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

Roxymandy April 7, 2015

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

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.

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.

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

Roxymandy April 6, 2015

Fresh Spring Floral Patterned Jackets

I don’t care if there is a snowstorm tomorrow, there is no way I’m wearing my winter jacket. I’m so over winter, and I’m totally ready to move on with some fun spring jackets.

I picked this beauty beauty up from Guess, and it’s such pretty jacket!

I love all of the floral patterns for spring, and I love the idea of wearing a patterned jacket instead of a boring one.

Here are a few more of my favourites online right now!

Wilfred Montesson Jacket

Lush Floral Chiffon Bomber Jacket

Forever 21 Floral Denim Utility Jacket

Free People Floral Impressions Jacket

Zara Pixellated Print Coat

Lucca Couture Floral Bomber Jacket

Roxymandy April 2, 2015

I’m a Lampe Berger Paris Brand Ambassador + Review of the Fruit Melody Scent

I’ve recently been name a Brand Ambassador for Lampe Berger Paris which I’m excited about! A couple weeks ago I tried Lampe Berger for the first time, and I really liked it. Once they asked me if I would be a Band Ambassador I was happy to say yes because so far I’ve really liked their products.

Being a Brand Ambassador means I get to share my thoughts on new products and scents from Lampe Berger Paris with my readers, and possibly do a few giveaways so you can see for yourself what Lampe Berger is all about!

Another fan of Lampe Berger so far has been my loving but oh-so-hard-to-please husband. He’s got what I will call a “sensitive” nose that usually dislikes any air freshner that enters our home.

Lampe Berger was something he could get on board with – you only need to burn it for a short period of time to diffuse the fragrance.

He loved the So Neutral scent because it basically removes odours from our home without covering it with another scent.

I tested out a new limited edition fragrance from Lampe Berger Canada called Fruit Melody last week, and it ended up being my favourite one so far. I love anything that smells like food, and how can you go wrong with a fruit scent?

I could smell peach and vanilla in this fragrance, and it was a great scent for spring.

My husband came home as I was trying it out, and he said “that doesn’t smell that bad!” That’s about as complementary as he gets when it comes to fragrance!

I’ve been burning this scent ever since. It makes our home smell fresh, clean, and ready for spring!

To learn more about this fragrance, visit Lampe Berger Canada here!

Roxymandy April 1, 2015

Review of Baroness Chocolate for Chick Advisor!

Sometimes I’m asked to review really difficult products. Like chocolate. It was a tough subject, but somehow I got through it.

This week I tested out Baroness Chocolate for Chick Advisor! You can check out all of the reviews on Chick Advisor for Baroness Chocolate here!

Baroness Chocolates are hand made in Ottawa, Ontario. Their chocolates are certified kosher, fair trade, gluten free, contain organic ingredients, and contain no GMO’s.

All bars are made from 100% sustainably cultivated cacao beans. They are also fermented longer than any other chocolate bar on the market.

Here is what I thought of each one of their chocolate bars that I tried below!

First up was Aiyaaaa! I loved the name of this chocolate bar!

I thought that since it said on the label “Summon the Kung Fu Master Within”, it would be a great snack to eat before my toddler had a play date with three other monsters/children.

It was a very good idea – it was a solid chocolate bar with butterscotch and almonds, and it was pretty darn yummy. It gave me the kick I needed to handle a play date with toddlers.

Next up I tried the Subversive Squirrel. The name of this chocolate bar is kind of hilarious. I think it would be a cute gift to give someone!

I thought that since it said on the label “Stay Free, Fight the Power”, it would be a great snack to eat while working. Fight the power to me means fight the authority (or in this case, management), in a polite let’s-not-get-fired kind of way.

This one was of my favourite chocolate bars – it had dark chocolate, salted peanuts and peanut brittle. The peanut brittle was so good.

It wasn’t very messy because the “toppings” mostly ended up being inside, so I could work, eat, and not get chocolate on important paperwork.

