LaRose du Jour

Well look at that… Valentine’s Day is a week away!

I wasn’t going to voice my opinions on how I feel about Valentine’s Day, but you’re here so why not? Obviously I love it, just like any other holiday. Please don’t tell me this isn’t a holiday- what else does February have going for it except for everyone trying to take a vacation to escape the cold and realizing their credit card bills are still maxed from Christmas. No, just me? Awkward…. Anyways, just give February Valentines Day. I LOVE any holiday, so as per usual, I decorate my house, I dress for the occasion, I make heart shaped foods and I give Valentine’s cards/gifts like I am in grade 5. I have no shame. (Also, for the record, you can still wear a cute outfit and buy yourself flowers if you are single, so please none of that.)

Just in the knick of time I am providing you with my version of a gift guide for her, or in other words, yourself. These are things that I personally love, have, or strongly WANT (hints all around). Further down you will find the gift guide for him. I like to consider myself a pretty good gift giver, so these are things I have gifted or plan to gift! They are also all found locally around Calgary if you leave things until the last minute!

For Your Girls (& yourself)

Sugarfina Pop The Champagne Candy Gift Set from Nordstrom $65.29

This is the best combination ever! Champagne and candy? Who wouldn’t love this!!

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Sam Edelman Haide Feather Pompom Pump from Nordstrom $169.98

These shoes are perfect to wear on Valentine’s Day! The best part about them is you can totally dress them down with a pair of jeans for a fun weekday look.

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Round Marble & Wood Board from Indigo $39.50

Charcuterie platters are life and this board is not only large enough to use, but chic with the marble and wood accent.

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FUJIFILM Instax Mini 9 Camera from Indigo on sale for $79.95

I have one of these babies and they are SO FUN! I take it to parties, special events and on vacations. It is always nice to have a tangible photo instead of the 8,000 on your iPhoto. No, just me?

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The Five Minute Journal – Intelligent Change from Indigo on sale for $18.86

This was recently gifted to me and I love it. You write in it in the morning and set your intention for the day, then you come back to it at night. It helps me stay on track and start my day positively!

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Rose Deluxe Medium Round Special Arrangment from Rose Deluxe $199.99

Alright, admit you have seen these and admit you want one. I know I do!! I can only request that it somehow matches my home decor though, as these babies last a YEAR!

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Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Eye Shadow Palette from Sephora $55.00 

I have this palette and I am obsessed with it. This brand is top notch quality and the colours are so deep and rich.

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Kendra Scott Elisa Birthstone Pendant Necklace from Nordstrom $65.29

I love anything personalized and this gorgeous little necklace is your birthstone. The one pictured is mine, January, but some of my favourites are September and May- lucky girls!

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Poured Glass Candle – Wild Fig from Indigo on sale for $9.50

I have an addiction to candles and this one smells beautiful. It isn’t too fruity or floral, which I love. Plus it’s on sale!

 

For Your Man

Google Home from Best Buy $179.99

Guys love tech right? I know you have seen the commercials and you know you want one too- I know I do!

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LE 31 Wild bouquet shirt from Simons $69.00

I love wild, fun, colourful shirts on men. Style is fun and you get to show your personality. If you buy your boyfriend this shirt he probably won’t LOVE it, but you’re the one who has to stare at him all day. (HA!)

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Cole Haan GrandPro Tennis Stitchlite sneakers from Simons $200

I like these runners because they aren’t super sporty but are still nice enough to wear to dinner. They are a bit different looking and I think they will be perfect for spring!

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THE PRODUCTIVITY PLANNER by Intelligent Change from Indigo on sale $20.96

Similar to the one I mentioned earlier from Intelligent Change, this journal is something to keep you motivated and on track. I always enjoy writing down goals and to-do’s because you get to see how far you’ve come!

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Jack Black Pack Set from Nordstrom $63.98

Who doesn’t love a good smelling groomed man? I also just so happen to love this brand and have used some of their stuff on my sensitive skin and really enjoy it!

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Well thats it folks!

Thank you for reading. I really appreciate you! Let me know if you gift any of these items!!

xoxo

 

Surprise!! I’m a redhead now! What do you guys think of my big change?

Now, there’s nothing I love more than dressing up for a party and it is so much better when the party is in December because you can always take it to the next level. Thank goodness December is here Friday! Holiday is the best dress code because you can never have enough glitter, glitz and glam!

Let’s check some of my favs out for this holiday season!

Black & White 

The holiday season is the only time you can really get away with a long dress (besides a formal wedding) and I say, go for it! They instantly make your look 100x more glamorous and not only do you feel like a damn model, it’s the classiest look! I found this dress at  a bridal boutique in Calgary on sale and it is no longer available. You can find some similar styles here!

Velvet Romance

I LOVE this dress. I actually bought it months ago and have been waiting for colder weather to wear it. Velvet is so in and the colour is as rich as it gets! This style is flattering and I love the slit that makes it sexy and romantic! Surprise your boo and wear this to your next event! I have linked this dress from FashionNova here.

Floral & Sequins

The floral/red rose trend has been huge this fall! This dress is the best of both worlds as it is also sequinned! I love the fact that you can totally wear this dress again and pair it with a leather jacket and boots for a more laid back look. Pop over to Blondie in Calgary and grab the last one of these babies here!

LBD

We can’t go wrong with a little black dress. I switched it up a bit and paired this mesh bodysuit with this fabulous fringe skirt. This outfit is all about textures! It can be dressed way up or down with different shoes and accessories. The mesh bodysuit is from HM and no longer available, but you can find similar ones here and here. My skirt is from 27 Boutique in Calgary and you can order it online here– hurry quick before it sells out!

Glitz & Glam

Is there anything fancier than this? Honestly, I am just so obsessed with gold, glitter, sequins, etc! I find this is the most glam look ever. I’ll probably wear this to work next Monday because I’m that extra and I just can’t get enough. I got this dress earlier this year from Fashion Nova. It is no longer available but there are two similar, here and here!

Thank you for stopping by! Can’t wait to see what you all wear to your Holiday parties!

xo

So… will I ever start a blog post not apologizing for having not written in months? Seriously though… September and October kind of got away from me. I cannot believe it is already November and Christmas is in just a few weeks! But… before we get into that, I want to talk about my favorite five fall outfits- here we go!

Wednesday Addams Vibes

I think I actually worn this on a Wednesday. Clever right? Anyways. I love a good collar, but do you know what I love more? Pairing a collar with a giant statement necklace. It adds so much and really spices up your look. I also love the monochromatic essence of this outfit.

I got this dress from Simons. My necklace I have had forever but was purchased at Aldo. My leather jacket is Mackage from Aritzia and my bag is Saint Laurent.

Strolling the Streets of Paris

This is potentially one of my favorite outfits ever! Thigh high boots really take an outfit to the next level. A body suit and an interestingly cut skirt? -Count me way in. This was from a day in Paris where we hung out at cafés, toured a garden and pretended we were locals. (Pretty sure nobody bought it).

 My body suit and skirt is from the amazing Blondie Boutique located in Calgary, seriously go check it out! My trench is from Aritzia, boots are Stuart Weitzman and bag is Chanel.

Pop of Red

I guess summer is such a colourful season that when fall roles around I tend to wear a lot of darker colours… This day I decided to be wild and throw in some red! Red seemed to be my theme this fall which is strange because I have never been a huge red clothing fan. Either way, I love this pop of colour and wearing white pants after Labour Day!

My dress white jeans are from Fashion Nova, booties are Rag & Bone, sweater is Veronica Beard, hat is from Chapel and my purse is Chanel.

Moulin Rouge in Paris

Honestly I am not sure I could have found a better dress to wear to Moulin Rouge? I love this dress and hope I get to wear it again somewhere soon! The all over lace, along with the floral appliqués are even more beautiful in real life. I also need to add that I immediately saw this staircase upon entering and basically held up an entire crowd to take a photo on them because when you see a good photo op, you friggen take it, am I right?

