Down by the Water: Asymmetrical Ikat

F21 Asymmetrical Dress (similar) & Belt | Coach rings (Five ring set, current)
Starfish bangle via Hautelook (similar by Tobi)
I seriously can't believe how quickly this year is going by. It feels like just yesterday when I was in BC snapping these pictures down by the beach and just enjoying the sea breeze. Luckily the summer weather seems to be sticking around for at least a couple more days, so I can wear my shorts and dresses for just a little longer before the heat says goodbye..

Get Gorgeous Gala with Look Good Feel Better in Edmonton

Hi everyone! I have a local event to share with you guys today, which I really encourage for you to learn more about and attend if you have the chance! I am not affiliated with the planning committee, but I am sharing this personally because I fully agree with the principles behind this organization.

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Get Gorgeous Gala with Look Good Feel Better
Sunday, October 28, 2012 (12PM-5PM)
@ Murale West Edmonton Mall


In support of the Look Good Feel Better organization, Murale is presenting the Get Gorgeous Gala!

What is Look Good Feel Better? Look Good Feel Better is Canada’s only cancer charity dedicated to empowering women to manage the effects that cancer and its treatment have on their appearance, and often on their morale. Over 130,000 women have been helped through their workshops.

Sherry Abbott from Look Good Feel Better will be in store to talk more about the organization and speak about future initiatives. Her presentation will begin at 2:00pm. There will also be a speaker from The Kit magazine to update everyone on the latest fall looks and trends.

On site will also be demos from Shiseido, B Kamins, StriVectin and Benefit for anyone who wants to get a facial or makeover done. Book an appointment if interested!

So, join us for an exciting afternoon of fun, food & beauty swag all for a good cause!

Tickets for the gala are $20 and 100% of the proceeds go towards helping Look Good Feel Better achieve their goals.

With each ticket you will receive:

- Entrance into a draw to win a Movado watch
- $140 worth of beauty swag with products from Benefit, Clinique, Darphin, Estee Lauder and more
- Appetizers
- Access to the pink candy bar

And of course, you will be contributing to a great cause!

**Stop by Murale or call 780-467-2673 and ask for Ann to purchase a ticket / book an appointment for the demos.

For more information about Look Good Feel Better find them here at their website.
For more information about the event, read here via Murale's Blog

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I will be attending this event and would love to know if you are too! It'll be such a great way to spend the afternoon away from school books and just have fun!

*images in this post thanks to Look Good Feel Better & Murale

Manicure Monday: Berlin There, Done That

Monday again... already?! This weekend literally flew by as it was so packed full of events for me - hope you had a fun weekend as well! The weather here was gorgeous so I tried to spend as much time outdoors as I could. I even found myself outside sitting on a patio for a drink at 11PM at night cause it was so warm. Thanks, global warming.

This week I have to share with you my absolute favourite colour from OPI's Germany collection for Fall: Berlin There, Done That.

This creme shade is so pretty in real life. It's a taupey grey shade with purple undertones, but I find it looks more or less purple depending on the lighting. Maybe its my obsession with grey polishes that makes me love it, but really, taupey colours scream fall to me!

As always, OPI formulas always seem to impress me. Berlin There Done that had a very smooth formula, and was opaque after two thin coats. Dry time is quick, and I was able to wear the shade up to 5 days with minimal tip wear. I'm definitely going to be wearing this one again very soon!

Dining Abroad: Ajisen Ramen

Flashback. It's been a whole 3 months since I left Hong Kong. I never really thought about it until now, but wow, time REALLY has flown by this year.

Ajisen Ramen - Langham Place - Kowloon, Hong Kong

The first real meal I had after arriving in Hong Kong was at Ajisen Ramen in Langham Place. While there are many options available, it was a colder day and a bowl of hot noodle soup was in order.

Ajisen Ramen is HUGE in Asia. It started out in Japan, and has grown into a large "fast food" style chain restaurant across the globe - Canada, the United States and even Australia have some locations to call their own. They've won awards for their dishes, and I remember coming home after my Asia trip seeing that they won an award for the best ramen in Hong Kong. That's a big accomplishment.

