April, 2015 - sparkleshinylove

Roxymandy April 22, 2015

Review of NeoStrata’s Vitamin C Concentrate

I’ve always wanted to try Vitamin C capsules because I have heard they do amazing things for your skin! NeoStrata was giving away lots of their skincare essentials at Fashion Week in Toronto last month, and as soon as I saw the capsules I was excited and pretty much pounced on the NeoStrata representative.

Previously I used an amazing NeoStrata cream as part of my skincare regimin even, so I wasn’t hesitant about using one of their products.

The NeoStrata Vitamin C Concentrate capsules are to be used twice a day, and they are easy to twist open. Once the top is twisted off, the Vitamin C serum rushes out immediately so you have to be careful!

There is no smell to the serum at all, but the way it feels on your face is crazy! It almost feels like applying a primer, but it’s smoother than that. Once you smooth it over your face and neck it feels like you have covered your face in a mask. It feels exactly as soft as I would want my face to feel. It would take about 20 minutes before it felt like the Vitamin C sunk in. Each capsule contains 10% Vitamin C, so it’s a good place to start with since capsules can contain up to 20%. It’s very easy to irritate your skin with Vitamin C as well so you have to be careful!

It’s also important to use the capsule immediately after opening it because Vitamin C can degrade quickly when it is exposed to light or air.

The capsules are for all skin types, and recommended for ages 30+ to repair loss of raidience, and to promote skin clarity and elasticity.

After using them for a week I didn’t see any major results, but I am definitely buying more capsules. I just loved the way it felt on my skin, and I didn’t feel like I needed to add a night or morning cream with it because my skin felt moisturized. The only issue I found was that I needed time to let it soak into my skin, and that is hard if you are pressed for time in the morning.

Overall it felt like a bit of luxury for my face, and that’s not a bad thing!

For more information on NeoStrata’s Vitamin C Concentrate, click here.

Roxymandy April 21, 2015

Review of L’Oreal Sublime Sun Silky Sheer BB SPF 50 Face Lotion

Gone are my days of baking in the sun without a care for SPF – I’ve realized over the last couple years how important it is to wear SPF. I don’t always need it because my skin loves the sun, but the sun can do a lot of damage to your skin – especially your face.

There are so many different products to repair the damage that the sun does, so why not try and stop sun damage before it happens?

For my trip to Las Vegas I picked up L’Oreal’s Broad Spectrum UVA/UVB Protection to see how it worked. The fact that also acts as a tinted BB cream was an added bonus! I purchased it for $13.00 at Target.

First of all, I love that it is tinted because I pretty much never go makeup free. When I do, I’m sure not in Las Vegas! I really needed something to even my skin tone for a fun day pool bar hopping, and this was perfect. It wasn’t greasy or oily at all which was great. It had a very thin consistency – almost runny which I was surprised about. I suppose since it was sunscreen I expected it to be heavier. It was very light!

I only applied the lotion once, and left it for the rest of the day while I stayed in the sun for about 6 hours.

I did not burn at all. My skin wasn’t irritated from the formula, plus there were no signs of sunburn or redness. It was pretty amazing that I didn’t burn at all with only one application. Usually I am a little red faced after a day in the sun, but with this I wasn’t red at all.

The product is also water resistant, and also moisturized my skin quite a bit. There is no need to put on your regular day cream first – this product is a great stand-alone moisturizer.

I will be using this product all summer – I loved it!

To learn more about the product, visit the L’Oreal Paris website here. To purchase it you can find it online here – it’s even on sale right now for $9.94!

Roxymandy April 21, 2015

Foxy Originals Live Love Teach Necklace Giveaway!

Are you looking for a great gift for your child’s teacher this year? Sometimes it’s fun to think outside of the box and create something from Pinterest, or give a themed present to say thank you at the end of the year. It’s always hard to think of something different that 30 other kid’s parents aren’t also buying!

This week on the blog I am giving away a great gift for a teacher that is super cute! If you happen to be a teacher yourself, you may want to get your hands on this as well!

It’s a Foxy Originals Live Love Teach Silver necklace. It was hand made in Canada from pewter, and plated in sterling silver. It retails for $20.00, and includes a gift box. It’s size is 1″ x 1″ I 17″ chain.

You can take a look at it here on the Foxy Original’s website here as well!

Have you every shopped Foxy Originals before? They are a Toronto-based jewelry design company.

They have been featured in O Magazine’s favourite things issue, and celebrities like Lauren Conrad and Sienna Miller have worn their designs!

All of their jewelry is lead free, and they have some pretty cute designs.

To enter, all you need to do is like Foxy Originals on Facebook and follow them on Instagram, then Rafflecoper will allow you to enter. The contest is open from Tuesday, April 21st until Sunday, April 26th at midnight. The contest is open to Canadian residents only, one entry per person.

Good luck to everyone who enters!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Roxymandy April 20, 2015

Celebrate Earth Day on April 21st With Pottery Barn Kids!

At Pottery Barn Kids stores in Canada tomorrow, kids can celebrate Earth Day!

Earth Day is Wednesday, but on Tuesday, April 21st, and at Pottery Barn Kids stores kids will have the chance to decorate biodegradable flower pots, plant seeds, learn the importance of pollination and receive a special takeaway to track their flower’s progress.

The event starts at 11:00am, and space is limited so guests are encouraged to call their local store to RSVP.

Stores participating include :

Toronto:

– 100 Bloor Street West: 416.961.2276

– Yorkdale Shopping Centre: 416.785.7375

– Sherway Gardens: 416.622.5163

Vancouver:

– 2935 Granville Street: 604.638.7494

What a great way to spend a Tuesday with your kids!

For more information on upcoming events or some great shopping, follow Pottery Barn Kids on Twitter and Instagram @PotteryBarnKids, on Facebook at facebook.com/PotteryBarnKids, or Pinterest at pinterest.com/PotteryBarnKids.

Roxymandy April 20, 2015

My Dixie Outlet Mall Shopping Experience for the She Who Hunts Finds Blogger Challenge

It was a rough weekend working on the blog – I had to go shopping! I am not allowed to show you what I got, but I am at least allowed to show you my shopping bags!

I gave myself an hour to get to the mall, and made it there in about 50 minutes from Whitby which wasn’t bad!

I had two hours to shop before the mall closed, and I almost didn’t have enough time because I kept getting off track. I knew what I was shopping for, but then I saw so many other things I decided I “needed”.

To prep for the She Hunts She Finds Blogger Challenge, I created a mood board for my outfit inspiration. Before I do a specific outfit shop I always pull images from online or from magazines to remember what sort of theme my outfit should have.

As you can see my theme was florals because it’s such a big trend for spring right now. I really wanted to find something very girly.

I made sure I had a comfy outfit on to shop in, and I was on my way!

While I was at the mall I had A LOT of store options for where to shop. Tommy Hilfiger, Danier, Aeropostale, Guess, Aldo, Nine West – too many to name, and they were all outlets!

I had $200 to spend as part of challenge, and I really did need that calculator to spend everything I had. From what I purchased, I saved a lot because of all the deals happening at the mall. I can’t wait to share my outfit next week along with my savings.

Dixie Outlet Mall is also doing a great contest every Thursday where you have to guess which store an item is from. If you guess correctly you could win that item! Click here to learn more.

Check out the Dixie Outlet Mall website to keep up to date on events happening at the mall, and check back here next week to see my outlet reveal and to see how much I saved!