Let’s talk reusable bags…

For a while now we have been trying to roll in more reusable products into the house hold and dispense with the single use items. It has been an interesting process and one that has had some ups and downs. Nowhere more than in the humble sandwich bag.

I know, most of you are thinking that they make boxes for that and have for a long time. Do you think I could forget my Scooby Doo Lunch box so easily? However we have had a bit of a snag. You see, we rarely use regular sandwich bread. The boxes are usually designed to hold sandwiches made from regular loaf bread. They have issues with anything not shaped like regular square sandwich bread actually. And even when we did buy bread, we generally went with a bread that had more oblong slices.

Now of course I will either make a loaf of bread or make sandwich rolls. Often time it is more sandwich rolls than a loaf actually. I like rolls with dinner or with soup where as my babydoll likes to have a sandwich for lunch every day. I make the rolls a little bit bigger than I would normally make rolls and we have something suitable for both.

I know there is less of a bread shortage these days than there was and most people have stopped making bread like they did in 2020. We were actually making it before shortages arrived because of salt. My babydoll has blood pressure issues and while he is on a medicine that helps with that, salt is something we still have to watch. We read labels and cur it out of as many things as possible which means most pre packaged foods actually.

He actually cried when he read the back of the tater tots bag. And then he spend three days doing math to try to figure out how much salt he’d have to cut out to be allowed a giant bowl of tater tots once a month. The math was doomed to fail, but it was interesting to watch him try to bend the numbers in a way the Olympics gymnastic team would envy.

While we knew the Tater Tots were a doomed effort, I was surprised by how much sodium was in packaged bread. Its a lot, and I started making bread once the labels were written. i may grumble about the need to make it, but i have to admit, I really like the bread we make.

The one issue is transporting the sandwiches to his office. The rolls are round, or sometimes square-ish. They are often too puffy to fit in a box with the lid closed even if they can fit in the box without the lid. And many reusable bags don’t open wide enough for the sandwich.

Enter Keep Leaf. While they do sell lunch bags and other containers, they also sell reusable baggies. The smaller ones are great for snacks like carrots or nuts, but the larger ones are perfect for sandwiches. They have a velcro top and open like an envelope so there is no squeezing of the sandwich to get it in or squeezing to get it back out. The Large baggie is only $7 and it comes in many different textile patterns.

The outside is cloth and the inside is a waterproof material so if you put in something like freshly washed carrots the few drops of water on them aren’t going to leak through. It isn’t completely sealed as it is a velcroid flap at the top but we haven’t had any issues with leakage.

To wash them you turn them inside out and while you can always wash them in the sink, they can also go on the top rack of the dishwasher. Just put them in upside down and that mustard dribble from yesterdays ham and swiss will be gone without hiding in the crevices.

Thus far this is the best reusable bag we have tried. While my babydoll uses the big one for sandwiches, it is useful for a variety of things and in the three months we have been using it, it looks just as good as when we purchased it. I have been really impressed. If you are looking for a sturdy sandwich or snack bag that is reusable, i would suggest giving Keep Leaf a look. For us they have worked really well and we will be expanding our collection soon.

Let’s talk water…

I know that Thursdays is where I generally post makeup reviews during the week, but I can think of no better beauty secret then drinking plenty of water. Not everyone agrees on how much water is enough water and most people I know are pretty sure they aren’t drinking enough no matter how much they are actually drinking.

To be honest, I was not entirely sure how much I was drinking. I tend to lose track throughout the day. I find that I do drink more water if it is carbonated. Somehow it doesn’t sit as heavy on my stomach as still water does.

Because of this Iong ago purchased a Soda Stream. I have one of the older models which i believe has been discontinued. while I love it and use it daily, there is a part of me hoping that it will wear out soon because the new models they have out are simply fabulous. Have you seen them? The new Art Icy Blue is the one i have my eye on. I know mine works well and it works the same as mine does it just looks so sweet. I took a screen capture. I am trying to fight my desire for pretty. I won’t repurchase until mine does break (and no I won’t break it just to get a new one, I don’t want the pretty that badly.) and then i will pick up something like this. It will take a while as these machines last forever.

But seriously, is that not so sweet looking. They have other colors but I love the shape of the body as well as that handle. It just appeals to me.

But moving on.

I have the soda stream for carbonation but I don’t drink from the bottle. I never have. I think because it is simply too big for me to feel comfortable drinking from it. My babydoll does drink straight from his bottle and we do have to replace his bottles twice as often as we do mine. They are plastic and after repeated use (he also adds more flavors to his bottle while I add them to the glass) they will eventually get off flavors with them. Even then we replace his once a year and mine every other year.

I picked up this glass carafe with a straw from Smartass and Sass. I love their on-line store (and at the moment they have a 60% off clearance sale. I think this exact carafe was down to $8.95 and still available should you be interested.) I sometimes find their boxes a bit too much but each box has one or two items in it that I like so I tend to buy those items rather than the box. But that is just me. I think this water bottle/carafe and the travel mug are the two best things I have picked up from the, Although I do have to add the desk calendar provides me with great dark humor daily.

but back to the water. I don’t like drinking out of the Large Soda Stream bottle. So this smaller glass water bottle with a straw is perfect for me. I know, some of you are looking at the top picture and seeing the even larger water bottle next to the Soda Stream and thinking I had best get to explaining myself.

Like I said I lose track of how much water I drink in a day and would really like to actually know how much I drink and then f course figure out how much i am supposed to bedrinking and work towards making those amounts match. Hence the giant bottle with measurements marked down the side.

My current system, while I am trying to figure out my amounts, is to use the soda stream and empty the Soda Stream bottles into the Giant jug ‘o water where there are measurements. It takes two and a half of the Soda Stream Bottles to fill it. Then throughout the day I refill my actual drinking glass with the carbonated water from my jug ‘o water.

At the end of the day I tally everything up to see how much water i am drinking. And I don’t have to worry if I emptied my drinking glass before I refilled it or how many times I refilled it throughout the day. I just look at what is left in the giant jug. And before you ask. I keep it on the floor under the desk rather than on the desk. Mostly because this feels like something I should take on a picnic or a camping trip rather than to my desk.

I’m sure in time I’ll feel more normal about seeing it, but for now it is a little strange. It is however helping me to track how much water I actually drink without having to think about it too much. I have tried multiple formats, notes with tally lines and star stickers were my last two attempts to count. They pretty much failed because I would lose track or refill the glass when it was still halfway full.

I don’t know how many of you are trying to figure out or keep track of your water consumption. when I first started to try to lose weight it was something my doctor really emphasized as something to watch, hence the various ways I have tried. if you are in the same boat, perhaps this will help you out. You can pick up these bottles in loads of places for not that much money. I think TJMaxx has a huge selection as does Home Goods, Walmart and Target. And I am sure loads of other places as well as on-line. The thing is to make sure it seals tightly, has a decent pouring capability and has one side of the bottle marking measurements so you can keep track of things. Then throughout the day you can drink what you are going to drink (whether it is carbonated or not) and find out just how much water you are drinking in a day.

For me this was an easy fix to an irritating problem. I wanted to know how much water I was drinking in a day but kept losing track. Now, I don’t lose track and can more easily work towards my goal. It is a bit silly, i will grant you that, but it works. And in the end I can stand to be a little silly.

Creative Storage Solutions

Sometimes you just come up with a creative solution to an ongoing problem and you are just so tickled with yourself that you have to share. I know this isn’t rocket science and I can’t be the first to think of it, but I am just simply so ticked with my solution that I just have to let you know.

While we do have more than one bathroom in the house, the bathroom that I use to get ready is a small powder room. It has the commode to the right, a pedestal sink under a mirror and a small shelf where my skincare resides. On the pedestal sink there is space for my toothbrush and toothpaste on one side and soap to wash my hands with on the other.

I find it best if the soap and toothbrush never meet.

Thats it, that is the space.

Which leaves me in a bit of a pickle. Namely that I need a place to store my hair tools and accoutrements as well as a place to put my Makeup Erasers post use.

And then i saw it.

The metal shower rack. This one is rose gold and comes from TJ Maxx. You can pick them up pretty much anywhere bathroom accessories are sold. It is now one of my favorite things in the house. I got an over the door hook to support the weight of everything and prevent it from falling. The small facial brush that I use to loosen dried down mud masks has a stick on hook. I was not trusting a stick on hook with this rack.

The bottom hooks are perfect for holding my straightener (Complex Culture currently, still trying to decide if i like it.)My hair dryer (Conair, I like it but there are some things I might change) and my blow out brush (also Conair and utterly fabulous. I will be doing a post on it soon). The bottom hooks also give me a great place to store my Makeup Erasers. I can hang them up wet and they will dry before I toss them in the laundry. I like to make sure they are dry before putting them in the hamper. Plus it stores the unused ones so I know when I need to get a move on with my laundry.

The next row up is great for storing the items I need for cleaning my makeup brushes actually. The blue box is a solid brush cleanser and the watermelon slice is the riged pad I use in the cleaning process. I also have my headbands for pulling my hair back when washing my face here. My current favorite is the striped one from vintage cosmetics.

Top row stores my Dry Shampoo (Klorane), my heat protectant spray (The Mane Club’s One Hit Wonder) my current sunscreen (Coola Sun Silk Drops – so light weight and fabulous), the heat mat I use to put my hot hair tools on so I don’t scorch anything. I put it down on the closed toilet lid. This one I picked up from Shop Miss A and it is fabulous. I love that it can roll up and store so easily. I also have my Comper LED light device up on this shelf, mostly because it was just easier to put it there. I really am loving that device.

I know, the shower rack on the back of the door isn’t a shattering piece of innovation, but for me it is the best storage solution I have found to keep my hair tools in check in a small bathroom. It is a simple fix to a problem that has plagued me for years because there has never been a really good place to put my hair tools. Now I have one. So I thought I’d share in case any of you are struggling with space and take the opportunity to talk about a few of my in use products. Personally, it makes me giggle anytime I think about it.

Up to 50% Off in the Sale Section at MakeUpEraser.com! No code needed. Limited Time Offer!

Trying out the Montrax Heated Eye Mask

Sleep is one of those things everyone needs. It is also something that often eludes me. While there are many factors that contribute to a sleepless night, one of the ones that is often ignored is light. I am an extremely light sleeper and it took me a really long time to realize that one of the things that woke me up a lot during the night was the shifting lights in the bedroom.

A neighbor turns on or off a porchlight, a passing cat triggers an overly sensitive security light, a car drives past the house and headlights roll past the windows. A million things can happen in the night to shift the light around and once i realized that the shifting of the light in the room, even if it was for a short time, was one of the things that was waking me up, or at least a contributing factor, I began to look into eye masks.

I am actually amazed at the variety of eye masks out there. You wouldn’t think that there would be so much variation, but there is and I have discovered some preferences and a list of things that I think make the perfect eye mask. Admittedly, that list is always adapting as I find new masks with new features.

So when Mountrax asked if they could sent one of their heated eye masks to me to try out and review I was all for it. The Mountrax Heated Eyemask is a 3D Design and made for total black out. It has smart IC for save warm Eye compress to help relieve sinuses and puffiness and it even has a small pocket for a scent tab if you are looking for a full sensory experience. The Mountrax Heated Eye mask retails for $29.99.

So let’s take a look at the eye mask. The first thing i always look at with eye masks is the strap. I know it sounds strange but I have found one of the key features of a good eye mask is an adjustable strap. Many of the eye masks I have tried have just an elastic band holding them in place. Some of the elastics have been very nicely covered in silk or satin, but the truth is that if you sleep in them every night then that elastic is going to loosen. To continue to consistently use an eye mask for any length of time the strap needs to be adjustable. This not only has an easy to adjust strap but it is a wide strap. The wider the strap the more comfortable it is to wear. There isn’t a thin line of pressure on your head and you don’t feel a ridge where your head presses against the pillow. So the strap get’s two thumbs up.

