Yesterday In Montreal

Yesterday, my mom and I went to a vintage bazaar. I had already been to a previous edition in January 2020. Since I'll be moving out soon and am looking for decoration from the 50s ↔ 70s, the event came at just the right time. ✨

Here are the items I bought:

Price of each item (in CAD):

• Set or marble bookends + grey x golden dish (seller gave a price for both items): 25 $
• Vintage Butterick pattern: 3 $
• Milou bookend: 5 $

I love the marble bookends. Their surface is glossy and they give chic mid-century modern vibes. For the little dish, I plan on putting it near my entryway for my keys. It looks so much prettier in real life. It is glossy as well and has golden speckles that shine when you look at it from different angles.

As for the pattern, I wasn't madly in love with it, but for such a price, it was surely worth it. Despite loving fit & flare dresses, I wasn't drawn to the design on the right... due to the chosen print. (I know fabric and design are two independent things, but I was still on the fence because of that.) Anyway, I also looked at the design on the left and found the brooch really cute on the collar. Despite never having made a sheath dress, maybe my first time could be with this pattern. Looking back, I don't regret buying the pattern.

Only thing I haven't checked yet is whether the envelope contains all pieces... oh well, if it's incomplete and unusable in any way for me, I'll be happy to reuse the two ladies on the pattern cover to decorate my Midori journal.

Now, for the Milou bookend; I was pretty sure it originally came in a set and would've loved to have the other one... I just looked up on the Internet and it is indeed a set, the other character being Tintin. But I'm not sure I want to spend time and money on reuniting the two bookends. I'm satisfied with having the Milou bookend only.

So that was my day yesterday in Montreal. I almost forgot to mention that the weather was also perfect. It was very sunny, yet the sun wasn't too hot, there was zero humidity, and a slight, continuous breeze made walking in the city very comfortable.

Some More Vintage (Mostly Clothes)

When the blog post about this haul didn't even exist yet, I thought it was too late for writing one, as I felt I was too far behind in the pictures and my first impressions/clear descriptions of the pieces. However, I got time to snap some pics a while ago, and then I started to write the blog post, so it became clear that I would want to complete it. Here's the result.

🎕 50s Purple Plaid Skirt (maggzh0 on eBay)

Let's start with this skirt I bought last December (yep, 9 months ago... though the other stuff is more recent, like from spring 2021...)

I had seen it about 1 month ago and loved it immediately, but it was quite expensive. I tried to forget it, but after regularly checking back if it was still listed, it was clear I really liked it and that kinda justified getting it in the end.

The first time I saw the skirt, the fact that it had a 27" waist was another reason that kept me from buying it. Eventually, I thought altering the waist wouldn't be such a big deal (and in fact, my mom only had to move the button a bit further on the waistband).

When I received the skirt, I was a bit disappointed by the number of loose threads (see above picture). My mom pointed out that the skirt was surely homemade (which would make sense since the seller mentioned that the skirt did not have tags).

Another unpleasant surprise was the dirt spots that hadn't been mentioned by the seller, and I don't recall reading a statement that despite a thorough inspection, the garment may come with small defects.

Some of them can be harder to find, but they're still noticeable.

The stains may be washable, I'm not sure. I should wash the skirt if it doesn't pose a risk for the fabric.

Nonetheless, the pattern and colour were exactly as expected, and I was relieved to see that the skirt was in a generally good state. I would've preferred the price to be fairer for the product received, but eh.

My mom made some small repairs to the skirt; she fixed the waistband and the belt loops that had loose threads and ironed the pleats. The skirt looks much better now. I'll try to pair it with a purple belt or an ivory one.

🎕 Butterick 50s Duster Sewing Pattern (22Curtis on Etsy)

If I remember well, I was googling duster patterns and found this one. I instantly fell in love with the one that had a bow at the back (see the red duster on the cover). A quick search on Etsy and I found the pattern in the size I wanted and fairly priced. The "search & buy" process for this item was exceptionally simple.

Again, lovely packaging of the item.

Love the pink bubble mailer and the gift-like wrapping of the pattern.

