Fiber One Protein Cereal Review

Okay, I have a review for you all today. I recently was invited to a campaign from Bzzagent to try and write about Fiber One's new cereal with protein.



I received two varieties, maple and brown sugar and cranberries and almonds. I was really excited to try this cereal because I am currently pregnant, and you can never have too much fiber. Then the added protein is a great addition.

This cereal is very fresh tasting and has a great crunch, but not so much that you feel like you're going to break a tooth. It is a very dense cereal, so a little goes a long way. I made the mistake of pouring too much and could not finish it. Very, very filling in my opinion. This cereal also held me over until lunch. I didn't even need a mid morning snack. That is pretty good, considering that I want to eat everything under the sun right now.

The maple and brown sugar is my favorite. The cranberries kept getting stuck in my teeth. The maple variety tasted like I mixed oatmeal and cereal together. It was very good. I am even eating small handfuls for a snack because I like it so much. I will definitely be purchasing this cereal in the future and hope that it remains part of my daily fiber regimen.

Dearest Diapers Review

Okay, so sorry my posts have been sparse. I have been extremely busy getting ready to move and to get ready for baby number 2.

This post is going to be something completely different from what I'm used to writing. I am going from makeup to diapers. Yes, the two couldn't be farther apart. However, I had such a good experience with this company that I had to write about it.

I am expecting a little girl in June and have decided to try out cloth diapers. I know how much trouble and money we have invested in disposables with my son and I do not want to go through it again. I wish I had thought about cloth with him, but we live and learn I suppose. So I entered a few giveaways for cloth diapers and ended up winning a $25 gift card to Dearest Diapers. I was so excited. This was the perfect way to see what they look like and feel like and get an idea about them. I have never used, nor seen cloth diapers, so I am a complete newbie.

 I went to the site and it was very easy to navigate (besides the fact that I had no idea what I was looking for). There are a lot of different types of cloth diapering systems. So since this is my first purchase, I decided to look at the All-In-Ones. I figured, just get everything together, and then maybe venture to the more difficult categories and a later time.

Okay, back to the company. I noticed that they do not charge shipping if you purchase any type of cloth diaper. I really like that. No one likes shipping charges. They also take donations so that they can keep offering free shipping. The best thing about this site is that they sell used and new. I purchased two used all in ones because they were cheaper, and apparently when you purchase a new cloth diaper, you have to wash and dry them 5 or more times to help with the absorbancy of the material. So I figured, hey, if I buy used, then I'm sure they have been washed and dried so much and they must be at their peak absorbancy.

They even threw in a sample of Bee Green Naturals Wipe Solution Cubes. I was pleasantly surprised by the smell of baby when I opened the bag.

I ended up at the end with a GroVia used All-In-One Newborn Diaper in the color Peacock, which is this really nice rasberry color with these really cute peacock graphics. The color and pattern are adorable and very modern looking. The diaper is in really good shape and their are no tears or rips. I was stated that there is some staining, but I cannot see anything.

Inside of the GroVia. No staining.

The second is a used Blueberry Basix Newborn in the color butterflies. It has a nice white background with pink and orange butterflies with flowers and a nice green vine design. It was also in excellent shape and I could not find any staining.

Inside of the Blueberry Basix. Could find no stains and looks great!

These two products together were $20.95, which is an excellent price considering that some All-In-One diapers are that or higher for one. I still had a balance, so I threw in a OsoCozy Diaper Insert for the Blueberry Basix diaper which was $1.35 and then they have a handling fee on orders under $34.95 of $2.00. The higher your price, the lower the fee gets.

I received the package in a very timely manner. I placed the order on the 16th and received it on the 20th. It shipped out the next day. I am very impressed. There was also a hand written note on the order form that thanked me for my order. That just made my day and I love that someone took the time to write something. It makes it very personal and I don't feel like I'm just another order number.

I am very excited about my order, and I will definitely be returning to Dearest Diapers for my future purchases and to complete my cloth diaper collection for my little one.

Rimmel retro glam scandal eyes mascara

I'm coming back with another review on a product that I received from influenster to try and give my two cents on. I previously wrote a review on Rimmel's stay matte mousse foundation, and now I am going to be writing about another product of theirs...the retro glam scandal eyes mascara. 

I was very interested to try this out. I am always on the lookout for a mascara that doesn't clump or gunk up while applying. I keep trying new products and brands when I get done with my mascara. I have yet to repurchase the same brand.

My first thoughts were that the applicator brush was a little weird. It's in the shape of an hourglass, and made me wonder where most of the product was going to go. I like the outside of my lashes to be more dramatic than everywhere else.

I received the color black. I personally like black mascara, but if you do not, then this isn't the product for you. It comes in only two shades, black and extreme black. However, those shades really work with the name of this mascara. When I think of retro, I see very dramatic black lashes. 

This product did not disappoint. It went on smooth, did not clump, and I didn't end up with the four lashes. You know where it looks like you only have 4 or 5 lashes after you've applied because your lashes are caked together. It isn't waterproof, but I'm not a fan anyways. So again, just little things that have to do with personal preference.

