Month: November 2012

Sweetest Taboo Book Promo and Tour

Posted on by Cindy

Today I am thrilled to be able to promote Sweetest Taboo by Eva Marquez for Pump Up Your Book.

Today I am only promoting the book but check back on November 20th for my review and guest post from Eva. I am super excited to read the book.

About the Book: Isabel Cruz was fifteen years old when she met Tom Stevens. She was 15 when they started dating, and 16 when she lost her virginity to him. By the time she turned 18 and went to college, everything had fallen apart. This hadn’t been an ordinary love, though. Not a love between two dear friends, or even high school sweethearts. This had been the most taboo sort of love there was: a relationship between a student and her teacher. Isabel started her high school career as a normal student, but set her sights on Tom Stevens as soon as she met him, and pursued him with an intense – and sometimes reckless – fascination. When he finally approached her after swim practice and told her that he shared her feelings, it was the start of a forbidden and dangerous relationship.

Join Isabel as she makes her way through this dark love story, hiding from teachers, lying to her parents, and defying the authorities to make a life with the man she loves. Watch as she discovers the wonders of love and romance, and the terrible betrayal of jealous friends. And cry with her when she learns the hard truth about life and the people in her world. Sweetest Taboo is inspired by the true and tragic stories of students who fall in love with their teachers, and live with the hard truths of forbidden romances. In a world full of after-school specials on sexual predators, this touching book seeks a different path, casting both student and teacher in a gentle light, and showing that true love may lie at the base of even the most illicit romance.

About the Author: Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, daughter of European immigrants, Eva Márquez has spent most of her life outside of her home country. At the age of five, Eva accompanied her parents to the United States, where the family settled permanently. After graduating from university, she went on to complete graduate studies in International Relations in Spain. Eva received her Master of International Studies degree from the University of Sydney and went on to work in the global health field in Sub Saharan Africa and South East Asia. Eva currently resides in Southern Africa.

Her latest book is the YA/Adult Fiction, Sweetest Taboo.

You can visit Eva’s website at www.SweetestTabooBook.com
Sweetest Taboo Tour Page:

http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2012/10/28/pump-up-your-book-presents-sweetest-taboo-virtual-book-publicity-tour/

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

Spending Time with a Friend and Shopping (Epic Haul) Part 1

Posted on by Cindy

Before I get into my meet up with a local blogger (you will find out who it was in a few minutes) I thought I would share with you the things I bought before meeting up with her.

I recently went into the Dollarama to purchase a few things and made my way up the health and beauty aisle and I noticed they had a few new things such as the 5 pack of Algemarin foam bath packs (I got this in one of the beauty boxes and really liked it and picked it up), this peel off mask (its been awhile since I have done a mask so I thought I would try this) and the last thing is the Gum stimulator. I needed a new one and this has been my favorite one
I also made my way to Pharmaprix (Shoppers Drug Mart) to check to see if they had the Benefit lip glosses out yet. This is part of their holiday promotion and was told they can sell out pretty fast so I was happy to see that they did have it.
 
I also picked up those two bath/shower puffs because the last ones I bought were terrible and nothing is worse then having a crappy puffy.
 
I am loving the Bourjois Paris make up line (Thanks Lucy for introducing me to it) and figured I would add this Correcting Concealer (Radiance & Anti-fatigue) to my routine its in the shade 51 light radiance.

I was thrilled to see the Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color in the shade 905 Red-y Response. I loved my purple shade and was looking for something for the holidays and I think this is it.

 
I noticed this in the bargain section and its the Nailene Espressions nail art gellies and thought it would be fun to use when I just wanted a different look to my nails.
 
Another item I am loving is the La Roche Possey skin care line and I spotted the kit for only $5 and thought I would start adding the sensitive items to my face now that its cleared up.
 
Since I paid for these items at the beauty counter I got two perfume samples, Skull and Roses by Ed Hardy. One is eau de parfum and the other is  eau de toilette. I love those spritzer bottles and wished more perfume samples would come like that. Don’t you?
 
