Covergirl Blastflipstick

I was given the chance to try the new blastflipstick by Covergirl.  It gives you the opportunity to blend the lipstick to your desired shade.  Each blastflipstick comes with two shades, one creamy shade and one shimmer shade, on the same lipstick stick.  I really enjoyed the ability to mix the colors like I wanted to create the shade that was right for me.  It comes in thirteen different colors so you are bound to find the combination that works the best for you.  I was given three samples of the blastflipstick in the colors Vixen, Stunner, and Minx.  I only tried one of them, Vixen, because the other two are not my color of choice.  Vixen is a pink and mauve color.  I tried first using the blastflipstick as it is intended by first placing the creamy shade on my lips and then covering with the shimmer shade.  This look would be very nice for any dramatic night out.  Although, I preferred to just use the shimmer or creamy shade alone because I like a more natural look for everyday.  It also is a great moisturizer for lipstick, although it doesn't stay on for a very long time; as is with most lipsticks that I have found.  I would recommend this product for anyone that wants to change up their look by adding drama to their lips or just wants a more natural look with two separate shades on one lipstick stick.

I received these products for free from BzzAgent in exchange for my honest reviews.

Enfagrow Older Toddler Milk

I was given the chance, or rather my 2 ¾ year old daughter was given the chance, to review the Enfagrow Older Toddler drinks in both vanilla and natural milk flavorings.  We received four individual ready-to-drink cartons for each flavor.  My daughter was super excited that she got to try something out and tell me how she liked it.  We started off with the vanilla flavored one because she is the kind of kid that once she tries something she doesn’t like she will not be willing to try it again for a long time.  So, in hopes that she would like the vanilla flavor better then the natural milk flavor I stuck them in the refrigerator and once cooled I let her try one.   As it is a bit difficult to get an in-depth review from a 2 ¾ year old, I will do my best to give the opinion of the drinks by the way my daughter spoke about them and her actions. 

For the vanilla flavored Enfagrow Older Toddler drink she said that it was “yummy” and continued to drink it.  My daughter drank about half of it, the usual amount of any box drink that she can consume in one sitting.  The other portion went into the refrigerator and my daughter asked for it again when she sat down for a snack later in the afternoon.  She liked the taste of this!

For the natural milk flavored Enfagrow Older Toddler drink she said that it was good and drank about half of it. She couldn’t finish the whole carton in one meal sitting but she seemed to enjoy it well enough.  Believe me, I would have found out pretty quickly if she hadn’t liked it.  Having put the remainder of the unfinished milk in the refrigerator I was waiting for her to ask me again to drink it, but she did not.  Therefore, I would conclude that the flavor of the milk was to her liking but it wouldn’t be something that she would beg for me to give her.

In conclusion I would say that my toddler enjoyed the vanilla drink very much and somewhat enjoyed the natural milk flavored Enfagrow Older Toddler drink.  These are very convenient to take with the child and would be great to throw into a lunch bag or diaper bag when one the go.  I do wish that they would make ones that were a little smaller in volume because my toddler couldn’t consume that much in one sitting.  We will purchase these again.  A thank you to SheSpeaks for allowing me to review this product free of charge for an honest review.

Glade Expressions Collection

I received the opportunity to try the new line of Glade Expressions products.  I have three areas in my house that especially need an extra boost of good smelling fragrance: the laundry room with the cat box, the downstairs “guest” bathroom that sets the smell of my home from the moment you walk through the front door, and the upstairs kids’ bathroom complete with diaper smell.  I am always looking for a new product that will work to eliminate the smell of cat box, diapers, and overall bathroom stinkies. 

Glade Expressions Oil Diffuser Review:

I tried the Glade Expressions Oil Diffuser starter kit in Pineapple and Mangosteen.  I absolutely love the look of the decorative diffuser; the wood color and leaf cutouts go nicely with the birdhouse theme in my downstairs “guest” bathroom.  The Pinapple and Mangosteen fragrance was alright.  I would have preferred a different fragrance but that was the only option at the Wal-Mart store that I purchased it at.  The fragrance is not over powering but it does the job of eliminating the smell which is especially important since it is right by the front door.  So anyone entering front the front door immediately gets their first smell impression of our house from the bathroom.  This oil diffuser didn’t seem to eliminate the odor as quickly as the Febreeze Set and Refresh air freshener that I had in there previously.  Although, it doesn't eliminate the odor as quickly I love the modern look, it does have a nice clean scent, and therefore, I might purchase this again.  If I purchased it again I probably wouldn't put it in the front bathroom but, rather a smaller bathroom where the Febreeze Set and Refresh would overpower the space.

