spring 2015 wish list

I've said multiple times how it's hard for me to choose between Spring and Autumn for which is my favourite season. In September, when I'm ready for the coats and scarves to be worn again, my favourite season is Fall. And in February/March when I just can't wait any longer to stop wearing my big, puffy winter coat, I insist that Spring is my favourite.

Outfit Of The Day

Just wanted to share some old Instagram outfit of the days with you! Click here for more of my Instagram!

Spark Sessions

So, as promised I am going to talk to you a little about the Spark Sessions conference I attended this past weekend. All I knew going into it was that there would be 250 fellow fashion and beauty bloggers, that there were panels where people would be talking about different topics relevant to blogging (how to turn blogging into a full-time job, and what to know before you sign with an advertising agency), and that of course there would be networking time.

When I got there, I was pleasantly surprised by how real everything and everyone was. By that I mean, the talks and panels were very tailored and relevant to the blogging industry as it currently is; a lot of the speakers (who I will talk about in a second) probably made their foray into the blogging sector years ago, but they still know what's going on with it and how it has changed today. And so they spoke about their experiences, but also how it would be different for us current and new bloggers and how that will change and we take their tips and advice into account.

The speakers that were at the conference were some of the coolest, nicest, most interesting people I've gotten to hear speak. Some of them were TV personalities, some were long-time bloggers (who have turned it into a full-time job), some were PR professionals, giving us advice on how to contact people like them to get ourselves out there more. There were also Q&A components at the end of (almost) every panel (if they didn't have time for a Q&A it was most likely that the speaker talked a lot about the topic, and had answered any questions we would've had), which was also good to hear them expand on their topic and tailor their information towards specific bloggers.

Day 1

(Andrew Sardone; Editor, Globe Style Advisor)

(Vanessa Craft: Beauty Director, Elle Canada)

(Wynnie Chan)

(From left to right: Cameron Gordon, Sean Beckingham, and Talya Macedo)

(Lena Almeida, Listen to Lena)

Day 2

(From left to right: Ruth Goudie, Noor Marzook, Isabelle Randez, and Sarah Kelsey)

(Katherine Andrikopoulos)

(Maxine McDonald)

(From left to right: Iva Galic-Grbesic, Rema Gouyez, and Natalie Ho)

(Cheryl Hickey)

And of course, there is the networking component. Before going, I thought we were just going to be able to meet fellow bloggers and bounce ideas and tips and tricks off each other to find out maybe what they know about the industry that we didn't. But what I was also very pleasantly surprised with was that the sponsors of Spark Sessions (and there were some really big names) were also available for networking, in that you could make an appointment with a certain brand you're interested in working with and talk to them for about 10 minutes ("speed networking").

During the course of the weekend, the sponsor brands also had booths setup around the building, and attendees could go around and talk to the people running them (who also work for the brand). You could try out their products, most of which are new and just hitting the market, or in the case of clothing brands, try on some pieces. For example, the Benefit Cosmetics booth was doing brow services, and I decided to give it a try. The girl who was working the booth was super nice and we chatted a bit, and I was extremely pleased with the result. She used Benefit's gimme brow, which uses brow-volumizing fibre gel. It just enhances your brows' natural look, making them look fuller, which is exactly what I was looking for. Needless to say I'm obsessed!

(The Blossom Lounge booth)

(The Crowd Social booth)

(The Vitabath booth)

(The Nicole by OPI booth)

(Me getting my brows done at the Benefit booth)

This type of experience is invaluable to people like me, to really get your name (and blog, and brand) out there for people to notice. My favourite thing about blogging is that there are sooo many different types of bloggers. Besides the fashion and beauty (and lifestyle) bloggers, there are also ones that do it full-time (or have other jobs and blog on the side, like me); bloggers that are looking to make partnerships with brands and PR companies (and ones that maybe don't have interest in doing that); bloggers that are looking to turn their blog into a website, with contributors and make it a full-time thing who can employ other people (and some who are happy with their smaller blog, who just like to do it for fun). And many other variations. No matter what type of blogger you are, you definitely got something (and by something I mean a lot of somethings) out of the weekend. For example, I attended some panels on topics I wasn't necessarily interested in at the moment (like the "how to rebrand your blog" session), but the information I learned in that talk was good to know in general, and will also help me if I ever do decide to rebrand.

