“I won’t let myself finish where I began.”
Like a princess by H&M.
Stylish work bag.
Here is a stylish work bag: Michael Kors large Hamilton slate lizard-embossed leather. At first I was hesitant to order online without seeing it in person because sometimes python/croc/ostrich leathers can be too hard and plastic looking. I was also worried about the bag being too shiny. This bag however is gorgeous, feminine and elegant. The leather is soft yet structured with a delicate grain and very subtle shine. The color is neutral, grayish with some light purple undertones (see below for color indoors and in natural light). This is definitely a work bag and will fit ipad or laptop, lunch box, wallet, sunglasses, a sweater etc etc. I am 160 cm and it looks big on me (this is the maximum size I would consider wearing for a handbag) but still looks beautiful and fits everything I need for work purposes + it also comes with a very practical sholder strap for easy toting. This bag is a keeper !!!! I like it so much that I am considering buying a smaller Hamilton (the satchel, and maybe the mini Hamilton) as an evening bag. Can’t decide between the Hamilton satchel/mini and the large Sloan quilted as an evening bag though. Timeless and classic !
Sought-after: retired Swarovski Maggy Golden Shadow ring (1075349)
Swarovski Maggy Gold Shadow ring is now retired, but I am looking to buy one. If possible I would love to buy the set (ring + pendant), but I will only buy the pendant if it comes with the ring.
Ring must:
- be original and come with Swarovski international certificate and with proof of purchase
- be size 52 (Swarovski’s chart)
- be the “Golden Shadow” color (ref # 1075349), I am not interested in the light pink or other colors
- be in excellent condition (if not new), no scratches, no missing crystals accepted
- necklace must also be “Golden Shadow”, no scratches, no missing crystals
- I will only deal with reliable sellers willing to ship to Canada
Please contact me at: ladyandthelab (at) me (dot) com
Thank you !
Stylish Winter Boots.
Facing winter and snowstorms with warmth and style. Is it possible ? Yes. But to look inappropriatedly dressed for the season is ugly, and to feel cold in cold weather is just stupid.
Having lived in Quebec City for 5 years, where your daily winter temperatures are in the -35′s °C combined with winds ranging from 20-90 km/h and a few meters of snow… I have learned how to face winter in style. And by style I DO NOT mean UGG boots. Sorry folks, UGG boots are not stylish and nowhere close to be proper winter boots. No matter how much waterproof spray you put on them, they will NOT resist rain and snow because their sheepskin is sewn onto the sole, therefore water will get into them. Now UGGs are extremely confortable. I had a pair of genuine UGG’s that I used to wear at home. Well, one day I went to Niagara Falls and decided to take my UGG’s out. I should have known better. The weather was bad with heavy slush. Needless to say, the boots “absorbed” dirty water just like a sponge, ruining its shearling. My feet were soaked and cold and the boots- literally 100% destroyed to a point that they are now unwearable.
I have had La Canadienne boots for years. I strongly recomment the Viviana shearling model for extreme cold days (5 to -45 °C) and the Kingston model for your average winter day (10 to -20 °C). The Kingston comes with higher heels, memory foam insole and a cosy, warm faux-fur lining. Both are waterproof and worth every penny.
Here are some pics of my Kingston boots:
My UGG’s stepping into danger:
La Vie en Rose.
Because I am an alcoholic.
“I drank on Tuesday , Wednesday and got on the plane drunk on Thursday. And I’m drunk now. Because I am an alcoholic.”
Amazing performance by Denzel Washington as a substance abusing airline pilot (Flight, 2012).
Cabochard.
A scent that reminded Alix Grès of her “…walks along the long and empty beaches of India: sharp freshness of the morning air, warmth of sandalwood, a touch of flower and comfort of the sea breeze.”
It is all about olfactory memory I guess. A scent that reminds me of my mother. As a child I used to go to my mother’s bedroom and open her drawers, looking for her Cabochard flask. I would not calm down until I could smell Cabochard.
The Cabochard as it is now is certainly unique and wearable, but a paler version of the pre-formulated, vintage self. It’s still a perfect fragrance for feminine, daring and self-assertive women.
My vintage Cabochard…
… and my vintage Diorissimo.
Germany !
Meet Hamburg, Germany.
Pretty. And pretty ugly.
