Keira-anne.com

Photos (Top to Bottom): Hunter Boots; Wüsthof Knives; both dresses Diane von Furstenberg; KitchenAid; Urban Outfitters; Apple; Stuart Weitzman at Nordstrom; FashionBeans

It’s been a long while since your last lurk into my bathroom. For a girl who can get ready at the start of the day in the blink of an eye, I admittedly have a lot of “stuff” with which to do so. Some of it almost never gets used, some of it only comes out for special occasions and other items I can’t live without. We’ve all got our favourites. Here are a few of mine…

I’m very particular when it comes to body moisturizers. Naturally they need to smell as though they’d taste equally delicious, but endurance is important. I require something that will keep my skin supple all day and the Body Shop’s body butter does just that. It’s not unusual for me to go through a jar each month. Brazil Nut is my pony.

Never one to give powder a chance, I always assumed it would be messy and leave unsightly residue in my hair and on my skin. Not so, and I’ve discovered Sugar Leaf powder from Barefoot Venus. Locally made and infused with red fruit, peach and vanilla essences, this subtle product is quickly becoming my daily perfume replacement.

Despite how much I love Lush’s bubble bars, $8 doesn’t go a long way. Many other drugstore bubble baths are made with far too many chemically-produced fragrances – even the supposed naturally scented ones. Thankfully some are designed for more delicate skin and are far less abrasive. Life brand from Shopper’s Drug Mart has created this lavender and chamomile bubble bath designed to lull babies to sleep at the end of the day. They must be doing something right because I too fell asleep in the tub on the weekend.

My quest for skincare seems to be an eternal one, but I somehow always end up back with my old pal, Clinique. It’s dermatological formulated and approved and never fails to leave my skin feeling clean and refreshed. You can’t top a classic.

Months ago when my hair was breaking all over my crown and sending me into a frantic panic, I wasted no time in fixing my hair – and keeping it that way. Prior to that, I’d been skimping out on my usual dousing of Bumble & bumble.’s Tonic spray. To ensure that me and my hair never again break up, this daily dose of vitamins, minerals and essential extracts is a non-negotiable.

You’ve probably heard your girlfriends mention them. Maybe you’ve even considered buying a pair of Tweezerman tweezers. Yes, they are worth it.

Anyone who has ever gone shopping with me in an attempt to purchase body wash knows first-hand how arduous I find the task each time. I do want something moisturizing but I don’t want a cleansing cream. I do want something that lathers but I don’t want a soap-based wash that strips my skin. And don’t even get me started on how many body washes overpower with their scent bouquets. I was elated to discover Neutrogena’s Rainbath Deep Moisture body wash with butters of cocoa, mango and shea.

What would I find in your bathroom?

Thanks to all who entered my LittleEvaCharlotte Etsy contest over the last week. I’m pleased to announce our winner, Adrienne Jackson, who selected the Flour Sack Hat as her favourite item. Adrienne, please send an e-mail to the ladies of LittleEvaCharlotte with your mailing information. Congratulations!

In European Renaissance, those of royalty or upper-class society often married simply for the preservation of bloodlines and social status. More often than not, these men and women sought entertainment and companionship on the side from particular people who were educated, independent, trained in the arts and added a sense of sensuous luxury to life.

These particular people were known as courtesans.

Less than two months ago, fifteen years of planning finally came to fruition in the form of Yaletown’s newest boutique, Qortezan. The shop reflects owner Edie Orenstein’s personal sense of empowerment, manifested in retail form: “I wanted to create a sensual environment of pleasure that includes all the senses.” Edie believes there’s a difference between sensuality and sexuality, and Qortezan has been designed to highlight taste, touch, smell, sound and sight through textures, layers and an expansion of these elements.

Filled with beautiful silks, rich colours, enticing scents, entertaining books and candles designed to flicker just right, Qortezan was a boutique I fell in love with the moment I walked in the door two weeks ago. I should also add that Jordy accompanied me the first time – Qortezan is completely dog-friendly!

Men will find no shortage of handsomely tailored, hand-made shirts, crafted in Montréal from Italian and German fabrics. What’s more, the entire line is accompanied by a number of shiny cufflinks to provide contrast and refined style.

Some cufflinks are just for fun too…

One cannot enter Qortezan and ignore the fact that it’s also somewhat of a treasure chest of pleasure. Too often there’s still a stigma attached to items, lotions and potions designed for romps in the bedroom, but this is one shop aimed at breaking down any potential shame. Instead, Qortezan provides a comfortable and safe ambiance to indulge your carnal side.

Aside from her desire to bring a few of her favourite little things from overseas to our slice of the globe, Edie Orenstein also has an immense passion for flamenco dancing. Not only are traditional, hand-stitched manton scarves and leather flamenco shoes available for purchase (direct from Seville, Spain) at Qortezan, the shop will soon be transforming into a dance space for special events.

