Personal Favorites of 2009 - Part I: Seasonal Delights

One of those things that I love about the cold cold months is the opportunity to use products with soul-warming scents and sensuous textures.  Everything gets suited with an extra oomph that they might have otherwise not gotten if it wasn't for our need for richer and stronger products during this time of the year.

Two of the products that I fell in love with at the end of 2009 (and they are both on my Personal Favorites of 2009 list) are from The Body Shop's Nutmeg and Vanilla line.  (Yes, I do hope to complete this list soon and am crossing my fingers to release this list throughout the month!).  These two products are:  The Nutmeg and Vanilla Lip Balm and the Nutmeg and Vanilla Bath and Shower Gel.  And just so you know, the Nutmeg and Vanilla line is one of three of their festive lines and limited edition for 2009. 

Although both products come from the same scent family, the two of them do not have identical smells (thanks goodness!).  The lip balm has a very spicy and sweet cake scent in that -just stepped into a

bakery which also sells spices kind of way.  Whereas the scent of the bath & shower gel takes on a completely different note.  It has spices and it has sweet (and less vanilla) but it has the added oomph of a kick of candied fruit.  And when added to a tub of hot steamy bath water, it does not smell sweetly sickening like most spicy vanilla concoction usually smell like, this smells divinely sensuous thanks to the added touch of sandalwood.  I mean this is this is the stuff that will spice up your bath and your evening.

Onto the packaging.  I know that most of us are not fans of open lid containers and prefer squeeze tubes for lip balms.  I do have to say that it feels great getting some balm out of a round tin because it makes me feel as if I'm getting a cookie treat out of a cookie jar.  And the bronzy color on the inside of the lid just makes it ever more special.  As to what you do with the leftover balm on your fingers after you've applied balm on your lips; give your cuticles a little treat as well!  The bath & shower gel's packaging is really nothing intriguing until you dial down the lights and light a few candles.  The transparent and amber-tinted bottle looks sumptuously warming and glowy in the candlelight and in the steam of my mostly white bathroom.  Quite a treat for the eyes I must say!


The texture of the lip balm.  This is a rich balm indeed with all of its most conditioning ingredients topping the ingredients list.  Like most of The Body Shop's old school lip balms, this one is also extremely emolient, transparent and have a high sheen finish.  I personally prefer this type of balm (I really loved the older version of TBS' balms) as they simply are longer lasting on the lips and are especially good for wearing to bed.  And you know why this one is especially good for wearing to bed?  It is because the balm has these subtle fine gold shimmers that just makes the lips look so pretty. The added bonus is that the balm has a slight tint that warms up our pouts in a natural kind of way. 

These and other TBS seasonal delights are currently only available in very limited quanitities at their stores in Amsterdam and some of them are on sale at 50% off.  Check them out and leave your thoughts and comments!


Website:  thebodyshop.com
Credit: Grayburn (Terms of Use)
Disclaimer:  Things I had purchased myself.

A Taste of the Holiday Season

I know this is not a food blog but I just had to post this picture.  And since it is the Holiday Season and we are all most probably stuffing our bellies at some point during this period, I thought it might be appropriate just this one time.

I recently acquired some marzipan from the beautiful city of Toledo (Spain) while I was on vacation there and they are just so irresistible!  I mean I couldn't even wait until after taking the picture to eat them with BFOG!  Just look at them;  all the little bundles all handmade and brimming with joy.  The 3 varieties here come either coated with pinenuts, crystal sugar, or with yolk filling (yema as they call it there).  And these are from one of the most prominent and local favorited shops in town; Santo Tome (since 1856).  Biting into one of these not only make you realize how beautiful something so simple yet so well-crafted can taste; but one also feels like they're biting into a piece of history.  The history books in Toledo tells us a story of local nuns helping to stave off famine during King Alfonso's VIII's battle against the Moors in 1212 with the help of these little 'almond bread'.  Because the nuns had a good supply of almonds (but not much else) in their reserves, they pounded the almonds with sugar and created 'bread' to provide food to the public. 

These are not your everyday variety of marzipan that are usually funnily colored and shaped into a leg of ham or a carrot.  These ones have a PGI status which according to BBC Foods, has "the origin and quality of products that carry this hard-won stamp of authenticity". 

So which foods are you especially enjoying with your loved ones this holiday period? 


