Wednesday, October 31, 2007

L'Oreal Fashion Week: Beauty Trends with Eddie Maleterre and Eric Del Monaco!

L'Oreal Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2008 was a whirl wind of hot fashion trends, ultra-femme makeup, cascading wavy hair, tv personalities, and wouldn't be complete without a few celebrity faces. One of my highlights of the week: interviewing head makeup artist Eddie Maleterre (also official makeup artist for L'Oreal Paris in Canada and head makeup artist for Project Runway Canada) and lead hair artist, Eric Del Monaco (also official hair artist and colourist for L'Oreal Paris in Canada and lead hair artist for Project Runway Canada)! I was more than happy when Ali asked me to take on this assignment. As we were taken backstage, music was pumping, boosting the makeup artists and hair stylists to put the finishing touches on their models. Hair was being teased and sprayed, while model's lips were being painted in a fuschia-red for the Indiva show. The creative energy was addictive and you couldn't help but feel the excitement of it all.

The transition into spring will be an easy one because we'll be able to use the same gray shadows and pair it with a soft pink lip. Rather than the matte, charcoal grays that are in for the fall season, the grays will have a sheer pearly finish and mixed with hints of pink. Pink lips will be in all ranges of pinks and textures and the return of the pink flush on the cheeks will be huge. Think feminine and delicate, yet sophisticated and polished. Eddie and Eric were such a pleasure and gave me some really great tips for spring beauty trends to share with the readers. My first interview was with Eddie who just so happened to be working on the stunning Rebecca, Canada's Next Top Model winner from cycle 2. Check out what he had to say about his inspirations behind the spring beauty trends!




Makeup Junkie: You are celebrating your 11th season as Artistic Director for L'Oreal Fashionweek. How do you keep the beauty looks and trends fresh and exciting year after year?

Eddie: My inspirations come from traveling and reading special books. I keep images from traveling. I see a special object and keep it in my head and think, 'Oh maybe in 3 years it will be beautiful or good'.

MJ: What inspired the colours for next season's makeup collection "Pink Into The Future"?

Eddie: I had one pearl - it was very feminine and beautiful. I liked the reflect on the pearl. How do you say - Mother of Pearl? I really like that. I thought 'This will be good in a few years to have that in my collection'. And now it's really trendy to have pearls. Then I said, 'I will come back with my pearl'. I wanted to do something very delicate for the spring. I kept one rose and decided it will be my colour for the lips. And my idea about the makeup was done. My idea about eyes was a pearly touch of pink inside and beautiful gloss with a different tone of pink inside. Skin, not shiny but glowy, beautiful, healthy looking skin.

MJ: I'm excited that pink is reemerging as the "it" colour for Spring 2008. Can you give us some tips on how women can wear pink?

Eddie: Very easy! If you have dark hair, for example, or dark skin, you can use a very pink fuchsia or dark pink like almost red. And if you have blonde hair, you can use soft lipsticks or glosses that are almost the same colour as your natural lip.

MJ: What is the must-have makeup product for next season?

Eddie: My best - I love this one! L'Oreal 's new Bare Naturale Gentle Mineral Makeup. When I discovered this in the beginning I thought 'Oh my god!'. Both foundation and powder are inside! It's very natural. You have the sunscreen also and it's very easy to use. The model you saw before I used this foundation. She will go the runway with that and her skin will give a beautiful light.



I loved watching Eddie with a brush mixing and blending colours together. He showed us his makeup table full of L'Oreal products and some of the eyeshadow palettes he used for the fashion shows. I was in makeup heaven. I also spotted many tubes of my favourite mascara L'Oreal's Voluminous mascara! He was so sweet and funny and his French accent was adorable! Be on the lookout for next season's Pink Into The Future makeup collection! Every girl has to have a little pink in her makeup bag ;)

My next interview was with Eric, who by the way looked amazing in a bold turquoise shirt! Check out his hair tips for everyday and next season!



Makeup Junkie: I read that your hair looks are inspired by the designers. How difficult is it to create a look for the designer yet have it reflect your vision of hair trends for next season?

