HOT OFF THE PRESS!! I just got the email yesterday about this offer and didn't want to waste any time passing it on to those of you that don't receive the emails from Relastin.

From now until October 2nd, you can buy one Relastin product and get the second for equal or lesser value for FREE! Or stock up on your favorite Relastin product by taking advantage of the two for one offer! I'll be stocking up on the Eye Silk, for sure.  The Eye Silk normally sells for $69.00 each, so I can't pass up buying it when I get two for the price of one.

Relastin Anti-Aging Eye Silk

I know, I know, we both talk a lot about Relastin Eye Silk! But, what can I say? We love it! BigSis first mentioned it here in November of last year when we were having a Sister Showdown on Eye Creams. Then, I talked about my results here in January and again in July.

I guess we got the attention of Relastin because our reviews on the Relastin Eye Silk are actually on the In the Press section on the Relastin site.

Just in case you missed it, the Relastin Eye Silk was just awarded the Allure Magazine Editors' Choice Best of Beauty Award for the third year in a row! It's the third year for the product to be on the market and the third consecutive Allure Award. If any product wins an award for being a great anti-aging product, I'm buyin' it!! 🙂

Just so you know, we don't get paid to promote this product, nor do we receive any free products from Relastin for doing these reviews!  (hint, hint, if anyone from Relastin is reading…)

~LilSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

Here’s a quick alert for the MAC fans out there.  I just got an email for FREE SHIPPING today and tomorrow only.  This offer ends January 19.  Use promo code 2DAY.  There is another promotion currently running for free shipping with any $60 purchase; it doesn’t require a code.

If you’ve been eying the new MAC Brunette Blonde Redhead Collection but haven’t made it to the mall yet, here’s your chance to grab some of those limited edition products with free shipping.

MAC Brunette Blonde Redhead Collection

Get shopping, girls!

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

I love “Cure”.  She's a very, very cute pink Ty Beanie Bear wearing a pink ribbon to support breast cancer. 100% of Ty's profit from the sale of “Cure” will be donated to Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. I was surprised to find “Cure” at a local retail store because she is “officially” retired.  Now, I wish that I had purchased more than one.  I'm happy to announce that I will be doing our first “giveaway” and “Cure” will go to one lucky person that leaves a comment on this post. That's all you have to do to enter; just leave a comment on this post.  It will be a totally random drawing.  Let's make it more fun and say that your name will be entered into the “hat” for each comment you leave on this post.

Cure

Her tag reads:

To those we've lost and those we love

Our promise is to rise above

We know we'll beat this, that's for sure

Support this cause, help find a cure!

The majority of women know at least one person who has battled this disease and most of us know more than one.  It's time to find a cure!

I'll do the drawing on November 2, 2008.  That's the day of my San Diego Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, so it seems like a good date to do the drawing. It won't be Breast Cancer Awareness Month any more but we need to keep talking about this throughout the year!

~LilSis

Posted under Health

Thanks for all the great healthy snack ideas yesterday, LilSis.  You know I love snacks as much as you do…salty and savory ones rather than sweet ones usually.  I also agree with eating small meals during the day.  For my second breakfast or my after-workout snack, I sometimes have a granola or protein bar.  Not a big meal replacement bar, but a nice tasty snack-size one that doesn't have too many calories, fat grams or sugar grams.  I was excited to try these new Granola Nut Clusters from Nature Valley that MyBlogSpark sent us to investigate.

We got four flavors: Nut Lovers, Honey Roasted Peanut, Roasted Cashew and Roasted Almond.  I tried some on my own and took some to work for an informal taste test. LilSis tried them, and also got the expert opinion from my favorite surfer dude and her 15-year-old eating machine, HayHay.

Nut Lovers

(7 clusters: 160 cal, 10 g fat, 14g carbs, 7 g sugar, 4 g protein)

Please note there has been a limited recall of this variety.  Check the Nature Valley web site for the impacted “use by dates”.

• BigSis: Tastes stale! I expected this to be delicious with all the nuts, but you didn't get much granola, and the nuts were just blah and soggy-ish.  Not worth the calories and fat for sure!

• BigSis' Co-workers: Texture is a little soft, tastes of honey, needs more almonds, nothing stood out, no one liked it.

• LilSis: I thought these would be my favorite of the bunch but they were a strange texture. They seemed almost stale. Too soft. I didn't like the cashews in the combo.

• HayHay: They're alright. They almost all taste the same to me.

Honey Roasted Peanut

(7 clusters: 140 cal, 7 g fat, 15 g carbs, 8 g sugar, 5 g protein)

• BigSis: You can see lots of peanuts and there's a big peanut flavor, but I'm not a real fan of peanuts. So.

• BigSis' Co-workers: Very peanutty, flavor better and not as sticky as the Nut Lovers, favorite of two people.

• LilSis: These were good and more crunchy than the Nut Lovers. I could definitely eat a big bag of honey roasted peanuts back in the day, but I don't care that much for peanuts these days.

• HayHay: They're alright. They almost all taste the same to me.

