SMARTFOOD SELECTS BzzCampaign

Hi everyone! :)

I am excited to tell you all about the latest BzzCampaign I had the privilege to participate in. It's called the "Smartfood Selects BzzCampaign", and I received a free small bag of the Smartfood Selects Garlic Tomato Basil Hummus Popped Chips, a free small bag of the Smartfood Selects Feta Herb Hummus Popped Chips, and a full size bag of the Smartfood Selects Buffalo Cheddar Popcorn. I received these for free, in return for my honest opinion about these products which I would share with BzzAgent and all of you, my friends and family. The Smartfood Selects as the name suggests stands for a healthier way to snack, and all of these snack items are very healthy, because they are produced without any artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, they contain 0 grams trans fat, no MSG, and all of them are kosher products.

The first product I would like to review here are the Feta Herb Hummus Popped Chips, and here is what Smartfood writes on their website about the flavor combination and taste: “Herbs are a natural accompaniment to cheese. This delicious recipe combines feta cheese with rosemary, basil, and black pepper for a flavor that perfectly complements our hummus popped chip.”The chips came in a small 0.8 ounce bag, and the nutritional facts stated 110 calories, 0.5 grams saturated fat, 170 mg sodium, and 1 g sugar. As you can see, this is a much healthier snacking option than regular chips. The flavor blend of feta and herbs was delicious. I enjoyed the crispiness of the chips also, they were really yummy, like gourmet chips!

The next variety I would like to review here are the Smartfood Selects Garlic Tomato Basil Hummus Popped Chips. Here is the desciption of their flavor as stated on the Smartfood website: “By roasting the garlic in this hummus-based popped chip, we've caramelized its natural sugars to give it a sweet flavor. Parmesan, tomato, basil, and thyme complement the garlic in this scrumptious, smart combination.” With only 100 calories,, 0 g trans fat, 0 g saturated fat, 130 mg sodium, 1 g sugars, these are also a much healthier option for you to snack on. Each bite was loaded with yummy flavor, and they were gone in no time, since this bag was also only a 0.8 ounce bag, just enough to try the flavors, and leaving me longing for more. Yum! :)

Last, I tried the full size bag of Smartfood Selects Buffalo Cheddar Popcorn. One of the best things about the packaging is, they are resealable bags! This is a much needed and desired feature! No more stale left over snacks, that no one wants to touch anymore and are left to throw away. The Smartfood website describes the flavor of this variety as follows: “This zesty flavor combination is inspired by spicy buffalo wing sauce, cooled by cheddar cheese. It's made even more delicious with hints of cayenne pepper, vinegar, paprika, garlic, and onion.” My opinion on this popcorn flavor is, they are much too strong and intense flavored for my taste buds, while my husband and children enjoyed them, even though my kids needed to have plenty of water to drink to lessen the intenseness of the zestiness. :) Here is a picture I took of the bag, before our family movie night! Check out the resealable top of the new full-size bags! Very cool and clever!!

 

My overall opinion of the Smartfood Selects brand is very positive! I love the fact that my family and me have the option to snack healthier. I must admit I am very interested in trying the other available flavors, too, but especially the Cinnamon Brown Sugar Popcorn, as well as the Cinnamon Brown Sugar Whole Grain Popped Chips. I will definitely be looking for them when grocery shopping. I can’t wait to give them a try!! :)

And if you would like to snack smarter with real herbs and spices, and no artifials, you should give the Smartfood Selects snacking products a try!!

The new Glade Expressions Collection! Beautiful scents and sleek design to fit your home decor!

Cooking, dirty laundry, pets... If you are like me and my family, and you love a clean and lovely smelling home, you most likely buy all kinds of air fresheners to try and see which one works best. From scented candles, to plug-ins, air freshener sprays, and oil diffusers, you name it, we’ve bought and tried them.

I was very excited to get invited to the Glade Expressions BzzCampaign, and could not wait for my BzzKit to arrive! After all, this new collection of fragrance mists and oil diffuser seemed very promising at keeping the house fresh and inviting. And as a welcome added bonus, both the oil diffuser and fragrance mist bottle have a very sleek and beautiful design that will blend right into your home décor. Also, the fragrance mist and the oil diffuser come as starter kits, for which you can buy a refill after they are used up.