Eric:
It's all a matter of a conversation between the designers and myself. 3 weeks before Fashionweek we go to the designers and we sit with them. I take out my sketch pad and the designer takes out his and we start sketching. We just talk basically about the feel of the line. It's funny, most of the time we're heads on both of us designers and ourselves. There's just a couple of times where maybe actually we know some things are not going to look right then we'll just suggest something else or to try this. Then we come up with the finished product.

MJ: I love the ultra-feminine hair styles you created for Spring. How was the 1920's/30's influence inspired?

Eric: The inspiration for that came from the waves and the movement in the hair. Very polished, very defined and that was the inspiration for spring and summer. To bring that polished look back in again because hair has been sort of flat and very casual for the last few years. (I start laughing because that's totally my hair!) No, but there's always going to be a request for long, straight healthy beautiful looking hair, right? So, I think it was time to change it and bring back a little movement, some height, and volume again. But one thing that is really important whether you wear it long, straight, short or curly the health of the hair and the shine is the most important. It's always important to prepare the hair before the final styling with the proper shampoo, conditioner, proper weekly treatments, and then the proper styling products.





MJ: That's actually my next question. What products would you recommend to maintain your colour and healthy shiny hair?

Eric: For colour I definitely recommend the Vive Pro for colour-treated hair and the conditioner that goes with it. For extra body, shampoo and conditioner is going to give you the body. In the L'Oreal Paris Vive Pro line, there's shampoos for all kinds of hair: coloured hair, curly hair, hair that needs body, hair that needs conditioning. And for styling, Curl Power is going to be really big this season for spring and summer. It's a spray that allows your curl to bounce back and to give it that definition that's going to be in for spring and summer.

MJ: Blonde is the hot colour for next season and so is rich monotone colour. What does this mean for women and highlights?

Eric: Women and highlights? (Ali jumps in to listen closely hehe) Ok, that's a very good question. The colours are going to be more monotone and instead of an actual highlight highlight, it's more of a reflect. So, women that already have highlights in their hair, if they put a solid colour on and because of the fact there's already highlights underneath, it'll just take on a reflect. It will be a solid colour but a reflect and when the light or sun hits it you'll see different tones of colour.

Ali asks: What's the best way to cover grays? (She was in no way asking for her own benefit wink, wink)

Eric: You're too young to have gray hair! I started getting gray hairs when I was 18! So, colour, colour. But you know for people, like young people that just have 2 or 3 gray hairs and they're afraid of colouring but want to get rid of the grays anyways, I don't recommend plucking them but you can start with L'Oreal Natural Match. That's a fantastic colour if you just want to match your natural colour and hide those few grays it's perfect. It's got an aloe vera extract and it's almost like a wash because it'll blend in with your natural colour and it's not going to alter your colour at all. Now if your hair is coloured, well you have to colour it. But it's no big deal. I always say, "You brush your teeth everyday so you colour your hair every 4-6 weeks".

MJ: How can women next season take these beautiful looks from the runways and make it wearable for everyday?

Eric: Important tools to have at home: rollers, big curling iron, and good products. One product I recommend to get those big waves - we've been going through this like crazy this morning - Studio Line Hot Curl. It's a thermal activated spray so you spray this on the hair and has to be activated with either a blow dryer or curling iron or any kind of heat. This is sold in all drugstores.



I loved all the hair tips so much I wanted to grab a curling iron right there and pump some curls into my 'so-last-season' flat hair! I am pretty embarrassed to admit that I actually have committed the crime of plucking my few gray hairs out (which seem to be growing in abundance now that my 1 year old is running around!). I think it's time to keep the tweezers away from my hair and start colouring it again! Well, at least my monotone colour of black will be in for next season! I hope you enjoy the beauty tips as much as we did. I can't wait to do it all again next year!

Thursday, October 25, 2007

The Shop Crawl is Sold Out!

Thanks to everyone who purchased tickets to our Shop Crawl. It is totally sold out now. :)

Happy Shopping!

Can a "Chick" be a Feminist?


Every now and then we'll come across something like this:

"Wow, I don't think I've ever found a more stereotypical site. One giant step backwards for feminism..."

Being talked about is a good thing, even in light of a comment like that so we're hardly offended.

But seriously.

