Written by Sasha

Hi - I'm heading home to Toronto for a wedding in 2 weeks and am going to treat myself to a manicure. I'm excited for the treat, but have a serious lack of inspiration - all the painted nails I see in my adopted smaller town are French manicures or involve unnecessary flourishes. I'd rather have naked nails than spend my student budget on that. What colors should I be thinking about using so that I still look like one of the cool kids?Thanks, SP

SP, I hate the look of French manicures. I know I’m hurting a lot of people’s feelings by saying this, but I’m sorry, they scream Hicksville to me. And I'm even gonna second my own motion after seeing Blue Valentine. Did you see Michelle Williams french manicured nails? They kept popping up in every damn scene and I couldn’t help but be grossed out. And let me just say that it takes a lot to distract me from Ryan Gosling. (I actually at one point leaned over to my man and said, ‘oh my god, he’s so hot I love him so much!’ -- In retrospect, um, not such an ideal comment. Oops.) Anyway, the point is I don’t like them and for the love of all that is good and holy don’t even get me started on French manicured toe nails. F-ck me.

So SP, now that the world is back in alignment and we all know that the French mani is not an option, here are some colors you should look out for.

Metallic colors are pretty happening right now. Take a peek at OPI’s Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous and Chanel’s Black Pearl for what I mean. Oh and MAC makes a great range of metallic options too. So if the wedding is a bit more formal this would be perfect!

On the flipside you can go the nude route too. I love this look – simple and pretty. One of my favorites is Chanel’s Inattendu but there are lots of cheaper brands, like Essie, that make a similar color.

Now if nude isn’t quite your steez then there are other great color options that are hot right now as well: Lavender, peach, gun metal grey, mink, and ice blues are very on trend. But one of my favorites is still that pastel mint shade. Granted it’s too much day-in, day-out but I think this would look lovely for a casual spring wedding. Joe Fresh makes a great array of colored polishes and they’re cheap, like 4 bucks a pop, so if I were you, I’d buy a bunch and see what goes best with your outfit. And of course, any nail salon you go to should have these colors in stock.

Last but not least, if you’re into something a little edgier I absolutely LOVE the look of the two toned half-moon manicure. Celebs like Rihanna are rockin’ it so of course it'll be a few weeks before every damn person will be busting them out. So before you become a style statistic, I say GO for it! (Lainey: for the record, I just messaged Sasha and asked her what she’s smoking with this two tone half-moon craziness. She says it’s her “inner low classy love”.)


I have always wanted my (now) husband to have a kick-ass leather bomber. Not only because they're awesome and timeless, but because he is lean and wears clothes very well (he's a bit short, around 5'9 and perhaps thin is a better word than lean, but you get the picture). I have checked out a few Canadian companies I've come across like Mackage (I lean towards this or m0851).

I am re-inspired by Eminem lately, as you too have noticed he is rocking some great leather bombers, as well as Drake and even wee Biebs. I live in Toronto and need some guidance! Are there any particular designers that are better tailored for a smaller fit? Or just plain awesome? C

C by the sounds of it, you and I have the same stature of man; the exact dimensions in fact, and since my homie and I have been together we’ve had our share of jacket woes. Weird but true, my husband actually devoted a part of his wedding speech to my hatred for this one particular leather jacket. He loved this thing, and would strut with it on like it was the bomb. And while it was cute that he was trying to impress me, I couldn’t help but feel my lady parts shrivel up every time he put it on.

Anyway, here’s the deal when it comes to bombers and our tiny little tots. The main challenge lies in the arm length. It’s the key to a perfect fit. I found that a lot of the jackets would fit him perfectly in the shoulders, but would be far too long in the arms. This of course ruins the look no matter how hot our munchkins are. That said in this case going the vintage route isn’t the best bet. Not only will it take a sh-t ton of time to find the perfect one but many of them are super boxy giving off the rather unappealing look of a leather crop top.

But luckily C, we live in Toronto which means we have a city full of Where’s Waldo indie types that are looking for the same slim fit, so here are a few places to hit up.

