Marketing November 28, 2015

How To Deal With And Catch Social Media Trolls

What is a Social Media Troll?

Someone who creates conflict on sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and blogs by posting messages that are particularly controversial or inflammatory with the sole intent of provoking an emotional (read: angry) response from other users. – Google

These social media trolls are lurking everywhere on the web and most are full of anger and jonzing to discourage people from just about anything they love. So according to google’s translation of a social media troll, these trolls create conflict with messages, but the trolls have upgraded to trolling a few more ways.

[Tweet “What is a #socialmedia troll? Here’s how you can catch/deal with these trolls:”]

Types of Social media trolls:

Comment trolls – They leave negative unnecessary comments anywhere they see the option to comment.

Post trolls – These trolls probably have subscribed to your blog just so they can be the first to comment under your post with links to their own websites, viruses etc.

Stalker trolls – They stalk your social media accounts everyday but never like or comment on any of your posts.

How do you catch/deal with trolls?

Don’t feed the comment trolls. On Twitter if someone is being Negative+Sarcastic, then you can reply in a Sarcastic+Funny tone to make light of the situation. If it’s on Instagram just delete their comment (you don’t need to see that comment again) and then do your IG fam a favour and block them.
Why do you post your site links when most commenting platforms allow you to make your name link-able after you’ve commented? It won’t help your SEO situation, so stop. Set yourself up with a spam blocker and a commenting system that allows you to approve the comment before it goes live.
Your like or comment won’t make that person insta-famous. Collectively maybe. I’ll be honest. I’ve seen some blurry IG pics or where the image should have been rotated to be right side up, but I still liked it. But then again I go a little like crazy and go on liking sprees. If you really want to know your stalker trolls, you can try to catch them by putting your account on private and see who sends you a follow request. Chances are your stalker trolls don’t follow you and will now try too. For those who do follow you and don’t like, favourite, re-tweet etc…relax, they either didn’t see your post or it sucks and you need to re-think your approach. Trial and error my friends.

Trollers gonna troll, so do you and carry on.

Beauty November 27, 2015

#NYXINTHESIX Event & NYX HAUL

Two NYX events, one NYX store and a Rexall with a NYX section. Here’s my story…

#nyxinthesix lotus leaf — Photos by // Photagonist.ca

I was excited to be invited to the #NYXINTHESIX event at the East Room. So many top Toronto influencers that I recognized right away and some when I went through the hashtag #NYXINTHESIX on IG, at home… was like ohhhh yeaaaa. It was a perfect night for roof top shinanigans, photo booth fun, great music, bits and bites. So here are some pictures from this great event organized by Lotus Leaf.

east room toronto — Photos by // Photagonist.ca

Photos by // Photagonist.ca

#nyxinthesix 💄💋#torontoblogger

A video posted by Hum (@humjk) on Sep 26, 2015 at 9:55pm PDT

There was a time when you could only buy NYX products from a Rexall store, who by the way only have “some” products from the line and never have the ones that everyone is raving about, in stock. Hmph. But now not only can you shop online, go to Rexall if you must, you can shop at an actual NYX store! I’ve collected a lot of their products so here’s my mini haul with some swatches! (YouTube NYX review coming soon)

NYX HAUL

The packaging colour of these mascaras don’t lie. They really are bright!

nyx coloured mascara — **Colour Mascara in Blue & Perfect Pear**

I tried this lash primer and I have medium length lashes. The fibers in this primer made my lashes thicker and longer, giving the illusion of falsies! See for yourself (below image)

Top #makeup faves: taupe in MAC// browzings in Benefit// mufe hd found // Lash primer #NYX 💋👌 A photo posted by Hum (@humjk) on Oct 29, 2015 at 1:39pm PDT

nyx blush — **Blush in Baby Doll (left) Crimson (right)**

nyx black & white pencil — **nyx black & silver pencil**

I used this under my make up to moisturize and I didn’t have to use as much concealer as it had some coverage as well. There are no strong scents from this Beauty Balm.

