All posts filed under: Geekiviews

Leaves of Trees Deodorant

geekiviews: Leaves of Trees Deodorant (It’s the Best!)

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I figured that short lasting and under-performing was status quo in the natural deodorant world. I tried different brands and delivery methods over the years. eventually I learned that I didn’t have much of a choice and gave up searching. Then I stumbled on the holy grail when introduced to Leaves of Trees deodorant. Leaves of Trees is a luxury skincare line based in Toronto that uses all organic products. Brand founder, Roohi Qureshi, MD uses her extensive background medicine and chemical engineering to choose the best natural fair-trade ingredients that produce healing benefits. Leaves of Trees products are formulated using a base of the highest quality unrefined argan oil sourced from a woman’s cooperative in Morocco. The argan nuts are crushed and then cold pressed by hand which results in a higher concentration of antioxidants which prevent and repair skin damage caused by free radicals. All products are handmade in small batches at the Leaves of Trees Flagship store at 177 Queen Street East. Products are free of artificial fragrances, colours and preservatives. I …

Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer by Marc Jacobs Beauty

geekiviews: Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer by Marc Jacobs Beauty

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Marc Jacobs announced a beauty line earlier this year and the reaction was pretty massive. As a teaser, the press release included photos of of the packaging design. I was in love already. The design was so compelling. Black and silver dominated the packaging that played with long lines and curves. The design was simple but managed to capture a distinct, expensive look of its own. It didn’t matter what the product was like I would be buying some nail polish and mascara. Marc Jacobs and Sephora are both owned by LVMH. Marc Jacobs Beauty is a collaboration between the designer and Sephora Originals, the company’s private label. This is first foray into cosmetic collaborations with designers from the LVMH family. Originals produced lines for Hello Kitty and a few smaller designers previously. So fast forward to September and the collection is in Sephora stores. I’m on a mission to buy the Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer by Marc Jacobs Beauty. I spend an agonizing time figuring out which colours to buy. The selection of colours …

geekiviews: Sodastream

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Believe the hype. The Sodastream is an amazing kitchen appliance. The Sodastream system allows you to carbonate plain old tap water at home. Pair this carbonated water with many of the different flavours of sodamix and you have an alternative to buying pre-packaged bottled and cans. Most Sodastream systems carbonates tap water without electricity or batteries. It uses an exchangeable CO2 carbonator that can be refilled with beverage-grade CO2 drawn from the air. The company also makes flavoured syrups so you can make your own drinks like cola, root beer and even tonic. The flavours have less calories and carbs than traditional sode and the major bonus of no awful aspartame and high-fructose corn syrup. Weeks before I got my hands on a Sodastream system I heard nothing but praise. “It’s a game changer” is something I’ve heard from more than one person when describing the Sodastream. These incredible endorsements from people I trust peaked my interest, perhaps I should invest in a Sodastream. I love pop and my local convenience store can attest to …

geekiviews: Tickled Pink Foundation Garment by Saxton Chayse

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Foundation garments are a staple in my wardrobe. The use slips, camisole and tshirts are a common practice in my fashion world. I’ve added a new must have item to my foundational garment roster, the Tickled Pink undershirt. It’s the perfect garment as it works as an undershirt and prevents sweat marks and pit stains without resorting to using those underarm adhesive pads. Saxton Chayse sent me a Tickled Pink undershirt to test drive last summer. It wasn’t something that I thought of using during that season so I didn’t look at it until the fall. I was in love after our first outing, it was a miracle worker. I tend to sweat a lot and avoid wearing long sleeves some days because of embarrassing sweat stains. With Tickled Pink I no longer worry about it because of the triple layered pad sewn into the armpits. It’s not bulky which surprised me as that was one of my initial concerns. The deep v neckline and short sleeves accommodates all kinds of outfits. The synthetic fabric …

geekiviews: Microsoft SurfaceRT

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I’m a Microsoft Girl. It’s not sexy and probably not cool but Windows is my operating system of choice since the DOS days. Now while I might be a windows junkie, I’m also very, very slow to adopt new versions. I ran Windows 2k and XP till the bitter end. I skipped everything in between XP and 7 and only reluctantly started using Windows 7 when it came pre-installed on a Dell laptop. So just as I’m getting comfortable with 7 here comes Windows 8. My aversion was at high alert again. I read about how differences in the OS, including the moaning of the missing Start button. I started thinking about how long I could put off upgrading again. The Start button is life on a Windows platform. A constant reassuring feature that every Windows user understands. Now that I’ve tried a flavour of Windows 8 I don’t have the same extreme aversion I used too. I got over myself a bit. I don’t do well touch devices. I’m a staunch Blackberry lover. I …

