Manic Music Monday is when I like to take a moment to share music that I am loving or just heard and can not wait to share it with you!
I was not compensated for this post. I was provided with song downloads to facilitate this review. The opinions expressed are that of my own & others’ may differ. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.
Marc Dold and Judith Martin for the powerful electronica duo and showcase their amazing skills on the band’s latest single, “3 Little Birds”. It’s a modern take on Bob Marley’s classic.
I love their take on 3 Little Birds, it is a song that everyone recognizes and sings along to.
Marc and Judith met as teenagers in a dusky basement rehearsal room of the local music scene in Switzerland. Judith went on to study jazz while Marc earned a degree in classical guitar from a Swiss conservatory. Soon after they left Europe for Boston where they furthered their studies at the Berklee College of Music.
Marc and Judith formed Aurah after the release of their first album, “Judith Martin“.
Aurah’s music is heavily influenced by remixing electronic and dance music which in turn makes the perfect sound, especially for a song like, “3 Little Birds”.
You can purchase Aurah’s music on iTunes. And don’t forget you can stay up-to-date on everything Aurah on their official site, as well as on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
It’s that time of year again, the time of year to take your skin from drab to fab! To go from that dry winter skin to a fresh new face and with some products I am going to share with you today, you can freshen up your skincare regimen with Olay Fresh Effects!
Olay just launched their Olay Fresh Effects line of products which can be purchased at Walmart. The new line will leave your skin beautiful and rejuvenated for the warmer months ahead. Who doesn’t love having that beautiful summer skin?
There are 6 Olay Fresh Effects products:
Olay Fresh Effects Va-Va-Vivid!
Va-Va-Vivid! is a powered contour cleansing system that is designed to fit your facial contours. The powered brush deep cleans in and around the t-zone, hair line and nose for a full-face cleansing.
Olay Fresh Effects S’wipe Out!
S’wipe Out! are refreshing make-up removal clothes that are gentle for everyday cleansing in a hurry. They contain vitamin E and soft cleansing pockets to lift away dirt, and make-up *(even waterproof mascara).
Olay Fresh Effects Satin Finish Lotion
Satin Finish Lotion gives you the rich hydration of a lotion but with a lightweight feel of a gel. So your able to lose the shine and get satiny active moisturizers that keep your skin soft and smooth for up to 24 hours. It is also oil free and non-comedogenic, so it will not block your pores.
Olay Fresh Effects Shine, Shine Go Away!
Shine, Shine Go Away! gives you a deep down to the pores clean with a shine minimizing cleanser, such as a purifying mask but lathers and rinses away like a daily cleanser to remove 2x more dirt, oil and make-up than a basic cleansing.
Olay Fresh Effects Bead Me Up! Exfoliator
Bead Me Up! is an oil free, exfoliating cleanser that brings together foaming bubbles and exfoliating micro beads to give you the freshest wash you’ve ever had. Millions of bubbles gently purify and lift away dirt while exfoliating micro beads softly scrub your skin for a beautifully fresh, healthy look.
Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream
BB Cream also known as beauty balm, is a skin perfecting tinted moisturizer with 24-hour hydration and a splash of sheet color for a flawlessly radiant look. It contains six skin-perfecting benefits: refreshes, brightens, evens tone, hydrates, smooths and protects.
I was thrilled to get the opportunity to try the Olay Fresh Effects products because I use and love Olay and their products daily. To my surprise I was sent this amazing vanity that contained each product. Is this not cute?! I wish I had a little girl so I could put this in her room!
The Olay Fresh Effects Swipe Out! makeup remover wipes were great after a long day of school, 2 part-time jobs and mom duties. Who likes wash their face after a long day? Not this girl but we know we have to wash it in order to have great looking skin so the Swipe Out! wipes are perfect for days like this.
It’s hard to tell from the picture but the S’wipe Out! wipes contain small pockets that make them soft on your face for daily washing.
I must say that I was really surprised by the Olay Effects Satin Finish Lotion. It was so light and satiny feeling that my skin felt that way all day long. When you first squeeze it out of the bottle you’ll notice an opalescent finish to it which I think makes it feel very expensive. And it goes on like butta!
The Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream is so light that it isn’t going to make your face feel as though you’re wearing anything at all. It also covers really well for such a light feel.
I don’t know how well you can see it from the pictures, but the Olay Fresh Effects Bead Me Up! exfoliater has a lot of fine little beads in it to make sure that your scrubbing all of the dead skin cells and dirt off of your face easily without being to harsh or abrasive; leaving your skin feeling rejuvenated and fresh for longer then a few days.
The Olay Fresh Effects Shine, Shine Go Away! Really was excellent at keeping the shine away! I tend to get really shiny throughout the day and the Shine, Shine Go Away! totally eliminated that.
Last but certainly not least, the Va-Va-Vivid! was absolutely relaxing and refreshing to use. I thought the rubberish bristles would be a little rough on my face, but they aren’t at all and actually felt really good. The Va-Va-Vivid! felt as thought I got a thorough clean especially in the places that are hard to reach, like the corners of your nose, the t-zone and the hairline.
Each of these products smells absolutely divine as well. I was like, “Oh, what’s that smell?” And then I remembered it was me(;
You can purchase any of the Olay Fresh Effects products at Walmart.com. Right now you can get an Olay Fresh Effects Bundle which will include the Va-Va-Vivid! as well as a bonus item: Satin Finish Lotion, Shine, Shine Go Away or the Bead Me Up! Exfoliator.
Have you tried the Olay Fresh Effects products? Which is your favorite?
Giveaway
Thanks to Olay one Living in La La Land reader will win a $25 gift card to Walmart to try Olay Fresh Effects for themselves!
Thank you to Olay for providing the Olay Fresh Effects products, information and gift card to facilitate this review. The opinions expressed are that of my own & others’ may differ.
It is creeping up on us, although it may not seem like it with the varying spring weather patterns, but summer is upon us. Are you ready? You have to get your pedicure, start hair removal and ah yes, the perfect summer skin with Carmex.
Carmex not only offers products for you lips, but for your skin as well. What I love about Carmex skincare products is that they are not only just as good as their lip care line but nice and thick yet not greasy!
Carmex has increased their levels of lanolin, which makes their Healing Cream mimic your skins natural lipid layer to maximize healing while pertolatum and allantoin soften rough skin and aid in moisturization. They have also loaded the Hydrating Lotion with vitamin E and ultra-concentrated aloe vera to soothe skin and deliver serious hydration, without the greasiness.
I was sent the Hydrating Lotion and the Healing Cream which came at the perfect time because we are right in the middle of the cold yet sometimes warm weather which can put my skin on a total freak-out!
Carmex Hydrating Lotion: Infused with aloe and Vitamin E to moisturize, heal and protect my skin from dryness. It’s great for daily use, with a light scent.
Carmex Healing Cream: Thicker, more concentrated formula that penetrates deep into the skin to help repair extremely dry, cracked skin. Is concentrated with 9 healing and moisturizing ingredients. Used for hands, feet, elbows and knees. The Healing Cream is for intensive healing of your driest, roughest skin.
I use both of them depending on my skin that day. I notice when I do a lot of hand washing that I go for the Carmex Healing Cream and in-between the Carmex Hydrating Lotion.
I love that they both absorb into the skin making it easier to do tasks right after application. Which also begins to start the healing, moisturizing process. They also contain a nice clean scent which I love because I suffer from migraines.
Giveaway
Thanks to Carmex, one Living in La La Land reader will win Carmex Hydrating Lotion and Carmex Healing Cream!
In my opinion I don’t feel that I have nice full lips that are still seen when I smile, eat or am just there. It has always bothered me, but not to the point of having any type of injection to make them fuller. I was so excited that I now have a product that will help me and you! We can have the perfect pout with EnvyDerm!
EnvyDerm was founded and developed by Nadia Smith. Nadia wanted to offer customers the best formulation of ingredients to ensure optimal care and treatment with her products. Nadia was born in Morocco and is one of the first in the industry to recognize the benefits of Moroccan Argan Oil, the most effective and sought-after ingredient in beauty and skincare products.
