Glamming it up 1940's style...

Now for something slightly different!

I recently revisited the past for my husband's milestone birthday party. My man is a big fan of the classic 1940's movie "Casablanca", the one that spawned a thousand take-offs of the line, "Here's looking at you kid..." so it was no surprise that he wanted a Casablanca/1940's themed party. Confession time:  I'd never been to a costume party before - let alone hosted one - so I had to do my research.  I created a 40's fashion and beauty board in Pinterest, bought reference books, and watched movies (we all watched "Casablanca" of course!) all for the sake of authenticity - and because it's pretty exciting to glam up like a 1940's femme fatale too! Those movie heroines from that bygone era had glamour in spades so I had a lot to live up to...


Hair

My hairdresser originally had visions of doing those gravity defying 1940's victory rolls on my hair until I showed him photos of something a little softer and more in keeping with the evening look I was after. The result was an equally authentic, but more me, '40's pin curl style which I loved and made me feel very feminine and glamorous.  Pin curls are a first for me too and my hairdresser used a curling iron, then pinning the curls to cool and set before fixing in place with some strategically placed hair pins and lots of hairspray. Somehow it still looked quite touchable and soft and now I wish I was able to replicate it myself.  At least I have some photos from him as a memento.

Makeup

The makeup look was all about a matte face, defined brow and matte red lip to keep it reasonably accurate for the era.  Sounds simple although it still took 10 products to make it happen - I'm pretty sure that women back in that time got by with a lot less products than me!

My base was pretty simple as I wanted something to last through the evening and look matte so I used Revlon Colorstay Makeup (Natural Beige) set with a good dusting of Revlon Photoready Powder (020 Light/Medium) and this got me through the night with no touch ups.  1940's cheeks were simply rouged to add some life to them so I used the brightest shade from my Visee (RD-2) powder blush quad for that pop of colour - no contouring or highlighting necessary in those days.

 I kept my eye shadow pretty simple too so after an application of Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (which I wear every single day to lock my eye shadow in place) I turned to Urban Decay's Naked Basics palette for some subtle matte light and shade:  W.O.S on the lids, Naked 2 in the crease and Foxy on the brow bone. I lined my upper lashes only with a pencil because I still suck at liquid liner (ugh!), and used Estee Lauder Pure Color Intense Kajal Eye Liner (01 Blackened Black) and coated my lashes with several coats of my favourite drugstore mascara Max Factor Masterpiece Glamour Extensions 3-in-1 Volumising Mascara (Black).  I filled in my brows with Ardell Mechanical Brow Pencil (Blonde) - love it because it's so easy to use! - and went over them with a quick brush of ModelCo More Brows (Light/Medium) to keep them in place.

Lastly the matte red lips:  I chose Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick (Beso) and didn't need to reapply all night.


Other bits and pieces...

A final touch of understated glamour was added with some rhinestone stud earrings and a bejewelled hair slide.  A spritz of Chanel's Coco Noir EDP and a final spritz of L'Oreal Elnett Satin hairspray (just to be sure) and I was ready to party!


And the happy couple at the end of the night...

It was so enjoyable getting dressed up - I must think of how I want to celebrate my 50th birthday next year! Yes...it's true...

Until next time!

OPI Venice Collection: Purple Palazzo Pants

I'm getting so fussy when it comes to buying nail polish these days and as the never ending stream of new collections roll out I see less and less in them to really interest me.  I find myself doing a mental stocktake of what I already have and then decide that I've already got something the same or similar and I pass on the purchase.

This is why I only bought one shade from OPI's new Venice Collection - and to be honest this shade isn't unique either. It's just my weakness for purple that bit me again! Purple Palazzo Pants is a lavender cream that is absolutely to my taste so that's why I was tempted and of course it sings of spring too.  Application was typically easy and done in two coats, although I very nearly ruined it with a top coat that's starting to thicken and is now prone to bubbling...  

All pictures taken in indirect daylight

Were you tempted by any of the shades in the Venice collection?

Rimmel Lasting Finish By Kate Nude Collection: Swatches and review

My thoughts on nude lipsticks?  They can look beautifully natural and youthful if you can find the right shade - and therein lies the challenge. It can be so hard to find the right one and I know because I've bought a few over the years that weren't quite right for me because they were too pale and concealer-y, too warm, too cool, too dark, too dead looking and so on. I'm sure you get what I'm saying!