And of course, the goodie bag. This was one of the craziest swag bags I have ever received, with tons of (full size!) samples of products, some of which aren't even on the market yet. There is probably no better place to give free samples than a blogger conference where the attendees will definitely try out the products and review and write about them on their blogs. I am so excited to start trying these products, and hopefully bring you some reviews of ones that I just can't get enough of. One of the samples I received was the Benefit "gimme brow", which I talked about above, and I'm so happy since I loved the product they tested on me at the conference.

Spark Sessions: Fashion & Beauty Blogger Conference

On the weekend of November 15th and 16th, in Toronto, I will be attending a fashion and beauty blogger conference. If you have always wanted to start a blog but have just never taken that leap, have started a blog and it's still in the beginner stages, or if you've even had a blog for a while and just want some more tips and tricks, you won't want to miss this weekend!

There will be networking opportunities with brands, PR professionals, and other fellow bloggers, and that kind of real-time, face-to-face networking is something that can't be replicated over the internet or email (no matter how much we bloggers love our computers). You can check out the Spark Sessions team here!

The agenda for the weekend includes workshops such as how to turn blogging into a full time job, good things to know about ad networks before you sign with them, and also about getting contributors for your blog. You can see a schedule and a list of all the workshops for the weekend here.

I'm super excited to not only meet fellow bloggers but to also get a chance to network and chat with them, as well the amazing and influential people on the directing and managing team. The greatest part is is that the focus is on Canadian blogging. When an opportunity like this comes up, it's pretty hard to pass on it, so grab a friend, fellow blogger, or go solo (you'll meet enough people and make enough friends!) and get your tickets (here) before they sell out. Can't wait to see you all there!

WMCFW: Day 2 Outfit

I will be blogging through the weekend to bring you reviews and outfits from Toronto Fashion Week as quick as possible. I can't believe the week is over. It's a little bittersweet, because on the one hand I need to catch up on some sleep (and some work), but on the other hand I've met and spent time with such cool people this week it's going to be weird not seeing them everyday! But let's go back to day 2 for a look at my outfit!

During day 2 there was to be an event celebrating the style of Minnie Mouse, so of course I dressed up. I channeled my inner Minnie with the white blouse and red blazer, and also the polka dot tights. But I put my own spin on the look by making it a little edgier with the leather shorts, statement necklace, and red lips. I just needed to add a little faux fur coat for making my way to and from the tents because it was pretty chilly and rainy outside.

Blouse: Zara

Blazer: H&M

Necklace: Topshop

Jacket: H&M

Tights: H&M

Boots: H&M

Bracelets: Pandora

Bag: JNB

Rings: H&M, Queen St. boutique

WMCFW: Day 1 Outfit

Obviously like any fashion-obsessed person, I had my outfits for fashion week picked out about a week before (well, a week before is when I finalized them; I'd been working on what I was going to wear probably since the beginning of the month), but if I learned one thing on the first day of fashion week it was that you can plan all you want but Mother Nature ultimately makes the choice of what you will wear. 

The plan was to wear a sheer white cross-over blouse with a heavy fur vest (I loved the contrast between the two, especially with the boyfriend jeans), but because it was so cold and rainy I had to add a little leather jacket under the vest and change from my open-toe black booties to these tan ones. But, as you can see, the outfit still turned out pretty cute and I was definitely warm enough in all my layers. The only complaint I have is that I had to lug around my big umbrella, and that we had to move this little photoshoot inside the house, where the lighting was definitely not as good as outside.

