The A List: 4.29.16

alist-4.29

After a week full time back to blogging, I'm loving the sense of accomplishment I feel after writing each day. I'm also loving all of this stuff on this week's A list.  Here's a look at my weekly picks:

Quick Snap Vol 1 - Victoria McGinley She self admittedly doesn’t blog much anymore, but i still love visiting Victoria’s site every week. Between sharing really thought provoking links, or her beautiful product layouts, she behind my recent inspiration to try and resurrect this little corner of mine on the internet again. Her latest series she introduced is genius, Quick Snap. It’s a play on the popularity and authenticity of snapchat, with the greatness of a true behind the scenes story. It truly does peel back any superficiality the social network may have, and tells a great personal story to go along with it.

Fresh Black Tea Firming Mask My skin has been under serious torture this week, from dehydration, to lack to sleep, to a super bad diet. Seriously, I’m ashamed of myself. My skin's one saving grace has been a week long sample of Fresh’s Black Tea Firming Mask that was bundled with my last Sephora order. I’ve been applying a daily dose of it nightly to my overworked skin and each morning waking up refreshed, like no abuse happened at all the day before. If this stuff is doing this when my I can’t get my act together, I can only imagine the results for my after a "normal week”. Hey Sephora, I see another purchase in the near future.

The Girlfriend Experience I first heard about this Starz drama from The Globe and Mail and was curious as to where specifically the series films in my hometown of Toronto. It’s full of amazing shots of T.O’s financial district, but unlike the super sleekness of Suits, it’s a darker, sexier version. And the actual series lives up the visuals, helmed by Steven Soderbergh, it’s seductive, mysterious and creepily gripping, with a great “blank” performance by the lead, Riley Keough. Each episode packs more drama than the next, I can’t wait to see where it builds for the finale.

& Other Stories Candles I was lucky enough to be in NYC for work back at the end of February and had a few hours to kill before having to “clock in”. I ventured up to Soho for a quick stop IRL to some of my favorite stores, including & Other Stories. Stories is already one of my faves for cool, quirky affordable jewelry and shoes, but I was delightfully surprised to see the middle of the store was dedicated to beauty and candles. I sniffed every candle they had on display multiple times (to weird stares from others) and each of the scents are so gorgeous I can’t wait to pick up more. They instantly transform a room to smell like a Paris salon and will have you daydreaming of the City of Lights. (And if you’re in NYC, pick up some of their nail polish. The colors are awesome - I’m still kicking myself for not doing so).

Korea! Lately, a lot of the entertainment options in my life seem to be revolving around one culture, the culture of Korea. From my obsession with Korean beauty (toner, essence and sheet masks are my new skin savers) to watching (and re-watching) Aimee Song’s recent trip to the Peninsula on snapchat, I’m can’t get enough of Korean’s way of life. Perhaps my favorite piece of k-culture is the korean drama, I just finished Oh My Venus and it was adorable. Seriously, I could watch So Ji Sub and Shin Min Ah flirt back and forth for days, they’re chemistry onscreen was fantastic. Note to self: keep expanding my Korean palate next to food, and get planning on my bucket list trip to Seoul. I’m sure it will be life changing.

Best of 2015

 

If you've been on instagram the last few days, you can't help but notice the #2015bestnine photos in everyone's feeds.

I kind of love this.

Best nine is a great and easy tool to remember the highlights of my year, or at least my photos that trended throughout 2015.

And how genius are the app developers who are collecting all of this data from people (like myself) giving them access to their insta profiles? #nerdalert

Anyways, my #2015bestnine did a pretty good job of summing up some of the highlights of my year. Here's a little more into what my 2015 looked like.

(L to R, top to bottom)

