What Keeps You Dry When You're HOT HOT HOT?

Bzz Agent has hooked this girl up once again with a product to try.  This time it's a clear gel deodorant/antiperspirant by Secret.  So, I'm a Secret girl anyway, but I stick with the solid.  I've never been a fan of over perfumey, gooey deodorants, so I stick with my coconut scented stick.

That said, in the interest of science and shopping, I am always willing to try something new and see what I think.  The deal with the Secret Outlast Completely Clean Clear Gel is that it is supposed to go on and dry very quickly and have a mild and nice scent and keep you dry and UNstinky through the day.  The product does work.  It's a great antiperspirant and deodorant.  BUT, it does go on gooey, like all gels, and it does not dry in seconds as advertised.  It takes a while of holding the arms up in the air.  Clever girl that I am, I would use a hair dryer to speed things up, but the heat seemed to keep it from drying good, so that was a bad plan.  It does not get on your clothes, well... unless you put your clothes on before it's dry, of course.

So, overall it works fine and if you're a gel girl, I recommend it, but for those of you who, like me, are a bit grossed out by the goo...  pass.

Can CoverGirl and Olay Make Me Beeeeautiful???

New product alert!  I was provided two new makeup products from Bzz Agent** recently and I’ve been giving them the ol’ college try.  I admit I was excited to try the products because first, they were a combination of CoverGirl and Olay and I’m a fan of both products.  Also, they are designed to “de-puff” your eyes and give you a “facelift effect”.  YES!  I’m getting to that age where I could use a little de-puffing and facelift effect in my life.

I received the two products and the color is actually pretty good on me.  That’s probably my favorite part. If I’m to be honest here, the de-puffing eye concealer does not go on well at all… it didn’t “rub in” and just sort of sits on your skin while you rub it around.  It’s weird.  I don’t like it.  I also didn’t notice any changes in my puffiness… not that I’m PARTICULARLY puffy, but still.   The Facelift Effect Firming Makeup goes on much nicer, but I found it to be quiet heavy or thick feeling.  I know I’m not supposed to touch my face all day, but I find myself touching my face and it feels weird when I’m wearing this, not soft like normal.

I want to note that I don’t dislike the firming makeup, but I also don’t see any firming going on.  I have lines around my eyes and mouth and there is zero change when I use the makeup.  I even tried doing half of my face to kind of do a test and I could see no difference in the lines on my face.

Overall, I do not recommend the De-puffer, sorry CoverGirl/Olay, this one wasn’t a home run.  On the other hand, the firming make-up is not bad for people who like wearing face make-up.  It does give good coverage, but be prepared for it to be a heavier make up, versus a light one.

** Reminder for new visitors, I belong to BzzAgent.  Bzz Agent sends me products that I get to try for free or for a greatly reduced price (in the case of this make up, it was free!)  Then I tell you about the products and what I think.  Honestly, most of the time I like the products, but every once in a while I get one like this that just doesn't do it for me.  but, i want to make sure that everyone knows I was given these products at no cost to me.

MOUNTAIN MIKE's - Just Eat There!!!!

I am OBSESSED with Mountain Mike’s pizza.   I ran across them by accident, tried the amazing pizza and then found out it’s a chain!  Now, I count myself lucky that there is one near my job so I can take a long lunch and scarf down on their pizza and salad buffet (who am I kidding… I totally skip the salad part) with a soft drink for $7.99!  DEAL!

Anyway, the pizza is perfect.  It’s not too thick, not too thin, crispy outside, but soft inside the crust and the toppings are top notch quality.  I personally feel that the Garlic Tuscan pizza is the freaking BEST PIZZA EVER!  So good.  Just try it.

So, the point here is that if you have a Mountain Mike’s near you and you haven’t tried it, you’re in for a treat.  I also recommend checking in on Yelp because the shop near me gives a 10% discount when you check in on Yelp (not on the lunch special, but for a whole pizza!)

If you don't know if there is one near you, check out THEIR WEBSITE RIGHT HERE!

Coppertone Clearly Sheer Sunscreens

I've been using Coppertones new Clearly Sheer for about 6 weeks now and I like it. The hype is that it's sheer and light and won't clog pores and has light scenting. Now, I happen to LOVE good old fashioned Coppertone scent, so not having that scent isn't necessarily a plus to me, but I have to say I found the scent of both the lotion and the spray to be nice. I want a beachy scent, darn it, and this does okay, but it is much lighter than the standard Coppertone in the brown bottle.

