Author: Cindy

Proud Owner of….. #2

Posted on by Cindy

As you probably know from reading my blog you know how I love Vera Bradley and her products. I am always stalking checking out http://www.verabradley.com/ to scope out the newest additions and sales.

Thankfully here in Montreal we don’t have a Vera Bradley store/retailer and the closest one to me would be in Upper New York State and Vermont or else I would be at those retailers all the time.

Recently we had a quick get away to Vermont for a weekend. After we did some sight seeing and hiking we decided to do a little bit of shopping. You don’t have to twist my arm for that. As we were walking in the mall I happened to see a Vera Bradley display set up in a window of a Hallmark store. I was thrilled because I actually saw the Hipster Bag I have been eyeing, sadly they didn’t have the black one that I wanted.

So I decided to look around and hoped to find a wallet but didn’t find out that I really liked or they didn’t have the color I wanted or the price I really wanted to pay. Until I stumbled upon this:

Its called Pocket Zip ID . “Simple and easy does it! The hinged ring clips to a purse strap, keyring or belt loop with ease for quick access to bare essentials. A front snap flap pocket can hold lip gloss or quick beauty aids, as well.”

I love how elegant and simple this little pouch is. Its black and quilted. I think the silver tag on the puch is perfect to make the pouch pop a little bit.

The clear plastic pouch on the back hold your id and no worries of loosing it since you insert it from inside the zipper. You can put anything in there that you want and I ended up going with Michael’s picture from his First Communion.

There is a front puch and its a perfect size to put money, a house key and so much more. I more the likely would use it to put money there when I go to the bank LOL

It was only when I was putting my cards and such in this that I noticed that inside the bag is marked with Vera Bradley. It looks stitched on but its not and I think this is a really nice touch to show that it is indeed an original and not a knock off.

I am so happy with this new little edition to my collection and it will match perfectly when I get the hipster (hopefully soon)

One of the things I love about this is that its nice enough to use on its own if you need to make a quick trip and don’t want to lug a purse which I have done on several occassions since getting this. Plus its nice to have something that no one else has and a few people have commented on it when I have been out.

Do you have a cute little wallet that you use all the time?

*Please note  was on no way compensate for this review. I purchased this product with my own money.  *

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.

(BBAW) Where You Interview Me

Posted on by Cindy

As I previously mentioned in an earlier post when I was talking about BBAW I had missed out in signing up for the Interview swap so I asked you my readers to ask me questions and you guys are awesome you left me some questions so I am going to answer them. Thank you for taking the time to ask me them.

Kathy from Bermudaonion asked: What’s your favorite movie?
If you had an extra thousand dollars, what would you buy?

Kathy those are great questions. But before I answer them I just want you guys to know that I have known Kathy since I started blogging and every time we go to BEA we always plan to meet up. She is a super sweet person and what you see online is what you get in real life.

Okay to answer Kathy’s questions. I have a few favorite movies and they are Grease, Pretty In Pink, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, St Elmo’s Fire, Top Gun, Mary Poppins and a few others. I can watch these over and over again.

The next one is a little tougher, but I think if I had an extra thousand dollars I would definitly buy the black Vera Bradley cross body bag I have been eyeing and probably books and bookcases to hold those books. I would probably take what ever was left and put it towards BEA.

Thanks once again Kathy that was a great question.

Alexia’s Book & Such  asked: What is the one book you would recommend to a reluctant reader? And if you could have dinner wih any five authors, who would you choose?

Thanks Alexia for stopping by to leave your question. Can I just say that you guys are asking some pretty amazing questions. Oh my gosh, I don’t know what I would recommend to a reluctant reader,

Hmm five authors? I think I would love to have dinner with Chris Colfer (I got to hear him speak at BEA this year and he was fantastic and I would love to talk to him a little more), Lesley Livingston (I got to meet her recently and she was so funny and I would love to sit and talk with her longer), Terry Spear (I have read all her books and have had her on the blog so getting to meet her in real life would be awesome), Maureen Johnson (Because she is hilarious) and last but not least Julie Kagawa.

Kim from On The Wings of Books asked: Where is your review for The Land of Stories??? I’ve been waiting and waiting! 😉

Kim, I had a feeling you were going to ask me that and I actually have it schedule to appear on my blog this Thursday to coinside with Glee starting Thursday night. I will tell that I really enjoyed the book.

