It's Opera Season!

As much as I hate the end of summer I cannot help but get excited at the start of opera season, as well as all the other production companies that are starting their season.  Here in Chicago we have the Lyric Opera, which has been around since the fifties.  

This year though, they are performing my absolute favorite opera though, Carmen!  I cannot wait to try and snag some good seats.  

The twins and I already started the season off with a trip downtown to catch the free Stars of the Lyric Opera concert in Millennium Park. 

Christine is a bigger fan of opera than her sister, and she was beside herself with excitement.  As the day wore on she actually started driving me nuts, bugging to get to the park in order to get seats up front instead of sitting on the lawn like I had planned.  

Now all the twins can talk about is going to the opera and insist that tickets to see Macbeth or Carmen are all they want for their birthday next month.  I think if I asked my brothers to chip in for tickets it might be possible, but I don't know right now.  I do know that I would love to take them though.  

Anyone else love the opera? 

EO Products Giveaway Roundup

I noticed that there are several blogs hosting EO Products giveaways this week and I think it is definitely worth mentioning to my readers.  I have tried EO bath and beauty products in the past, and I loved them.  I didn't know they sold them at Whole Foods though, so I usually wait till I make a large purchase off of Amazon to add the Lavender body lotion and body oil to my shopping list.  

These are two of my favorite products, and if you do not have a Whole Foods near you Amazon does carry several of EO's soaps and lotions. 

French Lavender Body Oil - Calming & Relaxing, 7.5 oz,(EO Products)

EO Bubble Bath, French Lavender 12 oz

Or, you can enter one of the many EO giveaways I have found being hosted by the many blogs online.

• Cheapskate 4 Life  -- closed
• Life is Sooo Good
• Healthy Life Deals  -- review only
• Texas Kitchen
• Tips 4 Green  -- closed
• Mama Divas  -- closed
• Managing Mommyhood -- closed
• One Income Dollar
• Mommy Wants Freebies 
• Tic Tac Dough 
• Moms Wear Your Tees
• Moms Best Bets 
• Simple Stacie
• Reviewed By Mom, 10/27

Covergirl Clean for Normal Skin: Not For Me

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 I try a lot of makeup because there is a lot that I am allergic to and cannot use, so for every ten products I try maybe two are keepers.  Funny enough, Covergirl, the cheapest of all the foundations or powders I have tried, is one of only a small handful of brands that have not caused me to break out in hives or a rash. 

A few months ago I noticed that Covergirl had introduced a new line of makeup with the Clean tagline so I decided that as soon as I ran out of the Almay makeup I had (which is no longer sold :( and the new line has something that my skin does not like) I would pick up a bottle and pressed powder and see how I liked them.  

The good news, just like the older line, I did not have any bad skin reactions when I used any of the lines: normal skin, sensitive skin or oil control. 

The bad news, I cannot stand the smell.  Smells might not bother other people, but I notice them and when I don't it, I don't use it.  The foundation has a minty menthol smell.  It is not strong, but I can smell it and it reminds me of the menthol lotion I used to have to lather on when I had a very bad skin reaction in order to sooth the itching.  The powder has a flowery potpourri scent to it that reminds me of stuffy gift shops. 

Both days, I tried one on day and the other the next, I spent the entire day scrunching up my face to see if I could still smell it.  They did cover well and lasted even though it was hot out and I was running around. 

So, while I can say that the new Covergirl line is good, it is not for me.