The Best Kind of Art is Raw

Some of the best artists are self-taught and to me,
 the best kind of art is raw-EstiloLau

Peonies and Libo
Suzy Lake
50'' x 37'', 34 1/2',37''
Chromagenic print

If art is meant to be something, could it be nothing at all? What if it's just that- art, no meaning behind it just a simple square frame on a wall?

It's questions like this that ran through my mind as I walked among the crowd at the Art Gallery of Ontario this past Wednesday. The art gallery is a place where I love to go to, whether it is to sketch, find inspiration or simply attend the latest exhibition with my friends.  For my lovely readers who do not know me personally, art was where I found my love for fashion. Studying art and creating art are in two complete opposite spectrum's. I personally think just because you understand art from an institutional perspective,  it doesn't automatically categorizes you as an ' artist'. Art can and is created by everyone every day. It can be seen in the doodles of a child, the outfit an individual chooses to wear on any particular day, to the lyrics of an inspiring songwriter. None of these 'artist' have attended a prestigious intuition to acquire their right to be called an 'artist'; some of the best artists are self-taught and to me, the best kind of art is raw. Society intoxicates our minds and traps us in a consumer culture that is very hard to escape from and our only way of liberation is through our unique form of self-expression. Art would be much easier to comprehend and appreciate if we did not have a preconceived notion of the world around us, where we see no race or social class and just see each other as people. 

For those who are unfamiliar with the Art Gallery of Ontario, I would highly recommend visiting. Wednesday after 6:00pm general admission is free

On exhibit Right Now

Jean-Michel Basquiat

This is Toronto 

This series of photographs by Suzy Lake really captivated me as I walk passed her exhibition.
 The use of pinks and blues created a powerful contrast against the white wall,
H&M turtle neck
Forever 21 jogger trousers
Adidas SuperStar black on white 

One of my  favourite designer pieces in my closet
Sem Vaccaro Blazer
by Mario Sem
Design and Produced In Italy 

Never let anyone discourage you from doing what you love,
there is someone out there who will fall in love with your true essence.        

            

Win a ticket to World MasterCard Fashion Week 2015

The awaited World MasterCard Fashion Week is just around the corner, on March 22-27 David Peacut Square downtown Toronto  se viste de gala, as trendsetter across the country patiently wait to see this season’s hottest trends walk the runway. It’s an exciting year for Canadian Fashion, as our industry has become an important platform attracting world renowned talent. This year’s 2015 Fall Collection will be showcasing top Canadian designers like Pink Tartan, Rudsak, SOIA & KYO, David Dixon, Vawk, Melissa Nepton along with this year's Mercedes-Benz Start up designer Sid Neigum.  Canadian designers offer contemporary pieces, with tasteful colour palettes and a unique style signature.We predict to see playful patterns and textures back in our closets this upcoming season. Whether you are a fashion designer or a fashion enthusiast you do not want to miss this year’s World MasterCard Fall 2015 Collection. We spoke to Toronto’s fashion blogger Joseph Adamu about what fashion means to him, and he said “Fashion is how one expresses himself, which goes beyond the materialistic form. The way one creatively constructs  their own unique style using simple pieces” Model: Joseph Adamu instagram @flygeria ENTER TO WIN A free ticket this year's World MasterCard Fall 2015 Collection Submit 150 words to estilolau@gmail.com What does Fashion Mean To you? by March 9 2015 The winner will be announced on Vida TO instagram  on March 13 2015 In order to you win, you must be  Following  @vidatoronto and @xololaa on Instagram  This event is a 19+ event

Get Ready for Bed With Me: My Skincare Routine

Hello Mis Amores, There is no better feeling than being able to jump into bed with a clean face in your favorite sweat pants, and scroll through your feed. So tonight’s post is about my favorite part of my day. When I am able to take off my make-up and cleanse my skin. My skincare routine takes me about 10 minutes using my top three favorite products.If you are like me and you are guilty of falling asleep with  make-up on after a long day or after a few drinks too many, I hope this post changes that habit. Dermatologist have conducted studies on the effects of sleeping with makeup and the results are terrifying.Your face can age  by as much as ten years in a single month, as a result of failing to remove your make-up .Many of the products we use on a daily bases on our skin prevents the process of microcirculation, as a result it causes wrinkles and clogged pores. If you don't want to end up with an annoying breakout,I would highly recommend  getting into a skincare routine that works for you and your skin type. Did you know that sleeping with lipstick on causes dryness and chapping of the lips  (huh-uh honey no kissing for you) and sleeping with your mascara on can cause conjunctives (aka pink eye) I don't about you but a swollen eye is not my ideal surprise to wake up to (maybe, a cute morning text or extra money in my bank account would be better.... plot twist when none of those things happen to me lol ), but worst of all over night mascara causes your beautiful eyelashes to become brittle and start falling off. Don't become a slave to false eyelashes ( although, they are fabulous) if you don't have the time to do a full skincare routine, make it your every night ritual to at least use a  make-up removing whip. 