Dress is from the amazing Blondie Boutique and my purse is Chanel.

Eiffel Tower Romantic

Can you think of anything more romantic than seeing the Eiffel Tower with your love? I am so thankful that we got professional photos taken here so I can remember this moment (and outfit) forever.

I had envisioned these photos in my head for a while and I wanted to look classy, elegant and be wearing a fabulous shoe! Tutus are seriously the best because they make any occasion special! I may have 3 in my wardrobe right now. They are so fun!

My bodysuit is from Wolford, my tutu is from Blondie Boutique and my shoes are Christian Louboutin.

There we have it- my top five fall looks! I hope you loved these outfits as much as I did.

Thanks for stopping by!

xo

Earlier this week blogger Lindsay Ostrum, @PinchofYum, posted an instructional video for creating cashew coffee on her Instagram. I was pretty intrigued as I am a big fan of nut milks in my coffee and thought this seemed pretty brilliant. I had to give it a try!

Step 1

First you need coffee! I have a Nespresso machine, so I brewed 2 pods to equal about a full cup of coffee. I then took 1/4 cup of roasted, slightly salted cashews and about 1/2 tsp. of honey (I don’t like my coffee too sweet) and tossed it all into my Vitamix blender.

Step 2

Blend that baby up!! I blended it twice!

Step 3

Pour that beautifully coloured liquid into a cup and give it a taste!

DELICIOUS!! It is so creamy, frothy and overall just tastes really smooth. I had a few grainy bits of cashews at the very end of my cup, so I may try to blend for longer next time. I will definitely be making this again!

See ya never traditional creamers!!

xo

How is it already September? It feels like summer just started! Either way, I guess I need to face the facts that fall is approaching quickly.

Before I swap out my summer dresses for sweaters, the temperature drops and I begin ingesting everything “pumpkin spice”- let’s take a look at my favourite five outfits from August!

NYC Dinner Cruise on the Hudson River

This fabulous date was at the beginning of August when we visited New York City. We weren’t sure if the boat was particularly fancy or not but (I) decided we should dress up, because let’s be real, it is way more fun getting dressed up for a different type of dinner setting! The views, food and wine were amazing.

My dress is from BCBG, I got it at 70% off when their stores were closing. This dress is insanely flattering and I LOVED wearing it. I can’t wait to wear it again! My shoes (not totally pictured) are Jimmy Choo wedges, and my clutch is from Saint Laurent.

BBQ/House Party

I wore this outfit to a BBQ that turned into a house party. Obviously this outfit shows I know how to have a great time – glitter shoes always do that, right?

The top is a bodysuit from Forever 21. I got it in Las Vegas and loved it! The sides are actually mesh and the fit is pretty awesome for a inexpensive article of clothing. This skirt was one of my favourite things to wear this summer. I got it at Simons and definitely wore it too many times to count. I find it very flattering and different. My bag is my trusty black and white Céline. My shoes are Keds by Kate Spade and I will admit that I am totally in love with anything glittery- so as soon as I saw them I knew I needed them.

East Village Long Table Dinner

I technically already blogged about this event and this outfit, which you can find here, but I just had to bring it up again because I love this dress!

This dress is Self Portrait– which is probably one of my favourite designers, especially for dresses. They are so unique, fun and flattering. I love the bright white and thought it was perfect for August. My gold shoes are from Aldo and my little clutch actually the insert that came with my Louis Vuitton Neverfull bag.

Touring New York City

This outfit was worn one day in NYC while we toured around Chelsea Market, Grand Central Station and Downtown.

Rompers are life, right? Seriously though this one is so cute! It’s Self Portrait– shocking hey? The only downside is you basically need a friend to come to the washroom with you so that they can do it back up when you’re done… Just ask my man- I definitely came out of a public washroom with my entire outfit undone, desperately needing him! Sorry, or you’re welcome, to the people of NYC! My bag is Gucci and my flops are Volcom.

Lake Life

This outfit was worn while hanging out at the lake in Montana. Again, rompers are the best for this. I love only having to put on one piece of clothing, which is probably why I love dresses and rompers so much!

