Overall it was great (rain wasn’t so bad)! The festival was bigger than ever with activities set up on McGill College from de Maisonneuve all the way to Cathcart as well as on Place Ville-Marie. There were 2 runways and a really cool VIP stage. I walked about Friday evening and enjoyed some of the music, fashion, design and cool booths set up for our viewing pleasure.

The Festival’s website shares a lot of very cool information about the festival as well as the activities that where held so I won’t bore you with my interpretations of it but I will share with you just a few pics that I managed to snag while it was still light outside. Thank God for my impromptu Blackberry camera phone!

Fashion & Design Festival Boxes: Branded boxes decorate the streets and substitute for seating arrangement

Fashion Photography: Cool fashion pics on display

VIP Stage: The VIP stage pays hommage to the 10 years of awesome fashion and design

Cool Graffiti Design: If done correctly, graffiti can be art...and how cool is that?

Downtown Festival: Just being in downton Montreal is amazing, having free festivals there is such a great bonus!

Lasalle College Fashion Display: Lasalle College exhibits some of their own!

Oh and one last thing: Fashion is all about looking good and feeling good and nothing is more appealing that being comfortable with who you are. That’s why I was very impressed that representatives for the Quebec Charter for a Healthy and Diverse Body Image were present, sharing information and getting people involved. Check out their website and if you support the initiative, sign the Charter! The more people get involved, the sooner we can start changing society’s twig like vision of beauty.

Cheerio!  

Maggie Richardson
Findsalonspa.com Blogger

- Lovin’ festival season in Montreal!

Apparently some studies have shown that running barefoot is better than running with shoes. Why is that? When running without shoes people land on their feet in a way that generates less impact. In contrast, people tend to  land on their heels when using running shoes and that causes a lot of impact on your knees as well as the rest of your body (i.e. back, neck …) .

I do not know if theses studies can be taken seriously, but I will let you do your own research and let you decide for yourselves. All I know is that walking barefoot at home feels a lot better than walking around in fluffy warm bunny shoes.

If you are interested in running barefoot, there are shoes that you can purchase specifically for barefoot running.  So you can prevent cutting yourself on broken glass and sharp pebbles. In fact, they are the most minimal type of shoe you can buy for running and/or jogging and it’s the new craze among marathon runners. The company that makes them is Vibram. You can check out their website for more information: http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/ . I believe the company is from Italy. Crazy Italians.

The only concern that I have with these shoes is that you don’t where sox with them. Aren’t they going to smell? Let me know if you’ve tried them.

Alistar Francis
Technology Enthusiast
Findsalonspa.com Blogger

- Technology can help your mind, body and soul

Since I am a hostess by night in a cute touristic restaurant in Montmartre, I also occasionally fall upon Parisians as well. I met Carla one evening as she stepped outside to have a smoke. Small chit chat lead me to an ironic blog, she happened to be the perfect Jet setting beauty I needed to write my August blog on. Her name is Carla Toussaint, age 28, lives in Paris and loves to travel!

She has beauty, she has style and she has money to make her smile. She considers herself part of the VIPs, an invitation that is widely spread out globally, all you have to do to  attend these ‘social gatherings’ from one country to another is make sure you have the right hair, clothes and attitude to go with it. I welcome you to the fabulous life of the Jet setter. To most of us this life is unreachable, but hey, this jet setting beauty’s tips on French boutiques and exclusive hair salons is free to all!

An ordinary Saturday for La Mademoiselle.

5pm, Carla heads off to the cocktail party by the pool at her cousin’s villa, 8pm she’s fashionably late for dinner at the Fairmount Hotel in Monte Carlo, 11 pm to the Casino to play her luck, by 1:30 am she’s welcomed by old friends at the Beach Party. 1pm Sunday morning she awakes by the sun’s rays breaking through the cracks of her yachts curtains. She draws them open and the scenery speaks for itself, ’today I’m in Saint Tropez!’

She continues, telling me about her favourite hair salon and trendy boutique she loves on this very famous French Riviera everyone talks about.

