Monday, November 20, 2017

Fall Fashion in Los Angeles

Hello from Phoenix Arizona! The bf and I are on a much-deserved vacation here right now. We started off in LA last week, and took in all the sights there before driving over to Phoenix.

I’ve been to LA a few times now, and always love visiting Hollywood, Santa Monica and Venice Beach while I’m there. We took one afternoon to walk from Santa Monica to Venice Beach and back – a nice sunny walk along the water. We finished off the day on the Santa Monica pier, which is always an entertaining spot. I love stopping along the beach right before you reach the pier, where you get a great view of both the beach and the whole pier.

I ended up doing the whole walk (14,000 steps in fact!) in my new Denver Hayes Veronica Western Ankle Boots from Mark’s (seen first in this post), which held up so well. It was about an hour walk total, and even with the low heel, my feet weren’t at all sore after we got back to the hotel that evening. The cushioned sole had a lot to do with that. I was so impressed!

I honestly had a pretty hard time styling outfits for this trip. The concept of wearing fall clothes in the warm LA sun seemed like a bit of a contradiction. I certainly couldn’t wear my fall sweaters, but I also felt like full-on summer clothes weren’t appropriate either. I ended up choosing clothes in fall colours that were looser or shorter sleeved so I wouldn’t overheat. And I know LA can be pretty boho, so for our day in Santa Monica and Venice Beach, I opted to wear my new Uniqlo drape mockneck top in a rusty red colour (that I picked up from the brand new Uniqlo at Metrotown), my high waisted jeans, and my sandy-coloured ankle boots from Mark’s.

Just by chance, while we were in LA, my cousin Christine also happened to be in town, so we were lucky enough to meet up with her for a bit to catch up. I told her about my struggled to style outfits for LA, and she said that’s why she went for ‘winter whites’ for her outfit. I thought it was a perfect fit for the setting!

We spent the rest of our time in LA at Universal Studios, Downtown Disney, and of course Hollywood. It was great to see so many places I hadn’t been to in years, and see how they’ve changed (or haven’t changed).










Shirt - c/o Uniqlo at Metrotown | Jeans - Rachel Roy via Winners (similar) | Purse - Karl Lagerfeld via The Bay (similar) | Boots - c/o Mark's





Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

Friday, November 10, 2017

No Commitment Hair Colour: Joico Color Butters


It's taken me most of my life to realize my hair is just hair. Up until my mid 20's, I didn't even want to cut my hair anything more than what was needed for a trim. But then I chopped it all off - or at least most of it. And I realized I didn't regret it! It definitely was short, but then hey (shocker) it grew back. Then last Halloween, I took the plunge and used temporary hair colour for the first time. It was terrifying at first - I was so worried about messing it up. But then I realized, so what? It's temporary! That stuff was only meant to last a shampoo or two, so it was definitely low risk.

Fast forward to now, Joico reached out with their 6 new Color Butters for me to try out. They last about 10 shampoos, so they're still pretty much no-commitment hair colour, but more commitment than the stuff I used last Halloween. I was a bit apprehensive, but I was also pretty excited to try something new. Who else gets bored of their hair? I figured this would be a fun (and temporary) way to change things up!



Turns out, these Joico Color Butters are literally the easiest hair colours to apply! I sectioned off my hair, putting most of it on the top of my head, leaving the hair below my ears loose. I had some gloves on-hand, so I pulled those out and put them on. Then just dipped my fingers into the tub (I used the Pink colour), and then ran my fingers over a small chunk of dry hair. You can use it on damp or dry hair, by the way. I went from front to back of my head, only doing sections of the hair pink (leaving sections in between colour-less). The idea was that I just wanted a hint of pink to pop out when I curled my hair. Then I just waited 5 minutes, and then showered! That was it!

I decided I wanted the colour on more of my hair, so I ended up redoing the process 2 more times to add to it. If you want more pastel colour, Joico recommends using their K-Pak Conditioner and mixing it directly with the Color Butters when applying to make the colour more pastel. I just used it in the shower as my normal conditioner, and that still seemed to keep the colour more pastel versus too vibrant. I didn't want to go bright pink, so that worked perfectly.



I actually originally tried the Titanium shade, because I thought that would look pretty cool, but for whatever reason it didn't seem to take. I did a test strand and then waited 5 minutes and washed my hair, but no colour was there after showering. I may try that again some other time, but I'm glad I ended up trying out the pink too because that one was awesome. I've had lots of compliments on it since.

One other thing to mention: the Color Butters themselves are very very conditioning! My hair smelled and felt absolutely amazing after using them. Super soft - way more than after my usual shampoo and conditioner. So definitely no damage like you'd expect from some temporary colours. Joico also says you can use these Color Butters to give your professional hair colour more vibrancy in between visits. That would certainly be handy!

The Colour Butters come in Pink, Titanium, Green, Purple, Red and Blue. What colour would you try?











Shirt - Winners | Earrings - c/o Nobis & Grey | Bracelet - c/o Nobis & Grey




Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta








Disclaimer: Joico provided the product used in this post for review. As always, opinions are entirely my own.



Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Where to Find Affordable Boots for Fall & Winter (That Are Super Comfortable)

You all know I love a good fashion find that's also affordable. But sometimes it's tricky to get a good deal that's also good quality. When I went on the hunt for a couple of good pairs of fall/winter boots that fit those requirements, I ended up somewhere unexpected: Mark's. Yes, you read that right. Mark's. The same place my dad would buy jeans from when I was a kid. Not exactly where I would have thought to find stylish women's boots! I was skeptical at first too, but trust me.

The selection of women's boots was quite good, and I actually had a pretty tough time narrowing it down to just two pairs. The styles were all relatively casual, making them a good match for styling with your everyday outfits. Even better, the prices were all really reasonable. What I noticed right away was the fit and quality of the boots, too. I usually sacrifice fit and comfort a bit if I find a pair I like the look of, but all the boots I tried on there fit so well - like they were made for my feet. I thought that was interesting, because they're obviously all different brands of shoes, but it was consistent when I tried on the different styles. And many of them had nice cushions in the soles - a luxury I'm not used to and very much appreciated!

 I ended up picking out two awesome pairs of ankle boots that I figured would be able to work with a wide range of my fall/winter outfits. The first pair you'll see in the photos below is the Denver Hayes Veronica Western Ankle Boots ($79.99), and the second is the Alfred Sung Megan Heel Booties ($79.99). I figured the Denver Hayes boots would be great for my more casual outfits, while the Alfred Sungs would be better for my more "chic" outfits (see the second set of photos below for that outfit).

The Denver Hayes boots have a low heel, with that nice cushioned sole I was telling you about. My older suede ankle boots from a few years ago had absolutely no cushion to them, and had actually become pretty uncomfortable to wear, so these are an awesome upgrade. Great for walking all day. And the light beige colour goes with a huge chunk of my fall outfits.

Keep reading to see the Denver Hayes boots first, and then the Alfred Sung boots below!









Boots - Denver Hayes Women's Veronica Western Ankle Boots (c/o Mark's) | Scarf - (similar) | Vest - Sirens (similar) | Sweater - Forever 21 (similar) | Jeans - American Eagle (thrfited) | Glasses - c/o Clearly | Purse - thrifted | Necklace - c/o BEL Jewelry Boutique


I totally fell for the metal detailing on the Alfred Sung booties. They also have a nice mixed-texture design, that has a faux-snakeskin pattern on the back part of the boot. Plus, there's that elastic on the sides indicative of the 'Chelsea' style of boot. Overall, the look is really chic and modern. They seriously fit so well too!

The heel on these is even lower that the Denver Hayes', which makes them great for lots of walking. Plus, once again, there's that super cushy sole inside too. I've definitely noticed that the older I get, the more practical I get with my footwear. My high high-heels have slowly become replaced with ones like these - and I'm totally ok with that. Our personal style is constantly evolving, after all.








 Boots - Alfred Sung Women's Megan Heel Booties  (c/o of Mark's| Duster jacket - c/o Babaton Quincey (via Aritzia) | Sweater - c/o Uniqlo |  Purse - Karl Lagerfeld via The Bay (similar) | Jeans - Simons | Watch - Etsy



Which pair is your favourite? If you're stumped on where to look for new fall/winter boots, Mark's should definitely be a stop on your shopping trip!


Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta








Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Mark's. As always, opinions are entirely my own!

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

UNIQLO Opens First Store in Western Canada at Metropolis at Metrotown


It's not every day that a store opening gets me as excited as this. The last one before this was probably Simons. Japan-based UNIQLO is a store I've admired from afar online for years now, and I was absolutely gleeful that they were finally setting up shop right here in Vancouver - at Metropolis at Metrotown. The massive 2-storey shop has now officially opened its doors, and was met with massive lines of eager customers ready to get their first look at the Japanese retailer's affordable coats, sweaters, pants, shirts and more. Their Heattech and Blocktech technology are well-known amongst UNIQLO fans. Being in Raincouver, I feel the Blocktech outerwear will be of particular interest: waterproof, windproof and breathable. The brand is also well known for its minimalist aesthetic, so don't go here thinking you're going to find lots of statement pieces. But they have a fantastic selection of sleek basics that even a non-minimalist like myself would love.

I was lucky enough to get a peek inside before the crowds hit, and was able to witness the official opening of the store, complete with a breaking of the sake drums, a glass of sake to toast, and even a speech from the founder of UNIQLO himself, Mr. Tadashi Yanai. Once the ceremonies were over, I headed straight for the massive wall of cashmere sweaters. I had remembered years ago coming across their cashmere sweaters online, and noting the price was reasonable, but wishing I could feel the quality in person. Well, I am happy to report the quality is excellent for the very reasonable price of $99.90! I have other cashmere sweaters at home which are worth more, but are far thinner than this one.

I also fell in love with a rusty-coloured batwing top, and some wide leg trousers while trying things on. Unfortunately I felt the trousers were a bit of an odd length (they'd be good for someone shorter than me I think), but I ended up bringing the batwing top home with me, along with a camel-coloured cashmere v-neck sweater. In fact, I'm wearing the sweater right now as I write this! So cozy for cool fall evenings.

If you're planning on taking a peek, you can find UNIQLO on the lower level of the Grand Court of Metropolis at Metrotown.




























Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta


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