Fashion (item) Friday!

 Cu-lottes

noun: culottes

Women's full length trousers; cut with a very wide leg to resemble a skirt. 

 In other words, my very favorite trend atm, and ELLE's most voted "Pant to Wear" in 2016. I will admit, as a bonafide curvy lady- I struggled for a month over wearing these wonderful, wonderful pants- post purchase. My curiosity for culottes started while perusing Banana Republic's F/W '15/'16 lookbook. Fast forward several months (and several sales) later and I couldn't fight the $19.99 urge to pick these puppies in NYC. Light denim was my only option, but for $20 (PROTIP: Extra 10% off with reusable bag!) I was in. 

I have worn these pants twice so far, and both looks were a hit. My first go was an overcast day so I chose Sam Edelman grey suede booties, an oversize JCrew hamptons inspired sweater, and a chunky gold statement necklace from BR. I was comfortable, chic and felt totally on point. My second attempt at culotte-ing involved an open backed white ballet top from Free People. The fitted top contrasted to the wide bottoms made for another easy chic look. 

Final thoughts: the culotte has gone from an iffy denim style, to an absolute staple of my wardrobe. I am so excited to brave the world of textured, colored, and patterned culottes. 

My pants, in a darker color and a slightly better body ;)

These black culottes from Zara are anything but basic; 39.99 CAD zara.com

XO, 

M-L

InstaLove: SUITCASE Magazine

I don't know about you guys but I go through phases where I will read magazines more than I read actual books. When I am in a magazine phase I want something that is inspiring and beautiful to look at, but I also want beautiful words to go with the beautiful pictures and today's InstaLove feature, SUITCASE Magazine, satisfies all of these wants. I picked up my first SUITCASE Magazine when I was in London (England) last month and the moment I saw the cover I fell in love because it was just so striking and beautiful.   

SUITCASE Magazine describes themselves as "the world’s first experiential fashion and travel magazine" and I have to agree with this description. This magazine is really an all-rounder: it covers fashion, beauty, food and travel destinations. Also, their Instagram feed (which is the whole point of these InstaLove posts) is a thing of beauty. I will warn you though, their feed will make you want to pack your things, grab a camera and hop on the next plane leaving YYT. 

El Nido, Palawan in The Philippines 

South Island, New Zealand 

Cuba

If you're craving some SUITCASE material in between magazine publications, they have absolutely beautiful website that is filled with everything from suggestions on what to pack for different destinations to photo journals to articles about style around the globe. My favorite section is called "Trailblazers" and it's dedicated to people (from fashion powerhouses to badass explorers) who are pushing boundaries around the globe. SUITCASE also developed a mobile app so their readers are able to access their City Guides from anywhere!

Savannah Baker, Z Photographic Ltd. 

Maria Alafouzou, Author at SUITCASE 

Meadow in the Mountains festival in Bulgaria 

If you have an appreciation for creativity, breathtaking photography and, of course, the desire to visit the globe one country at a time, then this magazine (and their Instagram feed) is the one for you! 

You can find SUITCASE Magazine on Instagram, Facebook and their website. 

à demain mes amis

xx

D.

InstaLove: Estée LaLonde

Welcome back to the blog MC babes! I hope you are all having a lovely hump day; it is a warm one here in the capital city today and I'm loving it.

So, today is probably the InstaLove post that is most near and dear to my heart because it's about my #1 bae, Estée LaLonde. Since the day Mari-Lynn told me I was going to be doing these InstaLove posts Estée was number one on my list to feature. The reason I have yet to write about her here is that I was saving her, waiting for the right time to feature her and that day has finally arrived! You might be wondering what makes this random Wednesday in August so special, well, today just happens to be Estée's 26th birthday, and if that's not special then I'm not sure what is!

Estée is a London-based beauty and lifestyle YouTuber who was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. I love her for so many reasons but mostly because she is a badass woman doing badass things on the internet. Estée is an entrepreneur who has built herself into a well-known brand but despite her success, she remains so down-to-earth and real. 

One of my favourite video series of hers is called FemTalk where she answers questions from her followers on everything from losing her virginity and getting her period, to body confidence (or lack thereof some days) and not apologising for being yourself. how she is learning to stand up for herself. I love these videos because the topics Estée discusses are important and relatable but no public figures are really out there talking about them. Also, I love that Estée is so honest and open about everything because that takes real guts! 

Another reason why I love Estée is that she is living my dream life: she is a Canadian living in London with her hot British boyfriend and her adorable dog, working for herself, doing what she loves, and looking stylish as hell (most of the time) while doing it #goals. 