I agree that the product feels light on your skin and it definitely is not greasy at all. I feel like it stays on well, even when I'm in the pool. I burn easily and so I use a lot of sunscreen and this definitely kept my burning to a minimum and the last time I was in the sun and pool, my husband said, "you didn't get any color on you today!" I think that means it's working. 

I've been using a combination of the lotion and the continuous spray. What I like to do is to use the lotion first and then I back it up with the spray throughout the day. IT works! I love sprays because it is so easy to apply. I even spray this into my hands and then rub it on my face and it's worked great.

 I've shared it with friends and family and my husband and everyone has liked it, with no complaints. I honestly don't have any sunscreen stories where I had a problem and I don't have a big loyalty to any one brand, with the exception of the Coppertone smell! But, I would definitely recommend these, either the lotion or the spray, or BOTH!

I was lucky to get my hands on these products for FREE through BzzAgent. They provide me with products to try and then I get to tell you all about them! You can be a BzzAgent, too... just go to the website and start trying products!

Spalena Sheets - originally found at Costco, now online

So, my parents got us sheets from a Costco Roadshow and I instantly fell in love with them.  They are the Spalena brand and are microfiber and literally the softest thing I've ever slept in.  I had just the one set for the longest time and then I decided to search the Internets to find more.

I found the website and was about to buy, then did some Google searching and found another website selling them for a little cheaper.  I've since done more searching and it seems they sell the same sheets under a few different names, so if you decide to go this route, be sure to do a little research to get the best price.  One place I haven't found them?  AMAZON!

So a few minutes after placing my order, I discovered a review place/message board where people were discussing the sheets and the reviews were a mixed bag.  What I learned was that microfiber sheets can make you super hot.  Okay, I should have known this since I'd been using them over a year at this point, but honestly, I was thinking it was a hormone thing causing night sweats.  Boy do I feel dumb.  Anyway, I'd already ordered a couple sets of these things and they are not cheap, so I've continued using them, but I do believe that these sheets will make you feel very hot at night.  If you're good with that, then these sheets are AWESOME and sooo sooooooo  sooooooooo soft AND wrinkle free!  If you don't like the heat, stick with cotton and get out your iron.

My two cents.

Heys, Britto "A New Day" Luggage

I have been coveting this luggage for a long time.  I love the Britto style of art and I think these are gorgey! So, I was totally excited about finding this piece at TJ Maxx... ARE YOU KIDDING ME???  It was still pricey at $139, but I had to have it and I bought it.

After using it a few times now, I realize that I am not in love with the actual luggage itself.  It's taking some time getting used to the opening in the middle thing and I don't think it packs as well.  It's fairly lightweight and I love the spinners and It's truly beautiful (of course it's already getting all scratched up... GR.).  There is a but, though... it's just not as convenient for actually packing.  I think when I get another suitcase, I'll go back to the open on top sort of thing instead of the clamshell style... but you have to admit it's pretty as I rush through airports!

BOBBLES!

I'm surprised it's taken me so long to review Bobbles.  I LOVE them... started using them in January as an alternative to those stupid squishy plastic bottles that all of the bottled water has gone to.  The cool part is that Bobbles have filters, so you can improve the taste of your water.  I will warn that just because there are filters, doesn't mean that you can filter out microbes from a creek or anything and it doesn't make all water taste like Aquafina, but it's helpful.

So, I've found them at Target - luckily on the mark down! But mostly I get them from Amazon and watch for sales.  It says you  should change the filter every 30 days or so, but I use mine like six months at a time and its totally fine.  THE MAN will not sucker me in to their money making scheme of short shelf lives on filters!

I have paid between $6-$12 for the actual bobble with a filter and I've paid between $5-$8 for the replacement filters.

I use four daily.  I have one of the large size (24oz) and four of the medium size (18oz).  I drink them all and more each day.  When I travel, I take them with.  Great for going on an airplane.  I leave it empty, then after going through security I can fill up at a water fountain.  You should totally get these.

I promise, you will love them!

