Love!

I've been looking for the perfect floral dress for a while; something light and summery that's not too short and will blow in the wind with its tiers of chiffon and silk wrapping around my legs while I bask in the warm summer sun. I'm not sure if that's just me day dreaming, but I saw this picture of Drew Barrymore and I just had to post it! This dress and heels combo plus those awesome hipster glasses is just so pretty and cool at the same time.

• Speaking of hipster; Urban Outfitters is having one massive sale (as I learned from the lovely blog Listen to Lena!). If you're in Canada, they do $10 flat rate shipping on orders up to $150. After $150 shipping is free! Canadian rejoice!

• And speaking of Canadian online orders, Ricki's is having a great sale too! All sale items are buy one get one half off and shipping over $50 is only $1! Bah, for once it feels good to be a Canadian shopper.

I've really been into the nautical trend, especially horizontal striped tops and tunics. The one person who wears this trend better than all others if Olivia Palermo. I just love this girl. Check out this great feature from The Fashion Spot about copying two of her amazing casual looks!

Fitness

So I've decided to take charge and get active and really fit this summer. I've decided to do the "lean" routine from P90x. Oh boy, I've been doing it for only two days and I've been feeling the burn. It hurts to even move my legs! When I got word from my doctor that there was something wrong with me (which I will not get into), I decided that one thing that could really help me was to put on a lot of lean muscle and really try to understand my body. I've also been getting great use out of my Reebok Easytones which I bought a while ago. I'm hoping to chronicle how the program is going for me every week. Although I'm not really trying to lose weight or anything, I really do want to get more fit and put on lean muscle, especially around my core which is really weak.

For those of you who don't know what P90x is, its an intense fitness routine based on muscle confusion. It says that it is supposed to transform your body from "regular to ripped" (not really what I'm going for here) but I've seen real life examples of women who have used it and it has worked wonders for them. There are a variety of workouts, from Kenpo, Polymetrics, Synergistics, to Ab Ripper X (this one is insane). So wish me luck, and I'll definitely update you as to how its going!

If you would like to see examples of P90x at work, just google search P90x before and after and you'll see what I'm talking about! 

Ps, has anyone else ever tried P90x? Or any other fitness routine? What are your fitness plans for this summer if any? 

 photo credits: http://theunlikelyathlete.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/p90x.jpg 

http://buy-shoes.me/reebok-easytone/reebok-easytone-fitness-shoes/

Lovin' the Body Shop

So lately I've been loving The Body Shop. As a kid / teen, I would dread getting those gift baskets from them because I would seldom use the products in it. But that all changed when they introduced the moringa scented products. They smell like jasmine flowers, but it is light and airy. Since then, I've loaded up on their shampoo's, conditioners and a bunch of other products from them. I just realized that my entire beauty routine (wash, moisturize) consists of products from them. I thought I would list my favourites here.

• Ginger Anti-Dandruff Shampoo: I hated the smell of this shampoo at first, but I've grown used to it. It really helps me in the summer with those pesky little flakes and it feels refreshing. Although I prefer hair products without SLS, I made an exception for this one. I think its a good summer shampoo. 

• Guarana Berry Volumizing Conditioner:  This is such a great conditioner! It really leaves my hair full of volume and it smells so amazing! It's not as moisturizing as I would like it to be though, but it does the job that it says it will do! 

• Moroccan Rose Milk Lotion and Bath & Massage Oil (not pictured): The Moroccan Rose collection smells so amazing! The lotion is light and really moisturizing while the bath oil is great for de-stressing. Who doesn't want to smell like a rose when they get out of the bath?

• Love etc Eau de Parfum: This is a perfect summer scent. Fragrances don't tend to last long on me, and for the summer I want something light and airy without being overwhelming and this fits the bill. 

• Banana Conditioner: This smells so amazing! I just started using it and so far so good! I noticed a bit less frizz in my hair today after air drying it and using it in the morning, so maybe its from this little guy. I kind of want to eat it though! **update** I am totally in love with this conditioner and I just bought two more bottles today (before they run out!) I don't blow dry my hair in the summer, just let it air dry and this makes it super soft without weighing it down. The only thing that sucks is that the incredible smell doesn't stay in my hair. Oh well.

If you're in Canada, I know that The Body Shop is having a great sale on a lot of their products right now. They're also discontinuing their cherry scented line, so if you like those products, make sure that you stock up now!

What are your summer beauty must-haves? Are you a fan of a beauty brand? 

(ps, The Body Shop didn't pay me to give them this free publicity, but if they would like to send me products I'm not complaining!)

Mississauga Delights

It's been a while since I've posted anything of real substance and for that I apologize. Amidst my job, friends and a minor health scare I've had little time or energy to post, but I realize that I've just got to get into the routine yet again. So hopefully you can expect a lot more posts out of me in the coming couple of months! :)

As for what I've been up to, I just wanted to share some of the great moments of Mississauga that I've been experiencing. I live in Mississauga (a suburb right outside of downtown Toronto) and I've just come to realize the immense natural beauty of this great city. From touring the Bread and Honey festival to the serene Kariya Park, Mississauga truly has something to offer everyone.

First off, let me begin with Streetsville; a little township in Mississauga that makes you yearn for the good ol' days. Everything here is made to look like it belongs in one of those old European movies. I was there for the Bread and Honey festival in early June and it was such a treat to see all families come out and enjoy this day with their kids.

I also ended up going to this great Indian restaurant in the heart of Streetsville. It was called Nawab Authentic Indian Cuisine and the food was so delicious! I'm very picky about my Indian food and this place certainly did not disappoint. The atmosphere was really amazing too, as well as the service. I would highly recommend it. We tried to take pictures of the amazing food, but when the dishes arrived we were so hungry we ate almost all of them and only then did it pop into our heads that we needed to take a picture! So here you are with an almost empty lamb biryani and a mehti chicken dish!

Next up in my adventure was the gorgeous and serene Kariya park. Located in the heart of Mississauga, this Japanese garden is a little piece of heaven for anyone who has been too busy to stop and breathe (much like I was when I went!) It was so stunning. The whole park was created to reflect Japanese architecture and traditional gardens. There were so many little ponds, and amazing koi fish as well as turtles and my absolute favourites; mallards! If you're ever in Mississauga I encourage you to check this place out.

And finally there is the good old Erin Dale Park. I've gone to this park since I was a little kid and every time I go, there is always something new to discover. It has a huge river running through it as well as various mashes / bogs / ponds and little hideaways for anyone to just sit, relax and maybe have a pic-nick. I love the water here and walking along the river edge, its so pretty!

So how about you? Have you been anywhere exciting in your hometown this summer that's worth mentioning?

CSN product review!

Hi everyone! 

I'm sorry for my absence from this blog as of late, I've been swamped with work and just hanging around, which I never got to do before when I was in school. I've been trying to stay away from the computer a little bit and just working on living a healthy lifestyle full of fun and relaxation! But on that note, I got a wonderful opportunity from CSN stores (who I partnered with last time to do an awesome giveaway!) to do a product review for this blog. I'm incredibly excited! 

As I've said before, CSN has over 200 amazing online stores where you can purchase everything from a sofa, to designer shoes and handbags! I'm particularly looking forward to visiting CSN's housewares section which has some of the most amazing selection of cookware ever. I'm a avid cook / baker / eater so I would love to do a review on some great cookware for you readers. I'm dreaming of calphalon as I type this! Anyways, look out for that coming soon!