Her favourite spot; Château de la Messardière situated in the hillside of Saint Tropez providing her with a lavish delight of heaven; pool, spa and hair salon. Here she has the basic necessities of what a woman needs. She mentions the price, but they are better to go unspoken of. ‘Here in Saint Trope I have my friends and favourite boutiques too’ she says with a cocky smile, it’s a shopping paradise for me, I go directly to ‘Kiwi’ affordable for all and classy, it’s the must have bikini’s for the summer! Not to mention Nikki Beach Bar.’ St-Tropez will never loose its glamorous edge, and who knows you might even bump into Bridgette Bardot

She also suggested a chain of hair salons widely known around France as well: Sometimes it’s not just about a price but trusting the skills and techniques of those professionals working there.

Camille  Albane

Franck Provost

Jacques Dessange

Jean Claude Biguine

Sergio Bossi

Bonnes Vacances!

Jennifer N. Mancini

Professional Hair Stylist
Findsalonspa.com Blogger

Gourmand is a French word used to describe a person that takes great pleasure in food. If you are such a person, then you were probably among the thousands (like me) that visited les Fêtes Gourmandes Internationales this weekend, July 28th to August 1st, at Centropolis in Laval.

This year was the first edition hosted in Laval (previously at Île Ste-Hélène) and it promised to be a HUGE event joining forces with le Festival des bières du monde and Dinner in the Sky. So me and my “beau” set off to see what all the hype was about!

To be honest, it took us quite some time to figure out exactly where the venue was. Centropolis is so big that we weren’t sure exactly where to start looking. Turns out it was set up where Cavalia used to be hosted. If you were coming in from the highway, there was a large electronic billboard directing you but otherwise you where left to fend on your own. When we finally got there, we noticed that they only accepted cash which forced us to take a trip into the movie theatre nearby to find an ATM. And after some confusion about how the beer tickets worked, we finally made our way into les Fêtes Gourmandes and began our tasting journey.

They had everything from alligator to kangaroo including insects, camel and shark. A little too exotic for my taste but I did muster up the courage to try some kangaroo sausage. It had a weird texture but I survived! They also had the classics from around the world like Italian pizza, Lebanese Shish Taouk and Eastern European sausage. And the beer selection was just as diverse. My personal discovery was a local brew: Just goes to show that you can search the world but home is where the heart is! My only complaint is that it can get pretty pricey if you really are the type of person that likes to try everything ($8 entrance + about $4-5 each tasting).

While sipping beer and tasting the foods of the world under the stars, we had the pleasure of singing along to Johnny Cash. The tribute band was excellent (Saturday night) and I had just finished watching the movie with Joaquim Phoenix for the second time so all the famous songs were fresh in my head. They also had a DJ spinning electronic beats in the “Little Italy” section of the event just to add some variety, which I thing was greatly appreciated by most.

Next on our exploratory journey was Dinner in the Sky. I had heard a lot about it on Virgin Radio since they had a contest running all week to win tickets. Tickets started at $265 to enjoy a 5 course meal while letting your feet dangle free in the air. As cool as the experience sounds, I would imagine that Centropolis doesn’t necessarily offer the best view (but that might just be jealousy talking because I didn’t get to try it). But I invite you to check out their website which is really well put together and explains the experience step by step.

All in all, I had a blast but I think that this event still has a lot of work to do if they want to bring this event to the next level. Setting up at Centropolis is definitely a good start because it is conveniently located on highway 15 and gives access to many north shore Quebeckers as well as Montrealers. It’s also a nice change from downtown Montreal where there is less and less parking and more and more congestion.

As I type up this article, the weekend is coming to an end, and so is the festival. So for all of you that missed out, you will have to wait another 365 days until the next edition. Yummmmmmy…I’m getting hungry already!

Maggie Richardson
Findsalonspa.com Blogger

- Lovin’ festival season in Montreal!

One thing I love about travelling is how you see so much and learn so much as you make your way from one country to another. The styles change, the attitude changes and so does the hair. In one month I visited London, Porto, Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona and the south of France, but this time I discovered in one particular city a look that cannot go unspoken of. I call it the crooked hair line.