Rudsak is quite similar to Mackage, both are from MTL, however I find Rudsak’s styles a bit softer in design, which I like more. Look at styles 2/4/6 and then after, can we get all pervy about that male model? Yah yah, im a pedophile…whatever.

Next is Danier. Now don’t snob out just yet. Danier has been on a mission to appeal to a younger demo and might I say, they’ve done really well. They’ve totally pushed forward with their styles and the leather is great quality. Oh and a good style tip is to look out for ribbed cuffs and a really soft leather, so he can push up the sleeves a bit. Check out here, here, here and here for some great options.

There are also some cool men’s boutiques in the city that might carry the perfect leather bomber, so check out: Ruins, Jac Flash, Klaxon Howl, Oliver Spencer and UPC. And of course hit up H&M because every season they always put out at least one great men’s leather bomber.

Now outside of Toronto I would totally visit Topshop online – young Brit men looove a small tight fitting leather jacket. Also last year my man bought this great hooded leather jacket (think JT in the Like I Love You video) and it looks great. He got a size 40.

C, there you have it, I hope this helps and at the very least gives you a good starting point!


I have been seeing the same hairdresser for 3+ solid years but I'm starting to feel like I want out. Its seriously feeling like I'm breaking up with someone! She great, funny, we have good chats, and have always kept it strictly client/hairdresser. She has invited me to housewarmings/BBQs but because we are so very different I've always felt more comfortable keeping it casual. But the long and short of it is that we get along great and she does a good job. So good in fact, I have brought 3 or 4 of my friends there to see her. Which is where the problems start, one of my friends has recently brought her along to an event or 2 and she’s... embarrassing. Like, gets drunk, loud, grabs peoples hair and tells them what she would do etc. Uncomfortable. To complicate further, she lives on the same street as another group of friends who have heard her rep of "getting around the block", and she has even shown up at some block parties where I have been too, and again, embarrassing. She's also started to get overbearing with me - when I want to change things up, she won't listen, or says I won't like it, and she keep CHOPPING my hair shorter and shorter (keeping it healthy she says). I keep saying I'm a student right now, I don't need it, but chop chop away it goes. So here's the problem. Do I cut and run, knowing that my friends will keep seeing her, and I might even see her in casual settings and just deal with the awkwardness? Or do I stand my ground and stand up for my hair choices? Or am I complaining about nothing - I mean she charges a good rate, she does a good job, and mostly its the "outside of work" issues I have problems with... and the thought of finding another good hairdresser is just so tedious! Any advice appreciated :) N

N, eek, breaking up with your hairstylist is never fun and your current situation is even suckier now that you don’t have the option for a clean break. Either way though, here’s what I think you need to do. I say you give her one more chance, because in all fairness it doesn’t sound like you’ve actually told her that you're not digging what she’s been doing with your hair lately. So, the next time you sit in her chair you need to be straight up and tell her that you haven’t loved the last few cuts. From there, tell her what you want. If, after that, you still don’t think she’s heard a word then I’d bounce and start searching for a new stylist STAT. Like, as superficial as it sounds my hair is really important to me and if my stylist is going to f-ck up my ‘do, then it’s time to cut them out.

And listen, I like shooting the sh-t with my hair stylist too - we get pretty down and dirty - but when it comes time to talk the biz of my hair, we snap back to professional chatter. In your case it seems as though your girl has totally abandoned that client-stylist relationship. Just because she’s knocked down a few drinks with you and your pals, doesn’t mean she can get lax when it comes down to the professional stuff. You know?

So if it does come down to a case where you leave her then yes, it’s going to be uncomfortable the next time you bump into her, but frankly, who gives a sh-t. As long as you give her that second chance to do her job then you really shouldn’t feel guilty about it.

I hope this helps with your decision. And in the name of AMAZING hair I leave you with a picture of Jennifer Lopez, who’s honestly a freaking goddess.


Photos from Jason Merritt/Kevork Djansezian/Michael Loccisano/Gettyimages.com