I haven't made the duster yet... and it probably won't be until next year since I've been focusing on work and school.

🎕 Sweater Guard (vintagecassandra on eBay)

I spent a lot of evenings looking for sweater guards both on Etsy and eBay. Not because they're rare or looked ugly, but because they're quite expensive... I never expected this type of jewelry to be that costly. Unfortunately, I never got to see someone selling a sweater guard in an in-person store, so I'm not sure how much they go for when not listed online.

Also, the fact that I was picky with the look of the crocodile clips didn't help. I was particularly worried that bigger clips (with bigger teeth) risked damaging my clothes.

While looking on eBay one day, I saw this Barbara Lee sweater guard – still with its original card! – auctioned on eBay.

It wasn't cheap cheap, but it was definitely lower-priced than the ones on Etsy. Plus, the condition was much better and it came with its original card. I didn't hesitate to place a bid and ended up winning it.

The only thing I was hesitant about was that the pictures didn't show the crocodile clips of the sweater guard... arg and it's not the only one where the clips aren't shown! I should've asked the seller about it, but I was lazy and thought that if the clips did happen to be giant, I'd try to figure out a way to correct this...

The sweater guard looked even better in person.

Very shiny and looks totally new.

Fortunately, the crocodile clips are rather small, rounded but still sharp.

For sure not the worst on the spectrum!

This sweater guard is in amazing condition. Some pearls have been lightly "scratched", but it isn't noticeable unless you look at them carefully. Very satisfied with this purchase and I haven't been furiously looking at sweater guards whole evenings again.

🎕 Black & White Dress to Skirt Only

I previously talked about a beautiful black x white dress I got, for which I expressed my disappointment over the fact that the top didn't fit me.

Well, my mom unstitched the bodice from the skirt, and we brought the skirt (with its petticoat) to a seamster to have it made into a single skirt:

🖤🤍

This was such a great decision. The skirt fits even nicer, the amount of volume is perfect and I'm so happy I can now wear it.

I felt sad to throw the top away but remembered that it isn't as unique as the skirt and that it's fairly easy to find/make a similar top (and made of a better fabric). In my opinion, the skirt is what really made the whole dress stand out. Plus, having only the skirt means I get to pair it with other tops, blouses or cardigans (black or white mostly). This is pretty much even better. It provides many more outfit possibilities.

Note that I kept the matching bow/knot brooch on the top's collar (it would've been a disgrace to discard it along with the top...).

You can see the petticoat that the seamster successfully managed to keep.

Concerning the waistband, there was enough hem at the bottom of the skirt to use some to make it, but since I plan on wearing the skirt with a belt, I told the seamster that a black waistband would look perfectly fine.

The skirt would look FABULOUS with the sailor top in black from Fi.n.t. I bought the one in white and it has become one of my favourite tops. I'm not a fan of black fabrics prone to lint, but I had made an exception for this top. Since it didn't seem to sell well in all three colours (it was in stock for like one year on the website?), I didn't feel rushed to get it. Then during last summer, it turned sold out. Another thing I'll have to look for on Fril and Mercari, oh joy.

Attempting Heatless Paper Towel Curls

One of the reasons I want to grow my hair long is to curl them. I've always admired long and curled hair idk why, it's just very beautiful.

Some throwbacks...

I can't recall if I ever talked about it on my blog, but I tried heatless curls in the past; a couple of times with foam rollers, and I believe one time with socks. I always felt so-so with the results of both methods.

January 2013:

My first time trying heatless curls, using foam rollers from Walmart. I remember not being happy with the results.

I don't remember the exact length of my hair at that time, I think it was tailbone, or between tailbone and classic. Though now that I look at the picture, I think the curls actually look fine?! Sure the top of my head is flat and some curls are weird and thin-looking, but these can be fixed somehow – which I didn't know at the time. Also, I was flabbergasted at how short my hair was when curled and I hated it.

August 2016:

The foam rollers in this picture are the same as the one from 2013.

Btw, I don't really recommend these, there are better products on the market today.

I still don't really like how the curls turned out. Most of them have a weird shape and my hair looks thinner, from the middle to the ends. I remember my hair was very damaged during this period, so I understand why the curls wouldn't look their best. Maybe they could've improved with a brush to soften them though.

