Casual Seating || Bar Stool Edition

One of my favourite features to our kitchen is the counter seating. Whenever we have family and friend gatherings everyone seems to congregate in the kitchen while I cook. Don’t get me wrong, I love the company but this set of seating has really come in handy many a time.

Casual seating is a great feature to add when your space can accommodate for it. Bar seating or counter seating; either way it’s another piece of furniture with that welcoming feel like you want them to “stay a while.” When we host large seasonal gatherings like Christmas or Thanksgiving, this counter sit up doubles as the “kids” table for extra seating at meal time. It has become a must in terms of functionality for hosting with ease.

I’ve been on the hunt to find a rustic glamour bar stool like the Trudell bar from The Brick. From its clean-cut design to the broad swaths of treated wood, this elevated chair is solidly built and designed to transcend the trends. The pine surface has been subtly wire brushed for a more natural look. Meanwhile, the golden brown finish raises these attractive details to your attention. I love how it pairs with the banana leaf wall paper and animal hide mirror I found in store from The Brick. Plus, the wipeable surface will survive my toddler tornado with easy clean up post dinner.

Have you thought about adding a set of casual seating to your dinning space?

AE9C20F0-397F-4C64-89FD-342B302C5478 Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by The Brick but my thoughts and opinions remain my own.

#AD || A Mother’s Day Gift Guide with @BestBuyCanada || #BestMomBestAdvice #BestBuyCanada_Partner

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With Mother’s Day just around the corner I’m so excited to partner with Best Buy to bring you the ultimate Healthy Happy Gift Guide. If there’s anything that Motherhood has taught me, it’s that it isn’t easy! It takes a village and a very strong women to handle everything thrown on you on a daily basis. Since becoming a Mom myself over 4 years ago it has made me appreciate my Mom more than ever! My Mom’s Best Advice: taking care of yourself should be a priority. A heathly happy mom is the best mom: Heart, body and mind. So I’ve compiled a list of gifts that are sure to please that special Mother in your life, celebrate her and help elevate a potential life area the way she’s helped and guided you in along the years. From technology that keeps her connected to exquisite watches that make her sparkle, to healthy living elements that will streamline her daily life. Best Buy offers the best deals and selection of meaningful gifts that will show Mom just how much she means to you.

Tile Style Tracker

Does your Mom always rush out the door only

to realize she can’t find her keys? With this small

Tile Sport, this problem is no more for the busy

mom. This Bluetooth item tracker easily attaches

to her belongings uses a loud ringer with a 200ft.

range, so she can find her stuff by simply using her

smartphone and free Tile app.

The Google Home Mini

I suggested this over the holidays and I will do it again.

I love my set of Google Home Minis. Small, simple, and powerful. The minimalist Mom

can say hello to Google Home Mini. This helpful

voice-activated smart home speaker is powered

by Google Assistant, giving you hands-free control

of your smart home, including Nest, Philips Hue,

Belkin, and WeMo devices. Ask the Mini questions,

tell it to do things, and get answered.

Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart Sonic Electric Toothbrush

I’ve owned this toothbrush for almost a year and love it! My teeth have never felt cleaner. It

removes up to 10x more plaque and 100% more stains than a manual toothbrush. Designed to

help improve your gum health with up to 7x healthier gums in 2 weeks.

Click and Grow Smart Indoor Garden

With set-it-and-forget-it convenience, this Click and

Grow Smart Garden expertly monitors the health,

growth, and life cycle of Mom’s plants. Built-in sensors

and innovative Smart Soil let the garden know when

to automatically deliver an optimal amount of water,

oxygen, or nutrients. All she needs to do is plug it in,

add water, and watch her plants thrive.

Also available in beige and dark grey.

Micheal Kors Smart Watch

Mom can stay smart, stylish, and well connected with

this Michael Kors Access Bradshaw smartwatch.

Featuring Android Wear OS that syncs with her

smartphone, this designer smartwatch has a built-in

fitness tracker to help her dominate her fitness goals.

As a bonus, voice commands make it easier than ever to

get the info she needs. Continue reading →

Style || An easy spring look || The New Mommy Uniform

With the weather finally showing signs of spring, I’m so excited to share this easy

daytime look. I’ve partnered with Blu’s to showcase some of the new items they’ve

brought in this season. If you haven’t popped into a Blu’s location recently, the one thing

I absolutely love is the customer experience.