Mocha Krunhjay was hands down my favourite chocolate bar of the bunch!

I have no idea what the name means, but the bar says “Give Yourself Permission to Say What You Want”. Sounds good to me!

I thought this one would be a good choice for a day of fashion shows at World MasterCard Fashion Week in Toronto, since my outfit would do the talking for me (going with the theme of saying what I want!).

I ate this chocolate bar in about 4 seconds. So good. LOVED toffee inside!

It also had dark chocolate, semi sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, almonds and coffee. The coffee added a nice kick!

I don’t know if I agree with the tag line of the Love & Blessing bar – “Chocolate Tastes Better when Shared.” Really? I’ve found that it’s better when I am eating it all by myself, but to each his own.

I begrudgingly shared it with my husband over a bottle of wine, and my husband seemed pretty happy because A) The chocolate was really good, and B) He was in shock and awe that I was sharing.

This was one solid chocolate bar! It was very heavy, simple, and just made with organic milk and dark chocolate.

It was very good with wine! It actually was a good bar to share since it was heavier than most of the other Baroness flavours.

I needed some quiet pampering time, so the Tummy Rub Baroness Chocolate bar seemed like it would be a good idea.

The tag line on the bar is “When you need a hug and a nap”, so I thought eating it during my down time would be the best option. Although, I actually feel like everyone needs a hug and a nap all of the time.

Anyway, this bar had a gluten free cookie inside which was a lovely bonus! If you are looking for gluten free then this is the chocolate bar for you!

The chocolate was milk chocolate, and it was a really simple, great tasting chocolate bar.

I ate it while reading magazines, doing my nails, and while I was just relaxing with the TV off and my phone put away.

What do I do when I am getting ready for a date night? Apparently I eat chocolate.

I tried Baroness Chocolate’s Dob Dobs before heading out to dinner with the hubby, and a few things surprised me about it.

First of all it has a caramel filling, and I was surprised that the caramel was still oozing out of the bar even though I had the bar stored in the refrigerator. Yes, I keep my chocolate in the fridge. It’s strange, but that is what I do. Anyway, the caramel didn’t turn hard at all. Maybe because the chocolate bar was so fresh?

The tag line of this bar is “Chocolate that lingers on your taste buds like a loving embrace and then slaps you in the face.” Sounds like the perfect chocolate for a date night!

I am thinking the “slap in the face” is the caramel? There were pecans as well which I loved, but I really did like the “slap in the face” caramel as well.

I ate all of this chocolate bar in one seating, mostly because I had to hurry up and get ready for dinner. Plus I didn’t actually want to share this chocolate with my dinner date, and I was really hungry so I ate it all.

I would give this chocolate to a friend because it was a really good chocolate bar, and because I loved the tag line!

Just based on the title of the Tantric Tiger chocolate bar, I decided I would eat it before Yoga class. Not many people eat chocolate before Yoga, but I hate being that person doing deep breathing in class that has their stomach making noises because they are so hungry.

With the word tantric involved, I think of Sting, and then I think of Yoga for some reason. That is the way my mind works.

Anyway, back to the chocolate – the tag line says “Breathe deeply and then pounce.” Sounds like Baroness was thinking of Yoga class too!

I love fruit, nuts and chocolate together. Perfect combo, and this chocolate bar did not disappoint.

The chocolate bar had milk and dark chocolate, cranberries, almonds and sea salt.

So good! Perfect combo, and almost healthy to eat before Yoga class because of the cranberries involved? I know, I’m reaching.

I wouldn’t share this chocolate bar with anyone because I liked it too much. I would consider buying it for someone else because it was really yummy!

Overall one of my favourite Baroness chocolates because of the sea salt and cranberries – it was a really great combination.

For more information on Baroness Chocolate, visit www.baronesschocolates.com

Although these chocolates were given to me for a review, all opinions expressed are my own.

Roxymandy March 31, 2015

Tested Night Lights for Toddlers

Have you gone through the toddler “I’m scared of the dark!” phase yet? It’s horrible. There isn’t a lot you can do other than fix the problem – they want a light!

We went through this stage for a couple months, and I tested out lot’s of different night lights to find the perfect combination to make sure nothing in the room was scary, but also dark enough so our son got some sleep.

After trying out a few that were great, and some that were not so great (and spending quite a bit of money finding all of that out), I would love to share our thoughts on what we tried so you can get an idea of how some of these contraptions worked or didn’t work for us!

All of them were purchased at Toys R Us since it’s only a short drive from our house.

This Planes night light didn’t last long! I bought it at Toys R Us, but couldn’t find it on their website (this Amazon one is very similar).

We didn’t like this one at all because it put off too much light, and the light bulb was exposed and got very hot! Whenever our son reached for it we freaked out because we didn’t want him to burn his hand.

Next up we tried the Cloud B – Dreamz To Go Zoo Friendz Monkey Nightlight. This one switched from three different colors, and projected stars and shapes on the ceiling and walls.

This one worked for us for about a week, but the issue was that eventually it shut off, and our son couldn’t turn it back on. It wasn’t soft enough to keep in his crib, so when we had it on his dresser, he couldn’t turn it back on if he got scared. He still likes to play with it in his tent, but it didn’t work for us if we woke up in the middle of the night scared of the dark.

Then there was Sulley. The Disney SoftPal Sulley Portable Night Light was super adorable! He was made of a rubbery sort of material, and he was portable as well. He would charge in the base, and then could be brought into the bed.

He was soft and squeezable – a great idea! He did not shed a lot of light, which was one issue, and he was really hard to actually keep on the base to charge. I had a really hard time actually getting him into the right spot to light up or charge on the base. Otherwise I really liked the idea of him, but he didn’t last long unfortunately.

One of the more successful night lights was the Cloud B – Twilight Turtle Night Light. This is one our son is still using right now. It’s partially soft and cuddly, but it also has a hard shell where the light leaks through. There are a few different setting so you can see stars on the ceiling in blue, green, or aquamarine, or by pressing a button you can just see some of his shell light up.

It has a 45 minute sleep timer, but leaving it in their bed allows them to easily turn it back on if they get scared. It even projects constellations, and there is a guide that comes with the turtle if you want to explain the star patterns. Big hit in our house since it can stay in bed like a stuffed animal, and our son can easily turn it on or change the settings.

Now for my favourite night light – the Gro Clock!

This one took some getting used to, but we can’t live without it now! It glows all night long, so it gives off a bit of light in the room. Honestly it doesn’t give off a lot of light, so our son also uses the Twilight Turtle in his bed.

The light comes with a book telling a story of a farm where the animals who rise when the sun comes up are happy, while the animal that rises earlier than the sunrise is very cranky. Loved this!

There is a setting for nap time, and for bed time. At the press of a button the yellow sun will set, while the light turns blue and the moon comes out. Stars line the moon and disappear as morning comes closer. Once morning comes (at the time you set it to come!) the sun rises, and the clock glows yellow.

It took us a couple weeks, but our son understands now that we won’t come to his room to get him until the sun rises on his grow clock. This wasn’t an easy lesson to teach, but now he doesn’t even try to leave his room until his clock glows yellow.

I love this clock. It acts as a nightlight, plus it’s taught him about when it’s time to go to sleep, and when it’s time to wake up.

Are there any night lights your child cannot live without? Let me know in the comments!

Best Summer Blue

A dress so nice, I bought it twice!

Perfect for a Wedding

Knit Set Love

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

Fresh Spring Floral Patterned Jackets

I’m a Lampe Berger Paris Brand Ambassador + Review of the Fruit Melody Scent

Review of Baroness Chocolate for Chick Advisor!

Tested Night Lights for Toddlers