NOW Lounge Fails the Latté Factor

Café hopping is one of the few pleasures I have left in life since I became a workaholic. I love the music, the fact that my frothy beverage messes up someone else's hard to clean cappuccino maker instead of my own, and I get to observe people who have a life.

However, if the music is bad or worse, the coffee is bad I start to feel resentful. Like today for instance. I first went to the Bulldog Coffee near campus, which was recommended to me by a fellow student who shared my love of good coffee, but the tiny little place was quite crowded and I didn't want to take up a seat for the 1 1/2 hours I needed. So I went down the street several blocks to NOW Lounge.

At first it all looked good. Lots of space, comfortable seating, nice lighting, but my latté was terrible so I promptly wrote a review about it on C.A, "While I salute NOW Lounge for the free Internet access and comfortable environment/funky music, I spit upon your lattes. For starters, no Lactose-free milk, 2nd, this is the yuckiest latte I've ever had and the barista made it so overflowing, I've already spilled on my jeans. I've been here a few times before but never ordered coffee. I won't order coffee here again..." And so on, and so forth.

I just feel mislead. If you're going to have a cappuccino machine of that caliber behind the counter, the drinks d@mn well better be good!

I knew I should have gone to B Espresso Bar. I'm sorry I strayed!

It won't happen again.

Exam Skin

Exams are just bad for so many reasons...
You eat more, you sleep and excercise less, you rest your chin on your hand and voila! Up pops a new crop of zits you never saw coming. You look like a teenager again, and not in a good way.

Even though this has happened to me without fail every November and April, I still binge on chocolate icecream and sit for hours at my computer with my jaw in hand creating the perfect breeding ground for embarrasing ugly pimples.

I have yet to figure out a solution I can live with. I'm not prepared to give up the chocolate icecream (it's survival ok???) and I've tried to keep my hands off my face but when I'm that tired, it's just not possible.

On the bright side, I plan to go for an oxygen facial at Elixir later in the month (50% off!!) Let's hope that helps!

Anyone have any other suggestions on how to clear up exam skin?

Oh, and BTW, as I'm typing this Cat Woman is playing in the background and I'm so embarrassed for Halle. No wonder she got a Raspberry for that. I blush on her behalf!

How to Stay Chirpy While Raising Funding

1. Pretend those outstanding bills are really fan mail!

2. Ask the staff if you can start paying them in chocolate chip cookies!

3. Imagine every investor who turns you down twirling around in his or her underpants!

4. Offer to write up a really swell review for your landlord in lieu of this month's rent!

5. Spend a little time each day perusing travel sites for exotic places you'll visit when you hit it big.

6. As a Christmas gift to your co-founder, cuddle up 'round the computer and read the blog posts you wrote for each other!

7. Pretend you're famous on the subway. Wear dark sunglasses and try to look important. Who knows? That person staring at you across the car could be one of your unique visitors!

8. Prepare an acceptance speech in front of the mirror. This will come in mighty handy when your site becomes wildly successful and you're getting awards out of the wazoo, but remember to practice pausing in between sentences for the thunderous applause.

Why Aren't Bath & Body Works and Victoria's Secret in Canada?

Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works and all you other American chains who refuse to come to Canada, I have a bone to pick with you.

What's keeping you from gracing us with your presence north of the border? Every time I'm in the U.S I go hog wild in Bath & Body works and for that matter, so do most of my Canadian friends. Victoria's Secret, what's your excuse? Did it ever occur to you that we too would like the opportunity to look like Giselle Bündchen? We plan pajama parties around your catalog so we can buy in bulk, yet after all these years, you still haven't opened a store here.
If Abercrombie + Fitch could do it, so could you! It's hard to pass by their scented stores with half naked models standing in the entrance flexing with their $200 holeseverywherejeans, without thinking fondly of the good 'ole U.S of A. (BTW, is that spectacle supposed to be sexy or funny?) But, I digress.

