Nokia E71 Experience

I just finished a two week trial with the Nokia E71 mobile phone. When I opened the package I was pleasantly surprised to see how stylish the phone is. It’s sleek and light weight and has a wrist strap that makes it easy to carry the phone or dig it out of your purse.

As far as the use of the phone…I really like the keyboard. It’s very easy to type on and I noticed less typos.  The Nokia E71 has 3G wireless access and being a Blackberry user, that was the best part.  Surfing the web on the Nokia was a much more enjoyable experience than on the Blackberry.

The Nokia E71 also has an option to record videos which can come in really handy, especially with the popularity of YouTube.  You never know when you’ll be able to capture the next front page story.  There is also a way to set up live streaming video in case that’s something that you need to do. I didn’t actually do that with this phone, but I know it was an option.

The phone was very easy to use and my whole family wanted to play with it and they are all iPod users.  The ring was loud enough for me to hear and the battery lasted for what seemed to be the entire time I was using the phone (about 2 weeks).  I think I only charged it once. Seriously.

I am on At & T and when I received the Nokia all I had to do was insert my SIM card and it worked perfectly.  The phone also has a USB adapter and of course a spot for a memory card.

So if you aren’t a member of the Blackberry generation or hooked to a two year contract with Apple, then give this phone a try. I wish I could tell you where you could buy it, but I actually have no idea.  I am assuming you’ll be able to Google it and shop away.

The one and only thing is that the phone seems somewhat delicate. it is very stylish to look at and feels great to hold, but seems like it would shatter if dropped. Now I was extremely careful with it because I knew I had to return it, but I was really worried about that.  My Blackberry has survived a few crash landings over the years, but it seems a bit beefier than the Nokia E71.

Best Skin Care Product of 2008

I am a beauty product junkie. If it softens my hair or softens my skin I want to use it.

I recently came across a skin care product from Skin Care RX called Daily Microfoliant by Dermalogica.  I’ve had micro-dermabrasion done on my face before. It is expensive and slightly uncomfortable. You can feel the results right away because as soon as the treatment is over you can simply touch your face and see how soft it is.  This is the same feeling I had after using the Daily Microfoliant by Dermalogica.

This is a simple product to use and you could even take it into your shower and use it on your face daily after you wash your face.  All you do is apply a small amount on wet hands and it turns into a soft sanding paste that easily works away dead skin cells with no pain and leaves your skin feeling baby soft.

Using this on a daily basis has helped my skin quite a bit already.  I can also notice that my make up goes on more evenly and I have yet to break out (knock on wood) since I’ve started using it.

I think this would be a great product for anyone who enjoys the feeling of a clean face that is beyond soft on a daily basis.

This is a very gentle exfoliant that uses rice enzymes as its key ingredient.

If you want to rid yourself of dead skin cells and find out more about this daily exfoliant you can read about it on the Skin Care RX website.  They are also offering a $20 coupon right now.  All you have to do is follow this link and enter your email address.

Starbucks Gold Card

I just got my new Starbucks® Gold Card. (Even though it’s really black) It costs $25 per year and for that you get your first drink for free, a free drink on your birthday along with 10% most in store purchases.  The gold card can also be used as a gift card.  You can reload it online.

If you are planning on buying this as a gift for anyone, one thing to keep in mind is that you get the free drink when you purchase it, so plan on getting one of the most expensive drinks with extra shots and caramel.

This is different from the rewards card that you can register online.

White House Black Market

My new favorite store is White House Black Market.  My good friend Gaby has been shopping there for over a year and it wasn’t until a couple months ago that I went in to check it out.  Yes. Everything in there is either black or white, but they have some fun animal and floral patterns.  They sell dressy dresses and casual outfits.  Their shoes are really very comfortable for heels because they have super padding in the soles. 

I got a great coupon in the mail that was $50 off a $200 purchase, plus I had a $40 gift card that my friend gave me after she puked on me.  That’s a whole other story that I might blog about later.  Anyway, it’s not the cheapest store in the world, I mean some of the tops are about $50 to $100, but they do have a decent sale section and tonight they were offering buy one get one for 50% off, so I was able to stock up on 3 cute tops and 1 nice black pin striped jacket for about $140 after my coupon and gift card.  Since the holidays are coming up I’m pretty much set with the tops I’ll wear to all the holiday parties, so it was a good shopping day.

If you see this store in your mall, stop in and check it out.  The only thing I think is kind of a rip off is the jewelry.  The last time I went there the sales girl asked if I wanted to add a cute black necklace to what I was buying.  I didn’t look at the price, but realized when I got home that it was $50. At that point I went ahead and kept it, but typically I’d never pay $50 for a necklace.

This store received some national attention when Michelle Obama wore this dress on The View that she said cost about $100.

So if you don’t take my word for it, take the word of our future first lady.

Red Blackberry Pearl

I keep seeing the commercial for the Cingular Red Blackberry Pearl. That phone looks so awesome. It has a sleek design and the color looks like it’d be really easy to find in my purse.

Some of the other features that are appealing is that it has a camera (my Blackberry doesn’t have a camera). It has the great email capability that my Blackberry has, but more memory for mp3’s and videos.

Hopefully my hubby will read my blog and surprise me with one of these.

Bad Gal Lash Mascara

I have a new love in my life. My mascara.

I don’t wear a lot of make up, but I always wear mascara and this new “Bad Gal Lash” by benefit is amazing. It is very thick, but not clumpy and it stays on all day. It also washes off very easily at night.

If you’re looking for thick lush eye lashes, give it a shot.

Victoria Secret Lotions and Potions

I discovered a new scent that I absolutely adore at Victoria Secret. They have these body lotions that come in all different flavors scents ie: Appletini, Passion Fruit, Strawberry Fizz, etc. IMO the best one is called Grapesicle. Now the scent is nostalgic to me because when I was growing up (in the 80’s) my favorite gum was grape Bubble Yum…and now it’s a lotion. This smells so good and lasts all day. Next time you are in Victoria Secret, test it out. I’m sure you’ll agree that it is just delicious.

Take the time during the day to treat yourself to something nice. It only takes 20 seconds to apply lotion, but you get the benefit all day.

Coach Perfume Purse Spray

On my recent trip to the big apple I treated myself to a visit to the Coach Store on Madison Avenue. While I was in there I got to smell the new Coach perfume. OMG, it smells so good. It has a light floral scent with a hint of vanilla.

I bought a purse spray and I adore it. It is so chic and is covered with all my favorite C’s.

This is something I would recommend putting on your wish list for Mother’s Day or a Birthday.

It’s really a great buy.

On Flat Irons

My favorite flat iron by far is the Chi. It works so fast and so well, I love it. Even in humidity, my hair survives. I wasn’t thrilled with the Chi curling iron, but the flat iron is a must have. It heats up within seconds and feels so smooth when your pulling it through your hair.

You can find this at most high end beauty supply shops. It runs about $150 bucks, but well worth it. I’ve had mine for about three years and it is still working great.

Rosie Purse Trumps Louis Vuitton

Last week on The View the ladies discussed the Louis Vuitton Tribute Handbag. This bag is a mish-mosh of older generation Louis Vuitton bags that is selling for $42,000. Mind you, there are only four available for sale in the US.

Now Rosie, being the crafty person she is said she’d go home over the weekend and make a knock off using supplies she found at Target or in her craft house. (Yes, she has a craft house). Now on any given day you wouldn’t hear me touting anything Rosie, but I have to admit, she did a pretty good job.

Can you tell which one is the real Louis Vuitton?

Rosie said today that she’d be selling her bag for charity at charitybuzz.com. By the way, Rosie’s is the second one.