Saint John on the web

I"ll be honest- I don't know what I'd do without the internet. It's my source for catching up on the latest trends, tuning into world news, making plans with friends, or find out what's going on in Saint John this weekend. Here are some of my favourite links I've encountered this week that have local content:

1. Professional photos by Kelly Lawson and Mike Capson from the Urban Glam Party posted.
2. Perfumes Plus shares a sneak peak at the new Chanel Spring 2011 cosmetic line. 
3. The Urban Shoe Myth is offering 25% off their holiday shoes for the remainder of the week.
4. An article I stumbled upon that lists many reasons why it's important to shop local.
5. Manchester Shoe Salon and Pseudio are both offering tax free from now until Christmas.
6. Market Square is giving away a $500 shopping spree each Friday until December 23.
7. Profile written on shop owner Kiera of Je Suis Prest Boutique.
8. Brunswick Square is also doing a giveaway promotion titled $1000 reasons to shop locally
9. Beat the Winter Blues Facebook Competition involving multiple uptown Saint John businesses.
10. Fusion is hosting Merry Martinis, a cocktail party in support of Romero House, next week.

What was the best or most interesting thing you saw on the web this week? (Let me know in the comments below!)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I'm kicking it off with a Christmas party tonight at the Delta- can't wait to wear a new dress! (It has sequins.)

Brunswick Square Fashion Show...

Last Wednesday kicked off a couple weeks' worth of fashion focused events with Brunswick Square's annual fall fashion show. Make-up was done by Perfumes Plus, using Chanel cosmetics. The models' faces were marked with the iconic double C logo of Chanel, as done in on recent Chanel runways. A few stylists at Hairacy's created looks styles for hair that, in their own right, were attention-grabbing.

At the door we received a program for the show as well as a bulleton for the Fashion Forward event (that I blogged about last week), which includes a list of what special things the participating stores will be offering and a coupon for a specifically prepared fashionista cocktail at the Canterbury's after party.

Below is a selection of my favourite outfits from Brunswick Square's fashion show:

The scene was decorated by Spurs.

The initial preview walk \.

Front row seats.

Loved this retro hair style by Adam Donnelly.

Chic look from Colwell's (Ladies).

Loved the leopard print blouse as well as both pairs of boots

Colwell's is carrying more ladies footwear this fall

Great admiration for these Michael Kors bags from Colwell's (Ladies).

This bedazzled bracelet was an eye catcher (Colwell's).

Beautiful plum dress with mesh top from Ladies' Colwell's.

Elegant winter coats from Ladies' Colwell's.

Beautiful dress and blazer, accessorized with a

wine Co-Lab bag from Je Suis Prest Boutique.

Loved the cheetah pumps (The Urban Shoe Myth) and this animal print dress-

these 2 looks from Je Suis Prest Boutique were my favourite. 

Feminine pink dress from Je Suis Prest Boutique.

This faux fur vest on the right from Olsen Europe was another favourite item of mine.

From these Je Suis Prest Boutique looks, I adored

the mustard sweater and the pretty brown skirt.

Faux leather jackets from Pseudio are a chic addition

and I'm a fan of these booties from The Urban Shoe Myth. 

Handsome suits from Mens' Colwell's.

The real show-stoppers were the little ones modelling for Paddington Station.

These cuties melted hearts.

Brunswick Square, along with their participating stores, did an amazing job and somehow even managed to outdo themselves from last year's impressive fashion show. It was a great opportunity for Saint Johners to see the latest styles and must-have items from their favourite stores as while supporting a great cause in Big Brothers/Big Sisters. 

It made an incredible difference having an SLR camera this year, that's for sure! Check out my blog post from last year's show here.

3 things: fall nails

Tweet

The last month I`ve been itching to try new shades of polish on my nails. This summer I was leaning more toward oranges, corals, mint, and turquoise, but now that we`re on the verge of fall I`m looking forward to painting with some darker hues!

a) Peridot- Chanel  |  b) Graphite- Chanel  |  c) Essie- Carry on 

Peridot and Graphite are both part of Chanel's Fall 2011 collection: Les Illusions D'ombres de Chanel. I picked up 2 out of the 3 fall nail shades immediately when they became available at Perfumes Plus. I have Peridot on my toes right now! I'm wondering it's a little too early in the season to be a sporting as dark a colour as Graphite- but I can't wait to use the glittery metal shine! 

My third pick recently was from Essie's latest collection: Carry On. This rich burgundy is another shade I'm looking forward to painting my nails with this season.     

Tweet

jean trio...

Tweet

Just in time for Fashion's Night Out, Chanel will be launching a trio of denim-inspired nail polishes on September 8. (I credit my pal Barb with letting me in on this piece of news.) Unfortunately like the coveted Khaki nail colours last year, they are not so accessible to those of us north of the border in Canada.

Photo credit: Style Laboratory

Although it's difficult, it's not entirely impossible to get our hands on the limited edition, the US-only collections (again, thanks to Barb). My only really problem now is deciding between Blue Rebel and Blue Boy....which is your favourite of the denim coloured nail polishes? These bottles will be sold only until the end up Septemeber!

Funny to think I'm already talking about the next Chanel nail collection when the Fall '11 make-up (particularly the nail polishes I mentioned yesterday) hasn't even landed on the east coast yet! Perfumes Plus report that they are expecting the fall line this Thursday, August 25!

 

Tweet

mani/pedi...

Tweet

It's now 2 weeks in and I'm still sporting my pedicure I had done at Element 5- the polish is almost in the same condition as Day 1. That's what I like about in spending my money on a pedicure done professionally vs a manicure: the look lasts so much longer. Though they cost a little extra you can get weeks out of your pedicure, while a manicure may last you 3 to 4 days if you are lucky. I tend to save professionally done manicures for special occasions.

Nonetheless, it's always better when someone does it for you! I decided on going for that pedicure since my sandal-rough feet and chipped polish needed a little work.  I went a coral shade from OPI's latest collection for Fall 2011. I decided to go with "I eat mainely lobster" from Touring America.

Up until a few days ago I was sporting a neutral nail polish on my finger tips. I love to go browsing the make-up isles in Shoppers occasionally just to spot new products or colours- and I always need to take a glance at the nail polishes. (My bestie and I used to browse the beauty products in Shoppers while in university as a way to break from studying!) Last week I decided I'd go for a nude shade in Essie's "Mamba".

They nail polishes I'm really waiting on now are Chanel's "Graphite" and "Peridot" which are available at Perfumes Plus later this week!

Photo source: Refinery 29

What nail colours are you looking forward to wearing this Fall?

Tweet

Chanel Nails: Spring 2011

Ok, so I know this nail polish trio isn't particularly new to stores, but I finally had the opportunity to hold the bottles in my hands last weekend! I had a manicure lined up at Perfumes Plus and was torn on which Chanel shade I should have my nails panted. (I know, such a crisis.)

Photo: Fashion, Beauty & Everything Glamour

I'll say this: I've already been in a spring state of mind. I am loving and craving to new spring products and trends. More or less, I'm gravating to want to dress for the weather I want, not the weather (aka snow) that we are faced with! So pinks being on the rise for this spring, I decided to go with Peche Nacree for my nails. I loved it's peach, almost nude appearance.

My manicure was done by Stefanie at Perfumes Plus while we chatted about our upcoming weddings. (She's much more on the ball than I am!) I asked her for a little advice on preserving a manicure. We always want to make the most of it. So here is her advice on the important things to know and how to avoiding early chipping of your polish: 

"Well, to help it last longer you want to start by making sure before you do the polish application to wipe your nails clean of any oils. You can use polish remover or rubbing alcohol. Next, we use a product called chip skip, what it does is dehydrates your nail temporarily so that when you get the base coat on it bonds really well. Then after your manicure make sure your wearing gloves if your cleaning or doing dishes. After a day or two apply another clear coat and it will help keep it even longer."

Ever wonder why in Canada we don't get the same variety of Chanel products they do in the US? I remember the difficulty of getting my hands on a bottle from the Khaki Collection. Well, here's a little something I learned from Laura (make-up artist at Perfumes Plus): in Canada we actually get our Chanel products from France. Chanel's cosmetics in the US are a thing of their own: they are produced and sold there. Well, didn't my nails did feel a little more European after that!

Christmas Eve...

Last Friday I wore a Jack dress I purchased from Je Suis Prest Boutique the weekend following their fashion show in November. I intended to wear a pair of red tights with the dress for a festive touch, but unfortunately they ripped after I had pulled them on. After one wear, $12 in shipping...they hardly managed to meet a suitable cost per wear before they bit the dust... Instead, I pulled a pair of black patterened hosiery from my dresser and added a pair of red pumps to the outfit, to give it that touch of Christmas colour.

The Outfit

Sweater- American Eagle (received as a Christmas gift, Dec '09)

Dress- Jack by BB Dakota- Je Suis Prest Boutique (Nov '10)

Hosiery- Winners (Dec '10)

Shoes- Spring (Sept '09)

Necklace- ESquared (Dec '10)

Bracelet- Chanel (Sept '08)

I assure you that our Christmas tree really isn't that short! It likely stands about 7 feet, but I'm also not that tall! Interesting how the camera angle can cause an optical illusion. Although it's as dry as a desert and drops needles when I look at it, our tree will stay up until the New Year- trying to prolong the Holiday spirit!

