Feel Wonderful || Tips & Tricks for the holiday style season

With the holidays just around the corner I’ve partner with Wonder Bra Canada to talk holiday style, feeling wonderful and comfortable at all your holiday events. Let’s face it, when attending a holiday function you want a bra that deliveries the BIG 3: fit, support and comfort. Here are my tips and tricks to finding the perfect bra for any holiday function this year:

1. Flatter Fit: Try the bra on! Even better? Bring the dress, top or sweater you’ll be sporting to see the fit it provides. Some dresses can be more revealing, so find the right cut of bra to suit your needs. Basically you want to pick a bra that won’t be showing. Strapless, convertible, halter.

2. Comfort: For myself, trying a bra on is key to gagging comfort. And I love wireless bras! Yes ladies, they exist and still provide support. Do yourself a favour this season and try a wireless option, you be sure to feel comfortable at events for long periods of time.

3. Support: This one is so personalized. You know yourself what you may need, but I love to ask a professional instore for help. If your holiday occasion doesn’t involve a 30 minute run you may bot need the support you’d get from a sports bra. But in order to feel wonderful you can to feel supported. For myself, I prefer a lightly padded structure cup with no underwire. It’s just my preference, once you find the bra that fits like magic you’ll know too.

Be your own kind of wonderful this holiday season and find the perfect bra BFF for all your holiday events. A bra that fits perfectly is a game changer. Happy shopping and season greetings!

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Wonder Bra Canada, but my thoughts and opinions are my own.

Style || Feeling Festive and Warm || Welcome to the plaid party! #Look #OOTD #MiniAndMeStyle

We have so much to be thankful for this year… among the many things, our health is one of them. Maybe it’s the time of year or the fact that the C word hit one of our beloved family members early this year. Either way, I’ve been reflecting hard. Honestly, all I want for Christmas this year is good company, quality time and the opportunity to make memories with the ones I love most. For the second year in a row, we’ve decided not to do gifts for the adults. Only a choice few for the kids and stockings. And donate our time to organizations that fill up our gratitude cup. Last year felt so carefree removing the gift stress for both our little nucleus and the extended family. With that said, in years past I’ve done many gift guides but this year I’m going to focus on functional gifts, family experiences or low price finds. Hopefully this inspires you to take a page out of my book and focus on what really matters this season. Time! Time to be present, listen and share.

Red Coat || Scarf || Sweater || Socks (Proceeds go to the Bissel Centre) || Boots c/o Cougar

With all that said, here’s my first gift suggestion… instead of a gift guide. If you live in Canada the gift of winter boots can be such a blessing! Very functional, as you’ll likely enjoy them for over half the year. As a family, I recognize the financial burden winter boots can bring. Kids grow fast, love to be outside and need warm non slip boots! They can need several pairs a season due to sizing or wear. Plus, functional boots are always a welcome donation for many organizations working to help keep the homeless winter ready and safe. Consider a warm pair of boots as a gift for a loved one or as your holiday donation because they are so appreciated by so many. It’s really giving the gift of the outdoors in a way, I love that.

Thank you Cougar for sending these pairs to help us get winter ready, we have loved them! Both pairs are waterproof and so warm for our legit winter weather. Plus, they are a Canadian company. If you’ve followed me for quite some time you’ll know supporting Canadian companies is super important to me and they’ve been at it for over 65 years!

Camo Jacket || Jeans || Boots c/o Cougar

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Skincare Favorites: A moisture story…

Kira Nov 17 2018 0016 This is the time of year, I feel my skin change with the temperatures. The moment cold weather is upon us my skin screams for moisture in all shapes and forms. I’ve partnered with Vichy to share my top 3 products I’ve been loving this past year. Here are my fav’s to combat winter dry skin and get that glow back with Vichy:

LiftActiv Supreme: PURE MOISTURE at it’s finest this light cream will melt into your skin leaving no grease residue behind. Honestly, it was tough not including the night cream from this same line, but I love this moisturizer so much for how smooth and radiant my skin can look within just a few uses with zero shine. If you are looking for a main moisturizer you can use every morning pre-makeup with zero time to let it soak in this one needs to be in your life!