• SirHoney: These are my favorite!! (You knew he'd have to get in on this taste test!)

Roasted Cashew

(7 clusters: 150 cal, 7 g fat, 18g carbs, 8 g sugar, 4 g protein)

• BigSis: These seem a bit more salty than other flavors with big pieces of cashew, flavor is fine but not great.

• BigSis' Co-workers: Extremely crispy, big bite of crunch for the size, not as much nut flavor as peanut, eeewww don't like it.

• LilSis: I don't care for the texture of the cashew combined with the granola.

• HayHay: Don't like them at all.

Roasted Almond

(7 clusters: 140 cal. 7 g fat, 15 g carbs, 7 g sugar, 4 g protein)

• BigSis: My favorite of all 4 varieties, big pieces of almond and great almond flavor mixing well with granola.

• BigSis' Co-workers: Very crispy and crunchy, lots of granola and nuts, so crunchy I almost want to make it into cereal and put milk on it, favorite of one person.

• LilSis: These are my favorite. They have a very similar texture as the honey roasted peanut, but I just like almonds more than peanuts. (As the taste testing progressed, these did prove to be quite addicting!)

• HayHay: Not a fan of almonds.

Overall, I think the clusters have way too many calories, fat and sugar for me to snack on them.  I do think the Roasted Almond flavor is delicious, and I wouldn't mind keeping a bag of it around to ease a sweet tooth urge at night.  One or two of these is a nice little sweet bite without any caffeine, so they would be perfect as an occasional evening treat…not as a daily snack for a forty-something woman!  None of my co-workers would buy them, as they are all chewy granola fans rather than crunchy fans, and these are uber-crunchy!

~BigSis

Posted under Food

I've been trying to intensify my gym time, and have been going 5 times a week instead of 3, plus I'm shaking up my cardio a little. You know how your body will get used to the same old routine after a while, and it stops being as effective? So, lately I've been hopping on the bike 5 times a week for half an hour each session before I run off to the treadmill, and I discovered that's the perfect time to work on my stack of unread magazines. That 30 minutes ends up being a good barometer to determine which magazines are worthwhile and which are a waste of money. If I can breeze through an issue and leave it in the gym, completely done with it after half an hour, then it's not a keeper.

Sorry, Domino Magazine, you've failed my gym test. I can flip through you in only a matter of minutes, just like an issue of People. I adore your cute little sticky tags, but I never find anything to mark any more! I used to love you, but I guess I've moved away from your demographic. I didn't find one article or photo layout of note in the last issue, and didn't see one decorating idea I would ever implement. So, I'm sorry, Domino, I have to end it with you. But it's not you; it's me.

Bon Appetit, I'm breaking up with you too. We've been together for a couple of decades now, but you've been letting me down for months and I'm not putting up with it any more. You used to be so interesting and fun, and now I just can't relate to you at all. What happened to you?

More Magazine, you're making the cut. You last for a couple of gym sessions, and I'm pretty much reading you cover to cover. I can relate to your articles, and I appreciate the positive tone of your issues. I'll renew you when you come calling next year.

Food Network Magazine, you're on probation. Your initial issue was strong, but your performance in the second issue was a bit weaker and a tad boring. I'm a demanding reader, so you've got the rest of this subscription to entertain me and please me. Can you make the grade, or will I have to kick you to the curb with Domino and Bon Appetit?

To the Curb! Flickr photo by JP Shooter.

Martha Stewart Living, I'm back! I cheated on you with Real Simple for a few years, thinking you were too high-maintenance. But Real Simple lost my interest eventually, shallow fickle reader that I am.  I've been having a little newsstand fling with you, and I think I'm ready to make a subscription commitment to you again. While others last only half an hour, you keep me reading for at least a couple of hours, and I usually tear out some of your pages for later reference. I'm back, have you missed me?

LilSis, have you done any magazine weeding lately?  I'm feeling ruthless and demanding more from my subscriptions…how about you?

~BigSis

Posted under This & That

Have you heard about these new mixes for fat-free brownies called No Pudge?  All you add is non-fat vanilla yogurt. Since I fessed up to being a bake-from-scratch snob, but then had a raving disaster with my homemade cherry pie, I figure I'm obligated to humble myself and try some mixes.  I've heard that these brownies are good, but I'm so skeptical!  A brownie with no butter?  And it's supposed to be worth eating?  I say prove it!

I bought a box of the original flavor of No Pudge at Central Market for $4.59.  They also have mint, raspberry and cappuccino varieties but I wanted to start off with the basic chocolate.  The nutritional label says each brownie has 110 calories, 0 grams of fat, and 22 grams of sugar (!).

The No Pudge brownies couldn't be easier to make.  You add 2/3 cup of non-fat vanilla yogurt to the mix, which includes sugar, flour, cocoa, egg whites, cornstarch, wheat gluten, salt and baking soda.  You mix the yogurt in thoroughly and smooth it into an 8″ square pan.  The instructions say to bake for 30 to 35 minutes, but I only had a 9″ pan, so I baked for closer to 25 minutes.