 
These are the shades. I love Benefit products and the lip glosses were something I have been wanting to try so now I can. Has anyone else tried any of these shades? Which should I try first?
This is what the gellies look like. I have never used anything like this before so I am curious to see how they will look. Has anyone else used these before?
 
Finally to the reason of this post. This meet up has been a long time planning (mainly because of school and work) and I can’t believe how long its been since I last saw her, The blogger/friend in question is Lucy from Moonlight Gleam
 
I realized while we were in my car that we didn’t take a picture at the restaurant so we quickly snapped one in the car. (This was after numerous attempts) We both liked this one the best.
 
If you haven’t checked out Lucy’s blog Moonlight Gleam’s and her newest blog Simply Blushed you should definitely check them out.
Once again we forgot to take pictures of our food so this is when I was almost done my waffle with fresh fruit. It was really good.
 
After breakfast we decided to head over to the mall which was next door to do some shopping. Which was a planned event.
 
The first place we hit was Bath & Body Works.We both had a coupon for there and it was spend $10 and you got a free signature collection item. So I picked up these mini candles (2 for $5) in the scents of Hot Buttered Rum and White Barn No.1 nutmeg and spice. These two scents smell delicious. The free signature item is the Winter Candy Apple shower gel. I also grabbed these two mini candle holders. ($3 each).
 The next place we went into was Sephora. I have only been there a few times and this time it was actually nice to go into the store with a person who knows their make up. Lucy mentioned picking this up when she was in Vegas this year and there was actually a few things from this that I have been wanting to try so I picked it up. Its the Give Me Some Lip lip sampler. I also got a Clarins daily energizer cream gel sample (5ml).
I love the whole packaging of this.
 
Inside (top) Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment (I have been eyeing this the times I have gone in but never could commit to purchasing it).
 
From left to right:
Sephora Glossy Gloss in Precious Pink, Bite Beauty in Vintage, Laura Mercier in Baby Doll, Hourglass in the Child (I love the packaging of this lip gloss) and Tarte  in Hope. This has a peppermint smell to it and its matte lip tint.
Our last planned stop was Lush. I planned on buying a bath bomb but as you can see I walked out with a little more then that.
Father Christmas bath bomb (This is the one you’ll want to use on cold, dark winter nights to relax in the tub. Spicy clove bud oil, vanilla absolute and a dash of brandy combine to comfort and warm your skin and mind. A dash of red glitter lights up on the water, the shell melts away, and that’s when you discover the inside of the bomb is bright green. How festive!) and the other bath bomb is So White (Our favorite fizzer returns with a fresh makeover! This year we were inspired by Holi, a traditional Indian festival in which people throw colored powders at one another to celebrate the end of winter. With this in mind, we redesigned So White to be thrown into your tub just like a snowball. Once in water, So White dissolves to reveal a bright pink center and an enticing appley fragrance. Our inventors brewed up a soft, fruity and floral scent with an enchanting blend of bergamot oil, neroli oil and orange flower absolute, for bathing happily ever after.)
 
In the black tub (charity Pot)  is a hand and body lotion and 100% of the sale is going to Kids with a Hope. I thought this was a worth while cause. http://kidswithahope.com/ and I found out at the cash that if you keep these pots you can redeem 5 of them for a free mask. This is Lucy’s favorite mask. Since this only $5 and the proceeds are going to a cause I think I might go back and purchase some more.

This last stop at Yves Rocher was not planned but when we walked by on our way to Starbucks for coffee I saw the front window and had to go in. If you know me, you know my love of apple scented items. I picked up some of the items in the Apple Delight line such as Fizzy Bath cube, 2x 50ml bath & shower gel, 20ml eau de toilette and 100g soap. I love this.
 

So I decided to break up this post because other wise it will be loaded with photos. Part two will be the goodies I got from Lucy. Lucy was totally awesome with the goodies she gave me. So stayed tuned for that.

