Blog Sale Is Now Live: BOGO Free!

Hi everyone,

In anticipation of shutting down my blog come the time that Google Reader will be no longer (July 1, 2013, I believe), my blog sale is now live, and all most everything is $1 or less. On top of that, all eyeshadows are BOGO free!

Generally, for Aromaleigh eyeshadows, which are almost all  in baggies, shipping will be only $.44 in the United States and will be sent in a plain white business envelope. If you want shipping in a padded mailer with delivery confirmation, the price will generally be $2.00 in the United States.

I will ship internationally, and shipping costs will be be determined on a case-by-case basis.

For other blog items that are not eyeshadows and are in jars or tubes, shipping cost will also be determined on a case by case basis. You can ogle everything here. Have fun!

PS: I'll give more info about the closing later. For now I just wanted to get the sale up.

Not Cosmetics: Nightfood!

Hi all,

I've suffered (truly) from complete and total insomnia ever since I underwent a prophylactic total hysterectomy for endometrial stromal sarcoma (a very rare type of cancer; 2% of the world population) in 2006. I am physiologically unable to fall asleep naturally. I can't even fall asleep for a nap. I take a couple of different sleep medications to be able to sleep each night. Luckily, they work for me most of the time.

 

Luckily, too, I came across NightFood bars. They serve as a bedtime snack for me (they are yummy and filling with a glass of milk), and they also help me fall asleep better. They also give me a better quality of sleep and a better waking experience. I used to wake up groggy, and it took me about 30 minutes or more to drag myself out of bed and even more time to feel fully awake. Now I'm out of bed, generally, within 10 minutes. 

 

My experience with NightFood as a company was stunningly excellent from the beginning. Sean Folkson is the company founder. I emailed him with a question about NightFood because at that time I was curious about anything that could help me sleep better. THE DUDE CALLED ME AT HOME THE NEXT DAY! Tell me the last time a company founder called you at home to answer a question, LOL. 

 

We talked a long time about the product as well as its development and marketing. I ended up buying a box of bars. They worked so well I went on subscription (automatic "refills) and eventually asked him about the possibility of investing in the company. It wasn't possible at that time, but it is now, as is the possibility to try NightFood bars for yourself and to help a young and worthy company grow.

Here are the deets. Feel free to repost, unedited please, to your blog if you like :-)

We need your help to raise $50,000 to order fresh NightFood bars and launch nationally! 

Why NightFood?

When I first got the idea for NightFood, I was just a guy who wasn’t able to sleep well, eating junk at all hours of the night. I wanted a healthier snack that would satisfy my evil cravings, fill me up on fewer calories, and help me sleep better. Was that too much to ask?
Over the last few years, tons of research has come out showing that I wasn't alone.
MassiveHealth, via their iPhone app, tracked almost 8 million food ratings from users over 5 months, and determined that we eat more junk right before bed than at any other time of day.
And, research published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders says that 25% of us don’t just snack at night, but we eat such strange snacks at night that we'd be ashamed if others found out.

Why should you contribute?

If you don't eat, or don't sleep, maybe NightFood isn't for you.

Seriously, we know nighttime cravings are real. We know that fighting them is hard, and giving in to them is unhealthy and disruptive to our sleep.
How great would it be to have a product in your local store that's delicous enough to satisfy those cravings, filling enough (on only 150 calories) to help you avoid eating anything else, that also helps you sleep better, so you can wake up feeling refreshed and have more energy all day long?
With NightFood, you can satisfy your cravings and get better sleep.
We've got great rewards available (on the right of the screen).  And, a limited supply of bonus rewards.  To learn more, live chat with Sean now.

How are we helping to save the world?

In the small picture, we’re really just talking about replacing one snack with another, eliminating a few calories, and getting better sleep.
In the big picture, we know that a small improvement in sleep improves just about every area of our lives. Our health, energy levels, produ
ctivity at work, our relationships with our spouses and families, even our metabolism and appetite are proven to be strongly linked with the quality of our sleep.
If we can help enough people sleep a little better every night, we’re actually going to make the world a better place. It might sound corny, but when we get E-mails from happy customers telling us that NightFood changed their lives, that makes it very real.

