September Empties 2014

Back again with Empties!

September 2014 Empties!

This past month was another where I used up lots of samples and soap! I must have really liked being clean this month.

* denotes cruelty free
** denotes cruelty free with parent company that tests on animals
V denotes vegan product
BOLD denotes a product I will repurchase

117. ProTerra Marine Sea Kelp Shampoo (marriettasorp.com)
I got this shampoo at a hotel several years ago. It is probably one of the best shampoos I've ever gotten at a hotel. The kelp in the shampoo makes my hair feel super smooth, light, and clean. The scent is slightly perfume-y, but not in a bad way. It is reminiscent of the sea shore and salt water, but with a hint of something else in it I can't place. It is almost impossible to find information about this brand, the ingredients in the products, or anything else about them. This is the most comprehensive information I could find on them. As you can see, not very helpful. I will not be purchasing this in the future despite the way it made my hair feel.

118. L'Occitane Verbena Shampoo 1 Fl oz (30 ml)
Verbena is one of those scents that I have recently discovered that I really love. I have had this little shampoo sample for a while (a hotel sample), and I recently decided to use it. Wow! It worked really well. And it made my hair smell great. The reason I'm not going to buy this? It's not cruelty free. Simple as that.

119. Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief .5 oz (15 ml)
This was a sample my mom had given me. I decided to use this one because I only needed to apply it once a day and it kept me from having dry skin or irritated skin all day. The only problem I had with this was that I didn't really like the smell. It wasn't a bad smell, but it was definitely a chemical one. It is a clear gel moisturizer and definitely moisturizes. Clinique (a subsidiary of Estee Lauder) tests on animals. I will not be repurchasing this.

120. Dove Invisible Solid Antiperspirant and Deodorant Powder Scent .5 oz (14 grams)
There are several reasons why this is probably one of the worst deodorants I've ever bought. First, this is one of those little tiny ones you can buy at the store to take with you on trips. I bought this ages ago when I was trying out different brands of deodorant to see if they worked on me or not. It somehow migrated to my ballet bag and never left. There was very little product in the container and wasn't really worth the waste of all the plastic packaging it came in. Second, it smells really bad. Powder scent it not my favorite scent in the first place, so I should have known I wouldn't like this. But this smells like old grandmas at the nursing home instead of regular powder scented deodorant. Third, it contains aluminum as an anti-perspirant, which has been linked to breast cancer. Fourth, Dove is owned by Unilever, one of the largest animal testing companies on the market. Fifth, this deodorant doesn't really work for me. It would work for maybe four or five hours before I started to smell. Not good for someone who lives in a place where you sweat nine months out of the year. I will never buy this product again.

121. Bath and Body Works Signature Collection Rainkissed Leaves Volumizing Shampoo 1 Fl oz (29 ml)**
 In my April Empties I talked about the accompanying conditioner to this shampoo. This product smells like the conditioner: fresh cut grass, summer rain, and green leaves that have just begun to grow in early spring. It made me feel like I had stepped into an alternate reality where grass grew indoors and everything was bright, fresh, and new. I love crisp, fresh scents like this and would love to smell this scent all the time. I'm not sure this is available as a shampoo anymore (or maybe it is only available at hotels, like this sample size?) as I couldn't find it on the website, so I obviously won't repurchase this product.

122. Secret Natural Mineral Invisible Solid Eucalyptus Blossom Antiperspirant and Deodorant 2.6 oz (73 grams)
I feel like I've used up so many of these Secret deodorants over the past nine months. This one happens to be Eucalyptus Blossom scented. I liked the scent a lot more than I thought I would. It's almost a fruity floral that isn't too prominent throughout the day, but still smells great twelve hours after you have first put it on. It even stood up to ballet class sweat. However, Secret is owned by Proctor and Gamble and is therefore not cruelty free. I will not repurchase it.

123. Snowbird Bar Soap
I used another of these soaps. You can see what I said about it last month here. But know that I love this stuff!