We Canadian Chicks can't think of a single good reason for you not having stores in Canada. That is, of course unless you're scared. Ooooh! Can't handle a little competition from your compadres La Senza, La Vie En Rose, Fruits and Passion and The Body Shop?

Or maybe it's the weather?

Busted! Misschickie Breaks the Law for a Plate of Brownies

This morning I was running some errands and stopped by my husband's office to drop off his phone that he forgot, and some brownies I made to bribe his coworkers into adding stuff for my website - er, I mean, just for the heck of it.

Because his office doesn't have any parking whatsoever, there was nowhere legal for me to park the car temporarily. I couldn't unlock Alex's treo to call him to come down to the car because I forgot the password and I didn't have my cell phone with me either.

So, I broke the law. I parked in a little mini driveway beside his building that dead-ended at a chain link fence, which was padlocked and didn't look like it'd be opening any time soon. I admit there were signs everywhere that said no parking, but I only needed a minute. I put my hazards on and ran inside.

I was literally inside for 3 minutes but when I came back to the car I was attacked by two furious old ladies. Apparently that chain link fence does open and their car was trying to get out.

"You almost got ticketed and towed away, you know!" The first biddy bellowed.

"That's right", chimed in biddy #2, "We called the Police on you!"

The Police? Whatever happened to the good 'ole parking ticket guy?

I apologized profusely and told them I just ran in to drop something off. "I don't care why you did it!! You had no right to park there! We couldn't get out because of you!"

"The Police are on their way!" shrieked biddy #2.

Okee dokee. Clearly they were not feeling my apology. I got in the car and sped away. I passed 2 policemen on the way home and my heart was racing. Then I realized how ridiculous the whole thing was and laughed all the way home.

I know it was inconsiderate of me to park in a no parking zone, but please. I'm sure the police have better things to do with their time. Such Drama!

I bet those old ladies scolded about it for the rest of the afternoon.

Bigger Profile Pic's + 20 Questions on C.A

When we release new stuff on ChickAdvisor, I'll talk about it here too so that you all know what's going on.

You can now upload a bigger picture of yourself for your profile. People no longer have to squint to see you :) If you've already uploaded a picture previously, you'll have to upload a new one in order for it to be bigger otherwise it would be very fuzzy.

We've also added a fun 20 Questions tab to your profile. You'll have the option of filling this out when you register for ChickAdvisor but if you're already registered you simply go under your profile, click on the 20 Questions tab and fill it out. Here's mine.

For both the picture and the questions, make sure you submit the changes in order to update your profile.

I'm looking forward to seeing what people write!

My Super Secret Up-Coming Show!

I've been working on something that I'm very excited about and I really want to talk about it, but can't really until it's ready.

Let's just say I'm working on a little podcast that has been a dream project of mine for a few months. My first filming was last week and it was a lot of fun.

People act so crazy around cameras. They'll make weird faces, give you bunny ears and hoot as they walk by or come and stand right in the shot and stare into the camera or worse, wave. At one point, this old lady came and stood right beside me while I was doing my opening stand-up and glared into the camera. My crew started laughing hysterically but since I didn't see her I thought it was because I'd done a bad job with my stand up. But when I reviewed the footage and saw her.. hello Baba!

Some random photographer started taking pictures of us. Now try performing with all of that going on. Luckily it didn't bother me too much, I mostly thought it was pretty funny as long as it didn't ruin the shot. You'd think people were used to cameras by now but I guess not.

I'm shooting again on Saturday. Let's hope the weather cooperates!!

My show will be ready some time in November. I'll keep you posted.

Toronto Fashion Week Spring/Summer '07

I had the privilege of attending a few shows last week including my absolute favorite, Andy Thê-Anh, whose collection was gorgeous as usual. I tried to snag an interview with him before the show, but he just looked at me like "who are you?" promised to talk to me later (a polite way of saying bugger off) and then scurried away. It was the nicest brush-off I've ever had. I'm like, "Sounds great, Andy!" like we're old friends or something. He probably just took one look at my cheapie camera, my less than fashionable outfit and went, see ya later.


