New beginnings

Picture source

Everything runs its course and it's time this blog came to an end.

Follow Nathalie's blog - crafty stuff.

Follow Diana's blog - just stuff.

Happy reading,

Nathalie & Diana

The Lime Shop in Toronto this weekend

Diana and I will be in Toronto this Sunday Oct 24th for Canzine (held at The Great Hall). Come by and say hi. We'll have a small run of the Mr. Robot 2.0 grocery shopper (exclusive for events). German Shible, my brother and the artist of this charming robot image will also be there selling his illustrations and small press comic. Be sure to stop by his table.

My linoleum block printed bookmarks for Canzine. Made out of heavy weight cold press paper and acrylic paints.

Current reads and inspiration: Marc Jacobs by Bridget Foley and Rob Ryan's This Is For You.

Hope to see you this weekend.

::: Nathalie

Sales Don't Come From Lies

Dear Beyond The Rack,

I ain't a hater. I realize no one's perfect, but you gotta start upping your game if you want people to stop saying crap about you on the internet. How about treating the people who pay for your products better? I also suggest you stop blatantly lying to your customers about what's in stock on your site. On more than one instance, you've displayed a graphic of an item that you're not even selling. Lame!

Check yourself before you wreck yourself,
D

MAC's Venomous Villains, Out Today

Disney's evil bunch, Cruella De Vil, Evil Queen, Mileficent and Dr. Facilier all have their colours for MAC Cosmetics debuting today. The collection includes Beauty Powder (which I'm not keen on), Lipgelée, Lipglass, Lip Stick, Eyeshadow, Eyeliner, Blush, Nail Lacquer, Greasepaint Stick, Magically Cool Liquid Powder all in the characters signature colours.

You can bet I'll be at MAC early to get first dib's on the Evil Queen's Toxic Coral Lipstick and Bite of an Apple Blush. (It seems fitting since she was a favorite of mine growing up.) Be sure to get yours soon because these will probably sell out quick.

::: Nathalie

The Clothing Show 2010

Day One: Shop set up. We changed the layout again one hour before doors open.

New product alert! We introduced our collection of handmade, handprinted tea towels at the show.

It's our last day at the Clothing Show and while we're sad to leave, we're just looking forward to going home and relaxing for the remainder of the weekend. Thanks to everyone who's stopped by.

Nathalie & Diana

From UGGly to UGGliest

Seems like the world's ugliest boots, which are also bad for your feet are back with a redesign.

UGGs have collaborated with Jimmy Choo designers to create this monstrosity, which will be available October 21, 2010 at Holt Renfrew.

Honestly, why won't this trend die?

-D

MJ ONLINE!

According to the Marc Jacobs Twitter, which is written my company prez Robert Duffy, the online shop will launch this fall. For the first six months he said they will only be shipping to the US, but will expand shortly after.

He also said that you can call any MJ store and order anything from the website and they will ship it to you regardless of location. That's kinda cool.

-D

Ashley. Love her.

source: http://olsensanonymous.blogspot.com/

Nudie fragrance's for your man

Sometime I feel like I live in a cave. I subscribe to 5 magazines and pick up more off the newstands each month, but apparently it's not enough to keep me informed. I just found out about Marc Jacobs new men's fragrance, Bang.

I recall Diana telling me about a contest on MJ's facebook page and how one of her friends won a Marc Jacobs Stam bag. Diana neglected to tell me about his new fragrance. Knowing Diana's bag envy, she was probably more focused on her friend having won an MJ bag.

::: Nathalie


PS - I should comment how Geoff always laughs at men's fragrance ads. He wants to know who exactly they're targeted towards, seeing as your typical straight male probably doesn't respond to these ads (teehee).

The Cosmetic Gods Have Forsaken Me

Like a lot of Asian girls, I have stick straight eyelashes that require a lot of effort to curl. The slightest hint of humidity or rain makes them droop. It's really difficult to find products that ensure that my lashes stay curled looking all day long - so when I find something that works, I really stick to it.

