Lusting

Miu Miu Lurex Stage Bag - $950

I came across this beauty on InStyle. The colours and whimsical print caught my eye. The stone embellishments adorned in such an original way. But then I read the discription: "When the sun’s out, it’s your handbag. But after hours, the strap detaches to become a necklace and that purse is now your clutch." Um, what?! Sounds delightful and useful. Buuuut....part of me still wishes that my original idea was how it really was.

A Little Hope

Apologies for my absence. Last week was an intense one for Define Magazine. If you haven't heard, we have a contest going on. You could win a Truth Blouse from Nicole Bridger. Contest closes January 31, 2010.

If you haven't heard already, Kelsey from The Anthology is organizing a charity event for those affected by the earthquakes in Haiti, called Hope in Haiti. The event takes place tomorrow (Jan. 27) at Barcelona Ultra Lounge (formerly Crush) on Granville. Advance tickets are $15 ($20 at the door), with proceeds going to the Canadian Red Cross. There will be musical guests and a silent auction - I hear there are some amazing prizes - including a feathered pair of shoes from A Haute Mess!

This is going to be a fantastic event. I'm unable to make it, but my business partner, Mike, will be there representing Define. And he'll be live blogging it!

Contest!

Head over to Define Magazine to check out our latest contest!

WTF? and Whine Wednesday

Ok, I've addressed this subject before and I feel like I need to address it again.

You may or may not have seen my tweets on this topic over the past couple days, but, let me join the masses in saying:

Heidi Montag, what the hell were you thinking?

I'm sure we all thought she was a little nutty when, back in 2007, she went under the knife and got a nose job and breast implants. But now? After undergoing an astonishing 10 procedures in 1 day, I'd say she's full fledged looney toons.

What procedures did she get? Allow me to enlighten you:

1) mini brow lift
2) botox in forhead and frown area
3) nose job realignment
4) chin reduction
5) neck liposuction
6) ears pinned back
7) breast augmentation revision
8) liposuction on waist, hips and inner and outer thigh
9) fat injections in cheeks, nasolabial folds and lips
10) butt augmentation



And just to clarify, Heidi is 23. Not 63, like some of the procedures may hint at. I mean, neck lipo?! Mid-body lipo? Butt augmentation? Botox?! Give me a break.

Oh, and just so you all know, Heidi still maintains that inner beauty is the most important. And the thing that really pisses me off about the entire thing? She doesn't believe that her actions will have a negative effect on young people. Heidi claims that she does it because of the industry she's in. That's a load of crap. What a cop out. I would have been a lot more satisfied if she had said, "I'm very insecure about my looks and getting this done makes me feel better about myself." It may not be the best answer because, well, let's face it, the bottom line is that she had surgery, but at least it's honest.

Who knows, maybe one day she'll see the error of her ways and wish that she hadn't gone through with it. Or maybe she'll just become more and more delusional. I'm gonna go with the latter.

Let's get a psych team up in here!

But seriously, parents, sisters, cousins, friends, let's make sure that the girls in our lives have positive self images! Lead by example!

The Way You Make Me Feel

Sometimes, this is how I feel about fashion...



The part where Amanda licks the shoe? That's me with yesterday's Ferragamo Grazia Pumps.

Ugly Betty kills it week after week as my pick for Most Fashionable Show.

Lusting

First off, thanks for all the recommendations for jeans - I appreciate it. I absolutely hate jean shopping because nothing ever fits me properly. But I digress.

Let me paint you a picture.

My office is at Robson and Burrard. Every morning, I go to Starbucks (on Hornby) for a tea ($1.68 for a venti!) and pass Salvatore Ferragamo. Each day is torture.

Why?

Because every day I have to walk past these:

Grazia Platform Pump - $620

They sit there, perched above all the other shoes, as though to say, "Bow to me". I love the nude (they also come in gray!) colour - they would go with everything! The bow detail is so delicate and the peep toe is divine.

Tomorrow, I will show you a video of how these shoes make me feel.

Help!

I'm looking for a new pair of jeans and I'm looking for recommendations.

I want skinny jeans in a dark wash, with a decent amount of stretch, but won't stretch out.

I usually wear H&M jeans, Citizens, and 7 for All Mankind.

I'm leaning towards another pair of 7's, because I know they fit me (most jeans don't), or maybe a pair of J Brand, because I like their simple washes.

Thoughts?

Mirror, Mirror on My Foot

Yes, you read correctly.

Brazilian designer, Andreia Chaves, is the creator. She has literally taken the concept that fashion is art to heart and has created a very literal representation.




Though they're entirely impractical, I can't help but feel my heart skip a beat every time I see them. I especially love the glass shoes and the illusion they create, making it look like you're not even wearing shoe, let alone have feet.

FLIRT ALERT!

That's the name of my new lipstick. How sassy is that??


I bought Benefit's Full-finish Lipstick in Flirt Alert for New Years. I had decided that I would go with bold lips since I was too scared to do bold eyes with my lash extensions (I also had a hunch that I wouldn't have the capacity to take the eye makeup off at the end of the night - boy was I right).

I hadn't heard much about the product, but Benefit's always a good go-to. It was the perfect bold red that I was looking for - the others were a bit brown, orange-y, or too pink. Plus their packaging is always super cute - the little insert in the box reads, "Men may come & go but lipstick is forever". Oh Betty, how wise you are.

