Friday, November 30, 2012

Konvine Roll Up Shoes Review and GIVEAWAY!

Shoes are a girl's best friend. You can never have too many pairs. Well, actually when it comes to space, you can have too many pairs of shoes. I only have a few pairs, and yet I find myself wishing I had more room for them.

Well what if you could find a pair of shoes that took up less than half the space? Too good to be true, right? Well not with Konvine.


 
Konvine shoes roll up so they are super compact. That makes them not only perfect for storing, but also for traveling. You can keep them in your purse or car for any time you may need to change
shoes.

That makes them perfect for anyone who wears heels to work(or anywhere) and can't wait to get them off. They can put their Konvines on before they leave to give their feel some much needed comfort.

I am the kind of woman who cannot wear heels, like at all.  Even on my wedding day, my shoes were on for maybe 10 minutes total, and the rest of the time I was barefoot. I wish I had Konvine back then.

Especially since not only are Konvine convenient, they are also comfortable and even more rare, BEAUTIFUL.
These shoes are the perfect balance between dressy and casual so they look perfect with any outfit. Shorts, pants, dresses or skirts all look fabulous with Konvine shoes.

They are such fantastic quality. You can tell they are very well made and will actually last, which you would not expect from something that you can roll up and stick in your purse.

I really love these shoes. I think these may be my favorite pair. I usually wear flip flops, and the occasional sneaker, but these are the "fanciest" shoes I own(besides heels I won't wear). Now I can dress up any look I put together. I can actually wear a dress now with something other than flip flops, which obviously makes all the difference in style.

I especially love the pair I chose(Shimmery Black with Skulls) because they will match any outfit unlike some of the fabulous patterns Konvine makes. Although I am totally buying some patterns too. I just had to start with the basics.


Konvine Roll Up Shoes are perfect for any woman on your holiday shopping list. Not only are the stylish AND practical, but they also come in a super fabulous gift box, so they are ready to gift as is or with just a ribbon tied around the box.

If you would love to get(or give) Konvine as a gift, then be sure to enter below for your chance to win a pair of your choice. Good luck.

Onion Crunch Review and GIVEAWAY!

With Thanksgiving not too far behind us and the holidays not too far away. This time of year is very demanding where food is concerned. Holidays parties and dinners run rampant, and of course you want everything to be perfect.

One of my signature sides for holiday meals is probably something many of you serve as well, Green Bean Casserole. Well I have always loved Green Bean Casserole, but this year(on Thanksgiving) I changed one thing, and it made it 10X better.

Instead of my normal Fresh Fried Onions, I used Onion Crunch.


I bet you are thinking, "well that is the same thing". Well you would be right...a little bit. Bust mostly you'd be very, very wrong, because Onion Crunch is not like other crispy onions.

Onion Crunch contains ONLY Onion, Palm Oil, Wheat Flour, Salt. That is it. It is trans fat and cholesterol free and contains only 3g of fat and 40 calories per serving.

As great as all that is, it doesn't mean diddly to me if it does not taste good, but it tastes amazing! So crispy and flavorful. They are not too crunchy or too battered. The onion is the real flavor, not the coating, as I feel it should be.

I feel like most brands should advertize as, "Deep fried batter, now with onion flavor". Onion Crunch has so much wonderful real onion flavors(but not too much of course). The light coating of whole wheat flour gives it the perfect texture and flavor.

Has anyone else ever bitten a crunchy onion that almost broke your tooth? I have more than once, but that will not be a problem with Onion Crunch since there will not be a big crunchy batter buildup.

And seriously if the product itself was not enough to fully sell you, the packaging should put you over. Check out the cute bottles.


Shaking from a bottle is much easier that having to scoop(or dump) from a bag or can, plus the Onion is SO CUTE!

Speaking of cute, just check out the shirt, hat and adorable onion doll I received.


If you like Crunchy onions, or onions at all, you will LOVE Onion Crunch. Use the best for all of your holiday entertaining and make your meal crunchalicious.

Onion crunch is not only perfect for holiday cooking, nut every day cooking and topping too. Fantastic on burgers, hot dogs, pizza, salad, as a coating for meat or anything else you can imagine.

Squaredy Cats Review and GIVEAWAY!

It's hip to be Square. Well with the most adorable little plush toys you've ever seen, Squaredy Cats, anyway.

Squaredy Cats are not Squared to be different. They are all unique and fabulous, and incredibly cute. 





