I admit it, I hate to floss. I have a small mouth and I would really like Invisalign. Regardless though, I do floss as often as I remember to. Regular floss is really hard for me, I just don’t know how to floss with a small mouth I guess.
That is why I was quite happy to get to try out and review BrytonPick for flossing anywhere – without the traditional floss string! This is a portable dental floss that comes in a carrying case that can fit in your wallet to use when on the go. They say that it is also great for people who are unable to floss or hate flossing – like me!
I tried out this new BrytonPick to floss with and was quite pleased with the results. It is really easy to use, and gets in the back of my mouth much easier than regular floss. I can say that I love this option for flossing, and it has even made me start flossing more. Gotta love that, right? I recommend this product for everyone who flosses like they should, and also for those who hate to floss.
Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt is a historical romance that is perfect for a cold winter day. The book is full of detailed and engaging characters, clever dialog, and much more to keep your attention.
Book Description “From the New York Times bestselling author of To Desire a Devil comes this thrilling tale of danger, desire, and dark passions.
A MAN CONTROLLED BY HIS DESIRES . . .
Infamous for his wild, sensual needs, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching for a savage killer in St. Giles, London's most notorious slum. Widowed Temperance Dews knows St. Giles like the back of her hand-she's spent a lifetime caring for its inhabitants at the foundling home her family established. Now that home is at risk . . .
A WOMAN HAUNTED BY HER PAST . . .
Caire makes a simple offer-in return for Temperance's help navigating the perilous alleys of St. Giles, he will introduce her to London's high society so that she can find a benefactor for the home. But Temperance may not be the innocent she seems, and what begins as cold calculation soon falls prey to a passion that neither can control-one that may well destroy them both.
A BARGAIN NEITHER COULD REFUSE”
- Wicked Intentions – Read an excerpt.
My Thoughts Wicked Intentions is the first in a series of books called the Maiden Lane series. This was the first book I’ve read by Elizabeth Hoyt, and also my first “historical romance.” It wasn’t quite what I expected, but not in a bad way.
The story takes place in 18th century London, and has gripping characters that involve you as a reader. Generally though, the story revolves around Temperance and Lazarus, and their search for the killer, and figuring out Temperance’s secret past. There are many characters though, and many lack focus.
I didn’t quite understand all of the issues some of the characters have, such as Lazarus’ inability to let others touch him, sometimes. Seemed a bit out of place, but maybe we’ll discover more about that in future books.
Overall, it is an engaging enough story to keep the reader actively reading it. I do recommend it for those that like the romance genre. Hopefully the future books in the series will answer some of the questions from this book and tie up other loose ends.
Thank you to the publisher of Wicked Intentions, Grand Central Publishing, part of the Hachette Book Group, for providing me with a copy for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Grammar isn’t usually thought of as glamorous. It did however, used to be the same word. The Glamour of Grammar by Roy Peter Clark uncovers the magic of grammar and teaches you some basics of grammar, in case you have forgotten.
Book Description “Early in the history of English, the words "grammar" and "glamour" meant the same thing: the power to charm. Roy Peter Clark, author of Writing Tools, aims to put the glamour back in grammar with this fun, engaging alternative to stuffy instructionals. In this practical guide, readers will learn everything from the different parts of speech to why effective writers prefer concrete nouns and active verbs. THE GLAMOUR OF GRAMMAR gives readers all the tools they need to"live inside the language"--to take advantage of grammar to perfect their use of English, to instill meaning, and to charm through their writing. With this indispensable book, readers will come to see just how glamorous grammar can be.”
- The Glamour of Grammar – Read an excerpt.
My Thoughts
Grammar is not essentially something many people want to relearn. Take a peek on Facebook, Twitter, any text message, many e-mails, and any online video game, and you’ll think words like “UR” and “PLZ” are commonplace and “okay.” Well, it isn’t. Kids and teenagers who are growing up in an era of fast communication methods like this, actually end up turning in papers with such bad typos and grammars, it makes their teachers cringe.
The Glamour of Grammar hopes to help bring back the joy of grammar. For me, anything that helps people stop using text message abbreviations for everything is a good thing. This book really does teach grammar in a fun and unique way that even teenagers may crack open the book to help become better at grammar.
Even though this book, or any book for that matter, doesn’t promise to make you perfect with grammar, it does substantially help reclaim the basics. I recommend this book to everyone who needs a refresher on grammar, or knows someone who could benefit from it as well.