August 28th 2021

During my quarantine, I finally decided to make heatless curls with paper towels.

Let's see how it went. ( ´ ▽ ` ๑)

I got the idea from a video by Haartraum. Her video seems to focus on heatless curls using Jumbo Curlers. However, at 6:25 in the video, her friend is seen with paper towels and there's a quick demo of using them to curl your hair.

I didn't have a satin cap or scarf to put over my hair, so I just let it be.

Making the curls...

I used 23 paper towels for my hair.

Making the curls was a tedious job. After the first few ones, I got bored of having to roll a paper towel each time.

At last, all of my hair has been wrapped.

..

Front and back of my head.

I didn't follow any "curl pattern" which is why it's so messy and asymmetrical.

Personally, I didn't find the curls comfortable to sleep on. One would think that because of the thinness of the paper towels, it would be fine to sleep on these, but it wasn't.

The morning after...

First, this is what my hair looked like when I got out of bed:

So many flyaways!

And the result:

Note that even after two trims in the past months (against my will), my ends still look ratchet. I'm not sure what to do, but another trim is definitely not considered this time. At this point, I think I'm just gonna let my hair grow until it reaches a little bit past my knees, and then I'll look into my ends.

To add to that, because I didn't always start a curl from the tip of the strand (arms too short/hair too long), some curls' ends ended up a bit weird. 🥴

..

High luminosity and normal lighting

Besides the ends, I think the curls look pretty okay considering that I totally went completely freestyle with the paper towels. I was expecting something worse.

The ends  →  (╯ಥ□ಥ）╯︵ ┻━┻

The same day, in the afternoon...

Fast forward in the afternoon, the curls were still pretty much as tight as when I had unravelled them in the morning. So I decided to oil them with Moroccanoil and brush them lightly to relax the curls.

I shouldn't have done that. Even though I was quite gentle, there was a lot of frizz.

I find that my hair in the above pic appears thick, while it's actually pretty thin:

From the back – I preferred the tighter curls more:

..

High luminosity and normal lighting

I got some of these knots. x_x

The aftermath. Paper towel turds.

After trying heatless curls with paper towels, I will not use this method again.

Granted, the paper towels surely curled my hair, and the curls lasted (my Asian hair tends to be incapable of holding a single curling iron curl). Also, they'd look very cute styled in a half updo or a ponytail.

However, it wasn't easy to wrap a hair strand around a paper towel from the tip, and the paper towels are quite uncomfortable to sleep with. Furthermore, you end up with a pile of them that you need to make use of.

All this to say that the experience wasn't entirely bad, but the tiresome making of the curls and the uncomfortable sleep just weren't worth the result. I admit my hair is on the longer side which explains the weirdly curled ends, so I guess it's just not the right method for my hair.

Thankfully, other techniques seem to work as well and don't have these drawbacks, such as the bathrobe curls that I still haven't tested with my hair.

August '21 Cooking Take-Ons

It's been a little over two months since I've written here. Since my last post in June, I signed a new lease; I'm moving into a new apartment in October. (๏∀๏)✨ Because of this, I've been spending a lot of my time shopping (mostly online) for furniture and decorations. I had never been interested in interior design before, but I'd consider myself a true amateur now.

Also, I'm currently on a two-week summer holiday break. I return to work right after Labour day. However, I'm in quarantine since last week because I was in contact with a family member that tested positive for the virus (the person feels wells and doesn't show symptoms as of now). I have had my two vaccine jabs (Pfizer x2), but the second dose needs 14 days to become fully efficient – that's what the nurse told me – and I had had my 2nd dose only 7 days ago when I visited the person. Therefore, I was at risk of having been infected with Covid.

I had a first Covid test a couple of days ago (which turned out negative) and I'm getting another one next week, 48 hours before I can return back to my normal activities (I need another negative result for my quarantine to end).