geekiviews: MARNI Fragrance

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Way back in November I sat down with Trudi Loren who is the Vice President, Corporate Fragrance Development at Estèe Lauder Companies. She was in Toronto to introduce Marni’s first fragrance to members of the press. I’m a big fan of Marni and head designer Consuelo Castiglioni. I see her clothing in person at Holt Renfrew and I find myself coveting everything. I wanted to know if she could translate that feeling to a fragrance. Marni isn’t stereotypical feminine either, how would that translate into scent. Trudi starts with the origins of the fragrance. Consuelo had specific ideas for the fragrance when she met with Estèe Lauder perfumers. They tweaked her custom fragrance after numerous design cycles using their knowledge to take the fragrance to market and still be true to Consuelo vision of Marni. She was very involved in every step of the design process, treating it like editing a collection. The starting point was typically material: it was woods and spices and the incense that Consuelo wanted, somehow reminiscent the woody landscapes of …

geekiviews: Guerlain La Laque Couleur Nail Polish

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Guerlain is introducing a new permanent nail polish collection to its makeup line up. The collection features 10 shades as well as a Gel Top Coat and protective base. Gel top coats are going to be the next rage in the nail polish world. They claim to give a similar finish to a gel manicure without the need of the potentially cancer-causing UV lamps. What makes a gel top coat different is that it contains polymers or epoxy resin that provides the coverage, protection and finish. Julep, Deborah Lippman and Dior all have gel top coat products on the market. At the preview, I got to see the nail polish in person and I indulged in a mini manicure. Guerlain impressed me. The polish is very opaque and there was 95% coverage in the first coat. I love that Guerlain has the wide and flat brush design like Dior’s nail polish. The wide brush makes applying polish so quick and easy. Some people prefer a thinner brush but I’d love all my polish brushes to …

Run, Don’t Walk to Roger Vivier: Process to Perfection at the Bata Shoe Museum

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The Roger Vivier exhibit at The Bata Shoe Museum is coming to a close and if you’ve been putting off going you need to stop now. April 7, 2013 is the last day you can check out the work of this master shoemaker. I finally got off my ass and took in the exhibit this week. Roger Vivier’s work is of exceptional beauty and technical design. He invented so many of the classic shoe styles some of which are as popular as ever more than 50 years later. Roger pushed shoe design to new levels with his creative and technical sides. Vivier perfected the modern stiletto in 1954. He never used the term stiletto but aiguille (needle heel). The Choc heel which looks like a concave stiletto came along in 1959. My favourite pair of the exhibit are a Choc heel and pictured above. Roger also debuted the Tibet heel in 1959. It’s shaped like a small inverted pyramid. The Polichinelle heel followed, it has a low hourglass-shaped heel. In 1962 he introduced another heel …

geekiviews: Layla Hologram Effect Nail Polish

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I’m in love with Layla Cosmetics Nail Polish. It’s a 60 year old Italian company whose founder is responsible for bring nail polish to Italy in the 30s. I’ve tried a couple Holo like polishes but the Layla polish really delivers the perfect Holographic effect. I haven’t tried Nfu Oh yet but I’ve heard it’s good too. I purchased the charcoal/dark grey holographic called Flash Black. I figured I should get a neutral looking one to start. I really love the colour. Layla says you don’t need a base coat for this polish and that buffing your nails before application should be ok. Holographic polishes have a notorious reputation of being hard to apply so I purchased the Nfu Oh holographic base coat. It worked really well and suggest buying it when using these types of polishes. The application was very easy but I allowed more time to dry between coats. You have to allow the base coat to dry completely first for best coverage. The photo shows two coats but I’d use three for …

geekiviews: Shoe Innovations: A Visual Celebration of 60 Styles

geekiviews: Shoe Innovations: A Visual Celebration of 60 Styles

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Firefly Books contacted me about a new fashion book called Shoe Innovations: A Visual Celebration of 60 Styles: by Caroline Cox. They also provided me with a copy for this review. Shoe Innovations is visual guide to the 60 most iconic shoe designs from the 20th and 21th centuries. Caroline Cox adds important social, historical and cultural context to the shoes in addition to the stunning photography and sketches. This is not just a picture book, Caroline provides meaty descriptions of each design. It’s a perfect reference to modern shoe design that can be read from cover to cover or picked up for reference. There are numerous photos of the shoes from the historical to modern. Shoe Innovations was published in August 2012 so it’s pretty current. I am very impressed with this book. It’s a great reference and guide that provides historical, designer, celebrity and cultural background to each style. It’s also a perfect size for a reference book. You can view some sample pages on the Firefly Books website. It can fit into …