The product is great. It glides on silky, doesn't dry my lips out, and the colour is fantastic. It's definitely my new favourite lipstick.

The only downside that I've experienced is that due to the packaging, it doesn't have that typical lipstick shape, it has the slanted tip. I've found that this doesn't allow for great application. I don't have Angelina Jolie lips, so swiping it over my lips gets messy. It's definitely the type of lipstick you need a brush for.

Define Tuesday

Make sure you stop by Define Magazine today to see what's going on.

I have a piece there about The Vanguard PR's new outreach program.

Be sure to check out Dave's super easy workout program (do it during Gossip Girl commercial breaks!) and Mr. Sartorial's (Tim Lucas) tips for cleaning out your closet, plus MUCH more.


We're always looking for writers from all over the world! If you're interested, check out what you need to do.

Tension Clothing Annual Warehouse Sale

If you haven't heard by now, where have you been?!

Tension Clothing is having their annual sample sale this week (Jan 14-16). The company is built on 3 different lines: Tension, the big sister of the bunch with ladylike separates and office appropriate pieces; T by Tension, the sporty middle sister; and Sweet Chemise, the girly little sister, full of dresses and delicate details.

Prices will be marked down by up to 80%.

The time to shop is now, before the Olympics come and we're all too scared to venture out to the shops because it'll be madness.

It's My Party

It's here! My birthday!

What did you get me?

My birthday is actually tomorrow (Saturday). Tonight is going to be celebrated with the boyfriend with dinner at Socie+y (he's never been). I'm really looking forward to the mac + cheese balls. Saturday is more food, dinner at Nuba, drinks at Diamond. Maybe some Lamplighter after? Come by, say Hi, stay for a drink.

I had family birthday dinner last night at ReFuel (Sorry, no food porn, left my camera at home. Ugh.), and to be honest, I was disappointed. The service was lacklustre, the food mediocre. Fuel had received such great reviews before, so naturally I was expecting the same from ReFuel. I had their much buzzed about Fried Chicken. It was good - not too greasy, tasty batter, moist chicken, but overall just Meh. Overall, I'd give it a 3 out of 5.

I am, however, looking forward to dinner at Nuba. Guarenteed food porn next week.


I hope you all had the opportunity to check out Define Magazine. We have some great pieces lined up for next week and the weeks to come.

If you're interested in contributing, please email me or check out the "How to Become a Writer" page at Define Mag.

If you're interested in advertising, please email Mike Tao.

Doe Eyed

A week before Christmas I finally made it to Noir Lash Lounge to get lash extensions. I had only heard good things, so I was eager to pump up my lashes for the holiday season. You know how it is, your family always wants to take pictures during gift opening and you're still half asleep.

I was certainly pleased with the results! My lashes were fuller, longer, and curled, instantly giving me that wide-eyed and bushy-tailed look. I felt doe eyed. For the rest of the day I couldn't stop looking at my lashes at every opportunity I got. They significantly decreased the time for makeup application - concealer, blush, high lighter, done! It's almost 3 weeks later and I still have quite a few lashes.

Don't think it was all sunshine and rainbows though. I did have one lash that had become unstuck from my lid, but was still adhered to my lash itself, that would poke me everytime I closed my eye. It was livable at first, but then it became painful, so painful that the only option I had at that point in time was to just try to get it off. I ended up pulling it off…plus a few lashes. I have since learned that it's better to cut the lash off than rip it out - but desperate times called for desperate measures. If it had been possible, I would have headed to Noir where they can remove the lashes for free.

The verdict? Will I get them again? Yes, definitely. However, I won't become a full fledged lash addict. I try to make my makeup and cleansing routine as basic as possible. Having to be constantly conscious of the lashes wasn't difficult, but was occasionally trying. Thus, I was wary to wear eyeliner because I didn't want to spend all the time and effort to take it off. Lazy? You bet. I loved the way they looked, I loved the ease they provided in my daily makeup application (especially going to work). But they're not for me in terms of a long term commitment. I'd rather use that money towards shoes.

I absolutely cannot wait until I can put my face directly under the shower head again.

WTF? and Whine Wednesday

What ever happened to common decency?

There once was a time when it was common to hear people being polite to one another. An "Excuse Me" here, a "Please" there. It was great because you enjoying doing simple things for others, like holding the door open, because it was appreciated.

NOT NOW!

These days you're lucky if you get a Thank You for holding the door open for someone. Sometimes even a smile will suffice. But, I would venture that about 80% of people magically "forget" their manners or are just plain rude.

The madness has to stop! Let's be honest here, how much are you putting yourself out to be polite? Is it that hard to say Please, Thank You, and Excuse Me?


For 2010, let's all try to make a conscious effort to be more polite. It's not hard and doesn't require any time at all.

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday. I know I did.

I just wanted to remind everyone that my magazine, Define, launches tomorrow! So make sure to check us out. And don't forget to follow us on Twitter.



We're always looking for writers, so if you're interested, send me an email: hausofhybrid [at] gmail.com

We're also giving away FREE advertising for the month of January. If you want to promote your business or blog, email advertising [at] definemag.com for more details!