I had no Instagram post for Christmas Day this year and actually no IG stories. Nor was I on Twitter, or pinning stuff on Pinterest. I was enjoying the day with our family and celebrating our wedding anniversary. Among other stuff we do on our anniversary, one of them is to just be silly and spontaneous. Okay, that’s something we do on almost every holiday break. But you get it. We put on some warm clothes and headed out to our backyard patio to have a snowball fight with the fresh snowfall we had just gotten in Mississauga.
Snowball fight in Style with the Warmest Sweater Ever!
Of course, my sister fromMAC Decor was prepared with the camera and got some great shots! She does wedding and events decor if anyone is looking. Check her out on Instagram: MAC Decor – Toronto.
Do you remember an epic snowball fight? I actually cannot remember one before this one. I also don’t have the best memory either.
I love this sweater from ROMWE. The quality is on point! Super soft fabric, the high low shape is body flattering and the grey tone is perfect. This sweater is now 65% off on the site: Check it out.
The pants I’m wearing are from Top Shop and they’re high rise stretchy skinny jeans. The most comfortable pants money could buy! These jeans are actually currently trending and almost out of stock: Check it out.
During my early years as a blogger, I wondered what it would be like to sit among other like-minded individuals in the blogging world. So here I am, this year, with lots of breakfast, lunch/brunch and dinners with other bloggers and I gotta say, what an awesome experience! Some bloggers are very different in person from what I actually thought they’d be like according to their posts and online voice. And others, like the below crew, are exactly the same offline as they present themselves online. When they’re exactly the same, I have to admit I get such a feel-good feeling. It’s wonderful to see that realness and authenticity come to life. So here’s what happens during brunch with bloggers:
Last month I met up with some amazing bloggers for brunch, in downtown Toronto. You might recognize them(see above). First, there are the quick intros and then the “omg that’s you!” chit-chat. And then lots of talk about blogging. Everything from how to editing, favourites applications, google analytics and SEO – (I’m drooling!) brands and events. I love talking tech! Plugins and what works for us and what doesn’t. If there is one takeaway you should get from this post, it would be “together we are stronger”. As similar as we may seem for content creation and voices; we all still have our own style, community, and our own niche experiences/opinions.
I love how bloggers bounce ideas off each other and the best part is when the food comes out, it comes out altogether so we can take flat lays, single shots and just pictures galore without anyone getting upset. Because we all get it! It’s a no judge zone and at that moment while taking pictures we are all pulling in the same energy and are alike. That is the very moment everyone really comes together. When we’re in our natural blogging element. Brunch with bloggers is not only about food, but getting to know the beautiful individuals I love to follow online and getting to know them at a much more realistic level.
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Here’s what I wore to the brunch. I have been looking for a pleated winter skirt for so long! Now that I’ve found it, I want to wear it as much as possible! I found this skirt online at Aritizia and it was on sale for $80. Linked it and some others:
Last night I had the pleasure of being Cat‘s guest to an amazing Bite Beauty #LIPLABxBITE experience! The Toronto Bite Beauty lab is located on Queen Street at 678 Queen St W. Bite Beauty was founded by Susanne Langmuir. She saw a void in the beauty industry and got busy with kitchen chemistry. Almost all of the coolest companies started off in their homes, right?
The store front on the main level is really clean and all about lips! Of course.
Bite Beauty #LIPLABxBITE Experience in Toronto
Some background information about Bite Beauty and why it’s different from other brands:
– Their tag line “natural, age-defying beauty for lips that is good enough to eat!”
–Lip products made solely from all-natural, food-grade ingredients.
– Lip labs where you can custom-make your own lipstick
– The first Lip Lab was in Manhattan
[Tweet “”You are what you eat. What you put on your lips, you eat” – Susanne Langmuir”]
In a nut shell, here’s how everything went down..
First:Austen who was an amazing host, brought us to the private area upstairs. Super cozy! Had a fireplace, a Bite Beauty lips backdrop, lots of couch space and then the area where all the magic happens to make your custom lipstick.