If you remember my Instagram of when my sister's friend did my hair with the wrap around braids, that day I knew I wanted her to do my hair like that again one day for fashion week. We figured we'd start the week off right and do it on the first day of shows. It also ended up working out that my hair as up since the rain and humidity would've made it frizzy. Anyways, here is my outfit from day 1 of Spring/Summer 2015 fashion week!

Blouse: H&M

Fur Vest: Zara

Jeans: Bluenotes

Bag: Old Navy

Boots: Old Navy

Ring: Topshop

Lipstick: Mac Cyber

Outerwear Vests

Ok, so I'm a little obsessed with vests. I did a post in the summer including ones made of leather, cargo, and denim, saying that they're perfect to throw on last minute to top off an outfit. (Although it's  a lot colder out now, the rules still apply, so you can read that post here). And I definitely still feel the same way, about sleeveless pieces being able to add that little something to a look and make it completely different, only now that the weather's cooled off, there are tons of outerwear vests that I really wanted to talk about. Now, instead of the lighter materials, we're seeing vests made of wool and fur. Think of these vests as a great transitional piece inter your thicker coats.

When it's still early fall and the weather is just starting to get cool, wear one of these with even just a T-shirt or long sleeve. Then, as winter approaches, try it with a knit sweater or even over another jacket, just to get that layering effect. Choose an outerwear vest in a neutral colour like the ones below, so that you don't have to limit your outfit underneath.

1. Classiques Entier

2. Michael Kors

3. Slater Zorn

4. Topshop Unique

5. Isabel Marant

6. H&M

7. Club Monaco

8. Noriko

Grunge Girl

For me, the perfect time to go for a grunge look is fall. The fabrics, patterns, pieces and colours of the grunge style are just so perfect for autumn. I'm talking plaid, chunky sweaters, beanies, and burgundy, amongst other things. It's just a time to wind down from the cute sundresses And that is what this outfit is all about.

It's also about some very hot trends right now. Graphic T's, for one, are showing up pretty much everywhere. And especially white ones with basic, black writing on it, like I talked about in my post, Say Something. The black and red flannel plaid is also having a huge moment, whether in button ups, like I'm wearing, dresses, skirts, or scarves. Be sure to tie your flannel plaid (whatever colour scheme) around your waist for that extra cool, grunge look. And lastly, ripped jeans. I know I've talked about how hot they are on previous posts and my Instagram, but that is only because it cannot be said enough. If you're going to invest in one single piece this fall, let it be distressed denim because they aren't going anywhere soon.

Beanie: Forever 21

T-Shirt: Zara

Plaid Shirt: H&M (boys section)

Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters

Shoes: Wild Diva

Purse: H&M

Sunglasses: Boathouse

Ring: Suzy Shier; Bracelet: Aldo

Oh So Nautical

This was one of the outfit shoots I did at the cottage a few weeks ago. I knew we had a beautiful dock to work with and that I would be able to take pictures right by the lake, and so I wanted to do something that fit in really well with water. And what better for that than a blue and white striped dress with splashed of red (and the life ring!)?

A few years ago when the nautical trend was really starting to make its way into fashion, I learned that a very effective way to pull off the trend was to pair blue and white striped pieces with hints of red or yellow. Those colours really do seem to look the best with stripes, and I have continued to keep that trick in mind even until now. I also heard that adding a brown braided belt with a nautical outfit is reminiscent of ropes on a sail boat, and so that is always a really good thing to add to an outfit like this as well. So for this nautical look I added splashes of red in my clutch and lipstick, and a brown belt and chunky heels. Enjoy! P.S. Can you tell this is one of my favourite purses? (I've now featured it in 3 outfits posts!)

Dress: H&M

Hat: Urban Heritage

Clutch: JNB via Marshall Rousso

Shoes: target

Lipstick: MAC Cockney

Photographer: Elana Emer