THE REVIEW CLOUD

Green Giant Veggie Snack

Sun, 19 May 2013 15:27:06 -0400

Green Giant Veggie Snack: Green Giant just recently came out with TWO new snacks. One is the Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips with Zesty Cheddar and the other is Multigrain Sweet Potato Chips with Sea Salt.

What did I get?: I got a full size of each!

Where did I get this from?: I’m a BzzAgent and I got these for free.

Where can you get this from?: Select grocery stores. Around here I could find them at Cub, but was unsuccessful at trying to locate them at Target stores.

If you’re using the product locator (http://bit.ly/18a8oQz), type “green giant sweet potato sea salt” or “roasted veggie”.

Price: This retails for ~$2.99 for a 5 oz. bag.

Review: The last time I got a veggie invite, it was for veggie burgers and if you keep up on my reviews, you know that it didn’t go over so well. So this time, when I was asked to do another veggie review, I was again… hesitant, but optimistic. Boy oh boy am I glad I took this on. I have found my new favorite chip. I would’ve never thought that something that identifies itself as veggie, could taste so good. My favorite out of the two is the sweet potato chips. These have a light, crunchy texture. The flavor is absolutely amazing that you could easily finish these in one sitting if you don’t pay attention. They taste just like if you were to slice sweet potatoes really thinly, sprinkle them with sea salt and bake them. Everybody should try these. If you’re going to have a party with 10 people, you should buy a bag for each person because a handful just isn’t going to cut it for folks.

These are made with real sweet potatoes. (I don’t know how you could fake it). 40% less fat than regular potato chips.

I can’t say I was a huge fan of the tortilla chips. They weren’t flavorful enough for me and the texture of them just didn’t fit my expectations. They were a little too thick for my liking. These are made with real vegetables and have 17g of whole grain.

Purchase again?: On a scale from 1-10, 10 being YES, I will absolutely re-purchase. I’m at a 10 and have already re-purchased the sweet potato chips twice.

Lysol Touch of Foam

Sun, 05 May 2013 16:36:00 -0400

Lysol Touch of Foam: So far, this comes in three scents: creamy vanilla orchid, rose & cherry in bloom, and wild berry bliss. It also only comes in one size (8.5 fl oz). It’s creamy, very thick and foamy, clings to your hands, moisturizes and kills 99.9% of bacteria on contact. There are also antimicrobials built into the pump to protect all that’s coming out.

What did I get?: I got a full size Creamy Vanilla Orchid.

Where did I get this from?: I’m a BzzAgent and I got this for free.

Where can you get this from?: Any grocery/drugstore/mass retail store.

Price: This retails for ~$2.50-~$3.30

Review: When I first got this invite, I thought I was in for the Lysol Touch, which is the touch free way of washing your hands. However, I was extremely pleased with this foam version, which is completely different from the “Touch”. This comes in a pump and you do have to use pressure to dispense the product. I will never be able to tell you if it worked in killing the germs; I’ll leave that up to the science that backs it up from Lysol. However, I can tell you that it does a wonderful job in moisturizing. If you’ve ever been in those situations where you use the soap and it just dries your hands out even more… you need to switch to something more like this. I’m not saying that you won’t need lotion after a while. Whereas the others seem to have a mission to dry out your hands, this tends to help you out with moisturizing them until you can get to the lotion. It smells great too. I would compare it to something like the Bath and Body Works line, but this stuff has the thick foam like a dollop of whip cream. I washed my hands about half and hour ago with this and it still smells great. It’s really good at covering up or getting rid of pungent kitchen smells like cilantro…garlic…etc. Okay. Since we’re on the topic of Bath and Body Works and this. Let’s do a comparison, shall we?

The Lysol Touch of Foam has 3 scents and comes in 1 size (8.5 fl oz). If we take the expensive end of the price range @ $3.30, that’s about $.39/fl oz. Bath and Body Works has 38 scents and comes in 1 size (8.75 fl oz). The regular price is $5.50 and equates to ~$.63/fl oz. Now… I know what you’re saying. Most of the time you go in and come out with duplicates because they have 4 for $15 or 6 for $20. Say you do the 4 for $15, that’s still about $.43/fl oz. Then the 6 for $20 is finally ~.38/fl oz.

So if you like variety, there’s a way around it… you can buy 6 of them and get to about the same price. If you’re looking for thick foam, then you’re better off with Lysol. Both have moisturizing properties, so it’s really a personal preference.

The one thing that could really help Lysol is if they come out with refill bags. That way I don’t need to worry about tossing away another piece of plastic into the landfills and I can save money on buying the bulk.

The price is reasonable in comparison to a specialty store and for even discount/mass retailers. You’re typical lilac and freesia softsoap is about $2.99 for 8.5 fl oz. And your Dial foaming white tea handsoap is about $2.99 for 7.5 fl oz. This market is saturated and really ends with people picking a fragrance that they like. I know I don’t like to stay with the same hand soap product for life. I like to test different types from time to time within the general price range.

Purchase again?: On a scale from 1-10, 10 being YES, I will absolutely re-purchase. I’m at a 7. If they come out with the refill bags or if I find them, then 9.

Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 16:01:27 -0400

Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge: Superfruits (goji berry, kiwi, and passionfruit) to the rescue. This product is meant to hydrate dry hair and infuse the hair with the vitamins and antioxidants from the superfruits without weighing it down.

What did I get?: I got a full size shampoo, conditioner and one minute treatment.

Where did I get this from?: I’m a BzzAgent and I got this set free.

Where can you get this from?: Any grocery/drugstore/mass retail store.

Price: This retails for ~$3.99-~$6.99

Review: The shampoo is clear with little air bubbles and blue micro moisture beads. The conditioner and one minute treatment are both white and have a creamy consistency. The conditioner is a little thicker than the treatment. The one minute treatment is to be used twice a week. I’ve been using maybe once a week. When I started, my hair was as long as you see in the picture above. So there was a lot to try and moisturize, especially in the dry winter weather. Back then, I used more of the treatment and more frequently at the 2x a week rate. Now that it’s shoulder length and the weather WAS warming up, I use it less frequently. I noticed a difference right away. My hair went from feeling dead and limp to smooth and revived. It used to feel like it could just break if I tugged on it, and now it feels like it’d bounce back. For the conditioner and one minute treatment, I only use it on the ends of my hair. The roots don’t need any further moisturizing because the natural oils in the hair already have a built in moisturizing feature. For the rest of my hair though, it needs a little help because it’s farther away from the natural oils. The line also comes with a leave in conditioner. It was not sent to me, so I can’t speak to it, but if you find that you start with these three and your hair is still dry, then there’s still hope left and you should try the leave in. I can’t imagine anybody needing the leave in after this three step process though. It also smells great. If you know the smell of Garnier products, you can imagine what this would smell like because it’s from the same family. You can really smell the nice mix of goji berry, kiwi and passion fruit. The scent doesn’t linger too long on your hair, but if you try really hard, you can smell it a tad bit. The shampoo has sodium laureth sulfate. As you’ve probably read in a post from a year ago, I try to stay away from sulfates. They can cause skin irritation and are linked to other health issues. The chemical helps to lather up the shampoo, but I’ve used products like organix, L’Oreal sulfate free, and aveda products that don’t have sulfates and work and lather just as well. These companies aim to provide health and beauty products that do the same work, in natural ways. Because sulfates can damage your hair follicles and even lead to dangers in other parts of the body, I’ve been conscious about what I use every day for my hair. I know that the skin is our largest organ and what is absorbed into the skin needs to be accounted for. What I may do moving forward, is use sulfate free shampoos and then the one minute treatment from this line, if need be.

Purchase again?: On a scale from 1-10, 10 being YES, I will absolutely re-purchase. I’m at a 2. If it didn’t have that sulfate, I’d be at a 10. I’d be more inclined to purchase the one minute treatment.

Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Oil

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 17:22:00 -0400

Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition: This multi-purpose product works on your skin (face and body) and hair. It claims to have no oily residue. Triple Nutrition comes from the olive, avocado, and shea oils. It’s also the first multi-use oil to come to the mass market. This can be used on damp or dry hair to moisturize and protect dry hair and improve strength and elasticity. Your skin benefits from the antioxidants and help protect against sun damage.

Where did I get this from?: I’m a BzzAgent and I got this for free.

Where can you get this from?: Any grocery/drugstore/mass retail store.

Price: This retails for ~$5.99

Review: I’ve never used a product like this before, so it was an interesting experience to try something that could work on my hair and skin. In the winter time, I do get dry patches on my face. Especially around the tip of the nose and corners of the mouth, but now that it’s been warming up, the problem is less apparent. At the beginning of this campaign, I had dry elbows and used this periodically to soften them up and that did work. I spritzed it and tried it on my hair when it was long and found that it did soften my hair, but I wasn’t sold on needing it as a daily hair product. Especially since the scent is not what I had expected. When I first got this product, I expected it to smell fruit, like all of the other Garnier Fructis products. Instead, it was musky and smelled like stale cotton candy and a little like something grandmas would wear as perfume. Because of this reason, I’m not a big fan of wearing this out into the public and feeling that I smell like that. I’d rather use it overnight and let the scent fade. When I had it on my hair though, I did forget that I even spritzed oil on it. It did fade away and there was no oily feeling. I did use this when I was cutting eight inches off my hair. I needed something to gather the stray hairs and to make cutting easier. Wetting my hair with water would make a messy drip, so using this came to mind. It worked like a charm in gathering all hairs and helping me cut my hair, while moisturizing it during the process. That was just great! When I have it on my hands, it feels oily for the first couple minutes, but then once it settles itself into the skin, it feels more like baby oil/mineral oil/dry oil. If it had more of an appealing scent like the fruity smells, it would be a staple in my health and beauty drawer. For now, I will stick to the dozens of lotions I have all over.

Purchase again?: Not until a new formulation/scent is out.

Café Escapes: K-Cup Review

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 10:43:55 -0400

Café Escapes: This brand calls themselves an “anytime indulgence” for K-Cup packs. These are best when brewed with the 8 oz. option on the Keurig. It looks like they have these for all machines—the original types and the Vue.

Where did I get this from?: I’m a BzzAgent and I got this for free.

Where can you get this from?: Any grocery and retail store, Keurig.com, CafeEscapes.com, GreenMountainCoffee.com

Price: This retails for $8.49/12 ct, $11.99/16 ct, $17.49/24 ct

Chai Latte: “An extraordinary taste of black tea and exotic spices. Introduced in 2009. Cinnamon and spices with milky sweetness.”

Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa: “Milk chocolate creaminess.”<—-meh.

Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa: “Deeply decadent, decidedly dark, definitely delicious.”<——- I can’t agree with that statement and I’ll tell you why in my review section.

Cafe Mocha: “A blissful balance of cocoa and coffee”<—-also meh

Cafe Vanilla: “A tantalizing cup of the world’s favorite flavor. Delicately sweet, surprisingly light.”

Cafe Caramel: “Buttery rich, silky smooth, captivatingly caramelly.”

Review: I’ve had this brand of K-Cups before. I bought a box of dark chocolate hot cocoa and hated it because of the fake sugar taste. There was no way around masking that and it was very apparent to me. I was ecstatic when I found two in the box that I would definitely buy again. The Caramel and Vanilla are well worth the money. It’s like getting a latte at Starbucks, except for it’s cheaper, more convenient, you don’t have to change out of your comfy clothes to get a cup, and it’s only 70 calories. The descriptions for the vanilla and caramel were spot on. These were nice and creamy with just enough sweetness for me. You DO NOT need to add anything. No sugar and no creamer needed. All you do is pop the K-Cup into the Keurig, hit the 8 oz. button, watch it flow down into the cup, see the slight frothiness form at the top of the cup, and sip. They make it too easy. The best part is you don’t need to remember how many scoops of what and what ratio of coffee and water. The machine does it all for you and you get the same cup every time. The others (Chai Latte, Dark and Milk Chocolate Cocoa, and the Cafe Mocha) would be a no go for me. These all tasted too much like fake sugar. What’s really interesting is the first ingredient on most of these (including the vanilla and caramel) is sugar and the last ingredient is sucralose. Why do you need both? I would ask the brand to consider taking out sucralose as a whole. I should also mention, that if you have very sensitive taste buds, you’ll notice that the dark chocolate hot cocoa is also a little unbalanced and slightly heavier on the salt as well (yes, it has salt in it). So the saltiness mixed with the fake sugar taste really distracts from the entire flavor and experience.

Purchase again?: The only ones I’d ever purchase again are the Caramel and Vanilla ones. The others taste too much like fake sugar for my taste buds.

MorningStar Farms Veggie Burgers

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:57:45 -0500

MorningStar Farms: This company offers a wide variety of meatless options for “turkey”, “chicken”, and “beef” burgers, “chicken” nuggets, “sausage” links, corn dogs, and many more.

Where did I get this from?: I’m a BzzAgent and I got this for free.

Price: This retails for $4.99/10 oz pack (4 burgers).

Griller’s Prime Ingredients: TEXTURED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (WHEAT GLUTEN, SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, WATER FOR HYDRATION), CORN OIL, SUNFLOWER OIL, EGG WHITES, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF CORNSTARCH, NATURAL FLAVORS FROM NON-MEAT SOURCES, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, SALT, CARAMEL COLOR, ONION POWDER, SPICES, HYDROLYZED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (CORN, WHEAT, AND SOY), GARLIC POWDER, POTATO STARCH, MALTODEXTRIN, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, DISODIUM INOSINATE, SUCCINIC ACID, SUGAR, NONFAT DRY MILK, SOYBEAN OIL, WHEAT FIBER.

Review: Oh where to start. These burgers have ~39% less fat than ground beef, 170 calories per serving, and high in protein. When I first opened the packaged and smelled it, it smelled like dog food. I’m so sorry to say, but it really did. I cooked it up on a grill pan with some beef patties and I think the veggie burgers picked up some of the flavor because these were a little more appetizing. I also microwaved one and tried it and that wasn’t as bearable. Although the microwaved version was more so, both were dry, dense, and had a slight cardboard like taste. If you are vegetarian/vegan, you may like these and have a higher tolerance. I on the other hand am very sensitive to the taste of meat and don’t share that type of tolerance. It is healthier, but at the same time, I need meat in my diet and don’t eat this type of meal frequent enough for it to become a problem. I guess you’ll have to weigh your options. It is worth a try though. You’ll either come to the conclusion that you can do it, or that you weren’t cut out to eat a meatless diet. I will say that browsing the aisles, this option (judging by the photos on the packaging which I know isn’t quite fair) was the most appetizing looking.

Purchase again?: I would have to politely decline. This has taught me that I’m not anywhere near being vegetarian and don’t wish to explore any further.

Neutrogena Hand Cream

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 20:23:47 -0500

Neutrogena Hand Cream: Repairs dryness, chapping, splitting nails, dry cuticles, scaliness and roughness. This has concentrated glycerin. Glycerin is a humectant and is meant to retain moisture. Comes in both Fragrance Free and Original.

Where did I get this from?: I’m a BzzAgent and I got this for free.

Price: This retails for $4.99/2 oz.

Review: I have this at the office and in my bag and have been using it regularly on my hands and my lips. I’ve also been applying to dry spots on my face (the corners of my lips and the tip of my nose) and it’s worked really well. The texture feels a little strange to me though. At times it feels silky, but then when I touch something, I feel an uneasy friction like there’s a thin film on my skin. That’s probably just the high concentration of glycerin, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Out of the Fragrance Free and Original, I definitely favor the Original. It has a nice light, clean fragrance and is very pleasant. It works well on the lips to safeguard it from chapping. When my lips feel extra chapped, I put a little on before I go to bed and wake up with softer, healed lips.

Because of the glycerin, it prompted me to think if this can be used as an eyeshadow base. Neutrogena has said that they recommend using it on your lips, so if it’s save for your lips, perhaps it’s save for the lid? The glycerin makes this a good base for eyeshadow to last longer and to make it pop with less application.

Purchase again?: I don’t think so. I have a lot of different lotions and have tried one that I like more because of the caramel/vanilla smell, moisturizing properties, and the silky feel.

Stella Artois: The Chalice Review

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 22:39:00 -0500

Stella Artois Chalice: Ah, the chalice. Something you think wouldn’t make a difference in drinking your beer, but it does. The long and sturdy stem is perfect for holding your perfectly poured beer without heating it up with your hands. After all, who likes warm beers?

Where did I get this from?: The chalice arrived in a neat box from BzzAgent. Not a piece was missing.

The nine steps to pouring a Stella: Click here to view Stella Artois’ nine step ritual.

1) purification: Cleanse the chalice by dunking it in a water bath

2) sacrifice: Pour an oz of Stella from the tap, and discard.

3) liquid alchemy: Pour the Stella at an angle

4) crown: AKA the head forming

5) removal: Remove chalice from tap

6) beheading: Remove excess head with flat knife

7) judgment: The excess head flows down the chalice

8) cleansing: Gently swirling chalice in water bath to remove excess head on chalice

9) bestowal: Presentation of the drink

Review: This chalice is a gem. If you can find it, I would HIGHLY recommend getting them. Heck, if I can find them I’ll get a box set because I want others to enjoy it as well. One bottle fits perfectly into the chalice. Usually I pour it at an angle so I don’t get so much foaming, but for Stella, I poured it straight down because I’ve experienced that if I pour at an angle, I would get the Stella head and it ends up being more on the flat side. I left the Stella sitting in the chalice for a couple hours and it was still COLD! I was taking sips every 5 minutes and then after a couple hours decided I couldn’t wait any longer and ended the review there. The stem is great in keeping your drink cold. It really works. Drinking Stella out of the bottle was getting old for me, and I’m a frequent Stella drinker. I was quite honestly going to quit buying Stella because it just wasn’t the same taste as it is on tap. However, this chalice brings out all of the tap flavor and brings the smooth back. If you’re sensitive to that and your taste buds are accustomed to a tap pour, then find the Chalice and it’ll get you some of that back. I’ve also found that this isn’t just for Stella. Pour your other brews and you’ll be experiencing a whole new level of smooth. The aroma becomes more apparent and the taste is sublime.

Redbox Instant by Verizon Review

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:30:00 -0500

What is Redbox Instant by Verizon?: Verizon and Redbox have teamed up to create a streaming subscription-based service for movies. They’re currently in their beta stage and certain people have gotten “exclusive invites” to try this thing out.

How I stumbled upon it: I’m a BzzAgent and they’ve asked me to review Redbox Instant and gave me a code to give it a swing.

How much?: $8/month to stream movies + 4 DVD credits.

What platforms: It works on most iPhones and Androids, most iPads and Android tablets, some iPods, and most Windows and Macs. I say MOST because that’s what the help section states.

Operating System: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8. Apple OSX Snow Leopard, Lion, Mountain Lion

Free Credits?: Each of the 4 credits can be used to rent a DVD MOVIE for one night. This doesn’t work on Games, although they’re on the Redbox Instant site.

Subscription: Here are a few glances of the top movies by release date that you can stream online with your unlimited Redbox Instant subscription. For $8/month you can get movies that you’ve never heard of or are mostly already on Netflix already anyways.

At Kiosk: A couple glances of what movies you can reserve or pick up at the kiosks. These are where you’d use the DVD credits if you had any left. Now we’re starting to see movies that we’ve heard of…sort of.

Rent/Buy: An intimate look at renting and buying. It turns out that they give you the option to Rent this particular flick for $4.99, Rent HD for $5.99, Buy for $16.99, Buy HD for $21.99.

Games: You can also reserve games at any Redbox location of your choosing. However, you cannot apply your DVD credits to games.

My Honest Opinion: Well… quite honestly these are snapshots. Why? Because for five days now I haven’t been able to complete the sign-up for the trial? Why? Nobody can figure it out at the customer service end at Redbox. I got the run-around the first time, asking me to try back later was the final response. The second run-around was a day later and the response that resulted from that chat was that this issue had been escalated and somebody would get back to me in 72 hours. Well, those 72 hours are creeping up and nobody has gotten back yet, but they’ve got another half a day left to respond with a solution. I asked a couple times if their site was down and after the second time, the answer was that the site was fine, but there were probably bugs. Since this is a beta site, I’ve been extremely patient, but so far my thoughts of how well the site functions, Redbox customer service, and what I see for a “variety of options” from Redbox… nothing near impressive.

What made this appealing at first, before I got a sneak-peek was that I thought it would have the newest or at least newer movies streaming and that would make it a definite one-up on Netflix. Then I thought, gee if it had streaming TV shows, then it’d be an even bigger bonus. Unfortunately, the newer movies you have to go rent from a Redbox location, and this service only streams movies. Not to mention the movies available for streaming are old on Netflix’s list. Even some of the Rent/Buy options on Redbox are streaming on Netflix. So, will I make the switch from Netflix to Redbox? Not a chance. I’ll keep Redbox as the occasional splurge for when I want to see a newer movie that I missed at the theaters. This “exclusive” chance nearly gave me a bad taste in my mouth for Redbox, but luckily I know that the stand-alone locations have the system down and offer something unique. I can’t say the same for the digital version. Netflix it is.

Update: After 5 days, a rep got back to me and the website was finally working again. He tried to tell me it was because of the card I was using, but trust me, I’d tried multiple cards (including the one that worked that day) and nothing was pushing me to the next stage. After having redbox instant for a few days… I’m still utterly disappointed. I tried to do a stay-in movie date and there were no movies we wanted to watch. Most were out-dated by years. Or they were low-budget flicks that nobody had heard of. If that’s your type, then you might’ve found your fit. But if you’re looking to stream blockbusters, keep looking.

COVERGIRL blastflipstick Review

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 11:50:46 -0500

About COVERGIRL blastflipstick: These dual ended lipsticks are ultra-blendable. You can take any of the 13 colors offered and blend to create multiple one color shades or two color ombre style. One stick can also take you from daytime, to a more dramatic night time look. Each stick comes with a creamy color on one end and a shimmery color on the other.

How I stumbled upon it: I’m a BzzAgent and these were sent to me FREE by BzzAgent.

How Much?: They retail for ~$8.49

Honest Opinion: I love the colors and the versatility of these sticks. I absolutely love the fact that you can get many many different colors with one stick AND different textures (flat color and shimmer) all in one. I also like the fact that you have control over the type of color payoff. So whether you want a more sheer look or a thicker color pay off, that’s all up to you. The color selection is very diverse and are suited for all types of seasons and skin colors. There are light colors, bold colors, dark colors, summery colors. It runs the gamut. I also think that the colors are very unique and multi-dimensional. One in particular is Stunner’s shimmery end. If you tilt it in and out of the sunlight, the color value changes. It goes from gold to orange to shimmery goodness. They smell great, with a hint of vanilla. There’s only one downside. I need my lipcolor to stay on and not transfer when I’m drinking my coffee/tea/anything else. With this, you will need to re-apply throughout the day and it will effortlessly come off. If COVERGIRL finds a way to make a long-lasting version of these like L’Oreal Infallible, then I will go and buy the entire variety of colors, but as of right now, I don’t think I’ll be purchasing anymore because I need all of my lipcolor to be non-transferrable.

COVERGIRL blastflipstick Open Box

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 10:46:00 -0500

How I stumbled upon it: I’m a BzzAgent and these were sent to me FREE by BzzAgent.

How Much?: They retail for ~$8.49

What came in the box:

What’s next?: Check out my review blog with swatches of three of the colors and my honest opinion on the product. Coming soon!

Burt's Bees Intense Hydration with Clary Sage

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 12:31:00 -0500

What was in the Open Box?

Tons of samples for night cream & day lotion. Full size cream cleanser, treatment mask, and night cream.

About Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration: This line of product moisturizes your skin using Clary Sage which is a plant that thrives in impossible environmental conditions. It’s excellent at retaining moisture. Besides hydrating your skin, it’s supposed to also minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It is dermatologist-tested and noncomedogenic and is 99% natural. As a company, THESE GUYS ARE GREAT! They live by a great model to protect and preserve the environment in which we all live and in which they produce products like this.

How I stumbled upon it: BzzAgent sent me the box full of samples and full size products. The Cream Cleanser retails for ~$9.99, Day Lotion retails for ~17.99, Eye Cream retails for ~$17.99. Night Cream retails for ~$17.99 and the Treatment Mask retails for ~$17.99.

Progress: Winter here has only just begun. I was hoping for an earlier jump on winter so I could really test this out. When I started, the temperatures were still unusually warm for that time of year so the drying and cracking at the tip of my nose and around the edges of my lips hadn’t even begun and still haven’t. But then again, maybe there was no chance since I’ve been using this line. So since there was no cracking and peeling, I moved on to the second one on the list; minimizing appearance of wrinkles. I have a ton on my neck, so I thought, let’s see if this thing can at the very least, smooth out my neck.

October 30th, 2012

November 7th, 2012

November 11th, 2012

November 25th, 2012

My Honest Opinion(s): Alright, so after about a month of trying the product, I will say that it works really well in hydration. This is important because it’s the biggest claim they’re making. The statement about smoothing fine lines and wrinkles… I don’t know that it did any smoothing, but that’s okay because I think the idea here was that your dry crackly skin will become smooth. OR that they’ll prevent your skin from drying. I can attest to both of the last statements. It finally became colder here and for a couple days, the end of my nose was dry and crackly. I used the cream cleanser, night cream, and mask and I only had to suffer two days. Then it cleared up.

Re-purchase: I think this will last me quite a while. After all, I only need it during the winter months and my problem areas are pretty small.

Where to purchase: Any big box retailer.

Open box of Green Mountain K-Cups from BzzAgent. For full...

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 17:32:38 -0500

Open box of Green Mountain K-Cups from BzzAgent.

For full review, click here: http://thereviewcloud.tumblr.com/post/36016302400/green-mountain-tastes

Green Mountain Tastes

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 16:46:00 -0500

Open Box Video: Click here to see what I got! http://thereviewcloud.tumblr.com/

About Green Mountain: They offer Fair Trade Certified coffees. This means that you can take part in giving farmers a good price for their beans, help improve their working conditions, protect the environment, and help the families and communities of these farmers.

How I stumbled upon it: BzzAgent sent me a couple boxes with a variety of 4 K-cups in each. Green Mountain K-Cups retail for ~$11.99 for a box of 18.

My Honest Opinion(s): Based on your tastes, Green Mountain will always have something for you. Knowing that while I’m enjoying my coffee at home, that I’m helping the people who provided me the chance to have a great cup of coffee, that’s all that matters. Green Mountain provides a good quality coffee for a great price point and that couldn’t have happened without the people working hard to get us great beans.

Wild Mountain Blueberry: This smells like blueberry pancakes. It has an interesting taste. I’d never had fruity smelling coffee before this. It smells more fruity than it tastes. I think both the senses work together in making this a blueberry coffee. This is a light roast.

Vermont Country Blend: This is a medium roast and is supposed to have a toasted, velvety taste. All I know is that this was a perfect roast and with a little bit of sweet cream coffee creamer, it was the perfect cup of coffee.

Columbian Fair Trade Select: This is also a medium roast. This is your typical non-flavored coffee. Also great with a little sweet creamer.

Extra Bold Sumatran Reserve: This is the perfect dark roast that with a little bit of sweet creamer tastes like a velvety sweet cup of coffee. It was definitely my favorite out of the pack.

Keurig: The Keurig is the best way that I’ve found to make a great cup of coffee. Each time you have the control to make the same exact cup of coffee that you made the day before. It’s an idiot-proof way to make anybody into a barista, or at least kind of close to one.

Re-purchase: Absolutely. Have already purchased a box of Green Mountain gingerbread K-cups for the holidays.

Where to purchase: Any big box retailer.

Glade Expressions Oil Diffuser. *Sorry about the quality. I had...

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:54:00 -0400

Glade Expressions Oil Diffuser. *Sorry about the quality. I had to compress the video to get it up here.

Glade Fragrance Mist Refill. *Sorry about the quality. I had to...

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:51:00 -0400

Glade Fragrance Mist Refill. *Sorry about the quality. I had to compress the video to get it up here.

Glade Expressions Fragrance Mist & Oil Diffuser

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 13:47:00 -0400

About Glade Expressions Collection: This line of home fragrance products are artfully designed for display. There are 2 types of products in the line. One is a fragrance mist and includes the following scents: Cotton & Italian Mandarin, Fuji Apple & Cardamom Spice, Lavender & Juniper Berry, and Pineapple & Mangosteen. The other is an oil diffuser and comes in all the scents from above BUT the Cotton & Italian Mandarin. They all claim to be long lasting.

How I stumbled upon it: BzzAgent sent me free coupons to review this product. Retails for ~$2.99 for the fragrance mist starter kit and ~$1.99 for the refill. For the Oil Diffuser starter it costs ~$5.99 and ~$3.49 for the refill.

My Honest Opinion(s): I think a lot of comes down to the scents. I have the Lavender & Juniper Berry in the Oil Diffuser and the Pineapple & Mangosteen in the fragrance mist. I really like the Pineapple & Mangosteen one as it’s more tropical/fruity with a hint of coconut. The Lavender & Juniper Berry was too pungent and woodsy for me, but then again it’s all personal preference. If they came out with vanilla and other holiday sweet scents, I’d be more interested in trying out the line. But as it is right now I honestly don’t see myself purchasing any refills.

Fragrance Mist: The refill is made of aluminum and is recyclable. It’s made of 100% natural propellant and is not formulated with phthalates. To view the refilling video, click here.

Oil Diffuser: The diffuser requires no electricity and lasts 30 days. It is also spill-proof. Unlike over oil diffusers of the reed type where you pour the oil in an open vase like container and stick the reeds in, where it’s easy to knock the oil all over the furniture and floor, this one is totally spill-proof. You have to click the cardboard like cartridge into the oil container. This infuses the cardboard with oil and seals the gap where the oil comes out. Also not formulated with phthalates. To view the set-up video, click here.

Ease of set up: The set up of both is very easy. The starter kit for the mist didn’t take any set up at all, but refilling is very simple. The oil diffuser kit took a bit of set up, but nothing you couldn’t do in a minute. All you do is leave the diffuser out (and you can leave it in a place to be seen because it’s a nicely designed package). Then it works its magic.

Ease of use: The oil diffuser is set-up and go. So it’s very easy to use. The fragrance mist takes a little getting used to when you squeeze to spray. I wouldn’t gift the spray to somebody with wrist pain as it can become a little hard to squeeze.

Long-lasting: The oil diffuser was more long lasting than the mist. The first week it was very pungent and you could smell from a ways away. Now that weeks have passed, it’s a lot more subtle. I sprayed the mist once in an 11’x11’ room and it only took about 15-20 minutes for the scent to disappear. I could’ve sprayed more vigorously, but one spray in a room that size is enough for you to smell it in all corners.

Re-purchase: As it stands right now, with the current four scents, I don’t see myself repurchasing.

Where to purchase: Any big box retailer.

UNREAL Candies

Sun, 16 Sep 2012 16:21:00 -0400

About UNREAL Candies: UNREAL is all about un-junking candies that you’ve grown to love. That means, no artificials, no corn syrup, no hydrogenated oils, no preservatives and no GMOs. Overall, they have 40% less sugar, 13% less fat, 23% fewer calories, 149% more protein and 250% more fiber than its counterparts. They’re made with real milk, real caramel, real cane sugar, more peanuts and more cacao. For more information visit: getunreal.com

How I stumbled upon it: BzzAgent sent me free coupons to review this product. Retails for ~$1.19 for a single serving pack at drugstores, which is comparable to all of the other bars there as well.

UNREAL 54 (aka peanut m&m dupe) Nutritional Info

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UNREAL 41 (aka milk chocolate m&m dupe) Nutritional Info:

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UNREAL 5 (aka milky way dupe) Nutritional Info:

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UNREAL 8 (aka snickers dupe) Nutritional Info:

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UNREAL 77 (aka Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup dupe) Nutritional Info:

My Honest Opinion(s): Let’s break it down.
UNREAL 54 (peanut m&m dupe) was actually pretty decent. It made me feel better that I was munching on something that still satisfied my needs, but wasn’t as sugary, caloric, and didn’t have all of the unnecessary crap. It was very cool to open up the package and see how the colors weren’t the bright primary colors that we’re all so used to. That’s because since there are no artificial colors, they were all made from beetroot, turmeric, and purple cabbage.

UNREAL 41 (milk chocolate m&m dupe) wasn’t as stellar. Any of the types with an additional flavor, like the peanut butter ones, were better at disguising the protein powder staleness and texture. The milk chocolate ones were again colored using natural vegetable juices.

UNREAL 5 (milky way dupe) wasn’t bad either. Since there was caramel it was easier to disguise that protein powder flavor. The texture was definitely less buttery and thicker than the competitor’s, but knowing that this was a healthier alternative and that you can pinpoint exactly what natural product each ingredient is derived from, gave me comfort. With this one, I could look past the fact that it was a little different from what I’m used to.

UNREAL 8 (snickers dupe) was also not as bad as I had imagined it would initially be. It had the peanuts and caramel that we’re used to. All of the elements are there, it’s just a little thicker and has that after taste. However again, knowing it’s better for you, I would definitely choose this over the competition.

UNREAL 77 (reese’s peanut butter cup dupe) was the best out of them all. The texture was the closest, a tad bit thicker but still a little buttery. The taste was easily disguised by the perfect balance of milk chocolate and peanut butter. It was great!!

Re-purchase: Definitely would re-purchase all but UNREAL 41. UNREAL 41 wasn’t disguised as well, but the others I could definitely look passed. I’ll probably end up buying the bulk packs, as those are more economical.

Where to purchase: CVS, Walgreens (Target in October), Michaels, Rite Aid, Staples, and more.

Revlon Top Speed Nail Polish

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 18:23:00 -0400

About Revlon Top Speed: This is a fast drying nail polish built in with a top coat and available in 32 colors. Dries in 60 seconds. This one is in the color Lily (610). Formaldehyde and toulene free.

How I stumbled upon it: Purchased. Retails for ~$5.99 a bottle.

My Honest Opinion(s): Works great! At first I didn’t favor it as much because of the thickness of the polish. You could see deep-set brush stroke marks because of the thickness. But then I got the hang of it. You have to have quite a bit on your brush for a smooth stroke. It almost feels like a bottle drying out. You have to be pretty quick in applying this, so if you’re pretty slow, you might want to build up speed with another type before this one. Otherwise, it’ll dry before you can apply a smooth coat. The finish is shiny, as if you put a clear top coat on. So we’ll see how long this lasts.

Smell

Like nail polish

Feel

Smooth

Re-purchase: Yes, I’ve already got another color (jelly) and will be looking out for more in this same product.

Green Mountain Nantucket Blend by Keurig

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 12:15:00 -0400

The last in our four part series of the Keurig K-Cups sent to me via BzzAgent. However, this experiment has made me go purchase the limited edition Vitamin Burst Iced Teas in Acai Berry and Strawberry Pomegranate, along with the Donut Shop’s Sweet and Creamy Hazelnut. So watch out for those reviews!

About Green Mountain Nantucket Iced: The roast profile is medium. If you’ve tried the non-iced version, this is supposed to be a close cousin. Because coffee reacts differently when brewed in a hot cup vs. cold cup, adjustments were made to the original Nantucket blend. For the better. Because you’re adding ice, and most likely some sweetener ;), they adjusted the K-Cups for Brew over Ice to have more coffee content. Woohoo!

Calories: On its own = 2 calories

About Brew Over Ice Tumbler: I originally wasn’t planning on mentioning the tumbler in this one, but as I was crafting this review, my hand knocked over the tumbler (full of Nantucket), onto my keyboard. Luckily the screw top is very secure and leak-proof and I caught it in time before anything could possibly seep its way out of the straw hole. WHEW! So needless to say, this is a great tumbler for minimizing accidents on your prized electronics; it’s the perfect size for your Keurig (16 oz), and it’s clear so you can see your delicious creations.

How I stumbled upon it: BzzAgent sent me this product to review. Retails for ~$16.49 for 22 kcups.

My Honest Opinion(s): When it brews on its own, it drips as a nice dark coffee. If you’re paying attention to the smell, it starts to take on a hint of charred dark coffee. However, if you add that sweetened condensed milk, it is the perfect balance to the light bitterness. If you ever go to Starbucks and get the Iced Quad, this is very very close to that. It was just missing the pumps of white mocha. Which can be easily changed. With that, you could make a very affordable dupe for when you don’t want to run out of the house for Sbux and you want convenience and to save moolah.

Other Medium Roast KCups to consider trying

Timothy’s Pacific Island Blend
Timothy’s Bali Samsara Blend
Caribou Coffee Blend
Starbucks Breakfast Blend
Starbucks Pike Place
Starbucks House Blend

Smell

A bit of a charred/bitter scent when brewing

Look

Dark brown

Re-purchase: Probably. I love my Iced Quad and this has been the best way to imitate it thus far.

A note on ordering K-Cups online: If you’ve bought a Keurig, I hope that you’ve registered yours online and gotten your massive K-Cup box deal. Many retail stores do lots of deals on some of the popular K-Cup boxes, so take advantage. However, if you’re looking for K-Cups that are limited edition/online only, I’d recommend going directly to keurig.com. If you’ve registered your machine, you’re automatically part of the “club” and receive 10% off every box + there’s some points reward system I haven’t quite figured out. I bought 3 boxes at keurig.com and it came out with no tax and free shipping. Ultimately, I saved 10 cents per k-cup vs. purchasing them in store. Though I couldn’t purchase in store anyways because they’re all online only. This, versus purchasing on green mountain’s site where they had a $2 off each box promo, but no free shipping so it still came out to $10 more on green mountain’s vs. keurig’s site. Just FYI! :)