Sally Hansen Salon Effects French Mani

 First let me say I lucked up and found these Sally Hansen Salon Effects at the local Dollar Tree for just a buck! These things are outrageous at Wal-Mart so I was pretty excited. Like normal when I find a good deal, I couldn't buy just one. I bought a few different types to try. I really love the french mani look so I decided to try the gold glitter french mani pack first.



The box had detailed instructions on what you should do to apply this product correctly. I followed along. Let me begin by saying these are not what you would call difficult to apply but they do require some time. If you are familiar with the Jamberry products then these will not be a big deal and they will remind you of Jamberry quite a bit. The difference is you do not need heat to apply these they are more like a sticker. I also noticed that these were much thinner than Jamberry. This being said you must be careful not to tear the product while you are applying them. I trimmed mine down with nail clippers and then used the file provided in the box as it is suggested to use it.

I was happy with the end results once I got this product on all my nails. I am a bit off cue on even tips on every nail but since I always have this problem no one even thought twice about it. My nails looked nice and felt ten times better since I had trimmed back my cuticles and used oil on them as well.

The product says it will last for 10 days. I am sad to say that mine did not completely last that long. My first nail on my right hand began to show signs of wear on day 3 and then my pinky on the same hand chipped a bit a few days later.

My biggest gripe with the product is that it was a lot of work for only 3 days of wear. I wish the product was not so easy to tear. Folks who have trouble with their hands may mess up a couple before they are able to master the art of what to do. Lucky for me I only messed up one and there was plenty to take its place. I also had a bit of trouble finding the right size for my tiny nails. This meant that I had to cut more to make them fit properly. Not only did the ends need trimmed but I also had to trim from the sides.

I did like the price I spent to get this product. I did find the results were very pretty. Application was pretty easy but not something to try to do in a hurry. The box includes everything you need for application so there is no need to have to buy anything else.

I would give this product a 3 stars out of 5. The product does work but did not last as long as promised. Granted I did not go easy on this mani. I continued on with my daily life but I still think with a promise of 10 days I should have gotten at least 5 before I seen wear. If I have the opportunity to buy this product again at the deal I got and there is a design I like I would make the purchase but I would not give Wal-Mart price for this product. 

Great Pick Me Up & Carry Me Through Breakfast Addition!

 I am always trying to find something quick yet filling for breakfast. I also need something that is going to stick with me a while and if it gives me extra energy to power through the day even better. I had been struggling with my power breakfast and the pop tarts I was eating did not seem to be doing a whole lot for the sticking with me a while or giving me ANY energy. I was getting to work and within an hour or so I was starving. I changed all this when I discovered organic Matcha-Green Tea.

I will be the first to admit when I opened the bag I though how in the world could this ever be consumed. It is green and has a tea smell to it. You usually need a spoon to break up the clumps so that you do not get a ton more than you meant to. I had agreed to try the product so I had to come up with some kind of plan.

First, I experimented with a smoothie. I added a tea spoon of the Matcha-Green tea in with a tea spoon of cacao powder, some pineapple, a squeeze of Domino liquid agave nectar sweetener, and some coconut milk. To my surprise this was pretty good but I was not sure how I felt about the cacao powder in with it. Next, I decided to try just the Matcha-Green tea in with the coconut milk. It sounded like a great idea in essence but it turned out to be a total flop. The taste was quite dry, a bit bitter, and by every means horrible! I decided to mix in the Domino sweetener, a splash of vanilla flavoring and a few pineapples. This helped and turned out to be pretty good but I decided it was better with the cacao powder.

Last but not least I came up with a plan to try this in my coffee. I had some Folger Flavor Enhancers I had gotten from a Crowdtap campaign so I decided these and the tea would be a great morning get me going fix. I was drinking along and it wasn't bad, until I got to the bottom of the coffee in my cup where I discovered all the Matcha tea! I have to say that last sip was rough. Lesson learned you stir, stir, and stir some more if you want this in your coffee.

I have made it a morning routine to add Matcha-Green tea to my breakfast in some way. I do this because I have found that when I drink this tea I am not as hungry when I get to work. In fact I don't get real hungry for some time. I also think it helps with my energy. Best of all there is no crash from the energy you get from consuming the tea. I incorporate this into my breakfast every day now except for Saturday and Sunday when I have free will to eat when I want or sleep mostly when I want.

I did receive this product at a discount in exchange for a honest unbiased review. This review has not been influenced in any way by this discount or the company Kiss Me Organics. The opinions here are 100% my own after my use and evaluation of this product.

Don't be Fooled by Such a Cute Box This Cream Means Business!

I have just recently been diagnosed with neuropathy. Anyone who has this knows there is not a day goes by that you are not in some kind of pain. My pain is my hands and feet are swelling, burning, going numb, and ache. I was recently on medication that I could only take acetaminophen with, nothing with ANY NSAIDs. This was horrible for me because acetaminophen rarely eases any types of pain for me. I actually had a spliting headache when I came across an invitation to try Back to Normal Arnica Cream.

