Kiehl's Private Event

I was invited to go to the Kiehl's Vancouver Beauty & Lifestyle Bloggers private event by Maddy Loves on Sunday, February 26th after Metrotown Mall was closed.

This was my outfit to the event:

H&M lace top, T. Babaton Elliot pants, Chanel medium flap,

and Christian Louboutin Fifi 100 (similar)

We snacked on delicious goodies and sipped on crisp pinot blanc wine while we were educated on Kiehl's products and history. I never used any Kiehl's products before so I was very excited to know more about it. I learned that the company started off in New York as an Apothecary in 1951 and Kiehl's products were brought along the Mount Everest Expedition in the 1988. The presentation highlighted Kiehl's new product: Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution. This solution clarifies uneven skin tone involving dark spots, UV exposure, and hyperpigmention. I was told it helps with my redness due to scarring from pimples. This solution contains extracts of white birch, peony and activated C complexes.

The yummy snack table

The cheese platter was my favorite. The cheese that has the funny veins tasted really good.

The asian rice wraps with peanut sauce.

Smoked salmon goodness.

Each of us had a specific appointment time with a consultant to determine our beauty needs. An oil test was performed on my forehead and cheeks to figure out what type of skin type I had. I thought I was oily but I guess I was normal.

Kiehl's products contain Squalane

I tried their 3 step (face wash, toner and moisturizer) regime for normal skin, their sunscreen face moisturizer, clearly corrective dark spot solution, lip balms, eye creams.... you name it.

In the end, I bought 2 items that I really needed: Lip Balm #1 and Midnight Recovery Eye Cream.

Kiehls was generous to give us all a pretty tin box that contained a full size of the Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution and a sample of the Midnight Recovery Concentrate serum... along with other goodies to try!

I am very excited to incorporate these items into my beauty routine and I will review the products after a few weeks of constant use.

I would like to thank Kiehl's for having us and putting on this fun event.

My first Alexander McQueen silk scarf

I saw this beautiful coral Alexander McQueen silk scarf with cream skull on another blogger's (Ella Pretty) Valentine's Day post. I thought the coral colour was amazing! It was something I would wear even though I'm not a very "girly colour" person. I was talking to one of my friends on Facebook and she told me she got the exact same colour Alexander McQueen scarf and that she loves it. She told me that there was only a few remaining at Holt Renfrew. So I got it put on hold.

It was a Friday. I was having a pretty crummy week lately. Things weren't going my way. So I thought that in the end, I didn't deserve this scarf (I know, I have a weird thought process). So I went to Holt Renfrew to be considerate and with the mindset of telling them I won't get the scarf. But then, I saw it in person. Holy moly the colour was beautiful. It was a bright saturated coral colour with light cream skulls. I smiled at it and thought, how could I pass this up? and then I bought it. It was $325 before tax in case any of you want to buy one.

Even though the black with white skulls and the white with black skulls are classic colours. For some reason, I just didn't want those colour combinations. So, I put myself on the waitlist for the navy scarf with the rust skulls. After that, I think I'm done because the navy will be my winter/fall scarf and the coral one will be my spring/summer scarf.

Here is an outfit that I wore to work on this sunny day

Wilfred cardigan, T. Babaton tank and pants, Zara flats, and Alexander McQueen silk scarf

When I bought the scarf, they didn't offer me a box. I wanted a box for storage purposes so I went to the women's clothing department and they were happy to give me one. Yay!

In natural light, the camera makes it look lighter than it is.

In indoor lighting at night, the camera makes it look more orangey.

It's hard to capture the true colour but it's a beautiful salmon coral colour (like in this last photo, the area of the scarf closest to my neck is the true colour)

YSL arty oval ring in Love Pink

I bought this beauty at the Holt Renfrew gift card event on February 10, 2012 - where you spend $250 get a $25 gift card, spend $500 get a $50 gift card, spend $750 get a $75 gift card and spend $1000 get a $100 gift card. I know this promotion isn't the best but it's good if you wanted something regardless and the gift card is a bonus. It excludes your typical brands like Chanel, LV, Hermes, Dior, Prada, Louboutin, and etc. YSL was included - yay!

So I visited Holt Renfrew before I had to volunteer. Then I saw it..the last YSL arty ring, in my size in the special edition hot pink stone for Valentine's Day with the word "love" engraved at the back. This ring was sold out on the official YSL website and I emailed them if they were getting more but they said they were not. This encounter was fate so I bought the ring. Holt Renfrew's YSL ring shipments are so sporadic. This was their second shipment. I saw the first shipment but didn't like any of the colours.

It comes with a hot pink satin pouch since it's a special edition. The regular YSL arty rings come in a white fabric pouch.

It says "love" in cursive writing on the back

The care instructions. YSL will replace the ring if the hardware is damaged. But if you damage the stone then it's game over.

