Ficcare Hair Accessories Review and Giveaway!!

"Ficcare(FeKAARE) is derived from the Portuguese word "Ficar" which means "to stay." It was inspired by 3 sisters' vision "to stay" in business together and for our products "to stay" everlasting with our customers. Ficcare's collection of modern, upscale, and elegant accessories captures a sleek, practical attitude. Ficcare continually strives to design unique and contemporary pieces that are timeless and functional. All of our hair accessories are hand made and hand painted."

A close-up of my clip

Ficcare sent me one of their beautiful Maximas Clips for review. I was sent the Gold Maximas Lotus in the large size. This is a lovely accessory for your hairstyles! There are so many ways to use this...the list is practically endless! I usually wear my hair with just the sides pulled back, or, during the summer, in a ponytail. I have discovered so many new looks with this Maximas clip, though! First I tried something easy...I did a casual bun, and instead of using bobby pins or jaw clips, I used the Maximas clip to hold it in place. Not only did it hold it in place all day, but it looked good while doing it! I love that I don't have to jam bobby pins in or end up hiding all my hair by using jaw clips...this looks very elegant while keeping the hair in place! 
After seeing how nicely this worked for a bun, I tried a new one...just twisting my hair up, and clipping it in place (I don't think there's a name for this one :). Again, this worked great! 

A side view

Then, using the helpful videos on the Ficcare website, I learned how to do a French Twist. I have always thought these looked like very feminine, elegant style, but never really learned how they were done.  With the step-by-step video from Ficcare, though, I finally accomplished it! I did a decent-looking french twist in my own hair! And, for this very elegant style, what better to hold it in place, than a very elegant Maximas clip?! I still don't think my twists look as nice as they could, but I'll get there soon!

At long last...a french twist!

Like I said, the possibilities are endless with this beautiful hair clip! You can also do ponytails, partial upsweeps...just about anything! I love this piece, and will be  using this for a long time to come! It is very well-made, and I like that it is metal...not cheap plastic that will crack or break easily. I have worn this a lot in the past month, and had no problems at all!

"Indulge in our latest Jewel tone colors, never seen before! This somewhat transparent yet rich paint is just amazing. It looks like we’ve put a layer of semi-precious stone right over the metal base. It is new, fresh, and very cool!  We love them all, and there is one or two or three colors for each of you Maximas fans. The surface of the clips shows lighter and darker shades due to light reflection; use the mid point of the clip (center of the flower) as the truer color throughout the clip. The metal base is either in gold or sterling silver. Each clip comes with a free “how to use instructional brochure”. Hand made and hand painted on metal."

The Maximas clips are available in a variety of colors and designs. There are also different sizes for different hair types/lengths!  As well, Ficcare offers many other beautiful hair accessories such as ponytail holders, clips, headbands and more.

Ficcare is giving a Gold Lotus Maximas Clip to one of my readers!! 
(Your choice of size...go to the Customer Service section for help on choosing the right size).

Mandatory Entry-

Go to Ficcare and tell me another hair accessory you'd like to get!

Bonus Entries-

2 entries-Become (or be) a public follower of Hope's Cafe. Leave 2 comments.

1 entry-Follow me (Pilgrim86) on Twitter. Leave a comment with your Twitter name.

1 entry-Tweet this giveaway. This may be done once daily. Leave a comment with a link to your Tweet.

1 entry-Enter another of my giveaways. Leave a comment for each giveaway you enter.

3 entries-Blog about this giveaway. Leave 3 comments with a link to your post.

Bonus! 1 entry-Go to the Ficcare Hair Styling Page and tell me which style you'd try first.

This giveaway ends Monday, Sept. 13 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Please leave a valid email address in each comment, as this is how the winner will be notified. Winner will have 48 hours to respond, or another winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to US residents only.

Disclaimer:I received product for the purpose of review. All thoughts and opinions are mine. All quotes taken from the Ficcare website.

Congrats To The UPrinting Poster Winner!

Congratulations to the winner of the UPrinting Poster Print giveaway! Random.org chose comment #17, Heather Ransom, who after completing the mandatory entry), said: "I entered your Alight.com giveaway"
Congratulations, Heather!

Bath Luve for Baby-Review and Giveaway!

Bath Luve is a unique (and I think ingenious) product for babies...when I first found the Bath Luve website, I realized what a great idea Amy Seckinger (founder and inventor) had come up with!