Ah well, his collection was amazing.
Gorgeous shimmery lace dresses, blouses that ruffled at the elbow, sexy body skimming skirts with a little gathering of ruffles at the back... I wanted every piece. Even the swimwear was to die for, though it would require 24/7 effort at the gym to pull it off. The hair and makeup was stunning. Very French. Thick black eyelashes, black eyeliner, perfect brows and deep red lips.
I love that he has kept the lady in style this season.

We also took in the fun flirty collection from Bustle. Think Lacoste meets Abercrombie + Fitch. The models strutted down a stretch of fake lawn sporting blue tooth, cell phones and ipods with cute tennis skirts, polos and jackets. Fresh crisp colors like white and green were the themes.
The whole experience was fun as usual and I had it filmed by no other than an Emmy award winning Director who spent a season directing the Oprah Winfrey show (yes, for real!!) His name is Dale LoFranco and he helped me out as a personal favor. My knees were literally knocking as I stood out on the runway between shows doing a standup student style in front of this guy. I kept thinking this man has filmed Oprah. Oprah!! (My personal hero and person I would most love to meet). I must have looked like such a fool in comparison. But he's an incredibly nice man. He's an American in Canada with his own company but looking to work locally so he can travel less and help take care of his 2-year-old grand daughter suffering from a rare form of cancer. I was honored to have him helping me and I'm putting together a little piece on Fashion Week that I might just post here (providing my editing skills don't embarrass me too badly).

According to Canadian designers, the bottom line for spring '07 is short short skirts, crisp white or classic black, long thick eyelashes, and show a lot of leg.

I think I'll be spending a little more time at the gym from now on...

Find Your Dream Jeans With Zafu

It's so hard to find the perfect pair of jeans. With so many brands designed for different body types, how do you know which is the best fit for you without trying on 100 pairs? The Jean Team at Zafu.com has the answer.

Using a fun and easy quiz format about your body type, how jeans typically fit you, what kind of style you're looking for and your weight, measurements and preferences, they find a slew of options that will best compliment your figure.

Your personalized results show you a batch of jeans that will best fit you, another batch that will fit you well, and then pages and pages of other options to choose from. They tell you what size you should buy, and link you to stores online where you can buy them.

Sweet! You no longer have to wrestle it out alone in the change room.

We tested it ourselves and were surprised to find that some of their top recommendations were a pair of Citizens (Ava) we'd already tried and fallen in love with, and a few we'd been eyeing. Yup, we’re sold!

If you’re still a scaredy cat of online shopping and live in the Toronto area, try Body Blue Denim Lab for excellent personalized service and selection or Hill Street Blues for buy one get one half off for a huge range of designer brands all the time.

Oh My! What a Dirty Purse You Have!

A friend of mine recently told me something about handbags that every woman should consider. Think about all of the places you plop down your purse: On the kitchen counter, on the floor of a public washroom, in a grocery cart, in a gym change room and if you're a mother, on a restroom diaper change table.

Now how many of you go home and wipe off the bottom of your bag before you put it back in the closet? Not me! While my bags have touched every one of these groady surfaces (and often!), I've never wiped them down and worse; I usually chuck them on the table or counter when I get home. Just think about all of the bacteria that's been collected. Yummy!

Last spring, CBS3.com tested the bacteria found on the bottom of the average bag and the results are horrifying: "We found pseudomonas, staphylococcus aureus, e-coli family and we also found salmonella... Pseudomonas can cause eye infections, staphylococcus aureus can cause serious skin infections and salmonella and e-coli found on the purses can make you very sick."

I'm thinking I'll never put my bag on the floor again!

Oh! And if you think that's gross you'll probably never wear outdoor shoes inside the house ever again either because shoes have it worse.

Calling All Newbies

If you are, or know of, a new company launching something fabulous for women, we want to talk to you.

It could be a brand new nail bar, a new cosmetics or jewelry company or a new restaurant. Whatever it is and wherever it is we want to know about it.

Good stuff to come!

Please contact me at ali (at) chickadvisor.com for more info :)

Britney Spears... Is a Tiger??

