Miss Teen USA 2007 - South Carolina answers a question

We feel sorry for Blondes everywhere...

We're in Women's Post!

L-R: Ahmad, Alex, Hillary, Ali
Our shop crawl made it into today's edition of Women's Post! Thanks Jessica for the fabulous write up!

Read the article

Would You Wear These?

I'm currently visiting The 'Peg (Winnipeg for those of you south of the border) and I am dismayed to report that I have been surrounded by Crocs of every size shape and color since I stepped off the plane. My entire family owns a pair and so, it seems, does the entire city of Winnipeg. They even have those grotesque little charms on them. In an attempt to sway me over to the dark side, a relative told me about these... He thought I would like them. I think the Croc Mary Janes are every bit as detestable as the originals.

What do you guys think? Would you wear them?

When Sharing is a Bad Idea

There are some things you just shouldn't share. Especially with strangers.

What would you do in either of these situations?

You're in the bathroom at a club touching up your lipgloss. A girl at the other end of the sink watches you put it on, then says,"I LOVE that colour! Can I borrow that from you?"

What if you're jogging along your favorite running path minding your own business, when a random sweaty stranger cuts you off mid stride to ask to have a sip of your water?

Both of these things happened to me recently and I was properly horrified. I wouldn't hesitate to share either of these with a friend, but with a total stranger? Why not just ask to borrow my toothbrush already? When this happened both times, I just kind of gaped. I didn't know what to say. I guess the look I gave the jogger was enough to make him turn around and keep jogging.

Would you share either of these things with a total stranger?

Product Review Club: Six Weeks to Toxic

"Women break up with men all the time. But there are no rules for breaking up with your best friend…"

Here's the latest offering for our Product Review Club.

"Smart, savvy and sexy, Six Weeks to Toxic is Louisa McCormack’s wildly witty debut novel that delves into the complex world of female friendships gone awry.

Meet Bess: a cute and quirky sound artist for feature films with a punk-rock past and a penchant for pop philosophy. Meet Maxine: a sleek and strapping freelance journalist who’s privileged to the point of confusion. Both women work in Hollywood North, and the two have been best friends for sixteen years.

Cut to New Year’s Day, 2000, where the story opens with a headache and a hangover. Bess finds herself facing thirty-five, single, struggling to make ends meet and stuck with a bad case of the existential blues. Meanwhile, Maxi has just landed a new job, a new home and a hot new man. But the tables turn when Maxi’s relationship begins to sour and Bess finds happiness in all the right places. The two begin to drift, and by Valentine’s Day, 2000, sixteen years of friendship turns into six weeks of toxic.

Set in the hip urban milieu of well-connected thirty-somethings, Six Weeks to Toxic is a biting, honest and wildly funny look at the complexity of female friendships.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the novel will be donated to CODE, a Canadian charitable organization that has been promoting education and literacy in the developing world for over forty years.

Louisa McCormack writes regularly for FLARE and FASHION. She was a host of “The Chatroom” on TalkTV and has also contributed to CBC Newsworld and CBC Radio One. McCormack was born in Montreal, Quebec, and now lives in Toronto, Ontario."

Looks like a fun read! We have a couple of copies to give away. If you're in the Product Review Club and would like to review this book, email us.

Reviewers should be in their 20s or 30s, love ChickLit, and agree to review it within 2 weeks of receiving it.

Read our review!


Discuss this item in our forums

Episode #5 is Live!

Stylist Giselle Rojo del Ponte shares a few tips on what to look for at a sample sale.

Watch episode

Scarlett Hearts RBK

Anyone else tired of the ubiquitous Puma shoe? RBK and Scarlett Johansson have teamed up to bring you a line up of cute, colourful shoes for back to school. They retail for $89.99 and will be available in the fall. "The colour palette represents this seasons trends as well as Scarlett’s personal favorite: neutrals such as vanilla and tree trunk; feminine shades of dulled pink and hazy teal; paired with brighter tones such as saffron and racing green to add a retro feel."We really dig these green ones. Which are your favorite?

About The ChickAdvisor Shop Crawl

The ChickAdvisor Shop Crawl is our signature event where several times a year, we take our members shopping for an exclusive night of discounts, private shopping, partying and mingling.

Our members are savvy twenty and thirty somethings who love to shop and share their opinions. A typical Shop Crawl includes 60 of our members who purchase a ticket to participate and cash in on those great discounts.

