A Necessary Barrier From the World

Cardi – Free People  //  Tank – Love Nail Tree  //  Infinity Scarf – Look by M  //  Boots – Feet First  //  Necklace – Threadsence

Our city is going crazy.  Our current mayor *Rob Ford – google him…no seriously, do it. You’ll see what I mean* is making Toronto a laughing stock.  Seriously, I don’t know how he’s still in office. 

On these jaded and cynical days, I end up reaching for soft, loose, and chunky things.  Perhaps I’m unconsciously trying to create a protective barrier between myself and those things that have me feeling like our world is going down the crapper. 
Perhaps, it’s not so unconscious. 

This tank from Love Nail Tree also fits.  The design is a commentary on the American dream – the perversion and decay of it more accurately.   So perhaps, while I reach for a protective barrier, I also can not quiet the instinct in me to not go quietly into that gentle night, if only through the use of a wise graphic tee. 

You Want Something Done, Do It Yourself

Top – Camilla Tree via Ruche  //  Cords – Le Chateau  //  Kimono – made by me!  //  Shoes – Threadsence  //  Turquoise necklace – I forget  //  Waterfall Necklace – c/o Atterley Road  //  Ring – Body Blue //  Sunnies – c/o Woodzee   *enter to win a pair*

You know that old saying, right?  Well, I’ve been coveting a few awesome fringe kimonos, but with price tags upwards of one hundred dollars on the ones that I want it was never gonna happen.  I budget and live within my means, and those means do not include hundred dollar kimonos.  So, I thought, “You want one?  Make it happen.”

Browsing through this huge fabric warehouse not too far from home, I stumbled across this gorgeous gray chiffon fabric and had one of those butterfly in the stomach moments.  It was the perfect material with it’s soft gray and white leaf print with specks of blue, and subtle silver sparkle.  Done.

The roll firmly tucked under my arm, I promptly waded through the fringe bin and found this long, soft, ivory fringe to match.  Copying another kimono that had been a gift from my mom, I then starting cutting and sewing.

The weight of the fringe as it swings back and forth while walking.  There’s something very satisfying about that.

Total price tag – $32.  That’s more like it.

*Linking up with WIWW, Style Sessions,  Trend Spin, Fab Favorites, Friday Style*

How To Style A Party Dress For Day

Dress – c/o eShakti  //  Shirt – Esprit  //  Boots & Silver Bracelet – Threadsence  //  Necklace – F21  //  Cuff Bracelet – Ebay  //  Tights & Socks – HUE 
Choosing this gorgeous dress from eShakti was easy.  It was the one that gripped me in its beauty and didn’t let go.   What’s lovely is that eShakti allows you to completely customize the sizing on your order, so my frame which has a hard time fitting into women’s clothing was completely happy in the perfectly fitting dress that arrived on my doorstep.
But finding places to wear a fancy dress isn’t always the easiest task, so I decided not to let this beauty stay hidden in my closet.  By adding a denim shirt and combat boots the whole outfit was instantly drawn down from fancy night to casual day. 
The only thing I regret is not doing something a bit more elaborate with my hair, but alas I am a mama short on time, and the odds were not in my favor this day.  In retrospect I think I would’ve done a faux hawk like before. 
eShakti is offering two ModaMama readers a $30 gift card to be used towards any purchase that you may desire.  Just enter using the widget below. 

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Clear Skin Probiotic Masque

For my acne prone skin, one of the very best products has been the Eminence Organics Clear Skin Probiotic Masque.  This gentle masque is non-drying, which is great because too much drying can actually cause breakouts, but is super powerful.  I put on this masque after a good exfoliation and leave it on for a good 20 minutes. 

I’ve been known to answer the door for the Postman several times while wearing the masque.  He’s gotten over seeing this face at the door.  I will say that this masque has not only calmed my breakouts, but has stopped pimples dead in their tracks.  I’ll even put it on as a spot treatment overnight on a particularly challenging spot. 

The tingling feeling of the tea tree oil gives you that satisfying feeling that you’re really zapping things.   It does this all while nourishing and not drying out my skin.  This is my not-so-secret weapon.

Win a Pair of Woodzee Glasses

Sunnies – c/o Woodzee // Cardi – C’est Moi // Tank – Smart Set // Jeans – Gap  //  Boots – Call It Spring

 
My love for companies that have fun products and a very ethical mission statement continues with Woodzee today.  They’re a company that makes sunglasses out of natural materials in really funky styles.  They’re also involved in a program where they plant a tree for every pair sold, and offer a recycling program where they offer you 40% off for trading in your old or broken sunnies.  Cool huh?

Anyway, I was thrilled by the chance to try out these glasses, and I chose the Sierra Guibourtia Dark Wood Sunglasses as my signature pair.  Gotta say I really like them.

They have a great fit.  They’re lightweight.  And they have a really cool retro look to them that’s, well, pretty trendy right now.  Oh and I also like that, unlike my aviators, they don’t rip out my hair when I tuck them up onto top of my head.  Keeping hair, definitely a bonus.