I am certainly not squared to admit that I am in love with Squaredy Cats. This is going to be for my daughter for Christmas, but seriously, I cannot get enough of it.

I am going to have to start her a collection just so I can have all the different ones. They are so fun and cute. You can check out more of the Squaredy Cats characters at Georgia's Gifts.

I know my daughter is going to love Squaredy Cats. In fact. I bet my son will try to take it from her. I'll have to get him one too. Maybe the Sandy since it is Blue with a Surf Board. Not too bad for a boy I think.

The gorgeous kitty pictured above is Candie. She is my new best friend. I seriously love this thing.

I really like hoe there is a loop for the tail so it can stick up behind it, but it is not sewed so you can take it out so it is long.


I love that these are so unique too. I never heard of them until recently. So when you gift Squaredy Cats, you can be fairly confident it will be something o one else will get them.

Squaredy Cats would be the perfect gift for any little girl(or even big girl like me) this holiday season. And you certainly could not go wrong buying a set of all of the characters. 

How could anyone not fall in love with these darling little square kitties? The sayings are too cute too. Not Squared to be Unique, Not Squared of the Dark, Not Squared to Bee Smart and so on. Too perfect. ♥


I could go on and on all day about how much I love these adorable little creatures, or I could get to the part you are all waiting for. The GIVEAWAY! Well, here is is.

One winner will get a random Squaredy Cat. Simply enter below for your chance to win. Good luck.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Mai Couture Review and GIVEAWAY

Make-up is one of my passions. Especially now that I discovered the wonderful quality available(I used to only use drugstore junk), but as fantastic as all the high end stuff is, most of the time it is the same products only better quality.

For example blush no matter how good quality is never really "new & exciting". For the longest time it was a powder compact, then came cream sticks loose minerals, and that was the end of it.

But now I found a blush product that I had never even dreamed of. My mind was blown by not only the quality, but the uniqueness of Mai Couture Blush Papers.


That's right, blush PAPERS! How amazing is that? And they have 4 beautiful colors to choose from. They come in cute little gold cardboard booklets that contain 50 blush sheets.



You cannot see the true beauty of this blush in these pictures, they is just the right amount of shimmer to really make it look feminine and add just a radiance to your cheeks(not an obvious shimmer or sparkle).

It is so easy to apply, all you do is run a sheet on the apples of your cheeks for an instant pop of color and glow. Since it is not a powder or cream, it cannot build up and end up looking gunky or overdone. It looks so natural and light.

It also feels incredible. It's like you are applying air to your face. You cannot even feel it once it's on, and it blends so perfectly into your skin that you can hardly tell it is makeup(except for the slight shimmer).

It is faster and easier to apply that any other form of blush I have used, and it is so convenient. You don't have to worry about breaking or spilling or melting(cream). You don't need a brush or a sponge to apply, and you can even carry it in your pocket if you want to.

I cannot say enough how much I LOVE these blush papers. The color I have is "Prettyful" and it is just so rosy and light. It is a girly shade and I really love how well if fits my skin tone.

These pictures don't do the show how truly gorgeous this product looks, but look at how beautifully natural this looks.




Most times, I would never even wear blush because it looked to "fake", but I think this looks PERFECT(minus my horrible skin).

And Mai Couture does not just stop at Blush Papers. They also make Oil Blotting Paper, Blemish Control Blotting Paper, Bronzing Paper, Highlighting Paper(which tried in a sample and LOVED), and even Foundation paper.

And the quality of Mai Couture products is right up there with any high end brand I have ever tried. I am so beyond impressed. I seriously cannot stress this strongly enough.

Mai Couture products will make a phenomenal gift for any woman in your life. Weather you simply tuck a product or two in a stocking, buy the gift set or buy one of everything and make it a collection on your own, she will be so thankful to be given a product she's probably never tried that works as good(or better) as anything else out there, only with less time and effort.

And here comes an early present from Andrea's World and Mai Couture. One winner will get Mai Couture Blush Papers and a Mai Couture Social(lip) gloss. Just enter below. Good luck.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Unique Pashminas Review and GIVEAWAY!

Although I am a mother of two, I am still fairly young, and I don't want to look like a "mommy" all the time. It is always my intention to jazz up my style so I don't always look the part, but finding all the right items has definitely become more difficult for me.

I often feel very out of touch with fashion as much as I try to stay on top of it. I only have time to do so much(which is usually almost nothing), so even when I know what might look good, I often don't have time to do it.

