Month: June 2013

Im sorry, we have to diagnose you with onlineshoppingitis

Posted on by carlybe

Me, my computer, and my credit card, should never be left in the same room together when I am bored. I have this magical ability to convince myself that I need something new almost anytime I get anywhere near a computer. There are so many great websites nowadays to peruse for a good deal.  I will admit, I strictly shop online for sales. Reason being, anything brand new, I can find in perfect condition in the store. However, searching through sale racks can be annoying, frustrating, and often times produce damaged goods. I find that when you order sale items off of a website, they come shipped in a much better condition, compared to what can be found in a store sale rack. I have some go to websites when I am looking for items. I love Urban Outfitters for dresses and skirts. I always use ASOS for jewelery; and recently I have been checking out Zara. I haven’t gotten my shipment from Zara yet, so I have yet to make a decision about whether I am happy with their products. All I can say about online shopping is that it is dangerous, addictive, and one of my vices. If you are going to fall prey to the online world, here are a few of my live by tips.

  1. Always read user reviews. They will give you some great info about how the product actually fits.
  2. Scour the sale sections! You can always find some goodies that you may have over looked when they were regular price
  3. If buying clothing, only purchase from somewhere you can return for free. Or, make sure you have tried it on first.
  4. Do your research, just because it seems like a steal, doesn’t mean it is. Make sure to not get swindled by a red sale tag.

Happy shopping, be careful not to catch the bug 😉

Fashion

Flat out no.

Image | Posted on by carlybe

Flat out no.

Charlotte Olympia-Valentino-Mara and Mine

I can’t begin to explain how much I adore all of these flats. They are all so charming in their own way, which I am automatically drawn to. I have always prided myself on finding pieces that are a little more edgy, or unique, and I think all of these flats fit the bill for me. Unfortunately, I just cannot wrap my head around expensive flats. With the exception of the skull flats by Mara and Mine, the other pairs come in at over 700 dollars. I mean, common, don’t you think that is a little excessive?

I know that not every shoe is created equally, but I just don’t believe that flats should ever cost more than 200 dollars. They are made of nothing, and use so much less material compared to high heels, or boots. I wish I could say yes to one of these beauties, but I just will not allow myself the pleasure. However, I wouldn’t say no to a gift…

Fashion

Matchy matchy

Image | Posted on by carlybe

Matchy matchy

I really love subtle matching in an outfit. For me, this usually ties into my jewelery. For instance, in this outfit, my earrings are the same shade of blue as the skirt, and my watch ties into my top. Sometimes I find myself going overboard on the matching, and I have to contain my excitement, but usually, I do okay. Since I have discovered I am drawn to matching things, I am trying to pull in color to use as a statement piece. I broke up my overly color toned outfit with a bright magenta purse. Of course, the hardware on the purse is gold, to match my jewelery. Old habits die hard 😛

Cinderella aint got nothing on you

Posted on by carlybe

Gone are the days of women in ball gowns. When I was growing up, I thought that all women wore ball gowns to fancy events. Perhaps I watched too many Disney movies, but in my mind, all women became Cinderella at balls. I am so glad that the modern women is no longer confined to this fashion choice. Of course, there is nothing wrong with rocking a ball gown, I just love seeing all of the new designs and styles that women can be seen wearing at black tie events. At a recent amfAR event, hosted in New York, I fell in love with so many of the outfits worn by the attendees. Here are a few of my favourite looks!

Haneli Mustaparta - Dree Hemingway -

Haneli Mustaparta – Dree Hemingway – Izabel Goulart

Fashion

My paper bag is prada…

Image | Posted on by carlybe

My paper bag is prada...

I am currently on the hunt for a new handbag. I have decided that my next purse will be an investment. I am willing to throw down a serious amount of money, so that I can have a piece that will work with my wardrobe forever. I have been lusting over this Prada bag for some time now. I even went as far as to go and inquire about it at Holt Renfrew.

Actually, kind of an embarrassing story. I went to Holts, just to get a feel for the bag. I wanted to test it out on my arm, give the leather a touch, run away with it…. Anyways, the model that I wanted wasn’t in stock. So I was about to head on my merry way until the sales representative insisted that she ordered one to the store. I guess I had my best rich face on that day, because she seemed to deem that I was actually going to buy the bag. Rather then confess I am poor, I played along and had her order in the bag. A bit later when she called to tell me the purse had come in, I made an elaborate lie about purchasing the bag on a recent trip to New York. Needless to say, If I ever buy this bag, it won’t be at that Holts location 🙂

But seriously, I need a new purse. I am hoping to keep the purchase under 1000 dollars, and unfortunately this Prada clocks in at 1600 +tax. I want something timeless and chic, as you can tell from this bag, I like simple and understated. Im hoping my bestie can lend me a hand in this department, I need another fashion eye on the job. I hope I find the purse of my dreams soon, or im going to end up splurging on this stupidly expensive Prada bag. Who am I kidding, I am just begging for an excuse to get it!

