Category: clothes

Make Valentines Day and everyday about Roses!!

~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment

Roses are red, violets are blue…everything is coming up roses…la vie en rose.  So many expressions in our language about his beautiful, elegant flower.  It is the ultimate flower to represent love, friendship, romance…and more.  How is it that the rose became so synonymous with romance, love and all that?  I know I always try to use this flower in my make-ups in hopes that in doing so, roses can impart to me its attractive aura. There is something magical about this flower, and you can even see it included as an ingredient in some innocent white witch love spells! So here are ways to work the magic of roses into your wardrobe and make-up so you feel extra alluring this Valentines day or any day in general.

Rose Water Toner: I always talk about my rose water toner.  And why wouldn’t I? Roses are known to have a hydrating effect on skin, and the rose water is used in Mediterranean cuisine is perfect for your face.  It is basically made from the water that roses are boiled in, and is super pure and fragrant. I put mine in the fridge and dab it with a cotton ball on my face for an instant rose face lift.

Rose Perfume: The smell of roses have a wonderful effect on the soul…Calming, stimulating and feminine. So why not use some of it’s power on a day like Valentines?  I blend my own perfumes, and I find rose oil to be too strong of a scent on its own.  Combine rose scents with something sweet smelling, and mellow, to counteract its potential spicy top noted scent.  If you don’t have the ability to make a perfume, I think L’Occitane has a pretty good rose based perfume.  And the key is subtlety.  Just use the tiniest amount to not over power your company.

Face Masks: because roses are such a gorgeous flower, wouldn’t its essential oil transport some of its power to you if you use it in a face mask?  During the winter months, I do a clay mask almost every week, to re-hydrate, rejuvenate and detox tired winter skin.  As well as using honey, yogurt and olive oil in the clay mask, I add several drops of rose essential oil and then leave the mask on my face for 20 mins.  When I wash it off, my face is tightened, moisturized and toned.  Thanks rose flower power!

Rose Tea: Drink in its power.  Certain herbal teas have rose buds in them to impart a beautiful bouquet and scent to the tea.  I also believe roses in tea can be anti inflammatory, calming, and just wonderful to drink.  Herbal teas are also great for relaxing and hydrating your body. Teas can also help to reduce appetite for healthy weight loss.

Rose coloured clothes and make-up:  And let’s not forget the emotional value that the colour “rose” can impart.  Although roses come in a variety of shades today…the colour one means when talking about “rose” is a pinky red. A perfect colour to wear on valentines…whether it is in a generous swipe of flushed red blush on your cheeks, or donning a gorgeous pink dress, anything rose coloured will get you noticed and feeling like a freshly picked flower.  Appreciate all that nature has to give us!

I was feeling shy and mysterious in this photo. And a bit moody. Fits in with the spirit of roses...I think.
I was feeling shy and mysterious in this photo. And a bit moody. Fits in with the spirit of roses…I think.

My favourite clothings from this summer

~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment

Summer has long been over, and I survived the hot searing rays, the sticky humidity, and smog in the city.  Now the Fall has officially moved in and made itself home.  A cool breeze is the daily norm, and everything feels calmer.  Now is when I wanted to look back and think about the fashion items I had that made the past summer not only bearable (summer is one of my least fave seasons), but also fun!  So here is my Top 5 list:

#4 My Little Distressed Denim Jacket

In Toronto, summer nights are still a bit nippy sometimes.  When going out to night time shows and parties, I always had my distressed denim in a basic fitted cut, not too cropped or long, but just right.  It went with everything.  I mean everything, dresses, shorts, rompers, pants, leggings.  And because denim is cotton, it was super breathable and comfy.  It also looked so classic and effortlessly stylish.  An all purpose cute denim jacket was my jacket staple.

Simple, cute, and easy to use. What more can you ask for in a jacket?
Simple, cute, and easy to use. What more can you ask for in a jacket?

#3 Basic Cotton Romper

I wore my cotton romper consecutively for days during the real hot times this summer.  It breathed, it was cute, it was functional, and only one thing to put on in the morning.  Fashion heaven!  I mentioned this romper before in an earlier entry.  This is the strapless $10 romper that I sewed straps onto to make it more wearable… I truly “heart” it.

Every day during the hottest days in August, I wore this thing. My kid was sick of seeing it. ha ha
Every day during the hottest days in August, I wore this thing. 

#2 Lacey Kimono

Feminine, and pretty, but casual.  An easy cover-up that didn’t add on too much cover.  This was my lace trimmed kimono.   Blush pink with ivory lace, it is neutral enough of a colour to go with everything, and light and airy enough to want to wear everyday.  If only relationships were this easy to coordinate….

The kimono trend is dying down, but this lacey piece was still a cool cover-up during the summer.
The kimono trend is dying down, but this lacey piece was still a cool cover-up during the summer.

