Loulou's views

The holiday season is upon us and that means it's time for all thing festive--like shopping for everyone on your list!  This year, I tried to keep my shopping local so I could help support businesses in Ottawa that have struggled during the pandemic with numerous lockdowns. I was on Daytime Ottawa to talk about some great gift ideas from local  businesses, and you can watch the entire segment here to get some great ideas for shopping local this season.  Here are some great shopping ideas for those on your list this season: Beauty Check out Blush and Rose Beauty Bar, where you can pick up a gift card for a facial, pedicure, or manicure. This new salon in Ottawa's south end is so cute, and the service is excellent. I was lucky to enjoy a pedicure over the holidays, complete a glass of bubbly. You can also stock up on great Aveda products, candles, beauty essentials, and more.  In need of a massage? Check out Innes Massage Therapy in Ottawa's east end for excell...

One of my favourite things about the holiday season is the shopping. I love giving back to local charities and organizations, like CHEO and The Shoebox Project, and I enjoy buying presents for my family (especially my boys!) and my friends. December is the busiest month of all, with work, social events, and hosting parties, so I try to plan ahead as much as I can, and check things off my to-do list daily.  Here are my holiday shopping tips and some great gift ideas to help you get through this hectic season with ease: One-Stop Shopping I can spend countless hours in Chapters-Indigo with my children selecting new books to add to our 'to-read' pile. Chapters-Indigo is the best one-stop shop for holiday gifts, too. They have something for everyone on your list, including technology, like Beats Solo 3 Wireless Headphones, to home decor, journals, toys, accessories, and stylish items like purses, scarves, and hats. Whether you're shopping in-store or online at indi...

Are you feeling festive yet? I love everything about the holiday season, you guys. From decking the halls to baking cookies (no matter how terrible I am at that!) to attending and hosting Christmas parties, it's truly the most wonderful time of the year. What I love most about this season, though, is shopping for the perfect gift for everyone on my list—especially when shopping is made easy. I just discovered the best way to shop for the holidays: through the Aeroplan eStore!  It's shopping made easy because I can shop online from more than 170 stores, while earning Aeroplan Miles. Earning extra Aeroplan Miles means I'm one step closer to booking my next vacation, so it's kind of like giving myself a present, too, because all I want to do after the holiday season is over is get on a plane and head somewhere warm. If you're not an Aeroplan member, you can join here . Aeroplan has a special 12 Days of Gifting shopping event coming up, too, and this is really...

It's almost time for back-to-school–and while this is a good thing in many ways, (hello, routine!) I'm sad my favourite season is almost over. We've had a wonderful summer that included some travelling and we've made the most of these hot, sunshiny days. Even though I'm not heading back to school as a student, I share the excitement with my boys (or for my boys?)–my oldest is going into grade eight (I can't believe it!) and my youngest is heading into grade five. The best part about back-to-school? Shopping for school supplies, of course! I love stocking up on paper, pens, pencils, backpacks, and binders. Isn't it fun getting organized? I love shopping for products that give back, and this year, I'm happy to be partnered with Avery Products Canada because they give back in a big way–and Avery has some amazing products not only for back-to-school, but for the office, too. Avery Products Canada has partnered with the Pinball Clemons Foundation (P...

How do you feel about shopping for swimwear? For some, it can be a less-than-pleasurable experience. I personally love shopping for swimwear because it means I'm heading towards water—and nothing makes me happier than swimming in the ocean or a pool. Going on vacation, especially in the winter, makes me excited—and so does finding the perfect swimsuit to wear while I'm enjoying the sunshine and warm weather. I feel confident in my body, and love wearing bikinis and one-piece suits. I believe there is a perfect suit for everyone, and that everybody should have the confidence to wear what they feel great in when they're on vacation. (And all the time, really). I love being a Brand Ambassador for Swimco  because they carry so many swimsuit brands. I quickly found out that shopping for swimwear online with Swimco is an easy and fun experience, because of the wide variety of suits they carry, and because of the excellent customer service. Swimco is a Canadia...

If you're looking for a mattress that's going to change your life and sleeping habits for the better, look no further than Casper.  Casper, only a few years old, has become one of the most loved mattresses of all time and has basically revolutionized how people sleep–and shop–for mattresses. The bedroom is where the magic happens, after all. We just completed our master bedroom renovations, (thanks to my husband for installing our new hardwood floors, painting the walls, assembling our new furniture, and putting together our Casper) and our bed is our favourite part of our new room. Why do we love the Casper mattress so much? Simply put, it's the most comfortable bed we've ever slept on, and this includes all the wonderful beds we've experienced in all our favourite hotels. Why is everyone obsessed with the Casper mattress? Here are just some reasons:  1. The Casper mattress is comfortable. It's a perfect combination of a breathable, open-cell comfo...

What is the perfect gift to give someone who has it all? I think jewellery is always the answer, no matter who you are shopping for–especially if it's for someone who really appreciates the finer things in life. A classic, stylish watch from Bulova is a wonderful gift to give someone you love this holiday season, and it's a gift you know they'll cherish forever. I was so fortunate to receive a new, limited-edition  Bulova Rubaiyat watch, and I can't seem to take it off. It has everything you'd want in a high-quality piece of jewellery–including diamonds that sparkle when the light hits the right way. My Rubaiyat watch has 50 diamonds individually hand-set with a textured grey dial, double curved sapphire crystal, and a stainless steel bracelet with double-press deployant closure, featuring the iconic "Goddess of Time" dimensional case back. It's modern, stylish, and classic–a watch to wear all the time, for years to come. The Bulova Rubaiy...

With the festive season officially underway, I put together my 2017 holiday gift guide just in time for you to hit the mall. I featured some amazing products on CTV yesterday, but didn't have enough time to talk about everything on-air, so all the details are here to make your holiday shopping a breeze. For the beauty lover: Clarins:  Clarins is one of my favourite skin-care companies. The  12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar is the perfect gift to give someone to start celebrating the holiday season early, because they'll receive a little gift every day for 12 days. It contains two full-sized products and 10 discovery-sized products, which are much larger than sample size. It’s exclusively available at The Bay and on  www.clarins.com . It retails for $92, with a  value of $174.   The Essentials Winter Palette:  The Essential Eye Palette by Clarins is a holiday exclusive with sales going to support indigenous commun...

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...

I have enjoyed every minute of this September heat wave, but today there was a chill in the air and it's clear that fall is back, much to my dismay. As much as I wish summer would last forever, I'm going to embrace the good things that come with fall: enjoying the colours of the changing leaves, leaving the windows open for that early morning breeze, and transitioning my closet to fall–I love comfy sweaters and skinny jeans, dresses worn with tights, and knee-high boots. All types of boots, actually. Putting away the summer wardrobe is never easy, but having some great boots to take you through the change of seasons makes it a little less painful. My favourite stores to shop at for boots and shoes for fall include Nine West, Ecco, GEOX, Aldo, Le Chateau, and Call It Spring. Here are some boots I'm loving: ECCO: For high-quality boots that will last longer than the snow on the ground, ECCO is where you want to shop. Guaranteed style, comfort and warmth for winter ...

Summer is my favourite season–I love hot, sunny vacation days, hours spent around and in the pool, bike rides with my children, BBQ's with friends and family, and outdoor concerts and patio nights. It doesn't get much better than that. Somehow, we're just days away from school starting again, even though it seems like yesterday I was celebrating my children's last day of school. Although I'm a summer girl at heart,  I still love fall, and back-to-school. It's definitely time to get everyone into a regular routine again. One of my favourite things about back-to-school is the shopping, of course; and even though it's not me heading back to class (I wish it was, sometimes) I still love getting my boys ready. This year, my oldest son is starting middle school–grade 7–and my youngest son, grade 4.  To make everything go as smooth as possible, and to help alleviate the stress that sometimes comes with the start of a new school year, I partnered with two of...

Mother's Day is coming up this weekend, and even though we should celebrate moms every day for all the work they do, (truly, it's a 24 hours a day job... forever!) it's nice to give something special to the moms in your life—or to treat yourself to a little something sweet, too. I will say there is no gift greater than being a mom, and I feel blessed every day to have two little wonderful people in my life who love me very much.  The greatest gift of all is being a mom to my amazing boys. I love giving practical (and affordable) gifts for most occasions, products I know will be used and loved. Here are some great suggestions on how you can spoil mom this Mother's Day, without breaking the bank: Pantene Daily Moisture Renewal Shampoo and Conditioner: Why not put together a hair and beauty package with some great products you can pick up from the drug store or grocery store for an easy gift every mom will love? The new Pantene Daily Moisture Renewal Shampoo and Con...