EnvyDerm is a high performance cosmetic company that is setting the standards in effective beauty care. EnvyDerm is renowned for bringing advanced eyelash care products and expertise to consumers worldwide.
Experts at EnvyDerm have collaborated with research laboratories and beauty professionals in order to develop products with formulas combining well-being and technology to enhance a customer’s natural beauty. EnvyDerm continues to set the pace with innovative and proven ingredients provided by mother nature.
EnvyDerm now offers a Lip Volumizing and Conditioning Plumper. It is free of parabens, synthetic fragrances, petrochemical, phthalates, triclosan, mineral oils, and animal products.
It comes in 10 beautiful shades to match your skin tone or outfit. It has a great high gloss shine without being too flashy.
When I first pulled it out of the box, I was in love with the beautiful tube that it was packaged in. It looks like a really expensive lip gloss. Although I have to admit that I was a little scared at the color in the tube, I loved it once I put it on! It isn’t a bright color and is actually the perfect shade with my skin tone and hair color.
As I applied the EnvyDerm Lip Volumizing and Conditioning Plumper it had a cooling sensation from the spearmint-flavored gloss that didn’t make me feel as though my lips were on fire and that around my mouth was all red. It also didn’t make my lips sticky and tacky; it stayed nice and smooth the entire time it stayed on.
I did notice that my lips were a more plump with a bit of volume then they were before applying EnvyDerm Lip Volumizing and Conditioning Plumper. I love that I didn’t have “duck” lips once it was applied, I had the perfect pout with EnvyDerm!
You can find EnvyDerm products online as well as keep up to date with them on Facebook & Twitter.
I was provided with the above product to facilitate this review. The opinions expressed are that of my own & others’ may differ.
Manic Music Monday is when I like to take a moment to share music that I am loving or just heard and can not wait to share it with you!
You may remember the cute spunky musical talents of Natania from a previous Manic Music Monday when I featured her song “Cherry Love.”
Well I am sharing Natania’s newest release, “The Letter“. This song is such a great song for not only the hopelessly romantic but for anyone who has ever gone through a break-up.
Natania had always loved music growing up but only thought of it as a hobby until arriving in the US from Mumbai, India in the summer of 2010. Natania couldn’t say what she expected from her new surroundings but signed up for Berklee College of Music’s 5 week summer program to see where this unforgiving love of a “hobby” might take her. Natania frequented the practice rooms and excelled at her studies with ease. It was towards the end of this program when Natania called herself “comfortable” with her writing ability, though still unsure of her identity as a songwriter.
I am still in awe of this young girls talents and am enamored with her voice; to be completely honest her songs have now become a staple on my go-to for my daily playlist!
Check out the official music video to The Letter:
You can purchase Natania’s debut EP “Hope & Heartbreak”, as well as “The Letter” on iTunes. Don’t forget you can stay up-to-date on Natania’s official site, as well as on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
I was not compensated for this post. I was provided with song downloads to facilitate this review. The opinions expressed are that of my own & others’ may differ. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.
When you live in a blended household, it is often times hard to find a happy medium for everybody. One person likes something particular and the other person doesn’t really care for it and so on. Luckily, I have the perfect balance with Angel Soft!
Angel Soft Soft-shield layers, are now stronger than ever to hold up better when wet. Which helps me to know that I am not going to have to purchase toilet tissue every time I turn around. I also love that I am saving money for our family when I stock up to make sure we never run low.
It’s easy to for us as a blended family to continue to use Angel Soft because it’s a brand we use, love and all agree on. It is not only soft and strong, but very affordable which makes it easy to stock up on while saving money.
Whenever we happen to run out, it is easy to just dash out of the house really quickly knowing that I can send Chucky off to get the toilet toilet tissue because we use the same brand each and every time.
Angel Soft is always the perfect balance of softness and strength at a value we love.
Although Angel Soft is already a great value so I love that they offer a coupon for their toilet tissue as well. It makes easier on the household to build a great stock pile and is easy on the wallet as well.
You can learn more about Angel Soft on their website as well as Facebook.
