The Best 5-Minute Sangria | Ramos Pinto LBV Port 2009

750 mL bottle, Alcohol/Vol19.5%, Made in: Douro, Portugal, $23 CAD

Saturday is near, (hallelujah) and I'm already dreaming about the exceptionally easy 5-minute Sparkling Sangria Punch that I put together on a whim last weekend.

Maybelline Dream Velvet Foundation Review

There are so many new drugstore makeup releases throughout the year, and it's hard to choose which ones are worth trying out. I recently received this generous sample of a brand new Maybelline foundation from the ChickAdvisor Product Review Club. Dream Velvet claims to be a hydrating yet matte foundation, formulated with 2x more water. It feels really fresh on the skin, and I am impressed by the natural coverage and finish.

Easy DIY Nail Art Techniques

Hooray for #ManiMonday! Starting off the week with your nails on point makes all the difference, right?

With all those fancy nail art trends flooding our social media pages, it can be a bit intimidating to try and replicate them at home. Luckily, I've found two quick, fool-proof techniques to amp up your nail game.

The Best Of Clarins | Favourite Brand of 2015

I was recently looking back on my 2015 posts, trying to figure out which brand truly stood out among the rest. If there's one thing that I've noticed, it's that French skincare and beauty companies take their products and formulations very seriously. You pay for the quality that comes along with manufacturing in France, and the premium laboratory formulations. That is what makes Clarins the best brand that I indulged in last year.

Shower Time Game Changers From EcoTools

In addition to sleeping and scrolling through Instagram, I spend an immense amount of time showering and soaking in the tub. It's total downtime, except for when the exfoliating and moisturizing begin. I'm convinced that I can skip my weekly workouts after all those crunches and squats. 

Good shower accessories are paramount to making my skincare routine quick and effective. I’ve been a die hard fan of EcoTools makeup brushes ever since high school, so I was practically jumping out of my seat when their Canadian distributor Farleyco Marketing got in touch with me earlier last month. After trying out some of their body care tools, I'm happy to report that they are even more awesome than I had imagined.

Snowshoeing In Blue Mountain

Planning a winter event is never easy. It can also be hard to get that true "winter" feel in a bustling city like Toronto. But if you have a few days to spare and a lively group who enjoys spending time in the great outdoors, Ontario has so much to offer.

 Last weekend my family and I made our way up to Blue Mountain in Collingwood to take an Xtreme Adventures Hummer Tour and Snowshoe hike up into the trails, which were covered in a fresh dusting of snow.

Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut

Happy Valentine's Day lovelies! Don't let the cold get you down this February. Pop open a bottle of real Champagne and relax, you deserve it. 

Guacamole & Salsa | Chipotle Recipes

Just say Mexican food, and I'll be at your party. Whether it's a burrito bowl or some simple guac and salsa, I could eat at restaurants like Chipotle for breakfast lunch and dinner, any day. Now don't you always wonder how they make that guacamole and salsa so irresistibly delicious?

Smooth Wax Bar | Opening Party

Right in the heat of our Toronto winter (literally) I made my way down to Liberty Village for a girls night and wax at Smooth, a new wax bar in the city with a pretty great reputation already. Their first location in London, Ontario is doing very well, so I couldn't turn down the opportunity to test out their services with a few of my beauty blogger friends over wine and appetizers.

Visiting Nice, France | Cannes Film Festival & Monaco Grand Prix

The Port in Monaco

 This is the third instalment of Lauren's Travels around Europe. To see the previous posts, click here.

“Been there, done that” is a phrase that will never cross my mind when presented with the opportunity to spend time in France. Though I had already visited Nice a few February’s ago with my family, I was excited to revisit this quaint but vibrant coastal city in the spring as Tara and I made our way across to Italy.

The red carpet at Cannes

As luck would have it, we arranged to spend three nights in Nice at the same time as the world famous Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix. We stayed at the wonderful Antares Hostel that was conveniently located across from the main Nice Ville train station, which made it super easy to coordinate day trips to Cannes and Monaco. Both train rides took about 30 minutes and cost approximately $40 round-trip.

Royal And Langnickel S.I.L.K Travel Natural Kit

Last September I visited IMATS Toronto with a bunch of my Canadian beauty bloggers, which I hauled here. It was so much fun, and I definitely did a fair bit of damage. The first booth that I stopped at was Royal and Langnickel, where I was immediately enthralled. Their makeup brushes are iconic, especially since their logo is always donned on the IMATS shopping bag.