For almost 9 years I've used L'Oreal's Le Grand Curl. I had the same tube for 4 months (I know, bad girl) and earlier this month I went to buy a new one. To my surprise my local drugstore didn't have it. I went to several others and they didn't have it either. One of the cosmeticians at Shopper's Drug Mart told me it was discontinued and I almost lost my marbles. Not only was it cheap but it was effective in helping me look like I actually have decent eyelashes. I've tried every brand from Dior to Maybelline and nothing holds a candle to this stuff. I recently purchased MAC's Opulash ($16 CAD) and while it's sufficient, it takes a lot of manipulation with my eyelash curler to achieve what was extremely easy with Le Grand Curl.

So yeah, I'm pretty bummed out. If you've got any tips on a good mascara that holds curl to stick straight lashes, please let me know.

With droopy lashes,

Diana

The Impromptu Picnic

Paint splattered chambray shirt; Current/ Elliot. Linen Skirt; See By Chloe.

Bracelet; The Lime Shop. Gold Watch; Michael Kors. Suede Zippered Bag; Alexander

Wang. Crosses Shopper; The Lime Shop. Yellow Sandals; Steve Madden.

Hanging out at Kensington Market with Diana last Friday downing Coke's and beef patties in coco buns. Sitting on my Lime shopper to keep my SBC skirt clean. There's yet another use for your tote bags.

-Nathalie

We Return to Regularly Scheduled Programming

We're going to pretend that Nathalie and I haven't been absent from this blog. Hi!

What's New?
- The Lime Shop website is up and running! If you're looking for eco-friendly goods for you, your home or your friends, this is your one stop shop.
- I got a LV Damier Speedy 30. Obviously it's a classic bag that I'll love forever, but I find that it's an abyss that makes it impossible to find anything.
- In a moment of weakness, I purchased YSL Baby Doll Perfume without testing it. I sprayed it on my wrists and nape and am now trying my best not to vom.
- Guess I've been living under a rock, because I went to my first Zumba class this morning. Um, amazing much? They say you can burn between 500-1000 (yes, a thousand) calories per session. I'm planning to go again tomorrow.

Back with a vengance,

Diana

Net-A-Porter Sale

Net-A-Porter is having an awesome sale with further reductions and new reductions and reductions on reductions! (Can you tell I'm salivating?)

I got the Rebecca Taylor Dotted Denim Jacket for 50% off. I wanted some other stuff but my size seems to be selling fast. Probably for the best.

::: Nathalie

Review: Pantene Pro-V Aerosol Hairspray for Medium/Thick Hairstyles

I really wanted to like this hairspray from Pantene Pro-V's new line, which is just under $5 on sale at Shopper's Drug Mart. It promises to lock out humidity, give you all day hold and add shine. Sadly, the only thing I really liked about it was the smell.

I curl my hair every morning and hairspray is essential to my every day routine. I styled my hair as I always do and applied this hairspray throughout my 'do. What I found is that it made strands of my hair HARD. When I first started using hairspray in high school, I thought having clumps of stiff hair was normal when using these kinds of products. After using so many kinds of hairspray from different brands, I find it's only inferior products that does that to your hair.

After an 11 hour work day Nathalie and I went to see Sex and the City 2, which was as disappointing as this hairspray. Lindy West's review is probably the most hilarious review I've ever read.

Back to the hairspray.

While observing myself in the theatre washroom, I noticed that my locks were looking lackluster. The curl has begun to droop and though it wasn't raining nor very humid, my hair looked a little frizzy. I asked Nathalie what she thought and she said that my hair looked mediocre at best.
Sorry Pantene, I really like your Shampoos and Conditioners, but your new hairspray is really a flop.

Turns out that if you're not satisfied with any of their new products, Pantene will refund the cost of your purchase and double it. That's pretty cool, so props to Pantene for good customer service.

Back to Ojon,
Diana

Beachy Waves

This one's for Steph. A picture of my 'beachy waves'.

Promise I'll post a video eventually, but in the meantime here are my suggestions on how to achieve a similar hairstyle.