Past Shop Crawls have been held in Toronto on Queen St. W (between John and Spadina), Queen West West (between Trinity Bellwoods Park and Bathurst), and we intend to host in other neighborhoods as well.

Some of the brands we have worked with in the past include:
Maybelline New York, CoverGirl, Kiehl's, Secret, Dove, Milestones, Coca, Girl Friday, MODA, FRAICHE, Kazuo, Body Blue, Brazen Hussy and many others.

Our Shop Crawl and other events have been covered by:
CBC Newsworld, GlobalTV, The Toronto Sun, The Toronto Star, The Women's Post and other on and offline publications.

Sponsorship opportunities include:

Brands:
Swag and prizing for the after party

Stores:
Be a location on our Shop Crawl by providing an exclusive discount for the night and staying open late just for us. Shop Crawls are based in one neighborhood at a time and there must be a minimum participation of 6 boutiques and 1 local restaurant.

Contact us for sponsorship costs and other details.


Hey Chicks!
Interested in shopping with us? Become a member on ChickAdvisor. If you opt in for the newsletter, you will be notified when we do our next Shop Crawl or local event!

Winner of the 10 Spot Brazilian Wax

Congratulations to MizzRobin who won the free Brazilian (value of $50), courtesy of 10 Spot!

This was the last prize from our Shop Crawl and was awarded after our final draw of those of you who reviewed all of the stores from the shop crawl.

If you haven't reviewed the stores yet, please do! By reviewing those stores and the products in the Swag bags, it helps us convince those and other sponsors to participate in future events!

Oh, and it helps us grow, which is always nice ;)

Congrats again MizzRobin!

City Dwellers: Life's Better on a Bike

I finally joined the leagues of cyclists in the city and have started using a bicycle as my primary mode of transportation. It definitely beats riding "the Rocket" and getting blisters from walking to meetings in heels (a bad habit I can't seem to break).

It seems riding a bicycle is almost a trendy thing to do in downtown T.O. Women ride around in sun dresses and flip-flops, which looks so sweet and romantic however impractical it may be. I tried it once and it really was as fun as it looks - though I definitely recommend wearing a dress that is knee length to avoid a public flashing with each puff of wind or getting it caught in the gears as you breeze by.

The helmet takes some getting used to, but I feel good that I am using a 100% pollution free method of transportation and working out at the same time. Nothing cures "office butt" like a daily spin on the bike.

There is nothing more freeing than zipping in and out between cars, running through stop signs and traffic lights (for some reason cyclists think those are only for cars and pedestrians), and always finding a parking spot directly at the doorstep of wherever you are going.

I recommend this form of transportation to anyone living and working in an urban center. Just make sure you invest in a really good bike lock and be aware that pedestrians and cars are often totally oblivious to your presence, so you need to really pay attention.

What's your favorite mode of transportation? Walking, cycling, public transportation or driving?

The Bargain Hunter's Picnic: August 26 '07

One of our media partners, RedFlagDeals is having a free party for 500 of their readers. If you'd like to go, check it out. Tickets are still available!

The Bargain Hunter's Picnic is a free upcoming event, hosted by RedFlagDeals.com, that will benefit the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation.

At the Varsity Stadium (299 Bloor West) on August 26, we are throwing an open party for about 500 of RedFlagDeals.com's dedicated readers. Free admission, live entertainment, games, fabulous prizes are just a few things you'll find.

With a $5 ticket you can enjoy gourmet BBQ food, free refreshments and a gift bag chock full of generous freebies from our sponsors. All proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation.

RedFlagDeals.com is Canada's largest online bargain-hunting community. All proceeds will go directly to helping seriously ill children and their families.

ChickAdvisor T-Shirts

We officially have ChickAdvisor T-Shirts!

We designed them for the Shop Crawl and had a few test ones made up by our friend Alyssa at Love Handles to see what everyone would think of them. So many of you asked where you could get one, so we're putting in an order and getting a bunch made. They are American Apparel Jersey style Women's tshirts and come in small, medium, large and extra large. We will have them done in pink (pictured), blue and black. They likely won't be available until September and we will notify you when they are ready to order.

We think they're pretty frickin' cute!

ChickAdvisor Shop Crawl Pic's!

Thank you to Ahmad Nassri and Tierre Taylor for taking these pictures!