NYX Soft Matte Lip cream Tres Leches (Left) Stockholm (Right)

I love these Soft Matte Lip creams. The texture of a lipstick but look of a pigmented gloss. The colour sets really nicely with a promised “matte” look. Although these colours look almost identical in their packaging, in reality Tres Leches is more on the pink side, where Stockholm is more beige/nude.

NYX highlighter liquid — NYX liquid illuminator sunbeam

I was a bit disappointed with this one. I was expecting a natural looking highlighter but this is almost sparkly. Too heavy for a daytime look. To be honest probably wouldn’t wear it at night either. It’s just too sparkly/bright for my liking.

NYX Intense Butter Gloss and soft matte lip cream — Intense Butter Top to bottom (Banana Split & Funnel Delight) and Soft Matte lip cream in red (Monte Carlo)

nyx solo eyeshadow — Punk Heart (left) & Smoke & Mirrors (Right)

The eye shadows are somewhat pigmented but will definitely need to build these shadows when doing a smokey eye look.

NYX matte lipstick and high voltage lipstick — Matte Lipstick Nude (right) Perfect Red (middle) and High Voltage Lipstick in Rockstar

So if you have olive skin tone then the matte lipstick in nude is not for you. Way too pale. The other two colours are gorgeous and go on pigmented. That’s it! In case you didn’t already know there’s a store at Square One and downtown on Queen Street. Enjoy shopping and let me know your NYX faves!

Beauty November 11, 2015

The VIP Givenchy Live Irresistible Dinner

I was invited to a VIP dinner in October to celebrate the launch of Givenchys’ newest perfume: Live Irresistible! I love this scent and the bottle is simply gorgeous! 😍 I have some of the other Givenchy perfumes like hot couture. So the shape and size of the bottle I’m familiar with.

Held at the Arcadian Lofts downtown, our awesome host was Dave Lackie. I live tweeted the event, so those of you who follow me on Twitter or snapchat got to see exactly how beautiful the dinner was. This was also a great opportunity to meet other bloggers like Maria from best day blogger. She also vlogged about the event, watch here.

Appetizers and dinner was catered by O&B, so you can imagine the food was delicious! The fragrance is now available at The Bay or Shoppers Drug Mart.

Givenchy Live Irresistible

Spray too much perfume? Alcohol or witch hazel dabbed on the wrist will remove excess fragrance. — dave lackie (@davelackie) November 9, 2015

The Scent: Top notes: pineapple and rose petal Heart notes: roses and pepper Base notes: amber and musk A live Twitter feed was fitting for a dinner with so many social media influencers in one room! It was definitely challenging to network and then live tweet the event but I think I managed to find a balance. Patrick Reynolds from Cityline was at the dinner interviewing guests and in the above picture, Dave Lackie. Decor had touches of rose and pink!

Givenchy Live Irresistible dinner — Snapchat Highlights

APPS & DINNER

Events October 28, 2015

Tyrrells Chips – Launch Party

An evening of innovative food infused with Tyrrells chips, live tweeting, games and meeting with bloggers.

There’s some new chip flavours in town! Sweet Potato & Smoked Chili (my fave), Beetroot, Parsnip & Potato with Sea Salt & Sweet Potato, Carrot with Sea Salt.

[Tweet “Tyrrells chips are all natural, home grown & hand cooked! #Foodie”]

At the #exceedinglyenglish event at Rasa Restaurant😍 So many flavours!! Where do I start?! pic.twitter.com/wWBkhc8pq9

— Humara Kausar (@HumaraKausar) October 21, 2015

I’ve never been to the RASA restaurant before this event so it was nice to scope it out. Located at 196 Robert St it’s a small dark space in the same neighborhood where I went to high school.(Harbord) On the menu were appetizers infused with Tyrrells chips. YUM. These appetizers are great easy ideas next time you’re entertaining people at home.

Exhibit A: Fish & Chips – Deep fried Halibut, tartar, crispy capers, served with Tyrrells Sweet Potato, Carrot with Sea Salt chips.

