Wow! Made it to Thursday in one piece....almost time for another busy weekend. I can't wait!

This week I tried Bath and Body Works Tea Tree facial wash. I tried this facial wash over a period of three days. Let me start by saying that this face wash smells pretty awful. To me it smells like a combination of chrorophyll and tar. It really dried out my skin, too. I had a few blemishes (stress induced, ha ha) and it didn't make them better or worse. Maybe this product would work for someone who has more blemishes but the smell and the drying effect are not worth it to me.  http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/skin-care/skin-care-best-sellers/tea-tree-skin-clearing-facial-wash.aspx

I also tried The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Body Butter. Goes on slightly greasy at first but eventually absorbs and leaves skin feeling buttery and moisturized. I'm not too crazy about the scent, however. To me, it has a slight vanilla undertone (my least favorite scent and flavor.) Someone in my office said I smelled like a cupcake. The good thing is this Body Butter comes in many different varieties. Which is good because I hate smelling like dessert.


Until next time! Please be sure to give me your own opinion if you'd like and remember I include links to the products so that you can order your own if you'd like :-)

It's been a long, very hectic two weeks. I haven't had much opportunity to test products (since I want to give an honest opinion when I do.) Here are the few I've recently tested. I will try my hardest to post more often. I tried a sample of Perfect Results Triple Silk Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner. I had never heard of this brand so I didn't know what to expect. The shampoo did not smell good. I'm not sure how to describe it but it had an unpleasant chemical smell. The conditioner was better smelling (though still not good) and was creamy. It detangled my hair well enough. I was surprised that, after my hair dried, the combination of shampoo and conditioner DID leave my hair smelling great. I couldn't stop smelling it and it felt very soft and silky. I might actually break down and get full size bottles of these two. The next product I tested was a sample of Aveeno Nourish + Moisturize Shampoo and Conditioner. Now, these smelled great. The shampoo had a luxurious later and the conditioner was thick, creamy and great for detangling my ends. My hair felt good after it dried but I was not anything out of the ordinary. If you're looking for shampoo that has a pleasant smell, this is a good option for you. I also tried John Frieda Root Awakening Strength Restoring Shampoo and Conditioner for Breakage Prone Hair. I recently discovered the John Frieda brand and I absolutely love the minty scent they use in these shampoos and conditioners. They make my hair look, feel and smell great. Did it make my hair stronger and protect against breakage? I don't know because this was a single-use sample. So far I've been impressed with the quality of these products and will probably find a formula that targets my specific hair needs and buy the full size product. This next sample was a wonderful Facebook freebie. It was a $10 tube of L'Occitane hand creme that I had to pick up at the store, but it was worth the drive. I absolutely love this hand creme. It is rich and oh-so-creamy. It has a light scent, absorbs well and does not leave a greasy residue. I use it at night and my hands feel wonderful in the morning. This is one I would definitely say, "BUY IT!" I will always make sure I have a tube in my purse and one by my bed at night. Since I had to go to the Gardens on El Paseo to visit L'Occitane, I went ahead and stopped at the Aveda Salon for my other in-store sample which I had a coupon for (I usually make these sample runs with my BFF and it's a fun girls' outing.) Anyway, I had never been to one of their salons and it was a wonderful experience. They greeted us with a lovely cup of iced tea and a hand massage with their awesome hand lotion. I received samples of their shampoo and conditioner for color treated hair, a leave in hair conditioner and their hand lotion. So far, I have only tried their leave in hair conditioning treatment. It has a pleasant, natural scent and a little goes along way. My hair felt soft and moisturized throughout the day. The hand lotion was really good, too. It is nicely scented. Moisturizing, but light, and does not feel greasy. It's supposed to last through 4 hand-washings, though I'm not sure if that's accurate. This is another lotion to carry in your purse and I will definitely keep a tube on my desk at work. That's all for now but I promise to check in again soon with my "priceless" opinion!

Well, this week was horribly busy....reviewed several products but had no time to blog until now.