I received one coupon for a free Glade Expressions Fragrance Mist starter kit, and one coupon for a free Glade Expressions Oil Diffuser starter kit, in order to try them and review them, and share my personal honest opinion about these products with BzzAgent and all of you.

I decided to buy the Fragrance Mist with fresh pineapple & mangosteen scent, and I bought the Oil Diffuser also with the pineapple & mangosteen fragrance, simply because it was the last and only one available at the store I went to. I happened to have bought the fragrance mist with the cotton & Italian mandarin scent before and had it at home already, which made it a good option to compare two different scents of this product.

I loved the beautiful design of the oil diffuser. Unlike usual glass bottles with oil and little sticks in them, which I always hated and bought only maybe two times ever,  this one is spill-proof, a little “card” that soaks up the oil from a little plastic bottle at the bottom, both well hidden in this beautiful décor like product. Visitors may likely not even realize that this is not only décor, but an actual oil diffuser! I was a little disappointed that I had to go back to my Walmart store at least three times to actually find this item, it seemed like it wasn’t available yet, or it was so popular it had been all out right away.

The Glade Expressions website says, this oil diffuser has a long-lasting fragrance release of up to 30 days long. The first few days I enjoyed the smell a lot, every single time I came into our living room, I got a whiff of this wonderful tropical paradise like scent of fresh cut pineapple with tangy mangosteen notes, mixed with coconut hints and passionflower fragrance. But after a few days already I noticed the scent had disappeared, and not even stepping right next to the diffuser let me smell anything. I literally had to stick my nose right next to the diffuser to pick up some of the fragrance. My opinion? Not good! I expect a oil diffuser to last much longer than this! Especially coming from the Glade brand, which is definitely one of my favorite air freshener brands. Just for its’ beautiful décor and art like look, I still have the diffuser standing in my home to this day. I am still looking for the Apple & Cardamom Spice refill, because I really would love to try this one, since it fits perfectly for this season now! Hopefully I will find it in stores soon.

Next, I would like to review the fragrance mists. The mist itself is nicely distributed and it is a fine mist that will surely freshen your rooms. No matter, if bathroom, your pet’s room or kitchen, this mist will eliminate bad odors and make it smell lovely.  First, the cotton & Italian mandarin fragrance mist is in my opinion a little too strong and I did not care much for it. But the Pineapple & mangosteen is truly a hint of paradise in your own home! I enjoy it very much. I will also definitely buy the other available scents to try them out also.

Overall, I recommend you try both products out for yourselves, both are a very beautiful piece of “art” to have in your home and will freshen your home to make it more inviting, by its’ fragrance and its’ sleek style.

Here are some pictures:

 

Check out all the helpful information about the new Glade Expressions collection on their website here, too!

Make sure to visit Glade on Facebook for news, special offers and more information!

The UNREAL Candy Unjunked BzzCampaign

The UNREAL Candy Unjunked BzzCampaign

 

Today I would like to tell you about UNREAL Candy Unjunked, which is a new line of candies that is produced without corn syrup, any artificial ingredients, such as artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, without hydrogenated oil, and without GMO’s, while also offering a sugar amount of only 40% of regular candies available.

As a member of BzzAgent, I got an invitation to participate in this campaign. I received a free product coupon and a few Buy one get one coupons to pass out to people, in return for my honest opinion about the product.

So, how did the UNREAL brand come into life? Well, on the UNREAL website it tells the story of a dad who took away his son’s candy from halloween, and the son, of course disappointed and mad, tried to prove to his father, that candy couldn't be so bad. He was searching for information online, just to find out that his father was right all along, and he also found out, that all unhealthy "junk", such as corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors, preservatives and colors, were not there to make the candy taste better. The only purpose they had was to make the production cheaper! So, this is how the development of UNREAL candy started.

