​I got introduced to New Image salon through at home hair color experiment that turned into a disaster. On a chill weekend morning I glanced into to the mirror and saw silver streaks, grown out roots and  pulled out a boxed hair color kit that was purchased a while ago (honestly, probably too long ago). Without any hesitation I followed instructions on a package: mixed color with developer, applied on the roots, waited 25 min., washed color off. When I dried my hair and looked in the mirror I squeaked: my roots were bright orange! Orange roots contrasted ridiculously with dark brown, almost black main length color. My morning was absolutely ruined!
There were two ways to go about my color disaster:

1. Buy another boxed color, cross my fingers and try it over again;
2. Try to get into a professional hair salon on a weekend (chances are slim).

I decided to let a professional to correct my mistakes and phoned New Image. Lucky for me, they had stylist available if I showed up immediately. That was exactly what I did and happy about that decision to this day.

When I met my stylist, Belinda, I noticed her own great color and gorgeous cut. I immediately knew, everything will be OK with my hair. Our session started with a cup of Aveda relaxing tea (peppermint, basil, fennel and licorice root). My tea was in a cool cup, too!

Belinda was meticulous about fixing color mishap and the results were outstanding. When I left salon after about two hours later, I was a different person. My hair looked gorgeous! My mood got uplifted and sun came out!

Recently I visited New Image salon again and was very pleased with the results. The colors chosen by the stylist suited me very well, my hair was styled with Aveda brand product. 
Aveda line uses ancient knowledge of Ayurveda to solve various imbalances within our bodies. Aveda shampoo, conditioners, styling gel are high quality and accomplish the goals designed for.
New Image was pronounced a salon of the year 2018! They deserved it!

Here is the link to their website: www.newimagesalonandspa.ca/westkelownaservices.html

Everybody knows that Okanagan Valley is the home of world renowned wineries, but did you know it also hosts North America's only world class rated distillery?

It originally started in Vernon in 2004 by Tony Dyck, "Cus Whysky don't grow on trees".
Today Okanagan Spirits distillery is still family owned and operated, employing about ten people. It has two locations: original Vernon and Kelowna (267 Bernard Ave.).
Both offer tours and tastings. Okanagan Spirits Distillery uses locally grown fruits and grains to produce a wide range of spirits: liqueurs, whisky, gin, vodka, fruit brandy (Canados), absinthe. It is definitely worth a visit, if you are an adult.

My first encounter with Okanagan Spirits Distillery was prompted by a video-blog from France about unique taste of Calvados Brandy. Calvados is a brandy made from apples and pears grown in the orchards of north-western France.
I wanted to try Calvados and researched if there is any spot in Kelowna that sells it. There is only one place in Kelowna that produces and sells it (it is called Canados, as only Normandy, Brittany and Pays de la Loire can name brandy Calvados). At my first tasting I did not fall in love with Canados. I thought it would taste like apple or pear, but instead it tasted like good cognac with notes of spice and wood. However I appreciated the quality of the drink. A few months later (winter season) I decided to give it another chance. This time around Canados brandy warmed and cheered me up!

During our tasting we tried Maraschino Liqueur, Plum Brandy and Absinthe.  Each spirit is distilled to perfection, and amplifies notes of the fruit and spice it was made with.
I really enjoyed our tasting guru, who explained each concoction. He was also very knowledgeable about many aspects of distilling business and simply fun to talk to!
So if you are in Okanagan area, I highly recommend to visit Okanagan Spirits Distillery. It is one of a kind experience! 

This has been a mild winter in Kelowna area so far and we were blessed with so many warm and sunny days! When outside is so beautiful, we like to spend time exploring parks and trails.
However there were several cold and gloomy days that called for inside activities. We researched, tried it out and reviewing it here. We are talking about cooking classes!
​
We signed up and went for home style  East Indian cooking class with Jas Dosanj from Poppadoms. Jas’s home-style Indian dishes feature local, seasonal ingredients, designed to be quick to prepare and her classes are held at Urban Fare’s kitchen.

The class lasted for about 3 hours. There were about 10 people, 3 recipes to cook. I have to say that the class geared towards beginners and if you are an experienced cook it will be boring in terms of learning new skills, but fun meeting new people.
Recipe #1 South Indian dry curry with cauliflower.
Recipe #2 South Indian black bean curry.
Recipe# 3 Kerala fish curry.
We also made roti to compliment our meal. 
Jas is a very experienced chef and a good teacher, so it was time well-spent. 
Also cooking classes are great for meeting new people and expand social horizon.
Here is contact information for Jas Tel. (250) 899-3615 or e-mail: jas@poppadoms.ca
​www.poppadoms.ca/classes/
The class runs every third Wednesday of the month at Urban Fare, Kelowna.

The next class we are interested to visit is sourdough bread baking class.
Did you know, that sourdough bread fits into gluten free diet, thanks to it's special fermentation process?
Check the schedule and a beautiful website: www.sourdoughschoolhouse.com/calendar
The bakery is located at 710 Sutherland Ave, Kelowna.

First week of January is the best time of a year to look for bargains in your favorite stores!
Retailers deliberately lower the prices for fall-winter collections. Since winter in Canada lasts well into March, you will have a few months to enjoy your purchase.
I think that basic models can be purchased during summer sales and winter sales are for getting something trendy. Is there something you wanted to try on, but hesitated because of the price? Now it is the time. For example, animal print trend. I would recommend choosing the right print based on your type: spring, summer, winter or fall?
Also in previous articles I mentioned auspicious colors for the year of pig: earthy colors (butter yellow, soft warm grey, terracotta), blush pink, lavender, coral orange.
​Here are some examples:
Leopard dress, CA$35.99 www.zara.com/ca/en/long-animal-print-dress-p07149245.html?v1=7404135&v2=1166096

Snakeskin dress CA$22.99 www.zara.com/ca/en/snakeskin-print-jacquard-dress-p06761627.html?v1=7467555&v2=1166096

Faux fur jacket CA$99.99 www.zara.com/ca/en/faux-fur-biker-jacket-p04369044.html?v1=6450795&v2=1166001

Blush rose faux suede kimono jacket CA$49.99 www.zara.com/ca/en/faux-suede-kimono-jacket-p03046050.html?v1=7141002&v2=1166001

Butter yellow pants CA$29.99 www.zara.com/ca/en/pants-with-belt-p09929025.html?v1=6849272&v2=1166098

Special occasion lavender pants CA$29.99 www.zara.com/ca/en/contrasting-lace-pants-p09929220.html?v1=6453433&v2=1166098