Freda from Freda’s Voice asked: What book has impacted you the most?

Hmm this is a good question. I guess I would have to say To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Color Purple. I never realized how some people can be so superior in their thinking that they are better then anyone else. For me growing up it didn’t matter what the skin color was, its whats inside that counts. I pass this on to my son. I think we all have to stop and realize that yea we are all different in some shape or form but we are all the same, we are humans and we have feelings and hurt just like everyone does.

Thanks guys for asking me these questions. I had alot of fun answering them.

I also just checked the BBAW site this morning and saw these questions so I thought I would add them as well.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?

-Yes I occassionally snack while I am reading but not very often as I tend to read in bed at night. When I do snack I tend to eat granola bars, pretzels or fruit.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of
writing in books horrify you?

-This is a huge pet peeve of mine. I cringe when I see someone marking in their books. I can undertstand a work book or text book but not a novel. For me if I want to remember something I will use a piece of paper and leave that in the book.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?

-Another pet peeve of mine is seeing someone dog-ear their books. For myself, I always use a bookmark, a piece of paper, a business card, a post it flag to mark my books, basically anything that won’t damage the book is how I keep my place.

Laying the book flat open?

-I never lay the book flat open. I hate cracked spines.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?

-I am a fiction kind of girl and the only non fiction books I read are cookbooks.

Hard copy or audiobooks?

-I prefer hard copy. I have tried audiobooks but realized that I would always get up and start doing other things in another room. Audiobooks become back ground noise for me.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you
able to put a book down at any point?

-I have to read to the end of the chapter before I can put the book down. This is more so at night but I guess if I am reading during the day and will be back to the book right away I can put it down at any point.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?

-Of course I do because if you don’t know what the word is, you have no idea where the author is going in context.

What are you currently reading?

-I am currently reading Brimstone by Rosemary Clement-Moore

What is the last book you bought?

-The last book I bought was Brimstone by Rosemary Clement-Moore for this weekends signing.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can
you read more than one at a time?

-I am the kind of person who can only read one book at time. I have tried several times and I just can’t get into the story. So I guess you can say I am a monogomous reader.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?

-I wish I had more time to read during the day but I don’t so I tend to save my reading for night time in bed or on the couch.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?

-It would depend on the books but I have to say I prefer stand alones, although I do read series.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?

-I am always recommending Kelley Armstrong, Terry Spears and Kristine Grayson’s books over and over again.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)

-Currently I have no real organization happening although I do have separate shelves for the books I got at BEA and books I got for review books (sorted by release date) and the rest is basically just placed on the shelf although if the author has several books I tend to keep them together. I am hoping that once the renos are done in the basement and bookcases are up that I will organize some how.

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.

(BBAW) Day 1= Appreciation Day

Posted on by Cindy

This is Day 1 of Book Blogger Appreciation Week and today’s topic is:

Appreciation! There are no awards this year, but it can still be hard to navigate the huge universe of book blogging. Share with your readers some of the blogs you enjoy reading daily and why.

I am really not a huge fan of awards and I was really happy to see this change this year for numerous reasons although this is another thing I really don’t like because it feels like you are picking and choosing amongst your friends and saying one is better then the next but its not. I love you guys.

So in not particular order here is my list of ten that I pretty much check out on a daily bases:

