A New Flavour: Pink Peppercorn & Anise October 22, 2009

I’m a huge fan of Fruits & Passion products. It seems they come out with the most unexpected and unique fragrance combinations for their products. I have to admit I was a little skeptical of this new one—pink peppercorn and anise—in the Cucina line.

The scent is not for everyone. I’m a fan of both pepper and licorice fragrances so I took to this rather easily. It’s a radical change from the sweet, citrusy or flowery scents you may be used to in dish detergents, hand soaps and lotions.

This concentrated dish detergent (pictured here) contains cleaning agents derived from coconut oil and cornstarch instead of petroleum ingredients that are often used in conventional products. You can get a refill to help prolong the life of your original bottle and reduce waste. A 1 litre refill is equivalent to two original bottles.

$9 at Fruits & Passion

http://www.fruitsandpassion.com

The dish detgergent, and many other Cucina products, are available in 7 fragrances: Coriander and Olive Tree, Fig and Savory Flower, Ginger and Sicilian Lemon, Lime Zest and Cypress, Pink Pepper and Anise, Sanguinelli Orange and Fennel, Zucchini Flower and Truffle.

2010 Olympic Team Apparel is Hot! October 16, 2009

Unless you’ve been living somewhere without television, radio, newspaper, billboards or Internet for the last few weeks, you’ve undoubtedly seen the new crop of Olympic wear for next February in Vancouver. I gotta say that this stuff hits all the right buttons for me—someone who loves winter clothing, the outdoors and all things Hudson’s Bay Company. Without doubt, my fave piece is this handknit sweater.

Lamb’s wool full zip sweater jacket, with official Canadian Olympic Committee hip patch. Intricate pattern, features opposing stag heads and national leaf emblem. This is Canada’s answer to the Nordic sweater, machine knit with pride. Worn fireside or anytime you need the warmth that only nature can deliver. $100

I’m still awaiting the arrival of this piece in store an online (remember that good things come to those who wait). In the meantime, there are lots of other pieces worth checking out at The Bay, Zellers or online at http://vancouver2010.hbc.com

Key facts about the 2010 Canadian Olympic Team Retail Apparel:

 Canadian colours. The colours of the collection are represented by a traditional palette of red and vintage
white, strengthened by black and combined with an athletic heather grey.

 Great Canadian graphics. Influential work of many great Canadian graphic designers from the modernist
era in the 60’s and 70’s inspired the Hudson’s Bay Company design team to revisit and re-ignite a classic
clean design aesthetic to the collection.

 Hudson’s Bay Company branding. Combining the crest and the stripes, the Hudson’s Bay Company logo is
steeped in tradition and reflects rich heritage of the company that stood side by side with Canadians
throughout their shared history.

 Canada wordmark. Clean and symmetrical, the Canada wordmark features the letter ‘A’ pointing upward
to represent the mountain ranges and slopes of British Columbia, Host Province the 2010 Winter Games.

ENTER TO WIN: A Sharwood’s Indian Sauces Diwali Kit! October 13, 2009

Win a $100 Sharwood’s gift basket and enjoy a Diwali feast including Sharwood’s Indian Sauces, grocery gift card, beautiful serving dish and festive items!

RECIPE!

DIWALI BALTI CHICKEN (pictured above)
Recipe courtesy Sharwood’s Indian Sauces

~ Serves 4 ~
Preparation Time: 5 mins ~ Cooking Time: 10 to 15 mins

•    Slice 4, boneless, skinless chicken breasts and sauté in a fry pan over medium-high heat with 1 Tbsp (15ml) of oil until golden brown.

•    Reduce heat to medium-low. Add a jar of Sharwood’s Balti Sauce to the chicken; let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through.

•    Delicious served on a bed of Basmiti Rice, topped with fresh chopped coriander and if desired served with Sharwood’s Major Grey Mango Chutney.

HOW TO ENTER: Our good friends at Sharwood’s have graciously provided a grand prize to help you celebrate Diwali. Simply send me an e-mail at shel@shelzolkewich.com with your name and full mailing address (they’ll ship the prize to you directly if you’re the winner). CONTEST CLOSES WEDNESDAY, OCT. 15 AT MIDNIGHT.

WIN: A Sharwood’s Indian Sauces Diwali Kit! October 9, 2009

Win a $100 Sharwood’s gift basket and enjoy a Diwali feast including Sharwood’s Indian Sauces, grocery gift card, beautiful serving dish and festive items!

What is Diwali? On October 17, a festival begins that encourages people to light up their homes with colors and flavours. It’s called Diwali, the traditional Indian Festival of Lights!

I first saw these Sharwood’s sauces on the shelf and thought, “what great packaging!” It’s bold and lively, much like the sauces inside. I tried the Tikki Masala last night and, well, there are no leftovers. Can’t wait to try the Butter Chicken and Balti.

HOW TO ENTER: Our good friends at Sharwood’s have graciously provided a grand prize to help you celebrate Diwali. Simply send me an e-mail at shel@shelzolkewich.com with your name and full mailing address (they’ll ship the prize to you directly if you’re the winner). CONTEST CLOSES WEDNESDAY, OCT. 15 AT MIDNIGHT.

More Great Breast Cancer Goodies October 8, 2009

Breast Cancer Awareness Month continues! Have you picked up your fabulous products to help support research. Here’s something everyone could use. It’s not too early to start thinking about stocking stuffers.

