Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Orange and Green Geometric

I did my sisters nails over the weekend.  I used my new Zoya polish Arizona, an orange color as the base.  Then for the tip I used Zoya's color Meg.  I believe both of these colors are from the Summer collections.  Between the two colors I added a strip of Bronze Frost from Nubar's Nail Art Pen.  I then stamped the geometric design from the Mash plate number 36 that I got off of Mashnails.com.  I used the striper again from the Nubar pen and outlined the geometric design, just the diamond shape.  Then to add just a little more bling I put a green gem in the center of the stamped design.  I hope you like.


Sunday, August 19, 2012

August 2012 Love with Food Box

This months Love with Food boxes theme was Travelin' Treats.  




The following items were sent in the box;
Skinny Dipping Pretzels by East Shore
Key Lime with Ginger Mustard by East Shore
Vegan Lemony Lemon Cookie by the Sun Flour Baking Company
Vegan Peanut Butter Cookie by the Sun Flour Baking Company
Dried Montmorency Cherries by Cherry Bay Orchards
Coconut Toffee Peanuts by Sconza Candies
Gin Gins Super Strength Ginger Caramel Candy by The Ginger People
Tangerine Glee Gum


It's hard to explain how food tastes but I can honestly say that the food in this box was amazing.  The pretzels are just regular skinny pretzels but what makes them amazing is the Key Lime Ginger Mustard.  At first I wasn't so sure about these combinations.  My sister, my mother and I all tried the mustard with the pretzels; it was rather tangy and the lime is really prominent yet there is a sweetness to the mustard that is a nice complement.  I found that I want to get every last drop of mustard out of the jar.  We were able to buy from the Love with Food site a few more jars of the mustard, it will be cherished. 
Next I tried the Dried Montmorency Cherries.  I love dried fruit so these were really good to me.  They were similar to big raisins in texture and had the sweet tangy flavor of good cherries.  I really wanted to buy some more but the website were sold out.  
The Coconut Toffee Peanuts were very good too.  The coconut wasn't very prominent but the toffee had a lovely flavor and it added a nice outer crunch to the peanuts.  My mother, who doesn't care for peanuts, wanted to eat the entire bag she liked them so much.  I think that is the best review I can give, if someone who isn't a fan of peanuts doesn't want to stop eating them they must be good.  Again, I went onto the website to order some more bags of the nuts and the site is sold out.  
The Tangerine Gum by Glee Gum is a sustainable gum that doesn't contain any plastics.  The pieces of gum are like little chick-lets, with a hard candy shell.  The gum was hard to chew and it was sticky, it got stuck in-between my teeth.  I know that the commercial gum is not an eco-conscious gum but I think I am going to continue and chew the commercial brands.  
Both of the vegan cookies had very good flavors and were very soft cookies.  The texture was just a tad odd but not an unpleasant odd, just not something that is thought of when you think of a cookie.  I find that store bought soft cookies will give me indigestion, these didn't affect my stomach at all.  
The last items in the box were ginger chews.  These are like traditional caramels except they have ginger added.  Ginger is a stomach aid and helps in motion sickness or if you have an upset stomach.  These chews are a nice way of getting the ginger as ginger can be spicy.  The chews did have a spicy bit to them but it wasn't unpleasant.     

This was my first box from Love with Food and I found that I really enjoyed it and I can't wait until my box shows up next month.  The cost of the box is $12 a month and every box that the site sells they donate one meal meal to a hungry child.  So not only do you get a box with amazing food, a child also will get food.  Its a win win.  If you want to sign up for this monthly box the link is Love with Food.

Enjoy! 


Tuesday, August 14, 2012

May Eco Emi Box 2012

The May box is the first Eco Emi Box I have received.  It was an extra box that I bought and not part of my subscription as my subscription is starting in August.  The box came in a regular USPS priority mailer and was full with items and nicely wrapped in tissue paper.


I did have a hard time opening the box as the sticky from the box was stuck to my pink tissue paper.  The only result was torn tissue paper which was thrown away anyway.  The concept of the box is eco friendly beauty, home and food items.  Even the lip gloss was wrapped in tissue paper which I thought was a nice touch.


Here is what i received in my first Eco Emi box.
Mangosteen and Pineapple Candle Tin by Beeluxe
Mint Infused Vegan Lip Gloss in the color Peppermint Icing by All Natural Face
Tangerine Vegan Lip Exfolient by All Natural Face
Spearmint Gum by Glee Gum
Wildly Natural Seaweed Argan Shampoos and Conditioner by The Seaweed Bath Company
Ellbees Original Garlic Seasoning and Rub
Pinto Beans and Flax Chips by Beanitos 
Omega Swirl Vegan Oil in Blackberry by Barleans
Fish Oil in Mango Peach by Barleans
Chocolat Lip Balm by Beeluxe


I have tried almost all of what was in this box with some mixed reviews.  First off, the candle smells wonderful but I have not burned it yet so I am unsure if the smell will continue with the burn.  I believe this is a full sized item and the information card states it retails for $10.00.  I have tried the Beanitos Pinto Bean and Flax Chips and have to say I was not thrilled with them.  The flavor was a little odd, it had a very nutty flavor reminiscent of sunflower seeds.  I had a few people I know try them out as well.  My mother and one of my co-workers felt the same way I did, that is to say not a huge fan.  My other co-worker didn't mind them, however, I don't see her running out to the local health food store to buy them.  This was also a full sized sample that retails for $3.  I have also tried the Chocolat Lip Balm and found that the smoothness of the balm is rather nice.  The chocolate smell was very prominent when first applying but quickly dissipates so I am not always craving a candy bar.  I am happy to say this was again a full sized sample that sells for $3.  The Peppermint Icing lip gloss, another full sized sample, is rather nice as well.  It is really smooth without any stickiness that some gloss have and the peppermint is not just in the smell but also makes your lips tingle.  The tube of gloss retails for $5.  From the same company is the Tangerine Vegan Lip Exfolient is a little odd looking, the color is not appealing as it is a dark brown.  The exfoliation works well but if you get some in your mouth the flavor is very tangy (it is not harmful to get it in your mouth).  After using the exfolient I did see improvement in the condition of my lips.  The shampoo and conditioner samples from The Seaweed Bath Company were foil packs good for 1-2 uses.  It was just enough to know that I was not happy with the products.  I have come to expect that the natural shampoos do not lather like the commercial brands, however this one also left my hair feeling striped of all natural oils and almost a squeaky feel to the hair.  I could not add the conditioner to my hair quick enough.  My hair seemed to style like normal but I felt that if got greasy quicker throughout the day.  The product also did not have an appealing smell, it didn't really have a scent at all.  I like to have a nice sent left in my hair after washing and conditioning it.  I would not recommend these hair products.  Lastly I tried the Fish Oil in Mango Peach and my mother tried the Vegan Oil in Blackberry.  These were both a one serving sample foil pack that was to deliver the essential fatty omega 3 acids in a pleasing way instead of the fishy omega 3 gel capsules.  The texture of these on the tongue was odd, they were smooth like the package proclaims and the initial flavor was good.  However, it soon felt like I had a mouth full of oil and the sweet smoothie flavor the company relies on turned sour and odd.  It was a flavor I cant explain because I have never had it in my mouth before.  My mother felt the same way with the vegan sample.  We were both excited to try this and even looked at the cost before we tried it. After trying the foil packets both my mother and I said that we will not buy the product.  Out of the box I have yet to try the seasoning rub or the gum.  I have high hopes that I will like both products.  

Over all I think that the Eco Emi subscription box is a good deal and a fun way to learn about new items that I wouldn't necessarily try on my own.  If your interested in trying the subscription, the link is Eco Emi.  The subscription is $15.00 a month and will start the following month after you sign up. 
Happy Sampling.


Monday, August 13, 2012

Fing'rs Edge Nail Stripes Review



I recently purchased these nail stripes from Family Dollar and thought I would try them out.
After adding a top coat they looked rather nice from a distance.
The problem with these stripes is that they did not go on smoothly, around the sides of the nails there were little wrinkles that I could feel even after the top coat dried.  They also did not achieve the glass like appearance after the top coat as the clear polish seemed to have disappeared into the stripe.  Instead of these being an actual nail polish stripe as the Sally Hansen and the OPI ones are, these stripes were a vinyl sticker that to remove I just had to peel it off.  It even left a slight sticky layer on the nail that had to be rubbed off.  For the price these would be OK for a quick fix if your in a hurry.  For lasting effect I suggest spending the extra money and getting either OPI or Sally Hansen's version.