Help Shelternet by completing a short survey

I've received this in the email pertaining to the L'Oreal offer in my last post. You can help someone just by using a few minutes of your time, what can be better than that?

"Matchstick is looking for feedback from anyone who may have seen my posting regardind L’Oreal Beauty Tubes. If you click on the link below and complete the survey, you will be helping them by donating $2.00 to Shelternet, so please Click Here to take their short feedback survey.

For every survey that is completed, Matchstick will make a $2 donation to Shelternet (shelternet.ca), which is a Web-based Women and Children’s Crisis Support Center that provides aid and financial support to locally based women’s shelters across Canada.

Your time and feedback is greatly appreciated"

$5 Off for L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara

This reminds me of Blinc's Kiss Me Mascara, where tubes are formed around your lashes so that you won't get any raccoon eyes, only cheaper. With $5 off by entering the Reference Code W9KW, it becomes even more inexpensive. Totally MY style ;)

ENJOY!

A Valentine's Dinner that's Affordable??

As some of you may already know....Winterlicious ends on Feb.12 this year. Don't fret though, cos I received an email from Allusion Restaurant showing me their affordable Valentine's day menu, as I have been there a few times and signed up to be on their mailing list. I would do a review...but I didn't take any pics the last few times I ate there.

Anyways, I really like the restaurant. The ambiance is great, the staff provide great service...and of course, one of the most important things for me is that you get great food at a great price. This combination is hard to find uptown. They also have live music every Saturday night.

The location is a little 'off' as it is at a strip plaza surrounded by Chinese dim sum shops and noodle houses...so many of the people who visit that plaza may not be interested in checking Allusion out.

I'm feeling the love already..so I would like to share the menu with readers and hope that Allusion doesn't mind me posting it here.

St. Valentines Menu at Allusion Restaurant

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

Choice of Appetizer

Hearts of Romaine
Romaine hearts tossed with allusion classic caesar dressing &
shaved parmesan

Allusion Salad
Organic greens, avocado, tomatoes, cucumber with hearts of palm
& gorgonzola in champagne vinaigrette

Escargot
Sautéed with pancetta, shallots
& mushrooms in a Chianti jus

Grilled Tiger Shrimp
Served with pineapple-mango salsa in a lime vinaigrette

Choice of Entrée

Seafood Linguine
Sea scallops, tiger shrimp & green lip mussels
Prepared in a fresh oregano and Roma tomato sauce

Rack of Lamb
Served with truffle mashed potato, asparagus, roasted portobello mushroom and cabernet reduction

Surf & Turf
4oz Striploin & Tiger Shrimp On a Saffron Risotto

Butter Chicken
Tender chicken breast marinated with classic Indian spices,
roasted & simmered in a rich creamy tomato base sauce
served with basmati rice & seasonal vegetables

Chilean Seabass
Gently cumin crusted sea bass in a saffron beurre blanc
served with baby potatoes, sweet peppers, fennel & haricots verts

Choice of Dessert

Cheese Cake
Served with fresh fruit & blueberry sorbet

Or

Lindt Milk Chocolate Daquoise
With fresh berries, chocolate sauce, & vanilla cream anglaise

$45.00

Address:

9021 Leslie Street,
Unit 7 & 8 (Fusion Parc)
Richmond Hill, Ontario
L4B 0B2

(905) 889-7001

http://www.allusionrestaurant.com/

FOR SALE: Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer

I'm having my first sale!

I have CDP concealers up for sale. They are NWOB (new without box) and in the packaging/case (shown above) as the line has since revamped their packaging. Colours available are Beige and Ocher.

To determine your best match, see below for MAC foundation matches:
Beige: suits fairer skintones NC-20 to NC-30
Ocher: suite medium skin with yellow undertones, NC-30 or darker

It depends if you use it for under your eyes (go lighter) or facial blemishes. I have fair Asian skin and I use Beige mostly since I mainly use it for dark circles. Ocher matches me perfectly for facial skin imperfections, and in the summer when I am slightly tanned.

You can read reviews on this concealer on makeupalley.com or just google for plenty of info/reviews.

I'm selling them for $50 CAD each. Meet up/pick up only in the GTA.
However, if you're not located in Toronto but still want to purchase, give me a shout! I'll try to work things out.

I'm disabling comments, so please email me instead at gsquaredmail@gmail.com if interested.

I will be posting more pictures shortly to show the products in better detail.



photo courtesy of soaps.com

Birkins, Speedys, and Caviar leathers fear no more!

I was quite excited to receive this pursehook made by My Tagalongs.

I don't usually keep my bags on the icky floor anyways, but it is always uncomfortable to place your bag on the back of your chair and be forced to sit on only half of the seat. When space is limited, your baby is not always able to have its own chair, especially at tables for two.

You don't have to own a designer bag to justify the use of a purse hook...we all want to protect our precious bags! I cherish my Damier Speedy 30 as much as my purple lambskin satchel by Danier (a Canadian leather company), even though it is a fraction of the price. Actually, I am more afraid of damaging the delicate lambskin of the Danier than getting the coated canvas of the Speedy dirty, as it can easily be wiped off. Anyone living in a climate of snow, rain and ice will probably need this even more. Can you imagine placing your bag on a bed of wet, melting snow and salt and getting waterstains on your leather? *shudders*

Visit MyTagalong's website for more details. They also offer a variety of funky stuff made for ladies, such as the Emergency Valet, Little Black Dis-tress kit, and the Contented Purse.

Canadians, you can purchase the pursehook in the handbag section of The Bay for $15.

Thanks to Ashworth & Associates for sending me the pursehook!

HK Shopping: Leather Jackets

These were some of the ones I had in mind when I planned to purchase my first leather jacket...

Moschino Cheap and Chic Double Breasted jacket-nice bright colour, and I LUUURRVE the buttons and the belted detail on the sleeves. Not too fond of the cropped sleeves though.

Juicy Couture shrunken leather hoodie, minus the shrunken part. If I'm going to get ONE leather jacket, it better be practical and keep you (slightly) warm. This is more plain, but simple means that it will go with everything. Plus, I've always had a thing for hoodies, they are just too comfy!

Jenni Kayne Asymmetrical Motorcycle Jacket-this look is hot! It adds an instant 'coolness' to your outfits whether you pair it with simple tee/tank and skinny jeans, or with a flowery chiffon dress + military boots. I would pair it with outfit one, as it is more my style....

I saw these all over stores in HK...yet didn't want to shell out $3000+ HKD ($500 CAD, $400+ USD) for a jacket that I would only be able to wear during the non-rainy days late days or spring or early autumn. With the amount of rain we got in Toronto last year....it just wasn't really worth it. I saw plenty of pleather jackets in this style too...but they still cost $600+HKD, and I really go for quality > trends.

In the end...I got:
A deep eggplant coloured lambskin motorcycle jacket. It's really more of a deep purple than it appears with the flash in this picture. I love purple, and it is dark enough of a shade to appear as a neutral, so goes with most of my outfits easily. I like the snap collar. The cut is slimming, and the details are simple making this, what I would call a staple in my wardrobe. I wore this EVERYWHERE during the chillier days in HK with a lavender pashmina scarf...cos I'm really into monochromatic dressing :P
AND, unexpectedly, I got a second leather jacket! The big angular collars satisfy my obsession with motorcycle jackets like the Jenni Kayne one above. White leather is tricky...but it looks really good. The grey elastic lining runs along the sides of the jacket and the sleeves, so that I don't have to worry about gaining or losing a few pounds and not be able to wear it again. This was only a little over half the price of the purple jacket!!! It was a super deal that I found at the most obscure of all places to shop in HK..........Stanley!!!!!

I was crazy over buying coats/jackets on my HK trip...2 down, and more to come!

Keep on Shopping: Hong Kong Edition-Day 3

I must say, there is probably no where better to shop than HK!!! I'm at day 3 right now, and will be here for many more days to come. The best of both the East and West meet here, there are no taxes, and you can get dirt cheap market scores to the most luxurious designer brands, all in once city!

After shopping for 3 days straight and hitting up 4 huge malls, and 2-3 smaller shopping centers, I've already scored several items, from clothing, to jewellery, to shoes, from affordable chain stores, local brands, and designer duds. Arggh...must pace myself before I spend all my money! Will need to take pics of my items and post them here :D I only got my adapter today at Apliu street, so I hven't bheen able to use my computer for 2 days already. I'm so gung ho about shopping that I don't even think I feel my jetlag!

Any tips for shopping and eating from local HK-ers highly appreciated!

Please check back for updates! :D