Here is a picture with just the mascara on. This is one coat. I don't put mascara on my bottom lashes because they are very long and kinda make me look like a doll. It's not my kind of thing. This gave my lashes the dramatic look that I've been looking for and I'm very pleased.

While wearin this mascara for an entire day, I had no fallout, melting, or change in the shape of my lashes. I have found my new mascara and I will definitely be sticking with this. 

If I left anything out, please let me know. This pregnancy has given me the worst brain fog and I feel as if I was everywhere with this review, so I apologize. 

Rimmel Stay Matte liquid mousse foundation

I have another review from Influenster, who teamed up with Rimmel London, to try and review their new stay matte liquid mouse foundation. I was really looking forward to trying this product out. I have extremely oily skin and foundations usually melt off my face, or end up giving me a much too "dewey" shall we say finish. Because of this problem, I mostly skip the foundation when I apply my makeup.

I skipped the primer while applying this because I wanted to see how it would do without it and because it is advertised to be feather light, I thought the primer would make this feel too heavy and may have swayed my opinion.

My first reaction to this when I first saw the product was that this could not be feather light. It has a very thick clay like texture and doesn't feel like mousse nor liquid. However, when I first applied it, it went on smooth and it was incredibly light. I was very surprised that it did not feel heavy on my face, and it did not cake at all. I forgot that I even had this on by the end of the day, and almost forgot to wash my face (not sure if that's a pro or a con). 

Now for the downside. I don't know if I did not prep my face correctly, or if it is the product itself, but it actually made my face too dry. My nose, forehead, and cheeks looked like I was exfoliating with the foundation. I wash my face with an exfoiliator, then apply my moisturizer. I wait until the moisturizer to dry completely before I apply my makeup. So I am a little stumped as to how the foundation dried out an extremely oily completion with moisturizer on at that. If someone's knows how to fix this, please comment and let me know. I am disappointed that this foundation does this to me, because it really stays matte and I had absolutely no shininess throughout the day. The foundation lasts for the average amount of time. It doesn't last as long as Revlon's Colorstay, but not so fast that you wished you hadn't wasted the money.

So my final verdict is this product is not for you if you're skin is already dry. If dryness is not a concern of yours, then purchase at your own risk. I am pregnant, so maybe my hormones have made my skin drier. Other than that one problem, this product is great in all other aspects. I am not going to recommend nor not recommend this product, because of my experience with it.

Arm & Hammer Sensitive Toothpaste

First off, I apologize for my absence. Things have been a little crazy the past so many months, but I'm back and will be doing some reviews and things here and there again. Today I am writing about a product that I received from Smiley360 to try and share. If any of you have kept up with my blog, then you know that I have done a couple of these in the past. It's the Arm & Hammer Sensitive Toothpaste.

When I saw this opportunity on their site, I knew I had to take advantage of it. I have extremely sensitive teeth. They have been this way since I can remember. It's so bad that I cannot drink anything with ice in it, or even a chilled drink from the coolers at the store. It has to be room temperature. My husband thinks I'm weird, and has no idea how I can stand a soda at room temp. I guess it is a little weird, but it keeps me from having to experience the pain I do.

They sent me 3 travel size tubes (about 1 oz each) and I started using it right away. Firstly, I love the mild taste it has. Some toothpastes will set my mouth on fire, and I brush once to twice daily. It's worse when I am brushing my tongue. This does not cause that sensation, but still leaves my mouth fresh and clean.

Another aspect that I liked is that it is by arm & hammer, so it also is a whitening toothpaste. I couldn't believe that a whitening toothpaste would also fight sensitivity. It's an oxymoron for me. Whitening strips, toothpaste, gels, you name it usually causes sensitivity. I was a little skeptical to be honest.

Of course the main reason to love this toothpaste is that it decreases sensitivity...yay!  I mean, that's the whole point right? Well for me it is. It is from the makers from Orajel, so if anyone knows about oral pain it's them.  I have been using this toothpaste for about 3 weeks and I really have noticed a difference. Don't get me wrong, it's not a huge difference, but a little. I am able to drink a soda from a cooler with no problems, though I still can't tolerate ice in them. Plus, my teeth are a nicer shade of white. So really, it's a win, win.

Now, this probably won't do miracles like prescription strength, or Sensodyne, but it is a cheaper alternative, and people with minor teeth sensitivity would probably see much more positive results, but I think it would be worth a try for anyone who is looking for some relief.  I would recommend that if anyone is interested, that you consult with a dentist first. I did not, but that is just my personal choice.

Things going on and preview to future reviews

Been a little hectic around here lately. My husband, son and I are getting read to head back to Kentucky. We originally moved here to Washington to take care of his grandmother who was in bad health, and unfortunately she did not make it. She was a great woman and was so loved by her huge family and friends. Lately, Washington has become a different place and it just doesn't sparkle as much as it used to.

We were taking care of my grandfather who need some assistance with his daily activities, and giving my grandmother a break. He is an around the clock job of his own and I can tell that it is wearing her out. She is always tired and I can hear it when I talk to her on the phone. So we have decided to travel back and help my grandparents out.

