Happy Monday! I'm switching gears a little bit and working on getting some of my product reviews done - so voila, Makeup Monday! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and got some R&R to recharge for this week!

I recently started using the Korres Face Primer as the weather has been pretty hot - a large majority of my full time job is spent outside, and I need a product that will keep my daily makeup in place. I actually first used it on my little sister when doing her grad makeup, as I wanted to make sure her makeup remained flawless throughout the night for pictures and to generally look well put together. After applying it on her, I loved the fragrance and results, and had to try it out on myself.

Being silicone free and 99% natural, this product is smooth and light, feeling weightless against the skin. It provides a canvas for a smooth, even makeup application, giving skin a flawless, natural look. I love the light citrus scent to the primer, as it isn't too strong and is quite pleasant.

In terms of application, the primer blends effortlessly, absorbing into the skin and drying relatively quickly. It's quite moisturizing, minimizing the chances of seeing any dry spots on my skin after foundation application. The primer worked to keep my makeup in place for 7+ hours, and I had minimal shine at the end of a full work day.

This Korres Face Primer is definitely my new favourite primer - if anything, the best thing is that it's almost all natural, meaning those of you with sensitive skin may want to seek this out! What's your favourite priming product? Let me know!

H&M White T | Old Navy Boyfriend Jeans | Zara Heels (old) | Coach Mini Tanner in Bright Coral
F21 Bracelets | H&M Necklace | Marble Slab Ice Cream (haha)
Something I've wanted to add to my closet for the longest time was a pair of boyfriend jeans. But seeing as I'm so tiny, all the pairs I've ever tried on have made me look incredibly short & frumpy. I came across this pair at Old Navy a little while back, and ordered them thinking they might just be the pair I've been looking for. Sure enough, they haven't seen much of my closet cause I've been reaching for them again and again. I hate wearing jeans in the summer, but with the roominess factor of boyfriend jeans, they don't trap heat and they're so comfy to run around in. They can be dressed up or down with heels and sandals, so I love their versatility. Whether its date night or a lazy day running errands, you might see me in them!

About a month ago, I was invited down to XIX Nineteen to celebrate the opening of their newly built patio, and preview some of their fall menu items. The new patio space is classy and comforting, equipped with a full sound system and a small fireplace that can be lit at night. On a sunny day, it's a cozy space to sit back with some of their cocktails and lounge food to enjoy the breeze, sunshine, and company of friends & family.

To start off the afternoon, I peeked at the drink menu and instantly knew I wanted to try out the Tropical Twist (right, $9): raspberry vodka, peach schnapps, lychee liqueur, lime juice, cranberry juice, soda water. On the menu are also three non-alchoholic drinks, including the Citrus Splash (left, $5): grapefruit juice, lime juice, orange juice, grenadine, soda water. Both drinks were delicious and refreshing to drink out in the sun.


Sangria
To whet our appetites, Chef Fung presented a dish of fried smoked oysters with green Thai curry aioli & sweet pea microgreens. For myself, I've never been a huge fan of oysters, whether raw or cooked. Surprisingly enough, this dish was amazing - the batter was salty and contained a mix of seeds, giving it an interesting crunch and texture to combine with a light smoky flavour.

Next up to our table was a dish inspired by a recent trip to Vancouver: citrus glazed octopus and char grilled albacore tuna with serrano peppers, red jalapeno and avocado paste. The tuna was lightly salted and seared, which allowed the fresh, natural flavour of the fish to shine. The octopus on the other hand was chewy, but tender, and infused with a citrus tang. It was a perfect salad dish for me - but watch out for those orange peppers - they hurt when they burn!

Everyone's eyes widened and jaws dropped to the ground when a giant seafood platter was presented to the table. Fresh giant lobsters and shrimp, boiled and chilled on ice, served with a housemade bloody caesar vodka cocktail sauce. The flavours you expect from a caesar in a cocktail sauce studded with chunks of celery - genius concoction to pair with jumbo shrimp!