YUM YUM YUM Dark Chocolate and Krispies!

Okay, THIS JUST IN! I JUST discovered that Hersheys minis is now including, get this, The dark chocolate mini bars with crisp rice... Yeah, it's like a Krackel, but with dark chocolate! I found one. I ate it. It was AWESOME. Maybe I should not be telling people this. You might eat them all. They are freaking good.

Bzz Agent Hooks This Bee Up With Tasty & Nutritious Snacks - WIN!

I think my favorite part of the Kashi Hummus Crisps is the protein and fiber. As a diabetic, it is hard to find snack foods that provide these and that is the only way to keep my sugars down. Yes, they have 21g of carbs per serving, but so do all snack chips and it is helpful to counter that with protein and fiber. So this is a win for me.

Compared with other chips, you really can eat more of them, so more filling and better for you. How can you argue with that? I've always found Kashi to be a top notch company that tries to put out products that are better for us and still tasty, so Hummus Crisps is another one of those success stories from Kashi.

Second, they do taste good! Definitely, these Hummus Crisps are not greasy and that's because they're popped. the sea salt and olive oil flavor is exactly what I like... although I did find myself thinking a step further and going vinegar and sea salt might have been tasty! I really want to try some other flavors.

I brought my bag to work so that I could get everyone's opinions and overall, most people really liked them. We're snackers here anyway, but we're always looking for alternatives to the unhealthy items we're normally noshing on. These were a hit with most people both for taste and nutritional value. There were a few that didn't like the taste and one co-worker said the texture was "weird". I wrote her up... no I didn't. To each his own. I had 4 people ask for coupons so they could buy them for themselves and I'm waiting to hear back if they found them. I've had trouble with locating stores that carry them, myself.

Overall, I love these and would buy them, even without a coupon. The one negative for me is that I cannot find them! I've checked my local grocery stores - even the national chains, Costco, Target... no luck. Lets get these guys out there where we can find and buy them!

Look at These Pearly Whites!

So, I just returned from vacation, where I decided to use Luster Premium White products to whiten my teeth. The truth here is that my teeth are jacked up. I have some that didn't grow properly, so one is missing completely and one is really small and so I have a lot of spaces... not so much crooked, but not so pretty. BUT, I did think that the one thing I can do, is go whiter. It just so happened that Bzz Agent had a campaign for Luster Premium White whitening system and I though vacation was a good time to do it.

The best part of this system is it's easy and flexible. You can do a power whitening by doing the treatment four times a day in three days or you can spread it out to two times per day in six days, or any combination of twelve times. I went with twice a day, except one day that I only did it once. It was fairly simple to do, you swish some liquid in your mouth and then you spit it out and brush on a gel that whitens your teeth. The gel is supposed to be active for 10 minutes and then goes inactive (or something like that)

Everything went well and I even tried to take before and after photos, but it's really hard to take amateur photos of your teeth. I believe that the product worked for me. I and my husband agreed that my teeth did look whiter, but it wasn't so significant that when I returned from vacation that people said, "hey, did you whiten your teeth?" It was very subtle. What I want to find out next is how often I can do it, because I think if I keep doing it, over time it should help.

The system also came to me with tooth paste samples. I did use one of the samples and I used it while I was using the rest of the system so I don't know how much the toothpaste itself worked. I know that I didn't care for the toothpaste because it's really thick... kinda gagged me, but I gag when I brush my teeth anyway, so there's that. I think this post has gotten way to personal, so I will end with, I think this product has real potential. I plan on using it more and my husband also has expressed an interest in trying it.

They Called Her The Girl Who Was Anti-i - THEN WASN'T

Well, I went to the dark side. I got a free iPhone. It's the iPhone 4. No Siri. I'm only going to admit this here. I like it. I really do. It's much easier to use than the Android mobile that I have for work. I'm not good at doing everything and I learn new things all of the time, but the truth is it works great and I'm happy. Don't tell anyone, but I cannot lie to you. The one thing I have NOT done, and don't know if I ever will, is use it with iTunes, which I STILL HATE!!!! Nothing has changed that. We'll see how that goes. Maybe I'll update this if anything ever changes.

Gee, My Hair Smells Terrific!