The ring was $265 CAD. It retails for $250 USD. I am in love with the hot pink stone. The stone is super detailed. The sizing is fairly true to size. I bought it in my normal ring size, size 7. However, it is a tad on the looser side when it's on my ring finger - that's okay because when my fingers heat it up expands and creates friction so it won't come off as easily. I don't dare try to shove it on my middle finger in case it gets stuck.

Will I get another YSL arty ring? Probably. Help me pick between the two blue ones!

Either in lapis (deep blue) or the new light blue (deep and light blue speckles). I'm leaning towards the latter because I get the best of both worlds (light blue and deep blue) in one ring. Also, the speckled stone looks different, texture wise) than my love pink one whereas the lapis stone has almost the same texture as the love pink.

YSL arty oval ring in light blue from Saks Fifth Avenue.

YSL arty oval ring in lapis (picture credit to http://blewberriwaffles.files.wordpress.com) and you can buy it on the Saks website

World Music and Fashion Festival Launch Party

I had the lovely experience of attending this PR event for WMFF with ohsovonnie, EmicablyYours, Just J and our plus ones. This event was held by Empress Communications at the new and trendy 0755 Restuarant and Lounge in Richmond (in the Pearl Castle complex area).

Vonnie, Emi and I at the media seats waiting for the fashion show to start

I managed to snap a few photos of my outfit before I started my early day with errands and volunteering. I initially wanted to wear new blue suede pumps to complete my primary colour look. But the pressure from a new snug shoe, rubbing against my deep healing cut, was still unbearable. So I stick with low 3 inch heels and taped a moleskin to the back of my heel.

Love Culture jacket, Forever 21 tank, T. Babaton Elliot skinny pants, Aldo pumps, and Chanel camellia WOC.

During this event, we listen to a band play, mingled, watched some videos about Shanghai Fashion Week, watched a fashion show by Orange NYC and indulged in some complimentary appys (melon balls with proschitto was my favorite), prosecco and tequila. Empress Communications is a PR, Marketing and Event management firm that establishes social and business relationships between China and Northern America. 0755 Restuarant and Lounge is a nice surprise in Richmond. It satisfies the niche, for Richmond residents, of a hip lounge if one doesn't want to drive all the way to Vancouver downtown for drinks. The restaurant's food is a fusion between Western and Asian cuisine - we had some frog legs here (tastes like chicken!).

The beautiful wall was the back drop for the band

Looking at the other dining area from the upper VIP level

There were sumos and buddhas everywhere!

Gimlet and Old Fashion. Our signature drinks.

Iconic people on our chopstick sheaths. No idea who the guy is.

I had such a great night with you girls!

It looks like we were in the middle of talking about something important but we were figuring out where to throw away our shrimp skewers haha!

The band practicing

The fashion show displayed a lot of crochet material and tulle

The 3 of us had to ninja our way to the cameramen area because we had a hard time photographing the models at the media seats.

It was neat how crochet was used for formal outfits.

I really like this entire look.

After the event, we went to Flo for some bubble tea and ice cream toast box (it was my first time!). Then we sang karaoke into the wee hours. Mine and ohsovonnie's plus ones got along real well and it was a fun night with great company.

Matcha ice cream and red bean toast box

Strawberry banana and condensed milk toast box

Valentine's Day Outfits

Valentine's Day is right around the corner. What are you ladies doing with your man? For me, I'm going to have a low key Valentine's Day. He will probably cook dinner (a typical day for us anyways) and I will surprise him with mini cheesecakes (I never bake, let's see how this will turn out) and we will probably just bum around (a typical day for us as well). I found this recipe for swirl raspberry cheesecake cupcakes here. Also, if any of you know my boyfriend, please don't tell him about my cheesecake surprise. I know he doesn't give a care to come read my blog so I am safe on my part.

But, if I was to go out for something nice on Valentine's Day. I would probably wear one of these 3 outfits I put together.

1) ASOS lace skater dress with long fitted sleeves, ASOS slot through portfolio clutch, and ALDO Hipp pumps

2) ASOS petite exclusive long sleeve belted wrap front dress, ASOS slot through portfolio clutch and ALDO Samella sandals

3) ASOS skater dress in lace, ASOS slot through envelope clutch and Christian Louboutin Pigalle patent pump

ASOS is having a promo this week just FYI. Type the promo code in capital letters. From my experience for shipping with ASOS. I found that if I sent an item (priced up to $40CAD) to my house in Canada, I found that I didn't get charged duty and tax. However, one time I bought a dress worth $80CAD and shipped it to my house. I had to pay $30 on top of that.

The best thing is to split your transactions so they each are under $40CAD if you want them to be sent to Canada. Or ship it to Point Roberts, WA to TSB or The Letter Carrier if your items are going to be higher than $40CAD (I'd still split my transactions regardless) and see what happens.

I love these 3 dresses and the turquoise clutch, so I will be buying them soon in preparation for future events and my friend's wedding. I'm going to an social media event for the World Music Fashion Festival on Friday so I'm super excited. However, I'm not that excited for my outfit to that event because I ripped off a deep chunk of skin on the bendy part of my heel on Monday so it limits my shoe choices. It even hurts to walk in flats..

