Styli Style

I've been using the styli-style black flat eye pencil for years. It goes on really smooth and last forever. The pencil requires a special sharpener due to its shape but my first pencil came with a sharpener. They are actually pretty inexpensive, although I've only found them online. Totally worth it!

Gelaskins

Dress up your laptop, iPod or phone with gelaskins. They help protect your device and are pretty fun! There are many different patterns to choose from.

1154 Lill Studio

I LOVE purses. They are one of my weaknesses. 1154 Lill Studio lets you design your own purse. There are 22 different purse designs to choose from. Then you get to pick the different fabric combinations to make your purse unique. I put this one together in 2 minutes....so don't judge.

Rainbow Candles

I love blowing out candles on a birthday cake. And I'm even a fan of trick candles. But these little numbers are incredible! These candles have colored flames. I'm sure the chemicals they use aren't all that good for you but whatever, just blow them out fast. You can find them at Rainbow Moments.

Josh Jakus

These little felt bags are so crazy. They unzip to a flat piece of felt. Visit the website for a demo on these little bags. I'm addicted to bags, so anything fun and new is bound to pique my interest.

Potting Shed Creations

I get kind of annoyed when I have to but any entire bunch of cilantro at the grocery store. I typically only need a pinch, so I buy the bunch and 95% of bunch is thrown away. But this little wonder could solve my problem. The Garden in a bag let's you grow different kinds of plants in a bag. You can grow anything from herbs to flowers indoors or outdoors in these leak proof bags. They cost $8 and can be ordered online.

Smashbox o-gloss

Ever had a hard time finding the right color of lip gloss? Well o-gloss by smashbox is "clear" and they claim it "Reacts" with your bodies chemistry to create your own personal shade of pink. I'll try it out the next time I'm at sephora and let you know.

Ojon Dry Shampoo

I've always been skeptical of the dry shampoos. You can spray it into your hair and it makes it feel clean. Yeah right....or so I thought. I read about Ojon in Lucky and thought I'd give it a try. Lisa and I headed to Sephora and found Ojon Rub Out Dry Cleanser. My hair was roughly 1.5 days old, a little icky, but nothing too bad. Not like those days back in elementary school. She sprayed it on half of my head and then I ran my fingers through my hair a few times. A few minutes later I could already tell it had worked. My hair had no oil in it at all and it felt a little lighter. Both Lisa and Nick could tell a difference too. It's pretty good ish.

Cupcake Blog

Pic courtesy of cupcakeblog.com

So apparently I am on a samoas kick. After posting about the delicious little girl scout cookies I decided to try and make some for myself. I turned to my favorite search engine, google, and instead, I found a recipe for samoa cupcakes. I love cupcakes better than cookies and better than cake, so this was really the best situation possible.

The cupcakes were pretty darn delicious, even if they took me an entire evening to make. I ended up making them "mini" which made them extra cute.

The best part of all is this fabulous website I found. Cupcake Blog is a cooking website written by a fellow engineer. She has all sorts of different recipes. And if any of them are as delicious as the Samoa cupcakes (As I suspect they will be), I will be returning here often.

Girl Scout Cookies

It's that time of the year again. Girl scout cookie season! It's interesting....girl scouts sell delicious cookies to raise money while the boy scouts pick up your old Christmas trees. Anyways, I wanted to talk about my favorite cookie, the Samoas! These are quite possibly the best (non-homemade) cookie ever. I don't care if you don't like coconut, with all the chocolate and caramel you can hardly even tell.

I often wonder if they are delicious because you can only get them for a limited time. Like my mint m&m's, only available during Christmas. Or a Bentley, only available to people with ~$250,000 to burn. In any case, I always buy a few boxes of these little delights. Speaking of delights, did you know they changed the name? I know, why mess with success. They are now called "Caramel Delights." Not sure what that's about, but it's cool.

There's no link in this post. Just head to your neighborhood Safeway and look for the girls with the green and brown outfits. I think I've only had a total of 5 cookies so far....we'll see how long that lasts.

Sonicare Flexcare RS930

I'm a big fan of oral health. I floss every night, religiously. I received the Sonicare Flexcare RS930 for Christmas. I had been living in the stone ages with my Sonicare 2.0. This toothbrush is awesome. First, you can custom design your brushing experience. In addition to "clean mode" there are a number of other options to choose from.

Are you like Nick? New to the sonicare family and not quite use to the vigorous sonic vibrations? Choose sensitive mode.

Do you crave that extra little luxury? Set your brush to massage and your gums will be in heaven.

In a hurry? "Go Care" mode provides you with the same sonic action in half the time.

Finally, there's "Max Care" mode. This is a combination of the normal "clean" mode with a little massage at the end of each stage.

But that's not all. The flexcare also has a much smaller brush head. The older models were so big and bulky, but these are roughly the same size as a regular toothbrush.

Finally, for you germaphobes out there - the Flexcare comes with the UV cleaning system. Just put the brush head into the box and the UV light kills 99% of bacteria! Wow!

Benkyodo

Mochi! No, not my puppy, the kind you eat. Mochi/Manju are Japanese sweets and Benkyodo makes the best. It's kinda hard to explain....sweet rice, beans and cake.....typically different combinations of the 3. My family loves it! I was a saint for bringing it home for Christmas. Probably the best I've ever had - sorry Grandma.

