For the past few weeks, all eyes have been focused on Toronto as the Toronto International Film Festival took shape. Celebrities and media enthusiasts from the globe came to Toronto for an exciting week of movies, parties, glitz and glam. I was able to view a number of films and shows and have reviews and thoughts on each piece I saw. Junk World is Takahide Hori’s latest film in his stop-world animation series, with previous work Junk Head. The film follows a civil war and several humanoid robots trying to save the world and themselves. One specific robot goes through…
Author: Hillary LeBlanc
I tend to be skeptical of celebrity skincare, makeup and perfume lines but we have seen an uprising of celebrity owned brands making genuinely top-tier items. For the past few months we’ve been testing Fenty items to see if Rihanna’s skincare line is truly worth the hype. These are our five favourite items that we are keeping in rotation. Starting with the base layer, the Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Primer. This primer is hydrating, adds radiance and is a soft matte texture. While I had recently been enjoying jelly primer’s, the Fenty Primer still has great hold and works…
Thermacell is a mosquito repellent using a product that spreads to repel mosquitoes from up to 20 feet away. As someone born in the east coast, I can confirm the annoyance and persistence of mosquitoes and how many different products I have used over the years from candles and sprays. Recently, in Banff, my partner and I were eaten alive by mosquitoes, so coming back to Ontario to use Thermacell was just the relief I was hoping for in a box. While cottaging in Muskoka, we brought Thermacell which did as described. The E65 Rechargeable Mosquito Repeller and Fast Charging…
The Lumineers returned to Toronto at the Budweiser Stage for the first of two nights of their Automatic Tour shows in Toronto. The band, led by Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites shared that they have been singing together for 20 years. The set list included newer songs like Same Old Song, You’re All I Got, Asshole, Ativan and Automatic. The band shared stories about the meaning of some songs, Ativan coming from the perspective of the drug itself, You’re All I Got as a song between Schultz and Fraites. Scultz, always a man of the people, joined the crowd for…
As a first time visitor of the West Coast of Canada, I was excited to experience Vancouver for the first time. My partner and I spent an intense three days in the iconic city. Here’s how we best made use of our time and our favourite experiences. Prince of Whales whale watching was a unique experience. With many companies offering whale watching, we loved that Price of Whales offered sunset whale watching. While there is no guarantee of seeing whales or orcas we saw four humpback whales within 30 minutes of our excursion. While we never saw orcas, the team…
Walk With Me is a film directed by Heidi Levitt, the wife of Charlie Hess who has early on-set Alzheimer’s. The film explores his decline, her efforts as a care-giver and where health research led the couple. As someone whose mother has had early on-set dementia for 10 years, I can confirm how difficult this disease is to navigate for everyone involved. What was most touching about this film is how the couple had documented their lives before Heidi started filming Charlie’s cognitive decline. You can see them young and in love, both in their prime, Charlie an artist working…
The Weeknd, Abel Tesfaye, is on his After Hours Til Dawn tour and has been playing to sold out crowds for months. Recently The Weeknd performed across Canada setting stages ablaze, literally. His show celebrates the span of his work, with the singer performing older hits like House of Balloons, new hits like Timeless and his iconic feature on the 50 Shades of Grey soundtrack Call Out My Name. Crowds screamed songs during acapella moments, and with the light up wrist bands – the crowd itself were part of the show’s entire visuals. The stage is built like a cross…
Les Hay Babies are a band from Moncton, New Brunswick who has been around for 14 years! They recently played at Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto as part of their summer festival touring session. The three female members, Katrine Noël, Julie Aubé and Vivianne Roy have been doing music since they were in high school and have no plans of stopping. Their fifth album Tintamarre was written in Louisiana which is the cajun sister community to the Acadians of the Maritimes. During their set at Horseshoe Tavern they shared stories of creating the album, like going to a remote area and…
On June 6, 2025, Manga Hotel Group officially commemorated the opening of TOOR Hotel, part of JdV by Hyatt, in Downtown Toronto, Ontario. The 33-storey building Includes the 2-level MUSE Bistro + Bar and 179 upscale rental residential units as part of the 203 Residences, situated atop TOOR Hotel. Distinguished guests included Premier of Ontario Doug Ford, MPP for Brampton East Hardeep Grewal, Scott Richer of Hyatt Hotels, representatives from Destination Toronto, Ontario, Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association (ORHMA), Greater Toronto Hotel Association (GTHA) and valued community partners. The celebration featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a reception with food and…
Last month, The Hollywood Reporter threw their second annual Women in Entertainment Canada Summit and Awards event honouring five of Canada’s finest women in entertainment who have changed the way we consume media in various ways. The panels during the day featured amazing insightful conversations touching on the Art of Leadership, Women to Watch, Empowering Women in Entertainment, the Power of Music, Directing Change and a fireside chat with honouree Jeanne Beker moderated by Suzanne Boyd. One of my favourite Women to Watch is Ebonnie Rowe of Honey Jam which has offers musical development program for girls and women. Row…
Walking into the Dean Davidson Atelier feels like an oasis in Toronto chaos. The store is beautifully laid out with gorgeous stone-like walls and beautiful jewellery laid out. Dean himself is just as effortlessly cool as his store, when we chatted about his work. “I’ve had my business up for 16 years. I worked in a completely different field prior to this, and I got introduced to a clothing designer in Calgary where I was living at the time.That led me to launch in my first solo collection three years later and moving to Toronto and now it’s been a…
One of the most sought after events of the year is approaching and nearly sold out. The 24th annual Holt Renfrew presents Scrubs in the City Paris in collaboration with Mantella Corporation, a huge party in support of Sick Kids Foundation, will be held at Evergreen Brickworks on June 5th. This year, Evergreen Brick Works will transform into the City of Love and Light with elegance and sophistication on full display. Guests will enjoy gastronomic delights à la française; epic entertainment; and experience a memorable night of dancing and celebration all in support of SickKids. To date, the annual event…
On April 10th, rock band Heart performed at Coca-Cola stadium bringing out longtime fans for an evening unlike any other. Playing hits Crazy On You, What About Love and Barracuda, the crowd was not disappointed. The band, with members Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Ryan Waters, Ryan Wariner, Paul Moak, Tony Lucido and Sean T Lane, are on their Royal Flush 2025 tour. The founding members, who are all in their mid-70s, sounded as good as they have throughout the decades. The tour is continuing on through the USA until August 30th. Learn more here: https://www.heart-music.com/ *photos by Criss Cain
For Syreeta Hector, the unfortunate reality of not fitting in as a Black person started young, in Saint John, NB. She always wanted to be a dancer, but quit while in NB to do horseback riding. She recalls both spaces lacking representation. “I have this vivid memory of going to a community center danceathon, and one of the little girls was like, ‘why do you look like that?’ So I quit. I did not do dance in New Brunswick at all.” From there Hector moved to North Carolina where she decided to pursue dance as a high school elective. There…