Mad for Macarons

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know that I love macarons...a lot. So when I saw the feature in the most recent issue of Aeroplan's Arrival magazine about macarons, I knew I had to check out their list of the Best Macarons in Canada.

Bobbette & Belle - Toronto

558 Jones Ave

Bobbette & Belle macaron tower

More than just macarons, Bobbette & Belle is also a bakery. While their cakes look delicious, it's the towers of macarons that are the most eye-catching.

Nadege - Toronto

780 Queen St. West

A new place - so new that the website isn't even up and running. But, apparently they have mojito macaons. MOJITO!

La Maison du Macaron - Montreal

4479 rue de La Roche

They have 17 different flavours of macarons. The website is in all French, but some of their new flavours include Grapefruit, Cassis and Baileys.

Yann Haute Patisserie - Calgary

329 23rd Ave. SW

Calgary. Who knew? Yann Haute only opened earlier this year, but they have amazing flavours like Morello Cherry and Peanut Butter (!!!).


Unfortunately no Vancouver places were mentioned. But that's OK. We have Say See Bon to tide us over in the meantime!


Images from Arrival.

Sex and the City Winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered my Sex and the City Tour Giveaway!

Congratulations to Fashion Forward 40! You're the winner of the gift certificate from On Location Tours! Have a great time and take lots of pictures!

A Big Thanks to On Location Tours for sponsoring the giveaway. Remember to look them up on your next trip to NYC!

Wedding Season: Banana Republic Edition

Last week I posted some dress options for weddings this summer. Many of you said that while they were beautiful and covet-able, they were out of your price range. I couldn't agree more. What I wouldn't give for the funds to buy one of those dresses and not have instant buyer's remorse.

Luckily, I found a solution. Shopping with my mom, I came across a myriad of wedding appropriate dresses at Banana Republic!

Heritage Silk Chiffon T-back Dress - $118 (sale!)

Racer Back Patio Dress - $150

 Silk Garden Party Dress - $110

Silk tie-neck dress - $89.99 (sale!)

I did end up getting this dress:

Embellished Bib Dress - $130

and am eyeing this one:

Silk Tiered Paisley Patio Dress - $130

I tried most of these dresses on and the black maxi dress is insanely comfy.


All images from Banana Republic.

Sex and the City Giveaway!

Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha are at it again and YOU have a chance to experience the Sex and the City lifestyle.

On Location Tours,  NYC's TV & Movie Tour Company, want to give one lucky Haus of Hybrid reader a gift certificate ($84 value) for the Sex and the City Tour in New York!

The gift certificate has no expiry date and the contest is open to all Canadian and American readers.

Tour Highlights:

• Shop at the store where Charlotte bought her "Rabbit"
• Enjoy cupcakes like Carrie and Miranda
• Go on location to the art gallery in SoHo where Charlotte worked
• Shop at the hottest boutiques & stores in Greenwich Village
• Visit Buddakan, site of Carrie and Big's wedding rehearsal dinner
• See new locations from Sex and the City: the Movie

To enter:

• Comment on this post
• Tweet: I just entered to win a Sex and the City Tour! http://bit.ly/aSJUjP #hausofhybrid

Contest will close May 31, 2010 - the winner will be announced June 1, 2010.

Review: LuShae Jewelry

LuShae Jewelry was kind enough to let me select an item from their collection for me to review. After some deliberation, I picked out the Bright White Stacker.

I wanted something that suited my style, something that wasn't too gaudy, something that I could wear every day, and this was it. I love the simplicity of it, with the baguettes embedded in the band.


The good:
The ring arrived in the cutest ring box. I wasn't expecting that, so it was a welcome surprise. The ring was lovely, exactly what I had hoped it would be, the cubic zirconia sparkled in the light. I was really pleased with the ring.

The bad:
I am really hard on my hands. I'm at athlete at heart so I'm not gentle by any means. Unfortunately, because of this, I was able to dislodge one of the stones in my ring. It didn't fall out, but it's a bit uneven on the edges. Also, because I wear the ring on a daily basis and because I'm so hard on my hands, the stones have lost a fair bit of their lustre.

Verdict:
I'm on the fence. Reading some of the other reviews, people seem pleased with their items. I'm not, by any means, dissatisfied, I just wish that the ring could have withstood my lifestyle better.

Wedding Season

Spring is here (finally) and that means Wedding Season is upon us. I, for one, am on the look out for a killer dress (or 2).

All 3 of the weddings that I'm attending this summer have a different vibe: traditional, garden party and New York soiree.
I have a few dresses to choose from already, but come on, every girl likes to pick out a dress for a special event!

Here are a few of my favourites:

Traditional Wedding

Michael Kors - Asymmetrical Knot Dress - $1095

Shoshanna - One Shoulder Dress w/ Pleats - $340

New York Soiree

Elizabeth and James - Multi Wrap Dress - $395

Halston Heritage - Side Shirred Day Dress - $295

Garden Party

Twenty8Twelve - Miller Dress - $360

ADAM - Jenna Party Dress - $475

All images from Shopbop except the Michael Kors one, which is from their website.

Congratulations!

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway with CSN Stores.

Unfortunately, there can only be one winner.

Fortunately for Marda Mischa, she's the lucky winner!

Congrats!

As for my other readers, keep your eyes peeled - I have another giveaway coming up soon!

JK Models 1 Year Anniversary Party

Last night I attended the JK Models 1 Year Anniversary soiree.

I had a great time - always good to see everyone and catch up.

I brought my camera, but I'm always so horrible at taking pictures at events. I did manage to snap a great one though:

Nicole of Le Mode du Jour, Jennifer - owner of JK Models, Ace from On the Fringe

Check out my more detailed event re-cap on Define Magazine (will post link when it's up!)

Giveaway!

To commemorate the makeover, I'm doing a...

(searches for speakers, speaker stands, microphone)

GIVEAWAY!

CSN Stores has been kind enough to sponsor this giveaway.

Brunch is one of, if not exclusively, my favourite meal. Which is why I'm happy to say that CSN Stores will be providing this wicked Cuisinart Waffle Maker to one lucky winner:

Features:

• Bakes one large traditional-style waffle
• Five-setting browning control
• Regulating thermostat
• Red and green "ready to bake/ready to eat" indicator lights
• Nonstick baking plates
• Brushed stainless steel housing

It'll make the most perfect waffles for a lovely brunch on a Sunday morning. Just get some whipped cream, strawberries, a mimosa and you're set!

There are 2 ways to enter:
1) Make sure you're following me on Twitter and tweet, "I just entered to win waffles on Haus of Hybrid http://bit.ly/cFaJFQ #hausofhybrid"
2) Comment on this post


Contest will close Sunday, May 16, 2010 and the winner will be announced Monday, May 17, 2010.

Sorry to my international readers, but this giveaway is only available to Canadian and American readers.

Welcome!

Welcome to the new and improved Haus of Hybrid! There are a few minor changes still to come, but the majority of the facelift is complete!

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for some great giveaways, plus some great reviews, and a cry for help!

If you're in the market, check out my new advertising page!