally having a shoe-gasm. The color was absolutely perfect as I am in the market for a neutral colored platform. The heel was nice and chunky and gave great height, made me at least 5'9. I had fallen hard... wanted to pack these babies up and take them home with me. But then, I saw the price tag:

$750

  f*****************************************************ck!!!

So needless to say, I had to say goodbye and the nice saleslady let me take a picture of them because I told her that I wanted to show my husband the shoes so that he could buy them for me. AS IF!!I didn't even look at the price tag of the bag in the picture for fear that I would have a stroke in the store.  Anyways, I figured that if I put away $25 a month I could buy the shoes in 3 years. So until then, I continue my quest for the perfect summer platorm.

What did you did think of my pick? Would you ever pay $750 for a pair of Prada shoes?

New York City, Day 2

Hello Friends:

If you missed Day 1 of my trip to NYC please click here.

So day two of my exciting trip to NYC started off  a little lonely as hubby had to attend an all day work conference but I quicky perked up with a visit to Bloomingdales. To those who are not familiar with this iconic New York city department store let me tell you that it is like 9 floors of pure fashion heaven. Almost every high-end designer label that you have ever heard is housed right here and it's almost impossible to leave without a gift for yourself:

So after doing some minor damage on my credit card (on a gorgeous Diane Von Furstenburg dress) I realized that it might be nice to grab a souvenir for the kids. And what better place to do that then at F.A.O Schwartz, which is one of the largest toy stores in the world. This place is every child's biggest dream (and every parents biggest nightmare as the kids NEVER want to leave). One of the most notable features in the store is the giant piano (used in the movie BIG with Tom Hanks) that they let you jump around on. So of course, I couldn't resist striking a pose! Check out the pics for other highlights of the store:

After carefully selecting my goodies for the kids (a lego empire state building set for J. and an overpriced 'authentic' NYC taxi car for K.) I decided to head down Fifth avenue. The thing that I love about New York city is that you can walk almost anywhere, it's such a pedestrian city. I never looked at a map and found New Yorkers to be so friendly when I would ask them for directions (half of the time I didn't know where North and South was, there were skyscrapers everywhere). The only problem I encountered was how faced paced everyone walked and I almost got run over several times by people, not cars. However, when not being trampled over I was able to get a few city shots:

I have to say that Fifth Avenue was a blast, it was so fun to drool over stuff that I will never be able to afford. With that in mind I decided to head over to Soho, a shopping area that was a little more my price range. Not only was it a quick subway ride away but as a fan of the Kardashian's (I don't know whether to be proud of admitting that or if I should be deeply ashamed and should have kept my mouth shut), I had to visit their newly opened store Dash. My heart pounded with anticipation as I approached the store, secretely hoping that I would run into one of the 'famous for doing nothing' sisters. So what did I think when I walked in?

Honestly I was met with great disappointment. The store was TINY, and literally had maybe 100 articles in the whole store. People think that DASH has it's own clothing line but it does not. The clothes were overpriced with such little selection, and I love the fact that they charge $10 for a bottle of probably tap water with their faces all over it (as per pic above). I literally dashed (no pun intended) in and out without spending a penny. After perusing popular stores in Soho such as Scoop NYC (they had great Alexander Wang T-shirts and tanks) and All Saints (known for their distressed cardigan look) I finally settled for this really cute top that I found at Top Shop:

So after 7 hours of walking virtually non-stop my body was aching and demanding to be pampered. Seeing as the popular Bliss Spa was conveniently located in the W hotel I decided to treat myself to their 'blissage', which is described as a 75 minute massage with a foot parafin treatment. I purposely booked the appt. for 8:00pm so that I could enjoy my treatment and then go pass out in my room. When I arrived at the spa I couldn't believe how cheery it was.  The walls were all colored a light blue to ressemble the sky and big fluffy white clouds greeted you everywhere you went. Even the treatment room was purposely made to look like the sun was rising.

Holy crap let me tell you that my massage was absolute bliss. The treatment bed was heated, my masseuse took care of every single knot in my body that resulted in walking over 100 blocks in 24 hours and I left feeling extremely relaxed and rejuvenated. Even though the treatment wasn't cheap it was such a luxury that I think every woman should allow herself at least once every few months. Those are Make Mommy Chic rules.

