So when I went to purchase the Tarte mascara, I found that there was a double bonus kit – it included the mascara plus a “Rejuvelash” declumping lash exhilarator. OK again – that sounds pretty exciting doesn’t it? EXHILARATOR?? Who knew my lashes could have such fun. So I went for the gusto and ordered the bonus pack.

When the shipment arrived, I immediately opened up the package and tried it out. The first thing I noticed was that they both come in what I consider to be entirely unnecessary extraneous packaging. The cases aren’t just plastic tubes, they have a faux reptile skin thing going on. Not only is it unnecessary but it’s also bulky and a little awkward.

But the moment of truth was when I tried “lights, camera, lashes!” It goes on nicely and really takes little effort to make a difference. The lashes were immediately coated, longer and thicker. 424% increase in volume? Not sure how I could measure that, but they definitely looked good.

The company claims that it’s a “push up bra for lashes” (where do they come up with this stuff?) and that it’s 4 in 1 – lengthens, curls, volumizes and conditions. My lashes are stick-straight and I can’t say as that changed much. As for conditioning, who knows? And do lashes really need to be conditioned? I’ve never heard of people complaining about dry or brittle lashes or lash “split-ends”… But certainly the lashes were longer and thicker for sure. And it was great because there was not a lot of effort needed – I recently tried another mascara by Terra Firma cosmetics called Stacked, and to be honest I was very frustrated by the number of coats I needed to put on before I noticed a difference. I guess Stacked is better for people with already thick lashes?

Anyway, the long of the short of it is that I definitely recommend “lights, camera, lashes!”. Great mascara that makes a big difference. And it’s free of all the “nasties” so you can feel safe using it.

But that brings me to the other product – Rejuvelash. Very cool concept – it’s a gel that comes in a mascara-ish tube. You apply it throughout the day as need for a touch-up. Great idea, right? But what I hadn’t realized (and they neglected to point out on Sephora.com) is that this product is NOT free of the nasties! Instead of the long “free of” list that I saw on the mascara, the Rejuvelash simply says “mineral oil free, phthalate free”. It DOES have parabens.

So overall, this is a mixed review. A big thumb’s up for the “lights camera lashes!” mascara and a big thumb’s down for “Rejuvelash”.

The wrap is made of muslin – it’s soft and lightweight. It feels great on your skin, so baby will feel comfortable. And each wrap comes with a little card that shows how to swaddle. But I have to say – the blanket is great for other uses as well. I know I would have loved to use it for when I was nursing – a nice cover-up that would be light and breezy for the baby.Plus it would be perfect for the beach or picnics for the baby to lie on.

You may be wondering why you would want to swaddle specifically with muslin, and the site does a great job of explaining it as well as telling a little history about swaddling. They also mention recent studies:

In 2002, the medical journal Pediatrics published a study that explained why babies who are swaddled sleep more peacefully by preventing spontaneous movements (called reflex motion) from waking them up continually during the night. The same year, the Journal of Applied Physiology wrote that swaddled infants stay in REM sleep (the most restorative, deepest sleep) longer than those who were not. There is growing evidence every year that swaddling may indirectly help prevent SIDS, as well.

The site www.adenandanais.com has all kinds of swaddling blankets in different styles and colors. They range from organic (like the one I have – even printed with low eco-impact prints) to bamboo to “classic”. These really do make a great baby gift – especially paired with Garden Baby Little Lamb lotion and Rub a Dub baby wash + shampoo! (I know, shameless plug!)

So here’s the best part! I am going to give away the one I got to a lucky winner! But that’s not all – you’ll also get a Garden Baby Rub a Dub baby wash + shampoo for your little one. No little one to share this with? It would make a perfect gift – so why not give it a go?

All you need to do to enter is comment on this posting and let me know why you want to win. The winner will be chosen on Saturday, June 12. I will post the winner here. Good luck!

(Full disclosure – I did unroll the blanket to look at it so while it wasn’t used, it doesn’t look as neatly rolled up as it does in the picture!)

You’re probably wondering what exactly it is.  The packaging probably says it best:

” BathroomStone is the most powerful scouring product available. It easily cleans even the toughest hard water, soap scum and mildew on porcelain or tile and grout. It will not absorb odor causing bacteria.”