Christmas Eve I went to mass with my family and then afterwards we gathered at my parents house for our typical buffet with my mom's side of the family. A little wine, and little cheer, and a buzzed game of Clue with my sisters and our other halves made my night! I love this time of year.

P.S. What did you do Christmas Eve? 

and the answer is...

For the gals who guessed B was Chanel, you were right! But honestly, in the bottles they look identical. I couldn't have guessed it myself if I had been blind folded and someone else painted my nails. Plus, the camera flash really highlights the undertones that differ in these polishes. As you can see, Sew Psyched is a bit more grey while Khaki Vert has a bit more yellow in it's composition to bring out more of a green shade.

I honestly don't have a favourite out of the two. They are so similar when not under the spot light that I didn't bother to change the polish on one hand and went out last evening with both on! (But seriously, my company was all guys so really they would never notice the difference one way or another I'm sure!) I like Chanel's shade better but Essie goes on thicker. Does it really warrant a $15 price difference? Definitely not.

Chanel vs. Essie...

Chanel's khaki collection has been a coveted hit this fall- and because of that, it's difficult to get your hands on a bottle of either Brun, Rose, or Vert has been a challenge in itself.

Enter Barb: who accomplished mission impossible through a well organized jump through red tape. This morning I met Barb uptown for coffee at (where else?) Starbucks, where we chatted and she delivered Khaki Vert. 

Ta da! 

A little while back I was looking for a substitue for Khaki Vert, which I instantly fell in love with the shade once I saw it online. Recommended to me was Essie's Sew Psyched, which to me seemed to be the first acceptable alternative that I had seen (since then other brands have been dispensing their own versions). Barb had at the same time had secured me a bottle of the Chanel, so I figured why not compare?

So, I painted the nails on one hand with the Chanel polish and the other hand with the Essie polish:

(Disclaimer: Please note the difference is much greater due to the flash on my camera.

Variance is actually more subtle in person.)

Which do think is Chanel's Khaki Vert and which is Essie's Sew Psyched?

Leave your guess in the comments below!

khaki vert's substitution...

For the last few weeks, I've been on the hunt to nail down a bottle of Chanel's coveted Khaki Vert. Discovering a way to attain the shade seems to produce multiple road blocks, first prerequisite is being American if you want to order it from Chanel.com.

It seems Chanel has been the first to produce this olive green colour with intially no other similar shades available in other popular brands (at least from what I could find). Hitting up a few make-up stores in Toronto this weekend, Sephora being one of them, I found a Sephora by OPI shade that was close, but not quite right. No one could tell me there was replacement for Khaki Vert.

That is, until I was flipping through October's issue of LouLou magazine and saw an Essie ad. I saw that make-up artist Lindsay also commented on my last post about sew-psyched around the same time. I stopped by the Shoppers in Lansdowne today and found the new shade from Essie's fall collection.

(The flash on my camera alters the actual appearance of shade a bit.)

It's a great bonus that at half the cost, I found what I've been looking for, surprised that more nail brands haven't launched a similar polish given that military green has been a big colour for fall. I guess that it was  Chanel who officially commenced a trend that I'm predicting other lines will pick up and follow.

inimitable eyes...

Thursday evening I scooted uptown to Perfumes Plus to play make-up with Laura and Barb to test out Chanel's new Inimitable Intense products. I served as Laura's model- it's not every day I have a professional do my make-up!

Laura experimented with the khaki-clair duo shadows on my lids (as I've circled below):

Laura's colour choice coordinated nicely with my outfit: I was wearing an olive military shirt and tan skinny cords.

Barb applying a bit of concealer

Laura applied the Inimitable Intense mascara in "rouge noir" to my lashes. This plum shade matched Laura's cute Joe Fresh hosiery and flats:

Laura helps Barb out with blending foundation

Finished product:

My eye lashes have never looked so bold and long! I love this mascara- you'll see I added it to my Most Wanted list in the right side bar.

As always, Laura takes good care of us with some fabulous Chanel samples!

One Chanel product Barb and I have a shared love of would be the Khaki Vert nail polish- amazing! Barb is determined to score us bottles- and I appreciate all the red tape she has been trying to get around as the product is only sold online right now and won't ship to Canada, sadly. While shopping in Toronto this weekend, I'm going to see if I can find an imitation shade...