Thank you to the publisher of The Glamour of Grammar, Little Brown, part of the Hachette Book Group, for providing me with a copy for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Wearing glasses can be a bit of a pain to clean. I clean mine everyday - sometimes two times a day. I can’t stand seeing streaks or spots, so I may have OCD like that, and I want to see well out of my overpriced Burberry glasses.
Brilliant Lenses Cleaner and the optical microfiber cloth allow those who use eyeglasses (or even sunglasses) to see brilliantly. This is a premium eyeglass cleaner with SR-8 that adds a protective barrier to your lenses to help resist scratches and soiling from water, sweat, dust, and dirt. This is usable for all types of lenses.
I was really happy to get to review the Brilliant Lenses to help me clean my glasses at home, school, in the car, wherever.
The big bottle of cleaner I use at home is really not something I want to carry around in my purse, so having a little bottle with a carrying bag and microfiber cloth that is light and able to go with me is fantastic!
I love how fast the Brilliant Lenses cleaner works, after rubbing it in on the lens and then wiping it off, it was finished and not streaky. I can’t say the same for my old cleaner, so this is definitely my new cleaner from now on. I love it!
Live Brilliantly Giveaway
I'm excited to get to host a giveawy for this! I have one Live Brilliantly package to give away to one lucky winner.
Carmindy, from TLC’s What Not to Wear just came out with a new book about looking beautiful. She is an artist with makeup and I wish she was my very own personal makeup artist fairy. Her new book, Get Positively Beautiful takes me just a little closer to looking my best, thanks to Carmindy.
Book Description “According to a recent study, only 2% of women describe themselves as 'beautiful.' (Dove Global Study 'The Real Truth About Beauty: A Global Report', 2004) The media instructs women how to 'look ten years younger,' 'cover up wrinkles,' or 'get fuller, plumper lips.' And even makeup products play off women's insecurities, promising to conceal perceived flaws, define cheekbones, or make eyelashes fuller and longer. The underlying message? That there's something inherently wrong with the way women look and that they have to spend time, money, and energy keeping up with all the ways they should 'fix' themselves.
In GET POSITIVELY BEAUTIFUL, makeup artist Carmindy from TLC's hit program What Not to Wear shows you how to change your mindset from negative fault-finding to a positive beauty philosophy. You learn how to find and focus on your best features and how to combat negative thoughts about your appearance. Carmindy demonstrates easy makeup techniques for eyes, brows, lashes, lips, cheeks, and skin, and how to adapt looks to different weather conditions and 'beauty moods.'”
- Get Positively Beautiful by Carmindy - Read an excerpt.
My Thoughts
Carmindy is one of my favorite people on What Not to Wear. Her makeup transformations on the people on the show are amazing! I would love to have a consultation with her myself, but it just is not likely to ever happen. Her books are the next best thing though, so I was really happy to be able to review her new book, Get Positively Beautiful.
In this book, Carmindy really empowers women of all shapes, colors, ethnicities, etc., to really embrace themselves. I love this because I also think everyone should stop comparing themselves to others and embrace their own best features. Sure, we all wish we could look like a certain celebrity, but that just isn’t going to happen (and would be rather scary if we could).
Another favorite section of mine is where Carmindy shows a picture of herself when she was eleven years old and was teased and her self-esteem was brought down from school bullies. I can relate to this, too. Also, the piling on of makeup to hide what we thought was our imperfections at the time. Very real, very honest.
Get Positively Beautiful gives tips and solutions to your eyes, skin, cheeks, lips, tools, what to carry in your makeup bag, what to wear for each season, and even what to wear for your mood.
I found this book to be an invaluable resource for beauty information by the Queen of Beauty herself, Carmindy. I highly recommend this book to everyone who needs a little (or a lot) help with makeup, or even those who just want to play with it and get some really good ideas.
Thank you to the publisher of Get Positively Beautiful, Center Street, part of the Hachette Book Group, for providing me with a copy for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
The Sims 3: Fast Lane Stuff package is a new package of items that revolves around cars. It doesn’t just add new cars though, it also has new clothing and décor – and the ability to even name your car!
About the Game
Shift gears and take your Sims for a spin with The Sims 3 Fast Lane Stuff. For the first time ever in a stuff pack, your Sims can get new cars along with furnishings, décor, and apparel in four distinct vehicle-themed lifestyles. Will your Sims embody the speed demon way of life? Or cruise in classic luxury automobiles with the top down? Will they rebel against the establishment in pin-up girl dresses and rockabilly tough guy attire? Or pursue a life of intrigue with spy-themed, sexy apparel and automobiles? Whatever their lifestyle, The Sims 3 Fast Lane Stuff takes your Sims on the rides of their lives!
FEATURES
• Give your Sims the rides they’ve always dreamed of—and the lifestyles that go with them.
• Enjoy four all-new styles of fashions, furnishings, and vehicles: Racing, Intrigue, Rockabilly, and Classic Luxury.
• Create the ultimate garage to house your Sim’s professional race car or hot rod.
• Deck out your Sim’s house in luxurious accessories to match their sleek new, luxurious rides.
My Thoughts The Sims 3: Fast Lane Stuff package is a new fun set of items that revolves around cars. Sure, some may think the cars available already would be just fine and they may not need this package. That may be true, but the cars added into this stuff package are (in my opinion) much better and really goes with the many different types of Sims there are.
I started browsing cars before buying one, and I ended up buying this Racing car and a few others just to mess around with. I have my Robert Pattinson Sim dressed up in his racing gear and driving around in this new vehicle:
The new styles added with this pack are the Racing, Intrigue, Rockabilly, and Classic Luxury. With each theme new décor and clothes were added. My favorite part was of course, the clothes! I tried my Sims out in many new clothing options, but my favorite was this cute Retro style dress from the Rockabilly theme.
Overall, I think this stuff package is well worth the money. It adds enough new content to be worth it price-wise versus the items available in The Sims 3 Store online. I recommend it to all those that play The Sims 3!
Don't just take my word for it though, check out this Sims 3 Fast Lane Stuff trailer:
* Note that you must have The Sims 3 base game already installed on your computer in order to play this.
* Thank you to the publisher of The Sims 3: Fast Lane Stuff, Electronic Arts, and Gamers Gate for providing me a digital copy of this game and allowing me to review it. All experiences and opinions expressed are my own.
The Mandala Coloring Kit from Dover Publications is a fantastic collection of Mandala related coloring books, stickers, and even fun temporary mandala tattoos. If you just enjoy looking at them, or perhaps use them to become inspired, this is for you. If you don’t know what a mandala is, that is okay too.
This Dover Original Mandala Coloring Kit includes:
• Mandala Designs Coloring Book — 44 images
• Mystical Mandala Coloring Book — 30 illustrations
• Mandalas Stained Glass Coloring Book — 16 perforated sheets
• 24 stickers
• 4 large tattoos
• 11 x 16 Color Your Own poster
• Crayons
So, what is a mandala? A mandala is a Sanskrit word that means circle. It is a sacred art that is used in the Hindu and Buddhist religions. Mandalas are also considered to be symbols of the cosmos and are said to inspire those that gaze on them, and in this case, color them in too.
Here is what my mandala looks like after I scanned, printed and then colored in with crayons:
When getting coloring books that are amazing like this one, I suggest scanning or copying what you want to color before coloring it in. Either color on the copied page you printed out, or save the original “clean” copy to your computer, so you can use it again!
The Mandala Coloring Kit is a really fun set for people of all ages to enjoy coloring in, or for artistic projects. You could do so much with these mandalas - your imagination is really the limit on what you can use them for. For samples from this set, click here.
Dover offers free samples sent directly to you each week – sign up!
Thank you to Dover Publications for providing me with the Mandala Coloring Kit for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Weight loss and having more natural energy is something that I think most people are striving towards. I know that I am, and most I encounter on a normal basis would agree to this too. The whole “diet” and weight loss world of products that are more harmful than good can make things a bit confusing though. Fit For Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond address these issues with an approach that they say will give you more energy, lose weight, and not even have to count calories.
Book Description “It's the program that shatters all the myths: FIT FOR LIFE the international bestseller that explains how to change both your figure and your life. Nutritional specialist Harvey and Marilyn Diamond explain how you can eat more kinds of food than you ever ate before without counting calories...and still lose weight! The natural body cycles, permanent weight-loss plan that proves it's not only what you eat, but also when and how, FIT FOR LIFE is the perfect solution for those who want to look and feel their best. Join the millions of Americans who are FIT FOR LIFE and begin your transformation with:
• The vital principles that bring you permanent weight loss and high energy
• The FIT FOR LIFE secrets of timing and food combining that work with your natural body cycles
• A 4-week meal plan, menus, shopping tips, and exercise
• Delicious recipes and more.”
-Fit For Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond – Read an excerpt.
My Thoughts Fit For Life originally came out in 1987, and looking through my Mom’s old books, I discovered she actually has a copy of this very book. After reading it, I asked her if she ever tried this approach to weight loss. She explained that she remembered the system in the book but said that it was complicated and not being able to have caffeine and such was just too hard for her. She did however like the part about eating fruit in the morning, and she says she did lose some weight from being on the program.
Before reading this book, I had never heard of “Natural Hygiene” or “Food Combining.” I’m clean and combine foods at meals, but that has nothing to do with it. Reading more about that and natural body cycles really had me interested in this plan though. Especially the eating only fruit and fruit juice before noon. I like fruit, who doesn’t, right?
The four week plan included in Fit For Life is something I actually do want to try out. It seems like it could be easy to follow, and with a few substitutes I should be able to actually eat most of the foods. If it does make me healthier, lose weight, and have more energy, I think this is something I could stick with.
Overall, I found Fit For Life to be extremely informative and gave me a new approach to losing weight and being healthy. I recommend this book to all those who are also in the quest for becoming healthier.
Thank you to the publisher of Fit For Life, Wellness Central, part of the Hachette Book Group, for providing me with a copy for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Fall fashion is one of my favorite times of year for fashion. It allows for cute dresses, jackets, pants, sweaters, and much more. I wouldn’t wear tights as pants as Lady Gaga in tights, as shown below… but she makes it look good and has even perhaps brought tights back into being “cool.”
As an added bonus, you could easily create a Lady Gaga Halloween costume if you have a pair of tights, big black sunglasses, heels, and a wacky dress and/or an interesting bathing suit!
Lately, I’ve been wearing more of the leggings instead of tights look. However, when I was given the opportunity to try out the new Hanes Silk Reflections Sheer Tights, I was quite excited!
I tried out the Hanes Silk Reflections Lasting Sheer Tights Control Top in plum. They were true to size by the size guide, and I had no problem pulling them on (or off) and somehow even managed to not get any runs in them (I always worry about that with my nails).
I wore these plum tights with a dress that had many colors in it, one of them being a plum shade. While the color wasn’t overbearing, it really did make the outfit look quite fashionable. The control top panty also made my dress look better on me, and really, who wouldn’t want that? It has also made me start heading to the tights department in the store to look for more fun and fashionable tights to incorporate into my wardrobe.
Overall, I am very happy with these new tights by Hanes and I recommend them to everyone that wears tights OR leggings – it is a nice change!
These tights are available in black, gentle brown, granite, nude and plum; sizes AB, CD, EF, GH, IJ; SRP: $10.00; in the hosiery section at department stores nationwide.
Disclaimer: I was given these tights to try out for review. I was not paid or told to write about them positively. All opinions and experiences expressed are my own.
This may not come as a surprise, but I love love stories, and I love food. Not being able to eat certain things that contain “gluten” is no fun. However, reading about the love story in Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef is fun, and quite tasty if you try the recipes too. This is a book that reads as a memoir and a cookbook for all those that need to be gluten-free – it is a win-win.
Book Description “The first cookbook from the author of Gluten-Free Girl and GlutenFreeGirl.com
Combining tempting recipes with an authentic love story, Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef is a narrative cookbook for anyone who loves food.
A must-have for those who need to eat gluten-free, this cookbook offers irresistible stories and plenty of mouth-watering meals. From the authors of the much-loved food blog, Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef, the book includes evocative photos, cooking techniques, and 100 chef-tested recipes that are sure to give joy in the belly.
Illustrates the working day of a talented chef and what he does to put delicious food on the plate.
Contains great-tasting recipes that everyone can cook and eat.
Meant to be read cover to cover.
Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef inspires anyone who has to eat gluten-free to say yes to the food he or she can eat.” – Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef
My Thoughts Gluten-free Girl and the Chef was written by Shauna James Ahern (the gluten-free girl) and Daniel Ahern (the chef). This is a unique cookbook that shares their unique love story while also sharing delicious recipes for all those that live a gluten-free lifestyle.
The recipes in the cookbook aren’t exactly what I was expecting. It includes more of the “chef” style recipes than things someone just cooking at home would perhaps prepare. There were however, many recipes that are easy to prepare and are quite delicious. Some of my favorites include: Gluten-free Pasta, Gluten-free Crackers, Aioli, Seared Shrimp with Garlic-Almond Sauce, and Multigrain Waffles.
Overall, I enjoyed the Gluten-free Girl and the Chef cookbook. It is a fabulous book to read for a love story and also find new recipes to add to a gluten-free diet. I recommend it to all those who also need to eat gluten-free.
Thank you to the publisher of Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef, Wiley, for providing me with a copy for review purposes. All opinions and experiences are my own.
