Classic Retro Kids Toys for Christmas

I love retro kids toys.  They transport me back to a simpler time and make me feel like I'm in Pleasantville in the 50's.  In today's world of ever-changing new gadgets and video games, I also feel like they remind us that not all the best toys need batteries or a pixelated screen.  One of the places I always do a little holiday shopping for great stocking stuffers and old-fashioned toys is Lee Valley Tools.  It's probably not the store you naturally think of for toy shopping, but if you like retro you'll totally see what I mean.  You can grab building blocks, wooden ship-building kits, the Original Slinky Collector's Edition, or a build-your-own-kaleidoscope kit!  I also love this classic toddler sleigh!  We have one at home and the memories of pulling my daughter around in it on her first Christmas are happily vivid in my memory already!   They don't have the Red Rider Air Rifle from A Christmas Story, but that's probably for the best since we all know "...you'll shoot your eye out!"  :)  Another great place for retro toys: Ohh! Beautiful Things! in Burlington.  Love their gorgeous Christmas displays inside - and no surprise they just won an award for them!

How to do a Smoky Eye!

So you're bored of everything in your closet but you don't have a) the budget or b) the time to go shopping for a new dress before your next holiday party.  No problem!  There are 2 simple ways to turn a very simple outfit into a stunning ensemble that will turn heads.  The first is with a couple of blinged-out accessories.  I always recommend The Rule of 2 when it comes to accessories to ensure you don't go overboard or look too matchy-matchy.  Between earrings, a bracelet, and a necklace - pick 2 of 3 and you'll never go wrong.  The second is with  great smoky eye makeup.  I'm the first to admit it's an intimidating task (despite the tutorial I took in person at MAC last year I still forget where to start...), but it really is rather simple if you just follow a few steps.  Here's a great basic tutorial (thanks Oprah) that will get you there in just six steps!  Or...you can check out this video from Chatelaine which I think is even better!  Another great rule I'm a fan of where makeup is concerned, is that if you've got intense eyes, stay away from intense lips.  Go neutral on the lips when your eyes are the focus, and vice versa.  Bold eyes AND bold lips just remind me of Joan Collins circa Dynasty.  Of course I can't say all this without showing you a great deal on a smoky eye kit, now can I?  The one above (by Bare Escentuals) is on sale at Sephora for just $22 and it even comes with instructions!

Cyber Monday Deals in Canada!

Lots of great deals around today for Cyber Monday!  Here are just a few, available today only:

• Jacob - 40% off everything online with code "CYBERMONDAY"
• Eddie Bauer - 40% off everything with code "CYBER40" and minimum spend of $49
• The Bay - 75% off luggage today + more Cyber Monday deals
• Walmart - online exclusives today only
• Sears - cybermonday deals today only
• J.Crew - 25% off all day today with code "SURPRISE"
• Saks - online designer sale today with up to 40% off
• Gymboree - 25% off everything today online (watch those C.O.D. shipping charges!)
• Chapters Indigo - special Cyber Monday deals!
• Snugglebugz - 25% off Sunshine Kids Accessories today 
• Piperlime - 20% off online today with code HUGECYBER - go grab that party dress now!

Happy Holiday Shopping everyone!

The Bay Flash Sale today: 50% off Women's SHOES!

Speaking of flash sales...what a coincidence that a dreamy one is happening today at The Bay!  50% off Women's Shoes all day, including brands like Nine West, Franco Sarto and Kenneth Cole.  This Franco Sarto pump is regular $130 so you can grab it for just $65!  Amazing!  Hurry up because you know this one will attract every lady in Canada!   NOTE: If you're shopping online, they are presently (as of 8:15am) having technical difficulties which should be resolved in about a half hour.  So be patient, but keep trying!

How to shop a "flash sale" and score deep designer discounts!

Flash sales (and websites dedicated entirely to flash sales) are becoming more and more common - one of the few silver linings to a slow economy - and if you know how to take advantage, you can grab amazing designer investment pieces at a fraction of the usual cost. 

Stores like Banana Republic and The Bay often have lunchtime deals that are good for a couple of hours online or in-store for one day only.  A few select items are involved, and the deals are substantial.  You can gain access to the info by following them on facebook or signing up for their emails.

Sites like Beyond The Rack, Snitzy, and Gilt offer great brands (yes, to Canadians) for specified periods of time (usually a few days) and are very much worth checking in on each week.  They have calendars telling you what is coming up and when, and as soon as a sale goes live you need to be ready to pounce before items sell out.  I grabbed a Pink Tartan coat in 2008 that was currently retailing around $800 at Holt Renfrew for under $400 on Beyond The Rack.  It's still my favourite coat and what a bargain!  Gilt.com has Valentino, Tracy Reese Shoes, and Ali Ro on sale today.