The mask itself is a soft material that feels nice against the skin. It is filled with low rebound memory foam so it is light against the skin as well, so there is nothing heavy pressing against the face. This is my first 3D face mask and I have to say I am in love. I may never go back to the flat masks. The way the 3D works is that the foam ridge aligns with your brow and your lower orbital bone. there is then a concave space above your eyes. Which means nothing is pressing against your eyelids. You can blink with abandon and not feel like your eyes are trapped in a closed position.

For me this means that if I hear a sound in the middle of the night, I can open my eyes to listen, but still be in the darkness of the mask as my ears try to determine what the sound was. Usually it is the heater clicking on or some other identifiable noise that once my brain realizes what it is I can let it go. Because I don’t have to lift up the mask to open my eyes and thus expose myself to the light and shadow of the room, I find it much easier to slide back into sleep.

As far as black out goes, this design really works for me. The memory foam contours to my face well and hugs my face gently while still blacking out all light from my eyes. It is quite honestly the best black out mask I have ever tried with regards to light blockage. I was worried at first because the materials are so light weight but it does a really good job.

The heating element has a port where it can be attached to a USB port to turn on. I like that if I don’t want it to heat I can easily ignore the port and just use it as a mask. The Heating element runs horizontally through the center of the mask. Because it is a 3D mask even though the hearting strip is over the eyes, it isn’t pressed against them. It sort of heats up the chamber where your eyes are, using the warmed air to heat your eyes rather than directly heating them with the element, which I like. Also because of the design you can use it when you have makeup on. It doesn’t press against the eyes so there is just a small touch up where it was pressed across your nose when you have finished with it.

quite a long cord and easy to use with any usb plug in

For me, the heating element was better used when I was awake than asleep. I think that might be because I sleep on my side. Also the port for the heating element is on the left and my night stand (and USP ports) are all on my right hand side. So it was a bit of a challenge to use when sleeping. However for a little allergy relief it was fantastic. I settled myself in a comfortable chair and put the mask on for a ten minute break when my allergies were acting up and it really helped relieve some of that sinus pressure. I tend to prefer a lot more non drug sinus assistance and this fit the bill perfectly. The pressure was relieved and my headache lessened. I did have to keep a box of tissues handy as it did sort of start the faucet running so to speak, but the reliving of the pressure was well worth it.

There is a scent port on the front of the mask located close to the nose. It fits a little tablet inside. It does nothing when on it’s own but once you turn the heating element on it releases the scent of the tablet. The one that came with my mask was Sage and it was a pleasantly herbily aroma. I personally like sage. I keep a pot of it and cook with it often. while i found it pleasant i could see it being really handy for scent based therapies like allergy and cold relief. My babydoll did try the mask and the heated element with the scent tab in. He is currently getting over a very bad sinus infection and he really wanted to keep the mask for himself. (I suspect we will be ordering a second one for his use). His comment was to ask if they had menthol scented tablets.

While I do not care for menthol, he adores the scent and I can see how it would be quite helpful with a sinus or a cold.

For me, I think the scent tab is nice but probably not something I would use a lot. I like the idea, I just don’t think I would use it. I would definitely use the heating element when I needed headache relief or relief from congestion or puffy eyes. For me a ten minute break to sit and let the heat work it’s magic did wonders when I needed it.

First and foremost it is a wonderful sleeping mask. The band is snug but not too tight and flat enough that it is not noticeable when the head hits the pillow. It conforms to the face well with the memory foam. the 3D design lets my eyes blink when the need to and open if necessary, thus promoting a more natural sort of sleep for me. Although I have to say they had me at blackout design. Th9is mask sits so perfectly that it blocks out all light providing a truly dark space in which to sleep. The other attributes are fine and actually quite nifty, but that lack out design and comfortable wear make this perfect for helping a light sleeper like me not wake up due to shifting lights in the room. I will be using this Mountrax Heated Eye Mask for a long time to come.

The Daily: March 7th, 2023

Oh my darlings, today is not a makeup sort of day. While I normally suffer from bouts of insomnia, last night my sleeplessness was helped along by my babydoll’s snortling and snuffling. It is actually a good sign as it means his sinuses are finally draining, but it doesn’t make for a very restful night for the light sleeper beside him. namely me.

Oddly the snuffling is not as bad as the brief period of absolute silence. I will get use to the sounds and start to drift off and then it would go completely silent. Which is the part that woke me up. My first thought was that he suffocated himself somehow and was now dead. So I’d stay awake until i was sure that he was breathing.

It was not a good night and I only started really drifting off around four in the morning. Which is almost like an insult if you ask me. Up all night mostly only to finally drift off and get into deep sleep as the alarm goes off. It is somehow quite cruel.

It was however a lovely morning on the porch. The weather is just now nice enough that I can take my first cup of coffee out there and have a grand time sipping in the still cool but not cold weather. Admittedly I am fairly sure the morning pollen count didn’t help me.

However as i went out onto the back porch it was a sad and desolate place. When the wind roared through I put the trashcan as well as all of the light weight patio chairs in the shed. So there was nary a seat to be found. So I stood with my coffee and glared at the feral cats who have started breeding somewhere in the neighborhood. They see me and run, but their scent is causing the squirrel’s and voles to depart so my garden is actually doing better. I don’t in general mind them, but I am a little wary of how quickly they seem to be multiplying.

However they keep their distance when I am out back so everything was fine. Except for the lack of patio furniture. Although it did leave me with a nice blank slate to study. We have the odd assortment of patio furniture that you pick up because you need something and this happens to be on sale at the end of the season because no matter how many times you tell yourself that this THIS is the year you will be picking up patio furniture, you some how miss the window and just pick up something so you can enjoy the space.

Well our mismatched somethings are beginning to wear out. I actually drifted over to the site Homary where they have some patio furniture I really adore. It actually turns the patio into an outdoor living space with furniture designed to be in the out of doors. They have a spring sale going on right now with up to 70% off for summertime goods. Like the patio furniture.

Of course there is what I like and what my babydoll likes. It is our main decorating dilemma and why it takes so long to actually make design choices. We both have very different styles and finding a compromise that actually looks good is always a trick. Sometimes a compromise ends up looking like I chose half of the room and he chose the other half. Which is something we try to avoid. Which makes us slow decorators.

And often times we put things off until whatever interim thing we are using while we make a decision no longer actually works. Which is almost to the point where we are with the patio. So I think that this afternoon I am going to brows the Homary site and pull up several things I like and hopefully one of them appeals to him as well. And oh yes, I am going to use the 70% off sale as encouragement to think about committing to a purchase.

So no makeup today but there is some plotting and planning and mooning over lovely patio furniture from Homary. I’ll circle back later to try to talk him into some of the smart bathroom features.

Have Coffee, will travel…

I spent a long time working a job where I was on the road ninety percent of the day. It was one of those jobs where I would go into the office in the morning to do paperwork, then I would drive a few hours, go to a meeting or give a presentation, then possibly have lunch before I went back on the road to reach another town for another meeting.

I did get to see a lot of different places and I met a lot of fabulous people, but it meant I spent a lot of time in the car and I often had really long days. During this time I accumulated a lot of different travel mugs. Some held coffee, others had morning smoothies.

Now I mostly work from home. However I have the tendency to pour myself a cup of coffee, sit it next to my mouse and then get working on something and forget it. And so I have returned to the travel mugs for my work day coffee. The thing is though that I don’t always want it to feel like a travel mug.

This travel mug from Smartass and Sass is really helping me out. It is double walled glass that does a really good job of insulating and keeps my coffee warm for a long time. The silicone band acts like an insulator sleeve to keep the coffee hot and my hand from not getting too hot. The silicone top is also well suited, fits well on the cup and all of it is dishwasher safe.

Personally I like the saying stamped on the front. “Excuse me, I have to go make a scene.” is more dramatic than my day usually gets, but as a writer I find it also strangely appropriate as a large chunk of my day is spent creating scenes.

