Sunday Brunchin'

There are few opportunities for "girl-time-bonding" that I enjoy as much as Sunday brunch. The long and lazy pace, perusing through endless options of sweet and savoury delicacies, sipping warm cups of coffee while chatting about everything from current events to careers - from family to fashion finds. Reminiscing about old times and looking forward (sometimes with excitement - other times with trepidation) to the next milestone. No one does bonding better than good girlfriends, and no setting is better for it, to me, than a fantastic brunch spot.

So last Sunday I made the trek from the 'burbs to the heart of T.O. to not only catch up with two of my best girlfriends, but also to celebrate the impending arrival of my friend Laura's new baby girl ♡♡♡. I have been to some really fabulous brunch spots over the years, and count Insomnia, Hot House and Patria among my favs. But this time, at the request (brilliant!) of the mom-to-be, we decided to check out the new Colette Grand Cafe located inside Toronto's hip and trendy Thompson Hotel. The weather on Sunday was decidedly fall-like - cool and damp, drizzling but not pouring - and it made the atmosphere inside this gorgeous, Parisian inspired cafe that much cozier. It also made our brunch date, that much longer as we opted for one more cup of coffee, and perhaps one last serving of prosciutto rather than heading back, out into the dreary weather.

The exterior of the restaurant has a distinctly European flair, with a crisp navy and white color palette and cute bistro tables shaded by a chic awning.

Once inside, I was greeted by a beautiful, smiling hostess and given a moment to take in the flawless interior decor as I waited for our table to be prepared (Reservations for Sunday brunch are strongly recommended - if not absolutely required). The brunch buffet was incredible. The selections endless and the service impeccable. The crowd was an eclectic mix of urban hipsters, and savvy fashionistas, and I expect that being just down the street from 2015 TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) action upped the overall beautiful people quotient this weekend.

If you haven't yet had the opportunity, I strongly recommend booking a table at Colette. At just under $300 for the three of us (including champagne mimosas, taxes and gratuity), it is definitely on the pricier side, as brunches go, however it is worth every penny. And really, as an occasional treat in the spirit of girlfriend bonding, I'm not sure that you can afford not to try it ;)

Shirt - Winners (similar)

Pants - H&M (similar)

Bag - Danier (similar)

Shoes - Nine West (similar)

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Goodbye July, Hello August!!! My Long Weekend Look

I can't believe it's already August!!! This was a long weekend for us here in Canada - and one of my favorite long weekends of the year. This "goodbye July/hello August" weekend has always felt to me like the pinnacle weekend of the summer - the weekend that all the summer days have been leading up to....and the weekend after which we start heading steadily into fall. Typically in Toronto, the weather does a dramatic dive southward after this long weekend as August breezes begin to pick up and days get ever so slightly shorter. Which is why I always look forward to getting out and enjoying at least one of the many events that take over the city this time of year.

In my younger days, you would have found me spending this weekend jumping up at the annual Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival and then dancing the night away at one of the many long-weekend parties taking place. This year we were lucky to be kids-free and spent what is most often referred to as "Caribana Saturday" taking in the AMAZINGLY funny Kevin Heart at his sold out show at Toronto's Air Canada Centre. Not wanting to miss the opportunity to take advantage of overnight babysitting during what is arguably the biggest party weekend of the year here in T.O. I dressed for what I knew would be a long night of laughter, drinks and dancing.

I wanted a look that would take me from the show to dinner and drinks and then eventually to the dance floor. I decided that in this case, simple sophistication in a classic colour palate would get me where I wanted (style-wise) to go. I opted for a chic black and white combination for my long weekend night out:

Always a fan of mixing things up I decided to go for a combination of both black and gold accessories for added personality and "hipster flare"

This look was super easy to put together and incredibly comfortable hours after the night began. The base of this outfit is just a simple black racer-back tank and pair of comfy basic H&M leggings.

I added a light-weight, off-white blazer from H&M to pull the outfit together and add a bit of sophistication.

I decided to go with a comfy pair of black wedge-heeled gladiator sandals by Sam Edelman and this structured leather cross-body handbag that I picked up in a little shop a couple years back in Venice.

The great thing about this look is that I could easily remove the jacket and wear my purse across my body leaving my hands free for sipping cocktails and dancing the night away (as we did!!!) when the nights antics lead us to the ever popular over-30 T.O. nightspot - Pravda Vodka Bar.

Jacket - H&M

Tank - Winners (similar)

Sandals - Sam Edelman (similar)

Handbag - (similar)

I slipped my scent-of-the-moment rollerball - Balenciaga B. - along with my new fav lipstick and gloss combo (MAC's Angel and Revlon's Ultra HD Lip laquer #540 ) into my purse and was out the door. We met up with our friends just as the show was about to start, and a great night was had by all! Oh how I love this long weekend!!! 

Which is your favorite summer long weekend?

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Feelin' Blue

Summer weather is officially here in Toronto, which means patio season is upon us!!! It's definitely harder to get away to enjoy a glass or two with friends on a shady alfresco with a little one at home, but now that Emma is onto solids and happily adjusting to formula the timing couldn't be better to take advantage of the warmer weather and enjoy some girl chat outdoors.

