Ms. Sparkles Embraces Social Media!

Hi New and Loyal Shine and Sparkle Report Readers!

Have you noticed the new banner?  Have you notice the sleek new layout? Have you noticed Shine and Sparkle Report going live on tons of Social Media?  Have you noticed me spamming the world each time I get one of them set up?




The right-hand side of this blog contains ways for you to keep up with The Shine and Sparkle Report in tons of ways!  Please feel free to check out any (or all) of them!

Follow me on Instagram at @shineandsparklereport.  Shocking username right?!

"Like" the Shine and Sparkle Report Facebook page. *oooooohahhhhhh*

Or get updates via my Twitter tweets  @sparklereport.  Why so limit letters in my user name twitter? Why?!  Also, did anyone else notice that "tweet" is a noun and a verb? 

I'm contemplating the YouTubes, (currently it only consists of some videos of my pet bunnies from college).  But while Ms. Sparkles is web and writing savvy, video editing and acting...not so much.  Please let me know if you would want to see me do some videos.  Then I'll think about it! Haha.  While you are at it, let me know what you might want to see a video about!

Squiggles has also bee feeling left out of posts, so I made sure he was representing in my social media post.  How could can you resist "following" "liking" and "tweeting" about this guy?

Thank you so everyone for encouraging and supporting me through this new phase of The Shine and Sparkle Report!


Shine & Sparkle!

 

I'm Horrified about Micro Beads!

Attention Shine and Sparkle Readers!

This is an urgent report.  We need to be smart consumers and not use beauty products with microbeads!

All images were obtained from beatthemicrobead.org

Microbeads are so small! These were scooped right out of the ocean with a fine mesh net. 

This Report by CNN revealed to me the absolute crazyness that are "exfoliating microbeads".  They are made of little tiny pieces of non-biodegradable plastic!  More research revealed that, these little plastic beads in cleansers and soaps are too small to get caught in water filters before spewing into the ocean.  As a result, they pollute our oceans with tiny little beads.  The beads are so small that fish eat them thinking they are food.  Then we eat the toxic fish.  I knew that there is a plastic island in our ocean, but I didn't know that the ocean is simply going to be made of tiny plastic beads floating in it if we don't stop using them! Eek!

What can you do?
Don't buy or use products with microbeads!  Supporting this part of industry will continue to have them use them!

Here is what to avoid on your products!

Good Alternatives*:
Exfoliating products that use natural ingredients to exfoliate.  This can include sugar, salt, sand, ground rice, walnut husks, coco beans, you name it.  Just avoid micro beads! It's a small difference that can make a big impact.

Comparing good and bad exfoliating ingredients.

Kudos and Status:
As stated in the article, Unilever is getting rid of microbeads by 2015! Hooray!  Here are some other big name brands which pledge not to use micro beads and their timelines thanks to beatthemicrobead.org. Check them out for a more detailed list and information.

• Lush-No Microbeads!
• P&G-Gone by 2017
• The Body Shop-Gone by 2015
• Johnson & Johnson-started to phase out.
• Loreal-Not making new products with micro beads and says they will phase out, but no target date. 

Note: the way to get companies to move faster is to simply not purchase products with microbeads.  They will not make it if they cannot sell it.


* I am not paid or contacted by any of the companies mentioned in this post.  These are my honest feelings and opinions. 

Shine & Sparkle! 
(and help the earth shine and sparkle too.)

Healdsburg Bath and Body Review

Happy February Shine and Sparkle Readers!

So February has Valentines Day.  What better way to express love than with some bath/shower products I have been absolutely in LOVE with!  Pamper yourself or someone you love with these awesome finds.  So, for Christmas I received a wonderful assortment of goodies from Healdsburg Bath and Body* (abbreviated by Ms. Sparkles as "HB&B"--oh how I love acronyms).  If you don't know where Healdsburg is, it's quite close to Napa, California.  They are a small local business close to where a wonderful Aunt of mine resides.

I made this image, if you'd like to use it please ask ;)  Honestly, I don't know why you would want it, it's just a paint image of some products and Squiggles...

What I love about HB&B are the following:

1. You can recognize all the ingredients. This is also great because you are really getting a pure product without a bunch of fillers.  
2. They work amazingly.  Because of the wonderful ingredients, these products work really wonderfully to take care of and pamper yourself.  They feel absolutely luxurious.
3. Product Fragrance.  The fragrances of the products are unique and sumptuous.   The owner Yen Chesley, really has impeccable taste when it comes to picking scents that really last.  You will exit your shower into a room filled with the wonderful fragrance and it will linger for a bit on your skin (perfect for smelling as you are going to bed after a relaxing bath or shower).

Now for the products that have made me want to take a trip to wine country and stockpile HB&B products:

• Blackberry Sage Sugar Scrub:  Divine.  Consists of a blend of high quality skin moisturizing oils and sugar.  Pure, natural, simple, and smells absolutely heavenly.  I wish they invented smelling over the internet for this one.  There is really no good way to express how much I love the smell of this.  It fills your bathroom, clings to your skin, surrounding you with a warm spa blackberry smell.  Smells sweet, clean, slightly herbal, luxurious, and not like candy. I'm in love. There are a few Ms. Sparkles tips about using this product.  
• Wash with your favorite soap first. Because this is so moisturizing, you will probably want to wash with your favorite soap first to get that "clean" feeling.  Then go in with this awesome product.
• Small amount goes a long way to exfoliate and moisturize your body simultaneously.
• No need to lotion afterwards, towel off after rinsing to remove the last traces of excess oil and your skin will be baby soft.
• Be careful not to slip in the shower.  Heavy on the moisture and oil means slippery tub!  Don't crack your head open please! 

• Cranberry Olive Oil Lotion:  I think this might have been a fall scent but it is wonderful.  Again, this smells amazing.  It is the perfect size to fit on my tiny apartment vanity next to the handsoap for moisturizing my hands after washing them.  It is also a good size for traveling.  I find when I travel, the one thing I need more than a 2oz size of is body lotion.  Water in other places is often very harsh compared to what I'm used to and really dries out my skin.  This was a luxurious treat for getting out of the shower when I was braving a Washington DC winter. 

• Lavender Candle:  I burn through Bath and Body Works 3-wick candles like potato chips (actually, more like Cheetos if I have to pick a guilty pleasure snack chip).  That being said, I some how just can't get past how pretty this candle is to burn it.  I know I should...but...it's sooo pretty!  It doesn't help that it perfectly adds some extra girly flair to my purple, silver, and black  apartment decorating scheme.  It sits on my bedside table giving off a gentile lavender scent when I go to bed...if you can smell it over the 3-wick bath and body works candle I'm plowing through at the moment.  That being said I love it.  And if I ever do get up the nerve to burn it, the elastic ribbon attached doubles as a hair tie!

I'm going to have to make a trip to Healdsburg soon to get more body scrub at the very least (or bribe my Aunt to get me more).  I'm pretty sure now that I have tried it, I can't live without it.  Not having to use lotion after showering is such a time saver! Mini tip:  Lush also has a body conditioner called Ro's Argan Body Conditioner.  It is similar in function to the HB&B scurb...but with rose smell, no exfoliating sugar, and more chemicals.  OK, very vaguely similar, but if you want to skip lotion in favor of nice smelling moisture in the shower, this is also great.  I alternate between the two in my shower depending on if I want exfoliation or not.  I'd love if HB&B had a similar body conditioner.  I'd buy it in an instant!

Lastly, I know that because HB&B is a small local business, they have a webpage and facebook but don't currently have an online store.  However, they say to "Call us at 707.696.0328 with any questions or orders!"  I would 100% recommend seeing if you can get a hold of some of their products! OR, take a trip to Healdsberg and drink great local wine and have really yummy food!

I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Shine and Sparkle Report.  Thanks so much for reading!

Shine & Sparkle!

*I am not paid or contacted by any of the companies mentioned in this post.  These are my honest feelings and opinions.