Second: He asked what colours I had in mind. My vision and then we talked about tones. I showed him a picture of a favourite colour and he created exactly what I wanted! All in the first try. I also got to choose the flavour of the lipstick. I went with vanilla and mint. [Tweet “#DidYouKnow you can create a lipstick, select the finish and scent within half an hour at a @BiteBeauty Lip Lab? #LIPLABxBITE #Beauty”]
Third: The lipstick was then microwaved to a liquid, then poured into a lipstick mold and placed for 10 minutes on a surface that was -10 degrees! See my instagram stories below for all of the action:
Here I am wearing the custom colour. I call it Zoey:
Double digit weather is finally here and I’m getting ready for patio and picnic dates! It’s a bit tricky deciding on what to wear to a summer picnic. It really depends on what sort of activities you’ll be participating in or the lack of. My general rule of thumb is, if it’s a picnic where you’re playing sports or helping with the BBQ, then I lean towards wearing pants and a top. If I’ll be relaxing and just enjoying the weather, then I want to look cute. Looking cute was a lot easier before having kids. Now whatever I choose to wear, it has to be cute but also “nursing friendly”.
SUMMER PICNIC VIBES
If you have been following my blog, Twitter and Instagram stories, you’ll see me mention some of the great #DixieDeals I’ve been finding at theDixie Outlet Mall. The best is when I don’t even know it’s on sale and I get to the cash register to find out an item is less than half the price. Half! That’s just the best thing ever!
True story: I’ve been looking for a nice dress to wear this summer where I’ll have easy access to nurse my newborn, yet look good in it. I was passing by Ardene’s at Dixie Outlet Mall and noticed the racks at the front of the store with a few dresses hanging. There is one dress that really stood out to me. It was a strapless maxi dress in a cool faded blue tone made with a light cotton fabric (ideal for super-hot days). The tag said $35, and because I loved it at first sight, it was a done deal to purchase it. I went to the cash register and I found out that it was actually $11! I couldn’t contain my excitement and I said out loud, “Wow! Really?!”. I looked back at the racks, contemplating if I should buy more. More of the same colour? Maybe buy it for a friend or my sisters? You know it’s a good deal when you feel like you need to buy more.
I love the details on this dress; the cute pattern and the additional piece of fabric over the chest. I’m not yet comfortable with wearing a strapless dress alone or without anything over it. My arms gained weight during my pregnancy and I’ve become self-conscious about them. It’s a weird feeling because I never gained weight on my arms before. Because of this, I started looking for a light cardigan of some sort to wear over the dress. I’ve passed by the store Treasure Hunt many times since I started shopping at Dixie Outlet Mall. I’ve always wondered what was in there!
Treasure Hunt is exactly that: a treasure hunt. They have so many items at insanely low prices. I went over to the clothing section and found a white maxi cardigan that I’m wearing above for only $10! So incredible! On a side note: my husband has been asking me about getting him rain boots for a while now. He needs them for when he uses the power washer or doing outdoorsy stuff. The rain boots I found here were $20 at other stores, but I bought them from Treasure Hunt for only $8! With taxes included.
For every picnic you need a nice blanket or a light carpet to sit on. I picked this one up from Winners for just $30. It’s perfect because it fits in a standard bag so that I can take it with me anywhere and picnic whenever I want to! I love practical purses, especially the ones from my favourite Canadian purse designers Matt and Nat. It’s a vegan leather line, made in Montreal. I’ve always wanted a purse by them but I rarely find their purses and when I do I usually couldn’t justify the price. Imagine how excited I got when I found this lemonade Matt and Nat purse at Winners for $79.99! I love its geometric shape and the so unique colour. It’s perfect to take to a picnic because it holds so many essentials! This is going to be my new “blogger purse” because it fits my slr and more.
This is my summer go to picnic look. I’m going to take it easy in this ootd and enjoy a picnic wherever and whenever I want. Do you have a favourite outfit you like to wear to picnics? Comment below with tips on what to wear to a picnic.
Disclaimer: I’m a Dixie Outlet Mall ambassador and this post has been sponsored by Dixie Outlet Mall. However, all views and opinions expressed in this post are of my own regarding the products and services.
Can Spring get here already?! Although a trip toDixie Outlet Mallto shop for Spring looks helps make the cold bearable. Before the weather starts to feel like Spring, I’m out and about looking for the best deals and building my Spring outfits from head to toe. Speaking of toes, shoes are some of my favourite items to shop for.
