Canon Holiday - December 2014

Best Buy is the ultimate destination for the latest cameras to capture your holiday memories.

The Canon EOS Rebel T5i is one of the best-selling DSLRs. This camera makes advanced photography easy and fun, and gives you exceptional image quality, along with a host of features to enhance your creative expression.

The Canon Rebel T5i (Canon 700D in UK / Asia) is a great SLR camera for the beginner photographers, who want to upgrade from Point & Shoot to DSLRs. The performance is fast and the image quality is excellent, and the camera is priced at a sweet spot of within $700 with the 18-55mm lens bundled in.

A big plus is a touch screen, which makes it easy to make quick adjustments to the many menu settings. This makes it beginner friendly and easy to use, with very little learning curve.

The camera can take huge sized images of 18 Mega pixels... more that what you need if you print in Letter, A4, or even A3 at your home colour printers. The captured colours are vibrant, and portraits really shine. I use this camera at home, and outdoors during travels.

The supplied Lithium battery holds good for over 300+ shots and is still quite strong.
The camera can take fast action shots with up to 5 frames per second. I find it quite fast.
Plus it is good at face detection and I like to take short videos of my son playing in the house, which turn out quite clear. The camera is good for taking shots in the night too.

•      Capture Hollywood caliber full HD video
•      Continuous autofocus while taking HD video
•      Features an 18.0-megapixel CMOS sensor and a DIGIC 5 image processor to ensure vivid, crystal-clear images.
•      The 3" vari-angle touch screen simplifies navigation.


Available at Best Buy

Disclaimer:   The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

SunLabz 13W Portable Solar Charger Review

SunLabz Portable Charger - ($39.99)

• Solar Panel Charger (7W) with Voltage Stability Controller
• High efficiency Solar Cells with 22% Transfer Rate
• Direct Device Charging (no battery) output to USB 5V
• Accessories include: 4pcs Carabiner / 4 pcs suction cups / Micro USB cable
• Perfect for charging your cell phone, digital camera, tablet, gps, mp3 player                                 

Although the product cannot directly charge my Iphone 5S I am still able to charge the battery pack quickly and then link my phone to charge off of that. So I simply use the sun to charge the batteries and then the batteries to charge my phone. If you switch your phone into Airplane mode while charging I have been able to get nearly 3 full charges from one battery charge!

It does great charging the batteries in full sun as expected and I have used it several times while camping. I simply leave the solar panels out in direct sun while I fish or hang out at the campsite and then charge my phone overnight while I sleep. Haven't had any issues and I take the charger with me wherever I go.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

PureSOL Konjac Sponge Review

Konjac Sponge - ($10.00)

• IMPROVES SKIN TEXTURE: pureSOL Konjac Facial Sponge gently exfoliates while deep cleansing and removing any toxins and impurities, leaving you with a radiant complexion. It is extremely soft and gentle for everyday skin care. Great for extra sensitive skin including babies!
• BRIGHTER LOOKING SKIN: The natural woven fibers of the sponge gently massage the skin and stimulate blood flow. It detoxifies and encourages skin renewal while balancing the skins pH, leaving your skin extremely clean and refreshed!
• REMOVES TOXINS AND IMPURITIES: You will see your pores getting smaller, tightening and brightening your skin. The natural konjac fibers massage away impurities and toxins in your skin.
• 100% NATURAL AND ECO-FRIENDLY: Why compromise your health with products that contain harsh chemicals and additives on your skin? pureSOL Konjac Sponge is completely natural, eco-friendly and free of parabens, sulphates & chemicals. It is biodegrade, cruelty free and vegan. After use, you can compost the sponge and feel good about the environment! You can even add it to your flower pot! At pureSOL our packaging is 90% compostable.
• EASY-TO- HANG SUCTION HOOK: A must have for you konjac sponge! Perfect for hanging in a well-ventilated space so it's dry and ready for you to use the following day. No more searching for something to hang your pureSOL Konjac Sponge on!

My first thought was, "How in the world could a sponge make any difference?" But after doing some further research, I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it. Heck, I've spent hundreds in facial-care products that didn't help, what was a few more dollars?

When I first tried it, I used it as part of my nightly routine. It seemed to work just fine, but it was the next day when I realized this thing just might work! My normally oily face was smooth and not the slightest bit oily!! I noticed a significant improvement in just a couple of days. Within 2 weeks I had not a single pimple on my face! Let me tell you, there aren't a lot of products I can claim have been life-changing, but this one has been nothing short of a miracle.