One thing I also like about this is that while the lid makes it look like a travel mug. If I am feeling just like having a cup of coffee and don’t need to keep it hot while working (because I am drinking it while reading something instead of forgetting it while answering e-mails) I can take off that lid. Then I just have a glass coffee mug that fits well in the hand and feels good to hold.

For me this is a definite upgrade from the string of refillable travel mugs (most of which came from various gas stations along my old work route and were attractive mostly because they got me free or discount refills). It also suits my work now. It has traveled out of my house for the occasional meeting and will no doubt see several road trips, but for me, this is a great everyday office coffee mug. if you are looking for something that can easily go from home to car, to office, this might be an alternative.

Scenting the air with Rituals

This Rituals Oil diffuser in The Ritual of Ayurveda, came in my Look Fantastic Advent Calendar. While it looks beautiful, with its well-shaped amber glass carafe of oil, I was a little concerned about it. While I really enjoy Ritual’s products, they are highly scented. Their body lotions are excellent, but I have to make certain to use them at home and not where I am going to come into contact with a lot of people. While I love the scents I am aware that many people are scent sensitive.

For the most part I have only used body products. I have one candle from them, but the scent, even in hand lotion form, was one of their few light ones (The Ritual of Sakara). This Rituals Incense is Rose scented. Rose is always a little bit of an extreme scent. And for me Rose can either be nice or it can be cloying. This is not cloying.

The scent is Indian Rose and Sweet Almond oil. I don’t know if the almond oil balances out the rose or if they are using a different rose to scent the oil than I am familiar with, but it is a nice light scent. As the scent takes a while to absorb into the sticks and from there perfume the air around it, it starts off very light. The scent wafts through the air and is quite pleasant.

This set is described as the mini version which is perfect for small rooms. While the scent is lighter than I expected it is still potent once the sticks are fully saturated. I found it a bit much in a small room. I had it in my office and left it overnight. The next morning I still enjoyed the scent but I thought it might be better in a larger space. I put the oil diffuser into the sunroom. The sunroom is twice the size of my office and it has an open doorway leading through the central part of the house. The scent was the perfect amount for the sunroom and does gently drift into the surrounding spaces. Even though this is a mini, I don’t think I would want anything larger in my home. I live in a house that was built in the late 1950s and while some of the interior has been modified so the rooms are less boxy and closed off, it is not a huge house. (My office is a 12×12 foot square for reference.) This Mini oil diffuser from Rituals is the right sized oil diffuser for my home. I am quite happy with it and to be honest, I like the amber glass of the bottle enough that I will be refilling it and using it again w=once it is empty.

And I am always happy when something can be reused rather than thrown away.

I also like that it has a rubberized stopper for the bottle. I will admit I struggled getting it out of the top of the bottle, but I love the fact that I can always put the stopped back in. While I love scent and having various ones in my home I do have some family members who are very scent sensitive. Knowing that I can enjoy the scent and when I know they are visiting, put the stopper back in and let the scent fade from the air really helps me out. It was a pain to get out of the bottle but it also means that when it is back in the bottle I know the oil inside won’t spill out.

Over all I find this Oil Diffuser in the Ritual of Ayurveda to be a really good product from Rituals that I will enjoy for a long time to come.

Lighting the Demi Mini Candle

This Demi Mini candle came in my Look Fantastic Advent Calendar. It was Day 4 actually (if you are keeping track). I was excited to see this candle for several reasons. The first is that even before I opened the box, the scent drifted out and it smelled fantastic. There were two options you could have received in the advent calendar, one was the Femme and one was the Elle. I received the Elle Mini which is the heavier set woman. I really like that they have more than one body type as a possibility both in the box and on the company website.

Which means the different body shapes ae not just something for the Advent Calendar but something that the Company has on heir website. Which i like. The Mini in the calendar is clearly a mini version of the candle. But on the website you can purchase both the Elle or the Femme in the full size for $19 each or you can by the set together for $25. for the description of the Elle candle…

‘Elle’ Hand poured with 100% natural soy wax blend, with an indulgent cocoa oud scent. Vegan and cruelty free.

Size: 12cm x 8cm x 4cm Weight: 250 grams

We think our candles are too cute to burn, they add fragrance to a room without lighting. However if you do decide to light your candle please never leave unattended and always burn on an even fireproof surface. Burn time around 2-3 hours. Each candle is hand poured with love and care. Imperfections and air bubbles are inevitable although we do standard checks before we send them out to you. (We only send out the best)

The candle has no base, it is just the wax so you will need to put it on something. The scent of the candle is strong without lighting it, which turns out to be a save as you will see. In general, i don’t keep candles that I don’t burn. If I have a candle i will be lighting it. Scent is important and this one has a cocoa and Oud scent that I find deliciously fantastic.

I put it on a tea cup saucer, mostly because I had the tea cup out at the time i decided to light it so it was easy to grab. When the wax spilled down and pooled on the dish it was easy to pry off. I just then needed some soap to get the last of the waxy residue off of the saucer. But the china worked well. I imagine any slick surface would work. The wax pried up easily with my finger nail. But you will need something underneath if you plan to burn.

With my candle the wick was suspiciously long. I should have trimmed it before lighting because it flared up with a really high flame as it caught. The flame died back down to a reasonable level once the wick burned down a little. Little did I know, the wick wasn’t a long wick, it just wasn’t seated deeply in the candle. It only reached to the waist of the the female figure. If it had been seated correctly, It would have reached down to mid belly. why they didn’t have a wick that went all the way down to the bottom of the candle, I don’t know.

It does mean that as the candle burned the entire wick fell out of the candle.

So my remaining candle is more or lass a soy wax figurine. it is still mostly in tact so it is cute. It oddly looks like a more damaged classical statue which i find appealing. The sent of the wax is still fantastic. To be honest I will more than likely put this in a small net bag to keep the wax from rubbing onto anything and then put the remaining wax figure in my chest of drawers. I think if I put it in the middle drawer (it is a five drawer unit) it will perfume all five of the drawers. And it does smell fantastic.

I don’t know if the regular sized candles have the wicks that go all the way down to the base or if their ‘too cute to actually burn’ means that they don’t make them with the intent of having you burn them. If you are buying them for the look and don’t intend to burn them, these are fantastic candles. the are well scented and well formed. If you intend to use this candle as a candle, I would perhaps look elsewhere.

Trying out the Cuccio Pause Meditation Mist in Peppermint and Sage

This item recently came to me in a Kinder Subscription box. If you are into clean beauty products it is a subscription you might want to check out. It has only clean products and is vegan as well. This Pause Meditation mist is from the brand Cuccio. A while back I tried one of their hand soaps and I really enjoyed it.

I Love the blue glass spray bottle however I will say I was uncertain what exactly a meditation mist was, so I looked it up.

WHAT IT IS: CALMING RITUAL. A meditation mist made to help calm the senses and prepare for the best of meditation sessions. Can also be used as a pillow spray or a mid-day mist of calm.

PAUSE Meditation Mist calms the mind and body in moments. Using the finest ingredients, no artificial fragrance and all natural essential oils to help relax, leaving the mind, body and spirit completely calm, renewed + restored.

I am not big on meditation. I now others who love it and meditate routinely. I envy them actually. Any time I try to meditate story ideas pop into my head. Some how I don’t think plotting out a locked door murder mystery is quite the intent of meditation. It is usually where my brain goes when I try though. Which is odd since I don’t write a lot of murder mysteries. And yet anytime I try to meditate, that is where my brain goes.
cuccio

And so I used it as a pillow spray.

It was fantastic. For me any time I have tried a pillow spray bad things have happened. For some reason the two scents most often used in pillow sprays are bergamot and lavender. The bergamot makes me sneeze and for some reason lavender doesn’t calm me down like it does some people. It makes me feel like there is something I forgot to do but can’t remember and then I get anxious thinking it might be important.

