Cosmetic goodies from EdenFantasys!

The shadows in the Bella in Bloom Eye Shadow palettes are gorgeous, and they’re just the right shades that they’ll work with just about any outfit, any occasion, and any season. The shadows themselves are hard-pressed, but easy enough to gather on a small eye shadow brush (I didn’t bother to use the included applicator, as I’ve become a bit snobbish in terms of how I apply my eye makeup – applicator brushes just don’t cut it, unless you’re using the tip of one to apply pressed or cream shadow as an eyeliner). The colors easily pop out, and can be applied dry for a sheer finish, in layers for a more opaque finish, or wet for a bright, color-popping finish – your choice! The colors last quite a while, and I didn’t notice any flaking or creasing.

Bottom line? For $13.99, this 8-piece shadow kit is worth picking up. Psst… use coupon code ES2 to save 15% on your order.

[rating:5/5]

But after finding Pear Tree Greetings and having the opportunity to sample some of their holiday photo cards and cute selection of thank you cards, I’m pretty sure I’ll be ordering cards from them next year. Check out some of what they’ve got:

You can tell that plenty of attention to detail was paid to each photo Christmas card and thank you card. The cards themselves are produced on high quality matte finish card stock, and the colors are vibrant and true. Besides standard photo Christmas cards, Pear Tree also offers recycled cards, as well as lines of specialty Christmas cards: religious, business, and cards that support the American Cancer Society. You can also order thank you cards, invitations, letter inserts, address labels and even gift tags!

Of all of the holiday cards Pear Tree Greetings carries, I think these are my favorite:

Hanging Stockings

Christmas Ornaments

Mantle Joy

Have you used Pear Tree Greetings? What are your thoughts on them?

The Gruene Steam Cleaner is an eco-friendly steam cleaner designed for use on hard surfaces, including floors, walls and tiles. The Gruene Steam Cleaner is safe for many materials, including hardwood, laminate, tile, ceramic, and glass. Essentially, any hard surface that can tolerate hot steam can be cleaned as well as disinfected and sanitized by the Gruene Steam Cleaner.

What makes the Gruene Steam Cleaner different from other steam cleaners is the simple fact that it uses nothing but pure steam to clean, disinfect and sanitize. The cleaner can be used in the upright vacuum position, which is perfect for floor application (make sure you sweep first, as the steam cleaner does not have any suction and thus will not suck up any debris), or it can be removed from the vacuum component and carried about — you can also use the included strap to wear the steam cleaner during use.

Even better, the Gruene Steam Cleaner uses regular water and nothing but regular water — tap water (or spring water if you prefer) will suffice. Also, its scrubbing & cleaning pads are nothing proprietary. You can use any type of dish cloth or pad with the cleaner — essentially, anything that fits into the locking “ring” design on the bottom of the cleaner!

I had great results with the Gruene Steam Cleaner. I used it to clean my kitchen floor, which I had previously swept and mopped. But as I explained in my video review (check out the video I embedded in this post below!), the raised, textured and porous surface of my laminate flooring means that there is sometimes “residue” left behind from my mop, no matter how thoroughly I scrub my floor. When I used the Gruene Steam Cleaner, the steam got into all of those nooks, crannies and other open surfaces and cleared that residue right out! Steamed it out, rather. And the pad on the bottom of the cleaner then soaked everything up.

I definitely give the Gruene Steam Cleaner five out of five stars. Check out my video review for more details!

Disclaimer: GrueneSteam provided me with a free product in exchange for my honest opinion.

Recently Clinere contacted me to see if I would be interested in reviewing Clinere Ear Cleaners, which are specially designed plastic q-tips that are made just for ears. One end is formed into a scoop, which is useful for scooping out wax and other debris from the ear canal. The other end is rounded and ribbed, which can be used to pick up small bits of wax, skin cells, and general debris.

