Red Hot for Spring

When it’s been -25 degrees out this past week, it’s suffice to say that I am more than over this frigid winter. In an effort to hurry along the arrival of warmer weather, I’ve been lusting over spring clothes and these red hot pants from Bardot caught my eye. The other day, I blogged about them over at Blossom Everyday and styled a classic look by pairing it with a black and white printed top. This time, I’m amping up the wow factor by doing colour on colour. The combination of cobalt and red is striking and makes for a bold, sexy statement. I love playing around with colours and spring is the perfect time to experiment with it (whenever it decides to arrive).

1. J.Crew Circular Petals Necklace 2. Diane von Furstenberg Tanyana Blouse 3. Bardot Tuck Pant 4. Zara Perforated Messenger Bag 5. Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture 6. Sophia Webster Izzy Suede Pumps

Afternoon Tea at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong

When it comes to afternoon tea, I tend to be picky. As an avid tea drinker with a huge sweet tooth who loves getting dressed up, I have high expectations of this luxury treat. Although I was only in Hong Kong for a short amount of time, I made sure to try afternoon tea as it is very popular there. So popular in fact that the majority of places don’t take reservations and you can end up waiting in line for a good hour or two.  

Being the impatient kind, luckily I was able to make reservations at the Clipper Lounge in the iconic Mandarin Oriental. While it was a beautiful hotel with an elegant setting, the afternoon tea itself was disappointing. The selection of tea was good; however, the food portions were smaller than usual and were nothing special. The sandwiches were bland and the scones, although decent, were small.  It did come with a lovely rose petal jam and clotted cream though. The cakes and pastries were pretty but the taste didn't live up to its appearance. Even though it wasn’t my favourite afternoon tea, I’m glad I was able to experience it in Hong Kong.

Grapefruit, Carrot & Ginger Juice

As much as I love juices, I haven't tried making my own until now. For my first homemade kind, I went with a grapefruit, carrot and ginger juice and I can't believe it took me this long to make. Wonderfully refreshing, it has a nice tartness and a good zing from the ginger. I love that it’s all natural and pure, and the colour is so vibrant and pretty. I can now say that I'm hooked on juicing and can't wait to experiment with other varieties.

Grapefruit, Carrot & Ginger Juice (serves 1):

Ingredients:

- 2 grapefruits, chopped with peel and pith removed
- 5 carrots, chopped
- 1 inch ginger, peeled and chopped

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients through a juicer. Stir well and drink up!

Red, Pink & Heart-Shaped

Since it's Valentine's Day today, I thought I'd share some photos to commemorate all pretty things that are red, pink and heart-shaped. Whether you are celebrating it or not, I hope you all have a wonderful day indulging in something you love. And If you happen to be in an affectionate mood, I would love it if you could like my new Facebook page here :)

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Together Forever this Valentine's Day with Matrix

This Valentine's Day, I'm falling in love five different times with five different shampoos and conditioners (Valentine's is all about being corny so I'm going with it). I teamed up with haircare professionals, Matrix, to giveaway two sets of their new Total Results Together Forever shampoo and conditioner. With five sets to choose from -- heat resist, sleek, amplify, repair, or colour care -- there's a perfect match for your hair.

The Together Forever sets are available online and in select salons for $16 but you can win any set of your choosing (we have to pamper ourselves too). Simply enter the giveaway below for a chance to be together forever with your newfound love of your hair (cue corniness).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dim Sum at U-Banquet Hong Kong

In continuing with the Chinese New Year theme, I had a wonderful dim sum lunch in Hong Kong at a beautiful restaurant called U-Banquet. They served delicious dim sum including the most scrumptious salted egg custard bun (lau sa bao) which as soon as you bite into it, the warm gooey custard just oozes out into an explosion of yummy bliss. It was simply incredible and I am now on a hunt to find these heavenly morsels in Toronto.