Top Christmas Gifts For 2009.

If you are having a hard time buying for that special someone on your list … or even just a SOMEONE then fear no more. I usually find it extremely hard to buy for my mother. She’ll usually give me the “Oh you don’t have to get me a thing, baby” speech but when I dig and pester enough, there are always a few things she’d LIKE to have. I wish she was easier to buy for. It’s not because she’s picky or ungrateful. She’s just the opposite. If I got my mom a bag of soil she’d smile delightedly and state she could plant flowers in the Spring even though gardening isn’t her thing and never has been. She’s just happy and grateful for anything and it’s this fact that makes her so hard to buy for. I always want to get her something she will ACTUALLY like and find useful. Not something for the house but for HER and other than the usual perfume, CD’s or robes and pajamas staples, she rarely lists off things for herself. I was perusing the web and there was a great site I came across for the Top Gifts of 2009. Have a look! We’re getting down to the wire, folk. Only 5 1/2 days left! Personally I’m completely enchanted by the Kindle reading device. It’s pricey as all hell but it’s something I’m thinking of buying for myself. This site has everything from shopping for newborns and toddlers to the avid reader and gamer. There’s something for everyone!

My Latest Weakness

The entire point of a 60 cal chocolate stick is to allow yourself the indulgence of your favourite snack without snapping and going overboard *enter sheepish grin here* … So with that said I ate about 4 in a row about 10 minutes ago. Shoppers have the 9 stick box on sale for $1.49 and I’ve eaten just under half.

But this is so good. Mint flavoured creamy milk chocolate? How CAN you have just one? I don’t even think they make this in a regular bar size.

Oh well. I’m not going to feel guilty about it. I rarely eat chocolate as is but these? These are a lil stick of Heaven yummy.

Red Bull Additive: COCAINE?

So, I see this on a friends facebook status a few days ago and didn’t really think nothing of it because he’s always joking around and me never having a Red Bull or liking it or understanding the hype decided to write it off. But then, this morning I seen an article on a forum about it in TIME Magazine. So yes, I’m a few days late on this … but I found it very interesting. It could explain a lot of friends’ behaviours that swear by this enery drink! They say you have to drink so much for effects to be felt but no two people are alike and who’s to say thats indeed true? This is a new study after all.

About a year ago, the makers of Red Bull, the famous caffeine-loaded energy drink, decided to come out with a soda, unsurprisingly named Red Bull Cola. The shared name implied the same big kick. But could the cola’s boost — supposedly “100% natural” — come from something else? Officials in Germany worry that they’ve found the answer — cocaine. And now they have prohibited the soda’s sale in six states across the country and may recommend a nation-wide ban.

“The [Health Institute in the state of North Rhine Westphalia] examined Red Bull Cola in an elaborate chemical process and found traces of cocaine,” Bernhard Kuehnle, head of the food safety department at Germany’s federal ministry for consumer protection, told the German press on Sunday. According to this analysis, the 0.13 micrograms of cocaine per can of the drink does not pose a serious health threat — you’d have to drink 12,000 L of Red Bull Cola for negative effects to be felt — but it was enough to cause concern. Kuehnle’s agency is due to give its final verdict on Wednesday when experts publish their report [... read more here ...]

Aquafina Hydrating Lip Oil

Aquafina Hydrating Lip Oil with calming natural botanicals is a GREAT product. I’m huge on lip balms, glosses and the like but never had I tried a lip “oil”. I purchased this out of sheer curiousity and I have to say, since trying Burt’s Bees about a year ago, nothing has made me stray until now. Don’t get me wrong, Burt’s is my staple for soft and supple lips but this gives it a run for its money. No joke. Personally, even though its not meant to be one, I’d use this oil as more of a gloss on top of my balm for a nice and sheer shine. It definitely hydrates your lips and keeps them moisturized – therefore it is wearable alone. However, unless you apply it liberally it doesnt give off THAT much of a shine. It goes on very smooth and you immediately feel a tingle on your lips and I think thats what I like about it the most. There is a light minty taste to it and it definitely lives up to the “calming” effect it promises. It’s not sticky at all (BONUS!) and there really isn’t anything bad I can say about it. Not a bad product from the makers of … water.  Out of 5 stars I give it a 5. It’s really that good. Oh, and if you want to know where to purchase this I got mine at Walmart but I’m not sure if other pharmacies or department stores sell them.  

My Smell Good

A lot of people will tell you that I’m soft and I always smell good. Yes, well it’s true. If I know a few things about myself to be 100% true then this would be one of them, most definitely. I have sensitive skin so I don’t really douse myself in perfumes. If I do they are VERY light scents. I prefer to “triple up” on three products and the scents vary but for the most part, I stick to the same ones often. My daily smell good regimen consists of 3 basic products: the body wash, the lotion or body butter and the body mist/spray. I find my skin reacts less, if at all, to mists and sprays. Also, I throw in a nice shampoo & conditioner (though, I don’t wash my hair everyday) and of COURSE deodorant as well (the scent varies but its always Dove brand that I use – nothing but). Some people like to use expensive washes and lotions but I don’t. It’s not necessary. And for people with sensitive skin like myself, most things that are so expensive are usually heavily perfumed. Also, you shouldn’t be using anything other than soap and water on your nether regions. No one wants to get any infections by upsetting your vagina’s natural balance. Anywho, moving on …

When it comes to body washes I generally only use two brands: Dove and St. Ives. Both leave my skin feeling refreshed, smooth and awesomely scented. They aren’t oily or greasy and the lather they produce is like heaven. I really enjoy my showers, let me tell you. My particular favourite is Dove’s Creme Oil line. My scent of choice is the vanilla and jasmine one. I also like their Grapefruit & Lemongrass scent. Super energizing and refreshing. As for St. Ives, I usually go for their Oatmeal & Shea Butter scent. It’s VERY light and on its own won’t last very long but it leaves your skin feeling oh so supple.

Next, to maintain my skins softness I apply lotion almost immediately after I’ve air dried or lightly patted my skin with a fluffy towel. I do this because the air is still dewy and thick in the bathroom and it helps to maintain moisture. I lather on one of three lotions. The one I use day to day is Vaseline Intensive Care’s Cocoa Butter with Vitamin E but depending on what body wash I use, I try to closely match the scents as best I can. For instance, if I use the Dove Grapefruit one, I’ll pair it with my Pink Grapefruit body butter that I buy at Walmart. Yes, you heard right. Walmart. They have THE most amazingly potent scented body butters and they are so thick and luscious and decadent. I love the mango scented one as well as the pink grapefruit. The brand is SPAresource. There are also matching shower gels and sprays but I haven’t tried those as yet.

Last but not least is the final touch. The body mist or spray. I generally only use one but lately I’ve taken to another product. My staples are the Secret Body mists. I love their Vanilla Chai. That is the one I run out of often because I use it almost everyday. I also like their tropical mango and cocoa butter scented ones. Here’s the thing: I love Dove’s line of just about anything and that’s where I go first for any and all of my hygiene products. Not only is Dove a good quality product but also the message behind their Beauty campaign is something I heavily support, so with that said, I started buying a new product of theirs, a body mist, in the scent of Pink Grapefruit & Lemongrass. It’s a direct match to their bodywash and deodorant of the same scent. I love it. Its distinct but light and airy. Perfect for spring. With a lot of these scents you would think you’d end up smelling like one big vanilla ball or one huge grapefruit but the good thing is that because you are applying the first two products directly into your skin, your skins own scent counteracts the potency of the product so it balances out whereas when you spray yourself with a perfume you are literally spraying it ON TOP. There is a difference. Less is more. Light and airy. Just remember that.

Well, basically there you have it. My smell good daily routine. For those ladies interested in the body washes and deoderants offered by Dove, Shoppers Drug Mart is having a sale on their body wash. Regulary priced at $7.49 (holy smokes!) for 295mL and 354mL, they are now on sale for only $2.99. I just bought 4 bottles of my 2 favourite scents! Also, they are having a sale on selected Dove deoderants at 2 for $5. The sale ends tomorrow so jump on that, ASAP. Usually, I shop at Walmart for these products because the prices are just lower but you can’t beat the sale Shoppers is having right now. I hope you enjoyed this (very) girly post. Any and all suggestions, comments, questions and referrals for other products are welcome.

Excel Sweet Mint Gum

Ok, guys. I SWEAR I do more product reviews than on just gum. (See: Stride)

But I wanted to just say that I discovered this new Excel gum flavour. It’s called “Sweet Mint”. When I bought it I was just looking for regular old spearmint. Nothing. So I grabbed this one up and I wasn’t really expecting anything exciting but this flavour is SO good. It’s not one I can describe other than … sweet …. with a minty taste. It’s more mint that sweet. I’d WANT to say its like a minty juicy fruit but not really, only because they have spearmint juicy fruit and this gum tastes MUCH better than that. Ugh. Just trust me on this one. It’s a damn good flavour. Try it.

Stride Gum

This gum is a damn lie.

It’s a good, flavourful gum, don’t get me wrong. But it’s NOT as long lasting as it’s advertised to be. I had higher expectations, in all honesty. The marketing for this gum … the commercials and whatnot, are genius in my opinion. So to chew this gum and not even 20 minutes later, experience significant flavour loss? Needless to say, I was disappointed. But, to their credit, the flavour didn’t dissipate completely. It did fade, though. I kept chewing. I was determined to see how long it would indeed last.

About an hour afterwards, I had almost reached my destination, where regardless, I’d have to throw the gum out. You can’t eat brunch and chew gum so I took notice of the fact that my tongue felt thicker, and my teeth had that “coating” on them that happens when you’ve chewed a fruity gum too long. But there was still that underlying flavour. So, I suppose after 90 minutes you can say the gum carried a “stride” (hahahahaha – smh) but it comes with a price.

I assume the makers of Stride would figure people wouldn’t REALLY chew their gum for that long. They’d be forced to spit it out or their jaw would tire of chewing. But not me. I chewed for as long as I could before I became disgusted with it.

Damn lie, Stride gum is.

But the initial flavour for the first 20 minutes or so? SO GOOD. lol.