Battle of the Bottle

For any eco-ista, a reusable waterbottle is a must have.  Having owned either a Sigg or a Klean Kanteen, two of the most popular metal waterbottles, I can say that these waterbottles have increased my water intake and have been lifesavers.  Though both come with their own benefits, the biggest of which is decreasing plastic bottle consumption, I have to say that one comes out as the clear winner for me.

Sigg:
Pros:
- Thick walled
- Cute designs
- Easy to drink from the narrow top
Cons:
- Difficult to clean - you can buy a special brush to wash it, but you definitely can't wash it by hand
- Heavy - because it's so thick, it is pretty heavy (though you could use it in self-defense)
- Dents easily - for someone like me who drops their waterbottle constantly, this is an issue
- The lid of the bottle can grow mold if it's not cleaned very thoroughly - gross!
- My Sigg started shedding paint/plastic bits at the top, so that was the last straw for me
- Made out of aluminum, which has some questionable health/safety issues (i.e. BPA in the lining)

Klean Kanteen:

Pros:

- Easy to wash - you don't need a special brush to wash it and there are no places where mold can grow

- Wide opening - you can put ice cubes into your waterbottle

- Made out of stainless steel, which is safe for you

- Light and easy to carry

- Seems to dent a lot less - I've dropped mine a few times and no dents yet

Cons:

- Wide opening - I know that I put this in the pros, but I also spill a lot of water while trying to drink out of this

- Few designs and limited colors

- My roommate says that hers leaks, but I haven't had that problem

Tally:

Sigg: +3, -6

Klean Kanteen: +5, -3

And that is why I say that my Klean Kanteen is the winner.  I love it!

With Love from Greece

I even liked the light blue - a color I probably would never have bought on my own!

Sephora has this amazing eyeliner holiday set by my favorite makeup company, Korres.

It comes with 10 eye pencils: two black (one soft, one regular), one gold, one silver, one grey, one lavender, one navy, one light blue, one brown, and one green.  These eye pencils normally retail for $16, and prior to this purchase I've had my soft black and brown eye pencils for a few months, but this set is $32.50 at Sephora and comes with colors I'd wanted to try (like gold!) but couldn't justify spending $16 dollars for.  So a $160-valued set for $32.50 makes for ridiculous savings of $127.50!

Korres is a beauty company based in Greece that works only with natural ingredients.  They don't use mineral oils, silicones, or other non-biodegradable ingredients, nor do they test on animals.

This exclusive holiday gift set is a real steal, so treat yourself (like I did) to some great eye pencils.  I even got my friend, Katie, to convert and she loves these eye pencils now (her favorite is the soft black).

More about the ingredients after the jump:

Cool it!

I was thinking about getting a laptop cooling pad because I use my laptop all the time while sitting on my bed and sometimes it gets really hot.

I ordered the Logitech Cooling Pad in green (my favorite color!) and I love it.  I use it all the time now and it works great whether it's on my lap or on my desk.

I love that it plugs into my USB outlet which turns the fan on.  I was really concerned about the fan because I didn't want it to be loud, but I can barely hear it when it's on.  Another great thing about the fan is that it pushes the air out towards the back of your laptop so it doesn't just simmer around the bottom of your laptop.  There are two little rubber pads on the laptop pad that prevent my laptop from sliding off.

My laptop has a 13.3" screen and there's about an inch of space around my laptop on the pad, so it would probably fit a laptop that's slightly larger than mine.

Overall, I love my laptop pad - it was a great purchase and was on sale at Amazon.

UPDATE: 12/13/10
I realize I forgot to say - I'm not 100% in love with the way that the cable cord doesn't roll up nicely.  It is clearly supposed to snap into the back where there's space but it takes a bit of effort to get it right.

Smells Like a Wet Dog

Casey and Oscar, post bath.

Since I've been home for a few days, my parents decided that my sister and I had to give my dogs a bath.  We have two dogs, a miniature dachshund named Oscar and an Akita named Casey.  Oscar is pretty easy because we can bathe him in the kitchen sink.  He doesn't like it very much.  When it's cold, Casey gets a bath in the bathtub.

We bathe them with earthbath pet shampoo, because Casey used to have really sensitive skin and my parents looked for a natural shampoo to stop her skin irritation.  We use earthbath shampoo in the oatmeal and aloe option, though it also comes in tons of other options - including options for cats, puppies, in hypoallergenic or scent-free.  The oatmeal and aloe shampoo is specifically for pets with dry, itchy skin.  It has a light almond smell, and works just like any other shampoo - it doesn't irritate my pets; it gets foamy just like any other shampoo; and most importantly it gets them clean.

earthbath uses only natural, non-toxic, paraben/phthalate/phosphate free, human grade ingredients, which means that the sudsy runoff won't harm your lawn, your family, or your pet.  Their products are even personally tested on their CEO! 

I've had great experiences with earthbath shampoo and would like to try the grooming foam for my cat, Monster, who really hates bathes...