So I have been packing and preparing a 4 day trip on the road with a 2 year old. Yea, its definitely going to be eventful. Maybe we will still have our sanity when we arrive, or we may be bald from pulling our hair out. It will be a surprise for us all to see the outcome. I have a few ideas about how to keep him calm and serene and I will try and update the nights we settle into the hotel. However, my husband is a truck driver and he plans exactly how far we will go and where and when we will stop for the night. So there are times that we won't stop until 10 or 11 at night. I will do my best to provide tips and what worked for my son and what didn't.

Things are definitely different now, last time we drove this trip, he was not walking, and was sleeping most of the time. Now he is a very adventurous, full of energy person. So I am thinking every time we fill up or stop for a bathroom break, I can take him out and walk him around for a bit. That way he can stretch his legs, get some fresh air, and not feel so constricted. I have also made a point of making sure our computer is charged up every morning and bring some of his favorite movies to keep his mind occupied. I do have to say that he is amazed with the outdoors and even driving to town makes his day. He loves to look out the window and look at the beauty of this world around him.

I have also thought about doing some tips on what to wear when you are driving a cross country trip and packing tips. I am very excited about going home to see my grandparents. They have done so much for me and my family and have always been there for me no matter what. I spent my summers in school at their house instead of how most teenagers would want to spend it. I am very excited to go back and see them, and after seeing my husband's grandmother pass, it has made me realize that time is precious and it shouldn't be wasted. I was close to his grandmother and it was hard to see such a strong, independent woman become so feeble. She was a great woman and made an impact on so many lives.

On a different note, some upcoming topics. I will be doing a review on Elevate Styles. I recently have started wearing wigs. I don't have a problem with my own hair, but I see them as a fashion accessory just like anything else. Plus, I don't have to worry about fixing my hair and I can just throw one on when I am in a hurry. I am the mother of a toddler, and primping sometimes just isn't in the picture. So I am going to review the wigs I bought and a new brand of nail polish I have purchased (which will be a different review). If you want to see a preview of one of the wigs, just look at my profile picture to the right. That is Freetress Equal's wig called Milly. I won't say anything else, even though I'm dying to. I want to explain everything in my next review.

If you would like any other traveling tips that I did not list in this, or when the trip is over there was anything I left out and I will be happy to do an updated post with everything I had left out. Wish me luck and I will chat with you later :)

Getting to know me

I figured since its the beginning of a new year I should start out like this.

I've noticed that I do a lot of reviews but if any of you keep up with my blog, you've noticed that I really haven't gotten a chance for you all to get to know me. So lets get started. I thought it would be fun to list some questions and ill answer them, then if there's anything you'd like to know that I haven't mentioned, just comment below and I'll be happy to answer.

Shoplately and Glint & Gleam

I just received my order from Shoplately and I was so impressed with the site that I wanted to write a review.

Shoplately is a company that have smaller shops in it. You can find jewelry, hair accessories, bags, hose etc. One of the shops is Glint & Gleam which is where I bought my hand chain from.

One thing that I really likes about this site is the $2 flat rate shipping. As long as you purchase your items from the same seller, you pay $2, regardless of the number of items. That is a deal that you can't beat. However, if you get one item from another seller then you will have to pay another $2 because the sellers are the ones who ship your order.

I really like the selection on this site. If out want something that is going to stand out, then you will have a field day. The prices are very reasonable and when you sign up, you get a $5 credit on your first purchase.

Laura Geller Fresh Brewed Beauty Collection

Again, I want to apologize for the slacking off I have done lately. I have tried to update as often as I can, but it looks like I have failed miserably. With the move to Washington, I have finally settled in and have been meaning to write a review on Laura Geller's Fresh Brewed Beauty collection. I have had this since October and am just now getting to write this. Well, better late than never right.

The packaging is just awesome and I love the creativity that went into it. You can purchase this for $60 at QVC. When this first came out, they had a ton of promotional prices on it, so you may be able to stumble across this at a lower price.

I actually won this from Beautystat. They are a wonderful company that reviews all things makeup and beauty and it seems like they are always hosting giveaways. It is also the most random way I discovered them. I checked my twitter one day and saw that I had a follower request and it was from them. I usually don't pay attention to most requests, because of the fact that I have never heard from them and afraid that it may be a spammer. For some reason I decided to follow them and check them out. I am so, so happy that I did, because this is now a regularly visited site for me now.

GIVEAWAY!!! CLOSED Winner Announced

Sorry it's been a while since I posted, but there have been some things going on and I haven't been able to update. Anyways, I have a great post and a giveaway! I'm very excited about this.

If anyone of you have read some of my previous posts. I am a member of Smiley 360 and the link is here. You qualify for certain products and if you do qualify, they send it to your home and give you a chance to try it out and share with your family and friends. So check it out if you are interested.

One certain product I was chosen to test was Sears/Kmart and I received a $15 gift card to use on their Decorate it Forward Christmas decor and such. I don't have a Kmart within a 50 mile radius of where I live, so I did my shopping online.

I absolutely love shopping online, I am able to see what there is in an organized setting which really helps. I was actually able to make the 15 dollars stretch. I will post pictures and their links of what I purchased below. The shipping was fairly quick and I was surprised to get both packages on the same day. One item I purchased was from Sears and the rest were from Kmart, so I figured I would get one package one day and the other the next. I did think it was a little waste of packaging since I only had one item shipped from Sears and the box was a lot bigger than the item itself, but I was still happy with everything. I was able to get free shipping from a trial version of Shop Your Rewards MAX. There is no commitment and it is a 90 day trial. So you can shop online for that entire 90 days and get free shipping on everything and anything. They have their own online Christmas Shop and you can either use that to get some ideas for when you visit their stores, or you can go ahead and get started by purchasing online.

Another great thing about Shop Your Way Rewards is that you get points for every purchase you make and then use those points towards future purchases. This is completely free and you get a little card, or if you have an IOS device, you can use a digital copy for your Passbook. I'm not sure what the differences are between this one and the MAX one other than free shipping, but you can check out this page and they will be able to give you more information.

Right now Kmart has a Decorate It Forward Sweepstakes and you can enter to win a shopping trip with Sandra Lee or Jacklyn Smith. The page has all of the details and it's very easy to enter. Personally, I would love a day with Sandra Lee. I watch her show almost everyday and love her decorating style.

Girlactik Star Glosses

On to my next product that I purchased from OpenSky is the Girlactik Star gloss in Smooch.

I was a little disappointed in the shade when I received it. The picture showed a nice peachy color and I was looking forward to trying out a completely new shade of gloss, lipstick, or any other lip product. After reading the description of the color, I believe they said it was a deep pink color with gold undertones. So I'm guessing that the camera that took the picture picked up the gold making the shade look more on the peachy side.

The packaging was really nice. I wasn't expecting what it came in at all. It was in a cheap, but pretty baby pink sachet and small things like that actually make me like a particular brand better. Don't ask me why, but that's the way I am. It's mainly, because the packaging shows me how much the company cares about their product as well as their customers. Inside the sachet was the box which I really liked as well. It was a chocolate brown box with a pink design around the edges and the corners. There was also a little cut out on the box to show the color of the gloss.

With the flash on

I have the swatch below, but in certain light, it looked a little more on the peachy side and sometimes it looked more like a pinky mauve I guess. However, on the lip, it looked more pink and mostly emphasized the natural color on my lip. It is thicker than most lip glosses I use, but I rarely use lip gloss, so if I have any, they are a cheaper brand. The texture isn't too sticky, but if you put too much product on your lips, it will string when you open your mouth. I just rubbed my fingers over it and that fixed the problem.

With the flash off

                                 It doesn't last too long. I say it lasted about 4 hours, which I don't know if that is long or not so you can comment and let me know if that's a good amount of time. Like I said before, it is a very thick consistency and was rather hard to get it off of my arm where I put the swatch. There also wasn't much transfer when I took a drink out of a cup, which I like.

The scent is a little fruity, but there is no taste to the gloss at all. Yes I licked my lips after applying it to see, but there was nothing. I actually like that a lot. I have used lip glosses that leave a metallic taste after I take a drink and cannot stand it. I also don't like a gloss that has a nice taste either, because it makes me want to lick all of the gloss off. Biggest pro of this gloss. The lid is a little hard to put back on, if you don't get it screwed on enough, the lid tries come back up and that can be a little aggravating.

I haven't tried this gloss on a lipstick yet, but seeing the pigment it has by itself, you are going to see a slight difference in the shade of you lipstick with this on top of it. Let's say you're like me and you have really thin lips. You decide to buy a matte lipstick and realize that matte just emphasizes the thinness of your lips. Don't throw it away, and don't just let it sit in your drawer. Take this gloss, or any gloss for that matter and put it on top. It turns your matte lipstick into a nice shiny finish and you are not out anything.

I might purchase this lip gloss again, but it was not as great as the hype it had with it being a celebrity favorite. I think you could find another gloss that will do the exact same thing at a fraction of the cost. I think it is more of a personal preference, but it is a good gloss all in all.
You might still be able to find this on OpenSky's site, but if not, you can find this on Girlactik Beauty where they have other products that I have actually read some really good reviews on some of their other products, but I didn't find much on this gloss before I purchased it.

Dermelect Anti-Aging Nail Color

I had recently received some credit to OpenSky and one of the few things I ordered came today. I have a previous post about my OpenSky experience, so go check it out if you're interested.

Today I received the Dermelect nail color in Luxurious which is a very pretty lavender/lilac color. I thought the packaging was really cute, but I have never purchased polish online, so I've never seen one in packaging, but I liked it.
                                                                    

This polish is supposed to be the first nail color that is peptide-infused and is supposed to make your nails stronger and In overall better condition. It is also dbp, formaldehyde, and toluene free. It has also stated that this polish should last for 2 weeks without chipping and without a base or top coat needing to be applied. Of course I will have to get back with you all on that one since I just applied it today.

It is a very small bottle, .4 fl oz to be exact, so there is not much. It still has that polish smell (I was thinking for some reason that it might smell different, but no such luck). It is really thin from the other polishes that I have used, almost watery even. However, that did not make a difference to how well it did.

