Infinite Dreams Reviews: February 2013

February 27, 2013

UGLEE Pen Review

UGLEE PEN
by Dr James Lee

The UGLEE pen is the Ultimate grip pen made by Dr James Lee. Dr James Lee has his BS in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University and his MD from Stanford University School of Medicine. While in college he found out real quick how uncomfortable all the writing could be with regular pens. He used all different types, materials, and shapes and still none worked well for him so he decided to come up with his own. It took Dr Lee 8 pen obsessed years to create the UGLEE pen! He must have a very patient and understanding wife, although the way I love pens I'd be right in there trying them all out!

The UGLEE pen weighs only 11 grams, which is less than 1/2 ounce. The shape fits perfectly into your hand, for a better grip and feel. The UGLEE pen also features the smoothest ink system known, better than roller ball, gel ink, or fountain ink pen!

Now, I suffer from arthritis and a little carpel tunnel so writing has become an issue for me. I actually love to write though and even write my reviews on a paper before typing them up. It makes me feel like I'm able to really put down what I think without all the extra mistakes. Also it gives me a chance to edit my work before it gets posted here. I have been using the UGLEE pen and notice that I'm able to write more longer. I don't have the immediate strain that I get from other pens. It's comfortable to use and I actually don't think its that ugly. I like the rubbery type grips on the pen, I think it gives it character. It also has a little glitter mixed into the dark rubber, glitter! It's a pen after my own heart and has become my favorite pen to use.

So if you're like me and love to write then you should definitely look into getting an UGLEE Pen!

Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

February 24, 2013

Mirrored Book Review

BY FREDERICK J, ARCENEAUX

Mirrored has a lot going on - murder, suspense, romance, and voodoo? Set in Thibodaux, Louisiana on an old plantation that was the scene of double murders. It's new owner, Christine Albright, doesn't know what she is getting into. She meets the only survivor of the murder, Celestine Badeau who is now a teenager and seems to have more in common with Christine than she knows. Both women have had a run in with some bad paranormal stuff, and I definitely wouldn't want to be either of them.
Meeting Celestine actually opens up some really bad old wounds for Christine and it threatens to undermine everything she has overcome thus far. Thrown into the mix is a budding romance with a gentleman named Jonathon. The paranormal element in the story is well written and thought out. This book could have made out well without the romance part in it because it kind of hurts it. The way Jonathan and Christine address each other kind of turned me off. I really couldn't deal with someone calling me honey, sweetheart, and darling when I've just met them. Also the length of their romance left a sour taste in my mouth. It was just way too short for me to see a couple falling that deep in love in such a short period of time. That could just be my opinion, but for me it would not be the norm.

Overall the supernatural elements save this story as I loved being scared at 1am after reading it. Those parts were really put together well and if Frederick were to rewrite the romance part, I'd be completely sold.

Shadows Over Taralon Book Review

Shadows Over Taralon

by Jacquelyn Webb

Shadows Over Taralon is not your regular romance story, its a mystery as well. Jacquelyn Webb really did a great job in combining the two genres into one smooth plot. Jenny Flemming is a strong willed young woman hired by Bill Williams to help with book keeping as well as a caretaker for his children. Bill owns a seemingly prosperous horse ranch and is a widower after his wife died in a car accident. Jenny finds out really quick that things aren't what they seem at the horse ranch. She also runs into Bill's brother, Wayne, and finds she has a little interest in him. Things see to be going alright until cattle starts missing and the Williams' race horse gets poisoned. Jenny obviously has to get to the bottom of the things. Well let's just say she does and she may have to pay for it.

I am new to Jacqueline Webb's writings and she definitely didn't disappoint. It was a great short read that had me guessing until the end. I really would like to see more on what happened after the story with Jenny. It was pretty safe as it had no sexual acts or even swear words. Pretty tame in that sense when it comes to romance novels. So if you're looking for a sweet romance with some mystery thrown in then check out "Shadows Over Taralon" by Jacqueline Webb.

The Taste: Tuesday at 8|7c on ABC

photo belongs to ABC

So there is a new cooking show out there and surprise it isn't on the Food Network. Yup ABC has brought their own food challenge show to their Tuesday line-up. So the whole premise for the show is 4 "mentors" will each coach 4 cooks ranging from professional chefs to home cooks.

The 4 mentors are famous chefs in their own right: Anthony Bourdain, Nigella Lawson, Ludo Lefebvre, and Brian Malarkey. I can honestly say I hadn't heard of Ludo or Brian at all. I had seen Nigella on a couple of shows, but my favorite of the quartet is definitely Anthony Bourdain. I love his shows, all on another tv station, and am totally biased as to whom I want to win. He has a straight forward way of speaking and cooking and I like that. Nigella seems really soft spoken, and has an easy way about her. Ludo is definitely a bit more harsh and more hot tempered. Brian seems like such a trash talker and always seems to pick on udo, though it is kind of funny to see Ludo get all bent out of shape. The contestants all seem to be pretty good cooks and of course I've already picked the one person that will be the "villain" -- GREG. Yea this guy, whether its real or not, definitely acts like a jerk and is so sure of himself. He's the type of character you want to see fail just so he can realize he isn't as good as he thinks.

So each of the 16 contestants have to cook up a dish - which in turn is served up on a spoon. Yup, just one taste to see who gets immunity and one taste to see who is out at the end of the competition. The spoons are blind tested so the judges have no clue until the very end whose spoons they liked and didn't like. Episode 4 was a hard one for Ludo and Nigella as the 4 on the bottom were from their teams, two cooks from each team. They would be sending home 2 cooks, the two they decided had cooked the worse dishes. I wasn't surprised at who got sent home though and look forward to next Tuesday to see what happens next.