The thing that is so different about this is that it’s made from recycled glass! It’s wild. The company’s founder, Andrew Ungerleider, was determined to stop the destruction of New Mexico’s Jemez Mountains from the mining of pumice stone. So instead, he developed a technology that creates a glass “foam” from recycled beverage bottles. According to the site “The waste stream of crushed bottles that would end up in the landfill is converted into products with green qualities that have desirable physical properties and cost benefits.” Pretty clever!

I have to say, it’s something that you have to use very carefully. It clearly could scratch the heck out of surfaces that are not “safe” so it should only be used on porcelain or tile and grout. I used it in the shower and in the toilet bowls to get rid of hard water stains. It worked amazingly (and relatively effortlessly) well on the hard water stains that I couldn’t get to budge before. You need to use it either under water or with water, and scrub in a circular motion to make sure it doesn’t do any damage.

The company also produces similar products for use on porcelain-coated pots/pans in the kitchen, on the grill (definitely want to check that out), and in outdoor pools. They can be purchased online or in stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s.

“After the recent loss of both parents to lung cancer, I founded CAREBOX™, which is a series of beautiful gift packages meant for somebody going through a life changing event. I donate a portion of my profits towards an early detection test for cancer.

Because I was able to be with, and take care of my parents during the last months of their lives, I came to know what helped them feel more comfortable or what brought a smile—and I designed a CAREBOX™ for those situations.”

So her first products at Carebox were really focused on uplifting gifts for people going through a life struggle or a serious illness. She has the Lemons to Lemonade box for when “life gives you lemons”, the Lavender Ladies box to help ease insomnia or nausea, the Club Pink box to send to someone who is fighting breast cancer, and (the one I think that’s the most creative) the Nausea Not box filled with natural remedies to fight nausea.

But as her business started to grow, she got requests for more types of boxes and gifts. So she now offers the Welcome to the World box to celebrate the birth of a child, as well as a Build a Box option so you can create your own gift – there’s a HUGE list of goodies you can put in the box. Plus she has one that’s just filled with Hershey’s Kisses. YUMMY and simple – and sure to bring a smile to someone’s face.

Christine was kind enough to send me a sample of one of the Lemons to Lemonade box. And wow- is it gorgeous! And the reason that I’m also especially excited about her products is that she makes a serious effort to be eco-friendly. The beautiful boxes are made from recycled paper, the products are natural and she sources them from the US whenever possible.

The brown and silvery green box arrived with a lovely bow and gift card. Inside, there was a very pretty cloth sack with natural lemonade mix, a box of 3 lemon shaped and scented soaps (they look just like a real lemon!) from Bronnley Soaps with Sicilian lemon oil, and a tin of natural Lemon Cookies (made in the US – and happily without hydrogenated oils, however not nut safe for those who need to know). The package is presented so nicely, I would imagine anyone – whether life IS giving them lemons or not – would be very happy to receive it.

So next time someone you know is struggling with an illness – big or small – and you aren’t sure just what to say, think about sending a gift from Carebox.com. They are a beautiful and thoughtful gift that will say just the right thing.

When I received the lunchbox, I immediately loved it. It’s adorable, bright and is incredibly easy to clean up. I find that the “soft” cooler-bag type lunchboxes get kinda stinky and icky after awhile and they are so hard to get clean. This lunchbox comes completely apart and you can wash each section (personally, even though it’s BPA-free and they say it’s dishwasher safe, I would still wash it by hand).

It really is a very clever design, and I’m impressed with the concept. As with so many cool products out there, this was designed by a mom and dad, Cyndi and Paul Pedrazzi, who were getting tired of the endless plastic baggies they used for their two daughter’s lunches each day. Not to mention the foul odors that accumulate in the typical lunch boxes. So they literally approached an award-winning design company, Whipsaw, in Silicon Valley (they also designed LeapFrog’s LeapPad). And they have gotten tons of press coverage – check out all of chatter on the Press page of their website.

I will say, there were a few things that I think could be improved:

• The design is really best for smaller children – maybe 5 and under? My 7 year old thought it was very cool but said he wouldn’t bring it to school. He does think it would be fun for bringing snacks on short trips.
• On the same note, the food containers are too small for bigger kids. My boys have to bring a snack and a lunch to school each day and these containers wouldn’t fit all the food they need. There also isn’t a place for a sports bottle or other reusable water bottle for drinks.
• The food containers are very cute and I love that  they are BPA free, but I did think that the tops seemed a little loose and they were a little leaky for liquidy foods (like yogurt). That said, I do appreciate the fact that the lids come off easily. My boys complain about some of the containers where the lids are so hard to pull off. So I’m on both sides of that one, I guess!

But definitely check this site out for your little ones. Perfect for “lunch bunch” at preschool or lunches for daycare. The kids will love picking out the faceplate. And who knows, maybe someday they’ll have a bigger version for bigger kids!

Let me start by saying this – anyone that knows me knows I am not a “manicure” kind of person. Anytime I have paid to have my nails done (which, by the way, I can count on the normally-unlaquered fingers of my hand), I have screwed it up immediately. I notoriously chip or scratch or mess them up by the time I drive away from the salon. Not to mention the fact that I am pretty rough on my hands – typing, packing boxes, filling bottles etc. Nail polish just doesn’t stand a chance.

That said, I AM a big fan of having my toes show a little flair! I still don’t really have time to do the pedicure thing at a salon very often, but I do the “at home” version. Of course, scrubbing my feet smooth with Garden Girl’s Pucker Up sugar scrub, using the Foot Smoother and then applying Zippity Do Dah peppermint foot cream (I couldn’t resist the opportunity for a product plug!).

So initially, I figured I’d give this polish a try on my piggies – which need a fresh coat. That is, until I had an unheard of – and incredibly frustrating – TWO hours on the phone with Dell tech support on Wednesday morning. (Long story that doesn’t end well, so I’ll just leave it at that for now…). So I decided that since I was going to be tethered to my computer while some guy in another nation took over controlling my laptop (again, for TWO hours), I would use the time wisely. I broke open the Dazzle Dry kit.

I will say, coming from someone with limited time available for activities like polishing my nails, the kit was a bit overwhelming at first. The 3 piece kit includes a Nail Prep (that cleans and preps nails), a Base Coat and a Top Coat. I noticed immediately when I opened the kit that the Base Coat was thick and cloudy. Turns out, in cooler temperatures it can become a gel, but it is easily fixed by placing the jar in a bowl of hot water.

So while my “friend” still poked around on my laptop (unsuccessfully, I might add – do you sense my frustration?), I dutifully went through the full steps – Prep, Base Coat, Laquer and Top Coat for my left hand. Then, I wondered if I left out the “prep” if it would still work – so I did the right hand without the first step.

My thoughts? It was surprisingly easy and the results are amazingly strong – for both hands. I’m on day 2+ with only minor minor tiny chips on the tips of a couple of fingers. Mind you – I have been doing a lot of box-packing, bottle-filling and typing over these two days. So I’d say that’s pretty good – they still look glossy and are holding up well.

My only issue is that I was slightly confused regarding the top coat – I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to wait for the lacquer layer to dry first? I don’t think I was? So I found it hard to put the top coat on without sometimes squishing the lacquer layer. I’m guessing more skilled nail types will have that process down to a science, however. Also – I’m not a huge fan of the particular color they sent but that’s just personal preference.

But all in all, I’m quite pleased with this product line. The nails look shiny and are holding up very well. They dried in just over 5 minutes total so I was able to start doing things fairly quickly. I will note that when I applied the lacquer alone without the base coat or top coat, it peeled pretty quickly so I’m thinking that all of the steps are key to help the polish adhere. That said, I would want to use all the steps anyway so the nails look their best.

Oh – and I should also mention that the polishes help to strengthen nails with Vitamin B5, Collagen and Calcium – plus they have a UV screen to help protect the colors. And Dazzle Dry is made in the USA.

So if you’re looking for a great eco-friendly nail polish, definitely check out Dazzle Dry!

I know – there’s tons of veggie washes out there, but I have never bought one before. I have typically just used either castile soap or very hot water. But neither was really working that great for me. So I’m happy to say this has been great! It’s not cheap (the bottle is $5.29 at Whole Foods and $5.99 online), but it has lasted a long time. And I feel much better about the fruit and veggies we’re eating. Even organic produce has dirt and other stuff that it comes in contact with so this has been a great addition to our kitchen. Plus, with its big trigger spray it’s very convenient and easy to use.

So if you’re interested in supporting a small business and eating healthier, check out Modern Mermaids. They have a complete line of cleaning products, and based on my experience I’m guessing you can’t go wrong with any of them.

I got all the zillions of pieces out and quickly read the quick start guide. Then I got going on our bathroom sink – and my first reaction was.. “eh”. It was OK. Definitely NOT like what I saw on the infomercial (I know, how SHOCKING!).  We have hard water here so we get calcification on the faucets. I was really hoping that this would soften that – but not so much. However, I did notice that it loosened it enough for me to scrape it off more effectively than I’ve been able to do in the past. So that’s not bad, I guess?

It did an amazing job on the toilets which was a bonus. Suffice it to say, I live with 3 males (…) so the toilets can be, um, disgusting. Cleaning with the Shark,I didn’t actually have to touch anything (yea!) and was able to sanitize and clean the outside of the toilet and around the bottom easily. What they don’t show on TV, though, is that you usually have to wipe up after steaming. But still, overall, I was happy with the toilet cleaning bit.

Cleaning the showers was more “eh”. It does make the chrome sparkle which is nice. But there’s still a lot of elbow grease needed to get rid of soap scum etc. I guess I was wishfully thinking that this would be some miracle tool that would make cleaning fun (I know, I must have been watching the infomercial after that second glass of wine…).

So here’s my boiled-down (so to speak) assessment:

The good:

• Relatively easy to use (some flaws, see bel0w)
• Chemical-free
• Works great on chrome, toilets, getting dirt from nooks & crannies and tiny places
• Excellent at getting rid of greasy grime in the kitchen (stove top, microwave, toaster oven)
• It comes with a canvas bag that you can easily store everything in
• It is very portable – the cord is super long

The “not what I’d hoped for”:

• Didn’t get rid of hard water stains without a lot of elbow-grease
• Didn’t do any better than scrubbing with Bon Ami on getting rid of burnt-on mess on the stove top
• A little messier than I had thought – can leave a lot of water behind that you have to wipe up
• Not sure that using the attachments with the cloth steam pockets is actually disinfecting anything – it doesn’t seem hot enough. The cloth pockets seem to trap and cool the steam? I need to investigate more.
• It is hard to press the steam button with one hand and scrub with another if you need to hold onto smaller items. In general this isn’t a problem but cleaning the teapot was tricky.

So I guess if I was giving it a rating using a 5 star scale, I would give it a 2 1/2 stars rating. I suspect I’ll keep it because it is handy for certain jobs. But definitely not the revolutionary tool I was dreaming of…

Then on the Bionic Beauty blog (fun blog – check it out) – they said there was a special offer for Valentine’s Day – you got 2 Blenders plus a bunch of sponge-cleanser packets to keep it fresh. I checked out the site and decided that it was time to try this thing out. (I actually bought the one without the cleansers as I like to use Garden Girl shower gel to clean brushes and sponges.)

So these cute little guys arrived at my doorstep and I was immediately intrigued. I have to say, for some reason I expected them to be firmer – not as soft. But they are very soft and they are AMAZING with mineral powders! I said I had “thought” I was happy with brushes but once I tried this I knew I’d never go back – at least not for the base powders (I still prefer a brush for blush and obviously eye liner).  No more powder messes that have always frustrated me. Plus – the egg shape is perfect for getting different areas covered – the wider ends for the forehead, cheeks and chin – the pointier end for eyes and nose areas. Really – it’s a simple but fantastic little tool.

So I highly recommend getting the blenders – either from PurelyCosmetics or straight from the BeautyBlender website where, by the way, they are still having their special offer! Even if you use cream based foundations or other non-mineral products, check them out – you’ll love them!

First off, the ingredients list is much smaller and appears more natural. Another plus. But the application of the product is totally different from Kiehl’s. As I had said, Kiehl’s goes on thick and a bit clumpy. But it definitely made my short and straight lashes stand out. I would say the Tarte mascara is more, hmmm… refined? It’s not as heavy and the brush has a lot of very fine bristles so after one coat, my lashes are less dramatic than Kiehl’s – but also noticeably less clumpy. So overall, I think I would have to go with Tarte as my “go to” mascara, but Kiehl’s is good when I need to put on make-up fast and am less worried about how natural it looks.

I think I can now put this search on hold. I am happy with Tarte Lash Hugger, and at $18 for a 0.19 oz tube (at Sephora), I will want to use this up before I invest in checking out another mineral mascara.