Can you say fun? This is one of the coolest products I've had the opportunity to review. One Direction's Limited Edition Rock Me Nail Varnish Kit is so versatile you can really show your fun side and let your creativity flow! Make sure you head on over to Facebook and 'like' the Makeup by One Direction page! They also have Liquilights Lip Gloss available - make sure you click here for my recent review, along with a mini One Direction bio! Read all the way to the bottom! Hint: we're giving away some! Don't worry - no quiz, just a link. I wasn't expecting the results I achieved with this nail polish. The colours and possible combinations when combined with the glitter alone makes it well worth the price! The kit comes with three polish colours: Happily – UV iced blue glitter, Moments - UV neon pink and Diana - UV 3D holographic; and three glitter colours: Kicks - UV snow cone blue, Not Afraid - UV electrified pink glitter and Star - UV holo glitter. The polish goes on smooth and doesn't smell too harsh. The silver glitter polish is fine with one or two coats, but the pink and blue need three for a truer colour. The glitter is fun and easy to use and mats down perfectly. Topcoat is actually unnecessary with this particular glitter, you can use it if you want for a shinier nail, but if you run out, you're still good. Once my nails were dry, the glitter stayed put and was not sandpapery on my nails and doesn't snag on clothing or hair. The polish itself is really hard-wearing and long-lasting. I put it on in the evening and the next day spent about four hours opening boxes, pulling apart plastic and folding sweaters. When I looked at my nails when they got home I was impressed to see that there was very little (less than a millimeter) rubbed off of the tips of my nails and the glitter was intact. Overall, I am very impressed with this polish by One Direction. I was blown away by the quality, variety and value received in this one little package. I would definitely recommend this to anyone, regardless of age! Want more good news, my Canadian friends? Right now these are on sale at sears.ca for $11.55! Regular price is $16.50, which is still a great deal for three different shades of fantastic polish and glitter pots. If you're in the States, you can purchase your own One Direction Liquilights Lip Gloss at any of these stores: Macy's, Dillards, Boscov's, Stage Stores, Beauty Brands and Lord & Taylor. Take a minute and tweet and share this post so your friends and followers can find out about 1D's great new line of Limited Edition Rock Me Nail Varnish and enter to win! Here's what you've been looking for - I know you have! You can win your very own set of One Direction Limited Edition makeup, either the Liquilights Lipgloss (read my review here), a Rock Me Nail Kit (as seen above) or ElectroGlam Mascara, one of fifty that are being given away (sponsored by GoMakeIt Labs) randomly. Fill out your ballot for a chance to win! Click Here for contest entry. Contest is open to legal residents over the age of 18 in the United States and Canada (void in Quebec where prohibited) - so what are you waiting for? Enter now! Contest ends December 4th, 2014. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own, unbiased after testing the product. The product was offered free of charge with the expectation of an honest review and promotion of contest within this blog, favorable or otherwise . Powered by:
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I've been getting so used to seeing samples in my mailbox that when there aren't any I feel sad. That was not the case yesterday. I opened the little door to see another box of samples from the good people at P&G! This sample box contained two products from Olay: Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream and Sensitive Unscented Body Wash, along with shampoo and conditioner samples in Sheer Volume from Pantene. First up, Olay Sensitive Unscented Body Wash. According to Olay's website, this product: I'm looking forward to trying it, as scent is important to me. More specifically, lack of it. I can deal with mild scents, but some products are way too perfumed for my comfort. Since I received this exact sample in my Flare Beauty Box, here's what I said then: (Click here for my Flare Box unveiling) Click here for Olay's website And finally, shampoo and conditioner samples. At the rate I'm going these days, I'm not going to have to buy any for awhile! I like Pantene's products a lot, and I think this may be my second or third sample of this product (from different sources), so I'll have enough to really gauge whether Sheer Volume can actually give my straight hair some life. According to Pantene's website: There you have it, nothing really spectacular, but I'll get a little more time to try out the Olay cream and Pantene shampoo and conditioner. I haven't received body wash in a while, so that's all right. Free is always alright!
One of the biggest boy bands on the planet right now is the English/Irish One Direction, consisting of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. Not only are these guys talented singers and dancers, but they've been releasing lines of limited edition makeup which are not only a must have for any fan, but are fun, fashionable and come in a great range of funky colours and styles for women of all ages.
Make sure you head on over to Facebook and 'like' the Makeup by One Direction page!
Make sure you read all the way to the bottom! Hint: we're giving away some! Don't worry - no quiz, just a link.
Okay, enough of the sales talk - what do I think about the line? The colours are gorgeous, they just pop and I love the range we get, you can definitely play around with them to get the look that suits your mood. First up, I'm going to review the Limited Edition One Direction Liquilights Glow Gloss, so called because if you shine a UV light on your lips while you're wearing this product - it glows! Great idea and will definitely help you stand out from the crowd. Although I do believe these colours can suit any age group, I decided to enlist the help of two lovely British Ex-Pats who happen to be HUGE One Direction fans.
Gracie is wearing Through the Dark, an electric glitter poppy lip gloss that glows to neon red-orange under UV light. It smells and tastes amazing, Gracie says it reminds her of cherry bubble gum.
Lilly is wearing Taken, a powerhouse glitter pink lip gloss that glows to neon orange under UV light. Lilly's favorite, it feels light and comfy and tastes and smells like vanilla.
The third and final colour in the set is Kiss You - Gracie seems to be doing just that! This orange glitter rush lip gloss that glows to neon yellow under UV light is also light, comfortable, not at all sticky and smells and tastes like an orange.
Before I sent off the gloss for the girls to try out I put a little on the back of my hand and I can definitely agree that they smell amazing! They didn't feel gross and sticky the way some gloss can, and they came off easily and cleanly. I would absolutely recommend this lipgloss to people of all ages!
Want more good news, my Canadian friends? Right now these are on sale at sears.ca for $11.55! Regular price is $16.50, which is still a great deal for three different shades of fantastic gloss. If you're in the States, you can purchase your own One Direction Liquilights Lip Gloss at any of these stores: Macy's, Dillards, Boscov's, Stage Stores, Beauty Brands and Lord & Taylor.
Make sure you tweet and share this post so your friends and followers can find out about 1D's great new line of Limited Edition Liquilights Lip Gloss and enter to win!
Here's what you've been looking for - I know you have! You can win your very own set of One Direction Limited Edition makeup, either the Liquilights lipgloss shown above, a Rock Me Nail Kit (which I will review tomorrow) or ElectroGlam Mascara, one of fifty that are being given away (sponsored by GoMakeIt Labs) randomly. Fill out your ballot for a chance to win! Click Here for contest entry. Contest is open to legal residents over the age of 18 in the United States and Canada (void in Quebec where prohibited) - so what are you waiting for? Enter now! Contest ends December 4th, 2014.
All opinions expressed in this blog are my own, unbiased after testing the product. The product was offered free of charge with the expectation of an honest review and promotion of contest within this blog, favorable or otherwise .
