Sisters with creative hearts and souls who dig deep to bring you valuable and meaningful information to help you shine as the leading lady of your life.

Hi! We're Isabel and Marilyn

Isabel moved away from rural Portugal when she was four years old and grew up in downtown Toronto, Ontario.

She has a double specialist in History and Political Science from the University of Toronto, and her creative writing has won awards and been published by Samuel French, Inc., as well as in Drama anthologies. You can read more about her writing work here.

She has also never met a dog she doesn't like, nor an independent bookstore she doesn't want to get lost in.

Meet Isabel

Marilyn grew up in Toronto, Canada where she spent many years training as a ballet and modern dancer.

After she hung up her ballet slippers and leotards, she attended and graduated from the University of Toronto with a Double Major in History and Sociology. She also has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Tampa, and has been published in various literary journals. You can read more about her writing here.

She is also an avid runner and spontaneous baker.

Meet Marilyn

We divide our time between Toronto, Canada and rural Portugal, just outside of Lisbon, where we eat too many pasteis de nata and get honked at for not driving around the rotundas properly.

While we've both lived in Toronto and are used to the grind there, we're still learning how to balance our Portuguese city life with our country life--we love to pick figs from our fig tree in the morning, try new recipes - fig bruschetta is a new favourite - and then drive into Lisbon for a night of Fado or to get lost in the weaving cobblestone roads.

We both value the serious and the playful: the letters and the lipstick we can use to create our lives.

Isabel & Marilyn

WHY US? WHY NOW?

We originally started Letters and Lipstick years ago, but family and work obligations took over.

With heavy hearts and reluctant minds, we paused this blog not knowing when or if we’d ever restart it.

Over the years, we both felt the occasional tap on our shoulders and heard the ever so subtle whispering reminding us that Letters and Lipstick was waiting.

"The beginning is always today."

-Mary Shelley

SOMETIMES, WE NEED TO REWRITE OUR STORY.

Similarly, to life, every good story contains plot twists, conflicts, challenges, and character growth.

In Letters and Lipstick, you will find helpful recommendations, enjoyable articles, and anything in between to accompany you on your journey as the protagonist in your own life.

"Every moment is a fresh beginning."

-T.S. Eliot