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

Roxymandy November 30, 2015

Styling a Skirt for Winter with the Help of Upper Canada Mall

Bow Top – in stores now {Zara}, similar here | Flared Green Skirt – Zara | Checked Scarf – H&M

Last week I talked about the new holiday campaign Upper Canada Mall launched called #IamMrsClaus, which is about the modern Mrs. Claus. She represents all of us who can juggle everything thrown at us during the holidays, all while looking stylish in the process.

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.

I did some of my own holiday shopping at Upper Canada Mall this past weekend, and indulged in a #MyMrsClaus gift for myself. What is a #MyMrsClaus gift you might be asking yourself? It’s a gift we buy ourselves to reward all of our hard work over the holiday season. It’s all about taking a moment to treat yourself.

Treating myself normally involves clothing! With the holidays coming there are so many times I need to have something great to wear.

One of my favourite things to wear are skirts in the winter. I know most people stay away from them in the winter because of the obvious – it’s frigid outside! Day or night, it’s extremely cold! I try not to let that stop me, and I look for ways to dress up a skirt, and keep warm in this cold weather.

The Zara at Upper Canada Mall has so many great finds right now! I felt like I could have spent all day shopping there. I picked up this great skirt in olive green for only $17.90. The skirt was actually suprisingly warm, and although I could have paired it with nylons, I chose thigh-high boots I already owned to keep my legs warm and cozy.

My bow tie top is not only a very popular look for this winter, but I loved the detailing on this version! It had these great accordion sleeves, and I know it would look great with jeans was well, or even dress pants for work. I purchased this top at Zara for $49.90, but I couldn’t find it online so I linked to a similar one.

I truly can’t get enough of plaid blanket scarves, but this one is on a whole other level. The beige, almost on the verge of mustard colour, complimented the green skirt and cream coloured top so well! It’s such a large scarf I could practically wear it as a jacket, but once folded it can just accessorize an outfit or jacket. At $19.99 from H&M there was no way I could pass it up.

Do you wear skirts in the winter as well, or do you only wear them when it’s warm outside? Let me know your thoughts on wearing skirts in the winter in the comments below.

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

Thanks to Upper Canada mall for providing me one of their gift cards so I could shop for this post!

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 24, 2015

The Oshawa Centre’s New Santa’s Snowy Valley Holiday Experience + $100 Gift Card Giveaway!

I live in Whitby, so the Oshawa Centre has always been my hometown mall. I have been so excited for the expansion and redevelopment that’s been happening over the last few months! Expected to be completed in Fall 2016, there will be 60 new stores, a new 1000-seat food court and two new restaurants.

Last weekend I was able to get a sneak peak at Santa’s Snowy Valley, the new holiday experience at all the mall.

First up, valet parking! Valet parking is my jam. I love leaving my warm car to head straight into the mall, leaving my heavy jacket behind so I can shop. Why fight for a parking space when someone can park your car for you? This new service runs until December 24th, 2015 and I am going to enjoy every minute of it. You can drop your car off at the Town Shoes entrance, and you can’t miss the valet parking booth with the attendants in their branded outfits ready to make your day a whole lot easier. Did I mention valet parking was free as well? If you opt-in to the text messaging service then all you need to do is text “CAR”, and the valet will have your car ready when you are.

Also new to the Oshawa Centre is the OC Holiday Nook. If you read the blog on the regular (which obviously you do because you are known for making awesome decisions, right?) then you know I am a lover of all things exclusive. The OC Holiday Nook is reminiscent of a VIP lounge in the middle of the holiday madness. Customers can enjoy a comfy place to relax in between shopping, and it includes complimentary hot chocolate on select weekends and a custom marshmallow bar for those who choose to enter to win the weekly contests they have running. An iPad station is set up where you can enter to win one of the fabulous holiday contests running this season, and there will also be gift-wrapping available with proceeds benefitting the United Way. It’s a great spot to pick up an OC gift card as well if you don’t win my gift card giveaway below!

Santa’s Snowy Valley is an amazing new experience at the mall where your little one’s can meet one of the most impressive Santa’s I’ve seen. This Santa was the real deal – he was absolutely lovely to my son, and he really looked the part. Snowy Valley is a gorgeous display, and it was really pretty to walk through the setup. Every child who visit’s Santa (while quantities last) will receive a treat from Purdy’s and a free plush mini polar bear.

We stopped by on the day Santa arrived so there were some extra fun activities like cookie decorating!

The winter wonderland that has been created in centre court at the Oshawa Centre made our Santa visit a little more magical. It really was an impressive display.

The Toronto Zoo is also on-site beside the Santa set on November 22, November 27th, December 12th and December 19th with activities including Zoo Keeper talks, Adopt-An-Animal special polar bear package opportunities, and other educational interactive activities.

In partnership with Autism Durham, the Oshawa Centre will host 2 silent Santa mornings where children with Autism and special needs can meet Santa in a friendly atmosphere on November 29th and December 6th. You must RSVP directly to Autism Durham to participate, and families who have an appointment will receive a free 6 x 8 photo, and can purchase additional photo packages. You can reach Autism Durham at 905-432-5092.

Now that I have filled you in on all of the new holiday changes made to the Oshawa Centre, how about a gift card to spend for your own visit to the mall?

I am giving away a $100 gift card for the Oshawa Centre to one lucky reader. Entering is easy – just use the Rafflecopter widget below! The contest runs until Monday, November 30th, 2015 at midnight. The winner will be randomly selected via the Rafflecopter App, and this contest is open to Canadian residents only.

Good luck to everyone who enters!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Best Summer Blue

A dress so nice, I bought it twice!

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Knit Set Love

Styling a Skirt for Winter with the Help of Upper Canada Mall

Celebrating the Modern Mrs. Claus with Upper Canada Mall

Roundup Of Sequin Skirts To Get Holiday Party Ready

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

The Oshawa Centre’s New Santa’s Snowy Valley Holiday Experience + $100 Gift Card Giveaway!