The darkness of the glass is perfect.  My sensitive eyes love that extra bit of tint, and I think that they’ll be my winter pair, as peeking out of my parka and furry hood they’ll totally make a statement.  I can’t believe I’m saying this, but they kind of make me excited for the snow to come.  Crazy I know!

Oh and guess what?  You can totally win a pair of your own right now.  Woodzee is generously giving away a $90 shop credit so you can pick up your own pair.  I wish I could enter.  There’s a few other pairs I have my eye on.

*linking up with WIWW*

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Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant from Eminence

Every cosmetician I’ve ever known has hounded me about exfoliation.  But honestly, I’ve tried a lot and they left my sensitive skin feeling raw and red,  and that doesn’t really make me want to repeat it often.  I thought it was the fact that it was so gritty and harsh that had my skin screaming, but I think now that it was whatever else was added to the exfoliator.

The Strawberry Rhubard Dermafoliant from Eminence is just a pure powder of organic ingredients.  You shake out the powder onto your hand, add a touch of water and scrub your face with it. 

It’s gritty and I thought it would be just as rough on my skin, but it isn’t.  Like I said, I guess it was all the other additives in previous products that inflamed my skin.  This is simply grit that scrubs away the dead skin cells.  When I say simply, I don’t mean it’s just grit, the list of ingredients is impressive and completely well thought out.  In saying ‘simply’ I mean there’s nothing unnecessary thrown in there.

Apparently, for me a large part of my problem was clogged pores and dead skin build up.  Kind of gross, but at least exfoliation can help with that.  And I’ve loved that it helps to add a glow to my skin and reduce the amount of breakouts. 

Spinach Into Chocolate, Sartorially Speaking

Dress – Zara   //  Scarf – bought in Venice  //  Tights – F21  //  Boots – Threadsence  //  Glasses – Lace Affair  //  Earrings – I forget

A sweatshirt dress with a cool embroidered pattern is the sartorial equivalent of rich dark chocolate and delicious wine.  It’s elegant and luxuriant and just a plain old treat.  It feels wrong, like you’re not behaving or something, by wearing such a comfortable sweatshirt dress.  It’s like you know you should be eating spinach, but chocolate just tastes so good.  You know you should be wearing something perhaps more ‘put together’ but sweatshirt material just feels so good. 

And the best thing is you can fake it into being chic.  It’s like having spinach that tastes like chocolate.  Now that would be something!

Beauty: Pure+Simple Wins Award

Pure+Simple’s co-founder wrote a book on natural beauty, Beauty: Pure+Simple, and it’s been named the 2013 Gold Medal winner of the Living Now Awards in the US for the category of healing arts/Body Work/Energy Techniques.

I was honored to be sent a complimentary copy of the book.  I love the services Pure+Simple offers *read my review of their Deluxe Aquabrasion facial here* and am of course eager to read any book that can educate me further in the area of natural health and beauty.

Kristen Ma’s book relies heavily on Ayurvedic studies with some Traditional Chinese Medicine.  It’s interesting to read about Ayurvedic medicine, as I know very little about this philosphy on health and beauty. 

But what I most like about this book is how it breaks things down.  It’s easily and clearly explains those things that we all should know but never really have a chance to learn along the way.  Like, why we need steps like cleansing, toning and moisturizing.  What’s the difference between all those exfoliators. 

It explains how our skin works, and what exactly happens in skin conditions.  It’s very informative, and teaches us all those things that we think we know, but don’t really.  Like the difference between a night and day cream and why both are good.

Personally, I appreciate this back to basics and skin care defined from the ground up approach.  There’s a lot of things that this book has clarified for me.  And it’s nice to read it all coming from a natural skincare pro. 

I think it’s a great gift idea for some of my girlfriends this season.

The Boy Who Wouldn’t Look At Me

Shirt – Campus Crew //  Jeans – Gap  //  Boots & Necklace – Threadsence  //  Bag – Matt by Matt&Nat  // Ring – Body Blue

Sometimes I’m just not feelin’ it.  So I throw on a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt.   And on those days I go back to the 90’s and elementary school and that boy in grade eight who was so cool with his careless and artfully tossed on plaid shirt, and I was the seventh grader just wishing for him to look at me.

It’s not a painful memory because potential crushes in the innocence of youth have so much hope and optimism in them.  It’s actually quite comforting to remember the silly ways I tried to get him to notice me.  And I laugh.

Happy Scary Night!

Sweatshirt – Roots  //  Bruce Lee & Zombie patches – eBay  //  Jeans – Gap  //  Tank – Smart Set  //  Boots – Call It Spring
 I interrupt the rule breakin’ schedule for Halloween.  It’s that time where we all dress up, scare one another, and pretend to be someone else.  Don’t be fooled though, these zombie hands aren’t here just for Halloween.  They’re too awesome to come out just once a year.  I love adding fun patches to otherwise simple clothing.  Like this hoodie, it was just begging for a Bruce Lee homage.  ‘Cause come on, it’s Bruce Lee and he’s awesome.  Plus, I usually wear this to train, so it’s an added bonus and incentive. 
Yeah, my nerdiness is showing again. 
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