Loulou's views

When you check in to a Four Seasons Hotel, no matter where you are in the world, you know you'll be experiencing the most luxurious, memorable stay—and incredible service from the moment you check-in. I had the chance to review the beautiful  Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto , situated in the upscale Yorkville neighbourhood. This hotel is one of the tallest in the area, at 55 storeys—and it is breathtakingly beautiful as soon as you walk in the front doors. The flowers in the lobby area are so colourful and welcoming. The Four Seasons Hotel Toronto was designed by Yabu Pushelberg, so I instantly felt like I was back at the  Four Seasons New York . There were many similarities between the two properties, like the incredible service one can only expect to receive at hotels of this calibre. Yorkville is known for its fine shopping—from luxury boutiques to department stores like Holt Renfrew—to fine dining, and the Four Seasons Hotel is a perf...

Anyone who knows me can attest I'm not a huge fan of cooking, as much as I enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal. However, I'm lucky to have a husband, parents, and in-laws who can cook amazingly well. Despite the fact that I don't love getting dirty in the kitchen, I'm great at making a few meals my children (thankfully!) love, and most of those meals are Italian. I was so excited to be invited to Toronto this week along with several other bloggers to indulge in an authentic taste of Italy, and meet and learn from Italian Chef Massimo Bruno. We took part, as well—preparing some pretty simple recipes that I know will be a huge hit at home. Best of all? The meals we learned to cook involve only a few key ingredients, so prep time is simple, and takes almost no time at all to actually cook... and serve. (Which is perfect when you're heading home late from work and the children are starving). We sampled delicious Italian cheese and appetizers, drank wine, and got ou...

I'm serious about taking care of my skin. That's why I love trying new products, and sticking to my skin care routine every morning and night. (I'll never not wash off my make-up before bed!). There are many fabulous products I love using that help keep my skin looking good, and as I get older, I realize there are more ways to help take care of my skin to keep it looking—and feeling—incredible. I was recently introduced to Dermis Advanced Skin Care and Medi Clinic , and attended their 11th Annual Customer Appreciation Event to find out more about the products and services they provide. I spoke with the owner, a truly educated and experienced woman, who answered all my questions, and told me about the services their clinic provides customers. The list of services varies from lifting and firming to deep cleansing and exfoliation, acne skin treatments, Botox and Juvederm injections, and so much more—like wrinkle and scar reduction. Everyone's skin has different nee...

With fall definitely in the air now—cooler temperatures, the beautiful changing colours on the trees, the return of pumpkin-flavoured everything—it's time to start think about Halloween. I always loved Halloween but when I became a mom it became even more fun for me, because I found there was nothing cuter than dressing up my boys in adorable costumes, going trick-or-treating, and helping my little ones consume all their delicious candy. (As a parent, that's totally allowed, you know!). This year, we've got something else to be excited about: the return of Stranger Things on Netflix. Our boys are older now—12 and nine years old—and we all watched Stranger Things together months ago when it first came out on Netflix. My boys loved it, and it wasn't too scary for them, though there were definitely some jump-out-of-our-seats scenes. This Halloween, we have a plan: go trick-or-treating to as many homes as possible, come home, turn off the lights, get under the blanke...

Sometimes, getting dressed for work every morning can be more challenging than fun. Although closet is full of clothes—countless dresses, pants, and sweaters—often I feel I have nothing to wear, and finding the perfect outfit in my closet isn't always easy. As much as I look forward to waking up each day, getting my children ready for school, and heading downtown to work, trying to decide what to wear can be frustrating. I recently discovered roz + loki , a company that designed a truly innovative and high-quality dress shirt that's the perfect addition to a stylish outfit for the work day... and after-work dinner and drinks. These shirts come in a variety of styles and colours (I love the black one I received) and they are the perfect addition to any woman's wardrobe; they are comfortable, form-fitting, stylish, and made with Supima cotton that resists pilling, fading and tearing, and 10% lycra for that form-fitting look. Best part? The...