0 - A FEW WORDS

Hello, again!

Welcome to the second edition of my newsletter! In case you missed the first one where I covered various topics from ski clothes to my favourite recipes, here is the link. As always, I’m glad you came along for the ride.

I started writing this month’s newsletter last week, when the war between Ukraine and Russia broke out. Truthfully, it feels strange (and wrong) to be writing a newsletter about fashion/style when there is such a devastating situation going on in the world. (For those who want to help Ukraine, I have found The Cut’s guide to be resourceful.) That being said, I am choosing to write about a few things that make me happy this month, because I, for one, need a minor distraction for 10 minutes. With that said, please enjoy, and let me know your thoughts!

1 - FASHION

Core Collection

Back in high school, a friend asked me how I described my style, to which I responded with “always evolving”. Among the many phases of my style, I distinctly remember one where I only wore short dresses (lol), and another where everything I owned was black (I have since expanded to include white, grey and beige). Fast forward to today: I would describe my style as minimal with a twist. I have a “core collection” of pieces that I always reach for, which I pair with seasonal items that are more trend-driven. Whether it’s a great pair of jeans or a broken-in pair of flats, here are a few of these tried and true items that I’ve worn a million times (and that you’ve probably seen on my Instagram):

Wishlist

I’m always window shopping and thinking about how pieces fit with my wardrobe. For more expensive items, I keep a running wishlist on Evernote that I revisit often to remind myself not to impulse shop. However, I’m definitely the type to admire my wishlist for a very long time before biting the bullet. Back in 2011, Acne Studios released its iconic Velocite coat, which I fell in love with immediately. Since then, it has literally been on every one of my wishlists, and I still haven’t purchased it lol. 10+ years later, I think I’m finally over it (maybe).

Here’s what else is on my wishlist for the near/not-so-near future:

2 - SKINCARE / BEAUTY

My Top Shelf - Hair

As a continuation of My Top Shelf from last month, which featured skincare, this month’s focus is on what I do with my hair! Honestly, it’s not much. To my hairdresser’s dismay, every time he sees me, he asks “how do you usually style your hair?”, to which I answer, “literally nothing, the less I can do the better”.

I get my hair cut and dyed in Toronto; I fly back often enough that I don’t need to get it done in NYC. I go to Sekt Studios - Nelson does my hair, while Fabio/Melissa do their balayage magic. For a while during COVID when everything was shut down in Toronto, I went to Jenna Perry in NYC, which was great. I usually get a hair cut every 3 months, balayage every 6 months and a toner every 3 months. My hair used to be pretty long (in university, it was halfway down my back), but since then I’ve cut it shorter and shorter. Every now and then I think about how nice it would be to have long hair, but the grass is always greener on the other side, right?

From a hair care perspective, I have naturally thick, wavy hair and wash it every day, otherwise it gets too oily. I am so jealous of those who can last days without a wash. I’ve been using Kiehl’s Amino Acid Shampoo and Conditioner for as long as I can remember. I’ve tried a lot of other brands, but Kiehl’s is the one for me. A long time ago, I read that you shouldn’t use the same shampoo/conditioner every day, otherwise your hair gets used to it. I don’t know if it’s true or not (I guess I could do a quick Google search…), but since then, I’ve kept two sets of shampoo/conditioner in my shower. When my hair was more blonde from balayage, I used Oribe’s Bright Blonde Shampoo and Conditioner to tone it out. Now that my hair is more brown, I use Alterna’s Caviar Color Hold Shampoo and Conditioner or Oribe’s Gold Lust Shampoo and Conditioner. In Toronto, I alternate between Alterna’s Caviar Replenishing Shampoo and Conditioner and Ouai’s Medium Hair Shampoo and Conditioner.

Once a week, I cleanse my scalp with a salt scrub - my scalp can get dry, so I find that scrubs really help to reset my skin. I alternate between Christophe Robin’s Purifying Scalp Scrub and Goop’s G.Tox Himalayan Salt Scalp. Afterwards, because my hair gets super dry from the salt, I follow up with Olaplex’s No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask.

I like to air dry my hair, but it dries wavy, which I don’t always love. So, if I’m blow-drying, I use Dyson’s Supersonic Hair Dryer and follow up with GHD’s Max 2” Styler to straighten it. In the (extremely) rare occasion that I curl it, I use T3’s curling iron with the 1.25” barrel or Amika’s High Tide Deep Wave Hair Crimper (a fun tool). Whenever I need volume in my hair, I spray on Oribe’s Dry Texturizing Spray (a godsend from hair heaven - if there’s one thing you should buy from my hair routine, it’s this). For the longest time when I was younger, I never brushed my hair (lol), but I’ve been using have Mason Pearson’s Handy brush for many years now and love it.

All in all, I spend maybe 5 minutes on my hair every day, and that’s what works for me. I definitely respect (and bow down to) those who love a long hair routine though!

3 - OTHER

4 - PARTING NOTE

If there’s something you want me to cover in a future newsletter, do let me know! Until next time.