HTC One Guest Post by Vanessa Grillone

What do you value in life or in a job? What do you want for your future? What are your goals? I’ve been trying to answer these questions as clearly as I possibly can without being influenced by others. I’m finding it tougher to be authentic in my twenties, than I did when I was younger. Your mid-twenties come with a lot of second-guessing, a lot of doubt, and many many questions. With the constant use of social media comes the pressure to conform, which is why I follow blogs that feel authentic. Blogs that aren’t solely about every single product said blogger uses. Seeing them hang their individuality proudly makes me want to be authentic, online and in person and every other way possible. That’s a huge factor in my love for casiestewart.com. You can tell that Casie doesn’t blog for the sake of blogging, she writes about things she likes and ALWAYS aims to inspire her readers to have a better day, to have a more positive outlook on life, and to LOVE their lives. She has a style all her own and an authenticity about her that shines through the screen. I can’t tell you how amazing it is to be writing on THIS IS MY LIFE. This blog has inspired me in so many ways and has lifted my spirits on even my worst mornings. I’ve been lucky enough to meet Casie and was thrilled to see that her online personality is one in the same with the woman that stood before me. I always find it interesting to attend events, meeting your Internet friends in person is quite a nerve-wracking experience. Am I the same person that they interact with online? I get a little anxious when they ask what I’m into, what I’m doing…

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BABE YOU’RE MAGIC!

This month has been one of the most exciting OF MY LIFE. Six hours after I landed from the press trip in Spain, I walked in the @Fitzroy #BabeYoureMagic fashion show with an INCREDIBLE group of power women. 36hr later I was en route to @festivaldecannes! In other news, adding a new @imdb credit to my roster for my role in the film #Astronaut that will be coming out soon. Ahhh! I am so behind on blog life but I’m hoping this weekend to really, actually, get everything documented. One of the reasons I started this blog was an attempt to keep more memories. It’s easy to forget everything you do if you don’t write it down. I’m so excited about what’s coming down the pipeline and all the joy life brings. Here’s some amazing photos from the Fitzroy fashion show. Dress: @forloveandlemons ⠀MUA: @hairbyvanessa Photos by Scott Perreira  

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#OfftotheRaces: The Queen’s Plate 2015 at Woodbine Racetrack

Last weekend I took Carla to Woodbine Racetrack for her very first Queen’s Plate. In case you missed my post about it last week, the Queen’s Plate is the oldest continuously run race in North America and Canada‘s oldest thoroughbred horse race, having been founded in 1860. (Wiki). We attended the Hats & Horseshoes party and dressed according to the ReThink at the Races theme in black and white. My dress is an oldie from JacFlash that has a cape and I absolutely love it. It’s that LBD I can always count on when I need to throw on a dress and feel fabulous.  (LBD = Little  Black Dress)   Picked up my hat at Winners while in Ottawa with Mum last week. Bag is Betsy Johnson, shoes Nasty Gal – Shoe Cult, necklace is vintage silver from Tiffany’s (Sean got me me a couple years ago). Glasses are from Polette Eyewear in France. These mirror men were awesome. It was the perfect day to be outside in the sunshine.  Felt like I was wearing a disguise hiding under my huge hat and glasses. It was great! Thought this was a funny moment. Once we arrived and did a tour we took a break to tweet about it. We did ACTUALLY talk to each other.     Caught up with Vanessa and the KP Squad. I decided to take my chances and bet on a whole bunch or horses for the Queen’s Plate. Unfortunately, I didn’t pick the RIGHT ONE. I’m learning to bet as I go here. The winner was Shaman Ghost by one and one-quarter lengths. I’ll be at all the big races for the rest of the season through a partnership with Woodbine Racetrack. Hope I pick a big winner at least ONCE. I did win $10 which is better than nothing. 🙂   Carla and…

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Did Something Neat and It’s Coming to Your Screens! #myinstaxstory

