Ikea Nutid Counter-Depth Refrigerator

IKEA’s Nutid Fridge Wins The Cold War

Two stylish counter-depth refrigerators are practically identical, but one {IKEA’s Nutid S23} is $1,000 cheaper.

Ikea Nutid Counter-Depth RefrigeratorSPEND SMART | Whenever you see a drop dead gorgeous kitchen in a decorating magazine, there is a 99.9 percent chance it will feature a counter-depth refrigerator. “CD” fridges, as they are referred to, are the coveted look, even if they don’t always pack the cubic capacity punch of traditional freestanding models, which can extend eight inches beyond the depth of standard kitchen cabinets. Read more

Safety Razor - George Giannakos

Just Say No To The Multi-Blade Shave

Talk about spending dumb—gentlemen, stop the insanity by saying no to the multiple-blade shave.

Safety Razor - George GiannakosSPEND SMART | George Giannakos is 24 years old and has been shaving with a safety razor for almost five years. He learned how to shave using a multiple-blade system, but when his dad brought home a steel safety razor with a single, double-edge blade, the very one pictured here, and began using it routinely, it wasn’t long before George and two of his three brothers slipped into the groove. Now, five years on, two of the initial three and their father continue to shave with safety razors and see no advantage in returning to a multi-blade world gone mad. Read more

Reese and the blush/lipstick ratio

Blush Buyers Guide + Our Top Product Picks

What you need to know about buying and wearing blush, plus Allison Emery’s top blush picks.

Reese and the blush/lipstick ratioBlush is an essential part of a balanced make-up. In fact, the more make-up you wear, the more important it becomes, though blush also completes the colour story of even the simplest looks. It can be neutral, natural or glamorous. It gives life and health to any complexion, making us look well-rested and ready for the day ahead. Read more

Maureen Welton - Philippe Martin-Morice

Maureen Welton Shops Vancouver Like A Pro

18Karat’s Maureen Welton shares her favourite home products and great advice on how to shop like a pro.

Maureen Welton - Philippe Martin-MoriceMaureen Welton, the president and creative director of 18Karat, Vancouver’s most original home décor store, shops for a living, so in her down time the last thing she wants to do is shop more. In fact, she avoids personal shopping if at all possible, power shopping when she needs to, typically doing a six-month shop in a single day. Read more

Cookbook: Cooking at Home with a Four Star Chef

It’s Hip To Cook Retro With Vintage Cookbooks

It’s fashionable to cook retro right now, and to do it using old recipes from outdated cookbooks.

 

Cookbook: Cooking at Home with a Four Star ChefFOOD FOR THOUGHT Blame it on Julie & Julia (both the book and the movie) if you want to, but it’s fashionable to cook retro right now. Who could have guessed that when New Yorker Julie Powell spent 365 days in the early oughties cooking every dish from Julia Child’s 1961 classic, Mastering The Art Of French Cooking (volume one), that both her book and Child’s classic would reach the top ranks of The New York Times bestsellers list—and that curious cooks across North America would take a new interest in making old dishes from recipes found in outdated cookbooks? Read more

Moon Overcoat by Alfred Sung - C. Phaisalakani

3 Star Pieces From The New Moon Fashion Line

A fashionista identifies 3 stars among Alfred Sung’s new Moon fashion basics.

Moon Overcoat by Alfred Sung - C. PhaisalakaniBACK TO BASICS “What have you got for Canadian labels?” my American cousin asked last weekend when she was up from Portland, Oregon. Hannah works at Nordstrom and has a closet full of very nice clothing including some statement pieces. “I’m thinking inexpensive basics,” she said.  “Gap, Banana: a lot of countries have well-priced basics lines; what’s the Canadian version of these?” Read more

Eve Johnson, Half-Hero Pose

Stretch Tight Thighs With Half-Hero Pose

Try half-hero pose to give your thighs a good and effective stretch.

Eve Johnson, Half-Hero PoseOne of the most fruitful areas for a new yoga practitioner to explore is something I call television yoga. It’s not a formal practice. You don’t have to put on special clothes, roll out a mat or light a candle. And if you watch TV, talk on the phone or sit and listen to music, you don’t even have to make time for it. You just have to be willing to devote some of your sitting-down time to gentle, intelligent work with your body. Any seated hip opener will do. But if you’d like to stretch your front thighs, it’s hard to beat the half-hero pose. Read more

Omer Arbel - Cory Dawson

Omer Arbel Explores Vancouver His Way

Internationally renowned designer Omer Arbel burns, illuminates and drives his way around Vancouver.

Omer Arbel - Cory DawsonEvery so often Vancouver produces a superstar— like internationally renowned Vancouver designer Omer Arbel, touted by Wallpaper magazine in 2003 as one of the 15 designers of the future. His bubblelike cast glass pendant Bocci lights, just five years old, are already iconic, as much a design staple as a Noguchi coffee table or Eames chair. He has designed everything from furniture, interiors and electrical sockets (see below) to the 2010 Winter Olympic medals in collaboration with aboriginal artist Corrine Hunt. His numerous awards include the Canada Council’s Ron Thom Early Design Achievement Award, International Design Award and the Design Prize of the German Republic.

Omer Arbel’s 5 free, cheap or worth it things to see, do or buy in Vancouver Read more
Used University Textbooks - C. Phaisalakani

17 Ways To Save On Textbooks

Hey, post-secondary students, Belinda Bruce has found 17 ways to save on schoolbooks this fall.

Used University Textbooks - C. PhaisalakaniCHEAPER IS BETTER | Buying textbooks at the campus bookstore is so old school. Post- secondary education is costly enough without forking over a premium for course materials. With the average full-time student spending between $900 and $1,200 a year on textbooks, it’s easy to understand why alternatives to the campus bookstore are cropping up everywhere. Read more

Specialty Leggings - iStock

Skinny Legs And All

Fashionista Laurel Zapke picks her top 10 leggings to take you through fall—both plain and sexy kinds.

Specialty Leggings - iStockBUY RIGHT | Blame it on Betsey. American fashion designer Betsey Johnson, known for her princess-meets-punk designs, has long loved leggings. Betsey knew what she was doing in the 1980s when she paired a cropped black cotton legging with a sheer black full chiffon knee-length skirt attached to a black cotton top with a sweetheart neckline and capped sleeves. I borrowed that dress from a friend in 1988 and wore it with all the glory and pride of a blushing bride. I still wear Betsey today—only now the Betsey pieces are not borrowed, they are mine. And anytime I want a little edge in my look, I just “Betsey” things up with a legging. Read more