 

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

Star Looks- October Edition

Posted on by Cindy

Before showing you what I got let me tell you a little bit about the box in case you have never heard of this before.

  • You will receive 3 to 4 Full Size Make Up and Beauty products (each month is different)
  • All Star Looks products are cruelty free and lead/emollient free
  • Its $15 a month (if you are out of the US you have to contact them directly to set up an account. You will pay roughly $5 more a month for this box = $20)
  • Its a recurring monthly charge (you can also pay yearly)
  • Cancel anytime
  • Monthly your box will have a min value of $35
  • You are able to order previous boxes (past) if available
  • Please note that shipping takes a little longer to get into Canada (shipping starts the 3rd week of the month)
  • Subscribing cut of is the 1st of the month so any orders placed after that will get you the following months box
  • The site is http://starlooks.com (for all kinds of info and tips)
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I was super excited to get the October box. As you can see they changed the box color this month. I really like these boxes to store a few little things inside my dresser or desk.

I love the black box and the purple writing.
I am super excited and actually called Star Looks to find this out before posting it. If you subscribe to StarBox or decided to pre-order the December star box you will get the feature product. Its a value of $99 and its a 15 shade Pro Eye Shadow Palette. If you are current subscribe you will get this. How exciting is that?

By the way if you are interested in subscribing and would like to use me as your referral that would be fantastic. I will get a free gift in my next box. The referral name is Cindy Smith. I thank you in advance.

This month’s theme is Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil and See No Evil. I was curious to see how this would play out with the make up This is the front of the card.
This is the back of the card that talks about how each item was chosen.
This month we got a bonus item and its this Eye Rock eye Tattoos. What a neat idea. Not sure if I will use this or not but it might be fun to play with this one weekend.
The Gold Dust eye pencil is See No Evil. You can use this as an eye liner to add a hint of sparkle or you can use as an eye shadow base and add eye shadow on top.

This is a full size item and it sells for $8.00

This is a nice color and not sure if I would use it as an eye liner but perhaps as a base.
 
Next is the Speak No Evil. Looking at this lip stick its kind of scary and honestly I wasn’t sure what it would look like on me.
I was actually surprised at how nice it looked. Its a little darker then what I normally wear but I think this is a nice shade. It will look great for a night out.
Its in the shade Masquerade and its described as a rich blood red with a hint of oranger shimmer.
 
The retail value of this is $11 and I think that is a pretty decent price for lipstick.
‘
Finally its Hear No Evil. This is a eye shadow pigment in the shade Posh.
Its very pigmented and a little goes a long way. At first I was like wow that is really dark but I played around with it and like they said it has to be used carefully and with the lightest touch. Its very nice and I do like it.

This is a full size item and is worth $12

This is the October box. The value is $31. This box definitely paid for itself with theses awesome products and so far I am really liking them. Its nice to try something new and different. Something you might not normally try otherwise.
As always each boxs comes with  a quartz crystal that you can collect to put in a jar to hold your make up brushes.

I am excited to see what will be in the December box and if it will be extra special since its Christmas and I want to find out if they do something special for my birthday.

Did you get Starlooks this month? Does this appeal to you? What do you like the most?

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

Spending Time With a Friend (Part 2)

Posted on by Cindy
As you know from my previous post that I met up with Lucy from Moonlight Gleam and Simply Blushed for breakfast and shopping. We of course talked about all kinds of things and its so nice having adult conversations without little ears listening in and interrupting.
 
No meet up would be complete without some kind of an exchange or swap. You will have to check Lucy’s blogs to find out what I gave her.

Lucy was super generous and gracious. I was in total awe. She had given me a sneak peek a few days before meeting up but I truly had no idea what I was getting. Please note that this post is going to be loaded down with a ton of pics so I hope you don’t mind. I thought it would be easier to share the pictures with you so you could see the products.

