A Touch of Paris (Longchamp Limited Edition Galeries Lafayette 2010)

In my "What's in my (work) bag?" post, I mentioned this limited edition Longchamp Galeries Lafayette 2010 Le Pliage tote that I picked up in Paris this summer. I was immediately drawn to its unique design, which pays tribute to the iconic dome architecture of Galeries Lafayette, one of Paris' premier department stores. This tote is one of the more special bags in my collection because just looking at it reminds me of all the great memories from my European vacation (which now feels like it happened forever ago).

To add a bit more "Paris" to my winter outerwear, I also decided to throw on the new angora beret that I recently won from Olivia at Stylestruck and Barefoot Contessa. The bow detailing is so cute!

Coat: Community (Aritzia) / Boots: Aldo / Hat: C.C Exclusives (Barefoot Contessa)

Gloves: Roots / Bag: Longchamp

OPI Nicki Minaj: Save Me

The OPI x Nicki Minaj collaboration is set to launch in January, but it's already out in some stores (for my fellow Vancouverites, you can find it at Shifeon).

Although there are some great colours in the collection, I only picked up Save Me, a clear base with silver micro-glitter and silver and blue holographic bar glitters.

Bar glitters can be a little hard to work with in terms of placement and they and tend to drag if you don't allow each coat to dry properly. Thankfully drying time between coats was quite short with Save Me, so I didn't have too many problems with application. You will need a thick top coat though, since the polish does dry gritty and rough.

Save Me would make an interesting top coat over some darker colours, but three coats of it make a good standalone polish. The bar glitters give it a surprising 3D effect and it's quite striking on the nails... very blingy and reminiscent of fireworks!

Chain Print: Minkpink Excessive Shirt

Although I'm not generally a print person, I've been obsessively purchasing a lot of printed clothing lately. I find that I'm usually drawn to the same types of prints, and the gorgeous chain print on this over-sized boyfriend blouse is one of them (not ashamed to say I actually bought a chain print dress in the same order). 

For anyone who's interested, this is the "Excessive" Shirt by Minkpink, an Australian brand that I have recently fallen in love with. Not only do they have great prints, but unique cuts of clothing as well!

Blouse: Minkpink / Cardigan: gift / Leggings: TNA / Booties: Topshop

Belt: H&M / Clutch: Joe Fresh

What's In My Work Bag?

I've always enjoyed those "what's in my bag?" blog posts and Youtube videos, so why not do my own? I personally love seeing what people carry with them on a daily basis... it's funny how some are super minimalistic while others seem to carry their entire lives with them. I think I fit somewhere in the middle, but I'll let you guys be the judges of that!

Since the majority of my week is spent at work, I decided it made most sense to show my work bag. Evenings and weekends I tend to carry a lot less in a different/smaller purse (usually my Marc by Marc Jacobs Hillier Hobo).

Anyway, so here is my black Longchamp Le Pliage "Shopping" Tote (I also have a purple one and a limited edition red Galeries Lafayette one from Paris) and what's inside:

WALLET
My beloved Miu Miu Matelasse wallet (in pale pink, stone, and sea blue), which was a gift from my bf. It holds all my cards and money, of course!

MAKE-UP BAG
This is the Tory Burch Brigitte Cosmetic Case in "Dakar" (different prints here, here, and here). It fits quite a bit but I try not to carry too much makeup around with me because not only can it get heavy but I'm afraid of losing my favourite or limited edition products somehow. Maybe I'm just paranoid, haha.

BUS PASS
If I drove to work, parking would cost me a fortune so it's much cheaper for me to take transit. Thankfully my bus ride is only 15-20 minutes; I don't know if I could handle a super long commute!

WATER
Staying hydrated is essential so I try to carry a bottle of water with me at all times. Usually I have a refillable Bobble but recently I've been drinking this Icelandic Glacial natural spring water. It tastes great, is the world's first carbon neutral water brand, and I love the glacier-inspired bottles. Random but cool fact: Parfums Christian Dior recently selected Icelandic Glacial as a key ingredient in its new line of skincare products!

PLANNER
I'm obsessed with organization so I keep track of my entire life in my Moleskine, which is colour-coded thanks to my collection of Staedtler pens! Check out this post for an example of what it looks like on the inside.

SNACKS
I hate being hungry with nothing to eat so snacks are important. I usually carry a granola bar of some sort and/or fruit. This strawberry tupperware container was from Daiso, the Japanese $2 store. I couldn't resist, it was too cute!

UMBRELLA
It rains all the time here in Vancouver and I hate getting stuck without an umbrella. Especially in the Fall/Winter months, I always have one in my bag. This one is by Moschino.

EPI-PEN
I'm the queen of allergies (nuts, shellfish, most raw fruits and veggies, dust, pollen, hay fever, etc. etc.). Unfortunately my nut allergy is deadly so having an Epi-Pen on hand is a necessity.

+ CELLPHONE & HEADPHONES, GUM, KEYS


And here's a peak at a few of the things I carry in my makeup bag (other less exciting things include Band-Aids and bobby pins). I try to keep it to a minimum but always end up toting around a ton of lip products for some unknown reason.