The next course was a colorful soy glazed veal tongue served with sweet and sour slaw on top of a multigrain flatbread. This dish is actually quite similar to their old fung bun, and I was pleasantly surprised with the flavour and texture of the meat. I have had a previous bad experience with tongue, so it was nice to have Nineteen's version where the tongue was incredibly tender. Seriously, I couldn't tell it was tongue, and the sweet soy glaze gave it the Asian fusion touch.

Our last savoury dish for the meal was an orzo pasta paella with Spanish sausage, PEI mussels, and Manila clams, topped with a fried egg and sweet pea greens. The harmonious blend of Mediterranean spices with the seafood and al dente pasta made this one of my favourite dishes. I mean, who can resist a gooey egg yolk covering their food?

For dessert, panna cotta with creme anglaise, a brandy snap and raspberry coulis. I'm a huge panna cotta fan, but everyone at the table loved the dessert as it was creamy and not too sweet or heavy. The brandy snap was nice to munch on to change up the texture, and the raspberry coulis cut through the sweetness to give the dish some contrasting flavour.

The patio area at Nineteen is a great place to spend time under the sunshine, whether its dining out with friends or stopping by for a drink and snacks after work. From the dishes I was able to try, you're all in for a treat when the fall menu is launched in September! Stop on by the patio and experience it for yourself if you haven't already.

Happy (still) Monday! It's 11:55pm here in Edmonton as I type this, but hey, it's still Monday in some parts of the world, so I'll take it. I've been crazy busy and MIA this past week, but I promise to get back to emails and comments ASAP once this week is over! I competed in a cooking contest this past weekend and can't wait to tell you all about it!

This week on my tips is another shade from the Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolors collection - Great Minds Pink Alike. To be honest, this shade is easily dupe-able and probably quite similar to a lot of the shades I own already. It's a coral-pink polish full of deep pink shimmer, which looks great on both fingers and toes in the summer months. Surprisingly, the formula was quite thin and sheer, meaning I had to apply three full coats to achieve opacity with this shade. At the two coat application mark, it almost has a jelly finish, which some of you may prefer. Having to apply so many coats makes the polish have a decreased wear time, where I started seeing chips at the end of two days. Luckily there's lots of dupes out there, and if you want me to suggest any, let me know in the comments below.

Have a great week everyone!

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the local Dishcrawl in the Southgate area. Edmonton's Dishcrawl now has a new ambassador named Gemma, so I was excited to see if the experience would differ from my first led by Teresa. To be honest, I live in the south side of the city and often drive around Southgate. I wasn't too excited about eating in the area since there really isn't much. But to my surprise, there were some great local gems we visited that I never considered in the past.

Our first stop for the night was at The Bothy Wine and Whisky Bar (5482 Calgary Trail). The Bothy is quite well known for their extensive range of whiskeys, but I had never heard anything about their food. We were given a sampler of a couple dishes available on their menu: Tomato and Bacon Soup, Sous Vide Beef Cheek, and the Lorne Meatloaf. The soup was creamy, featuring chunks of bacon and finished off with some basil and olive oil. The flavours really complemented one another and I could really see it being comfort food on a cold day. As the restaurant is committed to supporting local producers, the beef cheeks are from Sangudo - the beef is cooked in an immersion circulator at 80 degrees for 24 hours, making it quite tender. Finished off with saskatoons and wild mushrooms, it was a nice taster, but I found it to be tougher and drier than I would have expected. The Lorne Meatloaf on the other hand was a clear winner for me - made with Irving's Farm Cumberland sausage, the loaf was perfectly spiced and moist, but the onion gravy on top just made it all the better. I would love to return to the Bothy again for a sit down meal! Maybe try some Whisky as well? All the alcohol on the menu is available in 2oz. tasting sizes.

Our next stop was further north, a Thai and Laos restaurant that I love to frequent: Syphay Restaurant (6010 104 Street). Syphay is a family owned restaurant that I actually had one of my first tastes of Thai cuisine at, and I fell in love with it instantly. For the dishcrawl, we were served Pad Thai, Phanang Curry with chicken on coconut rice, and a crispy garlic shrimp. The Pad Thai here is made with a tamarind sauce, which is sweet and quite spicy at the same time. The noodles are tender, and aren't too sticky, which is the way I like my stir fried noodles. The curry on the other hand was sweet, and the heat from the chili's didn't hit until the end of the bite. The shrimp were sweet, with a hard, almost candy like coating - pretty deceiving, as they were quite spicy as well. It's no wonder there were cucumber slices on the plate! Syphay is a gem on the southside of Edmonton, but if you're up in the north or central area of the city, you're lucky! They just opened up their second location near Chinatown.

