OOTD - Pink Princess Dress

To me, a maxi dress always makes me feel like a princess - especially a flowy, pink one. When I first saw this gorgeous pink, off-the-shoulder maxi dress from Tularosa via Revolve, I literally gasped.  I almost feel as though this dress was made for me, and I can't wait to wear it during our summers in Toronto, but also for a few upcoming trips. 

For this particular shoot at Sugar Beach, I came prepared with a cute pair of pink mules and a nice bag - but once my feet hit the sand, it was a different story.  I had so much fun running, jumping and dancing barefoot in the sand as this gorgeous dress moved and swayed around me - much to the amusement of fellow beach-goers. Dresses like these are what summer dreams are made of, and I am so happy to have found the perfect pink princess dress. Also, I have to mention how happy I am that this maxi dress can fit the shorter gal without wearing heels - hallelujah! 

Dress - c/o Tularose via Revolve

What do you guys think?  Do you have an item in your closet that makes you feel like a million bucks?  What are your thoughts on maxi dresses?  Let me know!

xo Joëlle

Photos by Bettina Bogar

OOTD - Summer Dresses

I absolutely love summer.  I love the sunshine, I love the warm temperatures and I love how easy dressing becomes in the summer months.  Nothing makes me happier than being able to grab a piece from my closet, throw it on and head out the door looking put-together and comfortable.

Enter the summer dress. I love grab-and-go summer dresses that make dressing yourself in the mornings easy. This fun black, floral print swing dress from Reitmans is no exception.  The cut of the dress is one of my favourites; longer sleeves with a tighter bodice and a nice swing in the skirt that doesn't cling to your lower half. The colour, along with the floral pattern make it easy to wear on those who-knows-whats-going-on-with-the-weather days (in fact, I wore it on a rainy day with a leather jacket) as well as in the sunshine.

Reitmans has an incredible selection of summer dresses, and I had a great time trying on what they had to offer when I was there last.  I really appreciate the more conservative cuts and hemlines, because let's face it - I'm no spring chicken anymore.  In fact, I just did a massive closet purge and donated all of the booty-grazing, body-con mini dresses of my 20s.  Having a go-to destination to help build my dress wardrobe back up has been so helpful.

Dress - c/o Reitmas

I also love the cross-cross back detail on this dress. Cute details like this can totally make a dress for me!  I usually wear my hair down during the day, but inevitably end up throwing it up in a messy bun and the back criss-cross of this dress makes that whole process a little more interesting.

What do you guys think? What is your go-to item for summer dressing?  Let me know!

xo Joëlle

Photography by Bettina Bogar

This post was created in partnership with Reitmans. All oppinions are my own.

Healthier Living With Oasis Infusion

It's no secret amongst my friends and family that I've been trying to lead a healthier lifestyle lately. While I've been trying to make healthier choices when eating out or cooking at home more often, one area that I've really been struggling with is drinking more water.  The thing is, I actually don't mind the taste of regular water (I know that some people, like my mom, don't love the taste.)  My problem is that I just don't find drinking plain water interesting enough to keep it top-of-mind. Funny, right?

Enter Oasis Infusion.  I was turned on to this infused water when I was looking for alternatives for staying hydrated. The Oasis infusion is cold-infused with different herbs, flowers, and spices and mixed with 35% real fruit juice. My favourite flavour is the cucumber, lime, mint - so good! I personally love the addition of the herbs; it keeps the infused water tasting fresh and balances out the taste. The result is a really light, refreshing beverage that has me reaching for it all day long and has really helped to keep me hydrated.

I know that a lot of us really struggle with getting enough water into our daily routines, so I'm so happy that Oasis Infusion offers a tasty solution.

What do you guys think?  Do you struggle to get enough water on the daily?  What are your tips for upping your water intake?

xo Joëlle

This post was created in collaboration with Oasis Canada. All opinions are 100% my own.

OOTD - The Perfect Pink Skirt

My closet is literally an explosion of pink, with the bulk of the mess being pink skirts. I am an absolute sucker for a pink skirt, especially one that is a little longer in length. The result of this love is a closet full of midi skirts in all shades of pink, and while I've promised myself to tone it down on the skirt purchases, I couldn't resist adding one more to the collection. This dusty rose wrap skirt from Ever New is the perfect summer skirt, and I'm happy to report that the material is very low-maintenance and wrinkle free so you can bet that it's coming with me on upcoming trips.  Paired with a simple black camisole and some pink wrap shoes, and I've found my spring-to-summer transition outfit.

All of these items are from Ever New, which has always been one of my go-to stores since it first opened in the Toronto Eaton Centre. Some great news is that Ever New has launched their online shopping platform across Canada! I'm so excited that my favourite store is now available to browse from the comfort of my own home, in sweatpants, with a gin in-hand.

Skirt - c/o Evernew, Top - c/o Evernew, Shoes - c/o Evernew

What do you guys think?  What one item dominated your closet?  Are you as into this skirt as I am?  Let me know!

xo Joëlle

OOTD - How I'm Pulling Out Of My Rut

Lately, I've been in a creative rut. While the weather is getting better, and the sun is shining, I'm finding it really hard to actually motivate myself to create content - which is strange, because that's the only thing that I ever want to do!

Maybe it's a slow burnout of posting two to three times a week to my blog, or twice daily to my Instagram for over three years.  Maybe it's that I started my Youtube channel and am finding it hard to think of ideas of videos to film. Whatever the reason, it's been harder lately to create and post content and, because this is now my full-time job, it's a problem.  I'm determined to pull out of this rut as quickly as possible, so I've set myself up with a few steps that I truly think will help.

1. Changing My Look

I still remember when I first went blonde. Although it was a huge shock to the system, I felt re-inspired from the change to get out there and start creating.  I'm looking to do something equally shocking in the near future, and I can't wait to share the outcome with you.

2. Traveling

For me, there's nothing more invigorating that traveling. While I totally felt re-inspired while in Los Cabos, I've since lost the inspiration and have been craving more travel.  Brian is heading to Vancouver on business so I decided last minute to tag along.  That and the fact that we'll be heading to Portugal and Spain in mid-June I hope will help to re-inspire me. Nothing like a change of scenery to get the creative juices flowing!

3. Call In The Professionals

While changing my look and traveling is good, I need something to shake my out of this rut now. That's why I booked in for photos with my favourite photographer Bettina Bogar next week. I love being around and working with creative, talented people; their motivation and drive always serve as a source of inspiration for me.

Dress - c/o Guess, Shoes - c/o Le Chateau, Bag - Chloe Drew

I hope you guys found this helpful; I'm feeling a little better just writing everything down!  Have you ever been stuck in a rut?  How do you pull yourself out?  Let me know!

xo Joëlle
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My Hair Experience At Toni & Guy Queen West

I'm a hair girl.  While I can think of no greater torture than spending hours on my nails, facials, etc., for me, a hair salon is my happy place. I was invited to the grand opening of Toni & Guy Queen West a few weeks ago and it was such a fun morning - I'm talking blow drys, hair braiding, sushi, and cocktails.  I loved the over vibe of the whole place, and the space is absolutely beautiful; there is so much natural light, which doesn't sound like a big deal but can make all the difference when you're spending hours in one place.  That particular day, while everyone was getting beautiful curls and braids I chose to go with a pin-straight style.  I always wear my hair curly and find it difficult to straighten with a middle part because I have so many cowlicks. The girls at Toni & Guy Queen Street nailed it.

I was so impressed with my time at the grand opening, that I enthusiastically agreed to become one of Toni & Guy Queen Street's Blogger Ambassadors! I've since gone to the salon and got a colour refresh from Kimberly and really loved my experience.  I came in wanting to do something drastic with my colour and Kim gently suggested we achieve my goal in stages to help my hair healthy. The whole process was amazing and included a surprise mimosa (these girls know the way to my heart) and I was able to get so much work done on my laptop because of the light. You guys may think I'm crazy, but I'm so affected by natural light and need it to stay focused and motivated so this salon is perfect for me. Between the atmosphere, the amazing staff and my hair results, I'm so excited to share my hair journey with Toni & Guy Queen Street with you.

OOTD - Take Me To The Beach

The sun has graced us with her lovely presence in Toronto and, as typical Canadians, the city has responded by shedding all of our layers and getting outside. This weekend was absolutely beautiful, and it's so incredible to see the city come alive.  Myself, I chose to hang out at the beach.

This whole outfit from Dynamite just screams summer to me. I love the 'Hamptons' vibe that it gives off, and I'm pleasantly surprised by how flattering the whole ensemble is; I usually hate shorts, but these ones have a conservative cut and really help to elongate the leg. I'm also so into this blue-and-white striped top and have big plans to wear it all summer long wth midi skirts, culottes and high-waisted jeans at night.

Top - c/o Dynamite, Shorts - c/o Dynamite, Hat - Dynamite (last year)
shoes-  c/o Le Chateau

What do you guys think?  Are you as anxious as I am to dress for the summer at the first sight of warm weather?  What are your thoughts on shorts?  Let me know!

xo Joëlle

OOTD - The Best Day Ever in Toronto

You know those perfect days that you need to just pinch yourself to be reminded that it's actually happening?  That exact feeling is how I felt when Rebeca of Wishbone & Clover rounded up us girls and treated us to the girliest, most blogger-friendly day in Toronto.

The day started out with brunch as Ufficio on Dundas West. You guys know that I'm an absolute sucker for brunch, and Ufficio is one of my favourites in the city. They just re-launched their brunch menu, and it's absolutely amazing.  My favourite was the avocado toast, but I was also partial to the octopus eggs benedict - so good!

We then headed to Wild North Flowers to participate in a flower-crown making workshop.  You guys, this is a flower-lovers dream.  I could honestly sit and admire all of the beauty at the Wild North studio for hours, it's gorgeous. They provided us with a great tutorial on how to make our flower creations, and us girls eagerly got to working on our designs. Turns out that flower combs are the new flower crowns, so I was happy to make my very own flower comb. This class is so amazing, and is the perfect way to spend an afternoon with your favourite girls - I wish I had known about it for my bachelorette!

The whole occasion called for florals, so I wore my favourite floral midi dress from Topshop. The flowy fabric makes the dress such a dream to wear, and I'm such a sucker for long sleeves on a dress - to me, it makes everything more elegant.

Dress - Topshop, Shoes - c/o Le Chateau

Check out the video I made that recaps the day!

What do you guys think?  What's your idea of the perfect day?  Let me know!

xo Joëlle

All photos by Carolyn of Ponds End Production.  Thank you Wishbone & Clover Media for such an amazing day!
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