Why are we so easily offended when it comes to:

The color pink ~ shame on the Breast Cancer Think Pink people;

The term "Chick" (a young woman, a pretty girl, a baby chicken) ~ shame on us;

Discussions about shopping, beauty, restaurants, wellness and relationships ~ Come on. We're all guilty here...

Anyone who visits ChickAdvisor regularly knows that the quality of opinions and advice shared here are really good. One look at the discussions in our forums and there is no denying the opinions expressed are by confident, self assured modern women who see themselves as anything but anti-feminists.

What do you guys think? Can you be a Chick and a Feminist at the same time?

David Dixon Spring 2008

David Dixon's Ocean inspired collection was light, airy and ultra feminine.
His colour palette was mostly whites, beiges and shimmery blues.

He nailed the Little Black Dress, with more than a few hot little numbers we'd love to have in our closet. We also loved the ruffled blouses...


...and the white halter dress with the side swept pony tail.


It was a beautiful wearable collection for the classic woman.

We can't help but admire the designer who walks the full runway after the show to acknowledge his audience. There is something very sweet and humble about that.

Well done, David!


It's time to beef up that website, though!

Andy The-Anh Spring 2008

Last night was another amazing show for Andy The-Anh.

It seems no one understands women's bodies quite like Andy. The details, the feminine shapes, the emphasis on the bust , waist and hips ensures that each creation is a knock out.

Andy's woman makes an equally impressive impression leaving as he puts a lot of detail in the back of the dress.

The colours this season were surprisingly muted: beiges, creams, whites and tans.

Unfortunately it was also the night of the trip.

The slick floors had models tripping and falling on the stage repeatedly, eliciting loud "Oh's" from the crowd when they fell and cheering when they regained their composure.

Overall another stunning show from Andy, a standing ovation from the crowd, and added fuel to our obsession of owning at least one of his dresses one day.

Read more about our 4 year crush on Andy The-Anh

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

CHANGE Your Bra Size

This morning I had the pleasure of popping into CHANGE, a beautiful lingerie boutique on Toronto's Queen West strip. This light, airy boutique reminds me of the kind you see all over Italy: intimate, fresh and colorful. They invited me to a complimentary bra fitting and to be honest, I was somewhat apprehensive about stripping down and discussing my ta-tas with a total stranger.
Bra, $68 Panty, $32

My fears quickly subsided when I was greeted by Carol, a sweet woman with the most fabulous Scottish accent. She whisked me into the changeroom and rolled out the measuring tape (good news, you get to keep your shirt on for this part). She presented me with a few bras that looked way too big to me, but were actually a perfect fit! My band size went down to a 30, but I also went up a cup size, which is always good for the ego...

Bra, $44 Panty, $20

Carol said that most women wear the wrong bra size. About 90% of us don't have a clue what size we really are. I was surprised to learn that most women are actually a size F, G or H (!!) You may think you are a 34B, but actually be a 32F.

Another misconception: Pammy Anderson is no DD. Carol estimates she is probably more like a 26L. If that doesn't give you some perspective I don't know what else would.

CHANGE offers free bra fittings and carries an array of gorgeous bras, panties, bustiers and more. They carry sizes 30A - 44J and prices are competitive. Make an appointment and get your perfect bra size.

Psst! CHANGE is giving away free $25 gift cards on the Shop Crawl. How sweet is that?

Read our review

Look Who We Spotted at L'Oreal Fashion Week

Blogger and Model, Joelle Lit of Mad Glam looking fabulous in nothing but Para Paint.



Official Makeup Artist for L'Oreal Paris in Canada, Eddie Maltere expertly applies makeup to none other than...
... Rebecca from Canada's Next Top Model.


And of course the regular crew of Toronto Fashion and Beauty Bloggers including Joy David-Tilberg of Makeup Junkie (pictured left), Ellen Mirza of Lipstick Powder 'N Paint, Anita Clarke of I want- I got, and Henna Singh from Canadian Beauty.

We're really excited for Andy The-Anh's show tonight!

See our Fashion Week pic's on Bubbleshare!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

The Skinny on the Shop Crawl Part Deux

All of you Luckies participating in our 2nd ever Shop Crawl, here are the goodies that await you on November 2nd!

The Stores:

CHANGE ~ $25 Gift Card.
Each shopper who visits in store will receive the gift card, which they can use that night or redeem at a later date.

