Vacation Snaps: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Vacation Part 2 was a surprise! I ended up in the beautiful city of San Juan, Puerto Rico. I learned a lot about the city's history and also had a chance to relax and enjoy a coconut (or two) on the beach. Tough life!

Vacation Snaps: Orlando, Florida

You're never to old to hold and feed Florida's famous gators and you are definitely never too old for Disney World!! Here are some of my favourite moments from Florida with my parents. Enjoy! 

Work Style

Happy Hands

Nail care is something that I find very important. A well-manicured hand says a lot about a woman (and man). Here are my 5 tips to keeping your hands and nails healthy and happy!

1. Nail Polish Remover

It is important to choose a good nail polish remover so it does not damage your nails. I use Sally Hansen’s Strengthening Polish Remover or OPI’s Expert Touch Lacquer Remover. Look carefully at the ingredients, if you buy a remover with very high alcohol content, you may damage and weaken your nails, causing them to break easily.

2.  Nail File and Buffer

It’s important to change your nail file every 6 months or so depending on how often you use it. I file my nails every 1 – 2 weeks. If your nail file seems dull it’s time for a new one. Using an old file can also damage your nails further by cracking them. If you do not want to change your nail files so often then invest in a crystal nail file. I recommend this one here.

I like to buff my nails with a 7-step buffer by Sally Hansen, which you can find at most drug stores. It’s important to buff near the nail beds so your nails are smooth when they grow out. Buffing excessively at the tips of your nails may weaken the layers, making your nails more prone to splitting.

3. Cuticle Cream

Just like every other part of the body, nails and cuticles need hydration too! My favourite one to use is by Margaret Dabbs, which you can buy at Etiket here.  This serum contains tea tree oil and emu oil which help protect, hydrate and strengthen nails and cuticles. It’s also great to use this on your toe nails to keep away infections. I usually apply cuticle cream on my cuticles and nails twice a week before I go to bed and also right after I clean, file and buff my nails.

4.  Nail Treatment

Do not underestimate the importance of treatment oils. I like to apply nail oil to my nails and nail beds every once in a while. My favourite is the Essential Nail Oil by Rococo which you can buy here. I usually apply it on my unpolished nails and cuticles and then let it absorb over night, but you can also apply it after you have painted your nails. Just apply a small drop around the cuticle area, allowing it to drip over the colour. This will moisturize the cuticles and also protect your polish from smudging.

5. Base Coat and Top Coat

Using a base coat is key to a good manicure. It helps fill in any lines, ridges or grooves, making your nails look buffed and smoother. Base coats also protect your nails from yellowing due to polishes that are high in harmful ingredients. Last but not least, applying a base coat before coloured polish and a top coat after your polish will make your manicure last longer! My suggestions include the Base Coat Top Coat Pro by Rimmel, Grow Stronger base coat by Essie, or the Nail Envy by OPI.

Afternoon Tea at Birk's Café

One of my favourite meals to have is Afternoon Tea, and I was lucky enough to go to Birk's not long ago with my colleague, Charlotte. The Birk's Café is a small little café / restaurant located inside the Birk's Flagship Store in downtown Montreal. The store itself was gorgeous, with beautiful displays of diamond jewelry, and the café was also very cute but chic, with jewelry box displays in show cases.

The first step of our afternoon tea was to chose which tea we wanted. There was quite a large selection with around 20 teas. I chose a Christmas blend (because why not?) with hints of vanilla and orange zest. Of course I added some milk and sugar after until it was just right!

Next we got our scones. Oh my, these were so warm and fresh and absolutely heavenly! Even though the Devonshire cream was amazing, I barely added any because I just loved how the scones melted in my mouth. The rest of our goodies came out shortly after on a long platter.  We started with finger sandwiches including shrimp and cucumber (my favourite), foie gras with chutney, and lastly salmon with caviar. Next we had a club sandwich with crispy prosciutto. I absolutely love prosciutto, so as you can imagine I was in heaven! To top off our afternoon tea, we had a few different sweets including maple cream and pineapple desserts, macarons (chocolate and blueberry), and hazelnut chocolate.

We ate until our hearts were content, drank more tea than our stomach's could handle and then decided to do a bit of shopping to kick off the weekend. Tea, scones, macarons and shopping...what more could a girl ask for?

Mint Green & Striped Accent Nails

Sally Hansen: Mint Sorbet

Sally Hansen: Celeb City

Recent Outfits

Hello Spring! Recent Outfits