Allow me to share with you one of my current and long-lasting obsessions. Though most days I am a pretty healthy eater, my weakness is sweets and I absolutely love sour candy. A friend from work named Lindsay introduced me to Haribo Fizzy Cola Gummy Candy about seven years ago. We worked in downtown Seattle and would trek a couple of blocks to one of the few stores in all of Washington that sold these bad boys. At first I didn't buy the hype but oh did I become a believer. I can finish a bag of these in about 5 minutes flat.

If I'm not mistaken, Haribo is a originally a German confectioner, known for producing all types of gummy candy goodness. You may see some of their gummi bears and whatnot carried in your average grocery store. Unimpressive. The Fizzy Cola Gummies are by far their most superior product.

There is only one drugstore in Seattle that carries these and even then it's iffy. Yesterday however, I found them at Cost Plus World Market in the international foods section. Swoon! If you love sour candy, you will love these. Be sure to buy the fizzy ones though, not the regular ones. Also, Amazon.com sells them.

Posted by Ambra in Novelties | Link to This Entry

It turns out Facebook ads actually are good for something. My love of Facebook has waned since they introduced applications and various iterations of decidedly poor interfaces (not to mention the ubiquitous quizzes everyone seems to be taking). If you haven't noticed, whatever ads show up on your Facebook page are targeted to you based on your network or various information you've listed in your profile. Sure it's a bit big brotherish, but I happened upon a gem today when my apparent love of the Cosby Show in my profile settings prompted an ad for this t-shirt to pop up.

This t-shirt is made quite humorous by the melanin-deficient, stringy haired gentlemen modeling it. He is quite the antithesis of a Cosby kid, no? I guess they come in all shapes and sizes. I happen to be one of the biggest "Cosby Show" fans you will ever meet. My husband jokingly refers to me as a wannabe Cosby kid. So when I saw this t-shirt I knew I had to have it. I am a lover of vintage-y tshirts and collect them when they're good. At $10, this is a steal at After Glow Tees. Get'm fast before the price goes back up. Available in Cream, White and Yellow. Sadly, no black :-(

Posted by Ambra in Fashion , Novelties | Link to This Entry

Sometime in my mid-twenties I developed an allergy to a M.A.C. cosmetics which used to be my favorite makeup line. I haven't yet figured out what the culprit ingredient is, but I suspect it's animal byproducts or some other chemical. In any case, the last few years have been fun as I've experimented with different brands. I've long been a fan of the Bare Escentuals line for its all-natural, chemical free products. I happened upon a gem this past weekend at Sephora and I've been evangelizing the product ever since: Buxom Big Lip Polish. If you can make it past the bodacious babe on the packaging, inside you will find a gem of a product.

Buxom Lip Polish delivers on its promise of fuller looking and feeling lips. It comes in a variety of colors from sheers, tints, to full on colors. What I love about this lip gloss is that it's not incredibly sticky or gooey like so many lip glosses but it also stays on. But my favorite benefit from this lip gloss by far is the tingly feeling it leaves on your lips. My husband kissed me once when I was wearing it and a few seconds later he asked, "Is it bad that my lips are tingling?"

At $18 it's around the same price range of Bobbi Brown, Nars, and other cosmetic lines. The plus though is that you get a lot more for your money. I go through Bobbi Brown lip glosses in a matter of a few months. This will last you a four months at least.

Posted by Ambra in Cosmetics , Raves | Link to This Entry | Comments { 3 }

It became clear to me awhile ago that some of the things I'd like to write about don't really fit in the normal daily commentary-style writing. Additionally, there are a lot of men who frequent my blog and something just didn't feel right about subjecting them to lip gloss reviews. Nevertheless, I really needed a place to collect and gather things like product raves, recommendations, home decor and just other general "lifestyle" stuff that strikes my fancy.

While I was on hiatus, I thought of starting up a separate blog for my "lifestyle" topics, but since it's still my thoughts and my opinions, I think it makes sense to brand "Nykola Lifestyle" as the sister site to Nykola.com.

Happy Reading!

Posted by Ambra in Housekeeping | Link to This Entry