Mineral 89: There should be no surprise this made my list. Using it for well over a year, this is my first step to the day EVERYDAY. Even my husband has his own bottle! Minéral 89 is a non-greasy gel that I love to use as my primer and initial skin boost to the day. It contains Thermal Water with natural origin hyaluronic acid to strengthen skin’s barrier function, which is so important with the harsh winter weather we put our skin through everyday. Even if you are not into skincare, this product is an easy add to your routine.

LiftActiv Vitamin C: This small but mighty bottle is my favourite product for getting that glow. With 15% Pure Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Fragmented Hyaluronic Acid and Vichy Mineralizing Thermal Water you’ll notice brighter and tighter skin after just a few weeks. I love the power of Vitamin C for a skincare routine but I struggled to find products with a high percentage, this is why Vichy’s version made my list. A little goes along way with this mineral packed bottle.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Vichy Canada but may thoughts and opinions remain my own.

Travel || Banff, Alberta || Explore, Sip & Stay

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If you caught this little couples getaway on my Instagram stories last week, you’d probably have seen this blog post coming a mile away. As a born and raised Edmontonian this isn’t my first visit to Banff National Park by any means. We have frequented the area bi-yearly for decades. Luckily enough being an avid mountain air seeker, I’ve had the pleasure of trying many establishments and I wanted to share a few of our favourites in hopes this read will help you plan out your next escape. Here are my current hotels, restaurants and attractions of mention for Banff in 2018.

Stay

We’ve done the full range of accommodation options for Banff over the years: from rented house, cabins to hotels. I will say when booking a couples trip, I highly prefer a main street Banff hotel to any of the other options. Walking access to restaurants and sips being the main reason. And in all honesty, house keeping when I’m away from kids for some romance is a must.

Elk + Avenue Hotel (formerly the Banff International): Location, location, location… located in main street Banff, this modern and renovated hotel is steps away from nightlife, shopping and eats. We love the decor added in the last update to this hotel, it’s a trendy comfortable “après-ski” kind of vibe with so many cozy touches. Definitely check the website when booking, currently there is a promo that includes gondola and seasonal festival tickets with your room booking. Who doesn’t love some added value?

Honourable Mention Mount Royal Hotel: Although I haven’t stayed at it since it’s new renovations, I can definitely speak to the prime time location in the middle of main street. Visit the website and take a look at the gorgeous updated rooms and that roof top hot tub! Our plan is to try out the new rooms sometime this winter.

Sips & Eats

Let me start off by saying this category is so tough for me. There are almost too many places to mention that are incredible to eat. So to save myself from writing a novel I’m only going to share our current 2 favourites for both taste and experience.

Sky Bistro: Dine at the summit of a mountain. Enough said! We enjoyed a relaxed lunch with the most specular views we’ve ever seen from a restaurant. I highly suggest getting a reservation if you are going for a gondola ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain.

Chucks: It’s gotta be the Albertan in me but we cannot go to Banff and not get a real Alberta Beef experience. Grass fed, hand picked and aged steaks to choose from this restaurant is a meat lovers dream. You’ll notice we are not the only the ones who think so, you’ll need a reservation during peak dining hours or you will be turned away. We shared the the family style platter, The Cow Boy Trail it had something for everyone.

Experience

A trip to Banff is not complete without taking in some specular views. Between hikes, strolls along the falls or mountain top visits, everything is majestic in the mountains. Here is one experience you don’t want to miss.

Banff Gondola at Sulphur Mountain: For the view along, this gondola ride is definitely worth it. As a little side note, check the website you can save by bundling admission with dining, booking in advance or arriving early currently has free admission for children before a specific time. Approximately 7500 feet above Banff this attraction is a must for a breathtaking experience like no other. At the top experience a state-of-the-art facility offering history, shopping and dining. I suggest bringing layers to take a stroll on the boardwalk. I couldn’t get over the view or the elevation! Continue reading →