Story of the Day - Page 27 of 56

See Marni’s New Collection For H&M

February 20, 2012/2 Comments/in Diffusion Collections, Fashion & Beauty /by Editor

In a little over two weeks, women will be lining up at H&M around the world for a chance to snag Marni’s spectacular fashion at a bargain price.

SAVE ON CHIC | With a lookbook that surfaced online only days ago, Marni’s new collection for H&M, which will be available in 260 stores worldwide on March 8, has the blogosphere buzzing, and it isn’t just because the international luxury brand, founded by Italian fashion designer Consuelo Castigilioni, has produced the next big high-style low-end line.

Marni’s diffusion collection is considered to be as sophisticated and idiosyncratic as the original fashion, clone clothing and accessories that mimic the Marni you see on the runway. All of which is died-and-gone-to-fashion-heaven news for the arty, discerning, Sofia Coppola types that make up the brand’s fan base. Read more

6 Best Makeup Brushes + 2 Top Brands To Buy

February 17, 2012/9 Comments/in BEAUTY, Beauty How-To, Columns, Makeup, Stealing Beauty, View All Beauty Stories /by Editor

Allison Emery selects 6 must-own makeup brushes—and shares her two favourite brush brands, one expensive the other not.

As a makeup artist, I’ve accumulated a variety of brushes. Because I often do multiple makeup applications in a short period of time, having two or three of the same type of brush means I don’t have to cleanse and disinfect them between clients. The average woman, however, is not applying makeup to several different people, so she really doesn’t require a multitude of brushes.

So which brushes do you really need? PICTURED BELOW are the essential brushes to have in your collection—plus my picks for the best brands to buy. Read more

All Washed Up: White Washcloths Are Over!

February 15, 2012/2 Comments/in Home & Garden /by Editor

Forget about the colour of your parachute. We ask, what colour is your washcloth?

BUY RIGHT | Blame it on the spa industry, or decorating magazines if you want to, but the idea that thick spa-white bath towels and washcloths are the best and only way to wash and dry yourself is hogwash. White towels go with any style décor and feel indulgent in a good way, but white washcloths? No way, never! Easily stained light-coloured washcloths look dowdy quickly. Their low life expectancy means having to replace them frequently, which is both expensive and wasteful. Better to adopt the approach of more and more luxury and “cheap chic” hotels by having dark-coloured washcloths on hand, particularly for washing off stubborn makeup. Read more

Watch 65 RedRoses, Oprah’s 2012 Hot Doc

February 14, 2012/1 Comment/in Culture & Leisure /by Editor

Make Valentine’s Day more than a Hallmark moment—give someone a new lease on life.

PASS IT ON | Talk about hot documentaries. The locally made film 65_RedRoses about New Westminster’s Eva Markvoort, the irrepressible artist/writer/blogger who squeezed 10 decades of loving—and living—into a quarter of a century before succumbing to cystic fibrosis two years ago, is the 2012 official selection of Oprah Winfrey’s Documentary Club. The film, which has won a boatload of other honours for filmmakers Philip Lyall and Nimisha Mukerji, will premiere on OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, sometime this spring, but you can watch it for FREE on March 8 (and meet the filmmakers) at the Nat and Flora Bosa Centre for Film and Animation at Capilano University. Read more

Superswoon.com Printable Valentine's Day Cards

Download Fabulous Valentines For Free

February 11, 2012/3 Comments/in Culture & Leisure, HOLIDAY /by Editor

Why would you ever buy another box of classroom cards for Valentine’s Day when you can download, print out and personalize dozens of fabulous ones for free!

FREE & EASY | One Valentine’s eve, a few years ago, I arrived early for a movie date with a friend so decided to kill the time at a bookstore nearby. Inside I saw red (and pink and lots of hearts), and it hit me: we hadn’t bought or made cards to give my daughters’ classmates. I needed 40 cards, but was I prepared to spend $20 for boxes of 15? No. Read more

At Velveteen Vintage The Prices Are Right

February 10, 2012/0 Comments/in Green Within Reason /by Felicity Stone

Until the end of February, bag vintage clothes at great prices—and do something great for entrepreneurial teens at the same time.

Free spirits have always scoured thrift stores for distinctive apparel, but it took one in particular to make used clothing fashionable: Kate Moss. Moss, whose perfume line includes scents called Vintage and Vintage Muse, has appeared in recycled items from jeans to jackets and boots to ballgowns.

One of the newest and most economical Vancouver sources for retro and good-quality consignment clothes for men and women is Velveteen Vintage. Every item in the store is less than $20 and most are $5. Read more

When Dishwasher Soap Packets Are Overkill

February 9, 2012/1 Comment/in Home & Garden /by Editor

Premeasured dishwasher soaps are convenient but overkill almost everywhere—and particularly unnecessary in places where the water is soft.

WASTE NOT | When my four-year-old European dishwasher crashed a while back, I called in a repairman who made an eye-opening comment about my dishwashing detergent. “You use that stuff?” he asked, pointing at the Electrasol Dishwasher Detergent with Powerball Tabs I’d bought in a convenient 100-tab tub at Costco.

“Yes, and I love it. It’s so easy,” I chirped, citing a no-mess no-fuss defense and explaining how my dishes looked at least as sparkly clean as they had with other detergents I’d employed. Read more

Thinking Outside The Conventional Vase

February 6, 2012/2 Comments/in Home & Garden /by Editor

It’s not the flowers, it’s the unusual containers that make these arrangements pop.

CREATIVE SOLUTIONS | In early February, when thoughts turn to hearts and flowers, it’s easy to think that a dozen red roses are the key to a woman’s heart. Not necessarily. In the floral department, sometimes something both ordinary but imaginative will do the trick. It’s not the flowers, it’s the original containers that make these arrangements pop. Read more

How To Polish Your Skin To Perfection

February 3, 2012/5 Comments/in BEAUTY, Beauty How-To, Skin & Body Care, Stealing Beauty, View All Beauty Stories /by Editor

Cold, dry weather makes skin look dull; microdermabrasion can restore its glow. Here’s a top product that mimics this polishing procedure at home.

Winter is upon us, and while we welcome the sunshine instead of the usual dark, gloomy Vancouver weather, sunny days are cool and crisp. You may have noticed your skin feeling dryer, tighter and lackluster at this time of year. Even oilier complexions feel dryer and tighter than usual. As a result, we often reach for heavier creams and moisturizing masks, which can help, but the best solution is a good exfoliation or polishing of the skin. Read more

Some Relief For Expats Filing US Tax Returns

February 2, 2012/0 Comments/in CANADIAN CONTENT, Goods & Services /by Editor

Americans living in Canada can’t escape paying U.S. taxes, but they can reduce the cost of filing a return.

SPEND SMART | If you’re an American citizen resident in Canada (or know someone who is), you know from the ruckus in the press last year that you’re required to file two income tax returns annually: a Canadian one because you live here, and a U.S. one because you are an American citizen and the U.S. taxes on the basis of citizenship rather than residency.

Never mind the fairness issue, or that people such as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney game the system by legally parking their jillions in accounts in the Cayman Islands and Switzerland, you still need to file—and unless you’re familiar with the U.S. tax code, you will require professional assistance. This service can cost plenty in Canada, which is why some filers head south. Read more