Bowler Hats and Shirt Dresses

I tried to do another installment of my favorite places in St. John's; Bannerman Park. Sadly all the pictures turned out too dark and the park is not nearly as nice in the winter as it in the summer. It's very pretty lots of green grass and trees to sit under, plus there is a swimming pool. It's right downtown it's a great place to hangout in the summer and maybe lay out in the sun with some friends and ice cream.

Although my pictures did not turn out, I really liked my outfit so I re-took a few pictures without the park. This is the new hat I bought from Karma Loop. I really like it, it reminds me of the hat Kim Basinger wears in 9 1/2 weeks. I have four of these over sized button-up shirts and I love them. It's from American Apparel and it's so easy to wear. Today I'm wearing it over a dress, as a dress. Just one option.

button up and belt American Apparel/ tights Walmart/ shoes Aldo/ hat Brixton

The Lazy Girl's Guide to Spring 2012 Beauty Trends

I'm starting this guide off by saying I love make-up but I don't wear a lot. I've come accustom to my face without, so it's nice to be able to get dolled up once in a while, but on average day I normally don't have time or I'm lazy and don't have the energy to put forth the effort. This doesn't mean that I don't want to look good, in fact the opposite. I just want to look good quickly!

So if you are anything like me and you maybe you don't have a lot of time to get ready, then this guide is for you. I have gone through all of the most popular beauty trends for the spring season. These trends were picked for the Lazy Girl guide because they were either quick, eliminated other work, took no effort or all of the above. Enjoy!

1. The Cat Eye
Just a little extra line at the end of each eye and you can be trendy! It's so easy, plus if you go with a dramatic eye you can go easy with the rest of your make up. A light gloss and maybe a little blush and voila your done! I love how you can also decide how dramatic you want your cat eye to be.  As long as you have a steady hand this can be a very quick addition to any make-up routine. Even if you don't have a steady hand just keep a Q-tip dipped in water or make-up remover handy to trace over any mistakes and clean up your line.

2. Slick Wet Hair

How great is this? Get out of the shower, run a comb and some mousse through your hair to keep it slick and your out the door. No need to waste time blow drying. I'm not sure how practical this look is for everyday, but if you do get caught out in public with wet hair it's no problem. 

2. Big Brows

This is a great one for the true lazy girl! You can skip those waxing appointments and maybe just bust out the tweezers for those couple strays every once in awhile. I really like the bigger brow because, personally I have them, and it's so much more natural looking.  So let your brows grow!

4. A Bold Lip

This is similar to the cat eye in the ways that it's easy, quick and it looks great with minimal eye make-up. This look can also go very dramatic or a little more subtle. For a subtle look try a coral or light pink. If you want your lips to be very bold go for a red or fuchsia. I love this trend and I think it looks best when its bright matte lip. I'm just going to mention a few of my favorites in case anyone with a similar skin tone want to try them out. Revlon colour burst lip butter in cherry tart is a nice red colour and the texture is somewhere in between a lipstick and a lip balm.  It's a little shimmery but not over the top. For a nice everyday coral-esque colour Smashbox photo finish lipstick in splendid is a great because it's not to bright but adds a little pop. Mac satin lipstick in snob is BRIGHT! It's a matte lipstick, very similar the colour in the first photo below, just beautiful. 

 5. The Easy Pony

I love this look because it's a great alternative to a normal ponytail, and it's super easy. Just make sure your hair is free of tangles, maybe run a bit of shine serum through it and wrap a ribbon around your hair at the base of your neck. It's suppose to look loose and casual so don't worry if some of the strands framing your face don't make it in. Try using a bright ribbon for a little pop of colour. You can even sneak in an extra trend there; neon or pastel. 

This concludes the Lazy Girl's Guide to 2012 beauty trends. I hope it helps some girls like me.  We can still be trendy even though we're lazy!

St. John's Restaurant Guide #1

Continuing on with my St. John's tribute posts, I have a new one which includes some great restaurants to try. Here are the first three:

1.  Breakfast: Bagel Cafe.
It's a quaint little restaurant on Duckworth Street, they have all kinds of breakfast and lunch foods but of course with bagels instead of regular toast. They even have some local favorites such as fish & brewis and fish cakes (don't worry there are lots of options without fish.) Apparently they serve dinner too, but I've never been.  They dishes are delicious, and huge.  Sometimes service can be a little slow but it's kind of part of it's charm.
Some other great breakfast options in town are the Governor's Pub or the Classic Cafe.

Our breakfast, mine eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, Clark's is steak and eggs

 2.  Sushi: Sun Sushi
There are not very many options in town for sushi. In fact, I think there are only three good options to be honest. My pick is Sun Sushi purely for the options and price. One option is Basho Lounge which has better sushi then both other places but the prices are very steep. It's not the place you can go for a casual lunch with friends. Asian Taste and Sun Sushi are the same in the quality of sushi, but Asian Taste specialize in more then just sushi. If you're going with a few people who don't all necessarily want sushi then it's great, but if you are going purely for sushi then you won't have as many options as Sun Sushi.  All three on Duckworth Street and you won't be sorry where ever you go.

Spicy salmon roll, yellowfish sushi and inari sushi

 3.  Burgers/Pub food: Yellow Belly Brewery
I love this spot.  It's cozy and delicious. They brew their own beer right in the restaurant. There are four choice, my favorite is the pale ale.  Besides the beer, the food is so good! It's like refined pub food. They have an excellent seafood chowder and their pizza's are grilled in a wood burning stove.  But their burgers... their burgers! They have more then a few options, including a lamb burger and a salmon Asian burger. My favorites are the Yellow Belly Burger which has pulled short rib, tomato jam, blue cheese, caramelized onions all over a juicy beef patty and the Surf and Turf burger, beef patty stuffed with lobster meat and topped with Bearnaise sauce. They have excellent side dishes, I love their salad, it's greens with pecans and dried cranberries. They also have yummy fries and sweet potato fries. It's located on Water Street.
Some other great pub place are Nautical Nellie's.

Surf and Turf burger

My Savings

My Savings by kellylee on polyvore.com


One of my new years resolutions was to be better with my finances. I still haven't found a job yet, but I'm itching to buy stuff! It's brutal.  I've come up with a plan.  When I finally do get a job I'm saving my money up to buy things I really want instead of going nuts when I get my first pay check.  Maybe I'll get four mason jars and decorate them with the labels new camera, Jeffrey Campbell shoes, trip, and car.

My first purchase will be a pair of Jeffrey Campbell's Litas.  I've wanted a pair for a long time they're so beautiful I love the colourful ones!  Second purchase is a high quality camera.  I've been researching the Nikon 1, it's not too expensive but much better then a point and shoot, plus they're pretty. I love the white one.  My other purchase are going to cost a little more.  I love my bicycle but it's impossible to get around St. John's in the winter if you don't have a car and taking cabs all the time can get expensive.  Saving up for a car would definitely make my life easier.  The other purchase is trip.  I would love to go somewhere this year, I'm stuck between the Bahamas and Paris.

Hopefully I'll get hired somewhere soon so that I can actually put this plan into action! Wish me luck.

Quidi Vidi

Quidi Vidi is a little heritage fishing village near St. John's.  It's very peaceful and scenic. Lots of historical buildings and some fishing houses built on the side of the rocks.  Along with taking in the view you can have a drink at the local pub and meet some friendly strangers or you can take a tour of the Quidi Vidi Brewery.  1892 is still my favorite beer ever, but there are lots to taste test and the tour guide is also funny. There is also Quidi Vidi Lake that is a great place to go for a walk or run.

I have lots of pictures of the little bay of the ocean that comes in between a narrow opening in the rocks, but it was cold and snowing a little bit so only a few of my outfit.  It's simple anyways so I didn't need a lot of photos.  This is the first time I've worn this sweater.  It's from American Apparel and I think it's gorgeous.  They only come in one size so I didn't get one for a long time because I thought they were all too big, the neck line kept slipping off my shoulders every time I tried it on.  If you have a small frame like me an want one of these sweaters, ask a sales associate to get you one from the back.  I found out that they get stretched out from being on the hangers, so don't hang it up after you buy it either.  Mine has been folded since October and it's still perfect, and the fabric doesn't really wrinkle so you don't have to worry.

sweater American Apparel/ pants Urban Outfitters/ shoes Aldo

The Harbourside Park

Here is my second edition of my outfit post in great places around St. John's: The Harbourside Park.  It's very pretty, right at the end of Water Street and on the other side of the street is the War Memorial. It's not a very big park, it's small concrete walking section on the harbor where you can get a great view of the narrows and surrounding area.

Left: the Park, Right: the war memorial

Left: statues of a Lab and  Newfoundland Dog, Right: Me, freezing

It's a great place to hang out in the summer, the breeze of the ocean is a little too cold for winter but regardless of the time of year the scenery is breath taking.  There are always interesting boats docked in the harbour, the ocean is a beautiful green colour (unfortunately because of pollution but what can you do?) and the colour houses on the other side of the water is so cute! Plus it's within walking distance of some of the best restaurants and shopping in town.  It makes a nice date to take a walk in the Harbourside park and then go for a nice dinner somewhere.

As for the outfit, I don't have much to say, other then I like it and I was freezing.

scarf and tights American Apparel/ shirt Sirens/ shorts Bluenotes/ boots Aldo

Tomato Hearts and the 100 day diet Journey

I just wanted to point out a couple of new blogs I think people should be following! 

1.  My sister's blog Tomato Hearts.  She loves tomatoes, so she named her fashion blog and her cat after them.  Her blog is very new an she's got great style. 