 
Inside the first bag was an exchange I did with Lucy for The Vicious Deep. She prefers the ARCs to hardcovers and I honestly don’t mind because as you know I don’t usually keep my book after I am done with them.

I was so thrilled to have gotten a Kabuki brush. This one is a body brush and I have been hearing some really good things about the Kabuki brushes so I am happy to have gotten the body one.

 
The other item was an olive soap from The Body Shop. I like the smell of this, this is something I have never used before.

The make up bag was filled with some amazing items as you will soon see.

This is the Elf Body Glow in the shade Glow. This adds a nice shimmery gold to the skin and I think this would be perfect for the summer. This is from the studio line. (Achieve a sun-kissed glow with this sheer golden body shimmer. The silky smooth and fine powder blends evenly and easily onto the skin for a lightweight feel. Use all over the body for a touch of radiance.)

The other Elf is the SPF 45 Sunscreen in the shade Sheer. The Studio line. (A portable loose powder sunscreen that can be worn alone or over any makeup for key sun protection. Shields against harmful UVA/UVB rays to prevent premature skin aging and sun damage. The soft translucent powder is infused with healthy ingredients such as Aloe Vera Extract, Grape Seed Extract and Vitamins A,C & E to help nourish and soothe the skin.)

 
The following was what was in the make up bag. I was like a kid in a candy store when I got home and went through everything thoroughly.
This is elf nail polish in the shade Royal Purple. As you can see from the bottle it looks like a dark purple but when I put it on it was more like a deep pink which I really love. I love the shade of this and this will be something I will be wearing alot. Its a really nice formula.
Lucy introduced me to Rimmel lip sticks recently when I was asking her what she liked and in a previous beauty haul I did she mentioned the Rimmel Airy Fairy one so I bought it and I love the color of it. Well this time she is introducing me to another Rimmel.
Its in the shade of 210 Fancy.  Sadly my pictures don’t do this justice but its a beautiful shade. Its like a dusty rose in color but on the lips its almost nude and shimmery. I really like this one to.
One the theme of lip sticks I got this elf Luscious liquid lipstick. I love that you can actually see the product and how much is in it.
Its in the Shade of Maple Sugar. This is another one that it looks darker in the packaging but when you put it on its a whole other look. Its was the same as the lipstick went on nude but was almost glossy like. There is a hint of maple sugar to it and I really like that and its not sticky like some glosses are.
This is an ELF Essentials All Over Color Stick. (This 3-in-1 Color Stick adds a beautiful glow to your eyes, lips, or face! Get gorgeous color that illuminates and instantly conditions skin for fresh and natural color all day long. Blend anywhere you would like to highlight and brighten like your cheeks and brow bones.) How neat is this? From left to right: Pink Lemonade, Golden Peach and Toasted. I love multi purpose items and this would be perfect for a night out.
Moving up from the lip items.I love Benefit products and was thrilled to get this. I have been seeing it in the stores but never picked it up. (Our satiny pink liquid highlighter accents cheek & brow bones for a radiant glow. Use as a spot highlighter or delicately blend all over your complexion. Looks perfectly radiant on all skin tones. It’s the “supermodel in a bottle”!)
This is a matte eyeshadow in black from Annabelle. Its very pigmented as you can see.
 
Another brand I have been wanting to try is the Forever 21 make up line. This is the Love & Beauty line. I  really like the mix of this palette. So many great combinations you can do with this.
Can I just say how much I love those colors but at the same time they kind of scary me. This is by ELF and its the Brightening Eye Color in the shade of Drama. Its got white, silver, gray and black.
This is the same thing except in the shade of Ivy. There is a light green (almost mint like), forest green with a rust and copper like shade.
This is the Elf mineral shadows. I haven’t used alot of the mineral powders but I am excited. Sassy is almost copper like and Sweet is a pink one. I like both shades and can’t wait to play with them. 
This is an ELF single eye shadow in the shade butter cream. Its a very nice golden color. That’s all the eye shadows I got from Lucy and now we will move on to the cheeks. They are all by ELF and are in the Natural Radiance Blush collection.
The first one is Innocence and its a pale pink. Very nice.
This is Bronzed and its more of a golden tone blush.
Finally this is Flushed which is almost a sheer pink but I think this will be nice to get a little glow or flushed look.
 
