Londonlicious 2014: Winter Edition

Hi everyone!

I went out for Londonlicious with my best friend, Kate on Thursday for the third time in a row. We, also, went to see Akira at the Digital Film Festival and it was quite interesting. I can see how it is an anime classic. Enough about that, let's get back to the food! The whole premise of Londonlicious is to try the upper scale restaurants in London, Ontario. There is a set menu that you can choose an appetizer, entree, and dessert of your choice for either $25, $30, or $35 (depending on the original pricing of the restaurant). I have gone to this for the three years; once in the winter and once in the summer as it happens twice a year. I have always been impressed with the meals that I have had and would recommend to try it at least once.

This year I went to Crave which was in the $30 tier. I had a Caesar salad, top sirloin and sauteed shrimp, and caramel and Bailey's creme brule. The Caesar salad was good as most Caesar salad go. It was a smaller portion which I liked because I don't like having too big of an appetizer salad. The top sirloin and sauteed shrimp were pretty delicious. I was a little turned off because I normally eat my steak medium-well to well done and I was advised to have this done medium. But this is merely my personal preference. The stand out of that meal was DEFINITELY the mashed potatoes. Holy shit, were they good! They were the pureed kind and had some type of seasoning in them but I can't figure out what it was. The real star of the entire meal was the creme brule. I had never had it before and I was pleasantly surprised! It was smooth and not too sweet which, for me, can make or break a dessert (I'm not one to have a sweet tooth). Overall, I'd say that dinner was delicious. Service was a little slow but our waiter made sure our drinks were refilled and that our food was to our liking.

If you're hankering for some fancy-ish type cuisine, definitely give Crave a shot! (www.craverestaurant.ca) I peeped the regular menu and it is quite pricey (entrees averaged around $30). If you want to treat yourself and splurge or just wait until the summer edition of Londonlicious happens.

Hope you all liked my first non-beauty/fashion related post! 

Rachel xo

I'm Baaack!

Well hi there!

I'm baaaaaaack! I did a bad thing and completely abandoned this blog sometime last year. It wasn't because I didn't want to blog, I just had a lot going on. Second year of university kicked my ass and I had no time at all to post or update here. When summer rolled around, I had planned to get back into it but, as summer usually does, it carried me away and I forgot all about blog posts I had intended on writing. So, here I am and ready to blog!

What have I been up to? Well, I finished up second year of university with relatively good grades which I am proud of since it was the hardest year of my life thus far. I spent the majority of my summer working and travelling. I went to Toronto a couple of times, went to Montreal for Osheaga Music Festival, and went to the States for a couple of days. I've managed to keep my depression at bay which I am extremely proud of. I still struggle with anxiety on a daily basis but I have methods now that I use to keep it from getting the best of me. 

Currently, I am in my third year of university. I had a pretty rough first semester since it was all film courses but this semester is a little less heavy (hence why I'm back here!). I dyed my hair hot pink back in September and have had it ever since. I'm still working as a cosmetician and experienced my first Christmas in retail which was absolutely CRAZY. But I survived! 

As you may have noticed, I changed the title of my blog. I did this because I want this to be a place where I can write about anything and not just fashion and beauty. I will definitely be posting about those still but I wanted to add in more lifestyle bits like trips, concerts, and restaurants. I, also, wanted feminism to be an aspect of this blog. I feel that it's important for women and men to learn about gender equality in a number of different ways and I want to help others learn and understand that.

Anyways, that's all from me here! Thanks for sticking with me (and if you're new, thanks for reading!) and I promise I will try my hardest to post as often as I can. I have a few ideas for posts already and I just need to get them organized. Can't wait to start fresh!

Rachel xo

Outfit of the Day & Haul: Toronto Edition

Happy Monday everyone! Yesterday, I went to Toronto for the day because I went to see Ellie Goulding in concert. If you don't know who Ellie Goulding is, she is a synth-pop singer from the UK who recently released her sophomore album, Halycon last week. She recently has become "big" in North America with her song, "Lights". I definitely recommend giving her a listen. 

Anyway, the concert was amazing. Nightbox (one of my favourite bands) opened for her and they definitely amped up the crowd before Ellie came on. Ellie, herself, knows how to perform and give a great show. She was fabulous and I'm really happy I went. Unfortunately, I have only crappy pictures of the show that I took on my Blackberry because I was not allowed to bring in my camera since it was considered "professional".

But before the concert happened, I spent the day with my three friends in Toronto. My goal was to hit up Queen Street since I never get a chance to check it out whenever I go because I usually just go to the Eaton Center, but this time I got to go! I didn't really find anything that I was willing to buy (mostly because I had spent enough already) but I was happy I went to check it out because I fell in love with the area, itself. 

My outfit for the day

Jacket: Forever 21, Skull Back Top: Brandy Melville, Disco Pants: American Apparel

Combat Boots: Globo Shoes

Bowler Hat: Urban Outfitters

Now let's get on with the haul! I had made a trip to Toronto in the summer with my parents and I saw that Topshop and Topman were being sold at The Bay. Then, I heard that they were expanding the brands into whole sections of the store and as luck would have, the expansion was done a week before my day-trip and I got to check out the new Topshop and Topman areas. The design of the store gives off this really hip and cool vibe and the clothes definitely match. Also, the employees are very helpful and friendly. I spoke with two employees, one said I had the "Topshop look" which basically made my entire day and the other just talked to my friend and I and asked how our experience was. Overall, a very good experience that ended in myself purchasing two items (how could I not?). 

Jersey dress $46

Jersey high low top $26

My next purchases were from MAC. I've been on a search for a darker, almost black, red lipstick because I'm really into the vampy look for fall/winter and I knew MAC would be able to help me. The girl who helped me was amazing. She knew exactly what I was looking for and even showed me a few tips and tricks to perfect the vampy lip look. 

Satin Lipstick in Media

Prep+Prime for Lips

Lip Pencil in Nightmoth

Thanks, again, for checking out my blog! I really appreciate it and I love reading the comments you guys leave for me! Don't forget, you can follow me on Twitter and Tumblr! 

Rachel xo