LAKSHMI splurge & luck on ILIA lipstick

I tend to win things. I figure I have good karma, because I tell grocery clerks that I’m buying the more expensive organic fruit when they punch in the regular fruit code during checkout.  One high-end and eco-friendly lipstick that came out recently is ILIA Pure Lip Care, created by Sasha Plasvic, a graphic artist and former luxury rebranding agent who I had the pleasure of speaking to at one of LYNNsteven’s sales.

Our lips are the closest organ to our mouths. They say we eat 13 pounds of lipstick in our lifetime. And it’s a fact that so many cosmetics are filled with junk and toxins. So why not put only the best natural stuff on our puckers? This is why I headed to Misch after work to buy a shade of Nobody’s Baby before store closing. I made it, but all of the lipsticks in stock were damaged during transport. So although I had to wait 6 days to pick it up, I was given the item for free! That’s the best customer service ever!

There are six different shades of ILIA, all of which are toxin-free (believe me, I checked) and are super smooth on application. They are available across Canada, the USA, and UK, but you can pick them up at LYNNsteven, Misch, and Homewerx if not online. Check out ILIAbeauty.com for more info.

***Update: I found the original ILIA card I received at LYNNsteven, and it’s so awesome I wanted to share it with you:

LAKSHMI splurge

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Feet & animals breathe easy: Native Shoes

I hate crocs. I’m sorry, I get the whole feet-need-to-breathe thing. I really do. But I can’t stand how they look. Are they clogs? Are they slippers? Are they plastic tupperware for feet? I once saw one of my boyfriend’s old friends come back from Japan wearing a normal hoodie, baggy jeans, and then I looked down and saw a pair of orange crocs on his feet. Was not impressed.

I first saw Native Shoes at Front & Company, one of my favourite stores on Main Street in the Spring. And since then I’ve been thinking about them. Thinking about how my feet would love some new, breathable walking shoes for summer, instead of those flat-ass $5 flip flops Vancouverites love to sport. And I saw them again at Fine Finds in Yaletown, where I always pop in after getting my brows done at Bombay Brow Bar. The baby sized ones are to die for. And I saw Adele Chan showing them off on Urban Rush. She told me that Walrus was also selling them. And I took that as a sign.

I went to Fine Finds to check out the grey Howards, but wasn’t too wowed by the colour. Bear in mind Fine Finds only has white, black and grey until around Fall. And I tweeted Walrus to see if they had the colour I wanted in my size, but no go (they are awesome for checking though). So when my sister volunteered to do some work and personal errands for me starting this week to prepare for going back to work from mat leave, I told her to search Native’s website for places that had the Dodger Blue Howards or Jerichos. And not only did she find places that had them, but she found the Jerichos for $55 at J2. With a 20% off discount. I love my sister.

JERICHO Native Shoes - $49 including 20% discount

They are a thing of beauty, aren’t they. They remind me of the ocean. The Pacific Ocean, where I’ll soon be beside when I go to Waikiki Beach in 5 weeks. The rub: I’m under budget for my clothing allowance this month. A thing of beauty, indeed.

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Maxi luau dress at Barefoot Contessa

If you are a woman and you haven’t been to Barefoot Contessa – ah, I won’t even bother finishing that. If you haven’t been, you must have at least HEARD about it. It’s one of the most girly stores in our city, and with two locations, it only takes one visit to be hooked.

Even after window shopping at Barefoot for years, I only made my first purchase just recently. But when it comes to dresses, I know where to go. Coupled with a sweet 30% CRAVE Guide discount, I headed down to the Main Street location last Saturday to reward myself with a new maxi dress – which I didn’t even know was called a maxi dress till fashion blogger Lisa Wong told me!

Since I’m going to Hawaii next month, I wanted a new long, floral printed dress to wear to a luau. So I started calling it a luau dress. And I got the first one I had my eye on, the CHELSEA ‘meadow riot’ dress for $59. The Medium was a bit too big, and there was a Small on hold, so they sold it to me so that I wouldn’t have to go to the Commercial Drive location to get it. Now THAT’S great customer service!

CHELSEA maxi dress – $46 with discount and tax

What else I love about Barefoot Contessa is that the staff is always there asking if you need help, and they have some gorgeous jewellery, gifts, and children’s wear that you can ooh and ahh over even if you don’t buy anything… which is REALLY hard to resist.

Though they don’t have a real website, they’re pretty active on Facebook and Twitter as well as on their blog site, and they’re always creative when it comes to window displays. Definitely add this place to your Main Street and Commercial walking tours – you won’t regret it!

Barefoot Contessa Main Street
3715 Main Street Vancouver BC V5V 3N8
604-879-1137
Monday – Saturday 11am-6pm, Sunday 12-6pm

Barefoot Contessa Commercial Drive
1928 Commercial Drive Vancouver BC  V5N 4A7
604-255-9035
Monday – Saturday 11am-6pm, Sunday 12-6pm

Facebook.com/thebarefootcontessa
Twitter @so_lovely
Blog: http://barefootcontessaboutique.wordpress.com