Monday, July 27, 2015

#VIFFbeauty: Celebrating Canadian Beauty & Talent


Two weeks ago, I was getting red carpet ready with Vancouver's most prominent beauty bloggers, YouTubers, and media publications during #VIFFbeauty! The glamorous event hosted on the Shangri-La's private terrace was meant to give media a taste of what we can expect at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) this year: glitz, glam and of course, a red carpet complete with paparazzi! 

NeoStrata, who is sponsoring the Style in Film Series at VIFF 2015 for the first time, will be joined by retail partner London Drugs. The Canadian brands are teaming up to celebrate Canadian beauty and talent! As Beauty Editor for London Drugs, I spoke to the group of content creators about London Drugs Cosmetics' involvement in the VIFF partnership, and about how exiting it is for a BC-based company to be celebrating Canadian content creators right here in Vancouver! That was followed by a presentation from VIFF's Director of Development Shelley Sainsbury about the Style in Film Series, and a run-down of NeoStrata's cosmeceutical roots & must-try products from the National Education & Training Manager for NeoStrata, Patricia Clare.

There's lots more excitement to come from NeoStrata and London Drugs in September when VIFF takes place, and I don't want to you to miss out on this glamorous journey to VIFF 2015, so make sure you follow along on social with the hashtag #VIFFbeauty, and you can even enter to win a VIP VIFF Experience! Check out the contest details here (contest runs August 1st-Sept 13th).

See you on the red carpet!




Patricia Clare (right) and I (left) talking about the glamorous journey to VIFF 2015!


With Leeanne of Legallee Blonde and Samantha of OTISamantha


Glad I finally got to meet Victoria of Living Disrobed!


With these glamorous gals (left to right): Samantha of OTISamantha, Aurora & Miranda of Style by Fire, Victoria of Living Disrobed




NeoStrata's SecureWhite is unreal! I've been using it for 2 weeks and had amazing results- totally worthy trying.


Amazing Vancouver YouTubers Mikayla of MissMikaylaG and Stephanie SLMissGlam on the red carpet!


Novus TV & BC Living's Natalie Langston chatting about NeoStrata's must-try's


The White Rabbit Communications team! Me with WR's Managing Director, Angela Joyce




Samantha from Hartley PR, Angela from White Rabbit Communications, and Kimiko with London Drugs!



Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Hair Colour Trends with Natural Instincts & Nice 'n Easy


I'm no expert when it comes to hair dye (I had my hair dyed from blonde to red for the first time a few years ago), which is why I was pretty excited to get the inside scoop from Clairol's Consulting Colourist, Luis Pacheco, at a media event recently at l'Abattoir in Gastown.

Turns out, 58% of Canadian women colour their own hair (wow!) and half of those colour their hair at home. For those of you who are used to box-dyeing your hair, the new Natural Instincts Crema Keratina is ammonia-free, lasts 28 shampoos and is super gentle on hair thanks to the keratin and beeswax formula. If you're brunette, even better! Luis Pacheco talked about how "shade-shifting" is your best way to refresh your hair colour during the summer- rather than trying a complete colour change, opt to shift to a warmer shade of your natural colour. I can really appreciate this shade-shifting trend, since the idea of completely changing my hair colour with a box dye seems kind of scary; shifting to a slightly warmer shade, on the other hand, doesn't seem too hard at all!

The Crema Keratina collection features 12 shades for brunettes, which will help you nail the warm-toned brunette colour that Luis Pacheco says will definitely be hot for fall 2015! Hmm, I've always wondered what it would be like to go brunette...





One of the models test-driving a warm, shade-shifted hair colour from Crema Keratina





Oh man, these salmon canapés from l'Abattoir were a delight! 





One of the best one-bite desserts I've had in a while- mini sticky toffee puddings




 Love this little note from Natural Instincts...and the yummy Xoxolat treats! Seriously, chocolate lovers need to give these a try.


Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

Monday, July 20, 2015

25th Birthday: Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Empress Hotel


For my 25th birthday this year, my friends helped me knock an item off my bucket list: afternoon tea at the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC! I've had high tea at most places in the lower mainland already (Little White House and Neverland Tea Salon among my favourites), with a few still on my list to try, but the Empress Hotel has always been on the top of my list.

We took the ferry across from Vancouver to Vancouver Island, and made our way to the capital city of BC, Victoria, where the Fairmont Empress Hotel is located (right across from the Parliament Buildings). The tea room is a truly historic spot, serving afternoon tea since 1908 to famed royalty, celebrities and dignitaries. The décor is beyond beautiful; antique tapestries and rugs, vintage furnishings and hand-carved tables- and of course, a gorgeous view of the gardens and harbour outside. The William Edwards china used to serve our afternoon tea we were told was the same china pattern served by the Empress to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth upon their Royal visit in 1939!

The service was wonderful, and the sound of live piano music (playing favourites of mine including Edith Piaf's La Vie en Rose and Billie Holiday's They Can't Take that Away from Me) was such a perfect finishing touch. We started off with a fresh blueberries and crème fraiche, then sipped our prosecco and tea (I chose a classic earl grey), while nibbling on the delectable treats you'll see below. My favourite layer of afternoon tea is always the scones, and I was even more impressed by the Empress' Wilkin & Sons pure strawberry jam, which our server told us is shipped in from England and served in the most adorable little 19 ml jars. I brought one home with me to add to my tea display! The whole experience was lovely and everything I had hoped it would be!

But, our adventure didn't end there. We spent the rest of the day wandering the historic streets of Victoria, after which we headed by the bus to the ferry- which we missed. The last one of the day. So our day trip to Victoria actually turned into a sleepover in Victoria, and we were very, very lucky to find a room that wasn't already booked up (every hotel in town was booked). Our trip may have been a little longer than expected, but hey, you live and learn...to always double check the ferry times!
























Crop top & skirt set - Ever New Top & Ever New Skirt | Necklace - Nobis & Grey | Earrings - c/o Nobis & Grey | Bracelets - c/o Nobis & Grey | Ring - c/o Nobis & Grey | Heels - Vince Camuto



Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

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