Weekly Bests III

Thoughts & Musings

Jul. 22

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The weekly bests are a little late this time around – because wow, the week I just had was nuts! It will be hard to select the highlights, because so much of it was wonderful :)

BEST THING I DID

Last weekend was my best friend’s bachelorette party, and we had a blast!! We had a wonderful brunch at Smith in Cabbagetown, a fun and informative hand-tied bouquet workshop at Pistil Flowers, soothing pedicures at Hammam spa (my first time having a paraffin treatment – heaven), and a custom lipstick workshop at the BITE beauty lab on Queen Street. This was definitely the highlight for me because I am a lipstick junkie!We worked with a lipstick magician who helped us choose which shades matched our skintones, and tried on several different versions before picking our favourites. We were also able to choose between a matte, cream, or shine finish – I actually love all three! Our personalized formulas were mixed right in front of us (using a centrifuge, which my nerdy self found super fascinating) and poured into beautiful lipstick bullets for us to take home.The experience was a lot of fun, and makes me appreciate and use my lipstick more since I know it was made just for me. I also like that these shades can’t be found in stores as part of BITE’s usual line of lipsticks – they are totally custom-made! This time around I chose a pinky-nude shade, but I will definitely go again to find my perfect red or berry tone.The rest of the night was more fun than I had had in a long time! We went to Lavelle for a lovely prix-fixe dinner in their private dining room with VIEWS of the city, and then to a club and dancing til my feet felt like they were going to fall off :) It was a wonderful way to celebrate Laura, the most fun person I know!

BEST THING I ATE

The pollo frito taco, closely followed by the cookie monster paleta at La Carnita. I seriously love the tacos at La Carnita. They are SO good, and I haven’t found another taco place in Toronto that beats them yet (Tacos 101, Playa Cabana, and Seven Lives don’t come close in my opinion. Although I do love the horchata at Tacos 101).I tried the pollo frito taco for the first time yesterday for lunch, and I think my eyes became two big hearts and bulged out of my head. It was very hard for me to share with Azim :) We also both really liked the cookie monster paleta, which is essentially cookies and cream icecream, chocolate chip cookie dough, and oreo crumbs in popsicle form. YUM!

BEST THING I WORE

I have been on the hunt for the perfect black leather backpack for a looong time, because I was very picky with my requirements – I wanted it to be big enough to fit my lunch and a pair of shoes for work, but not too big that I could be mistaken for a student. I wanted it to have a simple design, but still a few extra pockets to reach my keys and phone easily. I wanted it to be beautiful pebbled leather, but still have the option of adjustable straps.I finally found my perfect bag on ebay of all places! I was giving up the search, because none of my go-to websites seemed to have what I was looking for, and none of the shops in Toronto did either. As a last resort I typed in “black leather backpack” on ebay, and finally found my favourite! Now I have entered the world of hands-free living, and I love it.

BEST THING I SAW

Dunkirk.Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk was the best film I’ve seen this year. I was apprehensive about watching it, because I knew how emotional I would become seeing the events of WW2 brought to life.Growing up in France, I was able to learn about the events of both the world wars, right on the streets where they happened. I visited the beaches of Normandy; I saw monuments, graves, and Anne Frank’s home. I also had a grandfather who was part of the war effort here in Canada, and I know how much the movie would have touched him. He would have seen the faces of his peers up on screen.Watching Dunkirk was not like going to a mindless action movie, and rooting for the good guys over the bad guys. This story REALLY happened, and I hope the movie can convey the weight of that to my generation, and those of us who have never had to experience the reality of war here in this part of the world. These boys were in their 20s or younger. They are my brother, my boyfriend, my colleagues, and my best friends. We are so fortunate that those young boys fought, so that we might never have to.

BEST THING I READ

If I’m honest with you guys, I didn’t actually do a lot of reading that wasn’t work-related this week. But I will leave you with this article that my dad sent me, which I had read a while ago when it first published. He found it interesting, although not very relevant to my personal situation. Millennials, what do you think?

In-person Therapy vs. Online Therapy

I started therapy in my late twenties, and have been going on and off ever since. When I first tried it, it was because I was slowly wading through a cycle of depression triggered by a specific situation at work, and I felt desperate for help. I’m very glad I sought it out, because it’s been life-changing.

10 Sustainable Fashion Brands to switch to now

I've rounded up and categorized some sustainable fashion brands for you to check out - I've tried to include some Canadian brands as well (to support our makers, but also, paying for duties is a b*tch).