What I Wore: Kardinal Offishall's Annual Christmas Party

Special thanks to my friend Sasha-Ann for letting me borrow this fab dress!

Fashion Fix: Holidays

I've had trouble getting into the holiday season, but I feel like I'm finally in the mood now that the snow has fallen. The holidays always make me think of cozy knits, plaid, mugs of hot chocolate, bows, and of course, sparkles. 

If you're having difficulty getting in the holiday spirit, check out this week's fashion fix:

Budget-Friendly Ways to Dress for a Holiday Party + Kardinal Offishall’s Annual Xmas Party for Free The Children!

The holidays are literally upon us, and 'tis the season of being broke. Between Christmas shopping, furniture shopping (yes, a big move coming soon!) and splurging on winter skincare products in an attempt to save my parched epidermis, I'm on a seriously tight budget.

So when I got invited to attend "Free the City", Kardinal Offishall's 15th annual Christmas party in support of Free The Children on December 19th, I, of course, had a "Omg, what am I going to wear, ESPECIALLY when I do not have the means to spend a ton of money on a dress right now!" moment.

Shop My Closet on Trend Trunk!

A little while ago, I wrote about Trend Trunk, an online consignment shop that's based in Canada. 

Trend Trunk is great because they pretty much do all the work for you when it comes to shipping and handling. Items are free to post, and you actually get 80 per cent of the sale -- which is a lot more than most consignment shops.

I've officially launched my Trend Trunk closet, and I'm so excited to share it with all of you!

Lust List: Beats by Dre Alexander Wang

When tech and fashion merge together, it's a beautiful thing, especially when the collaboration is between two of the most sought-after fashion and tech brands: Alexander Wang and Beats by Dre.

Alexander Wang has partnered with Beats by Dre to create a custom line of products just in time for the holiday season -- and I'm officially adding these items to my Christmas wishlist.

Fashion Fix: Think Pink

Images via style.com

As much as I wear black, deep down inside I'm truly a girly girl. My eye is instantly drawn to anything frilly or poufy and I have a love affair with the colour pink.

While I used to associate pink with spring (Easter, flowers, etc.), it was clear on the fall '13 runways that this girly hue makes a great colour for the colder months as well.

The solution for shopaholics? Trend Trunk!

Originally posted on styleswept.ca.

Confession: I am a HUGE shopaholic. I can't go into a store without at least buying one item, only for it to be worn once or to sit in my closet with the price tag still on. It has gotten so bad that I’ve filled up three closets in my house, and they are all overflowing with unnecessary purchases.

I've contemplated several times on selling said clothing and accessories, but I always found it awkward to try to sell my clothes to my friends, and I was far too scared to put anything up on kijiji or Craigslist (I mean, we’ve all heard the horror stories of meet-ups!). There was also the option of consignment shops, but the return rate was so low, I figured it would be better to just donate the clothes or let them sit in my closet in the hopes that one day I would find the perfect occasion to wear them.

I was losing hope until I came across Trend Trunk, an online consignment shop that pretty much does the work for you. The Canadian start-up company was recently featured on Dragon’s Den, and while the deal ultimately didn’t go through, they seemed to have caught the attention of women across Canada who all suffer from the same problem – too many clothes & nothing to wear (myself included!)

#ShoesdayTuesday: Sneakers

I went to New York a couple of weeks ago with Nike and I got some serious sneaker envy. Here's the thing: New Yorkers wear sneakers with everything. Seriously. And they make them look insanely cool somehow, not like a morning commuter who changes into her heels when she gets to work. So this #ShoesdayTuesday is dedicated to sneakers.

Here's what I'm loving:

Last-Minute Halloween Costumes You Can Wear After Halloween

Halloween seemed to have completely crept up on me this year (seriously...totally missed the memo that everyone was celebrating last weekend), and at this point, finding a costume can be kind of tricky.

With only a few days left until the 31st, most of the good costumes are sold out of stores already, leaving us procrastinators with slim pickings. Plus, do we really want to be shelling out a ton of cash for a costume this late in the game?

Well, not to fret my loves, I've got some last-minute costume ideas featuring pieces you already own, and stuff you can wear after your festivities. Win-win, right?

Here are some last-minute costume ideas you can wear after Halloween:

My (Ex)-Boyfriend Jeans

Much like a real-life boyfriend, finding the perfect pair of boyfriend jeans can be quite the challenge. It needs to fit you just right -- but not be too clingy or too baggy (or distant).

