So earlier this year I did Hair Care Challenge. Of course, I had to write about it. Here it is…
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This roundup was inspired by the Netflix show Bridgerton. Set in the Regency period, the show featured over 700+ costumes in the 8 part series! I’m a big fan of ruffles, bows and lace myself – so this made for a fun roundup.
I can’t wait for the second season. Read the piece on BELLA here.
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So here it is, my last piece for Thrive this year. Looking back, I wrote a lot even though I never physically left Vancouver. Although this is an interview I did with Lynn Lin of Electric Bing Sutt (Lebanon), it describes how resiliency has become the word of the year.
Hope you have a wonderful, happy, healthy New Year.
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This is definitely going to be my last roundup of the season. Here is Forever Formal Fashion, a sequel to a piece I did last year, this is a roundup of sustainable brands for formal occasions.
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I was interviewed by Wendy Sy for the Fortune and Frame blog , for the What I Give campaign. It was such a pleasure because, I have yet (after so many years) to meet Wendy in person.
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Here is my convo with Chef Douglas McMaster of Silo London and the new Zero Waste Cooking School and food educator experience designer, Charles Michel for Thrive. This is the sequel to my initial article, Food for Thought. Both had really aligned POVs and values and it was nice to hear more of their thoughts on the Future of Food.
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Let’s back track to the summer. I was part of a panel for #DeloitteFutureofHealth panel and here are some snippets of the discussion. Here is my Thrive article about it too.
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I had the pleasure of visiting Supernova Ballroom back in Jan. so I was sad to hear that it had to close down. Here is a piece I wrote based on an interview with Kelsey Ramage and Ivy Mix about the trials and tribulations of owning a business during this uncertain pandemic time.
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Here is a piece for a joint interview with Chef Eduardo Marin and Dr. Johnny Drain on the Slow Food Movement. Read it here.
I’m actually in the process of doing a follow up piece with Chef Douglas McMaster from Silo London and the Zero Waste Cooking School. Should be out very very soon!
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I put together two roundups on BELLA. One on Advent Calendars and another on Loungewear.
I definitely need to start the Advent one earlier next year; I can’t believe that SO many sold out by the time the piece went live.
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A few months back, I wrote an article on my thoughts on the pandemic (which is still going on!) and because of that article I was asked to participate on a private group panel for Deloitte about the Future of Health. Incredibly honoured for two reasons. First, when I graduated I actually thought about moving into management consulting and Deloitte was on the list (so working with them has come full circle). The second reason is that being able to use my 16 years of healthcare in a different way is a nice consolidation of my experience to date!
Other panelist include
Jennifer Jolly – an Emmy award winning journalist in the Tech and Health Space (New York Times, USA Today, Today Show)
Robin Raskin – a Health and Tech industry leader
Robin Plotnik – Nutrition and Fitness influencer @WhatRobinEats
Anna DeSouza – Digital and Broadcast journalist in the Tech and Health Space (Yahoo! and Today.com). This is my second time working with Anna – the last time, she was pregnant and now she has two beautiful baby twin girls.
UPDATE: Here is the Thrive Global piece I wrote about this session.
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Here is a piece I wrote about the other pandemic, systemic racism. This time I called upon my friends to help me out. Find it on Thrive.
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It took me a while, but here is the piece I wrote about the pandemic for Thrive. It’s been a weird few months for everyone – I know everyone is dealing with their own form of purgatory.
I’ve been watching a lot of late night TV (on Youtube) and Seth Meyers always ends with – “Stay Safe, Wash your hands and We love you”.
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BELLA’s latest edition honors frontline workers and guess who was included? This Beauty issue is for sale here.
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I don’t think anyone foresaw that we would be spending a lot of time at home (under orders) in 2020. I wrote a roundup for BELLA on some products that have helped the stay be a little more pleasant.
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Since my trip to the UK back at the end of Feb, I struggled on how I would write essentially a ‘trade’ piece and have it be relevant. I think I succeed – read it here.