The following stop on the crawl was actually to visit a food truck parked in the Global Edmonton studio parking lot. Battita's Calzone Mobile was parked there waiting for the dishcrawl group to serve up some freshly pressed calzones. To be honest, this stop was really odd to me. First off, Battista's is nowhere near the south side of the city, and secondly, the crawl was meant to feature restaurants in the Southgate area, that could be visited again in the future. Oddness aside, we were each give the opportunity to sample 2 calzones. I went with the Pesto Presto, a pesto chicken calzone served with marinara sauce. The calzone was warm, but I felt there was a bit too much dough and was dry if not eaten with the accompanying sauce. After the calzone I didn't have the desire to try a second, but perhaps a tomato sauce based calzone would have suited my tastes better.

The last stop of the night for dessert was probably my favourite! Massimo's Cucina Italiana (5012 104A St) is a casual Italian restaurant right beside the Italian Centre that I haven't visited before, but based on the dish we were served, I'm definitely heading back there! We were served a sampler of all the desserts on the menu - seriously, we were spoiled. On the left was the Homemade Pannacotta, which was presented quite differently from what I'm used to. Massimo's version is thick and creamy, slightly sweet, resulting in a rich and decadent dessert. In the middle was a caramel and chocolate mousse served with pistachio creme anglaise and vanilla ice cream. Again, the mousse was unexpectedly thick and dense - almost like a lighter fudge! It wasn't too sweet, and the pairing with the vanilla ice cream cut down the potential for the chocolate to be an overpowering taste. On the right was their Cantuccini, or biscuits served with a sweet Vin Santo for dipping. The biscuits resembled biscotti in texture, and were delicious with or without the wine. They weren't too hard to bite into (like your traditional biscotti), and had a light sweetness. For a person who doesn't like desserts to be overly sweet, it's almost like Massimo's made this sampler with me in mind. I'll be back for more!

All in all, I thought the food quality served at this Dishcrawl was pretty good. However, I wouldn't be willing to pay the $50 ticket price for the portion sizes that we ate, as each portion was quite small, and drinks were not included. The $40-$45 range would probably be more suitable for future dishcrawls, as they do happen fairly frequently and can end up costing quite a bit if this type of event interests you and you attend one in each of the featured neighbourhoods. Compared to the Dishcrawl I had attended previously, I do wish that there was more of a group component and greater direction when travelling between restaurants. On this particular crawl, participants came and left as they pleased, so there wasn't much cohesive structure or travelling together as a group, giving people less of a chance to socialize and meet others. In addition, an identical Dishcrawl led by Gemma was hosted the evening prior to mine, and all the locations had been revealed through twitter. The element of surprise and having to guess the next location wasn't there, making the dishcrawl less mysterious and fun as it is supposed to be.

For anyone interested in the next crawl in Edmonton, keep your eye out on their website! The events for August on the 104 Street Promenade are already sold out, but maybe you can snag a ticket if they release more!

Disclaimer: I was invited to attend this Dishcrawl free of charge. However, this post is 100% my opinion, and as always, my priority is to you, the reader, to present an unbiased, thorough review.

Happy Monday! Well, it's coming to the end of Monday, so I hope you all had a great start to the week! And of course a fun weekend as well - just think about it, another 4 days and it's Saturday again!

This week on my nails is a baby pink shimmer polish from Nicole by OPI's Kardashian Kolors series. The pink shade is chock full of blue shimmer that shines beautifully under the light, and it so appropriate for romantic dates or even wedding days. The formula is smooth and easy to apply, but the shade is quite sheer, and above I've applied three medium thickness coats to gain a degree of opacity. It wears well on nails for up to 4 days chip free, and I would definitely recommend it if you like the softer pink shades!