• Get a really good curling iron. I've bought DOZENS of curling irons and if they're cheap, they won't hold the curl and you've just wasted more money. My suggestion is to save for a hardcore one. Mine's a Babyliss Pro Curling Iron. Honestly, I've had it for over a year and I feel stupid for not buying one sooner. It holds the curl so well.
• Use the curling iron upside down and wrap your hair around the iron instead of wrapping the iron around you hair.
• Hairspray is essential. The better is it, the longer your curls will last. I've mentioned Ojon's Tunu Hairspray on more than one occasion. I've tried a lot of hairsprays and a lot just don't cut it. This one does.
• Run your fingers through your style after applying the hairspray to make it look more natural.

That's it for now. Promise I'll post a vid soon.

Doing my part for better hair everywhere,

Diana

Review: Jonathan's Finish Hold Firm Hold Hairspray

People are constantly asking me how I do my hair. I really should take a picture to show you and I know this sounds like I'm bragging, but I've honestly mastered the look of 'beachy waves'. Promise I'll post a 'how to' vid on YouTube one of these days when I'm not so busy.

In the meantime, I gotta talk to you about Jonathan's Finish Hold Firm Hold Hairspray. I can't seem to find it on their website, which leads me to believe it's discontinued (WTF is up with my luck, seriously?!)

A few months ago, Nathalie got a few samples from the Jonathan line at Holts and she went on and on about how incredible their conditioner was. For almost a year I've been using Ojon Tunu Finishing Hairspray. Though I'm a huge fan of the product itself, I'm really upset that the last three bottles I've purchased have crapped out on me halfway through due to a faulty spray nozzle. I looked it up and apparently a lot of people have a similar problem. When I saw Jonathan's Finish Hold Firm Hold Hairspray for $5.99 at StyleSense, I couldn't pass it up (along with a pair of Juicy Couture aviators, but that's another story all together). First thing I noticed is that the product is vegan, which I know is a big deal to a lot of you and of course I give props to companies that take our animal buddies into consideration.

What I noticed immediately when I started to use it is that it doesn't have a super strong smell like most 'firm hold' hairsprays (Elnett, I'm looking at you). The scent is actually quite pleasant. Also, it gives off incredible shine. I like the fact that the amount of hold is buildable and doesn't make your hair rock hard immediately. It hasn't been humid recently, but I think this stuff will hold up to the humidity. Overall, a solid product. Now I've gotta go to all the StyleSense locations in the area to make sure that I have a few bottles on hand. At just under $6 a pop, you can't really go wrong. Now I kinda wish I didn't write this cause I want 'em all to myself.

Too tired for a witty sign-off,
Diana

Lady Gaga, Alejandro

Man, isn't Lady Gaga just intriguing?

Fragrance Follies

Damn Marc Jacobs and his limited edition splash fragrances. I've been wearing his summer scent Rain for just over a year now. It's so good that I've been stopped in stores and cornered in hallways asking what perfume I wear.

But no, Marc can't keep making it. He had to release it two years in a row to tease us and now he's moved onto apple, biscotti and pomegranate splashes. Nice try, they're just not as good. Never will be.

In effort to look for a new scent that I love as much, I picked up this Vacation in a Bottle set from Michael Kors. Get this, these 7ml rollerballs were on sale at Shopper's Drug Mart for $20! Each of the fragrances was inspired by a tropical locale: Fiji, Capri, Hawaii and Bermuda. So far, Bermuda's my fav! It's light, feminine yet kind of exotic. Thing is, they all smell good and I'm sure they'd be great layered as well. And guess what, they're limited edition too. WTF. I guess it's just me. It sucks, because they really do smell amazing. Don't hesitate to pick 'em up if you see them around.

Destined to smell mediocre,
Diana

Got my mind on a Mulberry and a Mulberry on my mind

I want a Mulberry bag so much it hurts. But right now, I really don't have $1K+ to spend on accessories. WAA! So you can imagine how much I freaked out when I found out that they're doing a collabo with Target! I wonder what they're going to do? If they're are going to make amazing, affordable accessories that will quell my deep rooted (and disturbing) desire to own one of these pieces or if they'll be super disappointing (please don't be!)

After reading about it, I promptly emailed Nathalie at work and told her to take vacation time on October 20th. Then she informed me that renewing our passports would be necessary to cross the border. Crap. Guess it's true when they say that the good stuff never comes easy.



