Wedding: Dress Advice from Weddingbells’ Editor-in-Chief Alison McGill

Time is going by so quickly. One of the items on my list in the distant future is the dress. I'm actually the oldest in my family and the first to get married- so the whole process is a new one. 

I'm extremely lucky to give this exclusive advice from Weddingbells’ Editor-in-Chief Alison McGill!

When is it the best time to look for your dress? One year before? Six months?
The sooner you can start shopping for your dress the better. Some dresses can take up to six months to manufacture and deliver so that’s why the more time you allow the better.

Where should you get dress inspiration from?
There are so many places to find dress inspiration. You can definitely find it with Weddingbells, both in our magazine pages and online where we post extensive galleries of the newest designer collections from New York and London (Spring 2015 collections were posted earlier this month). Pinterest of course is also an endless source of inspiration for all things weddings. Read fashion magazines, and I also recommend looking to the red carpet to see what celebrities are wearing—it is one of our main sources of inspiration at Weddingbells!

Who should you bring along when you go dress shopping? (Who shouldn’t you bring?)
When you are bridal dress shopping, keep the crowd to a minimum. I advise bringing only one or two people with you—and as for who you invite, that’s completely up to you. It should be people you are comfortable with, whose opinion you value and who will make the day a fun one for you. That might be your mom, sister, best friend...it may even be your fiancé. Most women still want the dress to be a surprise for the groom on their wedding day but we are seeing some brides who do take their mister-to-be along for dress shopping.

When going dress shopping what are three helpful tips to keep you organized?
1. Go in with an open mind. The dress style you may think you will never wear might turn out to be the one.
2. Before you go dress shopping, be sure to be fit and measured for proper undergarments! I can’t stress this point enough. It is totally going to impact how things fit and what looks good on you.
3. Don’t overschedule your shopping. You may think booking a ton of appointments in one day to visit bridal boutiques would be an efficient way to shop and see lots of options, but it will lead to wedding dress overload! Pace yourself and book no more than three appointments in one day.

Beauty News: Live Clean Age Resist Collection

I know that there is a lot of talk about anti-aging skin and body products but what about your hair? As weird as it sounds, I've never thought about it before. When you get older your hair has damage from the so many elements it that it becomes dull and lifeless. 

Now there are products on the market to combat just that!

Live Clean Age Resist Collection

Four carefully targeted eco-friendly and natural products to target aging hair. The gem of the line for me is the Age Resist Miracle Nutrition Oil! Pre- shampoo treatments are so beneficial. I can go on and on about them but I'll leave it for another blog post.

Age Resist Shampoo ($8.99 CAN): 
Gently cleanses without stripping, infusing hair with certified organic Rosehip Oil and Pomegranate, Gogi and Blueberry extracts. Moisturizes with Avocado Oil, thickens, adds fullness and improves texture with Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein (Thick-bond ProteinTM). SLS free.

Age Resist Conditioner ($8.99 CAN): 
Restores hydration with the botanical silicone free alternative of Avocado and Rosehip Oils. Enriched with Anti-Oxi Fruit BlendTM. Thickens, enriches and protects with Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein (Thick-bond ProteinTM). Wonderfully lightweight.

Age Resist Multi 10 in 1 Treatment ($8.99 CAN): 
Powerful multi-purpose, leave-in beauty balm penetrates hair with rich Avocado Oil and the abundant omegas and vitamins of natural Rosehip Oil moisturize, protect, repair, soften, increase sheen, strengthen, smooth, tame fly-aways, shield against UV rays and increase manageability. Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein and Anti-Oxi Fruit BlendTM treat damaged and frail hair ends. 

Age Resist Miracle Nutrition Oil ($11.99 CAN): 
Emergency rescue dual layer oil to be used as a pre- shampoo treatment. Combines oils and utilizes Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, attaching to the hair shaft, increasing sheen, lustre and density of each hair strand causing hair to appear thicker and fuller. Jojoba Oil smoothes unruly hair, imparting shine and manageability. Rosehip and Avocado Oil act as a natural alternative to silicone.

