Posts Tagged ‘pictures’

Fine red fruits

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
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I’ve mentioned before that I really like yumberries, which are a blast from my childhood. It seems that many other delectable fruits that I encountered on my visit to China come in shades of red too; check them out in their perfectly beautiful glory!

rack of strawberries neatly lined up and watermelon halves on the side

Strawberries so neatly lined up! Don’t forget the watermelon too.

bowl of bright red cherries

When I first saw these, I thought they were fake plastic ones!

collage of top and bottom view of mangosteen

Mangosteens grow such perfect petals that they seem fake too.

Animal products

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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And no, I don’t mean stuff made from animals!

soap dish with image of cross-stitch owl on it

ceramic candle holder in shape of owl

soap dispenser in shape of cute penguin couple

socks with half of animal face on one foot and half of face on other foot

creamer in shape of cow

Blanket of snow!

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , ,
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A little bit of snow finally came ’round. I love all the snow you can see falling in the pictures – those flakes got pretty large!

layer of snow covering trees and cars in parking lot outside

bare branches of tree covered in snow

snow starting to collect on edge of porch

Yuzen September 2012 edition

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Alright, I know I’m totally late to the game with this one, but I still want to put it out there for posterity. It’s still useful to go through the treats that came in previous Yuzen boxes and who knows, maybe you’re looking for a review of a specific product that was included.

Yuzen is $26 per month and comes with around 5 or 6 eco-friendly beauty, skincare, food/snacks, and home products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. Sometimes there’s a waitlist to get the subscription. They do not offer a referral program.

[Update: the collage below was featured on Yuzen’s Facebook page! How exciting. :)]

collage of unwrapping of september 2012 yuzen box

Even my cat was eager to check out the box this time!

I got so excited to try out this box that I completely forgot to take a shot of all the products together! Oh well…

Click on the pictures for the full sizes so you can enjoy all the details of each product!  You can even zoom in to read all the messaging.

collage of cowgirl ranch hand cream included in the september 2012 yuzen boxCowgirl Skincare – Ranch Hand Cream: My very first reaction to this was of stunned surprise, because the packaging is the exact kind I was looking to use for a product I was working on launching (different dimensions though). What a coincidence! I was happy to get another Cowgirl product, after enjoying the cleanser that had come in the previous Yuzen box. When I first opened this, the flower pattern was just too pretty to ruin! I let it sit around for a couple of weeks as I used up my current solid lotion and then I couldn’t resist anymore. Now this is my go-to lotion whenever my hands feel dry from too much washing. It’s wonderfully hydrating and really fun to apply.

collage of st. clarie's organics spearmints included in the september 2012 yuzen boxSt. Claire’s Organics – Spearmints: I wasn’t expecting brown mints when I opened the tin, so that was kind of cool. It makes these mints feel more natural, as if they’re straight from the earth. I also love the quote inside the tin, which is totally random. The mints themselves are great and not only taste good, but have a good texture. If I ever need more mints, I’d definitely look at St. Claire’s. It’ll probably take me ages to get through just this tin though! I love that Yuzen started adding discount codes so you can save when you do decide to buy more.

collage of la fresh instant body soother, oil-free face cleanser, acetone-free nail polish remover, and waterproof makeup remover wipes included in the september 2012 yuzen boxLa FreshInstant Body Soother, Oil-Free Face Cleanser, Acetone-Free Nail Polish Remover, & Waterproof Makeup Remover: Wow, wow, WOW! I mean, I am just in love with La Fresh. I had heard of them, was intrigued, but couldn’t make the plunge. Thank you Yuzen for completely converting me into a fan. I was amazed at how effective the nail polish remover was (and how wonderful it smells) – all without acetone! The face cleanser was lightly scented and very soothing. My skin felt so good afterwards I didn’t even apply lotion. The body soother is a great refresher to your skin after a workout or time out in the sun. Its peppermint scent is totally relaxing too. Finally, the makeup remover was gentle and effective for the one time I’ve used makeup since I got it! Thank goodness I had that wipe, so I didn’t have to wash my face multiple times or rub my eyes like crazy. I’ve since bought a ton of things from La Fresh, taking advantage of their free shipping for orders over $50 and 10% discount code for first-timers (8LFFSW5)!

collage of pangea organics japanese matcha tea with acai and goji berry facial mask and nigerian ginger with lavender and thyme facial cream included in the september 2012 yuzen boxPangea Organics – Japanese Matcha Tea with Acai & Goji Berry Facial Mask & Nigerian Ginger with Lavender & Thyme Facial Cream: Ok, I admit, the hype around this brand has intimidated me. So much so that I have actually yet to open these bottles to try! I just want to really enjoy them and right now I’ve got all this facial stuff that I want to use first. I promise I will try them and update, if you ever come back again… I have tried another product that I got in a later Yuzen box, which I like so far.

collage of honey stinger pomegranate passion organic energy chews included in the september 2012 yuzen boxHoney StingerPomegranate Passion organic energy chews: These gummies are fun! I’ve got to be careful not to treat them like normal candy, or else I might just down the entire bag. I think this is a great way to get energy, especially since I don’t drink coffee or energy drinks. I haven’t gotten to test how effective the energy boost is though, so that has yet to be seen. At least the taste and texture is good! The energy boost wouldn’t be worth it if they weren’t.

