Covergirl NatureLuxe Gloss Balm

There was a time last summer when I was obsessed with tinted lip balms. I wanted to find something I could wear out of the house every day, whether I was getting fully gussied up or not, just so I didn't feel completely naked. I'm not opposed to leaving the house while wearing no makeup; however "no makeup" for me is defined as a coat of mascara and a swipe of eyeliner at the very least. So I wanted to add something to the routine that wasn't as serious as a lipstick, not as sticky as a lip gloss, and nicer-looking than just plain old lip balm, which can just leave my lips looking waxy and dull.

Enter the dreamy commercials for CoverGirl's NatureLuxe line of cosmetics, featuring lots of green, wispy scarves (included on the line's packaging!) and green, wispy songstress Taylor Swift.

Not pictured: Taylor Swift.

I'm not really a fan of T-Swift (I think her songwriting capacities are vastly overrated) but I do think she works rather well as a spokesgirl for this line. She boasted the products' "light-as-air-feel" and a lack of "heavy synthetics." She herself also happens to be fairly light and breezy, without a whole lot of... well, substance (zing!). I, being a fan of products that have a light feel, decided to give their Gloss Balm a try. It even says right on the tube: "luxury touched by nature." Who wouldn't love that?

The GoodGuide page for this product is reassuring, if you dig a little deeper and expand the ratings categories. While upon first glance, Covergirl only gets a 6.0 in the Health category, expansion reveals that this product actually gets a rating of 10 for containing no ingredients that raise a health concern. Success! A product that doesn't contain a bunch of useless junk. A hover over the little question mark next to the rating for "ingredient disclosure" reveals that since Covergirl isn't too great about including all of a product's ingredients on their labels, they cap the rating at 6.0. Still, it feels good knowing that the only questionable ingredient in this product is Octinoxate, which provides the SPF factor, and is only questionable since it has apparently been banned in Japan. This doesn't worry me, because Japan tends to allow many things that should be banned (underwear-filled vending machines top that list) and thus doesn't really influence my decision-making.

Also: a machine which vends lobsters. WTF Japan?!

On to the consumer experience. The packaging is extremely cute. Tiny and light green in colour. A satisfying click exudes as you turn the dial to extend the product. And the product itself looks nice as well. I decided on colour 215: "Hibiscus." It's a nice pink that isn't too bubble-gum and not too dusty rose, if you know what I mean. It smells delightful, and glides on smoothly with no tugging. There is no taste (which is fine; I'm not 8). It feels smooth, not slimy, and not sticky. The colour is true upon application, and there was no issue with misleading colour swatches since you can see the product right through the packaging (I have a massive beef with misleading colour samples, as I'll rant about in my next review on Burt's Bees tinted lip balm). The price point is a bit high, as one 1.9g tube will set you back $9.49 at Shoppers Drug Mart. However I did find that it lasted me about 3 months, even with regular (almost obsessive) use. If the price is a deal-breaker for you, it is available at a discount through Amazon.com at about $5.99 (and even down to $3 if you're willing to gamble on third-party sellers).

The balm is a bit thin, which is great for a weightless feel, but wouldn't hold up on my lips after having a single drink or a smooch. The solution to this problem of unreliable colour is lipliner. This stuff used to be something I only wore in one colour: red. It was for use on a single occasion: to be paired with my getting-seriously-gussied-up red lipstick. But since I just love the colour of this gloss balm, and how it smells, and feels, and the fact that it has an SPF factor of 15 (gotta protect these babies!) I sometimes want this colour to last a tad longer than an hour or so. And so I have been pairing it on such occasions with Annabelle lipliner in 010 "Natural Rose" to make the dream last a little longer. Since GoodGuide doesn't seem to have any knowledge of Annabelle's cosmetics line, I can't really do a full write-up on it. But since I've decided to include it, I will mention that it goes on smoothly, doesn't tug, and is firm enough that it doesn't just squish into your lip when you try to put it on. And it's pretty long-lasting. Problem solved!