#1 Awesome one-piece bathing suit, second hand.

I am not a huge fan of bikinis.  To be honest, I don’t think it is flattering on any body type or shape.  For me, it’s the lack of support/material of a bikini that makes it a flawed fashion item, and just basically an excuse to show skin. And unless your body is “perfect” (nobody has the perfect body though) any gal can basically feel like crap the minute she puts one on and looks in the mirror.  So when my boyfriend sprung a Labour Day beach trip on me with little notice, I scrambled to find a cute one piece suit, while the trends are pushing the “bikini” idea on girls.

For those of you that don’t live in Canada,  swimsuit season ends in August.  After that, you are left with swim wear duds (mismatched or tacky-looking).  I needed the suit soon so I couldn’t turn to online shopping.  I went to every store that sold swimwear, but couldn’t find a cute, affordable one piece. This was a nightmare that plagued me until the day before the trip when I found the cutest one-piece ever at a second hand store in my neighborhood. It was also only $15.00 and an American Apparel brand.  I liked it for its funky colours and simple design, typical of what makes American Apparel clothes great (if they only were more affordable).  What a find and what a miracle!

Such fun colours! Tangerine red, and navy blue, haltered and just super fitted and cute. I really lucked out on this bathing suit find...
Such fun colours! Tangerine red, and navy blue, haltered and just super fitted and cute. One peices don’t have to look matronly.  🙂

What clothing pieces were you most pleased by this summer?  Because this season is so short here, and summer fashion has all the fun pieces, the sun dresses, skirts and shorts…I really have to make the most of it, and I feel I did!

Taking a passport/ID photo is not as easy as it seems…

~ Emmie Reve ~ 3 Comments

No smiling, no tilting the head, no posing, no hair in the face…etc. These are all the restrictions that come with the territory of taking an ID photo.  I used to think it was pretty simple, but now I realize the government doesn’t want you to look good, or look like you are having any fun in these photos.  In all seriousness, they want you to look miserable so they can capture the facial features of the face in a “no frills” kind of way.  As a result, a passport photo that you barely even like, and barely looks like “you”, becomes the representation of you for the next five to ten years.  Yes, you will have to look at it every so often, and see the unflattering lighting, how it hit your face at a bad angle, making you look not your best.  *sigh* It’s not that bad, or is it? Without sounding vain, wouldn’t you want to have the best photo you can get while still meeting requirements the government demands for formal IDs?  Here are some of my tips for making the best of a trying situation:

My Personal Tips

1. Don’t wear dark colours like black, navy or charcoal.  They weigh you down in spirit, which will weigh you down in the photo too.  I like to wear pastels and cheerful colours to reflect a lighter mood, to combat that downer feeling that taking a non-smiling ID photo can give.

2. Don’t smile, but think happy, relaxed thoughts.  Make your eyes smile.  This may sound crazy, but they can smile!  Look into the mirror prior the photo, breathe, relax, and look at your non-smiling expression.  I find practicing your “non-pose” can really help you see if you are making a weird face by default, or just looking too severe.

3. Wear your hair DOWN.  I can’t say this enough.  But for some reason, this makes all the difference.  Hair that is up makes your face look larger, because of the awkward cropping of all ID photos.  Not that a large face is bad, but in photos, smaller usually looks better in my humble opinion.

4. Make-up: Lots of people say to wear neutral make-up, and I kind of disagree.  I feel you ought to wear the make-up colours you feel like wearing.  So if you often wear bright eye shadows, why change to neutral for a passport photo? For my most recent passport photo I wore a bright fushia eye shadow in the corners of my lids and I love how they made my eyes pop!

5. Concealer and other tricks: I love the look of natural skin with its freckles and marks, and am not a big fan of concealer just because unless you have acne, what good is it really for on a day to day basis?  But for ID photos I would recommend it.  I saw the way those flashes magnify every flaw on the face…so use accordingly.  The day of my photo taking I had under-eye puffiness, so I used a bit of ice on it to deflate them before my photo.  Stay really hydrated to avoid water retention and bloat.  All these little things do make a difference to the end result.

What tips do you find help you take good government ID photos?  Is it just too much trouble to worry about these things and do you just don’t care when it comes to how you look on photo documentations?  Or do you think official documents should show a good photo of you most definitely?  During my recent photograph session, I remember a lady customer before me at the shop.  She was also taking her passport photo, and she walked into it with no prep, just dabbed some lipstick on before jumping into it.  The lady was so disappointed with her results, when the store showed her the proofs.  Don’t we all wish that it was just as easy as putting on lipstick!

IMG_2403 (2) edit
This is my new pic. It looked better in the proofs, but the reprint of it into the passport is very grainy. Still, I liked it, considering how I couldn’t smile, and the photo peeps took it in 2 seconds flat! Does it say “run away with me!”?  Hee hee.