HYDRO BUBBLES

  Wonderin' what these 4 vials of little beads are? Well, they could possibly be my BFF! These ordinary looking beads are called Hydro Bubbles. Hydro Bubbles, commonly known as "water beads" were originally designed to keep farmers' soil damp so that the water wouldn't evaporate. I can't imagine they were as lovely as Hydro Bubbles, but I reckon that's where these little guys began. 


  Hydro Bubbles are left for a few hours to soak in water and eventually, they plump up to a much larger size. Then they can be added to your plants because they slowly release the water into the plant, plus they make your plant look prettier! 


  Besides serving a purpose for watering your plants, Hydro Bubbles have an even more fun/lovely purpose -- decoration! I adore how these bubbly dudes look in a crystal clear glass vase or simple jar. They add fun personality to a room. Plus, these are amazing little projects for young children...or old children...or adults. My lovie and I have had a real blast with these! They never get old! I keep checking mine to see if they're totally deflated yet just so I can re-do them. It's a lot of fun.


  Of course you should monitor young children around the beads as they can swallow them. I want to go ahead and warn about that now. And for some reason, these beautiful beads are very appealling to a two year old! My neice is 2 and she has to really use her will power not to eat em'! She puts them to her lips and says "we can't eat em!" Ha Ha. Like she's reminding herself not to eat the Hydro Bubbles. It's adorable, but I have to keep an eye on her because her will power could run out at any second! 


  As far as I know, Hydro Bubbles are non-toxic, but they can be choking hazards to small children and pets. I guess they just look so tasty because my weiner dog licked them too! Also, you should not drop them down the drain -- could definitely cause clogging! As we were in the process of adding the beads to water, my sister and I got on the subject of 'what happens if one drops down the drain?' Hmmm... "well, they expand when in water, so they'd probably never die down/evaporate since you use the sink often." What a bummer, but we couldn't help but realize just how fun these things could truly be if you have an enemy! Ha. Ha. I'm only joking. Really. So please do not go stuffing water beads down your neighbor who plays loud music all night & sleeps all day's drain! And do not ever stuff them in your EX's gas tank! I'm serious guys. I'm not condoning this kind of behavior. This is an "at your own risk" kind of thing here. :)


  So, when the kids are nagging you all day & you're praying to God that school goes back in service early and never lets out, remember just how many hours of fun I have had personally with Hydro Bubbles. 


  Since all you need is water & the Hydro Bubbles, it's a very easy & clean project. No big messes to clean after. I mean, the worst that could happen really is spilling your quart(s) of water or dropping the beads and we've dropped em'! These guys feel delicate when plumped up and they feel as if they'll burst, but they've taken quite a few drops. Held up just fine. 


  In my hands, the Hydro Bubbles feel sort of slimey. I love it! They're a tad slippery. They feel like a tiny water balloon. Hollow like if you busted one, water would spill out, but that's not exactly how it works. Once plumped up, they feel like they'd burst and leak, but they're actually more solid. What I mean is, on the inside, it's a gelatin-like material. Not a hollow bead. Interesting. If one busts or is sliced in half -- it can happen if you try, even with fingernails -- it's gooey all the way through. I have seen waterbeads before and they were all busted in half. Not full little balls. I didn't love that. Like I said, it's possible to bust them and they will still work, but they just don't look as nice as the full, round balls. It's no big deal if a few bust though. 






-Made of a super-absorbant polymer, Hydro Bubbles hold 100X's their own weight in water!

- HydroBubbles come in eleven different colors.  The different HydroBubbles colors are Blue, Hot Pink (though the hot pink looks more like Scarlet in all honesty), Light Pink, Melon, Teal, True Green, Orange, Yellow, Purple, Crystal Clear, & Snow White.

Click HERE to visit Hydro Bubbles website & see photos of the gorgeous decoration ideas they've shared. & Click HERE to see their lovely photos using the Hydro Bubbles in plants -- truly beautiful! My favorite is putting the colorful little beads into a shiny glass vase or even cup and sitting them out for everyone to see and love. My family members were going crazy over these little guys. My sister couldn't resist, she had to take a few home with her & is getting an indoor plant now just so she can show of her Hydro Bubbles. 

HOW TO USE HYDRO BUBBLES

- 1 container of HydroBubbles, mixed with 1 quart of water and twelve hours time will be enough to fill a quart sized container. If you're like me and your measuring cup doesn't have quarts, remember that one quart is equal to one cup. So I used a measuring cup to fill the water up to 4 cups and added 4 vials of beads. I let them soak in the measuring cup and then put them for display in a prettier clear glass jar. 

I'm typing this right now, 5 minutes after putting my first vial of the purple Hydro Bubbles in the water and they're already starting to puff up! (I put a photo below of how they look right now, 5 mins after being put in water)They look so neat. I have the cup of puffing beads sitting next to me on a stool so that I can watch them the whole time. These little guys are very entertaining! Also, the little beads can look a certain color when they're not full of water. For instance, these purple ones looked black in the container, but once they soak in the water, their true color begins to show. The hot pink look totally red before they've been put in water. They do turn out the correct color though, so no worries.

Hydro Bubbles after 5 mins of being in water

 

  Check em' out! I know the photo up there is really large and funny shaped, but that's because I cropped it so ya'll could see up-close. This was taken about 1 hour (maybe a tad longer) after putting the purple in water and about 40 minutes after putting the clear in water. How awesome! You see how they look bumpy, like a rasberry or mulberry or some kind of bumpy berry? I just love that, it's the neatest thing I ever seen! The water beads I saw in the past didn't do this cool little plumpy thing. This disappears and you're left with a full, perfectly round bead, but I still think this stage is so neat. I suppose if you really liked them like this, you could take them out of the water once they hit the bumpy stage. Only difference is you'd need to "re-plump" em' sooner than if you left them for the full recommended 12 hours.

