Katherine Chloé Cahoon

I wish! Actually, it’s the one-year anniversary of when the Canada International Film Festival awarded me the Royal Reel Award for my short film But I Do. That trip was when my love for Canada began!

Shortly after winning the award, I was a guest on a national Canadian show produced by Shaw TV…

and got to dish about men with the hilarious comedian Patrick Maliha and glamorous host Fiona Forbes. I love my job!

I wish I could take a road trip to Vancouver right now, but I have too many pending responsibilities. So, instead, I’m going to divulge some of my favorite haunts there.

Get ready for the good weather, because when it comes, Kits Beach beckons the beautiful. I’m not just talking about the sea and the sunsets. This place is a Beautiful People attractor. Those who flock here aren’t just good looking, they’re friendly and charismatic. If you go, expect to receive several greetings and invitations.

And the restaurant across the street isn’t called the LOCAL Public Eatery for nothing. This IS where the locals hang out to soak in a sociable vibe and delicious comfort food.

Then there’s my favorite breakfast spot…Back Forty. You know the above sign is calling out to you, Gorgeous!

The eatery is known for their egg dishes, but you probably already guessed that from the pic.

And I hope they never stop putting drinks in mason jars. It just wouldn’t be Back Forty without that.

Most women go on a shopping spree to buy the threads they need for a special event, but Rent the Runway offers another approach…and it’s catapulted them to success. The season of proms, college formals, and spring business soirées is upon us. Instead of popping hundreds or thousands for a gown that could be deemed passé if worn twice, you can rent designer duds for a sliver of the cost.

All of the frocks that I combined to create this composite rent for $70. If you purchased them, the damage for each one would range from $600+ to $2,500+. So, with Rent the Runway, you can be Cinderella even if you don’t have a Fairy Godmother.

The song I chose for this video describes Tricia, the stunning Bobbi Brown makeup artist. Here she shows how to get false eyelashes to dry quickly by using a very high tech cosmetic fan. Just joking! Her secret weapon is merely paper. Watch and see this and the result of her work on me…

https://instagram.com/p/nGlFLrCfD7/

Longing for more love in your life? I’ve got a tip backed by research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. If you show support for your amour when something good happens to him that will increase his trust, contentment, and emotional intimacy, and cause him to believe that you will be there for him if something goes wrong. This study was done on married couples, but the same principle applies to the dating scene.

Dr. Shelly Gable, professor of psychological and brain sciences at the University of California, explained that if your loved one says, for example, that he’s getting a raise, your response shouldn’t be something like, “Doesn’t that mean you will have to work a lot more?” That’s an automatic ego and relationship deflator. Instead you should celebrate his accomplishment by saying something like, “I know how hard you worked to earn this… Let’s go to dinner.” That will strengthen your bond. Can’t dispute the doctor!

The calendar may claim that the first day of spring was March 20^th, but in my mind it’s this Easter Sunday!

I’ve sleuthed around for spring shopping finds. Two of my top picks are this Nordstrom coral hat paired with Chloé sunglasses. Now I’m ready for a long run of the sun!

Happy Easter everyone!

I love this holiday and learning of different traditions. For me, it’s a quiet day to reflect, attend church, spend time with loved ones, and pass out treats to neighbors and anyone feeling alone. For others, it means spring, Easter outfits, and social events. I can appreciate that sentiment.

If you fit the latter category, there is an abundance of inviting Easter celebrations to choose from. Here are three in San Francisco, London, and Ontario.

Treated Like Royalty. That is, at San Francisco’s gorgeous Palace Hotel. The Garden Court and Grand Ballroom are hosting an elaborate brunch with sparkling wine and jazz music. The children’s fare is accompanied by magic tricks and, of course, an appearance by the Easter Bunny.

Chocoholics. Renowned chocolatier, Paul A. Young, has your fix. He has created a special chocolate-infused afternoon tea in the Park Room at London’s Grosvenor House, complete with champagne. The event begins this week and runs for two months, so if you’re like me and Easter is a more reverent affair, you can enjoy this chocolate paradise another time.

Brunch Fit for a Prince. I’m referring to the vintage Prince of Wales Hotel in Ontario, Canada. It has an award-winning, wine country cuisine with a Mediterranean flair, and is close enough to Niagara Falls for a quick jaunt.

…Infused with delicious! After wearing my “Piece of Cake” tee in my Meeting Men Monday Pillow Talk video, I got the urge to bake a cake for an Easter party. My cousin Tina, the Cake Queen, gave me tips.

Tina says using a box cake mix is nothing to be ashamed of. But you need an excellent one. Her favorite is Pillsbury, with pudding in the mix. Here’s how I made my white Easter cake:

Shopping List/Cake and Toppings: 1) two boxes of vanilla Pillsbury cake mix, 2) eight eggs (use only the whites), 3) mint Oreo cookies, 4) spring-colored Junior Mints, 5) Peeps, 6) Sixlets, and 7) glitter frosting tubes.

For a bakery-quality masterpiece, Tina suggests buying two boxes of mix and using two pans. Other professional advice is to coat the pans in Bak-Klene ZT non-stick bakery spray, and fill them ¾ deep with batter.

Baking Tips: After pouring your batter into the pans, drop them several times on the counter to release air bubbles. Once the batter is cooked, gently flatten the cakes using a clean folded towel so you don’t have to cut off the tops. Be careful not to get burned by escaping steam.

Shopping List/White Buttercream Frosting: 1) two cups shortening, 2) two lbs. powdered sugar, 3) two tbs. Wilton clear vanilla, 4) two tbs. Wilton butter flavoring, 5) one cup powdered vanilla coffee creamer, and 6) one cup hot water. Shout-out to my calories counting friends…this is the time to put that counter away:)

To make the frosting, whisk the coffee creamer in a small bowl with hot water. Then set it aside. Next, cream the shortening. Add flavorings and about ½ cup of the coffee creamer. Slowly mix in the powdered sugar. Use more creamer only if needed to make the frosting smooth but thick.