Like I said before, you do not need a base coat or top coat for this polish. I know that is a little scary for some of you, and for such a little amount of polish, you want this stuff to last as long as possible. Here is a picture of just one coat (forgive my nails, I just did this quick an didn't even file my nails so sorry in advance)

It's not a good beginning..it has streaking and is very thin making me think that I will have to use 3 coats. The instructions on the bottle says that the first coat is supposed to instantly bond to the nails. Which makes sense because it dried really fast. Then I applied the second coat and it looked amazing. Well not the way I applied it but the polish itself.


The second coat is supposed to fuse with the first coat to resist brittleness and chipping. The second coat did really well and dried faster than i thought it would.

Would I have bought this if I hadn't had a the credit, probably not. Now if this holds up like it says it will then maybe, but I don't really splurge on nail polish anyways so I couldn't justify spending $18 on this, especially for less than half an ounce.

OpenSky might still have this, but if not then I know that Dermstore has it. Plus there is their website Dermelect if all else fails. I really like the color and how fast it dries, and having a toddler around, I don't really have the time to wait on polish to dry. If anyone has used this brand, please let me know what you think of it.

Influenster has been Revamped!

For those of you who have read my reviews on the products that I received from Influenster, will already have an idea of what I'm talking about. For those of you who have not, then let me tell you all about this company.

Influenster is a company that sends out voxboxes to it's members who fit the criteria of what their box contains. Then the recipients get to try out the products they received, which could range from a variety of categories. I received the summer beauty box and all of what I received are in previous posts and my reviews in detail about them, so if you have the time, go check them out.

You can unlock badges, submit your blogs, or vlogs, and social media. Because the main point of receiving these items is to influence the people around you via social networking. Things have changed for them now with their new site makeover.

You now can unlock 5 expert badges and they will be in categories that you feel like you know enough about to be able to spread the word about products that they could send you.
I was going to post a screen shot, but blogger's image window isn't being cooperative with me. However, you can go sign up (I will have the link at the bottom) and see for yourselves.

Then you have certain tasks from those 5 badges that you will want to complete (because it raises your Influenster score which is new now) and having a higher score means more free products to try. I think that this makeover is much more user friendly and much easier to understand now. The great thing about your Influenster score, is if you have a score of 100 or more, you are guaranteed a voxbox for that expert badge (I think, or it is your overall score and you are guaranteed the next box that comes out regardless) I'm not quite sure, but they mentioned it in their Facebook update.

I am loving their new makeover and I encourage anyone to join. What do you have to lose? Absolutely nothing. I joined in June this year and received the summer beauty box the same month, so that's pretty quick. Go check it out and let me know what you think of the look.

Influenster 

Opensky

I actually have some time on my hands, so I thought I would do a review on Opensky. I have been browsing this site for a while, and I absolutely love it. I'm going to try and explain this the best I can, but will probably fail epically.

This site has a team of members that will find certain products that they think are really great and then Opensky puts there discount on the item, so you get the savings. They have several categories ranging from Beauty to kids. I didn't recognize any of the brands, but I love discovering new brands, and from experience, find better products that way. It has what I call the "love" button, that way you can keep of list of what you like and refer back to them later. Some items sell out fast, depending on what they are and how popular they become, so you do have to act kind of fast.

They also have a reward system as well, which is new, and I really like it. I have already reached the Aqua lvl, which allows me a $10 credit twice a month and it goes up to a sapphire lvl which qualifies you for even better rewards.

Just to point out, they have a promotion going on right now that gives new members a $20 credit and another $15 credit if you connect with Facebook. That is an awesome deal. They also have a share button that takes $5 off of that particular item. You have to share each item with 3 friends to receive that though. Your total also has to be $50 or more to be able to use your credit, but I was able to get 3 items to total that and with the $15 off from sharing them, I was able to get all of them for FREE. It does take some basic math skills, but I really stink at math and I was able to do it, so it can't be that hard. I really hope I explained that how I wanted to, if I confused anyone, please let me know and I will help with any questions or confusion.

I will definitely be a return customer for this site and recommend it for anyone who is looking for a great deal. No one has told me to write this blog and I am not getting paid for it. I just really feel like I should spread the love.

What I got for free:

Dermelect Anti-Aging Nail Polish in Luxurious (the name reminds me of Zoolander ^_^)
 It was $14 originally and I received $5 off of that. They also have the pink for breast cancer awareness that donates some of the money to charities, but (please don't think I am a bad person) with all of the pink that I have accumulated recently and my pink hair, I don't really want to be known as the pink woman

Girlactik Star Gloss in smooch which is a nice peachy color and I don't have that color yet, so I am excited to try it. It was $18 retail, then $16 Opensky price and I then received $5 off of that price.

Cafepress coffee mug in the cream or white color, and I love that it has the press built in and it's a travel mug. This is my favorite out of all that I received. It retails $20 and there was no Opensky discount, but I did receive my $5 off.

  Everything totaled to $50 and with the $15 off for sharing them, it made the total to be $35 dollars and then with my credit made everything free and I did not have to put in my cc information. The shipping was also free as well. I don't really know how, because it said that orders $100 or over would receive free shipping, but I'm not complaining. It will take about 2 weeks to get everything in, but I'm pretty sure they offer faster shipping options.

Once everything comes in, I will do a review on each product and let you know how the quality compares to the prices on this site. So be on the watch!

