|Profile| The Loft Toronto

The Lofties at work

Finding a great hairstylist is like finding your soulmate.  They know what you mean when you say “like this, but not too like this” and can somehow translate that.  They have a vision for you, and respect when you’re not fully ready for that change...even when you need it.  A great haircut can make you feel brand new.  It can give you a new perspective.  A great hairstylist can change your life.  This is how I felt when I first met Bruno Racine and Sylvie Prud’homme.  

As co-owner of The Loft Ottawa and Le Spa, Bruno was selected to be one of the hairstylists on the L’Oreal Hair and Beauty Team for Project Runway Canada, season 2.  Working under him, Sylvie was also selected.  I didn’t get to spend much time with the hair and makeup team, and when they did see me I was usually stressed out and running around trying to complete my runway looks.  That being said, I always felt like they had my back, making my models look amazing each time.  Bruno was my guy on set.  He did my hair for our opening credits and cast profile pictures.  He would always make sure that my bangs were perfect (I hate when a blunt fringe separates).  It was safe to say I had fallen in love.  

Bruno Racine and Sylvie Prud'Homme in front of The Loft Toronto

After PRC, I was honoured to join Bruno and his teams for Ottawa Fashion Week and a few other fashion events in the city.  I got a chance to build a friendship with Bruno, Sylvie and Bree Powell, a talented makeup artist, who I also met on the set of PRC.  (Bree did my make up on the show and we’ve been working together since).  In February of 2010, Sylvie made her big move to Toronto, to work under top celebrity hairstylist Eric Del Monaco.  Sylvie saw me through so many hair colours and cuts those first few years.  She was also my creative partner, behind a few of my lookbooks and campaigns.  She was the first and only person I ever trusted to chop off all my hair.  Sylvie is a powerhouse stylist, and I always knew she had big things under her fashionable sleeves (over her tattooed arms, of course).    

On Queen West, in April 2013, as a joint venture with her husband Oz and an expansion of The Loft Ottawa,  Sylvie opened the doors to The Loft Toronto.  The boutique salon being her brainchild, Sylvie teamed up with Zoë Racovalis, a young interior designer and a personal friend of ours.  (Funny what can happen when you recommend your stylist to a friend!)  Out of Sylvie’s love for “grandma chic”, kitschy collections and Zoë’s design aesthetic for a cleaner more simple vibe that Sylvie and her team could grow into, The Loft Toronto was created.  I love this space!  The dark wood floors, the French fixtures, the chalkboard key wall, Oz’s handmade reception desk made from up-cycling old wooden doors and the growing wall of vintage plates all give you a sense of a homey atmosphere.  That’s exactly what Zoë had in mind with what she calls “chiclectic”, her interpretation of Sylvie, a mix of chic and eclectic.  Everywhere you look there is a bit of charm waiting for you to notice, something that I think sets The Loft Toronto apart from other salons in the area.  

Reception desk and plate wall

Chalkboard key wall, with paper cutting by Zoë Racovalis

Sylvie built her talented group by hand selecting everyone from Ottawa and more locally herself.  The Master Stylist and her band of Lofties specialize in Sassoon techniques, creative colour and styling.  They also offer makeup services and Bree, joins the crew on occasion as well.  The Loft Toronto is a new salon yes, but the combined talents, unique yet very comfortable vibe and expert skills have made it a very popular spot.  Creating a name for itself, The Loft Toronto is a salon like no other, as chiclectic as it’s co-owner, my stylist and friend, Sylvie Prud’Homme.

Come visit The Loft Toronto, at 663 Queen Street West

|Events| IMATS Toronto 2013

shirt, cardigan and necklace - Addition Elle | leggings - Old Navy | boots - Lane Bryant

IMATS!  I have waited too long for this.  I’ve always wanted to go, but either I’ve been too late or away while the Toronto edition was taking place.  IMATS, stands for International Makeup Artist Trade Show, or the Biffi version of a kid in a candy store (although I also like actual candy stores).  Imagine - makeup brands from all around the world, all the tools of the trade and for the most part everything is reduced in price and/or tax free!  Serious damage can be done!  

I purchased my tickets in August and have been waiting ever so patiently for November 9th to arrive.  I enlisted the shopping support of my girls Maram and Jordyn to come with me (so I wouldn’t spend all the money) for the ultimate day of makeup and makeup related things.  The amount of people all excited and crowded around each vendor was overwhelming.  But there is power in numbers, and the three of us (well four plus my photographer bf) successfully made a dent in my budget.  (Budget means you spent all the money you brought right?  And using your credit card once...).  

While there we even had a chance to sit in on a fall forcasting/drag inspired makeup lesson from Courtney Tichman, the global brand manager and lead makeup artist for Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (OCC).  It was a great way to break up our shopping session and to get some tips that the queens use to amp up the drama.  I also got the chance to meet Courtney (while wearing Black Metal Dahlia Metallic Lip Tar).  This also prompted my friend Maram (a girl with more foundation in her vanity than the cast of Ru’Paul’s Drag Race) to OD on OCC.  

With Courtney Tichman

Makeup Forever model

I may have spent more than I brought, but I am very happy with my goodies.  It was nice to grab a few things that I have been eyeing for a while, but not sure if I should order online.  I’m down with ordering clothing online, but I’m so much more tactile when it comes to makeup and tools.  I know what fabrics feel like, so I’m comfortable, but the consistency of a concealer?  The density of a brush’s bristles?  I need to get my hands on it!  I was also not at all disappointed by IMATS itself.  All the YouTube beauty gurus that I follow always mention it and it’s a big deal in the industry, so I had high hopes.  It was fun, informative, gave me variety and no matter where I looked something awesome was happening.  My bf was in a photographer’s dream with all the body painting and transformations happening around him.  There was something for each of us and I think we each walked away happy and looking forward to the next one.

My IMATS haul

|Style| On Wednesdays We Wear Black...

I don’t know about you, but I am living for the current season of American Horror Story: Coven.  A fan of the series since the start, even though I hate being scared, I’ve watched (mostly through my fingers, covering my eyes) and loved every incarnation of Jessica Lange’s characters.  But I have to say that Coven has been less scary and more story driven and certainly more fashionable than the past seasons.  (For example the serious Grace Coddington vibe Frances Conroy’s Myrtle Snow is serving).  And can we just talk about the addition of Gabourey Sidibe?  I think she is an amazing actress and I am so excited to see what they do with her character.  It’s a breath of fresh air to finally see a plus size actress like Gabourey on a popular show like Coven, that isn’t just there to be the butt of the joke or a run-on sentence of self depreciation.  

Channeling my inner Fiona Goode and following her advice, I wore “something black”.  While I don’t usually dress all in black, I find myself being more and more attracted to it lately.  I work as a makeup artist on the side, so it’s the colour (or lack thereof) of the uniform. There is something sexy and mysterious about wearing all black.  Dare I say, even witchy.

I am in love with this Addition Elle dress!  To be honest I had been eyeing the lace swing dress from Asos, which has been on my wish list, among a few other things for a while now (hint hint bf).  So when I saw this in store I just bit the bullet and bought it.  The lace is a paisley, with an under layer slip that is attached at the the neckline but free flowing at the side seams (sorry for the fashion tech geek moment - that stuff is important to me!).  It is so comfortable.  It’s soft and stretchy, but with a great fit and shape.  I even went down a size!

As much as I am in love with the dress, this blazer is one of the best purchases I have made in a long time.  It has an open front, fitted sleeve and structured shoulder.  I love me a good shoulder pad when it’s done well.  And the best part?  It was on sale!  I went into Reitmans on a whim, just to see what was up.  They tend to have a more conservative vibe, so I don’t usually find things to my taste there, but I was pleasantly surprised.  The jacket was reduced from $70 down to $59.99 with an extra 30% off!  Goes to show you, even if you don’t usually like a brand or line, it’s worth creepin‘ on sometimes.

Lately I feel like my ring obsession is getting ridiculous.  I never used to like more than just a statement ring or a knuckle duster.  But since my nail game has been elevated, the rings had to follow suit.  These ones are some of my favourites, from all over really (mainly Aldo Accessories, Urban Outfitters and Little Burgundy) .  I’m really into to midi rings (if you hadn’t noticed).  Gold is almost always my metal of choice.  I like the warmth it brings to my skin tone and my looks.  I do like the mixed metal detail of this necklace and the 60s long pendant vibe it has.  I thought it was a good pairing with the shape of the dress and length of the blazer.  Chic, with just enough emphasis.   

While I may not possess the powers of the Supreme, it is fun to play dress up as one.  