"When Amy Seckinger was a new mother, she realized how stressful infant bath time was for both her and her son. Safely bathing in only a few inches of water, the baby was cold, and his crying made for a difficult experience. Seckinger began to look for a solution."

"Seckinger found that by using the Bath Luve, infants are more relaxed during bath time as the material follows the lines of their body and helps create a positive bathing experience. Medical professionals have been enthusiastic about the benefits of creating a warm, womblike comfort for infants." 

Basically, the Bath Luve is made of a comfy, snuggly material that you soak in warm water, and then place over your baby...for the perfect, warm bathing experience for the infant! The design covers the baby's entire torso, and stays in place to keep them feeling safe and secure.

And, Bath Luve has also come out with the Bath Luve Buddy, which serves as a washcloth, soft bath toy, and also works great to squeeze more water over the Bath Luve if needed during the bath!

The Bath Luve and Bath Luve Buddy are available in 3 designs-Duck, Frog and Fish.

I received the Fish Bath Luve for review, and since we don't have any infants in the house, I let a good friend with a new baby boy try the Bath Luve. She told me that J (her baby) really calmed down once she put the warm Bath Luve on him during his bath! She also emailed me some picture for this review:

The Bath Luve

 

Nice and Cozy!

 J looks like he's so comfortable he's ready to fall asleep during his bath!

Bath Luve is offering one of my readers a Bath Luve!!

Mandatory Entry-

Go to Bath Luve and tell me which design you would pick if you won!

Bonus Entries-

2 entries-Become (or be) a public follower of Hope's Cafe. Leave 2 comments.

1 entry-Follow me (Pilgrim86) on Twitter. Leave a comment with your Twitter name.

1 entry-Tweet this giveaway. This may be done once daily. Leave a comment with a link to your Tweet.

1 entry-Enter another of my giveaways. Leave a comment for each giveaway you enter.

3 entries-Blog about this giveaway. Leave 3 comments with a link to your post.

1 entry-Become a public follower of the Bath Luve Blog. Leave a comment telling me you follow.

1 entry-Follow Bath Luve on Twitter. Leave me a comment with your Twitter name.

This giveaway ends Saturday, Sept. 11 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Please leave a valid email address in each comment, as this is how the winner will be notified. Winner will have 48 hours to respond, or another winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to US residents only.

Disclaimer:I received product for the purpose of review. All thoughts and opinions are mine. All quotes taken from the Bath Luve website.

Nature Valley Review and Giveaway!

"Since the dedication of Yellowstone as the world´s first national park in 1872, America´s parks have been visited by hundreds of millions of people who marveled at their beauty, found peace in their wildness and shared their experience with others."

Thanks to MyBlogSpark and Nature Valley, I was sent me a generous pack of goodies, in conjunction with Nature Valley's National Parks Project. This pack contained a mini backpack, military-grade compass, solar-powered keychain flashlight; reusable water bottle, a copy of "1,000 Places To See Before You Die: A Traveler's Life List", and, you guessed it-a box of Nature Valley Granola Bars! 




You see, right now Nature Valley is supporting the National Parks Project, so, for each granola bar wrapper you send back, they donate .10 cents to the Project! This year the National Parks Project is focusing on restorative work at Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Biscayne National Parks.
We have never been to any of these 3 parks, but are actually planning a trip to the Grand Canyon later this year! (It's been a dream for several members of our family, and we are really, really excited!! :)

I have had a lot of fun using the items from my pack. I use the mini backpack all the time to bring snacks or books when we take a car trip. It's an easy way to keep everything together, and it keeps the books safe and clean. I drink a lot of water, so of course the reusable water bottle has come in very handy as well.  I fill it with cold water, and then use it throughout the day.
The book "1,000 Places To See Before You Die" was a great book to include in the pack. I have really enjoyed reading through this and getting ideas for places to visit! (Some of the family didn't enjoy all the trips I was planning, though...) Seriously, this book has great information about some really neat places. We did like going through and marking off all of the sites we have visited already...the Alamo, Gettysburg, the Museum of Science and Industry, and of course, one of my personal favorites, Arches National Park near Moab, UT. That is definitely a place you want to visit!
The flashlight was useful for the night we lost electricity recently. We had candles lit in the living room, but it was nice to have this cute little flashlight to use when I had to go into another room.
And of course, the Nature Valley granola bars. I love these granola bars! I used these for a quick breakfast several times! My favorites are the Peanut Butter and Oats n' Honey varieties.

 Now, thanks to MyBlogSpark and Nature Valley, one of you will receive the same Prize Pack I received! 

