Not your average holiday plus size looks with Addition Elle

You may already know that I love working with Addition Elle. They offer fashionable and trendy plus size women’s clothing, and are really breaking fashion barriers for women. Not only are they a Canadian brand, but they have international recognition for the role they play in body positivity. Just recently, they announced on their blog, that they have extended their sizes to 26 for everything in store! You’re welcome!

Last week, I presented yet another fashion segment on CTV Ottawa Morning Live, where we talked about Holiday looks and plus size party dresses. I had a blast styling for this segment, because as you will see, the outfits are fierce!!!

Also, I want to give a shoutout to my gorgeous models, for once again supporting my work and looking fab while doing it!

AdditionElle.com

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”2141751″]

Look 1- Gold Jumpsuit 

I love this luxurious leather jacket and wearing it as a blazer with this gold jumpsuit makes the look super edgy. The jumpsuit is very comfortable and cinches at the waist for a better fit. The details on the ankles are also to die for!

plus-size-holiday-party-looks-featuring-addition-elle-ottawa-fashion-blog-mode-xlusive-blogger-jumpsuit-leather-jacketGet the look
Sly&Co Leather Jacket
L&L Sparkling Jumpsuit
Necklace

Look 2- Sequin Dress

Sequin is a fabulous way to look glam at any holiday party. This jewel tone in fuchsia will also look great on any skin tone. You can pair this dress with booties, pumps or tall boots to control how dressy you want to go. I particularly love the lines that give extra dimension to this dress, and long sleeves for added comfort!
plus-size-holiday-party-looks-featuring-addition-elle-ottawa-fashion-blog-mode-xlusive-pink-sequin-dress Get the look
Sequin Mini Dress (pink/black)

Look 3- Little black mesh dress

Everyone needs a little black dress, but this Nadia Aboulhosn Long Sleeve Mesh Dress is the perfect amount of edgy for the holidays! I love this look with booties and a fun pair of tights to cover the gams!
plus-size-holiday-party-looks-featuring-addition-elle-ottawa-fashion-blog-mode-xlusive-nadia-aboolhosen

Get the look

Nadia Aboulhosn Long Sleeve Mesh Dress for L&L
Leah studded booties

Look 4- Black mini skirt and cold shoulder sweater

The sweater and skirt combo is my uniform this season, and I am so glad to reproduce it here! It’s a mix of comfort and style, while staying on top of trends- the cold shoulder and leather skirt are here to stay! Pair it with a red pump for a pop of colour and to soften the look.
plus-size-holiday-party-looks-featuring-addition-elle-ottawa-fashion-blog-mode-xlusive-blogger

Get the look

L&L Miniskirt with Zipper Detail
Necklace
Green cold shoulder sweater

Look 5- Black & White

With this crips black and white combo, you can do no wrong! I love the length of the cardigan and the sheer material helps to dress up the look. Go bold in leather leggings and use your long white tank to stay under cover. The long necklace pulls in the gold details of the cardigan and adds a gorgeous focal point to the look.

plus-size-holiday-party-looks-featuring-addition-elle-ottawa-fashion-blog-mode-xlusive

Get the look

L&L Long Sleeve Long Cardigan
Faux Leather leggings
White racer back tank top
Gold tassel necklace

Look 6- Pink puff coat and black lace dress

I got to wear this show-stopping cropped fur jacket which is the perfect ammunition for a killer holiday look! I wore it over a gorgeous lace detailed black dress, which will be super versatile for the holidays!
plus-size-holiday-party-looks-featuring-addition-elle-ottawa-fashion-blog-mode-xlusive-blogger-chantal-sarkisian-pink-puffy-coat

Get the look

L&L Cropped Fur Jacket
Lace slip dress

Watch the segment here!

In case you missed it, you can see the girls in action and catch the whole segment here!

