June, 2015 - sparkleshinylove

Roxymandy June 30, 2015

Launch of the TreehouseGO App + Treehouse Big Day Out 2 Promo Code!

Treehouse has literally been playing on repeat in my home since my son was born. Even when he was an infant, he was always drawn to the songs and images playing on Treehouse.

My son is a huge fan of Bubble Guppies and Mike the Knight, so before we leave for a trip I always head over to iTunes to download some of the latest shows.

Treehouse has just launched an app called TreehouseGO where you can view live shows, save favourite shows, and bring Treehouse virtually wherever you travel with your tablet or phone.

The TreehouseGO app will help me with those long flights and road trips! The TreehouseGO App is now live and downloadable at the Apple app store or Google Play.

Now I can use the handy download-to-go option called My Backpack to download episodes of Bubble Guppies, and we can then view the shows my son loves without an internet connection.

TreehouseGO is the only network app to offer this feature! The Live Stream icon also lets you watch Treehouse live as it airs on television.

TreehouseGO is free for anyone to download. If you are not a Treehouse subscriber, you will be able to explore the app and view a limited sampling of popular Treehouse content. The app is designed for kids aged 2 to 6, and it’s easy for kids to navigate

The app will be continually updated with current Treehouse series such as Dora and Friends, Little Charmers, Octonauts, Toopy & Binoo, Bubble Guppies and Mike the Knight.

In other big Treehous news, Treehouse is having another Big Day Out celebration this year!

The Treehouse Big Day Out 2 event is happening September 12th and 13th in Toronto at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre.

Both The Wiggles and Splash and Boots will be featured, and TreehouseGO subscribes can save 20% on tickets with the promo code “ThGo20”! For tickets (which are on sale now) and more details on the festival, click here.

For more information on the TreehouseGO app, visit www.treehousetv.com/treehouseGO!

Roxymandy June 28, 2015

Bold Patterned Shorts for Summer

I’m a big fan of jean shorts in the summer, but recently I’ve really liked wearing dressy shorts for a night out. Some shorts are just as flirty and cute as a skirt would be. There are some really great pattered shorts out there right now that are a lot more fun then casual cut-offs. These patterned shorts can be completely dressed down with sandals or flats. Heels or a wedge make them stand out to make them a great dinner and drinks outfit.

These patterned shorts I’m wearing are from H&M. I wish there was a cute blazer to match!

I kept things neutral with white on top, but it would be really fun to mix a clashing print with a pair of patterned shorts as well. My favourite way to “clash” patterns right now is a striped shirt on top with a floral print on the bottom!

Here are a few more of my favourite patterned shorts below!

Zara Multicolour Stripe Shorts

Zara High Waist Printed Shorts

Talula Nezu Short

TNA Alva Shorts

Roxy Beauty and Beyond Shorts

Dynamite Printed Soft Short with Zip

Club Monaco Amber Stripe Short

Roxymandy June 26, 2015

New Summer Fragrances From Lampe Berger – Exotic Cocktail & Daring Pepper

Summer calls for lighter scents in my home, and the new Lampe Berger scents are a prefect way to freshen things up!

Lampe Berger launches new fragrances throughout the year which seem to fit perfectly with the changing seasons, and these latest scents are no different.

To be honest, the scent Daring Pepper doesn’t have the name of a scent I would normally chose. I had no idea what this one was going to smell like, but it was surprisingly good!

It has an undertone of leather and spices, but it also smells of raspberry and vanilla. Such a crazy combination, but it’s so good! It’s a little masculine and fruity all at the same time.

Exotic Cocktail is the definition of summer. Flavours of rum, coconut, roasted coffee and vanilla. It smells like a tropical vacation, or a fruity cocktail. This is my new favourite scent.

I’m loving both of these fresh new scents in my home, especially on rainy days when I just want to think of hot summer days when I’m stuck inside!

For more details on Lampe Berger, click here!

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me for review, but all opinions are fabulously my own.

Roxymandy June 25, 2015

Review of Vichy’s Idéal Soleil Invisible Mist SPF50

I am not joking around this summer when it comes to the sun because I have had a few questionable moles pop up, and my upcoming dermatologist appointment has me a little uneasy! I can’t believe how often I would leave the house without sunscreen on over the last few years. I have always avoided sunscreen for the most part. I rarely burn and tan easily, so I just didn’t put much thought into sunscreen. I love having a tan, but I would often take it a little far, and now I am scaling back my time in the sun, and I am making sure my sunscreen is up to snuff.

One thing I had never used before was spray on sunscreen. I really didn’t use a lot of sunscreen at all, so it never occurred to me to even look into this form of sunscreen.

I have been using Vichy’s Idéal Soleil Invisible Mist SPF50, and it’s a keeper!

I have been rather impressed with some of the Vichy products I have used lately, and this Vichy product did not disappoint either.

It dries instantly on your skin. So quickly, I was a little worried I didn’t have enough on, or that it wouldn’t protect my skin. I am so used to seeing a white coloured cream lathered all over my skin, so spraying something on that had such a quick drying time had me skeptical.

The instructions said to shake the bottle well, and spread it in circular motion. It’s suggested you spray 3 seconds on each arm, 4 seconds on the front of your body, 4 seconds on the back of your body, and 7 seconds on each leg. Having a guide to how long I should spray on the sunscreen was essential! I had no idea how long to spray – thank goodness for the instructions from Vichy!

This sunscreen contains the #1 filter recommended by dermatologists, which is Mexoryl SX. It’s a synthetic sunscreen agent which will not degrade during time in the sun as quickly as other sunscreen agents. The UVA protection it provides can give you some other beauty perks such as increased luminosity, fewer wrinkles, less age spots, and a better skin quality. It makes sense that sunscreen is so important – the sun can do so much aging and damage to your skin!

I’ve been using this sunscreen daily because it’s just so easy to pop into my purse! I can spray it on anytime, and because it dries so quickly, it is very easy to use on the go. My biggest issue was not wanting to get all goopy when applying sunscreen in the middle of the day, or when I am at the beach I wouldn’t want to get sand all over me as I tried to apply sunscreen.

With Vichy’s Idéal Soleil Invisible Mist SPF50 I can just spray and move on with my day. It’s also suitable for sensitive skin which is a huge bonus for anyone who breaks out with other sunscreen formulas.

I’m happy to report that I did not burn when using this sunscreen, which is pretty impressive because I used it for a day at the beach as well. Every few hours I re-applied, and kept going on with my day. It hydrated my skin as well which I didn’t expect from a spray. It did not transfer to my clothing (and I wore white more than a few times), most likely due to the fact that it dried so quickly when I applied it.

For more information on Vichy’s Idéal Soleil Invisible Mist SPF50, visit the Vichy website here!

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me for review, but all opinions are fabulously my own.

Roxymandy June 24, 2015

My Birchbox Review

Have you heard of Birchbox before? I had heard enough about it to give it as a gift, but hadn’t experienced it myself until last week.

The feedback I got from the people I sent a Birchbox to was amazing! The products were great, and getting new beauty surprises every month was fun. It seemed like an awesome concept, so I kept sending them out as gifts to others, and I kept hearing great things.

One day I got really jealous and decided I needed my own Birchbox. I sound very mature, don’t I? Well it’s true, I wanted a cute gift every month with fun beauty surprises inside, so I went ahead and ordered myself one.

Birchbox itself has an online store which sells beauty products often exclusive to the store. They have what they call a monthly Birchbox which is delivered to your home, and includes 5 personalized beauty samples tailored to your profile.

When sending one as a gift the only information you need to provide is the receiver’s address. The receiver can then go online and complete a personal profile so their remaining boxes are tailored towards their preferences.

If you want to buy a full-size version of some of the products you loved in your Birchbox, then you can order them on the website.

Each month is $10.00 CDN plus $4.95 shipping and handling. You can subscribe yourself or a send someone a gift for a 3 months subscription for $44.85, 6 months for $79.70 or 12 months for $159.40.

Each Birchbox has either a theme, or is curated by a special guest. My own box was called “Say Yes!” and it was all about adventure. It included travel tips from Meghan Markle from The Tig as well.

My box included:

Naobay Oxygenating Cream Moisturizer

Number 4 Clarifying Shampoo

Parlor by Jeff Chastain Moisturizing Sea Salt Spray

Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels

Pure Vida Lave Headband with Charm

I actually hadn’t heard of any of these brands or products before, so it was fun to try them all out! I am in love with the shampoo and the moisturizer. They are both on repeat this week in my bathroom.

I loved getting all of these great surprises in the mail, and it’s nice to try out products I wouldn’t have normally tried. Overall I think it does serve as an amazing gift for someone else, but it’s also a great treat for yourself.

For more details on Birchbox, visit www.birchbox.ca!