Buying tons of accessories and handbags and shoes and mixing and matching just so can make my head spin. I like to find a few stylish pieces that I can wear with different things, simply yet fashionably.

One trend that I am actually aware of is infinity scarves. If you are unfamiliar, and infinity scarf is sewn together on both ends(forming a "circle"). That makes it so easy to just twist into two perfect loops and be done with it.

This is the perfect accessory for me since I never really know how to wrap a scarf so it looks decent on me. Plus I actually feel awesome knowing that I am wearing a stylish accessory.

Since infinity scarves are so hot right now, they are sold everywhere. That does make it harder to know the best place to get one. You want something stylish, but you also want quality, just as with any accessory.

But I discovered a company that has gorgeous infinity scarves(and pashminas) that are exceptional quality. Unique Pashminas is a wonderful company.

I just got two fabulous infinity scarves, and I am in love.

I got the Gold leopard


I LOVE this scarf. It is just the perfect amount of pattern and color, but still in neutral tones so that is super easy to match. Not too flashy, bur certainly sassy and stylish. Since it is all one color, no matter how I twist it, it looks perfect. So easy to just throw on any time you want to spice up an outfit.

I also got the Lime-Caribbean Sea


 The picture rally does not do this one much justice. It is hard to see the distinct colors.

What is really special about this scarf is that it is two colors(one on each side) so you can create different looks by folding it different ways. You can make it all the beautiful teal blueish color or all the wonderful lime green color, or make it both.

I love the way it looks when both colors are showing. It makes it look more unique and gives an extra pop without going overboard since they are complimenting colors.

Since all the infinity scarves are woven(not printed) both sides are equally gorgeous and completely reversible.


Now that you have seen the incredible beauty of these scarves, I have to mention the equally(if not more) important aspect, the feel. These are the softest scarves I have ever felt. They are not fuzzy like many scarves, nor are the satiny, yet they are super silky smooth but without the "glossy" look of many soft scarves.

These feel so luxurious it is hard to believe they are made of only cotton, you would guess they were made of silk. These are unbelievably soft.

They are so light weight you could easily wear them year round. They are wonderfully flexible and move with you so perfectly you might forget you have it on(until someone compliments you for looking fantastic).

What I adore about Unique Pashminas' infinity scarves is they they are perfect for EVERYONE(female). The offer everything you could want, comfort, quality, beauty, ease(of just twist and wear), and even affordability.

Any woman on your holiday shopping list would love to receive on of these lovely scarves. Best of all, they are one size fits all. You won't have to worry about getting the wrong size, and with reversible colors, you can be sure they will love at least one of them(but how could they not love both?)

And as an extra special gift, one of you will win your very own Infinity Scarf from Unique Pashminas. The winner will receive the  Black-Deep Pink .Enter below. Good luck.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Sweet Synergy Review and GIVEAWAY!

As my waistline can clearly attest to, I love to eat. One of my biggest passions is sweets. And as much as I love them, I am often quite picky about which ones I love.

I figure if I am going to consume a billion calories(since I eat so much), I might as well make sure it is worth it. So not just any sweet will do.

Cake is probably my favorite because of the texture. I am very funny about texture. But I have now found a product to take my sweets addiction to new heights. CAKE TRUFFLES!!

They sound amazing, right? Well I had never had one until I found Sweet Synergy. Where have these been all my life?



So what is a cake truffle? Cake Truffles are delicious, bite-sized, portion-control pieces of moist cake, blended with icing or curds, hand-crafted and then dipped into delectable, mouthwatering coverings.





These insanely delicious treats are probably the best dessert I have ever tried. It is seriously incredible. The first bite blew my mind, and that's all it took to get me hopelessly addicted.

There are so many flavors too, so there is zero chance of getting sick of these(although one flavor could keep my happy).

I tried am amazing selection of flavors, and every one was amazing.

EggNog:

This was my favorite flavor. It is just so creamy and decadent. It tastes like real egg nog, but even better with a touch of rum, the yummy cake flavor and texture and the indulgent Ghiradelli white chocolate. If you love egg nog, I could not recommend this flavor more strongly. You will fall in love.

Nelle's Tator Pie:  

This was my second favorite(well tied for first). I love sweet potatoes, especially as a pie. The flavor of this cake is so perfect and once again the Ghiradelli white chocolate makes this and incredible treat, but the thing that truly sets this flavor apart is the amazing crust. There is a piece of crust or cookie or something on the bottom of this truffle. 

