Vancouver Vogue

Monday, July 13, 2015

Vancouver Vogue x Nobis & Grey (Part 2)

This is the second instalment in my collaboration with jewellery brand Nobis & Grey, to show you some of my favourite statement pieces from their new summer collection! I have been Nobis & Grey's #1 fan for a year now, after meeting them at the Richmond Night Market last summer. I have never been much of a fine jewellery person; I've always been about big statement necklaces and eye-catching earrings. I love using my statement pieces to take my outfits to the next level, to make them really pop. I especially love adding them to solid-coloured or colour-blocked outfit, as they add just the right amount of detail!

I am a huge fan of their new ear jacket earrings, which I think are a great happy medium between studs and dangling earrings. These particular ear jackets are even customizable and adjustable, meaning you can adjust them to fit the size of your ear lobe, and you can even remove the stud and replace it with any other stud of your choosing. For example, you could switch out the rhinestone stud for a pearl stud for a more sophisticated look. If you want statement earrings that really give you the bang for your buck theses are a great choice.

Shirt - Forever 21 (thrifted via Value Village) | Necklace - c/o Nobis & Grey | Earrings - c/o Nobis & Grey | Skirt - Zara (thrifted via Salvation Army) | Heels - Army & Navy

** If you're in the Vancouver area, make sure you check out Nobis & Grey at the Richmond Night Market! **

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Beauty Review: Daily Skincare Regimen

I've never been particularly good to my skin. I usually just bought whatever cheap facial cleanser and moisturizer I saw in the drug store. But now I'm being a real adult who finally has her own real skincare regime! For the first time ever, I feel like I'm treating my skin the way it should be treated: with the right acne cleanser and toner (to keep any pimples in check), the right cleansing brush, and the right creams. I was introduced to all these new game-changing products during the London Drugs Beauty Event; you can see my event coverage from that here. Follow along below to see what my new beauty routine looks like:

Cleansing:

Silk'n Sonic Clean Plus
NeoStrata Acne Clear Cleanser
NeoStrata Acne Clear Clarifying Solution

Nothing like a real deep clean! I've been using the Silk'n Sonic Clean Plus (available at London Drugs) for a few weeks now, and have been loving it! It's self-timed, so it'll switch off after 60 seconds. You can also set it to pulse or vibrate, deep clean or gentle clean, depending on what your skin needs. It's pretty cool that it re-charges through magnets, which means that the unit is water resistant and can be used in the shower! Pretty handy. It leaves my face feeling cleaner than using a facecloth, and is super soft too.

NeoStrata will soon be releasing their brand new Acne Clear line, something that I was excited to try, since I've gone through my fair share of acne products through my teen years especially. I still get the odd breakouts, so I figured I'd be able to give this a good test run! I particularly like the NeoStrata Clarifying Solution (available at London Drugs); it tightens up my pores, and I can feel the salicylic acid going to work right away. So far, I've been blemish free ever since!

Moisturizing/Creams:

NeoStrata Glycolic Renewal
NeoStrata Night Repair Cream

If you've never used a cream with glycolic acid before, you'll notice a slight tingling for the first few uses, so just keep that in mind. NeoStrata's Glycolic Renewal (available at London Drugs), moisturizes the skin while exfoliating dead cells on the skin's surface. I find I usually have to use an exfoliator most days, but now that I use the Glycolic Renewal, I find I exfoliate less frequently now, and my skin isn't as dry!

At night time, I use the NeoStrata Night Repair Cream (available at London Drugs) instead of the Glycolic Renewal. Similar to the Glycolic Renewal, it removes dead skin cells and moisturizes the skin while I sleep. I find I haven't even been using primer on my skin in the mornings anymore, just using the Glycolic Renewal again and then applying my foundation. The perfect canvas!

Dark Spot Treatment:

NeoStrata SecureWhite Brightening Serum

Now, this is a pretty cool product. I went in with pretty low expectations, as I really didn't think it could be all that effective, but I was more than impressed with the results! I tested NeoStrata's SecureWhite Brightening Serum (available at London Drugs) over 2 weeks on a couple of spots of discolouration, and was amazed that they actually disappeared that quick! I can only imagine what it could do over a longer period of time. Really recommend giving this a try if you have any dark spots you want to lighten up!

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

Monday, July 6, 2015

Vancouver Vogue x Nobis & Grey

Statement jewellery is something I just can't style an outfit without! I have been a huge fan of local jewellery brand Nobis & Grey since I met them at the Richmond Night Market last year, so of course I jumped at the chance to style their brand new summer collection with Vancouver fashion bloggers Rosalia of Style Love, Bree of The Urban Umbrella, and Leeanne of Legallee Blonde.

We all have very different styles, so it was great to see what rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets everyone picked out to compliment their individual looks. Make sure you stop by their blogs too to get some style inspiration!

For the first of my two looks, I picked pieces from Nobis & Grey's summer collection that matched by Grecian-inspired BCBG Max Azria dress that I thrifted a while back. I don't have a lot in the way of hair accessories, so I just had to try the leaf bobby pin pair, which we used to pin my twisted hair back with. I personally find that gold looks much better on me than silver, so I styled my bracelets, rings and earrings all in gold- in fact, many of the items I chose are gold plated stainless steel! My other absolute favourite accessory is the metallic temporary tattoos: these are the best! So much fun, they show up really well (even on my skin), and they last a good 3 days.

If you're in Vancouver, make sure to check out Nobis & Grey at the Richmond Night Market this summer, and say hello to owners Christian and Grace!

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Floral Symphony Soirée: Grandi's Atelier & Freywille

After so many seasons of attending Vancouver Fashion Week, it's been wonderful to see local talents such as Grandy produce such stunning collections season after season. I recently had the opportunity to see a collaboration between Grandi's Atelier and jewellery brand Freywille at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver; as always, Grandy's couture designs stunned, as did the timeless pieces of Freywille.

Grandi's Atelier has always embodied femininity, poise, and elegance; I admire the way Grandy's designs fit the models as if they were made just for them. One of my favourites from the runway, the black and white dress on the far right below, would be my dream choice for a summer black tie affair!

The Freywille jewellery is made of a precious fire enamel, an unrivalled manufacturing technique that takes a whopping 80 procedural steps to complete! Pieces from their Floral Symphony collection were styled with each of the outfits, which included necklaces, earrings and bracelets from several designs within the Floral Symphony collection. My personal favourite was the Bouquet of Dreams design (you'll see it below), which features a myriad of bright and soft colours, swirled together.

It was a wonderful evening, saluting summer, sipping cocktails, enjoying delicious food, admiring beautiful dresses and gazing at gorgeous jewellery!