Weekend Beauty Tip: How To Prevent Foundation From Caking

My skin has been a huge pain in my derrière lately (think lots of red patches, pimples, and all that fun stuff). I've literally had to put layers of concealer and foundation in order to cover it all up, but the result was a cake-face, and it was NOT a good look.

Luckily, on a recent trip to the MAC Cosmetics counter, I learned a really neat trick to avoid the cake face.

Review: L'Oreal Professionel Mythic Oil Souffle D'Or

L'Oreal Professionel's latest innovation in their iconic Mythic Oil range is the "Souffle D'Or" collection.

Fashion Fix: Hump Day!

Happy hump day, lovelies! To help you get through the rest of the week, here are some of the Tumblr and Pinterest images that have been feeding my sartorial appetite this week:

How to Wear: The Boyfriend Jean

I used to hate wearing pants. I would even brave the dreaded Canadian winter in several layers of tights under skirts and dresses simply because I refused to wear pants, especially jeans. 

I only recently introduced pants into my wardrobe (much to my friends' surprise) and to be honest, I don't know what I was thinking earlier! Now, jeans have become an integral part of my wardrobe (seriously..what took me so long?!), and while my closet has been mainly stocked with skinnier styles, I have become pretty obsessed with the look of boyfriend jeans. 

September Essentials

Happy last day of September, lovelies! With TIFF, fashion weeks and more, it's no wonder the month flew by so quickly.

Here are a few of my essential items that got me through September:

What I Wore: Artbound's The pARTy 2013

Last week, I got to attend a super cool fundraiser by Artbound in support of Free the Children. The theme? Beverly Hills 90210.

Shoesday Tuesday: Oxblood

My absolute favourite colour for falls is oxblood/maroon/burgundy/bordeaux/anything that is a deep, rich, red hue. From my lipstick to my nail colour to my scarves to my shoes, I can't get enough of this colour which I have deemed perfect for the season.

So, this week's Shoesday Tuesday is dedicated to everything oxblood.

Here are the oxblood-coloured shoes I'm currently coveting:

Quote of the Day

Image via peaceloveshia.com

Five blogger essentials are: a camera, a photographer boyfriend, an inner "internet-geek" side, a "Homies" tee, and no shame when taking selfies in public.
- Shea Marie of PeaceLoveShea to The Coveteur

Favourite Nail Looks at NYFW SS14

Courtesy of Essie

I'm seriously obsessed with this matte nail look as seen at Costello Tagliapietra's spring 2014 show at New York Fashion Week. The midnight blue colour is a nice alternative to basic black, and a matte top coat just seems to make any nail polish look that much cooler (seriously...my love affair for matte polish has been going on for quite some time now...)

Check out my post on styleswept.ca for the rest of my favourite nail looks from NYFW (and how to get the look!) 

XO,
Madelyn

P.S. Be sure to follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram!

What I Wore: Borrowed From The Boys

Fashion Crush: Aila Wang

What I would have worn to NYFW

So there's this thing going on right now which you may or may not have heard of called NYFW...

And truth be told I would much rather be in New York checking out the shows, creeping on street style stars and Instagramming/tweeting every moment, but alas, work comes first and I am still here in Toronto.

As I was clicking through street style galleries obsessively one evening, I began to dream up the outfits I would have worn had I been in New York right now.

Here's what I came up with:

Fashion Fix: Time for fall!

Weekend beauty tip: The magic of tea tree oil

It's that time of year again, lovelies! September is here a.k.a. the January of the fashion world.

And with TIFF, NYFW and other amazing/awesome/uber-cool events and parties to go to and things to do, things are getting prettyyyy hectic.

Shoesday Tuesday: Boots I'm coveting for fall

How To Wear: Alexander McQueen Skull Scarf

Fashion Fix: For the boys

ICYMI: CoverGirl's Capitol Collection

3.1 Phillip Lim for Target

I swore off designer collaborations after lining up for Roberto Cavalli's H&M collection. Battling die-hard fashionistas for leopard print undies and sparkly gold dresses was rough. I had so much anxiety leading up to and during the event, that I decided avoiding them altogether would be better for my own well-being.

This past week, I had the chance to check the 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target collection, and let's just say my vow has gone down the drain. I was already drooling over the Mini Satchel from photos alone, but after having seen the collection in the flesh, I'm 100% prepared to head to battle once again (and this time, more ferociously).

