Friday Favourites

What's black and white and red all over?

I'll give you a hint, it's not a newspaper.....and it's definitely not a sunburned zebra. (Who came up with that joke anyways?!)

It's this weeks friiiday faaaaavourites!

Shocker, I know.

1) Asos black and white Shoe Boots, $90.33

These boots are unlike anything I've ever seen. Not only is the print extremely unique, but the shape too. The black and white colours make them incredibly easy to wear them any season at any time of the day.

2) Nars Cruella Lip Pencil, $25

For the longest time I didn't go anywhere near a red lip because my mum said that along with my signature cat eye, I would look like a full blown harlot. Thanks Mom. I finally took the plunge this year and am in love with the look! This is my favourite pencil because of the deep colour, just make sure you exfoliate quite a bit beforehand or else everyone will be thinking about how chapped your lips are (...not exactly the attention you were going for).

3) Nasty Gal Moon Gazer Dress, $58

This dress is perfect for spring and summer. It's so light and airy but also extremely detailed and classy. The white will look especially fantastic once your skin gets a nice golden tan going in July and August. Can you tell I'm in summer withdrawal?

4) Bead of Roses Necklace, 19.99

The punny name of this necklace is reason enough for me to buy it. Besides that, I seriously need to upgrade my spring wardrobe. The best way to do this is on a budget is by getting a few basic, timeless tops and bottoms and then buying unique shoes and accessories like this necklace to change up your everyday look.

5) Chalkboard Mug

This last one actually doesn't have a price because it's a DIY. You take a basic white mug and some porcelain chalkboard paint and just go crazy! I don't want to write up a whole tutorial so you can find more detailed instructions at Wit and Whistle. If you're the uncrafty/lazy type (aka me) you can also buy a chalkboard mug online.

Sorry this friday favourites is so late! I am apparently the most technology unsavvy person.

Forgive me?

Love, Milly

Butter Tarts

The Olympics always have a habit of making me feel delightfully Canadian. I may not have been born here, but somehow Alex Bilodeau hugging his brother after receiving his medal, and Tessa and Scott being robbed of the gold still manage to bring me to tears. (I just can't suppress my soppy side...sorry!)

In light of this resurgence of nationalism, I thought I'd share with you a truly Canadian dish.

Butter Tarts.

Now, the name is certainly not the most appealing, but the taste is heavenly.

What you'll need...

Pie pastry (I made my own but otherwise buy enough to fill 16 muffin cups)
1/2 cup of golden raisins
1/4 cup of soft (sweet) butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 pinch of salt
1/2 cup of corn/golden syrup
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla

What you do...

Prepare the muffin pans by rolling out pie dough and cutting (approximately) 4-inch wide circles; fit the dough into the muffin pan and either set aside in the fridge (or on a cool windowsill if you don't have the space) until you're ready to fill them.

Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover with hot tap water; let these stand on the counter for 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together the soft butter, brown sugar, salt, and corn syrup.
Stir until all sugar is dissolved and butter is creamed.

Mix in the egg and vanilla.

Add a small handful of raisins to each muffin cup.

Pour this batter into each of the muffin cups (atop the raisins).

These were quite shallowly filled so if you want more batter per tart, make 12 instead of 16 (using the same amount of batter).

Pop these into the oven at 200ºC/400ºF/gas mark 6 for 15-20 minutes.

The filling should still be bubbling when you pull the tray out.

Let the tarts cool in the tin for about 10 minutes then place them on racks to cool completely.

Serve with tea and a reminder to everyone that these are healthy on account of the raisins.

Hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Love, Milly

Slopestyle

This past weekend I became a true Canadian and went skiing for the first time.

This picture is by far my favourite of the bunch. The light was extraordinary the entire day, something which I really miss enjoying when I'm in the city.

Don't get me wrong, I love the city, but every now and again I envy those who get to experience natural beauty like that everyday.

Back to the skiing, since my family is not exactly the sporty (or winter) type, I spent the day with my 'adoptive family.' 

I've mentioned Ellen as my absolute best friend quite a few times now, but I'm also extremely close with her family...I've actually come to not so secretly call her mum, Clare, my bestie. 

They're some of the kindest people I've ever met and gladly welcomed me to their family outing to Horseshoe Valley.

From left to right that's Clare, Ellen, Oscar (Ellen's brother), and me. Somehow Oscar is five years younger than me and already taller...not okay!

Anyways, back to Horseshoe Valley, I don't exactly have much to compare it to, but I have to say it was the perfect place to start my skiing experience.

The staff are extremely friendly and helpful, there's a couple of little cafes and restaurants to warm you up in between runs, and for the experience you get, the prices are to die for.

All in all it ended up being about $100 for an afternoon pass (1-10), a lift pass, and ski, boot, and helmet rentals. 