And just like that , the next day it was time to go home. The trip seemed like it passed by so quickly and in a new york minute we were headed in taxi back to the airport where we were met with more cancellation/delays and arrived home 5 hours later than originally planned. As much as I enjoyed my vacation away from the little monkeys I couldn't wait to get back home to feel their grubby little hands all over my face. Can't wait to plan the next trip :)

I hope that you enjoyed my little travel story. What about you? Do you have any fun trips coming up soon?

New York, New York - DAY 1

Hello Friends,

I cannot wait to tell you about my trip to New York city. First of all, it was a trip 'sans kids', meaning that for the next 48 hours I didn't have to worry about wiping little munchkin asses cute bottoms or picking their half-chewed/spit out food off of the floor. This was an 'adults' trip, filled with adult things like shopping, dining at adult restaurants where you do not trip over high chairs and staying in adult hotels that do not offer crayons at check-in. Truth be told as much as I love my kids sometimes mommy and daddy need a break, and what better place to take it then one of the most fashionable, exciting places in the world? Unfortunately there is no way that I could describe our fun-filed adventure in one post, so I've decided to break it up into 2. And here's how our fabulous vacation went:

Day 1:

Upon arriving at the airport we found out that our flight was cancelled and that the re-booked flight was an hour delayed. Did Air Canada realize that these delays were cutting into my shopping time? Anyways, 6 hours and one ativan later we found ourselves in a NYC cab heading over to our very chic hotel. And any type of stress that I had regarding our flight was let go once I stepped into a truly magical place that is, the W hotel:

I mean, look at how cute the ceiling is. It's got birds suspended from the ceiling and the lobby is just so sophisticated and stylish. And our room was just amazing:

The motto at this hotel is 'whatever, whenever' and although the room was small it made up for in amenities (such as the bliss spa products and rain showerhead in the bathroom). We also had a view of the famous Waldorf Astoria from our room and you could literally see into the rooms across from you. The voyeuristic side of me was very happy.

So literally seconds after we settled into the hotel hubby and I decide to be adventurous and to go and visit a store called 'Obscura and Oddities' which is a reality based show on The Discovery Channel.

Truthfully this store is really f**ked up. True to it's name it sells nothing but the weirdest stuff that you have ever seen, like mummified cats, real human kidney stones and plaques with a two headed stuffed cow head on it. They also like sell anything related to death, like pictures of dead people and tons of taxidermy. Don't believe me, take a look:





My favorite item in the store was the rectal dilator (last pic). Did you know that this handy item claims to help with insomnia, eczema and malnutrition? Yeah, I'm not ready to test that theory out quite yet. This store is really off the beaten path, but really is a must see if you are ever looking for that one of a kind gift that you know you won't find anywhere else. So after picking up some souvenirs, (don't worry, nothing dead although that fox in the first pic did look very similar to the fur on my jacket) it was time to walk 50 blocks back to the hotel for dinner.

Since hubby and I hadn't had a date night in what seemed like forever I decided to sex it up with my $35 Rodarte for target dress (pictured below) and we headed to a nice romantic italian restaurant called Pescatore's.

Yum..... doesn't all that food look so good! I know that the dish (pictured second from left) looks like a big pile of black worms but it's actually black squid ink linguini sauteed in a spicy tomato sauce with shrimp and calamari. If you have never had black ink linguini I highly suggest you try some. With our first day in the big apple drawing to a close hubby and I decided to cheers over happiness and being grateful for our life and everything that we had.

So stay tuned for my next post, where we'll visit some of the most iconic stores in the world and what I thought of the Kardashians' store 'Dash'. Can't wait to share!













Bright Lights Big City

So very exciting news.... I am off to one of the most fashionable, cultural and desirable places in the world tomorrow - New York city!!!! Hubby has a conference there and the inlaws are taking the kids so I am looking forward to eating and shopping literally, until I drop. We are staying at the uber chic W hotel (paid for by hubby's work- yay!) and a trip to the infamous Bliss spa, that is located directly in the hotel, is already in the works.The problem is that I am only there for less than 72 hours and need to make the most of my in this fast-paced, glamorous city.I plan to hit the usual suspects (Bloomingdales, Saks, 5th Avenue, etc.) and maybe I might just grace the Kardashian's Dash store with my presence. We'll see.

So this is where I need your help. If you had 72 hours in New york city, what would you do? Where would you go?

As I'll be flying solo for most of the trip, I'm pretty much open to anything. The planner in me is quite lazy so any recommendations (restaurants, stores, etc) would really be appreciated! And don't worry, I plan to take lots of iphone pics and will blogs lots about the trip when I'm back later this week.

In the meantime, have a fantastic week!