Glade Expressions Fragrance Mist Review:

In addition to the oil diffuser I was also given a coupon to try the Glade Expressions Fragrance Mist starter kit.  In the Wal-Mart store that I shopped at there were about three different fragrance choices and I chose the Cotton & Italian Mandarin scent.  I really don’t understand the reason for having the re-usable mist container as I don’t see the point in leaving it out, especially since I have young children at home.  For most re-usable containers it is based on saving the environment by not creating so much waste but the refills are pretty large and, in my opinion, create more waste then less.  The scent lasts for a while and is subtle and not overpowering.  I have tried using the spray in the downstairs of the house before guests arrived, in the upstairs laundry room that has the cat box, and in the upstairs kids’ bathroom that has the dirty diaper smell.  It did quickly eliminate any odors from the house and leave it smelling fresh for a decent amount of time.  I would buy this product again to eliminate odors but not for visual or environmental appeal.

All-in-all I would maybe purchase these products again.  I have other products that I like better so I would probably only get them again if they were on a really good sale or my usual products were not available.

I received these products for free from BzzAgent in exchange for my honest reviews.

UNREAL Candy

I was thrilled when I got the opportunity through BzzAgent to review the UNREAL candy.  I absolutely love the concept of the candy being “UNJUNKED” by having no corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oil, artificial ingredients, preservatives, GMOs, and a low glycemic index.  No other candy out there offers all of that.  They have five candies on the market: Chocolate Candy Shell Peanuts (Equivalent to peanut M&Ms), Chocolate Candy Shell (equivalent to M&Ms), Chocolate Carmel Nougat (equivalent to Milkyway), Chocolate Caramel Peanuts Nougat (equivalent to Snickers), and Chocolate Peanut Butter (equivalent to Reese’s).

I decided to try three of the candies so that I could give a good enough review.  I was able to find these candies at CVS although they are more difficult to find then their popular name-brand equivalents because they are only at limited amount of locations.  The price is pretty comparable to the name brand equivalents.  I tried the Chocolate Candy Shell (equivalent to M&Ms), Chocolate Caramel Peanuts Nougat (equivalent to Snickers), and Chocolate Peanut Butter (equivalent to Reese’s). 

Chocolate Candy Shell (equivalent to M&Ms) Review:

I really didn’t care for the Chocolate Candy Shell and would definitely prefer the M&Ms over that.  The candy tasted fine at first but then it had a strange after taste to it that I didn’t care for.  Although, my two year old daughter did loved them.

Chocolate Caramel Peanuts Nougat (equivalent to Snickers) Review:

I absolutely LOVED the Chocolate Caramel Peanuts Nougat and would prefer it over the equivalent Snickers bar.  The chocolate on the candy was not as sweet as the Snickers bar and therefore it allowed all of the other flavors to shine through and combine nicely.

Chocolate Peanut Butter (equivalent to Reese’s) Review:

The Chocolate Peanut Butter candy pretty much tasted the same as a Reese’s.  Therefore, for the availability I would choose the Reese’s but for the nutritional quality I would choose the UNREAL version.

All-in-all the candy was good.  The biggest thing deterring me from purchasing this would be the ease of accessibility as it is not in very many stores yet, although I am sure that will change as it grows in popularity.  I will definitely purchase the Chocolate Carmel Peanuts Nougat again and would love to try the Chocolate Carmel Nougat the next time I purchase one of the UNREAL candy bars.

Disclaimer: I received a free sample of the UNREAL candy at no cost in exchange for an honest review of the product.

