Reviews by Friends of huggamira

PattyTherre says "mark's On the Edge Hook Up Eyeliner isn't edgy enough for me!" about Avon mark On the Edge Hook Up Liquid Eyeliner

PattyTherre — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:09:10 GMT

Quick View: This eyeliner is cute and compact but isn't dramatic enough for me. It's also pricey for the amount you get. It's OK but I prefer deeper shades.

My Take on Avon mark On the Edge Hook Up Liquid Eyeliner

I am a self proclaimed beauty diva. As such, I tend to try everything even if I don't need a beauty product. I must have 20 eyeliners but I liked the idea of a compact little tube that "hooked up" with another product (mascara, lip gloss, lipstick, eye shadow, etc.) and that I could carry easily with me.

I bought Avon mark On the Edge Hook Up Liquid Eyeliner along with a Hook Up eyeshadow. The connector piece was free. This eyeliner is a small black tube with a screw on/off top. That top slides into a plastic connector and another Hook Up product can be attached to it so I can carry one tube that really is two tubes hooked together. Saves space.

The eyeliners have stupid names like Callisto, Cleo, and Medusa so you really don't know the exact shade except by looking at the little...

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PattyTherre says "I don't smell the sea or cotton. I smell a strong floral scent." about Bath and Body Works Sea Island Cotton Fragrance Mist

PattyTherre — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 05:28:05 GMT

Quick View: I love fresh scents and can't get enough body mists and sprays that smell fresh, clean, and airy. During a buy 3, get 3 free sale on signature scents at Bath & Body Works, I picked up several items and one was Bath and Body Works Sea Island Cotton Fragrance Mist. With a crisp name like that, how could I go wrong? Well I did. It's very floral. It's fine for those who tolerate floral scents but I can't. Bummer.

My Take on Bath and Body Works Sea Island Cotton Fragrance Mist

This spray comes in a 8 ounce clear plastic bottle. The spray is also clear. When I read the notes, I was excited to try it. I figured all the clean ingredients would certainly overtake the floral accord....

# Fragrance Top Notes: Fresh Bright Floral Accord, Clean Cotton Accord, Drenched Air Accord, Fresh Linen Effect, Wet Green Pear, Blood Orange, Tangerine
# Fragrance Mid Notes: White Muguet, Crisp Orange Flower, Watery Cyclamen, White Freesia, Cotton Blossom Headspace, Dewy Jasmine
# Fragrance Base Notes:...

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Bryan-Carey says "Melissa and Doug World Map Puzzle: Educational, but Flawed" about Melissa and Doug World Map Puzzle

Bryan-Carey — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 02:31:40 GMT

Educational toys are almost always an improvement to the mindless objects commonly passed off as child entertainment. Some manufacturers are known for their educational child entertainment and one of them is Melissa and Doug. One of their many educational tools is the Melissa and Doug World Map 33- Piece Puzzle, a large puzzle that teaches kids world geography.

Puzzle Commentary:

The Melissa and Doug World Map Puzzle is a large, two feet by three feet puzzle (61 by 92 cm) that is large enough that most will assemble it on the floor or on a large table. This world map includes a grand total of 33 pieces, with each of the continents clearly named and identified by a separate color. Individual countries (and U.S. state) boundaries are clearly marked, but individual countries are not named. The oceans include the names and the map is covered with small depictions of animals native to the world’s many lands.

Puzzles are good for developing many skills, but they are even better when...

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njchicaa says "This Magic Chef compact refrigerator gets the job done." about Magic Chef 4.4 Cubic Foot Refrigerator MCBR445B2

njchicaa — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:02:33 GMT

We finished our basement and build a bar down there about a year ago. We have a hard-partying group of friends, so we knew that just one compact refrigerator was not going to be enough to hold the beer supply. We wound up buying two of these Magic Chef 4.4 Cubic Foot Refrigerators from Home Depot and have been very happy with them.