Why do we need the money?

One of the big 3 pharmacy chains (we're not allowed to identify them yet) is ready to test NightFood in their stores before launching us nationally.
You've probably heard stories about people who start snack bar companies in their kitchen, garage, or a small bakery (like Clif Bar). But, NightFood isn't just a snack bar. 
Because of the special ingredients we use in NightFood to support better sleep, we're required to meet very strict FDA manufacturing requirements.  A kitchen or bakery won't do.
Our manufacturer is an SQF 2000 certified facility (the highest standards in the industry), and they manufacture bars hundreds of thousands (if not millions) at a time for brands like NutriSystem.
We need your contributions so we can order fresh product, with our new and improved formula, to initiate the in-store testing. With your help, we can be in thousands of stores across the country in just a few months. For millions of people out there eating junk at night this is big news!

The NightFood Team

Sean Folkson and Peter Leighton head up the NightFood team. Sean is a former insomniac and late night snacker.  NightFood helps, but his two young sons ensure that he doesn’t quite get all the sleep he needs. Peter is a nutrition industry veteran. Over the last 25 years, Peter has been responsible for developing and marketing products and brands such as CitriMax® ,Schiff® , Tiger’s Milk®, and Carb Intercept®. In addition, a team of formulators, food scientists, and FDA regulatory experts are on board to guide, support, and help innovate as NightFood looks to develop and grow our product line.

Get a FREE Box

After you make your contribution of $10 or more, you'll have the chance to share our campaign with friends and family.  Just refer 3 people to our camapign that contribute, and we'll make sure you get an extra box, 100% free! 
It's just our way of saying thanks for contributing, and thanks for sharing this potentially life-changing product with the people you care about.

 Rewards Include:

• Backers get to enjoy NightFood bars at every level: Starting from two bars to 50 boxes!
• 20% off all your orders from NightFood.com for 2 years!
• Optional 1 month free subscription to BuluBox, where you can try lots of great healthy supplements every month.
• NightFood collectors box* limited edition
• Vote for our next flavor when you contribute at the $50 or $75 level.
• Exclusive Reseller Packages: Choose from 20 or 50 boxes.  Great for retailers, or if you've already tried NightFood and know you love it! 

***No International Shipping - United States Only***

Having trouble paying?  This video will help

Want to know what's in the bars?  View ingredients here

Limited Edition Collector's Item Box:

• Only 1,000 available in the world
• Serial number on each box in the series
• Imagine having an original, collectors item box from the first retail run of Gatorade or Cheerios. Great conversation piece, and potentially worth serious cash when NightFood is a household brand.

As a contributor to this campaign, we'll send you approximately 1 E-mail per week through 4/15/13, and then approximately 1 E-mail per month after that. Of course, you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contribution Levels and Rewards

• $10

  NightFood Sample

  2 yummy cookies n' creme NightFood bars, shipping included (US only). Support us, and get a chance to try NightFood for yourself.
  13 out of 200 claimed

• $15

  Box of 6 NightFood Bars

  A box of 6 bars, shipping included (US only). A whole week's worth of better snacking and better sleep (if you allocate one night for a hunger strike, or a hot fudge sundae)
  Estimated delivery: May 2013

  14 claimed

• $25

  2 Boxes, plus cool stuff

  You get 2 boxes of bars, shipping included (US only). Plus, get 20% off all your orders from NightFood.com for 2 years! Also, you get an optional 1 month free subscription to BuluBox, where you can try lots of great healthy supplements every month.
  Estimated delivery: May 2013

  37 out of 2000 claimed

• $30

  2 Boxes, plus cool stuff

  You get 2 boxes of bars, shipping included (US only). Plus, get 20% off all your orders from NightFood.com for 2 years! Also, you get an optional 1 month free subscription to BuluBox, where you can try lots of great healthy supplements every month.
  Estimated delivery: May 2013

  3 claimed

• $50

  NightFood Collector's Box #1

  get all of the perks from the $30 level, PLUS a LIMITED edition collectors item box (shown at bottom of campaign description), only 1000 in this series. PLUS, get ONE vote to help us decide our next flavor!
  Estimated delivery: May 2013

  19 out of 500 claimed

• $75

  NightFood Collector's Box #2

  get all of the perks from the $50 level, PLUS 2 additional boxes of bars to eat. PLUS, get TWO extra votes to help us decide our next flavor! That's right...at this level, you get THREE votes!
  Estimated delivery: May 2013

  9 out of 500 claimed

• $99

  Loyalty Pack - 20 available

  Get 10 boxes of NightFood (60 bars) for ONLY $99, delivered to your door. Previous customers only, please
  Estimated delivery: May 2013

  15 out of 20 claimed

• $159

  Reseller Special #1

  20 boxes of NightFood, totaling 120 bars. cost includes shipping to your location within the United States.
  Estimated delivery: May 2013

  4 claimed

• $364

  Reseller Special #2

  50 boxes of NightFood, totaling 300 bars. cost includes shipping to your location Within the United States
  Estimated delivery: May 2013

  1 claimed

• $600

  Celebrate with the Founder

  Dinner for 2 with NightFood founder Sean Folkson at his FAVORITE restaurant: NYC HotSpot, Beauty & Essex, owned by Food Network star and celebrity chef Chris Santos. Celebrate with Sean, enjoy some of the most talked-about food in the country, and maybe even get to meet NightFood fan Santos. You'll need to be in New York City to claim this perk...of course, our scheduling is flexible
  Estimated delivery: April 2013

  0 out of 6 claimed

Mystery Formulator and Contest Winner Revealed

Hi everyone, 

I'm sorry for the lack of posts lately. A family member recently had a scary health issue, and I was pretty upset about it and unable to focus on almost everything. Usually the health scares are mine, and I realized this time that it's just as difficult being on the other side of the fence. I always try to learn something from all situations I face. Not fun but usually helpful later on. 

So, to get back to the blog, the Mystery Formulator is Helen F. of BBFF* blog, as a couple of people rightly guessed! The winner of the prize was Samantha R., and her shadows are currently on her way. Thank you, Helen, for sponsoring the contest (as well as the product, LOL). 

I asked Helen to answer my standard mini-interview questions, and here are her answers: 

1. Describe yourself in three words and say why for each: I'm academic, truthful, and sharp. This is how I believe I am at the moment. I have been doing really well in my academic studies. I am truthful because I cannot bear people lying. I would rather say what I feel, than not say anything at all; then you know where you stand with me. I am sharp because I don't take anything at face value. 

2. What three foods do you like best and why? Oats, fruit, and yoghurt. I eat this combination for breakfast most days; some call it Bircher muesli. It gives me long-burning energy and is good for the body in many ways! Here is a link to Jamie Oliver's recipe. 

3. What would be your three "desert-island" cosmetics and why (i.e., if you were stranded on a desert island, which three cosmetics (brand and type/product name please) would you most want to have with you and why)? I would take (1) sunscreen; Clarins ones are good for the face because I would burn, well, assuming it's a sunny desert island! (2) deodorant -- Dove Anti Marks -- because I dislike not wearing deodorant, and (3) a tube of Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour cream because it is a multi-use moisturising product. 

Thanks for sharing with us, Helen. We all wish the best to this muesli-eating, EA-wearing, soon-to-be graduate!

Here's What I Bought with My Fab.com $15 Credit

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE MYSTERY FORMULATOR GIVEAWAY HERE! ONLY TWO MORE DAYS LEFT :-)

I just spent my Fab.com credit on this item (I'm a shower-gel lover):

Cupid's Arrow Bath Gel: The stuff that Cupid dips his arrows in (because sometimes fate needs an assist)

Here are the deets:

• Scent: blackberries and fresh vanilla cream
• Pheromone activation bubbles for bath or shower
• Infused with powerfully blended Ginseng extract to kick up pheromones- the natural chemical scents the body produces to attract others. Chinese Emperors believed Ginseng had the power to increase sex drive and vitality, energy level and sexual confidence (hmph; we'll see about that, LOL)
• Can be used as a shower gel or a bubble bath
• Never tested on animals
• SLS free (added by me)

I still had to pay $4.95 shipping, but the actual goods were free! 

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE MYSTERY FORMULATOR GIVEAWAY HERE! ONLY TWO MORE DAYS LEFT :-)

Dang! Here's Another Shopping Credit at FAB.com!

Fab.com Credit

Fab.com Credit – Wow! You have to check out this deal! You can get $15 in Free Credits on Fab.com just by clicking on the links provided! There is one link that will give you $10 and the other link will give you $5! It is very easy – all you have to do is either sign in or sign up for Fab.com! My credits took about an hour to show up in my account after I applied for them! They will expire on 2/14 so maybe you can find some Valentine’s Day gifts or products with your Free $15 Credit!

Here are the links you have to click:

• Free $10 Credit
• Free $5 Credit

Fab.com is a website that helps people better their lives with design. There are a bunch of unique household, electronic, clothing items and more to browse through and use your $15 Credit on!

Contest Extended and Photos All in One Place

I decided to extend the contest to give more people an opportunity to enter. I'm also making it easier to choose the colors you want (if you win, of course) by posting them all here. That way you won't have to run around my blog to see the colors in each of the four Mystery Formulator posts.

So, here we go. All colors are named in the order of top to bottom, left to right (like reading in columns, LOL).

Alison, Bella, Gayle, Goldie, and Kelly

Hayley, Heidi, Lily, Maggie, and Mashup #1

Lianne, Petra, Silvia, Stella, Susie

Mitzi, Lanie, Minka, and Brianna

Freebie Alert!!!

I came across this site from Shelby at (Not) Making It Up -- Vault Marketplace -- at http://bit.ly/10K0Oey. If you sign up, we BOTH get $25 to spend -- and there's TONS of stuff for under $25. BTW, did I mention the free shipping and free returns? I haven't made my purchase yet, but hey, free is free! If you hover over the "shop" tab, you can look at the stuff that's $0 to $50 in several different categories. It's not just cosmetics here gals. There are phone covers, bracelets, and stuff for the kiddos, men, and even the home!

Let us know what you bought, OK?

EDIT: I just found out from Shelby that you have to spend $35 to get this offer. Still not a bad deal, right?

Contest Heads Up!

I can't think of any woman who wouldn't want to win free eyeshadow! The Mystery Formulator contest is now posted and running here (see the contest post for links to colors available). Do enter, won't you?

Mystery Formulator Contest/Giveaway :-)

OK, here is the Rafflcopter-powered Mystery Formulator giveaway (starts tonight at 12:01 am), which is related to my posts here, here, here, and here. I've kept the entries short and simple, and the contest will run for 10 days. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Just a Little Press for a New Young Beauty Blogger

The niece of an old high-school classmate has a cutely named blog here: Bunny Approved Beauty. Won't you please visit her page and follow if you can? If it had been on Blogger, I would have followed her blog, but it's on Wordpress and doesn't seem to have a "follow" icon. 

Here is the bio from the blog:

"My name is Maddie and I’m a vegetarian teenage girl that loves makeup and beauty! This blog is completely dedicated to sharing, reviewing, and doing tutorials using only cruelty-free brands. About a year ago, I learned the hard truth about most cosmetic and beauty brands. Many brands still use the cruel practices of testing their products on animals, whether it’s direct or through a third party/manufacturer. I want this blog to be a resource for anyone interested in buying/learning about cruelty-free brands. Thankfully, there are a growing number of brands and products for shoppers just like you and me! Have a great day! :)"

I love to support young beauty bloggers whenever I can. After all, they are the future of beauty blogging! And cruelty-free cosmetics and skin care are a hot topic. You can support her by mentioning her blog/linking to her blog on your blog. Maybe I'll try to get an interview with her if I can think of some good questions :-)

Mystery Formulator: Fourth and Final Pre-Contest Post

Greetings, everyone. Hope you all had a nice Christmas, Hanukkah, or solstice celebration. Mine was probably one of the nicest I've ever had, due in part to the fact that we had "new" people (not old, used-up, worn-out people, LOL) at our Christmas gathering: a niece's boyfriend and a nephew's girlfriend. Both are welcome into our family as far as I'm concerned (just in case wedding bells start ringing). Very nice and funny young people!

Here is the fourth and final installment of the Mystery Formulator series. I had hoped to have this post up before the end of the year, and the accompanying contest -- to win five full-size pots of your choice from the Mystery Formulator -- to start 2013, but, well, you know . . . crap happens.

I should tell you that the Mystery Formulator does not plan at this time to sell her creations, so this might be the only chance you get to try these beauties. If you win the contest, you get to choose five full-size jars from all of the colors I posted here and in the three previous Mystery Formulator posts here (part one), here (part two), and here (part three).

This last post contains all neutrals. The color names match with the photos in the following order: top to bottom, left to right. I had the pleasure of naming these four colors (as well as a few in the previous posts). Sorry, but I forgot to get a video of these, but you've been able to tell the quality of these shadows from my previous posts, so you can go by them (see above) links). I hope you enjoy these. Now get to choosing which colors you want if you win the contest!

Mitzi, Lanie, Minka, and Brianna under natural light

Slight close-up of Mitzi, Lanie, Minka, and Brianna under natural light

Just a Wee Pre-Christmas Post

Hi, everybody! Are you all ready for Christmas (Christians that is)? I still have to wrap gifts (my least favorite part of the pre-holiday process), so of course I'm putting it off by finishing this holiday bracelet for myself (it'll double for both Christmas and New Year's Eve):

The set is made of four bracelets: One each with  brown, light blue gray, and burgundy-reddish glass pearls inset with a strip of faceted glass iris AB crystal beads and a fourth one a mix of the three different-colored glass pearls interspersed with the Czech crystals.

I'll be wearing red and gray with these bracelets, burgundy-reddish crystal earrings, and probably DEC Silvered on my lids and Peppermint and Evergreen as a wash from crease to brow bone.

How about you? What will you be wearing on Christmas day?

We Interrrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Programming . . .

. . . . for a DEC Christmas treat (and, BTW, that should be the British "shed-jeweled" pronunciation, LOL :-) I didn't feel right having Christmas come and go without (1) thanking you for following/reading my blog this year, commenting, and participating in fun contests, one of which is coming up soon (our very own Mystery Formulator) and (2) sharing with you that I won the set-naming contest that Dawn had for her 2012 Christmas Collection, which is now monikored "Winter Wonderland" by yours truly.

The prizes in these contests are quite generous. I got to choose 5 full sizes -- Peppermint and Evergreen, Mistletoe Kiss, Pecan Pie, Walnut, and Sugared Plums (guess you all by now which colors I gravitate to the most, right?) --  and I also got to choose 10 samples -- which were Butter (x 2), Silvered, Christmas Tree (x 2), Three Kings, Wreath, Sweet Cream (x 2), and I got Golden Garland as an extra. 

I didn't get to try all of the colors yet because I wanted to get this collection (or at least the colors I have from it) up before the actual holiday it's named after :-) So, here they are, shown over several pictures and (as always) in alpha order from left to right and top to bottom:

Colors I Chose: Web site descriptions (my take in italics) (favorites/potential favorites in bold red type)

Butter, Chestnut, Christmas Tree, and Golden Garland under natural light

• Butter: Delicious light gold lit up with golden sparkle, simple and elegant Not sure about this color, but I will give it a try. I can't usually wear anything that throws a true yellow, but this color is very low-key. 

