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Gadgets: SodaStream – Home Soda Makers

SodaStream_Kraft

A couple of weeks ago I received a SodaStream soda maker, and have been obsessed with it ever since! If you still haven’t checked one of these out, get yourself to the store STAT! From the moment we unpacked our SodaStream, this little stylish machine has quickly become the most-used appliance in our kitchen. So far, we’ve made sparkling lemonade, orange-mango sparkling water, cherry cola, pomegranate water and sparkling mojitos!

Using SodaStream is very simple – just fill the bottle with water, insert into the machine, press down to desired level of bubbliness, mix in the flavour that you like, and enjoy. SO easy! And the fact that we won’t be buying any bottled sparkling water and soft drinks is good for the environment too. It’s a win-win. If you are looking for a fun gift (Father’s Day, wedding, birthday)…SodaStream is where it’s at! Or just buy one for yourself, and enjoy the refreshing bubbles all summer long.

Have you tried SodaStream before? Which flavour is your fave?

Photo Credits: SodaStream

1 Comment

Style Blog, June 5th 2013 | Tags: Foodie, Gadgets, Gifts, Shopping, SodaStream
Posted in Foodie, Gadgets, Shopping

Holidays 2012: Canadian Fashion Insiders’ Gift Guide Part Two

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Welcome to part two of our Canadian Fashion Insiders’ Gift Guide! If you are still on the hunt for that perfect gift this holiday season, make sure to check out our experts’ picks for some fun and fresh gift ideas. Whether you are looking for something stylish, practical, or simply adorable, we’ve got you covered!

1. Ryan Michael Cheung, Online Editor, FLARE Magazine

This dapper FLARE editor sure knows what he wants. Ryan’s simple and classic wishlist items are just as understated and cool as the man himself. So if you are shopping for Mr. Cheung this holiday season, grab him a Casio-inspired Neuvo watch in bronze, a Tivoli Audio Model One Radio, or some letter-pressed stationery from Terrapin Stationers, and watch his face light up.

In turn, Ryan will be giving some pretty kick-ass gifts of his own! “I had my jet-set friend Andrew in mind when creating this bag for the December issue gift guide. I upgraded the classic Banff style with a can’t-miss-hit of oxblood (easy to spot at baggage claim) and preppy monogram to make it personal,” – shared Ryan. And who wouldn’t love a personalized Roots bag?! I know I would! He’ll also be taking a friend to see the Christmas classic The Nutcracker, as well as gifting a copy of Vogue’s latest book – The Editor’s Eye to a “fashion addict” friend.

As for Ryan’s top three places to shop for gifts, he counts Drake General Store, Restoration Hardware, and Club Monaco among his favourites, so take note.

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2. Talia Brown, Stylist

“Growing up in the North, Holiday spirt was sprung with the dusting of the snow, the smell of the fire and the taste of good old fashioned cocoa. Here in Toronto you, can feel and see the joy in the streets, the eye candy of the window displays and of course the music that just becomes part of the movement. The hustle and bustle,the busyness of the shoppers, all in good spirit, of course.”

When I first met Talia, I was smitten with her sweet and bubbly personality, and her talent for styling. This holiday season, Talia is wishing for a perfect pair of rag & bone ankle booties, a Chibi Lady purse by ela in rose gold, and a gorgeous lace dress from LOVER. Ever the stylist, the three pieces go really well together and make for an amazing holiday outfit. Here’s hoping she gets it all!

On Talia’s shopping list this season are adorable (and yummy) gifts that she’ll be sharing with her loved ones, like the Peppermint Bark from Williams-Sonoma, the limited edition Missoni x Holt Renfrew stuffed animals (they are the cutest!), and luxurious lipstick from YSL, perfectly matched to her girlfriends’ personalities.

Talia will be doing some holiday shopping at MoRoCo Chocolat, The Cashmere Shop, and Bicyclette this holiday season.

More after the jump!

3 Comments

Style Blog, December 13th 2012 | Tags: Anita Clarke, Beauty, Benefit, Canadian, Casio, Clarisonic Mia, DAVIDs TEA, Ela Handbags, Gadgets, Gap, Gift Guide, Gifts, Holidays, Holidays 2012, Indigo, iPhone, Laura Kell, Missoni, Missoni Stuffed Toys, Rag and Bone, Roots, Ryan Michael Cheung, Shopping, Talia Brown, Vogue, Williams Sonoma, Wishlist, YSL
Posted in Beauty, Fashion, Gadgets, Shopping

Style Days of Christmas: Philips Giveaway

philips-giveaway

It’s Day 12 of our Style Days of Christmas Giveaways, which means that this will be the last and final stop for the gravy train (teehee) this year. I hope you all got to learn about a few awesome products, and perhaps even got to walk away with a prize of your own. If luck wasn’t on your side, don’t fret…there’s still ONE MORE giveaway to be won…and it’s a good one.

Up for grabs is a fun Philips package that includes the wet and dry Philips Lady Shaver*, a selection of fun and flirty nail polish, creams and lotions, a bamboo comb, and a stylish new wash bag to hold all these goodies. This package would make a perfect gift for a special woman in your life, or an even better gift to your own fab self! Want it? Enter below!

philips-lady-shaver-giveaway

Enter after the jump!

138 Comments

Style Blog, December 4th 2012 | Tags: Beauty, Freebies, Gadgets, Holidays, Holidays 2012, Philips, Shopping, Style Days of Christmas
Posted in Beauty, Fashion, Freebies, Gadgets, Shopping

Gadgets: Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook

A couple of months ago, I got an email from a Dell Canada representative, offering me one of their newest ultrabooks to use and review. As a Dell user and a blogger who spends a lot of time online, I obviously jumped at the opportunity. My old Dell Inspiron laptop got me through university and the years that followed, but it was definitely too large to carry with me, and let’s face it – was getting quite old.

From the moment I opened the box, containing my new Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook, I was impressed. The computer was sleek, stylish, super slim, and lightweight. I charged the battery and settled in to explore its many features.

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More after the jump!

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Style Blog, July 4th 2012 | Tags: Blogging, Dell, Gadgets, Shopping, XPS 13
Posted in Gadgets, Shopping

Shopping: Kobo Wi-Fi Touch

The other day, as I was passing through The Bay, I noticed…Christmas ornaments peeking out from behind the curtain! GASP! It feels like summer just packed up its bags, and already there’s Halloween-a-palooza all over the place, and apparently Christmas on its heels.

While browsing NKPR TIFF IT Lounge offerings back in September, I walked away with an amazing gift – Kobo Wi Fi Touch! If, like me, you want to get your Christmas shopping done sooner rather than later, I want to make sure that you check out the Kobo Wi Fi Touch ($139), and consider giving it to a book lover in your life. They really might not know what they are missing!

Though originally, I balked at the idea of owning any type of e-reader. I cannot express how much love I have for my new Kobo! I still love the smell, feel, and look of real books, and I definitely own my fair share. But living in the city, though has its privileges, leaves very little room for an extensive personal library. Kobo solves that problem! My 2GB version has room for around 1000 books on it. That’s right. ONE THOUSAND BOOKS in one tiny little reader! Which also is quite a relief…because I hate lugging heavy books in my bag!

Kobo is stylish, lightweight, super-portable, easy to use, and it will actually make you read more. How? Well, simply because e-books are much cheaper than regular books. Had it not been for Kobo, I would never have discovered The Maze Runner trilogy by James Dashner! If you loved The Hunger Games, you will LOVE The Maze Runner! I tore through the first two books (The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials) in days on my Kobo, and finished reading the advanced copy of The Death Cure soon after. Fast-paced, thrilling, full of mysteries, and downright scary at times – The Maze Runner trilogy was an awesome read, that I did not want to put down, and with the final book coming out on October 11th – you really should get reading. You won’t have to suffer the painful wait for the next book to come out - you can read them back to back!

More after the jump!

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Style Blog, October 7th 2011 | Tags: books, Daniel H. Wilson, Gadgets, James Dashner, Kobo, NKPR, NKPR IT Lounge, Robopocalypse, Shopping, The Death Cure, The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials
Posted in Gadgets, Shopping

Giveaway: Mobilicity HTC Snap Smartphone

Have you been extra nice this year? If so, Santa Style Blog might just give you this amazing HTC Snap™ smartphone + 3 months of the $35 Unlimited Talk & Text Holiday plan from Mobilicity!

But before you enter the giveaway, I’d love for you to go on over to Mobilicity’s Facebook Page and Like it. Because for every new fan they get, Mobilicity will donate $1 to the S’Cool Life Fund.

In addition to donating to the charity, Mobilicity will also be giving away a pretty amazing prize of their own on Facebook. Starting December 23rd, you can fill out a form to win the following:

One grand prize of an Unlimited To Go Package (HTC Snap smartphone + 3 months of the $35 Unlimited Talk, Text and more Plan) and $1,000 cash from Mobilicity!
Nine additional prizes of an Unlimited To Go Package (HTC Snap smartphone + 3 months of the $35 Unlimited Talk, Text and more plan)

As for our very own Style Blog giveaway…here’s what you need to do:

1. Leave a comment below (1 per person, please)

2. Tell us…What was the best present you’ve ever received?

3. Like Mobilicity’s Facebook Page

4. For extra entries, please RT the following: “@styleblogca I’d love to get the @Mobilicity #HTC Phone! #GiveGetShare”

5. You don’t have to be a follower, but it’s certainly appreciated

6. This contest is open to Canadians only

The giveaway ends on Wednesday, January 5th, 2011! Good luck!

