Totebags: My Addiction

Well, one of my addictions, anyway. :)

My husband bought me the top two bags. :)

This is the one I've been carrying lately.  The bottom is faux pink croc!

This is my favorite. I love pink and brown! I'll probably carry it again in the fall.

Here are a few I would love to own:

These are all from Overstock.com.

I hope your weekend has been fabulous!

Happy 4th of July!

I hope everyone has a great day planned!  Dh and I are just resting, but that's nice too sometimes! Happy 4th!

No More Rack

Hi friends!

Have you ever heard of a site called No More Rack?  I hadn't either, but I recently joined and found they have some great bargains, with new things all the time.  Another blogger bought some Too Faced lip gloss for $1.00 each!

If you're interested, go to http://www.nomorerack.com/?cr=774493

I do get credit if you join.  I just want to be totally up front about that.  However, I wouldn't advertise it unless I thought it was a really good site.

Have a wonderful week!

Cruelty-Free Beauty

I'm so sorry I haven't posted for a while.  Life has gotten in the way! :)

From time to time I will be posting about my favorite brands of makeup and hair/body products that are not tested on animals.  By this I mean not only the finished products, but the ingredients, too.

If you are interested in learning more about this, here are the resources I use.

http://www.peta.org/living/beauty-and-personal-care/companies/default.aspx

http://www.leapingbunny.org/shopsearch.php#f

http://veggiebeauty.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/veggiebeauty/videos

http://www.youtube.com/user/NYCGeorgette/videos

Now, some of the lists out there contradict each other, which is frustrating, but understandable.  It's a complicated subject.  What I've been doing is contacting companies directly with a list of questions.  I tend to not trust statements on websites; they don't always answer all the questions I have.

Here is a great template that Kristy from Veggie Beauty came up with:

To Whomever it May Concern:

I am doing research on animal testing, and I need to verify a few key points about your company.

1. Does your company test ingredients or finished products on animals?
2. Do you test ingredients or products on animals through a 3rd party?
3. Do your manufacturers test ingredients or products on animals?
4. Are you owned or affliliated with any companies that test products or ingredients on animals?
5. Do you/your parent company currently or have plans to market and sell your products in the Chinese market, which requires animal testing by law to sell in that country?
6. Do you use palm oil/carnuaba wax in any of your products? If so, is it from an organic and sustainable source?
7. Could you provide a list of all of your current vegan items available for purchase?

Thank you so much for the information.

Source:  http://veggiebeauty.com/form-letter

You can, of course, add or delete any of the questions to tailor it to your own needs.

Have a wonderful week, all!

Happy Birthday, Pink Saturday!

I'm joining in the frivolities over at How Sweet the Sound to celebrate the fourth birthday of "Pink Saturday."

Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Pink Saturday

I'm linking up with How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday.

I wanted to share a couple of items I received for Mother's Day, which happen to be pink!  My family knows me so well!  :P

Katy Perry perfume "Meow".  This is not only pink, but cat-shaped, so double bonus points!!

And a new cover for my Kindle Fire.

I hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day, and that the upcoming weekend treats you well!  Thanks for visiting me and I'd love to have new followers if you're interested.  I will definitely follow you back!

Happy Mother's Day!

I am a little late for joining in on Pink Saturday, but I couldn't miss this opportunity to write about my mother.

My mom has been my biggest cheerleader my whole life.  My father wasn't around, but Mom more than made up for it and always made me feel like I was special and important.  I really don't know how she did it!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of my Mom.

My favorite picture of her, around 1974.

Mom and I hiking together.

Mom and my grandmother in Grandma's last stages of Alzheimers.

I've learned so much from my Mom over the years.  Compassion and how to be a good mother are just two of the biggest things.  Recently, I decided to join her in using only cruelty-free makeup, skin care and hair care products.  I am following the list on PETA.org, but there are different lists.

Some recent purchases:

From top to bottom:  Organix Cherry Blossom Rice Milk Cashmere Body Creme, Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Creamy Oil Body Wash, Wet 'n Wild Heather Silk blush, Physician's Formula Happy Booster blush in Rose, Elf blush in Twinkle Pink, Elf compact with eyeshadows Truly Pink, Pink Ice, and Aubergine, and lip gloss Icing, Wet 'n Wild nail polish in Blazed, Orly polish in Lollipop, Stila 'Santa Fe' palette, and Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencil Stash.

So, even though there are still way too many non cruelty-free companies, as you can see there is a large variety that are acceptable and available.  Almost all of these products can be found in drugstores.  Trader Joe's also offers tons of products.

I hope everyone has a happy Mother's Day!  My Mom and Step-father are on a road trip, but we'll catch up with them soon to celebrate.