For more tips & tricks on how to maximize your designer discount dollar, check out this great article from The Globe & Mail.  Thanks to my girl Vanessa for sending it my way! 

The Neiman Marcus Christmas Book is here!

Imagine if you won the lottery this weekend.  It's clearly a possibility.  After all, someone has to win - why not you?  Then imagine you cash your millions, and you put it in the bank.  Naturally you safeguard a large portion in solid investments since you're a reasonable Canadian and that's what we do...but the rest is just sitting there, waiting to fulfill your craziest dreams.  What's that?  Oh yes...Christmas is coming!  What fun you'll have playing Santa this year with your unlimited budget!  How to get started...where to get started... AH!  I have just the thing you need: The Neiman Marcus Christmas Book!  For over 50 years, it has been full of the most luxurious and unusual one-of-a-kind His & Hers gifts you could never imagine!  This year you can find fantasy gifts like a $250,000 speedboat, a custom-built library, or this custom 651-hp Ferrari for just $395,000!  There are also reasonable and affordable gifts too, but you just won the lottery so who cares?

Designer Online Shopping for Canadians: Dealuxe.ca!

If you like Sweetspot (which was a great homegrown version of Daily Candy for all us Canadians who always wished Daily Candy had a Toronto edition), you'll love the second brainchild of creator Joanna Track, who takes the fashion needs of her fellow Canadians very seriously!  Dealuxe.ca let's us all shop for designer goods online with NONE of the insane shipping, handling, duty, taxes issues that we all loathe when we shop online from U.S. sites.  It's free shipping AND free returns, and it's amazing brands like Hunter, Nine West, Mackage, La Mer, James Perse, J Brand, Pink Tartan and Smythe!  No more trips to Holt Renfrew only to find your size isn't there!  No more jaw hitting the floor when you 'calculate taxes & duty' before checkout.  If I only knew what my 'Smythe' size was I'd be buying a riding jacket right now!  Joanna...we all send you a collective Thank You!  Long overdue for Canadian fashionistas, and much appreciated!

Bradley Cooper is so NOT the Sexiest Man Alive!

This blog is for the ladies, so I am taking a moment away from fashion, discounts & deals today to share my total disbelief & utter shock that People magazine released their "Sexiest Man Alive" issue for this year (normally something to look forward to and drool over) and somehow Bradley Cooper is awarded the title for 2011?  Um...I think not.  He's ok, but really he's JUST ok.  Like I doubt I'd take a second look if I passed him on the street.  Even his movies are just ok.  What is going ON with the world right now? 

What is the criteria for this honour?  Did he get extra points last month for possibly dating J.Lo?  I'd say it was all timed to coincide with a new movie he's going to be promoting, but actually he doesn't even have one coming out soon, so I'm honestly stumped.  How is my boy Ryan Gosling relegated to the smaller inset photo on the cover?  Tragic my friends, tragic.  All I can say is that there better be a bigger photo of Ryan on the inside.

Holiday Cocktail Dresses in Burlington

So many holiday functions coming up on the old social calendar in the coming weeks, right ladies?  There's your work party, your significant other's work party, a cocktail party at a neighbour's house, a night out with a few friends... What to wear?  What to wear!  Fortunately, "what to wear" is my favourite dilemma, and there are some really great options this time of year in every price range.

Jacob has really impressed me in recent years with their cocktail dresses, and I say this about their selection pretty much all year round.  It's like they all watch Mad Men around there and the silhouettes of all their frocks are totally fab.

Most of their dresses are nicely priced around $100 (like this red number for just $99) which means you can afford to look amazing no matter your budget.  So, aside from the inevitable risk of someone else at the party wearing the same thing (always a risk when you mall-shop my friends), Jacob is a great option for your holiday party outfits this year!  I am so loving the opaque black tights and black shoes with a brightly coloured dress look! 

If you want something more unique, something with more sparkle, and something with a "head turning" factor, my personal recommendation has to be Joelle's in Burlington.  The evening wear section there is always full of trendy designer LBDs, a healthy supply of sequins and gorgeously embellished cocktail dresses, not to mention the shoes, tights, clutches & jewellery to round out your 2011 holiday look. The amazing & attentive staff there will always find you just the right outfit to flatter your body-type and your personality!  For those of you who are looking for fabulous maternity dresses in Burlington you can also find those here - and speaking from experience, we all know how tough it is to find a really great formal maternity dress.  Joelle's doesn't disappoint no matter how big your belly is getting!

Regardless of what you wear, always remember that the confidence in your step and the smile on your face will be the most important contributors to how beautiful you look!  And lip gloss never hurts...

Black Friday 2011 is coming...