I don't want to dwell on this too much, though it's the most recent event that happened and it was stressful for everyone. Thank goodness I feel much more at peace now. To be honest, this quarantine was kind of a blessing in disguise; since I can't go anywhere, I have more time to concentrate on schoolwork – for which I'm still lagging, unfortunately, but eh, I guess it'd be even worse if I've had had the opportunity to go out.

This being said, let's talk about some food I cooked during August!

August 14th 2021 | Tomato Fried Rice

I "came up" with this dish a couple of years ago when I attempted to make this Chinese dish. It didn't end up like the one by Strictly Dumpling, but it still tasted good and I liked its simplicity. Thus I started making this "dumbed-down" version often during my last year of undergraduate and the years after (until I discovered slow-cooking, in the summer of 2018).

I hadn't made this dish for a long time until recently when few foods left in the fridge gave me the idea to make it again. The base ingredients are tomatoes, rice, eggs and some chicken broth. I eyeball everything. Sometimes I scramble the eggs.

I had an onion this time, so I also threw it in!

I couldn't find an old picture of the exact dish but I came across the following one that is similar (taken on March 20th 2016). Here, I used cherry/grape tomatoes that I crushed in the pan with the spatula. The liquid from the tomatoes prevents the dish from getting too dry, though I generally add chicken broth. I believe I also added pesto and omitted the eggs.

August 25th 2021 | Taco Fried Rice

Another "old-school" dish I used to make when I was a full-time student. I even recorded on my blog the first time I made it lol.

It's mainly composed of ground meat (pork or beef), veggies such as green bell pepper, onions and garlic, spiced with Old El Paso taco seasoning.

In the picture below, I added two yellow zucchini. I didn't particularly like the sweetness they gave, but I had to use them somehow and they made the dish healthier I guess? Something I love about these kinds of dishes is their flexibility – you can dump in various vegetables (usually ones that you've gotta get rid of) and it'll still taste relatively good, or even better.

August 27th 2021 | Slow Cooker Summer Squash Stew

From Le grand livre de la mijoteuse

Sausage, yellow zucchini, onions and tomatoes (usually, there's also green zucchini,

but I didn't have any; also I decided to add rice on my own).

I made this dish two times in the past and overall I had a pleasing cooking & eating experience.

This time, however, my TOTM showed up the morning after I had eaten it for supper. And this time, unfortunately, the side effects were pretty rough (happens about 1/3 of the time). Like I'm hit by heatstroke and stomach flu at once. 😭 Thankfully, they generally don't last all day – a couple of hours max.

Anyhow, I'm aware the dish is most likely innocent in what happened the next day, but since I don't often eat supermarket sausage, I thought it was safer to throw the leftovers... I will probably make this recipe again, but with ground pork instead.

F A I L . . .

August 7th 2021 | Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala

[Recipe]

The picture of the dish reflects accurately the taste of it.

Although I was suspicious of the taste upon removing the lid of the slow cooker, I had the idiocy of tasting the dish after dividing it into portions in the containers, which resulted in a big dishwashing job afterwards that could've been avoided. Serves me right for following another online recipe that doesn't seem to have been "vetted" by the public.

June '21 Cooking Take-Ons

Back in 2018, I had decided to post any subsequent cooking experience on my IG account.

In October 2020, I posted on IG a pic of me holding my vintage handbag from ElekonChicBoutique (to see it, go there and CTRL + F "I was so").

A couple of months later, I started following a vintage store on IG that I had previously bought from. To my surprise, the store liked my handbag picture and followed me back. Shortly after, another vintage account liked the same picture.

These events dissuaded me from posting any more of my cooking experiences on IG. I'm not sad, because I didn't enjoy that much making these posts on IG. From now on, I'll take my cooking notes on the same sheets of paper that have the recipes written on them. (I had started in March 2020 to write on paper the recipes I had liked. It will probably become a slow cooker/simple food cookbook.)

As for this platform, around the end of each month, if I've made any new recipe(s), I'll mention it here. I tend to want to chronicle every little thing that happens during the process, but I'll try to be brief so that these blog posts are only meant to share the food I cooked and their recipe. How I cooked it or how I altered the recipe shall be written my cookbook-to-be.

First month to be featured is June 2021. All three recipes tried during that month come from the same website and were made using the slow cooker.

