Leaving on a Jet Plane

errr ... well how about leaving in my Jetta up to the COTTAGE, for about a week!  I can't wait!

I'm so excited to finally log out of work and just shut my brain off for a couple of days.  Hopefully I'll be able to get a really nice tan, read some books, spend lots of quality time with the bf and eat lots of yummy comfort food & snacks (bbq bites & bites & ice cream)!

As I mentioned in my 10 Tiny Things about me, I am addicted to being organized.  I love to-do lists, tabs, color coding, file folders and excel spreadsheets :)  Here is my packing checklist of what I need to bring for the cottage! 

This will definitely keep me organized while packing along with remind me what I brought up to the cottage so I can remember to bring everything home.

I will be posting pictures when I return :)

My Fascination with Etsy & OOTD

My fascination with Etsy first started when I was in a meeting at work a couple years ago with a girl who had a really stylish turquoise bead necklace on.  I'm not too shy to ask ladies where they purchase they fashion finds (when others ask me, I'm flattered), so I had no hesitation during my meeting.  Her response was, ETSY!  I was dumbfounded, had no clue what she was talking about, then she proceeded to tell me it was similar to eBay but for 'crafty people'.  I logged on and instantly fell hard for the site. 

I tend to get very distracted by pastel, soft, girlie things (oh and of course beautiful papers) so Etsy was a little bit of heaven for me.  Not only did it have jewelry, it has just about everything you can make and create (like stamps, stationary, clothing, headbands, wedding details, home accents, journals, gorgeous art prints and so on).  The best part, I think, is that you can completely customize anything you order from the site to suit your color needs and personal style. 

Here are some of my favourite items!!!

boho ruffle dress - bayousalvage

'test bubbles' passport holder - Owls Key Designs

luggage tags - harlex

cupcake wrappers - avie

leather pouch - renneslechateau

vintage rubber stamp - stampoutonline

fine art prints - jessamae22

coat rack - oldnewagain

adorable stationary (table number) - littleladycompany

wishbone necklace - NYLightMetals (by far my fav jewelry company on etsy!)

pink silicone iMac keyboard protector - skinsRit

grey paper straws - beautifully urban

Even 3 years after my new found love affair, I'm still drawn to check it out on a weekly basis.  I'm fortunate cause my work cubicle buddy also loves Etsy.  She's even thinking of creating her own store (she does purses & ties!).

I personally love the feel of anything vintage and Etsy satisfies that feeling within me and continues to inspire me.

And here is an Outfit of the Day (OOTD) from this past week.  We've been having a heat wave here in Toronto and it's somewhat unbearable.  So I'm trying to wear as many skirts & tanks as possible, but at the same time trying to keep my outfits work appropriate.

tank - aritzia TNA tank

skirt - zara

Style Icon - Jillian Harris

Oh Jillian, Jillian, Jillian ... How I love your style! 

Since the 13th season of The Bachelor (Jason Mesnick's heartbreaker season), I have been somewhat obsessed with Jillian Harris & her great sense of style.  She originated as one of the bachelorette's vying for Jason's heart who later became America & Canada's sweetheart and became the next bachelorette!  She has been by far the best dressed bachelorette of all time - and one of the main reasons I watched her season was to see what she was wearing (well and I wanted her to find true love, of course).  On top of her being one of my style icons, she is also a fellow Canadian and a huge fan of the Canadian clothing retailer, Aritzia!  (God, I love that store, just wish it was slightly more affordable).

I think my fashion girl crush started when I saw Jillian wearing this preppy Guess dress in one of the final rose ceremonies.  I remember immediately wanting to know where it was from to purchase it right away.  I scanned numerous blogs & entered it into about 50 Google searches. I was so upset to find out it was a dress from a couple seasons prior.  I never forgot about the dress & always had it in my "clothing want list", so when I was at The Bay a few Summers ago and saw a dress similar - I had to scope it up!  Check out the similarity -- it's by no means the exact dress, but it's still a pretty, preppy work dress!  I'm wearing it today!

Jillian's style is trendy, but at the same time she knows exactly what looks best on her.  I think I fall into the same category.  I really like to experiment with trends, but trends that I know will last longer than one season and that look good on me. She is the epitome of the perfect classic dresser: knee high boots, t-shirts, flirty dresses, stripes & polka dots and cardigan sweaters.

Here are some of my favourite Jillian outfits!

 Love love love this casual striped dress!  I love pairing dresses with jean jackets!

 I have this same dress from Urban Outfitters!

 Dress is from Aritzia, but I love that it's paired with a trendy cardigan (dress is classic, cardigan trendy!)

 Another Aritzia item - classic white dress shirt. I would love to wear this outfit out for a romantic dinner!

 Polka dots NEVER go out of style.  I love that Jillian wore this for a night out with the girls.  I'm 100% behind the fact that dressing conservative leaves more to the imagination.

 White lace dress with jean jacket!  I'm going to add this combination into my wardrobe.

 Mix & match bikini!!!!

 Classic: White t-shirt, jeans & boots (with a colorful trendy scarf!)

 Fun & flirty tutu! (I don't think I could ever pull this off like Jillian!)

In a TNA Vancouver Olympics hoodie!

Look 4 Less: Lauren Conrad Striped Tiered Dress

I absolutely love the look of a maxi dress, even more so in the Summer when it's > 30 degrees.  Right now here in Toronto we are having a heat wave - so in addition to enjoying a tall glass of lemonade, I decided to wear my Look 4 Less Lauren Conrad Striped Tiered Dress out shopping.  The origianl retails for $60 but I found the 'wannabe' at H&M for $10! 

