Sparkle Sparkle January

Its that time again... where I stalk the mailman awaiting my monthly beauty-box arrivals. These companies are getting more and more popular and since my last post, yet another has joined the Canadian circuit - GlossyBox. The dilemma I'm in currently is which subscription to keep and which to let go of. Based on this month's arrivals, Glymm's days are numbered for me. Next month will be my deciding factor for sure.


So without making you wait... here are the goodies for the month of January!

GLYMM

Sadly, the only things go for Glymm this month is that the items arrived super fast and that I can re-use the pink box. Otherwise, it was not a very good month.

Promising..... love the pink!

Disappointment....

My January Glymm box contained the following items:

• Kaia Naturals - Juicy Bamboo Facial Cleansing Cloths - ONE cloth!!
• Vasanti Cosmetics - BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator - 12g tube
• Cargo Cosmetics - Eye pencil in Black - Full Size
• Anastasia Beverly Hills - Clear Brow Gel - 2.5ml
• Burt's Bees - Nourishing Milk & Honey Body Lotion - 2 mini tubes

The best item in this lot is the eye pencil and not because its full size, but because its useable. The most disappointing for me was the Burt's Bees lotion as I love this lotion and have used it many times, however these samples must have been old because they smelled like they had been sitting in the sun for months. I tossed them immediately. The one cloth and the mini sample of the face rejuvenator are way too small for an accurate representation of their benefits so quite disappointing. The clear brow gel works fine, but nothing I would spend my money on.

All in all, a very weak box this month. I am truly hoping next month brings better things, but I have a feeling that I will be moving on.

LUXE BOX

Wow is all I can say! Loose Button really made my month worth it with this time around. Imagine my surprise when I open the outer box to find not one but TWO luxe boxes!

Thats right... I was chosen for an additional Limited Edition Bath & Body box this month!

Made just for me! 

Contents of the first box!

Contents of the Bath and Body box!

My January Luxe Box contained the following items:

• Curly Hair Solutions - Curl Keeper Frizzy Hair Formula 
• NYX - Round Lipstick in Sash - a light shimmery pink - Full Size
• Loose Button MyScent - Collection of 6 perfume samples
• NYX - Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk - Full Size
• Seattle's Best Coffee - Level 3 

Bath and Body Box:

• Schick Hydro Silk Razor - Full Size 
• Fekkai - Advanced Brilliant Glossing Shampoo and Conditioner
• Coupons for $4.00 off the razor
• 8000 Shoppers Drugmart Optimum Points with next purchase of any Fekkai hair care product

This girl has crazy hair at times, so I am very excited to try out the Curly Hair solutions formula. The lipstick and eye pencil are awesome and will easily fit into my beauty arsenal. I am also so happy with the selection of mini perfumes and as anyone who knows me can attest, I am a perfume-a-holic. Then comes the surprise coffee, which I'm sure will be quite tasty... I never turn away coffee.

The best surprise though was the Bath and Body box items. The Schick razor is not yet out in North America which just makes this month's surprise box, that much more exciting. The Fekkai products usually do wonders for my locks and while I haven't tried these specific ones yet, I'm hoping I like them so I can take advantage of those optimum points.

There you have it for January! What February will bring, only time will tell!

Chocolate Cake ... In a CROCK-POT!

I have somehow transitioned into a lazy baker these past few months, however my love of baked goods has not slowed down, just my ability to focus on their creation. 


This is where my Crock-Pot, the epitome of easy and quick, comes in! You can toss in a few ingredients, work your little heart out and then come home to a warm cooked meal. Nothing better than that on those cold wintery days. Today being one of those days and with my tired self not wanting to bake something but still wanting to eat something baked, I decided to introduce my Crock-Pot to cake!


Not just any cake mind you, but a deep, rich and melty chocolate cake... full fat of course! I was beyond skeptical that this would work, but ever hopeful that it would. The end result was out of this world good!

Chocolate Cake ... In a Crock-Pot!

adapted from twoboysonegirlandacrazymom

Ingredients

1 package chocolate cake mix (I KNOW... I KNOW... ready-made = LAZY!!)

1 packet (3.9oz) Jello instant chocolate pudding mix

500ml sour cream

4 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Coat inside of Crock - Pot with a little bit of oil so it helps with cutting of the cake. Place mixture in Crock-Pot and "bake" on low for 3-4 hours or until it looks done. EASY!

Heaven.... I may or may not have had more than 1 slice....

And there you have it... lazy baking at its best! 

PIZZA!

Who doesn't love doughy, gooey, cheesy pizza? Nobody in this house thats for sure and we decided to experiment tonight for dinner.


I was weary about making the dough because I heard how time consuming it would be, but I played around with a basic recipe and created a no-rise dough that literally took maybe 12 mins to make. Once that was perfected, I split it into two equal pieces; one for me and one for my husband. Why you ask? Well... just scroll down to find out....

MY pizza - Sweet Basil, Organic Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella with a sprinkling of Ground Pepper, EVOO and Sea Salt

Straight from the oven... heaven!

The crust was absolutely incredible! Crispy on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside. The combination of basil, tomatoes and stretchy mozzarella was perfection. 