For that reason I was pleased to be sent the full complement of Rimmel's new Lasting Finish By Kate Nude Collection to review because I have a chance of finding at least one that will suit... 

The collection comprises five nudes from the extremely pale through to a very deep warm nude suitable for darker skin tones. The nude packaging has grown on me - I wasn't sure at first but now I quite like it (other brands are doing it too) and it does make it easy to single out the nude lippies in my drawer.

The lipstick formula is what I've come to expect from Rimmel's Lasting Finish range:  richly creamy, very well pigmented and very long lasting on the lips without any drying feeling.  These lipsticks last hours on the lips without any fading or bleeding and one application will easily last me from breakfast through to lunch.  Rimmel say they last "up to 8 hours" and that doesn't seem a stretch at all.  Also, there's none of the unflattering whitish 'fade' happening around the inner lip as can happen with some nude lip products. That these lipsticks perform so well was no surprise to me at all and I continue to hold Rimmel lipsticks up as my favourite from the drugstore because the quality is right up there with higher end brands.

Now onto the swatches.  As it happened I've found three nudes I can wear in this collection:  42, 43 and 45 so I'm personally quite pleased with the colour selection.

Swatched left to right:  40, 42, 43, 45, 48

And here I am wearing the pink nude 42 on my lips

The Rimmel Lasting Finish By Kate Nude Collection is available from the following stores:

Big W, Chemist Warehouse, Coles, My Chemist, Priceline, Woolworths.

RRP:  $12.95AUD

(Products were provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

Vintage OPI: Guy Meets Gal-veston

Why or why didn't I realize how good jelly polishes were when they were everywhere??? Now they're so hard to find...

Oh well at least I have one or two in my collection from back when they were popular so I didn't turn my back on the trend altogether although it's taken me all this time to realize what the fuss was about.  I bought OPI's Guy Meets Gal-veston back in 2011 from their Texas collection and here I am enjoying it 4 years later.  GMG is a vibrant coral jelly and just the thing for the transition into warmer, brighter days.  I applied two coats and added a top coat for an even more juicy jelly finish - you might barely make out the visible white tips of the very edges of my nails so these pictures aren't a dead giveaway that I'm wearing a jelly but...Oh. My. Goodness...This was so gorgeously squishy looking in real life!  Honestly I should stop gushing because this damn polish is only available from Amazon etc these days...

Full sun

Indirect daylight

Did you ever get into the jelly trend?

Singapore beauty haul 2015 part 2: The luxury edition

This haul post is hopelessly late as I took these pictures weeks ago!

  I've been busy as usual, but "better late than never" I figure so here are the products I bought at the more spendy end of the Singaporean beauty market - mostly from Sephora.  Yes, Sephora is finally coming to Melbourne very soon but I'm not planning to visit until the hysteria settles so it will probably be next year before I walk through those doors.  Until then I'm well and truly satiated by this beauty loot...

Sephora

• Urban Decay Ten 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Set - I've long been a fan of Urban Decay's 24/7 liners thanks to my husband gifting me a set a few years ago.  The only thing that stops me from buying more of these is the price of the individual pencils so another set was the answer. The full sized ultra-black Perversion is the only repeat for me (mine dried up and died a little while ago so this is the backup!) and the other colours are all new additions to my little collection.  Standout shades influencing my decision were Voodoo because it's purple (my favourite coloured liner shade!) and the variously taupey and brown shades like Faint and Mugshot. I don't wear these on the waterline so they perform more than well enough on my upper or lower lash lines for a bit of definition.

• Urban Decay Matte Revolution Lipstick (Temper) - The matte revolution lippies were a brand spanking new release in Sephora so I was keen to try at least one.  I always love a good matte lip and Temper is the kind of bright matte shade I like to wear best.

• Tarte Energy Noir Palette - I'm drawn to eye and cheek palettes, I didn't own anything from Tarte prior to this trip and the colours are neutrals, plums and smokeys which were all speaking to me...need I justify this purchase more? Oh, okay the eye shadows swatched smoothly too! The dusty blush shade looks somewhat similar to Exposed (see below) but this particular shade is Unearthed.

• Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush (Exposed) - I went to two Sephora stores to find this blush so this purchase was a case of mission accomplished! Yes...I know I'm the last person on the planet - or so it feels - to own this particularly well known blush.  It makes a nice change from the usual peaches or corals I gravitate to anyway.

• Too Faced Love Palette - So I tossed up between this and the Semi-Sweet palette and in the end I was convinced this was a better buy and a change from my typical choices.  There's definitely a bit of colour and shimmer in there but it's still wearable enough for me to get away with during the daylight hours.  I also liked the 'three palettes in one' layout for some initial inspiration, and I basically overlooked the inclusion of the waterproof eyeliner! Do I like the heart design? Not really but I can forgive that for the contents.

• Laneige BB Cushion SPF50+ PA+++ (#13 True Beige) - My wonderful friends Sophia and Mabel introduced me to this product as they are both fans. During our joint shopping/dinner evening we were discussing the pros and cons of certain base products and this was the number one recommendation to try.  The girls also helped choose the perfect shade for me too and now I've been officially introduced to the wonders of the BB cushion!  I wouldn't have believed it but now that I've tried it I can say this stuff does feel comfortably cooling on the skin and it's so easy to apply with the enclosed puff sponge. 

• The Original Beautyblender -  There's not much more to say than I finally caved and threw one of these into my shopping basket on the way to the cashier.

• Sephora Lip Liner To Go (08 Classic Pink) - Another Mabel and Sophia recommendation! The ladies told me - and the swatches proved - these lip liners are creamy enough to wear on their own.

VDL

I did have another mineral shadow duo from the VDL boutique that unfortunately got smashed just before I took this picture *sob*.  I'm still hoping to salvage it with some rubbing alcohol...

• Festival Shadow (202 Cork) - I really just wanted to sample some of the eye shadows from this Korean brand so I went with a safe everyday shade that won't get forgotten in the back of the drawer.  As a matter of fact I'm going to be wearing it tomorrow!

• Tint Bar Triple Shot (502 Triple Burgundy) - The gradient or ombre lipstick or balm was a new discovery to me when I arrived in Singapore so I was really intrigued and had to have one! The burgundy layer might look awfully scary in the tube but it looks really soft on the lips and the fade out creates the optical illusion of fuller lips. After wearing this for the first time I'm ever so slightly regretting not buying more.

• Expert Color Lip Cube (502 Rosewood) - Another case of me just wanting to sample from a brand I can't get my hands on at home.  These lipsticks are apparently very long wearing so I have to find out for myself.

Laneige

I bought these Laneige products from the Tangs department store in Vivocity...

• Water Sleeping Mask - I'm talking about this first but this was the afterthought and the result of the SA doing a good job on the upsell! I've never used an overnight mask before and the stuff felt soooo good rubbed into the back of my hand.  Whatever.  I like a good pamper so I don't regret it!

• Two Tone Lip Bar (No. 3 Pink Salmon and No. 5 Daring Darling) - So...like I said earlier I was intrigued by the ombre lip trend and these orange-pink and red-pink combinations looked absolutely wild! So wild that I've not worn them yet but I plan to get playing soon!

Duty free part 1

Leaving Australia...

• Jurlique Purely Age-Defying Skin Care Program - Kits are always the best way to sample a new or different skin care range so I decided to pamper myself with this - still prohibitively expensive - anti-aging range.

• Prada Candy Trio - The only way to get a discount on Prada is DF so that, and my ongoing love affair with Prada fragrances, explains that purchase. 

Duty free part 2

Leaving Singapore...

• Cle De Peau Luminizing Face Enhancer (14 Delicate Pink) - Yes, even buying this DF in Changi Airport was an extravagance but I've wanted this for such a long time and it's just FREAKING GORGEOUS!!! Buyer's remorse? Not this time!

So there you have part 2! Part 3 will be devoted to one brand that I got quite carried away with, so stay tuned...it will happen I promise...

Until next time!

I.Color Focus Nail Polish: VN24

After my last disappointing manicure it was nice to wear something unashamedly pretty...