C Squared ~ 20% off

Fashion Crimes ~ 25% off

FRAICHE ~ 25% off

Kazuo ~ 25% off

Scarpino ~ 20-25% off



The Swag Bags: (value of $60+)

Loulou Magazine, Flare Magazine, Chocolat Magazine

Skincare products from Garnier (Fresh)

Makeup from Maybelline New York

Listerine Cool Mint Pocket Mists

Haircare products from Herbal Essences



Media Swag bags provided by:
Cover Girl, Herbal Essences and Polysporin


The After Party Prizes:

Lipstick Powder 'N Paint Ultimate Beauty Basket (value of $400)

Cover Girl Gift Basket (value of $185)

Spa Boutique Bubalina Doo pack (value of $48)

The best outfit purchased from participating stores that night under $100 wins the cash value of their purchase.

The After Party:

The after party will once again be at Milestones. Seating will be limited, but there will be plenty of room for mingling and each shopper will get a free bellini and snacks. CBC Newsworld will be there filming for their new show Fortune Hunters, so make sure you are camera ready ;)

If you prefer not to appear on camera, please send us an email ~ though we assume most of you enjoy the limelight as much as we do ;)

Tickets are now SOLD OUT


Buy tickets


A big thank you to all of our sponsors media partners...


L'Oreal Fashion Week: Spring '08

Fashion week is back and better than ever. I first started attending L'Oreal Fashion Week when I was interning at Fashion File 4 years ago. Since then, audience attendance has certainly grown. Instead of having media occupy the entire front row, we actually get a few celebrities here and there.

Last night was a star studded event for the Project Runway Canada show. Of course we were all sworn to secrecy so I can't say anything about the clothes, but I definitely know which collection I think should win. And I must comment on Iman. That woman is flawless. Not a single wrinkle, crease or scrap of fat on her - and she's got to be pushing 50 by now, no?

I'm really looking forward to the remaining shows this week.

Comfort for Cold Season

Though we hate to admit it, Cold and Flu season is slowly creeping in. We got a polite reminder of this via two packages that recently arrived: Kiss My Face's Cold & Flu Bath & Shower Gel and J.R Watkins Medicated Ointment for aches and pains.

Yes, it really is that time of the year again.

We grudgingly opened the ointment and the shower gel and took a whiff: yup, smells like menthol!

Obviously the best time to test these products would be when sick, but you can tell from the smell of them that they will at minimum help clear your stuffy sinuses when poured into a nice hot bath or rubbed into achy muscles and joints. We also take comfort in the fact that both companies focus on natural ingredients.

Both products are available at the drugstore and Kiss My Face is also available on Amazon.

Has anyone tried either of these? What do you think of them?

Monday, October 22, 2007

B Espresso Bar: Italian Cocktails Night is Back!


When we truly love something, we reserve the right to rave about it on more than 1 occasion.

A few months ago, we happened by B Espresso Bar and found them open late on a Thursday night. They were testing the viability of having a late night cocktail night with martinis and appetizers and by all accounts it was a big success. We are happy to report that last week they made the Italian Cocktail night permanent and are now open until midnight every Thursday.

The martinis are to die for and are alone worth the visit to B Espresso, but what makes this cafe so amazing is the service. Owner, Bruno and Bar Manager, Alessandro go out of their way to make you feel like the principessa you are.

Expect kisses, jovial Italian hospitality and to leave feeling better about yourself than when you arrived.

Salute!

Read our review

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Less than 10 Shop Crawl Tickets Left!

Anyone hoping to get a ticket should act now. We only have 10 tickets left for the Shop Crawl. Our page will be updated shortly with the participating stores and sponsors. Don't miss out!

Tickets and details here

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Budgeting for Your Happily Ever After

"I need some tips on how I could save or raise more money for a wedding. My man and I are already saving up for a downpayment for a condo - and I realize that by the time we have a condo, there will be no money for a wedding. We plan on paying this wedding by ourselves. But we have a couple barriers to saving more money - we both have a lot of student debt, and we can't receive financial help from our families. Any advice? ...What is a typical wedding budget? And has anyone had great deals with wedding services??"

