A Meeting With Katia of GoldyMama in Paris!

Today I got to visit the fabulous GoldyMama store owned by Katia Rapp! I had contaced her prior to my arrival in Paris and was extremely excited to visit her store. It was fantastic!! She has been running her website store http://www.goldymama.com/ for the past four years and just opned this store six months ago. It was wonderful meeting her and her associate Bertrand. We chit chatted a bit and helped a customer decide on whether to buy a great vintage piece she was trying on. The store is full of vintage pieces from every era, from shoes to necklaces, purses to sunglasses. It is beautifully decorated and full of great pieces waiting to be discovered! If you can't visit her magnificent store, be sure to visit her website!

Katia and Bertrand

Katia and I

Paris Day One

I have been so incredibly poor at writing in the past few weeks, so many of you may not know that I am currently in Paris! I just finished my Japan teaching contract and decided to head to Paris for four days before heading to Marseilles for a volunteer restoration project! After 36 hours of traveling, I arrived at Paris and my hotel. I had a quick rest and then headed out to find the Jardin du Luxembourg, which is quite close to the hotel. I found a great shopping district and the Tour Montparnasse and finally, the garden! I am not fantastic at directions so I had to ask a few times and practice my French. What is really difficult is that I am still thinking in Japanese so by the time I can think of the French response, they have already translated it into English for me! Paris is the most wonderful place. It is full of life and excitement. It is just what I needed after a crazy year and a half working in Japan! Stay tuned for my GoldyMama feature! Thanks to Catherine from Cruises etc. for helping me book this crazy adventure :)

The view from my hotel!

First Panini of the trip!

I am in love with the architecture here.

Tour Montparnasse

Yay for Markets!

Jardin du Luxembourg!

Stunning sculptures..

and more...

I am pretty sure this is Artemis!

Elizabeth Grant Skincare Products

Written by Treasure Seeker Colleen

For the past month I have been lucky enough to try out four products from this excellent line. Made in Canada, these skin care products are from Elizabeth Grant Skincare, Toronto, Ontario and Shontiva Int. LTD in London. They are available in Rome, London and Paris as well. I tried each product for one week exclusively and definitely look much better for the experience. My favourite is Torricelumn Intensive Vitamin C Hand & Nail Cream. The 100 ml (3.5 fl. oz.) butter yellow tube is just right for your hand and has an easy pop off lid and is easy to apply. I found it to be exactly as described: intensely hydrating, rich and non greasy. It has a pleasant but not overly perfumed scent. Twice a day for a week made a big difference to hands and nails and also to feet and toe nails. My nails developed strength and shine and cuticles immediately softened. I will continue to use this product and will look for it locally.


Elizabeth Grant International Inc. was established in 1958 and I would like to see more advertising around these products as they are very effective. The Biocollasis Complex with Torricelumn promises "Total Regeneration". It is an eye fill concentrate and its 15 ml (5 fl. oz.) container is a golden slim one with a push top that dispenses a cool blue non-perfumed cream that does lessen lines. Applied morning and night, it is soothing and refreshing. The pump means that nothing leaks or spills and the blue colour easily distinguishes it from other cosmetics so there is no possibility of confusion. This product does "get into your skin" and quickly disappears, leaving eyes brighter and lines diminished.

The last two products I sampled are two tubes of light cream: The Socializer. While I like the concept of "Bright Lights "- Eye Treatment for night and day, I had difficulty with the pump action of the dispenser - it took ages to get the cream out. I do feel that the two tubes in one container is intended to be efficient but is over packaged. The tubes are contained in a cardboard container which is silvery bright and attractively designed but is unnecessary as the tubes are similarly decorated. There is also a double sided descriptive insert which could be written on the tubes instead of being extra packaging. This product also does what it promises: it is soothing, de-puffing, dark circle brightening and cooling. Still, I prefer the Biocollasis Complex for its colour, efficient packaging and rich texture.

People are asking me what I am doing differently and I am telling them that the Elizabeth Grant Skincare line is a winner!

Ivan Sayers: SFU Courses and Collection

Written by Treasure Seeker Colleen

Have just finished one course at SFU downtown and will be taking another: Women's Fashionable Dress in the 20th Century: From Classical Revival to Modernity. This is for 6 Mondays, 9:30-11:20, September 13-October 25, Room 1800 and you can register online at www.sfu.ca/seniors. (There is a range of ages in each class and we've formed an email list as we have lots in common) Ivan is a fashion historian who specializes in the study and collecting of women's, men's and children's fashions from 1650-to today. He shows how fashion shapes and is shaped by the times. His discussions are lively and informative and he brings examples of clothing and accessories that you can see and touch. His collection is so vast and detailed that I decided to take photos that give an over-all sense of its variety and compelling invitation to explore further. While you look at the pictures, imagine how fantastic it would be if Vancouver had a Fashion History Museum Collection as many other countries have. Want to join in the quest for one?

Marina and the Diamonds Oh No!

Thanks to Nylon for the update on Marina and the Diamonds! Check out the latest video!