Where to Shop - sparkleshinylove

Roxymandy November 27, 2015

Celebrating the Modern Mrs. Claus with Upper Canada Mall

Do you ever get a little sick of hearing about how amazing Santa Claus is? As a wife and mother, I know that behind every great man is an ever greater woman propping him up, so when I heard that the Upper Canada Mall’s 2015 holiday campaign celebrates the modern-day take on Mrs. Claus I thought, finally, some recognition!

In my home celebrating the holidays leaves me with more than my share of responsibility at this time of the year. I shop for and wrap all of the gifts, decorate the home, I host parties, make dinner for friends and family, and basically handle everything that gets thrown my way while my husband says things like “don’t worry, I have something we can use as a gift in the basement” or “I didn’t want turkey anyway, let’s just order a pizza”.

Sure my husband helps me out with things here and there, but the weight of the season rests mostly on my shoulders. Upper Canada Mall’s #IamMrsClaus campaign highlights what most of us do each holiday season, which is that we take on the holidays full force, hopefully looking stylish while we are doing it. Every woman is represented by this fabulous Mrs. Claus. To make the holidays a bit easier, Upper Canada Mall has released an extensive gift guide to help us find that perfect gift for each person on our list.

There are all kinds of other special perks Upper Canada Mall and Mrs. Claus are bringing us this holiday season such as extended shopping hours, a gift wrapping service with the money raised donated to charity, and the reminder that it’s important that we Master’s of the Holiday’s treat ourselves with a little #MyMrsClaus gift in between all of the hard work we are doing.

This past weekend Mrs. Claus presented some of her savvy tips for the season to keep organized and zen this holiday season!

Keep your holiday list organized with Pinterest! Mrs. Claus has even done the work for you so you don’t scramble for gift ideas. For inspiration, check out her holiday gift guide on Pinterest here!

Avoid the Crowds with Upper Canada Mall’s extended shopping hours! Shop early, shop late, and be sure to avoid peak shopping times at the mall.
Upper Canada Mall’s Extended Holiday Hours:

Monday to Saturday 9:00am 9:30pm
Sunday 10:00am 7:00pm
Christmas Eve & New Year’s Eve: 8:00am 5:00pm
Boxing Day: 8:00am 8:00pm

Have someone else do your wrapping! Beta Sigma Phi sorority’s annual fundraiser giftwrap booth will not only wrap your fabulous gifts for the holidays, but they will do so in exchange for a charitable donation!

Glamour Squad. Get glam with a mani or a blowout at one of the mall salons so you are holiday party ready! See the full salon list on uppercanadamall.com.

Pre-book your Santa visit to save yourself that precious shopping time!
This year at the mall you can even pre-book your time slot to visit the other master of Christmas – Santa Claus! – by booking online at www.uppercanadamall.com/events.

Drop the Guesswork. Go with a Gift Card! Let family and friends choose their own perfect gift with an Upper Canada Mall gift card.

Even better, the mall is giving away a $500 gift card to shoppers who social share their Mrs. Claus gifts-to-themselves or follow Upper Canada Mall on Instagram or Twitter using #MyMrsClaus @UpperCanadaMall.

I did some of my own holiday shopping at Upper Canada Mall this past weekend, and indulged in a #MyMrsClaus gift for myself. I can’t wait to share what I bought for myself next week on the blog! Stay tuned!

Upper Canada Mall is located at 17600 Yonge Street, Newmarket, and you can visit them online here.

Roxymandy November 26, 2015

Roundup Of Sequin Skirts To Get Holiday Party Ready

There’s no better time for sparkle, glitter and sequins than the holidays! It feels like the perfect time to be a bit more sparkly than usual. I am one of those girls that thinks sequins are ALWAYS appropriate, but some people aren’t always up to being the shiniest person in the room.

To tone down this look a big cozy sweater balanced everything out. My skirt is from Forever 21 (no longer sold in stores), and I couldn’t resist adding a bit more shimmer with a statement necklace. I kept the accessories simple with black pumps and a clutch.

To tone down the look even more I could have added a pair of black nylons, and it would have been a great way to keep warm as well!

Next up I’ve been looking everywhere for a cute sparkly cardigan. If you’ve seen one please let me know – I have been looking everywhere for the perfect one!

Have you thought about what your holiday style will be yet? Let me know in the comments what your go-to style will be in the month of December.

Here are a few more of my favourite sequinned skirts for the holidays below!

Forever 21

H&M Glitter Skirt

H&M Pencil Glitter Skirt

J.Crew Abstract Sequin Skirt

Topshop Sequin Mini Skirt

Dynamite Sequined Mini Skirt

Zara Sequinned Mini Skirt

Roxymandy November 25, 2015

Dressing for the Holiday’s with Toronto’s Room 29

Not only are most of us stressed about what holiday gifts to buy, but we are also battling with what can be an even larger holiday problem – what the heck are we going to wear to that all-important holiday party we have coming up?

Toronto’s Room 29 is a fashion boutique that has a curated collection of designer wear that is a bit of a dream come true for someone looking for something from either an established designer, or an emerging one. Finding something to wear to a holiday party is beyond easy with their selection! I almost couldn’t decide what to choose when they let me stop by to choose an outfit for a live taping with Social Common on Tuesday night!

The store itself is located at 454 Eglinton Avenue West in Toronto, but they also offer online shopping and shipping. I visited the store myself and had an amazing time trying on all kinds of dresses and sweaters that I hadn’t set my eyes on before. It’s so much more fun to shop at a boutique rather than the mall because the odds of someone else wearing the same dress as you are significantly lowered.

The dress I am wearing in this post is called A Thousand Sacraments Dress from Sass & Bide .

This fitted dress is knit and is very warm! It’s perfect for cold and snowy nights when you still want to wear a dress, but don’t want to freeze to death. The bodycon style is very flattering because of the pattern on the dress. It’s a very slimming pattern, and the dress was beyond comfortable.

Room 29 has a great selection of dresses for the holiday season, along with some on-trend sweaters and tops that had me thinking all about how I could incorporate them into my party style. They carry all kinds of brands including Mackage, Alice McCall, Wildfox.

For more information about Room 29 and to shop the store please visit them here.

Roxymandy November 16, 2015

Teacher Holiday Gift Guide For Under $30

I can’t believe it, but the holidays are fast approaching! I already feel like I’m behind preparing for the holidays, but it’s only mid-November!

I have a hard time thinking of a gift for my son’s teacher each year, and although I’m sure they appreciate gift cards, it’s nice to give them something to show appreciation for all of the hard work they do.

I feel like my son has learned so much more from his teacher this year than I have ever taught him! It’s hard enough to leave our children in someone else’s care, so it’s especially comforting when that person treats them like they are special. My son’s teacher is lovely, and truly seems to adore him so she deserves something thoughtful for the holidays.

I’ve rounded up some of my favourite gifts for under $30 for that special teacher to receive this holiday season. It’s difficult to determine how much is appropriate to spend, but I’m sure in the end most teachers are happy just to be acknowledged for all of their efforts at this time of year!

1. 2016/2017 kate Spade New York Desk Calendar

2. Chalkboard Tea Cup

3. Personalized Reusable Starbucks Travel Cup

4. Kate Spade Daisy Place Pencil Cup

5. Nadege Macarons

6. West Elm Brass Hashtag Desk Paperweight

7. Kitten & the Bear Jam

8. L’Occitane Hand Cream Delights

Roxymandy November 13, 2015

My Coveted New Chanel Classic Flap Bag

I never thought I would have this bag, so I’m still a little shocked that it’s in my possession! For the past year I’ve been saving for a Chanel Flap Bag, but part way through the year when I was closer to my goal I had a hard time locating one! I couldn’t even see one in store – every Chanel in Toronto said they were completely sold out of this bag.

I was shocked it was so hard to even see one, let alone buy one. I was unable to be put on a wait list, so I was told to call as each new collection hit stores to see if this bag came available.

Luckily enough my Dad convinced me we should visit the Chanel in Orlando while we were away, and I was excited to find out they had one! I never thought I would be able to buy this bag, and I already had a similar one in mind as a consultation-prize of sorts. I was also thinking about the experience mentioned on Ella Pretty Blog about buying a vintage bag.

My experience just purchasing the bag was interesting. I had no idea then when buying this particular bag the authentication card was personalized at the store. Inserted into the storybook of the iconic handbag which came with the bag, a simple card was inserted with the handwritten serial number, location of purchase, date and my name. No other bag from Chanel is treated this way.

Unwrapping the bag at home was lovely as well. It was packaged straight from France, so I was the first to unwrap it and handle it after being painstakingly created by hand.

It’s easy to say that this is my most coveted item in my closet, and will likely always be!