This I.Color nail polish was a random find in Hong Kong beauty store Bonjour a few years ago and it has not been worn until now.  VN24 is an unfortunately non-descript name for what is a really pretty jelly glitter polish.  I just adored the soft mauve-pink with the shimmery aqua blue glitter floating about and considering this probably cost me next to nothing it applied beautifully - and - lasted a full week too.  I was full of superlative, creative descriptions for this polish the other day but I'm drawing a blank tonight so I will let these pictures hopefully do the talking.  But, can I just simply say that I loved wearing it!

  All pictures taken in indirect daylight:

Sometimes it's good to embrace the pretty...

Do you have any obscure branded nail polish or makeup in your collection that you absolutely love?

Arbonne cosmetics: First impressions and mini reviews

Arbonne is a brand I knew very little about other than spotting some pictures on Instagram here and there so I was naturally curious when I was approached to try out some of their cosmetics for a weekend. "A weekend?" you say? Well, yes and that suited me just fine because it meant I really had to focus on how these products performed and - knowing that I was parting with them after a few days - it also made me ask myself what would I actually buy (and create my own little wishlist in the process).  Also, there was that collective sigh of relief in my household that this beauty blogger wasn't going to drown in yet more products.  I genuinely think this is a genius, non-wasteful idea but before I digress any further let me tell you a little about Arbonne the brand.

I was surprised to learn that Arbonne has actually been around for 35 years (originating in Switzerland and expanding around the globe) and has been very much a green company since its inception.  Arbonne products are botanically based, cruelty-free and the majority of product packaging is recyclable.  Finally, Arbonne's "Pure, Safe, BeneficialTM" ingredient policy means that their products are formulated without: talc, tallow, carbon black, animal products or by-products, formaldehyde-donating preservatives, phthalates, formaldehyde, alkylphenols, benzene, monoethanolamine, triclosan, synthetic dyes, hydroquinone, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavours, cholesterol or trans fats.

As you've probably gathered from the list of "no-no" ingredients above, Arbonne sell more than cosmetics and their full line covers skincare, bath & body, hair, sun, cosmetics and nutrition.  Of course cosmetics are my passion so read on to find out about what I got to try...  

Base products

Makeup Primer (30ml) $51* –  I found that one pump of this primer is enough for full face application.  The gel like formula glides over the face, blurs pores and ensures smooth makeup application. Key ingredients: hyaluronic filling spheres, green tea leaf extract, grapeseed extract.

Got You Covered Mineral Powder Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15 (12 shades - 8.5g) $53* - First of all the packaging was great and relatively mess-free for a loose powder product. I loved the easy application, tapping the brush into the mesh sifter base and then simply buffing it into my skin. This powder foundation offers very high coverage, and yet it still results in a natural looking glow rather than a flat matte. I love this product and will be buying my own because I need a good powder foundation especially in the warmer months.  Key ingredients:  zinc oxide, linseed extract, rice lipids, ribose.

Mineral Powder Brush $31* – I'm tempted to get one of these too! This brush is a perfect dome shape, and gets into all the face contours to buff in product. It picks up and securely holds the powder within the bristles until I tap and buff into my face.  While the bristles are dense enough to hold a lot of product they feel super soft and not scratchy at all on the skin.

Perfecting Liquid Foundation SPF 15 (15 shades - 30ml) $56* –  Again one pump was enough for the whole face.  This liquid foundation has a creamy consistency which blends in seamlessly for a satin finish so it provided excellent coverage that evened out my skin tone (pigmentation spots etc) without looking obvious.  To put it to the wear test I wore this without a setting powder and while it settled just little in the creases on either side of my nose it looked otherwise fresh all day without needing any mattifying.  The shade I tried, Honey Beige, was a great colour match for my skin so I must admit I'm tempted to buy this foundation as well.  Key ingredients: zinc oxide, polypeptides, buddleja davidii extract, marrubium vulgare extract.

Arbonne Intelligence CC Cream (4 shades - 30ml) $49* – I didn't get to road test the CC creams properly because the shades were unfortunately both too dark for my complexion.  According to Arbonne the formula is a hybrid of skincare and cosmetics that "primes, mattifies and brightens for more even-looking skintone." Swatched on my arm these are a creamier, thicker consistency than the foundation. The swatches below alongside the Perfecting Liquid Foundation give you some idea of the different texture.  Key ingredients: phytinol, chondrus crispus extract, caper fruit extract.

