seeing stripes

i was looking through my recent pins and came to the conclusion that i was seeing stripes. lots of stripes. recent striped purchases to come later this week.

feeling a little like lana

so i have said before i am just slightly obsessed with miss del rey. so you can imagine my reaction when i saw this headpiece in h&m a little while back. i have nowhere to wear it but i sure am fond of it.

xoxo

summer lovely

{via}

let the sun shine xoxo

french pharmacie haul

when i was in paris i knew i wanted to pick up a few french beauty products. after watching this video i was itching to try a few of the items. i decided on these and so far so good....

mini review:

• bioderma crealine: this makeup remover water solution is insanely famous in the beauty world. it is considered the most effective gentle makeup remover on the market and lusted over by several celebrity makeup artists. i have been using face wipes in combination with clinique take off the day makeup remover forever and i was looking for an oil free alternative and so far this h20 non rinse solution is living up to the hype. 
• la roche posay effaclar mat: this pore minimizing moisturizer is divine. unlike many daily moisturizers it does not leave your skin feeling greasy but rather matte and smooth. also the smell is light and flowery which makes applying it even more of a treat. 
• caudalie beauty elixir: boy are people talking about this toner! ever since it was revealed to be one of victoria beckham's beauty secrets, responsible for giving her that effortless red carpet glow, beauty guru's cannot stop raving about it. the scent is minty and fresh and i love a few spritzes of it after i have powdered my face.
• bioderma hydrabio legere: while using this product i felt a little guilty because i felt like i was cheating on my clinique dramatically different moisturizer. but as it turns out i am not ditching my clinique for the bioderma. actually i am not a fan of it at all really. although it is super hydrating for my dry cheeks, it leaves a sticky film on my skin. i probably will not repurchase, however if you need a super nourishing cream every so often, especially for hyper sensitive dry skin, this is a safe bet. 

au revoir mes belles xoxo

hi there computer

getting lost in paris

the sweetest bon voyage card 

making wishes

coming back from england

hi there lovelies. i thought i would do a little update for you all on what i have been doing for the last few weeks that has kept me from my computer...

i came home a couple weeks ago from london and it has been wonderfully quiet ever since. the jet lag has me on the most blissful sleep schedule (falling asleep at approximately 9:30pm after a chapter or two of 50 shades of grey) and i am soaking up all the sun i can get. i dove straight into work last week and am taking it easy in the evening. 

busy catching up on my fave blogs and thought i would say hello.

see you soon

xoxo

bonjour paris

i am sorry but i have put my blog on hold as i have been travelling through europe and today is my third day in paris after five days in roma. it has been gorgeous weather today and because i was here a few years ago, we have been foregoing the quintessential activities and simply perusing the city streets. 

highlights thus far: 

1. lunch at café flore

2. spotting sofia coppola on a bustling parisien sidewalk

3. an afternoon at musée d'orsay

4. dinner at the lourve's café marly 

5. people watching over steak frites in saint germain de prés

fountain fun

the cutest little french girls in venice playing in the fountain absolutely unfazed by the fact that they were nude. loving everything in europe xoxo

snip snaps: italy

i have left venice and have now arrived in the beautiful florence. 

favourite things thus far:

1. buffalo mozzarella 

2. cheap red wine

3. byzantine churches

4. saying ciao

5. nocciola gelato 

disconnected

{how excited am i}

sorry i have been a little disconnected since my arrival, it has been non stop since i arrived in venice last saturday. everyday our itinerary is chock A block full of activities and the little internet time i have is squeezed in after a long day on my feet. i have taken a record breaking 800 or so pictures thus far so hopefully i will let you take a peek at them soon....will reconnect soon xoxo 

i am here

i am here. i am safe. chat soon. 

ciao 

xoxo

so i am off

the time has come and i today is my official last day living in canada and in celebration i am headed off on a month long travelling holiday to italy, france and england. today feels like the day my grown up life is officially beginning. ciao ciao my lovelies i shall write to you from across the pond. 

xoxo

first stop venice...here i come

this week

oh the trauma

boy i tell you this is week is madness with a capital M. friday is approaching quickly and there are all sorts of things for me to pack/buy/sort out before the much anticipated departure date. so please excuse my absence for a wee little while, if anyone wants to know where i will be, i am attempting to pack up my life in 4 suitcases. volunteer help will be accepted. 

do you believe in the quarter life crisis?

hello i'm confused

do you believe in the quarter life crisis? as a recent university graduate i often find myself sort of floating around with that blissful feeling of invincibility. i have a degree, plenty of ambition to do something big and the mindset that it will happen. eventually. and what is that exactly...well that's the minor hiccup. while i am floating around in my little head some people have the audacity to burst my naive bubble and ask the dreaded question thousands of young adults cringe to hear...so what are you going to do with your life? eeek? ummm? ahhh? that is such a profound and personal question to ask just about anyone. i usually put on a smiley face and say well i am still looking around, but deep down, i am just as interested in the answer to that question as the interrogator. the thing is there are just so many bloody options aren't there? i feel like that is such an elitist way to look at things but our generation has, for the most part, been raised to believe that they can do pretty much anything they want to do. my problem is that i want to a little bit of everything. i once read that the average person has at least three major careers in their lifetime. how does one plan for that? can you plan? i think the most obvious thing to do is settle on one area and really critically study what about that industry you like the most. this is as far as i got to narrowing down my options.

career possibilities that ally lewis has pondered over the last year:

• professional student a.k.a masters
• first grade teacher 
• make-up artist (thanks lisa eldridge for making it look oh so glamourous)
• caterer 
• curatorial assistant at the national gallery london or v&a
• social media expert for fashion company
• assistant fashion buyer
• au pair 
• had a moment of insanity and considered law school
• professional blogger
• bridal consultant as a result of saturating myself with multiple episodes of say yes to the dress

all that is missing from that list is an astronaut. oh all the questions that need answering. all that i know for sure at this moment is that i am officially moving to london on august 24th (mini wave), i have an amazing job lined up for the summer after a month in europe and i think instead of worrying about addressing this quarter life crisis fandango, i am just going to go back and be a teenager for the next couple of months. maybe that will help. 

diane von furnstenberg once said "i did not know what i wanted to do but i knew the woman i wanted to be". amen to that dvf.

chambray

{images via}

i have yet to take the chance on this trend but i am such a fan. women who wear chambray well look so chic and effortlessly put together. 

this week over at long distance loving we are putting together chambray looks. i do not have a look necessarily but if i was going to purchase some chambray, i quite like those three above. 

happy long weekend canadians xoxo

p.s if you haven't liked my facebook page you should because you are missing out. just saying

oh no she didn't

jacket and blouse: h&m. jeans and oxfords: uo. bag: longchamp. bow: american apparel
lips: ruby woo

my favourite colours are neutral and i kinda love a pop of red xoxo

spring garden

maxi: h&m. (last seen here) shawl: american apparel. turban and cuff: f21. lips: MAC ruby woo.

secretly i wish i could dress like this most days. 

xoxo

at the moment...

{via}

i would have simply done a post stating "how much do you love this photo?" but i thought i would add a little update for you lovelies (on a serious note i need this book...how ridiculous)

at the moment i am at work. i am taking every shift possible before i embark on my trip to italy next thursday and it is worth every moment of wiping stinky bums and drying up crocodile tears. i can taste the spaghetti on my lips, hear the chattering of italian in the background and smell the produce at the markets. it is so close. 

on another note my travel plans have slightly changed, rather been enhanced, and i am heading off to paris for four or so days after i finish up in rome to see the old boyfriend. i did not mention this earlier but he started a 3 month work placement in the middle east (oh joy) for business and thus will not be in london when i arrive after my trip. so we are making the best of it and meeting up for a long weekend in the city of love. the plan is not to plan and just enjoy the days walking around doing nothing maybe perusing some museums but mostly just keeping it simple. 

ciao xoxo

camel

jacket: old navy. top: f21. maxi skirt, bag and sandals: zara

have a wonderful weekend 

xoxo

the hue: blush

oh blush. oh i love thee. 

do not forget to check out the other boards to see what other colours the ladies are crushing on over at long distance loving this week.

xoxo