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This piece went live on BELLA in March.When I wrote this piece I was thinking quarantine might be for a month or so. Unfortunately, it’s looking like its longer. No matter – you still need to get outside and get some moments of fresh air (just think – with less cars – the air is actually fresher!). I want to personally thank you to all the essential mail carrier/courier companies out there as they are allowing me to still online shop without much of a delay.
Spring Staycation Fashion Finds
Hope you are staying well and healthy.
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I had the incredible opportunity to talk about my book live on national daytime TV on the Tamron Hall Show in NYC. It was so much fun, but I don’t think I had much time to process everything that was going on. It was nice to visit my friends though, I haven’t been back to NY since Jan of 2018.
Being on TV is not something new to me, I was re-occuring on a TV show for a bit and in 2018 I did three taped segments including Good Morning Washington, The TODAY show in Sydney Australia and NBC News BETTER for my book.
Yet, this was the first time there was a live audience. I can’t wait to do it again as I had a lot of fun.
TAMRON HALL: Tamron Hall
TAMRON HALL: Tamron Hall
TAMRON HALL: Tamron Hall
TAMRON HALL: Tamron Hall
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Just catching up from some busy weeks. I was in NYC (which I will tell you about in my next post) and then I went to the UK as well. Here are two pieces for BELLA.
Optimizing Ourselves – It was my research about supplements and vitamin regimes on the market today.
Top 5 Local Must-Do’s in 5 Iconic Cities – Looks at a survey of 5 cities around the world and their Must Do lists as noted by locals.
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Because every New Year (New Decade) we should regroup and see how we can be just a tad bit better. I rounded up on a few products to help us hit the ground running on BELLA. Here is the piece.
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I can’t believe that I forgot to post this! Such a great trip with Jose Cuervo. I definitely did not get my fill of street tacos though, or enough time at the Anthropology museum.
Here is my piece for BELLA.
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Here is a spotlight on THRIVE, I did on the philanthropic work of celebrity hairstylist, Martino Cartier and FOLLEA founder, Daniel Alain Hafid. They recently had their hair drive at The Gregory Hotel with Caravan Stylist Studio.
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I’ve been slacking on sharing my pieces on my site. Here are 3 BELLA pieces that I contributed this fall.
Full STEAM ahead – A roundup of STEAM toys and one to look out for in the future.
How to win those Winter Woes – Skincare during the winter months can be challenging. Here is some products that can help.
Forever Fashion – Two OOTD looks, one for work and one for play. Entirely created with sustainable fashion pieces.
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This piece was well overdue! I had the best time in Croatia and can’t wait to go back.
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Travelling to the Monaco Yacht Club for the Solar & Energy Boat Challenge inspired this piece.
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Here is a piece I wrote inspired by my time in the British Virgin Islands, visiting the Scrub Island resort.
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A few tips that I shared with Business Insider about second dates.
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I attended Glimpse 2019 (A HydraFacial and FastCompany event) in Las Vegas a few weeks ago and I wrote this piece on a few of the speakers that shared their wisdom with the crowd. I love when I can tie in my business knowledge into real life scenarios. This is Open Operations for Thrive.
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Here is a piece I contributed to about AirBnB’s Do’s and Don’ts for FabFitFun.
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Here’s something I was quoted in for travel beauty finds for FabFitFun.
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Hanging out in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) never hurt anyone. In fact, I’m still tanned a month later from the sun reflecting off the clear water. Here is a quick review I did for BELLA.
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Here is the piece I wrote about my whirlwind trip to Israel in April. I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to travel with the Bnai Zion Foundation and summarized it in this Thrive Global article.
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They are seriously everywhere. And while the jury is out if they actually work, I thought I would round up a few on the market. Here is the RESIDENT piece. I will say, gummy vitamins are my favourite – they are better than the Flintstone ones I had as a kid.
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I totally forgot I contributed to this piece AGES ago. Glad to see it went live. I’ve always wanted a byline in T+L so I think that this is a step in the right direction 😉 Here is the entire piece.
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On March 20, 2019 I had an interview with Dr. Jane Greer in NY talking about lists, love lists specifically. Here is the live show.
