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Tote-ally Chic!

I am so excited about our upcoming family trip to Jamaica!! My hubby and I were there last June and we loved it, so we are super excited to take the kids (18, 16 & 14) there with us this time... Naturally I have had to do some pre-Jamaica shopping and today I was on the hunt for the perfect beach tote. I found some great options but just couldn't decide! I would love your opinion, so here are my top 5 faves under $25... Which one should I pick!?

1.  Forever 21 Striped Straw Tote $24.80
2.  Old Navy Straw Basket Weave Tote $16
3.  H&M Straw Bag $17.95
4.  My Spring Shoes "Wild Cherries" Tote $25
5.  Old Navy Canvas Tote $15

                                              

Maxi Dress = Maximum Bargain

When I saw this maxi dress at Old Navy last month I knew I had to have it, I love the bohemian chic print and easy to wear style of it... But this frock was a new arrival when I first spotted it and obviously still at regular price so I thought I would wait it out a few weeks and cross my fingers that it would go on sale. I find that Old Navy has such great weekly sales and the inventory changes over so quickly that you can often find great bargains if you don't mind popping back in on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Another bargain trick I use is google, I will google "Old Navy Canada coupons" and there is often a weekly coupon for 15%-25% off that you can print up or simply write the code down and they accept that too. I also find that online shopping at oldnavy.ca can be even better than shopping in the store, with markdowns happening on a daily basis and free shipping on all orders over $50! I was out shopping on Saturday and was so excited to find this dress on sale!! It was regularly $39.94 and I bought it for $28 plus an additional 20% off from a coupon I found online, totalling just over $22... This is what I call a stylish bargain!! Do you wait for items to go on sale at Old Navy too?

Sexton In The City ~ What I Wore

I hope you were able to catch my Sexton In The City segment with Kate Carnegie tonight! We talked about how to "dress for success" with outfit, hair and makeup tips for that first big job interview ... I also just launched my website sextoninthecity.ca and I hope you've been able to check it out! For tonight's segment I went for a bold colour block look, I paired my green skinny jeans ($20 Old Navy) with a sheer coral blouse ($12.80 Forever 21). I love this colour combo, it is a perfect spring  look, I have been drawn to these bright and cheerful tones lately! What colours have you been wearing this season?

Stylish Genes

With Mother's Day coming up on Sunday I thought I would share my five picks for the most stylish celebrity mother-daughter duos that I find inspiring for not only their taste in fashion but the inner beauty they exude and the bond they share! Who are your picks for the most fashionable and famous mother-daughter duos?

                                                

                                                                Lourdes & Madonna

                                                           Zoe Kravitz & Lisa Bonet

                                                        
                                                        Kate Hudson & Goldie Hawn

                                                        
                                                        Susan Sarandon & Eva Amurri

                                                      Blythe Danner & Gwyneth Paltrow

       

Dress For Success

First impressions are so important, don't you think? I thought it would be helpful to come up with a few "job interview" outfit options for my readers that will work for women of any age on and on any budget... There are some very easy rules to follow when choosing your ensemble, keep your look chic and simple, invest in some great basics like black pants or a black pencil skirt, a classic white or pinstripe blouse and taupe or black pumps. You want to keep your look conservative and avoid trendy pieces, things like bright patterns, animal prints and sky high stilettos are distracting to the interviewer. You want to feel confident and poised, your outfit should compliment your skills and personality... Remember that less is more, your hair and makeup should look polished and clean, dark smokey eye makeup and big teased hair are a major no-no for an interview. Dress for the job you want, when you feel good about how you look you will naturally exude confidence to your prospective employer.

Outfit 1 ~
Tailored black pants and a pinstripe blouse are a go-to job interview ensemble, it's a classic look that will work for any body type and any age. I kept my jewellery simple with a classic gold watch and bracelet and opted for a pair of neutral pumps. An unfussy ponytail and clean simple makeup complete the look.

Outfit 2 ~
A simple black sheath dress over a crisp white blouse looks completely polished and professional, I completed the look with dark red kitten heels and a chic black skinny belt. You can still show your personality in your outfit as long as you keep your look classy!

