Earls Adds Summer Fun In The Financial District

A warm and welcoming west coast feel, champagne on hand to greet and a menu with a flirtatious sense of fun- caught your attention yet? Earl’s Restaurant, located in the heart of Toronto’s financial district, recently inaugurated their summer patio and created a welcoming place where everything good in life tastes even better in a relaxed yet extremely stylish environment.

The patio launch was impressive; Earls hired the best local d.js to keep the crowd “vibing” and poured Dom Perignon and Moet Chandon to cater the exclusive crowd. Each booth and section had cigars on hand for the guests. Earls is a great addition to Toronto’s vibrant restaurant scene and is will be on of the busy hot spots in the financial district this summer. Definitely worth checking out. www.earls.ca

Liberty Social Hour: Le Bel Été – Are You In?

Perhaps the atmosphere of last Thursday’s Liberty Social Hour is best captured by the name of our host venue: Merci Mon Ami – it was truly a gathering of friends. For some, it was the greeting of old friends but for most, it was being finally able to exchange names and numbers with the faces they’ve seen and the businesses they’ve come across in the neighbourhood.

Trinity-Spadina PC Candidate Mike Yen was there. Folks from Danceology, Kingwest Fitness, and other studios came by. Artists, techies, designers and chefs made appearances. Residents came out. Commuters dropped in. From veteran Villagers to aspiring hopefuls… the collection of guests were as varied and interesting as the Liberty Village mosaic itself.

And as usual, food was delicious and drinks were refreshingly apt for a summer’s evening.

I can’t wait for the next Liberty Social Hour at Locus 144. With live singer Lucia, drink specials and menu promotions all happening in conjunction with Live It Up.  Liberty Social Hour: Le Bel Été.

For more pictures go to: Link

Shellac- My experience getting the 3 week Manicure!

About 3-4 weeks ago, I was feeling a little adventurous and decided to try out this new thing, Shellac, that everyone is talking about. A couple of my friends were talking about and raving about the way it left their nails looking. I’m not very fussy about nails, I will occasionally get color before an event but I like to keep it pretty natural. I originally went to the salon for a simple manicure and the lady convinced me to try out the “3 week” manicure. Since everyone was raving about this new thing “Shellac” I said, why not, it was only a difference of 10 dollars and if it’s going to strengthen my nails and not chip, then I guess it’s worth it.

The Process and application of Shellac:

I sat in the chair and the lady started working on the masterpiece. I was already thoroughly impressed by the manicure part. My nail buds looked tidy and my cuticles were perfectly clean. After seeing the manicure working out smoothly I relaxed a bit more and started to get more excited about this Shellac business. I picked the color I wanted, which was a rose pink and watched as my nail technician cleaned out her station and got ready. The shellac, to my surprise, came in a bottle that looks identical to nail polish. It is also applied just the same way as nail polish. After the first coat, I was asked to put my hands under a UV light, slightly confused by the process, I simply nodded and did what was asked of me. 2 coats later, my nails look fabulous. The color was glossy, and my nails didn’t look fake or thick. I was extremely impressed and happy with my decision.

Removal of Shellac:

As I went up to pay and got ready to head out, I asked the lady about the removal process. She said, you come back every 3 weeks for a fill or dip a cotton pad in nail polish remover and place in on top of the Shellac polish for 5-10 minutes to completely remove it. I think she noticed my stunned expression, which screamed, “I have no time for that.” She quickly said with a smile on her face that I can wrap a piece of aluminum wrap around my finger to hold the cotton pad down in order to do my work and not be distracted. I was a tad turned off about the removal process, but then again, I should have asked before making the commitment to this manicure.

Well, last night was the time to take off my Shellac. So I did exactly what was asked of me. And just like the lady described, after 10 minutes, the gel polish slid off my nails. There were still some pieces I had to pole with a tweezer but it was not bad at all. My nails are not damaged and my cuticles still look decent. I think this might be something to keep up, but with my crazy schedule, I’m not sure If I have the time to go back every three weeks for a fill.

My experience with Shellac was great! I was a little taken aback by the fact the I was not briefed on the removal process before the application began. But this was a simple miscommunication. The nail technician didn’t answer because I did not ask. All in all, during months with back-to-back events, I will definitely be considering the 3 week manicure. Have you ever tried Shellac before? What was your experience like?

A BEAUTIFUL SUMMER NIGHT IN LIBERTY VILLAGE

With a tagline promising “5 Thursdays, 5 Locations, 1 Community,” Liberty Social Hour: Le Bel Été kicked off on July 7, 2011. Held at Barista Espresso Bar on East Liberty St., a cozy café with a distinctly European feel, guests were treated to free appetizers, $5 beers and an evening spent rubbing shoulders with fellow Liberty Villagers.

Hoping to do its part in fostering community relations, the inaugural event did not disappoint. The neighbourly welcome began at the door and carried its way inside, where, akin to a party held at a friend’s house, introductions and co-mingling were plentiful. Even one-time mayoral candidate, Sarah Thomson, CEO of Women’s Post and current Liberal candidate for October’s election, stopped by to say hi!

After an evening spent making new friends, a gift bag featuring information and deals from various businesses located in Liberty Village was given out, placing a metaphorical cherry on the top of the night. With one Thursday down and four more to go, the next Liberty Social Hour is taking place on July 14 at Merci Mon Ami, on their 3rd year anniversary and a portion of sales will be donated to ovarian cancer. Attending Liberty Social Hour definitely reminded me why living in Liberty Village truly means a beautiful summer is ahead.

For more pictures go to: Link

Chef’s Challenge for a Cure

Bobby Flay is no stranger to culinary showdowns. This November, however, he’ll be hosting a culinary challenge in the name of ovarian cancer research at Mount Sinai Hospital.

We were lucky enough to attend the press conference for the second annual Chef’s Challenge last Wednesday and boy did our stomachs thank us. Each celebrity chefs came with a special hors-d’ouevre and everything was simply delicious! Whoever end up getting to work with these chefs is in for a real treat.

Chefs present included David Rocco, host of La Dolce Vita, Massimo Capra, host of Restaurant Makeover and Mark McEwan, head judge on Top Chef Canada and host of The Heat with Mark McEwan.

Though we’re not huge chefs ourselves, the event looks so exciting and goes towards such a great cause that it had us thinking we’d want to participate too! The actual Challenge will be hosted on November 26, 2011 and will feature six (one more than last year) celebrity chefs from The Food Network who will each lead a team of 10 top fundraisers and self-proclaimed foodies to create the best-tasting five-course meal, as judged by a panel of celebrity judges. Last year, the Challenge raised $1.1 million for ovarian cancer research. This year, they plan to do even better!

Should be great! Can’t wait to see the culinary rivalry heat things up!

Ps. The Sub-Zero Wolf showroom is spectacular. It could not be more gorgeously designed. Great venue.

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