  

- When the twelve hours are complete, simply drain off any excess water that remains.  The HydroBubbles will be about "marble" sized.  Over the next three to five weeks, the HydroBubbles will contract, slowly forcing the water out.  If using them for watering plants, they will provide the water over time that your plants need.

This is the pink Hydro Bubbles. They look red in the tube, before they start puffing up. Here they've been in the water for about 10 minutes. They're growing right this moment! I love looking over and seeing that there's beads overflowing the cup! It's awesome.

- Hydro Bubbles can be used as decorations, because they are quite beautiful.  Whether using them as decor or as hydration for plants, you should empty any excess water that accumulates at the bottom on a weekly basis.

- After about 3-5 weeks, you'll notice your HydroBubbles have become smaller.  When you notice this (once per month on average), just fill the container with water before you go to sleep.  When you wake up, drain off any excess water.  The bubbles will be nice and full again.

- When used for decor, you can either mix the colors together or you can layer the colors on top of one another (after they've been made in a seperate container).  The latter of the two, gives us more control in the colors.  To layer them, simply make each color in a seperate container.  Then, place the first color in your vase until you see fit.  You can either add the second color over top of the first one for a more abrupt transition.  Alternatively, you can take a handful of each color, mix them up and then drop them in to make more of a transition between the two colors.  

- If you add clear to the top of any container (filled with HydroBubbles), it will make them really sparkle and looks as if light is coming off the vase.

- If you decide you want to put them away, you can make them go back to their original size.  To do so, get a cookie sheet and a piece of wax paper.  Spread the HydroBubbles out on that wax paper lined cookie sheet and let them air dry.  You should do this inside and out of direct sunlight.  They will return to their original size.  This process takes about two to three days.  After they have returned to their original size, wait another day, so that they dry up a bit.  Then, you can either return them to their vial for later use or you can put them in a plastic bag, providing the bag can be zipped shut after the air is removed.  Then, put them away and get them out when you're ready to use them again.  When they're smaller, you should be careful and try not to squeeze them.  They can be delicate at this stage of "life" and the result will be that they form "oddly" next time you fill them up.

- Used properly (per our instruction sheet), the HydroBubbles will last for about 1 to 1.5 years before needing replaced.

Hydo Bubbles are so beautiful that I can't stop staring at them! I keep re-arranging and playing with them. It's hard not to touch/keep messing with them. They're so beautiful we can't resist! I love the bold colors. They're the first thing noticed when someone walks in and sees a glass of them sitting on the table. 

Hydo Bubbles are also loads of fun for kids! Really. One packet of Hydro Bubbles kept the one year old, 12 year old and 7 year old busy for an entire Sunday. Thankfully, these babies were strong enough to survive being dropped on the ground a gazillion times. These make a wonderful, quick, non-messy bonding experience. Watching them grow is fun as well.

A few cons about vaccines

Discussion about vaccines

Of course this is your decision as a parent, whether or not to gave your child vaccinated. With your pediatricians and health care providers strongly and consistently urging you to get all these vaccines for your child, you may feel under pressure or that they're the doctors, therefore they know best. Maybe you've even been made to feel like a less than caring parent for hesitating a vaccination for your child. This is another perfect reason why you yourself should be knowledgable. Never expect to go by what others -- doctors or not -- say.  If you are even the least bit educated on these simple things, then you'll know what is best for you and your family. And there are plenty of reasons, research and back-up behind the millions of people who refuse vaccinations for themselves or their children each year. Here are just a  few of the major reasons below.

-Most vaccines contain toxic levels of mercury. Medical experts have even linked autism to the dangerous levels of mercury contained in vaccines.

-Many of the newer vaccines actually contain live viruses. Enough said. Nobody wants a live virus injected into their body.

-Many contain ammonium sulfate, which is suspected to be a liver, gastrointestinal, and respiratory toxicant and neurotoxicant.

 Only some of the minor reasons why vaccines aren't healthy are listed above. Doing research to find some of the most common harmful ingredients in most vaccines is highly recommended. Learning about the ingredients which are in most vaccines is horrific to say the least.

PUSH -- Strawberry flavored lubricant

  And here I have to apologize for less than stellar image quality again. My camera is MIA, so I had to use my webcam. Hopefully you'll bear with me here.

  You may have read my previous post about the wonderful Satin silicone-based lubricant from Push Lubricants. I promised to bring up the strawberry, so that's just what I'm doing. So if you prefer a little licking and nibbling, Push has a lovely, effective and tasty lube! 

  On the label of all Push products, it says "PUSH" and underneath, "Just have fun!" I have no doubt that is definitely what the fun Strawberry Lubricant was intended for.


  Strawberry has a slightly runny, gel-like consistency. Clear in color and very little scent, it's packaged in a  4 fl oz squeezy tube, with a screw-on and snap-top lid. Screw it off, unseal the tamper evident sticker and screw back on and squirt out.  

  Strawberry tastes like a strawberry candy. It has a funky like artificial sweetner taste to it, but safe for those prone to yeast infections since it does not contain sugar -- a very yeast infection-causing ingredient in many edible lubes. 

  More good news about Strawberry, it's water soluble, paraben free, compatible with condoms and all toys since it is water-based and therfore will not ruin/degrade the material of toys. However, it does contain glycerin, which isn't highly likely to cause yeast infection or UTI's, but those who are severely prone to them should take note.

 MADE IN USA.

INGREDIENTS:

Deionized water, glycerin, phenoxyethanol,flavor,hydroxyethylcellulose, sorbitol, diazolidinyl urea, iodopropylnyl butylcarbamate.