Finally, I just feel like we would just be best friends if we met in real life. Our style is so similar, she has an interest in tattoos, she believes in her horoscope and has a love for crystals, she loves food (specifically doughnuts), she is really funny and self-deprecating, her skin type and color (which is pale af) is the exact same as mine so all of her product recommendations work for me. There are just too many reasons to list why I love her, but I hope that I have done her some level of justice with this post and I definitely encourage you all to check out her YouTube channels, and blog, if you haven't already.

You can find Estée's main YouTube channel here and her second vlog channel here. Also, Estée has written a book called Bloom which will be available in October, but if you're interested in pre-ordering it you can do that here.

For all of Estée's other socials you can find them below:

Twitter: twitter.com/esteelalonde

Instagram: instagram.com/esteelalonde

Facebook: facebook.com/estee.lalonde

Snapchat: essie_button

Blog: esteelalonde.com 

xx

D.

How to Style: Long Chokers

Hello MC babes! I can't believe Friday has come again so soon, it feels like only yesterday that I wrote the "All About Nails" post about my favorite nail care products and polishes. I'm going to try and upload a style or beauty post every Friday for a little something different from the regular InstaLove posts that I put up throughout the week. 

So, last week was a beauty post and this week is a style post. Specifically a post about how to style long chokers. You might have seen these chokers in stores around town (Aldo Accessories in the Avalon Mall has a ton of them) and thought "what the heck am I supposed to do with these?". Well, I'm here to help you out with a few suggestions! 

The choker that I am using in these photos is a black suede one from Aldo Accessories (I think it was $20) and it essentially looks like a really, really long string when off. I always start with putting the string behind my head so that the ends hang on the front of my body at an even length. I do this to make sure that I get an even wrap around my neck when I style my choker.

For this style, I simply wrapped each side of the string around my neck one time and then tied the sides, like I was lacing up a sneaker, to get the bow. That's it! I wear my choker like this a lot because I really love the look of the bow with the long ends, but if you don't like this look (or if you get annoyed by the long string ends) ...

You can take each side of the string and wrap it around your neck a second time and tie a bow (in the same way as the above style). By wrapping each side a second time you're using up more of the string and creating a shorter choker style. You can also make your bow as big or as small as you like, the nice thing about this choker is that you can customize it any way you want!

For this style I kept wrapping each side of the string around my neck until I had no excess left and then I just tucked the ends in so that you couldn't see them. Sometimes I will tie a tiny knot in the back and then tuck the ends in to make sure that the choker style will stay in place and not unravel throughout the day. You can wear this style tightly wrapped so that it looks like one full piece, or you can spread out the string a little bit for a more piecey look. 

You can wear this choker on its own or you can have some fun and layer it with other necklaces and chokers! The one I'm wearing in this picture is from the store and it's a vintage one from the 1960s.

If you guys love the choker look but have been struggling to figure out how to style them then hopefully this post has been helpful! The main thing to keep in mind when styling and wearing your choker(s) is to have fun and make the trend your own, because that's what fashion is all about :)

Have a great weekend and I will see you back here next week!

XX

D.

InstaLove: Bang Bang NYC

Here at MC we love tattoos-almost all of our staff has at least one-so today we're showing some Instagram love to Bang Bang Tattoo in New York City! Bang Bang Tattoo was started in Autumn of 2014 by Keith "Bang Bang" McCurdy after he spent a decade tattooing all over New York City. Despite being less than two years old, Bang Bang Tattoo is one of the most famous tattoo studios in the world and employs some of the most talented artists in the world. This might have to do with the fact that McCurdy has made a name for himself as the tattoo artist to the rich and famous; he has inked Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Cara Delevingne, just to name a few!  

If you're looking for tattoo inspiration then this account is for you. Each piece created by the Bang Bang artists is a work of art and will make even the most tattoo shy want some ink.

The BangBangNYC account posts pictures from all of the Bang Bang tattoo artists but each artist also has their own account as well. As with all art, you're going to be drawn to certain artist styles over others and below are my favorite Bang Bang artists:

Kristi Walls (specializes ornamental pattern design and American traditional): https://www.instagram.com/kristiwallsnyc

Mr. K (specializes in micro design): https://www.instagram.com/mr.k_tattoo

JoiceWang (specializes in watercolor and illustrative design): https://www.instagram.com/joicewangtattoos

Georgia Grey (specializes in watercolor and illustrative design with a traditional American background): https://www.instagram.com/georgiagreynyc

Keith "Bang Bang" McCurdy tattooing Cara Delevingne's iconic lion finger tattoo

Fatima's Hand by Kristi Walls

Micro Design Imagery by Mr. K

Watercolor Ballerina by Joice Wang

X-Ray Flower Design by Joice Wang

Dainty flowers by Kristi Walls

Dog Portrait by Mr. K

Cat Eyes by Georgia Grey

Watercolor Elephant by Georgia Grey

You can find Bang Bang's Instagram here and their website here. 

