Her songs are all over the radio right now. So when Kay was in Vancouver recently I met up with her to talk about Celine Dion, freckle-enhancement and cowlicks.

Kelsey Dundon: After growing up in Nova Scotia, did you feel like a fish out of water when you moved to LA?

Kay: Oh yeah. If I didn’t there would be something wrong with me because they’re extremely different. I grew up in a small town in Cape Breton, my mom was a school teacher and my dad was a school bus driver and it was an amazing place to grow up. I got to be a real kid doing dorky kid stuff and being really awkward for many years.

Kelsey Dundon: You’ve rhymed Canadian with “lemonade-ian.” How does it feel to wear your Canadian pride on your sleeve?

Kay: I think Canadians are known for being really nice people so I don’t mind riding the coattails of that a little bit.  Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Justin Bieber, Michael Buble – these are all really cool, talented people so I’m extremely proud of being Canadian.

Kelsey Dundon: Your sound isn’t exactly Celine Dion-esque -- who’s influenced you musically?

Kay: Some of my favourites growing up were Nelly Furtado, Missy Elliott, and TLC. Right now I really love Ellie Golding and Robyn and we happen to all be on the same label so I’m not upset about that.

Kelsey Dundon: Let’s talk beauty for a minute. I have to ask -- do you draw on your freckles?

Kay: One time on a photoshoot, they put makeup on me and it covers up everything so the makeup artist darkened all my freckles with a liner and I kind of got addicted to doing it. I was really self-conscious about my freckles as a kid and I think it’s important to embrace who you are and if it’s something you felt a little self-conscious about, maybe it’s something you need to enhance.

Kelsey Dundon: You’re known for your wild hair styles, do you do them yourself?

Kay: I don’t know where I get the guts to do some of the things I do with my hair. I have a crazy cowlick in the front and it’s another thing I’ve embraced. It takes about five different products to create this look –  I use Got2B pomade, hairspray, and shine spray. Plus styling oil for the ends of the hair.

I’m a girlie girl – I love hair and nails and I think it’s something we have special as women. If I weren’t in music I would probably do hair or nails.

"I am driven by emotion" says Rachel Roy (above left) when she told us about the Rachel Rachel Roy fall collection that just landed in the White Space at The Bay. The garments reflect her interesting upbringing, a Dutch mother, Indian father, California youth, and East Coast training means she is a New York City-based designer with sensibilities outside of the Big Apple.

She talked us through one of the the key looks (seen on the models), which was about replacing the winter coat with a sweater coat or heavy cardigan, a look we could definitely pull off here on the West Coast, with an umbrella, of course.

But she kept the mood feminine with a huge selection of girly dresses, good for day or party.

And the best part? The fact that the pieces are designed to outlast short lived trends, and are comfortbaly priced at $70-$200. We are sold. Rachel Rachel Roy at The White Space, The Bay, 674 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC. 604 681 6211.

Their music has been featured on shows like Gossip Girl, Skins and The Vampire Diaries, they've been nominated for Juno awards and their latest release, The North, has garnered stellar reviews.

Want to add a little star power to your Wednesday night? Vitamin Water and Sirius XM are inviting a lucky Vitamin Daily reader and a guest to attend a private show by Canadian-indie pop band Stars this Wednesday.

To enter, tweet us your favourite Vitamin Water flavor at @MTLVitaminDaily or email your answer to christine@vitamindaily.com. Winner will be chosen at random Tuesday morning.

The perfect kickoff to Pop Montreal? We sure think so!

I had the pleasure of speaking with Tata Harper at Kiss & Makeup while also receiving a mini facial at the same time (now, that’s the kind of multi-tasking I can deal with). Being the perfect mascot for her organic line, Tata radiates natural beauty and has that amazing halo-like glow about her that makes one say, “I’ll have what she’s having.” Originally from Colombia, Tata, a former industrial engineer, has quickly garnered attention from natural beauty enthusiasts everywhere, including myself.

What inspired you to start your own line?

My stepfather was in cancer treatment and he needed to change his foods, his supplements, and all his personal skin and hair products. When you put things on topically, they bypass your liver, which purges a lot of the toxins, and goes right into the bloodstream. I found cleaning products, I found shampoos, I found makeup, but I couldn’t find a replacement for my La Prairie. I couldn’t find anything that’s 100% natural, that’s pure and good. [Our line is] all made on my farm in Vermont.

Are you looking to expand your line into colour?

I’m not sure. We are focusing right now on anti-aging. There is a big gap in providing people with good anti-aging [natural] solutions. I’ve learnt so much about the skin that I really just want to keep expanding. We have a lip treatment that’s coming out before the holidays and three new serums for spring.

Speaking of aging, what would be your top three tips for skin over 30?