Heavy breathing, tiger growling, Britney becoming a tiger. I'm sorry, but when I see something this dumb I have no choice but to make fun of it.

Brit's official website is under construction. I shudder to think how the rest of it will turn out. Perhaps she'll be stalking a gazelle or licking herself... Ummm, I'll just leave it at that.

Who Do You Tip?

It seems everyone in the service industry should be getting a tip these days. This was a big discussion I had recently with a couple of friends and we all came to the same conclusion: We're confused.

One friend is from New York City where she says tipping 30% at restaurants is the norm. My other friend and I both moved to Toronto from the Prairies where only exceptional service would generally earn a tip above 10%.

Aside from the confusion over how much to tip, we're also confused about whom to tip. New York Friend (NYF) says service is taken very seriously in the Big Apple. Door men remember your name, what you're doing, what your plans are and help you carry your things (Yes, just like the movies!!). When Christmas rolls around you tip each doorman generously and don't forget to add a Christmas bonus for your hair stylist and colorist.

In Toronto I know to tip 15 - 20% at restaurants, 15% at hair salons and spas, a couple bucks to the cab driver, and a few to the delivery guy, and that's about it.

NYF said she tips the plumber when he comes by and basically any kind of repairman. Prairie Chick and I were like, what??

Recently I had my messy apartment cleaned by CleanFreaks and I realized I had no idea if I should tip them or not. I should have asked them but I was embarrassed by my ignorance and didn't say anything.

So, what I'd like is a comprehensive list of people I should tip in every major city. I'd hate to be the jerk that shafts someone.

So, lets make this a little informal poll. Who do you tip in your city and how much is appropriate? You can add your comments with your city below.

Winnipeg is Live on C.A!

We've just launched Winnipeg on ChickAdvisor!

It can be viewed by changing the pulldown on the right green panel under MY CHICKADVISOR.

Thanks to the gals who entered so many awesome reviews that we launched that city much faster than we intended to. We'd planned to get to it eventually but a few of you put in so many fantastic reviews we had no choice but to flip the switch early. We'll be working to get some exclusive deals for Winnipeg like we did for Toronto under the deals tab in the near future.

Enjoy!

If you'd like to see your city on ChickAdvisor faster, add reviews and get your friends to do the same. Once there are enough reviews for each section (at least 10), we'll flip the switch! If your city isn't on our list, email us and we'll add it just for you!

Thanksgiving With The In-Laws

The weather was gorgeous but the drive out to visit the In-Laws was grueling. What was supposed to take 4 hours took 7, and we promised each other, as my aging standard rocked in and out of first gear, never to do that to ourselves again. Long weekend travel out of Toronto is historically a nightmare yet somehow we thought we could beat it this time.

We arrived safely late Friday night and the In-Laws had hugs, pizza and wine waiting for us when we got there.

Before we left, Alex warned them that we would have to get a little work in while we were there since we can't very well shut the website down for the weekend.

My in-laws are fantastic people. They came to Canada as students, got their PhD’s and raised several children. They also happen to both be amazing cooks. I really admire them. However, I'm still getting to know them and I find myself from time to time stepping on their toes without meaning to.

This weekend I stepped on them again.

I spent the bulk of Saturday with my M.I.L running a few errands, having lunch, going for a walk, going to her favorite boutique. She showed me around the yard, we smelled the flowers and then late in the afternoon, she took up the paper to read for a while. I thought, what a perfect opportunity to get a little work done! We were both sitting in the living room and I pulled out my laptop and began working. As she read the paper she commented on what she was reading and I, being the able multi-tasker I am, responded and we carried on pleasantly for quite some time.

When Alex and my F.I.L came back to the house, M.I.L announced (and I only use accents here so you feel like you were there), "Aleee has not es-stopped workeeng this chwhole afternoon."

