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Dear Diary,

I had a vision that I would update this series a lot more often than months later. But let me explain why it has been since June 18th since I last wrote about my blogging journey. It has been BUSY! I am being grateful for every nanosecond of it because it has been an amazing experience. It’s not the entrepreneurship I always had in mind for myself but that’s okay. This is a lot more fun! A lot has happened since June. I’ll sum it up for you:

– I did a lot of full days of content creation. Like that one day of foodie IG stories – one at an event and the other was a collab. I love photographing food! This was so much fun.
– I launched a new website for GNC
– I was a part of the Laura Mercier x The Kit campaign. They brought me into the studio and did a video shoot of me getting ready with Laura Mercier products. I got featured on The Kit site and tried many Laura Mercier products. I was so humbled to receive this opportunity alongside some of my favourite make-up artists.

READ MORE: The Kit x Laura Mercier – TORONTO MAKE-UP INFLUENCERS

– We went to Bogle Seeds Farm the day the unfortunate event happened.

events toronto
Dress: H&M – Fanny Pack: Gucci

READ MORE: HOW TO PREPARE FOR SOCIAL MEDIA FAME FOR BUSINESSES

– I worked with GO Train and Niagara Parks to bring an experience to YOU.

READ MORE: A FUN FAMILY TRIP TO NIAGARA FALLS WITH GO TRANSIT

– I co-managed my first influencer event for GNC Canada. This was really interesting because I’ve always been on the opposite side, a guest at media events. We worked from every angle on this event. Picking our A-Team of influencers, venue, theme, schedule, entertainment, digital plan and so much more. It was a lot of work but also satisfying to know that we executed it really well.

During this time I felt a surge of energy. I felt like I wanted to do it all. Getting offers and invites is exciting and it would make me a bit anxious that I must do it all otherwise I wouldn’t meet my goals as I had planned.

One day I accepted 2 events in 1 day. Then I accepted 3 in 1 day…

And that’s when I crashed. It can be exhausting and can get to a point where you’re not enjoying yourself, which defeats the purpose of taking in the brand experience. After that day I promised myself that I would learn to say no. If my schedule was full, then there should be no exceptions. I’ve capped my days now to whatever I feel comfortable with. Plus, working full time and then spending my evenings hopping from one event to another, is beyond exhausting.

On Instagram direct messages, a commonly asked question I get is how
do you get invited to media events?

Honestly, guys, there’s no magic trick here. I am genuinely passionate about the stuff I share with you. For 5 years I’ve been blogging, creating content, tweeting, pinning and posting. Only last year did the events, paid collaborations and opportunities to work with brands start to come through. I took the time to figure out my voice online, allowed myself to treat everything I do, with my full creative potential and consistency.

events toronto bloggers

It’s as simple as that. Continue to be YOU and share authentically. It’s not about growing numbers, it’s about growing your community. Instead of getting sponsored, it’s about getting paid for the hours of content creation. However you decide to grow, just remember it’s not a race and to stay true to who you are and don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. You’ll spend so much time trying to copy someone else that you’ll forget to be YOU. And something that doesn’t come naturally to you will show obviously to others. Being YOU is exactly what will make you successful.

In a world full of copies, be the original.

Work on your brand, decide on your messaging and figure out your “why”, set goals and then start tagging brands, introduce yourself to agencies and then be found. But trust me when I say this if you don’t do all of that first, it won’t matter how many followers or engagement you have. Brands want to know if you’ll align with what their values are. If there’s no alignment, it doesn’t matter who you are, no go.  Plus, I believe it’s the time for micro influencers to shine. But I’ll save that for another post.

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I had the pleasure of attending the TIFF 2018 Essentials Lounge. Where you guessed it; you could find all of the essentials needed to survive TIFF 2018! There were so many of my favourite brands represented here and even learnt something new about a brand’s history that blew me away. Here’s a quick recap of all the essentials for TIFF that I’ve tested during and since TIFF week and can vouch as must-haves.

credit: Ryan Emberley

GLAMGLOW

credit: Ryan Emberley
Credit: Ryan Emberley – Photographer

When you’re missing the usual beauty sleep and not drinking enough water, or just randomly in need of a face detox, this mask is a quick pick me up for your skin! I love that this mask is actually designed for both men and women. The packaging is also inviting for both. I am legitimately at this moment using the GlamGlow mask, and I love how it instantly makes your skin feel fresh! I’ve put my skin through a lot this week and I really needed to pull out all of that congestion. This super mud has activated X charcoal in it, along with an absorbent carbon to attract toxins and dirt from the deepest and toughest areas. I just washed my face, and right away I see my pores are less visible, skin is brighter and feels smoother. Ah! I love it! Retail: $75.00 (Sephora or Shoppers Drug Mart)

smashbox
credit: Ryan Emberley

For those long days with little to none moments to touch up or re-do your make-up, you need something long-lasting. This Smashbox foundation has a 15-hour stay and it’s hydrating so perfect for the colder months in Toronto when the wind sucks the hydration out of your skin. Studio Skin 15 Hour Hydrating Foundation is at Sephora for $46.00.

