Hello ELLE Canada readers! It’s been a crazy, fun and productive couple of weeks here in the office with some amazing projects heading your way. Like a day of show and tell, let me fill you in on a new and exciting channel that we are thrilled to unveil.

I’ve been working to bring you a brand new channel called our “Editors Travel Guide.” It’s a new venture for ELLE Canada as editors from ELLE UK, ELLE France, ELLE US and ELLE Italy share the favourite hot spots in their respective cities. From London to Paris and Milan to New York City, the best fashion, beauty and lifestyle addresses are all listed for you in a one-stop shop on ELLECanada.com. Plus, we’ve got the best street style looks and tips and trends to help you look your best in each city.

Click through to read the full post…

Read the rest of this entry

TORONTO: IRL SHOPPING
Status: One night only
What: A pop-up sale hosted by luxe online shopping retailer The Peacock Parade.
When: Tuesday, Dec. 11, 4 to 9 p.m.
Where: Alison Milne Gallery, 198 Walnut Ave., Unit 3.
Buzzworthy notes:Receive the $5 admission as a discount toward your first purchase on everything from Tom Ford shades to a Betsey Johnson cocktail dress; tickets available the thepeacockparade.com.

TORONTO: ONE-ON-ONE SHOPPING
Status: One-stop-holiday-shop
What: A Dickensian Christmas at the Lowe’s Toronto Christmas Market in the city’s garland-lined and cobblestoned Distillery Historic District.
When: On now till Sunday, Dec. 16.
Where: Distillery Historic District.
Buzzworthy notes: Indulge in the once-a-year goodness of sampling fried treats from the Apple Fritter Factory, double-smoked bacon dipped in Belgian chocolate, and spiced mulled wine, while perusing stands stocked with artisan-made crafts and basking in the bright silver lights once evening falls.

Read on for more buzz-worthy events taking place across Canada this week!

Read the rest of this entry

It’s been 72 hours, 30 minutes, and 12 seconds since I’ve had my feet in the white sand of Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro.  It was a whirlwind of a trip that has left me craving warm summer days, fresh fruit, and frosty cocktails. The one fruity concoction that sent my taste buds into a furry was the passion fruit caiparinha, a take on the traditional Brazilian beverage.

Here’s how to make it at home:

1 Passion Fruit

1/2 lime

2 tb of sugar (yes, for each beverage)

Lots of cachça (a Brazilian liquor)

Ice

Mint leaves for garnish

Mix them all together in a cocktail shaker, pour into a rock glass and be whisked away to steamy Rio. Can I join you?

One thing everyone at work knows about me is that I’m a travel junkie, in fact I carry my passport with me at all times because, well,  you never know when a last-minute opportunity may pop up.

My jet-set fixation is responsible for many things (including a membership on Mr. & Mrs. Smith Hotels, a nearly maxed-out credit card after booking a holiday vacation and an intimate familiarity with many airports in Europe)  but most recently it has caused a insomnia-inducing obsession with the new Grand Tourista Bag by Jason Wu for St. Regis Hotels & Resorts. This luxe bag marks Wu’s first foray into the world of product created exclusively for travel and his first accessory designed for the St. Regis brand. And frankly, I believe it to be the only thing that can see you through airport security with your dignity intact.

Grand Tourista Bag by Jason Wu for St. Regis Hotels & Resorts ($1,995),  available at www.stregis.com/boutique and www.jasonwustudio.com.

*Disclaimer: This bag is not available until mid December, 2012. This makes it ideally suited to holiday wish lists. consider it at the top of mine.

I discovered a new store in an unexpected place on my way to New York Fashion Week: the departure lounge at Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport.

WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie (the Canadian brand is co-founded and designed by Dexter and Byron Peart) has just opened two WANT PASSPORT shops at the Toronto Island airport: the smaller Departure Lounge Kiosk (which I checked out on my way to NYC) and the larger Arrival Shop (which I’ll stop in at after my return flight touches down in Toronto).

The departure kiosk has a carefully curated selection of luxe travel items including, of course, WANT bags (like the Heathrow Commuter) as well as books (Alain de Botton’s The Art of Travel), foldable panama hats (Borsalino) and sunglasses (Persol). There are also flight-sized beauty products from Aesop and gift items like posh candles by Astier de Villate and cool toys from Swedish design brand Playsam. Plus, they even have handmade Koh-i-noor toothbrushes, in case you forgot yours.

The selection of items is expected to change weekly—which is great news for frequent flyers.

Meet my new best friend. A suitcase! Before you judge and wonder why I wouldn’t spend that much money on a pair of shoes instead, just think … doesn’t everyone dream of a jet-set life? Where you just pack a bag quickly for that last minute rendezvous in Monaco, a girls weekend in LA, or a last minute beach vacation in say, the Seychelles (obviously with this lifestyle, the Caribbean is so been-there-done-that). I’m also a bit of a travel junkie, and I eye pricey luggage like I do Chloe bags.