I got this little baby from Fashion Nova. The fit is awesome and the floral pattern is perfectly summer!

There we have it- top five for August! I hope you loved these outfits as much as I did.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out some fall wear next month!

xo

Last weekend a group of friends and myself drove out to Vernon for the weekend. We ate, drank, swam, tanned and most importantly, drank wine. We stayed in this awesome “cabin” overlooking Okanagan Lake, about 20 minutes outside of Vernon. It was beautiful!

We booked our wine tour through Vines and Views Wine Tours, but there are tons throughout the valley! We were picked up by our very own bus and driven about 40 minutes into Lake Country.

Our first stop was Arrowleaf Cellars -this vineyard has some of the most beautiful views! We tasted about 5 wines and purchased a bottle of our favourite white, “Bacchus“. This grape varietal is very fruity, crisp and perfect for a patio.

Our second stop was Gray Monk Estate Winery, where we were given a tour of the wine making process and fed a delicious lunch on a very pretty patio! This vineyard was celebrating a trifecta of anniversary’s. The vineyard was purchased and started by a couple who were married 55 years ago; 45 years ago they purchased the vineyard and 35 years ago they started producing wine. The vineyard is still run by the family.

We enjoyed most of the wines we tasted here but instead we purchased the sparkling rosé to take home. We have yet to try it, but I have yet to meet a sparkling rosé I didn’t like- so I am pretty confident it will be delicious!

The third stop was Intrigue Winery. This family owned vineyard produces all of its wine from their 5 car garage. The vibe in this vineyard is very relaxed and happy- everyone is enjoying themselves! We loved all of their wines but we ended up purchasing the Social White, which is a mixture of several different whites to give this wine  peachy, easy drinking flavours.

Our last stop was 50th Parallel Estate Winery. We arrived right as a wedding was about to begin, which was beautiful. The industrial building was contrasted with vintage, chic table décor. We also ended up purchasing the rosé from this vineyard. They are known for their Pinot Noir which was great, but we were visiting on a hot day and all of the whites and rosés pleased us much more.

After touring all of the vineyards we went swimming in the lake before sleeping off all of the wine and heading home the next day. Next year we will definitely be back! We want to tour a couple other regions closer to Kelowna and Penticton.

xo

In case you don’t know me at all or just randomly ended up on this webpage, it is important to understand that I am pretty obsessed with fashion and style. I tend to get quite dressed up for every occasion and am known as being the most “extra” out of all of my friends. I don’t even blame them, it’s true.

The whole reason I started my Instagram almost 2 years ago is because I wanted to capture my outfit of the days, because I was constantly being asked where I got my dress, shirt, shoes, etc. It’s always been quite simple and easy for me really, because I literally wear all of these outfits daily to work, on a date, to a party, etc.

I thought it would be a fun feature to look back every month on my favorite five outfits. Here we go July 2017!

Classic Date Night Outfit

My love bug and I decided to try Foreign Concept,  a new restaurant in Calgary, with great reviews and now we know why- it’s delicious!

I scored this little off the shoulder linen romper from Forever 21 last year and finally decided to wear it. I knew I wanted to wear red lipstick so I stuck with black Jimmy Choo wedges and a classic monogram Louis Vuitton bag.

Stampedin’

I wouldn’t be a real Calgarian if I didn’t have at least one Stampede look right? This denim dress is still available at Aritzia– it’s flattering AND comfortable! Win-win!

I got this fun fringy vest from HM a few years ago as a part of their “Coachella” line and I have been wearing it for Stampede ever since.

The most exciting part of this outfit for me is definitely my Vintage Boho Loves Louis  bag. They came and set up a booth this year at stampede and after watching their Instagram for what felt like forever, I knew it was my time to get one. I especially love the aggressive (and removable) fox tail. All of their bags are vintage Louis Vuitton and custom made by their owner. I would highly recommend!

Day at the Packwood Grand races!

This outfit was seriously one of my favorites to wear! I loved all of the blue so much.

