Since AVON has a ton of promos, I normally only grab the blog-worthy ones. And this product is definitely generating a lot of buzz…

Beauty bloggers everywhere are chatting about the new Mega Impact Lipstick! Its supposed to be AVON’s best lipstick ever – and they’ve produced a few over the years :)

High-definition drama! Reds go redder, pinks go pinker! Lips look fuller and come alive in crisp, clear color and high-def drama! Mega sexy lips!

In the reviews I’ve read, most customers are impressed with the bold hues, smooth consistency, SPF 15 protection, and multi-faceted shimmer. And now, you can be impressed with the introductory price – just $4.99 until March 10th!

And remember, enter coupon code AVON35 at checkout to receive FREE shipping on orders over $35.

Click here to begin shopping at Avon.ca.

Oh, Ronald, always sticking it to Timmy, aren’t ya?

March 1st is the first day of Tim Horton’s Roll Up the Rim promo. And McDonald’s just happens to have a pretty hot promo starting the same day. Hmmm….

From March 1st through 14th, visit any participating McD’s and enjoy a FREE small coffee – any time of day! Limit one coffee per customer, but unless they stamp the back of your hand or chalk your tires at the drive thru, I don’t see why you can’t grab a free cup on your way to work, your coffee break(s), drive home, after dinner…

McDonald’s Premium Roast Coffee is the bomb. FREE coffee is bombtastic.

Didn’t take advantage of 40% off the entire store last week? That’s okay. If you’re a dude, GAP has you covered.

Last year, on February 16th, I introduced my readers to my latest obsession: the Coach Penelope shopper in Lilac. Since the colour/style combination seemed all the rage, it was actually sold out across North America – prompting me to place a special order for the coveted bag. But the problem with Lena and special orders? They give me too much time to think. And after much consideration, I decided that I didn’t need to spend $429 on a purse. So later that month, I cancelled the order and cried myself to sleep for a week (I didn’t really, but I thrive on melodrama).

So you can imagine my surprise when today, just over one year later, I received an e-mail from the Coach Factory Store (complete with 20% off discount coupon, of course) introducing Penelope to outlet customers. Wha-wha-what?

I know it’s been a year, so the style will be considered passé. And I know I really, really don’t need another shopper. But dammit, that is one gorgeous purse! And because I’ve since picked up a Madison in Lilac, I’m thinking a very practical Penelope in Black or Inky Blue is just what the doctor ordered.

So I caved. I called the Coach Outlet in Niagara Falls, Ontario. OMG.

The large Penelope shopper is now just $151.20 ($189 – 20%), and the small shopper only $119.20 ($149 – 20%)!!!

Hot damn. I really need to get my butt down to the outlet store soon. Click here to print your coupon for an additional 20% off at the Coach Factory Outlet.

It’s no secret that I love to cook. Maybe it’s because I love food so much?

As a former student of the pastry arts, I actually learned how to bake with phyllo pastry before I knew how to sauté onions. Since I couldn’t live on pies and cakes alone (though I’m sure it would be one sweet life), I figured I should really work out how to get a whole meal together. And for me, anyways, it seemed pretty easy. There’s something so enjoyable and satisfactory about home cooking (though I’ll never knock take-out chicken tikka masala with garlic naan).

It’s also a pleasure to share my favourites with ya’ll! All of the recipes featured on my blog are ones that I’ve either tested and loved, or have been in my little recipe binder for years. I went through them this morning (over 100!) and thought, wow, I should really post a link. It’s makes for yummy afternoon reading!

So here’s how to access my stash of recipes. Under my signature below, and above “Comments,” you’ll see a label entitled “recipe.” Click on this link to view all the recipes featured on my blog since 2008. When you scroll down to the bottom of a page, don’t forget to click “Older Posts” to continue reading.

Enjoy!

Hi Peeps!

I’ll be blogging a little bit later this morning (have decided that baking chocolate chip banana bread is suddenly a major priority).

After my house has been permeated with that sweet aroma, and my tummy is full of pure, unadulterated carbohydrates… I’ll be back!

xoxo

Many bloggers choose to participate in “Wordless Wednesdays” – a day when they simply publish a picture on their blog. The idea is that the photo itself says so much that no description is needed.