Bangs?

I'm a Taurus through and through, but the one trait that the typical Taurus possesess that I don't see in myself is the reluctance to change.  I hate change at work & with my friends (that's a bit stressful), but change with my style, hair & make up I live for! 

I love the length of my hair (need a trim!) but something needs to change - it's been the same 'style' for about a year.  I do change the texture & look (ie. one day I'll wear it straight and the next curly, or the front pieces I'll pull up at the top of my head vs. a ponytail) but I think I need something more dramatic. 

This thought process leads me to my decision try bangs.  I had bangs back in grade school (my mom thought it was adorable) and most recently (2-3 years ago) I had a fringe/side bangs, but I haven't truly had bangs. 

Here is my typical look for day & work! 

What do you think?  Is bangs a good idea? 

I have been collecting a couple inspiration pictures over the past couple of months.

Hopefully I don't chicken out!  Wish me luck! ;)

Most Practical & Preppy Tote - The Longchamp Le Pliage

I LOOOOOVEEEEE a good tote bag.  Mainly because it's so practical and easy to carry around.  You can just throw everything you need into them (quickly) and make a run out the door.  For me, tote bags need to meet the below criteria:

1. Must have strong sturdy straps & be durable (in case heavy items need to be carried or even poor weather)
2. Must have a zipper (this may shock people that know me, only because I NEVER zip up my purses), I just like to have the option especially if I am driving and need to make a hard stop and my purse & my belongings are catapulted into the bottom of the front seat)
3. Must be stylish (there are some really boring tote bags out there)

Thus leading me into my decision to always have a Longchamp Le Pliage on hand! 

My current Longchamp Le Pliage (Medium) in Taupe

The Longchamp Le Pliage suits my wardrobe (preppy and stylish), they are made with leather straps for comfortable carrying and durability.  The bulk of the tote is made out of nylon therefore making it waterproof.  And it has a zipper!  As I'm sure you can see, the zipper is not zipped up - but it's there if it needs to be, especially for traveling!

What I love most about the Longchamp Le Pliage is that it comes in so many sizes & so many colors!  My next purchase (if I can find them, they are limited editions) is the Le Pliage with the Eiffel Tower.  Sooooo nice!  I might have to check out & stalk some ebay sellers :)

Check out some of my favourite celebrities carrying the Longchamp Le Pliage!

Kate Middleton

Katie Holmes

 Rachel McAdams

My Makeup Organization ... + my favourite products

Makeup! & Organization! in the same title.  I've even intrigued myself.  I'm a huge organizational freak but at the same time a big procrastinator, I've wanted to do a post about how I organize my makeup for months.  It has taken me months (not because it's not organized -- it is!) but because the pics I took of my makeup have been on my laptop which has been pretty much under construction for the past couple of months.  I've been procrastinating setting it up and charging it.  I know, excuses... excuses.  Well now that I'm set up again, and have all my personal documents & pictures I promise to blog a lot more. 

I don't tend to wear too much makeup to work, usually just the basics like concealar, bronzer, blush and mascara.  I however LOVE to wear makeup when I go out at night!  Since I don't wear too much jewelery I feel as though makeup is my best accessory.

Now on to the makeup organization!

I have forever carried my top used (fav.) products in a makeup case that I can throw into my purse for either a night out, sleepover or a rushed morning out the door if I'm late for work!  All my other makeup products are concealed in a two drawer plastic case that I picked up a couple years ago at one of my favourite stores called Solutions (basically it's a store specifically for organizing solutions!)

The top compartment stores all my 'face' products (ie. tinted moisturizers, concealers, blush, bronzers, powders, etc.)  The bottom compartment stores all my lip & eye makeup!  This is my favourite -- as there are so many colors.  I have all my MAC quads, lipsticks & glosses oh and all my makeup brushes. (now just thinking about this, I wish I took a pic of the drawers open).  I will promise to add this soon!

 my fav FACE products:

MAC tinted moisturizer in Medium Dark

Bare Escentuals Faux Tan bronzer (have used this product for YEARS!  I love it!!!)

Bobbi Brown Blush in Peony

Marcelle Illuminating Power

 MAC Eyebrown Pencil in Lingering

Sephora Eyeliner in Black

Anastasia Highlighting Pencil (I use this on my brow bone & in the corner of my eyes)

MAC Concealer in NW20

Benefit Erase Paste

Smashbox Eyeshadow Trio in Center Stage

my fav LIPSTICKS - they are all MAC

Hue, Speed Dial, Lovelorn, Sweetie

(Sweetie is my ultimate favourite, I've been wearing this one since the end of highschool) 

I have way too many MAC eye shadows (and I barely wear any of them).  My favourite are: Vex, Shroom, Retrospeck, Ricepaper, Carbon and Plum Dressing.  The above is just a small selection of all the colors!  Now you can see why the bottom compartment of my makeup storage container is my favourite!

Now on to my nail polish collection.  I usually always have color on my nails (again I think of nail polish as an accessory).  I keep all my colors in the below basket compartment.  I absolutely love Essie nail polish, it's my favourite brand, goes on really well and I feel like they have been producing some great colors recently.

My favourite nail polish colors are:

Essie: Chinchilly, Fifth Avenue, Mint Candy Apple, Sugar Daddy and Sand Tropez

OPI: No Spain No Gain, Lincoln Park After Dark, Russian Navy and Bubble Bath