1) Eat a lot of foods with carotene, which helps to promote a lot of collagen. When you hit 30, your collagen production decreases dramatically. Eat a lot of cantaloupe, carrots, and sunflower seeds.
2) The other thing is not to over exfoliate when you hit 30, because at that point your skin starts flattening and thinning out. So many people are addicted to peels and they just make the skin so thin. And the whole point behind anti-aging products is to make skin thicker, more resistant.
3) Building your hyaluronic acid. It’s made in our skin, in our dermis, which is your last layer, and houses all the important stuff, all our fibres of every type (elasticity, collagen, mast cells). Hydration is really needed in our dermis.

Can you tell me a little bit about your aromatherapy products?

We have three aromatherapy treatments. It has nothing to do with the skin. It’s more about emotional well-being. When I was developing this line, there was a collaboration between many different scientists.  One of them was a clinical aromatherapist in Paris, and he’s one of a few people in the world that really knows how to mix essential oils – pharmaceutical grade essential oils – for medical conditions. Part of looking good is also feeling good. If you’re stressed out all day long, it doesn’t matter for cream you use. We have three: for irritability, stress, and bedtime.

What does your day look like on the farm?

Depends. If it’s a workday, then I’m working. On the weekends, I have three kids, and my priority is to make them happy. We either go to Lake Champlain or the woods. They love to be in the woods. We are constantly outside. They pick apples and things from the garden with me. It’s pretty chill. 

tataharperskincare.com

Fashion Junkies, rejoice. The 23^rd edition of Montreal Fashion Week was particularly exciting this season: new venue, new sponsors and best of all, new talent.  Although our fashion A.D.D. set in between shows (Ooh, photo opp with Denis Gagnon!), our focus remained clear on the runway. Here’s a full fashion feature of our top faves during Montreal’s most exciting week.

Elle Quebec’s choice

Martin Lim

Danielle MARTIN & Pao LIM, the namesake merger behind Martin Lim, are known for their clean geometrical cuts and colour-blocking, and most loved for their dresses. 

DUY

Duy Nguyen, Vietnam-born designer behind DUY Collection, is known for his impeccable craftsmanship and couture-worthy designs. His Spring Summer 2013 was an escape along the French Riviera with a mix of fluidity and structure, and a fresh colour palette of red, turquoise, crème and touches of gold.  

UNTTLD

Dynamic design duo José Manuel St -Jacques and Simon Bélange are the fierce force behind UNTTLD. Known to bring poetry to life, their SS13 Collection contrasted structure and fluidity, as well as darkness and innocence.

Tavan & Mitto

Payam Tavan and Mike Mitto, together Tavan & Mitto, dedicated their Spring Summer 2013 to every little girl’s dream playground through short hemlines, crop tops and synched waists. The bold gemstones colours punctuated the perfect tea party outfits.

Vitamin Daily's Honourable mentions

Marie St-Pierre celebrated her 25 years in the industry with a live exhibit throughout the week. 

Anastasia Lomonova, a young designer to watch, dedicated her collection to African Tribes through her impeccable aesthetics and story telling. 

Denis Gagnon, Quebec’s famed fashion star, brought Broadway to the runway with gender-swapping models and a theatrical – yet wearable –collection. 

Rudsak, a Canadian favourite, was perfectly on trend with revised hemlines (loved the mullet skirt) and leather detailing.

Hip & Bone, a Journal de Montreal selection, set the right tone to their debut collection with a youthful, modern and wearable collection. 

Congratulations, Montreal! Our city is receiving fashionable street cred. Fashion’s Night Out, a shopping initiative by Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, has finally come to Montreal. The long awaited wait for fashionalities and avid shoppers alike to store-hop in Old Montreal was over.

Simultaneously held in Toronto and New York, Montreal was no exception to an honourable night of cocktails, art, and of course, shopping. Coveted stores like Cahier D’Exercices, Quai 417, U&I, SSENSE, Espace Pepin and Denis Gagnon, to name a few, were buzzing with people and surprises. Meanwhile, street artists aesthetically took over St-Paul Street prior to a never-before runway street show by Philippe Dubuc.

Quai 417 

The only store carrying the official Fashion Night Out apparel. Drinks were being served while live models posed in the store’s vitrines.

Espace Pepin

Inspired by street art, Mme. Pepin herself took on shop art.

Cahier D’Exercices

They had me at Celine. Oh, and champagne cans to go.

Denis Gagnon 

Spotted: Montreal designer Anastasia Lomonova.

Design duo and former Denis Gagnon apprentices, José Manuel St-Jacques and Simon Bélanger of UNTTLD, with their friends.

Street Art

Flying over the coo-coo’s nest: St-Paul Street art overhaul.

Philippe Dubuc Fashion Show

Philippe Dubuc took over the beautiful St-Paul Street by SWAT storm with his military inspired collection.

A bientôt, Fashion’s Night Out. 

While we usually toast a birthday with a bottle of bubbly, we were tickled pink to recieve this 6-pack of limited-edition Diet Coke, which commemorate Holt Renfrew's 175th year. Girl, you don't look a day over 99!

Deborah Fulsang has a passion for perfume, so much so that she has dedicated a blog to it. The Whale and the Rose is an olfactory portal into the heady world of scent, from big brand releases to limited editions to the classics your grandmother wore. 

What was your first scent memory?
One of my earliest scent memories, perfume-wise, was the smell of Nina Ricci’s L’Air du Temps on my mother’s leather gloves in wintertime. Lilies, amber and leather, combined with the dry crispness of a cold, cold night in the country. That perfume was also the one my father always bought my mother, so I have a particular fondness for the memory of it.

If you could capture elements of nature in a fragrance what would they be?
That first whiff of autumn in the morning—you know, when the air suddenly changes from the heavy, humid heat of August to September; you can almost taste the leaves and the earth, but the smell is clear and cool too.

The smell of fresh basil in the herb garden just after it’s rained.

The air and energy around a campfire in the woods on a dark and starry night by the lake.

The wind in a field on a beautiful, sunny kite-flying day.

What is your favourite place to shop for perfume?
One of my ultimate fragrance shopping experiences is the original Guerlain boutique on the Champs-Elyseés in Paris. It’s like stepping into another time and place. I’m like a kid in a candy store. But I love spending hours in a well-stocked Shoppers Drug Mart beauty department. One of my favourite things to do is to take my daughter perfume shopping there on a Saturday morning. She has a very good nose, and is very opinionated—most 7-year-olds are I guess! She trusts her instincts and knows immediately what she loves and what she doesn’t. Her tastes run from Miss Dior to one of the Live scents by Jennifer Lopez. And I adore the fragrance booth at Holt Renfrew. Spritz in a little Tom Ford, close the door, breathe deeply and transport your imagination and yourself.

What are your favourite perfume houses?
That’s a tough one, but then you didn’t say “ten words or less.” Guerlain is a standout: Vol de Nuit and Sous Le Vent and many of the fragrances developed in the 1920s and 1930s resonate especially with me. They’re rich and complex and evoke such history and romance.

Then there’s Arquiste, a new house begun by Mexican-born architect Carlos Huber. His scents channel very specific moments in time: They are exquisite, olfactory poems.

And Tom Ford: That man knows style. From Black Orchid to Neroli Portofino, his fragrances are worth writing home about.

Of course Chanel too. Coromandel from the brand’s Les Exclusif collection has been my go-to fragrance since it was launched back in 2007. And the new Coco Noir oriental launching this fall is exceptional. We’re featuring it soon in The Whale & The Rose.

Then there’s Creed. There’s Annick Goutal. Oh, I can’t forget Hermès—that would be crazy. There are so many worth mentioning; so many fragrances, so little time.

Coco Chanel once said that a woman should apply perfume in those areas where she would like to be kissed. Where and how do you apply scent?

I apply scent in the morning—every morning, and also before going out if I’m on my way to dinner or an event. Lately, I’ve also been spritzing on fragrance if I’m working late and need a sensory pick-me-up: It does wonders. I usually opt for something with citrus if I need energizing after midnight. And where? I spray my waist, my neck, my arms. I don’t skimp.

If you could enter the lab of any master parfumeur, whose would it be?
Could I time travel? Stop first and spend some time with Guerlain’s Aimé Guerlain and be at his elbow when he was creating Jicky? And then hang out with Chanel’s nose Ernest Beaux and maybe Coco too before heading back to 2012 and the lab of Hermes’ Jean-Claude Ellena?

http://thewhaleandtherose.com/

Photo courtesy of Dan Lim.

Uber-stylist (seriously, she's become more famous than some of her clients), mom, reality TV star, author and designer Rachel Zoe visited Holt Renfrew to show off her fall line.

As these things go, Zoe was impresively on time and took a quick minute to greet the media before heading out to the throng of screaming fashionistas eager to see her new collection.

Here's Zoe chatting with Holt Renfrew VP, Barb Atkins (wearing a purple jumpsuit from Zoe's new collection, natch). 

As the models stylishly stomped the runway, Zoe talked about her incredible rise to fashion fame (she started off as junior assistant stylist and worked her way up) and she offered tips on how to get the most out wardrobe pieces (layer, layer, layer). Her number one piece of advice? Be kind!

Fall must-haves include the cape, a suit that can be worn as separate pieces and a jumpsuit. And that's how Zoe does it.

Find the collection in stores now at Holt Renfrew.

Ferragamo recently reopened its luxurious Vancouver boutique, and it is a very sophisticated place to spend an afternoon.

We were there to check out Marilyn Monroe's soles, literally. For the first and only time in Canda, a reissued collection of Marily Monroe's favourite styles are on display. The simple, elegant pumps truly are timeless. Each pair of shoes are numbered, and when the limited-run is gone, it's gone.

And we couldn't resist a photo of the fabulousssssss Judy Garland-inspired platforms. Somewhere over the rainbow, darlings. 

Yes, the store is elegant, but don't be intimdated by the chic exterior. The Ferragamo staff are incredibly welcoming and friendly, so check out this rare shoe collection while you still can (it leaves town August 16).

Salvatore Ferragamo, 918 Robson St., Vancouver, www.ferragamo.com