Of course, since I can’t seem to go wordless for more than 2 seconds, this concept will probably never pan out for me :)

So instead, I’d like to introduce Lena’s Wednesday Woots, which is a collection of blog posts, contests, products and other goodies that are Woot! worthy.

Live in the GTA and need an event planner, stat? Check out The Professional Bridesmaid’s contest to win a 2 hour consultation with Alison Kelly, Founder/Party Director of Toronto-based A Hot Pink Petticoat. With numerous large-scale parties coming up, I could definitely use the advice of a pro!

I’m loving the Lambs & Ivy 4 pc Crib Set “Rock ‘N Roll” found at Dear Born Baby. But at $279.99, it’s a teeny weeny bit (okay, a whole lot) out of my price range, especially when you consider I’d still have to buy the matching mobile, lamp, diaper stacker…. etc. Praying it goes on sale soon!

I want to win this one! Jen over at Mommy Brain has a giveaway for Little Star Greetings – perfect for birth announcements, kiddie birthdays and other special events!

Clogs are back! Woot! I should have held on to my pair from grade 10, curiously, they looked exactly like this “new” style from Aldo… Maybe I do still have them. Mom, can you please check your basement and get back to me?

If you’ve got a No Frills in your area, head on over before Friday for their $1 sale. Yesterday I grabbed a bunch of pantry staples for cheap! cheap! cheap!

Looking to try out some free products and have your say in their design/ price/ functionality? Sign up to be a Parent Evaluator at Parent Tested Parent Approved!

I’ll keep adding to these Woot!s throughout the day, so check back often!

Here’s another blog-worthy promo from eyeslipsface: Until March 15th, 2010, you can save 50% off their Studio Line of cosmetics (regular price point: $3.00 each) on purchases of $15.00 or more! Simply enter coupon code STUDIOSAVE at checkout.

As with all e.l.f. orders to Canada, you’ll have to pay shipping (and duty costs for orders over $20). However, I’ve recently discovered a cool little way to save on these fees – if you choose to pay with PayPal, you’ll only be charged US $6.95 for shipping vs. their standard rate of CDN $14.95 when you charge to your credit card. With the dollar almost at par, that works out to roughly $7.35 for shipping. Not bad at all!

Please note, you can only access the PayPal option if you place items in your cart and proceed to checkout before signing in (found through trial and error). If you’ve already signed in, for some reason, it bypasses this option.

On a related note, I was recently invited to join the e.l.f Elite, which is – you guessed it – an elite group of bloggers who receive advance knowledge of new releases and samples of those products to test, help to choose new colors and products, and get the scoop on hot promotions for their readers! Woot! Woot!

Click here to begin shopping at e.l.f. Cosmetics.

Though you’ve probably noticed that billions of people already have their own websites, I’m guessing there are still more who would like to create one but are at a loss on how to begin.

If you’ve got a part-time business, have an extraordinary hobby or collection, or just want to share some information with the world, you need a web presence. This is 2010, and I honestly won’t take a business seriously if you don’t have a site I can check out (I’m looking at you, duct cleaning companies, who call me on the phone at 6:30pm and interrupt my dinner. Telemarketing is sooo 1992!)

Now there are many things to consider when setting up your own site – but things aren’t really that complicated.

So where do you start? Well, above anything else, you should first find a web hosting provider to host your site. If you’re short on cash, a simple Google search will return a plethora of free web hosts. But the problem with most free hosts is that frequently, they just aren’t reliable enough and in the end, you get a lot of downtime issues.

Enter Doteasy, a Canadian-based free web hosting provider which also offers domain name registration service, guarantee no ads and 99.9% uptime for your site. (That’s a pretty sweet deal coming from a free host.) Other than that, they also provide you with great website builder and a cPanel control panel to make things easier for you when creating and managing your site.

Doteasy offers live chat, online support tutorials and an online ticket system for managing help inquiries. Even better? A “Call Back Request” function which allows you to arrange for a support call and even states your approximate wait time.

They currently have a promo where you can register any domain name for only $5.95. Choose from .COM, .NET or .ORG and get one year of FREE hosting along with it! To take advantage of this promo, simply enter coupon code 100223DN or click here.

