What I'm into: Eyebrow Threading Technique

Hello beauty lovers:

As someone with very sensitive skin, I am not a big fan of waxing usually, so I have adapted my eyebrows to incorporate the threading routine.

This practice has been around for centuries all over southern Asia as well as Eastern Africa. By using, strong cotton thread women (and some men I'm sure) have been maintaining smooth hairless skin....so the secret is out I guess...

Follow along with this step-by-step guide to perfecting the threading technique and creating a near-perfect brow shape! It really does frame your face and also can give the appearance of a more open and lifted eye!

Check yourself out first and observe what brow look will flatter your face and eye shape....for me personally I have very round features so a fuller eyebrow looks best, the thinner and smaller your features are, the thinner and smaller you are permitted to make your brow shape (but watch out, since you don't want non-existent brows! we have all met those people lol) Some ladies like to use a white eye pencil to outline their new desired shape and/or just the spots where the would like to remove the hair.

Ok back to threading.....so you want to start with a looped piece of thread about 12 inches/30 cm long (about the length of a ruler) or your forearm.

Next you will twist the centre of the loop and create a "bow-tie" shape to place along the skin area, with your fingers facing inward, you will feel in control to slide the string upwards against the hair and towards the nose. The hair gets trapped in the twisted string and it almost lifts them up and out of the pores. Imagine a lawn mower cutting blades of grass!

This continuous motion will feel like 10 plucks at once!!! But we had a saying in our household that "it hurts to be beautiful" but if it's just a touch-up then the pain is a lot less:)

Photo Credit: Glamour.com

Ultimately, threading is all about angles....so naturally you will stop and start again at different points to create your ideal shape!

Also be mindful of a few key things:
*You may see some redness post-threading but not to worry it is very normal and will fade within a hour or less

*You can use your trusty tweezers to take care of those stubborn stray hairs that my be too tricky to thread out (probably closer the the inter arc of you brow; between the areas of #1 & 2 in the first image)

*To keep your brows looking neat and sharp, maintain this routine every other week

*Also don't be afraid of filling in your brows with a matching eyebrow pencil or eye shadow that goes with your natural brow colour to give a finished and smooth look! We call do that ;)

**Bonus Tip: in case you have long or slightly curly brows like me....comb the hairs upwards and trim the edges of the arc (areas #2 & 3) with some fine bladed scissors....hopefully the security detail at the airport did not confiscate them like they did your girl #truestory #youknowwhatmynextpurchaseis

xoxo

Lady J 

Shopping in Saskatoon - Part 1

Hi fashionistas:

So over tea with friends the topic of shopping locally here in Saskatoon, SK came up (surprise, surprise)! Although both of the ladies were new to the city, one of them expressed her bordeum with the local malls and their limited amount of unique pieces as well as sizing that would be appealing to her petite and curvy figure. So she asked, "where do you shop Lady J?"...

As a self-proclaimed shopaholic *hand-to-heart* I thought I would create a 3 part series of my favourite boutiques in Saskatoon, to guide those newbies in the city as well as people who want to find different places to pick up wardrobe pieces, and not be another girl at the party wearing the same outfit as 10 other women there (true story...but I exaggerate) this is for you:

Fly Channel Fashion
101 -- 733 Broadway Ave. 
Saskatoon, SK 
Fly Channel Facebook Page 

This is a wonderful little boutique, that a friend took me to way way back in high school! They get a lot of their merchandise from Asian countries with colourful prints, interesting and clever design elements to their clothing as well as accessory items. I have gotten many great pieces from there throughout the years including a rainbow tote bag, ruffle blouses and my newest tangerine maxi dress (my wishful thinking for warmer weather):

There you will find Ling, with her friendly aura who is always available to give amazing styling advice for how to wear and enhance the item(s) you hope to buy!

Coming soon....Part 2

xo
Lady J

Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving!

Deliciousness at the Mensah household !

Photo Credit: Facebook

xoxo 

Lady J 

We need Graffiti!!! 2013 SCYAP Show

Hi all,

I hope the middle of your week is going well! I wanted to mention a really cool organization here in the city called "Saskatoon Community Youth Arts Programming"or SCYAP for short!!!

Over my busy weekend, I was able to go to their graffiti show and meet some really interesting people, who are passionate about being creative! I actually heard about this event, through someone who sat at my table during the Luncheon En Vogue (the weird things that happen to me....). Enjoy the highlights of the event:

Various artists' paintings:

I love the self-portraits of the staff hanging on the wall:

Along with an art gallery viewing there were musical performances! I really liked the Northern Lights! Below are a few members (right to left) Gabrielle, Rory and another guy...but I didn't catch his name:( Their sound is a mix of all different music styles like jazz, folk, pop-rock etc....they play in venues all over Saskatoon, check them out if you have a chance! 

Met some really cool people from North Battleford, SK while listening to great music and watching graffiti artists and of course snacking on fruit hehehehe:

Before and After!