Push Lubricants is a Texas owned and operated company who's products  are developed and manufactured at a BMP and FDA monitored facility to ensure product safety.


How to use Strawberry Push Lubricant

After you've peeled off the safety sticker from the squeezy tube's hole, you can begin applying to you or your partner's body. It can be used on genitals if you're comfortable with the ingredients, and in my case, that I am. I have no issues or skin problems and no problems arise after me and my partner used this. 

Apply to the clitoris, labia, other parts of the vagina and lick, while your partner licks, teases, nibbles it off. 

Apply Strawberry Push to the nipples for extra sensation when your partner licks, nibbles there! I really like Strawberry for this purpose. If your nipples are feeling left out, bring the Strawberry lubricant into play and they'll soon be back in the game. Have your partner do the licking and then swap or whatever you please. 

Apply to your partner's genitals and lick, nibble it off. 

And you can also apply the Strawberry lubricant to other areas such as the neck, back, butt, legs. While Strawberry is not oil based, it is runny and slippery enough for a mini massage N' lick. You can apply little droplets all over your partner and lick each off, or you can apply little droplets all over your own body and have your partner find the Strawberry by licking all over. Apply to your partner's erogenous zones like neck/back, etc. and lick it off! It can be a lot of fun for a couple, but you could use it as a personal lubricant solo with a toy or just your fingers and clitoris if you wanted. It is lube-y and slippery enough for that, but I prefer Satin for the long-lasting silky, non-drag for that kind of play.


  After using Strawberry with my partner, we expected to be a sticky mess afterwards, which is something that has happened in the past with edible lubricants and massage oils. I was dreading the clean-up time, but actually had no issues at all. I didn't feel sticky, greasy, slimey afterwards and the lube didn't become tacky with a lot of touching. It just absorbed into our skin and then rinsed away with water. It's water based, so it's going to be pretty easy to wash off. If you want  to get it off right after play, a simple wet wash cloth or rinse in the tub would do the trick fine. 

 He was OK with the taste and enjoyed using it all over to kiss and lick me, but the funky artificial sweetner taste made him want to rinse his mouth out afterwards. 

 I didn't mind the flavor much. I didn't feel the need to rinse my mouth, but it did make me pucker up a little due to the intense artificial sweetner taste. Not a bad flavored lubricant at all though. It's fun and will last a good while. 

I would say Strawberry is great for anybody who likes the licking and nibbling part of foreplay, which we definitely do. I think couples who dislike flavored lubes that contain parabens or sweetners will definitely find peace in this Push Lubricant. It's a lot of fun in a small tube!

Push Sensational

  Push Lubricants  was forumlated 20 years ago (I was only 2 years old!) in Australia. Push Lubricant really isn't widely heard of around here, and in fact, I haven't ever actually seen it in any store here in the USA, but it is making it's way here. I had originally read and seen Push Lubes online and couldn't resist. I had my eyes out for them for about 2 months now after having a friend speak about them. Now I've managed to obtain Satin -- which is what I will be discussing with you in this post -- Sensational, Strawberry edible Flavored Lubricant and the Original Push Lubricant. I've told you all about the Strawberry and the Satin one and now I'm going to talk about the Sensational! I haven't tried the Original yet, but once I do, you'll be the first to know.

  Just like all Push Lubricants, Sensational also comes with a little silver Tamper Evident seal thingy. It has a flip-top cap for easy application and also screws off for removal of the entire lid.

  A long white 4 fl oz tube of Sensational is plenty to last for months. This is a lubricant I favor quite a bit, so I am betting I'll get a lot of use out of it before needing a new bottle. Yes, it's something I would buy and keep on hand.

  Push Sensational is a water based lubricant so it can be used with all your toys without degrading the materials. It's paraben-free, condom compatible and water soluble. It's super easy to rinse off after play time and leaves no mess behind.

  The colorless, odorless lubricant called Sensational is wonderful for reducing friction during intercourse or alone time with a toy or fingers & your ciltoris. It works wonderfully for small circular motions over the clitoris, and since the lubricant is thin and slippery, the sensations of this are more enhanced. 

  While this is paraben-free, it does contain glycerin, which isn't highly likely to bother someone who's not prone to yeast infections or UTI's, but it you are very prone to them, take note. It also contains Urea.

  Other ingredients include:
Deionized water, glycerin, propylene glycol, phenoxyethanol, hydroxyethycellulose, menthol, diazolidinyl urea, lodopepylnyl butylcarbamate.

The ingredients  are only a few ingredients away from the Satin lubricant, which explains why this too has such a similarly slip and long lasting application. Satin contains a few different ingredients including silicone, so if you enjoy Satin, but need something that is water-based, this would be a perfect choice. It won't bead up and last as well in water like Satin, but other than that, it's just wonderful.

This contains menthol, so it's ideal for clitoral play since menthol will increase blood flow to the clitoris and definitely enhance sensations. Use it for foreplay, during intercourse for heightened coolness and sensation all over the genitals, or for solo play. I think since Sensational does enhance the sensations and feelings in the genitals, it's a good choice for women who have trouble making it to the finish line with clitoral play. 

You can add a drop to your clitoris and massage during missionary style intercourse, use with a vibrator, use before oral sex, etc. This one has a variety of fun uses and that's what has me grabbing for it often.

The menthol also adds a subtle tingling sensation -- also amazing for clitoral use. Applying a small amount creates a wonderful, subtle tingle/cooling sensation, just enough to get ya going. And adding more while massaging the clitoris really enhances things. Previously I had used a different clitoral gel similar to this, but I had to use so, so very much in order to keep the sensations going during the little massages and it was just frustrating. I've had to apply a lot less with Sensational, and so far, one - two drops are plenty for either intercourse or just clitoral application.