The Shop Crawl was a huge success and everyone kept asking when the next one would be. We definitely want to do this again. If you'd like to help make that happen, add your comments to this post about how you enjoyed the Shop Crawl and we can use that to show future sponsors and stores so they'll agree to do it again!

If you have pictures from the shop crawl you are willing to share please email me and we'll post them too!

Thanks again to all of our sponsors and stores for making this possible and to all of you who came out and made this such a fun and memorable event!

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Freebie Friday!!

This month's Freebie Friday is the Do-It-Yourself Classic Manicure Kit (value of $41.95) courtesy of one of our fabulous partners, SpaBoutique.ca.

It includes:

One Clear Manicure Bowl: lightweight and stylish. Easy to clean and store!

OPI Manicure Finishing Butter with SPF 15 (30 ml: Enjoy this luxurious massage and finishing butter that moisturizes and softens nails and hands and features sun protection to protect hands while also helping reduce the appearance of age spots.

Star Nail Sanding Cuticle Stix (1 pc): This cuticle pusher is unique in that is has pumice coating on either end to be a more effective manicure tool. Easy to clean and reusable!

Dannyco Hygienic Cushion File: Create the perfect shape with this professional nail file. Comes in a plastic sleeve so you can carry it around with you everywhere! Easily disinfected and reusable

3 Sided Nail Buffer: Buff your nails to a smooth high shine gloss with this professional tool. Has 3 sides with different grits to acheive optimal results.

OPI Classic Nail Lacquer (15ml): Your choice of one of our many OPI classic colors to complement every image! This professional nail polish is non-streaking, fast drying, chip resistant and seals in essential moisture for a stronger, healthier nail.

Mango Magic Cuticle Oil (1/8 fl oz): An easy to use cuticle treatment designed to hydrate, moisturize and soften hard, dry and inflamed cuticles. This fast penetrating, non-greasy formula magically enhances the health of the cuticle and nails promoting superior nail growth.

OPI RapiDry Top Coat (1/8 fl oz): This top coat uses OPI’s proven extended wear technology to dry wet nail polish fast for a tough, long-lasting, high gloss shine.

You want it?

This Freebie Friday goes to the first ChickAdvisor member to post in our forums here that they will review it.

*The winner must be a first time winner.

Shop Crawl is SOLD OUT!

Thanks everyone who has purchased their tickets to the Shop Crawl! We are now sold out!

See you tomorrow :)

Last Chance to Buy Shop Crawl Tickets

We are extending ticket sales for 1 more day. Tomorrow is your last chance to buy tickets to the shop crawl! There are still a few left but after Wednesday they will no longer be available.

Get Tickets

F.A.Q Re: The Shop Crawl

We've gotten a lot of questions surrounding the shop crawl and since this is the first time we are doing this, we've decided to post something here, which hopefully explains everything.

1. How do I get my ticket?

Once you have purchased your ticket from paypal, I will send you a confirmation email with your ticket(s) attached. The ticket itself is an unusual ticket: It is a map of the shop crawl with all participating locations. It looks sort of like this:
There is a page attached that describes what you will get at each location and the addresses for each.

2. What do I do with this odd looking ticket?

Bring it with you to use at each participating boutique and at the after party. Every time you visit a store (regardless of whether you purchase something or not), get them to stamp, initial or put a sticker on your map in the space provided. Keep your map and bring it to the after party where you will give it to me and I will give you your swag bag, a drink ticket and then the ticket will be used to enter your name into the draws for the prizes.

The ticket also proves to each participating store that you are with the shop crawl and gets you those discounts and in the case of Kiehl's, that freebie!

3. Where do I meet everyone?

We will be at the first location, (Five on Spadina 639 Queen St West, just east of Bathurst) between 5:45pm and 7:00pm. There will be guided groups leaving at 6, 6:30 and 7:00pm. We will confirm your attendance and set you up with a group.

4. I can't make it there for 7 so what do I do?

If you are coming after 7pm, we recommend you start at location #2 (Kiehl's 407 Queen) and work your way east from there as you won't have enough time to start from Five on Spadina.

- Print off the ticket from the email I send you and use that as your guide to self-guide your shopping experience, then join us at the after party starting at 9pm.

OR

- After 7pm, you could easily join up with one of the groups as they make their way east on Queen Street. Just call me on my cell phone (it is in the confirmation email) and I will try to hook you up with a group. You will need to bring your ticket with you.