I love that I am getting to try ELF out because here in Canada if you want EL products you have to order online or go to Target in the USA. Honestly when I was in the USA this summer, I didn’t think to look to see what they had. Hopefully when Target comes to Canada they will carry this here.
 
Anyways back to the goodies, right? On top is the Elf translucent matifying Powder. This is silky and what a great way to set your make up.
 
 
ELF Mineral Booster (Achieve the ultimate, translucent “photo finishing touch” to your makeup, our Mineral Booster melts into your skin, infusing it with key vitamins A, B and E to promote healthier skin that’s noticeably silkier and smoother. Completely sheer and ideal for all skin tones, Mineral Booster gently absorbs oil and minimizes the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and pores for a beautiful even finish. Wear alone or buff over our Mineral Concealer and Foundation to lend extra staying power and to achieve a professional and stunning porcelain matte look that will last all day.)
 
ELF foundation in the shade Beige. I have never used a loose powder foundation before so this will be my first time trying it out.
 
This has been something I have been eyeing on the Eyes, Lips, Face site and I had it marked down on a list to check for when I went to the USA again so I am happy that Lucy shared this with me. I can’t wait to use it. (Conceals under-eye darkness, blemishes and other skin imperfections with customized coverage. Brightens under-eye circles and neutralizes redness. Convenient size for on-the-go travel.)
How neat is this, its the Mineral Blemish Powder. (Heal and disguise blemishes with the all natural Mineral Blemish Kit. This translucent powder has active acne fighting ingredients like natural Sulfur, Tea Tree and Willow Bark to treat acne and prevent future breakouts while penetrating deep into the pores to control blackheads.) I know this will be used alot and its in the shade clear.
As you can see Lucy spoiled me with all these awesome goodies that I can’t wait to try out very soon. Not include in the pictures above was a nail file, the brush for the blemish powder, a pencil sharpener for eyeliner pencils and a pack of neutrogena all in one wipes. I have been wanting to try these out and I really like the wipes. This will be something I would repurchase.
 

Finally there was one more little goodie that Lucy included which is to the right. I’m not sure if I am allowed to share the contents right now with you but its something that Lucy is working on, on the side and I know it will bring her much success and I am happy that I am able to get a sneak peek and try them out before anyone else does.

Lucy thanks so much for meeting up with me and spoiling me with all these goodies. I am turning into a make fanatic now.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

Sampler Village -October Edition

Posted on by Cindy

This is my second box from Sampler Village  and I am really liking this service what they have to offer the subscribers.

Its a monthly sample subscription service and all the samples you get in the box are from artisans and are all hand crafted. You won’t get any big name products in this.

There is three boxes available if you live in the United States (which I am so jealous of y’all) but thankfully they do ship one of their boxes to Canada and its called the Charmingly Samplicious Sampler Box and its $35 ($25 for the box and $10 for shipping).

Its not a reoccuring charge so you have to go into their site to order the box and I believe the sign up dates are the 21st of each month at a selected time. Octobers theme is Make Mine Pink. Then Nov/Dec is Sweet Christmas.

You will get 15 to 20 samples in this box and I just have to say I was impressed with shipping this comes really fast within a week of ordering the box you will receive it at your door.

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So lets get into this months box and just a reminder the theme is Make Mine Pink.

The packaging was fantastic from opening the outer box to getting to this. It arrived in a standard brown box and inside the box was a hot pink box with white and pink tulle with a pink ribbon in support of breast cancer awareness month. (October)

I think it says alot about a company that goes that extra mile to make the packaging look pretty inside and out. It makes you feel like your gettng your moneys worth.
I just love seeing little goodies like this wrapped up nice and pretty. It makes you feel that these little artisans take pride in there work and how they present it.
This month I don’t have alot of pictures to go with this post and for some reason my camera has been acting wonky.
 
