styleswept.ca beauty & fashion blog: celebrity trends, pretty makeup and hair looks, the latest styles and more

Earlier this year an online campaign went viral when Allana Maiden petitioned to have Victoria's Secret launch a line of mastectomy bras. The idea received a ton of support, including over 120,000 signatures that were heard by the company who ended up flying the 27-year-old and her breast cancer survivor mother to their Ohio headquarters to discuss research and design ideas.

VS fully committed to putting the idea under serious consideration and this week they finally came forward with a decision: there will be no mastectomy bras amongst the angel wings.

The collection was first shown at World MasterCard Fashion Week back in March, but we got a more in-depth look at the pieces on Tuesday during the brand’s preview.

Rudsak’s fall collection was a mixture of ‘70s disco and ‘90s grunge. “Think Abba meets Kurt Cobain,” said Matthew Flemming, Rudsak district manager for Ontario. "It sounds crazy, but it makes sense once you see the collection."

And it truly did. The entire collection stayed true to Rudsak nature -- timeless, with an edge. We saw plenty of pieces with the classic Rudsak silhouette, leather and fur accents, and a whole lot of cool. 

Here are a few of the pieces I can't wait to rock this fall and winter:

The mounting anger towards Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries over his discriminatory policies has reached fever-pitch. Since we first reported on his desire to hire and attract only thin, good-looking people, everyone from Ellen DeGeneres to disgruntled consumers have been highly vocal about the company's outrageous policies.

However, perhaps the most effective stance against Jeffries thus far is more visual than vocal. The Militant Baker, a blogger also known as Jes, posted an open letter to the CEO accompanied by 16 photographs of she and a male model in a typical A&F embrace. So what's the big deal? Well, Jes is a size 22, Jeffries' nightmare customer, and she is defiantly clad in his company's logo.

  

A myriad of dark spot treatments hit the market this spring, and although the skincare industry cycles through trends just like any other, I think this product push is especially pertinent. I have struggled with hyperpigmentation (also known as dark spots or sun spots) for years and despite many attempts to battle the discolouration and augmenting my SPF to near triple digits, the sun still seems to be doing a number on my skin.

The Billboard Music Awards took place this weekend and there seemed to be an unspoken theme: sex. Between the über-sheer and barely-there red carpet fashions and Nicki Minaj's onstage lap dance, there were far too many visual distractions to focus on the music.

I'm a huge believer in shopping local. There are so many talented Canadian designers out there with incredible, unique pieces to offer. However, tracking down where to buy these pieces can be quite the feat.

Now, imagine if you could shop from the hottest local designers from the comfort of your own home. Thanks to Runway Crush, a new, exclusively-Canadian online fashion retailer, this is now possible. 

Since her unfortunate ride in the back of a cop car, Reese Witherspoon has been noticeably more accommodating to the paparazzi. As such we've been inundated with photos of her every move. "Reese smiles at soccer practice", "Reese and family at the airport", and now "Reese as a blond!" I'm not saying it's anything more than coincidence, but…okay, yes I am.

This woman was found alive in the rubble 17 days after the building's collapse.

Since we first reported on the disastrous building collapse in Bangladesh, the death toll has risen to over 1,100 people. Somehow the word 'disaster' no longer seems appropriate to describe the fallen complex that included a garment factory where Canada's Loblaw Inc. was among retailers employing the now-deceased. Something bigger - more grave - is warranted, because this is a disaster of epic proportions.

   
My top sunscreen picks: Dermalogica Solar Defense Booster SPF 50 for the face and Ombrelle Sport Clear Continuous Spray SPF 60 for the body.

There are many dark spot solutions hitting the market this spring. Whether Vitamin-C packed or Goji berry-infused, the treatments claim to help lessen dark pigment, known as hyper pigmentation, that comes courtesy of sun damage. And while many of these products can help to dull the discolouration, I think it makes a lot more sense to take a proactive approach to the problem with proper sun protection.

First off, many women believe that the SPF built into their moisturizer, BB Cream or foundation is sufficient as a daily sunscreen—not so. You should be wearing a stand alone sunscreen every day, in addition to any SPF built into your skincare.

Every woman dreads bathing suit shopping. No matter how prepared you are, a combination of bad lighting and ill-fitting cuts can lead to painful results. While I can't do anything about the fluorescent bulbs, I can at least give some fit tips that will serve as a shortcut to the best suit for your shape.

BODY TYPE: Full waist
LOOK FOR: Cut-outs and colour blocks can be helpful in creating definition. Dark side panels and curvy cut-outs in the side seams will create the illusion of a drawn-in waist.