Credit: Grayburn (Terms of Use), http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/food_matters/britishpdos.shtml

And Counting....Holiday Gift Ideas Series

We are gonna start looking at some drool worthy gift ideas for the upcoming holiday season.  The first of this series features a book commemorating NARS Cosmetics' 15th anniversary with.  This image rich book will spotlight icons wearing of course NARS' classic products.  The lineup includes Marc Jacobs, Naomi Campbell, Amanda Lepore, Daphne Guinness, Natasha Poly, Olivier Theyskens, Isabella Rossellini, and Shalom Harlow.  The worst part is that we'll have to elbow each other for a copy in the bookstore.  The book will only be available for ONE month only and you can see the counting down to the release date at http://www.15x15project.com/ .



Credit: Grayburn (Terms of Use), style.com

New Campaign Images H & M Cosmetics

Thought you might like to see some fresh new campaign images from H & M's cosmetics line. They are always priced right and have a fun vibe. Maybe they will be a source of inspiration for your New Years do?

DAY LOOK

I have both the eyeshadow palette (6.90 eur) and the blusher (4.90 eur) above. Both items are well worth the price and are easy-to-use colors that I reach for more often as I would like to admit.

NIGHT LOOK

Wow! Those eyes are so exotic.

HELLO KITTY

Hello Kitty craze is in H&M stores now and will be with MAC cosmetics in February 2009.

Credit: Grayburn (Terms of Use), hm.com

Geneve

It is so good to be home. Oh lovely bed, how I have missed you! I wish I had the luggage space to bring my own pillows and sheets. Unfortunately, the space was filled with personal care necessities such as different colors of blushers.

I had a wonderful time on this trip. There weren't many sunny days but having fondue (and the most fantastic one I have ever tasted) in the beautiful town of Montreux, Switzerland made up for it all. The atmosphere was just stunning. The town itself is surrounded by the Swiss Alps, Lake Geneva, and many vineyards which is why it was the perfect spot for a Christmas market to be located at. The perfect backdrop.

I turn into a little kid every year I go to Christmas markets. I start to hyperventilate and begin to run around the different stalls, playing with sparkly boxes, hand painted wooden figures and ogling colorful pieces of hard candies. The bonus this year was stuffing down exactly 220grams of cheese fondue a l'ail. I have had cheese fondue in the past but none like this.

The day cross over French border at Charmonix, a town situated at the foot of Mont Blanc was another treat this trip. Even when the weather did not cooperate and we were unable to take the cable car further up or see glaciers, the town itself was still beautiful. We had only about six hours in town and had opted not to take a ride with the sleddogs because they smelled well, too natural. The enthusiasm of the dogs were great to see though as they were howling and so eager to get going.

There is something about the crisp cold mountain air. I have been sleeping so well ever since I got back and I certainly feel alot healthier than when I first left for vacation.

So what do you do to feel rejuvenated again? What makes you feel alive and charged up?


Credit: Grayburn (Terms of Use)

Quick Birthday Special

Eyes Lips Face (E.L.F.) UK is celebrating their 1st birthday so those in the UK can benefit from free shipping today (only on November 27 midnight - midnight). Time to stock up on those Shimmering Facial Whips that everyone so loves!

P.S. Shouldn't there only be 1 candle on that frothy smurf-colored cake?

Credit: Grayburn (Terms of Use), eyeslipsface.co.uk

Shopping For The Holidays - All Ready?

At the cost of fifteen pounds for a set of 3 separate palettes for the eyes, lips and cheeks, E.L.F. has put together an encyclopedia of universally-flattering neutral colors for the grab-and-go girl. This Beauty Encyclopedia would make a great holiday gift for our nieces or those just starting to use makeup. I imagine that this would look fun inside a school locker and handy for gym class as it has its own large mirror and even instructions on how to use each product.

Kit includes:
6 powder eyeshadows, 2 cream eyeshadows, 1 eyeliner pencil, 1 duo sided eyeshadow brush and smudge brush, 8 lip colors, 1 lip Pencil, 1 lip brush, 2 blush colors, 1 face highlighter, 1 bronzer, 1 blush brush and mirror.

Have you seen this, or have tried it? Please share your thoughts in comments.


Credit: Grayburn (Terms of Use), eyeslipsface.co.uk
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