124. Kiss My Face Natural Active Life Aluminum Free Deodorant Lavender 2.48 oz (70 grams)* (v?)
This is one of those products that I really wanted to work. I tried it for a while, stopped using it because I didn't like it, tried it again, and now I'm throwing it away. I hated the way this made me smell. It wasn't like the deodorant wasn't working, because it wasn't body odor smell. I think the lavender oil or whatever was in this reacted badly to my skin. It made me smell horrible! I had to wash with three or four different soaps before I would get the smell off my body. This did not work for me at all. I usually use stick deodorants when I go to ballet class and a salt crystal deodorant for all the other times. This was not the deodorant for me. Kiss My Face is a really fantastic brand that has many natural and cruelty free products. Their website was down when I tried to access it recently, so I can't find out if their glycerin is vegan or not, but I believe that it is. I will never ever repurchase this.

125. Psst! Instant Dry Shampoo (Freeman) 1.76 oz (50 grams)*
I don't usually use dry shampoo, but I have used this brand before and I like this brand more than some others. It doesn't have an overpowering scent and isn't noticeable in my hair after brushing it out a little. If I planned to use dry shampoo more, I would buy this over any of the other brands I have tried. However, I don't like using aerosol sprays. They contain butane. Who wants to keep butane in your bathroom? Not me. Aerosol sprays are also really bad for the environment, so I try to stay away from them for that reason. Therefor, I will not be repurchasing this.

126. elf  shine eraser oil blotting sheets (50 count)*v
I've used several of these lovely little oil blotting sheet packets in the past few years. It was one of the first products I bought from www.eyeslipsface.com, and one that I have repurchased many times. I have about four packs of these floating around in my room, purse, dance bag, and bathroom. They are little pieces of paper that absorb facial oil so it won't totally break down all of your makeup. I find that these work just as well and even better than some higher end blotting sheets I have tried (shishedo and clean & clear are the brands that come to mind) and they only cost $1 for a pack of 50. If you used two of these a day for a year, you would spend about the same amount you would pay for one pack of high end blotting sheets. I will definitely be repurchasing this in the future.

127. Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief  .5 oz (15 ml)
See 119 above

128. Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Shampoo .7 fl oz (20.7 ml)*v
This shampoo smells life fruity heaven. It is almost reminds me of L'Oreal Kids fruity scent (I happen to like that sort of watermelon-y scent, but many people aren't) so I really loved it. It made my hair so soft and so shiny and cleaned exceptionally well. The best thing about this product? It is cruelty free and vegan. I will be repurchasing this in the future, once I use up the many bottles of shampoo I have already.

129. The Body Shop Aloe Gentle Shower Cream 8.4 fl oz (250 ml)**
Shower gel is one of those products that I use for a few months, then I won't touch for half a year. Because of this I have a half dozen half-used bottles hanging out in my bathroom. This was one of those bottles I have had for a while now. It was gifted to me by a friend who was moving back to Ireland and was getting rid of the things she didn't have room for in her suitcase. I liked the way this shower cream made my skin feel: smooth, soft, and healthy. I wasn't a big fan of the scent as it was a little too botanical/medicinal. This is no longer available on their website.

130. Colgate Optic White Anti-Cavity Fluoride Toothpaste Sparkling Mint 4 oz (113 g)
I didn't actually finish this product, but I'm throwing it out because it has turned completely solid and expired at the beginning of 2013. I have a half dozen opened toothpastes in my bathroom and I decided to purge the ones that had expired and/or turned to a solid dried up mass like this one. I did not particularly like this toothpaste when I was using it because the whitening agents in it caused me to feel like my teeth were heating up as a result of either friction or a chemical process every time I used it. It did make my teeth look very white, but I wasn't willing to put up with the discomfort of the product to get that result, since teeth whitening is not something I really care about. Colgate-Palmolive tests on animals. I will not repurchase.

131. Colgate Sparkling White Mint Zing Fluoride Toothpaste 6.4 oz (181 g)
This is another toothpaste that had expired (this time in 2009... no wonder it turned into a rock!). This one, unlike the Optic White, was one of my favorite toothpastes. It made my teeth feel super clean and sparkly, as well as had an amazing mint flavor. Sadly, it is made by a company that relies on animal testing for their products, so I will not be repurchasing this product in the future (if it is even still available).

132. Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps All-One Hemp Almond Pure Castile Soap Bar 5 oz (140 g)*v
This is the best bar soap I've ever bought at a store. It reminds me of almond cookies and makes my skin feel very clean and soft. I could just stand in the shower for days smelling and using this soap. It is 100% vegan and made with fair trade ingredients. The paper wrapper is recycled (yay for recycling!) so I don't feel bad about throwing it away (we don't have recycling in my neighborhood). I have already repurchased this and will continue to repurchase this bar soap in the future!

133. Bath and Body Works Peach Nectar Moisturizing Cleansing Bar 1.5 oz (42 g) **
I have had this little soap hanging out in my soap box for quite a while (I literally have a box full of bar soap I keep under the sink. It is one of the things I collect, so I needed storage. At one point it was a shoe box, but it is now a clear plastic box with a clasp lid we used to use for food storage). This little soap was one I picked up in a hotel and is no longer available in retail stores. You can find them on EBay for a ridiculously high price, though if you really want them. I liked the scent. It was light and summery with a hint of fruity peachy goodness. It cleaned well without leaving an oily residue. I obviously won't be repurchasing this because it is unavailable.

134. Moisturizing Citrus Aloe Facial Soap
This is one of those products that I literally know nothing about. I got it at a hotel ages ago, and I don't know who makes it. It cleaned well, and it had a pleasant scent (if a bit faded from age) that made it a good facial soap.

I hope you have enjoyed this post. If you have used any of these products and have opinions on them, I would love to hear about it in the comments below! See you in a few weeks with October Empties!

Primal Strips Review

Review of Primal Strips

 

I love these things!
I ordered these vegan jerky strips off pangea online store and was pleased with the quality and taste of these products.

Here you can see all six flavors: mesquite lime,  thai peanut, hot n spicy, teriyaki, Texas bbq, and hickory smoked. 

I bought small sizes so I could try the flavors without wasting any if I didn't like it. 

The first I tried was the teriyaki flavor. I was worried I would hate it, but I enjoyed it emensely. 

Here you can see that there are actually there pieces in this small package. they are pretty filling, so one package could make a meal with some dried fruit if you were hiking, or with a salad or juice at home. These would make great post workout snacks. The teriyaki flavor is slightly sweet, but still salty and tastes like real beef jerky. 

Next I tried the thai peanut flavor. This is one of my favorite flavors. It is salty, sweet, and peanut flavored. I love peanuts in food. I'm not really a peanut butter fan, but I like peanuts mixed in things, like pad thai, peanut dipping sauce, and peanut deserts. 

You can see the texture of the jerky here. It has the same striated texture as non vegan jerky and is chewy but moist. 

The hickory smoked was by far the best flavor. My dad tried it and couldn't tell that it wasn't real beef. He and my brother used to order all kinds of jerky online as well as make their own (the fish jerky was a disaster).  You could say that he is a jerky pro. He really liked it and told me to send some to my brother for his birthday. This will convert any meat eater to vegan jerky. 

This is what it looks like fresh out of the package. 

Here's the Texas bbq flavor. As you can see, there is a lot of protein (10 grams) per serving, but also a lot of salt (over 300 mg). If you eat a lot of salt, this won't seem salty. If you don't eat much salt, drink a lot of water after you eat these.

I didn't like it as much as the hickory smoked or the teriyaki but it was still pretty good. It was a little sweeter than the hickory smoked and not as peppery. I still liked it.

I loved the texture of the hot and spicy jerky but I did not like the taste at all. It was a very dense and compact texture for this jerky. I'm not sure what I didn't like about the taste. It was spicy, which I liked, but not quite "right".

Here you can see the jerky by itself. 

This was the worst of them all. It tasted horrible and the texture was a little funky. It was like Mexican jerky. Not real Mexican jerky but like fake Tex-Mex Mexican jerky. I really didn't like it.

Here you can see the funky texture of this Jerkey.

I repurchased the Thai peanut, Texas bbq, and teriyaki. I recommend those flavors but not the others. 

They are 99 cents per serving. I bought these at Pangaea vegan store online. 