* I do want to warn that not all konjac sponges are created equal. I tried a less-expensive one and was sorely disappointed. It got mildewy in just a few days and my acne came back! I will definitely stick to this brand only from now on.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Go chalk it Review

Go Chalk It - ($16.99)

• Chalk markers that dry fast and don't smudge
• Easy to clean with a damp cloth
• No dust like ordinary chalk makes it perfect for your health and your loved ones
• 1 package contains 8 colors: ( Blue, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, White, & Yellow)
• Makes the perfect gift for teachers, kids, trainers, house warming parties ...

I have an 8x8 small chalkboard that I keep on my kitchen window sill to write messages for my family...LOVE the density of color..shows up nicely on the black! The tips are versatile and the color applies smoothly...can't wait to use all of the different colors over the year! The markers come in a really cute package and are amazing: great colors, fluid flow and easy to erase. I wrote holiday messages around the house with them in anticipation of Christmas and they were so easy to use - just like a pen. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

5HTP Mood Enhancer Review

5HTP - ($12.99)

• FROM NATURE! Extracted from the Griffonia Simplicfolia plant, 5HTP is a NATURAL substance that will greatly improve your MOOD, ease DEPRESSION & ANXIETY symptoms, help you SLEEP better and more RESTFULLY, help you take CONTROL of your emotional EATING, among many other benefits!
• 5-HTP increases the production of SEROTONIN. Serotonin plays a great role in our bodies when it comes to our SLEEP pattern, PAIN sensitivity and APPETITE. When Serotonin is released, we have the sensation of WELLBEING, SERENITY and FULLFILMENT. In addition, serotonin controls our ANXIETY and suppresses our APPETITE but making us feel serene and SATISFIED.

Amazing product with no side effects as far as I can tell. It has increase my positive mood. Lessened my anxiety. And kept me on track with healthy habits, a good nights sleep being one of these that I've never been able to get without knock out sleeping pills prescribed by the doctor. I got these for mood enhancement. They seem to be helping some. Cooler weather, shorter days and winter holidays test my limits. These supplements seem to be helping to make me not feel as down. The fact there are no side effects or dependence issues like with pharmaceuticals is a plus for me! I would recommend giving it shot.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Snoozy Luxury Sateen Cotton Waterproof Crib Mattress Pad Review

Crib Mattress Pad - ($43.73

• Luxury silky, extra thick and Waterproof
• 250 thread count 100% sateen cotton surface and 100% cotton filling will ensure the highest level of comfort
• The ultra thin, breathable, knit anti allergen barrier will protect against dust mite of less than 1.0 microns
• Dimensions: 28" x 52"
• Machine washer and dryer friendly

Not too tight, easy to take on and off. Helpful tip - first put on crib pad, then sheet, then another crib pad on top of sheet, and finally one last sheet on top. Save a little bit of time in the middle of the night when baby wets the bed and only pull of one sheet and crib pad and you are ready to go. I'm a busy mom; who the heck has time to handwash?!? This crib pad is very soft and doesn't make that annoying and loud plastic crinkle whenever the child moves and does a fantastic job of absorbing leaks. It's easily washable and it fits very well onto the mattress. I'd definitely recommend!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Everything Black Beanies Review

Black Beanie - ($9.95)

• The 60/40 cotton-and-acrylic blend is amazingly breathable. Your hair might even look better after you take this BLACK BEANIE off than it did before you put it on.
• Searching for a bolder unisex accessory? This BLACK BEANIE won't just keep snow off of your skull; it'll kick the first snowflake's ass so hard that the rest will be too scared to even land.
• This BLACK BEANIE is equally at home as a cold-weather fashion statement or as a last resort against the sleeting hail you experience as you chop firewood, win extreme marathons or dig wayward skiers out of avalanches.
• Each black beanie is compact, lightweight and infinitely comfortable, yet they're durable enough to survive a trip to the ice caps of Mars and back.
• Ideal for hunting, cold-weather athletic training, jogging or simply lounging around looking awesome.

This beanie is so nice looking. Great quality and it fits just right. It's also very warm and I'm sure my husband will love this! No flaws here.  It even fits my giant, fat head. :)

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”