Bandage Bonanza

3 / 26 / 132 / 10 / 14

It’s almost time for me to get rid of my security ~~blanket~~ bandage. Curious George has helped me to blow off curious inquiries with good humor.Bert has been a pal when I just wanted to geek out with a fellow nose-challenged… muppet. Oscar talked trash so I didn’t have to. Elastoplast has endless options.Grover has taken me from day into night… … for a run along my favorite path in Calgary. The pedestrian suspension bridge across the Elbow River is like a bouncy castle for adults — a brief break from our Serious Workouts. If you could be serious with Grover on your nose.

However, muppet jokes aside, the reason he’s there is serious. After Mohs cancer surgery to remove a basal cell carcinoma and a skin graft to fill up the ensuing hole, I have diligently protected the new skin. They tell me a scar takes a year to mature. Soon I’ll write about the whole process here on the blog. I’ve documented it every step of the way, along with all the ~~gory~~ exciting pictures. It might not be the height of fashion, but it’s definitely Love Life.

In the meantime, I’m going to move on from adhesives. Into primer, concealer, foundation and powder! Stay tuned.

Mid Century Mecca

3 / 23 / 133 / 23 / 13

If you’re on the hunt for Mid Century Modern furniture or art, the mecca must be Palm Springs. The fifties Hollywood getaway of the Sinatra set is now the departure lounge for that big stage in the sky, which means the torch of fine Scandinavian design is passed along daily in estate sales and vintage shops. However, if the recent mad upsurge in airline prices is keeping you away from Callie this winter (in Calgary the seasons pay no heed to the calendar) you can make this pilgrimage closer to home.Mid Century Dweller in Inglewood is chock full of sleek Nordic timber…… from super groovy lamps to teak everything. You never know when you might need some Danish rosewood speakers for the ol’ hi fi.In the tradition of quirky furniture shops, the hours are a little finicky. Mid Century Dweller is only open Wednesday to Sunday, noon to five. But there’s free parking in the back and – bonus of the Blue Besos kind – the owner speaks Spanish.

Attention Tmart Shoppers

3 / 20 / 132 / 8 / 16

Once you go Mac you never go back. Ever since my ruby red iMac, I’ve been hooked. The love affair continued with my iBook, my pre-Intel Inside G5, my MacBook and my iPhone. But the $30+ charge for a teensy little plastic cell phone case or bumper? Not so much. And not so much so much that I just said not so much, an expression I loathe. Yes, strong words for a colloquialism but I feel strongly about it. Where was I? Aah yes.

My iPhone bumper was getting old. But I postponed a new purchase, thinking there had to be another option. Then a tipsy talk with a girl in a restaurant restroom (dontcha love those) led to a Tmart endorsement. So I ordered. Then my bumper broke. I got worried – my little phone seemed so naked without some type of protection. The order was taking weeks. Shipping from the US and all. I wondered if I should break down from my Apple Store bumper boycott and cough up serious cash money for a new one. But I held out. Then this happened: Bummer. Guess what arrived the next day?I can’t blame Tmart for the cross-border penalty of residing in Canada. Especially not rhinestone-bedazzled-pink-for-$3.81 I can’t! But where were the other two I ordered? For $3.13 and $5.98 (splurged on that one) I was willing to be patient.Turns out they were in Hong Kong! I don’t know if Tmart made a profit on this sale, but they definitely made a devoted customer.At these prices it doesn’t matter if I lose a few sparkly things to purse trauma, but apparently Tmart doesn’t agree: Glue and extra rhinestones! Love it! Try it out for yourself: Tmart.com. Just plan for a delay if you’re a true north strong and free type.

My Little Pony

3 / 18 / 133 / 26 / 13

Spring is officially just a few days away but the Calgary Polo Club is still under a blanket of snow. The JC Palmer field is beautiful. And a little lonely. No horses anywhere. Good thing I brought my own.It’s pink and purple. And nuzzling my muzzle. When you’re in the equestrian mood, a My Little Pony bandage by Elastoplast fits the bill. Or the nose. Those purple unicorns kinda remind me of my snowboard.Wait a minute… I think I see something down there. Hi guys! Only a couple more months til your vacation is over. With that in mind, I should hit the hitting cage. Compared to the arena in the background, the cage seems weather proof. However, it turns out I should have brought some orange snow polo balls… To negotiate the drifts inside the cage.They’d probably get stuck in the snow as well, but at least you could see them better while you have a good laugh. And I dream of summer.