Dentyne Split2Fit

I was sent two packages of Dentyne’s new Split2Fit gum.  Each package came with three flavors: Peppermint, Spearmint, and Artic Chill.   The gum is absolutely phenomenal and lasts for a really long time.  I got tired of chewing on the gum before the flavor wore out; which usually never happens to me with gum.  The blister packs are nice to just pop out a piece of gum and get chewing eliminating the wrapper trash that inevitably ends up in the bottom of my purse.  The  Split2Fit packages is a good idea, although I really hadn’t ever felt the need to have a smaller section of gum because I do not put them in my pocket but in my oversized mommy purse.  My husband however, did find it more convenient to only have half of the bulk in his pocket when carrying around the gum; so maybe it is a better concept for men then for women who generally carry purses.  All-in-all I would buy this gum again for the long lasting and great flavor, but not really for the new split2fit package concept.  Thank you to BzzAgent for allowing me the opportunity to try this great product free of charge in exchange for an honest product review.

Fresh and Easy

I LOVE Fresh and Easy!!  I go there several times a month for my grocery shopping needs.  Here are some reasons why I love it: #1 It is so quick to get in and out of (with a 2-month old and a 2 ½ year old this is a huge plus).  #2 They have pre-made meals that taste like homemade meals and don’t contain all of the preservatives and artificialness that so many other stores have (Again, cooking time with two little ones is limited and knowing that I have a meal that is healthy and easy to prepare is GREAT!). #3 Their frozen pizza tastes WAY better then delivery, is cheaper, and is healthier.  #4 All of their products are reasonably priced compared to other grocery stores and generally have better nutritional value. #5 They always have a refrigerated section of food that will be soon expiring that is deeply discounted.  Most of the products can be put into the freezer for later use and come with frozen cooking directions too. #6 They always have a coupon in the weekly ad.  #7 In addition to the weekly ad coupon you can get points by becoming and using their “Friends” card.  You get one point per dollar spent and in the weekly ad and through their website you can see the products that will give you more points each week.  The points add up and are equivalent to $1 per 100 points.  It isn’t a ton of money back, but hey, it is something:-)

Now for the only downside: If you are looking for a specific brand item then they probably don’t have it.  They are very limited on name-brand items and tend to carry mostly their fresh and easy brand.  Although their brand is very good, I still do have to go to the regular grocery store the other two weeks out of the month just to load up on the everyday supplies and items that I can’t get at Fresh and Easy.  They also only have self-checkout which isn’t a bother to me as they always seem to have enough employees to handle the checkout and bagging issues but I also go during the middle of the day when it isn’t busy.  I am not sure how easy it is when it is at a more peek hour in the evening time.  A huge thank you to BzzAgent for allowing me to review the Fresh and Easy store during this buzz campaign.  I am glad that I got the chance to sing its praises.

I was given the chance to review The Hangman’s Daughter and the sequel, The Dark Monk by, Oliver Potzsch and translated by Lee Chadeayne.  The Hangman’s Daughter is what I would classify as a historical mystery novel.  It takes place in the era of the witch trials in Bavaria.  Jakob Kuisl is the town’s hangman.  Although he is highly needed for his work in the town, he is not well respected as a citizen of Schongau because everyone thinks that it is a curse to acknowledge him or his family.  He is not even allowed to live inside the city walls and hangmen’s children are not allowed to marry in the town.  Jakob on the side is also asked for his knowledge with healing remedies and is often sought out to help cure ailments.  Because of this the physician’s son Simon Fronwieser is enamored by the books and knowledge that Jakob has acquired and frequents his house to look through the books and gain more knowledge; and it doesn’t hurt that Magdalena, the hangman’s daughter is there also.  Simon’s father is the town’s physician and he himself has gone to the university to study as well.  He isn’t fond of his father’s old tactics of healing with bleeding patients and likes that Jakob’s knowledge of the human body goes deeper then the common practices.  After several children are found missing or dead the town quickly comes to the conclusion that a witch is among them and is even quicker to point a finger at the individual they think did it.  After the “witch” is locked up Jakob and Simon seek to find the true culprit of the crime.

This is a book that I didn’t want to put down.  It was beautifully written and translated into English.  I love historical fiction and this book added just a bit more and kept you guessing the whole time as to who had done it.  It was full of action, mystery, and history and I absolutely LOVED it.  I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves mystery, history, or both.

I have been able to start the beginning of The Dark Monk but have been unable to finish it with the limited time that I have to read.  I know that I am going to pick up my e-reader every chance that I get though and read the sequel.  I can’t wait to see who did the crime in this book and to further the story of Simon, Jakob, and Magdalena.


Thank you to BzzAgent for allowing me to review these books for free in exchange for an honest review.