Since this frosting doesn’t contain dairy products, you won’t need to refrigerate it.

Now comes my favorite part…decorating. It wouldn’t be Easter without Peeps.

When I spied the Easter Junior Mints and mint Oreo cookies at the market, I just had to put them in my cart. The combination of Tina’s cake and frosting with Junior Mints is vanilla mint deluxe! I topped my cake with Oreos, frosted and decorated to resemble Easter eggs.

I’m talking about Laila, the scent created by Geir Ness, Norway’s perfume genius. Laila was #1 in a test of which scents men found most attractive on women! It’s sold today because some powerful men asked for it.

Geir spent almost five years creating Laila and named it after his mother. He secretly imprinted a copy of her signature on the bottle, and surprised her with it for Mother’s Day. After hearing his story, I couldn’t resist having him sign a bottle for me.

I really enjoyed meeting Geir. He’s as charismatic in person as in the media.

The picture on top was taken by my dad. He doesn’t know it yet, but I’m planning on roping him into more picture taking:)

The lovable girl featured in my video is in a love dilemma…

Okay Swifties, I’ve got the lowdown on Taylor’s Keds Collection after attending her Nordstrom showcase. Items were brought in especially for the party! And this really was a party, complete with Taylor’s music blasting over speakers…which naturally led to impromptu dancing.

One of my top picks is this striped cutie that goes with a wide array of casual wear.

The event host explained that the polka-dotted shoes on the left were especially designed for Nordstrom with the help of their buyers.

And Taylor’s Keds with holes are best sellers. They’re versatile and breathable for a warm spring day.

Speaking of which, whether or not it’s warm where you live, have a happy weekend!

That sums up a major reason why I love spring! Seattle’s Pike Place Market is a favorite.

And Kate Spade is sundress paradise. So I combined the Market and this floral confection.

Pike Place, the longest running farmer’s market in the USA, was founded in 1927. Unique stalls, shops and restaurants cover three floors and the other side of the cobblestone street. Fresh-cut flowers abound from spring until fall.

Turkish Delight, a Market mainstay, is owned by the family of Denise, the beautiful supporting actress in my music video, But I Do.

Celebrities such as Ian Somerhalder (Vampire Diaries, Lost) come there not just to enjoy a favorite meal – in his case, Chicken Kabob – but to take in the stunning view that spans sunset, sunrise, and Puget Sound…

…and pick up a bouquet of those fabulous flowers for a special someone.

After featuring Emma Watson and her makeup artist on Beauty Trend Tuesday, and seeing how ravishing she looked at the London Noah premiere, I decided to blog about her gown. After all, this is a celebrity-centric week on my site and Emma is a celebrity full of style.

Unfortunately, we can’t just snap up Emma’s ethereal gown because it’s a one-of-a-kind by Ralph Lauren Collections. But I sleuthed around and found similar looks at various price points.

Splurge. This Nicole Miller has Emma’s classic train and comparable fabric, but it comes at no small cost…$1,200.

Scrimp. This Lauren Ralph Lauren gown is similar to Emma’s, by the same designer, and in the scrimp zone when it comes to the red carpet.

Sale. And this Sino-Treasure gown features a flattering halter neckline like Emma has.

So while no one can be EW’s clone, anyone can channel her star power!

As celeb makeup artist, Darais, was doing Emma’s makeup, she confided that she found lip-gloss containers messy because product goop always builds up around the rims.

So Darais teamed up with Lancôme to create Gloss in Love, with a goop-free, push-button, pop-up lid. Ingenious!

Plus, they made Gloss in Love a lipstick and gloss all in one cosmetic.

I learned about this product from Darais when we had a makeup reunion a few weeks ago at a spring trend show. Let me tell you, he doesn’t just work with superstars—he is one! The girls screamed when he arrived, just as they would welcome any major Hollywood heartthrob exiting his limo at a movie premiere.

And Darais’ tips are powerful. A dancer copied how he did my brows and mascara for her competition and became the national champ!

So, after hearing about his new lip loss, I couldn’t possibly pass it up. I got four, and ran home to take this product pic for you.

And I loved the gifts Darias gave me! Adorable joie de vivre bags packed with advanced cream cleanser, lipsticks, mascara and more. Look for them at a Lancôme counter near you.

This week is Celebrity Central. I’m featuring different A-Listers and what makes them amazing. Since it’s Meeting Men Monday, I couldn’t think of a better subject than actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. He may be Game of Thrones’ BAD boy, but in reality, he’s GOOD when it comes to romance.

In a recent InStyle interview, Nikolaj explained about his wife, “It was love at first sight, honestly. For me anyway… But I think it took longer for her. I wore her down. I was just crazy in love.”

Most of us will never have the opportunity to publicly tell the world about the one we love, but we can express our feelings to that person every day. No matter how many times someone you care about says, “I love you,” it never gets old.

Here’s what greeted me upon my return from vacay. Yikes!

After tackling some of my work, I’m dreaming of Cabo. When’s the return flight?!

Since it’s Fashion Friday, I finished my break by compiling Cabo Fashion Crazes for you…

Reflect It Out. Cabo is currently covered in reflector sunglasses…so when there is an amazing view, you see it times a gazillion in the lenses of people sporting them.

Get Fringy. I mentioned this craze in a prior post, but it bears repeating. If you take a trip here and don’t have your fringe on, you’ll feel left out.

Dare to Bare…some stomach. Cropped tops are back in a big way. I saw them in all the restaurants and clubs. This time around, they’re paired with shorts and skirts that skim the waist, or even come a little higher.