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.

The A List: 4.22.16

It’s the return of the A List!  The crazy season of my job has finally winded down and with the return of my social life and my free time has started. And while I’ll miss the excitement and adrenaline of the season, I’m thrilled this “me” time is coinciding with daylight hours. Anyways, here’s a collection of things I’ve been loving this past week (or month) or so.

Grey’s Anatomy

TV isn’t doing much for me these days, I don’t have a whole lot of time to watch it at the moment and nothing seems too enticing to tear me away from my web videos. So it’s a little bizarre to me that the one show I do make time for, is the one I picked back up again last year. Grey’s Anatomy is under a refresh to me with Meredith Grey leading the way. Her journey back to herself and her social life is great tv at the moment, and I’m loving the Jackson and April dynamic too.  And can we talk about how amazing the Denzel Washington directed episode was? #TGIT

Tyler Knott Daily Love Haiku’s

Romantic. Dreamy. ALL THE FEELS. Every one of Tyler’s daily haiku’s that he posts to his instagram just speak to me, even when I don’t even expect them to. What makes them even more special is that he handwrites them, making them all that more emotional to read each and every day. Seriously, ALL THE FEELS.

Style Code Live

Speaking of web videos, there’s another appointment video for me at the moment, Amazon’s Style Code Live. Streamed nightly at 9pm, it’s a half hour of fashion and beauty and I’m obsessed. And the geniuses at Amazon have made everything on the show available for purchase, so it’s essentially one big commercial without feeling like one. Miss an ep? They’re handily available on Amazon’s Video App – great for binge-watching all of the latest trends (and safely tucked away from that pesky "one-click" purchase button).  =)

InStyle Redesign

Despite my addition to online magazines and lifestyle blogs, I still try and find time each month to catch up on my old magazine standbys. (My Texture app makes this infinitely easier – if you haven’t purchased it yet, do so now). InStyle has long been one of my favorite glossies, I love how they deconstruct outfits each month and how their editorials are a bit more approachable than some of the other high fashion pubs. But what I’m loving right now is their latest redesign, it’s fresh and sleek, and somehow remains luxurious, all while looking totally modern. So fabulous.

Lilacs

If daffodils are my favorite spring flower, lilacs might be my favorite other flower. Our place lucked into a huge lilac bush surrounding our back patio, and on slightly breezy springs days, especially the ones we’ve been super fortunate to have of late, the fragrance of them is transcendent. A bit feminine, but still fresh, right now they’re quite literally a breath of fresh air.

6 Tips for Staying Warm this Winter

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The temps have finally lowered to the 30s, snow is kind of on the ground – it’s finally winter!

Call me crazy – but winter is my favorite season of the year. Pink cheeks, cozy fires, amazing aromas and more, the cold really does bring everyone together.

Just how do I stay toasty during these upcoming winter months? Here are six of my tips for staying cozy during the winter months:

1. A great pair of sweatpants & slippers: I am VERY biased here, but there’s a reason Roots sweats are classics, they’re easily the warmest, coziest loungewear out there. Add in a great pair of shearling slippers and you’re set for a day cozying up inside.
2. A warm blanket or throw. I love a faux fur throw for keeping me toasty, they're keep in the warmth because they don't have the holes an afghan does, and they provide a great look and texture to your lounging space. Warm and stylish - a perfect combo.
3. A mug of something warm. Whether its cider, tea, or something with an extra kick, a warm beverage in a mug is perfect for staying warm. The key is the mug, not only does it heat your beverage, its perfect for curling around your hands and cozying up on the couch.
4. A winter scent. Candles are fantastic ambience creators and I love burning them most months of the year. During the winter months I avoid anything super floral when trying to stay warm, instead sticking to balsam, firewood, leather, and more masculine scents to add an extra snuggle to the house.
5. TV and movies you love: winter is great time to re-watch favorite old classic movies and tv shows, or dive into something thrilling that will keep you glued to you seat. As long as you’re distracted with your favorite entertainment, you’ll stay nice and cozy all day long.
6. Something simmering on the stove: outside of a large sauté pan, the pot that gets the most use on my stove in the winter is my dutch oven. Just it’s presence on my stovetop means that something warm and delicious is simmering away, often for hours at a time. From kale sausage stew, to chili, to my favorite soup, a warm bowl of delicious is perfect for beating the winter chill.

The A List: 01.01.16

 

Happy New Year!

For the first A-List of 2016, here's a look back at some of my faves discovered over the holiday break.

Into the Gloss Meat the Team profiles: there are few websites that are on my daily must-reads list but Into the Gloss is one of them. From tutorials on Korean beauty to intros to some of my favorite products (moon mask!), I visit daily to discover the latest beauty ideas and profiles of top fashion influencers. Recently they’ve been profiling their own staff and I LOVE it. It’s so cool to connect with the people running the site and I love the behind-the-scenes look at their jobs, their favorite products and their lives.

Things Liz Wants Instagram: Eva Chen’s instagram is the best. A gold-mine for shoes (via her #evachenpose), cute pics of her kid, and beauty reviews, she also finds the coolest fashion insiders to spotlight to her followers as well. Recently she posted the cutest flamingo holiday video from illustrator Liz Tafaro linking to Liz’s feed, which a feed which is chock full of fashion illustrations injected with a dose of wit. Super cute, super fun, and a super new insta follow from me.

Amazon Music: My beloved Songza was bought by Google earlier in 2015 and will cease to exist this month. Songza was perfect for music listening when you really didn’t know what you wanted to listen to, you just knew the current vibe you were feeling. Also, it barely played any ads if you didn’t skip a bunch of songs. Songza’s founders are encouraging Google Play music, but it’s not the SAME. Too many ads, too much to be overwhelmed by, I just can’t. I had no idea Amazon Music came with my prime subscription, and their playlists are a great second choice to my beloved former app. (My current fave). RIP Songza.

Casual: during the holiday break I had every intention of catching up on some of my favorite tv shows. Shows like Scandal, Nashville, and Jane the Virgin – all who’s winter finales I have yet to see. But what did I do? Instead I found a new series to love, Casual on Hulu. I’ve been in lust with Tommy Dewey ever since his run on the Mindy Project (I loved his character and Mindy’s together!) and he’s hilarious with the rest of the cast here. This show has some “I can’t believe they just did that" moments and it’s perfect for a winter binge viewing.

Late July Organic Dude Ranch Chips: confession: cool ranch doritos are a guilty pleasure of mine. So good yet so bad for you and your breath. I was killing time at the new Whole Foods at Easton before Christmas (don’t do this – your wallet will hate you) and came upon these Dude Ranch chips and they’re awesome. At their heart they’re a multi-grain chip with just a hint of ranch flavoring. Since they’re multi-grain – they have to healthy, right?