Chiang Mai, Thailand – A City Guide

Located 700 km North of Bangkok, Chiang Mai is a laid back city that is easy to get around, full of friendly locals and wonderful food.  As a female traveling solo, I felt quite safe wandering around Chiang Mai on my own. I decided to put together a basic city guide for anyone who has Chiang Mai on their list of ‘go to’ places.

How to Get There

I flew from Toronto to Bangkok then used a low cost air carrier, Air Asia, to take a quick and cheap flight directly to Chiang Mai.  There are flights between Toronto and Chiang Mai, however flying to Bangkok was significantly less expensive.  There are a handful of lower cost domestic airlines that fly to Chiang Mai from Bangkok (such as Nok Air).  I found the lowest price with Air Asia.  The only drawback to flying with them is that they operate out of Don Muang; a smaller airport about an hour away (double that time in traffic) from Bangkok International. But the good news is that Bangkok International offers free shuttle service between both airports. The shuttle is located on the same level as the public taxis.

Tip: Look for international airfare early and try to be as flexible as possible with your travel dates. Personally, I have found the least costly flights this way.  Usually flights leaving during the week offer better rates. For example my departure date was late February, I started researching airfare in October and found flights for as low as $1,300 flying with Emirates! Another thing to keep in mind when researching lower cost carriers is that often times they charge extra fees for checked baggage and meals – something to be aware of when comparing prices between airlines!

If you have a lot of time, patience and are on a strict budget, you can travel by land via train or bus from Bangkok. This journey is at least 10 hours long.  Lonely Planet offers a good breakdown of transportation options between the two cities: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thailand/chiang-mai-province/chiang-mai/transport/getting-there-away

How to get around

During my time in Chiang Mai I mainly spent time exploring the old city.  It used to be completely surrounded by a squared wall and moat.  Today some of the original brick still remains along with a decorative moat and 4 gates into the city which face North, South, East and West.  Chiang Mai is a very easy city to navigate on foot, which was my favourite (and most economical!) way to wander around exploring the city. The best place to start is the Thapae or East Gate.  This is the gateway to the main street Ratchadomoen Road which runs west of the gate. You will find a little bit of everything on this road, several temples a quick walk apart from one another, Thai and Western restaurants, shops and cheap massages.

Another great way to travel around the city is on a bicycle which can usually be rented for the day at a very low cost.  Many guesthouses have them available for their guests to rent.

Songthaews (red covered trucks) are a great option of traveling around if you are going somewhere that’s a bit further than walking distance.  They can be flagged down anywhere along the road simply by giving them a wave. Songthaews are much cheaper (about $.80-1.00 on average) than a taxi or tuk tuk, however they carry multiple passengers at once, meaning it may take a little longer to reach your destination or you will not be able to go directly to it.

Tip: ask your guesthouse approximately how much it should cost to get to your destination – knowing how much to expect to pay will help you to bargain with the driver and know you are being given a fair price.

Where to Stay

There is a really wide selection of places to stay in Chiang Mai depending on your budget such as hostels, guesthouses or boutique hotels.  Given my budget, I stayed in a family run guesthouse on the lower end of the price spectrum. After reading reviews on Trip Advisor (my go to site for traveller reviews!), I settled on Bed and Terrace  Guesthouse situated right outside the old city moat, a quick walk into the city.  Room prices range from $15 – 45.  I stayed in the Twin room with air conditioning for $20 per night.  My room was very spacious, and most importantly clean and safe.  The room came with a small safe, comfortable bed, desk, fridge with free bottled water, free Wifi and a nice hot water shower.  The family that owns the guesthouse is very friendly, welcoming and helpful.

Where & What to Eat

In my opinion, Thai cuisine is some of the most delicious food that I have tasted during my travels.  It has so many depths of flavour; you can literally taste numerous different ingredients in each bite. Some of the best ways to savour it is to hit the street for street eats! Eat great food while sitting elbow to elbow with locals and tourists – all part of the experience! My favourite places were the food stalls at the South Gate where you can get just about anything, including oh so good freshly blended fruit smoothie’s at Pa’s stand and the street stalls along Ratchadomoen Road during the Sunday Market. Or, take a cooking class like I did and eat what you make!  Some of the finest food I had in the city came out of this class. For a great cup of coffee, spend a quiet afternoon at Akha Ama (Hussadhisewee Rd, Soi 3 – “Soi” means smaller side street), a peaceful tucked away cafe that serves really good coffee, yummy treats and is working towards sustainable agriculture. It’s a little out of the way, but a nice place for some downtime.                          PS. It’s a good idea to take a map with you as it can be a little trickier to find.

