Overnight Outdoor Music Festival: What to Pack

 Summer music festivals have got to be the ultimate summer staple. There’s nothing like being out in the sun all day, drinking your favorite drink and listening to your favorite band(s) live. We make a point of going to at least one each summer, whether it be in the city or somewhere else. Last year, we were lucky enough to go to the first Veld Music Festival, a weekend-long EDM festival in Toronto. This year, I decided to switch gears and head on over to Boots and Hearts Music Festival, an overnight country festival in Bowmanville, ON. This is my first overnight festival, and I would be lying if I said that I am not BEYOND excited. Because we’ll be roughing it up for 4 days, close attention needs to be put on packing (something that we seem to be doing a lot of lately!) – I definitely wouldn’t want to be stranded in a sea of tents without a toothbrush! Andréa and I are both list freaks, so I’ve made a list of essentials that could be useful for any overnight music festival. Here it is! Xo

The “Big” things:

·         Tent (for VERY obvious reasons)

·         Tarp

·         Rope

·         Folding chairs

·         A few coolers (this way, food and drinks can be separated)

·         Sleeping bag

·         Air mattress (or any kind of padding that’ll make the ground a little less hard for you)

·         Stove and/or BBQ (especially if you can’t have fires)

·         Blankets (not only for when you sleep, but for when you just feel like sitting down and listening to the music)

The “Little” (but equally as important) things:

·         Bobby pins/elastics/headbands/hats (anything that’ll tame your mane)

·         In case showers aren’t available (or you don’t want to spend 30$ to wait in line for 3hrs): baby wipes, dry shampoo, face cloth, big towel, soap, extra jug of water solely used for washing hands, etc

·         Sunscreen

·         Hand sanitizer

·         Paper towel/ tissues

·         Toilet paper

·         For eating: plastic cutlery/plates/cups, napkins, disinfectant wipes

·         Garbage bags/plastic bags/ziplocks (all three can be used for numerous things: poncho if it rains, dirty clothes, anything wet, protect cellphone from damage)

·         Bottle/wine opener (although most sites will have restrictions, such as no glass bottles, you NEVER know when this’ll come in handy)

·         Lighter/matches

·         Bug spray/ citronella candle

·         Deck of cards

·         Reusable water bottle (all sites have water stations, so instead of paying 5$ for a 250mL bottle of water, you can refill your own at any time)

·         Flashlight

·         Speakers or battery stereo (on the flipside, you may want to bring ear plugs in case you want to sleep!)

·         Camera (with charger, depending on the length of the stay)

·         Phone charger

Pictures will be posted soon!

Viva Las Vegas: What to Wear

 
While Andréa was frollicking the streets of Spain, France and Italy (lucky her!), I had planned a weekend trip away with the girls to Sin City. Evidently, there was only one thing we talked about leaving up to the trip: clothes. Us girls love our clothes, so it was naturally the main topic of discussion prior to our departure. What to bring, what to wear!? Time was tight, so packing smartly was our only option. I've assembled a few of my favorite looks (as well as some of my favorite pictures) that (somehow) made it through those four memorable days. Enjoy! xo

  

 

Your plane outfit has got to be one of the most important outfits you wear. Not only do you want to be comfortable and get through security  as quickly as possible, you also want to look extra fabulous - this is the beginning of your trip afterall! The girls opted for dresses/skirts, which are the most versatile item you can have. You can dress it down for the plane, then throw on some accessories and you're instantly ready for the casino! It's important to keep in mind that the plane will most likely be significantly colder than outside. This is why maxi dresses/skirts are ideal because they keep your legs warm in AC, but are also breezy for the warmer weather outside. Another option is wearing a tighter dress as a top, so that you can wear it with shorts for your flight, then take those suckers off once you land, which is what I did (far left). As far as accessories go, there is only one that you CANNOT leave the house without: sunglasses. Need I say more?

(On me: Top/Dress: American Apparel; Shorts: Hollister; Sandals: Steve Madden; Sunglasses: Ray-Ban)


  

It was clear that we were going to have a serious girls night out on the town our first night, so there were no questions asked when Chippendales was suggested. And was it ever a girls night! We all opted for something fun, but definitely on the sexier side.

(On me: Dress: H&M; Shoes: Zara; Purse: Michael Kors; Earrings: H&M)

 

When in Vegas, pool parties are a must. No matter where you stay, there are pool parties available at your fingertips. We decided to check out the Marquee Pool Party at the Cosmopolitan and were fortunate enough to have Armin van Buuren be the DJ that day. When it comes to fashion at pool parties, you absolutely need to step your game up. Vegas pool parties are all about the glamour: women are generally dressed to the nines in stilettos, jewellery, full make-up, etc.  Because you're most likely going to be in or around the pool all day, chose to do your hair wisely. High buns, sock buns, ponytails, braids, all of these are ideal for spending the day in the water. Not only will they prevent those dreaded frizzballs from coming out, they are extremely chic. It's important to keep in mind that you still want to wear something relatively functional, without looking like a homeless person. This is why accessories are HUGE. I strongly advocate accessories in any situation, but when it comes to pool parties, they are an absolute necessity. Mark my words.