This was a great question posted in our forums recently, and I thought it would be a good idea to share our thoughts here as many of you may be in the same position. Here are a few things I learned from my own wedding...

Choose the cheaper city:
I have friends who got married in T.O and spent $50,000.00 on their wedding. It was beautiful and perfect but not overly extravagant. We got married in Winnipeg for $11,000.00 and I got everything I wanted: my dream dress, an amazing photographer, a beautiful hotel, great food and a church full of candles and flowers. We both had about 150 guests. The main difference between our two weddings was that hers was in Toronto and mine was in Winnipeg. If either of you is from a less expensive city and has enough family there, you may want to consider having it in the cheaper city.

Consider a week day wedding:
It tends to be cheaper to book a Friday night wedding instead of a Saturday. Weekdays are cheaper because they are less in demand. Evening weddings are so romantic in my opinion because you can go nuts with candles and stuff. We got married on a Friday night and I've had cousins get married on Thursdays to save a little money. It is just as nice as a Saturday.

Invitations aren't worth investing in:
There is no good reason to spend thousands of dollars on invitations. Once your wedding is over, everyone is going to throw that invite away so why blow your budget on them? We were qouted $2000 for our invitations from a local card store and I nearly fell over. In the end, we got our invitations made at Essence du Papier here in Toronto for around $300 including custom envelopes and ribbon and they were fabulous and affordable.

Do it yourself invitations are popular and can look quite nice but they are a lot of work - especially if you aren't very skilled with formatting your printer.

Make your own center pieces:
If you get married in an expensive city like Toronto, look for deals on everything. Load up with candles at IKEA. We had vanilla scented candles and a small vase filled with roses on each table and it looked and smelled amazing. Our center pieces were about $20 per table all in.

Buy your flowers in bulk:
Look for flower markets to get good prices on your flowers. Toronto's Avenue Road has a slew of flower markets with amazing prices and I'm sure they sell in bulk. I would still get a professional to make your arrangements, but for center pieces, you can buy bulk roses for about $1 a stem.

Barter for your wedding dress:
Did you know that the price of your dress can be negotiated? You can barter the price down or get them to throw something in for free. I got my taxes included and my veil for free with my dress because I negotiated. Also, shop around a lot. I found my dress in more than 1 store with big differences in price.

Skip the tiara:
Unless you're really set on wearing a crown, consider forgoing this item you will never wear again and wear a flower in your hair. A white orchid pinned behind your ear is stunning and costs considerably less than a $400 hair trinket.

Don't shell out too much for the shoes:
Yes, I know it is all about the shoes, but if you shop for months in advance chances are you can find something on sale. Most bridal shoes don't look good with anything besides your wedding dress and even if they do you probably won't want to wear them again for sentimental reasons, so there is no point in investing hundreds of dollars on these puppies. Just make sure they are comfortable. I was so proud of my cheapie shoes ($30 on sale!!) but they ended up being extremely painful because they weren't leather and didn't give at all. Your dress will be heavy and you will be on your feet all day. Shoes with some give are a must.

Have a limited bar:
If you are having alcohol at your wedding you can limit how long the bar is open and how much is spent. Figure out a budget ahead of time and ensure that the bar knows not to offer up those expensive scotches. Another option is to have no bar and just buy a few bottles of wine for each table - served by the reception staff. If you leave them on the table they will disappear faster than if they are served by the staff. Two bottles of red and two white is generally sufficient.

Transportation is overrated:
No one cares if you arrive in a horse drawn carriage. You will look just as fabulous stepping out of your Uncle's shiny new Beamer for a lot less cash. The majority of your wedding day will not be spent in a vehicle so why invest as though it will be?

If you do choose to rent a limo, always go with a recommendation. Friends of ours had a horrible experience with their limo being double booked and leaving them to take a cab home from their wedding even though they had paid in advance for the night.

Extend the savings to your bridesmaids:
Some couples pay for their attendants' outfits, but every wedding I have been part of, I have paid my own way and my bridesmaids/groomsmen paid for their own outfits. Regardless of who pays, the dresses needn't cost $300. We got gorgeous black dresses from Le Chateau for $55 each. No one believed us that the dresses were from Le Chateau because they looked amazing. My bridesmaids were happy they didn't have to drop a lot of cash.