Tip: Health and safety are always a concern when traveling and eating at food stalls.  My general rule is to avoid stalls where not many people are dining and choose those with many patrons. Try to grab street eats at the beginning of breakfast/lunch/dinner hour.  Food will be at its freshest then!

Some must try dishes:

Thai Iced Tea – I indulged in this drink daily!  Not everyone’s cup of tea, this creamy and sweet beverage is a mix of black tea, spices (such as cardamom and cinnamon), condensed and evaporated milk. The finished product is freakishly orange, but I love it!

Massaman Curry – a delicious rich bowl of curry with coconut milk, tamarind sauce, peanuts and potatoes with chicken, beef or tofu served with rice.

Khao Soi – Tender egg noodles in a coconut milk based curry with green onions, coriander, lime and shallots, topped with crispy fried egg noodles.  Often comes with chicken.

Mango Sticky Rice – a very sweet dessert made with sticky rice soaked in a sweet coconut sauce and topped with ripe mango.

Soups – even a regular ‘ol bowl of “chicken noodle soup” is bursting with flavor!

Where to Shop

To find that perfect souvenir or to pick up some cheap items of clothing, my top choice is the Sunday Street Market (aka Walking Street Market). Every Sunday from 4pm – midnight, Ratchadomoen Road becomes a pedestrian walkway jam packed with vendors selling everything from doggie outfits, handmade artisanal crafts to cheap must have fashion that just about every tourist is sporting.  Start at Thapae Gate and work your way West. Make sure to shop around as many vendors carry similar items at very different prices! Bargain, bargain, bargain!  If you’re not in Chaing Mai on a Sunday, you can peruse the Night Bazaar.  Open 7 nights a week it stretches 1km along Thanon Chang Khlan (or Chang Khlan Road).  I found some nice pieces of sterling silver jewelry here!

What to Do

There is a long list of things you can do in Chiang Mai.  I was only in Chiang Mai for a short while and spent most of my time volunteering at the Elephant Nature Park outside of the city, but whether you have a few days or more time you can squeeze in some fun and memorable experiences.  Here are some of my highlights:

Cooking class with Baan Thai Cookery School – I took their full day class ($30) and made 5 yummy dishes.  Choose which dishes you like to make and take a trip to a local market to pick up the ingredients. A recipe book s included in the cost of my class – score!

Elephant Nature Park (ENP) – I volunteered for a full week at the park and came home with an unforgettable experience.  You can read all about my experience here. They also offer day tours to the park where visitors can bathe, feed and interact with the elephants staying in their park.  ENP is an elephant rescue and rehabilitation centre set in a natural environment.

Massages – Insanely cheap, take advantage when you’re here! Massages generally range between $4 – 8 per hour.  There are literally outdoor and indoor massage establishments on every corner.  However, I recommend Pranom Health Massage located in a grassy open air square behind Wawee Coffee shop off Ratchadomoen Road.  Choose from a traditional Thai Massage which incorporates a lot of stretching, a foot massage or an oil massage.

Have any tips, recommendations or suggestions to share?  I’d love to hear them!

~ Talia

What the hell happened to me?

After an exciting and jam packed 8 weeks of traveling, I recently made it back in one piece.  Before I left home I was excited and all gung-ho to share stories and photos from all the interesting places I would see. After my promise to blog as I made my way through Thailand, Indonesia and Australia I started off well and then…I disappeared.  What the heck happened to me you might have wondered?

Being new at blogging while traveling, I had every good intention of keeping up with my blog while on the road.  I thought I would be able to handle traveling and experiencing all that I wanted to do without skipping a beat with my blog, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.

Then a series of events occurred.

I lost my cell phone in a corn field in Thailand while machete-ing lunch for over 30 hungry elephants during my volunteer week at the Elephant Nature Park.

The WordPress app on my tablet couldn’t make up its mind about whether or not it wanted to work.  Much to my ongoing frustration my work would not always upload or save. It was also proving to be very difficult to type on my 7 inch tablet.

As much as I appreciated my loved ones sending emails to check in and requesting updates, trying to respond to all of them proved to be rather overwhelming.

I found myself sitting in my hotel room in the evenings with my face buried in my tablet.

And then at some point I thought, to heck with it.  Why did I go on this holiday in the first place?  I wanted to escape, leave my life behind for awhile and to really soak up everything I was seeing and experiencing.

So I decided enough is enough and put my tablet into hibernation.

I settled on occasional Facebook posts so my friends and loved ones could keep themselves updated with my activities.

I apologize for not following through on my promise to blog my trip every step of the way.  I must admit, leaving my computer at home was very liberating and allowed me to focus on other things during the trip, which ended up being exactly what I needed.

But, the good news is that I have come back with plenty of photos and material to share now that I am home and can work on a proper computer

So stay tuned for stories about scuba diving and the best places to eat in beautiful Bali, and my first time setting foot down under.

~ Natalia

Learning the delicious art of Thai cuisine

After finishing my volunteer week at the Elephant Nature Park, I had a couple of extra days in Chiang Mai before heading to Indonesia. I booked a full day Thai cooking class at Baan Thai Cookery School and spent some more time discovering new corners of city, including some lovely quiet walkways, new food stalls, sipped on fresh fruit smoohies and ended with $4 Thai massage.

For 900 Baht, which is about $30, students make 5 separate dishes including an appetizer, soup, curry, noodle or rice dish and dessert and recieve a cookbook with all the yummy recipes! Under each category, students have the option of choosing from 3 different dishes. The class is very hands on and sizes are kept small at a maximum of 9 people. The day begins with a fun market tour where your instructor shows and explains all the different ingredients commonly used in Thai cuisine. The walk to the market is quite nice, it only takes about 5-10 minutes, but you have the chance to walk down some quiet alleyways. The market also has a couple of tasty fresh fruit smoothie stands (large smoothies are only about 20 Baht or $0.80 and are sooo refreshing!).

During the class, with instruction, students make a couple dishes entirely on their own and the others are a group effort, having you chop up ingredients like fresh lemon grass, make a homemade curry paste and knead fresh cocunut shavings to produce coconut cream.

The class is a lot of fun and the best part is, you get to eat everything you make! They are all full portions and most of us passed around our dishes so we can all get a taste of whatever you didn’t make. The coconut chicken soup, Khao Soi and mango sticky rice were my favourites! I think the Khao Soi was the best that I had while I stayed in Chiang Mai (but to be fair, I only tried it at 2 different places).

The class is conveniently located within the old city and offers a free hotel pick up and drop off if you’re within a certain radius. Make sure to only have a snack or a VERY small breakfast. You will eat soo much food once you’re there..trust me!

http://www.cookinthai.com

Overdosing on cuteness at the Elephant Nature Park

Ok, I just had to make a separate post about baby Navaan. I took sooo many photos during my time at the park. Not kidding, I probably have over 500 of them. Seriously. I go a little crazy taking photos anyway, but I get a little snap happy when it comes to animals…especially baby animals. I just can’t stop myself!

I was lucky enough to spend some time around this little 4 legged wonder almost every day. I literally could not take my eyes off him as he mischievously chased after dogs, nestled against his mother, auntie, great auntie and nanny (yes, he has all 4!), splashed around clumsily in the mudpit and immitated the older elephants.  Navaan is full of spirit and brings a quiet smile to everyone who watches him.

Witnessing mudpit and bathe time was extraordinary! All 5 went to the mudpit and river together. This was the perfect place to learn about family bonds, behaviour and loyalty among elephants. The older female elephants formed a protective wall around Navaan. They were always aware of where he was and would thump the ground with their trunks (which sounds like hitting hollow wood) as a warning to strangers. One of his mothers feet was damaged by a landmine. The strongest and most physically healthy of the 4 females takes on the leadership role within the group. Elephants use their trunks to spray themselves with mud. The mud is cooling and acts as a natural sunscreen.

Since I have loads of pictures,  I just have to share some of them! This is my ode to baby Navaan. Enjoy!

In the bottom left photo, Navaan is giving himself a nice scratch against a pole.

