So where would you go if you were given an SUV and a gift card and tasked with getting outta dodge?  Naturally you go to the lake!

I’ve worked a lot with Ford Canada lately in trying out their new cars and when they asked me to give the 2017 Ford Escape a shot, along with a prepaid Visa to escape and discover Manitoba, I jumped at the chance.  My boyfriend and I hit up Gimli, Manitoba, a lakeside town located about an hour north of Winnipeg, for the August long weekend, which is also their most popular weekend in town as it’s the Icelandic Festival.

The Ford Escape is a crossover vehicle large enough to hold a bike, a dog, and multiple suitcases, but still compact enough that it doesn’t feel like you’re driving a huge truck (it’s definitely not as large as the Ford Flex, that thing was a monster). Although Ford offers tons of SUVs to choose from, the Escape has been re-engineered with driver feedback in mind.  Along with the two new EcoBoost engines and the fuel-saving Auto Start-Stop technology (more on that later), the Escape offers tons of driver-assist technologies to enable safer driving.

We hit the road around noon on the Saturday and got to Gimli in a flash thanks to the 245HP 2.0L twin-scroll turbocharged EcoBoost engine. Usually I don’t care much about horsepower, but – and I’m going to get really automotive here – ever since I moved into my condo, which is located along a parkway that has an 80 KM speed limit, accelerating fast and quickly is top of mind. My Honda Civic just doesn’t cut it anymore, I need to get that speed up fast. In fact, the horsepower was probably my favourite feature on this car (no, for once it wasn’t the heated steering wheel).

Since Gimli is quite small and walkable, we did park the vehicle for the entire weekend. With that being said, since the hotel was booked, I had to squeeze this thing into the tiniest of spots. Thanks to the available enhanced active park assist, the car told me via its sensors to watch my back, front and sides just in case I came too close to the cars beside me. I love having this feature as I often get paranoid that I’m going to hit someone, especially when trying to get out of a tight parallel parking spot.

We stayed at the Gimli Lakeview, which is located right on the beach, and since it was the Icelandic Festival, there were tons of people and lots of things to do. From the street festival and the Icelandic village to reading on the beach and walking the boardwalk, we never ran out of things to do. I think my favourite part of the trip though was just sitting back and relaxing. It’s been a very busy summer so some much-needed R&R was certainly welcomed.

When it came time to leave, we packed up the truck and hit the road. The Ford Escape is a comfortable ride and offers so many cool features. I didn’t actually use this one, but if you download the SYNC Connect app, it allows you to remotely lock, unlock, locate, and, when properly equipped, start the vehicle. I just stayed with the standard Bluetooth for connecting my audio, but I would love if my car had an app for that.

Since we were highway driving (which is so boring on the Prairies), the car does offer adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning. In cruise control mode, the Escape can slow to keep a consistent following distance from the car ahead based on the preset distance gap. The forward collision warning triggers visual and audio alerts if the system detects that a collision may occur. As a result, it will pre-charge the brakes if the vehicle needs to stop suddenly.

Since we were mainly driving this guy on the highway, we didn’t do a ton of city driving, but it acts sort of like a hybrid at stop signs and red lights. The auto start-stop technology senses when the vehicle is idle and shuts off the engine, meaning that the vehicle burns no gas and emits no tailpipe emissions. And, speaking of gas, when it came time to fill this guy up, I was surprised at the amount of fuel I got for the price I paid. I didn’t want to fill it up all the way since it was my last day with it, so I only put in $20, thinking that would give us enough to get back to Winnipeg. I had about 150 kilometres left on the vehicle before the tank was empty and after I filled it up for 20 bucks I had over 400 KMs! For an SUV, this is amazing gas mileage.

The 2017 Ford Escape has so many cool features, many of which I didn’t even get the chance to experience. Since I’m a lifestyle/beauty blogger, I keep it pretty chill with what I look for in a car. Is it aesthetically pleasing? Does it go fast? What are the audio features? Does it have a heated steering wheel? Granted that last feature isn’t really necessary in the summertime..

The 2017 Ford Escape starts at C$23,765, and if you’re in need of a weekend escape soon, I would look into giving this guy a shot. It’s a great car, especially if you’re looking to get away.

Huge thanks to Ford Canada for letting me drive this guy around for the week. Ford Canada also provided me with a prepaid VISA gift card to escape & discover.

Like what you read?  Check out these related posts:

• Focus on my City: A trip around Winnipeg with the Ford Focus 1.0L
• It’s a scandal! Rimmel London ScandalEyes Eyeshadow Sticks
• A punch of colour: Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids (photos, swatches, and more)
• It Cosmetics Hello Lashes 5-in-1 mascara

With Folklorama officially ending tomorrow night I knew one of the last pavilions I just needed to go to was the Korean one.

I went to the Korean pavilion last year and although we just went to it because it was convenient (the venue, JB Mitchell School, was near a bunch of other ones we were checking out), this one ended up being a highlight for me.  They did the most incredible martial arts that had everyone on the edge of their seats, and they had a big selection of Korean beauty products.

South Korea is known for a lot of things. K Pop, tae kwon do, and a huge beauty market. In fact, they take beauty there so seriously that they are the plastic surgery capital of the world. Koreans seem to idealize western norms, making eyelid surgery the number-one form of surgery they get. They also like the look of white skin, so their beauty market offers tons of skin brightening and whitening products (there were even whitening masks for sale at the pavilion).

Ironically, Korean skincare and makeup trends have been slowly making their way over to the western world here.  You know the whole BB cream craze a few years back. That was based on a Korean makeup trend. Face sheet masks are also super popular, and you know the store The Face Shop? They opened a location here at CF Polo Park last year I believe and it’s a Korean brand. Sephora even carries some Korean brands like Laneige and Boscia and even has a whole landing page on their website dedicated to Korean skincare. The Korean beauty industry is huge and us North Americans are just loving it.

Although there was a table of Korean beauty products to indulge in (I bought five sheet masks for $10 and two lip masks for $5), the actual show was just as good as the products they were selling. From the glow-in-the-dark fan dancers to the drummers to the amazing nail-biting tae kwon do presentation that finished off the show, this pavilion is worth making a stop at before the week is out.

Since I was so inspired by Korean beauty trends, I went with a flawless face via the Marc Jacobs Re(Marc)able Foundation with a hint of blush to round out the skin. Korean makeup is more about looking porcelain, almost like dolls, rather than sculpted cheeks and the extreme contouring we often see here in North America. For the eyes, I went with a champagne pink colour on the lids and a little bit of black in the crease to darken it up. I finished it off with a small winged liner and a pink ombre lip (also a Korean beauty trend that we’ve been seeing over here.. Maybelline Color Blur Matte Lip Pencils, anyone?). I paired my look with this black and white cat dress from H&M via a few years ago and my kitty moccasins from Charlotte Olympia.

With only two days left (if you count tonight), I would seriously consider making a stop at this one. Come for the beauty, the show, and the cute, albeit comical, emcees that will have you captivated by this amazing pavilion. Plus, they also teach you basic Korean… sa lang hae! <3.

What final pavilions are you going to see?

Like what you read? check out these related posts:

• #WovenTogether: Mariachi madness at the Mexican pavilion at Folklorama = a Latina-inspired look
• #WovenTogether: Natural beauty at the Israeli pavilion at Folklorama
• #SeeItAll: Colour + culture at the Cuban pavilion at Folklorama
• Raindrops on roses… Too Faced A Few of my Favourite Things set

What do you think of when you think of Spain? For me it’s the colour red, sangria, and lots of twirly dresses!

Although I’ve never been to the country (Barcelona is next on my hit list), Spain just seems like such a romantic country. Our next stops at Folklorama just had to be two spanish pavilions, Pabellon de Espana at the St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church and the Argentina “Tango” Pavilion at the Caboto Centre.

Both pavilions were very dance-centric and had the most amazing costumes. Because of this, I knew I had to wear a flowy dress to get that flamenco flair. I decided to sport this black Free People dress that is somewhat sheer (I felt like it would be most appropriate for two of Folklorama’s sexiest pavilions). I paired the dress with my pink tassle necklace from Baublebar and black scrappy sandals from Dolce Vita.

Spain’s pavilion was very cultural, whereas Argentina’s pavilion was very sexy.  They actually flew in the dancers from Argentina for this pavilion and it ended up being one of my favourites from the festival so far. I would definitely recommend checking this one out.

For the makeup, I obviously had to wear red lipstick (NARS Lip Pencil in Cruella). I paired my red lip with a subtle black cat eye and a matte foundation. For the hair, I pulled it back into a high bun.

Both of these pavilions are quite close to each other (they housed the Greek and Italian ones last week as well), and if you love Spanish culture and language, then definitely make a night of them!

Have you been to the Spanish and Argentina Tango pavilions at Folklorama?

Like what you read? check out these related posts:

• #WovenTogether: Mariachi madness at the Mexican pavilion at Folklorama = a Latina-inspired look
• #WovenTogether: Natural beauty at the Israeli pavilion at Folklorama
• #SeeItAll: Colour + culture at the Cuban pavilion at Folklorama
• Raindrops on roses… Too Faced A Few of my Favourite Things set