The Adriana Lima Look

Okay... We don't all look exactly like Adriana (and it would be a little strange if did!). But airbrushed bombshell aside, there is one thing about this picture that anyone can achieve! Her make-up! Jessica W.N. has done the tricky part for us again and put together a video of how we can achieve Adriana's look! Enjoy!

Dressin' for NYC

Hello lovelies! Well, the Big Apple has always been a fancy place where the people watching is incredibly entertaining! My wardrobe has consisted of blazers and black pants and pretty tops for summer! But my favourite pieces together? My wide leg, high waist trousers, a white t-shirt tucked in and my black and white converse sneakers!
Similar to J.Lo's look actually, minus the vest. I used a simple fitted white t-shirt and tucked it in for a slightly more casual look...I got pants similar to these from Le Chateau...
And I have these fabulous All Star Slim sneakers to make my look a little more fun, not to mention easy walk 20 blocks twice a day!
If the shirt my aunt gave me didn't have the studded design on the back (the Eye of Rah), I would have worn some sort of long chain or chunky necklace. Something like these ones from Charlotte Russe...

New York Adventures

Hello!!! I'm so sorry for the absence! It has been such a whirlwind in NYC! But I guess there's no surprises there. I started my internship last week and so far it's... okay. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I'm still giving it a chance. Last week I was helping with a start up fashion line called Monika Chiang. It hasn't launched yet so there's not much information about it but stay tuned! The first store is opening in L.A. in September.I was definitely less harassed than Andy but I did have to go running around the city to find a chain and then I was sent to go pick up a purse at somebody's apartment! It felt a little like the Devil Wears Prada but with nicer people.
Over the weekend I got to escape the chaos of the city and help out at a charity polo tournament. It's a whole other world! Aston Martins casually driving on the field with the polo players walking behind, women wearing labels and hats like you wouldn't believe (think along the lines of the royal wedding), men bold enough to wear bright coloured pants, auction items that take you to Saint-Tropez or on a Mandarin Oriental tour of Thailand! More pictures to come but here are two for you...This fancy crowd ate and lunched under this tent while cheering on their polo teams!
I know that's a small taste but more to come!

New York, New York

New York, New York - Frank Sinatra

Surprise, surprise ladies! This summer I will be blogging from the Big Apple! After a successful flamenco show this past Saturday, I packed all day Sunday, said goodbye to my sweet Vancouver and hopped on the red eye to JFK!I get to wake up to this view of super cute Manhattan apartment buildings. Can't wait to share more with you soon! Oh! And if anyone has suggestions of places to see and things to do in NYC, give me a shout!

Moulin Rouge

It's show day today! I'm excited and nervous and, this is terrible, but lazy to attempt 1920's inspired finger waves in my hair. When I have photos I'll share them with you! Have an awesome weekend!Update: It was a super successful show! The theatre was full and the audience didn't hesitate to yell olé! My only mishap: my corset zipper head came right off just before the finale, causing my corset to open and fall off! I flung it into the wings just in time for curtain rise! Pictures to come when I get copies!

Ibiza Blues

Although I'm a little blue about our Stanley Cup loss*, I had no blue feelings about being in Ibiza. In fact, I loved it! It's not just a party island; it's a gorgeous Mediterranean getaway! One thing I noticed while I was there, was the colour blue. It's everywhere! Take a look at these Ibiza blues...

My mom, looking out at the harbour at Eivissa...

*I must say here to anyone & everyone who is not from Vancouver & heard about the riots that occurred after our team lost: those people who caused & started any and all trouble are not Canucks fans & are not examples of Vancouver & it's people. I know that the majority of Vancouverites & true Canucks fans are ashamed & completely disgusted with the premeditated actions of the few. As Lights tweeted: "I should note that Vancouver is an incredible city with incredible people! It's just life how a few idiots ruin it for everyone."

Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this commentary. Even if it's a small number of you, I feel comforted knowing that there are a few more people out there who know how we are really feeling here in Vancouver. The very next day, hundreds of true fans came back to clean up the mess.

Ibiza Wedding

Hello my lovely lovely blog buddies! So far I only shared the details of the wedding I attended in Ibiza, Spain. Everything about this wedding was so beautiful that I can't resist but share more of it!

It was a gorgeous church at the top of the hill and what a view!

Then we moved on to the Hacienda Na Xamena for the reception cocktails and dinner! On our way in, we passed gorgeous garden courtyards...

Seawater pools...

Until we finally reached the perfect space for cocktails and speeches!

My twin nieces, the flower girls...
Isn't her dress gorgeous?! Click to zoom in on those fabulous details!And yes, that's the groom holding the pack of tissue!
Moving away from the cocktail reception area, we walked through the resort towards the banquet space. These are my parents at the entrance...
What a view! Can you imagine what it would be like to stay at a place like this? There is a swimming pool that didn't quite make it into this shot.
Small olive trees were interspersed throughout the room, giving it a lovely natural ambience. A happy bride and groom during their first dance as husband and wife!