Do you use any anti-aging products for you hair? 

Sally Hansen Mother’s Day Salon Gel Polish collection + Swatches

It's summer and pastels are now in swing again! 

Just in time for Mother's Day Sally Hansen has come out with Mother’s Day Salon Gel Polish collection ($14.95 CAN). Which is available for a limited time exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart.

If your mom is similar to mine- A lady who always has her nails done, this is the perfect Mother's Day gift! She can save money and still look fabulous.

The colour is step number two.
To complete the whole process you need: 

• LED Lamp
• Gel Base Coat
• Gel Top Coat
• Nail Cleanser Pads

The colours from left to right:
Laven-Darling -lilac purple
For Teal -vibrant turquoise
Just Peachy -glistening coral, 
Glamor-fied -metallic nude

I tried the gel polishes and I was very impressed. 

Check out other colours on sale:

They apply smoothly (no streaking) and the colour exactly what you see inside the bottle.

I'm wearing Laven-Darling!

Which I might add looking amazing on my skin tone.

If you see these in Shoppers Drug Mart pick them up because they're limited-edition and will be gone soon!

Currently Obsessed: Hard Candy Highlight & Contoured Cheek Duo in Sunkissed

It's been a while since I've done a currently obsessed post. I've been obsessed with so many products lately that it's been really hard to narrow down and share it all with you. 

Most of it ends up on my Twitter page.

Right now there is a product from Hard Candy that totally changes my whole beauty regime for when I'm going for that glowy look. It's Hard Candy highlight & contoured cheek duo in Sunkissed ($6.98 CAN). 

Contouring has never been easier. Now you can create a multi-dimensional look with just one swipe! Cheeks & Balances provides a dual-toned stick that is designed to deliver the perfect amount of highlighter, and blush/bronzer to sculpt, color and illuminate cheeks.

I recently had the opportunity to go to an exclusive Hard Candy event and try out the new products from the line. I came across this duo and swatched it.. love at first sight! Once applied, it's best to take your fingers blend it in. I love the glow it gives off. It's not greasy nor is it overwhelming. Perfect!

Packaging it comes in a black case with clear top and the product can be distributed by twist at the bottom. It's pretty similar to how your deodorant packaging works.

Swatch

At this point in time on the website this is the only colour that I see offered. In the future, I hope they offer more options with the gold highlighter and various blush colours because I'd buy them all!

Want to shop my closet? Blogger Fashion Week!

I've always loved the idea of shopping closets and working new pieces into my wardrobe. 

With a busy schedule, You may not have the opportunity/time to physically take yourself to your bff's house but I have an option!

FASHION Magazine, Trend Trunk and Style Democracy present www.BloggerFashionWeek.com

From May 5th to 11th you will have the opportunity to shop the closets of 100 bloggers!

How does it work?

A number of bloggers’ closets will be available and ready to be shopped! 

Several bloggers will donate up to 100% of their proceeds to their favourite non-profit or charity through Trend Trunks’ Closets & Causes Program.

Interested? 

It's a great way check out a bloggers style and score a cute piece for less.

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About Trend Trunk
Trend Trunk is an award-winning company, which has created a social community and the leading app and web-based fashion marketplace in Canada. Recently featured on the Marilyn Denis Show and Cityline, the brand also pitched their innovative concept to a panel of Canadian business moguls on CBC‘s hit show Dragon’s Den, aired in November of 2013. For more information visit www.TrendTrunk.com

About FASHION Magazine
Bringing the world of international fashion home to its style-conscious readers, FASHION looks at global trends, up-to-the-minute reports on what’s in Canadian stores now and expert takes on fashion, beauty and style. FASHION is the #1 fashion and beauty brand in Canada with more than 1.7 million readers of FASHION Magazine* and has Canada’s largest fashion social audience including over 514,000 Twitter followers and 213,000 Facebook likes.