Fancy Pants (and new handbag!)

I recently sold two of my Alexander Wang bags, the Kirsten and the Rocco, and purchased the Balenciaga Classic City (below). It's been used so many times already that I have no regrets! I'm on the hunt for another Balenciaga bag in different style and colour. You guys will be updated once I find my dream one. ; ) My love for AW bags still exists, so the Rockie bag is also on my list.

Printed pants c/o Sheinside | StyleMint Armstrong blouse

Daniel Wellington Classic Sheffield watch | Balenciaga Classic City | Zara Mid-Court heels

I always thought printed pants weren't for me, but here I am wearing them! This pair isn't too bad as they're white, which makes them less difficult to wear. The pants were originally too wide, but I threw them in the washer & dryer and now they fit very slim. Magic. : )

Dining in Montréal & Québec City

This post has been in the back of my mind for a while, but I never got around to resizing the photos. We  (boyfriend & two friends) went to Québec in mid-April and took hundreds of photos within a five day span, but I decided to just share the eats (and mini reviews) with you.

Restaurant: La Banquise
This place is open 24 hours and is well-known for their poutine. They currently have 30 flavours on their menu and we only had three that night. On the left are La Classique (regular poutine with cheese & gravy) and L'Abreuvoir (regular with pogo sticks added). La Mexicaine (right) was my favourite. It has peppers, tomatoes, and black olives. Be prepared for a longgggg line during peak hours. We waited for 45 minutes in the freezing cold, but the wait was well worth it.

Restaurant: L'Avenue
With a 4.5 star rating on Yelp, this place is a must-have for breakfast/brunch. The portions were large and did not disappoint. I think each of our dishes came with a plate of fruits and potato wedges. I had the Western omelette and the photo above is eggs Benedict with pulled pork.

P.S. Their washrooms are sick.

Restaurant: Garde Manger
Garde Manger is owned by Canadian celebrity chef, Chuck Hughes. Their menu is constantly changing, but their infamous lobster poutine is a classic. I love lobster and I love poutine, but unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this dish as much as I thought I would. The staff are extremely friendly and are fluent in both French and English. They take reservations only, so be sure to call a few days in advance.

Restaurant: Schwartz's (top menu is in French; bottom is in English)

We couldn't visit Montreal without going to Schwartz's, Canada's oldest deli. We came here with a vegetarian friend (big mistake. Sorry, Els!) and there really wasn't anything for her to order except a pickle and coleslaw. I myself don't eat a lot of meat, so I wasn't the biggest fan of the smoked meat sandwich (above). The meat was good (ordered medium fat), but I wasn't able to finish it. If you're a meat fan though, I recommend this place! (Here's another photo.)

Restaurant: Mike's (left)
Mike's, an Italian chain restaurant in Quebec, has a great menu with a lot to choose from. The lobster sliders were really, really good. I wish we had Mike's in Ontario!

Restaurant: Maple Delights (right)
We randomly stopped at this bistro to have gelato (soo good.) and I came back the next day to buy their macarons. We had vanilla, pistachio, maple, salted caramel, coffee, and chocolate. (And yes, that's Monopoly Deal Millionaire in the background!)

Restaurant: Scores
Scores is another Quebec chain that I wish we had in Ontario. I'm a big fan of their all-you-can-eat soup, salad, & fruit bar. The kids Our friends bought us the Everest Brownie because it was my boyfriend & I's four year anniversary. So sweet of them. :')

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You don't have to worry about speaking French in Montreal because most people are able to speak English there. On the other hand, there are fewer English-speaking people in Quebec City, so I suggest sticking to the tourist areas there. If you have any questions about the restaurants I mentioned above, please comment below and I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability! : )

Hope this post didn't make you hungry! ; )

Maxi Dress Remix

I purchased this maxi dress last July and even though I've worn it a lot of times already, I don't think it made it to the blog once. The dress is almost always worn the same way, which can get boring for most since it's just a plain black dress.

House of Harlow 1960 Station Leather Necklace | Levi's denim shirt (similar)

Old Navy maxi dress (US site; CAN site) | Rebecca Minkoff Mini M.A.C. in Lavender | Dolce Vita Cybele sandals

Excuse the maxi dress wrinkles. I rolled it up and stuffed it in my Longchamp Planete tote while I stayed over at my boyfriend's house during the weekend.

While my "new" method of wearing this maxi dress is by no means revolutionary or original, I'm happy that this particular dress is basic enough for me to experiment different ways of wearing it. If you have any maxi dress styling tips, please share them below!

How to Keep Your Skin Matte All Day

And how to prevent bangs from sticking to your forehead...

Every couple of years or so, I go through a "bangs phase" where I get bored of my hair and just cut bangs straight across my forehead. I cut them in the winter to avoid sweat and stickiness, but I couldn't resist having them this spring/summer. A common problem with having a fringe is oiliness of the forehead and/or bangs, which causes hair to stick to your forehead. (Unattractive.)

This can happen due to a number of reasons including:

1. Sweat
2. A naturally oily forehead or oily hair
3. Constant touching of the bangs with dirty or oily hands

Nail Polish Canada recently contacted me to do a Dermablend product review and I chose the Setting Powder (Translucent) to try out. I occasionally use E.L.F.'s Clarifying Pressed Powder to keep a matte face, but they don't come in a translucent shade. There are days when I apply BB cream and want to mattify my face with a transparent powder and the Dermablend Setting Powder was perfect for the job.

After applying my face makeup, I would apply the powder and then continue with eye makeup, blush, etc. Since I have frontal bangs now, I pat extra powder on my forehead to prevent my bangs from sticking. The Dermablend Setting Powder works extremely well and lasts all day whereas I would usually reapply 1-2 times a day with E.L.F.s pressed powder.

I've only tried the setting powder, but I've read a lot of great reviews about Dermablend products. I mean, have you seen this video?

I don't wear foundation, but if I wanted to, Dermablend would be at the top of my list based on the video above. Their foundation covers everything from scars to acne to stretch marks and it isn't limited to the face. You can get the full line of Dermablend products here.

Disclaimer: The Dermablend Setting Powder was gifted to me by Nail Polish Canada for review. All opinions are my own and I do not receive commission.

Just listed some stuff on the blog sale! Click here to check it out. Prices are negotiable.

Maxi Skirt (and how to use Vaseline as mascara)

I received a few questions in my beauty products post about how I apply petroleum jelly onto my lashes. The instructions are written at the bottom of this post. I hope they're easy to follow!

Slit Skirt c/o Oasap | Starbucks tank top via eBay | Dolce Vita Cybele gladiator sandals 

Ray-Ban Meteor sunglasses | Michael Kors Small Layton watch (MK watch sale!)

How to Apply Petroleum Jelly to your Lashes

1. Curl lashes.

2. Warm a small amount petroleum jelly between your thumb & a finger. (I prefer the middle finger.)

3. Use your (middle) finger as a "brush" and simply apply it onto your lashes like your finger is a mascara wand.

4. [optional] If you plan on wearing (sun)glasses that day, I highly recommend brushing black eyeshadow or transparent powder over the petroleum jelly to dry it up. Otherwise, the Vaseline will smear onto your glasses.