  1. Kathy from Bermudaonion and she was one of the very first bloggers I found and she is a regular commentor on my blog. I have had the prvilage of meeting Kathy at BEA in 2010 and we are always in touch. She is super sweet online and in real life. I am always in total awe of Kathy because she does so much in real life and still has time to read.
  2. Tina from Bookshipper. She was one of the first bloggers I met in real life, and was part of the original Montreal Book Blogger group. Tina has turned into a really good friend over the years and we are partners in crime and go on wild NYC adventures. Without her I don’t think NYC would have been so much fun. Tina and I have similar taste in books and magazines.
  3. Laura from Library of Clean Reads . She is a local Montreal author and blogger. I was so thrilled to have been asked by Laura to read her book a few years ago and I am honored to call her a friend and I have to say my first author friend.
  4. Jennifer from Jenn’s Book Shelves . I love reading Jenn’s blog especially when her son does a guest appearance because when he does I show Michael his posts in hopes that it will inspire him to make an appearance on mine. I also got to meet Jenn at BEA in 2010 and I am known to occassionally post a “It’s Monday, What are you reading? post.
  5. Sheila from Book Journey. I don’t know how I ever stumbled upon Sheila but I am so happy because I love reading her blog daily. Not only does she do reviews but she talks about everything. I think I have been  stalking following her for several years and I just have to say I finally got to meet her in real life at BEA this year and she is super sweet and awesome.
  6. Lucy from Moonlight Gleam’s. Lucy is a Montreal book blogger and its hard to believe I have only known her for a year but it feels like I have known her forever. She is an awesome blogger and is such a hard worker on keeping her blog current. I am honored to call her a friend.
  7. Cindy aka Tynga from Tynga’s Reviews is also another Montreal blogger. I have also been following her blog for some time and only got to meet her last year. I love reading her Stacking the Shelves each week and the various authors she gets on her blog. If you love paranormal/urban fiction you should check her out.
  8. Ashely from Steps to Perfection . This is not a book blog but a heauty blog and I love going to Ashley’s blog because she is my go to girl on all beauty box subscription services here in Canada and what is available to Canadians.
  9. Kate from Midnight Book Girl. Kate is another blog that I have been stalking  following mainly at first because of her blog design but then because of her reviews. Kate reads the same kind of books as me. Plus she was my roomie in NYC this year.
  10. And last but certainly not least Kim from On The Wings of Books.  Kim was one of my roomies in NYC and a total hoot. She had me laughing the whole week in NYC and whenever I read her reviews its almost like I can hear her. We both of similar taste in books and most often we feel the same way about a book.

So that is just a few of the blogs I follow on a daily bases. I wish I could add you all to my list but I can’t sorry. What do you think of my list? Did you discover someone new? Is so which ones?

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.

(MEME) Sunday’s In Bed With…… #14

Posted on by Cindy
I was just getting some posts ready when I realized I had to do a Sundays In Bed With…. post. I am sorry that I am late in posting this and it will be back posted. I have been in a blogging funk lately.

The awesome blogger behind this is Kate from Midnight Book Girl   not only is she an awesome blogger but she is was one of my roommates for BEA. YAY!!

Midnight Book Girl

Sundays In Bed With….is a meme I’ve started to share the book we’re spending the morning in bed with, or the one we’d like to stay curled up in bed with all Sunday if only our busy lives would allow! For fun, take a picture of the book in your bed, or simply write up a post or comment below sharing your Sundays in Bed With book. Quoted from Kate’s blog

I have been trying to figure out what I was going to read next and not quite sure. Its not that its due to the lack of books (cause it certainly isn’t)  but perhaps its due to the fact that I have way to much to read both of books I bought and have for review. So I figured that I would pick this up to read:

This is Brimstone by Rosemary Clement-Moore. Inside is two stories Prom Dates from Hell and Hell Week both books that have been previously released and put into a bind up. Rosemary will be coming to my next of the woods next Saturday along with other authors for a huge signing and I will be going. I am so excited.

Hope your having a good long weekend and that you manage to find some time read this week. Its hard to believe that this is the last long weekend of the summer. Where did the time go?

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.

Loose Buttons Fall Edition Box

Posted on by Cindy

You might have been wondering why I haven’t posted a Loose Buttons Unboxing in a little while well they recently changed the way they did their boxes. So instead of it being monthly its now quarterly. So basically you can expect a Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer box. Within that box you can expect to recieve 7-8 travel sized beauty and life style items each season.

The price for each seasonal membership plan is as follows:

The annual plan, you will pay $96 every 12 months, which equals to $24 per season and a total of 4 Luxe Boxes per plan cycle.

The semi-annual plan, you will pay $50 every 6 months, which equals to $25 per season and a total of 2 Luxe Boxes per plan cycle.

The pay-as-you-go plan, you will pay $26 per season and a total of 1 Luxe Box per plan cycle.

I am on the pay as you go just because if I ever feel the need to cancel I can.

I have to apologize for this post because it will be jammed packed with photos.