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You may be wondering where I hit my head to even be considering strawberries and butter together, but hear me out. I (unsuccessfully, thanks to a bum oven) made popovers last weekend. While I was trying to figure out what went wrong, I stumbled upon a comment where the person said they enjoyed their popovers with strawberry butter. I immediately thought that was a fantastic idea. David was not so sure about it, but since I do all the cooking, baking and general experimentation in the kitchen, he didn't have much of a choice. I had intended to make my own butter to really elevate it, but I was a little pressed for time, so I went with the butter already in my fridge. This is really easy to make and tastes divine! My kids beg for it, and David was using crumbs to wipe up the little bit that was left on his plate. It's really that good. You can use it on pancakes, waffles, toast, crumpets, biscuits, popovers, you get the idea. Although this picture I took shows my cubed butter in the Nutribullet jar, I would advise against using it. It just doesn't mix it around enough and I had to stir it and push it around numerous times to get the correct consistency. I would also suggest a taller bowl when mixing in the strawberries - I make this mistake all the time - otherwise everything just splatters everywhere.. Without further ado, I present to you: Strawberry Butter INGREDIENTS: 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 4 medium-large ripe strawberries, chopped 1/4 cup fine sugar 1/4 tsp Pink Himalayan salt Cream together the butter, salt and sugar using a blender or food processor. Transfer to a TALL bowl - ignore my mistake above and you will not have splatters all over your kitchen. Add your strawberries. Mix it all together, you want chunks of strawberries, but not too many. I used the whisk attachment on my handblender, it worked really well (except for the aforementioned splatter). Voila! You have strawberry butter. I got about 3 cups worth. We used one right away and half of the second on day two. The third is in the freezer right now, but will come out on Saturday when I have family over for the boy's birthday party. I'm thinking scones... The original recipe can be found here.
Yesterday I posted pictures and descriptions of the items I received in my November Topbox and promised the same for the Flare Beauty Box $5 Add On. Well, here it is! The unveiling of the box. My treats are wrapped in pretty pink tissue with a note from Flare's beauty editors. Next is a little info sheet with a brief description and tip for each item included in the box. I absolutely love getting these - especially when one or more samples come in an unmarked jar, it definitely helps. Pantene Pro-V Ultimate 10 BB Creme, 151ml Actual value of product received: $6.94 According to The Pantene website, this product: Let's start with the reason I got this box. Yes, $5 is an excellent deal for what I received (it was no mystery box, they let us know before ordering what would be shipped) but this product is my number 1 pick for best product of the year (see my Bzz campaign product review here), and to get it again was a no-brainer. Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash with Shea Butter, 50ml Actual value of product received: $0.84 According to the Olay website, this product: I'm always up for trying a new bodywash. I've used Olay before and find them to be pretty hydrating and non-irritating. CoverGirl LashBlast Clump Crusher Mascara in #800 Very Black, 13.1ml Actual value of product received: $6.99 According to the CoverGirl website, this product: I absolutely LOVE mascara - it's my favorite makeup. Unfortunately it can also be one of the most difficult to get right. Not enough length, clumping, stink, racoon eyes, not waterproof, too waterproof, won't come off even with a chisel - the list is lengthy. I have tried some really great mascaras and although CoverGirl Exact EyeLights is among my favorites, most others I've tried by this brand have been disappointing. Let's see which way this one goes. Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream, 5g Actual value of product received: $2.50 According to the Olay website, this product: The obligatory facial cream included in every beauty box. Unfortunately, these sample sizes are usually too small to get a real idea of what the product can do. Pantene Pro-V Blowout Extend Dry Shampoo, 140g Actual value of product received: $4.96 According to the Pantene website, this product: My sister in law first recommended using a dry shampoo, as she has the same issue I do - I can't wash my hair every day because I lose so much that I'd probably be bald by the end of the year, but my hair looks gross and greasy the next day - like I haven't washed it in a week. I'm happy to try this out and see if it is as good as it's supposed to be. Any Clairol Hair Colour Product, 1 kit Actual value of product received: $6.92 According to the Clairol website, this product: I'm going to use this to get a box of the Clairol Nice 'n Easy #126 Natural Black Mahogany because I received a box to test out as a part of my most recent Bzz campaign and one box is usually not enough because my hair is so long. I was going to use just the one, but since I can get a second one free, why not? The actual value of my $5.00 CDN Flare Beauty Box Add On is (drumroll, please): $29.15. I got way more than my money's worth on a box with many items I am excited to try out.