My personal favourite part of the shop is the vast array of bras, panties, nylons, bustiers and feathered delights. Largely featured is one of my most-loved lingerie lines, Blush. I should also mention that, in addition to mens’ clothing, us ladies can also find some fabulous pieces that can be worn outside of the bedroom.

Lastly, but certainly not least, Qortezan is fully stocked with everything one would need to bring this sensual environment from the shop to the home. Rare mens’ colognes, sweet perfumes and essentially-scented candles can be found all through-out the shop. I’m not normally a girl who likes cologne on a man, but I certainly wouldn’t kick him out of bed for wearing Pal Zileri’s signature scent or a dab of Lab.

If you’d like to visit Qortezan for yourself, visit the shop in person at 1035 Mainland Street in Yaletown, downtown Vancouver, just south of Nelson Street. No stranger to social media, Qortezan can also be found online, on Twitter, on Flickr and on Facebook.

Regular musical acts (including an upcoming appearance by Jim Byrnes), wine nights, fragrance evenings, phenomenal sales and so much more will be happening on a regular basis, so be sure to sign up for Qortezan’s e-mail list.

Vicious beatings, crude instruments for prodding, verbal degradation, humiliation, chains and cuffs and megalomaniacal antagonists. While all of these sound like key elements from your humble narrator’s favourite Rob Zombie flick, they’re a part of everyday life for elephants in the Ringling Bros. Circus.

Last week PETA released the “fruits” of months of intense undercover investigation behind the largest and oldest traveling circus in the United States. Disturbing video footage screams loud and clear the heinous accounts of blatant animal abuse perpetrated against these gentle giants.

Former Jackass and circus entertainer, Steve-O, recently teamed up with PETA in this video to speak out against these crimes. If you can get past his silly laughter, he does make some good points.

A formal complaint has now been filed with the United States Department of Agriculture and all evidence collected has been submitted. It’s my hope that the beatings will stop and the elephants (and other animals) will instead be sent to sanctuaries to enjoy the rest of their lives in peace. If you’d like to lend your voice to the cause, please click here to easily send an e-mail to the USDA’s Secretary of Agriculture, Thomas J. Vilsack.

The other day, as I spooned myself a bowlful of yogurt with lunch, I decided to check out the ingredient list out of curiosity. I always like to know how much sugar I’m consuming. To my surprise, I discovered that my beloved Island Farms yogurt contains gelatin. After a quick e-mail to them, followed by a prompt and pleasant reply, I was happy to learn that a new line of 2% Pro-Plus yogurt was being introduced to the Island Farms family – and it’s gelatin-free! And not only that, Island Farms confirmed to me that all their ice cream is also gelatin-free. Phewf!

However, my discovery prompted me to do some further research into animal by-products in food. Imagine my upset over learning not only what rennet is, but also that it’s used in many, many cheeses to coagulate the milk.

What is rennet? A complex of enzymes derived from the inner stomach of baby calves and is therefore a by-product of the cattle slaughter industry.

Dried and cleaned stomachs of young calves are sliced into small pieces and then put into saltwater or whey, together with some vinegar or wine to lower the pH of the solution. After some time (overnight or several days), the solution is filtered. The crude rennet that remains in the filtered solution can then be used to coagulate milk. About 1 gram of this solution can normally coagulate 2000 to 4000 grams of milk. Today this method is used only by traditional cheese-makers in central Europe: Switzerland, Jura, France, Romania, and Alp-Sennereien in Austria.

Most hard cheeses, such as cheddar and Monterey Jack, list rennet as a key ingredient. Though thankfully, most varieties of mozzarella, brie (including Little Qualicum Cheeseworks’ brie), goat cheese, cream cheese, cottage cheese, etc. is made without rennet. And further, many cheeses are now offered with a vegetarian-based coagulate. Read your labels, kids.

Lucky for me, all this means is being much more conscious about my grocery shopping selections instead of foregoing cheese altogether.

After searching for a new facial cleansing routine, I ended up deciding to give Lush a try. Aside from the intoxicating aromas and elixirs, Lush is known for supporting their community (which just so happens to be Vancouver), protecting the planet and saving animals from cruel and unnecessary testing.

After consulting with one of the associates and being offered a number of products in a wide price range, I decided on the Angels on Bare Skin cleanser, Eau Roma toner and the Celestial moisturizer. It’s nice to buy products on which you can read the rather short ingredient list. The associate was delighted that I’d picked all the same products she uses at home – and she had terrific skin.

The best way I can describe what cleansing my face with Lush products is to think about your favourite place in nature, bottling it up and smearing it on your face. I basically just washed my face with the rainforest in Tofino. It felt so great, in fact, that I didn’t put any make-up on my skin before leaving the house today.

Hand-made in Vancouver, Lush products – many of which are vegan – each boast the friendly face behind what you’re using. While the products have a much shorter lifespan due to the lack of preservatives, they’re all date-stamped with the date of creation and expiration.