This is a paid blog advertisement for Doteasy.

Can you ever have too many layering tee and tanks? I say no. I’ve got about two drawers full, and it’s never enough!

So I usually wait patiently for a whopper of a deal, and then stock up like mad. You can bet I’ll be at Bluenotes this week, where women’s tees and tanks are 2 for $10! What a dealio!

They’ve got a ton of colour and styles to choose from, including solid and striped, v-neck and scoop-neck, racerback, spaghetti strap and ribbed.

As usual with Bluenotes, the store selection is far superior to what is offered on the website, so be sure to pop by if you’re in the mall.

My only beef? They’re not pre-shrunk. I normally grab layering tanks from Garage, which never shrink in the dryer (but are also $15.00 each). When I purchased a few cheapie tanks from Bluenotes last year, I learned pretty quickly to hang them to dry – or otherwise end up with a belly-baring top!

(Still a great deal even with the hang-to-dry; I’m saving up front and on energy costs!)

It’s been a long time since I enjoyed Pizza Hut, and I found myself asking the question, “Why? Why don’t I enjoy a thick, cheese, meaty slice more often?” And then I instantly remembered the answer – ’cause it’s too darned pricey.

Et voila! A promotion that will allow me to enjoy the pizza again (at least once) – save 20% off your first online order on PizzaHut.ca.

The offer is valid until March 21, 2010… and I’m already drooling just a little :)

Click here to order online at PizzaHut.ca.

You may have noticed that I’ve got some fabulous new sponsors to the left, and I’d like to continue to throw some love their way! Please take a moment to visit their sites – they help keep this blog running :)

At MadJam Fitness we offer a fun affordable way to train in your own home, at our studio, or outdoors. Our various classes provide you with total body conditioning. You will get fit and have fun doing it! No matter what your fitness level, we will help you reach your goals. In our classes you will lose inches, increase energy, build lean muscle and you will not only look better but you will feel better! MadJam creates and provides cutting edge exercise techniques which change every class or personal training session to keep building muscle mass as well as to improve cardiovascular conditioning.

Agatha Farmer is the owner of MadJam Fitness and is a certified fitness instructor with a passion for fitness. She created the business to help women feel safe and secure in a positive atmosphere with all female classes. The classes have been designed to be small – only 5 people per class for personal attention – but without the cost of a personal trainer. The classes and packages are very cost effective… because let’s face it, you want to get fit and healthy (not bankrupt)!

Based out of Milton, ON, Agatha has created an excellent fitness program which is fun, social for the clients and most importantly challenging so that you receive the health and weight loss benefits your body needs. Being a mother of 2 children she also has the advantage of understanding the needs and challenges of post-natal weight loss for all mommies out there! And beginning in March, MadJam will also be offering Pre-Natal Belly bootcamp!

Get sexy for those summer 2010 shorts and tanks!

Want to try it out first? Mention that you saw this ad on Listen to Lena!, and you’ll be offered a FREE trial class!

You can bet I’ll be on the horn with her shortly after the birth of this little guy. After Ryder, I never made it back down to my pre-pregnancy weight, and while I no longer base my happiness by a number on a scale, I am looking to shed some major poundage and tone up this time around. After all, if you’re a mummy, it’s nice to be yummy too!

Click here to learn more about MadJam fitness.

I was surfing around the Sears.ca website this morning and landed on a pretty hot dealio! If you’re looking for a high quality chef’s pan (otherwise known as a mini wok or deep skillet), check out the Lagostina 28cm (11”) Chef’s Pan, on sale for just $25.49 until February 26th (70% off! Regular price $84.99).

The Chef’s Pan features:

- 4mm aluminum construction for superior heat conductivity and durability
- Satin finish base transfers heat rapidly and efficiently from all sides of the pan
- Stainless steel handle with thermal space is designed to fit comfortably in your hand
- Dishwasher and oven safe up to 350º F
- 15-year warranty; details with purchase

I’ve already got a great chef’s pan, or trust me, I’d be all over this one. We make a lot of stir frys and couldn’t live without one!

Click here to purchase the Lagostina Chef’s Pan from Sears.ca.