We arrived shortly after lunch time at about 1:00 in the afternoon, and the restaurant was packed! Groups of people both big and small eagerly awaited their meals at their tables, and I just loved the energy of the staff that were working. Seriously, Asians are so efficient. Off the lunch menu, we ordered a set lunch for two people, which included two appetizers, two mains, and two drinks for $148 Hong Kong Dollars. This rougly equates to about $19 CAD/USD, which to me is such a good deal!

Our first appetizer was the Crab Meat and Crab Roe salad. While I had expected to be way more "crab" (it was fake crab!), I liked having the crunch of the cucumber in the dish. Tobiko (flying fish roe) topped the salad, which is one of my favourite toppings out there. Loved this.

The second appetizer was a plate of Japanese Dumplings (gyoza) - I was a little confused at first since no sauce was served with them, until noticing there's quite a few condiments available for you to use at the table. There's an amazing soya sauce vinegar mix that was soo good with the dumplings. The gyoza themselves are great, but so much better with the sauce.

So this is what I had been waiting for. Tender Rib Ramen, and it really was a fantastic bowl of noodle soup. The noodles were perfectly cooked, being soft, but still with bite and elasticity to them - not to mention they did not become soggy over the course of enjoying the bowl of ramen. The ribs were so tender and flavourful, and the seaweed added additional chewy texture. The broth was tasty and I wasn't too thirsty after the meal - a definite winner.


Beef Ramen in Tomato Soup
While Langham Place is a great location (given the amount of food traffic daily), it also means that wait times for both a seat and for food is going to be longer. We found ourselves having a bit of time inbetween the appetizers and mains.. and being a tourist doesn't exactly mean you have work to do while you wait. Luckily, Langham Place has free wifi for those of us that have the need to stay connected while abroad. I definitely enjoyed the meal at Ajisen and wouldn't hesistate to visit another one in the future!

Manicure Monday: My Very First Knockwurst

Hi everyone! Hope you had an enjoyable weekend and a great start to your week. Ever since the beginning of this school year, I could no longer enjoy my Mondays.. I start classes at 8 AM, and finish at 5 PM, with just a one hour break all day long. I'm dreading the next couple Mondays this semester that I'll have to wake up at 6AM just to get to school on time.. :(

Today I have another neutral shade from the OPI Germany collection for Fall 2012 share for you, and this one's called My Very First Knockwurst.

The creme shade doesn't exactly remind me of knockwurst, or bratwurst for that matter. Don't think I'd want to eat sausages that are this shade of pink, but it honestly does remind me of baby piglets which the sausages are usually made of. Maybe this is the connection?

Either way, this shade is a very pretty pale, putty pink. The formula was very smooth upon application, and was much more opaque than I had anticipated. Two thin coats brought upon full opacity, and the shade wears to 4 or 5 days without chips.

School is very, very busy for me right now, so I apologize for not getting back to you guys sooner! I will definitely make some time to sit down and reply to you all individually in the next couple days. Have a great week!

Sunshine & Chiffon

H&M Chiffon Top | F21 Tank top & Shorts | Necklace purchased in HK
Coach Heels & Day Planner | Bracelets: (c/o) Cheeky Thought, Asos & eBay
I've recently taken a liking to wear chiffons in the summer time. The fabric drapes so nicely and the breathability is perfect for the heat! I'm hoping for some warmer weather before the end of September so I can wear chiffons for a little longer. What do you like wearing in the summer?

Caudalie Vinoperfect Enzymatic Peel Mask

If I could label myself as something in the world of makeup and beauty products.. I'd probably be a self-proclaimed skincare junkie. I have a huge arsenal of products, and continue to buy and hoard despite probably having a supply of products that will probably last me for the next five years. It's a disease, I tell you.

Caudalie is one of those big brands out there that charge a lot more money for their products. While I've purchased many of the anti-aging products for my mom before (she loves them), I've never actually used any for myself, questioning whether the higher price tag really gives you a better product for your skin. As you can see on the package, Caudalie derives its skincare products from grapes, taking advantage of the the anti-oxidant properties of grape seed polyphenols, anti-aging properties of Resveratrol, and Viniferine for brightening and spot correction. The team behind Caudalie consistently strives towards producing natural products for the skincare range, and all products are paraben-free.