Do you love reading food blogs, trying out recipes, and experiencing new cuisine? You may be tempted to document your own culinary trials and tribulations, but are intimidated by the prospect of starting up a food blog. With so many blogs today boasting mouth-watering photography, slick layouts, and what seems like an army of Pinterest followers, it can be hard to compete. The thing is, blogging's not purely a competition and shouldn't be treated as such. By getting back to basics, you can not only make your food blog shine but have a blast doing it! The following are a few do's and don'ts to keep in mind as you create a new blog or revamp an old one.

Do be choosy in what you post. Even if you're a super-foodie, chances are that not every meal you eat is worth blogging about. Did you whip up a batch of fresh blueberry scones with maple whipped cream for breakfast this morning? Yum, please post the recipe! Did you grab a maple bar at Dunkin' Donuts? You might want to keep it to yourself. Pick and choose your content to keep the quality of your posts high.

Do put some effort into your layout. You can have the most attractive photos and unique recipes, but if your blog layout leaves something to desire you could lose your audience. Cluttering your blog with banner ads, busy text, or flash animation is not recommended. It's helpful to browse through some other blogs to see what the current web design Vancouver or New York trends are, which you may wish to adopt in your own design.


Do seek out new inspiration. If you're at a loss of what to post, get out into the world and try a new restaurant or attend a food festival. Read other food blogs to get a sense of current trends and sample new products or recipes you find.

Do get involved in the local blogging community. Organizations like the Food Bloggers of Canada offer a chance to network with fellow gourmands. You can also attend workshops for website designers Toronto or in your specific location to refine the technical side of your craft. Reading and commenting on local food blogs can help you grow your audience and make some new friends who share similar interests.



Don't ignore your comments. Blogging gives you a chance to interact with readers and discuss your favourite topics, so take advantage! Many readers comment on food blogs not only to share their appreciation, but also with hints of their own or to ask questions about recipes. Be sure to follow up with these comments to keep the conversation going.

Don't bog your blog down in advertisements.Monetizing your blog can be a great way to earn a bit of side income, particularly if you have put hard work and effort into maintaining a loyal audience. However, take care that your advertisements don't take away from the main point of your blog. Keep them in a sidebar or down at the bottom of your blog.

Don't forget the importance of visuals. Food blogging is an extremely visual discipline. High quality photos are a must, to draw the reader in. If your photography skills leave something to be desired, it's worth taking a class to sharpen your focus and make your meals pop!

Readers, I know many of you out there are food bloggers - have any tips to share that were missed? Let me know in the comments below!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post

Aritzia Blazer | Simons Peplum Top (love this) | Old Navy Rockstar Skinny Jeans
Coach Sandals & Watch | Clutch from Hong Kong
Exploring downtown Edmonton really has it's perks. You stumble upon fun graffiti, and I couldn't pass up not shooting an outfit here! Although downtown Edmonton is pretty run-down, I love this particular graffiti mural since it's eye-catching and colourful. One of the things I look out for while I'm travelling is the murals and public art on display in the city - I think it says a lot about the local area and you get a better idea of what it's like to live in the place.

One of the most memorable displays for me was down by Venice Beach in California - the cutest monsters were decorating a door in a back alley! Are there any works of public art that are memorable for you? Let me know!

Happy Monday! Hope you all enjoyed the weekend - and hopefully caught some rays of sun! I'm writing a final exam this morning (boo), but can't wait for my "summer" to start!

One of my favourite things about the summer is having mani's and pedi's with bright colours - it brightens my mood on those gloomier days, and just screams fun, fun, fun. Party in my Cabana is one of the classic shades that I have always gone back to every summer, because it's a bright, flirty pink that looks great on fingers and toes. The formula is spot on - smooth, easy to apply, quick drying, self-levelling, and wears up to 4 days chip free. What's your ideal go-to summer shade?

Earlier this week, I received one of the Summer 2013 limited edition Luxe Boxes from Loose Button. For those of you unfamiliar, Loose Button is a company that specializes in putting together personalized beauty boxes for subscribers. Their system is a bit different from others, in that they offer seasonal boxes: 4 boxes each year, ranging from $24-$26/box based on the subscription plan chosen.