Adventures in cooking

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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For a period, my cousin and I had to fend for ourselves, so we got into cooking rather than eating out or microwaving. This is what we ate that week…

meal consisting of chicken & snow peas, tomatoes & eggs, rice

Day 1: chicken & snow peas, tomatoes & eggs, rice. The chicken was leftover from my mom’s previous dish.

meal consisting of potato strips, sausage with carrot & snow peas, mung bean jelly, rice

Day 2: potato strips, sausage with carrot & snow peas, mung bean jelly, rice. The jelly is a cold dish.

meal consisting of potato strips, sausage with carrot & peas, tomatoes & eggs, brownie, rice

Day 3: potato strips, sausage with carrot & peas, tomatoes & eggs, brownie, rice. Rice not pictured.

meal consisting of chicken noodle soup, sausage with carrot & spinach, mini quiches, tomatoes & eggs, rice

Day 4: chicken noodle soup, sausage with carrot & spinach, mini quiches, tomatoes & eggs, rice. Soup & quiches from store.

meal consisting of chicken noodle soup, spinach & eggs, mini quiches, rice

Day 5: chicken noodle soup, spinach & eggs, mini quiches, rice. Soup & quiches from store.

Slick razor upgrade

laelene Posted in reviews,Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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I’ve used a Venus razor since I started shaving some 12-13 years ago. I don’t shave often, so those first couple of replacement heads that came with the handle have lasted me all this time. While I have supplemented my shaving with a few disposable razors and whatnot when I was at hotels, I’ve pretty much been a one-brand gal. Enter the Schick Hydro Silk razor, which I was given to try (for free!) as part of a BzzAgent campaign.

collage of schick hydro silk razor box openingWith five blades spaced pretty close together, you get a very close shave and I was actually able to navigate my knees and ankles without fear of nicking myself!  They have a strip of “moisture serum” that is supposed to sort of melt from the heat of your shower, but I didn’t really notice it coming off to hydrate my skin. Still, my legs didn’t feel dry so it must have worked, right? Also nice is a little suction cup hanger so you can keep your razor within reach, yet out of the way in your shower.

After trying the Schick Hydro Silk razor, I definitely have a very positive impression of Schick. Prior to this, I hadn’t really known much about the brand or thought of it as highly as I did Gillette, but now that I’ve experienced one of their products, I’d put them on par with Gillette.  In fact, they might just be my go-to brand for my shaving needs now. That will be determined as I continue to put their razor to the test over the next few years!

Dogs in cars

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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I come across a fair share of dogs waiting in cars for their owners (sometimes with them too). Other than the pair of dogs I saw hanging out together in the front seats of a car, here are some others I’ve noted:

fluffy dog staring out back window sitting in car on rear deck

This one was waiting for its owner to get lunch at Panera Bread. I was pretty startled when it barked at me fiercely!

big fluffy dog staring out passenger window sitting in car on front passenger side seat

This one was waiting with its owner for someone to come out of the Hertz rental return. I was shocked to see such a large dog staring at me.

boxer dog staring out driver window sitting in car on driver side seat

This one was waiting for its owner to get packages from the rental office. It was so calm and still.

Dr. Scholl’s custom fitting

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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This is what we learned about the way we stand:

dr scholls orthotic center machine showing high pressure on heels

You can see I hold most of my weight on my heels and tend to put a little more pressure on the right.

dr scholls orthotic center0 machine showing more pressure on left foot

Meanwhile, Panda puts a lot more pressure on his left foot.

Aerie underwear!

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , ,
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Aerie by American Eagle had this promo where you could get free underwear in store, or get it for $0.01 online with a code they texted you. Panda and I happened to get sent a total of 5 codes and since it didn’t say you couldn’t redeem them all, I did!  Fun times. 🙂  I am now totally a fan of Aerie and will go to them for my future undergarment needs.

opaque black plastic mailing bags

They came in discreet black bags.

five different aerie underwear in plastic bags

So many fun designs!

stack of five aerie underwear

All set for the week. 🙂

Cake pops

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , ,
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collage of cake pops from bake you happyMy newest obsession (and almost addiction) is cake pops.  They are just SO fantastic!  While cupcakes may dry out, you can count on cake pops to remain moist in that wonderful chocolate shell.  Plus, they’re a great-sized portion just enough to pick you up without weighing you down.  I also like that they’re easily portable and less prone to getting messed up/smushed.  I was able to bring some on a plane with me recently and while one of them got crushed, it still held together decently and I was still able to eat it with no problems.  Meanwhile, cupcakes are so delicate I’m afraid to tilt them or crush them even in their boxes.  Granted, cake pops don’t have frosting, but I actually prefer the hard chocolate shell to the soft and messy frosting of cupcakes.

Seriously, what’s not to love?  One of these days, I’ve got to try making some myself since they’re pricey little fellows.  I don’t even need to bother with the sticks; I just bite straight into them like a piece of chocolate.

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