Hi all!  I thought I would do a quick little dog post (I’ve been doing a ton of them recently it seems like).  My friend Janis (check out her blog here, it’s awesome!) came over with her dog Gir to have a play date.  Unfortunately Ziggy didn’t like Gir too much so he had to stay in the house, but Chase (my parent’s dog) had a blast.  Chase is a really shy dog so it’s nice to see he made a friend.

Hope you liked the post!  I have a ton of upcoming posts planned, it’s a bit difficult because I use the self-timer on my camera and sometimes (most of the times) the shots come out blurry.  I’ll get it all figured out though.  Also, you may notice that my blog template is changed, I updated it and it totally screwed everything up so I changed it to something else.  I don’t love it as much as the other one but c’est la vie!  On a positive note, I’m going to Vegas on Thursday, can’t wait!

Hope you had a fab Saturday and don’t forget to subscribe!

Which one is the real egg?

So a few days ago I received an Evolution of Smooth (eos) Lip Balm Smooth Sphere from their Canadian PR company.  I have seen these things before on YouTube videos and blogs and I thought they were the cutest little things!

Anyways, so the eos Lip Balm Smooth Spheres just became available to all major Canadian retailers this August so now Canadians can keep their lips nice and smooth all year round!

Alright, so what exactly is so special about it you ask?  Well, I can think of a few things off the top of my head.  Obviously the design factor on these guys are really cool.  They are literally like little eggs that you unscrew on top to get the “yolk” out of the product, being the actual lip balm.  I love the packaging on this! It’s nice and smooth and I find myself constantly unscrewing it whenever it’s near me.  Like if I see it sitting there I’ll pick it up and just play with it.  It’s so soft and so fun to screen and unscrew.

The actual lip balm itself is huge!  This thing will probably last me a few years.  At first glance it looks almost too big to use on your lips, however, I think it’s supposed to be used on both of your lips at the same time.  The balm also has a really nice scent to it, the one I received is the Summer Fruit flavour, the other flavours that were released in Canada are Sweet Melon and Honeysuckle Honeydew.

Lastly, and I think the biggest plus, the product is made from a blend of 100 per cent natural and 95 per cent organic ingredients, infused with vitamin E, sheer butter, and jojoba oil.  It is also gluten, petrolatum, and paraben-free, so it’s good for you and the environment.  With all the chemicals they put in beauty products nowadays it’s nice to see some stuff that features organic ingredients.

So my thoughts on it?  Like I said, one of my favourite things about it is just playing with it.  I find myself constantly applying it on my lips whenever it’s in my sight.  If I were to compare this to my all-time favourite lip product Rosebud Salve, there are quite a lot of differences between the two.  The eos Smooth Sphere is more of a waxy texture, whereas Rosebud Salve has a jelly one.  Also, Rosebud Salve is good for things other than just your lips.  With that being said, I still really like this product and have been using it over my Rosebud ever since I got it.

I’m not sure of the price in Canada, however it retails for $3.29 USD.  They should be available in drug stores like Shoppers Drug Mart or you can order them online.

Have you tried an eos Smooth Sphere?  What were your thoughts?  Leave me a comment below and don’t forget to subscribe!

Hi all!  So I finally finished a book this summer, yay!  After semi-reading Freedom by Jonathan Franzen and 14 Days Later by Sibel Hodge, I finally managed to plow through a book.  I have an iPad and although I do like reading on it, it’s hard to tell how far along you are in a book and how many pages are left in a chapter.  Plus there is nothing like cuddling up with a good book; the smell, the touch of the pages, the hardcover-ness of it all…. anyways, back to the task at hand.

I recently read Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster by Dana Thomas, a cultural and fashion writer for Newsweek in Paris and a frequent contributor to such other high-profile publications like Vogue, The Washington Post, Harper’s Bazaar, The New Yorker, and others.

Thomas’ book covers the luxury fashion industry, starting with the history of the brands to the present day fashion industry.  She delves into topics such as brand heritage and democratization of luxury labels.  She also goes on to say how the bottom line for a lot of brands (good quality products made with the finest of materials) when they first started has all but disappeared as fashion houses are turning their production to China and outsourcing for cheaper materials (both in terms of quality and price).

She also looks at the market for fake designer goods.  I personally am against fake stuff, if I can’t afford it I don’t buy it.  Now I get why people buy them; every girl wants a Chanel purse, a Tiffany’s bracelet, etc.  Luxury items are highly sought after and very expensive.  Not everyone can afford to drop $2,000 on a handbag (myself included).  But did you know that “the FBI believes that terrorists financed the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 with sales of counterfeit T-shirts in a store on Broadway in New York City, according to the International Anti-Counterfitting Coalition (IACC)”.  Counterfeit goods have also been known to be produced by “violent crime syndicates that also deal in narcotics, weapons, child prostitution, human trafficking and terrorism.”   When you buy a $20 “Chanel” handbag you could be supporting a number of terrorist groups. That, and not to mention bad fakes can be spotted from miles away.

Thomas’ book is a compelling read, delving into topics like what makes a Hermes Birkin bag so popular and pricey (you have to custom order it at a store and customize it to your liking.  There are also huge wait lists for the bag), a look into mass retail and outlet malls, and how some products “made in Italy” are actually made in China with a handle or something attached in the European country it says it’s made in.  The book really makes you wonder how much something is actually worth.  For instance, she says that most retail brands mark up their products by 10 per cent, Louis Vuitton a staggering 13 per cent.  When you pay over $1,000 for a handbag, did that same bag cost only $100 to produce?  Is it worth it?  The answer will be different for a lot of people.  For me, I would say it’s still worth it; owning a piece of the brand history, the craftsmanship (although Chanel and Hermes, according to Thomas, are the only two luxury brands remaining that retain old standards of manufacture), and the exclusivity.  Do I regret buying my Louis Vuitton knowing what I know from this book?  Nope, I still love it.  However, it is nice knowing the information that Thomas presents, including the history of the brand up to LVMH‘s ownership.

If you are in the market for buying a luxury item, whether it’s a handbag, a couture gown, or even a perfume (a gateway item for most luxury brands), I would pick this book up.  I myself didn’t buy the book, I borrowed it from my local library, but it is available on Amazon if you are interested.

Have you read Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster? If so, tell me your thoughts!  Even if you haven’t read it what are your opinions on designer goods, are they worth it or a waste of money?  Leave me a comment below!

Also, don’t forget to enter my Sally Hansen Salon Effects giveaway!  Ends today!  Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe :).