Pre-Wedding Beauty Tips

This post is sponsored by Centrum, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

You all know that I am serious about my beauty routine. It's something I don't compromise on. Now that the wedding is officially one (!!!) month away I'm doing all the things I can to stay on top of it. But it can get a little hard. There are all the outings, the celebrations, and the indulgences that definitely take a toll on my skin, and in turn, are affecting my time management skills. With all the things on my mind, like finalizing the officiant, collecting RSVPs, getting guest favors in order, I need max efficiency when it comes to beauty. Especially since stress can affect you on many levels. No thank you!! There are a few things I've been doing to keep in check that require minimal thought and effort. Like so minimal I don't even need to think about it. Which is amazing for lowering those stress levels! And I'm about to spill...

Here are the latest three beauty hacks I've been incorporating into my wedding routine:

Beauty foods
Water dense foods have really been helping to improve my hydration levels and keep me looking plump and dewy. If you look in my fridge there is usually a wide assortment of fresh fruits and veggies. I love snacking on them, taking them to work, or having them cut and prep for when I am ravenous and need something to tide me over before dinner is ready. I recently read that celery is great for hydration, carrots can provide nutrients for my eyesight, and veggies like spinach can help build on my fiber intake. You can really never have enough greens, right? Just drizzle with some olive oil and lemon and you're all set!

Beauty Supplements
This is something I introduced into my routine this year and I'm hooked. Taking Centrum Multigummies Multi+Beauty requires no effort or thought on my part, which I love. I can work on my beauty routine without even thinking about it. I have the bottle out on the counter with my beauty items, and the flavours are cherry, berry, and orange! Best part? They really work to support your beauty from within. It's not just a cosmetic fix! The gummies are a multivitamin that is formulated to maintain eyesight, bone health, and metabolism. They also contain essential vitamins (including biotin) to promote thicker hair, healthy skin and stronger nails. Efficient, effective, just what I need right now! Plus-- my hairdresser actually told me my hair looked so great on my last appointment!


Gua Sha
I can't get enough of this little tool. It's a self-care, beauty technique that is said to help with circulation, help reduce puffiness, lift and firm the skin as well as smooth fine lines and wrinkles.  If you are familiar with a jade roller, it's similar to that. You glide the tool over the face in an upward motion to move the liquid and build up out of your face. It's amazing for contouring and really de-bloats the face. Here's a quick video to get you started on how to do it. I just slather on some face oil or serum and glide away. The stone has a grounding/calming effect so the ritual is very therapeutic to me. Try it out next time your reading, watching tv or lying in bed.



Do you have any other beauty tips to spill? I can't wait to keep you posted on the wedding journey! Time is just flying by!

*This post is sponsored by Centrum.

Have you tried Centrum Multigummies Multi + Beauty supplement? For more information, visit www.centrum.ca.

MultiVitamin/Mineral Supplement. Always read and follow the label.

Glamorous Bachelorette Weekend in Toronto

Okay, so it's been a bit since my bachelorette staycation.  I know, I know! There was a lot going on and I did need a few days before I was fully functioning (lol). It was THAT fun. I felt like I was 19 again. Jumping on beds, running around town with my girlfriends, staying up until 5 AM. Ah.. the good old days! The only difference is that we had a gorgeous hotel suite to ourselves and didn't have to worry about waking up our parents! My girlfriends really made me feel soo unbelievably special and honored to be in their lives. Our weekend consisted of some of my favorite things-- champagne, guacamole from Baro (one of my fave restaurants in Toronto), sparkly dresses, photoshoots and more! We even had tarot cards readings and in-room yoga!

I'm going to break down all the goods, and dive into exactly what you need to have the ultimate glamorous bachelorette staycation in Toronto. 

WHERE TO STAY: Since we weren't going too far and we didn't have to worry about flights and transfers, we picked a luxurious hotel where we could truly feel like princesses! The St. Regis Toronto was the epitome of luxury and glamour! From the moment I pulled up the staff was waiting for me with a glass of prosecco in hand, and ready to accommodate my needs. I felt like a true celeb! It was so swanky and I loved it. Who wouldn't? And seriously, just the smell of the hotel is so breathtaking. You walk in an immediately you feel at ease, refreshed and like a true star.

