Saturday, April 24, 2010

South St. Burger Co.


Back in March I received my BzzAgent package for the South St. Burger Co. Bzz Campaign. I signed up for the campaign as I love hamburgers. 

It has taken a while for me to visit a location as there aren't any near where I live. I decided to go after work one day prior to a workout. Not a good idea. I had never heard of South St. Burger Co. prior to the campaign, so I was interested in trying a new burger.

I was pleasantly surprised by the decor of the restaurant. It is not what you would expect from a burger joint. Unfortunately, my experience was not as good as the decor. 
  1. The customer service was not that great.The cashier seemed like she did not want to be there. 
  2. I have never paid so much for a hamburger, drink and onion rings before. Over priced!!! I had a $10 meal voucher and I still had to pay 17 cents. 
  3. The burgers are cooked to order so I had to wait for the burger to be cooked. I was starving. 
  4. The company praises itself for having many condiments, but I like my hamburgers simple -  ketchup, mustard, relish, lettuce and pickles. Nothing fancy.
  5. I did not like the roll. It was not similar to other competitors.
  6. I loved the onion rings. They were made with red onions. Best thing about the meal.
Overall, considering that South St. Burger Co. is not located near my home or office, I may not visit a location again. When I told my sister that I went to the restaurant she was interested in my opinion. I told her what I thought, but I do not know if it will influence her decision to go to South St. Burger. She does not eat a lot of fast food.

I have some coupons that I will share with co-workers, friends and family.  

Vanilla Fudge Body Meringue


Since I have been wearing the Spa Sisters Vanilla Body Meringue, I have received many compliments. I have been told that I smell really good. I was surprised when someone told me that I smelled good at 4:30pm. The scent of the body meringue lasted all day considering I put it on at 7:00am. I highly recommend this product.

Spa Sisters - handmade bath & spa products

Size: 125ml  $15.00      250ml $25.00
    

I also won another pair of the tickets to the One of A Kind Christmas Show for responding to a question on Twitter asking what was your favourite purchase. The body meringue was my favourite purchase. 

Saturday, April 17, 2010

New Blog

I just started a new blog called Gardin Chocolat. It is about my frustration with living with food and other allergies. I hope that it will be a way for me to share and receive information with others that are in the same situation.

JALDA

I love to find out about different brands of handbags and accessories. I seem to always purchase the same brands over and over.

The brand JALDA sells handbags, utility bags, clutches and accessories. They are made of Italian leather. The bags are available at Holt Renfrew in Toronto. Now I have an excuse to go to Holt Renfrew.  I love the smell of leather bags.

They currently have a great sale on clutches and handbags at 55% to 85% off the retail price. The link for the sale is http://jaldastyle.com/sale/.


Fabric Masha $505


Diaper Bag $498


Luxe Croc Bean Clutch $285

Images via Jalda




Friday, April 16, 2010

tokidoki at Sephora

I just found out a couple of days ago that tokidoki is at Sephora. The Tokidoki designs are created by Italian artist Simone Legno. The Japanese inspired designs are available at Sephora in a new makeup and accessories line. I was familiar with the tokidoki images as I have two tokidoki LeSportsac bags.

I went to the Sephora in the Eaton Centre in Toronto. The makeup bags and kabuki brush were already sold out. I asked the cashier when the products were available. She said that they had them for about 2 to 3 weeks. I did not receive any notice that the products were available. I think that the characters are cute, even at my age. I was also told that the designer would be in the store sometime in May.

I was able to purchase a few items:

Nail Files - 3 Nail Files and 1 Nail Case 

 Sugar Free Mints

 Prisma Lip Gloss Ciao Ciao (not the colour shown below) 

Images from Sephora

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Personal Day

Today I went to the Elmwood Spa for Spa Week for a day of R-E-L-A-X-A-T-I-O-N!!!! Treatments During Spa Week (April 12 to 18) were just $50.

I had the Lime-Coconut Body Scrub with Relaxation Massage and I added on the ElmLine Essential Facial only $75 (Regular $98) and a 3-Course Lunch (Appetizer, Main, Dessert) in the Terrace for only $28.

My morning started with water therapies (steam and whirlpool) followed by the lime-coconut body scrub and massage and facial. My body was so smooth after the body scrub. Too bad I could not smell it. I was a bit stuffy because of my allergies. I have not had a facial in many years. I did not have a pleasant experience the last time. Today there were moments of pain, but when I looked in the mirror afterwards I looked amazing. I may try it again.