Topbox is available as a monthly subscription for $12.00CDN per month - by invitation only. If you would like an invitation, drop me an email, I'd be happy to send you one. Add on boxes are only available to subscribers. Nothing puts a smile on my face quite like a package full of goodies in my mailbox! November's Topbox arrived today, complete with the Flare Beauty Box add on, which I paid an extra $5.00 for. Let us begin with the November subscription box. This month I received: Revlon UniqOne All in One Hair Treatment, 9ml Actual value of product received: $0.90 According to The UniqOne website, this product: This product seems to be along the same lines as the Pantene BB Creme, which is my absolute favorite product of the year. I will definitely try this out to see how it stacks up against it's stiff competition. Elizabeth Arden Flawless Future Caplet Serum, 5ml Actual value of product received: $12 According to the Elizabeth Arden website: I'm always game when it comes to trying out the fountain of youth in a bottle. So far, none of them have erased any years. Maybe Elizabeth will be the one. Benefit Cosmetics Stay Flawless 8-Hour Primer, 1.2g Actual value of product received: $2.94 According to Benefit Cosmetics website, this product: I was going to stick this on my 'For Sale' page, but then I had second thoughts. I think I'll try this out and see if it gives a smoother appearance to my foundation. It has excellent online reviews, but so did their mascara, and I was less than impressed with it. Eyeko London Black Magic Mascara, 4ml Actual value of product received: $12 According to the Eyeko London website: Oh, I'm a sucker for mascara! Lately I have been sorely disappointed by everything that has been showing up at my door. But I am ready and willing to love again! Eyeko London, show me some love. I'll definitely be posting a review on this one once I get it on my lashes. The actual value of my $12.00 CDN box is (drumroll, please): $27.84. Just a meh month. I'm not really excited about any of these products, but none are terrible. Although I got my money's worth, it was not a fireworks in the sky kinda box. Topbox is available as a monthly subscription for $12.00CDN per month - by invitation only. If you would like an invitation, drop me an email, I'd be happy to send you one. As I spent way too much time dealing with some other issues earlier and my children are clamoring for dinner, I'm going to break this into two parts and give you a post on the Flare Beauty Box add on tomorrow - stay tuned!
I haven't had the time or energy to post this last week - it's been quite the frustrating and stressful time at work. That's all over and I'm ready for some fun. I have a load of great posts coming up for you, and a great giveaway - my first contest! I'm so excited. Stay tuned - you'll see that in the next day or so. Make sure you follow me on Twitter and Google+ for all the latest blog updates. If you're enjoying my posts, I urge you to help me out by liking, commenting and tweeting right on my blog... it helps me get more exposure and by extension I get more campaigns, I really appreciate your time! I've written before about my serious addiction to Pinterest, that is very real, people! I may need a twelve-step program, but I'm not ready to give it up yet. There's some seriously funny stuff to be found and sometimes I'll spend hours just laughing my butt off. I'm going to share some of the funnies I have pinned to my Oh Canada! Board. I am not going to post source links - often it is next to impossible to figure it out. An hour of following a thread could still lead you nowhere. That's why I always attach the website where I found whatever I'm uploading and I urge everyone else to do it also. Yeah, it takes longer and can be tedious, but the original poster deserves credit and makes life easier for those of us who want to give the credit - even after the picture has been pinned and re-pinned 138 times. If you have the time and the will, you can access any of the pictures below by going to my Oh Canada! board and clicking on them to follow the thread. Without further ado - enjoy the Canadiana! I absolutely died laughing! And finally... (this is actually one long pin from themetapicture.com) Hope you enjoyed a laugh at our expense - I know I did!
Stay tuned in the next couple of days, I have a contest to post for some limited edition One Direction makeup tins! Whenever I see something interesting at the store, I'm more than willing to buy it to check it out. Terra Exotic Vegetable Chips, original flavour, was one of those 'curiosity' purchases. According to the Terra website: Any time I see a bag of vegetable chips, I never think "Yeah! I gots to get me some of these!", quite the opposite, actually. But I have to admit that the packaging was pretty, and the chips looked really yummy, so I figured I'd take a chance. You know what? These chips were absolutely delicious! I had to fight my kids for them. Oddly, they were also really filling. I can usually polish off a bag of chips with no thought except "Oh God what have I done?" when the bag is empty. My tummy was full long before that bowl was empty, and so the children got to have some also. I also have to note that my beet-hating child ate them with no complaints, but I'm going to chalk that up to it not being actual pieces of beet, just the juice for colour. Unfortunately, I can't remember where I bought this bag of veggie chips. I'm actually really sad about that, because I've tried two other brands since them (trying to recreate the experience, I'm a veggie chip serial killer now), and they don't compare. Terra chips are perfectly crispy, lightly salted and absolutely delicious with the perfect ratio and blend of root vegetables. Terra chips are available in multiple flavours including: Exotic Harvest, Stripes & Blues and Thai Basil Curry and can be found (according to their website) in regular 5oz and snack size 1oz bags. A 1oz serving of approximately 14 chips will cost you about 150 calories and a full size bag will ding your wallet for about $4 - $5. Product Rating: 5 smiles out of 5 Product Website: www.terrachips.com Product Type: snack food Would I purchase again?: yes Would I recommend?: yes All opinions expressed in this blog are my own, unbiased after testing the product. The product was fully paid for by myself. The subject of this blog entry has no expectation of a review, favorable or otherwise.
Around 100,000 people have laser eye surgery each year. Since this number is growing, and I haven't personally heard any horror stories, I have to guess that it's highly successful for most. I also have to guess that I am one of the unlucky few for whom it just doesn't stick. Let me start at the beginning. I have worn corrective lenses (eyeglasses and contact lenses) since I was in the 7th grade. Back in 2010 I decided to go in and get the free screening done at Lasik MD in North York. I went through all the various eye exams and was told that due to my age and level of eye health, I was the 'perfect candidate' for laser eye surgery. I'm relatively sure that somewhere between 95-99% of the people who come in for the free screening are told the same thing. During the last exam, which is the one we're all familiar with and consists of reading letters off of a chart, I informed the tech that my prescription changes with each visit to the optometrist. He told me that was "impossible" - his exact words. He went on to elaborate that factors such as eye strain, tiredness, headaches and any number of normal day-to-day things could be the cause of my apparent prescription fluctuations. I still wasn't convinced, mostly because I was petrified something would go wrong and I'd go blind after surgery, but my husband thought it was something I should do, so I guess that was settled. So we went in, signed the papers and paid $4000 for Zyoptics, Lasik's upgraded surgery (at the time) with lifetime enhancement. The whole 'lifetime enhancement' should have raised a red flag, but I guess hindsight is 20/20. My first surgery went well. Dr. Bashour assuaged my fears about blindness and the procedure was over quickly. I walked into the office with 20/100 vision and walked out with 20/10. It was a fantastic feeling to see so well. I couldn't even remember the last time I was able to see so clearly without my glasses or contacts. In hindsight, I wish that I knew then that even the possibility that this vision would fade in just a few short years because that would definitely have had an impact on my decision of whether to undergo the surgery or not. After my eyes healed and the time dedicated to medicated drops and weekly eye exams was over, I started to notice issues with my eyes that I did not have before. The worst I think is my sensitivity to light. I've always been a little sensitive, I've read it has something to do with light eyes, they let in more light than dark, but the last four years have been particularly terrible. I cannot go outside without sunglasses. If I do forget them I can barely open my eyes when its sunny. For the first year after my 2010 surgery I actually had to wear sunglasses when I drove at night. Yes, you read that correctly. At night, the brightness of headlights of oncoming traffic could blind me. I am not exaggerating. I was actually temporarily blinded. Since I left my house at 4:45am to drive an hour to work in the dark, you can imagine I spent a whole lot of that trip using the force. I was also temporarily blinded by the glare