Wednesday, January 25, 2012

reviews and recommendations

I've been using several products, appliances and grocery store items that are worthy of me sharing. Most are amazing, but there is one that I'm on the fence with...

$119.00
Back in October I ordered the Clarisonic Mia. I had only heard wonderful things about this product. After receiving mine I saw immediate results. I felt that my skin appeared tighter, my pores smaller and my make up seemed to apply smoother. I rotate between Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Foaming Scrub and Philosophy On a Clear Day cleanser. The initial change that I saw in my skin didn't last very long... maybe 2 weeks. I have now been using the Clarisonic for 3 months - although I am still unhappy with its immediate results, I definitely feel like it cleans dirt and make up out from my pores better than any other product I've used. I use my Clarosonic daily, in the shower, because I believe I will see long term affects in reducing fine lines. If you are looking for immediate results this might not be the product for you. But if you are looking for long term results throughout the aging process, give it a shot!


$7.99
I am not generally a fan of wines with catchy names like Middle Sister or Fat Bastard, so when I saw Cupcake wine I was initially skeptical, but since purchasing my 1st bottle I have never looked back! Not surprisingly, Cupcake Vineyards in located on the central coast of California, just inland from Carmel - many great wines comes from this region. I have tried the majority of their reds and white, and I must say the Pinot Noir belongs in a category of its own - for the price, you can't find better! It pairs wonderfully with the mushroom flat bread listed below.


$4.69
My parents got Bryan and I hooked on this decadent flat bread from Trader Joes. If you prefer simple foods, this is not for you. But if you enjoy a taste bud party in your mouth, run out and purchase this affordable flat bread and tell your husband you're making "pizza" for dinner!


$49.99
I have wanted a Magic Bullet blender for some time and on Christmas morning Bryan made sure I had one to open. I make protein shakes and smoothies daily. This product has been one of the best additions to not only my kitchen, but to my life. The two most important aspects of this blender are that it is compact for storage purposes and the clean up time is literally 10 seconds. I cannot tell you how nice it is to not have to scrub out the inside of a large blender and it's blade. With the Magic Bullet you only need to clean the blade by hand, the blender portion of it is actually the glass you drink out of, so that just goes in the dish washer. I am obsessed with this product and highly recommend it if you make individual smoothies, shakes or puree's.

$2.55
I discovered Betty Crockers Suddenly Pasta Salad in Classic this past spring and make it every chance I get. It is easy to make and tastes homemade. Suddenly Salad is the perfect side dish to chicken, mixed with vegetables or made to accompany a summer BBQ. The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, but I use olive oil and it tastes delishes! This is not stated in the recipe, but I have found that when making this item, refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving or else it tastes extremely salty. The refrigeration blends the flavors and minimizes the salty taste. You can't beat the price!


30 comments:

  1. I bought a magic bullet because I saw you tweet about it - and I love, love, love it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oooo I need to try the clarisonic!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. i feel the same way about my clarisonic... after a while i felt it made me break out more... i only use mine a few times a week, my dermatologist ended up telling me it was too harsh for my face and it was stripping too many of the oils away.

    LOVE cupcake wine! and yes, i did buy it for the catchy name, but was pleasantly surprised.

    and i love suddenly salad! it was hard to find in my grocery store in the past so now if i see it, i stock up! its quick and easy to make and tastes delish!

    ReplyDelete
  4. really? the magic bullet? kate...that kills me every time.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Um, the magic bullet changed my life.

    I make pesto, salsa, salad dressings, smoothies, and soups every week with this thing. Most used appliance of my kitchen!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for doing the review on the Clarisonic. I have been debating for a while about getting one.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I just tried my first bottle of Cupcake wine last night and it was delicious! Plus, since I love cupcakes, it felt like the right choice to make :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm so glad you reviewed Clarisonic because everyone keeps talking about it, but not actually saying what it does for their skin... I think I might wait it out for this purchase. As for the magic bullet, it might be something I want to try!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Good post! I have been on the fence about the mia for a while!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm obsessed with my Clarisonic. I've had it almost a year and I definitely noticed a difference in my skin. I too use it in the shower, though the girl who did my facial told me not to use it every day since you can risk exfoliating your skin too much. Maybe it just depends on the skin type, but I love this product!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I looove Cupcake wines- especially their Red Velvet one.

    Oh Magic Bullet- we've had one for a few years and it gets used all the time! Salad dressings, salsa, smoothies- it does it all!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Good to know about the Mia, I have been thinking about getting one because my 31yr.old face looks more like a pre-teen!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Magic bullet...hmm...that name does it for me lol but that Wild Mushroom & Black Truffle Flatbread looks amazingly scrumptous!

    ReplyDelete
  14. A girl after my heart I love all of these I don't have a magic bullet but I've wanted one for years! have you tried the Cupcake Red Velvet?! You must it's delish!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I saw the thumbnail for your post (clarisonic) and was like, um yes! I freakin love that thing!! My mom got me one for Christmas two years ago and I wasnt sure about it, until I used it. My face feels so soft. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  16. You have to try the Cupcake wine (Red Velvet) ... it is so good too!! Also, i must try that flatbread, like immediately! thanks for the recommendations!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Cupcake wine is the best! I love your blog, thanks for sharing!

    sweethomenashville.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love that pasta salad! I put it over a bed of spinach with other raw veggies and some grilled chicken and it fills me right up!

    Tanks so much for the post about the clarisonic... I still cant get myself to spend the money on one yet but I am saving up :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. I feel the same way about suddenly salads! I love to add lots of my own veggies to it as well!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Good to know that Cupcake is a decent wine! I've seen it 90 billion times but never purchased it because I thought it was just a trendy name wine!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thanks so much for the review on clarisonic. I've really been going back-and-forth of whether to buy it or not. Looks like I can wait a bit until I'm sure =)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Mmmm I'm definitely going to have to get me some of that cupcake pinot noir! Is it really sweet?

    <3 Monica

    ReplyDelete
  23. The only cupcake wine we tried we DIDNT like was the RED VELVET by cupcake. It was to sweet. I tweeted about it a while back... I"m on the fence with that one.


    I didn't spend the money on the clarisonic, I talked to a few ppl that owned that AND the Oil of Olay PRO X and they told me they saw no difference using either one...
    I like my Oil of Olay! :) was worth the 30 bucks! :)

    Great post Katie!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I am obsessed with Cupcake wines. You really cannot go wrong!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I agree with your assessment on the Clarisonic - hoping it will help in the long run.

    Love Cupcake wine!! I'll have to add the pizza to my Trader Joe's shopping list.

    ReplyDelete
  26. so excited to be a new follower! love your blog and especially love this post. i have heard so much about the clairisonic, although can never bring myself to bite the bullet and just buy one!! have a fabulous thursday :) xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  27. Any wine named "cupcake" with a label as cute as that one is worth of trying!

    ReplyDelete
  28. I have been thinking about getting a Mia for my mom for her birthday and I thought about getting me one as well,but I just don't know. My skin is good now, every since I had an allergic reaction last winter, I am only using products with basically nothing in them, so my skin rarely has issues and I'm like why mess that up. But I do need to start using antiaging prodcuts, so I'm like should I get one... ahhhh

    ReplyDelete
  29. I keep going back and forth over the mia. I still think I might take the plunge and get a separate brush to use on my legs (ahh nc is so dry!) for lazy exfoliating =)

    and I loooooove that flatbread!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I got my clarisonic on Friday and I am loving it! I'm using it at night only and it seems to be a good routine for me.

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from you and always try to respond to your comments!