Author Archives: lorifranze

In pursuit of the perfect eyebrow…

06 Sunday May 2012

Posted by in Advice & Recommendations

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Now I am sure most men read the title of this post and laughed but most women know that a well groomed brow can make you look infinitely better and I do have a girl who makes magic happen with a tongue depressor and a pot of hot wax. (You can find her at L’Attitudes at the Eaton Centre – book with Rebecca) 

On Friday I had an appointment with my eye brow girl but she unfortunately got stuck in the subway and I couldn’t wait around for her to get in so I had to come up with a plan B.

In my neighbourhood there is a Brow House only a five minute walk so I thought I would give them a try.  I sat down in the chair was got the explanation about they shape brows.  Seems that my girl has been waxing me to thin and the Brow House girl wants to try and grow them in to draw attention to my green eyes.  She drew in the goal results with a eyebrow pencil and I thought ‘why not’!

Now I do feel bad, like I am cheating on the other gal but I signed up for a 3 pack at The Brow House in Leslieville which will last me to July. I already planned out the afternoon of June 8th for my next appointment – a couple hours next door at Steeped and Infused with my laptop beforehand.

I will let everyone know how the brows materialize over the summer but here is a before photo:

Right after the ‘old’ eyebrow girl finished working her magic

A trip to Ste. Anne’s Spa made extra special…

22 Sunday Apr 2012

Posted by in Pleasure, Travel

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I absolutely love Ste. Anne’s Spa – if you are in to being pampered you have to treat yourself with a visit. (Check out the services and photos) On Saturday I headed east to the spa with my girlfriend and it was as wonderful as I remember it from a visit back in 2010.

Entrance to total relaxation

I had a Caribbean Body Scrub and a Plant Peel Facial – both I would highly recommend. I was scrubbed and massaged and felt great at the end of each service. The Plant Peel was to take off all the dead layers of skin and make me look younger – I think the mission was accomplished.

You spend the entire time in a bathrobe and slippers and make your way from the steam room to the hot tube to the cold pool and also the relaxation room where you can read or nap. The day just flew by!

Lunch was delicious as was tea time but I have to say that the special part of the day was heading down to the stables to help turn in the horses. We led two horses in from the field, fed them, scratched their itchy spots and made sure they were ready for bed. And even more special than that was the 2 day old foal Ciera, daughter of Noche.

Noche and her neborn

It was the perfect way to end the day! Our guide down at the stables was terrific and I am embarrassed that I don’t remember her name.  She has been working with horses her entire life and you can tell she has a genuine love for them.

I am planning a trip back to the spa in October and will visit the horses again. I recommend a day or weekend of pampering for everyone!

(I was not compensated for this post but would not object to a little thank you from Ste. Anne’s)

Do you have a dirty carpet in need of a cleaning?

13 Friday Apr 2012

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This post might need to be categorized under ‘Too Much Information’ but I felt it was my duty to share the wonders of the Rug Doctor!

I have been working on the basement where my home office is and one of the things on my list was to shampoo the rugs before the new furniture arrived. This rug was professionally done by Sears which costs be $600 for the rug and two love seats. I also have to add that between August and now we haven’t spent that much time down there.

I didn’t want to spend a couple hundred dollars so I picked up The Rug Doctor at the local Loblaws for $68 and home I went to shampoo my beige rug.

This is what I got:

See what I mean about TMI

I am now going to bring home The Rug Doctor every six months and clean my basement carpet.

(I was not compensated in any way by Loblaws or The Rug Doctor – just a happy customer sharing some information)

Rogers Signature Event – Game of Thrones premiere

02 Monday Apr 2012

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Last night I watched the season two premiere of Game of Thrones at Rogers as a VIP! It was by text invitation only (I actually didn’t get the text but signed my boyfriend and I up after he got the message). And while I have been known to criticize Rogers, I applaud them for a great event, especially being the first one they have done in what is gone to be a series.

The food was fantastic! I’m talking prime rib, Kobe beef skewers, sweet potatoe fries, cheese, crackers, lamb, chicken and an open bar! There were also prizes and great swag bags. I have to say I did feel the love and will certainly be back if they invite me.Cool Centre Piece

Can you imagine running 150 miles through the Sahara?

30 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in Health & Fitness

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No, I can’t either… but a new friend of mine Alfatah Kader is doing just that in April to raise money for clean water and aid for orphan’s in Africa. He has been training non-stop with 8 hour runs through NYC with a satchel on his back to simulate the gear he will have as he treks through the desert.

Check out his donation page (click here) and donate if you can. His goal is $1,000 for the charity.

I will let you all know how he does!

Running Through the Desert

Before or After – which do you prefer?

23 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in Lola & Otis

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Today was haircut day at our house. All three of us got trims, some had more taken off than others.  Poor Lola and Otis do not enjoy the event as much as I do and I am not sure I blame them. I knew I would drop them off as furry fuzzballs and pick up some skinny funny looking pups. You decide – before or after? (Please no nasty comments, they wouldn’t make fun of you if you had a bad cut!)

BEFORE

AFTER

Blue Mountain Apres Ski in Flip Flops & Shorts

19 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in Pleasure, Ski, Travel

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The skis are getting prepped to be put away in the attic after an amazing St. Patrick’s day getaway to Blue Mountain.  We left the overcast skies of Toronto to find sunshine and 25 degree weather up in Collingwood!

Posing on the slopes

As we got dressed to ski we debated what layers we needed – apparently most clothing items we did not need! I skied in a long sleeved T and ski pants without gloves.

Skiing in the spring conditions is tiring and the patios were calling to us so we packed it in and headed to a patio.  But before we could enjoy a drink and the sunshine we had to head to the shops.  I think I was the only one in the entire village who did not know about the early arrival of summer… I had to buy shorts and flip flops to fully enjoy the apres!

We spent a couple hours patio hopping, enjoying a few drinks as we moved through the village and of course we didn’t realize we probably should have put on some sunscreen much earlier in the day.

Enjoying a drink at the base of Blue

While I know that this weather is wrong and we shouldn’t be wearing shorts and sunning after a couple hours of skiing in March, I have to say that it was a fabulous weekend where I really did relax and have a great time. I do hope though that the season lasts much longer next year!

 

The teacher now becomes the student

18 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in Cycle, Health & Fitness

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As a spin instructor I have a confession to make… I don’t ride except when I am teaching.  It had been at least five years when I had walked in to Quad East on Thursday to take a class. I was greeted by Micheline who is not only an instructor but one of the owner of the three Quad locations.  She gave me a tour of one of the most stunning studios I have worked out in! (Check out a slideshow of the Quad East space)  Class was preceded by a little pilates led by Micheline upstairs before we headed down to the cycling studio for our ride.

Micheline knows her stuff and loves what she does… and I know this because I know my stuff! Our 45 minute class had me sweating, breathing heavy and thinking I might see my lunch again! Making it all worth it was the 900 calories I likely burnt in those 45 minutes and the feeling of work so intense that my quads are still sore to the touch 3 days later. Maybe that is where they got their name from – SORE QUADS!

While I wasn’t sure I was going to like it and during the class I wasn’t sure I was going to survive, I will be back soon for another spin at Quad.

(This review is an honest review of my experience at Quad however I did receive a complimentary class.  If you are looking to try Quad, find a friend who rides there and have them take you on a Thursday for a free ride – check out the schedule here)