Things NOT to scrimp on:
photo credit: Patty Boge, Off the Page Photography

* The Photographer.
Our photographer was expensive but worth it. We have gotten many compliments on her work. A bad photographer is a life long regret as you have to look at those photos forever. Budget $2,000ish

* The Food.
Your reception is where you will spend the bulk of your time. Many couples try to save money by having a backyard wedding, gourmet picnic in the park or even a church basement and in the end they really don't save that much money. Things always cost more than you think. Those kinds of weddings typically create a lot of work for family and friends too, which is something to consider.

Leave this to the professionals and plan an intimate reception at a hotel or book out a private restaurant where they can give you a firm budget and take care of everything for you. Make sure you go for a food tasting in advance.

*Your Hair and Makeup
Budget about $150 for hair and makeup all in and go somewhere good. You don't want to end up going home and doing your hair over again because your $25 hairdo looks like crap. Also, unless you are a makeup artist, you may find you are too nervous to properly apply your own makeup on the big day. Get it done professionally and make sure you go for the trial first.

*The Honeymoon
You are really going to need this break together after all of the hullabaloo of the wedding. Trust me. Don't miss out on this excuse to get away and spend some down time together. Chances are, the money you get from your wedding will cover the cost of your honeymoon. Take those 10 days in Europe or that 1 week all inclusive in Bora Bora. You'll never regret your honeymoon, but you will regret not taking one.

To answer the last part of the question...

What to do if you're also saving for a house?
If you're loaded with debt of any kind, it is going to be very difficult to save for a house and your wedding at the same time. We're still renting an apartment and that's not going to change anytime soon. You may decide that it is easier to live a few extra years in an apartment and slowly save up for your own place than try to do everything at once.

Home ownership comes with a lot of hidden costs you may not be able to budget for: the washer/dryer breaks down 2 weeks after you move in, the heater has a crack in it that is leaking C02. You never know what could come and you need to have a reserve budget for these kinds of unexpected expenses.

Then again, maybe that rich uncle will give you enough at your wedding to help out with some of these costs ;)

Discuss this in the forums


Thursday, October 11, 2007

Our Article in the Toronto Star!

We're so thrilled to be covered in the Toronto Star!

If you don't get this paper, the article is available online as well. Oh - and they took a snapshot of our home page and put that in the article so Artist, MizzRobin and Allychick_ling, your picture is in the paper too!!!

The online version comes sans pictures. We're really excited about this exposure!

Yeeeee Hawwwww!

There have been a number of wonderful people who have helped us get where we are, but we would like to give special props to some of those who initially helped bring ChickAdvisor to life:

Alex Harvey
Alex Hess
Angela Noseworthy
Arshia Tabrizi
Fayaz Ashraf
Josh Davey

... and especially thank you to Ahmad Nassri, our head developer who has been with us from the beginning and has stuck with us through thick and thin and is an invaluable member of our team.

Thank you!!

Read the article online

Product Review Club: Journey to the Darkside

We have another freebie coming your way! 2 lucky members of the Product Review Club will receive a copy of Journey to the Darkside: Supermom Goes Home by Kathy Buckworth in exchange for their feedback on ChickAdvisor.





"Congratulations! You've got it all! But what happens when you decide you don't want it?

In Journey to the Darkside, popular humorist and parenting writer Kathy Buckworth takes a good, hard look at the "culture shock" that results when high-powered corporate moms decide to hang up their briefcases and venture into the uncharted waters of the stay-at-home world.

Think you're a pro at dealing with office politics? Wait until you attend your first PTA meeting. Confident in your ability to make sound wardrobe choices? Don't listen too closely to what the other stay-at-home moms are saying at the park. Expect your husband to help out when you're feeling under the weather? Ha!

Part guidebook, part warning, Journey to the Darkside is insightful, hilarious, and brutally honest. It will have moms (stay-at-home or otherwise) laughing out loud--which is a good thing, because otherwise, they might have to cry.

Kathy Buckworth is the author of The Secret Life of SuperMom, and SuperMom: A Celebration of All You Do. Her writing has appeared in many publications, including Today's Parent, City Parent, and Canadian living. She is a frequent television and radio talk show guest (appearing on Breakfast Television, Yummy Mummy, The Mom Show and as a featured expert on Life Network's Birth Days). She lives in Mississauga, Ontario, with her husband and four children."