The winner is Candi! Congrats!

152 Comments

Style Blog, December 22nd 2010 | Tags: Christmas, Freebies, Gadgets, Giveaway, Giveaways, Good Cause, Holidays, Holidays 2010, HTC Snap, Matchstick, Mobilicity, S'Cool Life Fund, Shopping
Posted in Fashion, Freebies, Shopping

Motorola FLIPOUT Phone Giveaway

So after all the teasing and hinting, the day is finally here! A couple of weeks ago, the kind folks over at Motorola Canada sent me a really nice package: 2 Motorola FLIPOUT phones and some other goodies. Since then, I’ve been playing and flipping and socializing, all via the teeny-tiny FLIPOUT, with all of my contacts, Facebook, Gmail, Twitter, and other social media outlets literally one finger touch away, I’m loving it!

As I mentioned, the phone is very small (perfect for clutches, and small purses), with a touchscreen display, allowing easy access to all the menus. Once you flip the phone open, a full QWERTY keyboard is revealed, making typing emails a breeze. There’s a 3MB built-in camera, camcorder, and many other cool features. But the one that definitely stands out is – Happenings. Happenings integrates all of your social media into one constant stream of information (which you can edit as you please) via MOTOBLUR. This little tool helps me keep on top of all of my tweets and Facebook messages, displayed on the front screen of the phone, and I love it!

Motorola FLIPOUT is an Android phone, so access to various Google apps is also very, very easy. And for someone that can’t check her Gmail from work, this is really useful. And just like with an iPhone, there are numerous apps available via the Android Market – some very useful (PayPal) and some not so much (Frozen Bubble).

The look of the phone is definitely one of the cooler features about it. People continuously comment on the FLIPOUT, and usually think that it’s “super cute”. And it is super cute and a lot of fun to use (it’s an addiction!).

So if you’ve been paying enough attention, you must’ve noticed that Motorola Canada sent me TWO phones. One for me, and one for a lucky reader! So if you like what you see, make sure to read the contest rules very carefully below.

Click to enter the contest.

246 Comments

Style Blog, October 7th 2010 | Tags: Contest, FLIPOUT, Freebies, Gadgets, Giveaway, Motorola
Posted in Freebies, Gadgets

Commuter Tie

Wondering what to get for a guy that has it all? How about this commuter tie? Thomas Pink’s amazing color palettes are second to only Paul Smith, and the IPod pouch on the under-side of the tie takes this accessory to another level! So clever and convenient – this is not your typical run of the mill boring tie! This item is no longer a limited edition piece, and will be available in stores and online this September! Love it!

Photo Credits: Thomas Pink

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Style Blog, August 17th 2009 | Tags: Accessories, Gadgets, Gifts, IPod, Paul Smith, Thomas Pink
Posted in Fashion, Gadgets

A purse hook-er?

They really should come up with a different name for this awesome gadget! If you’ve ever been in a crowded restaurant wearing a large purse, I know you’d appreciate this handy purse hook! Just hook it to any tabletop/bartop and let your purse hang! I’ve tried this out, and it can really hold even the heaviest of bags (I would know…since my bags usually weigh around 100lbs)! This one in particular folds nicely, so it won’t take up much space in your purse. Plus it will keep the bottom of you bag clean and dry, while saving the chair next to you for an actual person, not your purse!

You can find similar purse hooks at Indigo, on eBay and other online stores for anywhere from $4 to $20 in various styles, designs, and colors, some even custom-made!

Photo credits: www.mytagalongs.com

1 Comment

Style Blog, June 19th 2009 | Tags: Gadgets, purse hook
Posted in Gadgets, Shopping

My little steamer

"Go Mini" Steamer by Joy Mangano

I don’t know anyone who likes to do chores, with the exception of my friend Lovelys, who apparently looooves doing the dishes. Needless to say, she’s welcome to come by for dinner at my house any time she wants.

Dishes aside, the one household task that I truly dread is ironing my clothes, especially since I usually do a few laundry runs at the same time. The whole idea of pulling out and setting up the awkward ironing board, and then spending precious time trying not to ruin the garment at hand by burning it or ironing the seam tracks into the fabric, just seems…tedious.

That’s where the Joy Mangano mini steamer comes in. Back in my retail days, I worked at Zara, and I used to love the simplicity and usefulness of the steamers that we used to de-wrinkle garments with. This little thing seems to be much more compact, although it does come in a variety of sizes. Judging from the reviews, this gadget does just what it promises to do – “iron” the clothes gently, without the worry of ruining the fabric, or the hassle of the ironing board. Love the compact design of the steamer, and the colors are nice and bright! And at the mere $30 to $40 bucks, I think I’m sold!