Workcation in Barbados

Outfit Details: High-Low Dress (Sirens), Feather Earrings (Aldo Accessories), Pearl Bracelet Set (Joe Fresh)

I'm cheating a little today. This isn't really a style post, but I wanted to share photos from my week-long Barbados trip. It's a beautiful place and the weather was INCREDIBLE. I'm definitely sad about coming back to cold Toronto.

The reason behind this trip was to attend and teach a 3-day seminar on Search Engine Optimization and Social Media, held by the company I work for. We stayed at The Crane Residential Resort, which was a fantastic experience all on its own. The restaurants served great food, the swimming pools were fun, and the beach was amazing. Our seminar went really well; the people who attended seemed to have enjoyed it and provided us with good feedback.

Overall the workcation was great. I got to bond with my co-workers and met a lot of people (including our clients, as well as other professionals). However, I think my favourite part was going for a swim every day and actually being able to sleep in!

Enough talking, I mean…writing - here are some photos of the resort!

 

This was the view from my bedroom window. Amazing, right?

 

Here is a glimpse of the room I had at The Crane. I miss it already!

 

My bathroom was almost as big as my room.

 

Here is the beach!

I took this photo during one of my daily walks to the village area at The Crane. The pathways are surrounded by big, beautiful trees.

This is the patio of D'Onofrio's Trattoria, one of the four restaurants at The Crane.

 Loved Bar 1887, it was a nice place to relax and enjoy a drink or two.

The Crane has a lot of these cave-like tunnels with a stunning view.

Hope you enjoyed the photos. If you're feeling sad about the cold weather, just come back here again and it will make you feel better! :) As for a style post, I will try to have one up before the end of the week.

Toronto Fashion Week (Spring/Summer 2013)

(Photos by Maria)

Outfit Details: Dress (Dynamite) Black Suede Pumps (B.O.C. Shoes), Gold Necklace (thrifted), Purse + Bracelet (Forever 21), Ring (Butterfly Beads)

Guess what friends? I'm currently in Barbados for a big work conference with Spark Internet Marketing Corporation. It's very bright and sunny here. I realized that I hadn't shown you photos of World MasterCard Fashion Week (or Toronto Fashion Week) which just passed, so here I am, sharing my experience with you.

Out of all the outfits I wore last week, this was my favourite. The dress is a statement all on its own, so I knew I had to keep it simple with the accessories.

Toronto Fashion Week was great. The last time I attended was a couple of years ago, and while a lot has changed since, there are some things that remain the same. A lot of my blog readers and subscribers on YouTube ask me how to get involved and get known in fashion, and I have to say that it's a tough industry. If you're not confident, a little bit selfish, and willing to put yourself out there and introduce yourself to people, it's really hard for them to give a s***. If you believe in yourself and take pride in it, other people will believe it too. It's a bit harsh, but it's true, and it probably works this way in most industries. If you ever have any questions for me, feel free to e-mail me and I will be more than happy to chat with you.

On to the photos!

Here we are at the tents!

I got a photo with Taylor Ferri, a PR pro who I've been talking to online for a while and finally got to meet her at Toronto Fashion Week.

This was the Maybelline New York (Canada) booth. They had professional artists at the venue giving makeovers to attendees.

This lovely lady was at the Maybelline Canada booth each day, giving out free mascara to all attendees.

Caesarstone (Canada) was on-sight and unveiled new designs. They were giving away macaroons to represent each of the five new colours. I tried the milk chocolate one, it was delicious!

Nail bars are totally the thing this year, from being in conferences, to bar parties, and now at Toronto Fashion Week. Essie Canada was doing a fabulous job giving manicures to models backstage, as well as all attendees at the front.

Of course I had to get my nails done. In the photo above I'm wearing Essie's Leading Lady, which is part of the Winter 2012 collection. Love love love it!

That's all for now. I actually have a lot of photos from the fashion shows, but I'm not sure how I want to share them yet. Maybe a Flickr album? If you would like me to do a post on just the runway photos, let me know and I'll make it happen.

Now, I am going to enjoy a fresh coconut and sunbathe by The Crane Beach. Cheers!