Its always like Christmas when you open up these kinds of boxes because you never know what you are going to get and from where.
 
In not paricular order:
 
Skinny Dips Soaps sent a package of beautiful smelling bath salts that are pale pink in color. I’m not sure of the scent but it smells really nice and I can’t wait to try this out. You can check out their shop by looking here http://www.etsy.com/shop/SkinnyDipSoaps
 
CJN Flowers crafts beautiful items and they graciously sent out a cute little bobby pin with a dusty rose mum flower on it. I really like this.  http://www.cjnflowers.com/Home.aspx and http://www.etsy.com/shop/countrycraft101
 
Who doesn’t love a nice and natural do it yourself facial mask? Aqua Blossom kindly provide a sample of their Strawberry Fig. I have been looking at their site http://shop.aquablossom.com/index.php?route=common/home and I really want to order stuff from them.
 
Have you ever had those little stubs of crayons floating around that you had no idea what do with? Well Drawn Together has come up with a solution, they are crafting little mine dinos with them. How neat this is this little http://www.etsy.com/shop/DrawnTogetherEtsy/sold?ref=shopinfo_sales_leftnav ?
 
In honor of breast cancer awareness month we always need a reminder and Tracy from http://www.etsy.com/shop/mammygram has come up with a solution for that by including some buttons reminding us to take a mammogram yearly.
 
Sugar scrubs are fantastic and I love that the http://www.etsy.com/shop/thebarnandmore include a tub of their Butt Naked sugar scrub. I loved the smell of this.
 
One of the cutest packaging this month was by http://www.skincaringsoaps.com/ and I include a picture above. They graciously sent out a pink sugar candy soap (Large soap with the delicious scent of Pink Sugar from Aquolina, a fruity cotton candy scent with caramel, lemon, raspberry jelly and back notes of musk). This smells so good.
 
I love lip balm’s and was so happy to see one in this months box and its from http://craftcafe.co/shop/arganiasembrace/. We got a full size Pink Grapefruit lip balm. Its a really nice lip balm. I am loving it.
 
If you remember in the September box we got an item from http://www.etsy.com/shop/Beegrl88 and I liked it and this month they sent along a cute pendant for a necklace  with a pink riboon and hope on it. I’m planning on getting a chain for it.
 
You might also remember that I got a candle from http://www.etsy.com/shop/joellechan in the last box well she graciously sent us another one this time in peace. I love burning bees wax candles.
 
I always get excited when I discover a new Canadian company and more so when they make things I like. This is the case this month with http://meandtheboy.com/  .When I saw the little sample I quickly opened it and was wondering what kind of lotion it was. I loved the smell but couldn’t quite place it so I rushed to check it out and its cotton candy, citrus and fresh clean smelling this lotion is soft and smooth and leaves your skin like silk and it’s paraben free, vegan and 98% natural.
 
We also got another lotion and its Sweet Pea scented with Goat’s Milk from http://michellesthisandthat.storenvy.com/collections/60252-all-products. This one smells really nice too.
 
This month we also got two cards in the box one is from http://craftcafe.co/shop/apenny4urthoughts/ sent a beautiful F is for Family card and the other one is a thanks for your support from a returning merchant http://neatthings-boutique.com/ (they included and owl bookmark last month)
 
And finally the the mayor for the month of October is http://www.etsy.com/shop/ninjavspirategifts (Ninja Vs Pirate) and they included a tile magnet. I have spotted the owl one that I think I want to order.
 
So this is what I got in the October’s Sampler Village box. Does anything interest you? Do you get this?

Please note that the next box will be a November/December box and its the Sweet Christmas theme and it goes on sale December 1st. Be sure to go to http://samplervillage.com/ on that day to order your Christmas theme box.

 
copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.