I am IN LOVE with Paul Mitchell's new(ish) Wild Ginger line of Hair Products.  First of all, they smell heavenly.  I mean, if you like the smell of ginger, they smell amazing.  Second they are made with Awapuhi protein rich products that give you strength shine and silky hair so their great for damaged and frizzy hair, but careful, careful not to over protein your hair or it can get funky!

My favorite product has to be the mousse or what they call the Hydrocream Whip.  It's super dense and not like a normal mousse.  You don't need a ton because of the density, but it doesn't weigh down your hair and it makes nice defined curls without the 80's "crunch" going on there.  LOVE IT.  I'm also digging the finishing spray.  It has some really great hold, but doesn't make your hair hard.

At first I wasn't sure about the shampoo because it seemed thick, then I realized I just don't need as much and it makes crazy amounts of lather!  I'm now using the shampoo and cream rinse regularly and once every week or two I use the Keratin Intensive Treatment instead of the cream rinse.  There is also a KeraTriplex Treatment that comes in little tiny containers and you leave it on for about 10 minutes, follow it up with the Keratin intensive Treatment for another 10 minutes and then rinse it all out.  I only do this every couple of months because I don't want to over-protein my hair and that stuff is PRICEY! 

I use the mousse to style over the Styling Treatment Oil.  The treatment Oil makes sure you got no frizz going on there and it smells yummy and really gives off a nice shine.  If it's not shiny enough for ya, you can always finish your look with the Shine Spray.  I love this stuff, too, but my spray applicator thingy stopped working!  Not so happy with that.  It's a very fine mist that leave a pretty shine all over your hair.  I hope to figure out how to get mine working again!

I've also used the Blow out Spray and tend to use that when I'm blow drying it all straight and I tried the Texturizing Sea Spray, but I hate it.   I am not a fan of texturizing sprays in general because I don't like how it makes my hair feel.  It's feels like I have dirty sea water in my hair.  Yuck.  But that is the only product I haven't liked.


Overall, I love this line of products and I highly recommend them.  So glad I branched out.  They are not the cheapest hair care products out there, but I'm really happy with them.  I've always been a Paul Mitchell snob in general, but the Wild Ginger is AMAZING.

Draftmark: The New Way to Drink Beer? No.

Bzz Agent hooked me up with a $55 coupon for the Draftmark System introduced by Anheuser Busch/InBev.  It covered the cost of the system, but not the $20 I had to drop for the refill.  The refills only come in Budweiser, Michelob Amber Bock, Bass, Shock Top Belgian White, and Shock Top Wheat IPA.  Not a fabulous selection, but I do like Bass.  Unfortunately, the Albertsons I bought mine at only had Michelob and Shock Top, so we ended up getting the Shock Top IPA.  For the cost, you'd think you'd get high end beers.  I can't imagine Budweiser drinkers dropping this kind of money for beer.

For starters, the Albertsons we went to in Clairmont had a piss poor marketing scheme going for this project.  First, the actual three boxes of the tapper system itself were just tossed on the floor next to a post.  I walked past several times before I even saw them.  Then the refills aren't even in the refrigerators, they are in the back and you have to ask for them, so I can't imagine anyone who wasn't specifically there to buy it would even know what to do.  It's terrible marketing.

Once I got the system home and the battery to the tapper charged, I put it together, loaded the refill and gave it a little time to make sure the beer was settled.  After about 15 minutes I poured my first glass and unfortunately ended up with a glass full of foam.  I waited a few more minutes and when the foam settled, I  re-poured that glass and a second and there was less foam this time.

After our toast, I have to say I was disappointed.  I wasn't a fan of the taste and don't know if this was related to the beer itself or the delivery system since I hadn't tried this beer before.  One thing I did note was that it seemed like it wasn't as carbonated as it should be.  Two days later, it seemed even less carbonated. Overall, I'm not a fan.

1. It's expensive.  I would never pay $20 for less than a 12 pack of beer unless it's excellent beer.  This is not and none of the available beers are flavors I care for.

2. I think it lacks carbonation.

3. There is no dating on the refill packaging so how do you know if the beer is even fresh?

It's not that it's a bad idea.  I could see instances where this would really be awesome, but it would need to have better beers and work better.  I don't think I would recommend.

