Friday, September 23, 2011

Project:#LIFEOFSTYLE Welcomes Project:Priceless

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My handsome new hubby and I had the distinct privilege of being invited to the much-anticipated #LIFEOFSTYLE party, hosted by Twenty York Street, THANN Skincare, Beyond Events, and Frash. #LIFEOFSTYLE was—aside from being one of the most talked-about events in the city this year—the launch of new sites for Beyond Events, Twenty York, and Frash. Frankly, I think these titans of fashion were just looking for a good excuse to party!

Mr. Fadi Ghaby, owner of THANN Skincare and ML in Sukhoo Sukhoo Couture.


We started off the evening by stepping into the lovely front entrance of The ARC Hotel on Slater Street in downtown Ottawa.

Author/Guest Blogger Jordan with uber-cool new hubby, Brian.

We’d never been in before, and were delighted with its uber-modern styling. After dropping off our coats, we headed into the LOUNGE, a moodily-lit club-like space that was already hopping with people.



Our first stop was at the incredible display by Little Cakes Cupcakes, with beautiful trays of perfect mini cupcakes, overshadowed slightly by the tower of something called ‘cupcake shooters’: little vials of cupcake and icing layered together that you immediately fall in love with. Crowning the tower: shooters of straight sucre a la crème icing: a mapley-brown sugar-heaven flavoured mixture that was unsullied by any crumbly cake, left to shine by its glorious, creamy self.



We shook hands with Mike Whitton, known best by his twitter handle, @ThatMikeGuyOtt, the man about town. Mike tweeted live from the Project: Priceless wedding ceremony and reception; yet, despite being the bride of P:P, I only got to finally meet him here at #LIFEOFSTYLE!



Our evening soon became a whirl of people and treats. While we chatted with local radio celeb Stuntman Stu, a friend of Project: Priceless, we munch on baby beef sliders made in-house at ARC.


Super delicious beef sliders courtesy of The Arc Hotel.

I got to chat with Brian of Start Up Dance, who apparently was a member of my Brian’s highschool breakdancing troupe. ‘Start Up Brian’ had lovely things to say about ‘P:P Brian’, and all this was sweetened by the cones of raspberry mousse I munched on from Reggina Pastry.


The eternal cool boyz: Startup Dance's Brian Tong
and party maker Eric-Deejay. 

One of our all-star photogs, Adam Pap, busily snapped pictures of us while we chatted with the brains behind Local Tourist Ottawa and Foodie Prints…as I hunted down and demolished more cupcakes. You can probably find me in the background of shots taken during the fashion show by Juliana Giraldo, stuffing a pina colada cake into my happy face.

Majic 100's Power Couple: Stuntman Stu and Connie B.

Kim Sullivan of BOOM 99.7 and guest.
Stacey Bafi-Yeboa of Kania Couture and Ikram.

Paparazzi to the stars: Arne and Jennifer.

ML with Designer Kim Dargy and Jason of Banana Republic.

Pino, Creative Director of YouGotSquared with the beautiful Juliana of MIIKALI.

The Great Joe Hashem and lovely guest.

It really was a ‘who’s who’ and ‘what’s what’ of Ottawa, that night at LIFEOFSTYLE. So many local celebs were present, like Fashion Editors Janet Wilson and Julie Beun from the Ottawa Citizen, Le Brande Diva, Ottawa At Home Magazine, Where Ottawa, Ottawa Magazine, DNA 11, Splendid Events, Urbanite Jewelry and Alan Viau (lots, lots more!).

The Asian-inspired display by THANN Skincare.

 I took a moment out to get a complimentary hand massage with some THANN skin care products, loving the new jasmine scent and the liquorice body butter.


Miraculously, it’s one of the few product lines that doesn’t leave Brian with a closed throat from allergies, so I got to walk around all night smelling like exotic spices.


The in-demand oyster bar courtesy of Whalesbone Catering.

We deliberated for a while before venturing over to the oyster bar, provided by the always-impressive Whalesbone. Neither Brian nor I had ever tried one, so the oyster shucker Josh explained the basics, and like old pros we noshed on a couple of lemon-soaked shellfish. We both rather liked it, though one seemed enough. Later when we regaled my father with tales of the endless oysters, he advised us that it takes about twenty to really get the knack of them. How to tell him, the tiny bit of courage I summed up for eating just one was all show for my new husband, whom I love to impress!


ML of Twenty York Street with Kimberly Dunn, Wendy of Beyond Events
and J of 20YS/YouGotSquared.



The Beautiful People of Ottawa came out to show that this city does have style and fun!





The Yummy Mummy Club Ottawa
Famous Bloggers: Loukia, Connie, Candace, Kelli and Krista.

By eight o’clock, the place was packed to the rafters, with Start Up Dance performing along with a beatboxer that had people mesmerized. We chatted with up-and-coming models, local bloggers, and a ton of Project: Priceless fans who fanned the flames of our egos all evening.


Gorgeous Live Tweeter: Blogger Kate of Petite Adventures and Twenty York Street.

Hot Zone Hottie: Blogger Alex of Le Paz/Twenty York Street.

 
Tweeting like CNN reporters in a tropical storm, Brian and I both saw our tweets up on the big screen a dozen times, and I even won a blouse from Mikali for being the most prolific tweeter.

Brian and Jordan by Adam Pap.

Of course, the big question before #LIFEOFSTYLE had been, what to wear. I feel I’d be remiss if we didn’t dish on this one. In the end, I decided to wear anything that went with my most precious pair of shoes: a pair of sparkly red-and-ivory striped platform heels from Miss L-Fire in England (sold locally at PomPom). I actually found a dress on consignment for under twenty bucks, which suited my style and was fun to wear; proof again that fashion is an inside job, and not about labels at all. Brian, the biggest clotheshorse of them all, had a vest made special by our wedding clothier JR Creations for the night. Decked out in his best suit and pocket watch, he looked every bit the GQ gentleman. Of course, we were all outshone by Marilou of Twenty York!


Twenty York Street with the famous Newlyweds - Project:Priceless.

The Busy Neighbour Does #LIFEOFSTYLE

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When 20YS invited me to attend #LIFEOFSTYLE, there is no way I could turn down the invitation. Having watched 20YS grow and evolve over the last year has been truly awe inspiring. From a few posts being shot at lunch by YouGotSquared, to guest collaborations, amazing contests and honest and open feelings about life, 20YS has arrived and #LIFEOFSTYLE was a much-earned celebration.



 Some photos in this post, courtesy of: CL Buchanan Photography.

First, kudos to the whole team that contributed to this amazing night: 20YS, THANN, Beyond Events, YouGotSquared, Frash, StartUp Dance, Eric_Deejay, and Moose Photography. #LIFEOFSTYLE at the Arc Hotel was developed to showcase not just 20YS, but this insanely talented group of young professionals and entrepreneurs, who make Ottawa a more stylish and diverse city to live in. (More on this group later.)



Sexy green and black #LIFEOFSTYLE Swag Bags from THANN Skincare and other generous sponsors.

 

Oyster Bar, how sexy can you get? Courtesy of: Whalesbone Catering.

 Not sure what to expect, I arrived at the very famous Arc Hotel for my first time. As the official sponsor and home to both the 31st Genie Awards and the 2011 Ottawa International Film Festival, it is also the Capital's go-to hotel for the world's biggest name in Hollywood and Rockstars! I was very giddy with excitement to finally set my foot in this gorgeous boutique hotel.


A little red carpet and red rope outside immediately upped my experience and the class of the event. I was glad I changed from flats to stilettos outside the hotel – there was a damn good looking crowd in the lobby!

The sexiest of swag bags! With contents from: THANN Skincare,
Ottawa At Home Magazine, Dress to Kill Magazine, Joseph's at the Rideau Centre, Reggina's,
DNA11 and more!

Walking inside, I was instantly impressed when waiting for us was a team of beautiful women and a mysterious sunglasses wearing bouncer/superhero were there to greet us, direct us to the coat check, check us in for the night on iPads and then escorted us into the room. Those little details immediately brought the night up from a fun event hosted by friends, to a classy, high-end celebration.

 with Fadi Ghaby of THANN Skincare, Colin Morrison, General Manager of the Arc Hotel and Yummy Mummy Ottawa: Krista Kealey, Kelli MacKinnon-Catana, Loukia M.Z. (Also in the running for the Search for Daytime Ottawa's next co-host), Consuelo Bernardi, Candace Derickx, Krista Swanson and of course, Stuntman Stu


 ML with the camera elusive E and Shakira and Mike Whitton of Little Cakes with Wendy of Beyond Events. 
Fadi Ghaby of THANN with Danielle of Danyka C  from Montreal, 
 and Lee Ann LaCroix of CTV News.


ML and the owners of REGGINA's Pastry: the handsome Guil Perez and Ryan Douglas.

ML and Kelli MacKinnon-Catana of www.kellidaisy.comYummy Mummy Club
and Top 3 in Search for Daytime Ottawa's next co-host.

Inside the room, the music was bumping and the vibe was good looking people, there for a good time. We arrived at about 7 and the room was already packed, a testament to the event and the need for more nights like this in Ottawa! First – we head to the bar (naturally).

The very sexy bar the Lounge, Arc Hotel.

 Arne Berg and Adam Pap in #LIFEOFSTYLE action!

Fadi Ghaby of THANN with ML, Grace and the boyz of Cloud in the Sky Studios.

Cherie-Lynn Ervine-Buchanan of CL Buchanan Photography, Danielle of Danyka C. and J of YouGotSquared and Twenty York Street.

 Fadi Ghaby of THANN with Danielle of Danyka C. from Montreal, Kelli Daisy and Marjolaine.

Some of the city's Beautiful People.
Twenty York Street's friends:


The Arc Hotel had drinks made especially for the night that were fantastic. We bop around and find 20YS and THANN at a mini red carpet, with a huge mural in the background displaying the names of the event’s hosts.


Oyster Bar, courtesy of: Whalesbone Catering

Next up, the oyster bar, where an abundance delicious fresh oysters from New Brunswick and PEI were available, just next to a woman giving out hand massages with products from THANN.


The aromatic body scrubs from THANN Skincare smell so heavenly.

Cupcakes shooters? Who would have thought!

An amazing selection of cupcakes and icing shooters were in another corner. I didn’t make it to the corner where Eric_Deejay was at, but the crowd was hot and packed there.

The Hot and Rockin' Eric_Deejay with Juliana of MIIKALI and Brian Tong of Startup Dance.

YouGotSquared Team: the hot and talented - Jose and Pino.

The always energetic and cute Lee Mosseau of Moose Photography
and Twenty York Street with lovely guest, Kimberly Dunn.

Photos from the talented YouGotSquared lined the walls of the room, a nice touch and a unique way to showcase his incredible photography skills.
Tweeting away - Fast and Furious: Joe Hashem and Sophie from Kania/A Little Glitter!

Kim Sullivan of Boom 99.7 - giving Twitter lessons? (Kim is also in the running for Top 3 in Search for Daytime Ottawa's next co-host.)



The HOT ZONE and the very popular Tweet Wall Pro from Belgium.

Television screens displayed live tweeting, live beatboxing and killer dancing from Startup Dance and the Flavour Factory were all things that wowed the crowd before we left around 8:30pm. Overhearing the crowd, people were networking, feeling good and thrilled to have the opportunity to attend such a unique event in Ottawa.


Brian Tong of StartUp Dance with the Flavour Factory heating up the dance floor!


Did I mention there was a fabulous fashion show from MIIKALI by Juliana Giraldo on top of that? The beautiful hair and make-up was generously provided by Joseph's at the Rideau Centre and the statesque models from the famous agency: Cover Models Management! I can't speak more about it as I think ML has a post instore just for that!

Gorgeous models from Cover Models Management in MIIKALI.


The very lucky man amongst all the beautiful ladies (from L-R)  with Fadi Ghaby of THANN Skincare with ML of Twenty York Street, Canadian Designers Emilia Torabi and Jana Hanzel (showing at OFW 2011), the gorgeous Julie Beun, Fashion  Journalist and Janet Wilson, Fashion Editor, both from the Ottawa Citizen.

Attended by the city's biggest names in media - Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa At Home Magazine, Where Ottawa, Ottawa Magazine, Next Big Thing Magazine and many, many bloggers and online publications such as: EF Magazine, Be Healthy, Be Beautiful Ottawa (BHBBO) and Fashion Designers, Social Media Experts, and many, many more - the #LIFEOFSTYLE at the Arc Hotel was a PHENOMENAL SUCCESS!!!

Mr. Fadi Ghaby, owner of THANN Skincare with ML in Sukhoo Sukhoo Couture by Frank Sukhoo.

The handsome Tristan Hanington of K6 Media Inc. (behind the very in-demand #LIFEOFSTYLE Backdrop by K6 Media), the charming Ingrid Meza-McDonald of the Ottawa Senators, Fadi Ghaby of THANN Skincare, Wendy of Beyond Events with the beautiful Stacey Bafi-Yeboa of Kania Couture.

ML and the gorgeous Ms. Julie Beun of the Ottawa Citizen (with designer Emilia Torabi).


The whole team (mentioned above) should be proud of themselves. #LIFEOFSTYLE was trending by 6:05 pm, the party was just warming up and by 7:00 pm - it was trending at TOP TEN in Twitter!!! And not just in Canada folks but worldwide!!!


A group of young, hip, smart and talented professionals in Ottawa bringing together a diverse crowd to support each other, but also to show that Ottawa has talented, stylish and young entrepreneurs that are here and the scene is growing.


Some of #LIFEOFSTYLE beautiful volunteers.

Some of #LIFEOFSTYLE team members:
The J, Isobel, ML, Fadi and Pino.

Congratulations to everyone involved on the success of #LIFEOFSTYLE. I am betting the next one will need to be at a much bigger venue!


Signed,

The Busy Neighbour



Editor's Note: Photos courtesy of: Ottawa Arne, Adam Pap from Photos by Adam Pap and of course, Cherie-Lynn Ervine-Buchanan of CL Buchanan PhotographyMore coming up - MIIKALI Fashion Show tomorrow - stay tuned!








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