Odds and ends

Apologies for being MIA for the past month. The year has not gotten off to a good start and the stress of last year is lingering. I am trying to take it a bit easier this month, but after nearly a year of being wound up tighter than a spring, it is not so easy to do. The constant state of depression, stress and exhaustion has completely drained my mental energies. As a result, I haven't had any motivation to write anything about style, fashion or beauty (which you have probably noticed as a complete lack of style and beauty posts).

Toronto in deep freeze

However, in a strange roundabout kind of way, the deep freeze we were experiencing recently has been helping to take my mind of things, and it's also given me some new inspiration.

Going puffy

When I was in university, I had a huge down-filled puffer coat from Eddie Bauer. It was great for keeping warm through Montreal's freezing cold winters. Looking back, it was probably two sizes too big for me, and I looked like a large black blob in it.  After realizing how student-ish it looked, I got rid of it and switched to wool coats. My warmest wool coat is the stadium cloth wool duffle coat from J. Crew, and it was fine last year, as it never got particularly cold. But last week, I wore it out and froze. Walking back to the car after dropping the kids off at daycare, with my shoulder blades knocking together, I noticed a sign for Canada Goose at Due West, a shop on Queen St. W., and came away with this parka.

Canada Goose "Victoria" parka (source)

Canada Goose has come in for some sneers from those who think it has become a symbol of excess and materialism for city dwellers, the fashion equivalent of driving a Hummer in the city. It's true that in certain parts of Toronto, it seems like every other person is wearing a Canada Goose jacket. I have to respectfully disagree - these jackets are purpose designed, and they are the undisputed gold standard for cold weather wear (read more about the company here). They are manufactured here in Canada to the highest standard of quality, and carry a lifetime warranty.

The moment I put on the Victoria parka, I knew it was perfect. It is cut very slim on the body and doesn't look puffy at all, and there are no frills or doodads to clutter up the design (a pet peeve). There are some interesting design features built into the parka. There are shoulder harness straps inside, so that the jacket sits straight and doesn't slide askew, even if the jacket is unzipped. The hood contains a concealed wire in the brim so that you can adjust the fit of the fur-trimmed hood around your face.

Wearing it feels a bit like wearing armour, especially with the hood up and the huge fur trim billowing out.

Take it all off

It is a bit of cliché that people, especially women, have a sudden irrational desire to cut off all their hair after a traumatic event. Remember Britney Spears some years ago?

Okay, I didn't do anything that drastic, but besides feeling the need to shed an old layer, I was also inspired by this spread in the December 2012 edition of U.S. Vogue. Apparently, the new trend in hairstyles is a ragged "chop" just below the chin.

Karlie Kloss with new hair style by Garren, in

"Chop Chop: Karlie Kloss gets the haircut of the moment";

photo by Patrick Demarchelier,

U.S. Vogue, December 2012 (read the whole article here)

I went to my hairdresser and told her to take 4 inches off. After she chopped it all off, I immediately felt lighter and more free. Here is the result.

Kind of messy but you get the idea...

I am super pleased with it. I like all those wispy layers she cut into the ends, it makes for an unpredictable hair style every time I wash it out.

Bargain hunting

Regular readers will know that I am a big fan of sale hunting and bargains. However, I normally don't like shopping at places like Winners and Marshalls, stores which sell overstock or clearance merchandise from other stores. Everything is jumbled together and you have to spend hours sifting through the racks. Also, it's a dangerous way to shop - you can end up with a lot of stuff which you never planned to get in the first place.  However...I recently bought my daughter a wipe clean activity book with a dry erase pen, but the pen only lasted a few hours in her hands, and much of the time was spent fighting with her kid brother over the book. I remembered seeing them at Winners/Marshalls last year. It was a freezing cold day and I had nothing planned, so I decided to pop in for a look to see if I could find another activity book and pen set (which I did: for $5, less than half the price I paid for the first book - ouch!). While I was at it, I stumbled across some amazing deals in the beauty department.

I found these Oscar Blandi hair care products going for $9.99, less than half the price at Sephora (see more products here).

Oscar Blandi Moisture Recovery Conditioner and
Color Preserving Shampoo
(Tip:  Shampoos for preserving dyed hair are generally less harsh
than regular shampoos, as they are typically formulated as "sulphate free",
 i.e. without sodium lauryl/laureth sulphate, which is a strong detergent and
 found as the main ingredient in almost all liquid soaps, cleansers and shampoos.
They can be used by anyone looking for a gentler shampoo)

Oscar Blandi is one of those high end salon lines that costs $20+ for a single product. I tried a sample of conditioner once and liked it. What I liked about this shampoo and conditioner is that the scent is pleasant yet quite discreet and neither contains methylisothiazolinone, a formaldehyde-releasing preservative that can also be allergenic but which is found in nearly all hair care products.

I also found this Pupa nail polish in this gorgeous shade of magenta - a bit of fun for only $2.99!

Pupa is an Italian cosmetic brand. Here in Canada, it is more expensive than regular drugstore brands as it is an import, and they always have fun colours and packaging. The line is available at selected Rexall/Pharmaplus stores.

I have heard that companies will release a small amount of stock to Winners in hopes of finding new customers who like the product and are then willing to pay full price. I am wondering if this is the case with these beauty products.

J. Crew recently released the first of their spring collection today but this post is getting a bit long so I will be reviewing that in my next post (hopefully not a month from now!).

Do you shop regularly at Winners or Marshalls? If so, what's your strategy? And how is 2013 shaping up for you so far?