I noticed it mostly in the younger crowds rooming around the streets of Lisbon. That’s when I realized this type of different hair cut is just amazing! I stopped a girl, and pointed to her hair cut, suddenly my Portuguese was not as good as I thought it was! She said: ‘Sim, meu corte do cabelo!’ meaning: ‘Yes, my hair cut.’ I handed her my agenda and she instantly scribbled a word: MOTOR. I quickly engaged in wanting to find it but time was running out since we needed to get back to Cacém. I never got the chance to go see this hair salon for myself, but I did find it on the internet. Motor Hairport. Rua de São Paulo 121, Loja R/C Dto, Lisbon.

I was informed that they do the craziest haircuts, anything you can think of, but the best must have been the innovative crooked hair line in the back that was shaved with the clipper and made to look like a zig zag. This diverse look was still just so feminine with a subtle touch of rebellion. The look suited her, even though she was dressed in skinny jeans, pink high top Nike running shoes and a grey tank-top, she didn’t need the chains or black eye liner to match her hair cut. This is the beauty of mixing everything up and going with what you like, even if the styles don’t exactly match. People are still cutting their hair weather the Fashion houses working side by side with the big Brand Hair Salons pushing for long beautiful layers, but in the long run not everyone will grow their hair so that they can look like a perfect replica of the girl on the front cover of Elle Magazine.

Look at how Rihanna drastically changed her ‘I’m so cute’ look to classic punk, even shaving the sides of her hair and leaving it long at the top.

My next stop was the neighboring country, North East of Lisbon and 650 km away; Madrid. This hair style was still following me and rocking this amazing city that never goes to sleep, never! The amazing charisma in all the youths out there was spectacular. Their sense of dressing and hair was future forward, even the guys had the crooked hair line in a W shape, something I regret not taking a picture of. But the men are still mostly conservative yet some following the styles of their favorite ‘footballers’. We have Spain’s Fernando Torres who got rid of his highlighted locks, opting for a more serious look whereas France’s Djibril Cisse had quite a different look with a bleached beard. None the less, people are always looking for something new, something to shock the media or start a new trend. What’s next we may ask?

Peace, Vacation & Different Hair Trends.

Enjoy the summer; August is for all the Jet-setters out there!

Jennifer N. Mancini
Professional Hair Stylist
Findsalonspa.com Blogger

Bohemian chic is having a powerful come back for summer 2010. Here’s the info and the facts on how to get it and how to do.
 
From North America to South America, from Asia to Africa, Middle East to the Pacific Islands, Australia to New Zealand, Antarctica to the Caribbean, let alone Europe, people across the world come to visit the beautiful city of Paris. Strolling through the scenic streets of my new city, I come across a wide range of hip fashionista tourists, all glammed up for the city of lights.  Summer is here and the one thing we can all think about is looking good, feeling good and having sexy hair that meets up with our fashion good sense of style!

After meeting some of these girls and taking notes on their personal sense of style too, on a global scale we came to agree that loose waves are hitting the scene with that beach mood playing through. To add some spice, braids are definitely the hot MUST DO trend this summer. In line with the loose wave concept, the braid is loosening it’s tight edge and going flowy!

Bohemian Chic Parisien

The Method: Generally Bohemian clothes are loose fitting, so the hair is going to be loose too. Let those natural waves take over. Remember that when dressing up or even dressing down, find the balance by mixing subtle prints, or having one dominant color, not 20. Another good pointer is not to over-accessorize.
 

Hair, Love & vive  La mode branchée!

Jennifer N. Mancini
Professional Hair Stylist
Findsalonspa.com Blogger

Body hair: We all have it. We all want to get rid of it. And while most of us spend hours fumbling around with razor blades, waxing kits, and hair removal creams, the most difficult challenge is probably those most sensitive areas like the face and bikini.

