Tag: winter

Stay warm and stay stylish this winter!

~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment

So, it’s officially winter soon in the northern hemisphere, and well it’s not really favourite season of mine when it comes to fashion. Imagine the scene: sweatpants, and sweatshirts to hide gained weight from not going outside; roomy clothes for eating copious amounts of snacks while binge watching the lastest netflix series drop. And the all too familiar feeling of being frost bitten whenever wearing something fashionable and going outside for any length of time. That is how it’s like being in one of the coldest countries in the world. I live in Canada and thankfully I’m in the city of Toronto which is as mild a location as it can get here. But still, looking good in the winter needs a bit of finessing. Here is my list of fashion staples to survive a few cold winter nights in or out!

Look at all the sweaters of different colours and textures so easy to have some fun with style while staying warm!
  1. Winter Fleece lined tights: Nobody wants to wear sweatpants all winter, but they are so warm and comfy like a hug. But I feel that fleece lined tights give the illusion of dressiness while also having the softness and stretch one gets from sloppier clothes. Buy a few colours and styles and then wear them with skirts and dresses that still make a statement in the dead of winter. Fleece lined tights also fit so well in boots, and are actually pretty warm for a fitted bottom attire!
  2. Cute Sweaters: Ok, so what makes a sweater cute? So many things, my dear, so many things! Colour. Don’t go for black or white. But go for intersting colours like kelly green, coral, blush pink, mauve. These colours are unique in the clothing world and will make a statement. Cut: drop shoulders make a frame look petite, crop sweaters show off the waist (hopefully not ruined from overeating) and fitted long turtleneck sweaters look great with leggings. Interesting necklines like lacing. Just make sure it doesn’t look frumpy and it’s already a hit fashion item.
  3. Cute lounge wear. I cannot stress this enough. A lot of living in Canada is about staying at home. So cozy slippers, warm socks, boxy shorts, and plush cute robes! Stuff to wear around the house is important and all about fashion with a healthy dose of cozy. I like to keep it classy and not like a pajama party. My silk kimono is a great way to cover up a set of jammies warmly.
  4. A Wide Variety of Winter Jackets: It’s a long winter here in Canada. So it’s best to have two or three. They should be different styles ie. parka, peacoat, wool, and even puffer. But the key is to make sure it fits. An accentuated waist tie coat looks better than a shapeless blob draped on the body. And colour is important too. In Canada, we don’t get a lot of light in the winter, so any jacket colour that isn’t black is ideal. Even though dark colours can be attractive, navy can always be a substitute for black.
This is an example of cozy cute attire. A soft oversized sweater on top of a cute flowy dress and fleece tights! Super comfy and not one bit frumpy!

And there it is. 4 fashion staples that can get any fashionista through the winter in the simplest way. Did I forget any tried and true items that make long cold winters just a bit more fun? Let me know in the comments below and stay warm as we head into the long winter months!

How I had Winter Fun up North, when the Pandemic took away travel options..

~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment

Everybody who knows me, knows I can’t stand the cold. I am not a winter person. Even as a born and raised Canadian, I can’t skate, ski, or play hockey….all of the things that would make winter worthwhile. Without an interest in winter sports, all I have to look forward to as an urbanite in Toronto winters are slushy dirty snow, traffic accidents, public transit delays, a sun that sets at 5pm, and the depression constant darkness brings. It’s a season that gives me nothing, other than a gut from over eating out of boredom, and the lack of the ability to get outside for fear of being frozen. So for travel ideas if given a chance to chose in a non-pandemic travel world, one would find me on a white sand beach, or walking down big city streets, or soaking up culture in the finest museums internationally.

With the start of this year’s holiday season, it was also the start of another variant of Covid, and again the usual patterns of hibernating, being bored at home was all too tempting. But having time off work put pressure on me to think outside the box. Avoiding the stress from all the international travel restrictions, I instead planned a trip up North to a small cottage town called Bracebridge in Muskoka, a very picturesque area of Ontario that I never explored before. And thus launched the idea that maybe I could have fun this winter. Think trees, a lovely winding river and quietness. My son and I enjoyed days in with a magnificent view and cozy comfort food at the Inn’s pub. What I learned was winter could be beautiful and starting the New Year seemed positive. Travelling to remote areas in the winter has it’s perks, and while it’s no tropical paradise, it was relaxing and replenished me somehow.