The bed was fluffy and oh, so comfy and the staff were actually divine. They came to pull out our sofa bed every night, and put it back together the next morning. They brought us chocolate dipped macarons, and even a chocolate tower molded to the shape of the hotel! They were so accommodating and even brought us up buckets of ice to chill our bubbly! How soon can I get back here?!

PARTY VIBE: The girls were already upstairs and were setting up the room.  So I headed on up, glass in hand to our deluxe suite on the twenty-fifth floor, overlooking the gorgeous Toronto skyline. There were balloons, photo props, and pink party accessories! Night one got started. We had snacks delivered from my favourite healthy foodies, the girls from The Fix + Co. put together a veggie tray, and fruit tray with coconut bites and more. It was delish! You need room snacks, especially when the drinks come out. Popcorn, veggies and dip, fruit and protein bites were all essentials!

GAMES TO PLAY: The girls put together some really cute games for my arrival. Number one-- guess who brought the lingerie. The coffee table was adorned with undergarments which each of the girls had brought. I had to guess who brought one depending on their styles. If I got it wrong-- drink! (well, we drank if I got it right, too!). The next game was my favourite. They had asked Brandon a series of questions regarding our love story before. Think-- what's your favourite quality in Gab, where was your favourite vacation spent together, what was your first impression of Gab, etc. I had to guess his answers. It was really so sweet to hear his answers and to have his direct quotes read out to me. I could hear his answers in my head and having them read out exactly as he wrote them was hilarious.

"LOW-KEY" NIGHT: Our first night was supposed to be low key. That's a big LOL. They had made reservations at Baro Toronto-- one of my absolute favourite resturants. I loved that the girls picked Baro because this meant we did not have to switch places for after dinner dancing. We ended dinner at 11 PM and headed right upstairs to Escobar. You need a password to get in, but the hostess brought us up where we stayed for drinks and dancing.

DAY ACTIVITY: Day two consisted of brunch at LOUIX LOUIS. It's the restaurant at the St.Regis. The decor is stunning, just so luxurious and alluring. The ceiling looks like pink marble, the room is grand and the bar is massive. We had our breakie and headed back down to the room for in-room yoga and tarot card readings put on by One Love Tarot. We had a restorative yoga session, where we got to basically nap (lol) and then we hung out altogether before refreshing.

FANCY NIGHT: You need to have one fancy night for your bachelorette (even if it just is one night). For us, this meant we all got decked out in sequins. As soon as the girls decided on sequins, I visited my ladies at The Fitzroy for a dress rental. This piece was the most perfect bachelorette piece, ever! Just enough booty! We got ready and I had my favourite photographer, Laura Clarke, come over to take some fun shots of all of us in the room. Then we put on our outfits and basically had a hell of a time running around the city in our sequins while Laura took pictures. Having these moments captured meant so much to me! Especially I'm such a lover of capturing the moments. So many little giggles and laughs that cannot be captured by a selfie. We went back to our suite and the girls told me we were going to A Toi, which is the hidden restaurant/bar behind the coffee shop, Coffee Oysters Champagne. The decor, the menu, the drinks and the staff-- it's all an experiential vibe that makes you feel like you're walking into a scene from The Great Gatsby. It was sooo swanky, such Paris vibes. I was obsessed! You walk into a hidden champagne room and a secret door transports you back in time. You can't even leave back through the front door! My superstitious girlfriend was freaking! Such a good time if you're looking for a totally unique experience!

The next day we woke up and made our way back to the real world. It was such a dream to live such a luxe life for two nights! I'm seriously still in awe from the weekend and how amazing my girlfriends are! It felt so good to spend the whole weekend with them. Best part is we didn't have to far at all! Having a glamorous hotel suite to ourselves for two days was so perfect-- no flight necessary! We got to laugh, dance, cry and pop bubbly. Now that it's over it's basically all steam ahead to the wedding! Oh, baby, are we every getting close!

P.S. You can check out my Instagram highlights reel for the behind the scenes x-rated moments ;) (click GB WEB)

AND make SURE you watch the VLOG here:

*Thank you to The St. Regis Toronto for partnering with me on this occasion, and to The Fix + Co. for satisfying all cravings!

*All of these glorious photos were taken by the most talented Laura Clarke Photography.

What To Bring On Your Bachelorette Weekend

It's officially the first long weekend of the summer season and I'm headed on a staycation in the city... for my bachelorette! Yes, I'm a little nervous, excited and don't know what to expect! I have also waited until the very last second to pack my bag. All I've been told is to show up at the hotel later today, with a few outfit options and a yoga matt. Since I really don't know the plan or what's going down, I'm trying to cover all my basis when it comes to packing. Last year we did my girlfriend's bachelorette in the Bahamas so I think I have a pretty good idea of what I need to bring. Some key essentials to get me through 2 nights with 8 ladies in 1 hotel room. Here's what I'm bringing:

Kaia Naturals Cloths To Go: I don't want something that's going to strip my face of its oils. These are natural, alcohol-free and won't leave you feeling dry. Perfect for taking my makeup off after a long night. I also swear by Kaia natural deodorant, so I'll be bringing that along too.

Cake Beauty The Take Out Dry Shampoo Sheets: I love that these are so compact. I can literally throw them in my bag when I'm heading out the door! No need to lug around a huge spray bottle. Perfect for being on-the-go. And, yes they are 100% vegan, and contain no parabens, sulfates, and nasties!

Vita Liberata: Guys, tanning is a no-no for me. I'm a sunless kind of tanning gal! I'm obsessed with Vita Liberata because it looks so natural, bronzy. I have light skin, so I need something that doesn't make me look orange. Since I can't go out and get spray tans all the time, this tanning water is the perfect back up. I already did a coat on my legs last night and they look so lovely! So fresh and glowy. I'm bringing it with me to do my legs again tomorrow, just because! Haha. I love how easy it is to use with the mitt, no streaks!

Gua Sha tool: It basically comes with me everywhere. I slather on some good quality facial oil and work my way up and down my face to de-bloat and de-puff. This will definitely come in handy tomorrow morning.

Cela Essential Balm: You don't know where you'll need a little moisture. Hands? Knees? Elbows? Lips? Tips of your hair? I'm covered with the all-in-one balm. I looooove that it is all natural, contains some amazing ingredients like coconut oil, bergamot oil, and serious vitamins from the ucuuba butter. Plus, another amazing Canadian brand!

Bride Robe: I have milking my use of this robe! And rightfully so! When else will I get to wear it. No doubt I'm packing it along for the trip.

Fun shirts: So, my girl gang shirts? I had my brother make these for me! And I'm so excited we'll all get to wear them together!

Pixi DetoxifEYE eye pads: Yes, they are essential. You want to look your best, feel your best and puffy eyes will definitely make you feel like crap. I just love the feeling when you take off your eye pads and your face feels firm, tight and like it has literally bounced back to life.

Stay tuned into my Instagram for updates and to come along on the weekend! It's likely going to be something you'll want to see!

GET THE GOODS:

Glamorous Bridesmaids Dress Rentals in Toronto

When it came down to thinking about bridesmaids dresses, nothing interested me.  Everything I saw was the same. The same styles, the same chiffon fabric, the same colours, the same same same! I was having none of it. Plus, I do not want to have total control over what the ladies wear on this day. Why should my best friends have to be subject to a dress of my choosing? They should wear what makes them feel comfortable. All I knew is that I wanted for them to have fun with their dress-- the more sequins, the more shimmery, the more wild, the better! That is when dress rentals popped into my head, specifically The Fitzroy.  I have known the ladies of The Fitzroy Dress Rental for a few years now and have worn some of their stunning pieces. On my last visit to the studio, I was blown away by the glamorous options that had in their collection. Rachel Zoe, Self-Portrait, Reformation, Elle Zeitoune. I wanted to wear them all and just live in this magical dream closet The Fitzroy called home. Ta-da! My girlfriends could all choose a dress from the boutique to rent and feel like a princess for a day! It was a no-brainer. 

On one blustery January evening we all headed to The Fitzroy for an evening Carrie Bradshaw would be jealous. Angela and Julie are so accommodation and love to watch you find your perfect dress so they were so excited when I reached out regarding bridesmaids options. They are all about playing dress up with you, which makes the experience so much more fun!

The sweeties that they even stayed open after hours for us! They played girly movies on their projector, they popped a bottle of bubbly, served us treats and had fun with us while the girls made their selection. But, before we actually went to the studio there were a few steps I took in advance. 

If you're thinking to head to The Fitzroy for your glamorous bridesmaid's dress rentals, I suggest to do the following:

Step 1: Make sure the girls are open to renting. 

There are so many benefits to renting. Explain the following:

*it allows for more fun with the dress selection since they don't have to worry about "never wearing it again"

*you are being ethically responsible with consuming less and re-using more 

*the designer pieces which would normally be extremely expensive come at a fraction of the price to rent 

Step 2: Browse the website beforehand. 

I had already picked out a bunch of dresses from the website that fit my colour palette and mood board. Whatever you're looking for-- glam, gala, garden... you're going to want to have a theme to go off of so when you get there you are not overwhelmed with choices. I saved all the links to those dresses and sent them to the girls in advance so they would get an idea of my vision, and to make sure they were all comfortable with the idea of renting. They all loved the idea!

Step 3: Plan an outing. 

This is the fun part! The Fitzroy can help you make the day so special! Ideally, you want to go to the shop to try them on with everyone present. That way you can make sure no one gets duplicates dresses, and you can really envision them all together and see how they will flow together on the day of. When I got to the studio I told Angie and Julie exactly the styles I wanted to pull. They ended up pulling more dresses that fit that I totally overlooked!

*Make sure everyone brings a pair of shoes with a height they will likely be wearing on the day of since you cannot alter the dresses. 

Step 4: Book the rentals and take a deep breath. 

Yay! Wasn't that easy? Once you secure your rental your set. Renting bridesmaids dresses is such an amazing alternative to buying dresses. A few of the girls didn't find a dress that works for them, but that's okay, too! Now they all know the look we're going for, and the colours that are "taken" so to speak. Plus, it was a super fun reason to get together,  have a glass and play dress up!

Would you consider dress renting for your next occassion? I'm already trying to decide on my shower dress... 

Number One Wedding Planning Tip to Relieve Stress

The dress has been chosen, the photographer has been secured, and even the cake design is in the works. Right now I feel pretty good about what we have accomplished in the wedding planning department. We gave ourselves lots of time to plan the wedding so it has been nice having the time to enjoy it and go relatively slow. In order to enjoy the process, we booked three things right off the bat.

1.Venue 
2. Photographer
3. Music (band)

To me, location and food, music and someone who can capture the day with our vision were all non-negotiables. I did not want to have to settle on either of those things. I've said it so many times, picking a venue is your first step as you need to finalize the date before the bookings can begin. Once we did that the big-ticket items came next. One thing I would have added to this list was to start sourcing out hair and make-up early on. I was shocked to see how far in advance my desirables were booked. I mean there was still plenty of options, but I had to make a fast decision. So just an FYI to add that to your biggies! 

But moving on... we’re getting down to it, people. We’re less than eight months away! AH- just saying that out loud is a bit frightening/exciting! Lately, my thoughts are surrounding accessories, the shower, the honeymoon and the overall set up of the day. And I still have the stress over the little to-dos like invitations and favours. I know it will all get done but sometimes the panic does creep up! 

Now that the countdown is on I’m going to be tackling the remainder of the tasks very strategically.  I know this tip may seem small, but it's been huge for relieving anxiety and stress (and those minor moments of panic)! 

Here is my number one wedding planning tip to relieve stress:

Each week I am creating a list of a few simple tasks to accomplish. I know that if I create an overall list with everything on it, it will be far too overwhelming and nothing will get done. So I’m starting small. For example, Monday’s tasks include: reach out to jewelry designer, figure out the gift registry and contact hotel for transportation recommendations. Midway through the week, I will see how far I’ve come in figuring these details out then I will create new tasks with deadlines or finalize the unfinished ones. It's important not to move on from a task and have so many on the go because they end up getting pushed aside and delayed. I've noticed that in doing this I can cross more off my list and ultimately get more done! 

I can't wait to share more details soon! Are you following along on the "GB WED" highlights tab on my Instagram? There are many updates that go up there weekly. Keep checking! 

