Where to Shop - sparkleshinylove

Roxymandy August 13, 2014

Fall Back to School Fashion Guide for Kids

Back to school is only a few weeks away, and although I love the summer, I think I love fall more. I’ve talked before about how I love to shop for fall clothes, and now I am working on my toddlers wardrobe for fall as well. Since I can’t go back to school, I must live vicariously through him, so he is going to get some cozy sweaters and some funky new shoes in the next few weeks! I only have so long before he starts dressing himself, so I have to take advantage now. I have been doing a lot of online shopping, and along the way I have found some adorable styles for toddlers and kids you have to see! I feel like I am shopping for my kid all the time, and it’s not just because I love shopping – it’s like they are constantly growing! I find an amazing pair of shoes or an awesome piece of clothing, and a month later I am trying to figure out to stretch the shoe or tear the hem out of the pants so he can wear them a bit longer. Maybe I shouldn’t be feeding him so much milk or something. Anyway, although I know some of these cute fall finds will be short lived with his growing situation, I can’t help but indulge a bit since he looks like a stud in some of this stuff. I have added some girls styles as well since there were a few things I would totally buy for myself. Cat Skirt from H&M included.

H&M Quilted Skirt $19.99

H&M Fake Fur Waistcoat $34.95

H&M Cotton Shirt $17.95

Zara Embroidered “voila” sweatshirt $19.90

Zara Letter Sweater $25.90

Zara Leopard Print Jacket $39.90

Roots Fleece Varsity Jacket $40.00

AKID Knight (Black) Shoes $70.00

Anthony Hi (Black/White) Bandana Shoes $65.00

Toms Black and Turquoise Paisley Tiny TOMS Classics $35.00

Ralph Lauren Cotton Fleece Blazer $79.50

Girls Pink Floral Fade Out Print T-shirt £8.00

Abercrombie Kids Printed Jumpsuit $54.95

OshKosh B’gosh French Terry Pullover $14.00

Carter’s Button-Front Stripe Shirt $16.00

Roxymandy August 12, 2014

My Review of LIVING PROOF Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Treatment

When something includes the title “Perfect Hair Day”, it had better deliver. Those words will entice me to buy anything if they can really get me a perfect hair day. I try not to go to Sephora, but every once in a while my foundation, concealer, and face cream supply will suddenly be depleted (why does this always happen at once?) to the point where I have no choice but to walk into Sephora and drop a gross amount of money on refills. The good news about this trip was that I also picked up Living Proof’s Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Treatment.

What do you know about LIVING PROOF? Whenever I see it I think of Jennifer Aniston, the brand’s ambassador who was chosen wisely as she has hair to die for.

Right now on my hair I am using Joico shampoo and conditioner, and I alternate between Moroccan Oil, or whatever other product I get a free sample of that promises to strengthen, provide frizz control, and repair damage to my hair.

I have used Moroccan Oil for a few years now, and I seem to get an oil build up every few weeks, so I need to alternate products. I have talked to other people who use it and they don’t have the same problem, so I guess it’s just me!

So there is a lot of science behind this product (reduces breakage by 78%, for the first time ever they have combined patented Healthy Hair Molecule – OFPMA – and their own Volumizing Molecule – PBAE), but really the claims are that in one step you will have added smoothness, volume, conditioning, strength and polish to your hair. It also claims to keep your style cleaner for longer, and it’s sulfate-free, silicone-free and oil free.

These all sound like the ingredients required for a perfect hair day! I gave it a try, but was confused at first because there are two ways to wear this product. You can either apply it to your clean, damp hair and then comb through, or for best results blow dry your hair. Usually I find products say you must blow-dry to heat-activate the product, so I was surprised you could just leave it in and that the perfect hair day promise would still stand.

The smell is a light citrus, and although it smelled great I didn’t smell it in my hair after I blow-dried it. As soon as I started blow-drying my hair I was surprised because my hair felt way softer. It’s probably the quickest I have ever seen a result from a product in my life. My hair was instantly becoming softer, and I wasn’t even done blow-drying yet!

I tried not to get too excited, and went to bed with my super soft hair to see what would happen in the morning.

I woke up not even remembering using the stuff until I started to use my hair straightener, and then I realized that my hair was very soft and smooth. LIVING PROOF provides some tips and tricks for the product, and they say if you use a flat brush as I did when blow-drying, your hair will have a more smooth and polished look. I can attest that they were right on that one!

