Getting Glam With The Exhibit Jewelry

Shop the exhibit sparkleshinylove
 

 

I’m such an accessories girl. My closet is overflowing with more scarves, purses, bracelets, rings and necklaces then all of my clothes. I love buying statement pieces to build an outfit around. I sort of work backwards – I find a great necklace, then the clothes to complement it.

Last week The Exhibit allowed me to choose two pieces from their website to style for the blog. They had perfect timing because I recieved my package the day before I left for sunny Las Vegas!

The Exhibit is a Toronto-based ecommerce jewlery destination which ships worldwide. All of the pieces from The Exhibit are curated and designed for stylish women looking to make a statement with their jewlery.

The Exhibit is having their official public site launch on May 1st, but you can get VIP access to shop their collections early by emailing them at info@shoptheexhibit.com to get the password. They have an early access sale happening NOW where you can receive 20% off of your purchase as well!

Not only are some of the pieces designed and made here in Canada, but The Exhibit’s designer also creates custom pieces as well! Email info@shoptheexhibit.com to talk about custom orders.

I chose two necklaces – the Melissa Layered Necklace ($26.00 CDN) which I am featuring in this post, and later this week I will talk about the Crystal Rio Bib necklace.

Let’s talk about how this jewlery arrived – in style! How freaking adorable is this packaging! All packages should be shipped with this much fabulousness and care.

 

 

The exhibit Jewlery

 

 
The exhibit Jewlery

 

 
The exhibit jewlery

 

 

The Melissa Layered Necklace is all on one chain which is awesome because I often try to layer necklaces, and throughout the day I am always fixing them so the clasps are all behind my neck. This necklace has only one clasp to deal with, and the longer chain balances the necklace so it stays in place.

The quality is beautiful – this isn’t one of those necklaces with a thin coating that will tarnish after wearing it a couple times! I love this necklace, and if you know me you will probably be seeing a lot of it over the summer.

 

 

The exhibit Melissa layered necklace

 

 

I paired it with my gold and suede fringed sandals from H&M, and my flowered romper from Forever 21.

 

 

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The exhibit Jewlery

 

 

The Exhibit Jewlery
 

 

The exhibit sparkleshinylove

 

 

Stay tuned to the blog this week for more from The Exhibit!

For more details on The Exhibit, follow them on Instagram @The_Exhibit_ and on Facebook at Facebook.com/ShopTheExhibit.

To shop the early access sale be sure to email info@shoptheexhibit.com. Take advantage of the 20% off VIP sale before the official launch on May 1st!

 

 

Mandy Furnis

 

 

My Unexpected Love For Dove’s New Beauty Finish Dry Spray Antiperspirant

My Unexpected Love For Dove's New Beauty Finish Dry Spray Antiperspirant

 

 

I truly didn’t think I would like this product. I am obsessed with smelling good. To the point that I wear layers upon layers of scents. I have different scented lotions for my feet, hands and body. Next I layer a body spray on top, and then a perfume. The kicker is deodorant. I obsessively re-apply deodorant every day. I carry around a stick with me so I can put more on throughout the day because I have some strange fear that I am not going to smell good.

Now that you think I am totally insane, you get an idea of how important smelling good is to me. When it comes to deodorant I have tried EVERY kind and have only found one that really seems to work for me.

At Fashion Week in Toronto a couple weeks ago, Dove was lovely enough to give away free samples of their new Dry Spray Antiperspirant. I took one look at it and started to think about who I could give it to. I was so sure it wouldn’t work for me that I would give it to someone else who could give it a try.

I somehow ended up with three bottles (ok I know how I ended up with three, I acted like I didn’t have a sample three times!), and I decided to give one a whirl.

The can said to shake well, and then spray 15 cm away from the armpit. The first thing that hit me was the smell! It smelled really good! After spraying it on my armpits were instantly dry so I could put my clothes on witout worrying about drying time, or white marks on my clothing. When it was time to go out I packed the dry spray and my regular deodorant in my purse and went on with my day.

Two hours later I did the smell test. Casually I checked my armpits and I still smelled the spray, and I still smelled good! A fluke? I was sure it was because I tend to sweat, so I checked again soon after. I still didn’t smell bad. How was this possible? I always needed to re-apply deodorant after a few hours – I had been doing this since I was 16, so this was hard for me to accept. I know, I seem dramatic at this point of the post, but as I mentioned I take smelling good very seriously!