Key Pieces ~
Here are some great affordable pieces from H&M that are job interview appropriate and totally affordable, these are also great investment pieces to add to your professional wardrobe ~

                                                                Black Blazer $39.90

                                                           Navy Blue Pencil Skirt $29.90

                                                                 Pinstripe Blouse $19.90

Tickled Pink

Don’t you just love a maxi skirt for Spring? As a petite (5’3″) gal I wasn’t sure I could pull it off but they really work for any height and shape, I promise! There is something about a maxi skirt or dress that make you instantly feel easy breezy when you put one on… This pink maxi skirt was an Old Navy buy a few months ago, I bought it on sale for under $10! I think Rachel Bilson looks fabulous in a maxi dress or skirt so I turned to her for some inspiration on how to style mine today. Rachel’s pale pink maxi looks great with her structured blazer and black tee, I knew I could find similar pieces in my closet, this is an H&M blazer I bought last year for $25 and an Old Navy tank I just picked up for $8, then I added a turquoise necklace for a pop of colour! What do you think of the maxi trend?

The Dark Side

It was fashion at it’s finest last night at The Met Costume Institute Gala, I think it is even more exciting than the Oscars for fashion and hair and makeup inspiration… A very prominent trend last night was the dark berry lip, I really love this look. I also loved seeing a new take on this look, wearing this bold lip with shimmery bronzy skin instead of the fair matte skin it is often paired with… I think my absolute favourite is Camilla Belle, but all of these ladies look fabulous! I found an amazing colour available at MAC for $16.50 called Media that will give you this romantic sexy look, just remember to keep the rest of your makeup shimmery and pretty and a simple sleek hairdo works best (big hair and bold lips are too much together!)… Would you wear a dark lip like this for a night on the town?

Fabulous Finds For Mom Under $50

With Mother's Day coming up on Sunday I decided it would be fun to come up with a list of fantastic gift ideas that any Mom would love! All of these collections are available at any Sephora store or you can shop online at sephora.ca, I know I would be thrilled to get any of these on Sunday ( hint, hint, if you're reading Meg!) As wonderful as flowers are, these gifts will also make Mom look and feel beautiful!

1. ~ Too Faced In Your Dreams Makeup Collection $49
This playful palette offers nine eye shadows, three blushes, and three lip shades that can be combined to create three distinct looks: "Natural Beauty," "Feminine Flirty," or "Seductively Smokey." Featured step-by-step face charts make application fun and simple.

2. ~ Josie Maran Beautiful Bronze Kit $43
This set comes with everything you need to create a radiant bronze all year round. The revolutionary bronzer imparts a beautiful and natural sunkissed glow while helping reverse the signs of sun damage with vitamin C and Bearberry extract. The daily moisturizer blocks harmful rays and is perfect for face, neck, and dècolletè. The volume-boosting mascara naturally plumps and curls for maximum lash drama and the lip gloss imparts a glamorous high-shine factor.

3. ~ Tarte Glam Bag $35
Tarte has created this limited-edition kit to give you everything you need for lips and lids and everything in between. This kit offers five of Tarte's favorites stashed in a reusable makeup bag. 

4. ~ Sephora Medium Shopping Bag Makeup Palette $29
This palette offers a versatile collection of color with tons of high-payoff shades that can create a range of looks. Perfect for anyone who loves Sephora, its collectible compact includes drawers that open to the sides, making it fold down to a size that is small enough to take anywhere. 

5. ~ Smashbox Try It Kit $22
Ideal for sampling an array of Smashbox's bestsellers, this kit will have your face and lids primed, your lids perfectly lined, and your lips shiny.

6. ~ Benefit Full Glam Ahead! $15
Get glam on the go with Benefit’s “supermodel-in-a-bottle” High Beam for highlighting your best features. Add Stay Don’t Stray to lock on your favorite concealer and eye shadows, and finish off the look with BADgal Lash to build lush lashes. 

Sunday Style

Super busy weekend! Our lovely Liam made his Confirmation today and we could not be prouder!! Liam is the cutest, I mean really, look at that face... It is so much fun to dress up for occasions like this, and I found a great dress for $35 at H&M ( I am obsessed with mint green right now!) that I paired with my new pink pumps.  What would you wear to a communion-confirmation?