So I went about my day with what you could call a “Perfect Hair Day”. No frizz, it stayed smooth all day, but I can’t attest yet to how much stronger my hair is because I don’t know if I would ever notice that, but the only thing missing was volume. That could be my fault as one of the tips and tricks LIVING PROOF offers for this product is that to enhance body you should apply the product, and blow-dry using a round brush instead of a flat brush. Sorry, I don’t even own a round brush so I couldn’t test this one out.

LIVING PROOF also mentioned that when air-drying with this product to use a little less of it, and so I did when letting my hair dry naturally. My hair was left very soft, and I could smell a bit more of the product in my hair this way as well.

This product claims to repel dirt and oil, which extends your style and allows you to wash your hair less often. It’s true I found my hair less oily on the second day then when I use Moroccan oil, but anytime I don’t use Moroccan Oil my hair is less oily the second day. I never go for a third day without washing my hair, and this product didn’t change my mind. I’m not sure it did much to repel oil, but it definitely didn’t contribute to the oil-slick issue I have on top of my head.

The bonuses to this product? It offers both heat and UV protection! Hair is protected from the heat up to 450 degrees and it contains a UV defense that absorbs harmful, damaging UV rays from the sun.

Overall I think it holds up to most of it’s claims for a “Perfect Hair Day’. I really like this product a lot, and I like that I don’t need to combine a heat protecting spray to my hair as well for straightening or blow-drying. It’s a pretty convincing little styling treatment that gave me results almost instantly, and at a cost of $32.00 CDN it’s really not a bad price to pay for a perfect hair day, plus to not need to use a heat protecting spray as well.

You can purchase it online here at Sephora, or ask them for a free sample to try it yourself!

Roxymandy August 11, 2014

Hunter Original Autumn/Winter 2014 Campaign

I bought my first pair of Hunter boots last year, and I seriously can’t live without them. When Hunter Original first launched I really didn’t catch onto the trend because I wasn’t sure if I would wear rubber boots. I wasn’t one of those normal kids who loved wearing rubber boots to splash puddles. Instead I avoided the puddles, and opted to wear shoes that weren’t weather appropriate just to be a brat. And a diva.

I actually bought my toddler a pair of Hunter boots first. When they arrived I thought they were so adorable, and he loved stomping around the house in them. I didn’t realize until later that he was going to want ME to jump in the puddles outside as well. Here I was again wearing inappropriate footwear. I hopped onto the Nordstrom site and ordered myself a pair of adorable Union Jack Hunter Originals (my son’s name is London, so obviously they were perfect), and I’ve been jumping in puddles ever since.

This year at London Fashion Week, Hunter Original launched their first campaign for Autumn/Winter 2014 which included a runway underwater! The line includes footwear, outerwear and knitwear which makes dressing for inclement weather look pretty chic.

I have added photos of the runway show below, but you can now shop the campaign at www.hunter-boot.com, and at global retailers in store now.

Roxymandy August 6, 2014

Fall Leather Jacket Roundup

Please don’t get mad about what I am going to say next – I am so excited to do some fall shopping! I know, it’s August. And it’s not nice to talk about fall during the summer, but I can’t help but get excited about all of the new fall clothes coming out! I know you have seen it – summer clothes are being marked down, sandals are dropping in price, and slowly sweaters and scarves are starting to hit the shelves. I’m sorry but it’s happening, so keep enjoying summer, but get excited to stock your fall wardrobe.

Leather has been trending a long time now – dresses, shorts, skirts, pants, and of course, leather jackets. Much like ripped boyfriend jeans, cute biker and moto style leather jackets are everywhere so you need to make sure you have one in your closet. When I have nothing to wear (I know, it sounds tragic) I love throwing on a wicked jacket to make my outfit. Sometimes I don’t even want to take the jacket off because it makes my outfit. And there is always one overly polite person who keeps offering to take your jacket at times like these, and you have to keep lying over and over about how chilly you are so they don’t take your jacket away. Meanwhile you are sweating to death in the jacket, but it looks so damn good your willing to sacrifice.

Anyway, I’ve rounded up a few of my favourites at all price points in case you are missing a leather jacket in your wardrobe, or you are like me and have decided you need multiple.