Swatched heavily from left to right:

 Perfecting Liquid Foundation (Honey Beige), CC Cream (Light, Dark)

Cheeks 

Sheer Glow Highlighter (1 shade - 30ml) $56* – This liquid highlighter gives the skin a pinky-pearl glow without any obvious shimmer, and was subtle and natural enough for me to wear during the day.  The lotion texture is much more forgiving and flattering for mature skin (like mine!) and I found that a little goes a long way so a teensy little squeeze of the tube was all I needed.  Key ingredients:  polypeptides, buddleja davidii extract, marrubium vulgare extract.

Bronzer (1 shade - 9.3g) $47* –  This bronzer is a warm, reddish brown with a hint of glow to add warmth to the complexion on cheeks and browbones and I wore this on my face and jawline. The shimmer is more apparent when swatched but it translates as a natural glow, avoiding that muddied complexion look that some matte bronzers can give.  Key ingredients:  lavender, licorice and chamomile extracts.

Blush (8 matte and shimmer shades - 4.5g) $41* – I tried the matte shade Dusty Rose and was surprised at how pigmented this blush is! It applies smoothly with no patchiness, builds up and blends beautifully and because of the rich pigment a little goes a long way. Key ingredients: polypeptides, cucumber and mallow extracts.

Swatched heavily from left to right:
Sheer Glow Highlighter, Blush (Dusty Rose), Bronzer

Eyes

Eye Shadow (20 matte and shimmer shades 2.2g) $27* – I received 4 of these mineral-infused shadows to try. The one matte shade in the selection, the light pink appropriately called Petal, did not feel chalky or powdery and applied smoothly without any patchiness at all so this has been added to my wishlist (see swatch below). All of the 4 shades applied and blended easily and lasted all day on the lids so they're good workhorse shadows for long days. The shades I tried lightest to darkest were Linen, Petal (my must buy - it could probably multi-task as a light blush shade for pale skins too), Smoke and Titanium. Key ingredients: polypeptides, cucumber and mallow extracts.

Swatched top to bottom:
 Linen (shimmer), Petal (matte), Smoke (shimmer), Titanium (shimmer)

Lips

Glossed Over Lip Gloss (10 shades - 3.36ml) $37* –   These new glosses feel thick and cushiony on the lips, and have a natural slightly fruity scent.  The consistency is neither watery nor tacky, and is long lasting as far as a gloss goes.  The method of application is with a brush rather than a sponge-tip applicator and the pigmentation is good enough for the gloss to be worn alone.  Key ingredients:  edelweiss extract, passionfruit oil and peptides.

Smoothed Over Lipstick (16 shades - 4g) $41* –   Being the lipstick connoisseur that I like to think I am it takes a lot for a lippy to wow me but - spoiler alert! - these were winners.  These newly released lipsticks offer one swipe colour and feel weightless like a gel lipstick.  They're very moisturising and yet they do not bleed or fade and they are surprisingly long lasting for a gloss-satin lipstick.  Also, I have to say I am a fan of the delicious fruity scent.  I need to own one of these because these feel so comfortable and moisturising on the lips!  Key ingredients: watermelon extract, apple extract, meadowfoam seed oil.

Swatched top to bottom:
Glossed Over Lip Gloss (Mimosa), Smoothed Over Lipstick (Poppy, Aster)

******************************

Overall I was very impressed with Arbonne's cosmetics as these are quality products that perform well throughout the day and of course - very important to me personally these days - they're kind to animals, and contain no nasties.  The packaging is chic, functional and appears sturdy and the pigmentation of all of the colour cosmetics is right up there.  The proof was most definitely in the wearing and I wrote up my own shopping list along the way as the mineral powder foundation and lipstick have particularly wowed me! 

If you want to read more about or browse online for Arbonne products then click here.

 *All prices listed are in Australian dollars.

(Products were provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

Maybelline: Sapphire Stitch

I was running out of inspiration last week when I did a random dive into my nail polish collection and came out with something, well, completely random...

