Category: review

July 15, 2014

Skindinavia Makeup Primer Spray #review

I love my make up – it helps to enhance the look that I am going for that day, helps bring me confidence and on my tired days a good application of mascara prevents me from rubbing my eyes and yawning!

While I love the summer months they also bring the humid air that tends to send my makeup dripping off my face not to mention the eye shadow that magically disappears by the end of the work day (so unfair!). Finding a makeup primer is necessary to ensuring that gorgeous look stays put all day long.

Skindinavia makeup primer spray launched in May of this year. Skindinavia is a lightweight, breathable, silicone free makeup primer spray. It is also oil, paraben and sulfate free – it is also tested for use on sensitive skin (perfect for my tender skin that is so prone to breakouts!).

Skindinavia makeup primer is easy to use – three to four quick sprays in a T and X shape across the face, allow to dry and start applying your makeup! Easy right? I loved that it left my skin feeling soft and it actually allowed me to apply my foundation and eye shadow with little trouble. It helped my makeup last through the work day which I appreciated immensely. I was initially worried about break outs but I had none which was a relief. You can order online here.

THE FLAWLESS FACTS

83% of users agree this is the best makeup primer that have ever used.
93% of users noticed their skin felt smoother.
Silicone-free base creates a breathable barrier between skin and makeup.
Helps to prevent common skin issues associated with makeup use including redness, large pores and irritation.
Proven to reduce the need for makeup touch-ups or blotting.
Formulated to be worn with or without makeup.
All SKINDINAVIA products are oil, paraben and sulfate-free. Each product is tested for sensitive skin.

June 26, 2014

The Fragrance of Crushed Violets: Forgiving the Inexcusable #review #giveaway

Forgiveness. Why is it so hard to talk about forgiveness? I know at times I find myself slow to forgive others (and even harder to let that hurt go from my memory) and I am even slower to forgive myself. It has only been through my faith over the years and my hours spent at Church in prayer and mass that I found some understanding on the word forgiveness.

“God’s forgiveness by it’s very nature is rooted in His grace and mercy – it is something that can not be earned it is a gift” – The Fragrance of Crushed Violets

Cathy Bryant (author of A Bridge Unbroken) brings us this incredible and thought provoking companion Bible study booklet on the topic of forgiveness. Cathy examines relevant Bible scriptures to explore the meaning and understanding of forgiveness, God’s process in forgiveness and how to forgive.

Cathy examines the current understanding of forgiveness and all the emotions that can contribute and make it harder to forgive (anger, resentment, vengeance and pride) as well as the Christian meaning of forgiveness. She gives us relevant scriptures and questions to help us examine the most hurtful moments in our life that we may still be holding on to and how to release that.

“Forgiveness isn’t natural. It is supernatural” – The Fragrance of Crushed Violets

I worked my way through the guide (roughly forty pages) over a period of two weeks. Each stage has it’s own questions and suggested Bible readings. I loved how thought provoking her questions were. It really had me examining my current feelings and some resentment that I have held on to over the years without truly forgiving the individual who harmed me.

Even harder was learning to forgive myself. I used a lot of the questions in relation to myself and some poor choices I had made that only I felt were affecting my current life. Between this book, prayer and attending Church I have found a way to forgive myself. Forgiveness is a continuous act – when I feel myself building up again I find myself re-reading the guide and praying in order to re-release the hurt I hold against myself.

“To be a Christian means forgiving the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you” – C.S. Lewis

I love this guide and all the relevant life questions and readings it provides. As forgiving is a constant act and life is constantly changing this is an important guide to have around to help you work through all the difficult times.

Cathy is now giving one of you the chance to win your own digital copy of the guide. Please enter via the Rafflecopter form below and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this guide in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

June 20, 2014

Little Champion Reader 3-Level Reading Kit

Reading is one of the most important skills we can teach our children and also one of the hardest. We want to ensure they are challenged but that they are still having fun so that they do not become discouraged. There is nothing worse then a discouraged child when it comes to reading. You want them to know that reading is important but also fun too!

The Little Champion Reader 3-Level reading kit has everything that you could possibly need to ensure a successful introduction into reading. The reading kit combines phonics, sight word memorization and whole language to help young readers get off to a great start. If you have looked into each technique they each have a wealth of advantages as well as disadvantages. The perfect part about this kit is that each one overlaps to ensure your child has the best opportunity to learn.

The kit comes in it’s own box that is easy to carry which is perfect because our eldest son wanted to help out his little brother (and siblings can be the best teachers!). It also keeps everything together so that nothing becomes lost or broken – and as a Mom to two boys this happens more often then not! The kit comes with three DVDs designed to introduce the learning session to your child at the beginning. The DVDs set up for your child what they will be learning without the pressure of being given a list of words to learn.

You then follow up those lessons from the DVD using a combination of phonics books and sight word cards. We love the books! They have beautiful, large and bright photos with an interesting story line. This is actually what sparked our eldest son’s interest to help his brother. The stories were just so funny and cute that he could not resist helping read them aloud!

If you are familiar with sight word cards (or even made your own like me) you know how easily they can be lost, ripped or ruined. These sight words cards are made from a thick material that will not easily rip and are thick and stable for little hands. I also love that they include a slide out picture to help children if they become stuck on a word.

The Little Champion Reader 3-Level reading kit is the perfect resource material to have in your home as your child begins their reading journey. It is easy to use, full of a variety of activities and extensive background research that went into the developing stage combine to bring you one of the best reading kits out there. It is also a PTPA award winner and definitely well deserved.

What did you use to help your child on their reading journey?

June 10, 2014

Brewing Coffee Perfection One Cup at a Time #Tassimo

I love my coffee. I can’t start my day without a good cup of coffee – it relaxes me, focuses me and is just plain delicious!

I was recently gifted with my own Tassimo machine – I can’t even begin to explain how much this gift meant to me! It has been on my wish list for ages but my husband (who doesn’t love his coffee as much as I do kept pushing it off!). I fell in love with this beauty at first sight.

Tassimo has a sleek modern design with neutral colours that easily fit into our kitchen decor. Despite it’s sleek design it can still hold enough water to make several cups of coffee (it has a 1.8L tank with a Mavea water filtration system to prevent limescale build up). Set up was pretty simple which included several rinses using the cleaning t-disc which has its own barcode before being able to use the machine. The machine weighs 3.6kg and is easy to move around if required.

The machine uses a barcode to brew the perfect cup of coffee. It tells the machine how much water to use to ensure the perfect blend. You can also adjust the size of the cup holder if you are making a smaller cup of coffee or the ability to remove it if you are making a large cup of coffee. You also have the ability to choose to add more or less water during the brew cycle by pressing the centre button. Total brew cycle is probably around one minute and the drink comes out hot and perfect.

Tassimo carries several popular brands such as Gevalia, Tim Hortons, Second Cup, Nabob, Twinnings, Maxwell House, Tetley and quite a few more. You can find their full list here. They even carry recipes on their website that you can use to create different types of beverages using your regular brand of coffee. You can find their recipes here.

Tassimo definitely makes a superior cup of coffee. I look forward to my cup of coffee through out the day – the taste is superior to any type of coffee maker I have used in the past. The taste of each cup is perfect each time, always hot and the perfect taste right down to the last drop (no coffee grinds in there ever!).

The Tassimo brewer is a definite must have in every house hold – you will not regret this purchase!

June 3, 2014

Dream Big! You Can with I Can! Kids Books! #review & #giveaway

“It is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings” – Ann Landers

My children are my everything – I want them to know how much I believe in them, how strong they are, how they are able to do whatever they want to do in life if they believe in themselves. They are smart young children who are capable of accomplishing anything they set their minds to.

Sometimes we all need that extra little reminder. I Can! Kids Books were developed to remind children that they have the strength, determination, courage and smarts to achieve all of their goals and help inspire them to do so. Pretty incredible right?!

I Can! Kids Books allows children (and their parents or family member!) personalize their own story with their friends, their favourite things to do and their goals. The stories encourage and inspire children to constantly reach for their goals. Creating a book is easy to do – we were able to create our own in under five minutes. Our son loved how he could personalize it with his friends and his favourite team.

I Can! Kids also has a great section for teachers! With valuable activities for teachers that will help to foster these important values in children and also meet curriculum objectives – it is a win win for all involved.

There are many things we can do at home to encourage confidence and courage in our children.

Always remember to celebrate your child’s uniqueness.
Let them make mistakes at home and help them understand why it happened and how it can be done differently.
Model what you are trying to teach your children – love and believe in yourself!
Teach your children that what they feel about themselves is more important then what others may think.

I Can! Kids is now giving my readers a chance to win one of three personalized e-books to help foster confidence in the special child in your life!

Canadian readers, 18 years of age and older can enter via the Rafflecopter form below! GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received an e-book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.