Archives for October 7, 2014

Cooking Mama 5: Bon Appétit is Available now for Nintendo 3DS!

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Cooking Mama 5 is the newest addition to the best-selling Mama franchise that’s sold more than 13 million copies and provides a great way to celebrate the holidays through yummy recipes and fun mini-games around Mama’s house.

Players will join Mama, the original kitchen diva, in Cooking Mama 5: Bon Appétit and unlock 60+ recipes to perfect a kaleidoscope of foods including appetizers, drinks, main courses and desserts.  

The original kitchen diva that created the cooking genre is set to school you with brand new mouth-watering recipes and household mini-games. Cook your way through classic fare, exotic cultural dishes and sweet treats to delight the palate! Fun stylus-based activities will keep you busy around the house and prove to Mama that you’ve got the culinary chops to play in her kitchen!

Key Features:

  • The latest addition in the successful Mama franchise: 13 million+ games sold worldwide!
  • Unlock 60+ recipes as you progress. Test your skills with new appetizers, drinks, main dishes and desserts including: pork cutlet rice bowl, chicken nuggets, BBQ skewers, pumpkin gratin, raisin bread, Hawaiian pancakes, gingerbread cookies and much more!
  • Step out of the kitchen and help Mama with more than 30 new activities around the shop and house: feed the pets, deliver orders, make change, serve ice cream, wash dishes, pick apples, organize, draw and more.
  • Six gameplay modes feature intuitive stylus-based activities:

o   Let’s Cook: Create recipes step-by-step with Mama on hand to help you.

o   Cooking Dojo: Earn medals in timed challenges that reward you for quick and accurate preparation.

o   Help the Store: Work the register and play waitress at Mama’s Burger Shop.

o   Help Harvest: Gather your recipe fixins’ before you cook.

o   Let’s Help Mama: Step outside the kitchen and assist Mama as CEO of the household with fresh activities that make “chores” fun and rewarding.

o   Let’s Study: Number and word games mix up the kitchen fun.

  • Earn furniture and decorations via SpotPass to customize your menus and game screens. Make your kitchen your own with stained glass, wallpaper, picture frames, plants, holiday items and more. You can even customize Mama’s outfit!
  • Single cart download play offers multiplayer cook offs for up to four players.
  • Gyroscope and accelerometer support for certain recipes.

I received a free copy to try out and this one is a lot of fun!  My favorite was the Let’s Cook  and I also like that you are able to customize your kitchen the way you would like it!  This will be a hit for ages 7+. It is also the perfect Nintendo 3DS game for the upcoming holidays!

 

Retails for $29.99.

URL:   www.CookingMamaUS.com

Self Disclosure: I received a free game to facilitate this feature. 

Pumpkins, Ghosts, Cats – Oh My!

New Multi-purpose Tamper-resistant Outlet for Halloween Decorating

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No tricks – all treats for seasonal home decorators as San Francisco-based LivingPlug introduces its Halloween line of decorative faceplates for its multi-use, energy-efficient and child-proof INLET. With a mission to help consumers take a bite out of utility bills, LivingPlug created the INLET to help reduce “Vampire Charges” caused when electronics suck power even when turned off. The INLET is tamper-resistant which provides parents with an extra assurance when child-proofing their home.

The INLET turns a standard outlet into three receptacles plus a USB source and features the “UNplug button” which shuts off power and eliminates the need to physically UNplug devices from the outlet. The Company estimates consumers can reduce their electrical bill 15-25% by using the “UNplug” button.

The Company steps into the multi-billion dollar Halloween market where candy may lead but costumes, novelty items, and home decor continue to take a bite at year-over-year sales.

“We’re bringing a new accent piece into the home that delivers on design and functionality,” says co-founder Sam Leichman. “Outlets are in every room and are a dilemma for designers so we decided to make them a focal point by offering a decorative faceplate which will enhance the living space.”

LivingPlug offers hundreds of designs ranging from nature scenes, graphic prints, noted artists, inspirational quotes, holiday and seasonal, as well as a line of children’s inspired looks.

To help reduce “Vampire Charges,” the Company released several Halloween-inspired designs. Choose from a Happy Pumpkin, Silly Ghost, Haunted House, and variety of fall scenes to decorate before the first Trick-or-Treaters arrive. Additionally, the company offers a line of Christmas to holiday season designs.