of streetlights on wet pavement. Although it has subsided (I no longer have to wear the sunglasses) it is still blinding and seems to be something I'm going to have to get used to for the remainder of my life. My eyes are dry, itchy, irritated and feel like they have sand or an eyelash in them about 75% of the time. It feels like that right now. Eyedrops help for about 5 seconds after I put them in. Then its back to rubbing, squinting, closing and excessive blinking. Until you have to deal with this every day of your life, you don't realize how painful and downright irritating it can be to have the feeling that something sharp is scratching your eyes almost all of the time. I have floaties and eye boogies on a regular basis. I know those are highly technical medical terms, but that's just how I roll. I'm sure this has something to do with the near-constant irritation. It's really embarrassing sometimes when you're having a conversation with someone and you can see the floatie cross your vision. Do they see it too? You just have to deal with it because you can't start rubbing your eye in the middle of a conversation - and it doesn't help anyway. You can't seem to get rid of them until they randomly decide to go away on their own. As for the eye boogies, it's always awesome when you look at yourself in the mirror after an important meeting or job interview and there they are - making it look like you couldn't be bothered to wash your face that morning. So maybe you're reading this and still thinking, okay, small price to pay for 20/10 vision. Well, here's the kicker: it didn't last. Not for me, at least. Within a year my vision was already worsening and at the two year mark I was already way overdue for corrective lenses. Thanks to the constant dryness, contact lenses are no longer an option. If I can even get them into my eyes (sometimes it felt like I was putting shards of glass in, even if it was a fresh lense straight out of the package), I could only wear them for about an hour or two. No matter how much solution I squirted into my eyes, the dryness and pain was too much and I had to remove them. I couldn't even think about wearing them two days in a row. The pain was intense, no matter how well I cleaned & sanitized them or how long I soaked them. So in 2012 I went in for a second enhancement. Since the flap that they cut never heals, all they do is peel it back, laser off a little more from the surface of your eye, slide the flap back and Bob's your uncle. After a few follow up exams I was told that I had 0.03mm of scar tissue (cell growth), but that was minimal and nothing to worry about. I had 20/10 vision again. Fast forward to 2014 and my vision is blurry again. I go in for my eye exam (which cost me $200 now that it has been five years since my original surgery has passed - not sure how that math works) and they inform me that since I'm 40 now getting another enhancement could trigger near-sightedness. That highly technical term pretty much means that I could be trading regular glasses for reading glasses, which I do not currently require. Their solution was to enhance only my right, dominant eye, and force my left to work harder to compensate. They gave me contacts (which were useless thanks to the discomfort and pain) and set my surgery for a month hence. The day of my third surgery I decided not to get the sedative, which was a bad mistake. Although I had already done this twice before and knew what to expect, when its actually happening and you're fully aware, well let me tell you that your blood pressure skyrockets. So my advice - take the sedative. After waiting for about two hours, I was brought into the surgery. Up until this point I had been told by every single person I came in contact with at Lasik MD that scar tissue was nothing to be concerned about. I sit down for Dr. Bashour to have a last look at my eye before he lasers it and he proceeds to scare the living shit out of me. My husband's theory is that he did this so that I'd think twice before I came back for more 'free' surgery. Anyhow, he looks at me and starts to tell me how dangerous any cell regrowth is and that with each subsequent enhancement the chances of me getting more goes up and it becomes more serious. He tells me that some people have to come back and have it scraped off multiple times or have their flap sewn shut to prevent future growth. Thanks. After looking at my eyes, he tells me that mine is minimal and I have good genes. As soon as I lay on the table I regretted not taking the sedative. I think that my anxiety was worse because I knew what was going to happen and was fully aware of him pulling back the flap, feeling the heat of the laser and the smell of burning flesh. I don't really know what burning flesh smells like, but there was a very distinct, unpleasant odor that I can only assume that was what burning eyeball smells like. I am thankful that it was over in mere minutes. I remained there, getting my eyedrops put in and getting checked on for the next 45 minutes. I was a little surprised when they called me about an hour after I left to see how I was doing, considering they hadn't done that before. The receptionist who called told me that with each