Magic at the Elephant Nature Park

Last week I spent 7 magical days volunteering at the Elephant Nature Park. I am still daydreaming about it! Located about an hour outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand, this park is a peaceful sanctuary for Asian elephants who have been rescued from abusive working conditions.

Founded by a remarkable and inspirational woman, Sangduen "Lek" Chailert, Lek rescues elephants who are old, lame and who have been traumatized and overworked by brutal working conditions and training methods. These elephants have been used in the illegal logging business, trained to beg, perform tricks and trekking rides for tourists. Training practices include the use of sharp and painful hooks, and a method called "the crush" which essentially invloves squeezing the elephant into a cage, torturing the animal into submission with hooks, sleep and food deprevation.

Lek means small in Thai – although small in physical stature, her heart and spirit has no bounds. As a volunteer, I had the pleasure of working in the park,  meeting the elephants, learning about their heartbreaking stories and listening to Lek speak about her commitment and love for elephants. It is really very special and touching taking in her stories. I sat quietly in awe and reflection for a long while after listening to her. 

Elephants in the park are free to be themselves, play, bathe, enjoy life and make new friends with eachother. As a volunteer I was able to observe elephant behaviour, witness bonds between the elephants and help out with tasks such as prepping food which involved washing and chopping fruit, peeling and mashing bananas, cleaning up the mudpit and scooping poop (which really isn't as bad as it sounds!).

Here is a little tour through the park and my experience….

Mornings and evenings in the park were very serene and peaceful (except when a group of over 100 dogs would start howling in unison at 5:30am…did I mention Lek rescues dogs too?). I got to wake up and unwind to this sunrise and sunset every day.

Every day we had the opportunity to meet the elephants by walking through the park, feeding and bathing them. Listening to them trumpet, beat their trunks and growl creating a low rumbling sound, was indescribable. They also have a new baby in the park, a calf by the name of Navaan who just turned 4 months old! My favourite part about my experience was learning about their pasts, each elephant has their own special story, and watching Navaan joyfully play in the mudpit and bathe in the river. It was a truly remarkable watching him be himself safely in the park.

Bottom photo from top left to top right: Meet Mae Perm and Mae Jokia. Mae Perm means to increase. She was the first elephant Lek rescued. She was born around 1945, worked in illegal logging and has digestive problems due to a previously unhealthy diet. Mae Jokia means Eye from Heaven, was born around 1960 and rescued from illegal logging and extreme abuse. Forced to work while pregnant, she suffered a miscarriage while pulling a log up a hill. Depressed over the death of her calf, she refused to work and was purposely blinded by her owner as a punishment. Mae Perm is Jokia’s best friend and her protector.
From bottom left to right: Lucky is the newest rescue. She is fully blind in her left eye and partially in her right eye. Lucky performed in the circus and was blinded by the bright spotlights. Mae Jan Peng is the oldest elephant in the park and happens to have the oldest mahout. Her name means Full Moon. Every day her mahout puts a new flower in the hole in her ear. She has 4-6 grandchildren!

The volunteers were split into 4 groups. Each day every group had a new am and pm task. Although some were hard work in the heat, they were a lot of fun. I got to chop corn stalks in a corn field with a machete…let me tell you, it was pretty awesome! Afterwards, we loaded the stalks on the back of the truck up to the tippy top, and climbed up on top for the ride come. I am sure it wasn’t the safest, but it was pretty thrilling. We got a lot of stares from the locals as we sped by.

This was our home for 7 days…shared bedrooms in a rustic cabin right next to the elephant shelter!

I miss the park, the elephants, listening to the elephants and most of all, watching baby Navaan play and enjoy life.

I would also like to urge anyone to reconsider booking tours which involve elephant riding, trekking and elephant shows. Although these may seem appealing experiences to some, elephants working in these tourist trades endure suffering and mistreatment at the expense of our entertainment.

For more information about the park, visit heir website at http://www.saveelephant.org or take a trip to the park. They offer day and overnight trips, as well as volunteer opportunities.

The day has come…my 2 month adventure has begun!

