My Life in a Mitten

Blog Like You Mean It

You are here: Home / Archives for review

Madonna Rebel Heart ~ Review

| By | Filed Under: review | Leave a Comment

I had an opportunity to review a copy of Madonna’s latest album, Rebel Heart, which is the 13th album for The Material Girl.

Let me start by telling you a bit about the album itself. Rebel Heart was released on Interscope Records on March 10th. The album features 19 tracks and includes collaborations with Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, Nas, Chance the Rapper and Mike Tyson.

“Rebel Heart explores two very distinct sides of my personality, the rebellious renegade side of me and the romantic side of me” commented Madonna recently in Billboard.

I feel as though I should say it also comes with a parental advisory for explicit content. But, come on, it’s Madonna – if it didn’t have explicit content I think I would have been disappointed! lol

Growing up in the 80’s and early 90’s, Madonna was a staple in my cassette player. I think my favorite album of hers is still Like a Virgin, but I also have other songs that I love from most of her albums. She’s also from Michigan, which is a plus in my book!

But let’s get to Rebel Heart.

I love this album!

I’m not going to go through all of the tracks – did I mention there are 19 of them?! This album is packed full of awesome music. It was really hard to narrow it down to my top 5.

1. Living for Love ~ I am adding this song to my walking playlist. It has a great beat and if I danced, it would be great to dance to. I can see this being a popular song for clubs. When I hear it I can feel the beat and see disco lights! LOL Seriously though, I think it’s upbeat and has great lyrics about living for love “love’s gonna lift me up.”

2. Devil Pray ~ I have a thing for religious type of songs, even if it’s not really religious or appropriate for religion. This is one of those songs. I love the beginning…and then when you get to the chorus, I was like…”what the?” But it’s still a favorite… a top 5 favorite! I like the message, I like the sound. I am not explaining it well. lol Sorry… What I got out of it is that we can do a lot of things to hide from things, but what we need to do is pray. Sappy of me maybe…but that’s what I got.

3. Bitch I’m Madonna ~ First let me say…not a Nikki Minaj fan and this song features her. However, I read a blog (which I saved the link!) where the blogger reviewed this album and had said something along the lines that it was about time Madonna made a song like this. And seriously…Bitch, she’s Madonna! Who do you think you are? Step off, step down…!! I kept that in mind when I listened to it…and minus the rap in the middle – sorry…just not a NM fan! – I love this song.

4. Illuminati ~ This is one of my top faves because I love the sound of it. It will also probably be added to my walking playlist. It’s not particularly fast, but it’s got a good beat. I don’t really have an opinion other than I just like the sound of the song. I pressed repeat on my iPhone when I heard this song the first time. I was stuck in traffic and was jamming. lol

5. Ghosttown ~ Parts of this song to me have a classic Madonna ballad sound. I loved this song immediately. This is the Madonna of my youth.

I just realized all my favorites are in the first half of the album. I did listen to the whole thing, I swear!!

Honorable Mention will go to Rebel Heart. Cliche perhaps to like the title track, but it’s a great upbeat song and is another one I think would be great to work out/dance to.

Above when I said I liked the religious type songs, this album has a couple more religious sounding titles: Holy Water, Joan of Arc, and Messiah.

rht_02032015

Madonna is also going on Tour! For details, click here or the graphic above. She’s coming to Michigan in October!

Purchase Rebel Heart now on iTunes: http://bit.ly/REBELHEART

Find Madonna online:

If you have listened to Madonna’s Rebel Heart… what did you think? I’d love to hear! Leave a comment.

I participated in the Madonna Rebel Heart album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided an album to review but all opinions are my own.

You May Also Like:

Idina Menzel Holiday Wishes Album – My Review Default ThumbnailReview: If I Stay by Gayle Foreman Default ThumbnailSolved the Ringtone Dilemma! Default ThumbnailWEN Cleansing Conditioner by Chaz Dean Review

An Honest Review of The Honest Co. Products

| By | Filed Under: beauty/style, review | Leave a Comment

honestreviewhed

I found the Honest Co. when I was looking for natural hair products to help with an allergic reaction I was having to “regular” shampoo and conditioners.  Basically, my neck was all broken out into a gross rash and I needed something that was less harsh than something like the Suave shampoo I was using.

Honest offers a free trial of their Essential products, diapers and wipes, and also a newer Health and Wellness trial. The trials are free but you do need to pay for shipping and handling.

I got a free Essentials trial but had ordered a bundle of 5 products before I even got the free trial in the mail!

I had read a lot of great reviews of the Honest Shampoo + Body Wash and the Honest Conditioner before I purchased my first bundle. The ingredients are gentle and I love the sweet orange vanilla smell. Once I started using the products I was completely hooked!

honestreview

 

Above is a small sampling of the Honest products that we have and use on a regular basis. And honestly, I love them all.

The fruit and veggie wash does a great job getting all that yucky wax and dirt off of fruits and vegetables. I don’t remember to use it all of the time, but I am always thrilled when I do! We also use the hand soap that is hiding in the photo above when one of the regulars runs out. My favorite scent is mandarin. (My husband is a hand washer so we tend to buy cheaper soaps since we go through them so quickly.)

To keep with cleaning…I also LOVE the multi-surface cleaner. I purchased it because before we lost Topaz we needed to be careful about the cleaning products we used since some of them could be triggers for seizures. It is in white grapefruit scent and smells amazing.

We also have the stain remover which I don’t think I’ve used yet. And have had a sample of the laundry detergent…but again, the husband washes clothes on a regular, daily basis, so we usually buy whatever is on sale for laundry detergent.

