About two weeks ago, the American Frozen Yogurt chain Pinkberry landed in Edmonton and opened in one of the highest traffic locations the city has to offer: West Edmonton Mall. With their prime location set in a busy food court right outside of the waterpark, it seemed like it would be guaranteed tons of traffic from froyo hungry Edmontonians.

Pinkberry - West Edmonton Mall Food Court Phase 3 - Edmonton AB

Luckily I had some time in my schedule to check out the Grand Opening party on July 12th. From 5PM til close, curious customers were given a chance to try out a small sized yogurt with three toppings free of charge. While the media event was going on, I chose to stand in line to get the 'real' (or as close to real as can be) Pinkberry experience by interacting with the staff behind the counter.


The unit occupied by Pinkberry is quite spacious (previously occupied by Gelati Napoli), and lit in a variety of different ways. However, it isn't brightly lit like Tutti Frutti, and features dimmer lighting giving the space a relaxed vibe. The brightest lighting in the space is actually the case where the toppings are stored. I personally prefer brighter spaces, because it exudes an energetic environment, especially when the staff are friendly and enthusiastic.


Unlike Tutti Frutti and Twisted Yogurt here in Edmonton, Pinkberry chooses to serve yogurt in set sizes, and the staff behind the counter create it for you. You choose the base flavour and toppings, and that's all the control you have. The toppings are organized into four different categories: daily fresh cut fruit, liquid toppings, premium dry toppings, and luxe toppings (which have an additional cost to them). All the toppings are placed in bins right next to one another, so I'm a little worried about cross contamination between them, especially since there are nuts available as a topping. If staff accidentally drop any nuts into adjacent bins, there is the possibility of serious allergic reactions, so I would love to see the nut related toppings placed in a separate area if possible.


At any one time, six yogurt flavours will be available, and on opening day there were (and still currently are): original, strawberry, chocolate, coconut, pomegranate & mango. For myself, I like the tartness of yogurt and typically get plain with fresh fruit toppings and mochi. This way the yogurt is a healthier treat! I did try the mango and coconut flavours, and found them to be quite sweet and not too creamy, but without that tart taste that I like. I'm going to safely assume that chocolate and strawberry are creamy flavours as well, without the typical tartness.


Now I do have to mention that I'm not really a big fan of this service system, because I like to control my own portion sizes and the proportion of toppings that I place on my yogurt. You will also only get to have one flavour of yogurt in your bowl, unlike the system at Tutti Frutti where you are able to mix and match the colours in your bowl to your liking. For yogurt with three toppings of your choice, you're looking at $5.70 for a small, $6.65 for medium, and $8.70 for large (all prices before tax). If you're not a fan of toppings, that isn't a problem either, with the prices set at $3.95, $4.95 and $6.95 respectively. Looking at the prices, they are a bit more expensive for their sizes compared to the price per ounce system utilized by other frozen yogurt establishments in Edmonton.


Something that does set Pinkberry aside, however, is the range of yogurt options available. Staff are able to serve up fresh fruit parfaits, yogurt in cones, fresh fruit bowls, and even blended smoothies. I think health conscious consumers will also appreciate the caloric count associated with each product that they serve. Despite the crazy rush of customers for the opening event, the staff behind the counter remained calm and were so friendly! For the first day of service, things seemed to be under control and ran smoothly, making the experience for the first time customer a pleasant and memorable one.

After falling head over heels obsessed with the Revlon Lip Butters, I picked up the new Maybelline Baby Lips SPF 20 Lip Moisturizing Balm just to see how they compared.

I forgot about it for a little while, then opened up the package one day just to test it out.. and at first I wasn't really impressed. I had purchased the shade Cherry Me as it seemed like the only colour I would even attempt (what is with the pastel pink and purple shades??). The packaging just looked too juvenile with the bubble letters, and I really am not a fan of the orange tube. I guess you could say the packaging was a little too loud for my taste, but it's the product that counts and I gave it a shot.


Upon application, Cherry Me tasted like Cherry which doesn't taste too bad. The colour payoff was nice, and not too bold and felt both silky and relatively moisturizing. I was expecting a deep red colour payoff from the balm, but it turned out to have more pink in it, making it easier to wear on lips. This product promises 8 hour hydration for visibly renewed lips in 4 weeks.. but I use a ton of different products and really just can't comment on the changes after 4 weeks as I would never solely use this product.


First application was at 11:45 AM, and by the time 1:30 PM rolled around, my lips started to feel a little dry, but it was manageable. When 3:30 PM struck, I couldn't stand it and needed another application. All in all, one application definitely did not satisfy me for 8 hours. At that point, I decided I didn't like the product and didn't touch it again.


But here I am, months later, and I use it ALL. THE. TIME. What? I actually use this product fairly often now, as I like the sheer layer of colour and shine it gives to my lips. While it does require more applications than promised, it does keep my lips hydrated and soft throughout the day. The product is quite inexpensive (retails for about $5), but as it is a drugstore product, you can probably find it on sale for around $3 once in a while (which is the price I picked it up at).


In comparison to the Revlon Lip Butters, I find there really is no real comparison that can be done. Not because one product is much better than the other, but because they are so different from one another. The Baby Lips balm is sheer and gives colour, but a thinner product when applied. The lip butters apply much thicker, and give more colour payoff true to the shade of the product in the tube. For me, they are more like lipsticks with amped up hydration. So there you have it. We all know how different lipsticks are from lip balms.. so you can make the choice as to which you would prefer! However, I must note that I love that Maybelline included that SPF factor :).

Happy Monday! Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend :) There's so many events going on in my city right now that I was just all over the place. The local exhiition/fair is on, as is the Indy, and Taste of Edmonton - an event where local restaurants make samples of their food for you to try! You know I was all over that.. especially when some of my fellow food bloggers were competing in a cook-off! More on that later.

I'm still riding high on the mint coloured kick, and sported China Glaze's Re-Fresh Mint on my tips this week. Re-Fresh Mint is an older shade, circa 2010's Up & Away collection. But seeing as it's my favourite colour, I can never have too many mint shades.


This particular colour is a pale mint creme - definitely with more yellow in it than blue like regular mint shades, but since it is much lighter, it can appear a little chalky on certain skintones.


I always have some issues with China Glaze brushes, since they're longer and thinner than the OPI Pro-wide brush, but with some practise and patience, application isn't all that bad. The formula is a little runny, but definitely opaque after two coats. Smooth colour and full wear for up to 4 days without chips - I'm a happy camper.

What did you guys do this weekend?