Ivory 2 in 1

  Well, I finally got my first influenster box and in it was this lovely product, Ivory 2 in 1 Hair and Body.  Now, as you probably already know I am super picky about my haircare products.  This was nice and all for a quick showering but I'll stick to my normal shampoo and conditioning routine.  There just wasn't enough conditioning for me and I really need to use something with frizz control.  However, I LOVED the scent and the body wash portion of it.  It has a nice lather, didn't leave any residue and my skin was soft afterwards.  

Ivory 2 in 1 is a wonderful idea.  Especially for men and children.  I put a little drop in running water and my son had a nice bubble bath.  It was also much easier to get him cleaned up.  Just a little dollop, wash him head to toe, rinse and he's back to playing/splashing water all over the damn place.  I liked the scent better than baby washes and I thought it scrubbed more of that toddler grime off as well.  However, this is NOT tears free so be careful.  But honestly, is anything ever REALLY tears free?

As for the older child....uh....I mean husband, he said he liked it as well.  the scent was just a "clean smell" rather than a "girly, flowery, mess".  His words, not mine.  He has a bit of dandruff which this did not help.  It didn't make it worse either so I guess that's a wash....haha...get it?  I'm clever. 

I think the real winning aspect of this for me was that I can put ONE bottle in our guest shower instead of THREE.  Not that three bottles is cumbersome or crowding the shower but it allows me to have a cleaning product on hand for our over night guests without spending a fortune.  This is especially nice since the in-laws come to visit way too often....errrr...I mean...not enough?

All in all, I will most likely buy this again and be recommending to friends and family.  ( Well, the ones I like anyways )

Hydra Recharge

     It's that time again.  Time for me to talk about how much I hate my hair.  I've concurred many trials and tribulations but my hair just can't get it's act together.  And, trust me, I've tried everything.  But beating my crazy locks into submission is tiring.  I have a better shot of breeding alpacas in my apartment, shaving them and weaving that soft alpaca fur into a wig.  Sometimes I swear my mother must have had a horrible electrical accident while pregnant with me.  This freak show mop is just not normal!!  So, as I blew out my candles, on my recent birthday cake, I pleaded with the birthday gods that my hair would stop trying to leap of my head in a frizzy, frazzled, mess.

     To my great surprise my cries of agony and despair were answered by one true love, Juno from Bzzagent.com.  My Hero!  And a few weeks later I received my belated birthday gift.  A pretty cardboard box taped up with dancing bzzing bees.  I wept tears of joy, undressed, and ... took a shower.  This is things dreams are made of.... yes, I'm speaking of Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge!!

     It's not hard to see why I came to love Hydra Recharge.  Just take a look at the before and after shots.

BEFORE -

AFTER -

    Even the little guy was soothed to sleep by my soft and shinny hair!!  Success at last!

    Now, I do have to be 100% honest here.  I DO use a flat iron and I use coconut oil once a month.  However, it normally takes me 45 minutes to straighten my insane hair.  Now?  20 minutes!  AND, it doesn't look like I tried to deep fry it.  It's soft, shinny, manageable, BEAUTIFUL!  I even oggle myself in the mirror now.  "Who's a pretty girl?  You're a pretty girl!"  Ya, it's down right sickening.

    So, what's so special about Hydra Recharge, you ask?  Pffffft...I'm no scientist!  I have no clue how Garnier got all this magic into a bottle.  I'm thinking there are some four leaf clovers, fairy dust, and maybe a rabbits foot or two involved.  Here's what I know for sure, it works!  Something about Goji berries and kiwi just flat out works!  The shampoo, conditioner and 1-minute treatment all smell AMAZING!  And let's face it, we all have ONE tiny little minute to spare for great hair!  I mean, put it in and shave your wooly mammoth pits.  Multi-tasking people...it's the only way to live.  

    And if you are still not convinced, Garnier is Earth friendly!  Not only are the bottles recyclable BUT they are already made from recycled plastics.  Hippy Dippy!!

    In conclusion, I know that not all of us are lucky enough to be BFFs with dear ol'Juno so here's a a link to some money saving coupons.  Just click the different pictures.  And while you're there check out the nifty documentary  about Hair, Style and Music.  And don't forget, you too can be a PRETTY GIRL!

Garnier Olia

32...Thirty Two...O - M - G when the frappe did that happen?  I am * shudders * 32 and my hair is showing it.  This gray crap growing out my scalp is making looking 22 very difficult.  This NEEDS to change NOW!

Ok, options.  I could wear a hat.  I could shave it all off.  I could become a recluse and never leave the house again.  Or...I could color it!!  Oh wait, I almost forgot...my hair is frizzy and dry and looks like I might be homeless.  Coloring it certainly doesn't tame things, in fact, it just makes that rats nest look 100 times worse.  Ok...I guess I'll shave it.

Update - upon further pondering I made a very important discovery.  I'm flat chested and don't always wear make-up.  Shave my head and I'm pretty sure I'm going to look like a teenage boy.  Not exactly the look I'm trying to achieve.  Fiiiiiiiiiiiiine, I'll color it.  After all bzzagent was kind enough to pick me to try out Garnier Olia.  Let's hop to the impending disaster.

First off, Garnier Olia is found at most "big box" stores like Walmart and Target.  I found it at Walmart in the 8 dollar range.  Not too bad, still a hell of a lot cheaper than going to a salon.  Plus I always end up waxing something I didn't want to when I go into those places.  They can be VERY persuasive.  Anyways, the box was easy to identify as was the color.  The boxes at my Walmart were damaged making the display look kind of pathetic but who am I to judge?

