Cukoo for Ovo

 

 Don't they look like they dressed to match each other? (they didn't ... I don't think)

So here's what I got up to on Halloween night since I had a few #costumefails. I decided to go for a double date to Cirque's Ovo performance in Toronto. It was my first time seeing Cirque, and just like most things in my life, I wanted to be sure I did it right. I found VIP tickets on Craigslist for over $100 less than the ticket price, so I was all over it.

Rachelle and I met up with the dynamic duo at the Tapis Rouge an hour before the event to drink all the free champagne peruse the gift store and have some lovely discussions. They had some appies there but they were a bit less appealing than I had anticipated (plus only a few were gluten free).

 

 

Photo by Benoit Fontaine from Cirque du Soleil

The show was amazing, it really excited me to see the acrobats and reminded me of my long last years as a gymnast. I am inspired to get myself back into some training and do a fun class to enjoy what it feels like to do cartwheels and walkovers and flips and stuff. I did feel like some parts were a little drawn out and their could have been more of a "wow" factor in some areas, but overall impressive work. I loved that one of the main characters and the love interest, a ladybug, was a rubenesque African American. It really showed me how socially progressive Cirque was. Kudos.

During intermission we went back to our Tapis Rouge tent for some desserts and more cocktails. Their was some delicious desserts, I loved the sundried tomato truffle. Really VIP is the way to go for a Cirque event, we also had priority free parking and it felt better to be in a more secluded area rather than crowded in the other tent. The show was a big hit, and Rachelle was a very happy birthday girl to be spoiled treated to a show.

This is going in a frame and on my mantel fo sho

"CK Free is free but still not for me"

 

Matchstick sent me a bottle of CK Free to share with the man in my life to get his feedback, and his take, on the scent. I presented it to my bf, who doesn't usually wear scent, but I thought he might be swayed by this free offer. No such luck, he wouldn't budge his hippie ways.

So I brought it over to my most metrosexual male friend to see what he thought. He says that he prefers Kenzo and it would take a lot for him to shift to any new scents. Especially one that he felt smelled like a man who offered had a greater lifestyle than his current one (which is actually pretty fabulous). His impression was that if a guy is wearing a scent like this that he came part and parcel with a complete lifestyle, perhaps full of expensive wining and dining, and random little blue boxes being given. He would not switch scents until his lifestyle switched, which at first I thought was a little unusual but upon further inspection, I realize that I do the same thing.

I was recently looking for a purse, and was going to spend a lot of money on this new said purse that would be defining me for the next year at least. I finally settled decided to get a purse for around $200 from Lucky Jeans that wouldn't look out of place when I am hanging out on campus or dining on King street. Although I am lusting after the Louis Vuitton or even Marc Jacobs purse, my lifestyle does not honestly reflect that (yet) so I chose one that is a more accurate depiction of my real (and not aspired) lifestyle.

Back to cologne. When I asked a few guys at imagineNATIVE Film Festival to try it, one asked if he wears it can he be like the hot guy in the ad (or rather be with him). Another thought it felt like too light and "too summery" type of scent for him to wear in fall.

So we had four fails all in a row with this cologne. I think it smells delicious, and like a scent that I would want my cohort to wear on a hot date, where I could smell it faintly on his skin all night and couldn't wait until the end of the evening to smell it closer. But that is just me. Just a girl saying what scent I like on a boy. Most of the boys I know don't want to go near this CK Free, even if it is for free.

From Rags to Riches VI: Curate your wardrobe

Wow it has been three months since my last post in this series. I must have really been on the mark when I said "I am ready to embrace riches again. Really, I am ready." These past few months have been a lot more prosperous on the financial front due to decreased rent, increased freelance jobs, and student loan payments (I will address student loan repayment once I actually graduate).

So I spent my Saturday night going through my receipts and using this fantastic Excel spreadsheet my girlfriend so generously shared with me. Yes it was time for me to reflect what type of a whirlwind I have actually gotten myself into. I am quite proud of how I have handled everything as I paid off debts, paid bills, and created a savings account for a rainy day before I even thought about spending money on clothing and entertainment (my two weaknesses).