My trip has begun! After traveling over 24 hours and 3 flights, yesterday I finally arrived at my first stop – Chiang Mai, Thailand. Today was my first full day here, I decided I would spend the day getting acquainted with the city. Armed with a map, grumbling tummy and wide eyed wonder, I set out to explore on foot. Here is a quick little snippet of my first day:

City Streets
Always busy, the streets of Chiang Mai are full with motorbikes, tuk tuks and cars zooming by every which way. Pedestrians make a run for it, dashing across the street and dodging quickly moving motorized objects. Lining the streets are several parked motorbikes, which are a popular mode of transportation with tourists. Motorbikes are available for ren everywhere here. At first I was nervous that I would get lost, but navigating was easier than I expected. With a map and helpful locals, it was very manageable. Also, getting a little lost isn’t too bad. What better way is there to find your way around and familiarizing yourself with your surroundings?

The heart of the city is surrounded by a square shaped moat.

Temples
Chiang Mai has several ornate wats, or temples, scattered within the moat. These are all very easily accessible on foot. Within the walls of the temples, it is very common to see monks chanting,  people praying and giving offerings.

Food
There is absolutely no shortage of yummy options here. The hard part is choosing!  For a more aunthentic experience,  I made an early decision that I would look for food stalls where locals gathered to dine. I also had set my mind to having Khao Soi, one of my favourite Thai dishes (which is also a traditional Chiang Mai.

And one of my fave Thai beverages..Thai iced tea with milk!

Sunday Street Market
Every Sunday between 4 to midnight, a 1km stretch of road is closed down and vendors set up shop.  Selling handmade goods, clothes, artwork, massages, sunglasses, shoes and street eats, you can spend hours looking around and bargaining with vendors.

And you can even find something for the dog…

Tomorrow I leave the busy city and head out the countryside to volunteer at an elephant conservation park for one full week.

Taking Chances and Stepping Outside of Your Comfort Zone

I have decided to act upon a dream that has danced around in my mind for several years now. Never acted upon, it nagged at me. My dream is to take an extended trip and travel around to a few different places.  In a few short days, I will be jetting off for 2 full months to Thailand, Indonesia and Australia.  During my solo adventure, I will be checking off a few “bucket list” items I have wanted to experience for awhile, including learning to scuba dive and doing volunteer work with wildlife.

At some point I found myself asking why it has taken me this long to act on it.  It was always one thing or another. The timing never felt right, I was afraid, I was waiting for the perfect job that would allow me the flexibility and opportunity to travel for work…the list goes on.  Perhaps part of me was just waiting for it to happen, to somehow miraculously take place on its own and land in my lap.

About 5 years ago I was traveling quite a bit, exploring new corners of the world.  I felt alive and in my element.  Then I decided it was time to buckle down and try to find a career path. I accepted a new job as a stepping stone and worked on building my resume and gaining professional skills.  While I do not regret that decision, having grown and developed many new skills, over time I grew restless and very frustrated with my inability to find a new job that I was truly passionate about. I also started to feel like I was never going to take the trip of my dreams.  I missed traveling and felt like I was in a rut at work.  It seemed like my life wasn’t shaping up as I had imagined it.  I had grown too comfortable, yet unsatisfied, with the day to day rhythm of my life.  I needed a change.  With a milestone birthday that crept up on me this past December, I suddenly realized that if I didn’t make this happen now, I never would.  I decided to take a chance, make a change, and yank myself right out of my comfort zone.  I asked for a leave of absence at work and although thankful it was granted, I knew in my mind that this trip was going to happen even if my request was denied. Now began the planning of my adventure.

Am I scared to travel solo?  Heck yes.  Some days I move from excitement to fear of taking this long journey on my own. Finally there will be a chance to slow down from my hectic life and be alone with my thoughts (which in itself can be scary!).  I have moments where I am nervous about my safety, where I worry about being lonely and being away from family, friends and my safety net.  Sure I am scared, but what I fear more is regret and always playing it safe in life wondering what could have been.   I am a firm believer that life is what you make of it and that one needs to create the life they want.  I believe that to truly grow and make things happen, you need to face fears and discomfort head on, pushing against your self-made boundaries, or at least take the chance and try.

I want to live an extraordinary life, full of experiences and memories, a life that is set by my own rules and that is true to me.  I want to be able to look back and say that I made the most of my time and lived life to the fullest.

If you’d like to follow my footsteps during my journey, feel free to follow my blog, Twitter and Facebook page, as I will be posting updates from the road.