This offer will be exclusively for our mommy members. Wondering why? Sometimes our freebies are geared towards a specific audience; read the review already posted on ChickAdvisor!

If you are not already part of our Product Review Club, read this forum thread for details. We have many freebies. All we ask in return is that you review the item within 2 weeks from when you receive it!

Discuss this in our forum

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

CBC Television at the ChickAdvisor Shop Crawl

We hinted in the forums that there would be cameras at the Shop Crawl. We're excited to announce that CBC Newsworld is profiling ChickAdvisor for a new show that is airing early in 2008!

They are going to follow us around this month for a series of tapings - including the Shop Crawl!

How cool is that?

While most of us love the chance to be on TV, if you are coming to the Shop Crawl and would prefer not to appear on camera, just send us an email with your contact details and we'll ensure you aren't filmed.


Shop Crawl 50% sold out

Just a heads up, the Shop Crawl is over 50% sold out. Hurry!

ChickAdvisor in the Toronto Star

If you pick up a copy of the Toronto Star tomorrow you'll notice we're being featured in the small business section!

They took pic's of misschickie and everything.

Awww, shucks!

It may be online too.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

ChickAdvisor Shop Crawl Part Deux Tickets Now on Sale!

Tickets for our 2nd Shop Crawl are now on sale. We're already 10% sold out and we just put the page up. You might want to hurry...

$20 for ChickAdvisor members (log in to ChickAdvisor.com to get this price automatically)

$25 for non-members (Want the better price? Sign up :) )

Details are still in the works. We have more stores and brands coming on board so keep checking back for detail updates.

Happy Shopping!

Get Tickets

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Betcha never seen this before: Betty Beauty Colour Kits

Does anyone remember that episode of Sex and the City where Samantha finds that white hair you-know-where and then accidentally dyes it orange? Aside from that, we'd never head of (or even thought of) coloring hair down there... until now.

One of our partners, Spaboutique, carries Betty Beauty Colour kits. They are designed to cover those grays in areas "Samantha" knew best and to match your "glorious locks above".

We figured most women in their 20's and 30's probably experiment more with waxing and electrolysis than dye but who knows? Some of you may find this very interesting/useful.

What do you guys think? Hilarious or helpful?

So thankful this Canadian Thanksgiving

For those of you north of the border, have a wonderful Thanksgiving and may you overindulge in turkey, gravy and time with family and friends.

While we here at ChickAdvisor H.Q are working busily this weekend for some really cool upcoming stuff, we feel we have a lot to be grateful for.

If you've been with us for a while you have probably noticed we don't talk about the holidays very often. It isn't because we don't celebrate them ourselves, it's because 40% of you are Canadian and 40% of you are American and 10% of you are European. So the holidays don't always line up the same, such as Thanksgiving and we want everyone to feel included. Isn't that interesting?

We think it is so cool that we have an even split between Canadians and Americans. Our goal was never to be for just one nationality of women. We wanted to be for all women, wherever you are, who identify with us and the things we talk about.

Where would we be without the wisdom of Scents of Peace, the groundedness of Spotty? Or the sweetness of MizzRobin and Artist? We have so many fantastic, wise, intelligent and interesting members this would be a really long post if we talked about each one of you but we appreciate you all so much. Even those of you who just come by to visit but don't say anything.

Over 95% of you just come by to take in the advice and share a laugh or two. Though we don't know as much about you, we appreciate you too (as do our esteemed advertisers :P).

So this Canadian Thanksgiving, we are most thankful for you; for coming by every day, sharing your advice, your time and making ChickAdvisor possible.*


*DISCLAIMER: We apologize for the sappiness of this post and are not legally responsible for any gagging, choking or other adverse reactions which may have been caused by reading above.

ChickAdvisor T-Shirts for Sale

Tshirts are finally here, Baby! Well, except for those pesky pink ones... or should we say, those pesky Sangria ones.

It turns out American Apparel's version of Fuchsia is what most women would consider bubblegum Pink - a colour that can't be worn by most women over the age of 10. What most of us perceive to be Fuchsia, they call Sangria.