Neither myself nor my partner had any negative reactions to this, but we already knew menthol didn't affect us negatively. If you are allergic to it though, be careful about using it in a lubricant.


Sensational works great for adding some moisture to intercourse or to reduce slight discomfort upon penetration. It will add a tingle/cooling sensation wherever it is applied though! 

You can even apply a drop to you or your partner's nipples and blow on them. A very interesting and exciting feeling.

The consistency is slippery and gel-like and slightly runny. It will drip off my hands, but works perfectly for a lot of slipping and sliding. 

As for taste, this is not an edible lubricant. If you are looking for edible, I recommend Push Strawberry. However, as I've noticed with the other Push lubricants, using this before oral does not leave any taste for me or my partner, so we're free to use it, have fun and then kiss, nibble and lick as we please without any bad aftertaste! Unless you actually lick a wet glob, you won't notice a major taste. I licked a glob and it wasn't horrible. I did not swallow any, but the taste is tolerable. Don't try to eat/drink it though.

When it absorbs into my skin, I don't notice any sticky or greasy residue and it doesn't get tacky during use, even with a lot of massaging/rubbing. On my fingers though, they'll feel slightly... lubey? I can tell something has been there, but the feeling on my fingers is not that noticeable. 

I describe this as a really low-maintenance lubricant. I like that. What I mean by that is I'm able to use as much as I want, get it all over ourselves without any stained fabric, uncomfortable residue or sensations, messy skin or need for an immediate shower. It's so easy to work with, so I can use it as much as I please, which is going to be often I know it.

There's virtually no scent either. 

Liquid Amino Diet

 What is the Liquid Amino Diet?

The Liquid Amino Diet is a program unlike most "weight loss programs." In order to lose serious weight, you have to be serious about it, and that applies here. However, with a little dedication, the Liquid Amino Diet is extremely beneficial for both weight loss and overall health in general. I will explain everything you can gan from using the Liquid Amino Diet, what it is and how it works shortly.

First, you should know about the product you'll be ingesting when you sign up for the Liquid Amino Diet. Looking at my photo, you can see exactly what you get upon ordering. You'll receive a small booklet full of useful information and your diet plan. And you'll receive a 1.86 FL OZ bottle of Liquid Amino Acid as well as a syringe for measuring your liquid.

There will be two different ways to consume the Liquid Amino . 
1. Via dropper under the tongue.
2. Using the syringe to measure out the amount needed to add to a shake/drink.

And now you're worried about the taste of this simple bottle of liquid, right? It must taste horrid if it is good for you and aids in weight loss. Oh my lovely little thing, how very wrong you are! Good news. It hardly has a taste at all. I've been dropping the drops of Liquid Amino Acid under my tongue for days -- and I've also got my lovie on the bandwagon -- we both report virtually no taste! The very first time, I was freaked. I dropped one drop under the tongue and felt a slight warm sensation and thought I'd throw up once I swallowed. It didn't have any taste and the only way I was able to tell anything besides saliva was in my mouth was from the slightly warm sensation when it went under my tongue. My partner has said about the same thing. He says he cannot taste anything. This makes it much easier to use/ingest since you don't have to dread a bad taste or worry about downing a large amount  of anything.

Besides droplets under the tongue and in a drink, there are plenty of Amino Acid recipes available. 

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING LIQUID AMINO:

The instructions are printed on the label of the glass brown bottle your Liquid Amino comes in. It suggest taking .5 mL of the drops, evenly spaced three times daily -- morning, near lunch and dinner time. 

Do not eat or drink for 15 minutes prior to using the drops OR 15 minutes after using the drops. This takes some focus for the first few days because it's easy to forget all together, but you eventually get yourself used to it and can distract yourself for the 30 minute period of no food/drink.

Liquid Amino assists in weight reduction, lean muscle production and glandular support. These are the main benefits of using Amino Acids. However, there are many other benefits for your overall health as well. I will go deeper in detail later. For now, lets talk about more Liquid Amino Diet

The Liquid Amino Diet is healthy, natural and effective in aiding in weight loss, metabolism and thyroid function increase. It was formulated by doctors, homeopathic experts (this is why it appealed to me, that and it being natural/healthy) and European Scientists.

The Liquid Amino Diet plan is great for people who only want to lose a few extra pounds as well as those who want to lose a great deal, and it's safe & healthy! This is one major reason I would recommend this diet. I ain't fond of the unsafe diet plans. No siree.

I previously mentioned the little 60 page booklet that comes with your syringe and bottle of Liquid Amino. It has a huge list of foods you are "allowed" to eat and foods you are not. It gives very specific diets to follow. You can even get updates and some encouragement by being involved in Liquid Amino Diet's facebook page, which you can find here.

And an important bit of information found on the actual website of Liquid AMINO Diet:

"Research and studies have shown the following for each ingredient of Amino Diet Plus:

• Phytolacca Berry is useful for those trying to lose weight who suffer from a feeling of sluggishness or low energy, excessive body fat, and metabolism that is below normal. It helps to improve metabolism, burn fat (particularly in the midsection and back), and increase energy.
• a-ketoglutaricum acidum (AKG) has been used by bodybuilders and peak performance athletes for quite some time. It helps to facilitate proper metabolism of amino acids and also the transference of energy. Additionally, AKG helps reduce ammonia in the kidneys, brain, and muscles.
• Graphites have been used to treat a variety of conditions, particularly weight gain in women going through peri-menopause. It helps metabolism and the absorption of important nutrients.
• Taraxacum Officinale is more commonly known as the Dandelion, and has been used for several hundreds of years to treat a variety of health issues. Its primary role is to support the liver, kidney, and digestive system. When the liver is strengthened, the body is better able to burn fat. By supporting the kidneys, the body is better able to cleanse itself of unwanted toxins especially those released during weight loss.
• Lophopytum leandri is an all-natural way to boost thyroid hormones and metabolism caused by an underactive thyroid. With the thyroid returned to normal, the body is able to release the necessary amounts of thyroid hormone to sustain a level of metabolism that is beneficial for weight loss and management.
• Calcarea Carbonica helps to control appetite and calm the nerves. Successful weight loss and maintenance is promoted when compulsive eating, excessive snacking, and binging are no

• L-Argenine is an essential amino acid that enhances lean muscle mass and may be of benefit in reducing fat from the body.
• Acetyl L-Carnitine is an amino acid that assists the body in producing energy.  It works with the body to improve the metabolism of fat.
• L-Ornithine is an amino acid shown to increase the body’s production of human growth hormone (HGH). Improved HGH promotes growth in muscles, which assist with burning fat.