Exhibit B: Lamb Neck – with hummus, feta tabbouleh, pickled jicama and tzatziki, served on top Tyrrells Beetroot, Parsnip & Potato Sea Salt chips

Exhibit C: Tuna Tartare – Yellowfin Tun, yuzu chili aioli, apple slaw and ponzu glaze served on top of a Tyrrells Beetroot, Parsnip & Potato Sea Salt chip

Other apps include: Mini Muffins, Steak Sliders,Truffle Arancini & The Chopped Salad.

Getting caught up in the digital world is so easy. Making online friends (followers) is easy, but being in the present and meeting your online friends in the flesh is important but not as easy. At least not for me since I have the habit of getting so caught up with capturing the event for the blog, live tweeting, snapchatting etc. On that note It was refreshing to stop and acknowledge these lovely bloggers at the event: M Fab, @dee_sik & a familiar face @zamlos!

To conclude the evening here’s my OOTN (outfit of the night)

Beauty October 5, 2015

Guerlain Mon Exclusif Event

Guerlain launched a new fragrance which you can name yourself.

Guerlain Mon Exclusif has no name.

You get letters in the fragrance box so you can give your own name to the perfume or at the event we had a chance to get it engraved! I think the no name idea is brilliant! Gives the customer the feel of the perfume being their own. Putting your name, or the name of your choice on such a luxurious bottle feels… well..real pish posh.

I absolutely adore Guerlain. It’s luxurious and their makeup to skincare smells amazing. Guerlain has some affordable products in their make-up section. I’d say very similar to Dior or YSL. But I doubt either of them have an absolutely amazing cream that costs approx. $500! That’s a story for a different post.

The fragrance is described as a gourmand, with fougere accords of fresh fern, oriental notes, lavender, soft sandalwood, caramel, salted butter, coumarin and vanilla. They had me at salted butter!

If you haven’t been to the Guerlain boutique on bloor then you’re missing out on a luxurious experience. The staff is very welcoming and the products are exquisite! For the launch of Mon Exclusif, Elle Magazine had their readers invited to a day of make-up makeovers, snacks and more! Oh and this lovely bag with some of my fave Guerlain products 😉

My favourite products here are orchidee imperiale, the gel cream and the meteorites base. Both are such beautiful products.

I’ve been using the gel cream everyday and it’s almost finished. My skin feels extremely soft and hydrated. I love gel creams because their not heavy, especially if you wear make-up. The base is just perfect. Light to the touch and brings a natural light to your face. The little pearls are also beautiful to look at. I haven’t tried the eau de beaute yet, but I’m certain the other two will make it to my favourites video.

Desserts September 30, 2015

Panasonic Cyclonic Launch

If you’ve ever lived in a smaller place, be it an apartment, condo or just a one bedroom shared home, you’ll know the value of space. Sometimes you don’t have room for a full oven, dishwasher or microwave. So getting products that have multiple functions and that benefit your standard of living becomes high on your priority list.

Which brings me to the Panasonic Cyclonic. This microwave isn’t like your traditional one. It use’s Panasonic’s Inverter® Technology, which delivers spinning waves of power in a circular pattern. Like a cyclone. Other microwaves usually deliver energy in a straight line. This new cyclonic energy is a game changer! It ensures food is cooked evenly, no matter what size or shape!

I had the pleasure of being invited to the Panasonic Cyclonic Launch hosted by Abbey’s Kitchen.

At the launch Abbey demonstrated how to make 5 healthy easy recipes in the cyclonic microwave. Recipes that you would’ve never guessed were made in a matter of minutes! You can view the special recipes here.

I imagine this microwave will make dinner preparation a whole lot easier for the working class who don’t have enough time. Goodbye last minute fast food stops!

My favourite was the Tropical Fruit Crisp. Delicious, healthy and made in 4 minutes!

Some other pretty awesome features are you’re able to keep your food warm as you finish doing whatever it is that you need to do before you set the table. No more cold food or the hassle of rewarming! There is also a button called the Genius Sensor that has up to 20 meal presets.

Technology has come a long way! The Panasonic Cyclonic has changed the definition of a “microwave dinner” forever.

Social Media September 28, 2015

5 Reasons To Mute People On Twitter

Did you know there’s a mute button on Twitter?

I know it’s old news. But have you used it?