Vasanti Lipshine in North Sea, Benefit Ultra Shines in Who Are You Wearing?, Paul & Joe L/E Lipgloss, MAC 

Lipglass in Nymphette, Chanel Rouge Coco Mademoiselle, MAC Hug Me Lipstick, EOS lip balm, Hello Kitty 

tissues, MAC Studio Fix, MAC Pressed Blot Powder, L'Occitane En Provence Cherry Blossom Hand Cream

If any of you have done a similar post or Youtube video, please post a link because I'd love to see!

Tiffany & Co. Nails (China Glaze For Audrey)

I've always loved the idea of having nails that match Tiffany & Co.'s infamous blue, and thanks to China Glaze's For Audrey, now they do!

If you've read my previous reviews of China Glaze (see here, for example), you'll know that I'm not the biggest fan of China Glaze's formulas and often find their polishes hard to work with. However, For Audrey didn't cause me any problems and was opaque in only two coats. The polish itself dries a little dull but nothing some top coat can't fix.

Taking from my "inspiration," I decided to use this mani to pay homage to the blue boxes Tiffany & Co. is known for. I didn't want to go overboard on every nail so these simple free-handed bows on my ring fingers created just the look I was going for.

And as a special treat for my readers, Nail Polish Canada is offering 50% off China Glaze For Audrey with the coupon code ALISONELLE (Expires Dec. 23, 2011).

If you haven't heard of Nail Polish Canada, it's a great alternative to sites like 8ty8beauty and Transdesign because shipping is much cheaper for Canadians, they have a wide selection of brands, and their hot deals section is pretty awesome. Plus, how can you not love a company with a sense of humour? Check out their charitable organization, Adopt A Polish, where you can give needy nail polish a new home!

Holiday Gift Guide: LUSH Home For Christmas Gift Set

A few weeks ago, I blogged about the Calgon Holiday Gift Sets and now I have another suggestion for those bath & body product lovers on your Christmas shopping list... none other than a LUSH Cosmetics holiday gift set! This year, LUSH has assembled a collection of festive holiday items and gift sets, a magical mix of old favourites and new goodies, which are all available for your gifting pleasure.

Take this great Home For Christmas Gift Set, for example, which not only comes in an adorable hatbox emblazoned with wintery scenes, but saves you from having to worry about gift wrap at the very same time. Take a look at what it includes:

Thanks to the wonderfully kind people at LUSH, I was able to happily test out the products in Home For Christmas and can now give you the full run-down in case you're thinking of picking this up for yourself or someone else.

CHRISTMAS EVE BUBBLE BAR
Christmas Eve is jasmine-scented, which is not my favourite scent. However, this was pleasant enough and made a ton of bubbles. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of jasmine, I did find my bath with this very relaxing and I loved how it turned the water blue.

GINGERBREAD HOUSE BUBBLE BAR
This is definitely one of the cutest bubble bars I've seen with its sprinkles, snow, and cinnamon stick chimney.  It smells spicy and sweet - perfect for holiday bathing.

THREE GOLD RINGS BUBBLE BAR
Along with the Gingerbread House Bubble Bar, I also loved the Three Gold Rings Bubble Bar because the scent is absolutely divine. It's a mixture of vanilla, sweet orange oil, and myrhh - yummy! Plus, it's formulated with soya milk powder to leave your skin extra soft.

LI'L LUSH PUD BATH BOMB
Li'l Lush Pud is apparently inspired by British Christmas pudding (which I've never had before), but it smells delicious, kind of sweet and clove-y. However, it is smaller in size than LUSH's other bath bombs so it fizzes and dissolves more quickly.

HONEY I WASHED THE KIDS SOAP
Like most LUSH products, Honey I Washed The Kids smells almost good enough to eat. Its featured ingredient is honey and it quite literally smells like toffee-fudge. I loved the texture of this soap (very soft) but for optimal longevity, you're supposed to keep it away from water between uses. I didn't the first time I used it and I guess it melted somehow because almost 1/4 was gone when I went to use it the next day. Learned my lesson!

IT'S RAINING MEN SHOWER GEL
It's Raining Men matches perfectly with Honey I Washed The Kids because it's the same scent! I liked this a lot more than the soap because the bottle prevents accidental "melting" and I can use it with my loufah.

DREAM CREAM HAND AND BODY LOTION
Along with Honey I Washed The Kids and It's Raining Men, Dream Cream is the other product in Home For Christmas that's available year-round as part of LUSH's permanent collection. I'm still unsure as to how I feel about this scent... sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't. I think it might be the lavender that gets me (not one of my favourites). This is supposed to be quite good for sensitive skin and I didn't experience any irritation, but I found the texture kind of watery. For the Winter months, I prefer to use thicker products like body butters.

Home For Christmas is available on LUSH's website and in-stores for $59.95 CDN. LUSH also sells the products listed above individually, or you can check out the rest of LUSH's holiday collection for gift ideas to suit any price range. I've bought other sets for people before and they've always gone over well with the recipients!