Since its now a seasonal box they have changed the packaging. The fall box came in a rectangular ivory colored box that is brown inside. On the outside they used a gold button and inside they used gold lettering for LUXEBOX. I thought this was an elegant touch.

The theme of the ivory and gold carry on into the envelope that holds the product card.

The same applies to the sticker although I am disappointed since I got a R stamp. Everyone’s stamp was personalized with the intial as you can see mine isn’t. Hopefully this is a one time occurance.

Its too bad that the product card isn’t like the rest of the packaging. If you have gotten Luxe box you will have noticed that they changed the card. You have to go online to the site to find out more about the products and how to use them. Although when I went to the product descriptions in my account they aren’t even the products I got.

When you open the lid you see this and I thought this was an elegant touch. It just wraps up the whole luxury theme of the box and I like how this cloth can be reused for something else again.

This is all the products inside the box. Looks like there is some goodies inside.

This is an exclusive and full size product. Its a exfoliating pad which is always nice to have since I didn’t have one and needed to get a new one. I love the brown packaging with gold button. Very nice.

Sorry this is upside down but I wanted to show how nice the packaging was.

I don’t think I have tried any Calvin Klein products before so this was something new and something I would love to try. Its from Calvin Klein’s Beauty line. I loved the perfume spray, the scent is very light  and floral. Plus the bottle is the kind I like with the pump spray and wish more samples would come like that. I got a 1.2ml sample of this.

I love the lotion. Its got a light scent and it went on smoothly and left my skin soft and not greasy. Plus its a perfect size to throw into a purse or bag. I got 30ml

This is a new to me product. Its the Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner. I have been looking for a eyeline and was excited that I got this one.

As you can see it goes on nicely and it was like using a thin paint brush. Its easy to use and control and you don’t have to worry about a huge mess. It dries quickly and its smudge proof as you can probably see from the mark I made on the back of my hand. This is labelled as a full size product and its exclusive to Luxebox.

Since getting the beauty boxes I am loving the discovery of new products within a line and I am falling for the Benefits products. This is the Stay Don’t Stray.

Its a stay put primer for concealers and eye shadows. I have used it on both and I noticed that they stayed put and didn’t fade away as the day went on. This is a perfect sample to try before you buy and I think I would buy the full size when I run out of this.

I didn’t get the China Glaze nail polish, which is a little bit of a bummer but in its place I got the Sally Hansen Salon Effects polish strips which has been something I have wanted to try but didn’t want to buy them. I am curious to see what they are like.

This is Kerastase Elixir K Ulitmate. I have seen these around and I don’t think I have ever tried it.  I will have to check this out on how to use it. If anyone has used this before please leave me a comment so I know what to do and not to do with it.

The last two products are brands I have gotten before The first one is a Thermo Active firming serum amd the second is Absolute Skin Recovery Cream.

So I have to say I am pretty impressed with the fall box and I am signed up for the winter box. I am excited to try out these products and its nice getting sample sizes so you have an idea of what the product is like before you buy.

Did you get a Loose Buttons box? What did you think of it?

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.

(BBAW) Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2012

Posted on by Cindy

  I was pretty much a newbie blogger when I first heard about BBAW (Book Blogger Appreciation Week) in 2009, I didn’t really do much that year with BBAW but I made it a point to take part the following year.

I was lucky enough to meet Amy, who is the host and the person who came up with this, at my very first BEA (Book Expo America) in 2010. She was a super sweet person.

For some reason I didn’t take part last year and I’m not quite sure why but thankfully I happened to stumble upon this on Sheila from Book Journey’s blog another blogger I got to meet finally at BEA 2012.

If you are interested you can still register to take part all you have to do is click here to go to the registration form . Please note that its taking place Monday Sept 10th to Friday Sept 14th. I’m not sure when the registration will close so be sure to hurry over if you are taking part.

I missed out on the interview swaps but thats okay. Perhaps if you are reading this you could post any questions you have for me below and I will answer those instead.

Be sure to check back all next week when I will answer the daily blogging topics.

Please let me know if you are taking part in BBAW

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.

Glossybox August Edition

Posted on by Cindy

If your new to my blog you might be wondering what Glossy Box is, well its a montly beauty subscription service available to Canadians and Americans. The American beauty box subscription service is very similiar to the Canadian box (which is the one I get monthly).
Each month you can expect to receive 5 luxury travel-sized beauty products sometimes more. This is a little bit more then the regualar boxes $15 Canadian and $21 USA.