Good Eats at Hey Lucy Cafe in Toronto

Yesterday I found myself at the corner of King St. West and John St., the heart of Toronto’s entertainment district – a place that is starting to feel like a second home as I have been there so often over the last few months.  Hungry, myself and a group of friends let our stomach’s do the walking.   With plenty of choices of places to eat, we were having a hard time making a decision.  As soon as we spotted the words “authentic wood burning oven pizza”, we were sold! Hey Lucy it is!

I loved the vibe and atmosphere of Hey Lucy as soon as I walked through the door.  With a brick walled interior and fun zebra print accents, Hey Lucy definitely feels like a great place to have a casual meal in a cozy space or catch up with friends over cocktails on a night out.  The restaurant space is very narrow, which would probably get quite crowded during peak hours.  We went for an early dinner/late lunch and found it to be a good time for quick service and a relaxed and mellow experience.

So let’s get to the good stuff….the food!

We decided to split a pizza as an appetizer, then order our own main courses (again, we were hungry!!).  We went for the simple, yet delicious, Margherita pizza ($12).  An awesome choice!  Their pizzas are 10″ in size, which amounts to 6 slices.  I loved every bite of this pizza!  The dough was perfectly thin and soft, the tomato sauce (which is homemade – definitely scores bonus points for this!) plentiful and full of flavour with some zesty spice, topped with aromatic basil leaves and a good helping of bocconcini.  This really hit the spot!

For a main course I chose the Seafood Fettuccine Pasta ($16) with scallops, tiger shrimp and calamari in a homemade tomato sauce (comes with garlic bread on the side).  Again, loving that they use a homemade sauce!  I have a serious weakness for a good rich and savory tomato sauce.  My favourite way to enjoy a pasta is in a simple and tasty tomato sauce – I can’t turn it down. This one satisfied my taste buds.  The sauce was full of flavour with just enough spice to add a little more interest without being overpowering. I also liked that they didn’t skimp on the seafood.

Hey Lucy also has a nice martini menu starting at $8.99 per drink.  Their Swedish Berry martini is sooo good! Goes down VERY easily and is not strong.  This is a cocktail for those that enjoy a sweeter drink that doesn’t taste like it’s heavy on the alcohol.   Drop by on a Wednesday for “Martini Wednesdays” – they serve up cocktails for $4.49!!

They are also one of the seven restaurants participating in Bond Martini Thursdays in celebration of the Designing 007 exhibit at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.  Starting November 1st you can try a tailor-made Bond inspired martini at participating restaurants.  You will also receive a 20% off coupon for tickets into the exhibit (which is conveniently located across the street from Hey Lucy).

Hey Lucy Cafeis located at 295 King Street West with a second location at 440 Bloor Street West.

 

Backstage at Toronto Fashion Week

Last week The Hip & Urban Girl’s Guide sent me to cover the action backstage at Toronto Fashion Week.  I had the chance to get a peek at what goes down backstage before the models hit the runway and to speak with some industry gurus for an inside scoop on some of the up and coming beauty trends for Spring 2013.

So what is it like backstage where all the looks come together? 

Backstage was an organized frenzy as makeup artists and hair stylists were working away hurriedly to get all the models ready for the show.  It was a sea of people armed with makeup brushes, blow dryers, hair straighteners and media snapping photos.  I made my way through clouds of hairspray to chat with Grace Lee, Maybelline New York’s Lead Makeup Artist and Redken’s lead stylist, Jorge Joao for some insider information.  I also got the opportunity to speak to Aluad, a model from Ford Models about her experience backstage.

Left to right: Joe Fresh Model, Jorge Joao (Lead Stylist with Redken), Grace Lee (Maybelline New York’s Lead Makeup Artist)

For Grace Lee and Jorge Joao, working backstage is “crazy” and “hectic”.  They are “working 15 hour days” on pure adrenaline, “bouncing ideas back and forth” between designer and artist, “managing and prepping their team” and making sure the “designer’s vision comes to life”.  As a model, Aluad describes backstage as “chaos”.  She sits in “makeup for about 30-40 minutes and from there rushes to get dressed” (she’s thankful she “doesn’t have any hair” forgoing the need to have her hair styled!).  Despite the mad rush backstage, they all “love the feeling” and “become addicted to” the adrenaline.