I had the opportunity recently to speak with Lauren Weber, who works at the front desk at Jasper Studio in Toronto’s Little Italy District. She mentioned two hair removal techniques, threading and bikini wax, which have done wonders for their clients specifically in those two areas.

Threading is a popular hair removal technique practiced in India, Pakistan, and Middle East. Jasper Studio owner Bela Macedo trains her staff thoroughly to use a pure, thin, twisted cotton thread to go over and clean up untidy hairlines on your face such as eyebrows and upper lip, plucking the hair at the follicle level. This hair removal process doesn’t pull skin like waxing which helps prevent wrinkles and benefits elasticity in the skin. Unlike tweezing where a single hair is pulled out each time, threading can remove an entire row of hair, resulting in a straighter line.

Bela is also well known for her five minute Brazilians (male or female), and has a steady fan base for this procedure due to her quick process and immaculate results. Her Satin Smooth wax with honey keeps even the most sensitive clients smiling.

Not having tried either of these techniques myself, I asked the dreaded question: Is it painful? As the old adage goes: “no pain, no gain” but what makes these procedures interesting is the rapidity at which the hair is removed. Before you have the chance to take a deep breath, your hair has been removed leaving your skin, a little red at first, but nice and smooth, with the results lasting longer that tweezing or shaving.  

So if you live in Toronto and want to give either of these techniques a try, then swing by the Jasper Studio on College Street and give Lauren a visit. Don’t forget to let us know how it went!

Learn more about Jasper Studio at www.jasper-studio.com

Maggie Richardson
Findsalonspa.com Blogger

Amerispa is a leader in the Quebec spa industry with 9 health & beauty centres throughout the province. And with a new Amerispa health & beauty centre planned to open its doors in fall 2010 at the Esterel Suites, Resort and Conference Centre in the Laurentians, they are soon to hit the big 1-0! For those of you lucky to get your hands on the 50% off gift certificates available at Findsalonspa’s online boutique, you know that their spas are not only beautiful but provide quality spa services and products. In fact, I must not be the only one to think so because 2 of Amerispa’s health & beauty centres have recently been awarded the Consumers’ Choice Award.

So what is the Consumers’ Choice Award? The Consumers’ Choice Award is an initiave of the Consumers’ Choice Institute of Canada in partnership with Léger Marketing to recognize organizations which excel in various business categories in each of Canada’s major cities. Winners are determined by the consumers – not by a panel of judges. For me, that’s important because the stamp of approval is being provided by people just like me and you!

The most recent awards were  given to Amerispa Château Bonne Entente in the category of Spa & Health Centre for Quebec City as well as Ameripsa Omni Mont Royal in the same category for Montreal.

Is all this talk about winning awards making you want to get a spa treatment? If so, don’t forget to take advantage of Amerispa’s Mother’s Day promotions available until the end of this week.

Amerispa Mother's Day Promotions

To Amerispa: Congrats on your recent nominations as best Spa/Health Centre.

To all the moms and grandmoms out there: Enjoy your day, you deserve it!

Maggie Richardson
Findsalonspa.com Blogger

Spring is in the air, that means love is the air.  The formula completes itself; WEDDING SEASON!
That ring has been on your finger for a year now; ideas have been flowing through your head for the hair. You pictured it since you were a little girl and now you see it, up and neat with a delicate tiara and a side swept bang. No wait! A beautiful elegant bun, a knot of hair pinned to perfection with square diamond pins to add a touch of radiance. No, this time you got it; loose curls flowing backwards, some stubborn ones rebelling and gently cascading over your forehead to hide your blushing cheeks. You decide a broach to the side instead. This must be it!

Women, if only we had a dollar, or a euro, for every time we’d change our mind. By this point we’d pay off the wedding in no time! But putting money aside and talking straight hair business, have you really decided what it is you want? Aside from you, there’s the bridal party. Girls can get nasty and push for what they want as a hair style on your wedding day. But the Mrs. to be needs to remember a few certain details.