In our blended household, it’s hard to find anything that we are all able to agree on. Whether it’s what color to paint the bathroom, who’s going to check the mail, what’s for dinner, and my least favorite of all, what’s for breakfast? With Honey Bunches of Oats Greek Honey Crunch, I don’t have to make three to four separate things for breakfast!
When you have school aged children, mornings can sometimes be a circus and if your not prepared, it will be! You want to make sure that everyone is getting a good healthy start to their day and with Honey Bunches of Oats Greek Honey Crunch, you don’t have to worry that they aren’t.
The new Honey Bunches of Oats Greek Honey Crunch is not only good but good for you, it’s made with two unique granola made with Greek yogurt, crispy whole grain flakes and a touch of honey.
Honey Bunches of Oats Greek Honey Crunch also contains 33 grams of Whole Grains, one bowl provides over 2/3 of your day’s Whole Grains.
Nutritional Information: 33 grams of Whole Grain per serving – over 2/3 your day’s whole grain
Serving Size: 1 cup
230 Calories
Provides 12 essential vitamins and minerals
5 grams protein per serving
We love Honey Bunches of Oats cereals so we were really excited to have the opportunity to review the new Honey Bunches of Oats Greek Honey Crunch. The Greek yogurt pieces were by far Chucky’s favorite and mine would have to be the touch of honey!
Honey Bunches of Oats Greek Honey Crunch isn’t like a lot of other cereals where you only get one covered yogurt piece in each bite. You get a whole bunch in each one which is why I believe he liked it so much!
While we have our busy mornings we are also joined by my mom and dad who are also getting ready for their day and they also enjoyed the taste of honey and Greek yogurt pieces that were in the cereal.
I know that our mornings (and some snacks) are going to be a lot easier in our household with Honey Bunches of Oats Greek Honey Crunch!
For more information on Honey Bunches of Oats Greek Honey Crunch check out the Honey Bunches of Oats website, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter at @HBOats
Are your mornings a circus? If so, how do you make sure you don’t add rings to it?
Manic Music Monday is when I like to take a moment to share music that I am loving, just heard and can not wait to share it with you!
Today I am sharing an brilliant artist with all of you, Louise Goffin. Louise is a songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and an amazing recording artist herself!
Louise is the first born daughter of two teenage kids, Carole King and Gerry Goffin. She was born in Brooklyn, New York in the 1960′s.
Louise’s musical talent is the perfect balance between her astonishing instrumental abilities and her vocals just make the lyrics pop!
When I was discussing Louise with the marketing department, and they mentioned Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell, I had high hopes for giving Louise’s music a listen. So I was pleasantly surprised when I added her to my music lineup and heard her voice come across my ear buds.
Louise has a way of pulling you into her words not just with her musical talent but with her amazing voice! (Give her a listen)
I was not compensated for this post. I was provided with song downloads to facilitate this review. The opinions expressed are that of my own & others’ may differ. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.
We all usually do it either when someone is sick or when the seasons start to change, we clean. Because we not only want to keep our families, ourselves and our homes healthy but we want to make sure we don’t continue to spread the illnesses, bacteria or germs around. Keeping your family healthy with Lysol is now even easier and better with their new initiative HEALTHING!
HEALTHING is going beyond just cleaning and making sure that we take the proper steps to stay well, it’s keeping our families as healthy as possible by not only taking the steps to keep a clean home but by practicing the simplest steps of great hygiene and cleanliness at all times to keep it that way with the products you use daily.
The idea of HEALTHING is to make it easier on your family by not just disinfecting or cleaning but to incorporate ways to keep the germs, bacteria and viruses from spreading throughout your home and family.
It was never hard for me to keep a clean home but when I had Chucky prematurely and he was finally able to come home it was often hard for me to keep the house disinfected so he wouldn’t get sick. We did a lot of hand washing, wiping surfaces down, making visitors wash their hands, and light cleaning with Lysol products in-between the big disinfecting cleanings which really made it easier on not only him but me.