I looked up awkwardly from writing my story on reducing stress with flaming cheeks. I closed the laptop for a moment or two but no one really reacted and everyone started doing something independently. Alex plopped down on the couch beside me and turned on the TV. My F.I.L poured himself a glass of red wine (with ice) and my M.I.L did something in the kitchen. Thinking it was no big deal, I opened my laptop again to finish what I was doing. No sooner had I done that than she walks over and says, "Alex, she chas been working almost allll afternoon!"

I elbowed Alex discreetly. We have this rule that I deal with my parents and he deals with his for the simple reason that we each know our own parents best and therefore how to handle any given situation. That plus I was trying to remind him that he was supposed to have discussed this with them in advance so I didn't feel like a first class boob working while we were there.

He got the hint. "Ma, think of it as an experiment you're working on. You can't just leave it because it’s the weekend. We have to check in on ours too from time to time."

"We deedin't schedule ours for the hol-e-days!" She went back into the kitchen. F.I.L gave a disapproving look in my direction. I closed my laptop.

And so, I didn't get much work done this weekend, though I had hoped to wrap up a few new articles since the category level ones are getting somewhat crusty and my blog has been much neglected.

On the bright side, the turkey dinner on Sunday night was unbelievable and we made the drive back in 4 1/2 hours. They treated us royally, we shared a lot of laughs and late-night scrabble; and with my own family living thousands of miles away, I was very grateful for my time at the in-laws despite getting in trouble.

Share Your Opinion and Enter to Win 1 of 5 $100 Gift Certificates for Sephora!

Love sharing your opinion on products and services for Chicks? Love makeup?

Regardless of what your answer is, this is the contest for you. Why? Because Christmas is around the corner and precious little beats a $100 gift certificate for Sephora. All you have to do is click on the banner ad that *magically* appears on the homepage and enter one review on a product or service for women and voila! You're in!

Enter up to 3 times to increase your chances of winning!

The contest is open to American and Canadian residents, excluding where prohibited by law. You will be asked to create a ChickAdvisor account if you aren't already a member.

Good luck!

Freak'in Clean!

Today I experienced my very first clean from cleanfreaks.org, a Toronto based company that uses all natural and environmentally friendly products to make your home sparkle.

At first I was a bit embarrassed bringing two strangers into my home to deal with the filth we've accumulated this summer due to 30 hour coding sessions and running around without hardly any time to vacuum, but owners pink haired Danielle and purple haired Rob, quickly put me at ease about my messy abode, assuring me they'd seen much worse.

They whipped our place into shape in about 1 1/2 hours laughing and joking with me as they cleaned.

I loved the fresh smell of Danielle's home made teatree oil, lavender and water cleaner that she used on the mirrors. Teatree and lavender are natural cleaning agents, she explained, and you can easily make your own! She also uses micro-fibre cloths, which are more effective at removing bacteria and dust than anti-bacterial cleaners.



So what's the best way for a gal on the go to keep her place from turning into a dump?

#1. "Pretend your mother is coming over in 15 minutes" Danielle suggests. Do a quick tidy for 15 minutes every day putting stuff away. Clutter in a small space makes things look messier than they are.

#2. Keep your faucets shiny. Nothing says clean like gleaming faucets - even if they aren't that clean.

#3. Purge! If you have a lot of stuff, there are more places for dust to collect, which is largely responsible for allergies and musty smells.

#4. Get a small bin for papers, bills and other clutter that find their way out of the study and onto the dining room table. Chuck your papers into the bin and you can easily take it to the appropriate room.

Check them out on our deals page for an exclusive discount!


www.cleanfreaks.org

15 Minutes of Fame With Red Canary

Since we launched ChickAdvisor on September 2nd, we've been getting a lot of attention on the web. We got some nice feedback from Mashable, Amanda Congdon (formerly of Rocketboom), been featured on runningwithfoxes, tagged on Del.icio.us, and gotten a bunch of cool new members and reviews from many other great sites.

Last week, we had our first official interview with Red Canary, a website about startups. I was also asked to write something to go with our piece. "Write about whatever you want” he said.