My ideal spring shoes, are a mix of some heels, flats or sneakers.
A great way to get organized for Spring shopping is to figure out which colours and textures you’re looking for. Are you rocking pastels, nudes or keeping it basic with black, white and grey this Spring? This Spring I’m mixing nudes, pastels and grey in my wardrobe.
On my recent trip toDixie Outlet MallI scored some amazing#DixieDeals! P.S Don’t forget to use this hashtag when you find a great deal at the Dixie Outlet Mall, for a chance to be featured on their Instagram orTwitter. My goal was to find great spring shoes that would go with my new Spring wardrobe. Here’s how it all went down:
The Aldo Outlet has a great selection for the new Spring season, AND in the back, you can find clearance racks from previous seasons with even bigger markdowns! I walked over to the sale rack to see if there was anything that could be worn for Spring 2017.
#DixieDeals Hack: Always check for the clearance racks in every store at the Dixie Outlet Mall, these are usually found in the back of the store.
The heels that stood out to me to the most, were the beautiful suede ones. Often seen in the Fall, is also perfect for colder but dry Spring days.
At regular price these strappy heels were $90, went on sale for $60 and I got them for $40 because of the in-store promotion. At $40, these heels are a steal!
Next stop, Call It Spring. I’ve bought shoes from Spring in the past, and they are some of my most comfortable shoes. These blush pink sneakers are really comfortable and I love the pattern on the sides. At $50 they are one of my new Spring shoe favourites!
If you haven’t noticed already in the pictures above, there’s a cute black purse. A cute purse that looks very close to a Chanel version. Dupe? Maybe. Coco Shoes Outlet at Dixie Outlet Mall, not only has shoes (which is why I went in there) but they also have a great selection of purses. The purse was regularly priced at $65 and I got it on sale for $35! I’ve already had two people comment on my purse and both have gone and got it for themselves! You can’t go wrong with a staple black purse.
The last outlet I checked out at Dixie was Urban Behaviour. They have a huge selection of merchandise in this store, from basics, to accessories, going out clothes and shoes. I picked up these simple grey sneakers for only $14! I go through sneakers a lot. Probably because they’re always my go-to shoes for comfort and long walks.
The inside of these sneakers have a great cushion feeling to them. Almost like you’re walking on a cloud. I love that! With these I get the quality of an expensive shoe, at an AWESOME affordable price tag!
Tell me about your Spring favourites. What colours will you be rocking this Spring?
Disclaimer: I’m a Dixie Outlet Mall ambassador and this post has been sponsored by Dixie Outlet Mall. However, all views and opinions expressed in this post are of my own regarding the products and services.
A staple in every girls closet is the classic jean jacket. Goes over all your cute dresses and can turn any outfit from boring to fashionista status. My new favourite staple these days is the green bomber jacket! I’m loving the bomber jacket look and will definitely opt in for it when the colours pair well. Looks especially nice when paired with accessories like choker necklaces and aviator sunglasses.
This colour in particular looks best with nudes, browns and black. I love the graphics on this bomber! Even in my last trimester I’m able to rock this bomber jacket with ease. I had a lot of people stopping me and asking where I got it. I’m wearing the XL and it’s on sale for $25 from $75! I purposely got a bigger size so it could wear a little looser on me. I read the helpful reviews as well and most people said to purchase 1 or 2 sizes up.
Here’s a closer look at the details:
Shein has a huge variety of bomber jackets and amazing prices! Here are my favourites:
Check out these celebs rocking the look:
Do you own a bomber jacket? If so. how do you style it?
I absolutely love this time of the year! How can anyone not? It’s full of love, surprises and so much cheer. I’m really looking forward to the holidays, especially since it’s also our wedding anniversary on Dec 25th. Every time I tell people that, the reactions I get are either “OMG, you guys are crazy! How did you manage?” or “Awee that’s so cute” or how about.. “You guys must really love Christmas!”
To be honest, it’s a bit of all three. Okay, so because we have our anniversary and the holidays are among us, I get really conscious about how much and where I spend my money.