There was a moment of immaturity on my part. I was given a pair of disposable underwear before the lime-coconut body scrub and massage. I had never worn one before. I could not stop laughing (to myself of course).

This was not my first visit to the Elmwood Spa, but it was the first time that I had a meal in the Terrace Restaurant. The meal was great and relaxing. I had my book The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill and a glass of wine. It could not get any better.



Terrace Menu

Appetizer
Please choose one

Marinated Buffalo Mozzarella
Crème Fraiche with Lemon, Chili and Herbs on Roasted Beet Wafers
Caramelized Apple Salad
Blend of Arugula, Frisée & Radicchio tossed with an Apple Cider Vinaigrette & Lemon Confit
Caesar Salad
Crisp Romaine, Herb Croutons, Double Smoked Bacon & Parmesan Cheese
Chef’s Daily House Soup Creation
Main Course
Please choose one
Steak Frites
A Grilled 8oz Striploin with Red Wine Jus Reduction,
Served with Fresh Cut Frites and Chipotle Ketchup
Fresh Grain Fed Grilled Chicken
Herb Marinated Chicken Breast & Three Bean Salad with Apple Cider Reduction
Seared Tilapia
Fresh Pan Seared Tilapia served with a Warm Tomato & Asparagus
Goat Cheese Salad drizzled with Balsamic Reduction
Seared Atlantic Salmon
Fresh Pan Seared Salmon served with a Roasted Corn and Pepper Wild Rice,
Grilled Asparagus & Café au Lait Sauce
Chef’s Vegetarian Feature of the Day
Please ask your Server

Dessert


Please choose one

Daily Dessert Special
Please ask your server
Fresh Fruit & Sorbet
$28

**I had the items in red

It was a very relaxing day. I think I have to pamper myself more often.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

iPad vs. iPhone




iPad


Images from Apple website

I love my iPod Touch, but I really want an iPhone. The reason that I have not purchased one yet is that I am currently in a 3 year contract with my cellphone provider. I have 11 months left on the contract.

The only difference that I can see between the iPod Touch and the iPhone is the internet service and camera. I am able to access the internet and email using Wi-Fi. The only thing that would stop me from getting an iPhone would be the monthly costs. I have a great plan. I only pay $28.25 a month including tax. I really don't want to pay more.

When I heard that Apple was going to announce a new product I was very excited. There were rumours that it would be tablet device. When I read that the device was called the iPad I could not believe the name and size of the product. It definitely was named by a man. Secondly, the size of the iPad was shocking. We actually pulled out rulers to see how long 9.7 inches was. It did not seem practical for travelling on a crowded bus or subway. 

The iPad was released last weekend in the United States. My interest has grown again. In the past week I have been asked whether I planned to purchase the iPad. Others seemed more interested in the product than I did. 

It would make sense for surfing the internet or watching videos. However, I would not use it for reading books. Personally I like reading books on paper, turning the pages and reviewing the front and back covers. 

I cannot purchase both the iPhone and the iPad. I have some time to think about it. When the iPad comes to Canada I will visit the Apple store to play around with it. Until then I will continue to enjoy my iPod Touch.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Alexander Wang Duffle Bag

All the handbags that I like always look the same.

Alexander Wang Rocco mini duffle bag
Net-A-Porter.Com
$875




Images from Net-A-Porter.com

New Makeup Collection From L'Occitane


Coming Soon - L'Occitane Paeonia Makeup Collection for the eyes, lips and face.  I will definitely like to try these products. Everything that I try is amazing.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

One Of A Kind Show Spring Show 2010

Winner: One of a Kind Toronto Tickets

This is the second time that I won a pair of tickets to the One of a Kind Show. I also won tickets for the Christmas Show last year. When I read the email I had forgotten that I had entered the contest on the blog Lipstick Powder N Paint.

A friend and I went to the show on Saturday. It was not as busy as I expected. It made it a whole lot easy to browse the aisles.  These are pictures of the items that I purchased.

Foxy Originals - Wearable Words Bracelet "Live, Love Laugh"



Spa Sisters - Bath & Body Products (1st time at the show)

The vanilla fudge body meringue spells AMAZING!!!




I could not go to the show without getting this handmade soap.



Cha Cha - White Pouch

I added one more item to my collection of Cha Cha bags.





I discovered a new handbag company. I saw the most GORGEOUS handbag. I had to walk away before I was tempted to make a purchase. If I purchase one handbag this year I would buy one of their bags. I wish I had taken a picture.


55 Mill St., Historic Distillery District Studio 111, 
Toronto Ontario Canada
Tel: 416.888.8270