Currently Loving: Pleated A-Line Skirts

The first day of Spring just passed but it’s still cold in Toronto (sigh). Just looking at Spring fashion cheers me up and gives me something to look forward to. A look that is great for transition seasons like Spring & Fall is the pleated a-line skirt.

A-line is universally flattering on ALL body types as it hugs you at your slimmest area (waist) and flares out, giving the illusion of an hourglass shape. Having pleats on the a-line adds definition and volume. One thing to remember is that since the a-line already adds volume to the bottom, keep it simple on top.

Here’s some ideas on how you can wear the pleated a-line skirt:

Get Her Look: Olivia Palermo

One of my favourite styled outfits belong to none other than Olivia Palermo. I first saw her on the MTV series, ‘The City’ where she was the villain but after that, she caught my eye for her stylist outfits. Whether she’s running errands or attending fashion week, this girl has got her style down to a tee! Here’s how you can get her look:

Estate Bib Necklace from STELLA & DOT
Faux Fur Best from GARNET HILL
Leather Sleeve Blazer from Michael Kors
Faux Leather Leggings from MANGO
Office City Bag from ZARA
Suede Oxblood Booties from Opening Ceremony

See below how you can create different looks with the two staples. She sure loves her fur vest and leather leggings/pants!

Trend To Try: Stiletto Nails

I’ve been awe-ed and so attracted to these cat-claw nails! They do look like they’ll be hard to maintain… but still are worth a try! Definitely going on my to-do list.

Check out these amazing stiletto nails:

Review: Clarins HydraQuench Cream for Normal to Dry Skin

So, I ran out out of my fave moisturizer, Insobeau Z Cream (read review here), a few months ago. I couldn’t just go to a store to pick up another one as I can only get it from Korea, which takes a week or two. Thankfully, my friend gifted me this Clarins HydraQuench Cream to try, and I am so glad she did! I’m in love with it and definitely will be picking up another one this week as my first tub is DUNZO… to the very last scrape.

If you’ve been reading my blog, you’ll know that I have combination dry skin, which just get drier in the winter months. I prefer cream moisturizers rather than gel for that ultra creaminess on my skin, and this product gives me just that. That’s not to say it’s heavy and thick – it applies very smoothly, absorbs quickly and is weightless. I feel that it even calms down any redness I have in my skin as well.

I apply this cream day and night with more cream on my cheek area as my t-zone is not as dry. It provides a great base for makeup because it gives you a dewy finish as well. It’s lasted around 3 months using this as often as twice a day.

I found that using this cream really reduced the amount of breakouts I had – the one or two I would randomly get went to zero (except for that time of the month.. when it’s really inevitable that I’ll get a few breakouts)!

The only negative about this product is that it’s pricey. At $50 for a 1.7oz., it’s in the higher end of moisturizers. My philosophy is that you can invest in great skin case and spend less on the makeup – so it’s definitely worth it. I suggest going in to Sephora and asking for a sample to use instead of buying the whole thing first.

Think Pastel for Spring 2013

Spring is here and with it comes new trends for the warmer weather! I couldn’t be more excited for this trend because it reminds me of delicious macarons, cupcakes and all things sweet. We’re talk pastel – it was an awesome eye candy trend last spring/summer and it’s back for 2013 (I hope you didn’t throw out that mint skinny jeans or lilic coloured dress you bought last spring).

How pretty is the “muted rainbow” on the runway (above)? Along with the ultra feminine colours of the season comes another trend – the soft and lightweight fabrics such as silk, lace, and satin. Check out the runway shots below:

You know what to reach for when you go shopping for this spring! Here’s some great pieces on trend :

Winter Favourites 2013

Since I haven’t done a ‘Favourites’ post in a while, I decided to combine the last few months together as a ‘Winter Favourites’ post. The following things are the stuff I constantly found myself reaching for through the last few months. Love, love, love!