Always one of my favorite style classics, I think a pale blue fitted oxford button up looks great paired with denim skinnies, and an open toe pump. Add a pair of aviator shades and a summery tote, and you're ready for an afternoon of lunching with the ladies!

Jeans - Levis Curve ID

Shirt - Joe Fresh (similar)

Bag - French Connection UK (similar)

Shoes - Nine West (similar)

Bracelet - Primark 

I hope that you're enjoying the weather. See you on the patio!!

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My Strange Addiction - Best Budget Nail Polishes!

So I've already mentioned how I am an absolute sucker for the impulse purchase displays that are set up at store checkout lines. What you don't know, is that I also have a serious weakness when it comes to nail polish. I love the different color choices available from the pretty pastels to the cool metallics and edgy darker shades....I also get a kick out of the clever names that polish companies come up with and have been know to buy a polish because the name was just too cute to pass up. Honestly, sometimes it feels like opening a fortune cookie - I seriously bought Essie's "eternal optimist" (which is barely HALF a shade different than the "not just a pretty face" I had sitting on my dresser at home) because I felt like the name was speaking to me personally. I know, I know...a little bit cray - don't judge. Truth is, I pop that stuff into my shopping basket like candy. Originally a devotee of anything OPI, I discovered a few years back that Essie had a great formula that dried quickly and shiny and lasted days longer, quickly giving it the top spot in my overall nail polish ranking chart.

So you can imagine what happened when my routine shopping haunts added super cute, low priced nail polishes to their impulse purchase displays. I was no match for the temptation and soon enough, my order of clothes and accessories from H&M, Forever 21 and Joe Fresh were coming with a delicious side of nail polish. I had no idea whether the product would be any good, but I was loving the colors and for the prices figured they were worth a try.

Here are some of my favs:

H&M 

For just $1.95, you can get a cute little 5 ml bottle of nail art fun from H&M. On the day I first gave this nail polish a try, they were "buy 2 get 1 free", so really - how could I not? I picked up "warm sand", which is a really gorgeous nudey/peachy color, along with "I do" - a pretty pinky/coral:

Ever a fan of the classics, I grabbed "true love" - a perfect Jackie O. shade of red - to complete my 3 bottle purchase:

I was shocked at how great these polishes were when I got them home. They were decently pigmented, dried quickly with a really nice shine. My only complaint with these is how teeny the bottles are. I like to hold the bottle between my knees so that it doesn't tip over or slide all over the place when giving myself a manicure. These bottles are so tiny that you have to take special care to avoid getting the brush (and polish) on your knees rather than back in the bottle (does anyone else use this techinique for DIY mani's or is this just my issue??)

Joe Fresh

Just when you think a line can't give you anything more - they do (sigh). Joe Fresh, a hidden gem in between the broccoli and bacon slices of your local Loblaw's/Supercentre grocery store has opened up a few stand alone stores (I've visited both the one on Queen Street West and the Vaughn Mills location - and for those of you without access to the actual store, they have a great online shopping site). Not only do they carry great quality, affordable and trendy fashions that are presented every spring and fall at Toronto Fashion week, they have expanded to include cosmetics as well! In fact they have a new line of skin care including face serum, eye cream, toner and this citrus facial cleanser that I want to try - but, I digress...

I was in the checkout line the other day when I saw the display sign "Buy 1 get 1 Free" for a bin full of nail polish, and so of course, I did what came naturally and grabbed these two:

                                                                                                                                    From the Left: "Peacock" and "Ballet Slipper"

Once again, I was loving the colors, and pleasantly surprised with the formulas. An added bonus was the wide FLAT brush that makes application much easier and more even (the absence of this type of brush is were Essie misses the mark - IMO). Priced at just $4 each (one of which was free), no complaints here!

Forever 21

Forever 21 has been in beauty for some time now, and they do a fabulous job of not only tempting you with their checkout line displays (come on now, which of you have NOT randomly picked up and taken home one of their cosmetic bags while waiting to check out???) but have little baskets of low priced goodies, right there at the cash counter! It would take willpower of steal to resist the urge. And so last month with my shopping bag full of shorts and swimwear for our vacation to St. Martin, I grabbed this super beachy color to paint my toes for vacay:

The color is called "Bubble Gum" and at just $3.90, it was SO worth it and joins China Glaze's "Flip Flop Fantasy" as my favorite summer pedi color!

Walmart 

I couldn't do a post on the best budget nail slicks without giving a shout out to the line "Pure Ice". I had never before heard of this nail polish, but a couple of years ago, came across the display of super trendy shades priced under $2 a pop! I believe they are sold exclusively at Walmart, and are great, quick drying formulas. These round out my list of the best budget nail polishes:

From the Left: "Bikini", "Jail Bait", "Superstar!", "French Kiss"

Remember the days when you only had "Hard Candy" if you wanted trendy and unique nail colors with good formulations? Today there are tons of great options to choose from and by lines that you may have overlooked for the more well known (and more expensive) brands. Nail polish is such a fun and easy way to express your personal style, and pull together a look, that I am glad that more companies are getting into the biz and putting out really great products while doing it!!

Today I did a fun and fresh two toned look with Joe Fresh and Pure Ice polishes:

                                                   

                                                     

What do you think? I'd love to hear about your favorite low priced nail polishes :)

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

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