Category :Reviews

A while back I was approached by Girls4Sport regarding test driving one of their products.  Girls4Sport is a company that seeks to promote a non-objectified representation of women.  I had a look at their products and decided that considering my intense workout regimen, I could give one of their products a good and thorough workout.

So I got these fun pants!  They’re so comfy, and soft, and they are great for running.  I have run in them a while now *one run is typically 10K* and what I really appreciate is the breathability *not a word, I know* they have. 

Usually, when I run my pants tend to get sweat stains as I’m pushing really hard, and by the time I’m done, it’s not a pretty sight!  These didn’t do that.  When I was done, the pants still looked great even though I didn’t.  This is an important factor if, unlike me, you run in public.

I also think that they would be great for yoga as they have a wide range of movement.  But ultimately, it’s the softness of the material that totally wins me over. 

Girls4Sport is offering one lucky ModaMama reader a wonderful prize.  Your choice of either a wonderful women’s tank or a child’s board short if you’d rather get something for a little one in your life.  It’s totally up to you what you get!!

Being a natural and organic cosmetic nut, when Annmarie Gianni Skincare  asked if I would take a look at their products.  I agreed because I’m always happy to try something out and give feedback and to share my thoughts with you guys.

I suggested I pick one or two products, but had been told there was something they had already chosen. I was a little disappointed when what arrived was a tiny sample pack of their entire selection of products.  It disappoints me because I can’t really try them out. I would have preferred to have received one or two  full size product to really test it’s effects over a longer period of time.  I have about two uses of the product and that’s not enough to really tell you how it works. All I can give you is first impressions.

Several of them I won’t even use because they just don’t fit my skin type, but I gave their aloe-herb cleanser a chance the very first evening, as well as their anti-aging serum and anti-aging oil.  I have to say I really didn’t like it.  Everything had such a potent fragrance to it that I was quite turned-off the whole thing.  I dislike strong fragrances in products, and had to wash it all off with my regular cleanser within minutes.  Plus, the anti-aging oil felt very heavy on my skin, and this is coming from a girl who uses organic rosehip, jojoba, argan, and other oils on a daily bases.  So I’m not stranger to the feeling of oil on my skin.

A few nights later I tried the Deep Sea Facial Scrub.  That I quite enjoyed.  It had rough grit to it, and it felt like a mini microdermabrasion.  Again, I can’t tell you how it works because I only got two uses out of it.  Overall, I like what the company stands for, but I can’t really tell you whether their products are effective.  First impressions are that the fragrance is way too powerful for my tastes and sensitive skin and that one product – the Deep Sea Facial Scrub – seemed pretty cool from the two times I used it.

If you’ve tried these products, I’d love to know what you think.

This is me using the HANA to curl my hair.

I was recently contacted by Misikko to review one of their products – the HANA Titanium 1.5″ Flat Iron.  *Misikko also offers CHI Flat Irons as well, since I know that a lot of people are brand loyalists* I was nervous as I always am because I do offer honest opinions regardless of what the company may want. But Misikko wanted just that – and honest opinion.  And so I went for it!  I’m no beauty professional, but I do use a flat iron on a regular basis and therefore can tell you what a normal woman who needs a good product thinks.

First off, the delivery and packaging is beautiful which is nice.  I like it when companies go the extra effort of making their products attractive to open.  The package came with a pad that you unroll and place on the counter.  It allows for the flat iron to not slip off the counter and for the counter to be protected from any heat.  I had honestly never thought about it, and so I was pleasantly surprised to see how effective this was and how I didn’t have to be as careful when placing the flat iron down.  But honestly, I used this little pad for the first few days only.  As a busy Mama, I just don’t even have the time or energy to do that little extra step.  So I went back to using just the iron on my counter.

The nice thing is that I really don’t think it’s a problem.  You see, when I first turned it on and it heated up I was skeptical because it just didn’t feel as hot as my other one on the same setting.  There wasn’t the same amount of heat emanating from it – at least that’s what it felt like.  But once I started running it through my hair that didn’t matter.  It did a great job of straightening my hair despite what I thought wasn’t the same amount of heat.  In the end, I think that’s better because if it’s doing just as good a job with less heat *if that really is the case that there’s less heat* then it’s less damaging to my hair.  So, bonus!

I think it’s great for straightening.  The fact that it’s a bit wider seemed to also do a better job at straightening things out.  The curls it made *now granted, I’m not very good at this part* were softer than my narrower one, but I kind of liked that soft gentle wave look.

Overall, this is a busy mama’s product. It heats up really fast *really fast*, it does a great job just once through without you having to pull it through the hair multiple times, it doesn’t pull hair *yes, I’ve had that problem with my other ones*,  and it’s durable *I have dropped it on several occasions already when I’m rushing or looking after my Baby at the same time*. 

I love games.  However, I’m more of a board game, strategy, puzzle kind of gamer.  I love to play Civilization, solve jigsaws, crosswords, and sudokus.  I hate fighting games.  I love to fight and train in martial arts, but the game fighting has no appeal.  Which is why I had been so resistant to Husband bugging me to play Zelda The Legend of Skyward Sword.  I have to say that I’m glad he did.