1. Rose gold iphone! I remember the day I squealed with delight when my rose gold iphone arrived in the office. Of course my case was already purchased (Rose all day!) but the real hero of this photo is my co-worker Maggie, who let me take this pic on her phone and then texted it to me. (For the record, I'm still in love with my phone).
2. Pan-Am Games Opening Ceremony. It's no secret I wear the love of my hometown on my sleeve, so when I saw this photo from the opening ceremony of the Pan Am Games in Toronto, I had to regram it. My annual weeklong visit to TO came about a week or so later, which prompted my excitement to post the photo.
3. Goal Digger. Chalk this photo up to a cold winter, a new fashion app, and my love for witty and wordy sweaters and tees. It's a hashtag trifecta and a warm sweatshirt too.
4. Home. You might think from the picture directly below this one that Christmas is my favorite holiday, but if I had to choose, I think Valentine's Day might be #1 in my <3. (See what I did there?) This find from Target sat outside our front door for the first few months of the year and grabbed a few more likes than normal with some help from #targetstyle.
5. Morning breakfast. Confession: I love a good #viewfromthetop photo, especially if it has something to do with food. But there's little more meaning to this pic - it's one of the first photos I took from our new office, after it was set up from moving a few weeks earlier. I'm not a fan of moving, but I am a fan of great morning light in an insta snap.
6. NHL All-Star Weekend. A rare glimpse into my work life hit my feed, thanks to some last-minute unreal seats to the NHL All-Star game. This pic to me reminds me of an amazing last weekend in January, a weekend that combined professional success with a love for showing off and experiencing the best Columbus has to offer.
7. Holiday decor. I love decorating my home for the holidays and am quite proud of the aesthetic i've created over the last couple years. Here's a peek into that aesthetic, hints of silver and gold and soft lighting mixed with our mostly neutral decor and my favorite #Toronto poster.
8. Macaroons and Petit Choux at Nadege. One of the many instas from my trip to Toronto, this one came from the cutest french patisserie on West Queen West, just before Trinity Bellwoods. We had traipsed around much of downtown earlier that day and this was the perfect (and cutest) pitstop for a mid-afternoon break. Fun fact, I found this place via instagram too!
9. First trip to Roosevelt Coffee. I hold 90% of my meetings outside the office at coffee shops and had been hearing about Roosevelt for weeks leading up to this pic. The space doesn't dissapoint - open and airy with big tables for collaboration, located in a great part of town, and of course, fabulous coffee, i've been back many times since first snapping this pic.

The A List: 8.7.15

1. The Stowe Katie Bag: once the September Issues start hitting the newsstand, I can't help but want to plan my fall & winter wardrobe. Part of that wardrobe always contains a new leather bag, and this one might be the perfect fit. Minimalist but still luxe, it will fit all of my work essentials and look great doing so.
2. Jet Set Candy YYZ Necklace: I leave for Toronto for a week on Monday and I couldn't be more excited. Upon my return I might to grab this simple luggage tag necklace so I can keep TO close to me long after my trip is over. Like the bag above, it's simple yet luxe - just like my fall style.
3. UnReal on Lifetime: when I saw the reviews on social media of this show, I couldn't believe that a Lifetime show was garnering such critical acclaim. Cue watching the first show on demand, and then realizing a few hours later that I'd blown through 5 episodes. The show is scandalous, it's hilarious, and most of all, it looks like it could be closer to The Bachelor than we think?
4. ASOS Mascot Leather loafers: until I started working in sports, amazing pairs heels were a daily part of my wardrobe. Nowadays, especially on game days, heels are just not practical to surviving an 18 hour day. Loafers and oxfords are now a large part of my shoe collection because of their amazing versatility. From skinny pants to floral dresses, jeans to a-line skirts, these loafers are perfect for the days I spend the whole time on my feet.
5. Toronto Blue Jays: I'm a little worried that as I write this I'm going to jinx the Jays, but it's definitely a fun time to watch my hometown baseball team. If they keep up on the run that their on, maybe this is the year the sports gods reward the city of Toronto? *fingers crossed*

The A-List: 7.31.15

1. Snapchat: I realize I'm way behind the wheel on snapchat, but by beloved instagram is hard to cheat on (the pictures are just so pretty!) But for the past couple weeks I've been fiddling around with snapchat and there's just something so refreshing about seeing friends and followers lives off the cuff.

2. Little Mix on BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge: yeah, I'm that person in the car this summer rocking out to Jason Derulo's "I Want You to Want Me". And don't get me started on the best Whitney Houston song of all time - it's untouchable. But there's something about Little Mix's cover of both that is just insane. As is insanely good. Its a little long, but so so good.

3. Toronto Life Best of the City: I just planned my annual trip to my home city and I can't wait to see how much the city has changed and to visit my old favorites. This issue of Toronto Life will help to guide my trip, including another visit to Bang Bang Ice Cream (SO good).

4. Gold Metal Cat Eye Sunnies: I could post my favorite Nordstrom Sale finds like every blogger that I read, but it was this pair of sunnies that weren't on sale that caught my eye during my Anniversary Sale trek. They're perfect to hide the sun's rays for these last few weeks of summer and so so fun in solid gold.

5. Baby Daddy: I like my summer tv frothy, funny, and most of all short. Baby Daddy on ABC Family fits all three. There's something endearing about three single guys - who couldn't be more different -  trying to raise a baby in New York, and the series is the perfect appetizer to my other favorite summer show, Suits.