Look of the day: Malin Akerman

Swedish-Canadian actress Malin Akerman rocked this fantastic Vivienne Westwood dress at the designer's Los Angeles store opening yesterday

.

Headache hell

Seem to be battling frequent or painful headaches, and you didn't overdose on the wine last night? You're not alone. Millions of people suffer from headaches every day, and popping Advil all the time is not the answer. Dr. Stephen Silberstein, professor of neurology at Thomas Jefferson University shares 5 ideas of what could be causing your pain.

1. Your desk/living space. Messy desks if you're a neat freak or too-tidy ones if you're naturally messy can both cause an anxiety headache.

2. Dehydration. Yes, we've heard it a million times, but not getting enough water is the most common reason for headaches, as it increases acidity which fires up the brain pain centres.

3. Stripes. Odd as it sounds, the lines can actually aggravate the brain and send signals to the pain centre, especially in migraine sufferers.

4. Sleeping in on weekends. Constant changes to your routine have been found to cause headaches so its best to try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. It could also be caffeine withdrawals from not having your coffee fix at the regular time.

5. Posture. Bad posture in general, as well as hunching over a desk or computer screen can cause neck pain and tension headaches (especially in yours truly).

.

Elizabeth Taylor: Tribute to an icon

As last week's sad news of the passing of the iconic and beautiful Elizabeth Taylor still sets in everyone's minds, I'd like to pay tribute to the ultimate in glamorous women.

"Big girls need big diamonds"

"I feel very adventurous. There are so many doors to be opened, and I'm not afraid to look behind them."

"I'm a survivor - a living example of what people can go through and survive."

"I adore wearing gems, but not because they are mine. You can't possess radiance, you can only admire it."

"So much to do, so little done, such things to be"

How to cut your grocery spending

Looking to lower your grocery bill? Here are a few tips from Women's Health:

• Organize your grocery list into sections of the store: meat, dairy, produce, etc

• Go through self check-out to avoid grabbing unhealthy last minute snacks while waiting for the cashier

• Eat before you go! Number one rule of grocery shopping: don't go hungry!

Check out all 6 tips at Womenshealth.com

.

Hot body: Gwyneth Paltrow

If you watched the red carpet before the Oscars, chances are you saw Gwyneth Paltrow wearing Calvin Klein being interviewed by Tim Gunn. How could you not notice the star's lithe, lean bod? She looks amazing!

Performing the theme from Country Strong in Michael Kors

Paltrow, mother of two, is famously known for avoiding gluten and working with trainer-to-the-stars Tracy Anderson. Clearly, something's working. Not only is she long and lean, but she is nicely toned. Sales of Tracy's Metamorphosis DVD are probably skyrocketing when people find out she's the one behind Gwyneth's enviable body! 

You can keep up with all of Gwyneth's news, recipes and favourite items on her blog/newsletter Goop.

Eggplant + zucchini sandwich

Yesterday I went for lunch with some family out along the water, in the sun. What made it even more amazing was the sandwich that I ordered. It was a grilled eggplant & zucchini sandwich on whole grain sprouted bread, made without flour. On it there was goat cheese, tomato, onion, lettuce, pesto sauce and a bit of spicy aoli of some sort. It was amazing!

It looked something like this...

Definitely something I'll be recreating at home!

Spring treat

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow

bloglovin'

Follow my blog with bloglovin

.

Stylish ice cream

Rachel Bilson is teaming up with Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld for a new video series......for ice cream! The videos are for French ice cream brand Magnum, a very popular treat in Europe that is debuting in the states this year. The brand has teamed with many celebrity endorsers including Elizabeth Hurley and Benicio del Toro.

The pair filmed the videos on location in Paris, where Bilson was spotted wearing a sheer black dress on set. With the adorable and stylish Rachel alongside Karl's creativity and filmmaking skills, the videos are sure to be stunning. Thats one treat worth breaking your diet for ;)

The videos are set to premiere April 21st

The secret to preventing sickness

It may be that time again.....when the viruses are going around and everyone is incessantly washing their hands to avoid getting sick. People load up on oranges to get their Vitamin C, pop echinacea like they're candies, and basically do anything they can think of to resist the virus.

My secret is Oil of Oregano. Its a very concentrated formula that has many health benefits when used correctly. Apparently its good for acne treatment as well!

Anyway, what I recommend is 2-3 drops under the tongue when you first start feeling the onset of symptoms. Like any preventative measure, the sooner the better. I will warn you, it tastes absolutely horrendous, and when it creeps its way down your throat it burns and itches, but it works.

Doing it one or two days in a row has always worked for me. Don't overdo it; do it before bed so it can work its magic while you sleep. Don't forget to always wash your hands and get your vitamins, too!

In Vogue? Not in vogue

With the unveiling of the new Vogue cover yesterday, some people (including myself) are rather disappointed with Rihanna gracing the cover of the legendary magazine. No disrespect to these individuals, but Vogue has always been held as the highest standard of fashion and class, and it seems that lately they are slipping. The often scorned Angelina was the cover girl for December 2010 (and does she wear anything but black?) and seemingly disenchanted Kristen Stewart was on February 2011's cover. Rihanna may be a pop icon at the moment, but does she have the talent and stamina to maintain a career not based on sex?

We like to see women with a great sense of style on the cover of Vogue, and women who appreciate fashion. Who would know if Rihanna had any style? Maybe if she kept her clothes on for more than 2 minutes.

I don't know about you, but I much prefer the talented, graceful, respectful and classy likes of Carey Mulligan, Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard, Tina Fey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rachel McAdams and the rest of this year's cover girls. At least they bring something to the table other than tales of their sex lives.

Meditation diet

According to the health website RealAge, people who meditate for 7 minutes or more per day are thinner than those who don't. In the study, the participants practiced recognizing, accepting and experiencing their cravings instead of trying to ignore or suppress them. By doing so, the participants did a better job of holding those cravings off.

Researchers think the mindfulness meditation method worked better than relying solely on willpower because "the practice helped minimize the frustration and obsessive preoccupation with food triggered by trying, often unsuccessfully, to suppress food cravings".

Check out the full article at RealAge.com

A coffee a day keeps a stroke at bay

You may have seen health headlines recently stating that coffee can actually lower a woman's risk of having a stroke. According to a study at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, which followed women aged 49 to 83  over an average of 10 years, those who drank more than one cup of coffee a day had a 22%-25% lowered risk of having a stroke, compared to women who drank less. The study even found that drinking little or no coffee was actually associated with a slight increase in stroke risk.

Of course, drinking it in moderation is essential. The study suggests around 2 cups a day is probably a good number. And remember to drink lots of water to stay hydrated. This comes as a relief for many coffee addicts (which includes myself) as in recent years its been said that coffee is dehydrating and not a good drink of choice. All you Starbucks fiends can rejoice and reach for that cup of joe again!

Check out the Time article here.

McQueen carries on

Its been more than a year since we lost the visionary and extraordinary Alexander McQueen, but with the show at this week's Paris Fashion Week, Sarah Burton proves she has no problem matching McQueen's talent and craftsmanship. 

"I was thinking about an ice queen. Someone strong and noble and romantically powerful" Sarah Burton said describing the Fall/Winter 2011 show at Paris Fashion Week. Though there have been a few shows and collections since Sarah took over the house of McQueen, everyone is still always scrambling for a word from the famously quiet designer. She did not disappoint with this ethereal yet slightly dominatrix-style collection. From hardware to ruffles, there was something for every taste.

Though you can still see so strongly the Alexander in her McQueen shows, Sarah brings a gentle femininity to every piece, visible through even the strongest silhouettes and architectural angles.

With her immaculate talent and keen eye, Sarah continues to prove she was always the only one for the job.

Yummy sides

So kind of random...but I thought I'd share some of my favourite tasty, healthy side dishes lately :)

Potatoes galore...

Mini potatoes with olive oil & spicy yam fries

Mmmm veggies

Cabbage, carrot & raisin salad - so good!

Channeling Yves Saint Laurent

Paris Fashion Week is closing and Stefano Pilati did not disappoint for YSL's Fall 2011 ready-to-wear show. Pilati did a major throwback to Mr. Saint Laurent with lots of black and white pantsuits, vibrant purples and blues, and amazing menswear inspirations.

Words cannot describe how I feel about this show. I need every single piece from this collection! I am once again enthralled with Stefano Pilati; he is utterly amazing. This is absolute fashion magic. Yves would be proud.

John Galliano: not joining the likes of Mel & Charlie

Unless you live under a rock, you've heard the endless news regarding Dior's creative director, John Galliano, who was videotaped in a Paris bar drunkenly making anti-semitic remarks and saying "I love Hitler." He has since been seriously scrutinized, fired from Dior and apparently checked into a rehab facility for alcohol abuse.

This is an extremely sad situation for the fashion world, seeing the amazingly talented Galliano leave the house of Dior on such bad terms after fourteen years.

If you watch the video below, you will hear the women he is talking to seem to be laughing, (guess they aren't too offended) as well as taunting and teasing him.

Obviously what he said was not right and very offensive to many people around the world, but a few people close to John have spoken out defending him and saying that they don't believe he really is racist or anti-Semitic, that he's just very extreme and always looking for attention. It seems it was a bad mix of too much alcohol, some rude and taunting people (what was their motive?) and his endless desire for attention and controversy.

Few people know that he actually has some Jewish heritage, which he was apparently always very open about with his friends. Its terrible that he's been fired for making a stupid mistake, when those really don't seem to be his opinions.

It's been rumoured that Alber Elbaz, Marc Jacobs, and many others will take his place at Dior but perhaps the most talked about is Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy. Will he take over the house of Dior, and if so, how will he approach it, and who will then take over at Givenchy? So many questions! Though Riccardo is beautifully talented and I know he will do wonderful things no matter where he is, we just can't seem to imagine Dior without Galliano.

Oscar fashion winners

The Oscars this year were definitely a nail-biter, with all the nominees being equally worthy of winning. The fashions didn't disappoint, as there were some sure winners on the red carpet!

Mila Kunis' lilac Elie Saab dress was TO DIE FOR!! This girl is sure rocking the red carpet this award season! She has turned up to all the shows as one of the best dressed. She's definitely the style star to watch!

Love love love the colour and drape of Best Actress winner Natalie Portman's Rodarte dress!

Another lilac stunner...Cate Blanchett wore Givenchy beautifully

Ok, can we talk about how amaaaazing Jennifer Hudson looks? I guess Weight Watchers it the way to go because she looks incredible!!! And that orange hue works great with her skin

Marisa Tomei looks stunning and very old-Hollywood glam in vintage Charles James

Presenter Anne Hathaway changed many times, but looked gorgeous in this grecian style Givenchy

Love the full skirt of Matthew McConaughey's other half Camila Alves and her Kaufman Franco dress

Lots of purple this year! Loving the beautiful lace on Scarlett Johansson's YSL gown

The After Parties...

Florence Welch in Valentino at Elton John's infamous after party. Looove this!

Even though she's a little young in my opinion to be attending such amazing and prestigious events and I find it completely unfair, I do love Emma Roberts' metallic Jenny Packham gown

Another young pop tart whom I find unworthy of attending, Selena Gomez in a gorgeous red Dolce & Gabbana number