Until tomorrow MC babes!

D.

All About Nails!

Hello and Happy Friday everyone! TGI(frickan')F amiright? I don't know about you guys but I am so ready for the weekend *insert multiple dancing women emojis here*. Today I'm doing a post about all of my favourite nail care products/ my nail routine. 

Full disclosure, I am OCD when it comes to my nails. I absolutely hate going out in public when my nails don't look nice, and if I have even just a tiny chip in the polish on one nail I have to pick off the polish on all of my nails and repaint. I'm aware I have issues, but I just don't feel put together if my nails look like crap. 

I always like to prep my nails before I put polish on them and this includes using the Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover (which you can purchase at Walmart) and cuticle cutters (picture below). You leave the Cuticle Remover on for about 20 seconds, let it do its thing, and then run your hands under some water to wash it off. I push any remaining cuticle down with my finger nail and then remove it with the cuticle cutters. 

Next, I always shape my nails with a nail file and use a base coat polish. I use the Essie All in One base coat but any base coat will do. Base coats are really key in your nail care routine because they they prevent the polish you apply from staining your nail, they extend the life of you polish and many contain ingredients that nourish your nails. 

Speaking of nourishing your nails, I recently took a trip to London and while I was there I picked up three NailsInc nail polishes. Each polish is enriched with different ingredients that are meant to hydrate your nails and keep them strong while you wear them. The first polish below is from NailsInc's hugely successful Nail Kale line. The other two polishes are from their new nourishing lines that launched earlier this year. One line is enriched with sweet almond oil and matcha, while the other line is enriched with coconut water. 

In the Nail Kale line I purchased the color Windsor Mews which is a beautiful muted lilac. In the Sweet Almond Oil and Matcha line I purchased the color Gloucester Crescent, a lovely linen blue grey shade. In the Gel Effects line with coconut water I got the awesome bright blue shade called Portobello Terrace. I actually had a really had a hard time choosing which colors to get because I loved them all but I'm super happy with the three shades I did buy. 

You don't have to go all the way to London like I did for NailsInc polishes, they do sell them at Sephora but the price point is slightly higher than your average polish. In my opinion they are totally worth it though: the formulas are glorious, the brush shape is great, you don't need much polish to get a solid color and I found that the color doesn't chip. 

I love a nude nail polish but my absolute favourite nude polish of all time is the color Zakynthos by Nars. I just find that it is perfect for my skin tone and every time I wear it people always compliment the color. However, when I'm not wearing a nude polish I am wearing a black polish. Currently I'm using the OPI color Black Onyx. These two colors are definitely Holy Grail products for me and speaking of Holy Grail products, the Seche Vite quick drying top coat is number one on that list. If you haven't tried this product yet you need to because it will change your life. It seriously dries within minutes, no more being helpless for half an hour or more while your nails dry.

After my nails are done and dry, I like to apply hand cream. I have extremely dry skin so I find that the green Glysomed hand cream works best for me because it contains silicone, which locks in moisture. I know a lot of people don't like this hand cream because they find it greasy or heavy but I'm a huge fan. I literally always have this with me and I buy it in packs of three at Walmart because I go through it so quickly. At night, I religiously apply the Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil which I just dab onto my nail beds and massage in. I started using this in the Winter because my hands were so dry, but I continue to use it nightly because I find that it really keep my nails strong and healthy looking. Finally, I  follow up the cuticle oil with a really moisturizing lotion like the Good on Ya body butter in the sent Femme or Sweet Bay, turn off the lights and go to bed!

So there you go, my (slightly extensive) nail care routine*. I hope you guys enjoyed this post and if you have any nail care products you love please comment below! 

Have a wonderful weekend and I will see you back here on Tuesday.

XX

D.

*I got a lot of these product recommendations from my favourite YouTuber/Blogger, Estée LaLonde, so if you guy liked this post you should check her out!

InstaLove: Soul and Needle

Happy Friday MC babes! 

You guys know that we're all about vintage fashion, but we love it when people take vintage pieces and give them a modern update- which is exactly what Soul and Needle does! They take vintage t's and give them a super dope lace-up accent. The coolest thing about these t-shirts is that no two are alike! 

You can follow Soul and Needle on Instagram here, and if you're interested in placing an order for your own t-shirt you can email them at a.madore@live.com!

See you back here tomorrow.

xx

D.