Meat me at the bbq

Posted on by carlybe

I would seriously consider moving to a warmer country, just so I could barbecue all year round. Nothing beats the flavour of grilled food. I will eat food I don’t even normally like, if it has been cooked on a barbecue. Normally, I go right for meat when I heat up my grill. I love cooking a perfect medium rare steak, or crisping up some chicken drenched in a delicious marinade.  I also love throwing veggies on the grill, coated in some olive oil; but they are always an accompaniment for my meat, rather than the main act.

Thats when I got to thinking, maybe I should invest in some meatless weekdays. Summer is the perfect time to pilot a vegetarian menu. I already know I love grilled veggies, it is just a matter of finding which ones fill me up, and satisfy my hunger. I decided that I would test run a meatless meal with some marinated portebello mushrooms, and olive oil coated eggplant and peppers. I put my grilled veggies on top of a bed of quinoa, and it turned out delicious.

oto poto

If you were curious, I marinated the mushrooms in a sauce I made with a splash of soy, some sugar, fresh garlic, and some oyster sauce. The mushrooms sucked it all up, and I could have eaten a million of them. I think I can get used to some meat free days if my food ends up tasting this good!

Leggings and camel toe, the bain of my existance.

Posted on by carlybe

 

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Aritzia-BCBG-BCBG

I don’t know about you, but I love leggings. They come in so many different styles, colors and materials. You can pretty much pair them up with any type of outfit to fit you from day to night. Alas, my love for leggings is cursed by one major detail. The dreaded camel toe. I don’t know if its my body shape, or the general fit of leggings, but they just loveeee to class up my look with some CT. Now, Im sure I am not the only girl to suffer from this issue, so here are a few of my solutions.

Remedies include:

  1. Wearing a long shirt, distract and hide
  2. Wearing your leggings low down on the hip, keep it away from the CT occurring region
  3. Stand like you loveee riding horses, wide legged.
  4. Go to a bar or a club that has terrible lighting. None will be the wiser of your outfit 😉

I have to be extremely selective about where I purchase my leggings. I have gone through trial and error with many different stores, and found that Aritzia carries my favourite leggings. I always purchase their TNA, or Talula leggings, and they don’t seem to give me as many issues as some other brands. Downside, they are a little expensive, and don’t really give you the longevity you would hope for, but I am willing to make that compromise for wearable leggings.

As long as there are leggings, there will be camel toe. I have accepted this reality, but I really want it to change 😥 I am on the hunt for a pair of high waisted, leather, (faux/real) leggings. Even Aritzia couldn’t fit the bill for me on this one. I will keep my eyes peeled for the perfect pair. Until then, keep my tips in mind, and beware the CT.

Uncategorized

Rainy days

Image | Posted on by carlybe

Rainy days

Im not sure what happened with the weather gods, but they decided that Canadians did not deserve a summer this year. It is already June, and our highs have been between 18-20 degrees. Last summer, it was already in the late 20’s by end of May! This is becoming rather depressing.

So, to cure my rainy day blues, I will make bracelets until the sun decides to shine. Although, I fear I will have more bracelets than I do arms before the sun comes out. If I turn into a bracelet monster, Ill be sure to let you know 😐

Beauty and the beast

Posted on by carlybe

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This morning I decided to check out my freezer for whatever meat is lurking in its frosty hiding spots. I pulled out, what I believed to be turkey sausage, and set it on my counter to thaw. I came back in a few hours to check out the progress, and when I got there I realized, I was a moron. What I had actually pulled out of the freezer, was peeled bananas that my mom put in a zip lock so I could bake with them. Tee hee. So, I skipped the dinner plan and started baking.

Perhaps I should have taken the tone of this morning as a bad omen, but I proceeded to make some banana bread regardless. When I pulled my loaf out of the oven, and checked it, I believed that my banana bread was cooked and ready to cool. It wasn’t until I cut into it that I saw the entire center was raw. Like squishy banana chocolaty explosion, kind of raw. I cut off the bits that were cooked, popped it back in the oven and re-baked the remainder. Safe to say, it wasn’t too pretty.

Oh well, I will toss the extra banana bread pieces on some ice cream and call it a day. You can’t win them all!

Fashion

DIY bandwagon

Image | Posted on by carlybe

DIY bandwagon

I have recently become obsessed with all of the DIY projects featured on Honestly WTF. I am not the most creative person, and I struggle with making things look nice, even with instructions; but I am still convinced I can attempt some of the projects posted on this site. I started off simple, with mastering the “pull bracelet”. The pull bracelet (not sure if that is the official name :P) is simply making a stitch on the bracelet so that you can take it on and off without trying to rip it off your wrist. I chose a simple cobra stitch, and added some silver balls to the mix, to make an easy and pretty bracelet. My mom ended up loving it, so I gave it to her 🙂 I need to finesse my skills, but completing this bracelet gave me a serious self confidence boost. I feel like now I can conquer anything!! Just kidding, I still suck haha, but I do think I will be able to get better with time!