Being in pain it only took me minutes to decide that this was something that I was very interested in. I made my interest in the product known and was one of the lucky ones chosen to try this product. I was very anxious to get the product. Even if I had got my headache under control I still had this pain in my hands and feet that I was guaranteed that I could test it with.

When my cream arrived I was immediately in awe of the package. A very cute design with a pretty little yellow flower on top that pulls apart and allows the box to open and the jar of cream to slide out. Right off I give a huge kudos for thinking about us with aching hands. The box was so simple to open. A few gentle shakes and the jar of cream also slid right out and into my hands.

The jar is a nice little jar pretty simple to open as well but without a lot of bells and whistles. It is white with a nice label and kind of a silver gray lid. The lid unscrews easily and lifts right off revealing the cream inside. I did not really know what to expect with this product but I did expect at least some kind of smell. This product has very little smell and what it does is not a medicine smell like you might expect. It is very light.

The cream itself is white in color. It goes on easily and does not leave behind an oily residue. A little bit of the cream on my hands and a few good massaging rubs and it went right into my skin. So I bet you would like to know the outcome on did it help my pain at all. Yes, I think it did help ease some of the pain in my hands. Now this is not to say I was cured and pain free from then on but I did receive some relief. Now when my hands start hurting in between my dose of meds I reach for my Back to Normal Cream.

I would give this product a 5 out of 5 stars. It is a nicely designed product for a real need for many people. The company has obviously considered their clientele with the design of the product right down to the packaging it comes in.

If you would like to learn more about Back to Normal Arnica Cream here are a few links you can check out:

 1) Their website: www.BackToNormalLife.com                                                                                      

2) Their Amazon Listing: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/BooYT5IORS                          

3) Connect with them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/backtonormalco                    

Also until September 30th 2015 please use Amazon code: BLOGSFAN to receive $5 OFF

 This being said I did receive this product at a discount in exchange for my honest unbiased review. This review has not been influenced by the discount or company in any way. The opinions in this review are 100% my own after my use and evaluation of this product.

John Shaw's Guide to Digital Nature Photography...A Book Review not for the Faint of Heart

 Many of you know that I enjoy photography, especially that of nature. I know that all my Facebook buddies love to endure every year my posts of butterflies, flowers, trees, the sky, rainbows, and then even the snow. I love going on vacation and taking photos of the mountains, the wild animals, and if I am lucky a few from a helicopter. I just love taking pictures! I had drooled over this book for months before I finally saw that it was once again back up for review copies. I did not hesitate to click to request my copy.

I can not say that I regret that decision. This book is very in-depth on gear, cameras, and how to set up your camera to get the shots that will make you happy. While sorting through the book and looking at all the beautiful pictures it was almost like reading a magazine. I looked at many wishing that I had that talent and the camera capable of taking those beautiful shots. Then once I began to read the book I realized quickly that this stuff was very technical. This was not for anyone who just picked up their camera yesterday. No, you had better have some years and experience under your belt for this one. So here I am by no means an expert but not your average just beginner either. I was some where in the middle, until I started reading all about cameras.

According to Shaw the best camera to have is the one you have. Well that made me feel some better maybe I could use what I have to take great pictures but then we get to setting your camera up. I go grab the Nikon Coolpix off my desk ready to attack this monster and conquer my next photo session. Guess what I discovered! I have a "dummy camera". What this means is that someone who had never picked up a camera before in their lives could pick up mine and probably take a decent picture. My heart sank, until I realized that this gives me another reason to add a Cannon Rebel to my Christmas wish list! I call my camera a "dummy camera" because there are few settings I have the privilege to set. The camera will tell me what I am going to use and I am going to use it. Though I do have different settings such as fireworks, beach, portrait, landscape,etc the camera will simply set up what it needs to capture those shots. Thus why anyone can use it and still get decent results.

On a positive note, this book will walk me through how to set up my present from Santa I am sure I will be getting this year. It will also help me learn what I need to take just the shots I want. It even goes into what file format you should use and then how to get the best results from that format. Though I have discovered this book is pretty much just reading material for me right now I hope to be able to put some of the tips and advice to good use soon. I am also going to have to study on how some of it works because again I am still learning!

I give this book a 5 star rating. It is of a technical nature but explains many things that one needs to know to be a great nature photographer. Shaw helps you choose what you need to take the pictures you want and will even help you set up the camera with the best features to get the shots you need. I also enjoyed that the book contained some examples that made me chuckle as I read along. My favorite was the discussion on Focus Priority or Continuous Focus and he told the story about Elvis. I also loved the beautiful photos that were so abundant through out the book. They inspired a want and desire to learn what to do to be the best photographer I can be...without a dummy camera!

If You Own a Dog You Need This Shampoo!

Have you had to wrestle your dog into the tub to get him clean and not stinking only to find out a few days later that the same stink has come back? You don't feel like the fight to bath him again and you also don't want to dry out his skin. Have you had to "just deal with it" until time for the wrestling match to begin once again? Would you like a solution to the smelly problem without having to bath your dog again? Believe it or not I have an alternative for you! Are you excited now and want to know what it is? Well it is Paw Choice Naturals. What is this you may ask?