Outfit Details:

dress and necklace - Addition Elle | blazer - Reitmans | boots - Penningtons | leggings - Old Navy | scarf - Aldo Accessories  

|Style| The Boss Is On A Roll...

Halloween is my favourite holiday, always has been.  I’ve been dressing up since I was a little girl and I see no end insight.  The idea of dressing up and becoming someone else, even just for a night is so exciting to me.  I think that’s why I’ve always been attracted to fashion, to be honest.  It’s like Halloween everyday, just not as extreme (well, for most people).  Every year I plan and make an outfit.  And every year, since I’m the fashion designer/makeup artist in my group of friends, I usually end up being Mother Halloween and assisting, if not creating most of my friends’ costumes as well.  

This year the bf wanted to be scary.  I don’t do scary Halloween - cute, fun, crazy and accurate are more my game.  But since the boy hadn’t dressed up in his adulthood, I made an exception.  He wanted to be Jason.  Or more accurately Jason from the 2009 remake (see what I have to deal with here?).  Knowing that the costume would take a lot of time (there’s a machete harness made from a horse bit after all!), I knew I wouldn’t have that much time for a new full blown costume for myself.  Being the amazing girlfriend that I am, I decided to make the sacrifice and use a past costume.  If you know anything about me, I like to go big, or not go at all.  And since we were going to the Silver Snail Halloween Party, I thought why not cosplay as one of my all time favourite villains - Ursula!  

Close up of machete harness and full Jason costume

I’ve been Ursula before and in all fairness I always felt that I could have done the makeup much better.  During my attempt in 2011, let’s just say may makeup skills were not as refined as they are now.  And even though I was re-dressing up as a past costume, I had to make this version even better.  

2011 vs. 2013

The full power of this costume came for the makeup, 100%.  And the secret weapon - contouring!  Contouring makes everything better both in Halloween makeup and in real life!  (Yes Kim...I’m looking at you).  I wanted to make my face look like a still from the Disney classic.  I started by using a white pencil to mark out my new features and then I painted (literally) my skin.  After 3.5 hours, I was Ursula, ear to ear grin and all!  

The dress itself was made from stretch velvet and power mesh.  I took a few throw pillows and used the batting to make the tentacles.  They’re attached to the hem of the dress, then tacked to the body at my waist/hip area.  My bf actually found the wig online, which had a much better effect than the spray that I had used the time previous.

The reactions at the party were reward enough, for all the time and effort spent gettin‘ my Sea Witch on and making my guy look scary as hell.  It was so fun to pass by people and just hear the comments and gasps.  I am really proud of this Halloween’s offerings.  We also each won a prize, which was an unexpected treat, since we kinda missed the judging time frame (did I mention it look over 3 hours?).  

I feel like I did the Boss justice with this one.  Now if I want to top this costume, I better start planning...

Ursula's Poor Unfortunate Souls - Poison Ivy, Skull Face and Disco Unicorn

|Events| Consign Your Curves

*Rack rental is now closed*

Back in July I got a chance to check out Big Deal Toronto, which is a closet sale for some of the plus size bloggers in Toronto.  It was an awesome way to meet people in the plus/blogger community and get your shop on.  The variety of styles and new brands to discover also really got my attention (as well as the attention of my wallet).  

I had the good fortune of running into Carlie from Friends In My Closet....  Carlie is from my hometown of Guelph, and was planning on creating an event like Big Deal Toronto, in the area.  Thinking it was a great idea, we chatted about me joining the line up of “celebrity” closets for the event.

Me and Carlie at CYC

On October 5th, Consign Your Curves opened its doors to a line up of excited shoppers.  Carlie and myself were joined by blogger and celebrity closets of Karyn of Killer Kurves, Sheena Snively of MTV, model Melissa Shannon and Erica from Erica Exposed, to name a few.  There was also a rack rental open to the ladies of the community that wanted to make some space in their closets (or just fill that space with some new, gently used fashions).  The event was bumpin’.  Between the hours of 12 to 4pm there was always a full house.  It was amazing to see the turn out for what we thought was going to be a small event.  

Sheena and I

I had a very successful sale.  I had brought a lot of stuff, and while it was hard for me to part with, it was nice to make a little return off of my shopping habit and clear space for future fall goodies.  With the sale I was even able to make space for the bf to have his own section of the closet, instead of the 5’‘ of space I allowed him prior.  (He knew what he was getting into when he moved in).  

Racks on racks on racks...

Since I was actively trying to reduce my closet, I was on good behaviour and didn’t buy much.  I got a great 60s inspired fall/light winter cropped coat, a chunky knit grey open sweater and a cropped military jacket.  All for less than $40!  The great thing about events like this is that they are easy on your wallet and great for sustainable fashion.  All in all Consign Your Curves was a huge success and I hope that it becomes an annual event.

faux leather skater skirt, button down top and cuff - Forever 21 | leggings, necklace and watch - Additional Elle | heeled sneakers - Spring | rings and bracelets - Aldo Accessories

|Hair| Fresh Fall Cut

I used to be a little intimidated about short hair.  Maybe it was the fear of my curls rebelling.  Maybe it’s because the only times I remember having short hair as a child were traumatic.  There was the time my mom cut my hip length curly locks into a 70s white girl afro (my best friend didn’t speak to me for a week.  And she did this to me the day before Grade 2 photos!).  Or the time I was convinced I could pull off the “Rachel”, which then turned into the equivalent on the 4th Pyramid of Giza.  I’m sure there were more, but obviously only therapy will bring those to the surface.  Sylvie Prud’Homme, my hairstylist, has been wanting to take me short since 2011.  I let her have her chance well over a year ago and haven’t looked back since.

In the summer I was rocking a ‘do like Miley, but for the record I was on that before she was.  It was the last stop of my “My hair is too damaged to function so I’ll keep cutting it off” tour.  Wanting something edgy, but still feminine, I started to grow out the sides in hopes of growing it into a short bob.  Never having hair this short before I didn’t realize the issues of growing out shaved curly hair.  It grows out, not down!  

Frustrated and fuzzy, I decided that maybe short hair was the best answer.  I had been loving my hair the last year, through all it’s evolutions, so why not work with that?  Also Rihanna has been looking amazing lately with her pixie, so I went for it.

I could not be happier!  My hair feels soft, it looks shiny and it’s so easy and fast to do.  I was worried that my curls would get unruly without any length weighing them down, but not an issue.  Blow drying is a dream and 5 minutes with the straighten and I am done!  I’m in love with my hair again...and it’s been a while since I really meant that.  

I think there is a stigma about plus size women and cutting your hair short.  There is a fear of your face looking rounder.  You know what?  Your face might already be round, longer hair or not!  Why not try something new and fresh?  Pixies are a huge trend for fall and suit everyone, you just have to find the right framing for your face if you’re really worried about facial focus.  Also I’ve been told by a few people now that I look younger!  Ladies...take the help where you can get it!

Hair by Sylvie Prud'Homme of The Loft Toronto

|Style| Today's The Day...

I am so excited for fall!  I suffer through summer and all the frizz, humidity and sweating off my perfectly placed makeup, to embrace all fall has to offer.  Sweaters, layers, scarves, rich colours, frizz free hair and not being hot from just standing still.  Though it is not as cool as we Torontonians are used to, I will take it!  I’m like that one guy you see on the first day the snow starts to melt, wearing shorts, but in reverse.  Give me a fall breeze and I’m busting out the boots and capes!

One of my favourite fall trends is the rich bold colour palette.  Jewel tones and depth of colour give a nice warmth when it’s chilly outside.  This Oxblood hi-low top from Penningtons was a no brainer.  It’s a great length to pair with leggings, which makes it a no fuss piece you can easily style many ways.   The colour is totally on point for fall and is a nice backdrop for my favourite metallic of choice - gold!  I’m happy that people are finally on board with the thick, chunky chain look.  (Personally I’ve been trying to make this a thing for years now).  This necklace from Aldo Accessories had to come home with me as soon as I saw it.  

Another reason I have been craving the cold air is so I could finally wear these amazing faux leather leggings from Addition Elle.  When I tried them on they fit so well and were so cozy, but when I took them off I realized how warm they made me.  They have been living in my closet since the beginning of August, just waiting for their time to shine. 

Topping this date night out with the bf look is my worn-in Old Navy jacket.  This old gem is a great piece in spring and fall.  Just enough to keep off the cold but add a casual element to this otherwise edgier look.

Outfit Details: 

denim jacket - Old Navy | top - Penningtons | faux leather leggings - Addition Elle | shoes and bag- Aldo |necklace and watch - Aldo Accessories | jewellery - all over (did I mention I have a midi ring addiction?)