 TIFF 2018 ESSENTIALS LOUNGE

egpr keds humjk
credit: Ryan Emberley

KEDS FOR TIFF

I’ve been wearing my classic leather Keds non-stop! They’re so comfortable and this is the company I’ve been telling you all about and how blown away I am with their history. Okay, first of all, did you know that they actually go all out to make their shoes for women. They make sure that every shoe will be comfortable to wear and don’t use a “unisex template”. It’s only specific to women. I remember when I bought my first pair of Keds, that it hugged my feet like no other shoe. Also, had no idea they were founded in 1916! As you all know, I’m a fact nerd so I was amazed that they’re 102 years old. They also have A LOT of women in their upper management across all of their head offices.

I have the classic leather champion sneaker in white and I LOVE it. If there’s a shoe that will go with any of your outfits, it’s this way. It retails for about $70.00 and will honestly be your favourite go-to kicks.

credit: Ryan Emberley

DESIGN.ME HAIR

designmehair quickie

I’ve been using a lot of their products for a while now. One of my favourites is the puff me and the hairspray with the ability to control the spray from light to high. They have some awesome new products! A dry shampoo in a generous size. Not the usual skinny bottles.

QUICKIE.ME DRY SHAMPOO:  The Quickie.ME Dry Shampoo Spray comes with two options; one forBlonde & Pastel tones and one for Brunette & Darker tones. In addition to the spray, Design.ME Hair is also launching the all-new Quickie.ME Dry Shampoo Foam, ideal for use as a hair refresher. Retails for $22.00.

credit: Ryan Emberley

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survive TIFF

snowball fight

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.

romwe swetaer

Snowball fight in Style with the Warmest Sweater Ever!

Of course, my sister from MAC 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.

romwe sweater

Do you remember an epic snowball fight? I actually cannot remember one before this one. I also don’t have the best memory either.
..Because I’m not a serious person at all. I’m just a goofball nerd looking to live this life…

snowball fight

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.

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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

bloggers brunch

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:

Bloggers – Left to right: YesMissyCat Forsley Dianas Healthy Living
Maggie Adhami – ME – Shoeteasetoronto bloggers

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.

blogger brunch toronto

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.

outfit of the day toronto
Leather crop top – Zara
outfit of the day toronto
Bomber Jacket – Dynamite/Garage Clothing Outlet at Dixie Mall

 

 

Breakfast of champions!🤤 @joebirdto also does take out. What did you have for breakfast today? 😊

A post shared by Lifestyle • Fashion • Beauty (@humjk) on

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:

ONE TWO – THREE

aritzia jude skirt

Matched the grey tone with a color block grey purse from Zara. Sorta similar: ONE TWOTHREE

BRUNCH WITH BLOGGERS
Boots – Steve Madden

brunch with bloggers

 

holidays at shoppers drug mart

It’s that time of the year when to give is beautiful. This weekend I had the pleasure of attending a holiday event at Vaughan Mills shopping center as a Fragrance expert. I took people who attended (open to public) through a fragrance experience that peaked all of their senses! All fragrances I spoke about are available at Shoppers Drug Mart’s beauty boutiques.  In case you missed this event, don’t worry! The next one is happening at the Eaton Center, Dec 2nd and 3rd from mall opening to close hours.

 

to give

To Give Is Beautiful – Shoppers Drug Mart – beautyBOUTIQUE

So here’s what went down: You’re greeted by some beautiful ladies, who go through a summary of the experience you’ll have. Then directed to the fragrance station. Here I asked people what fragrances they were most drawn too. Based on their answer that gave me an idea of which ones I should start off with showing. We discussed different scents, notes in the fragrance and before testing the fragrance some tips on how to best apply it. In a nut shell, beautyBOUTIQUE wants Canadians to step into the holidays with this year’s must-haves in fragrance from beautyBOUTIQUE by Shoppers Drug Mart.

beauty boutique

beauty boutique event

Based on their fragrance choice there was a mocktail to match!

mocktails

mocktail

While enjoying their mocktails; they waited their turn to get a make-up application.

complimentary make up application

Once done with their make-up, everyone received a gift that had a make-up bag, a Christmas tree beauty blender and a 20x points + $10 gift card to be used at beauty boutiques.

There was also this super fun glitter wall that everyone took pictures in front. The lovely beautyBOUTIQUE ladies were taking polaroids of those who got their make-up done.

to give is beautiful - shoppers drug martTo give is beautiful

Those who made a purchase at the beauty boutique that day could bring it to the calligraphy station. To receive a tree ornament customized, 3 deluxe samples, $10 gift card – all beautiful wrapped in a silver box. Check out Mandy on Instagram who was doing beautiful calligraphy. Here.

So lock it in your calendars, the next event is happening at the Eaton Center, Dec 2nd and 3rd from mall opening to close hours. If you post your images or videos online, be sure to use the hashtag #ToGiveIsBeautiful.