I got the hat from one of my go-to online stores Unique Vintage. The bodysuit is a staple I have had forever from Wolford and I would highly recommend getting them in every color. The skirt was a steal of a deal from Sirens. My shoes are Christian Louboutin (a 50% off yearly shoe sale steal) and my purse is Louis Vuitton.

On Wednesday’s We Wear Pink

Just kidding- I wore this on a Monday.

I got this Red Valentino flamingo dress a few months ago and was waiting for the perfect day to wear it (this is something weird that I do… don’t ask). I couldn’t wait anymore and was having issues with an outfit one Monday morning so I threw it on. I love it! I obviously had to pair it with my pink Steve Madden heels!

“Casual” BBQ

I wore this to a casual bbq. No, seriously. I mean in all fairness once I took my shoes off and put my purse down I actually did look pretty casual. This, my friends, is who I am as a person and I’m not even sorry. I blame my mom (just kidding mom, I love you for doing this to me!).

The jeans are from Fashion Nova, high-waisted, and extremely comfortable. You usually need to go up a size but they are still stretchy enough that you can comfortably sit in them. My top is from Sirens and something I would probably never have bought but it was lunchtime and I gravitate towards pink, what can I say? The bag is a classic Louis Vuitton which I love (and stole from my mom) because they don’t make the multicolor anymore, and my shoes are Christian Louboutin (another steal from the shoe sale earlier this year).

There we have it! Top 5 outfits for July. I hope you loved these outfits as much as I did!

xo

Family means everything to me.

I have a huge extended family (no seriously, my mom has 10 siblings), but I am an only child. My life has been a whole lot of me and my parents just hanging out, even when I was little I would never have to sit at a “kids table” or eat buttery noodles with 3 other kids (I clearly missed out but don’t worry- I made up for it through university). My parents forced me to eat adult food from a young age and I believe this turned me into quite the food lover.

Fast forward a million years and I still love food. Weird right? So basically every week my family and I have dinner together. Sometimes we cook, usually we go out and every so often we get to attend a fun/different/exciting Calgary event. This week was the coolest event!

On Wednesday we attended the East Village Long Table Dinner put on by It’s Date Night  to sponsor the wonderful and innovative charity Mealshare . Mealshare provides a one to one program with restaurants around the city; basically you just order a mealshare branded item off of their menu and a meal gets donated to youth in need. How easy is that- all you have to do is eat at a restaurant and you are helping kids in your community!

There were essentially 5 food trucks paired with 5 top Calgary chefs to create a collaborative, tasty and community focused 5 course meal. The coolest part about this event was that it was held on the George C King Bridge in the East Village. Yes, we ate outside on a bridge (sometimes I am wild)! The food, table settings and service was all amazing!

Dress: Self Portrait, Shoes: Aldo, Clutch: Louis VuittonMike Pigot – Home & Away x Aaron bruce – Taiko Taco

Smashed Broxburn Cucumbers, Whipped Tahini, Ma La Vinaigrette, Feta Croquettes, Micro GreensConnie DeSousa + John Jackson – Charbar + Charcut x Teagan & Elycia – Lil’ Truck on the Prairie

Taverna Platter – Slow Cooked Alberta Beef, Fresh Tomatoes, Dill Tzatziki, local cucumbers, Sumac White Northern Bean Hummus, Pickled Chilies, Warm Prairie Pita with Unfiltered Olive OilMichael Noble – The Nash & Notable Restaurants x Sharla Swanson – Roadtisserie 

Roasted Alberta Beef Striploin, new potatoes, cippolini onions, celeriac purée and lobster bearnaiseErin Vrba – CIBO x Marilyn Way – Fiasco Gelato 

Tonka bean gelato sphere with dark chocolate sea-salt shortbread shell, Sicilian pistachio drip cake, and bing cherries.Everyone who made the evening go off without a hitch

The entire night was really great. Everyone involved did a fantastic job organizing and putting the evening together. I really enjoyed myself, learned a lot about our community and I sincerely hope this event comes back next year!

xo