I received the Vinoperfect Enzymatic Peel Mask as a sample, and put it to the test. After use, the mask promises a clear complexion, tightened pores, and an immediate burst of radiance. I was actually quite surprised by this mask, as the mention of peeling made me imagine it would sting a bit. Surprisingly enough, the thick consistency of the product makes it similar to a cream, and absorbs/disappears right into skin upon application. The product is so gentle, and there is little to no feeling of it being applied.

After ten minutes, the product has dried into the skin and is ready to be rinsed off. My skin was very soft, brighter, and a little bit tighter - but not stripped of moisture. I was actually pretty surprised with the results since I didn't feel it working during the ten minute time period like a peel typically should. The product is non-irritating, and with prolonged use, the brightening effects would likely be apparent.

For the 3ml sample, I was able to get 3 good uses out of it, meaning that the $40 full sized product for 40ml will give you about 40 uses, equalling out to $1 per use. Of course it's not a full strength peel that you would get if you go to the spa, but this one soothes the skin, and is a great way to take 10 minutes to just relax and let the product do its work.

Available for purchase via Sephora and Caudalie.

Manicure Monday: Don't Pretzel My Buttons

Hope everyone had a great weekend! I spent it relaxing, and helping out with one of Edmonton's local food trucks: Molly's Eats! It was so much fun to help out and see how a food truck runs! It feels like Fall is being held back a little bit (not that I'm complaining), the 25 degree weather is awesome!

As fall is rolling in slowly, I've already started the transition by wearing darker shades and neutrals on my nails. This week, I've got OPI's Don't Pretzel My Buttons on my nails from the 2012 Fall Germany collection. I always find the names so witty!

Don't Pretzel My Buttons is a pale beige creme, and basically mannequin toned skin. It's a nice soft shade, but not the colour I think of when I envision pretzels. Pretzels for me are a darker shade of brown (and usually covered with Sour Cream & Onion flavouring, thanks for Auntie Anne's ;)).

Despite being such a pale neutral, it seems to compliment my skin. The formula is smooth, and easy to work with - just what I expect from OPI. This one has a quick dry time, and lasts beautifully for up to 5 days chip free.

Anyone else picked up shades from the Germany collection?

Vancouver & Seattle Trip via Instagram

I'm always up for a quick trip to Vancouver. Because I get to eat. And eat some more. And more. My trips over to the West coast normally consist of the following in a cycle: eat, shop, eat, sleep, eat, visit the beach, repeat. It never ends - the food in Vancouver is so much better than what I can get in Edmonton, so I use every opportunity I have to take in the calories and enjoy. Here's just some snippets of my week away - in essence, previews of posts to come :)


left: all packed up, ready for the trip!
right: deer roaming on the side of the road in Jasper, AB

left: pho, perfect for cold Vancouver weather @ Thai Son
right: beautiful morning oceanside view - Tsawwassen, BC

left: dimsum for lunch @ Good Eat Seafood Restaurant
right: dried geckos on sticks, found in Chinatown

left: xiao long bao @ Ning Bo Restaurant - Richmond, BC
right: mango sago pomelo dessert in a giant cup @ Parker Place

left: $180 3D Mario cake @ Crystal Mall - Burnaby, BC
right: sushi dinner @ Sushi Garden in Burnaby

left: homemade pineapple bun w. butter & fruit for breakfast
right: gorgeous sunny day in Tsawwassen!

left: toast box from the What8ver Cafe in Richmond
right: Lucy's cute little bunny, Cheerio

left: Starbucks is a no brainer to have in Seattle!
right: s'mores Eggo waffles found @ Target - why can't Canada have these?

left: purple potatoes from my aunts garden - look like dog poo!
right: Jamba Juice Orange Dream Machine, my all time favourite!

left: shopping day outfit! H&M, F21, Tory Burch & Coach
right: sandal haul from Nordstrom!

left: not yet available in Canada, but nuggets are better IMO
right: new bestfriend.. wish I could've taken him home!

left: Summer day outfit - heading out for dinner!
right: Japanese tapas w. friends @ Guu in Aberdeen Mall

left: beach day @ Stanley Park's second beach
right: watching the sunset in Tsawwassen

left: last sushi dinner, AYCE @ Ninkazu in Richmond
right: post sushi bubble tea - lychee green tea w. lychee jelly

left: last homemade breakast before heading home!
right: finally trying out Chobani yogurt - now they need to come to Canada
Thanks for reading, have a great weekend everyone!