Here is my skincare routine, this products work amazing on my oily t-zone skin. There are so many fabulous skin care products out there, but I am a huge advocate of organic tea tree leaf foam cleansers. Tea tree oil contains properties that prevent bacteria from building up under your pores, and helps prevent acne from surfacing. 

 The Body Shop Tea Three skin clearing foaming Cleanser 

( removes impurities and excess oil)

The Face Shop Black Sugar cleansing cream.

(removes blackheads,make-up and skin impurities & it smells delicious) 

Equate Cleansing and Make-up Removing Towelettes

( contains vitamin E and triple tea complex, they leave your skin super soft)

My Skincare Routine 

step one: wash your hands prior to  beginning your routine.Begin by using the make-up removing towelettes. Gently begin to remove your make-up.

Step two:   Finish removing your eye make-up with the black sugar cleansing cream and proceed by massaging your  face in a circular motion. Do this for about 3 minutes and wash with warm water.

Step three: Use the tea tree cleansing foam and leave it on your face for about 3-5 minutes and wash.

These three easy steps have helped me improve the appearance of my skin, and prevent future breakouts.

Keep your skin looking beautiful and youthful, don't lose your glow & always remember you are beautiful !

Six Easy Steps, to Add Volume and Natural Wave to your Hair.

Hello, my loves. For tonight post, I wanted to do a hair tutorial showing you what I found to be the easiest way to achieve voluminous hair and that natural beach wave in six easy steps.

What you will need:

A hair dryer

eight bobby pins

four elastic bands

thermal spray

teasing comb

& a round brush

Step one: After washing your hair, brush it out with a wooden round brush and spray a heat protector  to the ends of your damp hair. I used my favorite product the Wella Thermal Image protector. I absolutely love this product, it does not leave my hair oily after I use it.

Step two: Separate your hair into four pony tails and tie it with an elastic band. Two at the front and two at the back.  Begin to roll your hair into a bun and secure with bobby pins.

Step three- four : After rolling your hair into four buns, use a hair dryer and direct the heat towards each bun.

Step five: After about 10 minutes ( depending how fast your hair dries) begin to unroll the buns and  separate the strands of hair to achieve that messy beach look. For extra volume, you can use a teasing comb towards your roots.

Step six: Woo! you are done and look fabulous. If you are like me and your hair can't hold a curl you can spray a little bit of hair spray on your hands and run it through your waves. This will help give it shape, and make it last throughout the day.

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Toronto Christmas Market, Distillery District

 I am super excited to be writing my first 'outfit of the day' post about the best holiday of the year. Whether you call it Navidad,Sretan Božić,Joyeux Noël or Christmas there is something magical about this time of year. Last Saturday I decided to get into the holiday spirit and check out the Christmas Market located in the heart of  Toronto's Distillery District. I am sure a lot of you who are reading this have seen the cute pictures everyone has been posting "of this oh so romantic lit up winter wonderland". So, since I am a sucker for anything romantic, I took myself on a date.

The smell of chocolate fudge and the sound of carolers singing made me feel like I was in a Christmas movie. The whole ride on the streetcar, I couldn't  stop thinking of the famous Christmas market hot chocolate. Turns out the line up was huge,which I expected but deep inside I wish I wasn't right. I was so close to pulling a drive thru order run and sip on that hot cocoa like it was none of my business. but I stayed calm and  decided I wanted sushi instead; which by the way was the best sushi I have had in Toronto.

 Let me clear something out, I did not ask the waiter at Touhenboku Sushi to take a picture of me looking down all mysteriously.  That would be just weird, but so not out of my character. If you know me personally, you would know I am that one friend who thinks it's complelty okay to have a full out photoshoot in public (it's a little embrassing), but anyways. I actually  had a friend of mine accompany me on this Toronto Christmas ritual, which made it so much more enjoyable. With that being said if you are a single girl like me or you have a boyfriend or girlfriend I would recommend checking this place out. Any excuse to put together a nice outfit and take holiday pictures, is worth a go.

 Outfit Details

A pair of self ripped old black H&M jeans

Black Aldo Galilahi ankle boots

Button up StudioF jean shirt

White cropped Forever 21 sweater

Earings from Forever 21

& to add a little pop to my outfit I chose to wear my new favorite deep burgundy lipstick from 

Make Up For Ever #48 Rouge Artist Intense.

Side Fact:I recently read that taking selfies is a reflection of the lack of passion in your life, 

could this be true?

Live your Life with Style .Vive tu vida con estilo

I am just a girl with a love for creativity and self expression.

I created this blog with the sole purpose of achieving a goal I had been to afraid to chase. It's only natural that we worry of what others may think. We live in a time where we are exposed to the world. People know our location, what we are wearing,who we hangout with and who we follow and unfollow us. It's a constant surveillance of our life's. Its's the new world of connectivity that has brought me to creating this blog. Here you will find a wide range of vblog's and articles on health & beauty , fashion,lifestyle and everything else in between.I hope you find a little bit of yourself in me and enjoy what I post. Make it your own style, here is mine. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etdfKLcN00Q

Follow me on instagram for daily updates 

http://instagram.com/xololaa/