After chilling overnight, I took these to work for an informal taste test and these are the results:

• Everyone agreed that the flavor was very chocolaty, and two people thought you couldn't tell the difference between these and a full-fat brownie. I could tell!

• The consistency was very fudgy and pretty gooey.  I wonder if I underbaked these, and if they would be less gooey with more baking time, although they tested done and I hate to overbake brownies.  I'd rather slightly underbake than overbake.

• My opinion was that the texture was a tad spongy and gooey at the same time.  I also thought the first note on my tongue was sugar, which makes sense since non-fat baked goods usually compensate with extra sugar.  I could totally tell that something was amiss with these little guys, although the chocolate fix was there.

Would I bake these again?  Nah.  I'd rather have half of a Barefoot Contessa Outrageous Brownie than several of these.  It was a fun experiment, but that's just how I roll.  I have to say that I like that there aren't a bunch of artificial ingredients and sweeteners in these brownies, but I'm not really into non-fat versions of real food.  Perfect examples are the grossness of non-fat mayo and non-fat cheese.  Blecch.

I can see these “brownies” being served at a baby shower or spa party hosted by one of the “ladies who lunch” in Dallas.  I imagine they'd be cut into 1/2″ squares.  Give me a regular brownie, even if it means more time on the treadmill!

Oh, and P.S.  My camera is on the critical list, so these craptastic photos may be the last you see from it!  I took well over 100 photos to even get a couple that were usable.  If you love your camera, please send me your recommendation of any models I should look at!

~BigSis

Posted under Food

Is everyone finished with their Christmas shopping?  If not, you might want to take advantage of this great offer from Origins. I just received an email from Origins stating that they are offering a free upgrade on overnight shipping through tomorrow, December 23rd.  Enter the offer code free1day at checkout to take advantage of this offer from Origins!

Not only do I love, love, love Origins products for myself, but I've given a lot of Origins gifts to friends and family over the years. You just can't go wrong! They have such a wide price range, too. You can buy a great gift for under $30.00. Origins always has wonderful gift sets and you can even create a custom gift set.

Origins is also offering complimentary gift wrapping.  And one more thing, I received a separate email about another discount from Origins. You can receive 25% off all purchases at any Origins Retail Store (not in a dept. store) through December 24th if you just mention the email! Now, that's a bargain!

Happy Shopping!

~LilSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

This offer starts today and lasts through October 3rd, but if you LOVE Origins like I do, you don't want to wait! Take advantage of this offer NOW!  Origins says quantities are limited so you don't want to miss out on this deal!

All you have to do is purchase any Origins moisturizer and you get one of these skincare sets for FREE! Each set includes your perfect cleanser, a clinically proven serum, and Origins best selling Modern Friction gentle dermabrasion.

I've used almost every one of these products and I love them all. Modern Friction is the only scrub that I use now and Checks and Balances and Never a Dull Moment are also a couple of my favorites. Each of these sets contain the “best of the best.”

I did call Origins Customer Service to verify that this offer is only good at the Origins stores and not applicable for online purchases. If you happen to have an Origins store nearby, I still think it's worth a quick trip to get these awesome products for free.

I'm not going to miss out on this offer!

~LilSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

It is inconceivable that ten years have passed since September 11, 2001.  9/11 is one of those landmark days etched into our souls; we remember where we were and how it felt when we heard the news that our country was under attack.

We can't forget the days and weeks and months after that as the rescue efforts turned into long-term recovery of remains.  We heard eyewitness accounts, saw video, and learned the names and faces of people who perished that day.  We grieved for their families, for New Yorkers and for the death of our naive notion that no one would dare to attack us on our home soil.

We will never be the same.  And we shouldn't be.

Evil reared its ugly head that day in New York, and at the Pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field.  Over 3000 people lost their lives and many thousands of other people were devastated by the loss of their loved ones.

In spite of the destruction and unbearable grief, evil did not win that day.  Ten years later, stories are still surfacing about people pulling together that day, working together, caring for each other, getting each other through unbelievable circumstances.

Today, the  “New York Says Thank You” Foundation chooses an important charity project every year.  New York firefighters and other volunteers devote themselves to pay back the help they've been given, and to try to heal a little bit.

Groups like Action America have arisen to turn the events of September 11th into positive action.  They ask “what will you do?” What will we do? How can we help our fellow man today?  How can we use our lives for good, and not just for selfish enjoyment? If we all did just one unselfish thing for someone else today, just imagine the impact it would have on our world.

The legacy of September 11th should not just be fear and sorrow, although we are absolutely entitled to those emotions after what has happened to us.  The lasting legacy can be that we care about each other a little bit more than we did before, and that we do something about it.

We can be upset and sad as we reflect on 9/11, but if we're only upset and sad, then Evil has won.  We have to do something.  What will we do?

The pain inflicted by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 does not have to be suffered in vain.

May God bless our country, and continue to use for good what our Enemy meant for evil on this day ten years ago.

Photo credit: sizeofguam flickr stream

~BigSis

Posted under This & That

Posted under