When I did manage to begin shopping, I was armed with a list of required needs to fill in my wardrobe. I create this list when I am putting an outfit together and I realize I am missing the pièce de résistance and write it on my iPhone notepad in the order of importance. That way when I have some funds to put toward my wardrobe feel like shopping, I have a prioritized list of what to buy.

This also saves a lot of time because I don't get distracted (too much) when I am shopping because I have a 'Top 5' list of items that I am looking to buy and everything else can wait. UNLESS you find an amazing classic piece that is lower on your list of 'wants' and it is on sale for a great price and it is in good shape and is good quality. That is exactly what happened to me in Buffalo in the Saks Fifth Avenue outlet store when I found an oversized black cashmere scarf for around $100.

The above list reflects what is currently on my 'wants' list that I am looking to purchase. The dark skinny jeans are crossed off as I bought Citizens of Humanity Avedon jeans at Aritizia on Friday (after agonizing three long weeks over whether they were worth the money - they are). 

So my recommendation for saving money, time, and buying useless items that aren't relevant to  your wardrobe is to assess your needs prior to hitting the mall after you got your paycheque. Create your own wardrobe wishlist based on your real needs of creating a core wardrobe of functional items that will work well in many situations.

See related posts:
Buffalo Hunting  (my shopping trip to Buffalo) 
From Rags to Riches VI: Banish Big Box 
The Art of Consignment: From riches to rags IV
Cooking for dollars: From riches to rags III
Keeping in line: From riches to rags II
From riches to rags

Beauty Bonanza

Pretty Cookies at Beauty Board

On the last Sunday of October I had the opportunity to attend this event called Beauty Board, put on by Blush Pretty. It is a beauty event where you gather a few of your girlfriends, pay $20, and delve into sampling some beauty products, socializing, noshing and learning some new beauty tips and tricks.

I had envisioned it to be a larger event but it was at The Center for Social Innovation so space was limited. I was given a pen and a sheet to fill out along with a few Cover Girl beauty products to test as soon as I got there. There were three "stations," two of which were booths of beauty product companies. First stop was Dalish booth which is a Canadian cosmetics company that is an ethical company that uses natural inks, and has signed PETA's statement of assurance against animal testing. They had a yummy strawberry lotion that was made using local, organic strawberries and *gasp* smelled like real strawberries and not fake shortcake.

Second stop the Dermaglow booth, where there was nothing really to test, only two reps talking about their product (which sounds fabulous, but who knows?). In all fairness, one of the ladies did give a glycolic smoothing moisturizer to try. But I kind of felt like I was a trade show being sold goods. Luckily Monica was there from Beauty Parler and has sampled the goods and swears by them. I might just pick up their Microdermabrasion Treatment. They are Canadian and sound like they spend a lot of money on research so their sales pitch informative discussion did work.

Last stop to try out the Cover Girl goods I was given, smell the Pantene and Olay 'ageless' skincare line, and check out a cuticle treatment from Cake. So I dabbed on some makeup just in time to catch the goodie table being rolled out. And the cute cookies were there calling my #glutenfree name, but I just took a picture to document their cuteness.

 Look at all the free goodies I got from the Beauty Board event. Well worth the $20!

Then I rolled on out to my girlfriend Rachelle White Wind's. We had a grand ole time drinking champers and discussing beauty and boys. She is a makeup artist so she has a lot to say, and share. I shared my woes on trying to save for a MAC palette of eyeshadows, and trying to find the perfect skincare line, and how gel always makes my hair flaky. So I ended up buying an eyeshadow palette from her for $20 and then I went home with even more beauty goodies.

 

Look at what I copped at RWW's

The shadow palette she swears by. Says it's better than MAC.

 So far the CellCeuticals NeoCell Micro-Resurfacing skin treatment is winning my heart. It promises smoother, more radiant, healthier looking skin and it delivers. Using it as an exfoliant I immediately feel like my skin glows right after use and I am tempted to use it every day but I only have two small samples so I got to make it last. Perhaps I can try the Dermaglow version after and compare.

And so, how it goes in my life, when it rains it pours and a few weeks ago it was my beauty bonanza. I will do some more  reviews as I work my way through the merchandise. 

El Perro del Mar

 

El Perro del Mar

Yesterday R (aka bf) came home with a new CD (courtesy of Stephanie from Outside Music), one of his perks of being a DJ. Now he is a world music DJ, so most of his new music doesn't always get me excited. But this was El Perro del Mar's second album, Love is not Pop, and he was hopeful. The last one was okay but the only song I became obsessed with was "Inner Island."

I listened to it in my car en route to York U (aka boonies) and was totally feeling it. Right off the bat I had a new favorite song, "Better Love." Okay obsessed, I was listening to it all day and this album is growing on me and is sure to be on fast repeat on my iTunes playlist.

You can buy the album here, and check out her MySpace here.

Reminds me of: Cat Power, Lykke Li

Doesn't she look like Lykke Li from her "Little Bit" video?

They are friends and work together, check out there collabos here.

Hello Halloween

Free People

I had always wanted to be a flapper for Halloween so this year I thought ahead and ordered this gorgeous dress from Free People online to get here in time for me to add a little sequins, seams, and plumage to complete the outfit. But when it arrived on Thursday it was a big #HalloweenCostumeFail. It was not the quality I was expecting for the price I was paying, so I decided to return it as it would never double as a cocktail/club dress.

Friday afternoon I remember this disco dress that I have. Polyester Pucci print, what could be better? Add a pair of go-go boots and you got yourself one #Discohontas. Oh except that I lent the dress to a friend a year prior and when I got it back in the afternoon it was TWICE THE SIZE .  

#HalloweenCostumeFail 2. Then I remembered the costume I had from last year which I bought last minute at MissBehav'N for a house party last year. Luck would have it, I have a whole new audience this year and it was (relatively - only proof above) undocumented last year so I was Mad Max Vixen Part II 2009 edition.

And so the festivities begun at my friend Mario's pad where we met and took a few quick snaps prior to heading over to the condo costume partay. I was asked to take more pictures of me on my blog so I am indulging my inner narcissist here. We quickly threw brilliantly pieced together Mario's outfit costume of Rock Star (how clever we are). Then realized that I could be a Mad Max Vixen and Rock Star Groupie as well. It took me until the next morning to realize that I was a Mad Max Vixen with Bono in 2008 and 2009 (weird). 

 

 

 

Superhero Hostess Erika

Erika's party was a huge hit for a pre-Halloween costume party and a good time was had by all. I was totally happy to have dressed up at least one night this year. Next year will be planned much in advance (at least 6 months) where I will sew my entire costume by hand and bedazzle it myself. Here are my top picks:

Flapper (w/ a Charlie Chaplin) 
Image: Black & White Spider Awards

Olive Oil (w/ Popeye)

 

 Frida Kahlo  (sans Diego)

 

Tap Dancer 

Sequined Shorts from Patricia Field

Pink Lady from Grease

imagineNATIVE Film Festival 2009

 

imagineNATIVE Film Festival is the largest Indigenous film festival in the world. Filmmakers, producers, buyers and distributors come from all over to be a part of the week long festivities. Last year I had the wonderful opportunity to be the programming coordinator for the festival. To say my involvement in the 2008 festival was high would be a gross understatement.

What was a a gross understatement was my attendance this year. I had a grand vision of being able to go to as many screenings as possible this year and not work them, but write about them! Yes to write about them to share with anyone who came across it upon this blog. To celebrate the great achievements and hard work that these Indigenous filmmakers have put forth in sharing their craft.

Screenings by day, social events by night, I was going to do it all. And then reality hit, I am not a full-time blogger or freelance writer, I am a full-time student. I had to attend to more pressing deadlines at hand to be able to take in the event how I wanted. And so I went to two events from the jam-packed imagineNATIVE schedule.

"A Decade in Retrospect: Curated by Dana Claxton" was a lecture that took place on Friday afternoon that looked at thirteen Indigenous films made in the past 10 years that influenced and shaped Aboriginal screen culture. A beautiful pamplet of her lecture was commemorated by VTape and is sure to remain a collector's item by Indigenous cinema fans and filmmakers. I found the event interesting and interactive with the clips of the films, but had hoped for a more engaging discussion and less of a lecture (I do go to University and get enough traditional lectures). It was great to see who made it out to this event and who were the true imagineNATIVE film lovers though.

The last event I went to was "The Beat," which is the music event of the festival (and the least film related and more party related). This is the event to go to see and be seen for the local Native Toronto scene. Even if you don't do anything film festival related, you would go to this event. Musicians from all over Canada are always performing and it is the best place to have a good ol' raucous time. Truth be told, I was feeling a little tired and sick but wanted to make the effort to take in at least one more iN event. George Leach, Jason Burnstick, and Lucie Idlout performed and were entertaining the crowds.  As per usual it was a great time although I did feel like it wasn't as packed with people as previous years (especially last years) had been.

Next year I hope to have the ability (read: no full-time job) so I can soak all of imagineNATIVE film festival up (workshops, lectures, and all). I am so thankful that such a creative hub exists for all Indigenous filmmakers, actors, and fans. Happy 10th Anniversary imagineNATIVE!

See Related Posts:
-Breaking Stereotypes (again)

Buffalo Hunting

Photo from Zazzle

Last Saturday I finally made the trek from Toronto to Buffalo for shopping (our dollar is almost at par!). I was so excited about the trip, I even stayed home on Friday night and tried to go to be bed early to no avail (my night owl ways always end up getting the best of me). I was totally prepared having got the lowdown on Buffalo shopping from my boyfriend R's sister.

So when R and I left the house at 10:30 AM, only 30 minutes past our target mark. We had planned to stop at McDonald's for breakfast (I know, I know), I was going to trade my McMuffin for a hashbrown and I was excited. Then we missed the 11 AM cutoff time due to traffic, forgetting the directions at home, and having to return a video to Liberty Village (I still seem to hang out there all the time even though I moved).  So what does a gluten-free do for a quick breakfast on the go? She has to go to Kensington Market in pursuit of a cafe that does gluten-free baking and pick up a dry cranberry scone (which takes over 30 minutes in traffic).

When are we going to get there already?

Needless to say once we had left the city, we were about two hours behind schedule and I was grumpy. I read my Globe & Mail and tried to chill out with Twitter and my coffee en route. Finally we get to our first destination: Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls. It is now almost 3 PM, and I was dressed in my most hideous clothing (R's sis says to wear clothes you can throw out and just change into your new duds). Old jeans that fit weird, a Henley shirt with a hole, a small old purse, and flats that have been trashed for a loong time. So I am feeling extremely hot and not in the mood for shopping but I  have come prepared so I must get shopping.

I am generally not impressed with this place but still manage to spend over four hours in it. I come out with an oversized black cashmere scarf (perfect for winter and doubles as a blanket while traveling) for $100 from Saks Fifth Avenue outlet. I also got two black tops from Lucky Jeans for less than $100, one hoodie sweatshirt for campus cruising and another silky boho top for dinner dates. Oh and a black beanie hat from Banana Republic. We leave dehydrated and hungry (forgot to bring some USD for drinks and such) but determined to make it to the Walden Galleria mall in time to shop still.

 

When I walk in the mall I am filled with relief as I realize that this mall is "normal" and Lord & Taylor does carry Free People and Rock & Republic. I find a pair of Guess skinny pants that are like a genius mixture of a yoga pant (read: comfy), skinny jean and dress slacks (plus my derriere looks fabulous in them). Then I found this black bag by Cole Haan, which I thought was perfect for my oversized needs ... until I took out the stuffing and it sagged to resemble a hobo bag (even though it is supposed ot be semi-structured). What is up with purse manufacturers not using a hard plastic stiffener in the bottom of the bags so that your bag doesn't look like a saggy sack once you put more than a wallet and a camera in it?

Moving on to L'Occitane for my favorite lavender shea butter hand creme which for some reason only sells it's purse sizes in the States so I have to stock up every time I head south. Over to Lucky Jeans where I totally luck out on a boho peasant black top/dress for $42 and then, oh and then I found my bag! After an extensive search lasting over two months, I found the perfect oversized black leather bag without too many embellishments and logos, that doesn't sag, or look ridiculously huge.

 

 

Yes that's it, my new love. It was a super steal for under $200 and it fits my MacBook if I so need to put it in there, but really I am on the hunt for a teeny netbook and thus will be able to leave my huge laptop at home (why does it feel like a big PC sometimes?).

In a post-shopping bliss we quickly zipped over to Target for some dark chocolate M&M's and Orbitz Sweet Mint gum (love, love, love) and then back to the mall for food. Yes I survived the entire 12 hour day on a cranberry scone and a 1/2 of a Coke. THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY. So delicious, I love this place and now it is my ritual to finish all Buffalo shopping at this restaurant. It was weird though because all of the locals were tarted up like it was a hotspot, which I guess for Buffalo it is. So I changed out of my old, ratty clothes and into my new fabulous ones in the washroom. And in conclusion, I have decided that Buffalo shopping hunting does have it's many advantages, I am sure I will be back there in no time.

Tomahawk Tassels II

 

 

 

 

Performance at the Couture Noir Fashion Show

 

 

 

Performing with Cadillac Kolstad and the Flats

All photos courtesy of Tomahawk Tassels

Well almost a month ago I wrote about Tomahawk Tassels, "The Cherokee Seductress", who is a burlesque dancer who incorporates Native American heritage in her performances. At that time I wasn't sure if she was part Native as she hadn't replied to my inquiry. Well guess what? Yes she got back to me and yes she is in fact Native (much to everyone's relief)!

She is Cherokee and Irish, with her estranged father having Cherokee blood. "Growing up in Oklahoma, I have been exposed to Native American history and culture since I was very young," she says. "I realize how I took it for granted, and only now am able to fully internalize and express that history. Part of my personal journey is to research my roots and ancestral history. Burlesque performance has been the perfect medium for this."

She uses her performances "to remind others of our rich American Indian history while also making a satirical social commentary on stereotypes, specifically from the 1950's." This is an endeavour I find interesting, since I have a fascination with  both 50s stereotypes and the kitsch that evolved from that propaganda movement.

On her drive back home to Minneapolis (no New Orleans after all) after her feature performance at New Orleans Burlesque Festival she was moved by her driving path as she realized it crossed the Trail of Tears and the Red Road. Out of this inspiration came a new performance to commemorate the suffering of Cherokee people's forced removal during the Trail of Tears. It took place for the Couture Noir Fashion Show as a part of the Minnesota Fashion Week.

"While I have many signature Native American acts, they are mostly cheeky and comedic. This particular piece was one of my most moving and emotionally intense acts to date," she says.
 

You can catch her weekly show at the oldest bar in Minneapolis (Palmer's Bar) with Cadillac Kolstad and Cornbread Harris or enlist in one of her burlesque classes if you happen to live near the twin cities. As for the rest of us, we will have to wait for new videos to be uploaded to YouTube.

 

See related posts:
Tomahawk Tassels
Burlesque Baby

Feather headresses on runway

 

Photos from style.com and RDuJour

Gareth Pugh's Spring/Summer 2010 Collection included a whole lot of feather headgear. From the side it reminds me a lot of Aztec headdresses, but from the front it reminds me of some kind of sci-fi futuristic feather fantasy. Interesting nonetheless.

Aztec Headdress from kjdrill's Flickr