Tuesday I sampled 2 beauty products and one food item. The first items were Dove Damage Therapy Daily Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner. I found both these items to be just average. The smell was ok, the shampoo lathered well and the conditioner was creamy and detangled my hair just fine. I didn't notice any outstanding results but my hair felt fine throughout the day.

Tuesday night I tried Lawry's Chicken Marsala seasoning packet courtesy of BzzAgent This recipe was easy to prepare but I am not a big fan of mushrooms so it wasn't my favorite. I used fresh mushrooms and served it with mashed potatoes and veggies. My family ate it and said it was ok but no one asked for me to purchase it in the future. We really enjoyed the Lawry's Southwest Chicken Skillet. We liked those ingredients better and it was an entire meal requiring no side dishes.

Wednesday I tried John Frieda's Root Awakening Nourishing Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner. Now this combo I LOVED!!! The scent was amazing and invigorating. Perfect for waking up during your morning shower. The shampoo lathered well and rinsed clean. The conditioner was thick and luxurious. It left my hair soft, shiny and smelling wonderful. I will definitely be buying this product in the future.

Thursday I sampled Garnier Fructis Fortifying Pure Clean shampoo and conditioner. It claims it is for "a greener world" I was definitely not impressed by this duo. The scent was so-so but it lathered and rinsed fine. The conditioner was weak and watery and did not detangle my hair. It left my ends tangly for the rest of the day (even after frequent brushing.) I will never purchase either one of these products.

Friday I used John Frieda Frizz-Ease Smooth Start Shampoo, Conditioner and Serum. I was not familiar with John Frieda products (except for their foam hair color which I got a free coupon for) until this week. I am very impressed by the quality of these products. This shampoo smelled good. It also lathered and rinsed easily. The conditioner was rich and creamy and did a great job detangling my ends. The serum was great too. I could not stop playing with my hair. It left my hair sleek,silky and glossy....just wonderful to touch. This might be one product I am willing to give up my BioSilk serum for. Loved it!

Saturday I used L'Oreal EverStrong shampoo, conditioner and overnight repair treatment. So far, I am not impressed by the L'Oreal "Ever" line. This EverStrong shampoo smelled great and lathered wonderfully but it did not rinse well. I rinsed for a long time but I still felt like it left residue in my hair. The conditioner was creamy and detangled my hair but it was not exceptional. The overnight repair treatment left a residue in my hair (not as bad as the EverSleek leave-in conditioner, which left a thick, greasy residue in my hair, but still residue.)

Sunday was another crazy, busy day (grocery shopping, cleaning the pantry, freezer and fridge, laundry, doggy baths, etc.) so I just had one item for today. Gold Bond Deep Moisture Body Wash Sensitive Skin This body wash had a rich creamy lather. It did moisturize my skin and two hours later it still passed the "fingernail scratch test" (no dry skin line when I ran my nail down the skin of my arm.) The only thing I didn't like was the lack of scent. I understand this is because of the "sensitive skin" formula, which is great for people with allergies. However, I prefer a scented body wash so it's not for me.

Thanks to those of you who joined me and please feel free to comment if you have your own opinion on these products I have reviewed. Also, you may purchase any of the products through the Amazon.com links. Til next time!

We've made it through another Monday! Glad it's over and it wasn't as painful as usual...Today I got to sample new 2 products.
The first product came by mail compliments of Vocalpoint. http://www.vocalpoint.com/index.html
It was the Swiffer 360 duster This duster is different from other Swiffers in that the fluffy fringes go all the way around the duster instead of just covering one side. It also seems like the disposable dust catcher is fluffier than earlier versions. Living in the desert, we gets lots of fine dust and sand that settles on everything. I used the Swiffer 360 to dust my bookshelves. It did seem to pick up a lot of dust and was easy to clean when I shook it out on the patio. Of course, since I'm allergic to dust, dusting gave me itchy arms. (This is why my boyfriend is the official duster in our household.)
So, with itchy arms, I proceeded to try out the second product of the day. The second item required a shower and washing off the dust was the perfect excuse. I tried out Nivea Touch of Cashmere Body Wash It lathered up nicely and had a light, sweet smell. It rinsed off without leaving a residue. I purposely did not moisturize with lotion after my shower to see how well the body wash did. Two hours later my skin still feels soft and stands up to the "scratch" test (no white, dry line when I run my nail across my arm.) I am a loyal Olay body wash user but I may buy this one as a back up.

Thanks for joining me!

Hope everyone had a great Sunday! Mine was busy as always and I have two products to review today. The first is a beauty product...I received 3 sample packets in the mail. One for EverSleek Shampoo, one for EverSleek Conditioner and one for EverSleek Humidity Defying Leave-In Creme. The shampoo and conditioner felt and smelled good in the shower but I can't say how my hair felt and looked afterwards. This is because I decided to use the "leave-in conditioner" too. It says to apply to "clean, towel dried hair and do not rinse out." It left my hair coated with a greasy film. It was horrible! I will stick to my BioSilk as a leave in conditioner from now on.

The second product I tried today was much better. I received a box of Lawry's seasoning products to try out on behalf of BzzAgent. Today I tried Lawry's Southwest Chicken Skillet Spices & Seasoning Mix
Those of you who really know me, know that I hate to cook. I LOVE baking but cooking is not my thing. So I'm always looking for quick and easy ways to feed my family. The recipe calls for chicken tenders (I sliced 3 large chicken breasts into strips), 1 can of black beans, 1 can of diced tomatoes (I used fresh tomatoes), 1 can of corn (I used frozen), 1 cup of white rice (I used brown rice) and a cup of shredded cheese along with the seasoning packet. It was quick and easy and ready in less than 20 minutes.
I served it with fresh baked jalapeno cornbread and it was very good. I actually had seconds. What was surprising was that my boyfriend liked it. Unlike my son, who will at least try anything once, my boyfriend is hard to feed. He is sooo picky I have a hard time finding and serving something he will eat. Needless to say, I was glad to be able to add one more recipe to the short list of dinners I can cook for him. This product I am happy to recommend. -BzzAgent Ta2kitty


http://www.lawrys.com/Products/Seasoning-Mixes/Southwest-Chicken-Skillet.aspx

Hope you'll join me again soon!

Hi there! Like the title says, I am just an opinionated girl...and happy to share my opinion with anyone who will listen. I will be reviewing different products and letting you all know how I feel about them (and I'm not shy about it.) Also, I love a deal so if I find a good one I will be sure to share!

Today I am reviewing my CarMD device. I got a great deal on it due to my participation in the BzzAgent program. This great little device is worth it's weight in gold.
Being a girl, I don't know much about cars and car parts (some girls might, but not this one.) So, when it comes to dealing with car problems, I feel lost. I've had some terrible experiences with mechanics. They give me a long list of what is wrong with my vehicle and tell me how expensive the repairs will be. I've spent $2000 on a car getting it repaired only to have the same, or worse problem, a few weeks later. Now it's a different mechanic telling me how the first one ripped me off and how he can fix the problem...for several hundred dollars. Sound familiar?
Well, with CarMD I can avoid all the guessing. It is so easy to use even a girl like me can do it. I used it on my car and my boyfriend's and found out there were recalls on some of the parts. All we have to do is call the dealer and get those fixed for free. Without CarMD, I never would have even known about the recalls. Then I tried it on my son's car and found there was a problem with the ABS. It also told me exactly how much the part would cost ($69.58) and how much the total should be for both parts and labor ($193.33) This way, I know what I'm dealing with and how much it should cost BEFORE I go to the repair shop. It gives me a real feeling of empowerment.
One device covers up to 3 vehicles (but allows you to add more for a fee.) If you use the following link, you can save $30 off the purchase of your own CarMD. It will save you money when it comes time to take your car in for repairs. I highly recommend it! -BzzAgent Ta2kitty

http://www.carmd.com/bzz

Or buy it on Amazon.com