Muting a user on Twitter means their Tweets and Re-tweets will no longer be visible in your home timeline. (They won’t know.)

Thank you Twitter for creating the Mute button. This is a great alternative to un-following someone. So when should you use it?

Ranters/Complainers

Your typical ranter or complainer on twitter is someone who ONLY rants/complains. You can usually tell when you visit their page and all you see is text. No links, no hashtags, no images… As a matter of fact they may be using Twitter as an output to blow off steam. In most cases I would recommend to just un-follow them, but if it’s a friend/family/co-worker then the mute button will do. Also, if the person you follow usually doesn’t rant and all of a sudden your timeline is full of this person tweeting about their recent break-up, muting them until they’re over it may come in handy.
80% Sales 20% Cool Facts

Tempted to name a few but nahh. These accounts are companies selling products or services. Usually they’re newbs to Social Media and they try to get followers by tweeting cool related facts or news. But when they start filling up your timeline with ads and sales pitches then it’s probably best to mute them. You can always head back to their page to scroll through to find the re-tweet worthy tweets. Here are some tips for bloggers on how they can navigate through twitter.
Avoid Live-Tweeters

These tweeters love to tweet about anything live. Truth be told I’m guilty of this as well. But I do consider my followers when live tweeting and spread my tweets out to at least 5-15 min intervals. You can catch a live tweeter before they get crazy and mute them by spotting the hashtag their using. Also great way to avoid a tv/movie spoiler.
Love you, but your tweets suck

It’s simple. Your good friend, co-worker or relative whom you love really sucks at tweeting. They use hashtags that no one uses (full sentence tags), broken web links and tweet about what they ate 4 times a day. So don’t un-follow them which these days translates to “I’m not your friend anymore” or “it’s over”, just mute them and remember to visit their page once in a blue moon. Maybe even reply to a tweet or favourite something.
Contest/Giveaway lovers

There is a known type of twitter user who hunts down for contests and giveaways and tweets them all. Trying to win anything and maybe everything hehe. Which is totally fine! But some people might find it annoying and some informative. I have a few friends who do this to different degrees. I don’t mind at all. For me it’s informative and I try re-tweeting some of those giveaways as well. If you find it getting out of hand, this is a time to use the mute button.

So, have you used the mute button on Twitter? Why did you use it?

Events August 18, 2015

Bestival Toronto 2015

A little late but I just had to share my experience. After all, it’s the first time Bestival came to Toronto. In case you didn’t know, Bestival is an award-winning festival in the UK.

From the original boutique festival experience, to the Bollywood Cocktail Bar, and costumes parties en masse, it’s this uniqueness that makes Bestival a wondrous world of discovery and adventure that will inspire peace, love and dancing all year round…

I actually had no idea about Bestival until I received an email notifying me that my pictures on instagram were chosen by Fido for the first ever mobile music video for one of the bands performing at Bestival, Keys N Krates.

P.S You can only view the music video via your mobile phone: http://mobilemusicvideo.ca/

The great thing about music festivals (at least Bestival) is that it’s a no judgement zone. Full of love, peace and happiness spreading people. Hippy vibes basically. We hung out at the fido booth where hammocks hung from trees along with streamers and other whimsical decorations. I heard they gave out rain ponchos on the Friday of the festival when it rained. I went on Saturday and they gave out ear plugs. Music was so loud at the festival, I imagine many people used them. Three different stages with different performances/music made it hard to choose where to hang out. I wish there had been a fixed schedule to start with. It would’ve made planning a lot easier. There was a DJ on the island beach side, surrounded by tents/cabanas. We hung out there close to sunset right before the NAS performance. The views were just so beautiful of the Toronto skyline with a pink, purple sky.

Food truck options were exhausting but our friends directed us to the best pizza I’ve ever had from a truck. We had just come back from Italy, so trust me…it was that good. They’re called pizza700 and they do private events as well.

