Little Red Riding Hood Wooden Tape Dispenser, $14.95 and Little Red Riding Hood Teapot & Strainer $29.95.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Decole at Japan LA!
Little Red Riding Hood Wooden Tape Dispenser, $14.95 and Little Red Riding Hood Teapot & Strainer $29.95.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Giveaway reminders!
Just a quick heads up!
The Funky Monkey freeze dried fruit snacks giveaway ends tomorrow night (3/24). These snacks are seriously delicious and I've been craving them pretty much non-stop since I polished off my last bag. It only takes a few seconds to enter, so definitely have a go!
The Mimobots 4 GB designer flash drive (ARV $39.95) giveaway is still alive and kicking (ends 4/4)! These drives are super duper cute as well as super durable. The winner gets to chose their own flash drive from a huuuuge selection and there's definitely something for everyone!
I just posted up a giveaway for a $25 gift certificate from ABC Neckties (ends 4/10)! ABC Neckties offers an excellent selection of ties to choose from with even more excellent prices. In fact, prices are so good that you could even pick up a couple of ties with a $25 gift certificate... yowza!
Good luck everyone!
The Funky Monkey freeze dried fruit snacks giveaway ends tomorrow night (3/24). These snacks are seriously delicious and I've been craving them pretty much non-stop since I polished off my last bag. It only takes a few seconds to enter, so definitely have a go!
The Mimobots 4 GB designer flash drive (ARV $39.95) giveaway is still alive and kicking (ends 4/4)! These drives are super duper cute as well as super durable. The winner gets to chose their own flash drive from a huuuuge selection and there's definitely something for everyone!
I just posted up a giveaway for a $25 gift certificate from ABC Neckties (ends 4/10)! ABC Neckties offers an excellent selection of ties to choose from with even more excellent prices. In fact, prices are so good that you could even pick up a couple of ties with a $25 gift certificate... yowza!
Good luck everyone!
ABC Neckties Review + Giveaway (4/10/10)
ABC Neckties is a great online resource for all your affordable necktie and accessory needs (cufflinks, tie bars, and handkerchief sets). Ties start at around $15 with the most expensive ones topping off at around $35. In addition to their awesome prices ABC Neckties also offers free shipping with every order, making their great prices even more of a bargain!
ABC Neckties kindly offered me a Black Poly Skinny Tie to try out. The tie is currently on sale for the very affordable price of $12.71 (regular: $14.95)- and of course at the moment skinny ties are très chic! This skinny tie is absolutely perfect for informal events or for a younger person (great for a middle or high school graduation). The tie looks crisp and has a great cut and shape. It also looks much more expensive than it's price would suggest! I can certainly see this tie becoming a staple in many a wardrobe. The low prices that ABC Neckties offer also provides buyers with a great opportunity to try out different styles before committing to a more expensive tie.
An ABC Necktie would make an excellent gift for a father, son, grandson, boyfriend or husband... but fashion forward girls can totally benefit from the awesome prices too. Take a hint from some very iconic women who prove that women too can rock their neckties!
*To enter all you need to do is visit the ABC Neckties and tell me what you would spend your $25 gift certificate on if you won!
For one extra entry each you can:
* Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect
* Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email (if subscribing by email your email must be confirmed, also list your email here)
* Post this giveaway in your blog and leave a link to your post
* Tweet about the giveaway and leave a link to your tweet (you may tweet once per day)
*Follow ABC Neckties on Twitter
*Follow ABC Neckties on Facebook
Please leave a separate comment for each entry! Also make sure to leave your email address in one of your comments or have your email address visible in your profile.
This giveaway will end on 4/10/10 at 11:59 PM PST. Open to US and Canadian readers only.
Good luck!
Giveaway winner: DG
Thank you to the PR place for connecting me with this review opportunity!
**I was sent a sample necktie from ABC Neckties to try for review purposes and allowed to post my thoughts at my discretion. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. All opinions expressed here are mine.**
ABC Neckties kindly offered me a Black Poly Skinny Tie to try out. The tie is currently on sale for the very affordable price of $12.71 (regular: $14.95)- and of course at the moment skinny ties are très chic! This skinny tie is absolutely perfect for informal events or for a younger person (great for a middle or high school graduation). The tie looks crisp and has a great cut and shape. It also looks much more expensive than it's price would suggest! I can certainly see this tie becoming a staple in many a wardrobe. The low prices that ABC Neckties offer also provides buyers with a great opportunity to try out different styles before committing to a more expensive tie.
Superstar Gwen Stefani
Indie rock sweetheart Isobel Campbell
George Harrison & Eric Clapton muse Pattie Boyd
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ABC Neckties was generous enough to offer one of my readers a $25 gift certificate to use at ABCneckties.com!*To enter all you need to do is visit the ABC Neckties and tell me what you would spend your $25 gift certificate on if you won!
For one extra entry each you can:
* Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect
* Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email (if subscribing by email your email must be confirmed, also list your email here)
* Post this giveaway in your blog and leave a link to your post
* Tweet about the giveaway and leave a link to your tweet (you may tweet once per day)
*Follow ABC Neckties on Twitter
*Follow ABC Neckties on Facebook
Please leave a separate comment for each entry! Also make sure to leave your email address in one of your comments or have your email address visible in your profile.
Good luck!
Giveaway winner: DG
Thank you to the PR place for connecting me with this review opportunity!
**I was sent a sample necktie from ABC Neckties to try for review purposes and allowed to post my thoughts at my discretion. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. All opinions expressed here are mine.**
Monday, March 22, 2010
Music Monday - Sweden is the new Iceland?
In the late 90's/early 2000's Iceland was the country toward which everyone was looking to lead the world into the indie rock future. But sometime in the early to mid 2000's it seemed that Iceland had reached a plateau, either a stagnation point or a zenith from which, despite all it's musical prowess, it could not surpass. Thus all our plaid wearing, straggly haired hipsters would have to turn elsewhere. I've always felt that Sweden was the country who picked up nearly right where Iceland left off. Here's 6 tunes that put together an extremely simplistic, extremely inaccurate account of the past decade in Nordic indie rock.
3 from Iceland:
3 from Iceland:
Sigur Rós - Staralfur (1999)
(not an official music video)
Apparat Organ Quartet - Global Capital (2002)
múm - Green Grass of Tunnel (2002)
3 from Sweden:
The Knife - Heartbeats (2003)
Peter Bjorn & John - Objects of My Affection (2006)
Air France - Collapsing At Your Doorstep (2008)
Norway, you're next...
Röyksopp - Happy Up Here (2009)
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Alternative Baking Company cookie review!
The Alternative Baking Company is a small scale operation (only 23 employees!) founded in 1995 that is currently producing some of the most gorgeous, absolutely delicious and utterly HUGE cookies on this planet. The cookies come in 10 great flavors plus one seasonal flavor (the current Cookie of the Season is peanut butter chocolate chip- yummy). Each cookie is 100% vegan and thus completely dairy and egg free. In addition the cookies are made with organic flour and sugar and contain no trans fats, no hydrogenated oils, no cholesterol, no artificial ingredients, and no refined sugar! Two of the cookie varieties are also wheat free (Mac the Chip and Snickerdoodle- yummy x2).
The Alternative Baking Company was kind enough to let me sample their Cranberry Orange Muffin, Colossal Chocolate Chip and Ginger Snappin' Raisin Cookies. I had never tried any of these cookies before so it was awesome going on a little (ahem- I mean BIG) cookie adventure to see just how well these pretty cookies fared.
Cranberry Orange was hands down my favorite of the three cookies. The cookie was nice and plump, super moist and had an A+, standing ovation, gimmiegimmemoregimmemore flavor (oh geez, I am SO sorry for that dated reference) . In fact, I would go so far as to say that this was among the best cookies I have ever tried. The orange flavor was clean and refreshing and the slightly tart, chewy cranberry pieces complemented the orange perfectly. To top it off the flavor and crunch of the walnut really rounded things off amazingly. Delicious!
Colossal Chocolate Chip definitely lives up to its name, this cookie is BIG! Like all the other Alternative Baking Company cookies, this cookie is just so unconventionally huuuuuuge. They are also the thickest cookies that I've ever seen. My sad pictures just cannot do this cookie justice. The cookie itself was moist and had a great, classic chocolate chip flavor. The texture wasn't quite chewy but rather a bit more on the crumbly side. The dark chocolate chips imparted an excellent flavor with a very slight bitterness and the dough had just the right amount of sweetness.
Ginger Snappin' Raisin is a bit like a huge, soft ginger snap cookie embedded with sweet, delectable raisins. The ginger flavor of this cookie is quite prominent with a very clean, pure, true ginger flavor. If you like ginger snaps or gingerbread you will absolutely love this cookie! I think this is the winter seasonal flavor so you'll probably have to wait until the end of the year for these to return, but well worth the wait as the taste is very holiday-ish and would go great with a nice hot cup of tea!
You can find Alternative Baking Company cookies at a number of health food retailers and online stores (Food Fight!, Pangea, Vegan Essentials, and others) or you can order direct from the Alternative Baking Company Website. Each cookie retails for an average of $1.99.
**I was sent the aforementioned cookie samples courtesy of the Alternative Baking Company for review. I was not monetarily compensated in any way. All opinions expressed here are mine.**
The Alternative Baking Company was kind enough to let me sample their Cranberry Orange Muffin, Colossal Chocolate Chip and Ginger Snappin' Raisin Cookies. I had never tried any of these cookies before so it was awesome going on a little (ahem- I mean BIG) cookie adventure to see just how well these pretty cookies fared.
Cranberry Orange was hands down my favorite of the three cookies. The cookie was nice and plump, super moist and had an A+, standing ovation, gimmiegimmemoregimmemore flavor (oh geez, I am SO sorry for that dated reference) . In fact, I would go so far as to say that this was among the best cookies I have ever tried. The orange flavor was clean and refreshing and the slightly tart, chewy cranberry pieces complemented the orange perfectly. To top it off the flavor and crunch of the walnut really rounded things off amazingly. Delicious!
Colossal Chocolate Chip definitely lives up to its name, this cookie is BIG! Like all the other Alternative Baking Company cookies, this cookie is just so unconventionally huuuuuuge. They are also the thickest cookies that I've ever seen. My sad pictures just cannot do this cookie justice. The cookie itself was moist and had a great, classic chocolate chip flavor. The texture wasn't quite chewy but rather a bit more on the crumbly side. The dark chocolate chips imparted an excellent flavor with a very slight bitterness and the dough had just the right amount of sweetness.
Ginger Snappin' Raisin is a bit like a huge, soft ginger snap cookie embedded with sweet, delectable raisins. The ginger flavor of this cookie is quite prominent with a very clean, pure, true ginger flavor. If you like ginger snaps or gingerbread you will absolutely love this cookie! I think this is the winter seasonal flavor so you'll probably have to wait until the end of the year for these to return, but well worth the wait as the taste is very holiday-ish and would go great with a nice hot cup of tea!
You can find Alternative Baking Company cookies at a number of health food retailers and online stores (Food Fight!, Pangea, Vegan Essentials, and others) or you can order direct from the Alternative Baking Company Website. Each cookie retails for an average of $1.99.
**I was sent the aforementioned cookie samples courtesy of the Alternative Baking Company for review. I was not monetarily compensated in any way. All opinions expressed here are mine.**
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Mimobots designer flash drives review and giveaway!
My newest and best-est buddy just arrived in the mail. His name is Mr. Phantom X and he is a total cutey!
Help, I've been de-"cap"-itated!Mr. Phantom X (a creation of Miami based artists FriendsWithYou) is one of the newest designer flash drives to emerge from Mimoco's collaborative efforts with some of the most talented up and coming artists. Collaborations with Sanrio/Hello Kitty, Star Wars, Tokidoki, Domo Kun and Gary Baseman are tiny sampling of the many artists and companies that Mimoco has worked with.
These fun, colorful flash drives not only look great but are amazingly durable and long lasting (I've had some of mine for years and years and never had a single problem). Whenever I've used my Mimobots in the past I've received so many compliments on how cute they are... I've also caught more than just a few wandering googly heart filled eyes starring at my bots!
It's awesome that these flash drives are aesthetically pleasing, but from a practical standpoint the bright, fun colors and the unique shape are actually a huge help in ensuring that you don't forget to remove your flash drive from the computer when you step away. I used to use a plain, black flash drive in the past for school and almost left it behind many a time... I've never had this problem with my Mimobots.
These fun, colorful flash drives not only look great but are amazingly durable and long lasting (I've had some of mine for years and years and never had a single problem). Whenever I've used my Mimobots in the past I've received so many compliments on how cute they are... I've also caught more than just a few wandering googly heart filled eyes starring at my bots!
It's awesome that these flash drives are aesthetically pleasing, but from a practical standpoint the bright, fun colors and the unique shape are actually a huge help in ensuring that you don't forget to remove your flash drive from the computer when you step away. I used to use a plain, black flash drive in the past for school and almost left it behind many a time... I've never had this problem with my Mimobots.
After reattaching his cap Mr. Phantom X and his minions Wicket and Monster (sold out) prepare for... world domination. Muahahaha!These flash drives would make an awesome gift for any student (recommended for ages 13 and up), anyone that works with computers, or just anyone that needs to save files or transfer files from one computer to another. There also seems to be a Mimobot for everyone! Here are some of my top picks:
(1) Hello Kitty® Balloon MIMOBOT® (2) Bossy Bear by David Horvath (3) Ciao Ciao by tokidoki (4) Super Malfi by FriendsWithYou (5) C-3PO (6) Mr. Phantom X by FriendsWithYou (7) Domo X MIMOBOT (16 GB only)
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Mimoco was generous enough to offer one of my readers a 4 GB flash drive (up to a $39.95 value) of their choice from mimoco.com! Please make sure that your choice comes in a 4 GB size and that it is in stock.*To enter all you need to do is visit the Mimobots website and tell me which 4 GB flash drive you would love to have if you won!
For one extra entry each you can:
* Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect
* Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email (if subscribing by email your email must be confirmed, also list your email here)
* Post this giveaway in your blog and leave a link to your post
* Tweet about the giveaway and leave a link to your tweet (you may tweet once per day)
*Follow Mimobots on Twitter
*Follow Mimobots on Facebook
Please leave a separate comment for each entry! Also make sure to leave your email address in one of your comments or have your email address visible in your profile.
Giveaway winner: Kim
**I was sent a sample Mimobot to try for review purposes and allowed to post my thoughts at my discretion. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. All opinions expressed here are mine.**
Sprinkles Cupcakes - Vegan Red Velvet.. I've died and gone to cupcake heaven
To be honest, at first I wasn't sure what to expect. On one hand, it IS Sprinkles so undoubtedly it would be good, but on the other hand, well.... so much can go wrong with vegan cream cheese (think: play dough). Sprinkles' solution to the vegan frosting conundrum was actually pretty ingenious. Rather than a classic cream cheese frosting, Sprinkles concocted something more along the lines of a subtle coconut frosting. Although it doesn't taste particularly cream cheesy (in fact, most people I had try these actually thought it was flat out coconut frosting) it is absolutely deeeeelish! The texture is smooth and the coconut flavor is sweet but delicate. And as for the the cake part of the cupcake itself- definitely classic red velvet. An amazingly moist texture with a nice subtle chocolate flavor and a lovely dark brown/red hue. So uh... I think I'm now in love with a cupcake?
Each Sprinkles cupcake is priced at $3.25, which it isn't bad at all considering they are huge and can easily be split with a friend (or two). I actually shared my cupcakes with a few other people and everyone agreed that they are absolutely great, vegan and non-vegans alike! The non-vegans couldn't even tell these apart from the non-vegan Sprinkles Cupcakes and loved the flavor of the frosting in combination with the red velvet cake.
Sprinkles Cupcakes has locations in Beverly Hills, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Newport Beach, Phoenix-Scottsdale, San Francisco-Palo Alto, and Washington DC-Georgetown. So if you're ever in the neighborhood, definitely drop by and try out one of the vegan red velvets, you will be sooo glad you did.
A huge thank you to Sprinkles Cupcakes for allowing me to sample this great product. I would have never imagined that Sprinkles would come out with a vegan product, but the emergence of this product along with a gluten free red velvet option is a huge sign that Sprinkles is miles ahead of other conventional bakeries. Sprinkles, thank you for valuing the differing needs of consumers!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
owl rly?
Oh owls, how I love you. Your giant inquisitive eyes that pierce the core of my soul. Your luminous green feathers.... uh wait, what? Oh, these are Gama-Go owls and some of them are green, its all good.
Yes, cartoon owls are totally cute as evidenced by the new Gama-Go mug above. Very much digging the artistic style and the bright blue background! In addition to the mug, Gama-Go also has some other awesome owl goodies for sale on their website. Check out some of my favorites below:
Owl Branch Small Tray $4.50
And even more owl goodness here: https://www.gama-go.com/search.php?mode=search&page=1&keep_https=yes
Don't they sort of remind you of the old "I Love To Singa" cartoon? That Owl Jolson, what a little rebel!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Runway model spills
In honor of Paris Fashion Week wrapping up here's a few videos of runway models taking a spill...
Stay safe models.
Temptation Is Beautiful Sweepstakes
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of KAO Brands. All opinions are 100% mine.
Kao Brands (Curel, Jergens, Biore, Ban and John Frieda) is currently running a great sweepstakes I thought some of you giveaway savvy bloggers might be interested in! The "Temptation is Beautiful" sweepstakes is super easy to enter (all you need to do is register on the sweepstakes website). There will be toooons of great prizes such as (DUNDUNDUN)....
A tempting beauty basket (ARV $75) for a daily winner filled with a nice selection of beauty essentials. The contents of the basket are:
The sweepstakes is open to US residents and you can enter for the beauty basket and grand prize each day, so I definitely recommend starting to get in those daily entries! The sweepstakes ends on 5/8/2010 @ 11:59pm ET.
While you're dropping by to the enter the sweeps (and even if you don't) the site has a fun Temptress Temperature Quiz you can take. My Temptress Temperature is.... cold (womp womp). Is it sad to say I'm actually not surprised by that result at all?
Take the quiz at Temptation is Beautiful for yourself (hopefully you fare better than me) and post your results below!
Good luck everyone!
Kao Brands (Curel, Jergens, Biore, Ban and John Frieda) is currently running a great sweepstakes I thought some of you giveaway savvy bloggers might be interested in! The "Temptation is Beautiful" sweepstakes is super easy to enter (all you need to do is register on the sweepstakes website). There will be toooons of great prizes such as (DUNDUNDUN)....
A tempting beauty basket (ARV $75) for a daily winner filled with a nice selection of beauty essentials. The contents of the basket are:
- Curel® Itch Defense™ skin balancing Moisture Lotion 13 oz.
- Jergens® natural glow Foaming Daily Moisturizer Fair to Medium 5 oz.
- Jergens Naturals® Ultra Hydrating Daily Moisturizer 16.8 oz.
- Biore® Steam Activated Cleanser 5 oz.
- Biore® Make Up Removing Towelettes 30 ct.
- Biore® Deep Cleansing Pore Strips 8 ct.
- Ban® Powder Fresh roll-on or Ban® Shower Fresh roll-on 3.5 oz.
- Frizz Ease® Smooth Start® Repairing Shampoo 10 oz.
- Frizz Ease® Smooth Start® Repairing Conditioner 10 oz.
- Root Awakening® Smoothing Lotion 4 oz.
- Root Awakening® Hair Spray 10 oz..
The sweepstakes is open to US residents and you can enter for the beauty basket and grand prize each day, so I definitely recommend starting to get in those daily entries! The sweepstakes ends on 5/8/2010 @ 11:59pm ET.
While you're dropping by to the enter the sweeps (and even if you don't) the site has a fun Temptress Temperature Quiz you can take. My Temptress Temperature is.... cold (womp womp). Is it sad to say I'm actually not surprised by that result at all?
Take the quiz at Temptation is Beautiful for yourself (hopefully you fare better than me) and post your results below!
Good luck everyone!
Paul Smith's "Vintage Perfume Bottle" Print - cute or tacky?
Okay, that was sort of a rhetorical question. I actually find this print unfailingly cute. It's clean, it's classy and it's fun. The smell of perfume isn't even something I enjoy and I still love this print! Here's a close up:
However, there IS one thing about this print I'm not so sure of... on the back of each bag you'll find the following:
If you can't see because of the glare, it reads: "Happiness is like perfume: you can't give it away without getting a little on yourself". It's a quirky addition, fun and playful, but I kind of liked the print better when I didn't know that was there. What do you think? Is the quote a good addition or not?
However, there IS one thing about this print I'm not so sure of... on the back of each bag you'll find the following:
If you can't see because of the glare, it reads: "Happiness is like perfume: you can't give it away without getting a little on yourself". It's a quirky addition, fun and playful, but I kind of liked the print better when I didn't know that was there. What do you think? Is the quote a good addition or not?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Funky Monkey Snacks Review + Giveaway!
I was recently given the opportunity to try out Funky Monkey Snacks for the first time and woooow these are super delicious! I was able to try out each of the 7 flavors which includes: Bananamon (banana with cinnamon), Carnaval Mix (banana, apple, pineapple and papaya), Jivealime (pineapple with lime), Purple Funk (banana with açai), Applemon (apple with cinnamon), MangOJ (mango with orange juice), and Pink Pineapple (pineapple with guava).
In addition to tasting great, Funky Monkey Snacks are:
- 100% natural
- 100% real fruit
- nothing added (no added colors, flavors, sugars, or preservatives)
- GMO free
- 100% organic (Pink Pineapple is 95% organic and Carnaval Mix is 70% organic)
- gluten free, vegan and certified kosher
- made with full, fresh fruit slices and pieces (not dices)
- made in Brazil using tropical fruits at the peak of freshness
- made using a special, proprietary manufacturing process provides for a crunchier texture vs. conventional freeze-drying techniques
Top row: Jivealime, Pink Pineapple, MangOJBottom row: Applemon, Purple Funk, Bananamon
My general impressions:
Pineapple: The freeze dried pineapple was a nice surprise. Pineapple is one of my favorite fruits and I'm admittedly extremely picky about it. I love fresh pineapple, but hate canned and conventional dried pineapple. I'm happy to say that the flavor of the pineapple slices in Funky Monkey Snacks is closest to that of a fresh, juicy pineapple. The flavor is pleasant and not too overpoweringly sweet with a slight tartness. The crispiness from freeze drying gives a nice texture, similar to that of a honeycomb type candy. The lime in Jivealime was refreshing and gave the fruit an even more tartness which I absolutely loved, while the plain variety in the Carnaval Mix was a little bit sweeter (perfect for pineapple purists). Pink Pineapple had a nice grapefruit essence which imparted a slight bitterness (characteristic of grapefruit flavor) and a nice flavor complexity.
Apple: The freeze dried apple slices are very similar taste-wise and texture-wise to what you would find in your standard crispy apple chip- but conventional apple chips typically have preservatives, sugars and/or oils added to them. Funky Monkey uses only apple and cinnamon (no sugars, no oils, no preservatives) in their Applemon snacks so the better option is pretty clear! The cinnamon in the Applemon variety is mild and very nice despite the pieces looking pretty heavily coated. I loved both the plain (from the Carnaval Mix) and cinnamon coated flavors.
Banana: Banana is another one of those fruits that I'm super picky about. I typically like bananas in baked goods or in cereals but don't really care for either the dried or fresh varieties. I was pretty surprised that I actually did like the banana flavor in these snacks. Compared to conventionally dried banana slices, Funky Monkey's banana slices are not as overwhelmingly sweet and the texture is not as dense and hard. The texture of these snacks is light and airy and but when eaten they have a slight creaminess to them as well. My favorite was probably the Purple Funk. Despite being crazy about health foods, I've never actually had açai so I'm not really sure what its is supposed to taste like. What I do know is that they gave the banana slices a nice splash of color and a mild flavor that didn't impart any extra sweetness or tartness, but rather a nice complexity to the taste. The Bananamon pieces seemed a little more airy than the Purple Funk and the cinnamon taste was a little faint, but very pleasant.
Mango & Papaya: These were the only flavors that I didn't really care much for. The pieces were a bit more dense than the other fruits and the flavor of the mango was reminiscent more dried fruit than fresh. MangoOJ had a slight bitterness to it, giving it more of an "adult" flavor. This is the only flavor I think most children probably wouldn't really enjoy (although adults certainly would). The flavor of the papaya in the Carnaval Mix was good and very reminiscent of fresh papaya but in general not papaya is not one of my favorite fruits. If you like papaya this is great.
Funky Monkey Snacks can be purchased at a number of major retailers including Whole Foods, Super Target and Safeway and online at Amazon.com.
I'm super happy that I was given the opportunity to try out these great snacks and will definitely pick up some again when I'm in the mood for snacking. I'd also like to offer one of you the opportunity to try them out as well!
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Funky Monkey was generous enough to offer one of my readers a sampler pack of Funky Monkey Snacks (1 pack of each flavor), yum!*To enter all you need to do is visit Funky Monkey Snacks and tell me something interesting you found on their website that hasn't been mentioned here.
For one extra entry each you can:
* Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect
* Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email (if subscribing by email your email must be confirmed, also list your email here)
* Post this giveaway in your blog and leave a link to your post
* Tweet about the giveaway and leave a link to your tweet (you may tweet once per day)
*Follow Funky Monkey Snacks on Twitter
*Follow Funky Monkey Snacks on Facebook
Please leave a separate comment for each entry! Also make sure to leave your email address in one of your comments or have your email address visible in your profile.
Giveaway winner: Redfuzzycow
**I was sent samples of Funky Monkey snacks to try for review purposes and allowed to post my thoughts at my discretion. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. All opinions expressed here are mine.**
Monday, March 8, 2010
Ecotools 6 piece eyebrush set & bronzer brush review
Earlier last month beauty accessory company ecoTOOLS launched a number of new and improved cosmetic brushes, some of which I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to try out for myself. If you haven't yet heard of ecoTOOLS, they manufacture a wide range of affordable and earth-friendly beauty tools, bath tools, skin care, and cosmetic bags. Their products can be found at Target, Ulta, and Whole Foods among many other convenient locations.
I was sent the new 6-piece eye brush set ($7.99) and bronzer brush ($9.99) to try out. The 6-piece eye brush set includes a large eye brush, angled crease brush, petite eye shading brush, highlighting brush, smudge brush and a hemp and cotton case with mirror. Each brush also has its name printed on it so that you don't get the brushes mixed up (ingenious). And $7.99 for 6 pieces... that comes out to less than $1.34 per piece which is pretty amazing!
I've been using more expensive cruelty free brushes and ecoTOOLS, despite being very inexpensive in comparison, definitely stands up to the higher priced competition. The brush handles are sturdy, the bristles feel soft and gentle on the skin, and the application results are great. My only qualm is that I wish these came in a more minimal package that could easily be recycled. The plastic outside packaging is very cute and is meant to be reusable, but I wonder how many people actually do reuse it. The following is a breakdown of my general impressions of the brushes:
ecoTOOLS vs. more expensive professional brushes:
**I was given 6 piece eye brush set & bronzer brush samples from eco-tools for review purposes. I was not given any form of monetary compensation for this post, all opinions expressed here are mine.**
I was sent the new 6-piece eye brush set ($7.99) and bronzer brush ($9.99) to try out. The 6-piece eye brush set includes a large eye brush, angled crease brush, petite eye shading brush, highlighting brush, smudge brush and a hemp and cotton case with mirror. Each brush also has its name printed on it so that you don't get the brushes mixed up (ingenious). And $7.99 for 6 pieces... that comes out to less than $1.34 per piece which is pretty amazing!
I've been using more expensive cruelty free brushes and ecoTOOLS, despite being very inexpensive in comparison, definitely stands up to the higher priced competition. The brush handles are sturdy, the bristles feel soft and gentle on the skin, and the application results are great. My only qualm is that I wish these came in a more minimal package that could easily be recycled. The plastic outside packaging is very cute and is meant to be reusable, but I wonder how many people actually do reuse it. The following is a breakdown of my general impressions of the brushes:ecoTOOLS vs. more expensive professional brushes:
- The more expensive competition that I've used in the past is somewhere in the range of two to three times (yikes) more expensive than ecoTOOLS.
- A problem I've often found with more expensive brushes is that are often wayyy too bulky. ecoTOOLS brushes are the perfect size: they are large enough to comfortably hold during application yet small enough to be conveniently stored at home or packed away for travel.
- Most professional brushes are made of "natural fibers" which come from animal sources. ecoTOOLS bristles are made from Taklon, which is a soft, non-irritating, animal-friendly (and vegan-friendly) fiber that gives results as clean and professional as natural fibers.
- ecoTOOLS participates in "1% for the planet" which means 1% of all ecoTOOL's sales benefit environmental organizations.
- The materials used by ecoTOOLS are much more ecologically friendly. Brushes and packaging is made of bamboo, recycled steel and aluminum, soybean oil, non toxic inks and crushed walnuts. Compare this with the largely petroleum based materials used by standard cosmetic brands.
- The most common problem I've found with drugstore brushes is that the bristles are hard, stiff and irritating! ecoTOOLS bristles are super soft and very gentle on the skin.
Cunning Cat-Eye
Flawless Face
Sultry Smoky Eye
Touched-up Face For Day to Night
**I was given 6 piece eye brush set & bronzer brush samples from eco-tools for review purposes. I was not given any form of monetary compensation for this post, all opinions expressed here are mine.**
Music Monday : 5 great television performances
Nicole Atkins and the Sea "The Way It Is" on the Late Show with David Letterman
Cat Power "The Greatest" on Later with Jools Holland
Belle & Sebastian "I'm Waking Up To Us" on Later with Jools Holland
Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin "Comic Strip"
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Marvel x Tokidoki t-shirts
Okay, I'll admit that Marvel superheros aren't really my "thing" but the new Marvel x Tokidoki collaboration is undeniably eye-catching. JapanLA seems to have the shirts in good supply, but based on what I've seen around the web these are selling out pretty quickly. Women's t-shirts featuring Ironman, Spiderman, Thor, Captain America and the Hulk are available as well as Spiderman, Thor, Wolverine, and Human Torch t-shirts for men. Each shirt is priced at $28. New Era hats are also available for $35.
Rain gear on the cheap!
Rainy season is starting up again here in Socal and I've been on the lookout for some cute rain gear. The "Cat Above Your Head" umbrella pictured above is from ModCloth ($14.99) but currently out of stock (boo)! I've also really been digging these Marc By Marc Jacobs special items umbrellas which are priced quite nicely at $18 each.
Also digging these Marc By Marc rubber rain boots for $28 a pair.
Here are some of my other rainy weather picks:- Loop Big Apple Umbrella @ Karmaloop $10.95 + 20% off with rep code "CUTEY"
- Pandamonium Umbrella @ ModCloth $14.99
- Rain Parade Mini Umbrellas @ Fred Flare $32
- White Hunter Boots @ Zappos $89.95
- Eryn Brinie Cropped Rain Jacket @ Bluefly $95
I'll also most likely have at least one other new giveaway posted up this week so be on the lookout for that. Hope you all are having a great weekend!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
new Apak prints up on Etsy!
all pictures property of APAK$30 each. Each print is signed, numbered and limited to 200.
So cute. I think these are some of my favorite Apak prints yet, the water color is really beautiful! Thinking about picking up myself a copy of "Water Break" or "Family Hike"...
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