I’ve been working with 1188 a couple months now and recently directed the shoot + social campaign for my first commercial! Yay! Fuji Instax commercial will be on TV, YouTube and social. I’m pretty excited about the whole thing. I’ve always loved working behind the scenes, casting, and being in charge of things, so this is quite neat! FujiFilm Instax Commercial #myinstaxstory I cast three amazing people in the commercial Lauren O’Nizzle, Andrew ‘Gunnarolla‘ Gunadie, and Vanessa Cesario, and the shoot was shot by Becca Lemire. It’s a bit hard to tell how cute the photos are from the commercial above but they are totes adorable. We shot in Trinity Bellwoods Park and at The Store on Queen. Shoutout to Hubby Angela and Wifey Vava from TSOQ for opening the store early for us! Here’s a few snaps from the shoot!     Follow Lauren on Twitter Follow Vanessa on Instagram Subscribe to Gunnarolla on YouTube Check out Becca’s Portfolio Follow TSOQ on Instagram

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Treat Yo Self! Book A Holiday Hair & Makeup Appointment

I recently booked a professional makeup artist to come over and do my makeup before a holiday event. It was SUCH an awesome experience. Having your hair and makeup done by a professional makes a HUGE difference. It’s amazing how much you can learn from a couple hours with an expert. I had Rimmel Canada spokesperson Vanessa Jarman over to doll me up and show me some tricks. She lined my eyes with Rimmel waterproof eyeliner before anything else, and told me to squish my eyes together ‘like I mean it’. This lined the inside of my eyes with a waterproof liner protecting my makeup from fading over the course of the night. A friend recommended an eyeliner stamp from Lovoir.com for future use. She also taught me to use an angle brush or small eyeshadow brush to set my liner with something dry (ie. eyeshadow). I learned about colours to wear for my skin, blending and layering makeup, and using different sized brushes for different parts of the face. I’d been using a rather large blush brush and learned a smaller one is better for blending blush or bronzer around my cheekbones. Vanessa blended three shadows to create my look and added a few individual lashes to make my eyes pop. We threw some hot rollers in my hair to glam it all up and she did a side braid to add some style. After my makeup was done, Vanessa asked about my dress and décolletage. What would be showing? She pulled out Burt’s Bees Radiant and rubbed it along my arms. I was glistened with an ever so slight brilliance. I’m picking up a bottle for myself today! One of the other really rad things about having a pro do your makeup is that they really know faces…

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Next Level Selfie Action | HTC One M8 from Telus

One thing I love about my blog job almost more than the clothes, makeup, jewellery, and trips around the world is GETTING NEW GADGETS! My friends at Telus emailed me on Tuesday to offer me the brand new HTC One M8. I was ecstatic! The device comes out from Telus on April 10th so I’m super stoked to have one before then. I used to have the old HTC One before I spilled water on it. RIP old buddy. I’ve done lots of work with HTC over the last few years and been featured in two HTC campaigns with SayMedia. Last year they had a big one to be the next HTC Influencer and the winner won consulting from me. The winner was Vanessa Grillone and we had a blast working together. Remember this?  OK SO THE IMPORTANT THING HERE IS… THE HTC One M8 HAS A DUAL CAMERA! A WHAT? A CAMERA THAT TAKES A SELFIE AND PHOTO AT THE SAME DAMN TIME.  YEAH BUDDY.  THIS IS SOME NEXT LEVEL *ISH I TELL YA.  You can even move the little selfie box around and change the size. I’m like, mind blown. There are a heap more cool features that I don’t even know about. Things I loved on the last edition of the HTC One were Kid Zone (Zoodles kid mode w/ games for EmBot) and Zoe (auto movie making assistant).  I’m really stoked to get up close and personal with this baby over the weekend. CLEAR MY CALENDAR, MAMA’S GOT A NEW PHONE! In other news, this was my fortune today in a package from essence! Will have those goodies later! Hope you are enjoying the day! ♥ CASIE

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War of the Words | Toronto Poetry Slam

On Saturday I went to my first Poetry Slam w/ Vanessa Grillone and her cousin. It was so awesome! I ended up being one of the judges. When I was 14 I published an anthology of poetry and prose so this was super neat.

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Step Out of Your Comfort Zone, Find Magic

Been loving my walk to work the last week. It’s great to be in a creative office surrounded by art and internet.  Our building is about 10 minutes from my door, major score! Greeted by this sign when I walk in. There’a all kinds of creative, vintagey things around here. Will give you a tour one of these days. I did not wear the right shoes for snow! Doh. Shoudl really know better. Yesterday I took my mentee to the AGO for his first visit and to see the Guggenheim exhibit. We walked around and talked about her future eventually coming up with a plan and some actionable items. Vanessa Grillone won the HTC One contest earlier this year and part of the prize was mentorship from me. See her post about winning here and a guest post on my blog here. I absolutely love the AGo and have been a member for a few years. It’s an amazing place to go and get inspired. Many times I’ve just walked through for 15 minutes and stopped to visit a few favourites. I never miss Andy Warhol or walking through Gallery Italia (above). Saw this art on my way to work today. Made this before I left the house 🙂 One of the things I chatted Vanessa about yesterday was stepping out of your comfort zone. That’s where the magic happens guys. This is an excellent time of year to reflect on the year passed and think about where you want to be this time next year. I don’t even know where my comfort zone is anymore I step out and do the unexpected so often! Don’t be afraid to try something new, you’ll most likely be surprised at the opportunity it creates! Have an awesome day! <3 CASIE (I drew…

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Alicia Keys Rocks Canadian Designed Eyewear – AND THE WINNER IS….

I’ve posted about Clearly Contacts a few times over the last two years and built a pretty good relationship with them. Remember summer Sixties Summer Love, Ray Bans, and once I interviewed Canadian eyewear designer Derek Cardigan. Today, I got am email from PR that Alicia Keys is wearing Derek’s glasses in her new video! In support of Canadian talent I give props to Derek Cardigan AND Clearly Contacts is giving you a pair of these exact glasses. Deets on how to enter below! See Alicia Keys looking like a babe in these glasses…. Now see yourself in these glasses looking fabulous… How do I win? You know the drillio, tweet me and Clearly Contacts by clicking below. If you do it right away you have a better chance of winning. I would like to get your order in before Friday so you get them next week! The glasses retail for $89 and can are style ‘Derek Cardigan 7017 Shadow‘.  See his entire collection here and upload a photo to try them on without leaving your house couch.  I have a couple pairs and got Mum a sweet pair with polarized lenses last summer. You will be happy, trust me. Tweet to Win here Tweet to @casiestewart Clearly Contacts has awesome prices and is constantly offering great deals. They published a winter style guide if you want one more item to add to your wish list. Looking forward to picking a WINNER! I love the holidays and giving things away. Yippeee! Much love, CASIE <3 [View the story “And the @clearlycontacts winner is…” on Storify] And the @clearlycontacts winner is… Storified by CASIE STEWART · Thu, Dec 20 2012 05:43:26 @casiestewart @clearlycontacts I would love to win the new Alicia Keys glasses by Derek Cardigan! Pick me! #happyholidaysCarly-Anne Fairlie @casiestewart @clearlycontacts I would love to win…

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And the LAZY PANTS Winner is…

Thank you everyone who entered the LAZY PANTS contest. After putting all the names in random.org, the WINNER IS SHELDON. Thanks bro! I’m wearing mine right now after spending most the day horizontal on the couch being lazzzzzzzy. Take a look at the entries and please enter next contest. I’ll try and arrange another giveaway soon! Follow @ThatsLazy on Twitter/Instagram! [View the story “LAZY PANTS CONTEST ENTRIES” on Storify] LAZY PANTS CONTEST ENTRIES Storified by CASIE STEWART · Sun, Nov 18 2012 19:10:02 Feeling so lazy after 9 hours of serving pizza – wonder who won them #itsLazy pants from @casiestewartVanessa Grillone @CasieStewart I need LAZYSUPPORT. Pup needs something cozy to lay on during the long winter days #thatslazy #pupcuddles http://pic.twitter.com/jE7rMEJPVanessa Grillone Hey @casiestewart & @thatslazy, I want a pair of those pants, but I’m too lazy to think of a good reason why #thatslazySheldon Levine It’s tiring being King which is why I need @thatslazy pants to unwind. cc: @casiestewart #thatslazy http://pic.twitter.com/UBkc0GtTKarl Zenith Nieva Hi @casiestewart /’m so \azy I need help to prevent the /etters ._n my tweet from /aying down after a wh_./e #thatslazy http://goo.gl/KqXIKWilliam Jones @casiestewart & @thatslazy – my office attire needs a 3rd musketeer. seriously. ALL FOR ONE and something.. #thatslazy http://pic.twitter.com/F2ZX2V6HLaura Patania I’ve watched 3 seasons of Sons of Anarchy.. this week #thatslazy @casiestewart @thatslazySteffi Mindorff

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