Foodie Friday - Keurig 2.0 Review

When I found out I was going to receive a Keurig 2.0 complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes I was super excited. Not long before I had mentioned to a friend that I really wanted a Keurig, but I wasn't sure I could justify the price at this time. The Influenster Gods must have had their ears open when I was talking.

Diamond Candles Review & Giveaway

I received a candle complimentary from Diamond Candles. They are also providing the candle for the giveaway. 
All opinions are 100% my own.

I was beyond excited when I was contacted by Diamond Candles about trying one of their candles and hosting a review. I've seen friends like them on Facebook and post or re-post pictures in hopes of winning one and I have to admit that it got my curiosity going.

What exactly is a Diamond Candle? What makes it different from any of the thousands of other candles out there?

Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream Review - Influenster

 

I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.
All opinions are 100% my own

Sunkissed VoxBox 2013 - Influenster

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

I was beyond excited when I got the email telling me I had been chosen to receive the Sunkissed VoxBox from Influenster! It feels like forever since I've gotten an assorted box from them. Yes, I've had a few product specific boxes but it's been about a year since I received one with multiple products.

Some of these products really couldn't have come at a better time. Keep an eye out for more in-depth reviews after I've had time to properly test out each of the products!

Playtex Secrets Balconette Underwire bra Review

 This post brought to you by Playtex for BzzAgent. I received a bra free to try. All opinions are my own.

Several weeks ago I got the opportunity to try a Playtex Secrets Balconette Underwire bra. This really couldn't have come at a better time. I was in desperate need of a new bra since mine had just decided to let the underwire poke out the side.

Cheribundi Refresh Tea and Juice Review and Giveaway - Foodie Friday

Disclosure: I received these products free for testing purposes from Cheribundi. They are also providing the giveaway prize. All opinions are my own.

I was so excited when I was contacted by Cheribundi to review some of their tart cherry juices and teas. I LOVE juice, well and tea too, but mostly juice!

I figured they would send one or two of their more popular flavors and toss in a couple extra to giveaway and that would be that. NO! They sent a WHOLE CASE! That's a variety pack of their refresh line - juices and teas. Twelve bottles in total!

Smokey Mesquite BBQ Kraft Fresh Take Review

By now I've sampled several of the Kraft Fresh Take line of cheese and breadcrumb mixes. I haven't reviewed all of the ones I've tried, but I did share my thoughts on the Italian Parmesan version.

We tried the Smokey Mesquite BBQ version on boneless pork chops. The directions are pretty much the same on all packages so we just followed what temperature/time/etc. the directions said. However, since I've done this a few times I've learned to only coat the top and sides (if it's a thick enough cut of meat) with the coating, NOT THE BOTTOM! Even if I put foil down and spray it with cooking spray, the bottom ends up burnt and kind of gross most of the time. Instead of wasting that coating, I just pile it up on top.

After baking for the correct amount of time, it looks like this:

We had it with mashed potatoes and a huge salad that night.

So now I bet you're wondering how it actually tasted. It was actually pretty good. I'd probably put it as second favorite, only to be outdone by Southwest Three Cheese. It had the BBQ taste down for sure and with the hint of cheesy goodness...YUM! I imagine this being a great topping for chicken, especially if you're in an area that gets especially cold winters like we do in Ohio and you find yourself craving something reminiscent of summer. This just might do the trick! It's got a great BBQ sauce taste without all the mess and without having to fire up a grill.

Another great benefit of all the Fresh Take flavors I've tried, regardless of whether or not I liked the actual flavor, is that they do an amazing job at locking the moisture in the meat. I have yet to overcook or dry out a piece of chicken with this coating on it, nor have I turned pork chops into thin, crispy, very crunchy "bat wings*" that they can sometimes turn into if you don't keep an eye on them.

Have you tried any of the Kraft Fresh Take flavors? Which is your favorite?

*"bat wings" refers to a scene in the movie The Three Amigos where the guys are eating bat wings in the dessert. As children, my sister and I thought our mom's pork chops sometimes resembled these bat wings.

March 2013 Ispy/Glam Bag

This month's theme, as you may be able to tell by peeks of the bag through all that product up there, is The Great Escape. The bag features products that are promised to be good for "getting gorgeous on-the-go."

What's in my March 2013 Birchbox

This month's theme is March Madness. Apparently they're hosting beauty face-offs on their Facebook page, which is how things tie in with the theme. The info card also says, "This box is filled with products that make the cut - from up-and-coming rookies to veteran all-stars."

Schick Hydro Silk Razor Review

This post brought to you by Schick Hydro Silk Razor for BzzAgent. Even though I received a sample for free, all opinions are 100% my own.

I am really by no means loyal to any one razor, so I typically get to try quite a few over the course of time. I buy what's on sale. I buy what I have a coupon for. I buy what looks pretty in the package. I buy what I've heard about recently from friends, reviews, etc. Point is, I buy my razors usually on a whim based on any of the before mentioned criteria.

You may remember that way back in December I reviewed another, in my opinion similar, razor. You may want to read that post if you haven't because I'll probably be comparing the two.

CLR Bath & Kitchen Cleaner to the Rescue!

This post brought to you by CLR. All opinions are 100% mine.

It’s no secret that my house is not always in tip-top shape, especially the kitchen and bathroom. In fact, the bathroom is probably my least favorite room to clean. Not only is there just a general dirtiness from the fact that people use it multiple times a day, but then you’ve got all the gross smells and random stains, rust and mildew.

Disgusting!

That’s where CLR Bath & Kitchen Cleaner comes in!

Palmolive Fresh Infusions Dish Soap Review - Influenster

Have you tried the new Palmolive Fresh Infusions dish soap? If not, you really need to!

There are three scents currently available, and I kind of hope they come out with more eventually:

• Basil Lime
• Lemon Thyme
• Ginger White Tea

February 2013 Birchbox

The theme of this month's Birchbox is Red Carpet Ready. It's supposed to be "an assortment of products worth of the red carpet," according to the info card that came with the box. Guess we'll have to see!

Palmolive Fresh Infusions - First Impressions - Influenster VoxBox

I was so excited when these showed up at my door a couple of weeks ago. I'd seen a few posts and a couple of reviews from when Influenster did the first round of VoxBoxes for Palmolive Fresh Infusions in the fall and I'd heard mostly rave reviews. I was excited to be able to try these bad boys out for myself!

The first thing I noticed when I opened the box were the amazing colors of the dish soaps. Usually - it seems to me at least - dish soaps come in a few basic colors: yellow (lemon), green (apple usually), and blue (I have no idea what scent). Not these Palmolive dish soaps! They do come in green (Lime Basil) and yellow (Lemon Thyme), but they also come in this great peachy, pink color (Ginger White Tea). And even though they do come in some of the standard dish soap colors, I find these colors to be more vibrant and different. The green, for example, isn't your standard dish soap green. It's a much lighter shade of green and really compliments the decor of my kitchen well. Actually, all of the colors will look great in my kitchen.

Which brings me to another thought I had when I saw these beauties sitting in the box. They will look great sitting out on your counter. The bottles are very sleek despite being a 16oz. bottle! They don't have the same big, bulky look of other dish soaps of similar sizes. They fit great into smaller spaces on the counter and there's no need to feel as though you need to hide the soap in other dispensers or even under the sink!

Look for a full review to come after I've tried them for a bit!

Have you tried the new Palmolive Fresh Infusions dish soap? Feel free to share your thoughts below!

Disclaimer: I received this product free from Influenster for testing purposes.

What's in my Birchbox - January 2013

The theme of the January 2013 Birchbox is "Best Year Ever." They've included products that they feel will get you off to a great start this year.

Ojon Damage Reverse Instant Restorative Hair Serum

Full size - $25 : Sample - $1.03

I'm kind of excited to try this. I recently had 4 inches cut off my hair and it's much less frizzy now than it was, but there are still some times when it just needs a little something extra to help the frizz calm down. You can use this serum before heat styling to protect from the heat or alone to control frizz. Sounds good to me!

alessandro Nail Polish in Blue Lagoon

Full size - $12 : Sample - $6

I have been addicted to nail polish lately so this is a great addition to my collection. I know some people complain about getting sample sizes of nail polish, but for me it's perfect. I rarely (if ever) use a full sized bottle of nail polish until it's all gone. It gets clumpy and lumpy and generally not good long before the whole bottle is gone. With a smaller size I feel like I at least have a chance at finishing it. This blue is really pretty and it looks darker in person than it does in this picture.

theBalm cosmetics Put a Lid On It Eyelid Primer

Full size - $18 : Sample - $5.64

I currently use ELF eyelid primer and I'm almost out so this couldn't have come at a better time. I think the ELF primer is the only one I've really tried so far so it will be nice to have something to compare it to. I believe this is a new theBalm product debuting in 2013, so if you didn't get it in your Birchbox and you're excited to try it, keep an eye out for it at the store.

Harvey Prince Skinny Chic

Full size - $55 : Sample - $2.20

To me, this smells similar to Cool Water. The info card that Birchbox sent says it's a blend of Meyer lemon, white grapefruit and pink plumeria. However, the sample packaging says green apple, mint and amber and the Birchbox website says apple, mint and grapefruit. Apparently, just take your pick of fruits and there you go. Because I'm awful at describing scents that aren't obvious, like vanilla, I'll just tell you that I like it.

Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream

Full size - $42 : Sample - $3.36

I like face creams but I'm usually kind of wary of them causing breakouts. This one is supposed to improve elasticity and radiance, protect from free radicals and hydrate for 24 hours. What I may end up doing is using this more around my eyes where I have some issues with dark circles and fine lines. It sounds like it might be helpful around that area.

Box total: $18.23

What do you think of the new format for these posts? I can go back to the old ones if people prefer but I personally think this is easier to read and follow.

Do you get a Birchbox? What did you get in yours?

How to get a great manicure with Neutrogena Norwegian Hand Cream & Giveaway - CLOSED

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream is not your typical hand cream, lotion or anything else that helps hydrate the skin. To be perfectly honest, I've never tried something quite like it at all before.

It's a glycerin based formula that's concentrated and lasts a long time - both in terms of how many uses you get out of a bottle and in terms of how long the moisture lasts after it's applied. It's also great at helping with many signs of damage:

• dryness
• chapping
• splitting nails
• dry cuticles
• scaliness
• roughness

Although the name suggests the use of hand cream, it can be used for so much more. In addition to your hands, you can use it on your nails, lips, anywhere dry skin pops up.

Not only does it help get your hands in tip-top shape, it also helps keep your manicures looking great too! It keeps your skin and nails moisturized and looking better longer. Say goodbye to a ruined manicure just because your cuticles got dry and peeled!

Below you'll find a step by step guide on how I get a great manicure and keep it looking amazing day after day with the help of Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream:

1. Start with clean, dry nails. For me, this means using a hand scrub to help with any rough skin and taking off my old polish.

2. Apply a clear base coat. This will help keep whatever polish you're applying from staining your nails. Some base coats also claim to have other helpful properties which may or may not help your nails.

3. Apply 1 - 3 thin coats of polish depending on the opacity and desired opacity of the polish you have chosen. Personally, I have a few polishes that literally only need 1 coat to be completely opaque and cover my nail. I also have others that take about 3 coats because they are much thinner and the color takes a while to build up.

4. Top your nails with any glitters and/or top coats you'd like. Even though most glitters are suspended in a clear polish, I still put a top coat over to seal things in. Not only does this make the glitter feel less rough on top of my nails, it also helps seal things in and last longer.

5. Finish with a bit of Neutrogena's Norwegian Formula Hand Cream. I do this step at the end of my manicure, and then whenever needed for dry skin throughout the life of my manicure, because that's when it's most effective. As stated earlier, you want to start polishing your nails with dry, clean nails. If you applied your hand cream before you started and then didn't use nail polish remover or wash your hands to remove the oils/hand cream your nail polish wouldn't look as good as it could.

Disclaimer: I received free samples of this through BzzAgent.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway below! Four lucky entrants will win a 0.5 oz sample of Neutrogena's Norwegian Formula Hand Cream to try out for themselves! You can use it to get a great manicure or help with other dry skin issues you may be having during the winter.

EDIT 1/15/13: Contest open to US residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

No nonsense Tights & Leggings - Style Made Easy...and Affordable

This post brought to you by No nonsense. All opinions are 100% mine.

No nonsense has teamed up with Jill Martin, a new brand ambassador who has her finger on the pulse of the latest trends and is stylish, yet practical, to bring you great ideas on how to add a pop of color to what could be an otherwise ordinary outfit. As an Emmy Award winning TV personality and co-author of the book “I Have Nothing to Wear!,” Jill has an amazing background in the fashion industry and would never steer you wrong.

Having been an avid fan of the No nonsense brand in general for quite a while, Jill is even more excited (is that even possible?!) about the new tights and leggings. They’re on-trend, high quality and won’t break the bank!

They’re also an amazing, readily available way to make a style statement this winter without going overboard paying for a new wardrobe. No nonsense tights and leggings are an extremely affordable way to give new life to old staples by adding a pop of color under a long sweater, short skirt and anything else your fashionable mind can dream up! It helps that they’re available at many food, drug and mass retail stores.

Take this outfit below for example:

Neon was a great trend over the summer, and even into fall. With these teal leggings under the sweater, it seems to tone down the neon enough to make it still wearable into winter. The black boots and bag, along with the silver accessories also help keep the neon in check. And for less money than you would spend on an entire new wardrobe, you can just buy a few pairs of leggings and tights in a variety of colors and extend the life of your entire closet!

Be sure to follow No nonsense on Facebook and on Twitter @benononsense to keep up with all the latest and greatest in the world of leggings and tights.

Head & Shoulders Damage Rescue Shampoo & Conditioner Review

The Damage Rescue shampoo and conditioner is a brand new line from Head & Shoulders. It's so new in fact that you may not have seen it around too much. If it isn't already in stores near you, it should be soon.

It seems, to me at least, that hair care companies seem to be focusing on repairing damaged hair quite a bit more than they had been recently - maybe damaged due to all the ombre hair we saw over the summer? Who knows. At any rate, it's nice to see hair care companies, like Head & Shoulders, addressing the needs of those with dry and/or damaged hair.

This formula promises to leave your hair up to 10 times stronger in just four uses, and it still has all the anti-dandruff benefits as the regular formula. That's pretty impressive to be honest. Ten times stronger in just four uses.

Before I get into my thoughts on the shampoo and conditioner, I'd like to tell you a bit about my hair and my hair care routine.

I wash and condition my hair every other day. Once in a while I have to wash it two days in a row - due to my schedule or what have you - but that's pretty rare. My hair is fine in texture, but I have a TON of it. This means I'm prone to tangles and snarls and in the end hair breakage because it gets tangled so easily.

At first I was kind of skeptical about a dandruff shampoo and conditioner - I didn't even know they had conditioners! - making my hair stronger. It only took a few uses to convince me it was possible though. I started out using both the shampoo and conditioner every time I washed my hair - that's every other day - and after about a week of washing my hair really did feel stronger. It was almost as though my strands of hair felt thicker and there was definitely more elasticity. I didn't seem to have as much hair pulling/falling out when I brushed it and there was less fall out and breakage during the day.

The only downfall I discovered right around the time I noticed my hair getting stronger is that if I use these products every time I wash my hair, it doesn't take long for my roots/scalp to get weighed down and almost greasy. I hesitate to say it got greasy though because it wasn't necessarily greasy. It just got very heavy and tended to lay flat instead of having volume.

I've found that if I use it every other or every third wash it does a lot better. It keeps my hair feeling strong without also feeling heavy and flat. As an added benefit, I haven't had any of the dry, itchy scalp that I sometimes get in the winter. I don't tend to have dandruff problems, but occasionally get some itchy scalp when it gets really cold out.

The shampoo and conditioner retail for about $6 on Amazon and $5 at Walmart.

Disclaimer: I received this product free from Influenster for testing purposes.

Bath & Body Works Forever Red Eau de Parfume Review - Influenster Cosmo VoxBox 2012

Lately I've been a bit overwhelmed with perfumes. I've gotten a perfume sample in just about every Birchbox I've received for the last 5 months or so and yeah. I just feel like I have a lot of scented things around now and it's a bit much to try to use, sample and really test out each one to decide if I like it or not.

But, I've been slowly working my way through things and I've just come to this gem that I got in the Cosmo VoxBox 2012 from Influenster.

If you read my unboxing post (or saw the video), you'll know that I wasn't initially a big fan of this particular scent. Though it's not necessarily a bad thing, my first thought when I smelled this was my mom. I thought it was very much a scent that she would wear and not necessarily a scent I would wear. I also noted that sometimes it takes a little while for these warmer, less summery scents to grow on me.

That's exactly what happened.

I went back and smelled it again, tried it out and fell in love. Maybe it's because pre-holiday season I was thinking more of vanilla-type scents. I have no idea, but at any rate, I'm really falling in love with this perfume. It's a blend of pomegranate, red osmanthus and vanilla rum, according to the info card that came with it. I still have no idea exactly what pomegranate smells like and I still don't even know what red osmanthus is. I do, however, know that this is a very warm and inviting scent. It's perfect for the cooler months.

When I smell it now I think it smells cozy. Maybe that's where it reminds me of my mom? It does still smell like something she would wear, but it also now smells to me like something I would wear.

Have you tried Bath & Body Works Forever Red yet? Had it made it into your winter scent rotation?


Disclaimer: I received this product complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster.

Ghirardelli Gourmet Milk Sea Salt Escape Review - Foodie Friday

I'm not even going to waste time on this review - not that I ever really do, but sometimes I've got a back story or other things I want to tell you about first. I'm just going to jump straight to the point. This chocolate bar = amazing.

I know that the whole sea salt thing is kind of a trend in food as of recently and I'll admit that I never really got the fascination especially when it came to desserts and sweets. I mean, salted caramel? But at the same time, I love dipping French fries in my Frosty when I go to Wendy's. But I digress.

At any rate, the combination of sweet milk chocolate, roasted almonds and sea salt is just amazing. I've had my share of chocolate bars with almonds over the years but I have to say this is by far the best one - thus far at least. I really attribute that to the addition of the sea salt. In the back of each bite was a salty little flavor making the milk chocolate taste even sweeter - if that's even possible.

The chocolate was pretty creamy and the bits of almonds were just the right size. There was some in every bite without being the only thing in every bite. Just typing this is making my mouth water for more. I wish I had put this on my Christmas list!

The Gourmet Milk like also includes Creamy Devotion and Coconut Rendezvous flavors as well. Each bar retails in the $4 - $5 range.

Disclaimer: I received this product complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster.