To say I’ve had bangs for life is not hyperbole. There is maybe a cumulative period of three years where I didn’t have them. The first being during the period when I didn’t have much hair because I was a newborn and the second being grade five, when I grew them out and it looked horrible. I’m not kidding. I’m not even going to share a photo because I probably burned them when I was in high school Just look at my commitment to the fringe.

A Brief History of L-A’s Bangs

Baby L-A rocking both the bangs and the late 70s style.

1984 is all about the blunt bangs and curls from sponge rollers you sleep in. 

High school L-A is a mid-90s cliché and features a full bob and serious bangs. Also, a nice reliant automobile.

So you see, literally bangs for life.

But now I’m reconsidering the bang situation. Maybe it’s the new mom cliché that I just don’t wash them or have the time to style them (there was a very long period where he wasn’t into napping). Maybe it’s the dreaded hard water making my bangs a regular mess (soon to be solved with my brand new water softener). Or maybe it’s time for a change after, well, over 35 years of bangs defining every hair cut I’ve ever had.

Whatever it is, it started with a longer fringe.

I take angry selfies, but i was really into my hair that day.

The hesitation over whether or not to fringe isn’t just a ridiculous Cher Horowitz-style existential crisis, it’s my feelings about my forehead and my hair line. Okay, so maybe it’s a little ridiculous to dwell about a forehead, but I have no-bang shell shock from the fifth grade when I would pull my no-bangs hair back severely in a ponytail or puffy headband or both (what up 1989) to reveal a big forehead and what feels like a receding hairline/widow’s peak. Hey, we’ve all got our weird body issues, mine just happens to be my forehead and the only thing you can do about it is cover it with bags or wear a hat. And the latter isn’t terribly practical unless you’re royalty and hat wearing is part of the job description.

And now, now we’re almost bang free.

Hair feels like it might be on fleek. If I knew how to use the words “on fleek”.

Will it last? Only time and my existential crisis will tell. But I think I’m learning to love (or at least not hate) my forehead. Maybe I can live a bang-free life.

Then, this week, Blake Lively agreed with us: her site sucked. Since she’s shutting that vanity project down (I know, you really wanted to know her thoughts on expensive jams for a fall harvest brunch), it seemed like a good idea to hit publish what we wrote when she first launched it. Now let’s judge some bitches. 

Ally: Let me just say upfront that it has been so long since I’ve written a blog post that I forgot my password to get on here. I thought for a minute that L-A may have changed it on me as a “time-out” for bad behaviour. Let me dig in here.

Mel: You know, never once have I thought to myself “you know what I need? More celebrities telling me how to live my life.” Alas, the latest guest to this horrifically narcissistic party is the one and only Blake Lively. I’ll admit I kind of liked her before. I mean GF has legs for days, hair that I would probably give somebody’s left arm for and she’s married to Ryan Reynolds. But with the recent launch of Preserve, we’re officially (pretend) friends off.

But let me back up a step here. This is a show-down featuring three judgey blondes (haaaaiii!) snarking off about three other judgey blondes.

Lauren Conrad dot com

Ally: I’m partial to Lauren. I always have been, mostly because no one does sidebraids like this woman.

And also…when asked what her favourite position was on Sway’s radio show, she answered, “CEO”.

In contrast with GOOP and “Preserve” (that name always brings the giggles and a little pee in the pants), Lauren’s site is by far the most authentic and down to earth. It also speaks most to my taste. A book club that features the latest effort from Chelsea Handler? Sign me up and judge me all you want! I also loved her “Fit Tip: Learn how to run” post, which is something I’ve been wanting to get back into lately.

In terms of look and feel, the navigation at the top is pretty easy-to-use, but once you get into the sub-pages, it gets a lot busier and cluttered. Not a deal breaker though, Lauren’s website for the win.

Mel: So first, the good: Lauren Conrad.

I never watched The Hills or whatever horrible “reality” TV show Lauren Conrad spawned from, and we have very different styles. But, guys, I LOVE Lauren Conrad (I’ll even confess to following her on IG). She’s classy, she’s fun and she actually seems pretty genuine. Her website is a delightful gem of how to girl that I have consulted on more than one occasion. She’s like your chic friend who can DIY a cute little table she thrifted and curl her own hair, but who can also sit down with a bag of chips, some sweat pants and a box of wine for a relaxing Saturday night in.

She has a BOOK CLUB!

And they did get better. Because now we have LC.com. And as celebrity lifestyles go, this one feels like one I can aspire to. I mean, I’ll never get there and I’m probably ten years too old to really get on that bandwagon, but that’s okay because I rarely remember I’m pushing towards 40. And based on her top ten chick flicks, this is a girl I can get along with (although we’d need to talk about her lack of Nora Ephron films. But I can forgive).

It includes The Notebook and 10 Things. So we’re basically BFF.

GOOP

Ally: Nope. Can’t do it, folks. Never have, never will. I pass on Gwyneth.

Mel: The bad: Gywneth Paltrow’s GOOP

I’ll admit, until this blog post, I haven’t spent a whole lot of time reading GOOP. What I’ve heard about it generally pisses me off, and when I clicked on a random part of the page, I ended up looking at a recipe for Chickpea Soup.

Which, in addition to being literally a can of chickpeas and some fucking lukewarm water and lemon juice, looks like dog food kibbles when they land in the water dish by accident.

Additionally, my summer essentials include a pair of cut offs, that one tank top I like to wear and a pack of veggie burgers, not some stupid vintage-inspired wetsuit that I can wear in my no doubt heated pool while I casually play ping pong?! Frig right off.

If you need me I’ll be eating a cheeseburger, which GP should also consider doing.

L-A: My opinion on Gwyneth is not a popular one, but here it is: I like her.

Maybe it’s because Sliding Doors was this movie that gave me feelings and made me want to cut my hair like that (which I totally did. It wasn’t a bad look for 1999/2000). Is she overly fancy to the point that most of us want to punch her? Yes. Yes she is. But here’s the thing that makes me okay with this: this is exactly who she is. When you are raised by Hollywood royalty with more money than most of us can imagine, you probably become a grown up version of Eloise (actually, that’s Liza Minelli). You live and breathe fancy. Which is why you recommend the following as your last minute coats for the winter:

Of course you would. I’ll totally drop $1k on a coat for the last couple of months of winter.

Having said that I like her, I do find her lifestyle site to be incredibly useless. I never remember to turn to her for recipes because I already have one judgey blonde homegirl for that (what up, Martha?) and her travel recommendations are completely useless. I could maybe save some enough money to order an appetizer at some of the restaurants she suggest. Maybe. And her health fads, like the latest one with steam up your vag? Well, to each their own, but I really rely on trained health care professionals and select websites (like the Mayo Clinic. They’re a fave) for my health information. If you want to trust a celebrity with your health, well then that’s your gamble. But let’s all remember where that little experiment got us: a measles outbreak in the happiest place on earth. Thanks a lot, Jenny McCarthy. But still, I somehow don’t hate her.

Preserve

Ally: Of course you named your website “Preserve”, Blake Lively, you insufferable shit.

Sorry, I’m still sore about Blake and Leo (aka my favourite piece of writing to date). Let me tell you, I didn’t find Blake’s website easily. I started by inserting “www.preserve.com” into my bar thingy, and got sent to some random URL. I’m no web developer, but isn’t that an obvious redirect to your site? Anyway, after Googling, “Blake Lively Preserve” I finally found it. This is what came up:

“Let’s Preserve our Connection”? Bitchpleeze.com

I then found her letter to the editor, and ok, it’s well written. Fine.

Then I decided to read the style/story piece called, “The Next Morning” written by Amber Tamblyn. This is encouraging, I thought to myself!

Look, Amber, I’ve been there. You need to write a blog post and you’ve got nothing. Not to mention, you’ve been given photos of what appears to be a man giving the smell test to his armpits.

I get you. What do you do with that? Well, it looks like you did just the right thing. Opened up a box of wine and got to the bottom of it while writing a piece even E.L. James would deny producing. Ain’t no shame in that game.

If I had to describe Blake’s site, which I guess is what we’re all here for, I’d say that it was a nightmare to navigate. I lost interest quickly. I do actually like the premise behind Blake’s site and think that she does seperate herself well from GOOP with the whole, “finding stories in every corner of America”. The writing just tries far too hard, and it takes away from the pictures – which is what she is really trying to sell.

Also, she ruined Leo for me so fuck the fuck off.

Mel: The ugly: Blake Lively’s Preserve

Listen. I get it. We’ve all had a moment of envy that we can’t all be hipsters living in Williamsburg. Crafting bespoke items of clothing in our ridiculously trendy lofts, drinking craft gin that some asshole made in his 5^th floor walk-up’s bathtub, all while trying to find ourselves and living like we’re in an episode of GIRLS.

But really Blake Lively? REALLY? We get it. You’re young. You’re beautiful. You’re rich. You’re famous. You don’t need to rub it in everybody’s face. This blog is like a scene from a hipster’s wet dream. And some things should just be kept to the imagination.

FLOWER BEARDS?!? COME ON.

L-A: From a purely profesh point of view: shitty, shitty job on getting this into my search engine when it first launched. Since .com wasn’t available and I couldn’t remember the .whatever (it’s .us, BTDubs), I googled. Which, fine. I have to google a lot of things. I’m a modern lady with damn near constant access to the internet, so I don’t need to know URLs like Facebook.com or whatever. Google is my buddy. But it took four pages of Google results later before I found the damn thing. (G)Oops.

Finding it is easier now that the site has been around for a few months. But I’m not sure why you’d want to find it because from the point of view of a person with moderate good sense and borderline good taste, this site is kind of the worst. It’s how I imagine the Internet would look with an Instagram filter on it all the time. And the writing. It’s just too much muchness. If  you can find the grey text on the black background. I mean, get a load of this.

What’s that article even about? I don’t know. I can barely read it. And there’s too much damn scrolling (both up and down and side to side). I don’t want to put that much effort into my internet reading. And every link we had from a few months ago has disappeared. Maybe they knew the writing was bad? Or maybe they just don’t know how to maintain a website. Frankly, the whole thing is a goddamned mess.

If I could get past the incessant Instagrammy-ness of it all and the overwrought writing and the impossible design, you know what? Preserve would probably be my jam. I am into that hipster-adjacent lifestyle where you want to make pies by hand, buy everything artisinal, including $18 well-photographed Etsified spoons.

But I can’t even deal. I also hate Blake. And her maternity photos. Because of course she did a backlit field of flowers cupping her belly.

Of Course She Did. My “I’m having a baby photo”? I took a picture of an ultrasound and then went MS Paint on it. (oh, by the way, new FPQT Intern on the way in June). So Imma keep on pretending that Preserve doesn’t exist because it’s just too much.

Bonus: Martha

L-A: I’m maybe the only one who really cares about Martha here. But that’s because I love her and all her high-falutin advice. Her cookie recipes are 100% my jam – I had the cookie app on my now MIA phone (I miss you phone! Come back to me!). And if I need a recipe I can trust, she’s my homegirl. Also, she’s done time for white collar crimes and kept her empire running. A goddamn empire of magazines and television in an age when television and magazines are basically like talking about silent films and radio dramas. Good on you, Martha. However, if Martha explains a step to you in a recipe: just do it. Don’t skip that step. Just don’t. That’s how you end up with the saddest meringues ever.

Also, Martha featured LC in her Weddings Magazine, so I feel like Martha is LC approved.

And she has a random feud with GOOP, so if you hate on GOOP, you can appreciate Martha. She also taught the Fug Girls to fold fitted sheets. So let’s all take a moment to appreciate Martha. She’s the most badass and judgiest of all the blondes. She’s the original judgey blonde.

And with that, we bring you what’s new with us. Over the past five years, a lot has changed for us – babies, school, careers, moves, and more babies. That’s why the unofficial hiatus happened. We still love fashion and style and we’ll still blog about it, but we’re going to branch out a bit to our other interests. So, in the grand tradition of GOOP, Blake (pour one on the ground for Preserve), LC (and maybe even Martha), we’re going to be judgey blondes on all areas of life – not just what to wear. I guess that makes us “Lifestyle Bloggers” instead of straight up “Fashion Bloggers”. And after this post, it makes us slightly hypocritical. We’re okay with that. Hopefully you’ll stick around. 

For Makeup Monday, which is not actually a theme but it makes this post sound like it has a purpose other than to show you my latest selfie, I’d like to introduce you to Anastasia Beverly Hills DIPBROW Pomade which I purchased through Sephora and they delivered RIGHT TO MY DOOR.

Right?

I’m counting 11 different shades being offered, but math is tough.

International Women’s Day was yesterday. Just watch the above video a few times in case you were wondering why that day was necessary.

You can purchase this product through Sephora online here. Please note that Sephora is not paying me to promote their products, but they can at any time on any day.

On a total aside, can we talk about how perfect this song is? It’s Ellie Goulding’s contribution to the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack which I am boycotting because Jamie Dor-something replaced Charlie Hunnam and middle aged women everywhere realized that life truly was not fair.

Sigh.

Here’s Ellie. The video is crap, but the song is everything.

]]> https://fashionablepeople.wordpress.com/2015/03/09/makeup-monday-eyebrows/feed/ 1 15636 allygarbs pomade Right? https://fashionablepeople.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/what-fresh-hell-culottes/ https://fashionablepeople.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/what-fresh-hell-culottes/#respond Thu, 19 Feb 2015 20:44:15 +0000 http://fashionablethings.com/?p=15610 L-A: So, as part of my day job, I’m often trolling the Facebook pages of major retailers. And I’ve noticed something that I can’t ignore: culottes.

In case you’re not sure, the definition for modern ladies (these things apparently existed as far back as the French Revolution, but for dudes) is that it’s a split skirt. So you can look lady like while being active and doing things like gardening, bicycling and horseback riding. Which, when you think about it, makes it the tampon of ladies’ fashions. Which makes me wonder why we would ever want to bring these back?

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A mystery that even TV Nancy Drew couldn’t solve.

I mean, I guess they’re better than a skort because they’re only sort of pretending to be a skirt. But honestly? Why you no wear a skirt instead?

Yet, here they are from Forever 21.

Like a sloppy tea length skirt, but with leg holes. Because we’re all dying to wear something as universally flattering as a tea-length skirt, cutting us off at the calves, but slightly more practical.

And here they are at TOPSHOP in Toronto:

Honestly I’m having trouble getting on board with this idea. If the Forever 21 model, who is literally paid to make clothes look good, can’t make it look like a sane choice, what hope do the rest of us have?

I am willing to admit that maybe the fast fashion version of the culotte is where the real trouble is. That there are wearable culottes that don’t immediately strike you as baggy, unflattering, short pants. I’ve seen street style photos and NYFW photos of culottes that almost make sense. Or maybe I’m just too old for this shit.

But culottes as a thing are not making sense to me at all. Hard pass on this spring trend.

I’ve since bought myself quality bags (like a solid non-Coach-y Coach black leather and a Longchamps nylon bag) and really, as much as I love a good purse, I don’t need any more of them. But still, I dreamed of that bag. And whenever I hit the outlets with cash in my pocket, I looked to see if I could find one like it. I knew my collection just wouldn’t be complete until I filled the void left by that bag.

And you know what? Bitches, I did it.

My photography skills haven’t improved during our hiatus, but my shopping has.

Meet my very own Marc by Marc Jacobs Q Hillier Hobo. We’re a little bit in love with each other right now.

Because I’m a lazy photographer, here’s what the bag looks like when it’s in black and has a professional taking a photo of it:

She’s a beaut, non?

I believe the colour I chose was cardamom, but I’m going to call it “Marsala-adjacent” so it seems like I’m up on the whole colour of the year thing. There was much debating in-store over whether I wanted black or a colour. There were super cute colours (which were on super sale), but let’s face it, I’d grow tired of a turquoise bag (you see, I was being really sensible about this decision). Since I already have a black leather bag, a classic deep colour makes sense. And the more I look at/wear this purse, the more I love the colour I did pick.  I was also smart and remembered that I need a purse that can go crossbody. Carrying a purse on my arm isn’t my jam and it’s only going to get worse on that front (again, I was uncharacteristically sensible). And god bless the expansion of the Cabazon outlets to include a Marc by Marc Jacobs store, because it only cost me about $200. All those hours of embroidering Heritage Minutes paid off.

And with that, the Shopping Gods have been appeased. I’m no longer filled with regret and the Marc Jacobs Incident is merely a footnote in my shopping history. Also, I can stop buying purses. At least until I can afford something ridiculous like a Mulberry bag, but that’s a purchase I can wait for.

I decided to make some drastic changes. First step: Join the gym.

Ally joins the Gym

So insufferable are gym people, I know, and I vow to try really hard to not be that jerk. I joined with the masses right around January 1st, so I was on the receiving end of a lot of social media scorn for being a “newbie”, the term insufferable gym people use for their fellow humans who have the audacity to get up the courage to walk their out of shape molds into a facility with unflattering lights and supermodels wearing lululemon.

In addition to being a newbie who was ruthlessly and remorselessly stealing “regulars'” parking spots and “favourite machines (Seriously? SERIOUSLY? ), I decided to go the distance and hire a personal trainer for a few sessions to mind me how to like, do stuff at the gym. This, in my opinion, was well worth the money. If any of you go to the Goodlife at Larry Uteck, and are interested in a personal trainer, I highly recommend Richard Hope. He’s a lovely guy who knows his stuff and who manages to not make you feel massively out-of-shape despite the fact that he takes the 25 pound weight you were using for your squat and holds it like it is a kleenex. He also calls you “young lady” in a totally non-misogynostic way even though you both know that you’re on the wrong side of 35.

Seeing the trainer for those sessions made me commit to a routine. I was hooked, and I plan to be by next year for all the “regulars” who are reading. Plus I bought two pairs of lululemon tights so that I too can weld the stepper machine feeling like a supermodel.

With sheer panels, but not in the bum area!

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In addition to the strengh training exercises that I worked on with Richard, I also wanted to step up my cardio game. Instead of just going for boring runs on the treadmill, I’ve been using the stepper and making the treadmill interesting by doing some different intervals.

This is a treadmill plan from Jillian Michaels. I really liked it, but will increase my sprint speed next time.

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Also, this thing?

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…terrifying.

Ally uses the Kitchen

Again, if you know me, you know that I am not the chef in our family. That’s my husband, El Jeffe, and he’s great at the job. With an interest in focusing on nutrition, and making sure I was properly fueling my body (omg I am becoming insufferable, aren’t I?), I started to prep food for the work week to make sure I wasn’t resorting to snacks that were not doing anything for me, or carb-loading which was making me flat-out exhausted. I turned to Pinterest and I have not looked back.

Egg muffins

Equal parts selected veggies, meat (I usually use leftovers from supper), and 1/4 cup of liquid egg whites into each muffin cup. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

These are so delicious, I keep them in the fridge for the week, and take two out each morning heating for 30 seconds. Add a bit of hot sauce and voila!

Salads

Kale, Avocado, cherry tomatoes, yellow pepper, lemon and garlic tuna.

I’ve been loving Quinoa as a replacement for my much-loved pasta. I cook it in chicken broth from time to time to give it a bit of extra taste.

Baking off Chicken and Salmon

I work from home, but I keep a pretty rigid schedule breaking for lunch around 11:30am. I don’t want to take a lot of time preparing a meal. So on the weekends, I’ve started to bake off a bunch of chicken breasts and salmon to keep in the freezer and pull out throughout the week.

Nothing fancy here, but I did end up drizzling some maple syrup/balsamic salad dressing over the salmon. Paired with wild mushroom couscous and cherry tomatoes which I’m obsessed with.

Yah, I’m really, really into tomatoes and colourful peppers. It’s a problem.