On a hill with a bridge. Overlooking the river, my inn was just in the buildings behind.

Why Leaving the City for a Northern Getaway Worked:

  1. Traveling out of the city to a remote small town meant I didn’t have to get on a plane to go somewhere new and unexplored. And while Muskoka area was not too different from Toronto climate (albeit much colder), just the fact that getting there didn’t rely on delays, stress and customs at an airport, made it enjoyable. A two hour bus ride was all it took.
  2. I was by the beautiful Muskoka river and it was quiet and serene: Toronto doesn’t have big areas of peaceful water. It’s busy and hectic to get down to the harbour front and cold and windy to be near Lake Ontario during the winter. It’s hard to enjoy winter in the city. But it was pristine up North.
  3. “Baby it’s cold outside”: Just like the Christmas song implies, I didn’t need to be outside to have fun up North. I invested in a gorgeous suite that overlooked the river on a ravine. It was cold outside so after an afternoon of hiking around outside, I could return to my suite and just hibernate all night by the faux fireplace while enjoying Netflix and the view. Being inside and aiming to isolate never felt so right.
  4. The locals up north were friendly: Toronto is a grumpy city. Forget that we are supposed to be “nice Canadians” we just aren’t. So when I get random “happy new years” greetings from locals and staff it’s actually really nice.
  5. Because small towns are less populated, there is less adherence to strict Covid methods, such as I was barely screened for vaccination when dining, and there was just a calmer outlook when in public.

All in all I had fun up North in the small town of Bracebridge and that surprised me, considering I going somewhere colder and more remote based on pandemic restrictions. But this trip proved that sometimes being in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of winter can be fun.

On a steel bridge in Bracebridge feeling the small town charm, forgetting the cold!

Give your face a winter break with a toning/moisturizing mask

~ Emmie Reve ~ Leave a comment

yay for simple ingredients!
yay for simple ingredients!

It’s really easy to neglect the face in the winter and rely on make-up to cover-up flaws, dullness and dryness of the skin.  During the winter, all I am in the mood to do is hibernate, even my social life takes a backseat.  Now that I know Valentine’s day is creeping up, and that my boyfriend wants to do something with me, I am forced to start making an effort at proper skin maintenance during these cold dark months of the year.  How does one rejuvenate mind, body and spirit during this time?  A vacation would be great, only my trip to Florida last month was a total disaster in terms of weather.  I got no sun at all during a week of uncommon rain and cold in what is supposed to be “the sunshine state”. So now back in freezing Toronto, I have to work at being fresh faced when I am actually far from.

This is where facials and face masks come into play.  I recently discovered the skin loving ingredient kaolin clay.  Kaolin is a white powder with which you can do many things.  It has a smoothing, absorbing effect when used in cosmetics, similar to talc, but it is all natural.  Make a DIY face powder with it, add it to your dry shampoo…use it to tone your skin in a mask.  For an easy face mask, I decided to use half a banana mashed with yogurt, then add a dash of honey, olive oil, and vitamin e oil.  Thicken with a couple of tablespoons of kaolin.  Better than Lush fresh face masks?  Definitely, it’s more gentle, and much more affordable.

At Home Facials:

Doing facials at home is great.  I find it much more convenient than going to a pricey spa.  It’s pretty easy, but it’s better to do this when no one is around or looking, cuz it looks kind of weird doing it in process.  But your face will thank you.

1. Cleanse your face with a mild face cleanser and exfoliate.  (I use a homemade face scrub with equal parts honey, olive oil, and sugar!)

2. Steam your face gently.  Boil about an inch of water in a pot over the stove.  Remove from heat once it boils.  Add some essential oils, or flower waters to the hot water.  Carefully put the pot on a table and lower your face just above it to receive the steam.  Keep it there for around ten minutes to open your pores and let out impurities and deep down dirt.  Rinse off with warm water/a gentle cleanser again.

3.  Apply your face mask thickly and evenly, avoiding your eyes.  Let it sit for at least 10 minutes.  Give it more time if needed.

3.  Rinse with warm water.  Pat with a warm, wet face cloth.

4.  Tone your face with a bit of rosewater/toner on a cotton swab.

5.  Moisturize with your favourite face cream.  

It seems like a lot of work, but your skin will thank you.  You will have smaller pores the next day, a more even skin tone, and a better glow to your winter ravaged skin!