This compact refrigerator is designed for use in offices, dorm rooms, and places like basement bars and tiki bars. There isn't enough room to store a week's worth of groceries and frozen items, but you can easily store sandwiches, yogurt, some fresh fruit, and some cans of soda and bottled water in it. We use them down in the bar, so they are usually stocked with about 3 cases of bottled beer, a couple of 1 L bottles of club soda, ginger ale, Diet Coke, and a GladWare container of sliced limes. I think the closest we have ever gotten to having real food in our Magic Chef Refrigerators was a bottle of olives once. There also is a small freezer compartment...

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njchicaa says "Looking for a good read? Pick up The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" about The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

njchicaa — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:56:44 GMT

I'm always looking for an interesting book, so I was excited when my father passed along his copy of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo to me a few days ago. He said that he totally loved the book, had already bought and read the follow-up novel, and was looking to buy the third one in the series. After reading it, I understand his enthusiasm and will definitely recommend the book to other people.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo follows two people: Lisbeth Salander, a young woman who is an exceptionally skilled investigator who also happens to be deemed mentally incapable of caring for herself and Mikael Blomkvist, a middle-aged journalist who was recently convicted of libel and who had to give up his position at the magazine that he published/ran. Blomkvist is hired by Henrik Vanger to write an autobiography and to also investigate the 30+ year old disappearance of his young niece, Harriet. Blomkvist has nothing better to do and enjoys the work, but he soon finds that he has discovered...

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PattyTherre says "Fakery at its finest. This Ugg boot site LOOKS legit but is NOT!" about bestuggsell.com

PattyTherre — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 03:24:52 GMT

Quick View: I have written a lot about Uggs and Ugg-Alike boots. I have an obsession with them. Imagine my delight when I saw that Ugg Australia website was having a great sale on the most popular styles of Uggs! Then I discovered a very sneaky plot to make people BELIEVE they are on the Ugg Australia website when, in fact, they are on a Chinese site that claims nowhere that the boots they sell are authentic.

My Take on bestuggsell.com

I clicked on an ad that showed a pair of Uggs at a great price. I was delighted to see some great sales on the Ugg Australia website. I decided to splurge and buy a pair of classic cardy Uggs since the price was discounted so much. Then I decided to go through a cash back site to get even more savings.

I went to Bing's cash back, logged in, and clicked on Ugg Australia. It took me to the exact site but the prices were different. Hmm. I went to the site I had been looking at and, sure enough, it was exact -- same logo, same photos, same everything -- but the...

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Caprig says "The Lady in Ulta Said I Made A Kid Scream" about MAC Amplified Lipstick in Show Orchid

Caprig — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:18:48 GMT

When you live in an area that is considered one of the top five darkest areas of the US on a regular basis when studies are done, you have to find ways to make the seemingly endless days of winter pass with more excitement and amusement.

One of the ways I like to do this is to dress brightly from January on until about March or April. Bright clothes, makeup and yes, even hats.

My favorite color in the whole world since I was a kid is the color FLAMING magenta Hot Pink and any derrivative of it. I got a brainstorm this past fall when I saw a crazy Hot Pink wig for a really low price. I was going to make a hat that was different. A hat that would be a great way to make it through bad hair days and I would feel all bright again.

I bought the really low priced wig and then spun up some really fun yarn from wool fiber that I had dyed with kool aid and various other dyes. What I got was a really fun midwinter hat.

The opportunity came to wear my hat when I was given a gift card to Ulta...

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Caprig says "Hey, That Vampire is Wearing Vincent Longo Coralo Red!" about Vincent Longo Duo Lip Pencil Red Coralo Red

Caprig — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 18:43:02 GMT

I just got done saying that I did not think that I would ever need to get another makeup item which made my dear husband quite happy. I don't think that makeup is among is favorite topics of discussion.

Well, that night I went into my makeup cabinet to apply some beautiful lipstick that I had not worn in a while, and then I realized- the reason I had not worn it is that I did not have a lip liner that went well with it.

I like a liner that lasts and does not smear or feather, and I just did not have one in a bright red that I liked.

That night I made do with what I had, but I was not happy with it.

When I saw Sephora offering a great deal on the VINCENT LONGO DUO LIP PENCILS, I jumped for joy- they had a duo tipped lip pencil and both side were RED!

WHAT IS VINCENT LONGO DUO LIP PENCIL in RED and CORALO RED LIKE?

