Where to Shop - sparkleshinylove

Roxymandy July 30, 2014

Fall Fashion From Winners

I love shopping at Winners. I love hunting through the racks to find one of their amazing deals, or to find something that no one else will have. When I am looking for something to wear that is a little bit different, Winners always seems to pull through with a great find.

Once I get into the “Winners” zone I tend to hit more than one store in a day. Each store has something different to offer, and it’s so fun to be on the hunt for something awesome.

Is it just me that feels like this about Winners? I highly doubt it – I feel like shopping at Winners can be a bit addictive! If you see an amazing pair of shoes not in your size, the awesome price makes it worth it to drive to another Winners to find your size!

Fall shopping is my absolute favourite. I love buying sweaters and polished, warm outfits after being casual and beachy in the summer. It seems like fall outfits are more fun to put together since a summer outfit usually lacks complexity.

And the best part about fall? Back to school shopping! It’s been a little while since I have been in school, but I still go back to school clothes shopping. Fall is like a new beginning to the year, and obviously you need a cute, fresh outfit to begin something new!

Winners is starting to receive fall trends right now, and they have outlined some of the seasons hottest looks that are hitting the racks soon.

I’ve chosen some of my favourite looks from Winners and added them below – I obsessed with the faux Leather Top Handle Bag and the Wide Brim Wool hat. I must own both pieces!

Dress With Faux Leather Waist Detail
$59.99
Compare at $120

Filigree Cuff
$24.99
Compare at $35

Woven Fringed Scarf
$29.99
Compare at $40 and up

Faux Leather Top Handle Bag
$39.99
Compare at $75

Woven Wrap
$39.99
Compare at $60

Wide Brim Wool Hat
$39.99
Compare at $75

Wool Cable Knit Skirt
$29.99
Compare at $45

Fringed Tote
$49.99
Compare at $98

Quilted Crop Tee
$19.99
Compare at $35

Quilted Pencil Skirt
$19.99
Compare at $35

Sweater
$19.99
Compare at $30

Statement Earrings
$14.99
Compare at $20

For more information visit www.Winners.ca!

Roxymandy July 17, 2014

Be A Part Of The Etsy Road Trip This Summer!

You may know about my obsession with all things Etsy via a few posts I’ve done here before, so you may understand why I am so excited that Etsy is on a road trip this summer!!

For the first time ever Etsy will have a travelling mobile marketplace visiting four cities over 10 days across Ontario.

Etsy will have a 30-foot custom AirStream trailer that will embark on a four-day Canadian road trip featuring local Etsy sellers, and wherever it parks you will also find musicians, food trucks, a photo booth, and more!

Starting on August 1st the mobile marketplaces will pop-up in Montreal, Ottawa, Kingston and Toronto.

Online shopping is amazing because it’s so easy (almost TOO easy for some of us and our weary credit cards), but it’s also nice to see what you are purchasing before you buy it, so this is a great chance to buy from your favourite Estsy sellers while seeing their one-of-a-kind pieces in person.

Visitors can meet and mingle with some of their favourite sellers while shopping their one-of-a-kind pieces on the spot.

You can follow the online road trip by looking up #EtsyRoadTrip on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or by visiting etsy.me/roadtrip for the full program schedule.

And for those of you who want to check out the schedule, I was sweet enough to post it for you below. As always, happy shopping!

#EtsyRoadTrip Calendar:

Montreal – Friday, August 1 and Saturday, August 2

On August 1 from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., catch Etsy at Olympic Park (4141 avenue Pierre-De Coubertin) as a part of Montreal’s #FirstFridays – the largest food truck gathering in Quebec. Sample tasty food and shop handmade clothing and statement accessories from Noemiah, grab a hand-drawn card or print from Kristy Boisvert, or pick a handmade sterling silver piece of jewelry from Angry Weather. A live performance by Corinna Rose will be the soundtrack to the party.

On August 2, Noemiah, Kristy Boisvert and Angry Weather will travel with the caravan across town to Old Port (333 Rue de la Commune Ouest) to join the Divers/Cite “Fireworks night at La Ronde” from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. with music by Little Scream and Corinna Rose.

Ottawa – Monday, August 4

There will be no case of the Mondays in Ottawa on August 4 thanks to Etsy. At Lebreton Flats from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Ottawans can enjoy a set from Kelly Sloan and the Claytones and snack on food from Bridgehead, The Merry Dairy and Streetside Curry. Meet local Etsy seller Burrowed by Caryne and shop her upcycled clothing that has been resewn into fashion forward pieces. Visit Tangente, who specializes in stylish and eco-friendly clothing and who will bring her sewing machine along for demos on-site. Say hi to Hello Yellow who will be selling candles from her recently launched company, Campy. Unique items from Infinite Purpose, Forestiere and Littlest Bird Workshop will also be available for purchase.

Kingston – Tuesday, August 5

On August 5 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., meet, shop and mingle with Kingston-based sellers Here and Now Shop, who designs and creates one-of-a-kind jewelry; Nicole Tarasick, whose Canadian-themed prints, pillows and tote bags are a great way to show true patriot love; Salvage Jewelry Co, with jewelry that incorporates upcycled scrap metals and vintage components to create modern and trendy jewelry; and Ox and Victor, who creates unique silver jewelry pieces with an edge. Special musical guests: the Bernstein Band Trio and a free lunchtime yoga class from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. provided by Lululemon!

Toronto – Friday, August 8 and Saturday, August 9

The Etsy road trip will end its tour in downtown Toronto. On August 8 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at King St. W. and Brant St., pick up a festival-favourite flower crown from Jordan De Ruiter, check out show-stopping neckties and bowties by Handsome + Lace, grab a handmade nail polish, nail art and jewelry from Nail Kandy, and hunt down accessories made from found, limited edition textiles from Grace Design’s travels. BeaverTails, We Got Balls and Gourmet Gringos will bring the food to the party and tunes will be provided by Emmy Rouge and Michael Rault.

On August 9 Etsy road trip will make its final stop at the historic Distillery District on South Trinity Street from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Watch Toronto seller Jordan de Ruiter craft a floral headband, check out Handsome + Lace’s handmade neckties and bowties, pick up your very own DIY handcrafted embroidery kit by Kiriki Press and stock up on Grace Designs’ accessory collection while listening to Taylor Knox Band. Eat a sweet treat from Choco Churros or have an afternoon snack from We Got Balls.

Roxymandy July 15, 2014

Summer Reading Material for Toddlers

No only do I need summer reading material for myself, but also for my toddler! When you are hoping to squeeze in some time reading magazines and books on the weekend or on vacation, you need to find a way to occupy your toddler too, so why not a book for them? My son is 2 now so it’s at the stage where he will pick up a book and flip through it on his own, pointing out the things he sees and reading it in his own way. I read him so many books at night it’s important to find a few that I like to read too! Here are a few of my summer reading picks for toddlers.

Potty by Leslie Patricelli

This book is perfect for the potty training stage. It’s short, sweet, and to the point!

Toot by Leslie Patricelli

This book is by the same author as Potty, and it’s a really cute read!

Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Rinker

This one is a favourite at our house right now. It’s a little long, but it’s a great bedtime story for boys who love trucks!

The Boss Baby by Marla Frazee

One of London’s all time favourites! We picked this one up in Lake Placid, but you can buy it online with Amazon. It’s pretty accurate description of how the baby runs your house.

Rockin’ Babies by Dr. Jenn Berman and Cynthia Weil

I’ve been reading this book to London since he was a newborn so it’s one of his favourites. It’s all about babies partying in their cribs, and traveling with their roadies (that would be you!).

Away We Go! By the Disney Book Group

I love this book because it is all about travel around the world, and London loves it too because of the bright photos.

Whizzy Wheels: London Bus By Marion Billet

This bus has wheels that spin on the book so it doubles as a toy!

Roxymandy July 14, 2014

My Review of The Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

Some may find this embarrassing, but the reason I learned about Urban Decay’s Naked Palette was because I Googled what make-up Kim Kardashian used at her wedding to Kanye. If anyone ever saw my Google history I’d probably die of embarrassment, but that is one of the things I felt I needed to know. Thank god for Google. Anyway, I read that she used one of Urban Decay’s Naked Palettes, and before finding this out I actually never thought about going looking for Urban Decay products. I knew the brand, but I just didn’t think about looking into what they had to offer. Well, that was all before Kim married Kanye, and since I thought she looked pretty great I decided to investigate.

It turns out that I was pretty behind on this one, because not only is there a Naked Basics Palette, but also a Naked Palette, Naked2 Palette, and Naked3 Palette. This is apparently such a popular product there are multiple sequels!

I previously posed about my love for Benefit’s Big Beautiful Eyes Palette which I love, and I really didn’t need more eyeshadow in my life, but I was intrigued so I went with the Naked Basics Palette for my test run.

The Naked Basics Palette is cheaper than the other Naked Palettes, and since I really didn’t NEED the product, the size of this small palette made me feel less guilty for purchasing it!

First of all the palette itself is pretty great because it’s sturdy enough that when you close it, it will actually stay closed. I’ve been using it for almost two months now and the lock is still working, and I have dropped it a few times and the eye shadows and palette have not cracked or broken.

There are six neutral shades, and they are all matte. The first three are perfect for a neutral eye. Venus works great as a highlighter and because the shadow is matte it isn’t too shimmery. Foxy and Walk of Shame are my absolute favourites. I alternate using them to cover my lid, and sometimes I just wear one of these colours with mascara so I look awake! It’s like the “I’m not wearing any make-up” look, while actually wearing make-up and looking fab. I thought I would hate Naked2 because it almost looks grey in the palette, but after a couple weeks I tried it and I really like it! It’s perfect to layer on the crease of my eye, and it doesn’t look grey at all on top of Foxy or Walk of Shame. It looks very natural, but at least defines my eyes. Finally Faint and Crave are more for a dinner and drinks type of look. Both can be very heavy so very little is needed, but both are complementary. It’s like this palette was made for my face! Obviously Urban Decay knew what they were doing when they created this Naked Basics Palette.

I LOVE this palette, but now it just makes me want to try one of the other Naked Palette’s in Urban Decay’s collection. So really, purchasing this small palette has actually cost me money in the long run because now I feel the need to try out another palette. I really did a bad job of saving money in this instance, but that’s pretty normal for me. Anyway, give this palette a try – it’s totally worth it!

It retails for $33 Canadian, and you can purchase it from Sephora here.

Roxymandy July 10, 2014

Unexpectedly Awesome – NeoStrata Anti-Aging Gel Review

NeoStrata Anti-Aging Gel

I am usually a big fan of Korres for all of my skincare, so I was pretty annoyed when I ran out of my night cream and couldn’t find a replacement! Normally I buy my Korres products at Sephora, but when I stopped there to pick up a new cream they told me they were no longer selling Korres. I was pretty surprised and asked if the sales girl knew why and she said no, but then pulled out a list of comparable creams Sephora had put together to pacify a situation such as this. I wasn’t having a full-blown melt down, but I probably had a look on my face that politely said are you freaking kidding me?

It was pretty funny because they actually didn’t have anything comparable to that cream – her closest comparison (according to her list) was a serum that you would squeeze one drop from to rub on your face. Not quite the same as my amazing smelling, nourishing cream. Needless to say I left, planning on purchasing my cream elsewhere.

I got sidetracked and found myself back at home that night looking for something to use in the back of my cabinet where I store all of my samples from gift bags and events. I actually had a full size container of NeoStrata’s Anti-Aging Gel that I had never even opened, so I thought I would give it a try. I had never tried a NeoStrata product before this. I just hadn’t heard anyone talk about the brand, and I had never looked into the brand on my own.

I gave it a try, and at first I thought it was really weird! It’s not a cream, it’s a gel which was really different for me. It actually tingled a lot when I put it on, and the first thing I thought was I am either burning the skin off of my face, or it is really working. Or it was the shock of retinol to my system, which definitely could have been the case!

Fast forward to one month later, and I have realized it’s really working! I haven’t gone looking for my Korres cream yet because I am sort of addicted to my NeoStrata gel.

NeoStrata Anti-Aging Gel

It took about a week for my face to really adjust to the gel. I didn’t break out or have any major issues at all – it just seemed like it took a week before it tingled less when I applied it, and when I started to see results. Korres has very natural ingredients in their products, so I think my skin was also adjusting to having a few ingredients created in a lab smeared on my face. I really did think to myself though, I could deal with lab-based ingredients if my face ends up looking this fresh! Is that bad? Sorry, but those were the very non-environmentally friendly thoughts running around in my head.

The cream is supposed to be for ages 35+, and although that’s above my age, I wish I had been using this for longer. My skin seems a lot brighter, a lot smoother, and overall I can see a difference. Without make up I actually don’t look half bad!

It’s hard to say if it actually is firming my skin the way it says it will, but I can attest to the fact that my skin looks healthier than before I was using it. My face seems very smooth, and I don’t have a problem with that.

Because it’s a gel, I found it can be almost a bit sticky to apply, and it needs to dry a bit before you don’t feel it on your face anymore. It’s a very soft, whipped gel so it does dry quickly.

Once I looked the product up online I found it retails online for $67, so this stuff isn’t cheap, but unfortunately I am addicted now. It does seem to last a long time though, and you really don’t need much to cover your face and neck.

You can buy NeoStrata’s Anti-Aging Gel here online.

I definitely think it’s worth a try!