Fino

If you come and visit me, we will go to Fino's. It is by far the best italian restaurant I've ever been to (in the US). It's actually a few blocks south of union square - but don't worry, we aren't in the tenderloin yet ;-) The last time I ate there we had the chocolate raspberry something or other for dessert. Heaven in my mouth! We literally licked the bowl clean. There wasn't a speck left.

Scoma's

My officemate has nothing but rave reviews for Scoma's on Fisherman's Wharf. Even though it's in a toursit trap of a location, she swears it's the best! She gets the crab saute - it's not on the menu but they'll make it for you. It's a pile of peeled crab with pasta and veggies. I saw her leftovers and trust me, it's enough to feed you for at least 2 days. It's a little spendy, but well worth it if you're looking for some good eats.

Creme de la Mer

I'm not one to spend a ton of money on lotion or other face products. During a Nordstrom makeup event I received a free sample of the creme de la mer moisturizer. I threw it in my travel bag and forgot about it. Christmas came around and it was time to visit the fam. We packed our bags (including my sample of creme de la mer) and headed for home. This stuff is incredible! It made my skin look smooth and soft and was not the least bit greasy. Unfortunately it costs about a gazillion dollars an ounce ($125 for a 1 oz jar). I don't plan on buying more once I run out - I can think of better things to spend $125 on - like getting Mochi neutered :-) But if you are in the market for a high end moisturizer that really works, I recommend creme de la mer.

Frank Gehry Torque Ring

Frank Gehry has designed a line for Tiffany and Co. Maybe it's the engineer in me, but I'm loving the Torque ring in sterling silver! I'll need to try it on before committing to the purchase, at $125 it's one of the few "affordable" pieces at Tiffany and Co.

Sigg Water Bottles

Aluminum water bottles are the new Nalgene. They are better for the environment and come in a gazillion different designs. The folks at sigg have some pretty sweet bottles, and for under $20 you can have a different one for each season of the year.

Charging Station for all your CRAP!

If your household is anything like ours, your counter contains a plethora of phones, blackberries and iPods all vying for prime charging real estate. It's a bit of an eyesore if I do say so. The wall mountable phone/pda charging station will hold up to 3 electronics and can store a 10" power stip behind a sliding door. It's available in white, black and navy blue.

Wooden Platforms

If I can't have a wedge, the next best thing is a wooden platform....right? The simmer sandal by Steven (Steve Madden) will be a great addition to your spring wardrobe.

Johari by Adidas

These cute little shoes are compact, comfortable and stylish. Perfect for that flight - easy to remove during security checkpoints! Checkout Johari by Adidas!

Smart Power Strip

I'm a mechanical engineer....not an electrical one. But my electrical friends tell me that even when my laptop is off, it's sucking power. Makes no sense to me but I'm going with it. This little device claims to stop current flow to an "off" laptop - thereby saving money and energy. Go save the planet and buy a "clever strip."

Jergen's Natural Glow Express

I've been a fan of Jergen's Natural Glow for sometime, so I was excited to learn that they are making an "express" version (People Style Watch March 2008). Jergen's Natural Glow Express claims it can build a natural tan in 3 days. If it's anything like the original Natural Glow, I'll be stocking it by the dozen.

Teeth Whitening

I've been a fan of teeth whitening since the early days of crest white strips. In the March issue of People Style Watch, they introduced a few new systems that might be worth looking into.

Luster Oral Care seems like a cross between the in home and dentist treatment. It uses an activating light to help enhance the whitening effects. For only $40, it beats a trip to the dentist.

Drugstore.com also offers the iWhite. Apparently everyone has jumped on the iXXX wagon. Either way, the system is similar to Luster. You pop a gel filled tray in your mouth and then turn on an activation light. They claim 5 days to a whiter smile. At $45, it's a steal.

Lego Speaker for iPod

Maybe it's the lego loving girl in me, but I think the mini ipod speaker is too cute.

Zivio Bluetooth

From the makers of the Gorillapod comes the Zivio bluetooth. It's sleek and stylish and looks like an awesome replacement for the typical bluetooth headset.

Gorillapod

When we took our Christmas photo this year, I propped the digital camera on a few books and wedged some paper underneath a corner to help make it level. The gorillapod would have saved a lot of time and anguish. For only $20, it's a steal!

Nantaka Joy

I found this line while searching for unique notebooks online. Nantaka Joy designs beautiful cards that are simple yet elegant.

Bag the Habit

People Style Watch had a huge section on "Going Green" in their February 2008 edition. They listed 8 or 9 different "Green" bags that we should use to replace plastic bags. Personally, I don't want to spend $40-$50 bucks on a new grocery bag, but these bags by the folks at Bag the Habit sell for just $8 and are large enough to hold your groceries.

Hot Cookie

I've always been a fan of the mail. I go to the mailbox everyday hoping I've received a little something. Hotcookie.com will let you send anyone a dozen (or more) homemade cookies. We received a box for Christmas and I can personally attest to the deliciousness of every single cookie. They came individually wrapped and never went stale.

Gladiator Sandals

People Style Watch had the Heech Wedge by Nine West in their February 2008 edition. My wussy feet are a fan of the wedge! I plan on trying on a pair the next time I'm at a nine west store.

Launch of Bryn's Picks

In an effort to clear out the clutter in our house and ultimately keep track of everything awesome, I've set up this blog as a way to document all the cool and interesting things I find in magazines, online, on tv or while I'm out and about.