Never be caught without your reusable bags again. This 3-pack scrunches down to fit your purse or pocket. Each bag carries up to 20 pounds and is made from lightweight, durable polyester. Plus they look fantastic. Ten per cent of proceeds will be donated to Rethink Breast Cancer.
$15.99 for the three pack
At greenbeebags.com

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Tweezerman October 1, 2009

What could be better than supporting a great cause and getting some stylish new products? The time to do it is in October as we celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A new batch of limited-edition items is up for grabs, all created to help fund breast cancer research.

In an attempt to increase awareness around the importance of screening in the early detection of breast cancer, The Canadian Cancer Society has launched an online tool that acts as a friendly reminder. And it’s a heck of a lot of fun. It’s called the Boob-a-Gram tool and you can find it at boobagram.cancer.ca.

At first I was a little shocked that a pair of tweezers could cost almost $30. Then I tried these. A good pair of tweezers can make all the difference in getting the job done quickly and painlessly. Tweezerman’s Pink Ribbon Tweezers feature the signature ribbon and are perfectly aligned to help you make a good grab every time. Tweezerman will donate $1 from the sale of each pair of pink ribbon tweezers.
$28
At drug and department stores

Clearly, the Best Acne Fighter September 25, 2009

I went through all of my adolescence combating a nasty case of acne. Quite honestly, it kicked my self esteem in the nackers. You would think that by the age of 44, my acne days would be long gone. Wrong.

Last weekend I was struck with a particularly nasty outbreak. Although it was depressing as heck, it was the perfect opportunity to try out Cetaphil’s Acne Principles, a three-step system that promises to kick moderate to mild acne in the pants.

Step 1 is a cleanser that strips away yukky stuff without drying your skin. Step 2 is the treatment. This is a 5% benzoyl peroxide gel that has little beads to absorb the oil and release moisture (don’t ask me how that works, I’m just copying from the news release). All I know is that my skin felt clean and snug but not dried out, itchy or burning—common symptons of those acne treatments we had in the olden days. The final step is hydrating. The ultra-light lotion won’t clog pores. It’s also non-greasy and fragrance free.

I’m impressed. After only three days, my nasty outbreak was only a memory and overall, my skin is looking and feeling a lot better. You can expect full results in three weeks. The components are also sold separately.

$45 for the three-part system at pharmacies and department stores

Great Jeans For Fall September 22, 2009

I’ve had them for two weeks and already they are my new favourite jeans. Women of a certain age (okay, let’s just say it like it is, over 40) can sometimes find it a real challenge to discover a pair of jeans that fit appropriately. By that I mean they don’t sit so low that your muffin top is in danger of becoming a whole muffin.

I’ve always thought of Bluenotes as a store for the tweens, teens and very young adult, and it certainly is hip enough to be all of that. But their jeans are more than fitting for the more mature set.  The 2009 back to school collection includes new styles for both men and women. I chose Kate (pictured here). It’s a relaxed flare with a boyfriend fit that comes in two shades. It comes in three inseam lengths. The 2% Spandex is a godsend when I’ve had just a few more fries than I should have at lunch.

$39.50 at Bluenotes. www.blnts.com

Get Those Kat Eyes September 4, 2009

I’m attempting to add a little rock and roll to my look this fall. I’ve invested in a heap of black clothing and chest full of silver jewellery. When it comes to make-up, I figure a lot of eye liner is in order. So I turned to today’s eye liner queen, Kat Von D.

In case you don’t know, Kat is the star of her own show called L.A. Ink. She’s a tattoo artists, shop owner and now, cosmetics guru. She’s teamed up with Sephora to bring these products to market. Perhaps you saw snaps of the photoshoot where they used her very own tattoo concealer to cover all her work. She brings her third collection to Sephora this fall.

“Like tattoos, I’ve always viewed makeup as a way to express yourself,” says Kat Von D. “That’s why my look and style is constantly evolving, and that is also why I wanted to create a line that gave people options. This fall ensemble really lets the client decide her degree of gorgeous.”

The Tattoo Liner comes in two colours. Skater is a deep blue and Trooper is ink black. It’s a liquid liner that takes a steady hand to apply but once it’s on, it stays put. It’s also recommended for creating your own temporary tattoos anywhere on the body. So find yourself an artist and pretend you’re on the latest episode of L.A. Ink, minus the pain.

Tattoo Liner is at exclusively at Sephora for $23.

Fekkai Dry Shampoo: My New Best Friend August 26, 2009

Do you remember a product called Psssssst? (You would have to be of a certain vintage, like over 45.) We have a book at the office called All American Ads from the 70s. The headline and copy for Psssssst! went something like this “How fast can you shampoo with Psssssst? Psssssst! is a funny white mist. You spray it on, fluff your hair, wait a few minutes, then brush it out, taking the oil and dirt with it.” Basically, it was the first dry shampoo on the market.

We’ve come a long way baby. The newest kid on the dry shampoo block is Fekkai Au Naturel Powder Clean Dry Shampoo and well, it has changed my life.

I have oily hair. Okay, I have really oily hair. A day without shampoo is equivalent to dunking my head in a deep fryer. Recently, I went on a three-day excursion in the wilds of Canada. No power or running water. No Twitter. No place to wash my hair, unless I wanted to use the lake and well, that would just be too much like work. So I put the Fekkai dry shampoo to the test. The rest of me might have been disheveled and not-so-baby-powder fresh but my hair was spectacular!

This product uses natural cotton fibres, corn and rice starch to absorb oils. It’s fragrance free and contains no nasties like sulfates, parabens or dyes. Plus I found that the natural fibres really gave my hear some body. Bonus!

Keep the shower and pass the Fekkai please.

About $27 at Sephora and Shoppers Drug Mart