Even a random chess game broke out in between music sets:

Can you see the wedding photo-shoot going on while we're in the alley??? lol

Also SCYAP does drop-in art classes for all ages on Tuesdays/Thursdays 5:30-9pm and also Saturdays from 1-6pm, where you can use their art supplies to create your masterpieces....you might even bump into Lady J there!

xo
Lady J 

Veggie Lasagna Heaven!

Hi, I hope your weekend is going well!

This is will be my first of many cooking posts! My sister and I were able to make a vegetable lasagna last night, the following is the step-by-step recipe:

First we boiled about 9 or so lasagna noodles (Healthy Harvest - Wholewheat) in a pot of boiling water...we left it unsalted since we are trying to cut down on sodium for about 20-25 mins:

While the pasta sheets boil, we went ahead and chopped our veggies for the filling. 

We started with mincing about 3 gloves of fresh garlic:

Then continued with onions, tomatoes (4 small ones), broccoli, and 2 green bell peppers: 

(For those who would make a meat-filled lasagna now would be the time to cook the ground meat and chop your choice of veggies). The last time I made lasagna, I included grated carrots....so keep an open mind and be creative with your ingredients. 

Fry your onions and minced garlic in either a saucepan with 2tbs of oil until the onions are translucent (we used a wok since it's easier to stir):



We added our veggies into the wok just after....I love the colours!

Next we blended spices separately and added some water from the mixed veggies to drizzle on our filling. Spices includes about 1 tbs of the following: Italian seasoning, oregano, ground ginger, paprika, cilantro, and a dash of salt and black pepper:



Then we added 2 tbs of tomato paste to thicken the mix and some chopped dill to add more flavour:





















Looks good right?

After straining the boiled lasagna sheets, we let them cool for a couple of minutes and began layering within a rectangular glass dish. First with the sheets then the filling:



Then we the spread the (Tex-Mex) cheese evenly. This was my favourite part since I was eating handfuls of it on the side hehehehe



So you will repeat this layering technique again for the top layer.

Also for those of you who maybe feeding a very a large amount of people, you may do a 3 layer lasagna. 

Lastly, into the oven it goes at 380 degrees F for about 30 mins (just enough to solidify the sauce and melt the cheese):

Hmmmmm can you smell it through the screen?

Finally we garnished it with a sprinkle of cilantro for style and enjoyed a good plateful;)

Comment on the recipe and share your cooking secrets!!!

xoxoxo

Lady J

Queen City Wedding!

Hello there!

I just came back from a wonderful wedding of a very dear family friend held in Regina, SK, nicknamed the "Queen City"! The ceremony/reception was fantastic, the guests were fabulous and the music was popping! I still can't get some of those songs out of my head!

Take a look at some of the great highlights of the day/night:

My beautiful sister, Regina and me...Yes, the irony is not lost on us that she has the same name as the city we visited lol!

Such a romantic ceremony with the lovely bride and her groom!

Getting ready for the reception = "make-up magic":

I grabbed this little golden dress from a side-street store in Montreal earlier in the summer...Also do you recognize that the shoes and clutch were from the blue dress pictures above? 

Style Tip: Remember it's always best to pack accessories that can double up with different outfits to cut down on over-packing (took me years to learn that trick):

Love it Reg!!

Gorgeous centre-piece at the reception! I wonder how they got the flowers in there and kept them from wilting???

Yummy salmon meal:

Re-entrance of the Mr & Mrs.in traditional Nigerian dress:

The great thing about weddings are the beautiful reunions with long lost friends (WARNING: high levels of glam style ahead)...hehehehe:

Another set of sisters, rocking their formal Nigerian attire with gele head wraps, there are so many amazing ways to tie it, check out this tutorial!

A few members of the bridal party:

Make it rain:

Oh, what a night! We basically went back to the hotel barefoot from all the jumping and dancing around:)

Sunday morning, we decided to go out for brunch at the Radisson Regina  and then headed back Saskatoon! I wanted to take the chandelier with sconces in my bag, but my sister advised me not too....*sobs*

How did you spend your Labour Day weekend?

What I'm into...Food & Drink: Bon Temps Cafe

Had Sunday Lunch with some great buddies of mine on 2nd Avenue in Saskatoon, SK at:

 Hana (love my shades on you!) and Sharon looking beautiful as always!!! 

Love the decor and the vibe in this place, it's a fusion of French, Latin and Creole cultures from
New Orleans, LA with several seafood dishes and spicy items (just the way I like it!):

We ordered Jambalaya, Crawfish Pie, Pan-Fried Snapper and a Strawberry Margarita...yuummmmmy!!! 

 Met the amazing staff...Leah and Miranda;)

The washroom is covered in colourful mirrors...this one was my favourite with all the detailing!

Check out this unique resto if you are in the city and want to explore more of your adventurous side!

What are your weekends made up of???

xoxoxo

Lady J