Curves Soup Holder and Lunch-to-Go Bag

Pictures: Soup Holder (here), Lunch Bag (here)

Keep your soup warm and your lunch cool in these two stylish items from Curves.

As someone who works full-time about 30 minutes away from home, more times than not I am bringing my lunch from home to eat at work. So both of these products looked like something that would be really great for me.

The lunch bag is made out of a sort of neoprene material (think scuba suit)...lightweight and waterproof. It is a good size...for example, today I managed to get a frozen dinner, bottle of water, can of soda, small cup of yogurt, spoon and fork all into it, though I couldn't close it all the way due to the size of the frozen dinner. The soup holder fits into it perfectly with room to spare for a drink and silverware. It does keep the contents fairly cool. Obviously, it doesn't keep the frozen dinner frozen, but it does keep drinks cool. It's also very stylish...I've had several people comment on it and ask where I got it.

The soup holder, on the other hand, was a bit of a disappointment. I used it for the first time yesterday. I leave for work a little after 7 and my lunch was at 11. Since our work microwave is indisposed at the moment, I heated the soup in my microwave at home in the soup holder, assuming that it would still be warm at 11 when I took my lunch. Unfortunately, it was not. Even with the double insulation of the holder and the lunch bag, the soup was cold. Another downside of the soup holder is the size. From the outside, it looks as though it would hold a generous amount, but about a third of it is taken up by the cracker/topping holder in the bottom. Very convenient, but you can only fit about half a can of soup into it. I realize that this is for portion control, but it's a bit inconvenient when I open a can of soup, can only fit about half of it into the holder, then have to figure out what to do with the other half. Maybe I need to buy another holder. :P

Ratings: Soup Holder (one kiss), Lunch-to-Go Bag (3 kisses)

Fun Uses for Avon Boxes!

This is compiled from a thread on the YourAvon.com representative boards. Look for more to be added as the list grows!

Fun Uses for Avon Boxes!

• Storing children's outgrown clothing
• Spray paint black and use for displaying seasonal and decorative items
• Make a train!
• Carrying recycling items to curb or recycling center
• Pet beds/carriers
• Cover with festive wrapping paper and use for holiday decorations
• Sorting and organizing junk mail/items to be donated/etc
• Donate to churches for food distribution to the needy
• Storing seasonal decorations
• Filing financial and other important documents
• Storing childrens' toys
• Organizing the truck of your car
• Time-out area for unruly small child
• Storing old magazines
• Storing camper supplies
• Portable snack table for toddlers
• They make great moving boxes!
• Kids love them as dollhouses or forts
• Scoop up leaves when you're raking
• Cover with elegant fabric and use as a wishing well for a wedding
• Spray-paint silver for a robot costume
• Offer on FreeCycle for others to use

Christian LaCroix's Rouge Fragrance

(see picture here)

A sensual fragrance created exclusively for Avon by the premier French designer, Christian LaCroix (pronounced la-kwah). Top notes are the exhilaration of orange zest and wild red peony, while the addiction is sparked with middle notes of Amazon water lily and Japanese plum blossom, and the smouldering passion settles into the bottom notes of sensual skin musk and cashmere woods.

For some reason, one word just screams out to me when I smell this fragrance: SEXY! The first time I smelled it, it just evoked being tangled up in satin sheets in some exotic locale. It made me think of Moulin Rouge with Nicole Kidman...satin-draped boudoirs and slinky dresses. It's not a "whorish" scent, but it is definitely sexy.

I like one other Avon rep's description: "Smelling it puts sparkles in my brain and makes me think of burgundy velvet, candles, merlot and old wood. It makes me want to play something in E minor, like something Spanish or something. "

It's definitely not for everyone...and I'm really surprised that I liked it as well as I did because I normally do not like heavy, woody scents. I tend more towards clean, fresh fragrances. But something about Rouge just captured my attention. I definitely think that it's one that you might not like at first smell, but it is worth a try. Definitely a fragrance for those romantic nights when you want to seduce your partner. ;)

RATING: (3 out of 4 kisses)

Holiday Snowflake Sweater

(see picture here)

A beautiful red zip-front sweater embellished with beaded and sequined snowflakes.

I absolutely LOVE this sweater! I fell in love with it when I first saw it in the catalog. Sometimes, the picture looks much better than the actual product, but not in this case. It really is a gorgeous sweater...and very comfortable as well. It's not too heavy, but is still a weight that should be nice and warm over a knit shirt or woven blouse. The beads and sequins seem very well sewn-on which is always an issue with this type of apparel. Of course, it's hand-wash only. The size does seem to run a bit on the large size, however. I ordered a medium thinking that it might be a bit snug, but it is actually a bit loose on me. Of course, it's meant for layering, so I suppose this is to be expected.