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So I decided one day that I would try out facial oils. I ended up going down a rabbit hole and realizing that there are so many options out there it only made sense to do a round up. Here it is for RESIDENT.
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I did this interview a while back and had no idea it went live on both Medium and Thrive Global. I re-read the piece and I thought, gosh that girl sounds awfully wise!
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I don’t consider myself a beauty blogger by any stretch, but I do appreciate the look of a healthy glow. With so many products available, it’s hard to know what works for your skin type without trying a few. I have pretty sensitive skin, which is usually quite dry due to eczema – so I layer on the moisturizer like no other, especially when travelling.
Because of my dry skin, I recently got on board with serums and oils (yes, a little late) and when I was approached to try out AZN Labs first product, the Afterglow Ampoule, I was excited to see the result (especially after I opened this beautiful package!)
AZN Labs uses a formula that combines the best of Japanese and Korean beauty ingredients/techniques. This includes Astaxanthin, created in rainwater microalgae. It’s 6,000 times the potency of vitamin C. I did a quick Google search about Astaxanthin and found it is the pigment that gives Salmon its pink colour.
For the past week, I’ve been using the serum twice a day (anytime I’m putting on moisturizer) avoiding my eye area, but including my neck. I feel it definitely gives me an instant glow and brightens my skin. It is thin in viscosity, so I might be using too much during each application, but my skin absorbs it without residue. In terms of the other claims, of repairing lines and wrinkles – I think its too early to tell but looking forward to seeing what my skin looks like after a month of use.
AZN Labs Afterglow Ampoule is available online on Monday Feb 11, 2019.
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In December, I had the pleasure of staying at the W Downtown. Its been a while since I stayed right outside the WTC. A lot has changed in the area and the Oculus is so beautiful not to check out. Starting at the end of last year, the W Downtown will showcase a local artist each quarter in the lobby. A signature cocktail will be sold at the bar inspired on the artists collection . Fun stuff. Here is my piece for BELLA NYC Magazine.
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This is my first Thrive piece this year and it pretty much sums up 2018 and looks ahead to 2019. Read it here.
Hope you have a Happy New Year and you are ready for the ride.
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Do you ever wish you had a concierge for all your beauty appointments? When I travel, I usually need my nails done, my eyebrows tweezed and certain areas waxed. What if there was a service that could help you make those appointments working with your schedule and your specific needs or preferences?
Say hello to Unplugg’s Club U. Fill out your SmartFit Profile and you receive up to 4 options of spas available for your desired service catering to your location and timing preference. Once you book, all you have to do is show up and the service is then billed to your credit card on file.
I was recently in NY and needed a specific neutral shade on my nails for a commercial I was shooting the following day. While I was too busy to get it done ahead of time, I easily found a place close to my first meeting location within walking distance. I booked with Club U and voila, all I had to do was show up at the allotted time and complete my service. I was off to my next meeting in no time.
I liked how there were a few options suggested in my preferred area based on the vibe of the spa (relaxing or no frills) and expertise of the nail techs (nail art or basic). All very important. With the holidays in full swing you can even pick up a gift certificate for a friend to enjoy during this busy time. The best part is that once you are a Club U member you can start to collect points for upgrades, free touch ups and my favourite – rewards!
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You know what I love. When you can walk into a hotel lobby after traveling for hours on end wearing a full black ensemble (not appropriate for the weather) and not feel like you’re totally a fish out of water. This was my reality a month ago at the Laylow in Honolulu.
Riding up the escalator, I was immediately transported to a hotel lounge with a cool island vibe. The lobby of the Laylow is complete with palms, and wicker egg chairs hanging from the ceiling. There is an assortment of Hula Dancer figurines that serve as decor adding some slight whimsy.
At one end, the secluded pool can be found and at the other, the restaurant/lounge called the Hideout is open early for breakfast until late serving cocktails served by two fire pits. The live music was a nice touch showcasing Honolulu’s most talented. Big kudos for the Stumptown coffee bar – although born in Portland – I’ve only had it in NY.
