Lipstick Lifestyle

Like the famous little black dress, you need to have a black handbag in your closet. It really is a fashion staple. If you buy wisely, it should last for many years.

We are quite smitten with the Gemma Tab Flap Hobo from Botkier. This sleek and stylish hobo features smooth Italian leather, a magnetic tab closure, handy inside zippered pockets and a cell phone pocket. It’s perfect to carry when we’re wearing a suit, jeans or a little black dress.

The Gemma Tab Flap Hobo definitely deserves a visit to the local art gallery. It’s a true masterpiece.

Botkier
www.botkier.com
Available at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and online at www.shopbop.com

Lauren Weisberger, the bestselling author of “The Devil Wears Prada” returns with a delicious story of three gal pals, living in the Big Apple, who vow to change their entire lives within one year.

We were immediately drawn into the fast-paced world of the characters portrayed in this book. Emmy is a culinary queen who just been dumped by her beau Duncan. He’s now with his twenty-something fitness trainer and Emmy feels her world has come to an end. Leigh has everything - a great job in book publishing, her own apartment and a handsome and successful man who loves her. And we can’t forget Adriana, who is actually our favourite character. She’s a fiery Brazilian beauty who has men falling all over her, wherever she goes.

These three gals have been best buds for a decade, and as they near 30, they are anxious about their futures. But are they truly happy? Follow Emmy, Leigh and Adriana as they struggle between their pact to change their lives, and being true to themselves.

Simon & Schuster
www.simonsayscanada.com www.simonsays.com
Available at book stores across Canada and the U.S.

In a recent study Ferrero Canada found that chocolate is one of the top 13 objects that bring women pleasure – it’s right up there with clothes, shoes, music and wine. For us, chocolate would be our number one choice, as we are diehard chocoholics! (more…)

We love making our home all pretty and stylish, but only have so much money budgeted towards interior design. That’s why we were thrilled when Marie Claire Paris decided to bring their line of attractive and affordable home wares to North America – well, Canada actually. Choose from stunning bed linens, soft and luxurious towels, coordinating dinnerware and drinkware - really anything to make a house into a gorgeous home. The best part is that everything is available at very reasonable prices. We were particularly taken with the tea and coffee collection. Each piece oozes contemporary French sophistication.

Create a little magic in each room of your home.

Marie Claire Paris
www.homeoutfitters.com
Available exclusively at Home Outfitters in Canada and online at www.homeoutfitters.com

It used to be that when we heard the word “steam” a vision of Dr. Mark Sloan (a.k.a. “McSteamy”), from Grey’s Anatomy, would permeate our mind. You have to admit he is pretty darn delicious. But, he isn’t as delicious as the meal we made in our Breville Health Smart Food Steamer last night - scallops, asparagus and wild rice - all cooked to perfection.

Breville’s three stackable steamer baskets provide maximum cooking versatility, letting you prepare an entire meal at once, without losing any of the vitamins or nutrients from the food. Did you know that boiling your vegetables reduces their vitamin C content by 70 per cent but steaming them reduces it by only 40 per cent.

In addition to being an asset to our healthy lifestyle, we love its sleek stainless steel design and appreciate the easy to read LCD screen. To top it off, the warming function is just what we need. It automatically activates after steaming is complete and keeps food at the correct temperature for up to one hour.

Now our word association is with tasty food rather than “tasty” actors.

Breville
www.breville.ca www.breville.com
Available at Macy’s and Best Buy in the U.S., and the Bay in Canada