Mental Floss & the pinecone bottle

A few years ago my sister gifted C and I with a subscription to Mental Floss and has kindly continued the tradition since.

The magazine is a delightfully quirky source of information. Topics are all over the board...science, history, biography, trivia, even beauty! It is one of the few magazines I read more than 80% of the content and save the issues! Much to my delight, they now give you the tablet edition free with your print subscription so I can read on my Kindle Fire (seriously, why doesn't EVERY publisher do this?!)

Earlier this week I was reading the March/April 2013 issue and found a nifty little craft project on page 17. Similar to the concept of a ship in a bottle, they presented a pinecone in a bottle. Fortunately we are still in the right time of year to find closed pinecones and happen to pass under a spectacular pine on our walking route. We found a smallish closed cone and I had an old nifty looking olive oil bottle with a neck just wide enough to squeeze the cone through and voila...

I'll be sure to post a followup photo when the cone opens. I think it will be quite cute.

M'eau Joe No 3

In fall 2012 Opus Oils released a new perfume called M'Eau Joe No 3, Hollywood Whiskey Fragrance. I love boozy scents and thought this sounded intriguing. But since I am actively trying to reign in my perfume buying, I decided to wait for some reviews to come out and see what people were saying. When I saw Boo's review a few weeks back, I knew I had to give it a try.

I ordered a sample first. Customer service from Opus was great and it came within a few days. The scent blew me away. (A bottle purchase soon followed!) It is absolutely unique. You won't smell anything like it anywhere else. It is straight up booze and tobacco. But not in a bad way. M'eau Joe is the most comforting, cozy fragrance I've had the pleasure of wearing. It conjures images of a richly wood-paneled room with big cozy chairs, a fireplace burning fragrant logs, pipe smoke and glasses of whiskey. I do not smoke or drink, nor do I ever got to bars, so I can not fathom why this scent strikes such a chord for me. But it surely does.

This scent would not be for everyone, that's for sure. It is strong. VERY strong. One spray lasts for hours and projects very well. Probably not the best choice for work unless you go really light on the touch. Perfect for lazy days at home or for going out. Great scarf scent! Walking outside on a cold day with a bit of this wafting up, sheer heaven.

The notes are: 
Top Notes - Whiskey, Saffron Attar, Rice Paddy Herb, White Cognac & Geosmin
Middle Notes - Pyralone, Honey, Rose, Violet & Chocolate Base Notes - Dark Amber, Vanilla, Tobacco, Musk, Moss & Woods

If you love tobacco or boozy scents, you have got to get this one. 

Morningstar Veggie Burgers

Recently I was invited to join a new Bzz campaign for Morningstar Veggie Burgers and I jumped right in. It was a no-brainer since I am familiar with Morningstar and know I would be able to find them at my local store.

I love a good hamburger. My grandfather raised cattle so we grew up with good beef to eat. However, now that C and I have more healthy eating habits, beef doesn't figure in to our diet much anymore. Chicken and turkey burgers are a pale substitute. So, we've turned to veggie burgers. Most, to be frank, are not very good at all. But Morningstar is a notable exception.

Morningstar burgers come in a variety of flavors. Our favorite are the Mushroom Lovers. They have a mildly smokey flavor and the mushrooms give them a more "meaty" texture. I wouldn't really call the flavor overly mushroom, though. We also like the Garden Veggie variety. The water chestnuts in these give an interesting bit of crunch.

Morningstar burgers are great for a quick lunch since they can be heated in the microwave. We prefer them heated in the oven or a skillet though (microwave can leave them a bit tough if you overcook them). On a whole wheat roll with regular burger fixings like tomato, onion and a slice of cheese, they make a great dinner.

If you are looking for a lower fat/calorie option for a hamburger and have possibly been disappointed with other non-meat burgers out there, you should give Morningstar a try.

Sephora haul

I adore browsing Sephora's website but rarely order from them because I just can't seem to fork out the cash for high end makeup. However, still being a little flush from Christmas cash and with my birthday next week, I decided to splash out and treat myself to some goodies.

Most of these things are products I've heard rave reviews for and have been dieing to try.

The Shiseido Facial Cotton are a bit pricier than my favorite Swissper cotton rounds. I certainly will be reserving these for my face and using the Swisspers for my nails. The Shiseido cotton pads are so incredibly soft and fluffy. Super gentle for removing eye makeup (which is about all I use cotton pads for on my face). I've seen it suggested to split them in half to get more value for your money and I think this is doable given their thickness.

I have been really wanting a classy lipstick and the YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick is definitely classy. I chose Nude Beige. Turns out my monitor color is off and the lipstick isn't really my shade. However, the formula is incredible. Creamy, moisturizing, pigmented, long lasting, delicious smelling. I may end up exchanging it for a different shade.

I'm not much of a lipgloss girl, but again, everyone raves about Buxom so I wanted to try it. I chose Big Creamy Lip Cream in White Russian. The color is a lovely pale pink. The formula is slightly tingly and moisturizing but not at all sticky. Love it!

A small L'occitane Rose 4 Reines hand cream. Can never have enough hand cream and this one smells beautiful and leaves my hands soft but not greasy.

Can never have enough eye shadow so I picked up the Sephora Primal Instincts Eye Palette. It looks to be a nice selection of neutral shades with a nice satin finish. I haven't tried them yet, but they sure look pretty in the pan.

Boring hair ties round out the stuff I purchased. Everything else was freebies!!
The usually perfume/skin care samples weren't anything special.
They had a special "deluxe sample" promotion the week I ordered and I chose the Josie Maran Cleansing Oil and Soap & Glory Righteous Butter. Haven't tried either yet.
I finally redeemed my Beauty Insider points that have been slowly accumulating and got a Buxom Shimmer, Shine & Smoke sample kit. This includes an luminizer, mascara, eye liner and a mini Buxom lip polish.
And finally, because it's my birthday, I got this year's birthday treat which is a Benefit set that includes They're Real mascara and Watt's Up highlighter. Can't wait to try both of these!

All in all I'm very happy with my haul. Very much worth the wait and saving up for.

Which Sixteen Candles character are you?

Here's a somewhat lame but fun quiz Which Sixteen Candles character are you? Apparently I'm Randy, Samantha's best friend. Pretty much knew I wasn't Sam, but one could hope!

Clarisonic, one year later

In December 2011 I got a Clarisonic Mia for Christmas. I had been using the Olay face brush for awhile and liked the results. When C asked what I wanted for Christmas, I knew I wanted to upgrade to a Clarisonic and he graciously got me one.

I thought I had written a post comparing the two brushes, but can't seem to find it. Both do an effective job cleaning the skin and providing gentle exfoliation. If you don't have the funds for a Clarisonic, I highly recommend the Olay brush.

I love my Mia. I loved it from day one and still love it a year later. The brush leaves my skin feeling absolutely clean and energized. It's like a little facial massage whenever I use it. I don't use it twice a day as suggested in the literature. I used it daily at first but now use it maybe 4 times a week. It is certainly gentle enough to use everyday, I just don't always take the time.

Some cleansers work better than others with the brush. I have used it with my Burt's Bees Intense Hydration cream cleanser, but it really works better with a cleanser that foams just a bit (Organique Hydrating face wash is a good natural option).

My skin has never looked and felt better. It has helped my chronically dry skin become more normal. I think the brush preps the skin so well my moisturizer works all the better. When I go a few days without using the brush I can definitely notice a difference in the texture of my skin. The Mia provides the perfect amount of exfoliation to keep my skin looking great. I rarely feel the need to use face scrubs anymore, nor do I use chemical exfoliants (like AHAs).

Mine holds a charge forever. I only need to charge it once a month. This is a big plus for me since my bathroom is small and I don't have a place close enough to an outlet to keep it on a charger all the time.

I replace the brush head about every 4 -5 months. They recommend every 3 but since I'm only using it a fraction of the time recommended I feel I can go longer between changes. It is important to wash the brush head, and I think this is a step a lot of people forget. Just like your washcloth gets grimy from use, so does the brush head. I thoroughly rinse the head each time I use it. Once a week or so I remove the head from the handle and give it a good wash with Dr Bronner's peppermint soap. If there is any residue in the handle I clean that out too. Leave it assembled overnight to thoroughly dry and it's ready to go the next day.

All in all, the Clarisonic is my favorite skincare tool ever. The difference it has made in my skin is amazing and I never want to be without one. If you are on the fence about whether or not it's worth it, I can heartily say it is!

Fairytale of New York

Another (probably) less well known Christmas song. Not your typical holiday tune but I love the Irish flare. 

The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey

We went to see The Hobbit yesterday. The Hobbit is one of my favorite books of all time and I loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy movies (I've only read part of that series). After I heard that The Hobbit was going to be released as a trilogy and seeing that part one was nearly 3 hours long, I was dubious about how it would be. I mean, the book is only a few hundred pages long, for heavens sake.

As expected, there was much, much, much embellishment on the part of the producers. It is obvious they are trying to turn this in to a prequel to their LOTR movies. So if you are a purist, this may not be the best rendition of the story to watch. The movie was excellent in general. Beautifully shot, lots of action, gorgeous music. Martin Freeman is an excellent Bilbo. Unfortunately it'll be another year till part two comes out and yet another until they wrap it up. Total excess that wouldn't need to be.

Influenster Cosmo Vox Box 2012 review

I recently posted my review of the Venus razors that were included in my Cosmo Vox box from Influenster. I had the most to say about them so I gave them their own post. Today I'll give you my thoughts on the rest of the products in the box.

Pilot Frixion Pens

Being a child of the '80s I was skeptical about erasable ink pens. Erasable ink pens when I was in school were messy to write with and didn't really erase all that well. You were pretty much left with abraded paper with an inky smudge. These however are pretty neat. The ink writes a bit light for my taste (I'm used to bold lines from gel ink pens) but they do write smoothly without smudging. The "eraser" is not a typical eraser that wears down as you use it. It's more like a rubber tip that just magically removes the ink from the page. There is nothing left behind on the paper nor is there a smudge on the rubber tip. Very interesting. I found I could erase the ink for days after writing. I have no need for erasable pens but if you do, this would be a great one to try.

Bath & Body Works Forever Red perfume

Didn't like this at all. Smelled like artificial fruit with an odd musk dry down. Even though this is a perfume it reminded me of a cheap body spray. B&BW has MUCH better smelly stuff available. I'd skip this one.

Ghiradelli Sea Salt Escape

Surprisingly delicious! I've heard a touch of salt can really bring up the flavor of chocolate and this bar seems to prove that point. The chocolate has an excellent flavor and a creamy texture. There are flakes of salt and almonds throughout the bar. The almonds add no discernible flavor, just a bit of texture. The salt adds interest and brightness to the candy. Very very good. I would definitely buy this.

These products were all given to me at no cost in exchange for my honest opinions.

Nuit Etoilee

After last week's warm, rainy days we are back to refreshingly cold temps. With Christmas right around the corner I was craving a cozy, festive scent. Annick Goutal's Nuit Etoilee perfectly fits the bill.

Nuit Etoilee is inspired by a starry night. The scent is a blend of piney woods, mint, and a slight touch of sweetness. It radiates softly for hours. The comforting fir and pine scents evoke memories of Christmas trees. I'm on my third straight day wearing this scent so you know it's something special. I only have a small purse spray but would love one of the gorgeous blue flacons someday. Highly, highly recommended!