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”2141751″]

Continue Reading

Bloggers & Businesses: My tips on becoming a successful blogger-preneur

Since the story of my life is giving free advice (and doing free work for people who don’t value my time or the fact that I run a business), I’ve decided to openly share my advice on how to become a successful blogger or blogger-preneuer. It’s a job, and just because we make it looks easy, it doesn’t mean it is! If you skip through this, just promise me you will at least read #14… the golden rule!

  1. Learn, eat, live, breath social media. It’s a powerful tool to promote your brand. Start an account on each new channel that exists to secure your account ID. Start building your following early on the channels that you think will work for you. Stick to three. The longer you wait to build your following, the more expensive each follower becomes. For example, building a high following on Twitter today is a thousand times more difficult than it was 6 years ago.
  2. Be authentic. Just be yourself, it’s the only thing you know how to do. If you’re funny, be funny. If you’re a geek, own it. If you’re a troll, stay under the bridge, because no one likes an online bully.
  3. Be original. When you have an original thought, don’t research it. Do your best with what comes out of your head so you know it was genuinely your idea.
  4. Be careful when you draw inspiration. Sometimes, even when we browse something quickly, a simple impression of something left in your brain can convince you it was an original thought. If you do get inspired by someone else, the classy thing to do is to give that person credit and refer to their original content (otherwise it’s called plagiarism).
  5. Consider your hidden costs and budget accordingly. The cost of blogging may seem relatively low but you may not be factoring in the following expenses:
    a. your time
    b. professional development courses (ps- my friend is teaching a full-day workshop on graphic design in Ottawa on Dec 2. Tell Rachela I sent you because I get a little referal bonus!)
    c. purchasing google ads or facebook ads to get noticed
    d. the cost to maintain your website, like your domain name and hosting service
    e. you may need to hire a web developer or graphic designer if you can’t do the work yourself ( or invest more in b.)
    f. business cards
    g. purchasing clothing or products that are featured in your work (yup! We love those flowers in the flat lays, but it’s not all free!)
    h. equipment like a nice camera, lighting, laptop, smartphone
    i. attending events may seem free, but when you factor in your time, your clothing and the promotion work you promised, events actually cost you money
  6. Include IRL (#inreallife) in your social networking strategy. Yup, we’re all great at hiding behind our screens, but nothing is more impactful than making a great impression in person. Your fans and followers will really appreciate the face-to-face time. Going to networking events can also help make business connections or open collaboration opportunities. But remember the cost (see “i” above).
  7. Be timely. Just like a good newspaper, you need to react quickly to stay relevant. There is no point in blogging about an event you attended 2 months ago,unless you’re promoting the dates for next year!
  8. Be transparent. Yes, bloggers get a lot of free swag and paid opportunities, but only the classy bloggers will tell you if and when something was gifted and not purchased. ( See 5 b.)
  9. Be consistent. If you’re starting a new series or launching your blog for the first time, don’t announce it unless you commit to your promise. If you can only realistically do a tutorial video every 3 months, then do it every three months. Don’t say things like “I plan on doing these tutorials every week…” Find a cadence, and stick to it!
  10. Find balance in your content. I am guilty of this and need to stop myself sometimes. I definitely need to prioritize my sponsored content, but sometimes it’s nice just to say what’s on my mind (like this post for example).

  11. Make it about your reader. It’s not about you; it’s about your audience. What value can you bring to them? Ask yourself what are you doing for them in exchange for their reading time? Again, this is what I ask myself every time I post something… I hope I am doing a good job.
  12. Be nice. Just like in real life, when a person takes the time to compliment you, you say thank you! The same principles apply to social media. You should respond to all your comments, with a genuine and sincere tone. Don’t wait too long to do it either. I know we’re all busy, but this is your business, take a minute to respond.
  13. Take care of yourself. Again, I should be taking my own advice here, because I really don’t take care of myself enough most of the time. Running a blog, just like any business, is hard and takes a lot of time, energy and effort. A little work-life balance goes a long way. Unfortunately, sometimes the work-life limits in blogging are not very clearly defined.
  14. Be professional. I recently got burned by a client who won’t pay me for the work that I put in (I know! Can you imagine? PROMOTION IS NONREFUNDABLE!), and I didn’t have a contract or agreement to back me up. Lesson learned my friends- always lay out the expectations and deliver on your promises. I’m relying on karma heavily to fix this one for me.