Most self proclaimed fashion enthusiats are nothing but fashion victms, which is not a good thing. They are in fact, victms of the trends they follow, or worse, they want themselves to be the trend- they end up wearing a weird shape, color, both weird shape and color, or whatever will make them stand out in the crowd. For the rest of us, lets comtemplate Louboutin’s luxury and good taste. Raising a toast to haute couture and femininity !
The pretty : Louboutin Bis Un bout
The pretty ugly : rounded shoes.
The devil wears L.Credi.
Who said the devil wears Prada ? Maybe it is L.Credi. Yes, L.Credi. This gorgeous handbag is made of genuine leather in Italy. Selling for 149 Ca$ at Town Shoes (although Town Shoes sells many L.Credi handbags, this specific model is available in stores only). More L.Credi at tkmaxx here. A real fashion find !
Super freak.
Little Miss Sunshine is an incredibly popular movie that came out 6 years ago. Since then, I always wanted to watch it but somehow never did. Until yesterday. This irresistible comedy is about a seven-year old girl, Olive, who qualifies for the “Little Miss Sunshine” beauty pageant to be held in California. Without money to fly, Olive’s dysfunctional family embrace her dream to win Little Miss Sunshine and embark on a road trip from Albuquerque to California. They set off in an old VW bus for a two-day journey of internal and external struggles. A little girl’s big bream; an overwhelmed mother and wife, her unhappy teenager son who has taken a vow of silence and her brother, a renowned gay scholar who failed a suicide attempt; a father striving to publish a book and build a career as a motivational speaker, and his own father who is addicted to heroin, but very close to Olive. Little Miss Sunshine is… letting our society’s obsession with “motivating and being motivated” go, and understanding that happiness is simple as it gets.
Image from here.
Toxic lab.
Last year I attended a seminar where the speaker (Dean of X department at Y University) concluded her talk with the following advice of a survival guide for PhD students and postdocs : “The rule #1 when swimming with sharks is : if you get bitten, don’t bleed”. These cute playmobil images reminded just that.
Digital Orca & Matisse.
Last week I went to Vancouver to attend a scientific conference. It was not my first time in Vancouver and as expected, the city still looks as gorgeous as I remember + that amazing Orca digitised sculpture- a three-dimensional Orca whale into cubic pixels, which imposingly lights up and shines, taking over the night sky, fresh ocean breeze in Vancouver’s Harbour with Stainley Park and the Northshore Mountains in the background…
Turns out, Vancouver Art Gallery was open until 9pm on Sundays and Tuesdays and there was a Matisse exhibit going on. I very much enjoyed both the exhibit and the Gallery…
Trust no one.
Damages is by far my favorite TV series in the past decade. Damages is filled with ambition, mystery, intrigue and drama. Glenn Close delivers an astonishing performance as she plays Patty Hewes, a complicated character and powerfull high-stakes litigation lawyer who never loses. But the show goes beyond law, politics and headlines- it is really about power, trust and morality. The final season premieres July 11th on Direct TV, while seasons 1,2,3,and 4 are available on Netflix.
Picasso exhibit in Toronto.
Went to AGO this morning to see their Picasso exhibit and was very pleased. I think last time I went to a Picasso exhibition was more than 6 years ago ! Unbelievable how time goes by so fast… I hope I’ll get the chance to go to Paris later this year. I miss that cultural oasis…
Good reads: experimental heart.
Brilliant. I couldn’t stop reading until the last page. Experimental Heart is Jennifer Rohn’s first novel. A romantic thriller set in the lab. I can’t wait to read her second book, The Honest look, also rated 5 stars by many..
Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras.
Wondering what will happen to Nikon’s 1 system and their small sensor, what to expect from Canon, and what’s “nex” for Sony NEX series… I’m dying to buy a Nikon interchangeable, but a slightly larger sensor wouldn’t be bad…
UPDATE 25/07/2012 : Canon just released their first mirrorless interchangeable. Not impressed by the features (sensor is better than Nikon’s 1 but have yet to see what it can deliver and if there will be a second Canon mirrorless release at photokina in September). After seeing Trey Ratcliff’s review on the NEX 7, I am more than convinced ! 
Hello world!
After 2+ years out of the blogosphere, here I am. For the sake of eppendorfs and Louboutins.
Image by Christopher Nelson via http://seattlest.com/2011/03/02/cnelson.php.