The new denim

'Nuff said.

Image via tumblr.

XO,
Madelyn

Fashion Fix: Kate Moss and pizza, Goyard tote, Birks and more...

Cara Delevingne records track in studio

OMG, you guys. The fashion world's biggest girl crush, Cara Delevingne, not only has the perfect brows, cheekbones and one of the most hilarious Instagram accounts...but she also sings!

We've previously heard Miss Delevingne sing "I Want Candy" in the campaign video for Katie Grand's autumn/winter '13 collaboration with Hogan. This track, however, kind of gives us a better feel of what her voice is really like. And it's pretty damn good.

Cara also plans to foray into the acting world...so it really makes me wonder...is there anything the girl can't do?! (Be a wifey, maybe, but that's it!). 

I think I just fell a little bit more in love.




And now I will continue to listen to this allllll daaaaay long.

What do you think of Cara's voice?

XO,
Madelyn

P.S. Let's be social media friends!
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Current Obsession: Lazypants

As much as I love dressing up, my favourite part of the day is when I get to change into my sweats. And while I've been living in my Roots sweats for years, my latest obsession is Lazypants.

What I Wore: Cobalt Blue

Top: Target; Skirt: Ted Baker London; Shoes: Zara (old); Necklace: Aldo; Bag: Zara; Sunglasses: Joe Fresh (old); Watch: Guess; Bracelet: H&M.

I picked up this cobalt blue A-line skirt from Ted Baker at the new Premium Outlet Mall in Toronto. The place was insane! I've never seen so many shoppers in my life...apart from that dreaded Boxing Day I had to work retail (never again). 

Fashion Fix: Denim, Chanel, JLaw and more...

Sometimes life gets the best of me and I tend to get lost in all my work and lose inspiration. To feed my sartorial appetite and get inspired, I look to tumblr for beautiful images to get my creative juices flowing.

So if you're lacking some inspo, a Fashion Fix is just what the doctor ordered.

Here are a few of my fave images from this week...and be sure to visit, bookmark and/or follow style-rx.tumblr.com :)

What I wore: Boots and Hearts

Dress: Mango; Boots: Aldo (similar here); Bag: Rebecca Minkoff; Sunglasses: Chloe.
Photo by Anne Peacock via FASHION Canada.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended Boots and Hearts - Canada's largest country music festival held at Canadian Tire Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario.

Though I'm not a huge country music fan (aside from some Shania and Dixie Chicks...old school, I know), I've become a huge fan of country style, especially after watching Footloose (Julianne Hough's wardrobe is killer in that movie).

style-rx on instagram

Currently my fave shoes at the moment...especially when worn with boyfriend jeans.

Follow me on Instagram! @madelynchung

Brand I love: Philip Kingsley

style-rx loves philip kingsley by style-rx on Polyvore

Wanna know something super embarrassing? I have extremely fine, thin hair...and not a lot of it. Yes, it is very long, but if you take a close look at my scalp, there really isn't much there. I am terrified of balding (it runs in my family). When I was 15, I cut off 12 inches of my hair to donate, in the hopes that it would give me good karma and the hair gods would spare me from the dreaded hair loss the rest of my family faces (yes, even the women). So when I started losing clumps of hair in the shower, I thought my time had come and that the balding process had begun.

#MANIMONDAY: Peachy Sparkles

Confession: This manicure is actually from a few weeks ago, and I've since taken it off. I'm a huge fan of CND's Shellac (who isn't, really?) but I decided to be a little bit daring and try out Artistic Nail Design Colour Gloss. Overall, I was unimpressed. Though it does look really great when it's fresh, the colour quickly faded to a yellow-ish hue, and it chipped several times. I finally got so fed up with trying to fix it, I took it off after less than a week. Sad. Artistic does have great colours, but it definitely does not have the staying power of Shellac. 

Have you tried Artistic Nail Design before? Did it last for you? 

XO,

Madelyn

P.S. Let's be Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest friends! :)

VIDEO: My absolute fave beauty products

So, I've decided to finally start a YouTube channel where I can review some of my favourite beauty products, and give some tips and tricks. It's still under construction (YouTube has changed a LOT since the days where I used to upload videos of me playing piano...thankfully those have been taken down). 