Are you planning on doing some cross-border shopping this year on Black Friday?  This is traditionally the day of the year's lowest prices, best deals, and amazing door crasher specials across the U.S.A., and 2011 should be no exception.  As the economy continues to teeter on a razor-thin edge, retailers will be pulling out all the stops to attract holiday shoppers this year.  Normally the biggest discounts are on electronics, but it doesn't stop there.  You can check out some of the already-released print ads across the U.S. on the web, and to give you an idea of some of the deep discounts you can expect, check out what you can get at Target on November 25th...

• DVDs like Cars 2 and Transformers Dark of the Moon will be only $13 that day
• Nikon L105 Digital Camera $100 off at just $99 - not bad for 12 megapixels!
• A 40-inch 1080p LCD TV for just $265
• An RCA portable 9-inch screen DVD player for just $55 
• Acer 10-inch netbook for only $157
• TomTom 5-inch screen GPS $100-off at $89
• My personal fave: a kids Mini Cooper battery powered ride-in car for just $99! ($60 off!)

And don't forget about all the online shopping you can do that day as well - most retailers will set their prices to be effective just past midnight on the 25th, so stay up late if you want the best selection!  If only Target shipped to Canada...

Intermix Toronto on Bloor now open!

So happy to have Intermix open in Canada now!  Naturally their first location is in the trendiest section of Bloor Street in Toronto...but who can blame them.  In New York they're on Fifth, in Dallas they're at Northpark Center, in Boston they're on Newbury, so really where else could they possibly be in Toronto but Bloor?

Intermix is such a great Store because their buyers pick the best pieces from designer and indie collections, both high & low, and put it all in one place for you to try on!  It's like having your own personal Rachel Zoe, selecting the coolest, chicest, trendiest items and putting them into a giant closet (which we'll call a store, in this case) so all you have to do is open the closet doors and put them on!  You'll find Yves Saint Laurent, Thakoon, and Stella McCartney mixing it up with Three Dots, Splendid and Autumn Cashmere.  Sounds like a great party to me. 

Intermix Toronto - 130 Bloor Street West (between University & Bay).

Unique gift ideas at the Art Etc Gallery Shop!

 If you're tired of worrying that the gift you're about to buy is either a) something the giftee already owns or b) something another person is also buying them, I say put your mind to rest by shopping at the Art Etc Gallery Shop at the Burlington Art Centre!  Everything is unique, everything is artistic, and everything is beautiful.  You really can't go wrong gift shopping here.  Of course it's also mandatory to point out the great classes they always have going on there, from pottery to drawing to photography for kids and adults alike!  I have to also mention something cool I found out the last time I visited - you can RENT art!  If you have a big party coming up and you hate that giant empty wall in your living room, you could rent an amazing piece of art for a tiny fraction of its cost and enjoy it for a month for between $18 and $100.  Or if you find you're the type of person who tires of artwork rather quickly, then you don't have to worry because you can just keep exchanging it for something new!  Love it.  All you need to do is become a member of the BAC and you're set!

Fairhome is ready for the holidays!

Fairhome Interiors on Brant Street in Burlington is already decking the halls in preparation for a stylish holiday season!  I was beyond impressed at how fast they were able to flip from Halloween to a merry & bright holiday wonderland!  They are still in their temporary location just north of Caroline St., but will be back in their original - and newly renovated - home down the street very soon!   I had to share some great pics with you so you could see the splendor for yourselves!  Their decorated vignettes really put me in the mood for Christmas this past weekend.  It became painfully obvious to me how badly I need to step up my game when I set my dining room table.  I love the red tin star and plaid tablecloth look.  Fairhome is also such a perfect store for gifts, holiday or otherwise.  I love their mason-jar inspired Redneck Wineglasses for those backyard patio people in your life...plus you can never go wrong with an elegant and fragrant candle...or cute sock monkeys for the kids...or hilarious signs to add smiles to any lonely wall space.  I need the shoe one, that's a given.  Many of their gifts are by Canadian artisans, and they're all as original as they are creative.  I can't wait to see the reno'd space when they move back in!

Old Navy Friends & Family Today - save 30%

All you need to do online is use code "ONFAMILY" at checkout and you're all set to save 30% on your entire purchase at Old Navy today through November 8th!  Outerwear, sweaters, socks, leggings, tshirts, workout wear...sky's the limit folks!

20% off Lifestyle Products at Chapters through Nov 3rd!

All you have to do is give Chapters a little "like" on facebook to grab a 20%-off promo code & score instant savings on great gifts + home decor items from their online 'lifestyle' shop.  I'm into this gorgeous silver easel stand for your favourite framed photo or a stunning coffee table book.  Regular price is still a decent $59.50, but with an extra 20% off it's just $47.60!  A great upcoming wedding or holiday gift to be sure!