Contests, Fashion, Health, Photos, Reviews

Lime Ricki swimwear

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There are three bikinis in my “swim suit basket” which is stuffed with underwear and socks since I don’t wear swim suits all that often so they don’t even need their own drawer. I only have one bikini that I wear, because the other two just don’t fit me correctly. Why am I keeping them!?

I bought a brown bikini for €7 in Ireland in 2007 when I went to visit my Brother over Christmas. I had yet to find one that I love just as much. Most times it’s the bottoms that are the problem as they don’t cover a lot of my tush, and even the front gets alarmingly low. It’s a shame because there are so many cute swim suits out there, they just don’t look all that flattering on.

I’ve actually never worn a bikini until I bought my first one in ’07. I was often self conscious of my body and didn’t really like them. For all those ladies who  don’t wear bikinis and would like to perk up their one piece and tankinis, I found a great site for the modest gals who like to cover up but still look cute and fun. As I mentioned on twitter a while back I was browsing Lime Ricki‘s website which have quite modest swim suits for those that don’t want to wear a bikini all the time, like myself. Especially when “the pookies” (please don’t make me explain) get out of hand.

Forwarding on Lime Ricki’s site to a friend of mine, she replied back with her favorite choices of swim suits and told me that Lime Ricki is “Totally vintage kind of modest glam“. She totally got that right when she mentioned that they’re super cute and for ladies that refuse to wear bikinis would really LOVE these. So true!Lime Ricki sent me the Lucy tankini to review and I just love it. I almost want to wear the top out as regular summery top, it’s that pretty. Oh and heyyyyy the bottoms FIT! That’s what happens when three sisters get together and create a bunch of swim suits that you don’t have to tug at. You can just be comfortable.

(The bathroom lighting is a little yellow. But it’s just as vibrant as the photo above, promise!)

I think the product shots of the models wearing these tankini’s are just really well done. I have to say that I definitely feel fabulous even while covered up in this tankini. Notice the bottoms how they’re not insanely low on the body? They come up to a normal yet not-too-high rise. So happy about that.

The ladies at Lime Ricki have decided that they want to give one of my lucky readers a swim suit too! For those that don’t win, you can use a 10% off code so you too, don’t miss out on the goodness.

Gosh, you gals are so lucky. What better way to start the summer, with a brand new swim suit? Here’s how it’ll work.

Comment and tell me what you’d get if you won.

Simple as that! The contest is open to residents of the USA and Canada and I will close it in 3 days: June 11, 2010 9PM EST. Entries there after will be deleted.

The coupon code for 10% off is: spiffy10 Just enter it in the checkout!

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In the Kitchen, Photos, Reviews

CSN Stores review

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Remember when I said I had an upcoming review from CSN stores? That was a while ago, hey? It took me so long to decide on what to pick out that I was literally weeks choosing something!

I kept resorting back to the Le Creuset 8 ounce casserole dish even if my Mom told me it was going to be the size of a pop can. I didn’t order that, thankfully. What the heck can you cook in an 8 ounce dish? It’s about the size of my palm. Literally!

I was told I could pick out something worth $40.00 which included shipping. This excluded International Fees however, and in order for me to get the product for “free”, I had to choose something under $20 because of the additional fees that were tacked on.

Since I’ve been baking some goodies lately, I’ve been in dire need of a cooling rack. The one that I had before was miniature and only held 10 muffins out of the 12 that I usually make. It was an annoyance for sure as I want them all to cool evenly and not get all moist and turn to mush in the muffin tins. The choice was easy. I decided to be practical instead of ordering yet another bowl which I was on the edge about. I wanted to put my fruit in it! Or pasta! Yum. Doesn’t it look pretty? Sigh. I just don’t need it though.

I was also tempted to get a new leash for Alfie though. They’ve got some pretty ones.

So here is my brand new … super large cooling rack in all its glory. Much nicer than the one I had before.

I‘m feeling quite productive this morning. We went and got some groceries last night and I was feeling like some blueberry muffins when I woke up at 6:30. So there they are, cooling off on the giant awesome cooling rack.

As I mentioned before, there are over 200 stores to choose from and so many things on their site that it made my decision a bit difficult to make. I swear I could look at their cookware site and tell you what products they have and how much they cost, haha. After weeks upon weeks of trying to choose what to order off CSN’s thousands of products from their hundreds of stores, I ended up getting an extra large cooling rack for $13 (which ended up coming to be $37 with all the taxes and shipping). CSN stores is able to ship to Canada, but more importantly through the States. Since I’m located in Canada, I would not suggest that you order from CSN stores. The international fees (duties and what not) will get you every time, and they’re really high! The shipping also varies on the weight of the item.

Overall though their Customer Service at CSN is pretty friendly. I was dealing with one woman throughout the whole process, and it was very casual and laid back, yet professional in a sense that I trusted them. If I had money to splurge, I’d definitely buy some Le Creuset bake ware/cookware, but I don’t — so I’ll have to stick to places around my city for that stuff. For now at least.

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Photos, Reviews

Makeup brushes to consider

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I have been using my MAC makeup brushes for quite some time, and even though a lot of beauty guru’s rave about them, I still don’t think they’re 100% amazing. Sure they apply my makeup pretty well, but they shed on my skin, and some of the face brushes are actually scratchy on my skin like the concealer brush and even the 187 ends up scratching my face in the mornings. Not something I am willing to do every morning, especially when I’m tired and cranky.

A few months back I made the switch from using expensive makeup to a drugstore brand; Rimmel, which has been working quite well. My expensive makeup was just breaking my bank and I couldn’t justify within my budget, spending $40 every other month on new foundation.

If I’m feeling a bit lazy and don’t want to be scratched by my expensive brushes I occasionally apply my makeup with simply my fingers. But sometimes that just globs it on and I’m not that great at applying it.  So clearly, I have been on the hunt for new products and brushes to try out that will be much easier on my face, and budget.

Bamboo Bronzer Brush OUTI found Ecotools website, and I was definitely interested. I mean, look at the size of the bronzer brush which only costs $9.99. Heaven. on. skin.

6 Piece Eye Brush Set OUT low resThis is their 6 piece brush set for eyes at a great price for $7.99.The celebrity makeup artist, Meredith Baraf, shows you a video of her applying makeup on a model, mentioning that anyone can can create a great look with a lot of blending and smudging in six short steps.

I received the eye brush set and bronzer brush shown above. It came in an enormous box, and though I have a suggestion for the company to save paper and money — ship in smaller boxes! Or even bubble wrap envelopes perhaps? You can see the size difference between the box compared to the brushes. Odd!?

Up close and personal:

Notice that? All the brushes are labeled so you don’t have to ask yourself “what the heck is this one for“! Isn’t that a great idea?

I was dying to try out that huge bronzer brush of theirs, and it lived up to my expectations for sure. Except I don’t use it for bronzer, as I still use one of my other brushes. But I bought a new powder blush and I apply that on, with the bronzing brush. It distributes color exactly where you put it and the brush doesn’t feather out unless you move it to where you want to go. It’s almost like a rounded stippling brush. It’s very soft on the face too, and get this: it does not leave any brush hairs on  your face like my MAC cosmetics brushes do! What the heck!! AWESOME.

Ecotools has made a conscious effort in creating organic products, as everything is either recycled or earth friendly. Even the ink used on the packaging is plant based. Impressive, hey? Pretty nice on your wallet too! There’s more selection on their website of course, so take a look and see if you find anything you like! They don’t just offer makeup brushes either there’s some pretty high quality bath and beauty products, bath and body, and even cute little cosmetic bags — I kind of LOVE this brush/bag set.

I’ll definitely be shopping from the Ecotools site for maybe my sister-in-law’s Christmas present. I’m telling ya, I am an early shopper! I also spotted them at Real Canadian SuperStore (grocery store) for all you Canadians who would like to test them out!

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