Tag Archives: Toronto

I Work Out

September 21, 2015

I’ve been Classpass-ing my way through Toronto since I’ve been here. Working out regularly has made me feel a little more normal, like I live here. Which, I do, but I still can’t quite seem to master cooking at home and grocery shopping. I feel like I either waste food or don’t have everything I need to spice it up and cook properly. To say I’m craving the comforts of my own kitchen would be an understatement. But I am mega thankful that I can use Classpass here without adjusting my membership in any way. So easy! Toronto’s workout scene is pretty awesome – I’ve done “Ladies Who Lift,” tons of barre – including a restorative class where I basically gave myself an intense myofascial treatment with a foam roller (holy moans sounding in that room – hurt so good) and deconstructed yoga. Variety is my jam. Here are a few of the essentials for the #fitbitch life.

I’m paying these GapFit leggings forward. My friend wore them to a class one day and I ordered them the next day (in both colors!) I actually find I like wearing them for lounging and running errands because they don’t feel like workout pants. They’re so flattering with ribbed sides and a slimming waistband.

Most of my workout wardrobe is from Old Navy. Can’t beat the price and everything holds up really well no matter how much you wash them. I love the sexy mesh detail on this top!

Sometimes I shower twice a day (always steamy hot water) so I make moisturizing a serious priority. I absolutely cannot get enough of the One Love Organics Gardenia + Tea Body Serum. It’s such a treat to breathe in this aroma and I love the oversized spray handle for easy use. It keeps my skin smooth all day and I think over time has improved the feel of my skin (bold statement but truth!)

I never understood why people have to replace their sneakers so often but I get it now. I love these Nikes but can definitely feel the wear after running and working out in them since the winter. Time for an upgrade.

I stocked up on these Hurraw balms at The Detox Market in Toronto and always keep one in my workout bag. I hate starting a class with dry lips and also don’t want to wear anything with color. These are perfect – and under $5 a pop!

I was in a good place with my Soapwalla citrus deodorant but decided to give PiperWai a try after I heard so many raves. It’s gray in color from the activated charcoal but blends in clear to skin. And it is incredible. You can use it right after shaving without irritation and it holds up the best of anything I tried. I’m a convert.

If you like cold water to stay cold or do any type of hot yoga, then S’well is for you. I’ve been seeing these bottles at gyms for the past year and finally decided to give it a go. Now, it’s the only way I like to drink my water. Cold beverages stay cold (like chillingly cold) for 24 hours. The bottles are mega cute, too. And this is when I admit to you all that I might have a water bottle accessory problem. Oy.

The Instant Face Lift (+ other RMS Beauty-isms!)

September 10, 2015

A few weeks ago, Rose Marie Swift made her way through Toronto and hosted a get together at The Detox Market. She was super chic in all black – skinny pants, tunic and sneaks – and had her sprout-eating Yorkie she shares with Miranda Kerr in tow. Rose Marie – RMS Beauty – is an absolutely brilliant makeup artist and an all-around cool chick. In the span of an hour, she taught me a dozen new things about her line, our skin and made me laugh nonstop. She also spilled the beans that she is working on lipstick — packaging TBD but she flashed a Ziploc baggie of testers in a more traditional stick or tube form – and powder eye shadow! Oh, and she’s also thinking about sunscreen, noting “that’ll be next year!”

Instant Face Lift. How are you applying blush? Rose Marie says the higher the better to give the face a lifted look. “Just look at Helen Mirren to see what I mean.” She took her Lip Shine in Sublime – the brightest pink in her line – and dabbed it almost on the cheekbone and blended it up and back.

Forgot the intended use. It’s all multi-purpose. I love and use the entire RMS line with the exception of the Eye Polish. I love them in theory but my eyelids eat them for breakfast. However, I took RMS’ advice and use the chocolatey bronze Seduce to fill in my eyebrows! It is PERFECT. As she so obviously pointed out, eyebrows aren’t flat on our face so it is OK to fill them in with something with a little shimmer. I’m a match with Seduce but Lunar or Karma work just as well for lighter or darker brows.

Powder Strategically. Don’t put it around the whole face. She likes to use a flat cotton puff to dab her Tinted Un Powder on select areas (like eyebrows and around nose) but don’t layer it over the cheeks or anywhere you’d use her cult-fav Living Luminizer.