Well, I read the posts from other startups he'd featured and they all sounded really serious and educational. I didn't want to even attempt to write anything like that because A: What do I know, and B: Who cares? I'd rather talk about where to buy designer stuff for cheap or which pastry shop sells the best croissants or who in this city can give me some decent highlights?? That plus, truthfully, I didn't want to even try to compete with the smarty-pants* already featured on the site.

In the end, however I attempted to sound intelligent talking about the difficulties of being a woman in the biz... yada yada yada, but honestly, I'd rather not talk about that. I wish I didn't have to. But as I've been learning in my PR class, women are still paid $.76 to the dollar (to this day!) compared to their male counterparts, and I think it's complete nonsense. I'd like to see the day where skin color, gender, etc, don't matter and we all just see each other as people end of story.

One day, perhaps!

*No disrespect intended to any of the smarty-pants. You're all very interesting intelligent people, and I'm sure we'd all get along fabulously.

Oprah for President?

Where do these people come from? I read an article on my Rogers Yahoo about a man who is campaigning for Oprah to become the President of the United States by 2008.

He's created the strangest little website to promote his cause complete with an un-authorized photo of Oprah and a home made theme song that you can listen to by clicking on the theme song link.

His main reason for promoting Oprah? "She wouldn't bomb anyone."

You can sing along with the backup vocals and oooh-e-oooh's at the end.

Surviving the Sample Sale

You're in a nightclub at 2:00 in the afternoon. The music is thumping and the lighting is dim. You've elbowed your way through the crowed, plowed through piles of designer jeans and quietly mooned each other in an open change room as you squeezed into one pair of ill fitting jeans after the next.

Welcome to the Sample Sale.

This afternoon the club was Republik, the event was a D.C Sample Sale, and I was one of the mooners. I sweat, I struggled, I squinted in the darkly lit change room trying to determine if what I was trying on was flattering or not, but everything looked terrible... from what I could make of it in the dark anyway.

What I really wanted was to walk away with a pair of Rock & Republic jeans for $225 or the cute 7's for $150, but I looked like either a stuffed sausage or like I was wearing oversized hand-me-downs, and nothing in between.

One heavy set girl trotted out in front of me and asked my opinion on her Citizens. "Does this make my butt look big?" (Crap!) Yes, I'm afraid it does, but who am I to judge? After all, I was wearing heavy winter boots over a worn looking pair of Buffalo jeans that really didn't do me justice. I was a walking billboard for What Not to Wear. (It looked cold out, ok??)

"I'd probably try another size", I suggested. "Right", she said, "I guess my butt's too small for these ones."

Bless her. I hope she had better luck than I did.

My Dirty Little Apple

I joined the Apple bandwagon this spring when my old refurbished IBM laptop was put into forced retirement. I needed something to do presentations with that had a battery that actually worked, and could do more than send emails and word processing. So in June, I bought my first squeaky clean white Apple Notebook.

Well, it's not looking so hot anymore. What was once a pristine white keyboard now has black marks from the palms of my hands that don’t wash off (and I'm a very clean person, thank you very much!), the mousepad is looking worn, and my computer clock thinks it is two days ago.

I realize I use my computer more than most and hardly ever turn it off, but I didn't think I'd be seeing noticeable wear in just 3 months.

I've heard this is a problem for many Mac users. So... my dear Mac People, may I suggest that you focus a little less on your cutesy commercials and a little more on ensuring your product doesn't look like crappola after a few month's use?

Mucho Gracias!

Feeling Like a Person Again

Alex outside Le Gourmand earlier this week for breakfast with computers (sad, I know)

I must say this has been a really fun weekend! Alex and I basically shut down our social lives for the past few months because we were busily working on ChickAdvisor, but this weekend we decided to breathe a little easier and have some fun!

On Friday, to cap off our busy week, we headed to Schmooze (think: cheap drinks, and a lot of bald heads), to help a friend celebrate her birthday. Despite the fact that we were exhausted we enjoyed being away from our computers and watching the bartenders light the bar on fire with lighter fluid. Who hoo!

When we came home, we quickly deleted the entry some thoughtful soul had put on ChickAdvisor for Anal Lube... thanks a lot buddy!