Let’s start with the bridal party. Talk to your girls. Take initiative to ask them what they like, maybe even one on one, so that they feel more comfortable. Just remember that sometimes not every up-do/hair-do will look good on everyone. Feel free to express yourself on what you pictured and what you think would match nicely with their dresses and their pretty faces.

Now for the M.O.B (mother of the bride) and the M.O.G (mother of the groom) Oh dear! Take a breather it’s not the end of the world, it’s actually the beginning of your new life. For your mother, and your future mother in law, I still suggest talking to them about their hair too. Already their nervous and stressed but it doesn’t mean they don’t want to look good either! Au contraire, by you asking them makes them feel like you care, and yes woman you do! P.S At least you have a head’s up when you see them the day ‘of’.

Now for the BTB (Bride to be) I can never stress this enough: GET A TRIAL DONE!
Why? Because even if you ‘think’ you know what you want, you’ll never be sure until the hair is done, and then your stuck debating if you like it or not. If your anything like me, I’m an either Yes, Or No. I like it, or I don’t. And I can tell if you do, or if you don’t. The day of the wedding you don’t have time for fixing, everything is timed. When you have a trial run with your hair professional, you discuss, try and see. You get the feel of it, the look, and girl, you will know. Just like you knew it was him, you’ll have that same hair feeling too! I promise.

Now because I love my ‘readers’ there’s something else I need to put out there. I’ve had clients suggest and propose things it sounded like Madonna circa 1980’s was still influencing them. Tight curls OUT. Anything that looks like a perm is not a bridal picture moment.

And to end this blogpost with style, here are a couple of my very own wedding hair-dos (with many thanks to Ani Met for the great makeup!):

Congratulations to all you future brides!

Diamonds, Flowers & Love;

Jennifer N. Mancini
Professional Hair Stylist
Findsalonspa.com Blogger

I realized clients and friends always ask me for good blow drying pointers, so I choose the 3 most frequent asked questions. To all my readers; I hope these tips help!

After working out, how can I re-freshen up my do?
-Silia
This one is kind of tricky. Once again depending on what kind of hair and texture you have, straight can be tough. If you just pulled an amazing work out and you’re drenched, then you might want to wash it. Boys love fresh hair girls! And actually so does any woman in general! But the idea is to re-fresh. Comb your hair, and try using a water mist spray, and re-blow dry a specific section that might have been dented in your ponytail, bun, or might just look blahh. Loose waves or curls can be revamped by turning your head up side down and using a foam volumizer or spray gel. Now start scrunching your hair at the same time. If curls go ‘oh curly- bad’ (story of my life) try misting them with water and scrunching them by adding moose or a small amount of gel.  Curls will usually re-shape.

Can you please give me some advice on the 411 before blow-drying?
-Evy
First things first sweetheart, you need to get rid of a lot of water before handling this situation. You start by towel drying your hair. Now depending on what kind of hair you have, you can use a styling cream, applying it in your ends first and then working it closer to the top. You never want to apply a product directly on your scalp. (This might add an oily residue) Now start off by dividing your hair into one section at a time using hair clips. Some people who have curly hair will start blow drying the hair first in the front this way eliminating any possible frizz that could have resulted by doing it last. Take your time doing the top of your hair so at least you’ll have a decent coif in the back!

How do I properly blow dry my hair or the back of my hair?
-Cynthia
A great way to start blow drying your hair is by doing the bottom and then working your way upwards. Use hair clips by dividing your hair from the section you are about to blow dry. (These clips can be sold in salons.) Keep working at the strand by drying the roots and in motion downwards towards the tips. Brushing and drying is the coordinative secret. It can be easy to blow dry your back strands by bringing them forward. As you reach the crown area, that’s when you start exercising those muscles and lift everything upwards. You can try tilting your head sideways as your doing those sections; this may help to relieve the constant lifting in your arms. Once again; brushing and drying. Keep your blow dryer nozzle an inch away from your hair so you don’t burn them!

With Love from Paris;
As the French would say: Bonne Chance!!

Peace, Love and Beauté.

Jennifer N. Mancini
Professional Hair Stylist
Findsalonspa.com Blogger