Until I have that life (that honestly, probably only royals and European billionaires have) I’ll settle for what the rich travel with. A sleek, ultra durable and stylish carry-on in the shade of, what else but, Prosecco. Just like any stunning pair of McQueen or Prada shoes, this is an investment piece. And even if I only jet to Montreal for a weekend or Europe on vacay (and it slides into a commercial airline overhead bin as opposed to a private jet) it will make all my travels seem far more exotic, exciting and luxe, and who isn’t ready to pack their bags for that?

RIMOWA Salsa Cabin Trolley in Prosecco, $415, available at RIMOWA locations and rimowa.com.

If you’re lucky enough to be heading to London for the Summer Olympics—or anytime for that matter—here are some favourite spots from my short-but-sweet recent visit.

Where to stay

I checked in to the Belgraves, one of London’s swankiest new hotels. It’s the Thompson Hotel group’s first U.K. outpost, and it lives up to the brand’s cool-kid reputation. The Belgraves is intimate (just 85 guest rooms), eclectic, modern—and already attracting celebs. (Just a week before I arrived, ELLE Canada’s Kathryn Hudson interviewed Gwyneth Paltrow here—pick up a copy of our September issue to read her “What would Gwyneth do?” cover story.)

The hotel’s sunken “lobby” feels cozy and surprisingly private—more like the living room of your dream house than a public space. Select an art or design book from the coffee table or the library-style shelves, order a Moroccan mint tea from Mark’s Bar, and sink into the tufted velvet couch. (Careful here…you just might not want to leave the hotel!)

Click through to read more about London hot spots!

Read the rest of this entry

The Mandarin hotel group always get the spa atmosphere just right; dim, peaceful and modern.

The Rum Swizzle Ritual, $480 for three hours

Where: Elbow Beach, Bermuda

Spa vibe: Ditch the Bermuda shorts, visors and white runners where the cruise ships dock, because the Elbow Beach Mandarin Hotel may be swanky, but it’s certainly not stuffy. The newly refurbished spa is a peaceful, chilled and relaxed space as you escape from the hot sun. The fact that you’re in a Mandarin spa should definitely up the ante – I have yet to find one I haven’t loved – add in the ocean views and intimate location and this is a little slice of spa heaven.  Be sure to veg out in a comfy cabana poolside at the spa pre- or post-treatment overlooking the Atlantic Ocean with one of the island’s specialties – a fruity Rum Swizzle cocktail (rum punch with loads of lemon, lime, pineapple and grapefruit juices).

What: Have three hours to spare? Get ready to dive into a true Bermudian spa experience with the Rum Swizzle Ritual. The three hours will have you getting a soothing foot massage, a pineapple body scrub (that smells so delish you will definitely want to buy that scrub after to take home), then a dip in a tub filled with more Rum Swizzle ingredients (lemon, lime, pineapple, grapefruit juices and oils).  You can sip on the cheery drink while you soak and relax (trust me, one might not be enough. It’s that good). Then finish off you treatment with a full body and scalp massage using fruity oil extracts.

Read on to find out the best part of this spa experience!

Read the rest of this entry

Nestled in a 19th-century building in the ultra chic neighbourhood of Palermo, Buenos Aires lies Fueguia, a quaint Laboratorio de Perfumes. Dimly lit and filled with misting beakers, it creates the impression not of walking into a science lab, but into someone’s home.

I was at Fueguia with my sartorially advanced cousin (a BA native and multi-Miu Miu-pump owner), who hoped to select her perfect scent. It’s the place to do it—dedicated to featuring local ingredients, the perfumery boasts dozens of perfectly concocted scents and candles.

Still, the true luxury is the bespoke perfumery option, for which a dedicated perfumer helps you create a custom blend from over 1,500 different notes. The end result—a unique and individual fragrance—is packaged in a wooden box (crafted by carpentry students from fallen trees from the Patagonia forest), artfully fused from local Argentine ingredients.

If, like me, you’re intimidated by the large selection of notes, head to Fueguia for the sole purpose of snatching up a Caramel Candle. You can indulge in the country’s quintessential sweet, dulce de leche—without the guilt!

The relaxation area at COMO Shambhala’s spa in Bali.

When I go to the spa, I rarely book a massage. I’d rather a deep cleaning facial, a scalp treatment, or a little extra TLC for my toes. But after a week traipsing through Thailand, I had a few days in the far more chilled out jungle of Bali, staying at the COMO Shambhala Estate, perched atop a lush mountain, and I needed a little relaxation. I was told that this was THE spot to experience a true Indonesian massage. Before I left on the trip, I still needed some convincing to get the massage. In fact, I contemplated changing it to my regular facial. Once I sank into the airplane seat, leaving Ko Phi Phi (the party island featured in The Beach the 2000 movie with Leonardo DiCaprio) and Bangkok far behind me, a full-body massage by a gifted Balinese therapist sounded like a slice of Indonesian heaven.

Here’s why massages and I normally don’t mix: I’m über ticklish and get nervous at the thought of someone lightly touching my side. That equals tense muscles and a lot of urging from my therapist to “relax.” That urging makes me even tenser as I have my face squished into the bed thinking, “But I AM relaxed!” After a Thai massage in Bangkok that my friends insisted I try, I was feeling more convinced than ever that massages and I weren’t destined to be BFFs. Read the rest of this entry