Not only does that give it an amazingly unique texture, the flavor becomes even more special. The crust is so crisp and buttery, it is amazing.


Home Sweet Home(carrot cake):

Another of my favorite(notice a pattern? lol). All the yummy goodness of Carrot Cake, just smaller and dipped in white chocolate(and rolled in glazed pecans). I love that this has pineapple in it too, it gives it something different than most carrot cakes have. Very very good.

Southern Belle: 

This is a  deep red coco-infused cake blended with cherry preserves, enclosed around a maraschino cherry and dipped in white chocolate. This is a cherry dream. Tons of fantastic cherry flavor perfectly balanced with the cake and white chocolate(or dark or milk-picture shows milk chocolate). I like the real cherry inside and the stem still attached is so cute.

Divine(chocolate):

The name really describes this perfectly. So divine. This would probably be the most loved variety since it is the classic chocolate indulgence, only about a  million times better than any chocolate cake or truffle you've ever tried. If the phase "death by chocolate" was ever to be fulfilled, this would be to blame, and it would be so worth it.

Everything Nice(pumpkin spice): 
Better than pumpkin pie! This is so delicious. Seriously, it puts pumpkin pie to shame. It's like the difference between ground beef and prime rib. Pumpkiny goodness amplified. YUM!

Sunshine's Kiss(lemon):

I have always really likes lemon cake, but never had I had one so delicious. This really tasted like juicy lemon with the perfect sweetness. This was a far cry from a Lightly lemoned taste. The lemon is the star of this treat with the sinfully good white chocolate being the perfect co star.

Peanut Butter Truffle: 
Chocolate and peanut butter have never tasted so good. Peanut butter cups are put to shame after trying one of these delectable cake truffles. I love the peanut accents on top as well. Not only do the look beautiful, the give just a hint of crunch

Classic Champion(strawberry): 
Strawberry Cake baked with pureed strawberries, filled with a hint of strawberry oil and blended with strawberry curd and dipped in white chocolate.

This flavor is for seriously strawberry lovers only. The fantastic taste of fresh sweet strawberries and cream(white chocolate). This is a bright, fruity masterpiece(and every little girls pretty pink dream).


The texture of these cake truffles is so incredible. It is very hard for me to explain it as well as it deserves. The are so moist and soft, it is almost like a creamy filling, but still a cake texture.

They are so decadent. As much as I wanted to eat the entire box, I could not even finish two. The amazing thing is, they do not taste too sweet over over-indulgent while you are eating them, but they are so satisfying you just cannot keep eating.

So two truffles(or even one) is a really great dessert portion. once I tasted my first bite I just knew I would eat about 10, but there was no way. They are dense(yet moist and delectable) so they really fill you up. One of these would be just as good(to me) as a whole piece of cake. so I save tons of calories and fat(compared to what I would otherwise consume on dessert) with these, but get even more decadent flavor.

They are about the size of a ping pong ball and are regarded as the perfect two-bite dessert. But I ate mine in about 8-10 smaller bites, and each small bite was more than enough, so I recommend taking your time and really savoring them, plus too much in one bite may cause a delectable overload.

And as if heavenly Cake Truffles was not enough, Sweet Synergy also makes pound cakes and mini bundt cakes. I was able to try two flavors(in mini sizes).

Chocolate & Red Velvet:



I could not even get a picture of the chocolate cake(out of the package, it is shown in the first picture though) because my hubby stole it and ate it all. He did give me one bite so I could get an opinion for you all. It is amazing! Of course his devouring that speaks for itself. He is so picky and will often not try the things I review. He surely did not have that problem this time. He also got into the truffles.

The Red Velvet cake is phenomenal as well(as expected). They are so moist and rich. Dense but not too much. Just right. Probably the best cake I've ever had.


In addition to all of the amazing flavors I tried, there are even more on the website. And no matter what you choose nor how high your expectations, the product will blow you away.

What better gift could you possibly give this holiday season? And nothing would be better to serve at your holiday gatherings. People will be begging you to serve them again and demanding to know where you got them.

And now for the sweetest thing of all. Two of you will be lucky enough to win a DOZEN Cake Truffles of your choice(up to 3 varieties per dozen). Just enter the rafflecopter below. Good luck.


Monday, November 26, 2012

November Starbox Review

Last month, I had the pleasure of reviewing the October Starbox. I fell in love with Starbox from the moment I laid eyes upon it. And The first time I used my products, I was even more impressed.

That is why I am so excited to be able to review the November Starbox for you all this month.

For anyone living under a rock that may not know what Starbox is, it is a monthly beauty box subscription. For $15 a month you get premium quality, FULL SIZE products(yes, more than one) delivered to your door each month.

Each month is a different "look", so the items sent will be "matched" to create a specific look. This month the theme is "Nasty Gal".

November's Starbox was especially special since it is the first Semi-customizable box. You were able to choose your skin ton(light, medium, dark) and get colors that will match your skin tone.

Demand was very high for this awesome Starbox, and since the customers all come first, some us us bloggers were sent colors that were not our exact skin tone(since there was not enough to go around). Since all the colors are neutral though, all the collections can be worn by any skin tone.

I received the Light collection when I am more medium skin tone, so these products will look even more incredible on you if you have lighter skin.

In my Starbox I received  a beautiful 4 color eye shadow palette
 The colors it contains are:Pearl Reflection, Celestial, Wicked Wink and Almond.

The camera really just steals the color from this gorgeous palette. The only way to really see the beauty of these colors is on person.  The colors are browns, and bronzy golds and a pearly off white.

I adore these colors. I love to wear shimmery brown shades on my eyes, and they are my signature look. I do venture out occasionally, but Browns are my staple. I know my browns, and these are fabulous.

The go on so smoothly and evenly, feel soft and weightless, and look flawless all day. I love how all the colors compliment each other without being too similar. I will use this palette often.


My other full size cosmetic item was a Tendergloss Lipstick in Nude.

 

This color is a true nude. It is very light. It has some lovely shine and shimmer to make it perfectly demure without being flat or boring.

I could have used just a touch darker for my skin tone, but I really love how light and gorgeous this is, especially for light skin tones.

My skin is actually quite light at times, and I have a hard time finding lip color I like. Darker colors seem to make me look silly, so nudes and sheers are a live-saver.

The quality of this Tendergloss Lipstick is incredible. I feels like silk. It slides on so softly and looks perfect. It makes your lips feel ultra moisturized(better than lip balm). They even felt softer after I took it off.

For being such a creamy-smooth product, you would not really expect t to last on your lips very long, but it really does.

I will certainly be buying more Tendergloss Lipsticks. I think I can safely say this is probably my favorite type of lip color now.


As I mentioned above, I do not do these products full justice, but I really love them and can imagine how gorgeous they would look with lighter complexions. This is what these products look like on me(and remember the camera does not even come close to showing how beautiful these products are).




They look even lighter in the pictures than they do in person. But I really love the nice natural look. Not too much. Perfect for when more bold makeup is not really fitting but you still want a little something extra.

This box also included a bonus 3-in-1 Mascara Guide/Applicator to help you apply mascara without getting any on your eye shadow, which is really awesome since I do that all the time.

Now think about it. $15 for all of the above items shipped right to your door. How could you possibly beat that. You cannot even get drug store makeup for that price, and you certainly could never duplicate this quality for that value.

Plus you get the added excitement of being surprised by what you get and trying things you might not have chosen on your own(like the eye pigment that I got last month that is one of my all time favorite items now, but I would probably never have picked).

Also, you get all the fun of getting a fun box in the mail. I get a pretty good amount of packages(being a reviewer) but I still get excited every single time. My husband thinks I am insane because I always act like a kid on Christmas. So the excitement alone is worth the super affordable price.


Starbox would be the perfect gift for any lucky lady on your holiday shopping list. Not only will you not have to pick out the perfect gift(with cosmetics it is hard to shop for someone else), but you will also not have to get trampled at a physical store or worry about wrapping or shipping or anything. Just a few clicks and gift buying is done. What could be better than that?

Well one thing could be better. the Mega epic Starbox coming up for December. The star attraction of the December Starbox will be a 15 color eye shadow Palette worth $99!!!

Subscribe NOW! It is a no brainer. A $99 Eye Palette for $15. If you don't take advantage of this deal you have to be crazy. Get one for yourself and send them as gifts, just don't miss out on the awesomeness.

Be sure to come back next month to see my review of my December Starbox featuring the 15 color Eye Shadow Palette. Hopefully you will be here to compare the fabulousness and not to wallow in the jealousy of having missed out.

*Although I received this at no cost to facilitate a review, all opinions are my own. I was not compensated nor encouraged to post positively*