The ingredients in Amino Diet Plus work together to promote and accelerate weight loss. The results include loss of body fat, maintenance of lean muscle, increased energy, and improved metabolism. Amino Diet Plus drops are part of a complete program that comes with a comprehensive 60-page guide full of outlines and information for weight loss success."

 Starting out, right now, my measurements are as follows:

Bust: Right: between a B and C cup. Left: 34B
Jean/shorts/size: Zero
Weight: 93lbs
Height: 5 2"
Waist: 26" Lower waist. Where I'm a bit wider, the love handle area: 29"

 Now that I've explained how things work and you have a good idea of what the Liquid Amino Diet program is about, I will leave you with that and will follow up with update posts on how I'm doing with the program! I'd love for those of you who decide to sign up, to share your own results with me as well.

eM Perfumes from Foliem

  The photo above is a little paper with 4 eM Perfume samples from Foliem. I'll give a description of each below. Starting with....

 Empassioned

 "Love without limits, be eMpassioned" Dance as if you’ve never danced before, move with the grace of a ballerina, and feel as if the DJ is playing just for you. Through the use of natural scents containing strawberry and vanilla, eMpassioned elevates the soul to new levels of desire, lifting a women to her true potential."

eMpassioned is the little sample vial you see in my photo with a pink color behind it. I believe this is my favorite out of the four. 

My first impression of eMpassioned is somewhat licorice-like, smelling it straight from the tube. Once applied to my skin, it takes on an extremely baby powdery scent, which happens almost instantly. It's a delicate, floral-ish scent. 

A couple of swipes of eMpassioned on my wrist and I was able to get very faint whiffs of the fragrance at certain times like when I had my wrist near my face. It isn't a strong scent at all. It smells so very sweet, which is something I like, but I'm having a hard time putting a finger on any particular notes in the eM perfumes!  

The dry down of eMpassioned is somewhat  vanilla, only possibly musky scent. It definitely has a subtle incense type of smell going on, and it plays it out really well.The base notes must include some kind of amber going on because it's a little noticeable.

It reminds me so much of Bath and Body Works lotion called Dark Kiss. Only to me, Dark Kiss is so horribly strong that a tiny application of the lotion to my legs will send a migraine right my way quickly. I like the scent, but can't ever wear it without a killer headache. Since eMpassioned is much more subtle of a scent, I don't experience the headache. It's the almost musky, super sweet powder scent and I'm not usually a fan of that type of scent, but this is a nice one for me. My skin brings out the sweetest notes in any perfume, so this may not be as sweet on everyone.

Empowered

"Write your own rules, be eMpowered" Let this scent take you away to a world with nothing but aromas found naturally on planet earth. Containing clean earthy scents including patchouli and jasmine, eMpowered locates your inner confidence and showers it upon everyone around you. Whether on the town or business as usual, this aroma is ideal for nearly any occasion."

My first impression of Empowered is again the licorice-like scent. I have noticed that in a few of these. However, it usually fades and transforms into something totally different once you've passed the first stage of wear. 

Like eMmoral, Empowered too reminds me a lot of a Penhaligon scent. Empowered smells so woody on my skin upon first applying. Then it gets extremely soapy or men's deodorant like. It's slightly bitter, not sweet at all and has a tiny tinge of that Old Spice odor. I definitely notice Patchouli and a bit of earthyness, but it's mostly manly, like a man's deo. 

eMmoral

"Nobody's Perfect, be eMmoral"

Find ecstasy in doing whatever you wish, and forget your obligations.  Lose all inhibitions and find nothing but pleasure.  With a combination of captivating ingredients such as cedarwood and geranium, eMmoral is a fresh new scent that provokes a feeling of rebellion."

 

 While that little quote/description of the perfume isn't exactly enticing, the actual scent is. 

I really, really like eMmoral. My first impression is very woody. Like fresh cedar almost. I adore that scent. It's a clean, fresh fragrance. Kinda makes me picture walking into a new house. 

The drydown is unfortunately a tad bitter on my skin, but geranium tends to do that on me. eMmoral reminds me a lot of one of Penhaligon's citrusy scents, I just don't quite remember which one it is. It's very similar though. The cedar wood is a beautiful fragrance though and to sweeten up the almost bitter dry down, adding either eMpassioned or eMpowered layers wonderfully.

Out of all four of these fragrances, I think eMmoral lasts the longest. It's a tad stronger than the rest and I love that none of these give me a migraine. eMmoral lasts a few hours on my skin, but certainly isn't as long lasting as something like Nollie. 

The dry down seems to have notes of roses.

 

 

 

eMpulsive

"Live your life, be eMpulsive"

 

Aimed at those who do whatever they want, this exciting new scent brings you back to the moment where anything imaginable can happen. In our Oriental addition, eMpulsive captures a soft hint of pear combined with rose and other essential oils to result in a particularly invigorating fragrance."