Anyways, how are you spending your Valentine's Day?

Review: Unite Eurotherapy hair products

Maddyloves got in touch with the representatives of Unite Eurotherapy and they kindly sent a few bloggers some hair products to test out and review. Unite Eurotherapy products are vegan, light weight products that are free of parabens and sulfates. I've been using these products for one month now so I feel like I can give some thorough feedback on these products.

The three hair products I received were (from left to right): the Expanda Volume Root Energizer, 7 Seconds Condition Leave In Detangler and the Expanda Dust Volumizing Powder.

1) Unite Expanda Volume Root Energizer

On the bottle it says that it lifts and supports from the root to create volume to the hair - even for the finest of hair. The product is in the form of a foam. The directions are: with damp hair, shake well and spray 5-6 inches away from the root moving 1-2 inches up the hair shaft. Sold at Unite for $27.50.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed using this product. The smell is pleasant (crisp and fresh), not sticky, and light. After spraying on the foam, I blow dry my hair upside down. My hair was fuller at the crown. I even got complimented on my voluminous hair one day from a stranger when I was shopping Downtown. However, I felt like the product's voluminzing effects wore off during the day as I was out and about running errands. Nevertheless, this was my favorite product out of the three I received. I'd give this a 4/5.

2) Unite 7 Seconds Condition Leave In Detangler

On the bottle it says that within 7 seconds, your hair will be tangle free and feel nourished with protein and moisturizers. It says that it seals the cuticle and protects your hair from heat - perfect for chemically treated hair. Directions are: after washing your hair with shampoo and conditioner, spray the detangler onto damp hair and comb through then style your hair (with more products but in this case, I usually blow dry my hair). Sold at Unite for $26.25.

My thoughts: It is a great leave in conditioner. It left my hair feeling really soft after I blow dried it. It has the same pleasant smell (crisp and fresh) and it did not leave a sticky or heavy feeling in my hair. However, it didn't really detangle my massive knots that formed at the back of my head after a day worth of running around town (stupid wind and stupid thick/long hair I have). It did detangle smaller knots though. I'd give this a 4.75/5.

3) Unite Expanda Dust Volumizing Powder

On the bottle it says the powder adds volume and texture to your hair. It adds that a little goes a long way. The directions are: lightly sprinkle onto the roots for added texture.

My thoughts: Okay? And then what? So I used common sense and used my fingers to comb upwards through the roots of my hair to create some volume. It definitely added texture to my hair. The white powder disappears on my roots when I fluff up my hair and the roots feel stiffer due to the starch from the powder. It gave my hair some volume as well. I suggest sprinkling the powder under the hair of the intended area for texture and volume instead of right on top of the hair - I found this way gave my hair more volume if the "stiffer hair or powdered hair" was at the base. This product was the most interesting because I have never used any powdered products in my hair before. I would give this a 3.5/5. Sold at Unite for $26.25.

Dine Out Vancouver 2012: Sanafir

I went to Sanafir with my girl friends for Dine Out Vancouver. The food was alright and the set dinner was for $18. We sadly didn't get a chance to sit on the beds or the lower tables in the VIP room but I had a great time nonetheless with my friends.

Excuse my pour attempt to smile in this photo, it was a long night.

Wilfred Jolie blouse (similar), Wilfred cardigan, ASOS bow suspender tights (similar), Forever 21 skort (similar) and Zara booties (similar).

Yes, I know I have too many variations of suspender tights. I'm still not sick of them yet! These bow ones are super cute. They have bows on the back as well. The skort I'm wearing looks like a black pleated accordion skirt. I initially wore flats with this outfit but they got wet out in the rain.

My attempt at making it a vintage photo.

Shrimp on a bed of cous cous salad.

Butter chicken on basmati rice with a side order of naan (that was really not needed after all)

Dessert amongst 7 girls. English cream sauce, two cinnamon syrup dough balls and two pieces of chocolate bark with nuts was dessert for one person. The balls were good. The chocolate bark was okay.

After dinner, my adventure of surprising a birthday boy couple hours before midnight turned out to be a disaster. Put all these together: driving in a city I barely go to, in the dark, alone, in heavy rain, without a real time GPS (Blackberry Maps sucks!) and with an ice cream cake = a lost Kerri lead to an angry and frustrated Kerri. I didn't even want to go to this strangers house to begin with!

But my goal (and my other friend's goal) was to surprise my good friend moments before the clock struck midnight for his real birthday. We wanted to do this for him because "we are the three best friends that anyone could ever have" - haha queue in that phrase/song from the Hangover movie. We are a trio. Three circles of friends may have overlapped recently but it cannot change the fact that it started with us three: M, N and K.

... and that type of friendship takes priority over regular friendships. In the end, it was worth all that frustration and hassle. Plus, the ice cream cake did not turn into a liquid and was still in a solid state yay!