sparkleshinylove - A lifestyle blog for girls who love a little sparkle!

Roxymandy December 16, 2015

Creating Fun Art with BLO Pens Super Activity Workshop + Giveaway!

Sometimes it’s a stress reliever to just do some colouring. Have you seen all of those adult colouring books that are all the rage right now? I have to admit, sometimes when my son asks me to colour with him I actually have a great time, and then he has to ask me to stop because I take over!

This week we tried out the BLO Pens Super Activity Workshop, and I had a little too much fun! It’s a super cute kit that makes it easy to create fun art projects with the use of the BLO Pens and stencils.

Included are 15 BLO Pens, 16 stencils, and 40 sheets of paper. The markers can also be used as simple markers for drawing, and they are washable and non-toxic!

Creating Fun Art with BLO Pens Super Activity Workshop + Giveaway!

The box doubles as a station to actually create the art which I thought was very smart and convenient!

Getting the markers ready was pretty easy, and all you had to do is blow through the cap to create with colour.

Creating Fun Art with BLO Pens Super Activity Workshop + Giveaway!

After trying it out myself I let my son give it a try. The BLO Pens are for ages 4 and up, but my son is 3 (and a half he always says!) so I let him give it a try with my supervision.

He was actually really good at it, but the kit is very foolproof. All he had to do was use the stencils to create a beautiful picture!

I think this BLO Pens Super Activity Workshop is the perfect holiday gift, so I am giving one away on the blog!

To enter, all you need to do is tag someone in the comments below this Facebook post tagged here to have a chance at winning. You may enter as many times as you like as long as you tag someone different each time.

The contest ends on Sunday, December 20th 2015 at midnight, at which time one person will be randomly selected from the entries. This contest is open to Canadian residents only.

Good luck to everyone who enters!

Roxymandy December 16, 2015

Review of Vichy Aqualia Thermal Extrasensitive

My skin goes a little crazy when the weather changes, and when I travel. Here in Canada the weather has been warm, cold, rainy and occasionally snowy, so I’ve been battling the conditions when it comes to my skin.

I also just travelled to New York City and for some reason being on planes tends to make my skin break out, and/or I get strange rashes or irritated patches after travel! It’s really frustrating knowing that it’s going to happen, and being unsure as to why exactly, and how to prevent it.

Over the last few weeks I have been calming my skin with Vichy’s Aqualia Thermal Extrasensitive Soothing Ultra-Calming Care cream.

Review of Vichy Aqualia Thermal Extrasensitive

It has a fresh fragrance, and it has a medium-thick consistency. I tend to get rashes around my chin, and I had one when I started to use this cream. Sometimes I worry that fragrant creams will irritate my sensitive skin, but it didn’t happen that way in this case. It felt great to apply to my face, and it was not irritating to my skin.

I would cleanse my skin at night, and then I would apply a small amount to my face and neck. I also applied it in the morning, but to be honest I don’t cleanse in the morning (I know, it’s horrible!) so I would just apply it when I woke up,and then applied my makeup.

I didn’t have any issues with it bothering my skin or causing it to break out – it actually did quite the opposite and was very soothing.

Review of Vichy Aqualia Thermal Extrasensitive

The formula includes highly concentrated in Vitamin B3, and Vichy Thermal Spa Water. It is a very hydrating cream! It isn’t so thick that my skin would get oily, and because of it’s consistency it was easily absorbed into my skin.

It’s preservative, paraben, alcohol and colourant free. I really love that it only pumps out what you need for a single use. You really don’t need much of this cream for coverage, and it’s in a great air-tight container.

I have been using it every day since I received it, and my skin seems very happy about it!

For more information on Vichy’s Aqualia Thermal Extrasensitive, visit the Vichy website here.

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

Roxymandy December 15, 2015

Win 4 Tickets to Monster Jam at the Rogers Centre January 16th & 17th!

Monster Jam Maple Leaf graphic 600x315 (2)

We have written one letter to Santa this year and have had two visits with him, and each time my son has asked for a giant monster truck for Christmas. He was a good boy a couple weeks ago so I actually bought him a huge monster truck, to which he informed me later that night that Santa was going to bring him an even BIGGER monster truck.

The good news is that he is going to Monster Jam in Toronto in January, and although he won’t get to take one of those trucks home, I am thinking that will satisfy his desire for having a huge monster truck!

Last year we were pretty bummed we couldn’t make Monster Jam, so we made it a priority this year. Monster Jam is taking place at the Rogers Centre on January 16th and 17th, and if you are still looking for a great gift idea for Christmas then tickets to this may be it!

Click on the image below to pick up some tickets of your own to the Saturday night show at 7:00pm, or the 2:00pm show on Sunday.

As a mother of a boy, I am learning to love trucks and dirt. It turns out girls often love trucks and dirt too, as proven by the parents I have mentioned that we are heading to Monster Jam to who have girls who want to go as well.

The show is family-friendly, and it’s going to be a lot of fun! For more information about Monster Jam, visit their website here!

Now it’s contest time! Who would like to win 4 tickets to Monster Jam in Toronto the weekend of January 16th and 17th? Enter to win via the Rafflecopter app below. The contest closes on December 23rd, 2015 and the winner will be announced the same day. The contest is open to Canadian residents only. Good luck to everyone who enters!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Roxymandy December 15, 2015

Giving the Gift of Greeting Cards and Stationary with CardBox by Sendtiment

I wrote a blog post last year about the importance of a thank you card because I strongly feel that text messaging and emails are taking away the novelty of sending a personalized note to someone.

It seems like everything can be done online now – even wedding invitations can be emailed out! It’s a convenient way to correspond with someone by doing it electronically, but the personalized touch isn’t there.

Birthday cards, thank you notes, or any other kind of written card are important to me and hopefully as well to the people I send them to. Since I was little I have always loved receiving mail. Still to this day (as long as it’s not my credit card bill) I’m excited to check my mailbox to see what’s inside.

I was so excited when my CardBox from Sendtiment arrived.

Giving the Gift of Greeting Cards and Stationary with CardBox by Sendtiment

It’s a subscription service which each month includes at least 5 greeting cards and a few extra gifts.

All cards are made in Canada, and different artists are featured each month.

All of the products are a secret until you receive them which is really fun!

Giving the Gift of Greeting Cards and Stationary with CardBox by Sendtiment

I really loved that all of the cards were individually wrapped so they are were in perfect condition when they arrived. The cards in my box were made by Rhubarb Paper Co. and they were cute and quirky. I don’t even really want to send them to people – I want to keep them for myself! The notepad is perfect for my desk as well.

I loved this box, and I think it would be such a sweet gift for someone! I would love it if someone sent me a subscription box like this. They even allow you to order one box at a time which would be great if you wanted give yourself a special treat as well.

Giving the Gift of Greeting Cards and Stationary with CardBox by Sendtiment