So admittedly, I've had to step up my "no makeup" routine ever-so-slightly. It now includes mascara, eyeliner, gloss balm, and sometimes lipliner. Perfect for those outings for which I don't have to make the effort to wash my hair, but still want to look decent since I'll have to be speaking with people (I don't want to terrify the occupants of my teeny-tiny town). Like trips to the grocery store. Or the post office.  Or the bank.

Hooray for looking decent! Of course, there will always be days on which I really don't care, and will walk out of the house with absolutely nothing on my face. But those days are gradually decreasing as I continue to realize that most of the time, I like being a girl, and it's fun to play with colour and actually use all these products I continue to buy compulsively. Hopefully this gives you a better picture of this product and whether or not it's right for you. Happy shopping!

Product Reviews with GoodGuide

In the past few years I've started to pay more attention to the brands of products that I purchase. This includes the company's dedication to sustainability through its ingredients list and packaging, product testing methods, and its manufacturing processes. Luckily, I've found a handy website that's concerned about all of these things and more. It's called GoodGuide. I plan on including some product reviews in this blog, and with each review I'll state the product's GoodGuide rating--so I figured it would be good of me to provide a little more information about this system*.

It offers a ratings method that spits out a numerical value between 0 and 10 (10 being the best). This number is an average of three composite scores in the areas of Health (related to the product's ingredients and their direct impact on you, the consumer), Environment (reflecting the company's commitment to biodiversity policies) and Society (focusing on the social impacts associated with the manufacture of a product). Their ratings system is broken down in extensive detail here. You can shop by category (personal care, food, pets, electronics, etc) or brand, and when you're viewing the rating for a particular product, it will suggest similar products and show you their rating as well. You can even install a toolbar to accompany you while shopping online. And what's more, they've even created a handy little smartphone app to use while you're in the store, debating over which product you should buy (and which company you should support with your money). Just scan the barcode and you're brought to the product's ratings page. Neat huh?

So with that said, I look forward to being able to provide reviews that are not only informative from a consumer's perspective, but also more information regarding the product's manufacturer and its practices. I also hope this inspires you to take a moment to think about what you purchase, and helps you make more informed choices in the store! Happy shopping!

*If you're looking for more information about how the website and company itself is run, you can find that on their About page, which lists its methodology and states where it gets its funding.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Last week, while throwing yet another couple of browned bananas into my freezer, I noticed that the pile of hardened torpedoes was about to take over my entire freezer. I resolved to finally do something with these poor neglected fruits that I had been hoarding. And so, to Google I went, to search for yet another banana muffin recipe. I had been unsatisfied with my previous staple recipes, and wanted something new and different. I also had some chocolate chips that I wanted to use, because, well... chocolate is great.

And so I stumbled upon this recipe. It had more ingredients than I was used to, and so I was slightly skeptical of it (simple = easy = hard to screw up). But then I read the reviews. All were five stars. All were raving. The words "bakery quality" hit my retinas and I was instantly convinced. A few slight tweaks later, and I was the proud new owner of a batch of the most delicious muffins I've ever baked. Yes, they're that good.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup wheat germ

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large bananas, thawed and mashed (squished with a fork works too)

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and wheat germ in a large bowl. Set aside. Mash the bananas in another bowl, and then add the rest of the wet ingredients, including the brown sugar with the wet ingredients (I even moved it down in the list so you wouldn't be tricked into thinking it goes into the dry bowl. Helpful hint!). Make sure it's all well-mixed, then pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until all ingredients are ALMOST incorporated, then fold in the chocolate chips. It's really easy to over-mix muffin batter, and if you do it, you end up with rubber bouncy balls instead of muffins. Over-mixing activates the gluten in the flour, which makes it tough and gummy. So don't over-mix! Combine the ingredients with the fewest amount of strokes possible.