So far, so good. I’m really trying to get to the gym at least four times during the week and I take the weekends off since it’s really busy with two small kids. I’m finding the exercise combined with the better focus on nutrition has made a dramatic difference for my energy levels, mental clarity and my issues with anxiety. I have obsessive compulsive disorder, which is tough to manage on the best days, not to mention when I’m sleep deprived and am not getting enough physical activity.

I’m proud of myself, and I want to keep it up, which is why I’m documenting it here in the hopes that come January 2016 I’ll be rolling my eyes at the newbies who dared to look at my favourite stepper machine.

My favourite tutorial (and she does some wicked ones – check out her full site) is by Kandee Johnson.

If she seems super happy, it’s because her eyebrow game is rock solid.

Here are some Sephora products I’m currently looking at, but please weigh in if you know of something better that I should be using:

I won’t lie. This looks difficult to use. I was never good at stenciling.

I’ve always loved products by Too Faced, so maybe this is the right direction to follow…

I’m all about infographics on my makeup products.

Then there are the products by Anastasia Beverly Hills, which are used in the above tutorial video.

SO MANY CHOICES.

I’ll let you know what I end up deciding on, and will post photos when my eyebrows look like this:

It will happen.

As a communications consultant, I usually just shoved my wallet and makeup into my laptop bag and called it a day. I don’t know what changed, maybe being in my mid-thirties or maybe when my husband told me that I needed to “dress more age appropriate”, but I suddenly found myself noticing people’s bags, and realized I was sorely lacking in the department.

I had a few bags that I’ve picked up over the years at thrift stores, and I’ve even gone so far as to “look” at bags when out shopping, but I didn’t really know what I was looking for and felt totally out of my league.

We get tons of emails asking us to review products, or offers to write a “guest blog” on our site. Typically we pass, as we don’t really want to be in the review business, nor do we want our site to be used for sales pitches. Every now and then however, we get an actually credible, well-written, thoughtful pitch and request to review an item. When these rare gems come through our email door, L-a and I basically decide who is going to get the product through the “who reads the email first” process. A while back L-a responded to the O.P.I. new neon line promotion.

So, I took a lot of joy in reading the email from Pursebox before L-a had the chance.

So, a little about Pursebox.ca. They currently stock Pursebox and Australia’s Status Anxiety brands, but are planning to expand shortly. You can follow them on Facebook and on Twitter to keep track of this expansion. The company noticed that there was a gap in the Canadian accessories market, and that many were ordering from the States and then paying a ridiculous shipping fee. That’s where they stepped in – to offer affordable, attractive and high-quality bags.

I was sent the Charmed Shoulder Purse in black, which I was told was one of their top sellers. After receiving it, I can see why it’s so popular.

Beyond excited to receive this in the mail!

The bag is the perfect match go-to, everyday bag, which is really what I need with my lifestyle these days. I need a bag that I can keep on the kitchen mantle, and grab as I run out the door knowing that it will go with absolutely EVERYTHING.

It was a home-office day that day that I received this, so I decided you would probably not want photos of this paired with my runners leggings. Door knob it is.

Now, it does come with a longer, across-the-shoulder, strap, but the shoulder strap actually works very well. More chic if you will.

I loved this embelishment on the front, which is funny because as soon as my husband came home (and was actually impressed that I had a grown-up purse). He wondered why I had gotten a bag with decorative nunchucks. He didn’t say this as a bad thing, just all curious-like.

I can say with full confidence that this is not my last encounter with Pursebox.ca. I’m already eyeing the London Satchel in watermelon (WATERMELON YOU GUYS!)…

Right?

I also think the Berlin Moto bag would be the fix I need for carrying around a stack of files and my small laptop to client offices.

Should be a travelling consultant standard, I think.

I was thrilled to be able to review this purse, and even more excited to learn of Pursebox.ca’s existence! It’s something I know many of our readers would like to know about, and it’s something my husband will be sure to enjoy reading about on future credit card bills.

