home decor

It's been over a year since I moved into my own place and I'm still in the middle of getting it to look the way I want. So far, I'm happy with how my living room looks, especially after I bought this awesome black and white graphic rug from IKEA! I wanted the black and white striped one, but the colour combo was more of a black and cream, which I didn't like. Then, my mum spotted this one and it was love at first sight.  As they say, mums always know best :)

{Red couch - IKEA // Pillows - IKEA, Pier 1, West Elm // Silver owl stool - Urban Barn // Coffee table - CB2 // Silver floral bowl - IKEA} Sorry for the blurry photo; I took this on my iPhone late at night.

I spent a Saturday moving my desk around. It use to face the wall, but I wanted to take advantage of the natural light coming from the window, so I moved it to face the other wall. The downside is that I have no room to put the printer beside the desk. I might have to do some inventive maneuvering but I like where the desk is now. We'll see how long this will last :P

{Cork board - Staples // Filing cabinet - IKEA // Picture & frame - auction}

{Desk, waste basket, chair, lamp, sheepskin rug as cushion - IKEA // Pillow - West Elm // Blue & aqua stationary set - Chapters}

Now, I need to find a picture to put up against this blank wall... Any suggestions?

dying to try it out

This is the first time that I've ever dyed my hair. I've always been curious about dying my hair but every single time, I would talk myself out of it, citing my low-maintenance hair habits and not wanting to bother with re-touching the roots every 4 weeks. However, after nixing the idea of dying my hair aqua (which would require copious amounts of bleach and tears), I decided to try a blue/black tint, just to give my hair more dimension and interest.

I didn't really research which hair dye to use, I just picked up whatever was on sale and this happened to be it. Knowing that this would get a little messy, I cleared off my counter and laid down a towel. I also wrapped a dark-coloured towel around my shoulders and wore a black t-shirt, so if there was any staining, it would be virtually undetectable.

"Blue black, intense colour cream, vibrant colour." Sold!

What was in the box and where the magic happens.

The aftermath: Besides a few splatters of hair-dye in the bathroom sink and tub (which washed off easily enough), I didn't make that big of a mess! High five me!

You can kinda see the blue tint when I use flash photography. However, in natural lighting, you can't really see it very well. But my hair did turn out the BLACKEST of black. Before, I did have some natural dark brown tones in my hair, but now it's pitch black. I kinda like it, and I don't mind if it grows out because it will just blend in with my natural base colour.

My thoughts: It was fun to try it out. It was also a lot easier than I thought it would be. Would I do it again? I wouldn't mind going lighter, maybe to a brunette shade, in the spring/summer months. However, the one thing that I couldn't stand was the SMELL of the hair dye. UGH. It had such an unpleasant smell to it that after I disposed of the hair dye, I lit a candle to get rid of the remaining odor. So, if I do decide to go lighter in the spring/summer, I might get it professionally done. Also, I feel like there's a likely chance that my hair will turn orange if I try to lighten it myself at home. And I don't want orange hair.

fancy face

I stopped by Holt Renfrew to check out the new collection from Lancome designed by fashion icon Alber Elbaz (Lanvin) and ended up bringing a few goodies home with me.

I thought the packaging was really cute and I love the taupe-y shades of the eyeshadow palette. I can see it getting a lot of use during the fall months (I'm still into bronze and gold eyeshadows for the summer).

With the purchase, I got a little gift and it was a travel-size brush set! I thought that was really handy. It comes with a powder brush, foundation brush, eyeshadow brush and concealer brush. There's also room to fit in a lip brush or maybe a crease brush.

While at the Lancome counter, I did get a makeover done and decided to go out of my comfort zone and do a navy smokey eye, which I really liked. I don't know if I will be able to re-create the look at home but it's nice to know what I need and how it's done with this face chart.

khat-sah-lano!

 

Another summer, another Khatsahlano festival! This street festival seems to be getting bigger and bigger every year, with more to see and more to do and more people to push around in the crowds :P

I believe the street festival is now in its third year, and I like how they're always trying out new things to give the masses a unique experience. For instance, the mini art galleries set up in cargo containers provided pockets of creative mediums and experiences to be explored.

I didn't stay very long because it was getting SO crowded but I did manage to take some awesome pictures and check out some really cool and unique crafts and jewellery booths. 

 

summer sales

The summer sales have started already and I did a little bit of on-line retail therapy at Zara. However, as much as I love the convenience of on-line shopping, there are downsides and the main one for me is the fit of the clothes. Unfortunately, I only kept 2 out of the 5 items that I ordered from Zara because it was ill-fitting or it just didn't look good on me.

Sequined blazer: Love the look of it, but it did not fit me at all... the sleeves were too short, the lining kept bunching up in the back and it had shoulder pads. I am not a fan of shoulder pads.

I really, REALLY wanted to love this coat. I love the military style, the navy colour, the pea coat style and the buttons. But... again, it was the fit. While it was fine unbuttoned, it didn't look so hot when it was completed buttoned up. I felt like the collar was too baggy and loose. If there were 6 buttons, it would have been more tailored and therefore, perfect for me.

I thought this sweater was a no-brainer, something that I would wear to death the minute I got it on my body... however... the body of the sweater was really baggy on me and the sleeves were too tight. Proportionately wrong.

Love plaid, love the gold details and love the colour and it FITS. This one is for keeps.

Love the colour but hated the shoulder pads.

Finally, a tuxedo blazer that looks good and doesn't break the bank! Great for special occasions, parties or wanting to look extra spiffy just because you feel like it.

Thank goodness Zara has an excellent return policy. It's one of the reasons why I love shopping on-line :)