Scoop your muffin batter using a 1/4 cup measuring cup into paper liners or a greased muffin pan. If using silicone baking cups, you'll want to coat the insides with a bit of flour. Just put some on your fingers and run them around the sides and the bottoms. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If your muffins are bigger, you'll have to bake them for a bit longer. Just watch they don't get too brown on the outside. If you're using silicone baking cups, you'll want to take them out of the cups immediately after taking your muffins out, otherwise the bottoms will continue to bake even when they're sitting on the counter and "cooling." I learned this the hard way, after multiple batches of muffins came out perfect except for the bottoms, which were almost black and really tough. I realized that the baking cups stayed extremely hot for a while after baking, and presto! Now my muffins are perfect all the way through. Don't do what I did. Remove them toute-suite. I use a pair of chopsticks and an oven mitt, because those puppies are seriously steaming straight out of the oven! Remove with caution.

And there you have it. Lovely muffins that are delicious AND nutritious! I was surprised at how moist they were, and yet the texture was still firm and not too crumbly. I think it was the yogurt. What a lovely secret ingredient! They also weren't too cake-like, which I hate. If I want something sweet, I'll make a cupcake. I like my muffins to be muffins. I like to think that the wheat germ added a bit more nutrition and fiber, so let's just pretend that these are a health food. (Note: I said pretend, so don't sue me like this lady sued Nutella over its so-called "health-food" claims.) Health food with chocolate in it? I'll take it!

B. <3

Xperia NXT Phones: Spec Comparisons

In the past week, we've heard quite a lot about the new Xperia lineup of phones. The S, the U, and the P (I find SUP to be a better acronym that PUS) are similar in design, but differ widely in their features. A few tech reviews have noted that it seems like Sony had a few different design teams working on these phones, as there are some similarities in the general designs of the phones, but their differences are enough that there must have been some miscommunications somewhere. In this post, I will attempt to clarify the different specifications of each of these phones and the pros and cons of each. Let's get started!

Xperia S

The big brother of the group, this phone promises to be Sony's first flagship phone under the new Ericsson-less name. The screen size is huge at 4.3" which is only slightly bigger than my Arc at 4.2" ... which could be a problem for some. A few people have told me my phone is difficult to handle. I'm used to it, and I don't mind the size, but it could be a deal-breaker for some who are tired of phones just getting bigger and bigger. However, for those obsessed with the newest technology and the highest specs, this phone is probably your latest wet dream. It has a resolution of 1280 x 720 and the highest pixel density of any other phone out there at 342 PPI (versus the iPhone 4S' measly 326 PPI). It has a 1.3MP front camera for video calls, and a 12MP rear camera for awesome photos. The storage capacity is enormous, at 32GB (more like 25GB after formatting and installations) and running it all at stupidly high speeds is its 1.5GHz dual-core MSM8260 processor. Did you hear me? Dual cores. That means two. My inner tech geek is drooling so hard.
There are two things stopping me from committing to buying this phone immediately. The first is that the lightbar design feature running through the bottom of the phone isn't exactly... functional. Sure, it lights up when you get a call or a message when the phone is on silent, but it doesn't actually house any buttons. It contains markers for capacitive directly above the lightbar but below the screen. It's not that I have a problem with making those things function (I used to love the capacitive touch buttons on my LG Chocolate) I just wish the buttons were actually on the bar. I feel like they cheated a little. I also want the bar to light up with other colours besides white. Also, I probably couldn't gather enough money to fill a fistful to throw at Sony for this phone. Bummer.


Xperia U
By far the funkiest of the bunch is the super-cute Xperia U. It's smaller and customizable, with extra "caps" you can put on the bottom of the phone (detaches below the lightbar). White phones will come with white and yellow caps, while black will come with black and pink. So awesome, right? Another bonus is that the lightbar on the U actually does what it should on these phones. The lightbar changes colour depending on what's on the screen! For current Xperia users, think of how the colour of the trackbar on the music player widget changes depending on the wallpaper of your phone. Like this!

Pink and blue background = pink trackbar.

And green = green! Awesome.

I've loved this feature since it was implemented, and I'm beyond thrilled to see Sony take it a step further with the lightbar. I think it's genius. 
The specs for the U are slightly less impressive, putting this phone into the average smartphone bracket. Think the Xperia Mini or Mini Pro in terms of the league it's in. It still has a 1GHz processor, which is pretty good. But the screen resolution is 480 x 854, and the screen's pixel density is a lowly 280 PPI. Furthermore, its camera is only 5MP, it has 8GB of non-removable storage, and it will only record video in 720p. That being said, this phone is probably my number-one choice out of the whole lineup. I'm well aware that it would be a step down from my Arc in almost every category (resolution, camera power, storage capacity, etc) however I'm willing to forego the impressive specs of the S if it means I get that funky lightbar. I clearly have my priorities straight, I know.


Xperia P

Last but not least comes the P. This is the only phone in the NXT lineup with an aluminum casing, and the only one that comes in either silver or red. If I was only concerned about build quality and looks, this would be the top contender. It has some great industrial-esque design features, like a visible screw head and a little grille over the side speaker. The lightbar only shows white light, however the buttons on the P are actually on the lightbar itself, and not above it. Its specs land somewhere in the middle of the S and the U: 1GHz processor, 4.0" screen with a 590 x 960 resolution, 8MP camera and 16GB of internal storage. But what sets this apart from the others is its WhiteMagic display: it has an extra white pixel to add to the standard RGB pixels of its cousins. From what I've read, the screen is noticeably clearer, sharper and more beautiful than most of the other phones out there. It manages to be 50% brighter than other screens while being 50% more efficient, so all that extra brightness won't drain your precious battery.


One last thing
ALL the new phones in the NXT series will have the fast-capture camera feature, meaning your phone can go from sleep to photo capture in 2 seconds without even unlocking the device. Simply hold the camera shutter button and it will instantly launch the camera function. I'm looking forward to this, since there have been a few times I've missed a good shot simply because the camera application took too long to launch. Once it's open, however, capture is extremely fast with my Arc--and I absolutely love being able to just tap my screen to take a photo. It's almost instant and I can easily get multiple shots in no time. I really hope they continue that into the NXT series.


TL;DR
Xperia S: stunning beauty and immense power, but at a high cost.
Xperia U: funky design to set it apart from the Android clones, but with average specifications.
Xperia P: lovely aluminum body and good specs, but no fancy lightbar.


I hope this adequately summarized the specifications of the NXT series for you. If you're stilly really stuck, the guys over at Xperia Blog made a handy chart to put them all side-by-side for you. Good luck deciding on only one!

For the love of tech.

I love this time of year. Not because of the weather (I hate the cold). Certainly not because it's the start of a new semester (my classes have yet to show up in my schedule, and I have been loving the extra sleep I've been getting over the holidays).

It's a new year. And it's time for new announcements about new technology to be released in 2012. That is what I love about Q1.

I'm not sure how to describe my love for technology. In some ways it's similar to the love you can feel towards another human being, in some ways not. There is a physical aspect to it. That excitement you feel when unboxing your new toy. The despair and anguish you feel when it gets its first little nick or scratch. The intellectual stimulation, the feeling of wonderment experienced while engaged with your beautiful new object d'art is like no other feeling in the world. There's just something about it that I can't get enough of. Within months after getting a new piece of technology, the itch starts to grow again. With all the announcements, all the posts about leaked phones with fuzzy pictures and uncertain spec lists, I start to dream. To wonder. Really? Is it possible? A dual-core phone with AMOLED display and 3GB of RAM? Suddenly your once-loved piece of tech looks not-so-shiny anymore. And when did that scratch get there? WHY DO YOU TAKE SO LONG TO TURN ON and etc.

Technology is wonderful. I love the things it can do for me. My phone is like my own personal computer that I keep in my pocket for instant access to entertainment and knowledge. Have a question about anything? Give me a few moments and I'll look that up for you. No, I haven't seen that new hilarious video. Let's watch it. I can connect with anyone, learn anything, experience everything, with just a few swipes. All it costs me is some electricity at the end of the day. A recharge and a wipe-down every once in a while, along with a reasonable monthly bill, is worth it for sure.


So let's talk about some of the more exciting tech announcements I've seen recently.

Sony Ericsson says “something big is coming” next week http://bit.ly/zzj4Rw
This is one of the first announcements I read, released last week when everyone was all abuzz about CES. I predicted that SE would be announcing a tablet, since that would be a "big" thing for SE as they normally only deal in the phone market. And besides, SE has been announcing a new phone what seems like every week! So a tablet would definitely be a change of pace. However, Sony already has a tablet out, so I'm curious to see if SE would come out with one of their own, especially after just being bought out by Sony. We'll just have to wait and see!


Huawei breaks out two new smartphones, including world's thinnest http://bit.ly/whzTaX
This one came at me just this morning, and announces two new super-thin smartphones with giant screens and dual cores. Just how thin is super-thin? We're talking 6.68mm thin. That makes the phone I'm currently using (the Xperia Arc) look bloated at around 9.8mm thin. I thought that stat was a mistake when I first read the spec list for the Arc last year before it was released. Complete with 1GB of RAM, this is a surprising announcement for Huawei, who have been the underdogs of the smartphone world until now. This could be a huge game-changer for them.

Acer launches Aspire S5 ultrabook http://bit.ly/w2Qq35
Now THIS is exciting. Last week my boyfriend bought himself a lovely little Christmas present: the Asus Zenbook. It was the first time I'd heard of such a thing; not a laptop, not a netbook, but something in between, and much more special. Super-thin, super-light, and super-powerful. The ultimate in portable computing. And now Acer is announcing one of their own. Just 15mm thick and boasting a boot-up time of 1.5 seconds, it promises to be the most beautiful and powerful piece of tech in your collection. What's more is the presence of a solid state drive for maximum storage capabilities, which is impressive. SSDs are still pretty rare in the laptop market these days. This one hits close to home for us, as we love Acer's line of little netbooks. They're cheap, reliable, and work well enough for everyday internet use (and are also easily given a boost by the addition of some extra RAM). By the time one breaks, its successor is already out and has a nicer screen and a bigger hard drive. So we can't wait to see one of Acer's more high-end efforts in real life.

I can't wait for CES! How about you? Anything in particular you're looking forward to?

For more buzz and announcements from CES, click here.
CES on Twitter: twitter.com/intlces
For Tech Buzz on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/hannahxb/tech (sparse at the moment but I will be adding to it over the next little while).

Confession: I hate Charmin.

I have a confession to make. I absolutely HATE Charmin. Yes, the toilet paper brand. Why, you ask? Because they stick to the most ridiculous concept for their commercials: the "little white pieces left behind" problem.

Who has this issue? Who wipes their ass and then feels around for little pieces that have been left behind? What mother keeps tabs on the status of their children's bottoms in this way? "Did you just go to the bathroom, Jimmy? Alright, then drop trou and show me your bottom so I can check for little white pieces that may have been left behind. STOP SQUIRMING, THIS IS IMPORTANT!" What parent does this?! And then says, "Oh dear. Look at all these little white pieces of toilet paper that have been left behind on your ass by our second-rate toilet paper! I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE! WE NEED CHARMIN! HELP US, CHARMIN!"

I'll save you the wondering. I can tell you: no parent does this. Unless they are a mysterious unknown species of red bear, they do not wait outside the bathroom and watch their child as they leave in an attempt to spot any debris that may be left over from the process of wiping their butt.

So, Charmin: please change your advertising angle. I don't want to be thinking about pieces of toilet paper left behind on someone's ass while I'm eating my breakfast. You are "solving" a problem that doesn't exist. SO JUST STOP IT ALREADY.

Rant over.

Feist // Metals

You can listen to Feist's new album Metals in its entirety, here!

All it takes is your email address. It's worth it. The Leslie we know and love is back in full force, and this album is full of her rich, sweet vocals layered over simple melodies that sound complex but aren't. If that makes any sense. See for yourself!



Enjoy!