]]> https://fashionablepeople.wordpress.com/2014/09/21/pursebox-how-i-finally-became-a-purse-person/feed/ 0 15457 allygarbs Beyond excited to receive this in the mail! 002 003 Right? Should be a travelling consultant standard, I think. https://fashionablepeople.wordpress.com/2014/09/15/fpqt-big-day-downtown-2014/ https://fashionablepeople.wordpress.com/2014/09/15/fpqt-big-day-downtown-2014/#respond Mon, 15 Sep 2014 15:14:12 +0000 http://fashionablethings.com/?p=15432 Ally: We’ve been super fortunate to be a part of the Downtown Halifax Business Commission’s “Big Day Downtown” since it’s inception. Need proof?

I never get tired of watching that video. Oh, how I’ve aged.

This year’s twist was that readers had to pick where we would spend our $150 gift card. We love our readers, and for the most part, they really know us. However one dear soul suggested that we should partake in craft beer drinking…

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I’m ignoring all suggestions of craft beer, because, please. No. It will be wine or the hard stuff. – L-a Steelworthy, Big Day Downtown email planning session, August, 2014

Since the two of us hadn’t gotten together in a while, we were hoping for a suggestion of dinner, and bonus points a suggestion for Sushi. We got it! Corinne, a lovely reader, suggested we hit up Dharma Sushi, which is hands-down my favourite sushi spot in Halifax.

Eats.

Ally: Sadly, Dharma Sushi was closed for a private party. Who books an entire restaurant? Selfish jerks. That’s who. We were now totally in the mood for sushi, so we figured we wouldn’t be docked if we chose another sushi place downtown. We walked down to Sushi Shige on Granville, where they serve up the best spicy tuna sushi my face has ever met.

It was so good that I emailed this photo to my husband before I started eating. One of the best parts of leaving the suburbs is sending photo evidence of THE VERY GOOD TIME YOU ARE HAVING to your spouse who is stuck at home folding laundry and putting the kids to bed.

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The tuna literally melts in your mouth. It’s ridiculous. I feel as though this place is a little known gem in the downtown core. It’s got a nice vibe, a hole in the wall ambience where you feel like your gossip won’t be heard by others. Except it kind of was, especially after L-A brought out the F-bomb army during drink #2.

It’s at this point that I should mention we had to move tables because the delightful server told us our “wine wouldn’t fit” on the table for two.

L-A: While I’m always open to trying new things (honestly. And there were some very good downtown dinner suggestions thrown our way), if you say sushi, I say “get it in my face now”. As you know, I’m now part-time in Halifax, which means I’m rarely getting my fill of tasty sushi (KDubs has it’s charms and it’s schnitzel, but it has thus far failed me on the sushi front). The Shige sushi pizza is my favourite. Pair it with a half litre of house wine and bam! Party in my tummy.

I also had delicious avocado rolls and miso soup, but the sushi pizza is where it’s at. This place is totally blink and you’ll miss it (seriously. Ally wasn’t kidding about hole in the wall. It’s a door. In a giant wall. Blink and you’ll miss it and you’ll be sad).

Slightly Drunk Shopping.

Ally: After you’ve had a few glasses of wine, you want to go where everybody knows your name. Biscuit General Store is my fave place to shop in all of Halifax, not just downtown. So, when someone who I swear I did not pay off recommended that we spend some coin there, I was all…

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Let me tell you, shopping aftera few drinks is totally liberating, although it brings a few risks. I plucked a pair of plaid pants from the rack and turned to L-A saying, “Tell me not to try these on.” L-A, was all, “YOU NEED TO TRY THOSE ON.”In retrospect, had L-A been sober, I’m not entirely sure she would have had that response.

The result? Yay for drink-ies! Also, the shirt is from Free People. Y’all know how much I love Free People.

These pants, from See you Monday Los Angeles, were purchased.

We also hit up the shoe section at Biscuit. I feel as though the shoe section at Biscuit doesn’t get the love it deserves. I needed to pair these pants with a great shoe.

I know what you’re thinking:

1. Did she seriously pick out electric blue booties to go with a pair of plaid pants?

2. Did she seriously wear a sequin skirt to her client’s office on a Thursday?

Yes, yes I did. To both.

L-A also had some luck in the shoe department. Let it be known that L-A and I will never have our friendship end due to a fight over men or shoes.

L-A: Post-BDD shot of my shoes so you can’t see the fat feet I had when we were shopping. Mid-thirties are hard y’all.

They are actually super cute, and would look amazing with skinny jeans. L-A can pull that shit off. What’s that you ask? She didn’t buy any stripes?

Of course she did. I’m not sure how this shirt differs from the one she walked in with, but she assures me they are unique.

I had a gift certificate for Biscuit that my mom had given me for my birthday, so I donated my portion of the shopping funds on our Big Day Downtown card to L-A. This meant we still had a bit of money to spend so we turned our attention to a nightcap.

L-A: That picture doesn’t do the top or me justice. I’m actually surprised I’ve let it see the light of day. It’s bad because (a) Tyra would totally yell at me for my lousy modelling skills (seriously. I can’t pose for shit), (b) my mom would probably tell me to stand up straight, and, (c) let’s be real, because you try taking a good change room photo after wine and sushi. So, here’s a better view of it:

Not only is it 75% different from all my other striped tops since I typically opt for a more fitted, classical boat neck style, but it was also Bonanza by Biscuit General Store.

I’ve never owned a striped top by a local designer, so totally different than everything else. It looks way better when I pair it with jeans and a jacket. Trust.

Also, I almost didn’t buy the shoes. I was all, “I don’t know. Maybe.” because I’m awful at making decisions (and I was eyeing some cute jewellery). So I can thank Ally that I now have these beauts to wear on a work trip tomorrow.

I have the last size 10, so my apologies to the other big footed ladies of Halifax – there are no more of these cute shoes for you.

The staff at Biscuit were delightfully nice about our drunk shopping at about 15 minutes before closing.

Moar Drinks.

Ally: It was a beautiful night, one of the last patio nights of summer, so we thought The Carleton would be a great choice. At this point in the evening, I can only recall that I ordered “Chardonnay” and “the big size”.

Those glasses were pretty much filled to the top when we started. It was a great end to a perfect night catching up with one of my best friends. There were a few other couples on the patio, and a live band could be heard from inside. It was quintessential Halifax.

L-A: Did someone suggest The Carleton? It’s possible. I know I did. But at that point in the evening, we forgot to check in on reader suggestions. And since it was actually my 10th wedding anniversary (also spent in downtown Halifax at the Halifax Club. And the Best Lady went shopping downtown in between the ceremony and the reception), I win.

The answer to “6 or 9 ounces?” is almost always “9 ounces”.

But seriously, it’s hard to think of a better way to end an evening of dinner, drinks and shopping with one of your oldest friends (who was at my wedding. Her gift included a copy of US Magazine) than on a patio on Argyle street.

Other than spending the evening with my husband (who I left in KDubs for the week), a Big Day Downtown is a pretty swell way to spend your anniversary.

That said, I’m really excited that we are broadening our horizons for this site beyond just fashion. As much as we love fashion (and we really do!), as we move into the wrong side of 35, our interests have expanded and I think we have more to offer. I think we’re also learning more about ourselves, our passions and what drives us each day.

Without going into personal details (friend me on Facebook for that!), our family had a bit of a plot twist this year that set us in a new direction. It’s an exciting new path, with lots of opportunities, but it took me a while to see it that way. This new path also comes with greater responsibility and a bit more stress – which, combined with regular life stuff and a busy workload – I’d like to manage better.

Which is why discovering running has been a really great thing for me.

This is currently the image on my desktop.

I always enjoyed getting out for an hour “power walk” each day (I just said “power walk”!), but one day recently, I just started running. And it was ok. In fact, it was this weird breakthrough where I ran and when I stopped there were tears streaming down my face. I just felt like maybe this is what I needed. This could be my little escape. The piece of the day that I carve out just for me, where I’m alone and I can block out everything with some exquisite shitty music.

Speaking of.

It’s so deliciously awful!

I also got some great advice on making sure to have my sneakers fitted for me. I saw Barry at the Running Room in Bedford and he hooked me up with these fine kicks.

I’ve even entered my first race on October 4th! Terrifying!

So there you have it. My first completely inspirational lifestyle post. Not GOOP, but super close.