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

Roxymandy September 19, 2015

What to Expect at This Weekend’s Toronto Food and Wine Festival

This morning I was lucky enough to attend the media preview for the first ever Toronto Food and Wine Festival. I ate so much amazing food at the festival, I think I’m still stuffed!

The Toronto Food and Wine Festival is on until Sunday, September 20th at Evergreen Brick Works, and it pairs two of the things I love the most – food and wine!

Curtis Stone, Tyler Florence, Gail Simmons, Chuck Hughes, Roger Mooking, Mark McEwan, Antonio Park and many more will be taking to the stages for demos, talks and workshops throughout the three-day event.

I was lucky enough to meet Roger Mooking today (he said he loved my sandals!), and Mark McEwan (I totally fan-girled him), and even took in a seminar about knives from chef Kevin Kent of Knifeware. He convinced me I need new knives. ASAP.

The show was jam-packed with all kinds of beverages from wine, cocktails and craft beers. The food selection was out of this world with some of my favourite restaurants offering some of their best dishes, to all kinds of foods from cupcakes to ice cream!

Here are a few of my favourite snaps from the day so you can preview what to expect this weekend.

I was so excited that I couldn’t actually provide a cute smile!

Anet Gesualdi Macarons – I bought large box of these!

Lily Sparkling VQA – their sparkling wine was so good!

Hawthorne Food and Drink – this Richmond Street restaurant was serving up this interesting dish with green beans and pop corn. It was made with their own smoked butter!

Split Tree Cocktail Co – created in Ottawa, they made a mean Dark and Stormy! They will be on Dragons Den in October!

Stop by the Toronto Food and Wine Festival yourself and sample, sip and savour all the flavours from 130 purveyors of premium products, fine foods and beverages from Ontario, Canada and around the world in the Grand Tasting Pavilion – presented by PC Black Label.

I had an awesome time today – if you are hungry, you must go there this weekend!

For more on the Toronto Food and Wine Festival, visit them at www.torontofoodandwine.com, and on social media here:

Facebook: /Toronto FOOD & WINE
Twitter: @TOfoodandwine
Instagram: @tofoodandwine

Roxymandy September 18, 2015

The Interac 21 Day Credit-Free Challenge

I love a good challenge, but one of the most positive ones I can think of for the sake of my wallet has to be this one I’m going to tell you about!

The day I got my first credit card was a very exciting one. I felt like such a grown up to have my name etched across this card that held access to funds I had never seen before. It was also the start of the accumulation of my debt which followed me for years to come.

It seems so harmless to just swipe a credit card and have something paid for, but as I was swiping I rarely thought about the bill that would follow me home 30 days later. I would often say to myself that I would just go home and put my money right back on my credit card after using it, but that never happened.

I quickly learned how fast those balances could add up, and how much interest would curb my cash flow when I didn’t pay those credit cards off fast enough!

Did you know that research shows that it only takes 21 days to change a habit? I’ve decided to test that theory and take part in the Interac 21 Day Credit-Free Challenge.

What do I need to do? It sounds simple, but I am not spending money that isn’t mine! I have put away my credit cards and have just been sticking to what I actually have in my bank account by using my Interac Debit card.

I have to admit, so far it feels pretty good! There was always a bit of a nagging feeling following me out of a store when I bought something with a credit card. I would brush it off with “oh, I’ll worry about it at the end of the month”, and then it would be a race to the mailbox before my husband would find my credit card bill.

Now I have nothing to hide! Well, I may need to explain all of those shopping bags in my trunk, but at least this way I can boast that those cute fall clothes are paid for in full!

It’s all about living within your means, and staying away from credit card debt is a vital way to keep things in check. Now that I am only shopping with my Interac Debit card, I am paying close attention to my account balances, and I know when I need to say no to that second pair of riding boots that I just can’t afford this month.

Why not try the Interac 21 Day Credit-Free Challenge yourself? See what I am talking about when I say I feel better about spending what I have, and not borrowing what I don’t.

To learn more about the Interac 21 Day Credit-Free Challenge visit this http://www.21DaysCreditFree.ca to watch 21 helpful video’s that will help you succeed at the challenge, and provide you with tips and encouragement to make the challenge successful.

Disclosure: This post was part of a sponsored collaboration between Interac Association and SheKnows

Interac is a registered trade-mark of Interac Inc. Used under license.

Roxymandy September 17, 2015

Review of Indeed Laboratories Skin Care

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be introduced to a skincare line called Indeed Laboratories. I had heard of the brand before, but never tried it. I attended a fun event at Cabana Pool bar at the tail end of summer where I learned all about what this line had to offer.

Sold exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart and select Loblaws locations, all Indeed Labs products are free of parabens, fragrances, colourants, sulfates, and are not tested on animals.

All of the products are extremely affordable as well!

I brought home a few items with me to try for myself, amd I really like them so far!

The first is the most impressive to me – the facial powdered exfoliator. This dry powder just needs a little water, and voila – it’s transformed it into an exfoliator!

It gently removed my dead skin cells and left a smoother surface below. I experienced no irritation at all, and loved the look of my skin after. It’s actually kind of fun to create the exfoliator too!

I also tried out the hydraluron mega moisture jelly which was to be used after cleansing. It has a great dispenser where you don’t need to guess how much product you need – just press down and the perfect amount is dispersed. I hate having to wonder how much product I should apply to my face! It’s a really soothing gel to apply first thing in the morning or before bed. Not having a fragrance is nice as well, and it added lots of moisture to my skin. It’s an instant feeling of being moisturized, and the product absorbs quickly.

I also tried out the hydraluron moisture mask which was so soothing. It covered my whole face with a bit of breathing room, and it was like having a deep moisurizing tent covering my face! It felt great on my tired, dry skin and it was a great way to relax at the end of the day. It’s meant to be worn for 15 minutes, and it forces you to just stop and relax.

The nanoblur instant skin perfector basically gives your skin an Instagram-worthy filter in real-life. It gives your skin the illusion of airbrushing when applying to skin prior to powdered makeup or after liquid foundation.

Nanoblur changes the way light reflects off of your skin – in a flattering way!

I opted to apply it after my foundation, and it was extremely lightweight and seemed to blur my fine lines. To get a great idea of what it can do you can try a little on one of your hands and compare it to the other – the results are pretty amazing. This stuff really works!

Indeed Labs is affordable, it does what it says it will, and it is easy to get a hold of at Shoppers Drug Mart (and select Loblaws sores). Overall the line is very impressive!

Learn more about Indeed Labs at www.IndeedLabs.com.

Roxymandy September 16, 2015

Investing in a Bucket Bag

Blanket Scarf: Dynamite | Bucket Bag: Dynamite | Riding Boots: Michael Kors {similar}

If you are looking for a great investment bag for the season, the bucket bag is your best bet.

It’s versatile because it’s roomy but at the same time looks great, and is a very trendy accessory. I am pretty sure I actually had this style of bag back when I was 14 which is pretty funny. Actually, I really wish I saved it! I love the color of this one from Dynamite.

Last year I bought a similar blanket scarf to this one I’m wearing, but again I fell in love with this pattern and had to have it (this one is from Dynamite). I would be scared to count how many blanket scarves I actually own.

I’ve also dressed up this bag for a night out and it looks great with a less casual look as well. It’s the perfect bag for fall!

Roxymandy September 15, 2015

Jean on Jean For My Version of the Canadian Tuxedo

Jean Shirt: H&M | Distressed Jeans: Garage {similar here} | Fringe Boots: Forever 21

I love this blue jean shirt, and as much as I’d love to wear it with some of my favourite jeans on the bottom, I feel like it only works with a few of my jeans. The Canadian Tuxedo as it’s often called (blue jean top, blue jean bottoms) only seems to coordinate well with either a lighter jean on top with a darker jean wash on the bottom, or a very very light jean on bottom with a darker jean on top. When the top and bottom jean match too closely it doesn’t look quite as easygoing.

I love wearing this jean top with white jeans, but I thought I would try to create my own jean-on-jean outfit for something different. I really love how comfortable and easy the look is, and pairing it with my fringe boots makes it look a bit trendier.

Tucking in the top also gave this outfit a bit more of a 70’s vibe for me, and right now that’s exactly what I’m looking for!

First Day of Summer!

Party Pants

My Favourite Colour

Cold in Plaid

What to Expect at This Weekend’s Toronto Food and Wine Festival

The Interac 21 Day Credit-Free Challenge

Review of Indeed Laboratories Skin Care

Investing in a Bucket Bag

Jean on Jean For My Version of the Canadian Tuxedo