Over all, 4/5 

3 fantastic, 2 good/ok, and 1 horrible

Deviant Moon Tarot Review

The Deviant Moon Tarot: A Review

 

The Deviant Moon Tarot

 

What is the Deviant Moon Tarot?

 

This is a dark, cubist, surreal, slightly disturbing deck of 78 cards by Patrick Valenza, published by US Game Systems. The Deviant Moon Tarot is by far one of the more insightful decks I've seen, as well as the most blunt. This is not a deck to use if you are afraid of getting answers you might not like. It tells it like it is and forces you to really think about how you fit into the grand scheme of the world.

 

Cards from the Deviant Moon Tarot

 

What I like about this deck

• These cards have gorgeous artwork. I love the surrealist feel as well as the exaggerated features on the people and creatures. I find the artwork is very easy to read and I get a quick grasp on a feeling or mood for each card. The details in the artwork are astounding. The work is done with digital manipulation, but it is so seamless with texture and color integration, I find that I forget it was digitized. I tend to be put off by digital manipulation in other decks, so it might be the surrealist cubism that makes it work in this deck.

The back of the cards and the height of the deck

• The card backs are reversible and beautiful in their simplicity. The textures used are quiet visible on the backs of the cards and add a layer of depth that makes the roughness seem tangible.
• The colors used in the printing are vibrant and dark when appropriate, and the pictures are relatively crisp and not blurred at all.

The large box (left) that included the box of cards (right), spread sheet, and little white book

• I feel like I always get an accurate reading with these cards. They always make me think about things I need to address whether or not I wish to address them.

The Lunatic Spread sheet that came with the Premiere Edition, a unique spread to this deck.

• While the artwork on this deck is dark, the energy I feel in it is not. In a way it is almost playful. At one point I couldn't find the moon card. I went through the deck several times, checked all around the bed, the desk, the chairs, the floor. Couldn't find it. I searched for a good twenty minutes. My friend helped me look for it. We went through the deck over and over. Still couldn't find it. Later that night, I pulled my cards out of the box and it is the card sitting on the top of the deck. It was sitting right there, smiling cheekily at me. If that isn't a Deviant Moon, I don't know what is.
• I like the finish of the cards. It is slippery enough that they move against each other well, but they don't totally slip out of your hands as you are handling them.
• The thickness of the cards is flexible enough for shuffling, but thick enough that they don't feel flimsy.



The Title card and About the Author that come with the deck

What I dislike about this deck

 

• The cards are long and skinny which makes them difficult for me to hold and shuffle with my small hands.
• I dislike the white borders. They don't fit the mood or theme of the deck and they take up space that could have made for larger artwork. The colored skinny boarders are fine, but the white ones are distracting.

The Little White Book that comes with the deck. I like the descriptions of the cards and the little stories each one tells. This is one of the better LWB's I've seen. It is 41 pages long.

 

Cost

 

$20 regular deck, $24 premier deck (with spread sheet, this is what I purchased), $20 borderless.

 

Guidebook

 

At the moment, the Little White Book is the only guide book available. It has good descriptions of the card scenes add well as upright and reverse keywords and meanings. The back contains the Lunatic Spread, which cones on the fold out spread sheet in the premiere edition (see picture above in post). There is talk of a forthcoming guidebook on Valenza's blog. There is, however, no date for the books publication.

 

Favorite Cards:

 

 

The Hermit- The Hermit hides from the world in his alcove. Even though he shuts himself off from the city, he is never truly alone... This card, for me, is about that all consuming need to be alone, and the anxiety of overwhelming overstimulation that can happen when I need that most and it is impossible for me to escape from the crowd. Even though I seek to escape to solitude, I can never be truly alone and I can never get away from the thoughts running through my head. This is my favorite depiction of the Hermit in all of the decks I own. It is straightforward, but complex. The hermit is looking at the reader... he knows he is not alone.

 

 

The Ace of Pentacles- I love that this card is a dragon holding the universe in his hands. Think about the power in that! There is a lot of stability in this card as well as balance of the earthly and the mystical. I love dragons, and this card is so different compared to many of the other cards in the deck, that I can't help but love it.

 

 

Death- ...With death comes rebirth... This is my second favorite card in the deck. One of the things I love about it is the lack of title on the card. It doesn't need one. You can feel that it is Death without the title. I love the almost grotesque nature of the pregnant Death on the polluted beach with the city of industry in the distance. This is an ending of one thing and the beginning of something new. I think this card captures the feeling of change better than most cards. This is not a sad card. This is a card of metamorphosis and the ending of one era before the beginning of the new.

 

 

Two of Swords- Two mighty swordsmen of equal skill have reached a stalemate... I love the absolute symmetry and balance in the two fighters. They are truly equal and in a stalemate in their fight. I have gotten this card a lot during readings and for daily meditation. I feel a real connection to this card and the state of equilibrium it represents.

 

 

The Moon- The deviant moon casts its powerful influence over the city, controlling minds like a puppeteer. This is the illusive card that decided to hide from me. I find it appropriate that this was the card that hid from me as it is the card that represents illusions and trickery. To me this is about that unknown influence pulling the stings behind the scenes. No one realizes they are being manipulated until it is to late. The vacant eyes of the moon are like fogged glass; something that you can see a veiled image in, but nothing clear. This is a card of darkness and forces out of your control. I feel like this card is very important in this deck, considering the title.

 

 

The Nine of Swords- This is the card of worry, anxious thoughts, sleepless nights, and despair. This is one of my favorite cards in all decks and one that I immediately reach for when I acquire a new deck. Anxiety is an emotion I resonate with very well and if this card resonates with me, the entire deck usually does as well. I am curious about what the angry/demented cat represents at the foot of her bed. If anyone has any insight into that, comment below.

 

 

The Page of Swords- ...He is skilled in perceiving hidden truths and secrets... My favorite card in the deck, and the card I have pulled the most. When I first got this deck, I asked it which card it felt best represented the deck as a whole, and this is the card I pulled. I find this to be true. This deck is highly insightful and intuitive. I feel like the page's search-light-beam-eye is the illuminator that finds the deepest recesses of my mind and pulls out the information I try to hide the most from myself. This is always one of my favorite cards to pull in a reading. I felt a deep and immediate connection to it.

 

 

The Six of Cups- Last, but not least, memories of times past and nostalgia: a longing for something we have lost. I love the puppet show. It immediately reminds me of traveling shows and troubadours. This is an exciting and fun filled card that makes me smile.

 

Overall 4.75/5

 

I highly recommend this deck if you like the artwork style. If you are frightened, disgusted, or repulsed by the artwork, don't buy it. It will not be the deck for you. This is one of my absolute favorite decks and I have ordered a borderless edition to use as well.

 

To see my other Tarot Reviews click here for The Universal Waite and here for The Wild Unknown.

 

 

 Italics indicate text taken from the LWB by Patrick Valenza for review purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

Teese Nacho Sauce Review

Teese Vegan Cheese Nacho Cheese Sauce Review

It's smaller than I thought it would be, but it holds a lot.

 

First off I have to say that this stuff is fantastic! It's da bomb!

 

I haven't had many nachos in the last year or so since I went vegan. I used to make nachos once or twice a week in college, and I have tried many different kinds of queso. I've done jars, cans, blocks of cheese, and mixes.

 

This vegan cheese is better than any other nacho cheese I have had (with the exception of the nachos at the superdome... those things are addictive).

 

It comes in a plastic casing that needs to be cut open which is messy and a little hard to do. Don't do it with a knife. Do it with scissors. Over a bowl. Trust me!

 

This is so messy!

After I put it in the bowl, I nuked it in the microwave for a few minutes, stirring every minute or so. 

The cheese before microwaving. It is a little gelatinous, but yummy.

This is the cheese once it is heated. It is very smooth and a great consistency for dipping or drizzling on chips.

These are the chips that I used. They are very thin, but didn't break when I used them to scoop up the thick cheese. I like these chips because they are not very oily and not very salty.

Here you can see the thickness of the cheese sauce.

It is enough to feed a couple of people, but if you are going to use this for a party with more than four people, I would get more than one. It is supposed to serve ten, but those would be tiny servings.

I highly recommend this product to any vegan (or non-vegan) who really likes nachos.

You can find more information about this product here.