CRAP: Bosch 300 Series 24-in Built-In Dishwasher (Stainless Steel model SHX33RF5UC)

My parents bought this dishwasher for me as a birthday gift because my dishwasher had died and I hadn't gotten around to replacing it. I was pretty excited and my dad even brought it over and installed it. I didn't use it immediately, but when I did, I was pretty disappointed. It is true that it is quiet. That is probably the one feature that I could care less about. What is important to me is clean dishes. It cleaned most of them okay, but the plastics were filmy and the silverware was spotty and the knives even had some rust on them! I figured out that this has no dry cycle and that it is supposed to use high heat water that then evaporates to dry the dishes. Yeah, that doesn't work. The dishes stay wet and a side benefit is the stench. It smells seriously bad in there. I have to open the door and leave it cracked to keep from having that smell. I've used it four times with the same results.

The other problem is the beeping that occurs when the cycle is over. It doesn't stop, so no washing dishes before bed because you have to wait for it to be done - could be hours - so that you can open the door to make the beeping stop. It's awful.

I was super disappointed and didn't want to hurt my parents feelings, but I realized that this dishwasher was so awful that I just can't live with it so we're returning it this weekend. Looks like I'm going to go with the Maytag. It gets a ton of really great reviews.

I cannot recommend this machine. Really, do not do it.

Pros quiet

Cons small, smells, doesn't dry, doesn't clean, beeps forever, special soap

I would not recommend this to a friend

Kellogg's Fruity Snacks - SERIOUSLY????

Well, I decided, after a long hiatus here... oops, that I needed to get my butt back to the blog to do a review on these Kellogg's Fruity Snacks. Why? Because I am HORRIFIED at how awful these things are for you and they don't even taste all that great! Today, at an event, I was given three packages of these guys, cherry, berry and strawberry. Sounded yummy... cherry fruit snacks? YUM. Then I read the nutrition label. First, this is a 2.5 oz bag of these little guys. Decent size snack, except that this bag, contains 2.5 servings. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad either, until you see that ONE serving is 80 calories, 19g of carbs and 13g of sugars (a diabetic's nightmare). Oh, there is one gram of protein and no fat. You'd think with nutrition facts like that, I'd just throw these to the wolves, but no I had to try them. They aren't even very tasty. =( It's basically a cherry gummy and not even a good one. It's not a fruit snack, it's CANDY. Call it what it is, Kellogg's! C.A.N.D.Y. Boo! Bad product. Only redeeming quality is the Vitamin C and we can get that from other sources.

Garnier B.B. Cream

So, Bzz Agent sent me something to make me beautiful! What luck! The past month, I've been trying out Garnier's B.B. Cream which is a tinted moisturizer with SPF 15.

When I first tried it, I liked the look on my face. I've used tinted moisturizers in the past and I do like them. I'm not one that wears face make-up so this is a little like that, but it's not quite so much as using a regular foundation. It does come in two colors, light to medium and medium to dark. I'm using the light to medium.

I noted at first that I didn't LOVE the feeling of it on my face. So the next day I tried it over my regular moisturizer and I liked that a lot better. On it's own, it's just not as creamy as I prefer, but someone else might like it very well. I like that it has a mild SPF to it and the color looks great. It works very well to even out the tone on my face - I've even gotten compliments since I started using it!

This is one, I might keep using in the future and you can pick it up from Amazon for $9.99!

Light to Medium:


Medium to Dark:

Oreo's Birthday Cake Cookies

Being a huge fan of Oreo's, I was excited to find out about their 100th birthday and even more excited about the prospect of trying their Limited Edition Birthday Cake Cookies with sprinkles in the filling!



I searched all of the grocery stores in my city to no avail. There were no birthday cake cookies to be found, although we found our way through a couple packages of Double Stuffs! Then one morning I stopped in a Food For Less grocery store across the street from my job and when I walked through the door, right in front of me was a whole display of Birthday Cake Cookies! I was so excited. I bought two packages and that day I finally got to try one... and was totally disappointed. The filling did not taste like regular Oreo filling with sprinkles added. It was actually just frosting flavored which changed the whole dynamic of the Oreo.

Ah well... I got to try them and now I can go back to lovin' good ol' Double Stuffs.

I'm NUTS for Orowheat's New Healthful Nutty Grain Bread... WOW!

I'm not certain when the Healthful line came out, but I grabbed a loaf of the Nutty Grain style to give it a try when I saw that it had 5 grams of protein AND 5 grams of fiber per slice! Healthy breads often taste like cardboard, but no! Not this one. I love it. It has great flavor, is soft and a sandwich made with two slices has more than a full serving of protein and more than a third of your daily fiber. That can't be beat.

I'm always trying to find foods with protein and it's hard, so this is a big help. I won't lie, there is a ton of carbs: 17 grams per slice, but the fiber and protein really help to offset that when you're trying to stick to a diabetic diet.

This style has nuts in it, including a trace of walnuts. I normally do not eat walnuts because I can get an unpleasant reaction, but this hasn't been a problem so far, so there must not be much in there. I am looking forward to trying the other styles.

I highly recommend this bread if you're looking for a healthy style wheat bread. YUM!

Dr. Lewinn by Kinerase Skincare Products

Buzz agent sent me a line of facial products to try out again. Hooray! I am always willing to see if something will help me out with these little lines that seem to be popping up all over my face... what is this about? I'm ONLY 43!

I've been using the Dr. Lewinn by Kinerase samples for almost three weeks now. The products I'm using daily are the under eye recovery and wrinkle repair daily lotion. My understanding is that this product is supposed to help to smooth fine lines and improve skin so that it looks and feels younger and healthier. There is a plumping that should take place that should make lines not so noticeable.

I actually really like the daily lotion. I have very sensitive skin, but this works great without any kind of irritation. I also have very dry skin and the thickness of this daily treatment really helps to keep my skin moist and hydrated throughout the day. I thought I might not like the heaviness of the daily lotion, which should probalby be called a daily cream, but I was wrong! I think someone with oily skin, however, would not have so much success with it, but that is not my situation.

The under eye recovery cream is fine, but I honestly do not feel that it does all that much more than if I just used the daily lotion. I try to give a wide berth and not get too close to my actual eye line because somehow throughout the day, it seems to seep up and get into my eyes causing burning and watering. This could be me rubbing my eyes or something, but I haven't had this problem with any other products.

The other samples that came with my Bzzkit are so small, that I did try them one time, but didn't really feel like I got to get a feeling of how well they work, but that is the disadvantage of small samples that are only a small single application. Both lift and resculpt products in the single serving samples felt fine going on, did not cause any discomfort and were pleasant to the touch and the smell, but I didn't experience any lasting effect that WOW'd me. I don't want to use up all of the samples on myself as I plan to start handing them out next week to my pals at work, but I might actually use the $5 coupon to go pick up the night cream so that I can give it a better trial.

Overall, while I like the products and I appreciate also that the daily lotion has 30 SPF, which is awesome, I feel like they are just a nice daily product. I haven't noticed any difference in my skin or my wrinkles, which I seem to be getting more of every day! I will continue using the product for now and I'm thinking about doing the half the face routine to see if if I stop using it on one half of my face, I notice a difference. I will let you know if I do!

Also, if you want to try a sample or are interested in a $5 off coupon, please let me know... I'm always happy to use my friends as Guinea Pigs!!!

Costco & Pasta Prima Butternut Squash

I am in LOVE LOVE LOVE with the Pasta Prima Butternut Squash Ravioli from Costco. It is AMAZING. REALLY. The flavor of the butternut squash really comes through and the pasta is so pretty with it's red and white stripes. At Costco you get them refrigerated and divided in half into two "servings". One half of the package was enough for the two of us to eat two meals of. I have only made it one way so far, but I have lots of wonderful ideas on how to make more of this in the future. It works great as a main course or a side dish and have I mentioned how tasty they are?



The raviolis themselves take only a few minutes to heat through in boiling water and then you just toss with your favorite sauce. I used a plain jar of alfredo sauce and mixed it with some apple chipotle sauce to make a creamy sweet and spicy sauce that I simmered to thicken back up. Next time I'm thinking butter and sage sauce, which seems to be a popular way to go. I think you have so many ways to make this it's really a no brainer. Go to COSTCO. BUY THE BUTTERNUT SQUASH RAVIOLI. COOK IT. EAT IT. ENJOY!

For more on Pasta Prima Products: www.pastaprima.com/

For more about Costco: www.costco.com