But, wait, it doesn’t stay on my face… I know her coconut oil-rich products can be a turnoff to some – I’ve heard it from many friends after I recommend it to them. Someone asked her directly, why do I have problem with your makeup staying on my face. She made such a good point! “Waterproof sunscreen. There’s a synthetic layer – that’s why!” While RMS is definitely drinking from the fountain of youth, she also encouraged everyone to get some sun once in a while. “We are not going in the sun – it’s the feel good vitamin. I’m a firm believer that chemicals in the environment seep into our skin and we put on waterproof sunscreen, sweat and tap all of those chemicals in the skin. Yes, sun is bad, but let yourself get some.”

Also, hyaluronic acid? “It’s unpowderable! I can spot it like the plague.” RMS acknowledges that it is great for night but also likens it to glorified Vaseline.

She is her own quality control. “I do not let the labs go near my stuff. I buy everything. All my ingredients. My Shea, coconut (Thailand), my minerals. And my labs get my formulas.”

Be careful with oils. They have a shelf life! “Coconut is three years, jojoba two but some go “bad” very fast (like safflower).”

3 + 1 + 2 = the SIX

August 10, 2015

It’s official: 312 Beauty is heading to the land of poutine, maple syrup and Drake. I’m trading in the Sears Tower for the CN. Lake Michigan for Ontario. Running through the six with my woes. Temporarily, it’s cool. For the next three months, I’ll be spending most of my time in Toronto. I’m taking on an incredible opportunity at work that requires me to be in person working alongside my Canadian colleagues. It’s a bit of a *pinch me* situation that is also bringing some wild emotions.

For those of you who have stuck with me for a while know that this year has been quite the ride. At the start of the year, I was yearning for stability. Taking my fresh start and riding a reserve of strength that I’d built up when my world was changing. I did some solo traveling, connected with all of those thoughts in my head during the dark days of winter and eventually jumped into any experience and adventure that I damn well pleased. I retreated away from the computer and Netflix in favor of living. It felt good. It felt amazing. It still feels amazing. I find myself happier than I ever realized I could be. So, now, to disrupt this life I’ve built for myself is slightly scary. I know I’m going to be challenged at work and I’m up for that. Time to crush it, clearly. It’s more the emotional strain. Being away from my dog (don’t worry, she FaceTimes me every night) and the people closest to me.

A few weeks ago, as I turned 33, someone very special gave me a poem by Emily Dickinson. It was fitting – 33, Simplicity. I read it every day. A few of the lines that stand out, “How happy is the little stone that rambles in the road alone… a passing universe put on; and independent as the sun, associates or glows alone, fulfilling absolute decree in casual simplicity.”

The poem in its entirety resonates so strongly with me at this exact moment. It’s my time to shine on my own in a new place where none of my comforts surround me. I will be fulfilled. I will thrive. I will find my purpose. This I know. Chicago is waiting for me but in the meantime, I can’t wait to show you all Toronto and bring a little of that 312 Beauty flair to the six.

Summertime is ______

July 24, 2015

Let’s do this one together. Summer is_______.

I could finish that sentence in so many ways.

Summer is spontaneous. I took the long way home from work earlier this week (from my company’s office in Toronto!) around Queen’s Park and through the surrounding neighborhoods. Everything about the evening was perfect – the sun was bright as it was setting, the air breezy and calm, the architecture rustic and filled with character for blocks.

Summer is easy. I’ve been getting ready in about 15 minutes flat (and sleeping for an extra 40 min, yay!) I wake up so much more refreshed in the summer. My shorter hair is a breeze to manage as long as I don’t go to bed with it wet (cowlick city). I wash in the evenings and do a quick blowout with the EcoTools Full Volume Styler. My hair dries fast as is but this brush cuts it back by another minute. It’s vented throughout – I love the design! Technology, man. This brush is technically made for long hair but it does wonderful voluminous tricks for short hair when you use it with the blow dryer. I’m usually bedhead styled in the mornings, so tote along VERB Dry Shampoo for later. There’s not much this Madewell et Sezane tote doesn’t fit. It was a birthday present I gave myself!

Summer is fleeting. I appreciate every sunny day for the gift it is! Say yes to a drink after work, take a walk, breathe in the air and just look around.

Summer is GOOD. No time like the weekend to be reminded of that!

How would you finish that sentence?

This post was sponsored by EcoTools. All opinions and tips are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support 312 Beauty.