• Chestnut: Bronzy semi-metallic satin spiced up with color-shifting sparkle that goes blue to purple to pink I'm just gaga over this color; over the moon and back. Love Dawn's rich browns and other neutrals. Won't rebuy because I won a FS jar, but i *am* sharing it with some good friends :-) 

• Christmas Tree: Deep forest green glittering with a rainbow of sparkle, gold, silver, green, pink, purple, and blue Boo-hoo; this green was too deep and too cool-toned for my taste, so I won't buy more :-( 

• Golden Garland: Deep yellow-gold bordering on orange, loaded with golden shimmer and pink to gold color-shifting sparkle I hate to break my guideline by never judging a color by it's shade in the sample baggie, but this one got to me. It scares me like a carnival like clowns scare me, but that's so subjective. Try it; you might like it!

Franken, Mistletoe Kiss, Pecan Pie, Peppermint and Evergreen, and Silvered under natural light

 • Christmas Tree/Wreath Franken (at top): The best of both words; deep AND bright! 

• Mistletoe Kiss: Medium pink pearl with a coral shift and bright sparks of pink and green I looooove pinks, so I'm sure I'll take to this one, too, like a baby to a boobie :-) 

• Pecan Pie:  Lush deep brown satin with plenty of golden, copper, and pink glitter Nom, nom, nom . . . oh, hai; did you want to speak with me? . . nom, nom . . . can't speak right now . . nom, nom  . . my mouth is busy -- nom, nom . . . mmmmm, pink sparkles. No need for a rebuy; I already have a FS of this pie . . . er . . . I mean eyehsadow 

• Peppermint and Evergreen: Bright white satin with a subtle pink tinge and a soft green shift, dancing with red and green sparkle Although I can't usually wear a stark white base, this has just enough pink to warm it up for me. Love my FS jar of this color! 

• Silvered: Stunning metallic silver, opaque and dripping in golden and holographic glitter I'm most excited to try this color because it's not a straight silver shade, which I don't wear very well; the gold appeared to be well-blended in hand swatches, again warming it up for my use.

Sugared Plums, Sweet Cream, Three Kings, and Wreath under natural light

• Sugared Plums: A pretty plummy purple with blue, gold, pink, and violet sparks  Yummy, yummy, yummy, I've got love in my tummy -- that's what this rich buttery pigmented color makes me think of :-) Won't repurchase since I won a FS jar :-) 

• Sweet Cream: Beautiful bright metallic, a pale champagne littered with gold and silver sparkle I haven't tried this yet, but if it's like Dawn's other liquid golds and champagnes, I'm sure I will. The hand swatches alone were stunning! 

• Three Kings: Deep mysterious black-based purple, dancing with silver, gold, blue, and violet glitter Black-based colors really do a number on me. I usually look like I've been kicked in the eye by a not-so-talented back-street Balanchine. Not a rebuy :-( 

• Wreath: Bright satiny medium green with flecks of pink and purple sparkle Way too bright a green for me, but if that's what you're looking for, then slap it on, sistah!

FYI, the Mystery Formulator series will resume after Christmas :-)

Mystery Formulator: Part 3

Hi everyone! OK, time for some more mystery-formulator colors :-) I have quite a few more that I won't photo or post here. I'm showing you only my personal favorites. And these five are the favorites of my favorites, LOL.

As with nearly all loose mineral shadows, these shades work best with a sticky primer to bring out the colours and to ensure that they stay on all day. All of these swatches were done over Hi-Fi Cosmetics High Impact Shadow Fix, but they look good overt Art Deco's primer, which is my current favorite because it goes on like UDPP but has slightly sticky properties. The best of both worlds in my humble opinion (review to come at a later time).

Here are the colors in order of left to right, top to bottom, as usual:

Lianne, Petra, Silvia, Stella, Susie

Lianne, Petra, Silvia, Stella, Susie

And here's a short video clip (pardon the heavy breathing; I keep forgetting to narrate):