Nothing overly contrived, The Laylow has a beautiful aesthetic. Vintage Surfer memorabilia and authentic ukuleles can be found in each guest room to heighten the mood. The custom designed monstera leaf wallpaper is a perfect backdrop to an Instagram photo or to set the scene as you decompress for the night.
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After visiting Honolulu twice this year, it only made sense that I would curate a city guide with all my must do’s. Here is the guide for BELLA NYC.
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I decided sometime after Hawaii in August that I needed to curb my diet. So I went Keto in conjunction with Intermittent Fasting. Here is my article on Thrive Global.
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The last time I was in a helicopter, I was 10 year old. It was a family trip to the Grand Canyon and like most of our road trips, it was packed with adventurous activities. I remember floating in the middle of the Canyon like birds. It was definitely a unique way to see the rocks.
Because it had been so long, I wanted to revisit the idea of a helicopter tour. This time – it would take place overlooking the popular tropical island of O’ahu.
Although there are many helicopter companies out there, we went with Paradise Helicopters. They operate from all of the islands with 25 different tours offered. There is even a doors-off option and don’t worry – they take safety seriously as they have been operating for over 20 years. I felt like I was in capable hands and was not nervous about our pilots’ navigation skills, after all – he once was a (Presidential) Marine One pilot.
In addition, Paradise Helicopters have become the first helicopter tour company in Hawai’i to be awarded a Sustainable Tourism Certification from the Hawai’i Ecotourism Association while also launching a carbon offset program to support reforestation of trees in the state.
On the plane to Honolulu, I watched a recent Jurassic Park movie that made me excited to see part of the set from the sky. I could just image all the actors running through the Ka‘a‘awa Valley dodging various fallen trees and charging dinosaurs. One afternoon we climbed the Diamond Head Crater, which was fun, but seeing it from the air is majestic and you can appreciate the size.
In fact, seeing the whole island from a bird’s eye point of view was breathtaking. You definitely do not get to see some of the island just by driving. The surfers look like little ants and the North Shore surf break shine like cellophane in the sun. I had no idea about the tiny islands that are easily accessible by boat or the large Sandbar that you can visit in low tide.
There is so much to see, but don’t worry about what side you are sitting on (the pilot will loop back to make sure both sides see it). Just make sure you have a full battery in you camera or phone to capture everything that Hawai’i has to offer.
Here is a Discount Code you can use when booking with Paradise Helicopters: *IRESNUMBERI* Give them a call at 866 876 7422 with my last name and reservation number to receive a special offer.
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This piece took me forever to write. I thought it was going to be about communities – but that changed. Glad I got it done though. Read it here.
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I was quoted in 2 pieces for The Insider. The first piece is entitled, 10 Signs your long distance relationship isn’t working. The second piece is entitled, 13 signs you’re emotionally ready for a relationship.
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Influenster, the worlds largest product discovery and review platform, with over 28 million reviews from their over 4.6 million members dug out the top 15 ranked halloween candy over the last twelve months.
The best rated? Starburst all pink fruit chews. See below for the complete list:
- Starburst All Pink Fruit Chews 4.86 (911 reviews)
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup 4.79 (3,656)
- Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers 4.78 (1,051)
- Dove Chocolate Promises 4.76 (1,566 reviews)
- Sour Patch Watermelon 4.74 (2,014 reviews)
- Big Sour Patch Candy 4.72 (1,144 reviews)
- Haribo Gold Bears Gummi Candy 4.71 (1,356 reviews)
- Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Cream Candy Bar 4.70 (1,884 reviews)
- Hersheys’ Kiss 4.69 (1,524 reviews)
- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar 4.62 (2,153 reviews)
- Skittles 4.62 (1,605 reviews)
- Skittles Wild Berry 4.62 1,150 reviews)
- Swedish Fish 4.59 (1,982 reviews)
- CVS Sour Neon Crawlers 4.58 (1,816 reviews)
- Skittles Sour Candy 4.56 (1,150 reviews)
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