So when I was given a $100 Shopping Challenge for a holiday look, you bet I was excited! As soon as I got to the Dixie Outlet Mall, all that excitement turned into,
“Oh $#&*. $100?! Okay, this is going to be for reals a challenge.”
As I walked around the mall, I realized oh right… this is an outlet. Which means, great deals! The first place I went to was winners. I bought these cute open toe boots with a wrap around ankle detail and these half leather/half cotton leggings. The boots were regular priced at $85 and I got them for $30! Amazing buy! After awhile of searching I found these tights on sale for $10. I was surprised, because I have a similar pair at home not as great of quality that I bought for $30 elsewhere.
I don’t like wearing my winter coat to holiday dinners as it’s really bulky (i.e a parka) and the worse is when I have to place it on my chair due to no coat check. The bottom always touches the floor and gets dirty. So instead I got this coat from Dynamite – The Garage Clothing Co. It was on sale for $35 from $50 on Black Friday! I went back after Black Friday and the coat was back on sale for $50. So happy I got it on Black Friday! Such a steal!
Note: Dixie Outlet Mall has great deals and low prices all year and then on special days like Black Friday and Boxing Day, even more reduced prices.
It has really nice zipper details and a belt! I opted for a medium size due to my personal preference of wearing over-sized coats/jackets.
I love combining lace and leather into one outfit. They go together so well. For some, it’s a strong statement but so are red lips and I dared to add that to the mix! You just gotta live on the wild side sometimes. I got this lace crop top and a plain black long sleeve shirt to wear underneath from Sirens. The lace crop top was $15 and the plain black shirt $10. Both are so comfortable! Here’s a more brighter detailed image of the top:
I didn’t think I could pull it off but honestly I probably couldn’t have if I was shopping anywhere else. Dixie Outlet Mall has amazing deals and that’s a fact! Especially after putting it to the test with this $100 Holiday Shopping Challenge. Okay, so now for the GIVEAWAY! Head over to my Instagram @HumJK to enter to win a $100 Dixie Outlet Mall gift card! Good luck everyone and happy shopping!
Finally I got around to opening this voxbox and trying the products that I got for testing purposes. Below is my review of each product that I used for a little over one week now. Let me know below in the comments if you’ve tried any of these products and what you think! It was great hearing from you guys on Instagram. XO
L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Brightening Daily Scrub Cleanser
I’ve used this for a week now and one of the things that I love about this scrub is that the beads are not abrasive. They’re actually gentle compared to other leading brands. The scent is not overpowering and it appears to be working. I did start to break out after the first day of using it, but that could just be the resurfacing of dirt etc for the deep cleansing to work.
When to use: Nightly What does it do: Gently exfoliates dullness and gets rid of impurities (dirt and all that make-up grime that’s seeped into the next layer of your skin. *gross*) Key ingredients: Glycolic Acid and Perlite
L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Bright Reveal SPF 30 Moisturizer
For an everyday moisturizer that has SPF 30 this is very light in texture. It has a bit of a pearly look to it, which actually doesn’t affect the look of your makeup when taking pictures etc. It actually brightens your face in a radiant glowy kind of way. It almost reminds me of the Guerlain pearls primer. Not exactly but could be a distant cousin of it. My skin did feel moisturized all day which is great, because I have some dry spots on my face. In terms of long term results of a week of using I don’t see a huge difference in the darker areas of my face, but maybe I need to prolong the use to see that. If you have sun spots like me, I would still protect those areas with a higher spf. SPF 30 won’t take you through an entire day of office lights or sun exposure.