Peppermint on the other hand I love and sage is one of my favorites. I always have a pot growing in my sun room and often pinch a leaf just to get the scent on my skin. I like that these two are combined in this spray actually. The sage takes some of the sweetness off of the peppermint and the peppermint takes some of the medicinal/thanksgiving stuffing, scent off of the sage.

It is quite a delightful pairing actually.

the mister on this spray is a powerful mist. One spray on the pillow will do for the night.

I can honestly say if i saw this in the store i probably would have walked right by. Receiving it in a Kinder subscription box means that I had it on hand and thought I might a well try it. So I did. And I liked it. In fact there is a good chance I will be purchasing this again in the near future. It is nice to have a pillow spray that doesn’t smell of bergamot and lavender and helps send me off to sleep with sweet fresh scents. This was an unexpected surprise for me and one I am happy to add to my bedtime rituals.

Join Kinder Beauty’s Mailing List And Get 40% Off Your First Box!

Holiday Gifts: Bold Loft

I have this tendency to remember Bold Loft only around Valentines day. Don’t get me wrong, they make fantastic Valentine’s day gifts. But they also make great gifts for those you love year round.

Their designs are clean looking and most of them are done in black and white with just a hint of red in the hearts. There are actually solid colors available this year. i saw some blue pillows that would actually suit my bedroom really well and might be in an upcoming purchase as we do a little New Year’s Bedroom Refresh.

Bold Loft has large body pillows like the one featured in this photo (left). The case is 54 x 20 inches (135 x 50 cm) and fits most standard sized body pillows. I think that new pillow cases are a fantastic way to just refresh the bedroom and make it look bright and new. (plus the case doesn’t take up a lot of space which nit a lot of décor items can claim. For me it is nice to have items like this that I can trade in and out. I also don’t have a lot of storage space, so something simple like a change of decorative pillow cases really works for me. Personally, I am partial to the I love you to the Stars and back line. There are however many different ones to choose from, all featuring the general theme of love.

If you are looking for regular sized pillow cases instead of body pillows, Bold Loft has you covered as well. They do have the classic white as well, but I thought I would put the solid colors up so you could see the difference in the designs.

My bedroom has three light blue walls and one dark blue feature wall. The headboard on our bed is a soft gray. I am still in negotiations with my babydoll on the duvet cover. We have very different tastes. So finding something we both like has been an interesting (and ongoing) challenge. We both have items that we each had in our own places before we moved in together so we trade them out periodically. For reference as to how on going this is, we combined households in 2010.

Admittedly we have moved about five times since then. Slowly the things we each had are starting to wear out and when they do we come together and buy something we both like. We actually find it easier to wait until things wear out and then begin the debate. With bedding we are actually reaching the breaking point as we have slowly been wearing things out. However with the bedding it is only the sheets and coverlet my babydoll cares about. He has no interest in pillows or pillow cases, which is why I tend to lean into these form Bold Loft.

Which is probably way more about the inner workings of my home then you probably wanted to know. But these pillow cases take up very little space in my linen closet. And they ae an easy decorative item that can be changed out when needed and are easy to just throw into the wash with the rest of the lanudry.

If however bedding isn’t on your todo list, I recommend the mug sets. While many of them are specific for couples and celebrate things like valentines day and weddings, many of them are just little reminders that someone is loved. As I have always lived at a far distance from large swaths of my family, I am partial to the themes of love over a distance, like the Love has no Distance on the right or the I love you to the moon and back featured on the left. These twelve ounce stoneware ceramic mugs are dishwasher and microwave safe.

Again I personally like all of the simple, clean line drawings that are used for illustrations. There are many other gifts and gift sets available on Bold Loft. From superhero themed t-shirts, glasses, and other sets. I find them fun and a nice celebration of love. While you can go onto the site and search by type of item, there is also a menu that lists the items by event: wedding, anniversary, valentines day and long distance gifts.

Honestly, I think they make great anytime gifts. After all why should telling someone you love be seasonal? While I tend to lean more towards Bold Loft for Valentines day, their sets make great Christmas gifts and lovely items to simply refresh your home for the new year. it is well worth taking a look.