A good pair of jeans is priceless

For me, no piece of clothing makes me feel as good as a great pair of jeans. I have been in the market for a pair for a while now…and by while, I mean years. I think the last great pair of jeans I bought was right after my children were born and funnily enough, I just gave that pair to my daughter. I have been lusting after a pair of 7 jeans or True Religion jeans, but really, who has $200 to blow on a pair of jeans? Not I. Even at the outlets where they are $120 I can’t get my head around spending that much. So I kept looking. A couple of weeks ago I went cross border shopping for the weekend with my friend, and the only thing I had my eye on was a great pair of jeans. So we looked at and tried on about 20 pairs of jeans…nothing. So we bought some shoes instead (which was pretty fun too). Then at our last stop, which was Kohl’s, where I was stocking up on some items for the kids, I decided to take a trip into the Juniors section and see what they had. When my friend and I were in our early 20s we used to always shop in the Juniors section because everything was cheaper there, so it was kind of fun walking down memory lane. The jeans are just a lot more fun in that section than in the women’s section. I found a few pairs, tried them on and bam! Fell in love with one pair of Angels jeans. They are dark blue with good fading and fabulous rhinestoned back pockets. They make me feel 6 feet tall! Okay 5.5 feet tall – which is still a lot of tall for me! I also feel slim and fabulous in them. I have worn them a few times and everyone comments on them. They are just super cool jeans. I am good for at least another 5 years. The best part is that they were originally $39.99, down to $17 with an extra 30% off so I got them for $12. Seriously. Best Jeans Buy Ever.

Perfume Review

I am a die-hard wearer of Beautiful by Estee Lauder.  I think it is the most beautiful (ha!), classic scent out there and it works perfectly with my skin.  I also like Something about Sofia by Benefit.  At the same time as a teenager, I just to spend hours and hours in Jean Coutu trying out and smelling all the perfumes – sometimes spraying the particularly abhorrent ones on my unsuspecting cohorts.  So it felt a bit like a trip back in time when I received six scent samples to try in this month’s Luxe box.  I have tried them all out over the last week and here is my review:

Prada Candy – The second I sniffed this one, I knew it would be a good one…it smelled warm and yummy and sweet.  I found a write-up that said it is an explosion of caramel, which I totally agree.  I wore it all day and my only complaint was that even after I spritzed myself 4 times, it still didn’t last.    But I did smell pretty delectable for the day.

Prada Infusion d’Iris – This was also a subtle scent and I thought it would work well on my skin.  However, it didn’t quite work with my chemistry.  There was something off about it…it is supposed to “combine delicate lily of the valley, powdery violet, sensual cedar, and the Italian memories of clean, ironed linen”.  What ended up happening was a vaguely floral antiseptic smell.  So not great…

Nina Ricci L’Elixir–  This one was okay, but not one of my favourites.  It seemed to work well with my skin though because a few of my sniff testers said they quite liked it (but not more than the Prada Candy).  I found this write-up on it  “A sparkling sweet sensual fragrance: for a modern girl entering her fairy love quest with a hint of impertinence”  I mean really?  How the heck is that supposed to tell me what it smells like?  That is possibly the most ridiculous write-up ever.  It is supposed to be floral and fruity which is why I think I didn’t like it.  I like my perfume to smell more vanilla or caramel or floral and less fruity. 

Nina Ricci L’air du temps – I know this is a classic, but oh my gosh this was by far the worst scent for me.  It was so strong and so overpowering I felt like I was time machined back into the 1980’s when everyone was wearing crazy strong scents.  I actually had to wash this one off because I could not stand the smell of myself.  A big NO. (okay on a side note I just read that this one is  “A timeless and refined fragrance with a strong personality.”  Tell me about it!!)

Paco Rabanne Black XS – Okay I was so skeptical about this one because to  me – Paco Rabanne is what the boys who used too much cologne wore in the 1980s.  I almost didn’t try it after the L’air du temps experience.  I spritzed on the smallest amount and prepared to scrub it off…but hey wait a minute…this smells amazing!!!  Wow!  What a pleasant surprise.  I pretty much coated myself in it and ran around smelling wonderful for the rest of the day.  This one is even better than the Prada Candy I think…I will have to do a wrist by wrist comparison to decide.  In the meantime I will continue to smell like a rockstar (their advertising campaign for the scent) until my sample runs out.  For the technical readers out there the fragrance has notes of hellebore rose, tamarind blossom, pink peppercorns, cranberry, massoia wood, patchouli, vanilla, black violet and cacao flower.  I think it is the vanilla that sold me.

Paco Rabanne Lady Million: This one is okay, but I don’t love it.  There is something just subtly off about it – I am not sure what.  My husband just sniffed it and said it kind of smells like something an old lady would wear.  So there you go, I can use up the rest of the sample in about 30 years…I think it may be the gardenia and jasmine – they just don’t work on me.

So over all, I will probably buy the Prada Candy and Paco Rabanne Black XS again…they were both pretty yummy.  And wow was this a fun experience.

Luxe Box :-)

Well I am one happy camper today!  I read a Canadian Coupon Mom blogabout a Canadian company called Loose Button that sends out a Luxe Box full of deluxe sized samples every month in November, and it sounded too good to be true.  I did a little research and it seemed really great…then a friend of mine signed up and received the December box…she loved it – so I asked for a subscription for Chanukah.  My husband made my day by buying a whole year’s subscription!  Today my first box finally came!!  Woohoo!!  When I opened the shipping box, here is what the box looked like: 

My fabulous long-awaited Luxe Box (x2)

The first thing you may notice is that there are two boxes!  My first package actually contained a second surprise package…how exciting is that?  When I opened it up here is what I found inside:                                                                                                                         

Inside the Luxe Box – look at the personalized packaging 🙂

 I just love that it came with my name on the label – I felt so special.  Every detail is so perfect, the boxes are beautiful as is the tissue paper.  Inside I was thrilled to find much more than I expected.  There was a sample of Pur Minerals Neutral Foundation Primer, a tube of Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex, a Loose Button scent sampler that includes Prada Candy, Prada Infusion d’Iris, Nina Ricci L’Air du Temps, Nina Ricci Nina, Paco Rabanne Black XS for Her and Paco Rabanne Lady Million.  There was also a NYX full-size Jumbo Lip Pencil in Pink Nude and a package of Seattle’s Best Coffee – super fun!  In the second box there was a Schick Hydro Silk Razor and Fekkai Advanced Brilliant Glossing shampoo and Advanced Brilliant Glossing conditioner.  All of that for about $12!!  (and I didn’t even mention the coupons) WOW!!  I am so excited!!!  I can’t wait to try it all…and to receive next month’s box 🙂  If you want to check it out, you can sign up here. 

All my fabulous samples

    

More great running gear

Since at the moment my life is completely filled by running, I am posting again about some new threads I picked up…

I just got the run swiftly v-neck t-shirt from Lululemon.  It feels like I am wearing air when I wear it.  Seriously, air.  It is so lovely and light.  Sure it is supposed to wick moisture away from the body, and has anti-stink technology…but it feels like air!!  It is the greatest t-shirt ever.  I absolutely love it and may need to go buy 5 more.  My one complaint?  It has a tag in it.  Sure I can rip it out, but Lulu, get with the times!  No more tags in running shirts…

My other new Lululemon purchase for running are the ultimate running socks…no really that is what they are called.  And you know, I really like them.  They were super comfortable, with no seams.  They have a right and left foot, so extra padding on each foot right where you need it.  Now, they didn’t feel like air, but still, they were a good addition to my running wardrobe.  I don’t think they would cut it for outdoor runs on cold windy March mornings, but for late Spring and Summer runs they will work quite nicely.

10 days til race day!!

moving comfort

I bought a new pair of running shorts yesterday.  I went to the store and essentially tried on 10 pairs of shorts that all looked the same.  I was looking for something spandex, and mid-thigh, to avoid chafing.  I tried on a bunch that all felt basically the same, until the pair by moving comfort .  The ones I tried were the compression short . 

The second I tried them on, I noticed a huge difference.  They sucked everything in and I just felt really supported and comfortable.  They have a really nice cotton gusset that extends to the inside thigh which makes them even more comfortable.  I bought them, and then brought them home and wore them for my run.  I just loved them!  They felt great and the legs didn’t ride up and the waistband didn’t roll down, they were really well made.  They have a nice wide non-elastic waistband that looks good too!  I did a little more research and learned that moving comfort design clothes just for women and I could really tell with how well these shorts met my needs.  Now I want to check out what the rest of their clothing line looks like…

Tokidoki

My newest makeup obsession is Tokidoki…I saw it for the first time in Las Vegas last April at the Sephora store in our hotel.  I immediately fell for the very cool packaging and amazingly vivid colours and sparkles.  I tried on all the testers of the eyeliners and eye shadows and couldn’t decide what to get so I decided to think about it some more.  Since then I have been courting them…yes I said courting.  I go to Sephora once a month and check them out and try on the samples…it was just so fun to continue to anticipate owning one.  I finally committed last week to a gorgeous dark blue sparkly eyeliner called Skeletro.

I got it home and immediately tried it out.  It went on so smooth, and dark.  Lovely colour!  It is really sparkly too.  I love it!  I have worn it every day this week…now I am thinking about trying out one of the eye shadows…there is a glittery black one that has caught my eye 😉

New Starbucks Travel Mug

I was in Starbucks last week and noticed a new RED gift card – it is a special design by Jonathan Adler and it is so cute!  I was with a friend on Saturday at a different Starbucks and was telling her about the new gift card and how cute it was, when a Starbucks employee overheard us and pointed out the matching travel mug.  It is absolutely gorgeous!!  We both bought one and I am just in love with it.  I used it for my Joy tea misto this morning…it is ceramic and just lovely to drink out of.  It is already sold out on the website so you need to search for it in the stores…love it!! 

My new travel mug 🙂

Tom’s of Maine

I am pretty excited.  I just bought some Tom’s of Maine toothpaste to try out.  I hate regular toothpaste.  I used to like just plain Crest, but now I find you can’t get plain toothpaste anymore.  It all has weird flavours and bells and whistles that ruin the taste and texture for me.  So last night while at the pharmacy I spotted Tom’s of Maine Whole Care Toothpaste in peppermint flavour, and decided to give it a try.  I got home and gave my teeth a good brush.  At first I wasn’t a fan of the taste, it was a bit too much baking soda-y for me.  But then it kind of grew on me.  It was a simple paste and when I was done my teeth felt cleaner than they had in a long time.  I really like it.  The taste left in my mouth was also minty and fresh.  I am a big fan!!  I read a bit more and was happy to find that it offers clinically proven cavity protection from fluoride, whitens with naturally sourced silicas and freshens breath ad prevents plaque and tartar build-up.  Now I am thinking of trying out their deodorant…

Miscellaneous Grocery Humour

My husband is going away for the weekend to a friend’s cottage.  There will be four guys, and they will be there for two suppers, two lunches, and two breakfasts.  I offered to pick up the groceries for the weekend and this is the list they gave me:

 

4 steaks

8 hamburgers

8 chicken burgers

2 pack of hotdogs

1 pack of turkey dogs

2 x 8 hamburger buns

1 pack of hotdog buns

1 bag of wraps

2 boxes cereal (Lucky Charms)

2 cartons of milk

1 massive jug of OJ

2 x 12 eggs

2 packs of bacon

2 loaves of bread

12 Gatorade

2 x 1L bottles of Pepsi

3 bottles of Perrier

12 corn

6 potatoes

3 boxes of KD

4 bags of chips (doritos, salt and vinegar, sour cream and onion and barbecue)

2 box of Granola bars

2 bags of marshmallows

1 box of Graham crackers

Bag of apples?

1 jar of Peanut butter

1 jar of Jam

1 jar Margarine/Butter

1 container of sour cream

Coffee cream

Small jar of Mtl Steak Spice

I have already told my husband that I am dying to hear if they each ate 9 hot dogs in one sitting, and how much each guy actually ate for breakfast…file this under “boys are funny”. 

Dior – Serum de Rouge

I had some bonus money to spend at Shopper’s Drug Mart a couple of weeks ago and have been really hunting for a new lipstick. I decided to go in for the full treatment. I handed myself over to the Make-up lady and said “find me a lipstick!” She asked me all sorts of questions about what I was looking for…my answers were something like this: something I can wear every day, something that moisturizes my lips, not a gloss, something that kind of lasts, and nothing too dark…oh and shiny is good too. We tried a bunch out and eliminated based on “too pink”, “too red”, “just not a fan”, “too light”. As soon as I tried on Dior’s Serum de Rouge – Rosewood Serum 740, I knew we had a winner. This stuff just feels so good. Whereas normally during the day when my lips get all dry and flaky I reach for my Kiehl’s Lipbalm #1, now I am reaching for Dior. It is supposed to do all sorts of things like smoothing and plumping and moisturizing and contains something like 20% skincare ingredients…and I actually think it really does do all that. It just feels similar to lavishing lotion on your dry hands, softens and immediately feels better. I love it!! It is totally expensive – mine cost around $40 cdn, but to me it was soooo worth it.