5. I can't print off my ticket. Help!

I am on a Mac and sometimes windows doesn't like Mac attachments. If you aren't able to open what I send you, email me back right away and I will try another format. If that doesn't work , don't panic - I will have a copy of each shop crawler's tickets with me and can give it to you at the first location before 7pm, or worst case, I can meet up with you on Queen between Spadina and John if you call me on my cell phone and give it to you then.

6. Do I need a ticket if I am only coming to the after party?

Yes. It gets you your swag bag, the drink ticket and access to the free food and prizes.

7. What should I bring?

Your ticket, your i.d or your paypal receipt.

Comfortable shoes!!

Please let me know if I'm missing anything or you still have more questions!

25% off at Roots!

Speaking of bags, we spotted this one recently at Roots of all places! Not that we have anything against Roots, but it isn't typically the first store that pops to mind when hunting for a gorgeous handbag. Lauren Tote washed leather, $228

This one comes in white, black and brown. As luck would have it, when we perused Bargainista's blog this morning, she has a Roots coupon posted for 25% off all regular priced items in store until August 12!! They actually have a number of uber cute high quality leather bags , which they told us are made in Toronto. You might want to check it out!

The Love Handles ChickAdvisor Bag

How cute is this?Toronto handmade handbag company, Love Handles Handbags makes a variety of adorable bags using hand crafted wooden handles.

Designer, Alyssa, made this one for us and we think it is just too cute!

The bag is reversible and has this gorgeous blue jewel tone color on the inside, which looks great as an accent.Alyssa has a sweet collection available on her website, www.iwantlovehandles.com and also makes custom bags on request.

Bags are currently priced at $40 each (plus s+h if you order online) but after the shop crawl will go up to $55 each.If you like this bag and are coming to the shop crawl, one of them will be given away as a prize, or you can purchase one from Alyssa directly.

Contact Love Handles for further information.

Only 15 Tickets Left!

Bad News:
We're running out of tickets for the shop crawl. Only 15 left!

Good News:
We are also pleased to announce that J.R Watkins Apothecary are giving away 10 of their fabulous Sampler Kits we've been raving about!

They will be available to be won at the after party.




Get me some tickets!

Where'd You Get That? Episode 4 is Live!

It's easy to get caught up overspending each season as new collections come out. While it might be a good idea to invest in a few quality items, sometimes it is better to wait for a sale. We ask style savvy women what items to invest in, and which ones can be bought on the cheap.

Watch the episode

Only 5 Days Left to Get Shop Crawl Tickets!

We're so thrilled with how many of you have said you'd like to come to the Shop Crawl and all of the companies who have contributed discounts, prizes and goodie bag swag. This is going to be a fabulous event!

Many of you have been emailing us to say you are coming but please note that tickets can only be purchased online and will NOT be available for sale at the event or via email. The reason being, we have to know how many goodie bags to prepare, how much food to order and of course, the shops need to know how many of you to expect so they can properly staff up for the night.

So get your tickets before Tuesday August 7th to ensure there is space for you!

The first 30 people to buy tickets will get a free Ballbuster hand cream or Transition Man soap added to their goodie bag. Sweet!

Buy tickets

Savoring the Summer Heat

Enduring the summer without air conditioning can seriously put a damper on enjoying the gorgeous summer weather. We should know - our air conditioner broke 3 weeks ago. Luckily we have been inventive dealing with the heat and have managed to survive - nay - enjoy the hot weather without losing productivity.

You'd be surprised how many free open wireless networks can be found on a Starbucks patio or even by the pool! Not that we're suggesting you steal anyone's bandwidth or anything... ;) It's just so much more inspiring being outside watching fashionable people walk by and eves dropping on their conversations, don't you think?

If you're stuck inside an office and the above is not an option for you, we recommend wearing some deliciously coconutty lotion to remind you of summer, taking plenty of "air" breaks to get you out of the office - hey, if smokers get to smoke, why don't you get to breathe? - and treating yourself to a cheapie mani/pedi with a coworker on your lunch break. People are generally more relaxed in the summer so are less likely to notice you taking a couple of extra "me" minutes in your day, as long as you aren't taking a couple of extra "me" hours! And of course, stock up on plenty of fresh summer fruit in lieu of sugary snacks. Peach season has arrived!

Now if only summer would last all year round...