They have personal stylists right in store to

help you find a full look or just the right piece you’ve been missing in your wardrobe. I

told my stylist, Emily, at the Southgate location, that I really wanted to find an easy day

time look that I could wear from meetings to the playground in a nautical color palette.

She helped me put together this look that I absolutely love!

The red MaxMara sweater is really comfortable and is just the right layering

piece for spring in Edmonton, which can be a bit unpredictable and still a bit

chilly. This navy blue cardigan jacket by Moncler is something I’ve actually

had my eye on for a while. As you all know, I love outerwear and I’ll get

tons of wear out of this piece, whether I’m running errands, taking the kids

to the park or lunch out with the girls or my hubby.

And, what can I say about this navy bag from Longchamp? These classic

Frenchdesigned bags are so durable and I loved the fun pattern on this

one. It will easily transition into the summer season and I’ll be taking this

one on many of our summer adventures!

Sweater: MaxMara || Cardigan Jacket: Moncler || Bag: Longchamp

Something else that is really convenient and budgetfriendly is the Blu’s

House Account. It allows you to buy clothes now and pay later, with

interestfree payments made monthly throughout the year. You can inquire

instore or on their website for more details.

Check out my Instagram account to enter the Blu’s $100 giveaway the gift

certificate must be spent in store before May 31st. The spring collection is

so beautiful, the winner will have a hard time deciding what to spend it on!

If you are looking for a Blu’s experience they have four locations in Alberta

including:

Manulife Place and Southgate in Edmonton

Bankers Hall and Southcentre in Calgary

*Disclaimer: This post was produced in partnership with Blu’s. Sample clothing was provided.

Beauty || Long Stay Lipstick, Fast Illuminated Skin & Bold Brows! An easy 5 minute face.

I love a quick makeup routine, and by love I mean I NEED a fast makeup routine. Being a busy mom of two I rarely get kidless time to do my makeup anymore. Gone are the days where I could test out new techniques, browse through products and put a full glam face on for 20 minutes. Over the years, you know that I have gravitated to products that have tons of impact because I’ll only get to use a few in my 5 minutes with kids for my morning beauty routine. When asked recently on Instagram how I’m getting my skin to look so bright, brows on point and a perfected pout… I thought I would put all the answers here! Here are the products I used to get this look in just a few minutes.

Let’s start with long stay lip wear. It’s my best friend, with no need to reapply every hour I’m loving the new Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink line. I find I can get away with a full meal, coffee break and at least 4 hours before I want a minor retouch. The brush applicator is easy to use and helps me get that shape without the time doing a liner. I’m wearing #80 RULER in this look. Int;’s easily my favourite shade from the collection.

Next up skin! Usually I would get into the skincare I’ve been using… because yes I feel that makes a difference but that’s a whole other beauty post. Let’s just talk about the handful of products used in this look. Under and above my eye I’m wearing Too Faced Born This Way Concealer. On my skin, I applied the Tatcha Silk Canvas Protective Primer to smooth out my skin and help my makeup last longer. Plus, it protects your skin from clogged pores and future breakouts! It’s a crime not to prime!

Next, I used BAREMINERALS BarePRO™ Performance Wear Liquid Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 20. This foundation has amazing coverage, so I only use a few drops on a ARTIS Elite Mirror Oval 8 Brush. I find this brush blends foundation so quickly and evenly giving me an air brushed look. Finally, I dabbed Hard Candy Glow All The Way in 318 on my cheeks.

For brows, I used Josie Maran’s The Good Brow pencil, this easy to use two step product both defines brows shaping them with colour while illuminating the arch. You don’t need to be a makeup artist to get defined brows with this pencil, it’s so easy to use. Best of all, it’s organic! I used the IT Cosmetic 5in1 Hello Lashes mascara. It is a conditioning lash primer, lash-enhancing serum, lash tint, and curler—all in one. That’s right, it does ALL of that all at once. It’s a great timer saver. And a swipe of Charlotte Tilbury’s Rose Gold Eyeshadow Palette for Bigger Brighter Eyes for good measure.

Done! Continue reading →