My favorite items are the shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion. The body oil shown above I use on my dry legs in the winter. There’s a healing balm that I use on some eczema spots that I get. I’ve also used the bar soap and really liked that as well. I love the sweet orange vanilla scent of a lot of these products.

I keep going back to Honest Co. products because they are natural, the quality is great, and the company values are awesome. Check out their About Me page and read about the company’s principals.

They also have a lot of baby items: diapers, wipes, baby powder, bottom wash, and even feeding items.

The diapers are freaking ADORABLE!!! Look at the cute, cute patterns below. (photo from the Honest Co website)

honestdiapers

I would TOTALLY diaper my kids in these cute diapers.

In the past year maybe…not sure, maybe less time than that, Target started selling many of the Honest items. They are located in the baby section. I’ll be honest and say I’ve bought shampoo there in a pinch but it was more money to buy a single one there than it is to purchase a bundle through the website.

The other thing about purchasing through the website is that they sometimes include gifts or offer free items with a bundle. The Lip Shimmer in the photo above was something they sent around Mother’s Day last year. At Christmas time, they sent us a cookie mix.

If you are interested in Honest Co. products and are a new customer, please click this link. It is my invitation link. I get a credit when a new customer makes a purchase. Even if you are not interested in purchasing a bundle, check out the free trials! I don’t think you’ll be sorry.

Please also know that if you get a free trial, there is a shipping fee and you will need to contact Honest Co. to let them know you are not interested in signing up for a bundle. Their customer service is also very nice and helpful and every interaction I’ve had with them has been a pleasant experience

You May Also Like:

Idina Menzel Holiday Wishes Album – My Review Default ThumbnailInstagram Alternatives for Android – Review Default ThumbnailHarry Potter & the Half Blood Prince Review Default ThumbnailDog Products that contain Xylitol

Idina Menzel Holiday Wishes Album – My Review

| By | Filed Under: review | Leave a Comment

I am one of those people who willing listen to Christmas music all year long. I can’t get enough of it. I have a Christmas music playlist on my phone for whenever I need a fix and I wish there was a Sirius XM station that played it all year long! I’d be in heaven!

I am always interested in new artist’s renditions of the classic Christmas carols. And of course, I am always willing to add a new artist to my playlist to mix in some new with the old favorites.

Let me tell you a bit about Idina Menzel and her lovely Christmas album, Holiday Wishes, which is now available everywhere!

The album was produced by Grammy Award-winner Walter Afanasieff (Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey) and features such classic favorites as “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” as well as Joni Mitchell’s Christmas-themed “River,” one of Menzel’s favorites.

Another highlight is a duet with international superstar Michael Bublé on “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” An exclusive Target edition of Holiday Wishes features two bonus tracks, including “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”.

Idina’s career has traversed stage, film, television, and music. She was most recently heard as Elsa in Disney’s global box-office smash Frozen, in which she sings the film’s Oscar-winning song “Let It Go.” After her performance of the multi-platinum song at the 86th annual Academy Awards, she made history as the first person with both a Billboard Top 10 hit and a Tony Award for acting.

Idina currently stars as Elizabeth in the original Broadway production of If/Then.

Holiday Wishes Track Listing

    1. Do You Hear What I Hear
    2. The Christmas Song
    3. Baby It’s Cold Outside (Duet with Michael Buble)
    4. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
    5. All I Want For Christma
    6. What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?
    7. December Prayer
    8. When You Wish Upon A Star
    9. Silent Night
    10. River
    11. Holly Jolly Christmas
    12. White Christmas

Bonus Tracks on Target Exclusive

    1. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
    2. Mothers Spiritual

My Favorites & Review

Because I am more drawn to the classic Christmas songs, my favorites are: “Holly Jolly Christmas”, “White Christmas”, and I always love just about every rendition of “Do You Hear What I Hear?”

I heard, “Baby It’s Cold Outside” a number of times and never knew who the male singer was. Michael Buble is not at all one of my favorites, so I was surprised it was him, but I do like this version of the song.

“December Prayer” is also a beautiful song and she really sounds amazing. Not sure if this is an original song or a well known song. I don’t think I’ve heard it before.

I also LOVE LOVE the song “River”. I can’t remember who else sings this song, but this version is awesome!

I was a bit confused as to why “When You Wish Upon A Star” was included, but she is a Disney princess and the album is called Holiday Wishes…but for me, personally, I don’t think this song is Christmasy and doesn’t really belong on a Christmas album.

Overall though, I really like the album and will spend the season enjoying the songs in my playlist!

The album is available everywhere now…check the links below if you are interested in checking it out or follow Idina Menzel on Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.. Listen to a preview or check out the video below as well.

* iTunes: http://bit.ly/IMHolidayWishes
* Amazon: http://bit.ly/IDINAHOLIDAY
* Official Idina Menzel website: www.idinamenzel.com
* Twitter – @idinamenzel
* Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IdinaMenzel
* YouTube – http://bit.ly/IMHWVID

I participated in the Idina Menzel Holiday Wishes album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided an album to review but all opinions are my own.

What is your favorite Christmas song and artist? Leave me a comment!

You May Also Like:

Default ThumbnailI went to the Copa….Copacabana that is!! Default ThumbnailReview: If I Stay by Gayle Foreman Default ThumbnailInstagram Alternatives for Android – Review Default ThumbnailElection Day & Spaghetti Dinner Recipe & Holiday Inn

Be Social With Me

Archives