Trendy Techie

Toronto-to-Halifax lifestyle blog about being a fashionable girl working and learning in the tech world.

Monthly Archives: August 2013


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Easy Stay-All-Day Makeup with BA STAR Stardust Mineral Eyeshadow

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I have a confession to make: I’m 19 years old, and I’m still in love with glitter. It adds a magical shine to any makeup look, and when I find a good pot of pretty glitter I have to get it for those nights out! When I was approached by BA Star to review their Stardust Mineral Eyeshadow, I was excited to add a new glitter pot to my collection. I received this eyeshadow in Chocolate, which is awesome because I’ve never had a neutral glitter before! I used this stardust with foundation, eyeliner, and deep lipstick to create an easy but elegant five-minute makeup look.

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The stardust is so easy to use: just spread the base over your entire eyelid and use a brush to dust on the glitter. It takes just fifteen seconds for the base to dry, and the shimmery stardust stays in place for hours afterwards, even in the summer heat!

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BA Star makes quality performance makeup for cheerleaders and dancers, and they are offering 50% off when you use our special code, BBDUST at online checkout! I am seriously in love with this eyeshadow, and for just $4.38 (after discount) this is a fantastic deal! It comes with the base as well, so you don’t need to buy any additional products. I’ll definitely be wearing it in both my day-to-day routine and my performance routines!

Want this eyeshadow? Get it here!

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PS: This post was powered by Brand Backer! :)


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Hula Girl Espresso Boutique

Hey Torontonians, have you seen this place yet? It’s awesome! Hula Girl Espresso Boutique is a healthy, high-quality coffee shop on Dundas. Their menu features dozens of gourmet drinks and treats, including Coconut Hot Chocolate, Pear Apple Cider, and Cake in a Cup!

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Last week I had the opportunity to experience Hula Girl Espresso Boutique at their pop-up-shop at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition). I had a great chat with owner Elias Vastis and can confirm: the intentions are as good as the coffee. Elias supports local companies and artists by selling their wares in his shop alongside his own products. These ChocoSol chocolate bars are a good example: the chocolate is all made locally in Toronto using cacao sourced from indigenous communities in Southern Mexico. Hula Girl also sells organic salads, sandwiches and smoothies! I wish I had time to try them all!

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Here’s a pic of Elias making me a latte. It’s so great to see a passionate owner with his hands on the meat and bones - or should we say milk and coffee beans - of his business. And that latte was the best one I’ve had in Toronto! Coming from Italian me, that means a lot. ;)

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I wish I had had longer to chat with Elias, but his lineup of customers was so long! I guess that’s the sign that he’s on to something great. If you have a chance, go check out Hula Girl Espresso Boutique! And be sure to stop by here to let me know what you think. :)

~Sage


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Red Velvet and the ’64 Sting Ray

red velvet swimsuit 10Lounging in the late August heat, with the sun beating down and turning white skin brown, my mind is filled with daydreams and those little things don’t seem to matter as much. A warm breeze plays off the water and the dancing light from the waves shines in the Sting Ray’s blue finish. The red velvet of my swimsuit feels nice against my skin. I wish you could be here with me.

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Ah, summer! How beautiful you are.

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~Sage

OUTFIT:

swimsuit: Girlhowdy

scarf: vintage

sunglasses: Gucci

shoes: Michael Kors

CAR: 1964 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray


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Under the Influence of Music

Have you ever been to a rap concert? This was my first one and it was AMAZING. A week and a half later and I’m still seeing elements of it in my dreams. I bought tickets for this concert because B.o.B, my favourite rapper, was going to be there. I got the tickets kind of last minute because I didn’t know B.o.B was coming until someone pointed it out to me a week before! It was an awesome concert with tons of great performers.

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In addition to B.o.B, Joey Bada$$, Trinidad James, and A$AP Rocky opened up for Wiz Khalifa. I didn’t take many pictures of them because I was saving my camera space for Bobby Ray!

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Finally B.o.B came on! He played all his great songs including Strange Clouds and Airplanes. It was awesome to see him in real life, interacting with the crowd and even jumping into it.

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At the end of his set, B.o.B ran out into the audience and came down from the back on a guy’s shoulders! I was in the lower seats so I ran right up to him and got to hold his hand! I was so excited. Actually I’m still excited about it. My night was made.

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When Wiz Khalifa came on, the crowd went WILD. There was so much smoke in the air, and I don’t mean from smoke machines. The audience was lighting up left and right, I’ve never seen so much haze at a concert. Wiz owned the stage and gave Toronto an incredible, powerful performance.

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Hey look, it’s me on the jumbotron! And yes, that is Wiz Khalifa hugging a giant joint.

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At the end of the show the whole Taylor Gang came out on stage. I’ve never seen so many people on stage at a concert at once! It was an impressive end to a fantastic show. I’m so glad I managed to get tickets for the Under the Influence of Music tour; it was a night I will never forget.

~Sage

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Von Vonni Transformer Dress + Giveaway!

In summer, dresses are my must-wear pieces. You’ll rarely find me wearing pants in the summer unless I’m working out or it’s a travel day. But since a good dress can stand as a complete outfit all by itself, it can be hard to find different combinations to make one dress look like five different outfits (to avoid the dreaded “you’re wearing that again?”). That’s why I was so excited when I was approached with the opportunity to style one of Von Vonni’s transformer dresses! These dresses can be worn in countless different ways. The dress itself is a skirt with two long scarf-like pieces of fabric that can be wrapped and tied around the body to make dozens of classic shapes. Here are my three favourite ways to wear my short Von Vonni transformer dress in jade green.

1. The Cross-Back Maiden Sleeve

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2. The Twist-Back Halter

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3. The One-Shoulder Wonder

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This dress is so fun and cute, and I love the deep green colour. The material is light and falls nicely with no ironing necessary - a HUGE bonus for effortless summer throw-on-and-go chic.

In addition to classic transformer dresses, Von Vonni also sells other designs. They have generously sent me a Kelly Green Short Victoria Transformer Dress for a giveaway for my Canadian readers! This dress has a transformable top and cute sleeves that make it an easy transition to fall.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner will be announced September 1, so be sure to get your entries in and tweet every day for extra entries!

GOOD LUCK!

~Sage


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Nonna’s Secret Garden

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Being Italian, some of my favourite childhood memories were made with my Nonni - for those of you who don’t know, Grandma and Grandpa = Nonna and Nonno in Italian. In Italy, people take real pleasure in filling their gardens with beautiful flowers and creating little escapes into nature on their property. It is not rare to see balconies overflowing with luscious flowers, roses climbing up trellises along walls, and fruits hanging from private trees alongside the old houses. Though Nonna lives here in Canada now, she really brought a piece of Italy with her by creating a gorgeous oasis in her backyard.

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She even has a little mountain house, called a baita, with a woodstove and winding brick pathway to its door.

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Nonna’s garden has so many pretty corners with hundreds of different types of flowers. She even has a pear tree and fountain, both surrounded by lush flowers.

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I love Nonna’s garden, and the city does too! She won the first place Toronto Traditional Gardener prize two years in a row. I’m so proud of her and I love her so much. :)

~Sage


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Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Concert at Echo Beach!

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Last week I went to see Macklemore & Ryan Lewis at Echo Beach in Toronto! When played on the radio, their songs are danceworthy, but Macklemore’s energy, enthusiasm and pure excitement were infectious. Of the three concerts I’ve been to this summer (Jonas Brothers and Tim McGraw being the first two), Macklemore was the best performer! He really knows how to involve the crowd and make it feel intimate.

macklemore and ryan lewis 3 macklemore and ryan lewis 2He told some stories, including one about what Canada means to him. He said that when he was younger and battling a drug addiction, he came up to Canada and got sober for the first time. It was so touching to hear his story, because performers so rarely talk personally on stage anymore. It felt like he really was appreciative of his time up North.

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For his encore, Macklemore came running out in his Raven Bowie costume for And We Danced! That sequinned cape was magnificent.

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This concert was incredible. I’m so happy they came to Toronto this summer!

~Sage

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