Do you love chocolate? I know I do. I love to eat it, and I also like the scent of it. When I was offered a chance to check out Godiva’s new Chocolate Strawberry Rose candle, I knew I had to give it a whiff.

The scent is inspired by Godiva’s freshly dipped chocolate strawberries. The scent of strawberries is wrapped in rich milk chocolate and accented with delicate rose petals. It’s a great combination, and smells very true – no off notes or overly artificial scents. The candle has really good throw – it definitely scented my whole kitchen where I had it burning.

The candle comes in a heavy glass jar, tinted red. Each candle is 7 oz. and has a 50-60 hour burn time. This would be a lovely Valentine’s Day gift for someone special. You can find Godiva candles at CandleLuxury.com, and they are offering a free shipping special right now too.

I love good cosmetic bags. I have quite a few, because I’m a total sucker for them, so it was with no small anticipation that I checked out the new bags from EcoTools. EcoTools partnered with vegan actress Alicia Silverstone to design the bags, and the result is a line of functional yet pretty cosmetic bags (and a brush set).

There are three cosmetic bags, a brush bag, and a five piece brush set with a brush bag. My favorite bag hands down is the Train Case. Its got a lot of inner room, and the best part is the removal clear bag tucked up in the top of the bag. The cosmetic bag and the overnight bag are pretty cool too, and the overnight bag has removal inner bags as well.

All the bags are made out of a very sturdy hemp material, and lined with recycled plastic. The hangtags on each product are even made with tree-free stone paper! These are very eco-friendly bags.

The brush set is great! It includes a blush brush, lash & brow groomer, angled eye shadow brush, and a finishing brush. I love the EcoTools blush brush, and the angled eye shadow brush has become a new favorite in my arsenal. The finishing brush is nice for dusting on powders like highlighters or some of my various sparkly powders. The set does duplicate some of the other brush sets offered by EcoTools but I still think it’s worth it for the awesome travel case it comes with and the eye shadow brush.

You can find these bags at Target, Walgreens, Ulta, and Drugstore.com.

I’ve been wondering about Yes To Carrots for a while now. I see them at New Seasons Market, at Target, and online, so I’m really happy to have the opportunity to really check out the products! First up, is the Lip Butter, a certified organic lip balm that comes in yummy flavors.

Yes To Carrots is committed to creating paraben-free products by utilising nature’s best kept secrets: rejuvenating Dead Sea mud minerals, combined with the antioxidant and youth-enhancing properties of Beta-Carotene, a natural form of Vitamin A. All products in the range are derived from organic carrots and other fruits and vegetables, so they are 100% natural and packed with goodness.

The lip butter contains such yummies as olive oil, jojoba oil, beeswax, shea butter, pumpkin seed extract and carrot root extract. It comes in five flavors: mint, berry, melon, citrus, and carrot. So far melon and carrot are my favorites!

The staying power is quite good, and the formula stays pretty solid even when I keep it in my pocket. It’s also certified organic, which is something I appreciate a lot. Overall, I give Yes To Carrots Lip Butter two thumbs up!

More Yes To Carrots reviews to come!

Everyone, meet my sister Annie. Annie is 18, and has naturally curly hair. She prefers to wear it curly, so she pretty much never straightens it. Enter the Ken Paves Nano Silver Tourmaline Ceramic Styling Iron (Travel!) and some down time of an afternoon, and you have two giggling girls playing with hair.

Ken Paves, as you may or may not know, is a hairstylist to the stars. He has a line of clip-in hair extensions with Jessica Simpson, and also a line of products including styling tools. The Nano Silver Tourmaline Ceramic Styling Iron (whew!) is a travel version of his flat iron. The tourmaline ceramic plates are supposed to heat hair strands evenly, and the iron reaches 410 degrees. It features a swivel cord and comes with a thermal lined travel pouch.

Let me say that my sister and I are basically flat-iron newbies. I really don’t know what to look for in a flat iron other than “does it work” so that’s pretty much the basis for this review. Did it work? Yes! Does her hair feel fried? No! It’s a win! LOL.

So, I sectioned her hair with a big clip, and set to work straightening out those glorious curls. The 1 inch plates mean doing a whole head of hair is going to take some time, but it is a TRAVEL iron after all. Presumably using the regular full-size version would be faster. It took me about 25-30 minutes to do her whole head. Since her hair is so curly, it did take multiple passes to fully straighten each lock.

When I was finished, her hair was reasonably straight, although there was still some wave in places, but was also quite smooth and not fried. I liked how smooth the plates were, no catching or grabbing of the hair. Overall, I think we are both pleased (as the owner of the hair and the “stylist”) with how it came out. Due to the size, this is definitely not going to be the iron you want to use on your whole head every day if your hair is really curly. It would be perfect for touch-ups, travel, and anyone with shorter or perhaps less curly hair.

Good job Ken!

A long time ago, Paul & Joe had a perfume called Blanc. I never bought it, but should have. Then it was discontinued and I was very sad. Now, it’s back! In honor of Blanc’s return (and I won’t let it slip through my fingers again!), here are five perfumes I would like to own. Most of them have proven elusive so far.

1. Paul & Joe Blanc. Notes include hawthorn, angelica, almond, and heliotrope. WANT NOW.

2. Si Lolita from Lolita Lempicka. In case you don’t read French, the notes include sweet pea, heliotrope, tonka bean, and bergamot.

3. Maison Francis Kurkdjian Lumiere Noire. All that really limits me from just ordering this is money. I wish I was independently wealthy. Rose, cumin, pimento, patchouli… *sigh*

4. 5:40 pm in Madagascar by Kenzo. Vanilla and the sea. Take me away! (I just have to travel someplace with a good duty-free shop to buy it!)

5. Anything from Andy Tauer. *sigh*