Having a cap on both sides, the VINCENT LONGO DUO LIP PENCIL in RED and CORALO red has two different red cores- one on each end.

VINCENT LONGO DUO LIP PENCIL in RED is a lovely...

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njchicaa says "Not loving Newman's Own Extra Bold K-Cups." about Newman's Own Organics Extra Bold Special Blend

njchicaa — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 02:13:36 GMT

When my husband bought me the Keurig B70 Platinum Coffee Brewer for Christmas, he also included several boxes of K-Cups, including Newman's Own Organics Extra Bold K Cups. I've been using them for a week now and I simply don't like the coffee that they make!

A K-Cup is a pre-measured little coffee-making cup that you use in your Keurig Brewer. You simply pop it into the machine, hit the "brew" button, and you have a large mug of steaming hot coffee literally within 30 seconds. This particular K-Cup contains Newman's Own Organic Extra Bold Coffee which is also fairly-traded in addition to being organic. My husband knows that I buy organic and fair-trade coffee whenever I can which is how I wound up with a big box of these K-Cups. My husband bought a box of 25 for about $15 at the local Kohl's. That's about 60 cents each, but it is still much less expensive than a cup of coffee purchased at the local convenience store or Dunkin Donuts.

As I stated, I've been using Newman's Own...

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njchicaa says "What. An. Awful. And. Pathetic. Book. " about Sharon Lathan - Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One Pride and Prejudice Continues

njchicaa — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 01:10:11 GMT

I'm a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice and I've read many different sequels over the years. They almost always disappoint me, yet I keep buying them. I've learned my lesson, however, after reading Sharon Lathan's Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy. It is THE WORST PRIDE AND PREJUDICE SEQUEL I've ever read.

Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy picks up the Pride and Prejudice story immediately after the marriage of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. He brings her home to Pemberley and, well, all they seem to do is have sex and state that they love each other, can't live without the other, can't breathe without the other, own each other's souls, etc. Seriously. That's it. There are no conversations other than pledging their love to one another and no action aside from, well, the action in the bedroom. It was extremely tedious to read and I found myself getting angrier and angrier with each page because the author completely failed to include any of Lizzy or Mr. Darcy's personalities into...

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njchicaa says "I love my Delta Touch2O Faucet!" about Delta Touch2O Kitchen Faucet

njchicaa — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 00:28:10 GMT

I received the Delta Touch and 2O Kitchen Faucet as part of my Christmas present from my husband. I enjoy cooking and spend a lot of time in the kitchen preparing meals for the two of us and for our friends and family, so replacing our $35 two-knob faucet with something nicer was a logical solution. He really spoiled me with this Touch 2 O Faucet.

The main selling point of this Touch2O Faucet is the fact that you can turn it on and off with a simple tap of your hand, wrist, arm, elbow, etc. If your hands are covered in egg, breadcrumbs, meatloaf mix, etc. you can simply tap the faucet or handle to turn on the water and rinse off your hands. Many people may not feel the need to purchase such a kitchen faucet, especially at the outrageous $368 price, but it is the perfect improvement for me considering the antiquated setup we had and the amount of cooking that I do each day.

The Delta Touch 2 O Kitchen Faucet was relatively simple for my handy husband to install. It took about...

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skbreese says "Traveling Light: My Life In Ruins" about My Life in Ruins

skbreese — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 22:12:25 GMT

Star of the hit romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Nia Vardalos, returns to the big screen in the 2009 follow-up, My Life In Ruins. Unfortunately, this film suffers from a few too many crude jokes (a character named Poupi "poopy" Kakas) and tired gags (a kleptomaniac grandma). The result is a thinly plotted travelogue that is neither very funny nor romantic.

Recently laid off American history professor, Georgia, (Nia Vardolos) takes a job as a tour guide in Greece, for a low budget travel agency, and receives mediocre reviews, while in constant competition with her co-worker, Nico, (Alistair Mc Gowen), who always gets the best tourists and an air conditioned bus. However, her fortunes change when a middle aged widower, Irv, (Richard Dreyfuss) teaches her some valuable lessons on life and love.

Despite a charming performance from Vardalos, the other characters in the film are a bit too one-dimensional and stereotypical (the loud Americans, boozing Australians, and over-sexed Spanish...

