Celebrity Me's?

Ok, if you haven't already, you must try this! My Heritage has a celebrity collage maker that uses actual face recognition technology from a photo you upload of yourself and then matches you with celebrities with similar physical attributes.



I've been told I resemble Katie Holmes before, but Cathy Bates?? Wow! Didn't see that one coming. I guess no one has had the balls to lay that one on me yet.

But poor Cathy. It's not her fault that she'll always be Anne Wilkes to me. I'll try to let that one go...

Anyhoo, hours of fun here, people. Check it out!

Where to Go in T.O

What's a gal to do when she moves to a new city and doesn't know a soul who could give her advice on where to find essential women's services and the best shopping locations and deals?

That's the dilemma I faced when I first moved to Toronto from the Prairies 6 years ago. I did loads of discovery by trial and error. I got several bad haircuts, a sliced toe during a nightmare pedicure (where they had the nerve to charge me full price), an esthetician who waxed my eyebrows nearly bald, and a doctor who told me I had cancer based on simply hearing my symptoms without an examination while I sat there fully clothed in my winter jacket bawling my foolish eyes out. (I'm fine, the guy was just nuts!)

Eventually I found a few great places that I wish I'd heard about long ago. For those who are new to the city or looking for a change, here's my list of favorites so far...

Best Facial: Elixir Spa
They use organic products, my skin always looks amazing, no attitude.

Best Waxing: Roza's Esthetics (Bloor West Village)
It's cheap, quick and less painful than anywhere else I've ever been.

Best Haircut: TONI&GUY (Yorkville) & Civello (Queen Street)
My hair is more manageable after I get a cut from either of these salons. I always get compliments after a visit. Civello kicks in a shoulder and neck massage with every cut or color.

Best Doctor (Family): Dr. Christopher Pinto 416-767-2525
He's very kind and takes time to answer all of your questions.

Best Dentist: Dr. Horenfeld 416-364-2444
Incredibly nice guy. There's always Jazz music playing. Great location.

Best Cafes:
B Espresso (Queen Street E) - best lattes, cool Italian cafe
Le Gourmand - The best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had in my life.
Balzacs - Great location in the distillery district, cool ambiance, great coffee.

Favorite restaurants:
Blowfish (Sushi)
Very cool vibe, great presentation, and incredible food. Pricy but worth it.
The Boiler House
Amazing food, great ambiance, and live music on the weekend.
Le Select Bistro
Paris style bistro with cool decor, food and a great prix fixe menu.

I'm still scouring for the best boutiques, but recently visited Body Blue, which has great service and selection, and Montreal based swimwear designer Shan has opened a new store on Avenue Road that I'm dying to check out.

Does anyone out there in web land know of any other boutiques they recommend? My hunt continues...

My Hotlist

Ta-Da!!! I'm so excited to show off our new Hotlist blog integration tool we've been fiddling with. (That spinny thingy on the left).

It will be one of many cool features on ChickAdvisor when we go live! The melodious voice you hear when you click on an item is courtesy of one of our coders, Alex, a.k.a "The Voice" a.k.a Gerald (don't ask). The items on my hotlist are some favorites I chose from our first contest.

Watch in the next few days for another contest coming up, AND the countdown for the live site has begun!

The I Hate Crocs People

It's no secret that I hate Crocs passionately. I think they are the ugliest most unflattering clown shoes I've ever seen in my entire life. I'd originally made a post about it here when they first came out, then pulled it down because I didn't want to offend anyone. But given their increasing popularity it doesn't look like they'll be going away anytime soon and I can no longer keep silent. The visual pollution I am bombarded with every day, the sinking feeling that the rest of the world must be laughing at us all... This must be stopped!

I've felt somewhat alone with these feelings as I stepped on one rubber toe after the next when the subject came up at dinner parties and such. But today I found a website that truly understands how I feel. ihatecrocs.com is a must read for those who feel the same. Read the disagreement section for a good laugh.

I just wish I'd thought of it first...

What's Hot for Fall

Fall is just around the corner (sorry!) and though it's always hard to say good-bye to summer, it also means we're saying hello to gorgeous new clothes and makeup.

I attended Toronto Fashion week this spring and saw a bunch of the fall '06 collections. Though I wasn't able to see all of the shows because of exams, I did get a chance to catch some of my favorites including Andy Thê-Anh, Pink Tartan, Pat McDonagh and David Dixon.

The most popular trend was fur, especially when used as a trim. Skinny jeans, cinched waists, blouses with frill detail and long boots with pants tucked in were biggies as well, and of course tartan made it's usual appearance.

Other trends popping up on the streets and in magazines include patent leather pumps (gorgeous in cherry shades), footless tights, slouchy boots, big hobo bags with grommets like the Marc Jacobs one (eluxury) above, and cropped jackets. Old Navy has some adorable leather slouchy boots for about $40.

Fall makeup puts a heavy emphasis on long thick eyelashes and deep red lips. I recently tried BADgal Lash Mascara by Benefit, which gives the illusion of false eyelashes. The results are really quite dramatic. It made my lashes look about twice as thick and 3 times as long as normal - just like falsies! Since it applies the same as any other mascara you get gorgeous results without the fuss of two-step mascaras or lash glue.

All in all, lots of reasons to love fall this year.

I can't wait to see what's next for spring!

Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson Split!

