Loulou's views

What are some of your beauty products must-have's? I have a lot: anti-frizz, coconut body lotion, mascara, my favourite lipstick, and always, always a great lip gloss. I never leave home without lipgloss, and I am constantly re-applying throughout the day. My favourite lipgloss right now? The Softlips CUBE lip moisturizer in Berry Bliss and Vanilla Bean. They come in a cute little cube, and leave my lips extra soft! Softlips offers long-lasting coverage and Softlips Cube provide 5-in-1 lip care with lip perfecting technology to deliver these five lip loving benefits: Hydrates —formulated with Shea Butter to restore moisture. Replenishes —with antioxidant Vitamins A, C and E. Smoothes —rich emollients leave lips silky and soft. Protects —long lasting moisture to protect against dryness. Adds Shine —for a perfect, radiant finish. Aren't they so cute? I'd love for you to try out these great lip moisturizers, too, so I'm giving away a package worth $50!

As the daughter of an accomplished and well known Canadian artist , I've spent years arounds art, pairings, and frames. I've attended countless art shows across Canada, have attended events honouring my mom, and have been front and centre at charity events where her paintings help make a difference. I spent a few years working in an art gallery in downtown Ottawa, too, right on Sussex Drive. It was one of my favourite jobs, and not just because my favourite mall was a block away! I learned a lot of spacing art, hanging art, and framing art, and I love stumbling across new companies that help artists and galleries frame art and paintings in unique and clean ways. AS Hanging is a well-known company that's been very active in the art and art display business since 1964, so they know a thing or two about hanging and framing art so it's displayed in the best possible way. They've completed over 30,000 installations across North America—wow! They make hangin

Music, travel, shopping, family and friends... these are the things I love the most in the world, so imagine my excitement when I received an email while on vacation in Greece with my family, from my friends at Cover Girl inviting me to the Katy Perry concert back home... PLUS an exclusive meet and greet with the gorgeous pop star herself? I was so excited! Best news? I wouldn't have to miss the concert because I would be returning from Greece just a day before the big show. First step? Make sure all my Cover Girl make-up was in order. Lipstick? Check! In Bombshell pink, of course. I didn't know what to wear—jeans and a cute top? Black dress? Little skirt? I ended up wearing a bright yellow dress I bought at Zara in Athens, (the Zara in Europe is so much better than here, for some reason) because Katy is usually bright and colourful so I thought it would be fitting for her show. My hubs declined my invite to take him to meet Katy (is he crazy or what?)

There is nothing more amazing than traveling—near, far, and as frequently as possible. I love to get away as often as I can, with my family. My two boys are amazing travellers and they love the adventure of travel, too. Often we travel as a pack: my husband, my kids, me, my parents, my sister, and her family. It's a great thing, because you always have fun company, the kids have cousins to play with, and we have build-in babysitters. We all just got back from a three week vacation to Greece, and it was perfect in every way. I'm so thankful and happy that we all got to experience this together, and I can honestly say it was my favourite vacation ever. Memories to last a lifetime... I've been to Greece many times, so for me it felt like going home again. It was great that we were all able to make it happen this year, and it was especially memorable because it was our children's first time heading overseas to see where their family is from, and to see their grand

Going to the movies is one of my favourite things to do, and sometimes, going to the movies to see a good comedy is just the thing I need to get out of a funk... like, say, a funk one would get into after returning from a summer in Greece! Sex Tape (the movie, you guys, the movie!) is a must-see funny movie starring Cameron Diaz and Jason Segal and it's also a perfect date night movie—or a great movie to go see with your girlfriends, which can be followed by drinks and shared stories of embarrassing things that have happened behind closed doors and in between the sheets. I'm sure we all have an embarrassing story or two or three we've shared with our closets buddies that, after the fact, can be very, very funny. (Like say having a friend walk in on you? Mmm-hmm.)  Hubs and I just got back from Greece, and while we were there with our entire family we were able to get away for a couple of days to the island of Lefkada, and it was time away that very much needed. Time to r

Summer is my favourite time of the year, and I can't believe it's almost over! I know it's July, but still—once August hits, it's really going to feel like back-to-school time, which is crazy. I don't know about you, but we're making the most of summer. We just returned from a three week vacation to beautiful Greece, and it was a wonderful vacation. Now we're home, they boys are adjusting to camp (bike and science camp coming up!) and we're visiting our favourite museums, taking day trips to Montreal, and swimming almost every single day. Of course, if your children are anything like mine, they have endless amounts of energy, so no matter how packed our days are, we come home and they still have energy to burn! Although I encourage my boys to be as active as possible, especially when it's nice out, I love when they play with their toys, and use their imagination, indoors. My boys are huge fans of KRE-O and LEGO, and when their new KRE-O Transformer:

Whenever I'm in the mood to really clean my house—which is something that happens all the time, really—I love purging things I no longer need or want. Sometimes this can be a painful process, especially when I'm cleaning out my closet and trying to decide what to toss, keep, or donate. Another option is selling items that are still in excellent condition online. This makes me feel less guilty about getting rid of things I have no use for anymore. A great, easy-to-use local site that I love to use is www.postedad.ca.  It's easy to post items online, and the best part is you know you're hitting a local market so you have a higher chance of actually selling your items—whether you're selling clothes, accessories, jewellery, or household items and appliances. It's very straightforward to use, even for someone posting items for sale online for the first time, and I love that you can even search for specific services, like babysitters and cleaning services  here .