Mandatory Entry-

Tell me which National Park you would like to visit most, and WHY!

(Here is a link to the National Park Service if you need a list)

Bonus Entries-

2 entries-Become (or be) a public follower of Hope's Cafe. Leave 2 comments.

1 entry-Follow me (Pilgrim86) on Twitter. Leave a comment with your Twitter name.

1 entry-Tweet this giveaway. This may be done once daily. Leave a comment with a link to your Tweet.

1 entry-Enter another of my giveaways. Leave a comment for each giveaway you enter.

3 entries-Blog about this giveaway. Leave 3 comments with a link to your post.

This giveaway ends Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Please leave a valid email address in each comment, as this is how the winner will be notified. Winner will have 48 hours to respond, or another winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to US residents only.

Disclaimer:Thank you to MyBlogSpark and Nature Valley for allowing me to review and giveaway this prize pack. The products, prize pack, information and additional prize pack to give away were all given to me from Nature Valley through MyBlogSpark.

All thoughts and opinions are mine.

Fantasy Jewelry Box-Review and Giveaway!

"FantasyJewelryBox.com is one of the leading online retailers of celebrity and designer inspired jewelry. Although celebrity inspired jewelry is our specialty, we are also a leading online retailer for replica celebrity rings, fake engagement rings and faux wedding sets.

Our sterling silver jewelry collections primarily consists of high end genuine .925 Sterling Silver with high-quality cubic zirconia stones. We also proudly carry gold jewelry collections as well as fashion jewelry and costume jewelry for our more budget-friendly shoppers. Our cubic zirconia jewelry prices generally range from $10.00 to $500.00 so it is easy to see why our affordable diamond replica jewelry collections are so popular! Whether you are a financially struggling college student or a successful, wealthy woman who enjoys a good deal, our collections are perfect for you!

Although we specialize in women's cubic zirconia jewelry, our growing men's stainless steel and titanium collection is quite popular! We believe this is due to our competitive, substantially lower prices that is rare in today's jewelry market for men. Of course, that statement can be said for all the sterling silver jewelry within our collections! Our famous slogan says it all: "FantasyJewelryBox.com is Affordable Jewelry for Expensive Tastes!"

I was impressed with the beautiful jewelry I found while browsing Fantasy Jewelry Box.  From sterling silver to gold, pearls...you can find anything you need to complement your desired style! 

I was able to pick a piece of jewelry to review, and it took a while for me to choose! After a lot of back-and-forth over a few different pieces, I settled on the Sterling Silver Diamond CZ Tennis Bracelet. I almost went with the Sapphire and Diamond bracelet, but decided that the Diamond would go with more outfits :)

"Classically designed in .925 sterling silver, this cz tennis bracelet vividly shines with almost 7 carats of quality cubic zirconia. "

I received the bracelet very quickly after the order was placed.  It came in a pretty pink box that would work great for gift-giving, if you're looking for a gift for someone. 

When I opened the box. I was thrilled.  This bracelet has a very simple, understated elegance. It's very dainty, only 1/8 inch wide...perfectly feminine and lovely!

I love the clasp on this bracelet. It's very secure, and doesn't leave me worrying about whether my bracelet is going to come off! 

The bracelet is very well made...a great quality, and great style, at a very reasonable price. 

Fantasy Jewelry Box is giving one of my readers their choice of a piece of jewelry ($35.00 or less)!!

Mandatory Entry-

Go to Fantasy Jewelry Box and tell me what you would pick if you won!

Bonus Entries-

2 entries-Become (or be) a public follower of Hope's Cafe. Leave 2 comments.

1 entry-Follow me (Pilgrim86) on Twitter. Leave a comment with your Twitter name.

1 entry-Tweet this giveaway. This may be done once daily. Leave a comment with a link to your Tweet.

1 entry-Enter another of my giveaways. Leave a comment for each giveaway you enter.

3 entries-Blog about this giveaway. Leave 3 comments with a link to your post.

1 entry-Become a fan of Fantasy Jewelry Box on Facebook.  Leave me a comment.



1 entry-Follow Fantasy Jewelry Box on Twitter. Leave me a comment.



1 entry-Sign up for the Fantasy Jewelry Box newsletter. Leave a comment.

This giveaway ends Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Please leave a valid email address in each comment, as this is how the winner will be notified. Winner will have 48 hours to respond, or another winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to US residents only.

Disclaimer:I received product for the purpose of review. All thoughts and opinions are mine. All quotes taken from the Fantasy Jewelry Box website.