Classically Contemporary

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Autumn Colours

Burnt orange and a rich navy blue are timeless colours which will always be appropriate in autumn. Before a family dinner back in October I paired these silky, slouchy neutral pieces with a touch of gold accessories to get into the fall mood.

Tank- LaFayette, Pants- Zara, Necklace-Della Mora Designs, Watch- DKNY, Flats- Aldo, Jacket- Old Navy, Clutch- Vintage

Style

HowTo Paint Nails With Inverted French Tips

French tips are a classic mark of femininity, giving nails a lengthened and crisp appearance. The typical pink and white can start to get boring, especially for a nail enthusiast like myself. I wanted to try something new and different while still maintaining the look of a contrasted tip. I came up with a light, minty green base with plum tips. Take note, this manicure requires a significant amount of time if you want a professional looking result.

What you will need:

-Base Coat

-Base Colour

-Tip Colour

-Tape - nail tape works best

-Top Coat

-Wooden manicure stick

-Nail Brush (optional, but helpful)

-Nail polish thinner (if you use a nail polish brush)

Read more below on how I got this DIY manicure.

My completed nails featured on Instagram here

HowTo, Nails

HowTo Fix Broken Compact Makeup

Your makeup bag falls off the counter, your elbow swipes a blush to the floor, or your clumsy hands just can't hang on to a face powder. Its ok, we've all been there. The heartbreaking feeling when you see a smashed compact is a nightmare and usually leaves makeup unsalvageable. In attempts to fix broken powders in the past, nothing seemed to have long lasting results. I decided to try again when my beloved mini chocolate soleil bronzer took a strong blow as I was packing up some makeup for a weekend away. What I missed out on doing in the past is actually "pressing" the powder back into the pan. It isn't called pressed powder for no reason! Although these 10 steps do take a considerable amount of time, if the product is pricy, new or has sentimental value, I would recommend giving this DIY fix a try.

What you will need:

-A small bowl

-Rubbing alcohol- at least 70% concentration

-A clean toothbrush

-A spooly brush (optional)

-A small spatula or spoon

-Tissue

Take a look at how I successfully managed to put my bronzing powder back into its compact, via the images linked below.

Step1: empty the dry powder into a small bowl and clean out the compact using warm water and a little bit of mild soap, if necessary. I used an old toothbrush (read: sanitized in the dishwasher) to scrub off the powder left in the hinge.

Step2: Crush up the larger chunks of product into a fine powder (I forgot this step, no big deal though) and add rubbing alcohol to create a paste. I like using a spray bottle since pouring the alcohol can sometimes add too much. Add only a small quantity so you do not overfill the compact in Step3.

HowTo, Makeup

Ford FashionIESTA Event Presented By ELLE Canada

Earlier in the Fall I managed to attend the fabulous Fashioniesta event hosted by Ford and Elle Canada magazine. A night filled with fabulous food, fashion and prizes held at the über trendy Distillery District is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Pants- Gap, Belt- Gap, Shirt- Sfera, Blazer- H&M, Bag- market in Ventimiglia, Loafers- Nine West

Outings, Style

Toronto Airshow

Back at the end of the summer I attended the Canadian International Airshow at the CNE in Toronto. It was an absolutely beautiful day and I managed to snap some cool shots of the planes.

The famous Royal Canadian Air Force's Snowbirds

Outings

Nouveau Obsession: les videos d'Hermes

Lets face it. I have a lot of YouTube subscriptions. Nearing 100, if not more. Among all the "beauty gurus" and "vloggers" lies the beloved videos from "TheEllenShow" and other various company channels. I recently began watching the Hermès channel, and have not regretted one minute of it since my mouse's selection of "Subscribe". My most recent love affair has been with the series "Inside Hermès petit h" with episodes n°1 - n°5 in French with English subtitles. These videos take you into the world of Hermès as they build their new petit h shop on Rue de Sèvres in Paris. The items for sale are mainly children's toys and home wares, all revolving around their admirable recycling initiative, featured here. The new "re-creativity laboratory" is under the guidance of Mme Pascale Mussard, the great-great-great-granddaughter of famous Thierry Hermès. I am a huge advocate of proper recycling and incorporating scraps from old projects into new and innovative works. I cannot wait until my next trip to France which will surely include a stop into this wonderful little offspring of one of the world's most famous luxury brands.

Watch the trailer here: