I made Coconut Cream Cupcakes! Nummy <3
I made Coconut Cream Cupcakes! Nummy <3
I finally made biscotti!! Some of them are covered in a homemade royal icing glaze, others are covered in chocolate, and the rest are left plain.. but they’re not as pretty!
Perfect for tea time <3
It’s finally Christmas time- Tis’ the season to shop cruelty free! Where do you go to find the ultimate-perfect gifts?
Company: Tofurky
Product: Smoky Maple Tempeh Bacon
Verdict: 2/5
For the longest time I’ve been craving a BLT. I’m talking, pile on the mayo, add a bunch of crunchy lettuce, and topped off with a thousand pieces of crispy soy bacon, BLT! The problem is, I haven’t been able to find any vegetarian bacon products near me. That is until the hopeful day (or so I thought at the time) my local health food store brought in Smoky Maple Tempeh Bacon!
For $4.00 you get a decent amount of bacon strips, I’d say around 12 pieces altogether (however, they are quite small, approximately the length of your pointer finger). The directions say to fry the bacon strips in 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. So I did. I followed the directions to a T, cooking them until crispy. One thing that was bugging me while cooking them was that some of the strips were falling apart- they were quite thin, so flipping them became a chore.
But, because my stomach was grumbling and my craving for soy bacon was getting stronger, I carried on. I placed 3 pieces of the bacon on my sandwich.
The first bite wasn’t any more than decent. Just OK- nothing special, but it slightly curbed my craving. However, bite number two definitely gave me the true taste. I can honestly say, that these bacon strips were not meant for me. They were gritty, and un-like real bacon, dry. To me, they actually tasted like the grit at the bottom of the real, extra greasy, bacon pan. NOT what I was going for. And to top it all off, after eating my sandwich out of pure hunger anyways, I began to feel nauseous. I literally could not stand the smell, which by the way did NOT smell like delicious smoky maple, but more like 4-day old grease and grit.
All in all, not impressed at all. The reason it did receive a 2/5 was the fact it was at least vegetarian. However, I think it needs to take an extra step or two to receive the “delicious” label!
The Verdict
Pros
Cons
I want to know- who do you look up to as a veggie inspiration?
Me? Well, Paul McCartney of course ;)
Company: Madison Street Beauty
Products: Mineral Eyeshadows, Foundations, and Blushes
Verdict: 5/5
Makeup that looks utterly flawless is a goal all women strive to achieve. However, if you don’t have good quality makeup to work with, well, you’re pretty much just going nowhere fast with an increasingly lighter wallet! However, thankfully for my skin and my wallet, Madison Street Beauty designs affordable mineral makeup that I will forever vouch for. It’s gentle, with coverage and pigment that is extremely build-able, leaving you in complete control of the look you want to achieve, without the greasy, slippery look most liquid makeups leave you with.
I can happily say that I’m completely confident in using Madison Street Beauty products on a daily basis without the stress of wondering if it has creased, or worse, completely disappeared! Their long-lasting, highly-pigmented mineral eyeshadows are designed to make your eyes pop with an array of colours from delicate pastels to unique vibrant brights. And it gets better- adding a small amount of water to a pinch of eyeshadow creates a one-of-a-kind liquid eyeliner!
A small amount of the Mineral Foundation helps create a soft and natural look while giving you a long lasting, build-able coverage formulated just for you- ideal for the makeup savvy (or un-savvy!) lady. I also found that using a shade lighter than your foundation doubles as a highlighter-applying a small amount to your cheek and brow bones helps accentuate your facial features.. for cheap!
Add their perfectly pigmented blushes to your routine for a pinch of peach or a swipe of pink to add a bit of life to your now flawlessly-canvased skin! Now you’re set for a night on the town! ;)
You can find Madison Street Beauty’s products on their beautiful Etsy Shop at, www.etsy.com/MadisonStreetBeauty.com
AND, thanks to the wonderful creator of Madison Street Beauty products, Bridget, she has provided us lucky ducks with a coupon code for 50% OFF YOUR ORDER in regards to the celebration of her parents 30th wedding anniversary!! Just type in OCT25 at the check out! Happy shopping! :)
The Lowdown;
Pros
Cons
Company: Boo Bamboo
Products: Hair Strengthening Shampoo, Strengthen and Shine Conditoner, Revitalizing Conditioning Treatment
Verdict: 5/5
Coming from someone who is constantly battling with tangled and dull tresses I can assure you I’m always on the lookout for any sort of ‘holy grail’ hair products that will give my lack-luster locks a bit more.. oomph! Fortunately for my hair (and my sanity) Boo Bamboo creates the ultimate hair products with revitalizing and restoring formulas to give your hair that perfect makeover you’ve been lusting over.
The Hair Strengthening Shampoo should be first on your list of ‘must try’ items. It claims to help strengthen the hair follicle and retain moisture to help promote shine and vitality- I can definitely say I stand by that statement! Being a thin-haired gal, I’m constantly battling with shampoos that weigh down my hair and add product build up rather than actually cleansing it. (Never mind adding strength and moisture as well!) After lathering this baby up I definitely noticed a difference in the strength of my hair, it didn’t feel as brittle and, well, wimpy as before! Not to mention the scent of it was perfect, it didn’t smell like chemicals, but it also wasn’t over-powering-ly scented with florals or fruits either; just a simple, natural fresh scent to help relax my troubles away.
In conjunction with the Strengthening Shampoo, The Strengthen and Shine Conditoner is wonderfully formulated with rich minerals, organic proteins, and extracts of bamboo to sooth your sexy tresses into a luscious sheet of satin. With this miracle moisturizer tangles are non-existent, and your worries of dry hair are washed away with your tub full of bubbles!
Last, but certainly not least, is the Revitalizing Conditioning Treatment. If you are a lady with colored or chemically treated locks, you’ll want to invest in this bad boy! It helps to add the needed moisture to restore, and is formulated to help revitalize and strengthen over-processed chemically treated hair. You can use this knight in shining (literally) armor in replacement of the daily conditoner, or with it for the ultimate moisture treatment!
Boo Bamboo is perfect for all hair types, and could definitely be the key to help your dull hair become your dream hair! Check out their website and cruise through their other products to get a feel for the opportunity of a simple hair-makeover!
The Lowown;
Pros
Cons
"Ask the experimenters why they experiment on animals, and the answer is: “Because the animals are like us.” Ask the experimenters why it is morally okay to experiment on animals, and the answer is: “Because the animals are not like us.” Animal experimentation rests on a logical contradiction."Charles R. Magel
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) was created to help raise awareness for animal abuse. But have they lost sight of their cause and gone to far with their skimpy ads and celebrity endorsements? Do you think they should go about animal cruelty in a completely different way?
Lets hear the good, the bad, and the ugly!