subsequent enhancement the pain is worse, so that's why the doctor wanted her to call to check in with me. She wasn't lying about the pain, either. By the time she called, I was sitting outside the Shopper's Drug Mart as they made me wait a half hour for four bottles of eyedrops, and my right eye was on fire. That pain lasted for a few days, but I didn't get the migraines that lasted for a week, which I did get with my first two surgeries. I only had one really bad one - when I tried to go to work two days after enhancement. After a few days there was no more pain and no more migraines. The day after my surgery, I went to my post-op checkup and was told yet again what a minor issue scar tissue was and that it was nothing to be concerned about. Interesting. The next three post-ops I asked about the scar tissue. I had some new cell growth (she did not tell me how much) and each time reminded me how it was definitely nothing to worry about. In the time since, my vision has improved (20/20 when using both to look at the chart) and my eyes don't burn, but since they only did the one eye, I do have some issues with focus. I think it's my left eye wanting to do what it always does and my right taunting it to give up and get with the program. Hindsight is 20/20 (pun intended) and had I known then that all of this was a possibility, I would not have undergone the enhancement. Yes, I can see without glasses or contacts, although I do have a brand spankin' new prescription for glasses so that I can see well enough to drive at night. With everything that I have gone through, with everything I will have to deal with for the rest of my life and knowing that I'll most likely be wearing glasses again in four years, it just doesn't seem like a fair trade-off. Why did I write this post?
It wasn't to deter people from having their own vision enhanced by way of laser surgery. I wanted to get my own story out, so that you can know what I didn't when I was making my decision. When someone has more facts, it's never a bad thing. I also wanted to let you know that sometimes, not everyone is the 'perfect candidate'. Last week I posted pics on Twitter and Facebook of this drool-inspiring cake I saw on Pinterest created by Elizabeth, the Sugarhero. I just had to try to make this awesome dessert because, let's face it, you can't go wrong with donuts & coffee! Mine did not turn out as high or as pretty as hers, mainly because I didn't embellish it much. I ran out of mousse, so I only got three layers. I considered making another batch but decided to just go with what I had. I was actually under the weather this weekend and this cake is pretty labour-intensive. I made some other errors also, but all in all, I think this cake is pretty delish. First off, I made the donuts a little too big. I thought I had found the absolute smallest cutting instruments I had when I cut the donuts. It was only after I had cut out all of them and was doing a little cleanup before frying that I found something that was smaller. After all that time spent cutting out almost 40 small donuts, I was not about to start all over again. The donuts themselves were good, but I was the only one with that opinion in this house. Bear in mind that Old Fashion Plain from Tim Horton's are my fave, so that may have something to do with it. My husband said they were a little too 'eggy' and my son said they had no real taste. In their defense, they were too 'eggy' probably because I didn't read the recipe correctly and used three whole eggs instead of just the yolks. As for the taste, they did have flavour, but it was really mild and I think that's the point because they're going to be covered in cocoa mousse and chocolate ganache. As for the mousse - absolutely the best, most flavourful mousse I've ever eaten! So simple and so amazingly delicious, I'll definitely make it again just as a dessert on it's own. A word of caution, though, for the love of God, use a deep bowl when whipping the mousse! I used a shallow one because, you know it's my first time ever in the kitchen and I don't know better (!) and got cream and mousse all over myself, my counters, the wall and the small appliances I keep on my counter. What a mess to clean up. I did make one (purposeful) change to the recipe here - I used fine ground sugar instead of icing sugar. I read that was the type Gordon Ramsay uses for his mousses, and now I know why. Turned out amazing. I'm not going to re-write her recipe here - it is amazing on it's own and she wrote it with very clear and easy to read directions - even the part about egg yolks that I missed. So go to Sugarhero.com (the link will open in a new window) for the whole recipe and lots of beautiful pictures of the original cake. Elizabeth's photos are absolutely gorgeous and make mine look like they were taken in low light with an ipad... oh wait, they were!
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AuthorHi! I'm Sonja and I'm glad you're here! I'm happy to share some recipes and gardening tips with you while I let you know about great (or not so great) products, services, and media I encounter. Visit my online shop at MysteriousDragonfyre.com
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