 

A BIG THANK YOU TO MY FRIEND DEBRA COWIE WHO LET ME USE HER STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY FOR THIS POST! CHECK OUT HER WORK, ITS INCREDIBLE!

business-and-bloggers-tips-on-becoming-a-successful-blogger-preneur-ottawa-entrepreneur-how-to-become-a-blogger

Continue Reading

What I Wore: Ottawa event outfit inspiration

As you know, I get invited to so many events in the city, but if you are not following me on Instagram, you may be missing out on some of my outfit posts. Here is a recap of what I wore to the latest fashion events in the city! I hope it will inspire you to think outside the box and push a few boundaries, whether in your clothes, makeup or hair! Just have fun with it!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Canadian Fashion Weekend- Alan Wainwright Photography
ottawa-fashion-blog-event-outfit-inspo-mode-xlusive-infinity-convention-centre
Infinity Convention Centre Opening Gala
ottawa-fashion-blog-event-outfit-inspo-mode-xlusive-metamorphosis-eco-fashion-show
Metamorphosis Eco Fashion Show –  Alan Wainwright Photography

 

ottawa-fashion-blog-event-outfit-inspo-mode-xlusive
Brittany Gawley Photography
ottawa-fashion-blog-event-outfit-inspo-mode-xlusive-boobyball-2016-rethink-breast-cancer
Rethink Breast Cancer Boobyball 2016
Continue Reading

Acing your Holiday Glam Look: Smokey eye & red lip makeup tutorial

There is nothing that excites us more than the sparkle, shimmer and glitter, that is the backbone of the holiday season. We find it in our clothes, in our homes and most certainly in our makeup. But it’s easy to get overwhelmed with choices or get a little trigger-happy when we have so many options to choose from.

Whether you’re a newbie at makeup, or a pro who wants to get inspired with new techniques, this easy smokey eye & red lip combo makeup tutorial will be your ammunition for party season!

Usually, I wouldn’t combine a bold lip and dark eye, but the subtle green tint in this eye shadow palette perfectly balances the red tones on the lips. There’s a reason why we naturally gravitate to green and red, they are contrasting colours that look great together! If you don’t believe me, ask Christmas!

I love the convenience of a perfectly curated eye shadow palette. They provide loads of options and colour combinations to choose from. And when you’re feeling bold and inspired, you can use them all (just like I did in the tutorial)!

holiday-glam-makeup-tutorial-with-mac-cosmetics-greenluxe-eyeshadow-smokey-eye-red-lip

For this look, I used the following products:

    1. Mac Cosmetics new Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow in Greenluxe
    2. Mac Select Lip Palette (Lady Danger mixed with Ruby woo)
    3. Mac Skin base (face primer)
    4. Select Cover-Up (N20)
    5. Studio moisture tint (tinted moisturizer with SPF)
    6. Mac Paint (Untitled)
    7. Blush (Mac Shy beauty)
    8.  Mascara
    9. Eyebrow pencil

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”2116615″]

If you’re more visual, you can watch the entire makeup tutorial 

5 Tips for makeup newbies

  • Invest in a good set of brushes; you’ll thank me later!
  • Practice makes perfect. Smokey eye can be a more difficult look to achieve, so start with lighter colours and get used to your technique and application.
  • Invest in high quality makeup. You’ll be amazed at the pigments, coverage and how easy they are to work with.
  • Light colours open up the eyes, and dark colours will make them smaller. Use this advice wisely depending on what look you are going for.
  • If nothing else start your makeup routine with mascara, blush and lipstick. Add more as you see fit!

 

Continue Reading