Also... have you checked out: 
Wedding Dress Shopping 101
How to Plan Your Engagement Shoot 
How to make the Most of Your Engagement 

Now share your tips below!

Niagara Road Trip in the 2019 Ford Edge

The holidays can get so unbelievably hectic. They come so fast and before you know it you have barely had any time to enjoy them. I was not going to let that happen this year. The past few weeks Brandon and I have been on disjointed schedules. I'm home and he's at work, I'm at work and he's at home. We've been missing each other! So we knew this break would be the ideal time to get back on track with some wedding planning and just hanging out! This past weekend we made plans to have our wedding cake consultation and tasting and thought why not make it something more. We packed up our bags and, thanks to Ford Canada, we hit the road. We're getting married in Burlington so most of our vendors are in the Niagara region which gave us the idea to have an overnighter. We hit the road for Niagara in our 2019 Edge and did not look back.

So what did we get up to? Here's a mini diary of our little pre-holiday excursion!

Hitting the road with the 2019 Ford Edge
First of all, hello spacious! We fell in love with the Edge. The sound system was bumping, we literally blasted holiday tunes the whole way there! And the Co-Pilot 360 Technology is such a great bonus. It has pre-collision assist, a rearview camera, lane keeping system and more. Also, I loooooved the wireless charging dock. You just place your phone inside the centre console and it charges! So convenient.

Stop 1: Check in
Okay, so we technically didn't check in anywhere. My parents have a cottage in Vineland, Ontario which is on the way to Niagara so we headed there first to drop off our bags and freshen up. Since we decided to go so last minute we didn't really look into other accommodations. But this worked perfectly for us as it was a middle point!

Stop 2: Redstone Restaurant
Friday night we hit up Redstone Winery & Restaurant. Since the winery is so close to where we were staying we decided to take a taxi just in case we decided to have a glass of their signature wine (which we did)! The restaurant was set up so cozy for Christmas! They had a 20+ foot real Christmas tree all lit up and we dined under the twinkling lights! The food was delicious, too! After dinner, we headed back to the house and put on The Grinch by the fireplace. I fell asleep mid-movie (as per usual)! Haha..

Stop 3: Niagara Falls
We got up super early Saturday morning and headed to Niagara Falls. We wanted to take in the fresh air and just walk around and see the wonder during this time of the year. Yes, it was freezing near the falls, but we made the best of it! We took in all the Christmas music and lights and had a leisurely morning, coffee in hand.

Stop 4: Sweet Celebrations Patisserie 
Next up was our consultation at Sweet Celebrations. We got there smooth and sound in the Ford Edge and we're ready for the cake! Sharlene brought out over ten flavours of cake and different sweets and we got to tasting. I still can't decide what was my favourite. I loved the champagne strawberry flavour, and the lemon!  We left buzzing with excitement, probably due to the sugar, but also for the big day! We loved chatting about our details and finalizing some ideas for the cake. Stay tuned for more on that...

Stop 5: Toronto Prime Outlet
On the way home we popped into the Toronto Prime Outlets for some last minute shopping. It was packed! But there's nothing like seeing all the people hustle and bustle trying to pick up their last minute gifts. We were in and out as we knew exactly what we needed. So it was easy, breezy for us! Since we weren't frantic we actually enjoyed our time walking around. But man was that wind cold! Since it's an outdoor mall we left fairly quickly and set out for home!

We spent just over 24 hours away and it was such a nice treat to just be with one another without the distractions of home. Even though we weren't going far, or somewhere exotic, we got to bask in the holiday cheer of the season and spend some quality moments together before things get even crazier this week for Christmas! Sometimes taking a mini getaway can be just as sweet as going somewhere far. Bonus-- our Ford Edge got us home and back in time for Brandon to watch the leaf game.

Do you have crazy busy Christmas plans, or are you taking it easy this week? I'd love to know!


Thank you to Ford Canada for allowing us to take this mini pre-holiday excursion to experience some holiday cheer! We had a blast learning about this SUV and test driving it for the weekend. It's sleek, has some amazing driver assist features to make driving as smooth and easy as possible, and it comes in so many fab colours! Check it out for yourself at Ford Canada.