Pictured right:  Grace Lee

Joe Fresh himself, Joe Mimran, looks on as model gets prepped for his show.

I had the pleasure of watching the looks of the Joe Fresh runway show come to life.  Envisioned by Joe Mimran, Creative Director of Joe Fresh, these looks echoed the upcoming Spring makeup and hair trends.

If you want to stay a step ahead of the curve, here’s what you need to know:

Makeup

According to Grace Lee, Spring makeup trends are all about keeping it “fresh and clean” with “bold lips in reds and oranges” and just keeping it to “one little pop of colour”.  You don’t have to completely re-vamp your makeup collection to achieve this look.  Adding one or two products will do the trick.  Get a “pop of colour somewhere” by using a vibrant eyeliner, lipstick or lip gloss.  For the gal on the go, a red lip (such as Maybelline’s Sensational Very Cherry lipstick) is the perfect way to transition from a day to an evening look ready to hit the streets of Toronto.  Grace’s new favourite products are Maybelline’s Sensational Vivids Lipcolor (like Vibrant Mandarin), Color Whisper Lip Colour and The Rocket Volume Mascara.  For Grace this mascara is “the one” and will “blow all of them [mascaras] out of the water”.  Why she loves it?  It “works so fast” you get “instant lashes in seconds – 1, 2 strokes and bam!” you’re done.

Hair

For Spring hair trends, Jorge Joao says it’s all about “keeping it easy” and “working with natural textures”.  Gone are the days of “spending hours in front of the mirror”.  He suggests “looking for products that bring out your natural texture”.  Some looks to try for Spring are tying hair up by “bringing it up to a full bun” and “adding accessories” to the bun such as “braids and knots”.  Or, take a page from the Joe Fresh Spring look and wear a “ponytail with a twist”.  Give it a “vintage feel” by wearing it loose around the ears, using flyaway texture and wrapping your hair around the knot.

I also snapped a couple of photos of some Canadian celebs in attendance at the Joe Fresh show.

Jeannine Beker

Singer-songwriter Jully Black

Story featured on The Hip & Urban Girl’s Guide.

Some exciting news….!

I have some exciting news to share!  Since the beginning of this year, I have been writing guests posts on The Hip & Urban Girl’s Guide (HUG), a Toronto based lifestyle website for the busy city girl.  HUG covers food, travel, life advice, style and unique finds.  At the beginning of October I received some sweet news – I have been made an official HUG contributor and team member!  This means more frequent writing assignments and covering some pretty cool events and sampling menus from new restaurants!

Here are some of my most recent assignments with HUG:

Restaurant Review: Sazerac Gastro Lounge, Toronto

Named after a New Orleans cocktail from the 1850’s, Sazerac incorporates molecular gastronomy in all of its dishes.   Sazerac’s chef experiments with combinations of flavours and textures, all while using ingredients from local farms within a 100km radius.  I sampled some pretty unique eats here!  Read my review for more on my dining experience.

Theatre Review:  Sister Act, A Diving Musical Comedy, Toronto

Broadway’s hit musical comedy, Sister Act, is now lighting up the stage in Toronto at Ed Mirvish Theatre. I had the pleasure of attending the show on its opening night in Toronto.  Based on the 1992 film comedy and set in the 70’s, Sister Act follows the story of Deloris Van Cartier (aka Sister Mary Clarence) a sassy, self-righteous lounge singer whose life is in danger after witnessing a crime which forces her into witness protection.  Sister Act was hilarious! I had a lot of fun at the show, I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for something light, funny and easy to follow. Real nuns were in the audience on opening night…I wonder what they thought of the show?!   You can find my full review on HUG.

Event Coverage:  Boobyball 2012 – Rethink Breast Cancer’s annual fundraising gala, Toronto

On October 12th, I had The hottest ticket in Toronto last Friday was definitely Boobyball.  Initiated in 2002, Boobyball raises money and awareness for Rethink Breast Cancer, an innovative Canadian charity geared towards women under 40. They aim to educate and bring awareness to young women about breast health and to meet the unique needs of young women living with breast cancer. The guest list brings together Toronto’s young professionals, philanthropists, media and celebrities.  Check out my full event coverage for more info & pics!

Next up I will be covering backstage for HUG at the Joe Fresh show at Toronto Fashion Week!