 

eMpulsive is a unique scent. I don't think it smells like your typical fragrances. My first impression is citrus-y, nothing sweet at all really, but not exactly bitter. I also smell something licorice-like in this one too. 

 

Once on my skin it takes on an almost sweet tart-ish scent, while still holding on to the licorice. And the dry down -- which by an hour's worth of wear, is hardly even there any longer --  is sweeter than it began and has the tiniest powder-y scent. I don't really notice a specific note in this. I think it mixes nicely with eMpassioned, which reminds me of Dark Kiss. So these are definitely worthy of layering, especially since for me, the eM Perfumes do not last long. In fact, I find that my $14 Nollie lasts for an entire day longer. If I spray Nollie on (3 spritzes), even after a shower, I'll still have small hints of the dry down occasionally. eMpulsive totally disappears in less than 2 hours.

Push Lubricant Satin

First, I must ask forgiveness for my bad-quality photos this time, and second, I want to introduce you to this simple tube of Satin! It's very possible that I will update the photos in a day or two, when I get my hands back on my camera, but at the moment, I have no clue where that sucker is hiding! I took it out with me today and as of 4 hours ago, it has been MIA. I'm just praying it ended up in one of me or my partner's vehicles! As for now though, I had to make do with my blasted webcam, which takes horrid photos/videos. That's upsetting because my computer is an HP entertainment center and yet the videos and photos from the webcam are horrible quality. That is why I rarely do a video for you guys, which is something I've really wanted to do, but always end up deleting my vidoes due to the crap-quality. So I've just done what I could here. It's at least somewhat see-able. Now lets move on, shall we?

  Push Lubricants (the manufacturer's of Satin) were forumlated 20 years ago (I was only 2 years old!) in Australia. Push Lubricant really isn't widely heard of around here, and in fact, I haven't ever actually seen it in any store here in the USA, but it is making it's way here. I had originally read and seen Push Lubes online and couldn't resist. I had my eyes out for them for about 2 months now after having a friend speak about them. Now I've managed to obtain Satin -- which is what I will be discussing with you in this post -- Sensational, Strawberry edible Flavored Lubricant and the Original Push Lubricant. Strawberry and Satin were the ones I'd loved just from hearing about them, so of course they were the first I tried. Lucky for me, my partner and I had already freed our evening for some alone "fun" and just so happened they arrived today. 

  First I tried Strawberry, which is for a totally different post. Secondly, we tried Satin, which lucky for you, I'm posting about now. Satin is just the kind of lubricant I like -- thickish not runny. Stays right where ya put it. I like my trusty ol' kegel ball exercizers that I got after showing a minor symptom of rectocele and ended up paranoid, so I bought some kegel balls to hopefully aid in my already thousands of kegel exercizes daily. Boy when I get paranoid, I really get paranoid. The problem was, I was planning to use these balls daily, but they were really painful to insert and remove and none of my lubricants were cutting it. I found all were too thin and would run to my behiney before I could insert my trusty ol' balls. So despite the needed lubricant to help ease the discomfort that happens in the beginning of intercourse, I also needed a reliable one for these daily balls I've been inserting. Balls and a vagina? 

And so I decided what better time to go on the hunt for a good lubricant than now? 

 I've done a little video to show you the packaging, seals and look of the lubricant on my hands. If you don't care for the video, no worries. I've also described it in words below.

     Satin arrived to me discreetly without any indication as to what the package's contents were. That's good. Satin comes in a long 4 fl OZ white tube with a squeezy bottle. The bottle has a screw on cap and a flip top. The tube was sealed in plastic -- a good thing, although I spent a minute taking it off. Then you un-screw the lid and there's extra sealing, a little tamper silver peel sticker. That's really good too. It ensures the product has not been opened and keeps spillage from occurring.    Unscrew. Peel sticker. Screw back on. Flip the cap. Squeeze. It's simple since you have the flip-top cap that allows you to squeeze lubricant from the hole in the cap. Or you can simply unscrew it and pour, if you just so happened to need a lot.    

  The first thing I noticed after squeezing out Satin was how shiny/greasy like my hands looked. See photo above. You can see the slight shinyness on my left hand. It doesn't feel greasy on my hands or downstairs, but it looks it, which didn't bother me. I actually like that it's slightly greasy since it reduces friction even more than a water-based lubricant will. This also means it will stay in place perfectly. No running to your butt.    I'm a freak about any residue from lotion or something else being left on my hands, so I always rinse them with any lotion or lubricant. It doesn't leave me feeling slimy, sticky or greasy and I was so happy that my downstairs wasn't sticky. Nothing chaps my behind worse than having to walk around with a sticky cooter. I can use Satin and worry about showering later rather than having to jump in the shower immediately after the fun.     Water rinses it off my hands just fine, but it does bead up a smidgen, so a dab of hand-soap fixes that right up. On my crotch though, it simply feels really silky. Not greasy, and when I shower later on, I'll just wash up as I normally would using my regular natural soap. That does the trick just fine.   Another fabulous thing besides feeling super silky and smooth, not sticky slimey or greasy, is the soft skin left behind after rinsing or showering. It leaves my skin so moisturized and soft. I really like that.       The 4 Fl Oz tube is going to last a pretty good while, even using it daily. It's thin and slick, so only a little will be plenty for my needs. I lke that it feels thin, not globby, but is just thick enough to stay where you want it and add the slippery wetness without the friction. I've had many lubricants not seem to do anything but add some wetness, but not actually reduce friction or make penetration any easier. That's a real bummer because I have a lot of lubricants I've bought and ended up not being able to use them due to those reasons.    This moisturizing lubricant is perfect for women who need lubricant often, menopausal women, and anybody with pain or discomfort during intercourse, or dryness downstairs.    SMELL Satin has no scent whatsoever. None. Nada.    COLOR No coloring. Satin is completely clear.  TASTE Satin is not labeled as an edible lubricant, if you're looking for that, go for Push Lubricant's Strawberry flavored lube. However, if you happened to have used it prior to oral sex and Satin is all absorbed, it won't hurt you to lick and nibble, and leaves behind  no taste.  Even if you licked a spot where Satin was just applied, you'll taste nothing at all! I really liked this because well, for oral sex, there's no worries about an unpleasant taste if you have used some prior to oral sex -- such as using Satin to insert kegel balls during the day. No taste. No scent. Very nice.  I licked a glob of Satin to see for myself. My partner had said he tasted nothing earlier tonight. I licked some and the only thing my tongue noticed was the slight feeling of oil. When you lick a dribble of vegetable oil, it kind of feels warm on the tongue. There wasn't ANY taste at all to Satin though. I've never had a lubricant with no taste at all, so this was also pleasant.   Since Satin is a silicone lubricant, it's going to hold up better in water than a water-based lubricant. Water-based lubes tend to rinse right off when you're using them in the water, but silicone is perfect for that. It beads, like I said, so it's not going to totally rinse right off if you're having some water fun.    It can be used during intercourse to make things easier, add moisture and just reduce friction making sensations easier to come by. It can be used for personal play such as with a vibrator (not a silicone toy though!) or just to reduce the friction between your fingers and clitoris. This really brings on the sensations for that little dude!    I want to say it again, this is a silicone-based lubricant, so if you do plan to use a toy with it, do not use a silicone toy. Only other materials like plastic, glass, metal, etc. The reason for this, as you may have heard me say before or read on my toy page up there, is because silicone against silicone can cause a silicone toy to degrade or "melt." So if you truly wish to use this lovely Satin lubricant on a silicone toy, do a patch test near the base first. Give it a few minutes. If nothing happens, use at your own risk. If the appearance of the toy changes, do not use the lube with it.    How long does it last?  As long as you do, more than likely anyways.  Out of every lubricant I have tried (and that is one huge list of lubricants!) I can't remember a single one ever lasting quite as long as Satin. Every clitoral gel and lubricant I have used for just clitoral play has left me using way more than should ever be necessary. One quarter sized drop (maybe slightly more) does everything I want and lasts as long as I do. As for intercourse, I only need something smaller than a dime-sized amount of Satin. That small amount will last through foreplay and the big event. Ha. Ha. And possibly still after!     We used a dime sized amount of Satin before foreplay, during intercourse and when I went to insert the pesky kegel exercizing ball, I didn't need to apply more! That's really something for me.    Silicone is what gives it that super slippery feel and that helps as well since I don't need near as much of that as I would something like water-based lube. The slippery keeps goin' and goin'. And thank God, it never gets "tacky." If you've ever used a lubricant (like most of the drugstore brands) and had it get all tacky on ya, you would appreciate the luxury of a smooth glide all the way to the finish line.  INGREDIENTS IN SATIN: Dimethicone --which is silicone-, Isopropyl Palmitate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Soy Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate -- Vitamin E, which is also wonderful for skin. Huge kudos for the aloe in the ingredients! Ya'll know how I feel about that Aloe plant. I eat my own aloe plant and use the inner leaf for EVERYTHING. Aloe has amazing healing benefits for skin. I won't go into the wonderful benefits of taking it internally, so you're lucky this time. However, I'm always happy to see aloe as an ingredient in my skincare and lubricants. It's great for people who are sensitive and great for relieving dryness, soreness, tears in skin, etc. If you're prone to those things after intercourse, Satin is a God-send. Also notice that glycerin is not an ingredient in Satin. This is perfect for those of you who are prone to yeast infections and UTI's! A lubricant that does not contain yeast and UTI causing ingredients is hard to come by.      Satin Lubricant is made in the USA.

My Pearl Of The Day -- fun water beads!

Gallon of water & the tiny beads -- the supplies in green basket are NOT needed. They just happened to be on my desk during the process.

WHAT ARE WATER BEADS USED FOR?
  Thanks to Crystal Water Beads for including so much wonderful information, I can answer that question for you. It's always interesting to me to learn about a companies product, especially when the product is as cool as the water beads! 

This is a photo of the bottom of the water jug immediately after putting in the beads! How awesome does that look?

  The Water Beads were originally invented for farmers -- to keep moisture from evaporating from the soil so quickly. 

  Water Beads are super tiny when they haven't been submersed in water. When they arrive, they're about the size of a pin-head. Very small! Ok, about the size of a flea too, a small flea.  Once they've been soaked in the water, they absorb it and plump up.  These guys, as you see the difference in size in my photos, hold a lot of water! They start out tiny and then suddenly you look in the container and you have plump, beautiful beads! 

  Then the Crystal Water Beads can be poured into your plants soil and there they will slowly release their water, doing so without the water getting evaporated into the air! That's what makes these cuties ideal for plants. I have 3 aloe plants, as ya'll know, I eat them, so it's important to keep those guys healthy. Aloe needs very little water and the Crystal Water Beads are absolutely perfect for watering just enough, without overdoing it. Plus they really add some style to my plants. 

  And who doesn't want to show off their beautiful water beads? Well, I certainly do, so I've managed to dig up a pretty clear jar to show them off, for decorative purposes! Going to the Crystal Water Beads store site will give you many gorgeous ideas on ways to use and show off your fabulous Crystal Water Beads. 

  The only problem is, now I'm wanting to fill all kinds of vases full of the gorgeous little guys and display them in every single room, on every single table top and dresser we have! They're just so pretty I can't resist.