On Saturday we took in the Queen West Art Crawl where I tried to find an artist I met this summer at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibit. I discovered this jewelry maker who made gorgeous chainlink silver necklaces with chunky glass pendants. I fell in love with a heart shaped one that was all swirly with pink and red, but was too cheap to buy it at the time. Fool! I took her business card, then promptly lost it, and have been trying to track her down ever since. Anyhoo, she wasn't there so I didn't get my coveted necklace and I don't know if I'll ever find it again.

But, I did discover Hoi-An, who I'd heard of from a contestant from our first contest on RedFlagDeals, who makes the most adorable mini badge buttons, magnets and greeting cards with cheeky pictures and swear words that are sure to get a reaction. We bought one of her skull cigarette lighters for one of our coders, to remind him that smoking is bad.

Sunday we went to The Meeting House. If you ever want to be enlightened at the movies, you must check this out. It's a church that meets at movie theatres and displays the message via video (from Oakville). The lead pastor who delivers the message has long hippy hair and dresses casually, but I've never heard so much common sense in my life. Check it out - even if for nothing else than curiosity.

Tonight we just got back from hanging out with a group of dear friends at Lago where we made fun of each other, laughed and drank dirty martinis.

It's so nice to feel like a person again.

I'll try not to get used to it.. Back to computer land!

Share Your 2 Cents!

Don't you hate it when you take your car in for an oil change and the mechanic takes advantage of your woman-ness by attempting to convince you that you should also get a brake job? Or you spend $200 on highlights you aren't satisfied with or you buy a new miracle cream that gives you a huge mafia zit? *

Up until now, women have had to make purchasing decisions on products and services by trial and error. I personally have about 15 bottles of half used beauty products in my bathroom that just didn't work. Well, not any more! The whole point of ChickAdvisor is to create a place for women to share advice and opinions on what matters to us - and by extension, help each other save time and money!

It's been almost two weeks since we launched, and we're getting a lot of traffic and some cool reviews from places like mashable and the TechCrunch people. We have a big push ahead adding a bunch of new cities and doing some new cool and exciting stuff!

Please give it some love for me, k?

Thank you!!

*Mafia zit, for those of you who don't use this term, is a painful underground pimple that takes a long time to come out and causes a lot of damage... Eww!

Shopping or Tuition?

Thanks to the generosity of the Canadian Millennium Excellence Scholarship fund, I've just received notice that I've been awarded a $4000 scholarship! I'm a huge fan of this scholarship because it is based solely on marks - they don't give a hoot about my skin color, orientation or financial status.

But now I'm faced with a huge dilemma: I have to decide between "doing the right thing" and applying it towards my outstanding tuition fees (oopsies!), or take that puppy shopping! See, even though I dragged Alex out shopping all last weekend, I still have no boots or shoes for the fall/winter. How fantastic would a cute pair of Puma's be or those elusive slouchy boots? Come to think of it I still don't have diamond earrings and I desperately need a new gym membership...

Who am I kidding? I'll use it for school.. Though that does mean that the money we put aside for tuition can now be used for clothes! Oh, err, and the servers for ChickAdvisor.. And the legal fees for the incorporation... and the staff...Oh bugger!

Regardless, I am very grateful to the lovely people at the Millennium Excellence awards. You've definitely made my day!

If you are a student with good marks looking for an award that doesn't discriminate, apply here!. Applications for 2007 will be available shortly.

Stalking The Perfect Slouchy Boots

I met the slouchy boot in June when I was in Italy and fell in love on the spot. They were gorgeous round toe cowboy inspired boots in soft supple leather with beautiful cut-outs at the top. All the Italian women were wearing them, and they looked incredible with mini skirts and summery dresses. I was a fool to have not purchased the creamy pair I saw in Florence for 80 Euros right then and there.

This weekend I decided I would find Toronto's best version of my coveted boot. I stalked Yorkdale Mall, Queen Street and the Eaton Centre but came up empty and with sore feet. Aldo had a cute pair that were pretty comfortable, but they looked too trendy. I wanted to find a more classic take on the slouchy boot so I wouldn't have to donate them in a year from now.