Since I do get sent a lot of products to test (perks of the day job) and also am constantly purchasing new products that I've read about, I figured this could be a good way to give an honest review on what's out there. I'll admit...it's easy to get sucked into the PR game and feel obligated to give a good review when a product is sent to you. But these reviews will be 100% honest, promise :)

First vid? The products in my beauty routine that will never EVER be replaced. 

Which beauty products do you swear by?

Subscribe to my channel, and be sure to tell me what you think!

XO,

Madelyn

PS. Are you following me on other social networking sites yet? Let's be friends! Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr. 

WTF of the week: Vera Wang's REALLY oversized belt

Vera Wang at Couture Week - photo via nymag.com/thecut

Starting off a new column on style-rx.ca..."WTF of the week" (it may have a name change...but that's all I could come up with today). I'm not one to shy away from crazy trends or eclectic pieces, but I can admit when something is just downright ridiculous. Which brings me to today's item...


Let's talk about Vera Wang's outfit of choice during Paris Couture Week. The designer took oversized to a whole new level with this ginormous black belt. Given Wang already has an uber-tiny frame, this belt accentuates it even more, and not in a good way. It really overwhelms her entire body. And I can't even imagine what it would be like to sit with that thing on...almost as bad as a corset, I'd say. Thankfully it's not fastened up tightly, because she would be having some serious issues with her ribcage attempting to poke through. Impracticality in fashion is one thing, but when it doesn't even look good? What's the point?

So I want to know, fashionistas...what do you think of Vera Wang's oversized belt?

XO,
Madelyn

P.S. Be sure to follow me on twitter @madelynchung and on Instagram (@madelynchung)

Playing Fairy Godmother: Cinderella's #OOTN

If modern-day Cinderella were a cool, edgy, stylish downtown chick, these would be her glass slippers. 

When you come to think of it, Cinderella was kind of badass. Sure, she needed a push from her fairy godmother, but the girl had the guts to go to the ball...and stayed out past her curfew. 

What I Wore: Maxi, With a Twist

Dress: Express / Sunglasses: Joe Fresh / Purse: Louis Vuitton / Shoes: Aldo (Similar here)

I went to the Express fall preview last week and saw one of the PR girls wearing this dress. I loved it so much, I went and bought it the next day. It's one of those dresses that can easily be dressed up or down which is key in my books. As I have way too many black dresses in my wardrobe (seriously, I can barely tell them apart in my closet!), this aubergine colour is a nice change. The sheer overlay of the dress makes it not quite a maxi, and the side slits add some sexiness (and allow for more movement).

Emmanuelle Chriqui On Beauty And Living Green

Originally posted on styleswept.ca.

Emmanuelle Chriqui is one of those rare celebrities who are truly beautiful inside and out.

The Canadian-born actress (who’s best known for her roles in Entourage and The Mentalist) has been deemed “sexiest celeb” and “most beautiful woman” by several publications, so it seems like a beauty deal would be inevitable. But Chriqui was extremely selective in choosing which beauty campaign to front.

Sneak Peek: Rudsak's Fall/Winter 2013 Collection

Originally posted on styleswept.ca

I know the weather just started getting warmer, but Rudsak’s A/W13 collection has got me wishing it’s fall again.

The collection was first shown at World MasterCard Fashion Week back in March, but we got a more in-depth look at the pieces on Tuesday during the brand’s preview.

Rudsak’s fall collection was a mixture of ‘70s disco and ‘90s grunge. “Think Abba meets Kurt Cobain,” said Matthew Flemming, Rudsak district manager for Ontario. "It sounds crazy, but it makes sense once you see the collection."

And it truly did. The entire collection stayed true to Rudsak nature -- timeless, with an edge. We saw plenty of pieces with the classic Rudsak silhouette, leather and fur accents, and a whole lot of cool.

Here are a few of the pieces I can't wait to rock this fall and winter:

What I Wore: Neon Moment

Jacket: Costa Blanca / Shirt: Forever 21 / Shorts: Zara / Belt: H&M / Shoes: Zara / Bag: Rebecca Minkoff / Necklace: Express / Sunglasses: Chloe

How to Wear: The Denim Shirt

Is it possible to have too many denim shirts? I think not. 

Chambray shirts have become a staple in my wardrobe, mainly because you can pair them with ANYTHING. A denim shirt can dress down a frou-frou outfit, while the proper accessories can dress up a denim shirt. See? It can go both ways. Plus, they're much more comfortable than your standard dress shirt. 

Here are some of my fave ways to wear it: