Incredible.

I don’t know how she does it, but Imogen Heap’s new album Ellipse is simply amazing. I waited a long time for this CD and it was well worth the wait. If you don’t know her type of music, she a cross of all the following genres; Electronica, Alternative, Indie, Pop, and Ambient. I’d throw in a little classical too.

She strikes me as such a wise person, I have no clue how she comes up with such amazing lyrics with such poetry and hidden meanings. I love it. On top of this, she creates her music all by herself without anyone else’s help or opinions. All instruments and digital sounds are made exclusively by her with innovative uses of technology. She’s worked incredibly hard on this album and you can tell. So much time and effort went into this.

She gives us music at its finest. There’s no other way to describe this album, and yes, it’s even better than Speak for Yourself. I listen to her music and feel as though she’s teaching me something.

Ellipse is a must-have for all music lovers. There’s absolutely nothing bad I can say about this album, it’s that great. Please add it to your collection, you will never regret it.

Here is  a list of all the songs on Ellipse, and to boot, she gives us a second CD filled with the instrumental versions of the same great songs. I don’t think I can pick a favourite on this album, but I love listening to Little Bird over and over.

1. “First Train Home”   4:13
2. “Wait It Out”   3:57
3. “Earth”   3:34
4. “Little Bird”   4:07
5. “Swoon”   3:54
6. “Tidal”   3:50
7. “Between Sheets”   2:54
8. “2-1″ (formerly “Polyfilla”) 4:42
9. “Bad Body Double”   4:07
10. “Aha!”   2:27
11. “The Fire”   1:59
12. “Canvas”   4:55
13. “Half Life”  

Imogen Heap is a true artist, a rarity for today.

~Darleya~

Are you tired of getting cotton pad fibers stuck in your eyes and eyelashes?

So was I. I finally found the perfect facial cotton pads for removing make-up. Shiseido’s Facial Cotton is about ten times better than your average cosmetic pads.

I guess the Japanese have a hold on cosmetics on top of their technology hold.

The Shiseido facial cotton pads are 100% cotton, are square, and are thicker and softer than the regular pads. They work very well. I definitely won’t go back to the regular kind, unless it’s just for my nails, but even then.

The Shiseido pack that I bought is a bit more expensive than the fibrous variety, but you get more in the package, and, they are simply superior.

You can buy them at Sephora or at Shoppers Drug Mart where I found them. I’m sure there are other retailers out there as well.

I’ve actually been removing my eye-makeup properly now that I have these. No more pillow case eyeliner for me!

~Darleya~

They can’t spell it right (ahem, créme brûlée), but man, they’ve definitely made it right.

I was skeptical about this dessert simply because I love French cuisine, and I looooooove Crème Brûlée. Providing it is made right.

President’s Choice manages to come up with a crème brûlée that’s ready to eat in just 10 minutes. There are two ways you can prepare it, you can either use the conventional oven, or torch it. Not having a torch in my kitchen, I opted for the oven version.

The dessert comes with a little sachet that has carmelized sugar powder in it. All I had to do was sprinkle the sugar powder evenly to the top of the glass container(or ramekin) of creme dessert, place it on a baking sheet and broil for 4-5 minutes. You remove it from the oven and let it sit after another 5 minutes to cool down, and voilà! It looks perfect, and just how you would expect it should.

It was simply delicious! Since the pack comes with two, I’m hoping my husband will be silly enough to give me the second one, too. Oh, and you can keep the little glass dessert bowls after; an added bonus.

Side Note: Make sure you have two sugar sachets for your desserts as they can easily fall out. Ours lost a sachet, so I’m going to use brown sugar for the second one.

Enjoy!

~Darleya~

The Sylvania 8GB MP3 player version (smpk8858) is a smaller, and cheaper version of the I-Pod Touch. Just how big of a price difference is it? Well the Sylvania will run you at about $100 if it’s not on sale, but it is usually on sale for between $60 and $70 here in Canada. Now the 8GB Ipod Touch 3rd Generation is double the price at $198.99.

What’s the problem with the Sylvania MP3 Player? You pay for what you get.

First of all, the power switch is cumbersome to say the least. You have to hold the button for a good 10 seconds before it either turns off or on, and the button is fairly difficult to keep pressed. It breaks my thumbnails.

The first screen you see is fairly straight forward. You have 7 menus items to choose from; all well-defined. What comes in the sub menus is where its lack of organization is obvious. For instance, for music there are the following options: you can either resume play, click on ‘all music’, ‘artist’, ‘album’, ‘my favourite’, or ‘record’. What else will you note? There’s a play button and a pause button. There is not stop buttong. Can you play from only certain albums, omitting others?  It appears that you can, but only after every song of whatever album you first selected has played, thanks to there being no stop button. Pretty annoying if you decided to shuffle from all the albums not knowing this would happen. Even if you turn it off and back on.

For this reason, it is primitive and not so user-friendly.

Although you have to wait for it to play through the entire album you first select before it lets you restart a new album or song; you can keep the songs you liked, by creating yourself a ‘my favourites’ file along the way.

If you calibrate this product properly in its settings when you first use it, the touch screen works perfectly. The graphics are excellent as well. You can watch full feature films on it with no problems.

I’d say that if you’d like to experience touch screen, but are not willing to fork out too much money, then this product is for you. We’d bought it as a toy for the treadmill, but it didn’t work out too well since you’re still connected to it through headphones. A transceiver with wireless headset can fix that problem, but without the same quality. It is now just used as my MP3 player, and it’ll do for now.  My thumbnail will just have to suffer in the interim.

~Darleya~

I thought I’d do a three-in-one movie review post since I’ve watched all three of these movies recently.

Management (2008)

Management is a movie that I’ll dub a dramatic comedy staring Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn.
Something about this movie makes you feel generous and warm. It’s a very slow-paced film, with many awkward moments where you just want to yell out and tell them to spit it out already. You end up growing very fond of Steve Zhan’s character Mike, a very lonely and slightly mentally challenged mama’s boy who works as night manager for the family-owned highway motel. Jennifer Aniston plays a self-conscious woman in her thirties that doesn’t know what she wants out of life. Since the movie is very slow, the relationship that builds between Mike and Sue becomes believable. Woody Harrelson plays a small role in this movie that’s nothing of what you’re used to from him. He’s very amusing to say the least. Without saying too much of how this story plays out, I will say that the ending was somewhat unbelievable to me, but made me happy.

Easy Virtue (2008)

Easy Virtue is a comedic period film that I believe to be set just after the first world war. The film stars Jessica Biel, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Collin Firth. The movie is about a British family whose son just returns from a trip but comes home with an American wife. Not just any American wife, but a young widow/race-car driver that wants nothing to do with traditional female roles and responsibilities. The mother, Mrs. Whittaker, immediately takes dislike to the young girl who’s tarnished her son and her estate. The film becomes a war between these two women in a household of two impressionable young girls, a silent war-veteran, and a mother’s only boy. The acting is at times mediocre, and I really could not stand Ben Barnes as Larita’s husband for he was too young and not very good-looking in my opinion. The movie was fun to watch, and the fashion was of course up my alley. I’d recommend this movie as a chick flick that’s out of the ordinary. It has been a while since there’s been a comedy that’s set in this era. The ending did not surprise me, but I still enjoyed the ride.

The Merry Gentleman (2008)

The Merry Gentleman is a drama staring Michael Keaton and Kelly Macdonald. Michael Keaton directs the film and plays Frank Logan, a lonely hitman with a quiet awkward personality who contemplates suicide on a near-daily basis. Kelly Macdonald plays Kate, a young Scottish woman who left her abusive husband to start a new life in Chicago. Set at Christmas time, the two meet in unlikely circumstances and form a bond. Together, although without much speech they comfort each other, and continue to meet. There’s some good suspense that builds in the movie with a third-party cop that’s very attracted to Kate, while he investigates the homicides that keep turning up. The acting in this movie is superior that many movies I’ve seen recently. The characters were unique and well-developed. This triangle between the cop, the hitman and the young religious girl fills you with suspense until the end. The movie’s only downfall is that you’re still left with suspense at the end, but I’d still recommend watching it.

Enjoy,

~Darleya~

The Eos skin care product line promises to be eco-friendly with organic ingredients that are easy on your skin.

I decided to buy Eos Shaving cream for the above-mentioned reasons, and, because the container was so darn pretty and smooth.

I bought it at my local Shoppers Drug Mart for around $4.00 I think. I remember it being comparable to the price of regular shaving cream products.

I bought the cucumber melon, with natural aloe, oat and antioxidants.

This product is different in that it’s actually a cream, and not a foam or gel. It is meant to be really moisturizing on your legs. It also smells wonderful.

Although the smell was nice, and it did work well; I didn’t seem to get any razor burn; I found that you had to use a lot of it to really get a full layer. The directions said to apply a thing layer, but I felt like I needed more.

Even still, I did like the moisturizing effects of Eos. The only thing is that the bottle doesn’t last nearly as long as the can of shaving cream would have. They have 6 different scents and ingredients. Pomegranate raspberry, Lavender Jasmine, Island Blue, Cucumber Melon, Vanilla Bliss, and sensitive – fragrance free.

Eos also sells organic lip balms and will be soon coming out with a body lotion. I think I’ll give it a second shot with a different scent. I think I’ll either try Vanilla Bliss, or Pomegranate Raspberry.

Enjoy,

~Darleya~

I’ve always wanted there to be an anti-perspirant that’s similar to the men’s Old Spice invisible solids that are damp to the touch. Soft & Dri came up with just that with what they call Pulse no residue solid. It looks very high-tech, too, and that always attracts me to products.

They claim it has ‘totally invisible protection from stress & active sweat’. It has 8.6% Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex, which is the ingredient found in most anti-perspirants.

Soft & Dri Pulse No Residue Solid goes on damp or wet, and doesn’t dry right away. For someone like me who pretty much rushes every single morning, this is a little bit of an annoyance. Throughout the day of wearing this deodorant, I didn’t feel all too dry. I don’t like that. I like to feel dry the whole day, and I’m not a person who sweats excessively or anything. My regular anti-perspirant that I trust has 20% Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex, which definitely keeps me dry.

I like the fact that Soft&Dri came up with a true invisible solid for women, but I won’t purchase it again, because it’s just not strong enough for me. I wonder why they can’t make the same product but with greater chemical strength. I just checked the Old Spice ingredients, and it has no mention of any drug ingredients, which I find odd.

I guess I’ll have to keep trying different anti-perspirants until I find the one that’s both completely invisible, and strong enough.

~Darleya~

Before a night out, or when I’m just not feeling the coffee, I like to indulge in energy drinks. I know, I know, they’re not good for you and all that, but I genuinely enjoy them. I’m going to review six of the ones you’re all likely familiar with, and reveal which one is my favorite on all fronts, and why. Some of these drinks are offered in different flavors, but I’m strictly reviewing their basic original versions.

Monster Energy

The Monster Energy drink is typically found in a larger can that’s 16 oz. The monster can looks pretty cool. It’s got a slimy green M on it. Monster Energy also receives a large amount of recognition from its sponsorship of various sporting events in the United States.  The 16 ounce can of Monster Energy has 160 oz of caffeine and costs around $3.00. Monster Energy reminds me of the flavor of Rocket Candy. It’s a little on the sweet side with a hint of medicine taste. It’s also quite carbonated. Ingredients in Monster: Carbonated water, sucrose, glucose, citric acid, taurine, natural flavors, sodium citrate, l-carnitine, panax ginseng root extract, ascorbic acid, caffeine, sodium chloride, niacinamide, riboflavin, guarana seed extract, inositol, glucuronalactone, pyridoxine hydrochloride, cyanobalamin.

 

Red Bull

Red Bull is of course the original energy drink. It is most commonly offered in an 8oz can, though more recently has begun offering the larger 16oz cans. Red Bull is expensive, but it does give you wings, remember? Its cost is usually around $2.99 for one can. Red Bull also tastes like medicine a bit, but isn’t too too sweet. It has a tang to it, but leaves you with a weird after taste. Red Bull has been banned in some places for having traces of cocaine in it. Red Bull has 80 mg of caffeine in it, and here are its other ingredients:  Taurine , Glucuronolactone, B-Group Vitamins, Sucrose, and Glucose. Their website does not offer any other ingredients than that.

Full Throttle

Full Throttle is another brand of energy drink that’s usually only available in a 16oz can. Full Throttle is made by Coca Cola and usually costs between $2.50 and $3.50 depending on when and where. The taste of Full throttle is similar to Red Bull, but does not leave you with a weird after taste. Nor does it taste like medicine to me. It has a good balance between sweet and sour.  Full Throttle’s 16oz can has 144mg of caffeine, which is less than some of the other brands. Here are its other ingredients: Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup and/or sucrose, citric acid, taurine, natural and artificial flavors, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate (to protect taste), ginseng extract, caffeine, acacia, carnitine fumarate, maltodextrin, niacinamide (vitamin B3), glycerol ester of wood rosin, yellow 5, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), guarana extract, cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12).

Red Rain

Red Rain is another energy drink that tries to mimic the original Red Bull. It is also offered in an 8 oz can, and also contains 80mg of caffeine. Although Red Rain fails at mimicking Red Bull’s flavor, it’s a good thing. Red Rain has a really good sour flavor with a hint of sweetness. It’s sort of a cross between Sour Puss and Swedish Berries, if you can imagine that. Red Rain is also exceptionally cheaper than all the other brands mentioned here. I can buy a four-pack at the grocery store or Wal-Mart for $3.99. Red Rain isn’t found everywhere; many convenience and drug stores do not offer it. It does come in bulk packages though, offered in the mentioned 4-pack, a 24-pack or the 1 litre bottle. They also now offer other flavors and a reduced calorie one. Its ingredients are: Taurine 1000mg, D-Glucuronolactone 600mg, Caffeine 80mg, Niacin (niacinaminde) 20mg, Pantothenic Acid (D-calcium pantothenate) 5mg, Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine HCL) 5mg, Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) 5mcg. Carbonated Water,Sugar And/Or Glucose-Fructose, Malic Acid, Sodium Citrate, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Potassium Benzoate, Inosital, and Colour.

Tab Energy

Tab Energy drink is another energy drink offered by Coca Cola. It is a sugar-free drink that has a cherry flavor. Its size is offered in a slim 10.5oz can and it contains 95mg of caffeine. Tab energy is tasty, but I can always taste the aspartame in it because it’s sugar free. It’s also not sold everywhere and seems to have lost popularity. It’s definitely different from the rest, I’ll give it that. Apparently it is targeted towards females with its pink color and lack of calories.  According to Wikipedia, this drink is currently being taken off the market by Coca-Cola. Its ingredients are as follows: Carbonated water, citric acid, taurine, natural and artificial flavors, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate, ginseng extract, caffeine, vegetable juice, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, carnitine fumarate, niacinamide (Vitamin B3), pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Guarana extract, and cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12)

 Bawls

Bawls Energy drink definitely stands out from the rest of the brands here because it is offered in a blue glass bottle. A very cool bottle too, it has bumps all over it for better traction. Its name is also quite catchy and funny. Its bottle is 10 fl oz with 64mg of caffeine. The 16 fl oz bottle has 103 mg of caffeine. The flavor of Bawls is very delicious, again not too sweet with the right amount of sour. It’s difficult to find at times and is a little on the expensive side. I think it’s somewhere around $4.00 most places, but this is just a guesstimate. Bawls’ ingredients are as follows: Carbonated Water, Corn Syrup, Citric Acid, Natural Guarana Flavor, Sodium Benzoate (as a preservative), Caffeine, Artificial flavors and Caramel Color.

 

The grand winner is………….Red Rain.

Why? Well it tastes really good, and it’s so much cheaper than all of the rest. For this, it’s the one that I always flock to. That’s right, Flock. I usually purchase Red Rain in bulk and also enjoy mixing it with Vodka for parties. Unfortunately Red Bull is still the only energy drink available in the bars; at least here in Ottawa. Red Bull really tastes like medicine to me, I just don’t like it. Full Throttle is my second choice, since it’s large for those really tired mornings or for when I was studying for exams. As far as taste goes, I’d say that Bawls has the best flavor, but it doesn’t quite have enough caffeine in it for the effect I need.

~Darleya~

Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer is a food supplement that’s intended for Vegans so that they get all their necessary nutrients. We decided to try this product as a morning meal replacement for protein purposes because we didn’t want to have Whey protein.

Each serving of Vega supplies a broad spectrum of proteins, essential Fatty Acids, carbohydrates, Fiber, ChlorEssense, macaSure, Berry Complex, Probiotics, digestive enzymes, and the recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals. Please see their website for more detailed information at : Sequel Naturals

There are four different flavours of this powder, including Natural, Berry, Vanilla Chai and Chocolate. We bought the natural one, because we wanted to mix it with Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness Juice.

For three days we had Vega and Green Goodness juice for breakfast as part of our fitness goals. It tasted great, you’d never know that you were drinking a powder supplement. My hunger was also very satisfied, it tied me over until lunch.

Why did we only take this for three days? That’s sort of a funny story. For the three nights neither of us had very good sleep and couldn’t figure out why at first. We both laid awake tossing and turning. By the third night, I felt like I had an excessive caffeine buzz and the shakes, and so did my husband, so we KNEW it was something we both had.We figured it out.

TOO MANY VITAMINS!

Bothouse Farms’ delicious green juice is jam-packed with vitamins, and so is the Vegan powder. I peed very fluorescent-ly for those days.

I’m not going to put down this Vegan powder for our mistake, just do NOT make the same mistake! Follow the instructions carefully, and do not add ANY other vitamins to your diet.

The powder is quite expensive, I believe it was around $60 at our local Canadian Superstore. We’re currently giving it a break after that experience because we were definitely experiencing overdose symptoms from the vitamins.

Enjoy!

~Darleya~

This review is of a brand new show in the Stargate family called Stargate Universe. Not even halfway through the first season and I feel it necessary to tell people just how good this show is so far.

Stargate Universe stems away from the cheekiness of both Stargate, and Stargate Atlantis(which I loved), by being a bit darker. This show has a lot more drama to it than we’re used to from the Stargate creators, but fear not, there is still some comic relief. The acting and writing is excellent. Only slightly annoying is Chloe Armstrong, but maybe it’s because she needs bangs. I’m not giving up on her yet.

Stargate Universe is really spectacular. The basic plotline starts when a team of soldiers, scientists, and civilians escape a distant planetary annihilation by gating through a unique Stargate that only goes to one unknown location. This place ends up being an ancient spaceship that was launched over a million years ago that’s mission is to deliver Stargates in uncharted territories of the Universe so that one day, human kind can reach all depths of space.

The story evolves around the lives of the people who are now stuck in this amazing yet dangerous situation on a mysterious ship called Destiny that’s leading its own way to the unknown. They don’t know if they’ll ever make it back to Earth.

There are plenty of surprises on this show so far. The characters are intriguing, and the dialogue is captivating. I will definitely keep tuning in on Friday nights. Lead actors include: Robert Carlyle as Dr. Rush, Louis Ferreira as Colonel Young, and David Blue as Eli Wallace.

I’ll also add that even if you didn’t watch any of the Stargate shows, this particular show can stand on its own and be appreciated regardless. I just wish I didn’t have to wait a whole week until the next episode.

~Darleya~