I am super fair skinned and while pictures of me as a kid prove slightly different, I can't seem to get much a tan now if my life depended on it.  That said, I'm very sun-safe and have made it my personal mission to be that way for the last six years.  I wear sunscreen on my face and neck every single day, haven't stepped foot in a tanning bed and always wear sunscreen on the beach.

As I get older and start to see fine lines appearing, the last thing I want to do is expedite the process with further sun damage.  I know I've damaged my skin already as I spent an eight month stint working at a tanning salon when I was 20 and was so dark wouldn't even recognize me.  I continued to tan for a few years after that to maintain the colour--I cringe when I think about it now.

To be honest, I long for dark, tanned skin and have always dated men with dark skin and find women the most beautiful who possess dark skin and hair (funny, right?).  I wish I could get a tan easily, but, it is not the case so I proactively protect myself instead.  Sometimes we just have to accept our 'flaws' and hope fair skin becomes trendy sometime soon (please?).

For the past almost-three years I've been regularily spray tanning which gives me the colour I crave--and can't obtain--with less risk (I hope?).  I definitely feel better with a tan, slimmer and feel my clothes look their best.  It might seem superficial, but ultimately, it's a confidence boost and that along with working out makes me feel pretty darn good.  Why wouldn't you want to feel pretty darn good, right?  Right.

So sound off, do you like the colour of your skin?  Would you change it if you could?

(See my spray tan in full action in Mexico--I get a spray tan before vacation, sit in the shade, and come home more pale than I went there.)

For my mom's birthday she told my sister and I that she would like a birthday lunch on a patio with us two.  So, Saturday was that day and we took her to Jack Astor's.  This is what I wore, which was not planned as I had another outfit I was so excited to wear until my bf's cat peed in my overnight bag.  So.  Pissed.

Outfit deets:  D-Tox crop top (new!), DIY maxi dress & various bracelets (from bottom: garage sale, unknown, from my trip to Dominican Republic & F21 x 2).

A friend brought along a baguette for Baguette Me Nots photo-ops, too funny!  I'd never heard of the site but we got lots of funny shots. 

That afternoon I met up with a client for a wardrobe consult & edit.  We went through her closet, purged items & styled several different outfits for her to wear to work and on weekends.  It was very successful.  Our next session will be a shopping trip this week to add some staple pieces in so we can style more outfits to take her from work to weekend.

Outfit deets:  the same Gap denim jacket that I bleached years ago, Joe Fresh tee (old) , Sirens shorts (old), vintage necklace & Urban Expressions bag.

Sunday evening ended up being an impromptu date night with amazing thai food in my neighbourhood.

Hope you had a great weekend!

I love to shop, that's clearly no secret and I think pretty common among women (and some men).  Just yesterday I was doing some online browsing and thought to myself how wide our access has grown to aquire different things.  Think back to just a decade ago when online shopping didn't exist.  Imagine your life without it; would you be affected?

Do you prefer online or in-store shopping?

I love online shopping, the convienence but mainly the accessibility.  I love that I can get something from halfway across the world or simply from a store here in my city that no longer has my size.  Then you receive your parcel in the mail a bit later and it's always so exciting opening it up.  It's awesome.

That said, I still love shopping at the mall more.  Touching and trying on the clothes, the rush you get when you walk out of the store with your new purchases.  Holding that tangible item immediately.  Hard to beat.

What about the type of shopping you do:  Are you a sale shopping or will pay full price for the latest and greatest?

I am a big sale shopping and don't tend to pay full price for something very often unless it's shoes (my size, 10, is rare and sells out quickly).  When I do purchase something full price I often feel guilty because I know it's going to be on sale soon.

That said, I have been trying to make a concious switch in my shopping within the past month or so.  Instead of buying cheaper, trendy items, I'm looking for more quality-made, staple pieces.  Items that will stick around in my closet for a while that are well made.  I kind of came to this realization about two months ago while shopping at Forever 21 and then stepping into Zara.  Now, for the record, I love F21 and you can find some great pieces there and I'm not discounting that, but going into Zara immediately after and loving almost every beautiful piece that came across my vision made me think twice about where I'm spending my money.  Investment pieces aren't really something I was interested in purchasing up until now, and while I can't pass up a good sale, I also am trying to focus my purchases towards slightly higher end items.

Lastly, do you ever return items or have buyer's remose?

I return stuff like nobody's business and have become quite good at keeping my receipts organized just in case.  I have no problem returning something if I've changed my mind; no point letting it sit in your closet and throwing away your money, find something else that you will love instead.  While returning can be a hassel, thinking about what you could purchase instead is my motivation.  When I've purchased something I cannot return, I'll either keep it in my closet and let it go to waste, or take it to a consignment shop try to make some money back.

Sound off on the (lengthy) topics above!

(Top photo at my favourite store in Montreal in 2007; in Syracuse, NY in 2008)

Friday night I got together with my bestie and her man for a little double date action.  We went out for dinner and to watch the Sens game.  Despite not being a big hockey fan, I figured watching the game was inevitable since it was such a make-or-break game so I suggested the four of us go somewhere.  I had the delicious French Onion soup at Big Rig, which is becoming a tradition.  Despite the Sens loss, we had a nice time.

Saturday morning (er...late morning) we went out for breakfast and then did some shopping.

Outfit deets:  Ashley B jacket, Sirens sweater, H&M tank, Winners leggings, Ardène flats, Joe Fresh circle scarf & Urban Expressions bag.

It's been a while and this tasted extra good (I only ate half my toast).

 The new lamp I bought (you can see the before lamp HERE) from Home Sense.  Which, btw, I'm so excited about.  I haven't bought much new stuff for my apartment (other than organizational items like rolling racks, an armoir, decorative storage bins, etc.) because I already have so much home stuff (most of it being stored currently at my parent's house).  However, when I saw this lamp, I fell in love and and decided to pull the trigger.  The shade on the previous lamp was black which ultimately was not matching my chocolate colour scheme but I was making due.  This helps the space feel closer to being complete; next up: swap out half the curtains which are black, and borrow, for dark brown.

Saturday night impromtu date night at Genji.  I had never been and it was amazing.  It's been so long since I've had really good sushi out as for the past while I've been doing the all-you-can-eat thing.  This was fresh and so delicious and the atmosphere was gorgeous.  Afterwards, we walked about 10 blocks to get Gelato.

On Sunday I spent the day just relaxing, filmed a couple vlogs (which still need to be edited) and later went out for some groceries.  My apartment was freezing because I like to keep the windows open and since it was so chilly yesterday, I was walking around in a hoodie and a blanket to warm up (after shutting the windows, obvi).  I made some tea to help me warm up.

For Sunday night I made chicken shish-kabobs for a BBQ we went to.  Turns out, it wasn't much of a BBQ, more of a make-shift foil/charcoal BBQ, haha, but it still worked and cooked the food.  Summertime with friends is where it's at.

Sunday's outfit (once I finally rallied and got dressed).

Outfit deets:  Joe Fresh circle scarf, Gap denim jacket (thrifted), H&M sweater tied up (thrifted), Seduction jeans (which I purchased maybe two or three years ago and wore for the first time last night!) & Aldo wedges.

I'm currently obsessed with strappy heels.  I'm on the hunt for a black pair to 'complete' my collection for this summer; but then again, is a shoe collection ever complete?

I love my Zara sandals that I bought online about a month ago.  Normally I try to give all my shoes a fair shot and rotate through them the best I can--we all have favourites, right?--but these ones are getting worn multiple times per week.  They have become my go-to and since they are nude, and I'm wearing them so much, I'm worried they are going to get scuzy looking quick. I was debating ordering another pair until I saw they are sold out in my size. 

The other strappy ones I recently acquired are the neon lime Prabal Gurung (for Target) heels.  They aren't nearly as comfortable as the Zara ones but I love the look and pop of colour.  I am beginning to understand the common complaint of the ankle strap coming undone sometimes while you walk but Kelly shared an awesome tip which is to move the leather loop over the buckle closure to keep it closed and secure.  Genius!

I'm finding every morning, when I get dressed, I look at my shoes and am instantly drawn towards these two, mentaly debating if they work with my outfit.  They usually do, and so I wear them, again and again and again.  Although up until a month ago, my other shoes seemed fine, now they feel dated to me and I will barely look at anything with a platform or chunky wedge.  Strange how quickly the tides change, right?  I'm sure I'll re-love my other shoes again, but for now, strappy heel kick it is.