Now, the explanation as to why we needed to separate the dough:

Hubby's pizza - Cheese, Pepperoni and oh yeah... more CHEESE!

I would have had a heart attack consuming that, but he throughly enjoyed his creation! 

So, no matter how you enjoy your pizza, if you want a quick and yummy dough, you need to try this:

Basic No-Rise Pizza Dough

adapted from Everybody Likes Sandwiches

Ingredients

                              1 packet of quick rise yeast

1 c warm water

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Cornmeal

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400. Combine the yeast and warm water in a medium bowl and stir until the yeast is dissolved. Then add the flour, salt, honey and olive oil.  Mix very well and knead as necessary to make sure everything is combined. Let the dough rest for 10 mins or so. During this time, I prepared the pan and my toppings.

When ready, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle some olive oil where you will place your dough. Sprinkle the cornmeal evenly on the oiled paper and spread the dough. I hand tossed the dough and spread it unevenly for a more rustic pizza, my hubby wanted his pizza to be round so he used a rolling pin.

Add your toppings and bake for anywhere from 20-25 mins or until the cheese is melty and the crust is golden brown.

Sparkle Sparkle December

Did I ever mention my love for things that sparkle? From diamonds and sequins to sugar crystals on cookies.... give me the sparkle! Makeup and beauty products not exempt, so when I discovered three amazing Canadian companies offering sample and full-sized beauty items monthly for a small subscription fee, I knew I was going to be hooked.


Those who know me, know how much I love makeup, freebies and waiting for the mail to arrive everyday. So upon hearing that three of my favourite things are combined monthly, I quickly jumped on the chance to give it a try.


The three companies are Loose Button - Luxe, Glymm and Top Box. I purchased my subscriptions in November which meant that my first box arrivals would be just in time for Christmas. However Top Box, whose popularity has been so overwhelming, was completely sold out until May 2012! I filled out a personalization questionnaire for each company and stalked my mailbox in anticipation.


The first to arrive was the Luxe box and I immediately opened it to see what goodies awaited. 

Pretty box but unfortunately not re-useable.

I absolutely love that it was made for me! Tiny gestures of personalization go a very long way!

What I was awaiting.....awesomeness!

My Luxe box contained the following: 

• DDF Advanced Firming Cream (14 grams) *48 g retails for $130.
• Prada Candy Perfume Sample (1.5 ml)
• Prada Infusion D'Iris Perfume Sample (1.5 ml)
• Lise Watier Plumpissimo Full-Size lipgloss
• Essie Full-Size Nail Polish
• Chocolate Coin

I was never more excited, as everything in the box I could use, even the firming cream. The perfume samples were perfect and in fact the Infusion D'Iris is one of my all-time favourites. The plumping lipgloss is a staple in my beauty arsenal so receiving a full-size sample was wonderful. The nail polish is so subtle and neutral that I can easily wear it for any occasion. Needless to say, I was very happy!

I continued stalking the mail and waiting for my Glymm box to arrive. Unfortunately due to the holiday season, it ended up being delayed until today. Nonetheless, I tore it open immediately!

PINK and its so sturdy that I will be able to re-use it!

It wasn't personalized, but I do love ribbon.

The goodies!

My Glymm box contained the following: 

• Principessa Beauty Fresh Fiore Body Wash Full Size
• Lise Watier Flash Lift Radiance sample
• Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream 15ml
• Yves Saint Laurent Parisienne perfume sample 1.5ml
• Sula Lip Gloss Full Size
• Glass jar of jelly beans

At first glance, I was a bit disappointed as I didn't recognize some of the items, but I reminded myself that the whole point of these boxes was to try out different things. The body wash and perfume are a bit too floral for my liking, but I may still use them. The hits in this box though are definitely the fruity and smooth Caudalie handcream which smells just like oranges, the sheer Sula lipgloss which gives just a hint of berry colour and taste and the mini glass jar which I can re-use in my office. The Watier eye lift serum... well I will need to give this a try during a busy week at work to see its effects, but I am hopeful.

Overall, I am so very satisfied and can't wait until next month's arrivals! If you received something different, send me a comment as I'd love to hear about what arrived for you!

Merry Christmas

This year's holiday festivities just weren't as upbeat as previous years. I'm blaming it on the lack of snow knowing fully well that I might just regret that statement when the white stuff does decide to make an appearance!

I am however very thankful for the love of my friends and family. I was lucky enough to spend Christmas Eve watching Oliver! and The Sound of Music with my husband. He was off to work early Christmas morning but we managed to enjoy a warm breakfast and open up the gifts Santa left. Last night we reunited with friends for our annual Christmas Dinner and I am feeling more than full today.

Santa was very good to us this year and I am ever so thankful!

My goodies.... fudge, chocolate, coffee, a gorgeous Coach purse, Scrabble, Bobble water
and a hot pink Kobo Vox e-reader!

One item not pictured but will most likely make an appearance on here... my new deep fryer! I can already taste those deep-fried Mars bars and batter-coated balls of buttery goodness.... 


So from our house to yours... hope you had a MERRY CHRISTMAS!