Whatev's.

We'll have the Sangria T's on Monday in every size except for small (they just ran out of stock, lucky us). We'll post those pictures next week, but so you know,
Sangria looks like this.

Oh, and some of you were asking how long these tshirts are. They go down to about the top or middle of your butt depending on the person.

Tshirts are all American Apparel, 100% cotton and are proudly made sweat shop free. They are $20 CAD plus $5 shipping anywhere in Canada and USA and are purchased through paypal.

Sizes: S, M, L, XL in limited quantities.

The size pictured in these photos is small.

Buy a Tshirt

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Exercise some electoral muscle

The last time I had the opportunity to vote, I dutifully went down to the polling station and stood at the end of the queue. While I waited for my turn, I was still deciding which way to cast my ballot--

Do I toe the line and vote blindly for the same party I have always supported?

Do I take a chance and vote for the new candidate?

Do I even really know the issues? Should I be here, an uneducated voter?

Whether apathy or staunch allegiance, family leanings or a student rally at the university - which will influence my vote here?

I really dislike conversations that dwell on the ocean of sins the government is currently wading through. Personally, I'd rather be proactive and make my voice heard, whether that be through a letter to my member of Congress or Parliament or via the voting system. The bottom line is that every voice counts.

Our Ontario members will have the opportunity to have their votes count in just a few days. A major problem in our system today is the apathetic response to the democratic process, particularly among younger people. Use this widget to find out how many like you plan to vote and what your options are.



As for the rest of us, there are always elections happening in your area. Local governments need the support of your voice as much (and maybe even more) than their federal counterparts. Don't be an armchair pundit; get your butt down to the polling station and exercise one of your most important rights - to vote.


Mamaluv is a ChickAdvisor writer and educated voter. Which means she always knows where the polling station is and where to stand in line... and where to find the nearest Starbucks.

Read Mamaluv's blog

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Coco Song: Seriously Exotic Eyewear



We recently had the pleasure of attending the launch of Coco Song, an Italian made handcrafted eyewear collection inspired by Chinese symbology. Though we were blessed with freakishly good eyesight and don't need prescription lenses, these gorgeous one of a kind creations made us wish we did.


The collection incorporates vivid colors, silk, leaves and feathers. Each color has a meaning: Blue for tranquility, Red for joy and love, Green to express creativity, Pink for sweetness and tenderness, White for pureness and Black for finess. Yellow represents power and is also considered the Emperor's colour.

The intricate details on each piece are very impressive right down to the intricate nose pads. They also carry a small collection of sunglasses.


Most importantly each piece is unique, designed with the individual in mind.

Styles range from $350-$450 and are available at Josephson Opticians starting this week.

Oh, and by the way, since Josephson only carries one of each frame, you needn't worry about that copy cat co-worker stealing your style. Nice!

www.cocosong.it

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Damn, Girl! You on the Homepage

Thanks to our fabulous members (L-R) Artist, Allychick_ling and MizzRobin for providing this adorable picture for our homepage!

See, we discovered that you guys (our wonderful members) have approximately zero tolerance for cheesy, contrived stock photos on our homepage. Seriously. Our traffic takes a nose dive every time we put one up. On the other hand, whenever we put up a "real" picture of real women having a good time, we get more sign ups, more reviews and more participation in general.

So buh-bye cheesy stock photo with scary looking dude(s)...And hello pictures of you! Like these gorgeous ladies above, we'd love to feature pictures of you and your friends. You know those pic's you post on Facebook when you're all gussied up at your favorite club, your girl's trip to the Dominican or your SATC wannabe Saturday afternoon brunches? Those are the ones we're looking for.

Send us your pic's and you may be featured on our homepage!

Monday, October 1, 2007

The ChickAdvisor Shop Crawl... Part Deux

Back by popular demand, we are launching another Shop Crawl, just in time for Christmas! This time, we're hoping to get more boutiques involved and of course we'll be loading you up with more free swag.

We have more exciting details to share soon but in the mean time, please save the date:
Friday November 2nd 6pm - 10pm.

We completely sold out last time so you'll definitely want to buy your tickets early.

Complete details and tickets will be available shortly.

More to come!

Discuss this in the forums