  Another wonderful thing about these beads -- you can choose so many different lovely colors, so you're color options and decorative personality never gets old. You can mix pink with black, purple with pink like I did and change them to match the room colors/theme or to even add some fun, unique touch to a boring room. They look pretty in flower vases or just sitting alone in a clear glass vase/bottle. Since they're so pretty, they don't necessarily need anything extra. Just a jar of the beauties is enough to add personality and a unique touch.

  

INSTRUCTIONS:

This is the best part about the water beads -- it's easy, quick and makes no mess. This makes it a perfect little project to include kids on. They'll enjoy watching the water beads "grow." Ours love, love, love the water beads!  Oh yea, the instructions.

*Add contents of package to 5 cups of room temperature purified water -- Not filtered or spring -- per 5 grams of beads.

*Allow the beads to stand in the water for 5-7 hours.  For the Marble Beads, allow 6-8 hours and for the Square Beads, allow 8-10 hours. You'll see a photos of the round regular Water Beads and the Square ones here. Those are the type I chose, but I think we'll end up ordering the others here very soon. I will update and show photos of those when we order.

*After the recommended amount of time has passed, drain the water and use as desired! 

 Why must it be purified water only?
  Using any other water could result in the bead not plumping. In other words, your beads may not "grow" if you don't use the recommended purified water.

OH NO! I don't know what purified water is or where to find it.
 It's OK. I promise. You can find purified water at about any grocery store and possibly even convenient stores, but don't hold me to that last one. If you've ever bottle-fed a baby or bought a new fish tank, chances are, you have purchased purified water from a store. You can usually find it in the diaper section. Or at least that's where it's at in my local Ingles. Just look for the gallon clear jug of water that will say "purified water" on the front. 

STORING AND CARING FOR YOUR LOVELY WATER BEADS
    Crystal Water Beads.com says:
" To store the beads, remove them from water. Accelerate dehydration by spreading them out on a dry towel in the open air and out of a humid environment.  Once they are fully dehydrated and close to their original size, seal them in a air tight container such as Tupperware or Zip Lock.  

For extended life, keep them out of direct sunlight and away from temperatures above 85 degrees F while storing. "

The Water Beads come packaged in a little sealed plastic baggy. Well, the samples do. I don't know about a full size. I believe the large, full sizes come in a large plastic bag. Included is a little paper with instructions and this:

  "CAUTION:

• Do not take internally.  Keep out of reach of children and pets.  Although this product is non-toxic, it may present a choking hazard for children.

• Do not flush down drains.

• For decorative use only."
•  

  Crystal Water Beads store also has an amazing project going on called the Beads Grow Seeds Project! It's so awesome. Here's an excerpt about the project straight from their webpage: 

  "The Beads Grow Seeds Projects is focused on providing Super Absorbent Polymer for Village farmers to use in the soil for a better success rate in their crops. 

When a customer buys our product or makes a donation, we use these funds to purchase Super Absorbent Polymer. We will take this product to the troubled soil area's around the world and work with the locals to install the product.

When added to the soil, plant roots grow around and through the swollen polymer, where they are able to extract the stored water and nutrients. The controlled release of water and nutrients aids plants in achieving optimal moisture conditions for maximum plant growth.

With severe droughts occurring on a more frequent basis due to global warming, water absorbing polymers will help food sources survive by reducing irrigation requirements up to 50%. This product will continue to work in the soil for up to 8 years.

Check Back for updates & pictures!"

*Clicking the link there will take you to their Beads Grow Seeds page, so that you can go see for yourself. 

The prices at Crystal Water Beads Store are so perfectly affordable that you can order beads for every event, every plant, or as I think I'll end up doing, for every single room in your house! They're amazing! As soon as we were pouring our beads into the water, my lovie said "how much are these things? I want more!"  Looks like I'm not the only fan. Who can blame us? They're so fun!

Crystal Soil USA -- Rainbow Mud

  Crystal Soil USA is a company that sells a wide variety of the water bead products. They have such beautiful choices, ranging from Rainbow Mud to Marbled Water Beads to Crystal Soil! They are definitely worth taking a look at. Hard choice though, they're all so fabulous! 

  The Rainbow Mud is what I'm going to talk about today though. In the future, I plan to order the marbled beads and a few others, so those will be shared at a later date. For now, let's check out the neat Rainbow Mud!

  

The photo above is the contents of the packet of Rainbow Mud (shown in the very first photo) poured into a bowl full of water.

You can see that these little dudes start out as tee-tiny little round balls. About the size of a pin. 

Looking closely you can see the colors, which in the photo above they look orange, clear, red and green and black.

Once the beads have soaked in water and began to puff up, the orange, red and black actually turn purple, a beautiful neon-ish pink & yellow. I love the pink! It's stunning.

Instructions:

The little packet comes with tiny instructions on the back. It warns you NOT to let the beads fall down the drain, for obvious reasons as they puff up in water & if one was to fall down the sink hole, you'd have a clog! 

It says to leave the beads in water for a few hours. This entire packet of beads was poured into a bowl of water and they began to "grow" in 30 minutes. Before an hour and a half was up, they were full-sized! That is pretty quick. We love watching them "grow."

  

Here's what they looked like once they puffed up:

Lovely, aren't they? The Rainbow Mud can be used in a pretty glass vase/jar for decoration purposes or you can put them in your plants to water & make them look pretty.

These water beads were actually originally designed to keep the farmers' soil damp. Now, they're used for keeping plants watered & for deco! There are several different ways to use them to add personality to a room. Be creative!

Plus, these little guys are SO much fun to "grow." They make a fun, no-mess project for kids & adults. The kids (and if you're like us, adults too) love watching them puff up. They never ever get old! 

When shopping the Crystal Soil USA site, you can choose your own colors or go with packs that have a variety of colors combined. I like a variety, but you can always do your own thing.