Danier Bronwyn Linen Blend and Lamb Leather Jacket – $139.00

Danier Elisa Stretch Knit Jacket with Lamb Leather -$159.00

Forever 21 Textured Faux Leather Jacket – $41.80

Forever 21 Chic Quilted Faux Leather Jacket – $41.80

Guess Katy Long-Sleeved Jacket – $108.00

Zara Biker Jacket
– $129.00

Dynamite Faux Leather Blazer with Rib Inserts
-$49.90

Aritzia Mackage Lucia Jacket
-$249.00

Garage Faux Leather Moto Jacket -$29.00

ALLSAINTS Alford Leather Biker Jacket – $900.00

Bebe Kayla Embellished Jacket -$169.00

Victoria’s Secret Leather Moto Jacket – $350.00

Roxymandy August 5, 2014

My Favourite iPad Apps for Toddlers

My iPad has been an absolute lifesaver with my toddler, especially when we’ve been travelling. Flying with him can be tricky, and I am positive we would have never survived without the iPad loaded with Apps and videos for him. It’s like torture waiting for takeoff, so having the iPad ready to go has been great to keep him occupied. We were stuck in customs once for an hour, and our iPad was the perfect distraction for our son and all of the children around him in line!

We also had a long road trip to Lake Placid where we needed a distraction for the long hours in the car, and the iPad was amazing. We try not to let our son play with the iPad too much since I am selfish and I want to play with it myself (ok partially, mostly because I would rather have him play outside at this time of year than sit on the couch), but we have had to admit to ourselves that there have been times when we would have been lost without it.

There are so many Apps out there, and I end up deleting a lot of them because they are frustrating for my toddler. Some of them are too difficult for him to navigate, and some of them I will download and he is bored in seconds. I think all Apps include a lot of trial and error when choosing a good one.

I’ve added a list of Apps that have been the most successful with my son. His favourite right now is the Lego Duplo Trains App. Do you know how hard it is to find a good train App? Very very hard. I feel like I have been through them all, but that one is perfect for his age. You can find my list below, but if there are any Apps that you are using right now that you love for your kid, please add them in the comments section below – I would love to hear them!

Lazoo Zoo

This App allows you to travel around the zoo and feed the animals. Once they are fed they may change colours, grow hair, or change in some fun way. This one is very easy because you just need to drag and drop food in the animals mouth, and there are lots of animals to visit at the zoo.

Lazoo: Let’s Colour!

This App is part of the Lazoo series as well, and in this one you can colour or add stickers to a photo, and then if you press “Go” the photo comes to life. There are trains and planes that move once you hit “Go”, fish that will swim and sundae’s that will melt when you are ready to hit the button. There are a lots of different pictures to colour, and it comes with a great little movie as well with the Lazoo characters.

Elmo Calls

In this App Elmo phones and you can answer the phone and FaceTime with him. It’s great because I think kids probably get more excited seeing themselves on the screen! This App only has a few different calls Elmo can make, but the FaceTime keeps them occupied a bit longer. Elmo is a big hit at our place, and I think every child loves phones, so it’s a pretty awesome combo.

Talking Ben The Dog

We have had this App for over a year and it still doesn’t get old. Not educational in the least, but it’s a free App where the dog will mimic your voice or belch on command. It’s just a lot of fun. There are even a few spinoff animal Apps similar to Ben now, and he’s so popular you can find a stuffed talking version of him in stores.

Lego Duplo Trains

This App is great for boys who are obsessed with trains like mine is. It lets them build their own train, load the train and build tracks and bridges along the way. Plus it was free! I’ve probably downloaded a dozen train Apps, and this has been the best one!

Endless Alphabet

This one was suggested to me by my friend Jen! This one was the most pricy of the bunch at $6.99, but it really is an endless alphabet! Words from A – Z pop up and you have to match the letters in the word. You can press the button to hear the word out loud, and to explain what it is. Each letter makes a sound as you match it to the right spot. You get bonus points as a parent for downloading something so educational too.

Elmo’s Monster Maker

This App was $2.99 but it’s really fun! Elmo parades a group of monsters out, and you have to pick one to dress up. Then you can decide if Elmo plays with him, or of he should dance. It’s pretty cute for Elmo fans.

Endless Numbers

Similar to Endless Alphabet, this counting App comes in a lite version so it’s free, but has some great matching games with numbers. Again, the educational points you will score by downloading this are great, plus the little monsters in the App are super cute and entertaining.