Target Practice

3 / 11 / 133 / 12 / 13

Even with three pilot stores finally open in Ontario, Target is still being coy. They refuse to give the exact dates for the rest of their much-anticipated 124 store openings across Canada. They have to be setting some type of retail record with their massive big box rollout. Canucks can thank Zellers for the cheap real estate that brought the bullseye view north of the 49th parallel. I don’t think anyone is lamenting the loss of Club Zed.

Meanwhile, the American retailer is finally fulfilling the destiny of its red and white logo. Not only is Target (pronounced the French way, “tahr-jhay,” even in the USA) coming to Canada, the products we love south of the border are coming here too.Sonia Kashuk was the supermodel’s go-to makeup artist in the eighties and nineties, culminating in her Cindy Crawford book collaboration, Basic Face. Then Target scooped her up and made SK a household name in 1999. When other celeb makeup artists were becoming prestige brands, she was the first make-up artist to take luxury quality to the masses in an affordable package. High-end brushes were one of her main focuses and still are today. Pictured here is one of her latest: the limited edition Kabuki Brush along with a back-from-the-beach bronzer.Of course, being a Sonia Kashuk compact, it has a handy hidden compartment that opens up underneath the bronzer to reveal…… a mirror! A vital component for any chica.Pixi is another great product we can look forward to seeing on store shelves here in Canada. The primer gets rave reviews as a pore reducer before makeup application. And the provocatively named Succulent Lip Twin continues in the Target tradition of multi-purpose function.Not only is it a lipstick, the moisturizing creme can be used for cheeks as well. Meanwhile, in the tube, multi-purpose lip balm to soothe and heal dry lips. It will come in handy in our desert air in Alberta!We’ll also be seeing Target’s in-house everyday essential brand called Up & Up, spanning more than 40 categories including household, healthcare, beauty, baby and personal care. Seen here – makeup removal wipes so you can take it all off… before you put it all back on again.

Spring Trends Now Trending

3 / 8 / 133 / 9 / 13

A flash of daffodil down the Holts-hued pink carpet signaled that Spring Trends were trending at Calgary’s Holt Renfrew.By all means, do the white thing, but break it up with some green – or should I say absinthe, Tom Pecheux? Conveniently coordinated with an audience member’s pashmina.In between the runway sashaying, mavens, moguls (ok, only one… more on him later) and mannequins paid rapt attention to Lisa Tant’s powerpoint presentation of springalicious trends: Modern Geometry, Print Remix, In The Clear and What’s White Now. I’m guessing the mannequin is remixing a print. Like a DJ! Pay close attention to this outfit, because you’ll see it again on someone else. Then you can play Who Wore It Better, although perhaps the rules are different when one of the models isn’t human.As we admire What’s White Now, I have a confession to make. My focus was fuzzy on a lot of these shots. Cranky camera. I could wax rhapsodic about the ethereal inspiration of these dreamlike images, but… it’s not really what I was striving for. In the meantime, check out everyone’s footwear.Not only did all of these women brave the second blizzard of the week to learn Lisa’s trend lesson, they did it in immaculately well-heeled style. Sans salt and snow. Credit must go to the covered valet parking out front.Here he is! The one male specimen in attendance who wasn’t a fashion journalist or HR employee. Andrew Kondi, President of Cowtown Capital, is man enough to handle women’s spring trends. And smart enough to keep the guardian of winter trends close by. To his left is Cheryl Janisch, fashion designer and creative director of Frost Sportiva, secure in the knowledge that the fashion forecast in Alberta includes lots of snow.The hostess of the evening, Lisa Tant, Vice-President, Fashion Editor at Holt Renfrew with Vincent Law, fashion blogger.Shout-out to Rav, my favorite Holts hustler. We met when he sidled up to me as I was eyeing a pair of Prada suede OTK boots and whispered, “Silent sale.” Props. No event would be complete without the swag bags. In this case, parked perfectly by the escalator leading out of spring trends and back into winter. Thanks Holts!