(Top: The Gap; Bottoms: H&M; Headband: Ardene; Sunglasses: Ray-Ban; Necklaces: Anthropology; Watch: Marc by Marc Jacobs)



If you ask anyone what the epitome of Las Vegas show is, they'll say it's Céline Dion. Lucky for us, we are HUGE Céline, so naturally we had to score tickets. Her shows are known for there glitz and glamour, and let me tell you, she did not dissapoint. With countless wardrobe changes, Céline Dion had, by far,the most beautiful dresses I have ever seen in a show. Mimicking her, I opted for the sparkliest, sexiest, most va-va-voom dress I (or should I say Andréa....) own. This dress, on top of being very short and form-fitting, is also backless. Needless to say, I could've fit in right there on stage with Céline (in my wildest dreams!)

(On me: Dress: Mendocino)



This is one of my favorite going out looks. It's a little blurry and you can't really see my whole outfit, but I just loved the lights and colours in the background. I knew I was going to be dancing all night, so I wore something really comfortable (minus the bodysuit, which was a pain when it came to going to the bathroom....), but equally as sexy. 

(Bodysuit: American Apparel; Skirt: Mendocino; Lipstick: Smashbox)

 

Finally, our plane ride home. It's pretty clear that we lost a hell of a lot of class throughout those four days (it may have been the 4 hours of pool partying before our flight...), but we still kept it fun. We found these leggings at some hole-in-the-wall shop on the way to MGM's pool party at Wet Republic, and I think all four of us agree that those were the absolute best purchase of the trip. And if possible, acquiring a beer-bucket hat and wearing it all day, even on the flight home, is probably your best option for your flight back to reality.

(On me: Shirt: Guess; Pants: A shop on Las Vegas Blvd. (near New York); Sandals: Guess; Sunglasses: Ray-Ban)



DIY: Reupholstering chairs

Hello all!
Michele is moving out of the house at the end of summer and is starting to plan the new apartment's decor. We unburied our old dinning room chairs and decided to give them a little makeover. Her colour palette is in the green, blue and grey, so we figure this fabric purchased at Tonic Living fit perfectly!

What you need:

Chairs

Staple Gun

Fabric Scissors 

Fabric (Clarice, China; purchased at Tonic Living) 

BEFORE

Clarice, China fabric purchased at www.tonicliving.com

It's as easy as it looks: cut your fabric, making sure there is enough to wrap under the chair and staple it down tightly.

AFTER

Europe

I just came back from a 3 week vacation to Spain, France and Italy. Naturally, I noticed the fashion to be very different then North American style. The fashion in Europe tends to be very put together but effortless. Here are a few of my favourite outfits I wore during my trip!
Xx Andrea

Barcelona, Spain
Skirt: Zara/ Tank: H&M/ Sandals: Sketchers

Barcelona, Spain
Tank: Winners/ Shorts: American Apparel/ Sandals: H&M

Valence, France
Dress: American Apparel/ Skirt: Mendocino/ Shoes: Jessica Simpson

Valence, France
Tank: Zara/ Shorts: H&M/ Necklace: Bershka 

Milan, Italy
Dress: H&M, Arm band: Bershka

Milan, Italy
Romper: Zara/ Shoes: Bershka

Venice, Italy
Dress: vintage/ Shoes: H&M/ Sunglasses: vintage

Nail Art

I've always been a fan of nail art but never really got around to trying it out for myself until this morning. I always thought it would take loads of time, but the truth is it's super easy and pretty quick! The possibilities are endless when it comes to matching colours as well as picking shapes (you can also do a vertical separation between colours or even diagonal!). Here is just a quick demo of how I did mine. 

Enjoy!

xx, A 

*TIP: make sure your nails are completely dry before applying the tape and when peeling the tape off*

Need:

-Base coat/ top coat

-2 different colours of nail polish

-Tape (painters tape works best, but I just used masking tape here)

 Knockout Pout (left) and Ole Caliente (right) by Essie 

Nerdy-chic

Here is a sneek-peek of a photoshoot I did the other week. It was editorial intended for Nylon Magazine (hence the over exposure). The stylist was Rebecca Chandler and the photographer was Alex Goodrich.
Enjoy!
-A

Energy Boosting Recipes

Spring has finally sprung, which means summer, also known as bikini season, is (finally) around the corner! I don't know about anyone else, but I've definitely been lacking in the eating healthy department... There's just something about 2 ft. of snow and minus 10 degree weather that makes me want to watch hours upon hours of my favorite tv show, eating tons of junk food. We thought it be appropriate to share a few of our favorite energy boosting recipes that are great for all you tv junkies out there, who need that extra jolt to get you off the couch.

xo A&M

Overnight Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of oats (not instant)
• 1/2 cup of almond milk

Then add anything you want. Here are some ideas:

• Hemp hearts
• Cacao nibs
• Greek yogourt
• Fruit (my personal favorite are blueberries)
• Maple syrup

Put in the fridge and eat in the morning.

Snickerdoodle Hummus

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of chickpeas
• 1/4 cup of peanut butter (or almond/hazelnut butter)
• 2 tbsp of honey
• 2 tbsp of maple syrup
• 1 tsp of cinnamon

Put in the blender (or your Magic Bullet, which we're obsessed with) and blend away.

Homemade Gatorade

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of hot water
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tbsp of lemon juice
• 1/8 salt
• 3 1/2 cups of cold water

Dissolve the sugar in hot water
Combine with orange juice, salt and cold water

This may be a bit sweet for some. If that’s the case, cut down a little on the sugar. Good substitutes for white sugar are maple syrup or maple sugar.