Yup! That's me and I got very camera happy on this trip!

Apologies, Onions & Kitchen Duties

My apologies for the silent blog the past weeks. It's been a very busy week I don't even know where to begin! My week, in a nutshell: flamenco, house chores, goodbye parties and breakfasts (many of my friends are moving away this year), volunteer work and hockey (typical Canadian, I know)...Today I woke up to the thunderous sound of fighter jets flying overhead (I live quite close to the airport) and a list of kitchen duties in preparation for a tapas party my family is having tonight. Yum!
First on the list: chop 4 onions! How does one chop without the crying and the stinging and sniffling?Not the most fashionable choice, I know but I wore my ski goggles! And not a single tear was shed! Here are some other tested tear-preventing tricks that I found in case you want to keep chopping onions stylish! :P
And now, back to work in my house! I'll be back with photos of how crazy downtown was when I went to watch the Canucks game (100 000 people all together watching on a big screen outside!).Images via weheartit.

Vogue's Day at the Circus

Francois-Paul Aiche ~ Chimerical Dream

I think these pictures of Reese and Tai, the elephant who played Rosie in Water for Elephants, are absolutely stunning! They make me want to take photographs, style photoshoots, become a creative director, wear a gorgeous dress, meet an elephant, and/or perform in a circus or act all at the same time! Listening to the song (top of post) while viewing these photos makes them even more magical :)

Enjoy!

Read more and see more photographs in Vogue's, Reese Witherspoon: A Day at the Circus.

Affordable Makeup

I say a little prayer - Aretha Franklin

Happy Saturday! I received a question yesterday about affordable makeup brands. What are some good options for a lower budget? Probably all of us love to shop at Sephora, but with so many other expenses that's not always feasible!
So Jessica W.N. has kindly provided some answers about what makeup brands work well and don't completely break the bank!OOO0o0. Well, it depends what products you are getting.

For face products, I would recommend:
- Revlon foundation (Colorstay or Photoready)
- Almay loose powder
- Physician's formula ANYTHING (their bronzers, blush, powders, foundations are all natural and organic with lovely minerals and most are under $20)
- Rimmel Anti-Fatigue under eye concealer (only 4 bucks!)

For eyes:
- L'Oreal and Maybelline consistently make great mascaras, my fav cheapies are L'Oreal Voluminous with the curved brush and Maybelline The Falsies.
- Annabelle smoothliner for pencil eyeliner and also Annabelle eyebrow pencil
- L'Oreal Lineur Intense for liquid liner
- as for eyeshadows, I do believe you must spend a little more to get decent pigmented eyeshadows. Lots of people swear by the Maybelline eyeshadow quads, which come in lots of different colour combinations (4 each) and are really cheap. Annabelle's eyeshadows are also not bad. Personally I spend a little more in this area, for example on Urban Decay or Make Up Forever palettes (more pricey but if you get a GOOD neutral set they can last you YEARS).

Lips:
- Really... anything. Just browse Shoppers Drug Mart and you will be attracted to all the pretty colours and all of them pretty much do the same thing.
- CoverGirl Lip Stain pens are AWESOME
- Rimmel makes awesome gloss and lipstick!

Hope this helps!
Jessica ♥

Fresh Face for Summer

Don't Worry Baby - The Beach Boys

It finally looks like summer is on its way here! In celebration of that, I'm going to share my lovely Jessica W.N. summer look with you all! If you ever have any makeup questions or looking for product reviews or advice, you can ask me here or ask Jessica directly on Facebook! Enjoy!

A Little Vancouver Guide

So sorry for the absence! This will be a fuller post: a great guide to Vancouver! Come visit!
From Grace Bonney of design*sponge, here's a guide to my city featuring great eats, trendy neighbourhood haunts, and fun places to shop!

If you've got plans to visit Vancouver, try to come during the hockey season! The city is buzzing with excitement, especially today. I just got home from Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs 2011!!! Look at all those towels spinning in the air! Go CaNuCkS Go!Three hours after and the streets are still filled with people cheering and high-fiving! We truly love our hockey here. This is the game opening video...


Fall colours, spring cherry blossoms, and in winter, beautiful views from the ski slopes...Summer's are amazing here as well. They're may not be any hockey (although this year our team has made it deep into playoffs) but we've got plenty of outdoor activities and great beaches! I promise, we do not have arctic temperatures as many people seem to think.Every summer we get fabulous firework shows from the International Celebration of Light...
The flags on the tent of Bard on the Beach are waving cheerily as well... The place to go if you're in the mood for some Shakespeare.Events, food (this is quite the foodie city), shopping (vintage and new), cafes, galleries and museums, urban walks, sports, beaches, mountains, outdoor activities, beautiful sights...Did I mention whale watching? It deserves a spot on your travel list!