The Subject of Zoos

My 2.5 year old son loves animals (like most do at this age I am sure), so we decided to head to Safari Niagara for most the day. It was a great park with lots of things for the kids to do, but it was an eye-opener. I haven't been to a zoo-like park in years and as much as I loved seeing these amazing animals, I couldn't help but feel a bit sad for them. Are these zoo parks the best place for them? I know you'll say, "no", but do zoos do good things for animals? Protection from endangerment, predators and other outdoor elements? OR maybe I am thinking too much and should just enjoy these creatures since I would never see them without these parks. What do you think?

Yellow Brick Wall

I have been wanting to take pictures against the yellow wall for a few months now. I love the nautical look against the bright colour. If you are interested in shopping this look, I created the look for less! Please check it out.

Shop
Shirt- Loft Girl Factory (similar)
Skirt- Loft Girl Factory (similar)
Bracelets, Necklace, Bag -Stella and Dot (here)
Shoes - Aldo (LOVE LOVE THESE)

Summer Sales!

Here are some of my picks for awesome summer sale deals!

 I love this Eliza J dress at Nordstrom, so pretty and these colours would work great into fall.

This bag is to die for! It is on sale here, and is designed by Rebecca Minkoff. The price point on her bags are great, and the quality is beautiful.

This White House Black Market tweed jacket with a bow is a gorgeous transitional piece. I am very excited about this store coming to Canada soon. It is less than $100.00 and would be a classic item in any closet.

These Anthropologie shoes are amazing! These come in an orange shade as well, the heel looks to be a perfect length and best of all they are $49.95.

I love this Club Monaco dress, it can go from season to season easily! This is $120.00 but is a great investment that would look great for years to come.

AHH this White House Black Market Dress I would buy right now!! It's gorgeous and only $80.00. This is a piece that would last years and years in my closet!

What are you craving this summer sale?? 

Bright and Floral

I recently went States-side to shop. It seems that every time I go lately, I discover a new store that I had not been in previously. This trip it was Loft Factory, now I am VERY familiar with the Ann Taylor and Loft line, but the factory store was a new adventure. I immediately fell in love with this dress, the blue floral is lovely and the shirt design, with a tie waist is very flattering. I am sorry I can not find this dress online to shop from so I included another option that is just as lovely ( although a bit more expensive).

If any of you did notice, I installed a new blog template this weekend, what do you think??

Shop
Dress- Loft Factory (similar and on sale!)
Necklace- Target (this is lovely too)
Bracelets - Stella and Dot (here) and Yuni Kelley (here)
Bag - Kate Spade (love this colour)
Shoes- Nine West (here)

My love/hate for Zara.

There is no store I love to hate more than Zara. I love most of their clothing (especially their shoes), but none of the clothes tend to fit my body type. I have tried on many clothing items at Zara, and sadly I have not purchased anything in over a decade. Recently, I took a trip to my local mall and went into Zara. The sale that is on right now is phenomenal, so of course I decide to give the clothing another try. I found five items that I was in love with, and headed into the change room. The results were extremely disappointing. Please see the pics below to find out why I have no luck in Zara, and why the skirt in the last picture from a different store is perfect.

I tried this gorgeous tropical printed green dress on in a size large (there was no medium). You can see that it is way too low in the front, and even with tailoring I don't think I would ever be comfortable wearing this out.  The skirt on this dress is lovely!

Things went from not good to really bad in this pink floral dress. I had noticed another girl bringing it into the change room so I thought I would try it. Again, this is a large and does nothing for my shape.

This white pin-striped dress was my favourite item that I tried on. It was also a large and was too big on. The armholes were way too big, and the waist had a lot of room in. Not even a belt could help this dress on me.

Then I went into Jacob and tried on this lovely skirt. Of course, if fit perfect! The print is lovely and the skirt had the perfect amount of flare. This got me thinking, when you find a store that 'fits' why look elsewhere? What are your favourite stores, and which ones do not 'fit'?  I'd love to see your comments.

P.S.- I tried to find the items in this post online and could not locate them, which is why there are not items links.

Stop 50

I have been so excited to shoot at this old abandoned truck stop for months now. It is so close to where I live and I love the retro-vibe of the old signs and old hotel next to the restaurant.  This Gap dress is so lovely with the full skirt, yes I know I have a lot of dresses like this, but this dress is so flattering on.
Shop!
Dress- Gap (here)
Shoes- White House Black Market (love these)
Necklace and Bracelets- Stella and Dot (here)
Bag- Coach Factory (love this)

Casual Summer!

For many years I was afraid of wearing stripes. I thought stripes would make me appear wider and never sit right across my chest area. In the last few years I have defeated my fear of stripes and am slowly starting to re-introduce them into my closet. Navy and white is always a classic look and this lightweight sweater is perfect for summer. What are your thoughts on stripes? Classic or trendy?

Shop
Sweater- Aritzia (here)
Shorts- Old Navy (here, on sale)
Bag- Stella and Dot (here)
Bracelet- Yuni Kelley (here)
Shoes- Converse (great options here)

Benefit They're Real Push Up Eye Liner- Review.

When I saw Benefit was releasing a gel liner that was not in a pot I was excited. I have used many of the Benefit products in the past, although not the eye liners. Needless to say, I was very excited to find out that this eye liner is supposed to hug your lash line, and is easy to apply. I definitely DO NOT have a steady hand, so eye liner application for me can sometimes turn into a disaster. I have been experimenting with the cat eye for some time now and although I am getting better at it, I tend to keep it minimal in application. Please read on for my review.......

As for the Push Up Liner itself. The packaging is stunning, and the tip on the eye liner is very unique (see pictures below). You have to turn the end of the tube in order to release the gel liner through the tip. It does take some time for the gel liner to arrive at the tip, but when it does, this is a fairly easy product to apply. I love how easy it is to touch up the line, or thicken the liner line if needed.  I found it does really 'hug' my lash line and it gives a very nice look when dry. So far, it stays on all day, and does not flake off easily. I will not be surprised if I see this product being released in other colours, as black is the only option right now. I took some pictures of myself with the liner on so you can get the idea of the cat eye look that I like for daytime. I will continue to practice using this product, and I would definitely recommend it. Great job Benefit!

What I am Lusting After Right Now....

I love this look from Topshop, shockingly my sizes are still in stock. I have nowhere to wear this and no idea if I would ever wear it, but I sure do like it!.

Stylish Petite posted this outfit on her blog this week and I immediately fell in love with this from H&M. I have no idea if this is coming to Canada but I sure hope our stores receive these items soon.

This eye liner from Benefit looks amazing, Courtney at La Belle Sirene reviewed this earlier in the week and seemed to think it was worth trying. I will probably hit my local Sephora to pick this up. If you have tried this, please let me know what you think.

I saved the best for last, of course it is a pair of shoes. I have been eyeing these Aminah Abdul Jillil pumps for a while now. I have heard these are NOT the most comfortable pair of shoes, but is the pain worth it? If you own these or have any review news, let me know please.


That's all for now, please let me know what you are lusting after at the moment.

Happy Canada Day!! - Special Edition

Happy Canada Day! Some very nice realtors left this cute pinwheel on my front lawn, so this served as inspiration for this post. The black, white, and red works really well together and just when I think I have done my favourite post, low and behold, another one tops it. The white shoes with Shoelery bows finish this look perfectly.
How are you spending Canada Day?
Shop:
Dress -Ricki's (similar)
Bag, Necklace, Bracelets- Stella and Dot (here)
Shoes -Nine West  (here)
Bows on Shoes - Shoelery (here)