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Bryan-Carey says "Strawberry Shortcake Cafe: Fun, but Parts will Become Lost" about Hasbro Strawberry Shortcake Playset - BERRY CAFE

Bryan-Carey — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:53:10 GMT

My girls count many cartoon and television characters among their favorites and one relative newcomer to their list is Strawberry Shortcake and one of several themed toys bearing this character's likeness is the Strawberry Shortcake Berry Café, a small, simple toy.

Toy Commentary:

The Strawberry Shortcake Berry Café is a small plastic toy, shaped like a carved- out strawberry, designed in the form of a dollhouse. The inside has two levels and on one side of the toy, there is a series of leaves stacked on top of one another, forming "steps" to the top level. On the top of the toy, you will find an extension of the strawberry's stem, with a small bird attached.The toy also comes with a large number of accessories. There are about twenty in total and they include things like a Strawberry Shortcake doll; a dress and hat for the doll; bed; bed tray; and more. The unit is small enough that any child in the targeted age group (4 to 7) can carry it around. There are no automatic moving parts...

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Katrena says "Paws -n- Claws Pet Brush Has Two Types of Bristles & Only $1" about Paws -n- Claws Pet Brush

Katrena — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 06:35:38 GMT

Paws n Claws Pet Brush is a dog grooming brush with a brown wooden handle with two different types of bristles. One side has short black bristles while the other side has longer metal bristles with little balls on the end of each bristle. We tried both sides of the brush on our poodle mix, but only the shorter and softer black bristles work well for our poodle mix.

I've learned several things about grooming a dog after rescuing this dog from the local animal shelter:

Some dogs love to be brushed and will lie down forever while being brushed (ours is one of those)
Poodle mixes are not bad about shedding. My mother-in-law has a border collie and she probably looses more hair being brushed than our dog has on her skin.
Dogs may mistake this for a chew toy and chew the wooden end.
Babies may mistake this for a person's hairbrush or toothbrush.

This dog brush is distributed in Virginia but made in China. I prefer American made products, but sometimes they are hard to find and afford.

My Viewpoint:...

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Katrena says "Disney Princess 50 Piece Puzzle Comes in 2-Pack for $1.00" about Disney Princess 50 Piece Puzzle

Katrena — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 05:21:34 GMT

Disney Princess 50-Piece Puzzle comes in a two-pack at our local Dollar Tree. That works well because you can get two fun puzzles for $1.00. I picked up this 2-pack of Disney Princess puzzles for my 5-year-old. She absolutely loves princesses and enjoys working puzzles, so I thought this would be right up her alley. Each puzzle, when put together, measures about 5" by 7".

What I Like about Disney Princess Puzzle (2 pack):

The boxes are very small and are handy for packing into something like a stocking or for taking on a trip.
The pictures are of some of my daughters' favorite princesses, like Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, etc.
The colors are fun and bright.
The puzzles aren't real hard to work--they have straight edges around the sides and lots of changes in colors and the pieces fit well together.
The pieces aren't warped like what happened last year when I bought some different puzzles that were similar but larger.

My Viewpoint:

This 2 pack of Disney Princess Puzzles that...

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Katrena says "Color Wonder Under the Sea Has Cool Coloring Activities!" about Crayola Color Wonder Under the Sea Activity Set

Katrena — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 04:58:26 GMT

Crayola Color Wonder Under the Sea Activity Set is an interesting and cool set of activities.

Included in the Under the Sea Activity Set:

Figurines--this one has a fish and seahorse
Paint brush markers--these sort of work like paint brushes but don't color unless used on color wonder materials
Broad line markers--these are more like traditional markers but won't color unless used on color wonder materials
Coloring book with 36 pages

What I Like about Color Wonder Under the Sea:

My 8-year-old daughter received this as a Christmas gift and was absolutely thrilled and said it was the best gift ever (other than getting a dog....)
It is nice to have something that doesn't make a mess in case the younger kids grab these and try to decorate everything.
The figurines were cute and a fun twist to the Color Wonder collection

What I Don't Like about Color Wonder Under the Sea:

The colors of the markers were pretty limited, but we had some other markers from previous gifts that worked with this as...

