Faze Magazine’s Be Extraordinary Event + Giveaway

What I love about Faze, (the company I’ve been interning at for the past year and a half) is that they don’t only create great magazines for teens and young adults in Canada, but they also host amazing events for girls in Toronto! Every live Faze event usually includes celebrity guests and performers, hair and make-up stations, inspiring public speakers and of course prizes and swag bags! Their last event, on November 3, had an added super-fun element: a fashion show! Students who aspire to be stylists from school’s in the Greater Toronto Area put together a number of different looks for varying occasions. From the concertgoer to life of the party to the athlete, every style was covered!

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Each look was judged by a panel of professionals including celebrity stylist and make-up artist Paul Venoit, fashion industry expert Gail McInnes, Degrassi star Jessica Tyler, fashion designer Cara Cheung, fashion expert Annie-Claude Touzin and Faze superstylist Carolee Custus.

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While the fashion show was a sight to see, singers and musicians including Vita Chambers, Tyler Shaw and Max Rivers gave performances that were amazing to hear.

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You may enter a Faze event empty handed but that’s definitely not how you leave. With so many amazing on-stage prizes ($400 Sennheiser headphones, hello!) every girl is bound to feel like it’s Christmas already. Upon leaving, attendees were also handed amazing swag bags with some of the hottest products.

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Luckily for you readers, I’m giving away a SUPER swag bag, valued at over $75 that consists of not only Faze swag from this event but events that passed.

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This amazing swag bag worth over $75 contains:
-Your choice of a copy of Faze Magazine (choose from Shay Mitchell, Ed Sheeran, Cody Simpson, Marianas Trench, Austin Mahone, Olly Murs and Shawn Desman)
-Covergirl flamed out mascara, shadow pot eyeshadow and smoochies lip balm
-New York Color curling mascara, duo eyeliner, liquid lipshine, city proof lipgloss, IndividualEyes eyeshadow, Sun n’Bronze bronzing powder, Smooth Skin perfecting primer and Color Wheel mosaic face powder
-2 imPRESS press-on manicure sets
-BCBGeneration key chain
-Goody clip-in hair chain
-2 So…? body fragrances in Kiss Me and Fab
-Bath and Body Works Japanese Cherry Blossom body lotion
-Almay intense i-color shadow stick
-Forever 21 earrings
-Charlotte Russe necklace
-Mod de Dim tights
-Broadway real life nails
-Fashion Diva nail kit

Entering is easy and takes two simple steps. Contest open worldwide. No purchase necessary.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more pictures from Faze’s Be Extraordinary event be sure to check out their website faze.ca.

The Ultimate Summer Bucket List

It’s that time of year when classrooms and school uniforms are replaced with beaches and bikinis. While you may have a preconceived vision of how this summer is going to be spent (ice cream dates, campfires, amusement parks), why not stray away from the usual activities and try something new.

by Naomi Leanage

The bright sun and warm weather confirm that summer is finally here. With no school to keep you occupied though, boredom tends to creep up and you begin to realize that you’ve already seen every summer blockbuster movie—twice.  That’s why it’s time to replace that school to-do list with a summer bucket list.

Some of these items may just provide you with a fun time for a couple hours while others will allow you to learn and gain valuable skills that will last a lifetime, but all are guaranteed to leave you with amazing and lasting memories.

Get on TV
There’s no need to sign up for acting classes and hire an agent to make this happen. It’s as simple as signing up to be an audience member for a live show. But for those who want more than a hour of screen time, you can apply for reality show castings in your area. So get off your couch, put away that remote and experience what it’s like to be on the other side of the screen.

Start a summer business
Who says the days of having a lemonade stand are long gone? There’s no need to succumb to the usual summer jobs that usually consist of folding clothes and flipping burgers, when you can use your passions, talents and skills to make some extra cash. If you enjoy cooking, start a catering company. Is drawing and art your hobby? Design a clothing line. Your friends and family will be your guaranteed first customers and from there you can easily expand. Social media and word of mouth make it easy to find new customers, and there are many grants available, funded by the government and other companies, to help launch your business.

Write to a Pen Pal
Though communicating with friends has evolved into easy and efficient instant messaging online, there’s still something special about writing a hand written letter, and receiving one in the mail yourself. A Pen Pal gives you the opportunity to write to someone from a different country, allowing you get to learn about a different culture and make a lasting relationship. Check out penpalworld.com to find your new friend.

