Naturals VoxBox from Influenster 2012

Monday, September 17, 2012

DISCLOSURE:  As a member of Influenster, I received a set of products to try and review for free.

It's been awhile since my last VoxBox, but I'm excited to get selected to try the Naturals VoxBox from Influenster.  If you're unfamiliar with the site, it's a community of members who are sent products to try and review.  The more feedback you give, the more you'll be picked to review other products.


I wasn't familiar with almost any of the brands featured in this year's Naturals VoxBox, so I'm excited to see how these all work.  Included in the box are:

  • The Original Dish Drying Mat - This I'm really interested in trying.  We hand wash a lot of our dishes, such as pots and pans and normally dry them on a regular dish towel.  It would be interesting to see how this well this works.
  • LypSyl Intense Protection LypMoisturizer - I love lip balm.  I have all sorts of them everywhere!  But I've never tried this brand before.  I hope it works well -- my lips are always dry!
  • EBOOST - I've never tried anything like this before.  It's supposed to boost your mood, focus and immunity.  I hope it tastes good and works!  I've been so tired lately and always tend to lose focus in the afternoon.
  • CleanWell Individual Hand Sanitizer Wipes - These would've been helpful at the playground earlier today.  My kids touch everything and then want to eat a snack.  This would have worked better than just a quick handwashing with their water bottle!
  • GEODEO - I've never tried natural deodorant and I'm actually kind of scared to see if this works.   It smells really nice, though, so we'll see.
  • NECTRESSE - This was the only brand I had heard of.  It's made by Splenda and it's a sweetener made from monk fruit, which I've never heard of before.  I'll have to try it in my coffee.
I'll be posting reviews and pictures in the next week or so.  Stay tuned!

Covergirl & Olay Tone Rehab 2-in-1 Foundation Review

Sunday, September 16, 2012

DISCLOSURE:  I received a kit containing a free bottle of Covergirl & Olay Tone Rehab 2-in-1 Foundation and Covergirl & Olay Pressed Powder from BzzAgent to try and review.  All opinions are my own.

I have been a mineral foundation user for over five years now.  I've always hated the heavy feeling of liquid foundations and could never find the right color match.  Even when I've had color consultations done at the department store makeup counters, I didn't want to spend the money on the department store brands.

When I was offered the Covergirl & Olay campaign by BzzAgent, I was pretty excited!  As I've gotten older, my skin tone has become uneven and I've felt my mineral foundation hadn't been giving me enough coverage.  I had also started to notice the smile lines around my mouth and little lines on my forehead from squinting all the time.


Wisk Deep Clean Detergent Review

DISCLOSURE:  I received free samples of Wisk Deep Clean Laundry Detergent from Smiley360.com to try and review.  All opinions are my own.

My family makes a lot of laundry.  If we don't do at least a load of laundry everyday, the dirty clothes pile up and we run out of things to wear!  We've used a wide variety of different brands of detergent, including natural and organic brands.  Some work well, others not so much.  So, I was excited to get a chance to try the new Wisk Deep Clean Laundry Detergent.

I was really interested to see if it would get the stink out of some of my husband's and kids' clothes.  My husband is an avid runner.  And when he comes back, especially from the really long runs, his clothes stink!  Regular detergent doesn't seem to get the smell to go away.  Even the in-wash scent boosters can't touch it.  The clothes smell okay coming out of the washing machine, but once dried, they're back to their normal funkiness.

The same thing happens with my baby's tops.  He's still kind of drooly and his shirts and sweaters get this gross smell around the neckline from all the drool.  Sometimes the smell comes out, sometimes it doesn't.  My husband had gotten into the habit of just turning shirts that stank too much into rags.  It would be nice if we could save those clothes!

According to the literature that accompanied the Wisk samples, some detergents can leave behind hidden body oils and sweat that get trapped inside the fibers of your clothes.  I'm guessing that's what contributes to the smell of some of these clothes.  The average washload is said to have 20 times more body oils and sweat than visible stains!  Wisk Deep Clean is supposed to help get it all out.

Here's a picture of one of our most recent loads of laundry before I put in the wash.  It includes my daughter's soccer uniform as well as one of my husband's really stinky running shirts!


I did this load last night.  My daughter had another soccer game this morning and she only has one soccer jersey.  The Wisk Deep Clean is pretty easy to use.  The samples I received were premeasured for one load.  The detergent itself smells really good as do the clothes when they come out of the washer.  Some clothes, like my daughter's soccer shirt and my husband's running shirt, get hung to dry.  Others were dried about halfway through in the dryer before getting hung up to dry.  My husband's shirt smelled really nice when I hung it up last night.  But, sadly, this morning, when I was folding it to put it away, it was back to its normal stinkiness.  I don't know if anything will be able to get rid of it!