After the most epic NAS performance, everyone made their way to the ferry docks. The exit strategy for this festival was not organized at all. It seemed like all of Toronto was stuck on that island and we were all herded together like cattle, taking small baby steps to our common destination, home. Would I go again next year? Maybe. But seriously, they need to think of another exit strategy or at least let people know of the 2 hour wait to get off the island to the city. Also, posting the performance schedules ahead of time would be nice. By ahead I mean weeks in advance, not a few days or the day before.

Marketing June 20, 2015

Periscope vs Snapchat

RANT ALERT: I have no more space on my android to be downloading anymore apps so I steered away from Snapchat until I transferred over all my images and videos to my laptop. Now there’s another player in the social media world called Periscope and the Social Media Marketer in me must know, what’s this peri stuff all about. After deleting some unnecessary whatsapp images/videos, uninstalling viber and shazam, I’ve installed periscope. (P.S I’m glad I didn’t download Meerkat) With all these new social media platforms emerging, how do you decide which ones to use regularly? I’m going to keep it simple and lay out my pros/cons on how you can decide whether you’re a Periscope, a Snapchat or both platforms user.

Periscope

Periscope is an app where you see events happening in real-time. You’re suppose to experience the event from the broadcasters point of view. However, I can imagine it’ll be used for other reasons as well. Like live Q/A sessions, kind of like google+ live hangouts.

Pros
– LIVE broadcasting
– People viewing your broadcast can ask you questions
– People can like your broadcast as many times as they want (Shown by multiple floating hearts)
– Connected to your Twitter account
– Real time blocking of spammers/pervs/weirdos of all types
– You can save your broadcasts and share on Twitter etc
– You can choose to do public or private broadcasts

Cons
– The more people watching your broadcast and commenting makes it hard for you to keep up with any questions
– Stalkers will love this because they’ll know exactly what you’re doing..right now
– Logging out will be hard especially if you’re a nice person because it’s like having a one way video chat with so many people
– Time consuming
– As many likes as you want means it may not be very accurate in metrics if your mom is liking your broadcast a million times

Snapchat

Snapchat differs from periscope because the snap you just posted is not necessarily happening as it happens when people view it.

Pros
– Not in real-time (so you can delete that selfie you took until you get to your best one and then post another)
– You can create a public story or send snap videos or pictures privately
– Using emoticons, filters, geo-location stamps to make snaps creative and fun
– You build a 24 hour story of your day and can focus on highlights as opposed to one live hour
– You can save videos/pictures
– Viewers can screenshot your snaps and you’ll know who did
– No liking system, just viewers (this could be a con to some people)

Cons
– Annoying when people send their public stories to you privately as well
– Glitches in the app can cause your snaps to get deleted before you have a chance to send to story
– Offline saving snaps to load into story later doesn’t always work

Beauty June 19, 2015

GRAND OPENING: Toronto’s First Benefit Boutique!

Toronto’s Canada’s First Benefit Boutique is here!

You probably all know that I own a lot of Benefit products and that I’ve been a huge fan since my Shopper Drug Mart days of being a beauty advisor/make-up artist. If you asked me to name a few of my favourites, I’d start with gimme brow, high beam and the dallas bronzer. For those of you who ~~have been living under a rock,~~ don’t know about Benefit Cosmetics, it’s a San Francisco based make-up brand that believes “laughter is the best cosmetic”. Every product has a fun, girly and unique spin. I’ve been to the boutique in Connecticut and California, so I had an idea of what to expect.

I was over the moon excited to be invited to the Grand Opening of Canada’s first Benefit Boutique, here in Toronto. I must say, Benefit’s corporate team is a bright bunch. I mean, the whole team (brow experts to corporate) are amazing! The strategy of slowly entering the Canadian market by placing little brow bars in Sephora stores around the GTA was brilliant. The perfect way to create a strong clientele and an opportunity to see geographically what/where would work best for the first boutique. Well, that’s my own marketer assumption. If you haven’t heard yet, the boutique is located on 2614 Yonge St and you can’t miss it! (see above image of boutique front)

You don’t live in Toronto? Don’t worry, rumor has it that they’ll be opening more boutiques across the country in the next five years! The boutique has a brow raising variety of services. You can most importantly get your eyebrows done, facial and body waxing, threading, tanning and more.