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

Roxymandy August 14, 2014

The Drake Devonshire in Prince Edward Country set to Open September 15th!

I love hanging out at the Drake Hotel in Toronto. There is so much do to there that you could have a completely different experience each time you go. There is the Café which serves what I think are the city’s best chicken and waffles, the Sky Yard where you can enjoy a meal or just drinks under the stars, the Underground where you can catch a concert, a comedy show, or even a film screening, and a main restaurant with just some really good food.

The Drake Hotel is just a fun place to hang out, and usually has something to do whatever your mood is. It’s a fun, cozy spot that is always buzzing with something exciting happening.

After a two year restoration of a late 1800 year old building, the Drake Devonshire located in Prince Edward Country is set to open it’s doors on September 15th, and I’m kind of excited about it!

Prince Edward County is two hours away from Toronto, and all I have heard lately is buzz about the amazing wine and atmosphere this area has to offer. Twice a year I head down to Niagara-on-the-Lake for wine tours, and I have been itching to switch it up and head to Prince Edward County. Now that the Drake Devonshire is opening, this is totally happening sooner than later!

The Drake Devonshire will be open for business September 15th, but the actual grand opening will be in Spring 2015. By that time you will find a the Creekside Deck built, and cabanas situated near the water.

Until then you will find the Drake Devonshire is ready to host you with eleven rooms, and two suites. One of the suites will be a two bedroom loft-like space, while the other will be called the Owner’s Suite and will sit above the beach with a custom brick fireplace. How cozy does this sound? The rooms will feature Malin + Goetz toiletry products, free Wi-fi, and the Drake Pleasure Menu.

On site you will find the Glass Box ping pong room with beautiful glass walls overlooking the lake, a Pavilion where special events, fall markets and wine tastings will take place, a covered bar and deck, an expansive outdoor patio, and a fire pit.

Some of the cocktail creations from the Drake Devonshire

The lobby of the Devonshire will features a micro Drake General Store. I love checking out the Drake General store in Toronto for fun and original gifts. I always seem to find some strange item that I’ve never seen before, but wonder how I have survived this far without it.

One of the things I associate the most with the Drake Hotel is the food, and it seems like the Drake Devonshire won’t disappoint!

Seafood Chowder:
Shrimp, scallops, fish, crab + grilled corn
$22

Farmer’s Lunch:
Assorted house made charcuterie with traditional garnishes
$17

Beef on Weck:
Slow braised tri-tip of beef, pepperonata, gruyere, caramelized onions, horseradish & mustard on a soft caraway bun
$20

Chef Matt DeMille has created a farm- and lake-to-table menu with all-time Drake favourites alongside new Devonshire dishes. Local wines will be featured on the menus as well.

Drake Breakfast:
Fried eggs, hash browns, roasted tomatoes, banger, baked beans
$12.95

Cobb Salad:
Rotisserie chicken, blue cheese, apple, tarragon dressing, Vicki’s arugula + crispy bacon
$15

Highline Mushroom’s on toast:
With pickled eggplant & herbs
$15 + add smoked trout $4

I’m excited to visit this hotel, and it seems like it doesn’t matter which season I go because there will be something to do. I love visiting wineries in the fall because they are less busy than the summer months, and Prince Edward Country offers excursions like fishing, cross-country skiing, art tours, and of course wine tasting! Drinking is luckily a year-round activity.

The Drake Devonshire is located at 24 Wharf St., Wellington, Prince Edward County. Rates start at $229. Reservation requests are now being accepted for October 1 onward, and can be made at www.drakedevonshire.ca or by calling 1-844-898-3338. Dining is available for guests from 7:30 a.m. through to midnight, from opening day.

For more information, visit www.thedrakehotel.ca

Roxymandy August 13, 2014

Fall Back to School Fashion Guide for Kids

Back to school is only a few weeks away, and although I love the summer, I think I love fall more. I’ve talked before about how I love to shop for fall clothes, and now I am working on my toddlers wardrobe for fall as well. Since I can’t go back to school, I must live vicariously through him, so he is going to get some cozy sweaters and some funky new shoes in the next few weeks! I only have so long before he starts dressing himself, so I have to take advantage now. I have been doing a lot of online shopping, and along the way I have found some adorable styles for toddlers and kids you have to see! I feel like I am shopping for my kid all the time, and it’s not just because I love shopping – it’s like they are constantly growing! I find an amazing pair of shoes or an awesome piece of clothing, and a month later I am trying to figure out to stretch the shoe or tear the hem out of the pants so he can wear them a bit longer. Maybe I shouldn’t be feeding him so much milk or something. Anyway, although I know some of these cute fall finds will be short lived with his growing situation, I can’t help but indulge a bit since he looks like a stud in some of this stuff. I have added some girls styles as well since there were a few things I would totally buy for myself. Cat Skirt from H&M included.

H&M Quilted Skirt $19.99

H&M Fake Fur Waistcoat $34.95

H&M Cotton Shirt $17.95

Zara Embroidered “voila” sweatshirt $19.90

Zara Letter Sweater $25.90

Zara Leopard Print Jacket $39.90

Roots Fleece Varsity Jacket $40.00

AKID Knight (Black) Shoes $70.00

Anthony Hi (Black/White) Bandana Shoes $65.00

Toms Black and Turquoise Paisley Tiny TOMS Classics $35.00

Ralph Lauren Cotton Fleece Blazer $79.50

Girls Pink Floral Fade Out Print T-shirt £8.00

Abercrombie Kids Printed Jumpsuit $54.95

OshKosh B’gosh French Terry Pullover $14.00

Carter’s Button-Front Stripe Shirt $16.00

Roxymandy August 12, 2014

My Review of LIVING PROOF Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Treatment

When something includes the title “Perfect Hair Day”, it had better deliver. Those words will entice me to buy anything if they can really get me a perfect hair day. I try not to go to Sephora, but every once in a while my foundation, concealer, and face cream supply will suddenly be depleted (why does this always happen at once?) to the point where I have no choice but to walk into Sephora and drop a gross amount of money on refills. The good news about this trip was that I also picked up Living Proof’s Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Treatment.

What do you know about LIVING PROOF? Whenever I see it I think of Jennifer Aniston, the brand’s ambassador who was chosen wisely as she has hair to die for.

Right now on my hair I am using Joico shampoo and conditioner, and I alternate between Moroccan Oil, or whatever other product I get a free sample of that promises to strengthen, provide frizz control, and repair damage to my hair.

I have used Moroccan Oil for a few years now, and I seem to get an oil build up every few weeks, so I need to alternate products. I have talked to other people who use it and they don’t have the same problem, so I guess it’s just me!

So there is a lot of science behind this product (reduces breakage by 78%, for the first time ever they have combined patented Healthy Hair Molecule – OFPMA – and their own Volumizing Molecule – PBAE), but really the claims are that in one step you will have added smoothness, volume, conditioning, strength and polish to your hair. It also claims to keep your style cleaner for longer, and it’s sulfate-free, silicone-free and oil free.

These all sound like the ingredients required for a perfect hair day! I gave it a try, but was confused at first because there are two ways to wear this product. You can either apply it to your clean, damp hair and then comb through, or for best results blow dry your hair. Usually I find products say you must blow-dry to heat-activate the product, so I was surprised you could just leave it in and that the perfect hair day promise would still stand.

The smell is a light citrus, and although it smelled great I didn’t smell it in my hair after I blow-dried it. As soon as I started blow-drying my hair I was surprised because my hair felt way softer. It’s probably the quickest I have ever seen a result from a product in my life. My hair was instantly becoming softer, and I wasn’t even done blow-drying yet!

I tried not to get too excited, and went to bed with my super soft hair to see what would happen in the morning.

I woke up not even remembering using the stuff until I started to use my hair straightener, and then I realized that my hair was very soft and smooth. LIVING PROOF provides some tips and tricks for the product, and they say if you use a flat brush as I did when blow-drying, your hair will have a more smooth and polished look. I can attest that they were right on that one!

So I went about my day with what you could call a “Perfect Hair Day”. No frizz, it stayed smooth all day, but I can’t attest yet to how much stronger my hair is because I don’t know if I would ever notice that, but the only thing missing was volume. That could be my fault as one of the tips and tricks LIVING PROOF offers for this product is that to enhance body you should apply the product, and blow-dry using a round brush instead of a flat brush. Sorry, I don’t even own a round brush so I couldn’t test this one out.

LIVING PROOF also mentioned that when air-drying with this product to use a little less of it, and so I did when letting my hair dry naturally. My hair was left very soft, and I could smell a bit more of the product in my hair this way as well.

This product claims to repel dirt and oil, which extends your style and allows you to wash your hair less often. It’s true I found my hair less oily on the second day then when I use Moroccan oil, but anytime I don’t use Moroccan Oil my hair is less oily the second day. I never go for a third day without washing my hair, and this product didn’t change my mind. I’m not sure it did much to repel oil, but it definitely didn’t contribute to the oil-slick issue I have on top of my head.

The bonuses to this product? It offers both heat and UV protection! Hair is protected from the heat up to 450 degrees and it contains a UV defense that absorbs harmful, damaging UV rays from the sun.

Overall I think it holds up to most of it’s claims for a “Perfect Hair Day’. I really like this product a lot, and I like that I don’t need to combine a heat protecting spray to my hair as well for straightening or blow-drying. It’s a pretty convincing little styling treatment that gave me results almost instantly, and at a cost of $32.00 CDN it’s really not a bad price to pay for a perfect hair day, plus to not need to use a heat protecting spray as well.

You can purchase it online here at Sephora, or ask them for a free sample to try it yourself!

Roxymandy August 11, 2014

Hunter Original Autumn/Winter 2014 Campaign

I bought my first pair of Hunter boots last year, and I seriously can’t live without them. When Hunter Original first launched I really didn’t catch onto the trend because I wasn’t sure if I would wear rubber boots. I wasn’t one of those normal kids who loved wearing rubber boots to splash puddles. Instead I avoided the puddles, and opted to wear shoes that weren’t weather appropriate just to be a brat. And a diva.

I actually bought my toddler a pair of Hunter boots first. When they arrived I thought they were so adorable, and he loved stomping around the house in them. I didn’t realize until later that he was going to want ME to jump in the puddles outside as well. Here I was again wearing inappropriate footwear. I hopped onto the Nordstrom site and ordered myself a pair of adorable Union Jack Hunter Originals (my son’s name is London, so obviously they were perfect), and I’ve been jumping in puddles ever since.

This year at London Fashion Week, Hunter Original launched their first campaign for Autumn/Winter 2014 which included a runway underwater! The line includes footwear, outerwear and knitwear which makes dressing for inclement weather look pretty chic.

I have added photos of the runway show below, but you can now shop the campaign at www.hunter-boot.com, and at global retailers in store now.

Roxymandy August 7, 2014

Panda Lantern Parade at the Toronto Zoo

I just signed up to be a Toronto Zoo member for the first time this year after suffering from much peer pressure on behalf of my friends. OK, so no one actually pressured me to join, but I have been on so many play dates located at the zoo it really made the most sense to become a member. I’ve actually enjoyed it a lot this year! I receive a newsletter in the mail from the zoo as part of my membership, and I noticed there were some fun looking after-hours programs at the zoo, so I decided to try one with my son and husband.

We tried out the Panda Lantern Parade last week, and we loved it!

In order to sign up we had to complete a form and mail it to the zoo to register. The other option to register was to fax in the form, and this was my only complaint about the program. I was surprised you couldn’t scan and email the form in! Since I honestly don’t even know where our office fax machine is, I thought it was worth the trip to the post office and we registered.

The cost was $12.00 per person, but children under the age of 3 were only $5.00. This does not include admission into the zoo – the cost was only for this excursion, so keep that in mind! You do not need to be a zoo member to take part in this or some of the other activities.

The program started at 7:00pm, and we were met at the door by our guide and two volunteers. They brought us into the Panda section which was closed for the night.

The maximum number of people for this activity is 25, and that is how many we had for this event. It wasn’t a bad group size at all because there was still lots of room wherever we went for everyone to see, hear and take part in the activity.

First up we went into one of the large tents located at the panda enclosure where we could leave our belongings, and we headed out to see the pandas.

If you have gone to see the panda’s at the Toronto Zoo before, you know how incredibly busy it can be in the area they are located in. I’ve only had a glimpse of them before, so this opportunity was great because we had lots of time to see them play while we were there. We listened to the staff explain the daily routine of the panda’s, and they answered the children’s questions about all things to do with panda’s. The question and answer period was long, but the staff was well prepared for the kids who had a short attention span. Just outside of the pavilion there was one of the volunteers waiting with a basket full of panda-related items the children could play with like puzzles, samples of bamboo, crayons and colouring books. Whoever planed this event definitely has a toddler.

Next we went back to the main tent to have a snack and make our lantern. The snacks included Cherios, animal crackers, cupcakes, cookies and juice, among other treats. We sat at a table and were taught how to make an eco-friendly lantern. It was a cute craft! Once our lantern was complete, it was time to walk back over to see the panda’s so we could say goodnight. This was adorable as it sounded. Our little guy walked right back over to the panda’s with his lantern, and when he got there he held it up for the panda to see.

We used our lanterns to walk back through the dark zoo to visit a few other animals on our way back to the gate. We were finished around 9:00pm.

I thought this activity was adorable, and I highly recommend trying out one of the zoo’s other upcoming activities. The Panda Lantern Parade is full for this summer, but I have listed one other program happening in a couple weeks that you can take advantage of at the Toronto Zoo below. For more available programs check here to see what’s coming up next.

Breakfast with the Bears
(Morning Program)
Rise and shine with the giant pandas and polar bears and enjoy a morning snack as our bear buddies get their day started.

DATES: Sunday August 24th

TIME: 8:00AM to 9:30AM

COST: $10 per person (includes HST)
**If you plan to stay at the Zoo following the program, Zoo admission fees will apply.

Please Note: Any children age 3 and under on the same registration are $5 each (HST included). Payment is required at time of registration. Cost does not include parking. Program can accommodate up to 25 participants per session.

Best Summer Blue

A dress so nice, I bought it twice!

Perfect for a Wedding

Knit Set Love

The Drake Devonshire in Prince Edward Country set to Open September 15th!

Fall Back to School Fashion Guide for Kids

My Review of LIVING PROOF Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Treatment

Hunter Original Autumn/Winter 2014 Campaign

Panda Lantern Parade at the Toronto Zoo