This blog post was sponsored by beautyBOUTIQUE by Shoppers Drug Mart but the opinions are all my own.

beautyboutique

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beauty boutique holiday

Merry Christmas! Some of you are sitting around the Christmas tree with hot cocoa, eggnog and other fancy drinks and treats. Most importantly spending quality time with friends and family. Opening presents and sharing precious memories. Not only is it Christmas Day for me but our wedding anniversary! Five years ago today we got married! At this very moment I’m cuddling my husband and have baby D sitting beside us reading Christmas books. Not. Actually, baby D has fallen asleep, taking his nap, so my hubs and I are watching bad moms. :”D 

The #beautyBOUTIQUEholiday party was held at

the TIFF building in the beautiful malaparte room. When we entered the room the first thing we noticed were the beautiful white Christmas trees with lip gloss, mascara and other beauty product ornaments! How cute!

I love shopping at beauty boutiques for gifts. I remember for one of D’s birthdays getting him his favourite fossil watch, make-up sets for countless events like a pumpkin carving contest we held and so much more. Definitely my go to spot for gift shopping. They do an awesome wrapping job and you get to collect optimum points! Which in my opinion is the best rewards program out there. I might have a biased opinion because it was my first job and worked at Shoppers for years. #truth

beauty boutique

At the party I got illustrated! I love watching the artists work their magic in minutes and this time we got an image and animated version of the illustration. Check it out:

Shoppers beauty boutique

 

And here’s the video version. I added one of my fave Christmas songs to it:

 

lip cookies

These lippy cookies were perfect! Gingerbread cookies at their finest.

tiff toronto event

beauty boutique fragrance

How awesome are these personalized perfumes!

givenchy perfume

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globe style advisor“You’re Invited! Join an exclusive Globe and Mail celebration!”…..

That was the title of the email I received two weeks ago. Of course I was really excited to go! The event was held at the Fermenting Cellar in the distillery district. After looking at two maps, asking someone for directions and then joining two girls who also couldn’t find it, we finally arrived! As soon as I got there I realized I had passed by it three times! And I had parked right in front of it. I guess it was just one of those nights. Air head kind of night.

It was really awesome of Globe and Mail to invite some of us bloggers/influencers to this celebration. It was full of opportunities to snapchat, vine, IG and tweet! It was hard to find anyone I knew because the venue was pretty big, so the inner Dora in me started exploring the place and noticed so many cool details that I probably wouldn’t have noticed if I had been with a group chit chatting networking. But it would’ve been nice if we could bring a guest. Sometimes I like to have a second photographer/friend. Hopefully next year! 🙂

gmggoeslive

The event was organized by Toronto’s top event planning duo Candace and Alison, who ran with a red theme all around the venue. There was a 42 ft matrix-inspired Twitter wall that showcased content of the new Globe Media portfolio and different zones for food, dessert, drinks and more! My favourite was the Fashion & Beauty zone by Globe Style Advisor. The live performance by electropop duo, Brave Shores was great but I listened on in a tad bit of sadness that I had forgotten to give my ticket with my name for the raffle. A chance to win a trip to NYC and an iPad mini?! New York is always a great idea for a trip! The gentleman standing in front of me for a fashion illustration won the ipad. Lucky soul.

fashion and beauty globe style advisor

I heard from the grapevine that the Fashion Illustrations idea came from Andrew Sardone! Absolutely brilliant! I love getting my face illustrated and caricatures. The last time I had one done was when I was at Social Media Week in New York a few years ago. There were two fashion illustrators and I got in the line to see Joce Teng. I love her signature of round circles on the cheeks of her illustrations. I’ve recognized it from her work with Louis Vuitton and L’oreal. She is so talented and really sweet to talk too. She also shared her illustration of me on her instagram account! Eeeeiii!!! 🙂

joce teng fashion illustrator

 

There was also a nail bar presented by Her Majesty’s Pleasure, I was on the waiting list but by the time it was my turn the event was over. From the looks of it, they were painting nails red. Oh well, I’ll have to check them out on King Street soon.globe style   tapas quail egg This was my favourite spanish tapa: Petite Tartlettes   quail egg tapas  

BONUS: Here some more pictures from when I curled up with Daniyal to read the Holiday edition of
Globe Style Advisor

IMG_8728
cookie snatcher!

baby cuddles

globe style advisor IMG_8768

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

#NYXINTHESIX
Photo by // Photagonist.ca

#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 yeaaaaIt 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

east room toronto
Photos by // Photagonist.ca

nyx canada Photos by // Photagonist.ca

burger pawty toronto
Photos by // Photagonist.ca

Photos by // Photagonist.ca
Photos by // Photagonist.ca

 

#nyxinthesix 💄💋#torontoblogger

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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

nyx haul

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

nyx coloured mascara
Colour Mascara in Blue & Perfect Pear

                      nyx lash primer

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)

 

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

nyx blush baby doll and crimson

nyx black & white pencil
nyx black & silver pencil

 

NYX BB in Natural
BB in Natural

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
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!   Hum JK Blog Signature  

benefit

canada'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)

Toronto benefit boutique
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.

benefit cosmetics
If you didn’t get a chance to catch my snapchats (HumJK) from that day, here are the highlights:

The pink bench outside the boutique
The pink bench outside the boutique

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