Spring Trend Teaser

3 / 7 / 13

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night— oh, maybe I’m trying too hard with this one. Because first of all, we’re not US Postal Carriers. And second, there wasn’t any rain or heat going on last night, although the evening may have been a little gloomy. But mostly it was Just A Lot Of Snow, as Calgary was walloped with the second snowstorm in 4 days. But that didn’t stop the fashion faithful from flocking to Lisa Tant’s “Spring 2013 Trends” at Holt Renfrew.Sleeveless dresses make for sleepless nights, dreaming about midsummer. Check back tomorrow for more models strutting down the pink carpet and select soiree moments. Required reading.

Blogger’s Eye View

3 / 5 / 133 / 5 / 13

Us bloggers spend a lot of time staring at the keyboard — might as well keep the view fresh! Will Heavy Petals withstand Heavy Typing?

My nails are wearing Coral Cult and Absinthe from Heavy Petals, Estee Lauder’s newest nail lacquer line. These delectable shades derive from the left brain of Creative Makeup Director, Tom Pecheux.

Tom says he was inspired by the palette of pastels that fill Paris in the spring: “I thought of amazing bouquets from the flower markets, the pretty pastels of children’s carousels and the pops of color from macaroons.”

What? Not my laptop in Calgary, Tom? Oh well, different keystrokes for different fashion folks. I want to try that absinthe-flavored macaroon, by the way. Because I’m assuming you didn’t source that color at the carousel.

Limited edition – get it at Holt Renfrew now while you still can. You can also find Heavy Petal hues at The Bay and Sears. No hating on the self-manicure please. It’s not part of my personal skill set.Mmmm, Cult Coral. The alliteration alone whets my whistle. And my nails are still chip-free after fervent fashion tapping.

Think Spring

3 / 3 / 133 / 4 / 13

The snowstorm in Calgary today is all my fault.Yesterday I packed away my winter clothes. I figured the first weekend in March was a good time to clear space in my non walk-in for flimsy spring things. Seems reasonable, right? Wrong! This is Calgary, where it snows almost every month of the year. Even in July, after weeks of tornado-inducing heat, there’ll still be that one day when snow comes down in a big way. Like today. The snow’s been flying sideways since morning. We’ll probably get close to a foot. So… sorry about that, everybody.However, Aerin Lauder’s new collection will inspire you to think spring. Or at least help you look good while you dig out.“Garden in Bloom” is one of Aerin’s spring style palettes, a neutral collection of soft, nearly nude shades for a healthy, fresh glow. The purse packable includes three eyeshadows in Iris, Lily and Dahlia, with Nectar blush.Even more appropriate, considering our current lack of sunshine: Floral Illuminating Powder. Six soft pastels swirl into one shade that brightens the complexion with subtle radiance. Because I think we’re all looking a little pale in Cowtown right about now.Please note, NO MAKEUP WAS HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS PHOTO SHOOT (with apologies to the American Humane Association). Even after exposure to the Blizzard of 2013, it all applies flawlessly and still retains Aerin’s signature rose scent.

Shopping Therapy

2 / 28 / 133 / 4 / 13

We all do it. Zara has a sale. You notice one night when you’re at the mall, picking up a half price calendar weeks after the new year because you’re in January self-deprivation mode. With your sock monkey calendar tucked under your arm (Indigo/Chapters – whatever Heather’s calling it – charges now for plastic bags, so it was an opportunity to save the environment and 5 cents) you tell yourself not to go into Zara. Weeks later, you can’t get that five dollar rack out of your mind. It taunts you, even as you congratulate yourself, then console yourself. Then you have to go back to the mall to exchange a Christmas gift – figure skates — that don’t fit. Since you never figured out how to deal with the scary sudden braking issues on girl skates you exchange them for hockey skates and try to get the hell out of the mall. Now you’ve left it so long the Bauer super pro $300 skates are down to $100? Fine, that’s great. The beginning of your hockey career coincides with the NHL renaissance. Go Flames Go and all that. We’re not bitter about the billionaire strike. What? They want to sharpen those skates for you? Umm. They want you to come back when?? Can you kill forty minutes in the mall? You casually stop in to Zara, thinking you’ll be safe, since your size must be sold out by now. It’s fate. It’s destiny. It’s… $$$$$ later. Actually, only about $$ later. Definitely worth it.