Overall, this is a great piece of apparel from Avon! I can't wait until it gets close enough to the holiday season to wear!

RATING: (4 out of 4 kisses)

Lighted Holiday White Wreath

(For picture, click HERE)

A beautiful shimmering white wreath with red berries and green foliage, lit with LED lights.

I really like this wreath. The only small disappointment was in the size...it is a bit smaller than I had thought it would be. Yes, the picture states that it is 13" in diameter, but I'd imaged that larger than it actually is, I suppose. It looks bigger than that in the picture. But, in this case, size doesn't really matter because it is a beautiful wreath. The LED lights are actually a bluish shade, but it actually enhances the look of the wreath and doesn't scream "BLUE light special" at all. I had thought that they twinkled, but they don't, but again, this doesn't distract at all from the beauty of the wreath. This is one holiday item I'll be hoarding for myself! ;)

RATING: (4 out of 4 kisses)

Healthy Remedies Detox Patches

(Click here for picture)

These patches are designed to be stuck on the bottoms of your feet overnight to detoxify your system. They contain wood vinegar and green tea.

I went ahead and ordered these because of all the rave reviews I had read, but I guess either they don't work for me or I don't have any toxins in my body (I doubt that) because they didn't seem to do a thing for me. I wonder if it depends on how much your feet sweat while wearing them, because mine don't and they didn't change colors at all except a little around the edges. And, when I really looked at them, I don't think that they really change colors because the herbs inside them are black...I think that when your feet sweat it just makes the material damp and you can see the stuff through it more. Of course, if your feet sweat then it's probably activating the herbs and such...and since mine don't, then it did nothing. Maybe if I wear them during the day with shoes so my feet will sweat, they'll work for me.

RATING: (1 out of 4 kisses)

Mark Hook-ups

(Click here to see a picture)


Hook-ups are just one of many products from Avon's Mark line that prove that Mark isn't just for the younger generation. Essentially, they are small tubes of product that can be hooked together with a connector in sets of two. There are several varieties of makup that come in the hook-up format: one mascara, two eyeliners, three eyeshadows, four lip glosses, and two lipsticks.

I currently own the Winkstick eyeshadow, On the Edge eyeliner, Gleamstick lip color, and Metalluscious lip gloss. So I have one set for eyes and one for lips. This makes it so easy to grab everything I need out of my makeup bag without having to dig for individual products. I love each one of these. The eyeshadow glides on pretty easily...moreso if I use the Anew eyeserum beforehand...without it, it does tug a little bit. The eyeliner is very easy to use and lasts all day without smudging. The lip color has great staying power...though the colors in the brochure tend to be a bit more pink than what the colors are in person. I had to reorder twice because the colors were more brownish than they looked in the book. The lip gloss is very pretty, but seems to wear off very easily. I also have the mascara, but was not very happy with it. It smudged off rather easily and I ended up with raccoon eyes by the end of the day.

I look forward to trying more of the Hook-up products and would recommend them to anyone of any age. It's great makeup in a very fun and convenient form.


RATING: (3 of 4 kisses)

Anew Retroactive+ 2-in-1 Cleanser

(Click here for picture)

This is Avon's one step cleanser and toner in one. It is essentially a cleansing gel with tiny beads that dissolve while you wash and release the toner.

I absolutely love this cleanser. I have sensitive skin that is what some skincare companies call "confused"...which means my skin is oily, but also has dry, flaky areas as well, oftentimes in the same areas as the oiliness!...and this cleanser has worked wonderfully on my skin. I don't suffer from as many breakouts and the flakines is about gone. It feels wonderfully tingly and refreshing. The only issue I might have with it is that the toner beads don't always dissolve as easily as I think they should. They sometimes just roll around and get stuck between my fingers without dissolving. Otherwise, this is a fabulous cleanser that I would think would work wonderfully for just about any skin type.

RATING: 4 out of 4 kisses

Welcome to Raven's Shinies!

Hi everyone! I'm glad you dropped in. I hope that you enjoy my product reviews, rants, quotes, musings and other various Avon-related ramblings. If you're looking for my non-Avon blog, it can be found at http://ravendas.livejournal.com I haven't updated it in awhile....and you need to ask to become my friend to view it, but feel free to drop me a line if you'd like to see it.

Please feel free to ask questions and leave comments. However, please keep it clean, calm and mature. Insults and other nastiness will be deleted. Please leave your drama elsewhere.

Thanks...and enjoy!

Adrienne