The LivingPlug INLET retails for $25 and each faceplate is $25. The Company delivers on DIY as well: upload a personal photo, school mascot, or favorite quote and LivingPlug will create a customized faceplate.

I received a sample of the LivingPlug Inlet and  a Happy Pumpkin faceplate and this is a great way to decorate and my favorite thing is that it is childproof and can help reduce electricity bills. Now, how cool is that?! I also love that they have Halloween faceplates. This really is a Must-Have for the Fall! 

To learn more about the INLET and faceplate designs or to purchase, visit LivingPlug.

Self Disclosure: I received a free sample to facilitate this feature but any opinions expressed are my own. Photo Credit: LivingPlug.

NYC New York Color for the Fall!

THINK: Fun, fearless fashion for your face and nails.

 

WHAT IT IS: Metallic and jewel-tone beauty products that bring runway style to the street. This fall, get the designer look with the new Fashion Queen collection from NYC New York Color. With shimmering topcoatsrich polishes, and silky eye palettes, this collection is the perfect accessory for the most stylish outfit. Famous for delivering uptown style at down to Earth pricesNYC New York Color will glam up any makeup look this fall, tailor-made for those who live for all things fashion.

 

 

The latest eye-catching favorites include:

  • In a New York Color Minute Topcoat ($1.99): Add a stunning shine to your nails with this sparkling topcoat in six shades. Large specs of glitter suspended in color make it perfect on bare nails or for layering over your favorite polish. The special formula dries quickly, and the flat control flow brush gives a professional application every time. With royal shades like Ruby Queen, NY Princess, Fashion Queen, Blue Majesty, Queen’s Jewels, and Rule the City, this polish adds noble glam in a flash.

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  • In a New York Color Minute Nail Polish ($1.99): Specially formulated to dry quickly, this nail enamel has a hint of shimmer for depth of color and brilliant shine. Three limited-edition hues are packed with pigment and infused with magnesium, iron, copper, and calcium to strengthen nails, with a no-fade finish that dazzles. Shades include Royal Chic, Queen of the City, and Crown Gold.

I received a sample of the In a New York Color Minute Nail Polish in Queen of the City and I really like this one! It does dry very quickly and is quite dazzling!

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  • Individual Eyes Custom Compact ($4.99): Get runway glam with these sultry shadow collections, specially coordinated to intensify and enhance your eye color. With a formula that contains nourishing Vitamins A and E, and Green Tea extract, these silky powders blend smoothly and evenlyEach shade can be worn alone or blended, and kits include a double-ended professional applicator and step-by-step instructions to help you highlight, contour, and define your eyes. The two limited-edition sets include Queen B and Manhattan’s Elite.

Where to find these products: Chain drugstores and mass merchandisers nationwide. To find a retailer near you, please visit www.newyorkcolor.com

Self Disclosure: I received free samples to facilitate this feature but all opinions expressed are honest. Photo Credit: NYC New York Color.

INTRODUCING MIRACLE GEL

THINK: The fusion of color and science

WHAT IT IS: The first salon-quality manicure that combines pure nail color with high techno gel…exclusively from Sally Hansen. Love the high shine, glossy look of a gel manicure but could do without the complexity of LED lights, time consuming removal, and expensive price tag? Now, Sally Hansen, the leader in nail color innovation, is making manicure history with an entirely new way of thinking about long lasting nail color. Its new, patented Miracle Gel, is the first ever part lacquer, part gel manicure system that delivers up to 14 days of lasting color and shine in just 2 easy steps. Simply apply two coats of the Miracle Gel Color Coat, followed by the Miracle Gel Top Coat, to achieve the most convenient manicure, ever.

THE TECHNOLOGY: The Miracle Gel manicure contains patented Tube Technology. This allows a higher level of actives and continuous care ingredients to release into the gel lacquer film, prolonging the integrity of the filmresulting in beautifully durable, shiny nails. The advanced Color Coat, which is a combination base coat and nail color in one, and Top Coat formulas contain an oligomer, and the Top Coat also contains a photoinitiator. The photoinitiator in the Top Coat formula reticulates with the oligomer contained in the Color Coat, thus curing the formula without the need of an LED/UV light. As the manicure cures over time, it becomes more durable due to the increased hardness of the film. So LED/UV lamp curing is not necessary, only natural light. Then, when you’re ready to change up your look, Miracle Gel comes off easily with both acetone-based and acetone-free nail polish remover – no soaking, wrapping, scraping, or filing necessary.

THE COLORS: Available in 47 new and of-the-moment shades, cutting-edge Miracle Gel gives you a whole new way to think about color. Today’s color trends don’t follow rules, they make their own. Day or night, summer or winter, the hottest nail looks defy boundaries and capture timeless beauty with a playful, joyful confidence. So go ahead and embrace the pleasure of Miracle Gel’s color palette that complements all skin tones with fresh color categories.

I received a few samples of these to try out for myself and I love them! My favorite color is Shock Wave from the Runway Shock Collection although I also like B Girl  from the Street Pastels Collection too! Shock Wave is a bright pink and I love how shiny my nails look when I use the Top Coat! These are a Must-Have for any season!

THE COLOR COLLECTIONS: 

Flawlessly Nude: Five clean and natural skin tone colors elongate nails for a polished, minimal look.

Love Pink: Seven pinks create the ultimate chic and confident nail statement.

Street Pastels: Muted meets edgy with this sweet, feminine collection of seven perfectly washed out pastels.

Runway Shock: Seven punchy, outrageously playful brights turn up the glam for a pop of intense, bold color.

Daily Delights: Seven yummy feminine colors that create a soft and creamy effect.

Mad Mod: Seven retro inspired shades to bring out your ultra-confident, graphic ’70s side.

Fired Up Metallics:Seven super saturated multi-colored hues create an intensely reflective collection bursting with fiery bright shimmer.

WHAT THEY COST: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Color Coat and Top Coat, $9.99 MSRP

WHERE TO FIND THEM: The Sally Hansen Miracle Gel collection is available nationwide August 2014 at chain drugstores and mass retailers nationwide.

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Self Disclosure: I received free samples to facilitate this feature but any opinions expressed are honest and my own. Photo Credit: Sally Hansen.

 

Local Bags That Give Back! Frazey’s Animal Rescue Bags!

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Calling all pet lovers! October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month and this is a great way to help our furry friends in need. Each year, 8 million pets enter shelters, and the team behind Frazey’s Animal Rescue Bags is committed to getting pets out of shelters, off the streets and into loving homes. Frazey’s Animal Rescue Bags, a Los Angeles company, are reusable and recyclable, and 50% of the bag proceeds are donated to animal charities and rescue groups.

Named after a loveable rescue dog named Frazey, a 12 year-old Aussie/Paillion mix, any recipient of a Frazey’s Animal Rescue Bag will be considered a “rescue angel,” and who wouldn’t consider that their good deed of the day? Halo not included.

A few reasons to love Frazey’s:

-At $4 per bag, Frazey’s Bags are affordable and charitable

-50% of the profits go to animal charity/rescue groups

-The bags are 100% recyclable, washable and reusable

-Frazey’s bags are extremely durable yet ultra lightweight, and they fold up small enough to fit in your pocket

-De-clutter your reusable bag collection and simplify with Frazey’s Bags, they take up very little space compared to other bags.

For more information or to purchase a Frazey’s Animal Rescue Bag, visit www.Frazeys.com.

I received a couple of these bags and just love them! 

I love them mainly because they support a great cause!  But, besides that…they are washable, reusable and really lightweight. My son loves the design! He loves all cats and dogs!

 

We have teamed up for a Giveaway! In the comments below, tell us why you love your pet and you can enter to win a complete set of five durable, eco-friendly Frazey’s Animal Rescue Bags! Deadline to enter is October 14th, 2014 at noon PST. One winner will randomly be selected via Random.org.

Self Disclosure: I received free samples to facilitate this feature. Photo Credit: Frazey’s.

 

 

 

K5 Learning Online Reading and Math Program

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Looking for an online Reading and Math Program for your children K-5?  Do you homeschool or maybe you are looking for an enrichment supplement. You may want to check out K5! We received a free trial and what I like the best is there are free assessments to see where your child is at academically. My son is starting 6th this year and so he honestly wasn’t very motivated to try this out for more than a few times. I did check it out though and I like how it is set up and I do believe that other children will enjoy it. I like that kids are able to work at their own level and pace and it seems to be a very personalized program. I could honestly see how it would help kids with study habits and help them with their reading and math skills. You really should check out K5!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.