When to use: Daily What does it do: Absorbs quickly. UVA/UVB SPF 30 protection Key ingredients: Glycolic Acid
Dual Overnight Moisturizer
This dual overnight moisturizer reminds me of the day SPF 30 because of the texture and look of the cream. After I used the peel pad from this line and applied this moisturizer I saw instant radiance in my skin. Is that even possible? Well, it has been “revealing brighter skin” as promised. But I’m not sure if it’s because of the amount of glycolic acid and pro-retinol or if it’s the mica. For those of you who don’t know, mica is an earth mineral included in products to give them sparkle and shine. It’s usually found in make-up. The reason why it’s called dual moisturizer is because it is one side serum and one side moisturizer. With one pump, you get an even amount of both to apply all over your face and neck. Because this product has 4% glycolic acid and pro-retinol I started using it on my neck only to see if my skin reacts to the combination. So far no reaction. Just brighter and moisturized skin! I’m also a firm believer of not mixing skincare steps into one. I like using my serum first, waiting 30 seconds and then applying moisturizer on top. Also don’t believe in 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner products. But so far the results have been great so I can’t complain. Would I use this again after I finish this bottle, probably not. I like to mix and match different brands and favourites. Having my serum and moisturizer in one, doesn’t allow me to do that. I would recommend someone trying glycolic acid or retinol products for the first time to test on the neck or the inside of the their wrist before applying all over their face. Not everyone reacts the same to skincare, better to be safe than sorry. Also, you won’t always get lucky and get both treatments in one pump. I had to slap the bottom of the bottle to get the serum to pump out. So as you see in the image, the moisturize to serum ratio isn’t always equal.
When to use: Nightly after cleansing What does it do: Two treatments in one pump. Penetrates skin’s surface to remove dead skin cells and infuse brightening formula for overnight skin rejuvenation Key ingredients: 4% Glycolic, Vitamin Cg, Pro-Retinol
L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Bright Reveal Peel Pads
The last time I used pre-soaked pads like these was when I tried oxy pads. Probably when I was a teenager. Ever since then I haven’t been drawn to products like this just cause I fear I won’t close the jar properly and the product will dry up. That happened to me once. Oxy days. Because these pads are soaked with 10% Glycolic Acid I was scared to use right away all over my face so I started only using it on my neck. Even after washing my face, I noticed on the pad some left over traces of make-up. UGH. Felt instant gratification for these pads for removing that gunk. Out of habit I always use a rough hand to apply skincare and used the pads the first few times of use a tad bit to abrasively. I did start to feel some uncomfortable tingling and then read the instructions, where it said “gently apply in circular motions…”. *Doh* After that I’ve been following the instructions and I have noticed brighter and more smooth skin. Which is awesome for make-up applications. I received this product for testing purposes.
When to use: Nightly What does it do: Ultra-gentle pre-soaked textured pads physically resurface dead skin cells Key ingredients: 10% Glycolic Complex
Just when everyone starts to think the weather is going to change, we’re hit with frigid temperatures and people start to get sick. I know, but it’s March and spring should be around the corner. You just never know with this topsy turvy weather. For the last bit of this winter I thought I’d squeeze in some of my favourite winter basics this season.
Some of you may be familiar with the hashtag #DarkTO. Which was trending on Twitter when we started to get power outages due to the extreme cold conditions in southern Ontario. We had a few days of sun and then got hit with this deep freeze spell. Hopefully the last for this winter, especially since that was only a few days ago.
Are you braving the cold and going about your usual schedule or have you decided to hibernate? What are some of your winter basics for staying warm?
Ear Flap Hats
I got my first ear flap hat years ago and swear by these hats for harsh winters. Anything with a multi-purpose gets bonus points from me. Keep your ears and your head warm with this style.
Note: Big It Up, also known as Brimz on Queen St. or at The Eaton Center (Toronto) has a great selection of ear flap hats as well.
Oversized scarves
You can wear a scarf or you can wear an OVERSIZED scarf. Do you remember when this image of Lenny Kravitz went viral:
I’m crushing on the oversize look. Oversized clutch, sweaters and of course the coat.
I love the fit of my yellow coat this winter and was on a hunt for something similar, but a more subdued colour. You may have seen it in my Naksan Park, South Korea post. So I did a little experiment for my day out with my sisters. Just before I left my house, I tried on my husband’s coat, rolled up the sleeves and added a clip on fur scarf I purchased from H&M last winter.
A day out shopping isn’t complete until you come back home to a cozy cuddle-fest with your sisters and some AMAZING tea. I have a tea collection from Davids tea at home, but I wanted to try something different this time. My sister Mac, suggested I try their Forever Nuts latte. De-licious! Their website describes this tea perfectly; “Deliciously nutty, decidedly addictive. Caffeine-free.”