Wisk Deep Clean goes beyond surface stains and penetrate deep into fabric to attack and help remove hidden body oils and sweat that other detergents may leave behind.  It comes in five different varieties:
  • Original
  • High Efficiency
  • Oxi Complete
  • Fresh Breeze
  • Free & Pure
Would you recommend it?
Yes, overall, Wisk Deep Clean works well at cleaning regular stains and smells really good.  I was disappointed, though, that it didn't get rid of the smell in my husband's running shirt.  It may be time to retire that shirt and buy him a new one!

How much does it cost?
Wisk Deep Clean is available in load sizes 45oz, 50oz, 75oz, 100oz, 150oz. The MSRP ranges from $5.99 to $15.99.  You can currently download a $1 off coupon from Wisk's Facebook page.

Where can I buy it?  
Available at all major drug stores, mass merchandisers, grocery stores and online retailers.  Wisk also has a product locator on their website.

Oral-B Professional Precision 1000 Power Toothbrush Review

Sunday, September 9, 2012

DISCLOSURE: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Modern Mom on behalf of Oral-B and received a product sample to facilitate my review.  All opinions are my own.

I was recently asked to review the Oral-B Professional Precision 1000 Power Toothbrush.  I normally use a manual toothbrush and Colgate Optic White toothpaste when I brush my teeth.  I've only used an electric toothbrush once and didn't really care for it.  I just felt my teeth were cleaner when I brushed them myself with the manual toothbrush.  It was at least a few years ago, though, so I jumped at the chance to try another one!  Maybe things had changed.  And this was supposed to be one of the top of the line electric toothbrushes from Oral-B.  I was hoping it was better than the previous one I had tried (the Oral-B Vitality).

At my last dental check-up, they had said I had a couple cavities.  One needed a filling and the other needed a crown.  But it had also been about a year and a half since the previous check up.  I was pregnant and had had a baby in between visits and kind of put myself last when it came time to schedule a dental visit (I have three kids).  I had several dental visits between the last check up and when I received the Oral-B Professional Precision 1000 Power Toothbrush to try.  In that time I had gotten a temporary crown and then a permanent crown with temporary cement.  I had two visits to try and take the crown out and replace the cement with permanent cement, but for some reason, the dentist and her assistant could not get the crown out!  So, I've been really hesitant with brushing too hard or flossing around the crown.  I didn't want it falling out when I wouldn't be able to get to the dentist right away.


LEGO Duplo Read and Build House Party

DISCLOSURE:   I was sent a party pack by House Party and LEGO to promote the new line of LEGO Duplo Read & Build sets.  The party pack included four free sets of LEGO Duplo Read & Build sets for party hosts to share and review.  All opinions are my own.

Recently, I was selected by HouseParty.com to host a party to promote the new LEGO Duplo Read & Build sets.  Each set includes a book that parents can read to their children and a set of LEGO Duplo bricks so you can build the characters in the story!  There are three different sets in the line:
  • LEGO DUPLO Read & Build Busy Farm:  Features a book about Farmer Ted and his farm.  Use the included 15 LEGO Duplo bricks to build Farmer Ted's animals!
  • LEGO DUPLO Read & Build Let's Go Vroom:  Read and build with Penny and Joe and build an airplane and sports car!
  • LEGO DUPLO Read & Build Grow Caterpillar Grow:  Read about Caterpillar and his friends and use the included 17 LEGO Duplo bricks to build Caterpillar and his friends!

Clairol Nice 'N Easy Non-Permanent Hair Color Review

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

DISCLOSURE:  I received a coupon for a free box of Clairol Nice 'N Easy hair color from Clairol and Vocalpoint to try and review.  All opinions are my own.

So before I go into reviewing this hair dye from Clairol, I need to give you some back story on my adventures with hair dye.

I've always been bad at dyeing my own hair.  It wasn't that I was scared to do it, it's just my hair is so dark, nothing really showed up.  Plus it's so thick, it's hard to apply it to every single strand.  I started with using Sun-In when I was in high school.  You sprayed it in your hair and either used a blow dryer or went out in the sun to activate it.  It was supposed to bring out your natural highlights.  I ended up with somewhat orange-y hair.  Later, I moved on to semi-permanent and permanent hair color including Nice 'N Easy, Garnier Nutrisse, Natural Instincts and others.  Nothing really changed my hair dramatically.