I made it to the end of the day without another application of the dry spray, or deodorant. The whole thing seemed like a minor beauty product miracle.

The spray went on dry, smelled really good, lasted all day, and didn’t leave any white spots on my clothes under my underarms. I couldn’t believe how well it worked.

 

 

My Unexpected Love For Dove's New Beauty Finish Dry Spray Antiperspirant

 

 

Now I am left hoarding three awesome bottles of Dove’s Dry Spray Antiperspirant all to myself, and a nagging habit of thinking I need to apply more deodorant every couple of hours which I keep trying to shake off because those days are over.

Amazing product – I can’t say enough about it!

For more information on Dove’s Dry Spray Antiperspirant, visit their website here.

 

 

 

 

My Favourites from the Lacoste Autumn/Winter 2015 Footwear Collection Media Preview

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Last week I attended the media preview for the 2015 Autumn/Winter Collection for Lacoste. Lacoste makes shoes for Men, Women and Children, but I focused on the shoes for Women and Children because I love to shop for myself, and for my son. My husband is on his own – I’m a busy girl.

I was really surprised at how large the collection was! Even their kids line had lots to offer.

The kids line for Autumn/Winter has lots of really great patterns! My toddler had a pair of Lacoste high-tops last year, and they were blue with the signature alligator, and now those shoes have been revamped with polk-a-dots, and images of alligators. Their shoes looked really cute and funky!

 

 

Lacoste Kids Shoes AW2015

 

 

I loved the materials used as well. I will need to get my hand on a pair of leather kids shoes.

 

 

MARICE Lacoste Kids Shoes AW2015

 

 

VAULTSTAR Lacoste Kids Shoes AW2015

 

 

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What I also liked was the most of the kids shoes were modeled after the adult shoes, so you could actually wear matching shoes with your child! I’m thinking I need the leather Lacoste shoes for both my son and I.

The baby shoes with Sherpa wool on the inside were adorable – perfect for a baby shower gift!

 

 

BABY B SNUG Lacoste Kids Shoes AW2015

 

 

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When it came to the women’s shoes, I really liked the metallic fabrics they used. I also really liked that they changed the color of the signature alligator logo to match some of the shoe colors.

 

 

SHOWCOURT Womens Lacoste AW2015

 

 

L27 MID Womens Lacoste AW2015

 

 

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Did you know that Lacoste made dressy boots and trendy shoes as well? I always think of sport when I think of Lacoste, but they had some pretty fabulous boots that would look great with a skirt for a dinner date.

 

 

ROSOLINN TALL Womens Lacoste AW2015

 

 

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The best part was that many of the boots came Sherpa lined for those freezing cold Canadian winter’s we can’t seem to get away from.

For more details on the brand, visit www.Lacoste.com!

 

 

Mandy Furnis

 

 

My Review of the Miracle 10 Skincare System

Miracle10 Skincare Review sparkleshinylove

 

 

I wrote a few weeks ago about my visit to the Miracle 10 boutique, and that I would be trying out their skincare line to see what sort of results I would see.

Please note there will be some “interesting” photos of myself – without makeup! I don’t usually like posting photo’s without makeup, but I thought it would be important to show you before and after shots of my skin after using these products.

 

 

Miracle10 skincare review sparkleshinylove

 

 

After leaving the Miracle 10 boutique, I was excited to try this skincare line out. I had never used so many products as part of my daily routine before, but I was determined to give the line a chance by following all of the “rules” of usage.

Luckily everything came with a personalized two-page cheat sheet with details as to how and when I would apply each product. Having details written down tailored towards my new skincare regimen was so important! I had an easy reference sheet to look back to so I knew what I should be doing in case I forgot.

 

 

Miracle10 skincare review

 

 

I would start each evening by cleansing my face with the Miracle 10 Cleanser. I learned that a fresh towel should be used to pat the face dry – using the same towel every day could transfer bacteria to my skin, and rubbing my face could cause damage. Already I was learning new things!

The cleanser was very calming, and it didn’t dry out my skin at all. It contained Aloe and Vitamins C and E as well.

After the cleanser I would use the Miracle 10 Toner. I had never used a toner before in my life. This was to be dabbed on my face with a cotton ball each night.

It left my skin feeling very clean and hydrated. I had never used toner before so this step was very new to me. The toner contained Aloe and Witch Hazel extract.

Next up I was to apply the AHA Cream. This acted as an exfoliator as well. It made my skin tingle a little when applied.

Finally I would lather on the Miracle 10 Night Cream before bed. It seemed like a lot of steps for a girl who was lucky to wash her face before bed, but I followed the instructions religiously.

Mornings had a few different steps. I would cleanse my face again with the Miracle 10 Cleanser – you wouldn’t believe how much dirt I would still find on my face! I would use the Miracle 10 Toner again, and then the Miracle 10 Moisturizing Cream. It was a very light cream that easily went under my makeup.

The Miracle 10 system found it’s name from the pattern of results found with using the system. Results are often found after 10 hours, 10 days, and 10 months.

I couldn’t believe my skin after only one day. I vividly remember looking in the mirror before going out, thinking “Wow I look really awake today”. It was like I had some great color in my face, and I didn’t look as tired as usual. Then I remembered – I was using a new skincare line! I was off to a great start.

Here is my first before photo. It’s not pretty but it’s real!

 

 

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Once I got into the regimen, every day it seemed easier to follow the steps. I knew what I had to do, and I was excited about all of the results I was seeing.

About a week in I had a slip up. I went on an overnight trip, and I brought my skincare system with me (thank goodness I had the Travel Kit!), but I forgot to bring it in from the car. In my extreme laziness, I just washed my face, put my old cream on and went to bed.

It felt like the cream just sat on top of my face and didn’t absorb. I just didn’t feel right. It was the last time I skipped my skincare plan.

So my new issue? I am slightly addicted to this stuff. My skin was previously very dull (I had no idea until I started using this skincare line what it could look like), and my issues with an oily T-Zone have basically disappeared. I have been wearing less makeup, and have even left the house makeup free which is something I would have never done before.

Here is me, makeup free after 10 days of using Miracle 10.

 

 

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The thing I have noticed the most is how my face looks at the end of the day. Normally my makeup either seemed to slide off my face by the end of the day. I have found now that I am starting with a really clean palette so my makeup lasts longer, and it looks much better with bright and clear skin underneath it all!

 

 

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In the end I have found I am slightly addicted to this skincare line, and I love the results I have found at only 10 hours, and 10 days later. I can only imagine how happy I will be at 10 weeks!

I truly recommend giving this line a try – it’s been working great for me!

For more details on Miracle 10, visit their website here.

sparkleshinylove readers can take advantage of an amazing promotion where you can save 20% off your first Miracle 10 order using the code “SSLOVE”. How awesome is that! Now you really have to try it! The code expires August 31st, 2015.

 

 

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Mandy Furnis

 

 

Review of Maybelline New York’s Lash Sensational Full Fan Effect Volume Mascara

Review of Maybelline New York lash sensational full fan effect volume mascara sparkleshinylove

 

 

When I review a product, I love to try it out before reading what it promises to do. I feel like then I can really figure out what exactly it does that I love, or what it doesn’t do at all for me.

That’s exactly what I did with this mascara, and I found that the claims were completely true about what it could and would do.

I picked up Maybelline New York’s Lash Sensational Full Fan Effect Volume Mascara at World MasterCard Fashion Week in Toronto a couple weeks ago.

The mascara has a fan brush with very fine bristles, and curve in the brush made it very easy for me to reach the lashes in the inner and outer corners of my eyes. The bristles were smaller on the inner curve, and longer on the outer curve which was pretty awesome because it would capture all of my lashes and lengthen them for me.
 

 

Review of Maybelline New York lash sensational full fan effect volume mascara sparkleshinylove
 

 

It was very easy to lift and to separate my lashes. Usually with mascara’s I find that I end up using one to separate and lengthen my lashes, while another to volumize them. This one did a bit of both! I was really happy with how my lashes looked when I was done.

I had no issues with clumping at all (awesome), and it wasn’t a very “wet” formula, so I didn’t find myself wiping away excess mascara.

Finally I read the claims the mascara promised, and it said it was a “Full Fan Effect Volume Mascara”. Ok, true enough. I was really happy with it. And it only retails for approximately $5.00 CDN! It’s a steal.

Here are my results in the “Blackest Black” shade.

 

 
Review of Maybelline New York lash sensational full fan effect volume mascara sparkleshinylove

 

 

To learn more about the product, visit Maybelline New York’s website here!

 

 

Mandy Furnis