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I mentioned Gabriel Ross earlier this week, as well as here and here, as the source for my lovely new wall lamps. (Which have been creating some nice mood lighting I might add.) So I thought I would do a proper review for those wanting to do a little sprucing up at home before that big Holiday party this year. We all need an excuse to light a fire under our decorating butts, don’t we? Yes - I know I am not alone in this one. Based in Victoria, BC, Gabriel Ross sells Canadians a range of classic and modern furniture and decor from well-known designers and manufacturers. Some of my favourites include the Knoll Eero Saarinen Oval Marble Dining Table. It looks so elegant with its oblong, curvaceous shape and is under $5K. It’s something that you pass down to your children. I also love Nani Marquina’s Rugs - especially the Estambul Rug that gives a nod to Morocco but with a modern twist. An abundance of beautiful lounge chairs to choose from and even fun home decor items like this Blomus Estilo Tree Tealight Holder (much neater than a big old Christmas tree). All in Canadian dollars, all shipped for free, all returnable (with a 20% re-stocking fee to account for the free shipping - although I don’t advise planning on returning furniture). You guessed it: 5 stars.

Photos: Gabriel Ross

Zappos has finally hit Canada in time for the holidays with its large selection of shoes and handbags for the whole family. It isn’t obvious when you first visit their homepage that you are going to find something stylish hidden inside. They have many categories and options to narrow down your search but I found that my choices were turning up lots of boring black and brown shoes that I would never buy. When I discovered the ’Brands’ tab at the top of the page where you can shop by Designer, this changed my outlook. They might not have the entire range of a Designer’s new collection but they have really great overall selection and good prices. They also have decent customer feedback that helps to give you an idea of their satisfaction along with whether or not the shoe fit true to size - I find that this gives me a lot more confidence when purchasing online.

Some of the designers pictured (in order of appearance) are Ted Baker, Kenneth Cole, RSVP, Isabella Fiore, Rafe and Cole Haan. As for the Canadian shopping experience…you must shop in US$, which isn’t such a big deal these days, but they calculate the duty and tax for you at checkout. Unfortunately, ordering shoes from anywhere out-of-country is expensive since 90% of the time they are made in an Asian country. This means that they are charged a duty of anywhere between 18%-22%. I think Zappos just estimates 20% across the board - so you are looking at 20% + 14% tax (in Ontario) + $10 shipping. The $10 shipping doesn’t sound so enticing now, does it? I think it is worth it if it is something you can’t find at home and is perhaps much less expensive in the US, which happens. Even though the total price is a bit shocking, it is better to know before you purchase. And unfortunately there isn’t really anything Zappos.com can do about duties and taxes. For that reason I still give them: 4 stars.

Photos: Zappos.com

Beauty Junkie…are you one? Don’t get me wrong, I love my products. But I have seen real beauty junkies in action and I am not one of them. Not the hard core kind anyway that takes her hot pink hard-case beauty box as carry-on luggage when flying. I’ve seen it. In any case, I can still shop on a site called BeautyJunkie.ca for the latest hard-to-find cosmetics and skin care out there. From Body & Soul Lip Jewels Lipgloss and Lola Gold Body Shimmer to a wide range of high end skincare - the site does offer brands that you don’t often see elsewhere, as they claim. One product that sounds too good to resist? The CSP Vanille Banane Fragrance…mmmm. It’s a Canadian site in Canadian dollars with refunds if you aren’t completely satisfied. Aside from the site being slightly jumbled to shop on, it’s a very good experience: 4 stars.

Photos: Beauty Junkie

Inhabit: the one-stop lifestyle shop for the modern family. I like the sound of a modern family. I do think that a child is aware of its surroundings and space growing up, so is passing on good taste more nurture than nature? Whatever the case may be, you can outfit your home with some groovy design items for your kitchen, living space and kids’ rooms all on the same website. Some of my favourites include the plywood Zumi Stool by Japanese designer Shuichiro Koizumi. This piece is on its way to becoming a design classic with an origami structure and simple elegance. Mix Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetics by adding the matching Mag Table in Birch by Eric Pfeiffer. A functional and good-looking side table that holds your design magazines and can also stand on its end to accommodate some sofa-surfing on your laptop.

On a more colourful note, these Wooden Dolls by renowned textile designer, Alexander Girard, would be a really interesting art piece on a mantel or display shelf and they look especially quirky in a small collection; although they are a bit pricey for painted wood. Finally, if you’re not sure about art in your kid’s room but want something more interesting than a blank palette, Blik Cloud Wall Graphics look cool and inspire imagination without needing much money or skill. The site is very stylish and modern looking of course and offers free shipping over $250. There is a good selection of products and they seem to continually update their merchandise. I will have to dock it a star for having such a narrow return policy - they only return lost, defective or damaged merchandise. I guess you have to take a bit more time in your selection process. Overall I give it: 4 stars.

Photos: Inhabit

I am not one of those people who wishes that I was 21 again. In fact, I quite like being my age. Okay, 29 wouldn’t be so bad…but what can you do? Trendy and affordable fashion isn’t just for 21-year-olds though and Forever 21 now offers a large online selection to Canadians. If you are not familiar with the brand from shopping South of the border, I would say that they are similar quality to H&M but you don’t have to dig through the mountains of rubble to find the gem. (If that rhymed, it wasn’t on purpose.) 

Personally, I would dip into this site for trendy additions to my casual wardrobe as well as shimmery ‘going out’ tops that only get worn on occasion (speaking for myself). Perfect for holiday parties…spend your money on one pair of great shoes instead. For example, pair this  studded satin dress ($41.80) with, once again, opaque black tights, killer patten leather heels, teal feather clips in your up-do and dark red lips and you will be the belle of the ball. Add some great jewelry to this Satin Top ($22.80) and go from the office to playtime. The Sequin Tunic ($41.80) would look great over straight jeans for a night out - pair it with a silver skull and bones necklace ($75) from IceRok for a naughty rocker look.

They have great basics too - like this grey V Neck Sweater ($20.80), Victorian Jewel Hoodie ($34.80) and Ribbed Footless Tights ($12.80). Their site is easy to use, has really good selection and as far as I can tell, ships from Canada so no customs and duty. It is even offering a 20% discount to Canadians on purchases over $50. Try it, there is little to lose…I give it: 5 stars.

Photos: Forever 21

It’s October everyone, really. Although the temperatures this weekend were feeling more like summer, don’t be fooled…crispy weather is on its way. And what goes with crisp, cool weather? Bathtime. I haven’t used my bathtub in about 6 months but it is high time I filled it with warm water and tested out some new beauty products. The products I am itching to try are Montreal-based Bella Pella’s beautiful looking and smelling bath, shower and body care items. I would start by tossing a Rose Bath Bomb into my bath. I love the way they make your skin feel like silk in the tub and the rose scent is very girly and nurturing. I would then apply the Marine Collagen and Green Tea Clay Mask and relax in the tub for it to work its magic - getting rid of all of those skin impurities that we accumulate from daily sun and environment exposure. In the bath, I would use the Rose and Milk Cold Process Soap (I don’t like to mix too many scents at once). It looks beautiful even after many baths sitting on the edge of the tub.

For shower time I like products that are a bit more invigorating so I would go for the new Marula and Neroli Foaming Sugar Scrub and the Mint and Hemp Oil Soap. (The man in your life would probably also appreciate the lack of girly pink soaps in the shower.) Finally, as I have said before, I love subtly sweet, nutty body butters all year round and Bella Pella’s Coconut and Shea butter, or Vanilla and Bergamot Body Butters both sound equally exotic and delicious for slathering on everyday. The website is good looking, easy to use, accepts returns and is even available in French. It is missing some photos for the newer products which is sometimes disappointing when shopping online. Overall, I give it: 4 stars.

Photos: Bella Pella

Bookhou Design is a husband and wife design team that consistently comes up with interesting, nature-inspired, handmade textiles, paintings, sculpture and furnishings. They have added a new feature to their website called Editions where they feature limited edition items in one of the following categories: wearable items, bookworks, prints, sculpture, mixed media pieces. Right now they have 10 silk ‘hair scarf‘ scarves available in dove and charcoal grey. Considering how hot hair scarves are right now, $50 is a good buy. Hurry before they are gone. I have always admired how beautiful, creative and delicate her sculptural pieces are so I hope the next Edition is a sculpture item. I also mentioned Bookhou in my tea towel post in July - 2 tea towels + red sprig tea cosie + felt table trivet is the perfect winter house-warming gift under $100.

The Baby Collection on their site is also fairly new and definitely exciting. My favourites are the green cotton flannel blanket, the maple flock mobile and the adorable bag of animal soft toys. All of their designs pay close attention to detail and yet have a subtle design look and feel. I am really liking the flock mobile - especially compared to all of the garish plastic ones you see on the market. However, I do believe that children respond better to colour and apparently so does Bookhou…you can see their nursery on the blog Apartment Therapy; as they take you on a tour of their Toronto loft renovation you can see how they have painted the underside of their mobile fire engine red for their little son Liam. The website in the end is not the most intuitive to navigate and you cannot purchase under all of the categories listed. Their home decor objects are their most desirable in my opinion but the selection is limited (understandably so for handmade art). For this reason, I give it: 3 stars.

Photos: Bookhou

So, you loved the Shopbop.com review but you are still a little nervous about what you will pay when it arrives at your door? I have an interim solution for greasing those online shopping wheels - S|SENSE. Although not as loaded as many of the US sites, it is a good start for this relatively newcomer from Montreal. They carry brands like Zoe, Citizens of Humanity, Mackage, Just Cavalli and Miss Sixty. They are a little behind seasonally on their merchandising so it is helpful to go straight to the ‘What’s New’ section if you are looking for Fall fashion. I love the Mackage Kylie Cape Coat shown above. Maybe not the most practical piece but throw it on over a grey knit sweater, skinny jeans and short boots, like the black Miss Sixty Kandy Boots and it will look fantastic.  There aren’t many black jeans that I meet that I like but these Karl Lagerfeld Black Jeans are the perfect black and leg width for whatever footwear you choose this season. Wear them casual or with an elegant taupe silk Just Cavalli Blouse to add that unexpected detail.

The other great thing about S|SENSE is their men’s section. If you are a man or are shopping for a man, this is the best casual collection I have seen online in Canada. Men always look cute in stripes like the Junk de Luxe Thruman Knit or Sixty Marquee Sweater. For those smart casual days at work or going out, try the K Karl Lagerfeld Dark Gray Jeans, the Energie Nico Boot and a v-neck fitted sweater for a more classic Italian look (add a wool scarf and blazer like Jude Law in Alfie to make the girls swoon). Also choose from many other cool separates from G-Star, J.Lindberg and Bikkembergs. Of course, the site is from Montreal so some of the clothing does reflect that ‘a little bit too tight’ aesthetic. But the selection, the layout and free shipping really make it appealing to online shopping virgins and pros alike: 5 stars.

Photos: S|SENSE

Vancouver-based site BeautyMark.ca is like a small Sephora.com less the duty - the latest ‘gotta have it’ beauty products and accessories arranged by brand. Want to finally learn how to create the perfect smoky eye for that special night out with your man? Check out Cargo’s New SmokyEye Kit, complete with smudger brush for the ’in-experts’ out there. If you are more confident with makeup application, try to achieve it on your own with Inuovi’s Eye Colour in Ash. The site gives great tips on how to apply and finish it off with a touch of metallic sparkle. Just make sure you go with the nude lip and sleek hair or you will look like a hoochy.

BeautyMark also carries Fresh cosmetics and beauty products, a line which I have mentioned is sort of hard to find in Canada. One product of theirs that has peaked my interest now that my summer glow is fading is the High Noon Freshface Glow - a liquid bronzer that perks up your colour and plumps up your skin. Love the two-in-one functions that it promises. The site is fairly simple to use, organized by category or brand, but no search function. Shipping is $9.95 and they don’t accept returns on makeup, hair products or skincare - approximately 90% of their merchandise. They do however have a great selection and fun beauty tips and trends so I still give it: 4 stars.

Photos: BeautyMark.ca

Since I introduced Shopbop.com in my last blog, I thought it would be appropriate to review it today. Shopbop is a US site. They ship to Canada of course but you have to expect the unknown duty/customs/tax surcharge at your door upon delivery. Despite this annoying detail, I still think it is a great resource for the most up-to-date fashion out there. From outerwear to dresses, shoes to denim, you really wouldn’t have to shop anywhere else. The site includes very helpful monthly trend reports and outfit lookbooks that help you get inspired to try new designers like Daryl K, Coclico Shoes, Anlo, and Mara Hoffman.

A good rule of thumb in estimating duty/customs when you are shopping is to read the description of the item - if it is made in the US there is no duty, if it is imported then it likely comes from Asia and you can add approximately 18% to the price. Additional monies paid at the door = duty + approx. $35 in UPS customs charges + 6% GST and sometimes PST (depending on where the package crosses the border). It’s a bit easier to swallow now that the Canadian dollar is so strong. Moreover, the fact remains that it’s not easy to get a lot of these labels in Canada due to our lack of department stores. We have Holt Renfrew but they don’t sell online and many of them don’t do a good job of allowing you to easily shop across brands and put outfits and accessories together. Even though Shopbop doesn’t specifically cater to Canadians, the selection and experience earn it: 4 stars.

Photos: Shopbop.com