Pastel Purple

Spring is the perfect time to add some colour to your daily makeup routine, I was so inspired by this picture of Olivia Wilde with gorgeous pastel purple eye makeup that I had to try it out myself... Purple and lavender hues are actually quite easy to wear and they work for all eye colours, it is a nice change from the usual earthy tones that we wear on a daily basis. I used a fabulous Quo shadow palette (available at Shoppers Drug Mart) from their Spring 2012 collection called Aurora Borealis ($15), it has a trio of beautiful purple tones to create a stunning day or night look. I am going to give you 5 simple steps to help you create the perfect purple eye on yourself:

1. Start with clean moisturized skin, then apply your foundation and concealer.

2. Sweep a shimmery peach blush onto the apples of your cheeks, then apply a coral lip gloss on your lips.

3. Using the soft pink shimmery shade from the palette apply this shadow under your brow bone and onto the inner tear ducts of the eyes, this will really open up your eyes.

4. Pat the light purple shadow onto the lid from the lash line to your natural crease. Use a flat shadow brush for easy application.

5. Take the darker purple shade and apply it onto the outer corners of the eyes and blend in with a q-tip.

6. Finish off with 2 coats of mascara on your top lashes and 1 coat on the bottom lashes.

Voila! A fresh and fun Spring look!

Happy Feet

With yesterday's prom post all about the dresses I thought it would be fitting to show you some fabulous footwear that won't leave Mom with a credit card hangover! I would like to add all of these to my wardrobe, especially the red patent peep toe pumps... Check out the Prom Styles featured on the myspringshoes.com website for a huge selection of gorgeous shoes for $60 or less: http://www.myspringshoes.com/ca-eng/flag/s12prom/women

Here are my top 5 picks!

Mergel $50 ~

                                                                   Prinkleton $60 ~

                                                                          Federle $50 ~

                                                                     Banhi $50 ~    
                          

                                                                      Cashon $40 ~

Prom Queen

With prom and graduation season approaching the search begins for the perfect dress! Looking for that special frock can be overwhelming but it is just so exciting when you find "the one"... It can be tricky trying to find a dress that is age appropriate, I have a few simple rules to follow. Stay away from anything too tight or too short and avoid oversized puffy sleeves or dresses with a ton of fabric they will overwhelm your shape... I picked 3 beautiful and budget friendly dresses that are right on trend this season yet totally sophisticated and best of all they won't break the bank, they are all from The Bay and on sale right now... I used the always adorable Taylor Swift as inspiration for these 3 looks, Taylor always looks stunning yet age appropriate on the red carpet. I am also very lucky to have such a beautiful daughter who was willing to be my model for a day, isn't she gorgeous?!! We spent many hours though her high school years dress shopping and I loved every minute of it ... Remember this is an occasion to have fun with fashion, you should feel confident and truly like a princess on this special day!


Dress 1 ~ Sparkle & Shine ~

A sparkly dress is perfect on the dance floor, this Jessica Simpson black sequins dress (reg $220 sale $110) takes the "little black dress" to new heights. The 3/4 sleeve is balanced out by the fun low back and just above the knee hemline. Accessorize with simple black pumps and fun jewellery in any of spring's hottest colours, I chose hot pink chandelier earrings ($6 at H&M) for Megan's look. Her hair is elegant in an unfussy side swept chignon and the makeup clean and fresh with gold eyeshadow and a pretty raspberry lipstick.



Dress 2 ~ Bold Colour ~

Go for a bright and bold colour to stand out in the crowd, look for a dress with a trendy cut like this coral BCBG dress (reg $130 sale $75) with a deep-v cut out in the back. Accessorize with a neutral or metallic sandal or  pump, gold leaf earrings like Megan's ($8 at Aldo) and a bracelet with a pop of colour ($14 at The Bay). Her hair and makeup are fun and flirty with soft curls pinned to one side and a pretty melon hued lipgloss.



Dress 3 ~ Neutrals & Pastels ~

Try a neutral print in a fun one shoulder style with ruffle detail like Megan's BCBG dress (reg $150 sale $90) or try a soft hued pastel pink or mint green. Accessorize with metallic heels, rose gold dangly earrings ($10 at Aldo), and a metallic cuff bracelet ($10 at Forever 21). Her hair is pulled up into a chic top knot (try a sock bun!) and her makeup is fresh and pretty with lavender eye shadow and the finishing touch of glam with bright red lipstick.