Dreaming of English Leather (wow that sounds wrong),
Diana

Photo courtesy of the Purse Blog.

Classic: brown Gucci and Wayfarers

Friday afternoon I got off work early. Picked up the bff and drove to the Yorkville Anthro. Returned stuff. Went to Gap. Returned stuff. Stopped by Holts for the sale. Bored, bored, bored. Bought Ray-Ban's to go with the new Gucci. Never thought I'd be into Wayfarers or a classic brown leather handbag. Never say never.

::: Nathalie

Call In Sick, There's a Sale at Holts!

Looks like Holt's has gotten rid of their infamous 'Now or Never' Sales. Don't fret, cause it looks like you can still pick up cool, discounted stuff at their Designer Sale on now.

Sorry I've been AWOL. I got my wisdom teeth out last week and have been a vegetable since. Percocets ain't your friend, yo.

Back from a oxycotin haze,
Diana

Guide: Summer Skin Essentials

Nathalie's Summer Skin Care

Just because we love her personal style - here's Olivia Palermo and her pretty minimal makeup.

Summer is here and with it comes the sweaty melty face from wearing a little too much makeup in the hot weather. My solution is to keep it as light and minimal as possible.

A.M. Facial Care

After washing with Neutrogena's Facial Cleansing Bar, I prep my skin with Cucumber Herbal Alcohol Free Toner. Then I dab on Abyssine eye cream, which "diminishes the look of fatigue" and doubles as a wrinkle preventive. I give this a few seconds to absorb before applying Ultra Facial Tinted Moisturized with SPF 15 in medium. I've blogged about it before- this stuff is awesome! It's replaced my M.A.C foundation and I use it year round.

Summer Makeup

Like I said, keep it light and everything will be good. My olive skin is prone to dark under eye circles and some minor discoloration so I use YSL's Touche Éclate in #2 to even out the skin tone. This concealer is pricey at $50 but it stays in place and doesn't fade, which is nice. I set everything with Korres Multivitamin Oil-free Powder in MVP3. For sunny cheeks, I use Korres Monoi Oil Bronzing Powder in Sunglow Light, which is the best bronzer I've tried. It gives a nice colour, not too orange, not too brown and stays on for hours. After applying L'Oréal's Original Voluminous mascara in Black, I curl the lashes with M.A.C's eyelash curler. Finally I finish with a tinted moisturized lip by using either Korres Lip Butters or Kiehl's Lip Gloss. When I don't care for the tinted mouth, I prefer the original Rosebud Salve.

P.M. Facial Care

Wash and tone as usual. At night I prefer Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado. Then I follow with a light moisturizer - Neutrogena's Oil-Free Moisture for Sensitive Skin. I like it since it's light and doesn't have unnecessary fragrances. When my skin is feeling particularly oily, I'll use Kiehl's Rare Earth Pore Cleansing Masque, which nicely gets rid of the slick-fest.

::: Nathalie

Blair's dress on Gossip Girl, 322

While Diana is obsessed with the upcoming Banana e-store, I'm obsessed with Blair Waldrof's dress on Gossip Girl's season finale, "Last Tango, Then Paris" (E. 322).

The dress is by New York designer, Sariah Carson, and you can find it in her Fall 2010 collection. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for this one!

But seriously, how good was the finale?! Season 4 needs to start NOW!

::: Nathalie

Bad Banana for Diana

Aw crap, Banana Republic et al. will have an eCommerce presence in Canada super soon. Like I didn't have enough problems with my online spending. Yikes.

-Diana

Review: MBMJ Zippy Heart Tote

I got my Zippy Nylon Tote today and it SUCKS! I spent $25 on stupid customs only to return it.

My brother said "That's Marc Jacobs? It's like he's playing a joke on everyone."

Before knowing it was MBMJ, Amy said "Ooo! That bag looks cheap. Return it."

After I told her it's MBMJ, Amy said "Whaaat?! You can get something like that at Pacific Mall for $10!"