Catching Up

Okay, so things have been pretty hectic lately and I haven't updated as much as I would have liked to. We moved back to Washington state and are helping my husband's grandma at the moment. She has been in pretty bad shape and needs someone here to help her move around and such. She is doing better now and is working towards getting back to her old self, so that is great news.

I am so happy to be back on the northwest coast. There is nothing like it. The beauty that surrounds you when you step outside and the coastal winds already blowing. It is absolutely awesome. I can't even begin to explain how I feel when I wake up in the morning. We are in a place where you can go to the beach and stand in front of the pacific and turn around and see the mountains. It's amazing. I've never been much for hot weather, so the fact that it hardly goes over 78 degrees outside is really nice. 

I originally am from Kentucky and always felt like I never belonged there. My goal in life was to get out of there and see what else this world has to offer. When I met my husband, he was from WA and it's a long story of how he ended up in KY, so I won't get into that. So we decided to come over here. I wanted a better life for my son then I had back home. He has more opportunities here, and has a chance to go to some great schools. It is a complete culture change here.

For instance, my hair is pink and in KY people would stare at me. Maybe they were in awe, or maybe they were thinking that I was some hooligan. Who knows, but here people do not care what you wear, or how you look, they are more concerned about what they are doing, then what you are doing. For me, I find it relieving. I'm not saying that is how all places are back home, but in the really small town I live in, that seems to be how they are.

Anyways, I will be putting some tutorials up soon and I would like to know what you all would want to see. Let me know in the comments and I will get it up.  

Gender Selection Procedures for soon to be parents

Well I was just browsing the web and came across an article about how people are spending $18,000 for procedures to ensure they get the gender they want when they conceive. I didn't know what to think. I was amazed that someone would want to take away one most exciting parts of of having a baby.

When I found out I was going to have a baby, I was thrilled. One of my favorite parts of the pregnancy was the day I found out whether I was going to have a boy or a girl. I did not care if it was one or the other. I just wanted a healthy baby. I would be happy to have either. I remember people asking me what I thought I was going to have. For some reason I knew I was having a boy. My intuition doesn't really like me most of the time, but in my gut I knew there was a beautiful baby boy growing inside of me. I remember someone asking me what I thought I was having and I told them a boy. They said, "but do you hope its a girl?" Of course I didn't care, I told them that I didn't care. I was going to be happy either way. I remember her looking at me like I had just lied. That every mother should want a girl and that it was wrong of me to try and hide that. I truly did not care. I never once uttered, I hope I have a ____.  It's one of nature's greatest surprises. Why would someone want to ruin the natural course of life?

Do you know what I could do with $18,000, put it in a fund so that when my children get of age, they can use it for college, or use it to get on their feet when it is time for them to get out there on their own.

The article also said that more people are wanting girls. For one, if you have children already and they are boys, how is that going to make them feel, if they find out that you paid all that money because you wanted a girl. Would they feel like you never wanted them? That they were a disappointment because they were the product of what nature intended?

Since when did a child's gender become a choice, like you were picking out a pair of shoes, or shopping for a new car?

Manic Panic Cotton Candy Pink

Well after years of having almost every color of hair. I realized that I had exhausted my options. I have had my hair black, different shades of brown, different shades of red, and finally I risked blonde. Of course that story is in a previous post of mine and you can read all about that, so I won't get into it again.

I have decided that I will try some more eccentric colors. I really liked the lavender hair I had been seeing. It was such a cool (as in cooler and warmer color) color and looked beautifully on fair skin tones. Since my blonde has a warmer shade to it, I feared that it would not come out the way I had expected. So I was browsing through YouTube and came across a video. I cannot remember who it was and I will probably never find it again, but any who. She had the most awesome shade of pink hair. It was a tad bit darker than a cotton candy pink, but after seeing her previous videos, I saw that this was the result of her deep, rich pink fading. I loved it though. It was subtle, but very classy on her. Of course, I got the wild hair (no pun intended) to do the same thing. I wasn't really worried about the light color since I had already made the big step to blonde, and the biggest headache (having to be blonde before I go pink) was already done.

The first step was to get the pink dye. I had recently saw that Ion had come out with their brilliant brights. I heard great reviews about it and decided since it was cheaper than Manic Panic, I would just get that.

I had to apply this stuff twice and it still didn't change the color of my roots. I don't know if it was because I had just bleached them. I don't think that would have anything to do with it, but it was really frustrating to see blonde roots and the rest of my hair a very, very pastel pink. The bad thing was that the more I put on, the more vibrant my ends were getting. I had already went past the point of the color I wanted to achieve and was getting very aggravated.

So...I broke down and got Manic Panic. The price is around $10 at Sally's Beauty and it is surprisingly smaller than when I saw it online. I had a feeling that it wouldn't even cover my head. I picked up Cotton Candy Pink and was hoping that it would fix this mess.

About $10 at Sally's Beauty Supply

 Manic Panic is sold at numerous places and they have their own site Manic Panic

I followed their directions to a T and hoped for the best. I really liked how it didn't take much at all to coat the strands, and combing it through my hair made it go a long way. I put just a plain plastic grocery bag on my head and took a hair clip to pin the extra. I didn't put heat on it, because I didn't want neon pink hair. I just wanted the color on my roots so that my hair would look as even as possible. I left it on for 30 minutes and rinsed it out.

What people will do for beauty. I rinsed my hair in the coldest water I could stand. I was more than ready for it to be out. Another thing that makes this product well worth the money is that it must have a conditioner in it, because my hair felt so soft when I was done.

Before I even started all of this, I washed my hair and only shampooed it. Of course I used Clear Scalp and Hair Therapy. Like I said, this is my one and only brand of shampoo and conditioner I will ever use.

The results??? Well, see for yourself...

I absolutely love it. Now it is a little more vivid in reality. My webcam is crappy, so you can't really see what it looks like if you were standing next to me.  Who knows, maybe I'll try lavender next.

There is a reason Manic Panic is expensive. It works like a charm. I wish I had just bought this instead of purchasing Ion Brilliant Brights, which I will never purchase again, and am very close to writing a bad review on it, but it could have been me doing something wrong.

I will be using this from now on and I can't wait to get under a black light to see it glow :)

Hunt's Delicious Dinners Cravebox

Okay all you Kentuckians, listen up. I don't know if anyone has heard of Cravebox, but I am about to explain, so just sit tight.

Cravebox is a company that offers you the chance to use a number of products for a set price, so that you don't have to waste your money buying a full size product just to find out that it is just not going to work. I know that I have thrown money down the drain so to speak for that reason alone. So you pay one fee per month and you will receive a box full of several different types of products. I know that they have beauty boxes and food boxes. I'm sure they have many more categories, but there are a couple. I have had a huge interest in purchasing a box, but haven't been able to. I will list their site at the bottom. Definitely go and check it out.

Right now they have this Hunt's dinner box. Anyone who lives in Kentucky and is a busy home cook is eligible for this box, and it is only going to cost you $10 to cover shipping and handling. That is an awesome price. It includes a new dinner sauce from Hunt's and the people who purchase this box will be the first to try it. I, personally really like Hunt's products. I am one of those that prefer Hunt's over Heinz, along with other samples to help put together a nice dinner for your family, that will apparently cut your preparation down and is going to make the entire process a breeze.

Being a stay at home mom with a 2 year old that is constantly getting into something. I usually just whip something up fast, so that I can keep my attention on him and be able to cook for my family. I would really enjoy for once to be able to cook something that looks nice and tastes even better, but that is just not in the cards for me right now. I take my hat off to mothers that have more than one that are close to his age. He is my first, so this is a learning experience for me as well. Cooking already makes me nervous, and so I don't really have the time to cook a nice meal. I am hoping that this will give me a new outlook on cooking.

This sauce is supposed to be very versatile. So you can slow cook chicken with it or spread it over polenta or pasta.

Okay, are you ready to hear about the bonus that is coming with these boxes? Trust me, it is epic. 10 boxes are going to contain a $100 VISA gift card and one will contain a $250 card. If that doesn't move you, than I don't know what will. That right there is worth $10 in my opinion. Besides, you probably wouldn't be able to pay $10 for a decent meal at the grocery store.

I think this is a great opportunity, and if you are like me, Kentucky doesn't really top the list of states that gets singled out for things like this. I am really psyched about this as you all should be as well.

Cravebox - go to their site and become a member. Then visit this link https://www.cravebox.com/hunts.asp?ps=1  to purchase their Hunt's Delicious Dinners Cravebox. Enjoy!

A way to have single serve coffee without a single serve machine

Do you know what really stinks? When you buy this box of what you believe to be chai tea latte and then take it home and 2 weeks later find out that you have bought single serve pods. Yes I did that. I love chai tea and I thought it was a new product, and so I just grabbed it.

You should have seen my face when I decided that a nice hot chai tea would hit the spot. I opened it to see pods and my heart sank. It's awful when you have your heart set on something just to find out that its going to crash and burn.

Since I had opened it, I couldn't take it back. I sure wasn't going to just let it sit or throw it away either. So I tried to google how to make this without a single serve coffee maker, hoping that someone else had made the mistake as I did. No such luck. So I examined the pods and tried to see how they worked. This chai tea latte I had purchased had to steps. The tea and the milk pods. Which was even more confusing. I did find a way and I'm going to tell you now.

I took a glass and microwaved some water to almost boiling. Two minutes was fine with me, but 5 minutes will boil water. It is just preference.

Then I grabbed my one cup measuring cup to pour the water in so I wouldn't spill water everywhere.

I took the tea pod, opened it, and put it in a normal coffee filter. Then I gathered the edge of the filter to make a pouch, holding it with my fingers. I did leave a small opening so I could pour the water in, and held it over my mug.

Next, I took my measuring cup and slowly poured the water into the filter. The water is hot enough that it instantly brewed the tea. I kept doing this until my mug was a little over half way full, and then squeezed the filter to get what was left. I would recommend using tongs. I used my fingers and it was a little toasty on my poor little fingers.

For any single serve coffee, those would be your steps, but of course you will fill the cup up all the way. I still had a second step which was the milk.

The milk step was easy. I pulled the top off and poured the milk into the mug. Then I filled the pod up with the water two to three times and that dilutes the milk.