2. My new blog documenting one of new years resolutions; my goal to drop 15lbs in 100 days. The 100 Day Diet Journey is where I write a short post everyday about the struggle of being hungry, some of the low-cal dishes I make, exercise, etc.  I'm only on day 5 so it's new too but I'll be updating everyday!

Ok, well if you'd like to check them out I've got the links above! Thanks!

Karmaloop

Karmaloop by kellylee featuring felt hats


I just found my new favorite online shopping website!!! KarmaLoop sells a variety of different brands for men and women.  They have a huge selection and right now SO many sales!!!! I couldn't believe some of the deals.  I got everything I ordered for a great price, including my friends jeans that I was coveting the whole time we were at sushi.  I hope she doesn't mind but they only had my size left and they were 50% off, it was fate! The picture above is the collage of my haul!

I also learned a nifty trick.  I almost did not buy them because shipping to Canada was a little more then I was willing to pay, and I'm going to have to pay duty fees when they arrive.  So when it came to putting in my credit card number I hesitated.  It would have come to about $85 for a pair of jeans that had a ticket price of $44.95, didn't seem worth it.  So I goggled 'karma loop promos' and a great website popped up and I got 20% off my purchase which was more then the shipping price so everything worked out!  In case your wondering the promo code is JAN20, it's good for the whole month, your welcome.  I definitely recommend this site so go check it out while their sales are still on and the promo code is working!

Signal Hill

Here is the first of many outfit post in a few of my favorite local spots (as I mentioned in my last post, keep an eye out for the post with the label St. John's.)  This is signal hill,  where Guiglielmo Marconi received the first wireless message in 1901, as well as the site of harbour defences for St. John's from the 18th century to the Second World War. 

Now it's a popular tourist attraction, Cabot tour has a lovely gift shop and a look out on top.  Reason I love going to Signal Hill is it's amazing view, one side you have the beautiful North Atlantic stretching far beyond the eyes reach, on the other side a beautiful view of the harbour and the city.  If you ever come to St. John's it's definitely a must see, just don't go up there if the fog has rolled in, you won't see anything that isn't within a foot of your face. 

Lucky for me, the weather today was perfect.  Clark and I ran some errands then had lunch downtown.  We finished everything earlier then we thought, so I thought it would be nice to go up there and enjoy the beautiful view and weather.  

We've been having such a mild winter so far, this time last year I would have died on top of the hill in nothing but a dress and a sweater jacket.  Speaking of the dress, this is the dress I wore to my graduation, it's not really my style but I just love the colour and the pattern. These boots belonged to my mother from the 70's and I love them.  They are so comfortable and warm, I can't believe this was the first time I ever wore them.  They will probably be in ever post from here on in! Well, it's getting late and I must go to sleep, still fighting a bit of a cold.

jacket and tights American Apparel/ dress Envy/ boots vintage

Back on the Rock

Hello, sorry I haven't been posting for a few days.  After new years I came down with a terrible flu, I've spent the past few days in pajamas drinking hot tea and cough medicine and carrying around a box of tissues. I went through four boxes in three days and I even brought one on the plane with me.

So, I'm back in St. John's for now.  I was excited to see my boyfriend and my kitty but I've come to realize that I definitely am ready for a change. I love Newfoundland but I would like to be closer to my family.  So I've decided that during the time I have let in St. John's, however long that may be, I'm going to use this blog to do some of my favorite store reviews, take some outfit post in a few of my favorite places, and mention a few of my favorite spots.  Look out for them and if you live in St. John's or plan to visit hopefully you'll find some of the post helpful.

Haley, enjoying her Christmas present

2012 Resolutions

2012 Resolutions by kellylee featuring sparkly heels

Happy New Year!! I've already done my recap of 2011, and now it's time for some of my goals and hopes for 2012.  I created a 'vision board' on Polyvore to keep me motivated and focused throughout the year.  Here are my new years resolutions:

1.  I want to feel better and have more energy so resolution number one is to make sure I eat breakfast something I rarely do, eat better in general and start working out regularly. I'm giving my self a goal of loosing 15lbs in 100 days.
2.  Keep up with my blog and organize it better.  Sometimes I feel like this blog is inconsistent, so my goal for this blog is to publish post on a regular basis and keep the content simple. I would also like to increase my followers to 100 by the end the of the year.
3.  Find a job and a possible move.  I would love to move to Toronto and I would love to get job with a fashion company even if I'm only doing administrative work.  I'm going to start applying to jobs, internships and fashion programs at some colleges.

These three are definitely the most important and if I can succeed in them it will be a great year. In fact, if only number three happens I will be happy!   A new year is like a clean slate and I'm very excited to see what this year holds for me.

(Other resolutions include manage my finances better, document the good times more, finally learn to play my guitar, treat my skin better, travel, take time to enjoy the little things and streamline my closet.)