Marc by Marc Jacobs Zippy Heart Tote Review:

• Thin cheap looking nylon.
• Unlined.
• No pockets
• The cute little bobbles keeping falling to the bottom because the zipper doesn't secure it in place.
• Thought the heart pouch was removable, but it's not. It only acts as a pouch to hold the nylon tote inside. Even then, it's hard to zip up.
• Disappointing. My brother said it best: It's as if Marc is playing a mean trick on us.

For $168 USD girls, save your money and put it away for a rainy day. This one's going back.

::: Nathalie

Imitation Limitation

I've been lusting after a Mulberry bag for longer than I'd care to admit, particularly the Alexa model. Reality is I just don't have the cash to spend on it.


It makes complete sense that I was drawn to this blatant rip off from ASOS. It's made from 100% leather, costs just over $100 USD and looks like it could be well made, but I'm torn. Can I really buy something knowing fully well that it's a total copycat?


-Diana

Complain for a Happy Ending

This evening I came home to this box:

And inside were these:

And it didn't cost me a thing.

About a year ago, I purchased a pair of Michael Kors Flats. I loved them, but after a little while the seams at the bottom of the shoe began to unravel. I was annoyed and figured it was a loss, until Nathalie told me that I should contact MK customer service.

I sent them pictures of my damaged shoes and explained that I also have a Michael Kors bag that has ripped on more than one occasion. Luckily the bag was purchased as Holt Renfrew and they've been gracious enough to make the repairs necessary. However, my shoes were purchased on a random trip to NY. I maintained that I'm a huge fan of the MK brand, but can't continue to purchase his products unless I know that they take quality seriously.

I received a response a few days later from one of their customer service supervisors, who said that the shoe I purchased is no longer in production, but they'd send me a pair of equivalent value. Having worked in customer service during high school/university and now in eCommerce, I'm highly aware of how seriously people take these things. Well, good companies anyway.

Gotta give props where they're due - so Michael Kors, thanks for making my experience with you a pleasant one. We all know how crazy a scorned girl with a blog can be, and it's no much nicer writing a happy ending.


-Diana

Emotional Shopping

MBMJ Zippy Heart Tote - the heart shaped leather pocket unzips to a pouch.

Sometimes I fall for a bag, or a pair of shoes or whatever for no apparent reason. That's how I feel about the Marc By Marc Jacobs Zippy Heart Tote.

I've been looking for it at Holts, but with their limited selection of cool shit, it's no wonder they don't have it. Shopbop is pretty good with their stock but we Canadians get slammed with duty taxes.

This is how I justified my new purchase:

I've been super stressed at work, I won't be getting the MBMJ Mousy Flats (Marc Jacobs shoes just don't fit my feet!), I have tote bag envy since Diana bought her MBMJ and I had a 15% off coupon at Shopbop that ends tonight.

So, I hit the checkout button on my iPhone.

I feel better now. Sorta. I'll feel much better once I get some sleep.

::: Nathalie

Shopbop Coupon Code: INTHEFAMILY15. I do believe the coupon ends tonight. It was a 2 day deal.

Stencil Fun!

Stenciled my tote bag the other day. YAY! Check out the tutorial on the Lime Shop blog.

::: Nathalie

Shoe Score: D:2 N:1

Diana is the proud new mommy of DVF's.

Diana's man, Zach, canoodling her shoes.

Nathalie's next conquest: MBMJ's LOVE I FLATS from SSense

Diana and I have a sick habit of bragging about our conquests to each other. Shopping conquests that is. After 5 seasons of obsessively collecting the latest handbags, we've moved on to a new infatuation; shoes. (The Michael Kors' in our shoe collection don't count. We're talking fresh start.)

It started with my Miu Miu's. Then Diana got Tory Burch's. And in the meanwhile, we were both on the hunt for the perfect Gucci flats. I'm also saving for Marc Jacobs navy grosgrain mousey flats. (Diana thinks mousey flats are lame. Whatever.)

The next shoe purchase would have been mine. But then, Diana emailed me pictures from her iPhone. She bought DVF's! Argh!

Diana's designer shoe collection: 2

Nathalie's designer shoe collection: 1

::: Nathalie (signing off with shoe envy)