I started out on the bunny hill and almost peed myself as I zoomed down, unable to turn to slow down. Luckily no small children were hurt in the making of this blog post.

Next, I tried the lift up to the bunny hill and could not figure out how to get off without sliding down on my butt. At least I was laughing at myself along with everyone else.

By the third bunny hill run, I had gotten the hang of it and it was time to move on to the next challenge....Donkey Serenade.

Yes, there is a hill called Donkey Serenade.

You can see why Clare is my favourite person in the whole world...

We took the wrong lift the first time up and ended up having to go down what I've named the 'Hill of Death' to get to Donkey Serenade, in which I completely somersaulted and lost both skis on the way down.

Whoops...

The next time we found a much more scenic route to the hill

This picture does not do it justice. The sun slowly going down was one of the prettiest sights I'd ever seen.

The third run, I finally didn't wipe out. Hurrah! 

By our last run of the day, the sky was absolutely beautiful. Even though my fingertips felt like they had frostbite it was well worth it to capture this moment at the top of the hill.

I finished off on the most spectacular note, zooming my way down, swiftly passing by Clare and Ellen and feeling as if I was ready to take on Alex Bilodeau. (Maybe next time...).

My inexperience re-emerged as I got lost on the way back in and luckily one of the many laid back staff members took pity and helped me return my boots and skis. 

On the way back we snuggled up in fuzzy blankets and watched the last bit of the sun disappear.

I'm so sad to have started skiing so late in my life and in the season because this day is now by far my favourite winter memory.

My legs (more like entire body)woke up quite sore the next morning, but it was well worth it to have finally experienced this bit of Canada.

Love, Milly

Friday Favourites

Maybe it's Valentines Day cheering me up, but lately I've been unphased by the winter dreariness and instead dreaming about the arrival of spring. I know, a little cheesy but hey, a girl can dream.

 So, here are my take on friday favourites, spring edition.

1) Tanya Burr Little Duck Nail Polish, $10

Tanya Burr has just come out with a lush collection of lip glosses and nail polishes. The polishes in particularly have been receiving amazing reviews for being chip resistant. I'm obsessed with 'Little Duck' as the perfect shade for spring.

2) Gentle Reminder Pencils, $12

I have a habit of not working unless I'm surrounded with pretty things. Call me vain, but it's true! These pencils are incredibly cute and the perfect reminder to remain smart, charming, kind, stylish...you get the picture.

3) Topshop Moto Fitted Denim Jacket, $90

In my opinion, a jean jacket is a spring staple. It goes with absolutely anything and depending on the wash can add an element of edginess, preppiness, the list goes on and on. I have my eye on this Topshop looker for spring. 

4) Bee Happy Smoking Slipper, $140

Sadly these are out of stock at the moment! I'm desperately hoping they come back in soon because they are possibly the cutest spring accessory I've laid my eyes on.

5) Erika Ray Bans, $145

Again, a spring staple. Cannot wait to get my hands on these for next season.

Hope the weather's shaping up for some of you! Let me know what spring looks you're looking forward to trying.

Love, Milly

Belle of the Ball

At least in Toronto, around this time of year schools have their "semis" and "formals." I'm not actually quite sure why only my schools is called a formal since we have an entirely separate prom but that's another topic all together.

Well, this past weekend I had my last ever formal.

So I thought I would pop up a couple of pictures and share some looks for those of you who have similar events coming up or are simply looking for a dress for an upcoming occasion...valentines day anyone?

I'm a bit more curvy so I really liked this lace Guess dress. It was extremely comfy, showed off what I got but still remained tasteful. The dress also has a beautiful low lace back which I fell in love with.

You can't see them on me in this picture but I paired it with these 5 inch suede blue pumps since I'm sadly a shrimp in the height department.

Add a little cateye with black stila eyeliner and voila.

This next look is more modern day Gatsby..

Absolutely in love with this tfnc dress paired with side swept soft waves. Finish it off with nude pumps to lengthen your legs and keep the eyes on your delightfully sparkly dress.

This is the 'daddy's litte girl' look with just a hint of edge

With it's back bow and baby blue tone, you can't get much sweeter than this Asos dress. Rough it up a bit with beach waves and a smokey eye with hints of blue.

This final look is by far my favourite of the bunch...sadly I didn't see it before my own formal

This Nasty Gal dress is edgey, playful, and sexy all at once. Big black platforms and a sleeked back, slightly tousled ponytail finish the look.

Finally, for some advice. Don't get caught up in having to bring someone. I ended up going stag with a couple of girlfriends and had the best night of my life.

Girls who were set up on the other hand ended up either babysitting their dates or not talking to them the entire night. Sure, if you have a close guy friend or you're the lucky gal with a boyfriend, take them.

If not, let loose, take pictures, dance your ass off, and enjoy.

Love, Milly