Overall its a really great show and the interaction between the mentor/judges and the cooks works pretty well. Just as long as the crazy antics doesn't get to out of control the show will be fantastic. I'll definitely keep watching though because I love Anthony Bourdain. I'm sure I mentioned that already, but thought I'd mention it again. If you want to catch ABC's new show, The Taste it airs on Tuesday nights at 9/8C. Here is a link to check out the most recent episode - http://abc.tv/Z3jimp! Also if you want to check out other episodes you can go to The Taste on ABC and look under recaps.

*Disclaimer: I watched the show and reviewed it for Influenster and ABC. No compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

February 23, 2013

Julep Polishes Review

Julep "Glenn & Sarah"

So these were from the month of February as well, but part of a separate box from the maven box. It came with 4 polishes which included a silver metallic and white cracked polish.

**Glenn**

Glenn is a sweet metallic reddish polish. It looks a more like hot pink with the flash on but it really leans more towards red than pink in regular light. Like with most Julep polishes the polish went on smoothly and required two coats. Lasted about 4 days before chipping!

**Sarah**

So Sarah is a glitter polish with a creamy pink base. The glitter is holographic and very small so it is pretty much blended into Glenn. I think if it was a bit bigger glitter then it would have shined so much more. Either way it went on easily and one coat is shown over Glenn in the photos.

Nabi Polish Review

Nabi "Bronze"

Without Flash

So I have seen Nabi on amazon.com and just hadn't thought to try one out. Well while I was walking around the flea market I saw a lady with polishes. Now I think I used a considerable amount of restraint to not buy the 100 bottles she had spread out on a table. Seriously it was like polish heaven and at $1.00 I was ready to buy. Alas I didn't have $100 on me and so had to choose between the polishes at which one would get to come home with me. Now I love metallic polishes so this one by Nabi caught my eye. I gave the lady my money and off I went, I ended up leaving with only 6 polishes! Proud of me, right?

Anyway i have no experience with Nabi as it isn't available in the regular stores, though I haven't noticed it in Sally's either. It had mixed reviews on amazon.com so was a little wary about the overall quality. But glad I bought my own bottle and judged for myself because it is a great polish. The color is really bright and has an orange base with flecks of golden yellow. Its like a shiny bright new penny color, so nice. It went on smoothly, though it was a bit streaky. I think that is how a lot of metallic polishes are though because I've had that issue before. It isn't a big deal to me as I kind of like how it looks; gives it a great texture. As I haven't seen them in store hard to say what their price is though it ranges from $4 - $6 online. Still really affordable and an overall good polish.

February 22, 2013

LA Colors Polish Review

LA COLORS

"COPPER"

Another great polish find made by LA Colors, this is "Copper". It has a reddish brown base with golden flecks mixed in. It went on smoothly and easily and pictures show only one coat. The best thing is that it was only $1! Yup, if you're looking for a great inexpensive polish then don't pass LA Colors up. With a good top coat they last for about 3 days before any chipping. That's pretty comparative to other more expensive brands. You can find them almost anywhere so keep your eyes open. I have a ton of LA Colors polish and use them all the time. Do you guys use LA Colors, if so what's your favorite shade?

February 19, 2013

Julep - Boho Glam February Review

JULEP MAVEN FEBRUARY POLISH DUO

In the next few days I'll be posting some polish reviews like crazy. I've gotten so far behind but like I said in my last post I've had some family issues to deal with. So are you ready, because I am so ready to get back into the swing of things. So ready for my first polish review of the day - and week?

Julep Ingrid is the first in line and is a nice rich orange. Okay now normally I'm not a huge fan of orange, but this one definitely works. I think because its more on the rich side that it doesn't bother me. It is a bit thicker consistency, which is fine by me because it meant less coats. Julep polishes last for about 3-5 days, of course it depends on how hard you are on your hands and nails. Not many polishes can withstand washing a sink full of dishes after a huge dinner. Julep Ingrid is nice and I love it, seriously a great orange polish to get if you're ever in the market for one. They go for $14 on Julep's website or you can become a Julep Maven and get two polishes and an extra product for about $20.

The second polish in the set was Julianne - as in Julianne Moore. Its a soft blue-ish grey that, again, had a thick smooth consistency. I could have used only one coat, but put two coats on because that's what I normally do. These are thick polishes, but they go on super smooth!

If you'd like to join up for Julep Maven - obviously you're under no obligation, you can do so by clicking this link - Julep Maven. Just so you know, yes I'll get credit for you joining up. Whether you join under me or under someone else Julep is a great polish brand. Form your own opinions and try them out for yourself.

*Disclaimer - I purchased these polishes myself and all opinions are my own. No compensation was received!

February 17, 2013

Upcoming Reviews - PIC HEAVY

UPDATE

Fergie - Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night, Rock n' Roll, Them Boys Go Loco
Spoiled - The Parking Meteor Expired, Shaken Snow Globe

So I have been saying a lot about doing some reviews and it just seems that life likes to come and get in the way. Right now things are just so chaotic with my family that it's hard to sit down and type about happy fun things. I'll get out of this funk (hopefully soon) and you guys will get reviews and giveaways. Right now I'll just show some preview photos of all the new polishes and other products I've gotten. I need to push myself to get back into the groove of things, because at the end of the day life goes on. I'm hoping that you guys don't leave me and that you'll be here when I come back. So now for the parade of polishes....enjoy!