I have to say that this is by far one of my favorite beauty boxes out there. I have yet to be disappointed in this box. I always feel like I walk away with money well spent and with products I am dying to try. So with that being said please note that this subscription service is paid for by myself and I am in no way affiliate with them. This is my honest and sincere opinion.

The only down side, which isn’t anything major in my opinion, is that they moved the shipping dates so they now ship out at the end of the month so usually this is the first box I get in the following month. I know alot of people think that this is the September box and that they miss out on the previous month but that isn’t the case.

I am always excited when the mailman rings the bell to deliver this because like I said above Glossy Box is yet to disappoint and it feels like Christmas morning because the boxes are always heavy.

I love that no matter what they have stayed the same. The same box (which is perfect to reuse for gifts, storing stuff etc) and I hope they stick with this because I love the box.
Another thing I love is that they are still sending out product cards. I hope they don’t switch to doing it online because in all honesty I hate having to go online to find the info because I usually don’t have the computer on in the afternoon so having to wait to see what the products are is a pain. This month we got a note wishing us a happy belated 6 month anniversary (wow I have been with Glossy since it started-green card), there was another card for Befine talking about their products and we get 20% an introductory order) and the final card is the product info card.
Something I have been wanting to try is these Biore Make Up Removing Towelettes. I have been meaning to pick these up but just never did so being able to try them is amazing. These are perfect to drop in your make up bag.

This is a full size product, 10 wipes are $3.99 and they also come in 30 wipes for $9.99 or 60 wipes for $14.99

This is a new to me product and I am excited to try them out. Its the Befine Fine Food Skin Care. I got samples of:
Night Cream with Cocoa Millet & Rice Bran/ Warming Clay mask with Cardamom, Arnica and pomegranate/ Pore REfining Treatment Scrub with Coconut, Jojoba and Citrus/ Exfoliting Cleanser with brown sugar, sweet almond and oats/ Gentle Cleanser with Sugar, mint, oats and rice

The full size: 50 -150ml for $24-$30

This is the Elastoplast SOS Blister. This was a bonus item and I think this would have been perfect for the box in May or June with the summer season beginning but just the same I will be putting this away until next summer.

The full size: 5 bandaids for $5.99

This is another bonus item. Its from Trend Truck and it was a mystery giftcard. I have never heard of this marketplace but it allows you to buy, trade, sell or donate you new or preloved fashions. My card is only $5 so not sure if I will actually use it or not.
 
I have to say that I love this lipstick. The color is perfect for me. This lipstick is exclusive to Glossy Box and its members and its made by Kryolan.The shade is called Glossy Pink. I think knowing that its exclusive to us makes it all the more special. I was using it almost every day and then stopped because I don’t want it to end.
Another product that I absolutely love is this Ahava Mineral Body Lotion. I love the scent and the feel of it. I am always using it constantly and have gotten it in previous boxes but I don’t mind because now I have a back up.

I don’t remember the price of this but it was an anniversary gift from Glossy Box.

This is what I love about Glossy Box, they always send you something you never heard of before and for me its this product. Its the Layla Smalto “BIJOU” nail polish. The card said it was “inspired by the bold and Italian woman, this collection of nail polish is for those who love to have fun and be daring with color.”

Sadly I don’t think that statement applies to this shade because as you can see its a nude/ pale pinkish. Its in the shade of Layla. I guess I would have loved to have one of those daring shades since I love color.

This is a full size product  and for this its 4.5ml for $11.99

Another brand I love is Sebastian. Glossy Box has been sending out quite a bit of things from this line and I love it. This is the Potion 9 Lite Treatment Styler. Its got a great scent and perfect to throw in your make up bag.

I love this size for that reason when your traveling you can just pop it in and not worry about a huge can.

The full size is 150ml for $20.95

 

As always I loved my Glossy Box for August and I am excited to try the products I haven’t tried yet and I love the ones I have tried.

This box definetly paid for itself and I am so happy that this has been one box that I am always happy with and excited to get.

Do you get Glossy Box? If so, is it a Canadian or American box?

Did we get the same things or different.

 
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.