outfit

Red Riding Hood

March 16, 2012

I don't know about you, but seeing all the spring trends popping up everywhere is making me a little upset that it's still cold where I live. I'm sick & tired of Jack Frost, so this is the last winter outfit I'll be posting for this season :) Spring, I'm coming for you!






Jacket: TNA(Aritzia) | Top: H&M | Tights: F21 | Necklace: H&M
Ring: Tony Duquette x Coach | Booties: Costa Blanca

Vince bought me this particular jacket for my birthday last year, and I call it my red riding hood jacket for a good reason. I was pretty surprised he bought it cause I only ever mentioned it once to him - good memory on his part! What drew me to it was mostly the shade of red - vibrant but not too bright either. It's relatively warm but not enough for those -20 degree days.. its okay though, the big hood makes up for it :)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

bakery

An Indulgent Weekend, Part Two: The Pastries

March 14, 2012

So after our yummy lunch of pho, Vince and I went in search of two independent bakeries that I had planned to visit. Carmen recommended both Jelly Modern Doughnuts and Yann Haute Patisserie to me, but to be honest, I was most excited to visit Jelly! The reason being that everytime I used to visit Calgary, it was mandatory to stop at Krispy Kreme! Their Original Glazed donut is such a treat, and I would always get one dozen to take home, and easily eat 4 or 5 of them all by myself. About two years ago, Krispy Kreme shut down, and the spot for donuts in my stomach has forever been left unsatisfied.

Jelly Modern Doughnuts - #100 1414 8 Street NW - Calgary AB


Jelly Modern Doughnuts is located conveniently in downtown Calgary, and to our biggest surprise - across the street from the hotel we were staying at! If it weren't for them closing for the long weekend Monday, I probably would've had a very sweet breakfast.


The moment I walked into the bakery, the aroma of delicious, fried dough reached my nose - familiar to the scent of Krispy Kreme, but not as sweet. At the other end of the bakery is a cute little seating area - I could imagine myself enjoying a donut and getting some work done, if only the tables were taller!

Enough of the shop, onto the goods.. in which the pictures will speak for themselves.














They cater to younger children too!

Don't they all just look amazing? Their donuts (with exception to the cake donuts) are available in snack or regular size - snack is perfect if you're looking to try a variety. The donuts were fresh and not too sweet. I loved the soft dough, which wasn't too airy or dense, giving it the perfect texture. If I had to choose, my favourites would be the maple bacon and s'mores flavour. I really want to try the salted caramel the next time I'm there!

Something that I really love about this establishment though, is that they use and support local products, and try to give back to the community as much as they can. Accordingly, everything is made fresh on site each day - they don't even have a freezer on the premises! At the end of each day, any leftover baked goods are given to a local organization. Each month they promote a different charitable organization as well. Although the donuts are quite delicious, I still have to say Krispy Kreme has my heart. Next time I'm in Calgary though, you'll find me here. Love the Food Network? Jelly Modern will be appearing on the show 'You Gotta Eat Here!' on May 18th, 2012.

Yann Haute Patisserie - 329 23 Avenue SW - Calgary AB

After spending a chunk of our day drooling over donuts, the next stop was at Yann Haute Patisserie. Located about five minutes from Jelly Modern Doughnuts, this bakery was situated inside a bright yellow house.


Opening the door to get inside, there was a long line of about 7 people ahead of us. And as we waited, the line moved ahead of us, but also grew behind where we were. Overhearing the conversations, many of the people were loyal patrons, whom told me this bakery consistently produces high quality baked goods. I was extremely excited.


The decor on the inside is simple, clean, and elegant. I loved the red & white! Bold, but classy.. and maybe a little romantic in the spirit of the recent Valentine's Day that passed.


The main reason for my visit to Yann's was for their macarons. I was expecting macarons with similar flavours and sizes to those at Duchess, but I was blown away by their offerings.




Flavours for the day: salted caramel, lavender creme, coconut & chocolate, raspberry & chocolate, hazelnut, mint chocolate, orange blossom, milk chocolate & lime, PB&J, Irish coffee, lemon & pistachio

In addition to their unique flavours, the size of the macarons is about triple that of those offered by duchess. We ended up buying one of each flavour, and I must say that my favourites were salted caramel, coconut & chocoate, raspberry & chocolate and pistachio. The shells were soft with a light chew to them - I could eat quite a few without even noticing it.


Yann's is a place I wouldn't think twice about returning to - their offerings are decadent and perfect to satisfy that macaron craving! Delicious, and highly recommended. :)

Jelly Modern Doughnuts on Urbanspoon Yann Haute Patisserie on Urbanspoon

This post is a continuation to my mini trip to Calgary over the weekend. Read part one here if you missed it!

nails

Manicure Monday: Dutch Ya Just Love OPI?

March 12, 2012

This past weekend in Edmonton was beautiful! Temperatures in the 5-10 deg. Celsius range made it feel like summer. And some people did take advantage by wearing shorts! I think it's a little too early for that, but it was nice to wear a skirt with tights and not feel cold!

This week I have another beautiful colour from the OPI Holland collection to share: Dutch Ya Just Love OPI? Such a cute name!


I think this colour is my favourite from the Holland collection! At first I thought it would just be another creme polish, until I saw that the bottle flashed a beautiful shade of gold.


The deep eggplant purple base is packed with gold microshimmer that shines brilliantly when under sunlight. Holy moly I almost blinded myself looking at my fingers while I was driving! Beautiful. Just don't make the same mistake as I did if you pick up this colour! I took two pictures under different lighting, hoping to show you the gold glitter hiding in the purple :)


The polish was quite sheer when I applied the first thin layer, which I found odd considering it is a darker colour. However, once I painted a second, slightly thicker layer, I had instant opacity and stopped there. The polish wore beautifully for six days with minimal tip wear on my left hand. My dominant hand.. was another story. I had a couple chips after just three days of wear. I'll live with it though, this colour is gorgeous.

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