There you have it. A nice drink that took as long as it does to brew on in a single serve machine would. Yes it is a little primitive, but this is what I had to work with and I still was able to make use of my package of pods that would have been useless otherwise. The tea turned out great and I ended up using all of the pods within a week.

A lot of you that read this will probably think I am crazy and I should just go buy one, but I can't see spending 200 dollars on a coffee machine that only makes one cup of coffee, along with the pods that are kind of high as well. I will probably get one sooner or later, but that will be when I have that amount of money laying around that I couldn't use for something more useful to me.

I hope this helped anyone that is in the same situation that I was, and hopefully they will see this that will be as thankful as I would have been if someone had done the same for me.

5 Hour Energy Shot for Smiley360 mission

Let's just start by saying how I came across this mission to try 5 hour energy and why I am writing this review. I am a member of Smiley360. They are a company that sends you samples from some of the biggest manufacturers to try, evaluate, and share your opinions to your friends and followers. They have a huge community, and all of the reviews for these products are from the members. I really like that the pages dedicated to these products are created by the members as well. I've been a member since the beginning of June, and this is my first sample that I received. Well they aren't really samples, but full size products that you received which is awesome by itself. So I didn't have to wait that long to receive something. You have to be quick though, because these missions fill up extremely fast. I missed out on two others due to timing. I really like the site and that it is made for the consumer and very user friendly. So once you get approved for a mission, you will have a mission page, and this page will instruct you how to share your opinion through Facebook and Twitter, and you receive "smiles" for everyone that clicks on your link. You also have a section for sharing by word of mouth to family and friends. You will just click on it and let them know how many people you told on different occasions and how you think it went overall buy clicking on a number from 1 to 10. You can receive up to 50 smiles for each mission, and these smiles help towards getting chosen for more products to review. It's a great little site.

5-Hour Energy

Okay, a little information about 5-hour energy. I first started seeing commercials for this product around 2005, 2006 area. I was working at a nursing home as a CNA, and was living off Monster and Rockstar. I worked the 12 hour graveyard shift usually 3 days a week, but I put in a lot of overtime, so I needed energy to actually get me through the night sometimes.

I'm going to be honest, at first I thought this was like those weight loss pills, and was either going to be bad for my heart, or was just a scam. They're commercial was low budget and it just made me feel wary about the product. In about a few months, a friend of mine brought some to work. We were all getting kind of worn out and I thought, hey, what do I have to lose, and I really didn't feel like hitting up a gas station on my 30 minute lunch break to go grab a Monster. I just remember downing the little bottle. I just knew it was going to last about 30 minutes and I was going to be jittery as well.  However, neither happened. It actually worked. Now it's not a noticeable change, you just gradually feel better and more awake. For me, it lasted the rest of my shift. I did not crash afterwards at all. I was hooked.

B12 is the vitamin that gives you energy. Doctors will give elderly patients a B12 shot, to make them feel better. When you get to a certain point in life, you lay down and takes naps a lot and just feel weak. Which is expected. Your body is wearing down. My grandfather gets these shots about once a week. You can see an instant change in his behavior and mood. He feels better, and moves around a whole lot better and he is 85.
That is what 5 hour is trying to do. They have put a more concentrated amount of this vitamin in this drink. It is a natural energy drink that isn't going to mess up your body. That is why it works, and that is why it is safe (in moderation!). You don't want to down 5 in one day. Of course, too much of any vitamin is not good for you. Well same rules apply here.

They com in a variety of flavors. Pomegranate, lemon-lime, grape, and orange. Then they have their decaf and extra strength (comes in cherry and grape). You can find all of that information on their website.

 I received Pomegranate and Berry. I have tried Pomegranate and I loved it! Plus it is really fun eating the little beads inside. I was ready to try the shot. I pretty much love anything pomegranate flavored. Well no I love one less thing. This tasted awful. It was like drinking really bitter cough syrup. I took a couple of gulps and couldn't finish it. Maybe I have turned into a wuss, or it's been too long since I have drunken an energy drink and lost my built of tolerance to the bitterness of them. Either way, I don't have to tolerance these days to force myself to finish something like that. I'd rather be tired honestly. I had also just woke up, so maybe if I had tried it later in the day, I would have forced it down. I am not to be messed with when I first wake up and extremely irritable. I will be trying the berry soon, but since I know this stuff works, I felt comfortable enough to write a review without having to consume both bottles. Also, the couple of gulps I got down, really helped get me woke up enough to accomplish a few things.

The two flavors I received, Pomegranate and Berry

 I will edit this later when I do drink it, so at least you can read the review on the flavors. Their site has a Q&A section, plus you can go to Smiley's website and read the reviews there. The price for a six pack is 14.99 on their site and a package of 12 is 25.99. It does seem a little high, but for a large can of your popular energy being about 4 or 5 dollars, and a pack of six will last almost to a week. You are definitely going to get your money's worth. I remember being able to buy these single at convenience stores, but I don't know if that option is still available now. It doesn't hurt to check though! The links will be down below.

5-Hour Energy's Facebook page
5 Hour's Twitter
Smiley360's website
5 Hour's FAQ