Paw Choice Naturals is a dry foaming mousse dog shampoo that can be used between your puppy baths. The shampoo has a nice mango & pomegranate scent to rid your puppy of his shoo wee stink. The shampoo is not like many other products that only mix and mask the smell but it honestly helps. As another advantage puppy does not just smell clean but he will look nicer too!

This shampoo is very easy to use. You do not need any extra ingredients and NO water is required! All you have to do is pump a desired amount of the shampoo into your hand or onto your pups fur and rub it in. The bottle will suggest putting it directly on your pet and this is probably the best way of use but for some of us we need to have our pets in our hands to make this work so if Fido might sprint away just put it in your hands and grab him! Once you have rubbed your pup down being careful not to get the shampoo in his eyes just let him be. That is it! Your pup will smell better and look cleaner. Now there is no need to wrestle him into the tub! Not for now at least but maybe in a couple weeks the tub might be calling.

If you would like to know the ingredients in the product before putting it on your fur baby here those are:

Ingredients: Water, Surfactant Blend (Coconut Derived), Polysorbate 20, Fragrance, and Preserative

This product comes in an 8 fl oz. pump bottle. Let me add that the design of the bottle makes use much more simple than one of the bottles you must pour. With the easy to use pump you can easily measure out what you need with no worries of a sudden jump from Fido making you pour out the entire contents. This being said a little of this product also goes a long way.

If you are interested in learning more about this product or would like to get some of it for yourself please take a look at the listing on Amazon by clicking here.

I did receive this product at a discount in exchange for my honest unbiased review. This review has not in any way been influenced by the discount or the company making this product. The opinions are 100% my own after my use and evaluation of this product.

Ultimate Smile Professional At-Home Teeth Whitening Kit

Who of us don't want a nice pearly white smile? How many would love to be able to get professional results without the expensive price tag and time at the dentist? If this is you read on!

The Ultimate Smile Professional At-Home Teeth Whitening Kit is a great addition to a brushing routine. The kit comes with a upper and lower tray, 2 tubes of gel, a plastic case to keep your trays in when not in use, and simple instructions on how to use this product. The trays are great because you can heat them in hot water and then mold them to your mouth for an exceptional whitening experience tailored to fit your teeth. Once you have the trays molded simply add a bit of the gel and insert the trays in your mouth from 5-15 minutes depending on your teeth sensitivity. When the time is up take out the trays and rinse your mouth! That is it and the results are immediately noticeable. Of course don't forget to wash out your trays and put them back in your case for safe keeping until your next whitening! Set up your routine on how often you want to use the kit depending on how sensitive your teeth are. Those without sensitive teeth may want to use it a couple times a week while those with more sensitivity may only need to whiten ever week or two. The choice is yours!

This kit is very simple to use and only requires a bit of time. The taste is not horrible but not a tasty treat either. The trays though never comfortable can be trimmed to make the experience as bearable as possible. The results are fantastic! Since you should only use a little bit of gel each time you whiten the product lasts for more than just 2 uses. If you do end up accidentally using too much gel in the tray there will be a spill over into your mouth which is neither tasty or pleasant. You will drool and not look at all like a cute St.Bernard puppy while you are doing it!

All this being said this is another product that I received at a discount in exchange for an honest unbiased review. The opinions here are 100% my own after my use and evaluation of this product. This post has not been influenced from the discount or the company who makes this product. If you would like to know more about this product please click here 
 

Chocolate Treat without so Much Sweet

My family loves chocolate. So when I had the opportunity to try Pure Raw Orgainic Cacao powder I got the taste testing bib ready! I don't know about you but when I see healthy I think blah. This could not be farther from the truth with this cacao powder!

First, we all had to test it out in a smoothie because we was in one of the phases where we were eating plenty of smoothies. The Cacao powder blended well but without a little help from some organic honey it was a bit bitter. Keep in mind this powder has a very bold dark taste straight from the bag. How do I know this? Well I had to try it of course! Just the right amount of honey and fruit and this made up one delicious treat that my whole family loved including my husband who is a chocolate connoisseur.

Aside from smoothies this powder can be used in milkshakes, coffee, and even in baking. I am working up the nerve to see what kind of chocolate gravy it can whip up. So far it has been delicious in all our whipped up treats so it is worth a shot.

This product comes in a bright gold durable resealable pouch which helps to keep the product fresh. You need something to keep it fresh because you do not have to use but a spoonful or so when you make smoothies and things like that. The pouch stands up which makes storage easy. The bright color grabs your attention and helps you always know where to find your Cacao powder when you are ready to make a treat.

 
If you are a chocoholic who needs a bit of rehab you can find Pure Raw Orgainic Cacao powder by clicking here. I received this product at a discount in exchange for an honest unbiased review. The opinions here are 100% my own after my use and evaluation of this product.