Store after store, and several lattes and blisters later, still nothing compared to my Italian boots. I did, however stock up on loads of basics like the buy 1 get 1 50% off v-neck sweaters at Smart Set, and the $9 fitted t-shirts at Club Monaco. I bought a couple of Biotherm eyeshadows, their spf foundation and a few accessories, then remembered I was supposed to be buying boots and soldiered on (with my hubby carrying my bags. Hee Hee! )

It is now Monday and I have failed at my one task of buying boots this weekend.

Before I do any more credit card damage on spontaneous distracting purchases, does anyone know where my perfect boots are hiding? (Pretty please!)


Boots Pictured above are Dior Cannage Slouch Boot on eluxury.com

Sample Sale: Vancouver

What: Lacoste Shoes and Club Monaco Warehouse Sale, up to 80% off!

When: Wednesday Sept 13 - Sept 17 (Wed-Fri 11am to 9pm, Sat&Sun 10am to 6pm)

Where: The PNE North Forum Building
2901 East Hastings Street Vancouver, BC

Acceptable Payment: Visa, Mastercard, Debit, Cash

Where did I hear about it? www.styledemocracy.com

Back to School...

But this old lady's not feelin' it. While my classmates are comparing their summer tans and latest internship adventures, I'm trying to fight the Totalitarian system.

I'm one of the older students with prior professional and life experience, but went back to school to get a degree for something that really interested me. My old life in Insurance was not my bag and after being forced to take a photo of a man's bruised hiney for a grocery store claim, I knew it was time to move on. Thus two years ago, I went back to school and entered the Totalitarian regime we call University.

So far, I've been short changed on transfer credits, received the same grades from certain professors regardless of the quality or amount of effort invested, did a 1.5 year internship I didn't receive credit for - even though that's a credited course in 4th year, and recently, been told that despite the fact that I launched a company this summer the university does not offer work credits. Hello, I'm in a media program! Though they teach courses totally applicable to what I did this summer, it somehow it does not apply (but you can buy an honorary degree if you donate a bunch of money to the school or someone else does on your behalf).

The fees are structured so that you pay a flat fee for a block of 5-7 courses. So the person with 5 courses is paying the same as someone with 7. The person who takes 4 courses or less gets dinged with a reduced course load fee. What?? Who ever heard of paying extra for NOT taking a class? That's just some of the prevailing logic that students are forced to deal with.

I often hear my classmates defending the regime saying with wide-eyed wonder, "This is how it will be in the REAL world!" Not so, people. In the real world, most human beings are capable of making decisions on a case-by-case basis instead of one list of universal rules that apply to everything.

Don't get me wrong; I believe a university education is critical to get ahead in life. Without that piece of paper no one will take you seriously, and it will improve your grammar.

All I'm asking for is a little common sense.


P.S Yesterday I received a letter in the mail congratulating me on being in the top 15% of my faculty/major program. I was pretty excited until I read further and found out that all I was getting was an invitation to join the Golden Key Honour Society for the low, low price of $90.00 plus $25 for a Lapel Pin (Gee, that'll come in handy!) and $4.50 for a Certificate of Membership. So the reward for all of my hard work is that I get to pay more money!

I think I'll pass...

ChickAdvisor is Live!

I finally get my apartment back...
After many long hours, all nighters and turning my place into a crowded little make-shift office with giant post-it notes as wall paper, we officially flipped the switch at 5:43am this morning! She's ALIVE!
The reviews currently showing are from our first contest and we are actively collecting data to populate the entire site. You will notice that some categories have a lot more information than others, but that will soon change as we are about to launch another contest. Watch for it here or on ChickAdvisor.

Toronto is our first city, but we are working to expand as quickly as possible. If you'd like to get your city on ChickAdvisor, add as many reviews in the different categories as you can and get your friends to do the same!

The more you make it your own, the better it will be!

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!