Being that I dropped more than $50, I was entitled to a free shampoo bar (this promotion runs through to the end of June). Though skeptical, I chose one being that it was free and settled on the Godiva bar…

If only you could scratch and sniff your computer screen. This shampoo bar created a luscious, fragrant lather and left my hair squeaky clean.

The final piece of loot I stuffed in my bag was the Marilyn hair moisturizer. Comprised of chamomile, organic lemon juice and saffron, it’s designed to soften, brighten and love your hair.

I want to avoid dying my hair from now on (harsh chemicals can’t possibly be good for a girl’s tresses), so I brought Marilyn into my weekly hair care routine. After only one use, not only is my hair kitten-soft, the mousy coloured roots of winter have practically disappeared!

Lush can be found on Vancouver Island at Woodgrove Mall (6631 Island Highway, Nanaimo), Hillside Mall (1644 Hillside Avenue, Victoria) and in downtown Victoria at 1003 Government Street. Please visit the Lush website for Greater Vancouver and all other locations.

I’ve been there and done that. I’ve tried a whole gamut of different skin care products and, while I normally end up settling on Clinique, the seven-month itch has hit me again. Clinique is a great line, but I feel after several months’ use, my skin becomes immune to it and craves something new.

Photo: jay.tong on Flickr

In recent years I have, in fact, tried no less than the following:

• Clinique
• Aveeno (Never. Again.)
• Neutrogena
• Kiehl’s
• Ren (Love this but it’s quite pricey…)
• Noxema
• Stella McCartney PURE

I’m sure there are more but I can’t recall. I’m overwhelmed by department stores at the best of time and really don’t know which direction to head in next. While I’m leaning towards trying Aveda, I’m hoping for some input.

The skin care line needs to leave my skin feeling fresh, ideally needs to be under $100 for a cleanser, toner and moisturizer and, most importantly, needs to be a line found on PETA‘s list of companies and products that do not test on animals. (You can check if your brand tests on our furry friends here.)

Okay ladies (and gentlemen)… the floor is yours. Tell me what you use.

When I was younger, I had the nickname “Princess of Products” with some of my friends. I love new smelly lotions and luxurious potions; squeaky clean shampoos and lusciously fruity lip balms. No one can deny that sometimes a few new things can boost how a girl feels about herself in a nano-second.

Here are a few fun and frivolous things I have picked up over the last few days…

I’ve recently started a habit of collecting pottery pieces from Qualicum Beach potter, Darrel Hancock, and grabbed this serving bowl on the weekend. I am in love with his ocean-inspired glazes, minimalist design and functionality. More of his work can be seen and purchased through Side Street Studio in Victoria, BC.

Comox Valley carver Courtney Powell has taken his incredible skill and created bangles, necklaces and earrings in additions to his breathtaking masks, burl bowls and wall hangings. I couldn’t resist this pair of earrings crafted from scrap douglas fir branches harvested on Vancouver Island. For you mainlanders, keep your eye open for Courtney’s work selling in Whistler.

I doubt I’ll ever break my years-long addiction to Bumble & bumble., but I’m okay with that. I go through phases throughout the year: the Creme de Coco line in the winter, the Seaweed line in the spring and summer with Gentle Shampoo and Alojoba Conditioner to transition me into fall.

Ethically-traded and animal-friendly are synonymous descriptions when it comes to The Body Shop. I’ve finally made my way back to the products that marked my teen years, including brazil nut-scented Body Butter and Born Lippy strawberry lip balm. Pink Grapefruit shower gel will ensure fresh and revived mornings through hot and sticky summer days.

And last, but certainly not least, there are few things I enjoy as much as phenomenal television programming and Chris Meloni. Clearly, the two dance very intimately in the culmination that is HBO’s Oz. I’ve said enough about it that nothing else is left to say.

Bedtime. Goodnight.

I haven’t blogged in a few days. You missed me, I missed you, so here we go.

Finally I’ve received word that Mount Washington will be hitting the ‘on’ switch on their lifts this Friday, December 19. Being that it’s the mountain’s 30th anniversary, all adult alpine lift tickets are only $30, so strap on and get up there.

You asked questions. I answered.

Life’s been busy lately – really busy – and I am quite sure there are more commitments than there is “available Keira-Anne.” Cookies aren’t getting baked, my Christmas cards are sitting in a sealed stack waiting to be stamped and mailed, my Christmas shopping list is far from finished and there are only three more sleeps until I leave for holidays on the Island. Am I the only one running around with too much to do and too little time? I doubt it…

Oh but I got something else and it’s awesome.

Photo: Shu Uemura

Just this morning, I was saying to myself how bent out of shape my Clinique eyelash curler is. Lo’ and behold, this morning I received yet another Christmas gifts from one of the lawyers I work for. She gave me one of Shu Uemura’s 24K Gold Limited Edition Eyelash Curlers – one of only 100 in Canada, apparently. It’s pretty.