The Condition Culture edition Luxe Box features six full size products from Condition Culture: a Featherlocks Hair Feather, 3 Colorsmash Hair Shadows, 1 pack of Knotties Hair Elastics and 1 pack of Knotties Hair Bands.

To be honest, the hair feathers are something I probably wouldn't use often, if ever, really. But they're a great accessory to have around that I could put into my hair if I decided to for a party. The feather is quite soft, and heat styling can't damage it which is a huge bonus. The hair elastics and hair bands work quite well, as I've been using the hair bands to hold my hair back while doing makeup in the morning or washing my face. The hair elastics come in a variety of colours and designs, and have a fairly good grip on my hair. They leave a very minimal (you could hardly notice it) bump in my hair after taking them out, unlike the regular thin elastics that I use.

What I was most interested in trying from the box was the Colorsmash shadows, as I've heard a lot of nice things about them. This product is an industry standard that is used to colour hair, and it's supposed to have great staying power in hair until it is washed out. The packaging is similar to a blush, and the texture comes out to be a bit of a thickened powder. The lid twists off, so it's more secure than a flip lid, and I know that it'll be great for travelling if need be as it won't open in my bag spontaneously.

I'm not big on funky, bright haircolours, so what I wanted to do was create an ombre-like look in my hair with the brown shade - Cocoa. The product itself was incredibly easy to use and apply, but it was very messy. I made sure to put a towel on my shoulders to protect my clothing, and the towel came out to be pretty dirty at the end of the application process. As you can see in the photos below, my hands were covered in product, but the good thing is that it washes out easily with soap and water.

The Cocoa shade did grip onto my hair pretty well, and I finished it off with hairspray to seal in the colour as directed. When mixed with the hairspray, my hair felt quite a bit thicker, as it made the product wrap around my strands of hair. Combing it out was difficult, and a lot of the product fell out of my hair in the process. The colour therefore faded, and was harder to see. I did like the end result though, as my ends were subtly lightened and it wasn't permanent either.

The removal process was fairly frustrating for me. I washed my hair twice, until there wasn't much colour left in my hair - but when I went to blowdry my hair, I found that there was still product sticking to my strands. This could be one of two things: either I suck at washing my hair, or the product was stubborn and harder to wash than the packaging had suggested. So do keep that in mind if you try out the Coloursmash product range.

Overall, this Luxe Box wasn't bad. There are products I've already been using quite a bit (love the hairties!), but I do wish I could make use of the pink and blue Coloursmash products though. Maybe this upcoming Halloween? This Luxe Box is available for order until July 7, 2013 - check it out on the Loose Button Website.

*Disclaimer: this post contains a sample provided by PR for consideration of a review

Yesterday night, I had the opportunity to attend the media preview of Alberta's latest Smashburger location - in Sherwood Park! While Smashburger is no stranger to Americans (it's originally from Denver!), this location is the third in Canada, and a sign of many more locations to come across our country.

Smashburger - #530 5000 Emerald Drive - Sherwood Park AB

So as it is explained by the sign, the cooking technique is what makes Smashburger different from all the rest. I had the opportunity to speak with the owner, Lin, for a bit and I was told that the beef they are using in their burgers is never frozen. It is brought in fresh to the store, and allowed to stay in the fridge for a maximum of two days. If it isn't used up within those two days, the beef is discarded to ensure that all the patties they make in store are fresh for customers to eat.


Truffle Mushroom Swiss Smashburger
Ordering is simple. You walk in, take a look at the menu, and then you're given a number to bring to your table which specifies your order number. Once your food is ready, a server will bring it to your table, so it's a semi-serviced dining experience. This particular location has a smaller menu than other locations, so I was a little disappointed to find that items such as their deep fried pickles and chili weren't available for ordering. Nonetheless, there are tons of options on the menu, or you can build your burger to your liking, which gives tons of variety and flexibility to patrons.

I was able to bring guests with me to try out the restaurant, so of course we tried lots off the menu. The Truffle Mushroom Swiss Smashburger ($6.99 reg) - Truffle mayo, sauteed baby portabella mushrooms and aged Swiss on an egg bun - had a nice truffle flavour to it, but the bun was quite oily. We also tried out the Avocado Club Smashburger ($6.99 reg)- Fresh avocado, applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, ranch dressing and mayo on a multi-grain bun - which had a nice creaminess from the avocado and flavour from the bacon, but it didn't feel heavy since there was the lettuce and tomato in the burger to complement it.

For myself, I had the Spicy Baja Smashburger ($6.99 reg) - Fresh jalapenos, guacamole, pepper jack, lettuce, tomato, onion and chipotle mayo on a spicy chipotle bun - which I really enjoyed. The fresh jalapenos really gave the burger a kick, but the spiciness wasn't so overwhelming that you couldn't taste anything else. It's a burger with heat to it, and I do recommend it if you love spicy food.

To test what else the menu had to offer, we ordered the Avocado Club Chicken Burger with grilled mushrooms on it ($8.49 + $1). The chicken used in the burger is a seasoned, grilled chicken breast, which was quite juicy and tender. The flavour profile matched the Avocado Club Smashburger, and the only difference was the protein. If you're health conscious, the chicken burgers are a nice option.

For our last burger, we chose the Edmonton Smashburger, but substituted the patty with chicken breast. The Edmonton Burger - Canadian seasoned grilled onions, cheddar cheese, Canadian BBQ Sauce, and fried egg on a Kaiser roll - is special to this menu, and I think it's neat that Smashburger tries to cater the menu to the local population. This burger isn't available down in Calgary either, as their Calgary burger is quite different from this one. The Edmonton Chicken Burger was juicy and tender, and the BBQ sauce was smoky but not overwhelming. I just wish that the egg was fried sunny side up! And of all the buns tried that night, I actually found the Kaiser roll to be my favourite. It was really soft, and not too dense, whereas some of the other buns we tried were.

Now you can't have a burger without sides! I was a little bit disappointed in the selection of sides, because I had taken a look at a different menu and found that this particular location doesn't offer as many choices as other Smashburger locations. For example, they don't have the fried pickles or the chili, but they at least offer 6 choices - and of course I had to try them all. The Veggie Frites ($3.99) are flash fried carrot sticks and green beans - they were a little limp, but seasoned nicely and quite addictive. It's their "healthy" alternative to fries - but how much healthier are deep fried carrots than deep fried potatoes?

The Haystack Onions ($2.49) were very thinly sliced and battered onion rings, which were crisp, but became soft and oily in no time. They were also very salty, so I would skip these if you're looking for onion rings, or you're trying to be health conscious. They would be delicious inside of a burger though!

Smashburger's Sweet Potato Fries ($2.99) were skinnier than most I've tried, but they were crisp and tender, and served with an aioli that had a strong horseradish flavour to it. At most restaurants, sweet potato fries are typically $1+ more than regular french fries, but the two sides differ by $0.50, so you do get a great value for getting sweet potato fries.

The Smashfries ($2.49) were something I was quite looking forward to: shoestring fries tossed with rosemary, olive oil and garlic. The fries were golden, crisp and tender, and the seasoning hit the spot. The fries weren't salty, so the rosemary and garlic were able to speak for themselves. I'd have to say this side was my favourite of them all, and it wasn't just me that liked them! They disappeared from the table in the blink of an eye.

Last but not least, we tried out the traditional poutine ($4.49). The gravy was quite salty, and having the gravy poured overtop of salted fries was a salt overload. If the shoestring fries weren't salted, I think this poutine would've been alright.

Unfortunately, there weren't any shakes or malts available to order yesterday night, but I did get the chance to sample the Saskatoon Berry Shake and the Chocolate Shake. Both were thick, creamy and not too sweet, and would be great accompaniments to burgers in the summer time. So what's the verdict? I quite enjoyed the experience at Smashburger, and would likely return again in the future if I was nearby and craving a burger. But would I drive the 30 minutes from my house to this location in Sherwood Park just for the sake of a burger? Probably not. Open a location close to me and I would be there! The environment is clean, the staff are friendly and helpful, and the burgers here are fresh and have juicy patties. Not too shabby if you ask me. This Smashburger location officially opens today, so go check it out if you're in the area!