I love the month of May. It’s filled with fun celebrations. Of course, there is Mother’s Day on May 13th. I also celebrate my birthday on May 21st. I’ll be 39 (?!) I’m totally fine with that…39 is fine. It just makes me marvel anew at how quickly time flies. One of the great things about editing a lifestyle blog is that I get introduced to a wide variety of products and services. Below are ten of my favorite items that I have reviewed so far in 2012…
Under $50
1. Godiva Chocolate Liqueur. (Don’t miss the Godiva Spirits “Breakfast in Bed” giveaway!)
2. A craft (or cake) that the kids can prepare at Make Meaning (NYC). (The kids will have a blast making a customized gift for mom.)
3. A cookbook. (There is a cookbook for practically every mom, but I’m especially partial to Chef Aaron Sanchez’s Simple Food, Big Flavor: Unforgettable Mexican-Inspired Recipes from My Kitchen to Yours. Since implementing taco/Mexican Tuesdays at our home, I’ve been a bit obsessed with Mexican dishes!)
4. Inexpensive, pampering beauty treatments. (“The Mud Scrub” from clariSEA Sea Salt Solutions is my current favorite body scrub. I rub it on my dry skin before taking a shower and my skin ends up so nice and smooth. The coconut scent is nice and light/not too overpowering…just like I prefer. I also appreciate that the scrub is paraben, fragrance and sulfate-free.)
5. Tweezerman Slant Tweezers. (As with most things, I am a beauty minimalist. I don’t like to wear a lot of makeup on a daily basis…especially when it’s warm outside. That is why it is essential that my brows are well shaped to frame my face. In between waxings, tweezers are my best friends! Be sure to stay posted this month. This item will be in one of the Mother’s Day giveaway packages!)
$50 – $100
6. Euro-Pro Ninja Master Prep Blender and Food Processor, Blue. (I bought a second one after “killing” my review blender from a few years ago!)
$100+
7. A night (or two, or three!) at an Omni Hotels & Resorts. (I stayed there for the Family Travel Conference earlier this year…and I can’t wait to go back! In fact, they have a current “Reminisce” Girlfriends Getaway going on right now where you get two $50 gift cards to Bloomingdales when you donate a gently used cocktail dress for charity!)
8. Crystal City 20″ Expandable Spinner Carry-on. (If mom is going to travel, she might as well do it in a functional and stylish manner!)
9. Apple MacBook Pro. (My husband Reggie bought this for me around Valentine’s Day of this year. It was one of the best gifts ever…without exaggeration.)
10. Chef’s Diet: I reviewed the food from this dining service for a week. It is pricey, but it would definitely make a special treat for any mom who likes to try out a wide variety of food. You get three meals and two snacks (one salty and one sweet) for each day. Initially, I thought that I would be hungry but I ended up having more than enough food each day. It exposed me to a wider variety of foods than I normally eat. When I counted up the ingredient costs, I realized that I would have ended up spending much more than the actual price of the plan if I would have bought all of the ingredients separately!
In any event, I have several other gift options for moms that I will be sharing on the site in conjunction with fashion, beauty, food and general gift themed giveaways. Stay tuned for items from Macy’s, mark, finestationery.com, Skinny Girl, Stop & Shop and more in the upcoming weeks!
{All images are courtesy of the respective brands.}