Tracey Rossignol

 Being over 40 I’m always looking for fresh ideas on how to present myself as fashionable, but still age appropriate.   The plus with being older is you know yourself well.  I know the assets I want to enhance and those I want to hide.  Not looking for any miracles, just fresh ideas to do more with what I have.   Plus Sweet Talk had wine and chocolate – who could say no?!

 Gina Hole, owner of THEY Representatives, provided unexpected career inspiration.  After 30 years in the make up industry, she started her agency to represent other artists. She saw a need in Vancouver and decided to jump in to fill it.   We don’t all have to scrap our past experience or go back to school to reinvent ourselves. There are ways to take our experience, evolve and push it to the next level.     Her tips:

• #1 tip was lips (my thought – oops I forgot to wear lipstick)
• #2 is to always have an element of yourself – something that brings out your personality 

 Leila Bani is a well established fashion stylist who has worked with people like Diana Krall.  Her business is to stay on top of current trends.  

 When asked her thoughts on top 5 accessories for this fall she said while there are no hard rules, and she feels that each woman should:

• have at least one GREAT pair of shoes
• have a statement necklace
• not follow trends but look for shape and cut
• find items that let you express your personality.

 Great guidelines for women at any age.

 I have a theory that if I wore a trend the first time I shouldn’t do it again. And it seems that many of the trends of the 80s (which I did in a big way) are back.  Leila had brought a great black and white outfit that showed some current trends consisting of a:

• boyfriend blazer (I had at least 3 great vintage oversized versions back in the day)
• equestrian pants (mine were Club Monaco jodhpurs complete with ‘thigh wings’)
• safari shirt and vest (my ‘uniform’ for about 2 years)

 And the thought of wearing equestrian pants with a tunic, a belt and a great pair of heels to show off my legs, brought back not to fond memories of stirrup pants matched with a painter’s shirt and a hip belt.  Some great fashion tips for those born after 1985. 

 Sonia Leal-Serafim did a live make-over to show us some of the things we can do with make up.  She said that most women are afraid to wear make up and thus either over do it or do too little.  Her focus was how to do great everyday healthy looking make up. 

 Her top tips:

• #1 mistake is eyebrows.  They frame your face and taking some time to shape them & fill them in helps make the most of your face.
• Sunscreen is key to protecting your skin and maintaining healthy, youthful skin.
• Exfoliating is 2^nd key to maintaining youthful skin.  And it doesn’t have to be expensive.  Baking soda added to your regular cleanser a few times a week brightens your skin and doesn’t damage your skin (funny I also use baking soda to wash my tub).
• Say ‘NO’ to dry power – for NO reason at anytime.  It stays on top of your skin – covering it. Whereas liquid foundation makes your skin show through.

 Rita summed it all up with “Looking good and feeling good can be a great experience for us all.”  I couldn’t agree more.

 Tracey Rossignol is a member of the WIL Advisory Board and the Marketing & Communications Team Lead.  She regularly blogs about motherhood and marketing at https://tjrramblings.blogspot.com.

 By Hanna Phan

 When I received an invitation to WIL’s Sweet Talk event as a VIP guest, I must admit, I was a bit excited despite not really knowing what it was really about. Sweet Talk. Sounds delicious. 

 First, I must offer my kudos to the WIL team for putting together a very enticing event that sold out a week before the date.  Sweet Talk had all the right ingredients to make it worthwhile and fun for the guests: fashion, beauty, style tips from fashion industry leaders, mixed with wine and chocolate, and prizes to be won.  Now that’s a sure fire way to make networking effortless for anyone. 

 The tall windows and white backdrop of the large loungy space inside of Cossette West’s ad agency set up a clean and modern chic feel when I arrived on the 5^th floor.  When I managed to get through the chatter of women in the room, I was tickled to find two rooms filled with sinful delights. One room had bottles and glasses of Wild Horse Canyon red wine and the other room had a table with platters of decadent Ganache Patisserie and a beautiful 3-tier cake designed for WIL.  I opted for Perrier water (to avoid embarrassment of turning bright red with only two sips of wine), and hung around the “chocolate room” where I networked with like-minded women, who were just as thrilled to be there for the wine, chocolate, and fashion tips.  The bite-sized dessert, which really took 3 bites to finish, was indeed really decadent (by that I meant, delicious and unjustifiable).  I decided not to have another so that I could converse and smile without chocolate smear or cake in between my teeth (although in all honesty, I didn’t want to run an extra ½ hour to burn it off the next day)…   

By the time most of guests arrived, Maya Kanigan, President and Founder of WIL, took the stage and thanked all the sponsors, speakers, and volunteer team for their support and hard work.  She also announced that tonight’s Sweet Talk event was the launching of registration for WIL’s Annual Superwomen & Friends Gala fundraiser coming up on November 21^st.   Last year’s gala was a lot of fun, with silent & live auctions, dream make-over, fashion show, and live entertainment – not an event to miss.  But before I digress further, the speakers at Sweet Talk were inspiring, funny, and offered many great tips that made sense, easy to follow, and kept the ladies wanting more of their trade secrets (I think the Q&A session was longer than the speaking presentation itself!). 

 So here’s what I took away from each speaker:

• Gina Hole, successful entrepreneur, and owner/founder of They Representation Inc., inspired me to seize opportunities when you discover a need that people or an industry is missing, and personalize your style.
• Leila Bani, a fashion stylist for celebrities, reminded us about all the local designers and boutiques around Vancouver to help create your unique look. Some of the names I caught were, Christina Darling, Jason Matlo, Rosemary from JC Studio, Jeweliette, Gravity Pope Tailored Goods, Deluxe Junk.
• Sonia Leal-Serafim, international make-up artist, emphasized the importance of your eyebrows to help shape the face.  So before we decide to spend thousands on a face-lift (not that I’m thinking about this at age 30, and can pass for 15), start with reshaping your eyebrows first – a quick and cheap way to looking young again. 

I think this session could have gone on for at least another hour just talking about skin care and what to wear, but there was more wine and cake to be had!  Overall, another feel good event by WIL once again. 

Hanna Phan is an entrepreneur with a passion for technology, her iPhone 3GS, philanthropy work, intuitive design, and strives to live a greener lifestyle.  You can find her either riding her bike around downtown Vancouver, running through Pacific Spirit Park, on Twitter, or swinging around a trapeze at Circus West.