Links
Here are some of my favs. Do yourself a favour and take a look! I promise you will
not be disappointed!
Covenant House Vancouver covenanthousebc.org provides food, shelter, clothing, counselling, access
to medical services, and training and support to at-risk youth living in Vancouver. They come from everywhere -
from all across Canada and the United States, from South America, from Europe, from Africa, from South East Asia… we
see them all. And we help them put their lives back together not by giving a hand OUT but by extending a hand UP.
We provide structure, we have expectations, and we believe our programs and our pillars work not only to get kids off
the streets but to get kids off the streets for good.
I worked at Covenant House Vancouver for 3 years. I remain a consultant with the organisation on special campaigns
and I am a volunteer at the agency too. Come down any time for an information session and/or a tour. We'd love
to show you how we work.
Am turning 35 in 2008 and don't want to become Granny Freeze. Thankfully Xenu
has blessed me with Kiss & Makeup located in the Village at Park Royal, West Vancouver. Favourite products for
battling Gran? Definitely Timeless Secret, formulated using some kind of Chinese tea that my people have horded
for centuries as an anti-aging agent and now marketed by a Chinese mother daughter duo who have somehow found their way
into stores like Freg Segal where celebrities buy in boatloads. And available to order online at kissandmakeup.ca.
Kiss is also the largest carrier of Andrea Brueckner in Canada
and can also boast an extensive selection of my favourites Alex & Ani http://www.alexandani.com/about.php (I refuse to take off my
expandable bangles) and CC Skye jewellery.
The technical mastermind behind LaineyGossip.com, Erwin Choi built this site from scratch. The genius of it was that
he built it for someone who still, to this day, has little to no knowledge of how anything works. In other words, if I
can somehow make sense of it, anyone can make sense of it. But it's the simplest things that require the most brilliance,
non? Erwin is hands-on, he's flexible, and he's also a bit of a therapist. When I call him at 4am in a five alarm panic
because I've f&cked up… again… Erwin is as chill as he is skilled. If you're looking to launch your own site… Erwin is your guy.
We chose to go the premium advertising route represented by the best agency in Canada, UpTrend Media. They have a great
relationship with the buyers, they market your site without prioritising profit over integrity, and they always, always stay
true to the vision of your site even if it means not closing a contract. Having said that, they are always begging me not to
cuss so much because of course they understand what advertisers need too. Sigh. I've tried and tried, but I just can't get
through an article about Heather Mills without calling her a f&cking bitch.
Joyce Ma is the principal designer behind Tension,
Sweet Chemise,
Coy Cat, and
T by Tension. Based in Vancouver, Joyce
designs for real women - women with asses, women who might not work out everyday, or even every other day, women who would
like to look amazing in a dress AND be able to eat in that dress too.
Joyce is famous for what she jokingly refers to as her "buffet dresses" - stylish little numbers cut so cleverly you will
get complimented on your way to a third helping at the buffet table in Vegas. Trust.
Dresses are Joyce's signature. I've worn her at the Oscars, at the Junos, and on the red carpet at Canada's Walk of Fame.
From cocktail to high drama, from bridesmaids who actually want to re-wear their wedding dresses after the fact, to sophisticated
ladies looking for work attire, Joyce covers it all. And she's now available online too at maisondemoi.com. The cherry and
the cupcake prints are my current favourites.
Calgary's pre-eminent communications expert - Cathy Downey is quite simply the best. Professional, organised, resourceful,
and creative, Cathy also delivers on the intangibles: she is unflappable under pressure, she is warm and gracious even at the
most trying times, she is kind, she is considerate, and she is very well connected, because she focuses on relationships as the
key to delivering results. Work with her once and you'll want to work with her over and over again.
World class skincare, Dermalogica protects and nourishes
skin and is preferred among those whose faces experience a lot of wear and tear. Like tv anchors and reporters who live under a layer
of foundation for hours every day and travel extensively in between long nights and too much Grey Goose. I can't exist without the Daily Microfoliant
which is, literally, ground powdered rice that you rub into your skin without causing tearing while sloughing off dead nasty cells
and the Precleanse which has made a huge difference with the pimples. Celebrity devotees of Dermalogica include Courteney Cox, Mira
Sorvino, Victoria Beckham, Isla Fisher, Jennifer Lopez and more. Dermalogica has been highly touted by the industry as one of the
leaders in innovative and educational skin care processes while committing to preserving the environment. The brand is continually
looking for new ways to be ecologically aware and all packaging and shipping containers are now either recyclable, photodegradable
or biodegradable.