Enroll in a class that allows you try something
At this age, most of us have figured out what we enjoy and what we don’t like doing. Sure, our parents may have signed us up for countless classes ranging from swimming to dance to baseball when we were younger. But have we tried absolutely everything out there?  Ever wanted to move your feet with some tap shoes on? Wondered what it’s like to push a puck across the ice? Dreamed of riding a horse across the field? There may be a natural skill you haven’t discovered yet. You’ll never know unless you try.

Feed 100 homeless people
Instead of going out and purchasing 100 fast food burgers, grab your friends and take the time to create meals for the less fortunate in your area. A sandwich, a fruit, a juice box, and a cookie can be easily put together in a paper bag. Then comes the fun part; distributing it. You can do this by either going to a local homeless shelter or walking the streets yourself.

Grow your own food
A trip to the garden store is all you need to get started on this. From vegetables to fruits, there are many different items you can grow right in your own backyard. Ensure that you have the space, and also the appropriate climate, soil and rainfall. It takes time, effort and care to ensure the crops grow properly. Visit a local farm or garden to get ideas on what types of crop to grow and how to do it right.

Participate in a walk, run, race or marathon
This is a great way to get fit (because you’ll definitely have to prepare and train in advance), raise money for a worthwhile cause (from the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) and gather support from your family and friends. First-timers can try a 5 or 10km run while those more experienced can aim for a full 42km marathon.  Check out marathoncanada.com for a list of upcoming events throughout Canada. For those seeking more thrill and excitement, running through the muddiest trails in Toronto (The Mud Run) or being attacked by color bombs (Color Me Rad) as you try to make it to the finish line will definitely satisfy you.


As published in the Summer 2013 issue of Faze Magazine

Blog Action Day 2012: Power of We

In a world that seems to revolve around everything “I”–with the most popular products themselves being labeled as “iPhone”, “iPad” etc.–it’s important to take the time to recognize how much power “we” has.

When people come together to do great things, whether it’s create the next big technology or peacefully protest for a cause they strongly believe in, great things can happen.

Free the Children’s We Day, which I recently attended in Toronto, focused on the “power of we” throughout the huge youth empowerment event and introduced one particular campaign that really demonstrates how the coming together of many people can create a lasting difference.

It’s called “We Create Change”, a penny drive, made possible by RBC, that aims to provide 100, 000 people with permanent sources of clean water.

Somehow, the numbers one and 100, 000 seem so far off from each other that they don’t belong in one sentence together.

However when Canadian youth come together to collect pennies to create change, the smallest amount of one cent can amount to saving 100, 000 people.

“Growing up, I’m sure I wasn’t alone in having a piggy bank filled with pennies and loose change, so why not use this change to help make real change possible,” said Craig Kielburger, Founder of Free the Children. “Free the Children is going back to basics this year with a penny drive, and it’s now easier than ever to make your cents count.”

The Canadian penny will soon be going out of circulation, and this campaign brings together students to give a powerful send-off to it.

One penny bag, which is provided to students and schools by Free the Children, once filled equals to $25 and is enough to provide one person with a permanent source of clean water.

“We Create Change” is one campaign that definitely shows the positive impact of the “power of we”.

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”  – Helen Keller

Be sure to check out Free the Children’s promo video for “We Create Change” featuring the Jonas Brothers, The Wanted and Nelly Furtado:

Free the Children’s We Day Toronto

We Day has always been an event I’ve wanted to attend, but never had the chance to. So when I was able to get a media pass I couldn’t help but be excited.

What I knew of We Day was this:
-There were Celebrity guests and performances
-There were 20, 000 kids who showed up
-It was a day full of inspiring speeches and videos

But nothing could have prepared me for the feeling of walking into the jam packed ACC with thousands upon thousands of kids cheering for the same common goal: to change the world for the greater good.

We Day 2012 in Toronto saw Al Gore, Hedley, Jake Zeldin, Jennifer Hudson, Jesse Giddings, Justice Murray Sinclair, Justin Trudeau, Martin Sheen, Molly Burke, Romeo A. Dallaire, Shawn Desman, Spencer West, The Tenors and Tyler Shaw take the stage.

It was a day full of excitement, dancing and cheering and one that left students with the inspiration and materials to “be the change they want to see in the world.”

Craig Kielburger, Nelly Furtado and Hedley’s Jacob Hoggard came into the press room for a press conference and to announce Free the Children and RBC’s mission to provide 100, 000 people with permanenet sources of clean water through Canada’s largest penny drive deemed the “We Create Change” campaign.



Full gallery of We Day Toronto:

We Day will continue to inspire kids as it makes it’s way across Canada, bringing the inspiring messages to thousands of more kids in cities like Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa and Edmonton during the largest season to date.