A belated Merry Christmas all! I haven’t written much on the blog these past few days; with the holidays falling on the weekends all I want to do is vegetate in front of the TV and eat short-bread cookies.

To change things up for my weekly shoe feature, I thought it would be fun to list my top five favourite Shoe of the Moment picks for 2011. Take a look see and find out what rated high on my list for this past year.

#5 – Anais tassel pump by Alexander Wang

In at #5, the Anais tassel pump by Alexander Wang captures the footwear trend this season by incorporating the long-standing boyfriend look worn on the runway and the streets, but with a feminine twist in high-shine silver. The heeled loafer from Wang’s fall/winter 2011 collection has a subtlety tapered toe, a beautifully stacked heel and a playful front tassel.

#4 – Cactus Fluo Nero pump by Ruthie Davis

Nothing spoke more to the return of the bright colour blocking trend than Ruthie Davis’ shoes for spring/summer 2011. Looking back on the blog post I wrote about Davis, I found that my favourite shoe from her collection is the Cactus Fluo. The pairing of bright yellow and pink on this pump hits all the popular colour trends seen on the runway this spring, as well as for 2012. The black heel and spikes also make this a bold and bad ass shoe – look out!

#3 – Lady Bell by Noritaka Tatehana

Every now and then I really like to mix things up with my weekly shoe picks and nothing is more out-of-the-box than the Lady Bell shoe by Noritaka Tatehana, in at the #3 spot on this list. I posted this sky high and gravity defying heelless wonder in September because I was in the mood for change and wanted this to reflect in my shoe pick for that week – I rarely do things half ass, go big or go home is my motto.

My #2 choice in this countdown are these beautiful patent-leather and suede ombré wedges by Theyskens’ Theory. I absolutely love the colouring and material used on these shoes, its seamless transition from black patent-leather to purple suede is almost magical. The soaring wedges elevated it to another level literally because the heel measures 5.5 inches high with a 2 inch platform.

#1 – Dawson pump by Georgina Goodman

My top footwear choice for 2011 is this patterned statement shoe by UK designer, Georgina Goodman. I have a feeling that this pick will come to many as a surprise, but the striped motif on this pump and elevated saucer-like platform is irresistible to me. I love the whimsical design on and underneath the shoe, Goodman’s ability to weave in the DNA of her brand into one print all over the pump is different, refreshing and fearless.

Philip Sparks Tailored Goods' Boxing Day knockout sale has men's and women's apparel, accessories, footwear, samples and one-of-a-kind items up to 75% off.

Date: Monday December 26, 2011

Time: 11:00AM - 6:00PM

Location: 63 Ossington Avenue, Toronto, ON, M6J 2Z2

Yes, you read the title of this blog entry right. I hosted a TV segment for Much Music’s #trending show and it aired this past weekend. YAY!!!

As a teenager I remember being glued to Much Music immediately after returning home from elementary and high school. Back then I religiously watched shows now long forgotten by the modern teenager, such as Electric Circus, Rap City and Da Mix with Master T – ahh, those were the days!

Who would have thought life would come full circle and I would be asked to host a fashion segment on the TV station I grew up on? Not me.

#trending looks at the latest music videos, celebrities, fashion, personal style and beauty tips – basically what's trending right now.

The segment was filmed in November at The Bay Queen Street and focused on flat shoes; it was a great and also educational experience working with Tim (producer) and Jamie (camera man) from Much Music.

Talking on camera is not an easy task; initially, I was a little nervous because I didn’t want to mess up badly and waste valuable time. However, Tim and Jamie were super nice, asked me questions related to shoes and gave me a lot of pointers - I became comfortable in no time! 

The segment turned out really well and on Friday my family and I gathered around the TV and watched it. To check out my TV debut click on the words "See All" to the right of the side bar. My segment is #30. Enjoy! http://www.muchmusic.com/tv/trending/ontrending/.

Guess what? I have another giveaway for one of my lucky readers! This is the last of my holiday giveaways and is also the first time I’ve been provided with a wealth of products all at once due to the generosity of companies who like my blog – yay! This last holiday giveaway is courtesy of the great team at KORRES Canada (pronounced: kor-ez).

Now, I’ve always been interested in trying out KORRES’s products but never had the opportunity to look into or sample it until recently, when they sent me several of their items to try. In my KORRES package I received (prices in CAD):

• Basil Lemon Body Butter, 235mL/7.95fl.oz, $33
  
• KORRES Quercetin & Oak Antiageing & Antiwrinkle Eye Cream, 15mL/0.51fl.oz, $55
  
• Quercetin & Oak Antiageing & Antiwrinkle Night Cream, 40mL/1.35fl.oz, $59
  
• Wild Rose Face and Eye Serum, 30mL/1.01fl.oz, $49

The first thing I learned about KORRES is that it’s an established brand from Athens, Greece, whose roots originate from homeopathic practices. They have a range of skin and hair care products made from natural ingredients using extracts from plants such as cinnamon, rose, and oak. Their products are absent of mineral oil and its derivatives, such as paraffin and related petrochemicals, and propylene glycol which is linked to the cause of many allergies.

In the Beginning from KORRES Canada on Vimeo.

KORRES is also a company with a conscious, environmental and sustainable business practices are at the core of their business. This, in addition to their products they create, makes them a very well liked and award winning brand.

The Scientific Method from KORRES Canada on Vimeo.

Now, I’m not going to go into minute detail about all four products because that will take too long. However, I will lay out several key factors for when I try new beauty products and what I experienced when using KORRES:

• Look – I’m not a fan of over packaged products, it’s wasteful and harmful to the environment. KORRES’s packaging is all recyclable, outlines how to use each product, lists its ingredients and to top it off, looks pretty and sophisticated.  

• Feel – all four products allow for smooth application to the body and face, quick absorption, hydrating and is, of course, not oily. The Wild Rose Face and Eye Serum is so light weight and hydrating that you don’t need to add moisturizer on top of it.

• Smell – the non-scented products such as the night cream and anti-wrinkle eye cream doesn’t have the medicine odour like some others I’ve tried in the past; the body butter and eye serum have a gentle and clean scent.

• Effect – I have sensitive skin and am very hesitant when sampling new products; too often when I try a new cream or cosmetic my skin gets irritated, breaks out into a rash or turns dry and flaky. Before cracking open a bottle of KORRES, I made sure to do my research and was pretty much convinced from what I learned that I’d be okay trying their stuff out. I’m in love with the body butter (perfect for dry winter skin) and the face and eye serum.

KORRES skin care giveaway 

If I’ve won you over with my review of KORRES then you can find their products in your nearest Sephora store and select Shoppers Drug Mart locations. However, if you want to try your festive luck out enter the KORRES skin care package giveaway and win the four great products I just reviewed, valued at over $100. To recap they are: 

• Basil Lemon Body Butter, 235mL/7.95fl.oz, $33
  
• KORRES Quercetin & Oak Antiageing & Antiwrinkle Eye Cream, 15mL/0.51fl.oz, $55
  
• Quercetin & Oak Antiageing & Antiwrinkle Night Cream, 40mL/1.35fl.oz, $59
  
• Wild Rose Face and Eye Serum, 30mL/1.01fl.oz, $49

How to enter:

1. Go to the KORRES Canada Facebook page and “Like it.”  
2. Leave a comment on this blog post by clicking on the “Response” button and tell me what makes a great beauty/skin care product. Is it the look, smell, feel or effect and why? Be sure to fill in all the fields including e-mail address.
   
3. For an extra entry tweet, “I love #KORRESCanada and I want to win the skin care package @kimberly_lyn is giving away on her blog” and the link of this blog entry.

Giveaway closes on December 28, 2011, and I will announce the winner in this entry, so make sure to check back then. Good luck and thanks again to KORRES Canada!

** Note: this giveaway is open to Canadian residents only. The winner will be chosen using a random number generator and the items will be shipped to you early in January 2012.** 

In a very short span of time Danier has turned its product offerings from being mildly stylish to hitting the fashion ball out of the park. With a fashion portfolio filled to the brim with design collaborations with names such as Greta Constantine and Mark Fast, and the opening of its new concept store at Square One Shopping Centre in November, you can’t help but get super excited to see what surprises the company will come up with next.

I recently attended Danier’s spring/summer 2012 preview where they showcased a plethora of new products, as well as the return of OBJECT by George Antonopoulos and their newest collaboration with Canadian designer, Philip Sparks – check out my review of each collection below.

Philip Sparks Tailored Goods for Danier

Danier’s newest design collaboration for the s/s 2012 season is with Philip Sparks Tailored Goods. Known for his quality of craftsmanship and affection for vintage-focused creations, designer, Philips Sparks developed a 10-piece capsule collection of men’s accessories in black leather. The look and shape of the accessories is understated with a focus on the travelling man who requires highly functional and classic pieces designed for durability.

Accessories found in the capsule collection are: iPad case, camera bag, backpack, wallets, and a massive duffle bag.

OBJECT by George Antonopoulos for Danier

OBJECT by George Antonopoulos for Danier makes its second appearance in the company’s line-up after receiving rave reviews of its debut fall/winter 2011 collection. Whispers on the fashion grapevine mentioned OBJECT would colourful and fun for spring 2012; this, of course had me waiting in anticipation for months to get a first look of it.

Antonopoulos has once again created a beautiful collection that each and every woman can incorporate in their wardrobe. Inspired by Modern Mod, colourful leather and suede in the form of a hot-pink shift dress, blue leather pants and brown shorts inject a sense of excitement and fun. To combat the heaviness and heat leather can cause when worn in warm temperatures, many pieces were perforated to allow air flow.

Danier spring/summer 2012

Always eclectic and priced extremely well, Danier’s in-house collection is grouped into themes catering to a wide range of its customers’ tastes such as Western style accessories, playful pastels and versatile neutrals.

I was drawn to Danier’s perforated leather pieces such as a rectangular, sand-coloured handbag and a mid-length brown trench coat.

Danier's s/s 2012 collections will be available in March 2012.