The biggest difference between Clinere Ear Cleaners and standard q-tips is the softness factor — while Clinere Ear Cleaners are flexible and can be used easily and gentle, they’re by no means soft like q-tips are. But so long as you use them right, and don’t try to go digging for gold, you will have absolutely no problem cleaning your ears with them. The scoop end easily picks up gunk more efficiently than standard q-tips do. Standard q-tips are soft and coated in cotton, so unless the wax glues itself on, it won’t come out. Clinere’s innovative scoop design easily picks up decent amounts of wax. The ribbed end is great for picking up the little bits that the scoop end misses, and for general exfoliation and ear itch relief.

I used Clinere Ear Cleaners myself first, to get a feel for them. I then tried them on Alyssa and Ryan. Alyssa was impressed at the amount of wax the scoop end picked up, and Ryan loved being “tickled” by the ribbed end. I was impressed at how effective just 1-2 Clinere Ear Cleaners was for both of my kids.

Clinere Ear Cleaners are available in 10-count packages for $5.99 – $6.00, and can be purchased nationwide at CVS, H-E-B, Kmart, Meijer, Shopko and Walmart. But hey, why buy if you can win?!

Giveaway

Mandatory entry
Let me know that you’re interested in trying Clinere Ear Cleaners!

Additional entries:
(each additional entry earns you one additional entry into the giveaway; please leave a separate comment for each entry)

• Leave a comment telling me what store you would purchase Clinere Ear Cleaners from!
• Follow me, @kissmykitty, on Twitter
• Follow @chewelry on Twitter
• Tweet the following to your public Twitter account: Tired of q-tips? Try Clinere Ear Cleaners! http://www.clinere.com
• Tweet the following to your public Twitter account: #Win Clinere Ear Cleaners at Mamahood.org! http://bit.ly/dnbmAz #giveaway

Giveaway details:

• The Clinere Ear Cleaners giveaway begins on October 30th, 2010 and runs until November 6th at 11:59pm EST.
• All entries must be in by 11/06/10 at 11:59pm EST in order to be counted for the final drawing.
• Winners will be notified by email, and will have 48 hours to respond.
• No duplicate entries (IPs are logged).

Good luck to everyone who enters!

Features of the coverall:

• covers head to toe
• features a hood
• elastic gathering at the wrists, waist and ankles for secure, no-slip fit
• convenient zip-up front
• can even protect against blood and other bodily fluids
• sold in packs of 12 for $36.90

Dan tried on the coverall and felt in immediate man lust with it. It fits well, provides adequate protection, and now he’s actually kind of excited about doing stuff around the house, since he won’t have to worry about getting his clothes dirty! And me? I’m happy with that!

It’s funny that I ordered a pair of prescription eyeglasses from Zenni Optical, seeing as how in October of 2007 I couldn’t wait to order contact lenses. But glasses really are handy to have around. Later at night, for example, after the kids go to bed, Dan and I will settle in bed with a movie or an episode of House to watch. The last thing I feel like doing when settling in with him is getting back up to take my contacts out. On the mornings I’m tired and rushed or just not in the mood for contacts, glasses are also useful. I do have an older pair, but the prescription is four years old, the lenses are scratched, and the frame is bent.

So, off to Zenni Optical’s website I went. I picked out a spiffy pair of black & green retro glasses. The frames + anti-reflective coating on the basic lenses + shipping came to $27.95. Not bad for a pair of glasses! I don’t know about you, but I became quite used to ordering glasses that were at least $100 for the frames only!

The ordering process went very smoothly. I picked out my frame, chose the color I wanted, and then set to work plugging in my prescription info. The only snag I encountered was when it came to entering in my Pupillary Distance, or PD, which is the measurement, in millimeters, of the distance between my two pupils. That number wasn’t on my prescription, and when I called my optometrist’s office, they were all, “Durr we don’t have that info, you’ll need to come in for another exam, and by the way since you already had an exam in February, your insurance company won’t cover this one”. Now, since I’ve only gone to this optometrist for contact lenses, I decided to call my previous optometrist. Luckily for me, they were very nice and quick about pulling up my old prescription and providing me with my PD number.

To be honest, the only reason optometrists would withhold that info — which is a very standard part of any eye prescription — is to try and wring more money out of consumers. Tell them you don’t have the number, invite them in for another exam, then spring on them the fact that since they already had an exam X amount of months ago, they’ll be charged for this one. It’s BS, and more people need to stand up to their optometrists in order to get the info that they are legally entitled to have!

Okay, I’m going to step off my soapbox now. I really loved my shopping experience with Zenni Optical. I loved it so much, in fact, and love the glasses themselves (they just arrived today, and the color and quality of them is impeccable!) so much, that I ordered another pair of glasses this evening. They cost me $17.95 with shipping, and are another pair of spiffy retro frames, only these are chocolate brown with a hot pink interior, and cute little rhinestone crystals on the outside of each lens.

Pictures:

My kids received the Urban Tech black and gold Zibit a few weeks ago, and he’s been played with almost daily. On a related note, I’m happy to say that the included button batteries (for the Zibit), and the AAA batteries I supplied for the remote controller are both holding up marvelously, considering the heavy usage that our Zibit has undergone.

Zibits are recommended for children ages 8 and up, but to be honest my autistic three year old and somewhat flighty five year old were able to figure out how he works right away. In fact, they found the on/off switch before I did (hint: it’s along the side of Zibit’s head)!

Since the Zibit they received is such a favorite of theirs, I’ll probably be picking up a few as stocking stuffers. I’m also going to pick up a few to give to my teenaged brothers. Both boys are into technology and gadgets, so I know they would love Zibits. Oh, and did I mention they’re just $9.99? They’re definitely an affordable indulgence for your kid — big or small! You can find them at Amazon, eToys, and BOT abing BOT aboom.

Giveaway!

One lucky mamahood.org reader will receive their very own Zibit! To enter, leave a comment linking to your favorite Zibit (you can find pictures here, and pictures & detailed descriptions here).

For extra entries (1 each), do any of the following (please leave a separate comment for each thing that you do):

• Blog about this giveaway on your blog. Make sure to link to this giveaway, and to Zibits
• Tweet about this giveaway and about Zibits on Twitter! Use the following: Enter to win a Zibit at mamahood.org! http://bit.ly/ccQ59z http://www.zibits.com #zibits
• Follow Zibits on Twitter @zibits

Giveaway details & rules
The giveaway is open from 04/21/10 until 04/30/10. A winner will be randomly selected, contacted and announced on 05/01/10.
The giveaway is open to anyone living in the United States.

Good luck to everyone who enters!

Hard Candy

Nicole by OPI

SinfulColors

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do, as there’s plenty of bills to pay. Mortgage, car loan, auto insurance, electric, cable/television/internet, etc. Does it ever end? I know, the answer is no. Heh. But I still like to ask. Don’t mind me and my rhetorical questions.

Also, don’t mind the large photos. I tend to post 500 x 335 photos because they fit perfectly with the size of my layouts, and they are a good size for showing clarity and detail. Hopefully no one who is reading this is on dial-up. If they are… ouch!

Zibits won’t be hitting the shelves of Toys ‘r Us until later this month, but for now you can buy them now at BOT abing BOT aboom!

Keep checking back with mamahood,org, because I’m doing a product review of a Zibit! I’ll also be giving one away, so you’ll definitely want to enter the giveaway in order for a chance at having your very own Zibit!

Here’s the MomAgenda in action:

MomAgenda is bound and covered with a stain-resistant, easy to wipe clean cover that is available in six colors (I chose pink, of course). Two wide, flat ribbons offer convenient placeholders for the current week, as well as another viewing spot of your choice.

I absolutely ♥ my MomAgenda, and would recommend one for anyone who wants a tangible planner to take along with them. It’s just the right size that it’ll slide nicely in a tote bag or “deep” style purse, and so far it’s holding up to being tossed around in my purse and in my house beautifully!