Once you open the box you will notice that this isn't your typical home hair coloring kit.  Nope, Olia is mixed in a teardrop shaped bottle.  I was a little leery of this at first.  Change is just a fancy word for " this is going to suck".  Buuuut, it didn't suck.  Actually, it worked very nicely.  The shape of the bottle made it easy to hold onto and the skinny tip ( mind out of the gutter ) made for no spillage.  YES!  For once my bathroom didn't look like a murder scene during the hair color process!

Other than that the rest of the process was pretty typical.  Start at the roots, work section by section, wait 30 minutes, rinse until water runs clear.  I do have to point out though that there was only a faint odor unlike other brands that leave you feeling like you are Johnny Depp in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.  Also, the rinse time seemed a bit lengthy.

After my hair was dry and straightened I was shocked!  My hair looked healthier than when I started.  Seriously, no joke!  I mean not anything red carpet worthy but shiny and not as frizzy as I was expecting.  I'm not sure how this came to be but I can only assume that Harry Potty now works for Garnier.  That's the only logically explanation.

So, overall, I'd have to say that I'm impressed.  Darn impressed!  I would highly recommend this over going bald any day.  And the gray?  GONE!  That's right! Who's your daddy?  I might still be * barf * 32 but at least now my hair isn't giving that away.  Spot on Garnier!  Olia is a winner!

Nescafe Memento

Nescafe Memento

I am simply in love with being a Bzz Agent.  Not only do I get to try out some great products ( for FREE ) but I also get to share those products with my friends and hand out some pretty nifty coupons!

The most recent "bzzkit" I received was for an instant coffee beverage called Nescafe Memento.  I was sent three flavors: Mocha, Caramel and Cappuccino and boy was I excited to try them all!  I am a coffee addict and a money saving junkie.  The two don't really go hand in hand.  My favorite ( nameless ) coffee shop charges almost 4 bucks for a latte.  Are you kidding me?  That's highway robbery!  Yummy highway robbery, but robbery just the same.  These little pouches claim tastiness for a fraction of the price and I can stay in my PJs.  Win, win, win!

I really wish I could say that I loved this.  After all I loved the "idea" of it.  I guess somethings are just too good to be true.  Let me start with the caramel flavor.  OMG, GROSS!  I seriously have no clue who decided that this could even be called caramel.  Try to picture this:  Scented chalk, caramel scented chalk, that some kid left outside during a rainstorm.  The resulting chalk puddle is then heated and called coffee.  Ya, it was that bad.  I wouldn't give this to starving children, they'd just spit it out anyways!

On to Cappuccino.  Not bad.  A little bland in my opinion but easily doctored up with flavored creamer, whip cream or cinnamon stir sticks.  The girls in my mothers group cooled a couple of cups of this in the fridge and then poured over vanilla ice cream.  Coffee floats?  Hell ya!  That was amazing!

Last, but not least was the mocha flavor.  If you like hot coco, you will adore this.  That's basically what it tasted like.  The coffee flavor was VERY subtle and almost non existent.  I can't say I hated it, because I was in a chocolate kind of mood but had I been in a coffee mood I would have been pissed.  Like throw my coffee cup against a wall pissed.  I'm very dramatic.

All in all, I'd recommend Nescafe Mementos.  Just avoid the caramel one.  They'd make a perfect addiction to the crazy purse clutter, or great for camping.  As an everyday drink?  I'll stick to my k-cups and coffee shops.

Click here for - Nutritional Facts

C is for Cereal

I was recently chosen to test out Posts Sesame Street Cereal. Clearly, being a 31 year old woman, I'm not exactly jumping for joy when Elmo hits the breakfast table.  Then again, I'm pretty sure this was for my toddlers taste buds.  Thank goodness too, because I found the taste and texture less than appealing.  Try to imagine a texture like a cheese puff but with a mild apple or banana and corn flavor.  Sounds yummy, right? ( sarcasm )  Buuuuut...guess who likes it?  Now, I'm not sure little man actually likes these or if he just wants to fit into the Elmo club.  Either way, he wants them every morning and I'm happy to give it to him.

There are a lot of products out there that make very bold claims about being healthy.  I'm going to say "healthier".  Yes, this cereal has less sugar, more vitamins and no artificial flavors...COMPARED to other cereals!  An actual apple or banana is, obviously, going to be a better choice for your little one.  Unfortunately, we live in a fast food, processed, junk kind of world.  Post is just capitalizing on the fact that we all feel slightly guilty about the crap we give our kids.  With that being said, they did a good job and I do recommend it.

Here are some of the nutritional facts:

• 16g of whole grain per 20g serving provides two-thirds of your toddler’s daily whole grains*
• 1g of sugar per serving is just enough to perfectly sweeten both flavors without compromising the cereal’s other nutritional benefits
• No artificial flavors
• Fortified with nutrients that help support healthy brain development in children: iron, zinc, and choline**
• An ideal food for little ones – just the right size for little fingers to pick up and easy for your toddler to chew and swallow***
• Sesame Street characters and brain games on the box will ensure that breakfast is not only entertaining, but a special time to spend learning with your child

*Nutritionists recommend toddlers 2 to 3 years old eat 1½ servings or more of whole grain foods per day (about 16g whole grain per serving or at least 24g per day).

**Iron helps deliver oxygen to the brain & body; zinc helps brain & body cells grow and develop; choline+ helps the brain send messages.

+Contains 55mg choline per 27g serving, which is 10% of the Daily Value for choline for adults (550mg), and 40mg per 20g serving, which is 20% of the Daily Value for choline for children under 4 (200mg).

***Safety Reminder: Post Sesame Street cereals should only be fed to children who are accustomed to chewing solid foods. Small children should always be seated and supervised while eating.