Sapphire Stitch was released as one of the shades in Maybelline's limited edition Brocades collection and as I'd enjoyed the previous few I'd worn from that collection (apart from the chipping!) I had high hopes for this one too.  In the bottle Sapphire Stitch is a dramatic black polish densely packed with silver and purple glitter and had the potential to be amazing...but it was impossible to apply smoothly.  The texture was extremely thick and gluey so it applied in thick globs and required a lot of care to get it to look somewhat decent.  Besides that I was underwhelmed with the finish - normally I'm a bit partial to textured polish but this was begging for a shiny topcoat because it looked dull and murky on its own so I did what was necessary.

All pictures taken indoors under artificial light:

I'll put this one down as one of my failed choices...

Until next time.

September's farewelled products

Here are my first spring empties for the season...

Skin care

103) Simple Kind To Skin Micellar Cleansing Water (6.7 fl.oz/200ml) - Finally I've proven to myself that not all micellar waters are the same.  I could feel and smell the alcohol in this version every time I used it and yep it contains Hexylene Glycol and Panthenol.  Will not repurchase.

104) Maybelline Makeup Remover Eye & Lip (70ml/2.4 fl. oz.) - I just finished another bottle of this reliable little remover but the wanderer in me has moved onto to trying other things so stay tuned for some changes in this usually boringly same area.

105) Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Jelly (1.0 fl.oz/30ml)* - I became quite hooked on this non-greasy moisture jelly, ended up using it day and night so got through it quickly. It's on my repurchase list for a refreshing summer moisturiser. Read my full review here.

Hand and body care

106) L'Occitane Dry Skin Hand Cream (30ml) - Another tube of my absolute favourite heavy duty hand cream is done and dusted.

107) Natio Wellness Hand Cream SPF15 (100ml/3.3 fl.oz) - Now this hand cream is another favourite.  It's not quite as heavy duty but I love the pomegranate scent and the SPF offers added protection for daytime wear.

108) Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater Hand Therapy (25g./0.9 oz) - I can't say this hand cream isn't a favourite either as I'm a longtime fan of C & E hand creams.  Let's face it I'd repurchase - and have repurchased - all of these hand creams!

109) Manicare Noir Collection Black Vanilla Nail Polish Remover Pads (32 pads) - I packed this for my Singapore vacation and finished it off after I returned. I wouldn't bother trying it on glitter polish but it worked really well to remove cream polishes as it removed and moisturized in one go.  I actually liked the black vanilla scent too.

Hair care

110) L'Oreal Professional Volumetry Anti-Gravity Effect Volume Spray (125ml/4.2 fl.oz) - A few spritzes on pre-blowdried hair gave me soft and touchable volume without stripping the shine from my hair.

111) L'Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray Normal Strength (75ml purse size) - I only buy small sized cans of hairspray because I don't use it that often.  This hairspray did the trick for adding a little more staying power to my hairstyle when I needed it without it looking stiff.

Cosmetics

112) Kevyn Aucoin The Volume Mascara (Black) - Unfortunately this tubing mascara was a huge disappointment for me.  It added no volume (The Volume?) and the tube dried out in record time - just over a month!

113) Revlon Colorburst Lipstick (001 Lilac) - Such a pretty and wearable lilac for everyday but unfortunately the entire line of these lipsticks were discontinued some time ago.

114) Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Treatment SPF 15 - I have to thank the wonderful Larie for gifting this to me - I loved it! So richly moisturising with just the right amount of shine and a very flattering tint.

There weren't any samples finished this month as I fell into a bit of a happy routine with my skincare and makeup so that's all until the end of October rolls around!

(Products marked * were provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

FABY: The Dance Of The Graces

Continuing with my spring nail polish fling my final FABY swatch is a very spring-appropriate blue.

The Dance Of The Graces is just a beautiful periwinkle blue cream - It's not particularly unique yet I still can't get enough of periwinkle blue polishes and will always be drawn to them I think.  The application of this polish was consistent with the previous two FABY polishes I've tried, as it was super smooth and even on the nail with no patchiness at all.  For whatever reason this shade was a little bit more durable and easily made it through the entire working week before I saw signs of wear and tear - The Dances Of The Graces obviously loves me as much as I love it *wink* because it was my favourite shade to wear.

All pictures taken indoors under artificial light:

What is your favourite spring blue?

Until next time.

(This product was provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)