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Katrena says "Mistle Totes Umbrella Opens Full Size but Closes Very Small" about Mistle Totes Umbrella

Katrena — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 04:52:41 GMT

Mistle Totes Umbrellas are made by Totes around Christmas time. They are sold in a festive and cute box with jingle bells and a bow on top for a holiday-type theme, and my sister, CyndiA, bought this for me for Christmas this year. (I love to recycle things, so jingle bells are always a fun addition to a gift!) An umbrella is a nice and useful gift idea, and my sister gave me one this year for Christmas.

What I Like about Mistle Totes Umbrella:

It opens full size (which is helpful if you have three small kids that prefer not to get wet in the rain)
It's manual (which is helpful if you have kids that like to experiment with umbrellas)
It is easy to open and close and comes with a separate cover (nice for storage)
It folds into a very small size (handy for carrying in a pocketbook or storing in the car)
It has a wrist strap
Mine is aqua, which is a color I like
It has a lifetime warranty (I've had several Totes brand umbrellas and they do tend to work well and last a long time)

The main thing...

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Katrena says "The Day Before Christmas Talks about Memories of Loved One" about The Day Before Christmas

Katrena — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 04:42:00 GMT

The Day Before Christmas [1992, Clarion Books, ISBN: 0-89919-866-X] by Eve Bunting with paintings by Beth Peck is a 32-page children's book about enjoying the holidays after the loss of a loved one.

The Story:

A grandfather is taking his granddaughter to see the Nutcracker, a play that he also took his daughter to see many years before. The granddaughter is seven years old, the same age that her mother was when Grandpa took her mom to see the same play. Unfortunately, the little girl's mother died four years ago. The little girl's dad warns his daughter that Grandpa "may be a little sad today," but Grandpa and his granddaughter enjoy their time together and make their own special memory.

This book is a bit nostalgic and interesting in that the illustrations are actually paintings. The Day Before Christmas seems to be set in a former time since the little girl is riding the train to meet her grandfather.

My Viewpoint:

I think The Day Before Christmas might be particularly well suited for...

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Katrena says "Lulu the Big Little Chick Wants to Grow Up and be on His Own" about Lulu the Big Little Chick

Katrena — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 04:26:22 GMT

Lulu the Big Little Chick [2009, Bloomsbury, ISBN-13: 978-1-59990-343-9] is a 34-page children's picture book about growing up and leaving home...almost.

The Story:

Lulu is ready to leave home and set out on his own, so off he goes to make his own way. The other animals that he meets aren't so sure that Lulu is really ready for the big move of being on his own, including:

pigs
sheep
horse
cow
crow

Mama is sad to see Lulu go but lets the little chick take the journey despite such a small size. When Lulu decides that perhaps this newfound independence is a bit premature as danger looms near, what will happen next?

The illustrations are colorful and compliment the story nicely.

My Viewpoint:

I guess that all parents hope to teach their kids to be independent and perhaps all parents wish to protect those same kids. I think kids can relate to a little chick that wants to be on its own but also meets with lots of opposition and danger. The conclusion of Lulu the Big Little Chick is a feel good...

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Katrena says "Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Ancient Egypt Has Too Much Detail" about Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Ancient Egypt

Katrena — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 04:12:51 GMT

Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Ancient Egypt [2001, Scholastic Press, ISBN: 0-590-44680-0] by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen is a 42-page children's book about Egypt. This book takes the kids on a trip to learn about Egypt as they parachute down from their plane. It is very detailed for a young kid's book with lots of extra dialogue and tidbits of facts about Egypt as it was many years ago.

Here are a few examples from the book:

Egyptian art was interesting as the head, hips, legs, and feet were drawn from the side but the eyes, shoulders, and chest were drawn from the front. This perhaps provided the best view of each part.
Many Egyptians had damaged teeth because their bread sometimes had sand in it.
More than two million stone blocks comprise the Great Pyramid.
The Sphinx symbolized many things: the head stood for leadership, the body for power.
Pharoah's body was made into a mummy. One part of doing this was to remove and throw away the brain.

OK--I liked most of the details...

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