June 5th 2021 | Alfredo and Buffalo Pasta

[Recipe] (it's in French, but can be easily translated.)

I was impressed by the taste considering the few ingredients needed and the very easy steps.

Only I think there should have been more sauce because some of my portions didn't have enough and it was kinda dry with the rice. Also, I shall use sodium-reduced soya sauce next time (AND dilute it) because I thought it was way too salty.

June 13th 2021 | Alfredo & Cajun Chicken Pasta

[Recipe] (in French)

I thought it was weird to cut the chicken once it had cooked for 2.5 hours, but that's trivial; the dish was delicious. The taste of cajun is totally absent, maybe due to the spices I personally used.

Next time I make this recipe, I'll cut the chicken into smaller pieces and use 2 tbsp of butter instead of 4. It was a bit too greasy for my liking.

June 20th 2021 | Chicken Buffalo Pasta

[Recipe] (in French)

The presentation is bad; the dish looks dry as hell. That's because I put too much pasta (900 g) while the recipe asked for 2 cups. Idk, there's was a lot of liquid in the slow cooker and I thought it could undertake my gigantic amount of pasta. Plus, I wanted to use the whole package of fettuccine.

Fortunately, the taste is good. It is just enough cheesy and Buffalo-y. I'll probably make this recipe again, obviously with less pasta this time.

Sporadic Life Update #3

Heeello

A little over three weeks ago, I handed out my last paper of the winter semester! As for my summer semester, it started last Monday. (I am enrolled in two courses.)

This post is only an update on some important stuff to me or just random things that I was able to photograph.

🎕 I tried a strengthening hair mask from a hair salon (and used it up).

I had gotten tired of trying DIY hair masks that kept deceiving me and thought it was time I invest a bit more in my hair since it's dear to me. I got this reconstructing hair mask by Wella Professionals.

A lady at the hair salon recommended me this mask after I explained I was looking for something that strengthens my hair.

I wasn't too enthusiastic about her suggestion, because I had never heard of the brand (plz don't throw rocks at me if it's well-known), but especially because the lady proudly told me it didn't have sulphates – and I become immensely suspicious when a brand claims to be bio, vegan, silicone/sulphates-free (i.e. a saint).

Alas, my choice was limited to the Wella hair mask or another one by Kerastase that was very costly. As someone who isn't used to buy professional hair products, I thought it'd be wiser to start "smaller" with a 23 $ CAD hair mask, which was Wella's.

Here are my general thoughts on the product.

• Smell: ★★★★★
  The smell is really nice. It doesn't linger for long after my hair has completely dried, but it isn't a reason to rate the mask lower.
  
  
• Quantity: ★★★★★
  I applied the mask religiously every week, from my hair ear-length to the tips. Considering I first used the mask on March 21st, and that the last day was on May 22nd, the mask lasted me two whole months! I thought it would last me a month tops. My hair was down to my upper knees when I used it (so it's pretty long), but I don't have thick hair, so I guess that helped.
  
  
• Results: ★★★★ ½
  This mask gives me all the results I wish for and for a fair price. I give it 4 stars and a half because I feel it's unrealistic to give something 5 stars out of 5?

In a nutshell, I am extremely satisfied with this hair mask. I'll probably buy it again next time I want to treat my hair.

🎕 I started using professional shampoo and conditioner.

After months of thinking about it on and off, I switched from drugstore brands to hair salons' for my shampoo and conditioner. (Though I may switch back in the future, I really have no idea.)

I went with Paul Mitchell by the lady's recommendation at the hair salon. I had told her that my hair was prone to grease and that my scalp had started to itch (again). For info, my scalp usually itches one day after washing my hair, which is the same time that it starts to get greasy (already!).

The shampoo is clear and smells very nice – just like lemon pie. As for the conditioner, it looks like custard but smells like sunscreen. I don't dislike it, but it's the first time I use a hair product that carries such a scent. However, it goes away pretty rapidly once my hair has dried – at least in my case.

I tried to show the consistency and colour of the conditioner (╥▽╥)

I can't say I'm in love with the conditioner. It makes my hair, from the ears to the tips feel a bit waxy and thicker. Though I prefer this over greasy hair, the wax-like texture makes my hair subject to tangles.

Since using Paul Mitchell, my scalp itches less and my hair sheds less. It's a difference big enough so that I noticed it. However, I've been using the products since April, and because my hair sheds less during the summer, my observation could be due to the season's change instead of switching to Paul Mitchell.

🎕 I had my hair trimmed.

My last trim was in September 2020.

Every time after a trim, I vow the next one will be once my hair is under knee-length. Well, once again, I broke my promise. Last weekend, I impulse-asked my mom to trim a good chunk of my hair. I don't know how much exactly (see picture below), but my longest tips went from touching my upper knees to going back to a solid mid-thigh length.

..

Both pics above are before the trim; only difference is that the one on the right is brighter to see better (and I don't know what's up with the vertical white streak in the middle of my hair!).

What my mom has cut!

..

After the trim. Disliked the first pic on the left, so I took one myself.(We had already taken so many pictures and had to put an end to the photoshoot.)

I miss my longer hair, but the trim was a necessary evil. And I must admit, it's nice to have thicker ends.

🎕 I bought hair accessories.

I found these cute hair ties at Simons.

A white lace hair bow and a simple knot made out of burgundy satin

I saw a video on IG with a girl wearing an accessory similar to the one on the right, and the ribbons hanging on both sides of her bun made the hairstyle look so pretty. I'm not sure if I can make the same with mine since the hair tie is pretty tight, but maybe once it becomes looser with use.

Edit Sept. 19th 2021: Here are pictures of me wearing the white scrunchie. It's my favourite and goes well with everything. ♡

..

I also bought my first hair fork! It is from 60th Street on Etsy.

Front of the fork

Back of the fork

Here is the fork's listing for anyone interested. You can also read the review I posted – it should be just under the listing's picture. I'm really satisfied with the fork. It's very solid and holds my hair in place all day long.

The only problem – and that's not the seller's fault – is that I can't make a nice-looking bun with the fork. Every time I try to, I always find an issue with it (too tight/loose) which prompts me to remove the hair fork. And yes, I did watch YouTube videos on how to make a bun with a hair fork. I'm a lost cause.

The bun pictured below is the best I could do with my non-existent talent in hairstyling.

This is the same pic I posted in my Etsy review (despite countless tries,

I only have pics of the one nice bun I managed to do lmao).

I think I just rolled my hair on itself, then rolled it into a bun and pricked the fork into it. Unfortunately, the hair fork was getting hidden by my hair which was slowly getting loser. I had to remove the fork pretty rapidly because the bun would have eventually collapsed. A shame since it didn't look too bad.

Another shot of the bun; you can see my hair creeping over the fork even more.

I was left with a dilemma: either I do pretty buns that don't last long, either I do ugly buns that stay on. I chose the latter, so I've been constrained to wear the fork when my hair has become greasy or when I do cleaning (so only when I'm at home). It's not absolutely bad cuz I get to wear it at least, but its primary use wasn't intended for that. TT

🎕 Miscellaneous (I couldn't categorize these things.)

Saigon chicken soup from our favourite Vietnamese restaurant. Mmm.

Weeks ago, I bought a ravishing and high-quality full slip to wear under my see-through dresses...

... and the day after, I tried it on with a dress and the dress' zipper caught a part of the slip's mesh. It had to be ripped off, FML.

🎕 After more than a year of staying at my parent's house, I'm now back at my apartment in Montreal.

I'll work at the office on some days (hybrid schedule), so I will probably restart posting on my OOTDs page.

Lovely (cork?) board that my parents put up

Among the new improvements in my apartment (thank you 👫), my parents installed a portable aircon so that I'm not repetitively hit by heat strokes this summer. It's been working since I've returned to Montreal, and my quality of life has improved so much... much more energy to cook and clean during the day (and basically just move) and better sleeping.

Last Sunday, I cooked General Tso's Chicken in my slow-cooker.

I shall talk about this dish more in detail in another blog post.

Oh, and finally, I got my first Covid shot last Saturday.

:D