I don't normally weigh in on celebrity gossip, because I generally like to mind my own beeswax, but today I'm making an exception because I'm so disturbed to hear that Kate Hudson, 27 and Chris Robinson, 39 have split after almost 6 years of marriage.

It's really a shame. I've always liked Kate. She's a great actress, she didn't sell out by getting the Hollywood prerequisite boob job, she married an average looking dude and she vacations in the Muskoka's (which speaks to her good taste by choosing Canada as her vacation destination). That plus I just hate seeing marriages split up - especially when there is a child involved. Their son, Ryder is 2 1/2.

The gossips are speculating monogamy (lack thereof) was the culprit.

The F-List: Your Ticket to Toronto Fashion Week

Think Toronto Fashion Week is just for media, celebrities and fashion insiders? Not anymore! The Fashion Design Council of Canada has recently announced they will allow the public to purchase memberships that will grant them access to Fashion Week, designer discounts and insider info.

All you have to do is sign up for The F-list and they’ll fill you in on the rest. Sweet!

Designer Denim Sale: Toronto

Body Blue Denim Lab is having a huge sale on designer denim including Seven, Citizens of Humanity, Diesel, Fly London, Fidelity, Free People, Mackage, Parasuco, and more. They have about 5 racks full of jeans at crazy low prices. The sale ends this Sunday when Taste of the Danforth is over, so grab a souvlaki and check it out!

201 Danforth Avenue (416-778-7601)


P.S I was there today and it is an adorable little boutique with really decent selection and super helpful staff! Of course I had to fall for something full price: A pair of gorgeous skinny jeans by Citizens of Humanity for $220. Grrr!

But there are plenty of cute options for about $40

ChickAdvisor is Almost Here!

After months of toiling and many late nights, not to mention dozens of batches of cookies for the coders later, ChickAdvisor is officially launching... very VERY soon. And I've got the bad skin and bags under my eyes to prove it. This is also my official excuse for not being able to come up with anything more interesting than disposable underwear for my blog. I'm simply exhausted, and as my 6-year-old niece says, I desperately need a "daycation".

That's why our launch party is going to be a pampering event. A select few fabulous chickies will be invited to our local launch party for an evening of primping and mingling with goodies and martinis.

Now how does one get invited to this fabulous event? We will be posting another contest on www.chickadvisor.com, similar to what we did with redflagdeals in June. By completing the contest, you will automatically be entered to receive an exclusive invite, and, oh ya, we'll be giving more makeup away too.

I'll keep you posted on exact dates...

Panties in a Pinch

What's a girl to do when her luggage gets lost, she forgets to restock her gym bag or, perish forbid, she has an *oopsie at the office during a certain T.O.T.M?

Say hello to these cute little throw away undies I spotted at Shoppers Drug Mart called Tagalongs. They are available in thong or bikini and are discrete enough to carry in your purse since they are individually wrapped and about the size of a tampon.

Not a bad idea.

Polyester is Not My Friend

Why is it so hard to find a decent dress shirt these days? I have a couple of cute ones from RW&Co, but for the longest time I've been looking for some good long and short sleeve options that look professional yet cute, and are made of good quality materials.

I can’t wear anything that doesn't breathe. It has to be at least 100% cotton in order for me to survive the day. Polyester is not my friend. Give me five minutes in a top with the slightest trace of Poly in it and I give you B.O. The same goes for most cheap synthetic fabrics.

This afternoon I had to run a few errands and found myself wandering around the mall (funny how that happens!) and thought I would once again take up the task of searching for my elusive perfect top. I must say I was very disappointed to see that William Shakespeare has taken over designing for Zara. What a load of hideous ruffley polyester creations they had. Woof! I tried one of them on thinking that maybe it was a case of the hanger rule (hideous on the hanger, beautiful on the body), but that was not the case. First my head got stuck halfway through trying to get the thing on. I fought and twisted and spun around and around in the change room like the headless horseman with my arms flailing about. Finally I got the bloody thing on and found the bow at the neck uncomfortably tight. The chest had a circular opening with several rows of ruffles that were most unflattering. I fought again to get the thing off and then decided right there and then that I was done for the day and gave up.

I expect to see some serious improvements over the next month or two as the fall collections are fully flushed out, or I really don't know what I'm going to wear this year!

Skin Tips for Humid Weather

Welcome to August; the stickiest, sweatiest most polluted month of the year. With extreme heat waves and record-breaking smog levels, summer can sometimes lose a bit of its appeal. Sweaty armpits are never attractive, and unfortunately are often accompanied by another sticky-sweaty-polluted-time-of-the-year dilemma: Bad skin, breakouts... Zits. Dun dun dunnn!!! The heat and humidity trap dirt and oil in your pores, which cause ugly breakouts, blackheads and shiny oily skin.

Luckily, I have found a couple of natural easy-peasy solutions that really work.

First of all, always splash your face with cold water whenever you get to your destination. I've found that a quick rinse in the bathroom after being out in the elements really helps keep my pores clean and my skin zit-free.

Second, do a honey and egg mask once a week. About a teaspoon of natural honey and 1 egg white mixed together make a great cleansing mask that makes my skin look amazing. Mix it together and apply on your face using circular motions. Let it dry for about 5 minutes then rinse thoroughly.

I realize this may sound disgusting to some, but it really works! Just resist the temptation to lick it if it gets on your lips (you know, the whole raw egg thing), and avoid getting it in your eyes.

If you have any other skin tips for humid weather, please pass them on!