I love Zelda!  The adventure, the puzzles the exploring…especially the exploring.  I love that.  Husband says I’m anal about it because I explore every possible thing and do every possible side mission etc.  I figure that’s what it’s all about – getting the greatest and fullest experience from the game possible.  So that’s what I’m doing.

I still don’t like the fighting, not in the least, but at least there’s not too much of it.  And the intuitive controls of the Nintendo Wii make it a lot easier and user friendly for a non-gamer like myself rather then the button mashing and arrow pointing of other controllers.  Plus, it’s not so pervasive that it turns a non-gamer off, and it’s not so rare that it turns someone who likes it off too.

I like that the game has a nice balance of all these different elements,  It’s really a fun adventure game, and that has a huge appeal.  I must say though,  all the silly talking the other characters do gets on my nerves, but I’m not very patient when it comes to that sort of thing.

I recently bought this little package at the drugstore.  Why did I get these you might ask since I have facial cleanser at home?  Well really convenience was the main motivation.  Sometimes when I get home late at night from hosting the show I’m so tired that I really don’t want to wash my face.  But I have to.  I wear a lot of make-up for tv and if I don’t wash it off and sleep on it that’s just plain gross.  Having these nearby is great.  More than that, I also wanted to have them for when I’m on set for films and such.  I often don’t stop and take off my make-up when I’m leaving a set, but once I’m gone I realize that I have all this stuff on my face and I just want to get rid of it.  So that’s where these lovely things come in:  when I need to clean my face but either can’t, or don’t want, to go wash it all off.

Now, I haven’t tried a lot of these facial cleansing cloths, so I really have no point of reference, but I’ve found this one to be pretty good with a bit of a give and take in terms of what you get.  I really appreciate how gentle it is and how it doesn’t aggravate my skin.  I don’t, however, find it to be thoroughly and deeply cleaning, but it does leave my skin soft and not irritated.  So I guess it might be a bit of a trade off in that respect.  It’s not super deep cleaning, but it also leaves my skin such that I don’t need to apply moisturizer right away. 

Remember my review of this?

You better, it’s only been one day!  Well, I received a great email from the creator of these little gems. She didn’t mind when I asked to share her words with all of you.  Here’s what she had to say:

Dear Joanna,
 
I hope this finds you well.
Thank you for supporting mimiTENS with words and your hard-earned bucks.
I am happy that you like them and that your daughter tried with all  
her might to get them off...
This is the third year that mimiTENS are in stores and I do not tire  
of hearing stories from happy parents.
 
You mention that the price point is high.  I agree and it is my  
product!   mimiTENS are more expensive than most mittens but the  
reason is that they are manufactured in Canada.  Mine are the only  
mittens for kids that I know of that are.  There are lots of mittens  
for kids out there and some even claim to be "Designed in Canada, Made  
in China".  Mine are made in Scarborough.  Start to finish and it is  
super important to me to try and create work locally.  More than 80%  
of my costs are related to manufacturing.  My margins are slim but I  
am fine with that.
 
Also, I chose to use Recycled Thinsulate and and Oeko Tex certified  
bamboo fleece to line the mittens.  Again, the only one in kids-mitten- 
land that does.  I confirmed this with the makers of Thinsulate.
 
I hope to introduce some mittens that are at a lower price point  
without compromising my principles.  I have also asked that retailers  
lower the MSRP but many independent retailers want to make as much as  
possible.  They always make the biggest cut but small independents are  
the ones most likely to support a vanguard brand.  It is a delicate  
balance.
 
 
Thanks again for supporting mimiTENS.  I am a mom trying to make it in  
the big city too.  I really appreciate your time and energy.
 
Best,
Anna-Maria

I really appreciated hearing all the eco-conscious decisions made in their manufacturing, and the fact that they are made locally here in Toronto.  Thanks Anna-Maria for sharing the secrets behind mimiTENS!

Mimi-Tens

I have this little problem.  My precious baby hates to wear mittens.  We put them on her and she flaps her arms like a little bird desperate to take flight until she has flapped them completely off.  I thought that the freezing cold would propel her to keep them on, but no.  I often end up chasing her around with a mitten in my hand – case in point.   But help has arrived! Recently on my way from the doctor’s office I walked past a shop that had these delightful things in the window.  I popped in and nabbed them ASAP. The stretchy cuff goes over her arm.  In fact we put it on over her long sleeve shirt and it reaches almost up to her armpit.  The jacket then goes over everything and voila!  Gloves stay on!

No amount of arm flapping gets these puppies off.
Trust me, she’s tried.
It’s really funny to see her flap for five minutes straight.
Plus, they’re lined with thinsulate so they’re nice and cozy for the winter.

They are a little pricey for me – about $40 after taxes – but I bought them a size larger so theoretically she can use them for three winters.  And if we do that, they’re just over $10 per winter.  I think that’s a good deal.