Here are some great tips on HEALTHING:
Don’t let cleaning overwhelm you. Take it one room at a time and stock up on products that will help you to get the job done effectively, including Lysol products, paper towels, sponges, and trash bags.
Know the difference between cleaning and disinfecting! Both are important components of the Healthing process and Lysol has products that can help with all related tasks. While cleaning and organizing is certainly important, killing germs on commonly touched surfaces can lower the risk of spreading bacteria and viruses between family members.
Start with the basics. Wipe down easy to reach surfaces and then move onto the little nooks and crannies.
Remember to dust around the wall art, photographs and woodwork.
Use a disinfectant product, like Lysol Disinfecting Wipes to help ensure you’re killing germs as you clean, and think beyond the usual places. Be sure to clean even the smallest surfaces, such as light switches.
Don’t forget to disinfect places that you don’t see or think about often, like the door knobs, cabinet handles or sink drains.
Make it a family activity and tailor tasks to specific age groups. Give younger children simpler, one-step tasks like dusting or picking up toys off the floor, and save the more complex jobs, such as vacuuming, scrubbing, and disinfecting for older members of the family.
Remember to practice proper hand washing as well after you clean, either with soap and water for 20 seconds or a hand sanitizer. Hand washing is the single most important thing you can do to prevent illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Lysol has teamed up with Giuliana Rancic to visit YMCA’s in select cities across the country to demonstrate Healthing in actiion. At each YMCA location, Lysol will provide attendees with hands-on education about the products and steps to practice improved hygiene habits in their own home, as well as making it fun and relatable to kids. Lysol is also going to provide educational information and disinfecting products to the local YMCA’s along with a donation of a one-year membership to a deserving family.
I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Lysol®. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating. The opinions expressed are that of my own & others’ may differ.
Let’s admit it, we all have something that we enjoy to escape to whether it’s a glass of wine once the kids have gone to bed, a nice hot bubble bath, or that special chocolate that you hide in the back of the pantry. I have a sweet escape with Dole Fruit Parfaits and although I would like to keep them all to myself, I share.
Dole Fruit Parfaits contain a cool and refreshing taste of real fruit with a smooth layer of deliciously light-tasting crème. And you don’t have to feel guilty about eating one or a few, because they are naturally low fat, cholesterol free and very low in sodium. As well as made with all natural fruit and rich in Vitamin C.
Dole Fruit Parfaits come in three delicious flavors:
Pineapple and Crème
Apples and Crème
Peaches and Crème
I was able to try each flavor and must tell you that this is not just a sweet escape but an oh so very tasty treat that the whole family will love as a daily or nightly snack! Chucky loves the pear Dole Fruit Cups and when I told him that this was the same company he immediately wanted to try them and I am okay with sharing because who doesn’t want their child to eat more fruit?
When I first opened the Dole Fruit Parfait, I was immediately smitten with the smell, oh boy how I wish we had scratch and sniff computer screens! There are a lot of big chunks of fruit sitting atop a nice fluffy yet not too thick crème, (why doesn’t everything have crème?). You can choose to mix it up or eat the fruit first and then the crème but I chose to mix it up to get both flavors doing the mambo in my mouth.
The fruit and crème do not over power each other and actually work well to compliment each others different tastes perfectly.
I want to tell something because if I didn’t, I would not be being honest with you and well that is just not me. These Dole Fruit Parfaits are literally lick the cup clean! I also can not decide which one is my favorite because I love each one.
While eating these as a mid-morning snack I thought they would be so good on top of some french toast or pancakes as well, I think that how you choose to take your sweet escape with Dole Fruit Parfaits is totally up to you!
You can find more info about Dole Fruit Parfaits on their website as well as on Facebook and Twitter.
I am part of the Mom It Forward blogger network. Mom It Forward and DOLEpartnered in support of this campaign. DOLEcompensated me for participation in this campaign. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Hi, I'm Chacoy. Welcome to my blog! I’m glad you came- take a look around, hopefully you’ll find a read, maybe a laugh, maybe a cry, maybe get some inspiration, and hopefully find a friend. You can read more about me here. Living in La La Land is PR friendly, contact me for more information.
