Women

Make Quick and Customizable Holiday Beverages with Soda Stream

December 20, 2012 by Kathryn

I am really not a fan of soda. I dislike it not only because it’s full of sugar and caffeine, but also because it results in the production of a large number of wasteful plastic bottles. And while I don’t mind drinking soda water, I find myself getting annoyed by the idea that I’m basically paying for carbonation. That’s why the idea of a Soda Stream system always intrigued me. Recently I got to test out the Soda Stream Genesis Starter Kit and I couldn’t wait to see how it worked.

The Soda Stream has been offering an eco-friendly alternative to store-bought soda for the last decade. My initial thought about the device was that while it did eliminate the wasteful plastic bottles, using it would still mean I was giving my kids a drink that wasn’t especially healthy when using the machine to make soda. So I was thrilled to learn that Soda Stream syrups contain less sugar and caffeine than store-bought soda brands. And the system even offers flavourings for water that are completely free of calories and sugar! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, Men, Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways, Women Tagged With: canada, carbonator, christmas, genesis, genesis starter kit, gift, kit, present, soda, soda stream, starter, starter kit, stream

Find Fresh and Functional Gifts for your Favourite Coffee Lover at Williams Fresh Cafe

December 19, 2012 by Kathryn

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Williams Fresh Café has won acclaim across Ontario for its fresh and tasty food and delicious holiday drinks. But this Christmas, the popular coffee chain has expended its holiday line to include a fantastic selection of gifts all priced under $25!

I received a box of the Williams Fresh Café gift items to review and I feel in love as soon as I opened the box. Coffee mugs, travel mugs and gift sets are designed with a fresh and contemporary look and feel that is sure to be appreciated by your favourite coffee lover.

My personal favourite product was the Sentiment Mugs. These mugs feature two different inspiring words, one on either side of the mug, and I loved the idea of starting the morning off on the right foot with one of these uplifting mugs. Best of all, they are just the right size for that first cup of coffee or your favourite Williams Fresh Café drink. Candy Cane Hot Chocolate anyone? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, Men, Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways, Women Tagged With: cafe, christmas, coffee, coffee gifts, coffee shop, fresh, gifts, holiday, presents, williams, williams fresh cafe

Stuff Your Family’s Stockings with Personal Care Products from Infusium 23, PERT Plus and BRUT-Giveaway

December 19, 2012 by Kathryn

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Stocking stuffers may be small, but they can still be incredibly useful! I always love seeing what fun new goodies might be in my stocking after Santa visits and whether I find the pastry blender I’ve been lusting after or a new tube of flavoured lip-gloss, unpacking all my treasures is an exciting event even at 31 years old. This year, Idelle Labs, Ltd. has some fun ideas for stocking stuffers and they’re sure to please whoever pulls them out on Christmas morning!

For the Haircare Diva:

Infusium 23’s Repair & Renew collection is the perfect stocking stuffer for those that crave a little more luxury in their beauty routine. This three-step system features a vitamin-enriched shampoo, conditioner and leave-in treatment that all work together to leave hair healthy, shiny and damage-free. Infusium 23 Repair and Renew Collection ($5-$8, drugstores nationwide, www.infusium.com) [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, Men, Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways, Women Tagged With: 23, brut, brut cologne, brut world, conditioner, fragrance, hair, haircare, holiday, infusium, infusium 23, pert plus, shampoo

Keep Your Hands Warm When Using Your Phone with ISGLOVES-Giveaway

December 17, 2012 by Kathryn

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Every day I walk the few blocks from our house to the local school to pick up my son at the end of his school day. And every day I stand outside waiting for my notoriously slow child to finally emerge from the building. In the summer, I don’t mind at all but winter in Saskatchewan is not a very pleasant time to be standing outdoors doing nothing.

To occupy myself, I sometimes check emails or read through social media updates on my phone. But since it has a touchscreen, I usually end up with frozen fingers as I wait. That’s why I was so excited to try ISGLOVES from FieTT, conductive gloves that can be used on a touchscreen.

When the gloves arrived, I pulled them on immediately to test them out. The first thing that I noticed was that ISGLOVES looked just like regular gloves. I have seen other conductive gloves advertised and for the most part they had white fingertips with conductive thread woven into the fabric. While I’m sure they work well, I don’t like the different coloured fingertips. The ISGLOVES were pure black and looked sleek and stylish. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, Men, Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways, Women Tagged With: conductive, conductive gloves, FieTT, gloves, ISGLOVES, phone, smartphone, touchscreen, touchscreen gloves, winter, winter gloves

Jolica Jewellery and Accessories Provide Beautiful and Meaningful Gifts for Loved Ones-Giveaway

December 14, 2012 by Kathryn

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I love finding new jewellery and accessories but I really want the pieces I wear to be unique and meaningful. Costume jewellery is fun, but it just doesn’t add the same special touch to an outfit as a handcrafted accessory with a unique look. So when Jolica, a company that specializes in Fair Trade accessories, contacted me about reviewing one of its pieces, I leaped at the chance.

Jolica sells gorgeous jewellery, handbags and scarves that are handcrafted in six of the world’s poorest countries by women that are offered a fair price for their wares and are able to support their families with their efforts. I loved the fact that in addition to only offering fair trade products, Jolica also puts 5% of all sales to the Jolica Foundation, an organization that helps improve the quality of life for families and children in impoverished countries. And to top it off, the jewellery and bags the company offers are absolutely stunning! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways, Women Tagged With: charity, christmas, earrings, fair, fair trade, gift, handcrafted, jewellery, jewelry, jolica, jolica foundation, jolica jewellery, jolica jewelry, necklace, poverty, present, trade

Give the Gift of Quality Family Time with Netflix-Giveaway

December 13, 2012 by Kathryn

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Are you looking for a last minute gift that will be enjoyed for months after the big day has passed? I’ve been a Netflix subscriber for almost two years now and it really is a gift that keeps on giving. While I don’t watch television and movies too often, I love having access to so many great family and children’s programs for just nine dollars a month!

So is a Netflix subscription a good choice for that last-minute gift? Well, anything that lets a family watch unlimited movies may just be a popular preset nowadays! New research from Netflix and Leger Marketing shows that watching movies together is amongst the top five holiday traditions in Canada. The survey also found that among the respondents: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, Men, Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways, Women Tagged With: canada, christmas, gifts, holiday, holiday activities, monthly, movie, movie subscription, movies, netflix, netflix canada, netflix movies, netflix subscription, present, presents, subscription, survey

Minimize Waste and Keep Food Fresh with the FoodSaver V3460 Vacuum Sealing System

December 13, 2012 by Kathryn

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As a stay-at-home mom, I’ve always kept a pretty close eye on the family budget. A little bit of planning can save a lot of money over time and I always have my eyes out for new ways to save money. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, I still sometimes find that food goes bad before it is eaten. So when I got the chance to test out the FoodSaver Vacuum Sealing System V3460, I was thrilled.

This handy little countertop appliance features an upright design to save space and comes with one 11”x10” FoodSaver roll, three Quart-sized FoodSaver bags and two Gallon-sized FoodSaver bags so that I could start packaging food right away. It’s designed to prevent freezer burn in frozen foods, maximize freshness and make portioning and sealing bulk foods quick and easy. I’ve always wanted to try a FoodSaver, mainly because I buy in bulk whenever possible, so the next time I went grocery shopping, I made sure to pick up a package of whole chicken to separate and seal with the device.

The nice thing about the FoodSaver Vacuum System is that it is so versatile. While I quickly and easily packaged the chicken for the freezer, I found a wealth of information about other ways I could use my FoodSaver Vacuum Sealing System V3460 as well. I loved the idea of using the system to seal peeled ripe bananas in either the fridge or the freezer and I also liked the idea of packaging breakfast sandwiches so that they could be stored ready to heat in the fridge for busy mornings. I also appreciated tips about pre-freezing foods before sealing. By freezing fruits and vegetables on a tray before placing in a FoodSaver bag, for example, the produce stays separated and damage to delicate-skinned items is minimized. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide, Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways, Women Tagged With: food, food saver, foodsaver, foodsaver system, foodsaver V3460, fresh, preserve, save, seal, sealing, V3460, vacuum, vacuum sealing, vacuum sealing system, vacuum system

Fill Your House with Fragrance this Christmas with Scentsy-Giveaway

December 12, 2012 by Kathryn

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There’s really no one moment or memory that stands out to me about the Christmas season. My affection for the holiday is a combination of tastes, sights and smells all combining to inspire the feeling of Christmas. That’s why I was so excited when I got the chance to review some very special holiday products from Scentsy.

I have used the Scentsy warmers and scent bars before and I love the fact that they fill my house with great aromas just like a scented candle does without the risk of having a lit candle in the house. I received the Tilia Warmer and Frosted Ginger Cookie Scent Bar to review and I just had to set it up as soon as I received it.

What I really loved about this warmer was the way that the silhouette design on the front stood out when the warmer was turned on. The warmers provide such a great ambiance with their combination of light and aroma. And the Frosted Ginger Cookie scent was deliciously festive and really made the whole house smell like I had just whipped up a big batch of gingerbread cookies! [Read more...]