 

Now, you may be like me wondering, how can candy with less than half of the regular amount of sugar in it, and without so much other stuff taste good? I was sceptic about this, and when I received my coupon I headed to the store to pick out one variety. The line of UNREAL Unjunked Candy includes five different varities: - Candy coated chocolates, - Candy coated chocolates with peanuts, - Chocolate covered peanut butter cups, and, last but not least, - Chocolate caramel nougat, available with and without peanuts.

First of all, I found it hard to find these at the stores I usually shop at, but thanks to their website I found out that they are available at Walgreens and CVS, besides others. With my free product coupon from BzzAgent I picked out the UNREAL #54 Chocolate covered candies with peanuts, which are the healthier option for regular M&M's with peanuts. My first impression was quite positive, I liked the colorful package and the colors of the candies were also nice, keeping in mind that only natural ingredients are used to produce the candy, including the color of the outside shells. When I tried the candies, I was not very impressed, the chocolate lacked the sweetness I am used to and that I love about chocolate candies. It's hard to describe the flavor in words, but the chocolate tasted "flat", kind of bitter, but even the unsweetened baking chocolate available in stores tastes somehow sweeter than this candy. The peanut inside was okay, but also not really comparable to the competitor's real brand product, in my opinion. It tastes a little too hard, maybe a little over-roasted even.

I would have loved to be able to try out all of the available varieties, but there was only one coupon for a free trial candy. Maybe the other varieties would have been better. For the health facts alone, I will definitely give the other varieties a try soon. I think the UNREAL Unjunked Candy is a great idea and much needed in today’s "junk food" society!

The SMARTERER BzzCampaign

The SMARTERER BzzCampaign!

So, you think you're smart? How about smarterer? And what if I'm smarterer than you?

Now you probably wonder if I made a mistake or if it is really spelled smarterer, which would be "not-so-smart" after all. Just kidding. But the same way that this makes you wonder right now, I was wondering about this whole Smarterer BzzCampaign and what it would be like!

As a BzzAgent I get the opportunity to get invited into BzzCampaigns, to try products for free and share my honest opinion about them.

This most recent BzzCampaign I got invited to is for Smarterer, which is a neat little website that you can quickly sign up for, and take all kinds of quizzes to test your knowledge about social media websites, such as Twitter and Facebook, or about search engines, such as Google, just to give you an idea of how well you know these websites. While taking the quizzes on each subject, Smarterer will keep you in the know about how you're keeping up with other people's scores and if you're an expert or maybe only a beginner. A nice little feature of Smarterer is also, that people, as they take part in the quizzes, can always add on more questions and answers, so the tests keep getting more and more developed or filled in with more details you can learn about. Besides that, your scores will not remain the same, by more people participating and beating your ranking, your score will eventually automatically drop.

So, for my part, I started out doing the Smarterer test about BzzAgent! I was quite surprised about how many details I was asked about. But I did pretty well on that test. Next, I tried the tests about Twitter, Facebook and Google. I have to say I was a little bit shocked about how little I knew about Google and how to search with it the "correct" way! As funny as this may sound, there is so much more that you will learn about using Google by just taking the test on Smarterer!

All in all I think Smarterer is a cool website, the tests are interesting and teach you quite a bit new knowledge. I would not spend every day with these tests, but every now and then, maybe on my lazy Sundays I will spend some time on Smarterer.

What I didn't like is how little time the timer on each question gives you to answer. Most of the questions and answer options are quite long to read through, and even though I can read fast, I had no choice but pick any because I had no time to really think about the correct answer. So, that's something that should be fixed.

Otherwise it is fun and very competitive, you can post your score during the test on Facebook and Twitter and let your friends in on the fun. You can also get cool badges for each completed test that you then can post on your blog! Here is the link to my Smarterer profile, since I am unable to get the badges to show up here in this blog post.

See how Smarterer you are! Join and invite your friends today! :)

~ The Fekkai BzzCampaign ~ My review ~

~ The Fekkai BzzCampaign ~

I love being a BzzAgent as I get the opportunity to participate in BzzCampaigns and try products for free while in return I will share my opinion about these products.

This time I was lucky enough to get picked for the Frederic Fekkai BzzCampaign. I was pleasantly surprised when I received my BzzKit, which included full-size 8oz. bottles of Fekkai Technician Color Care shampoo and conditioner, also included were samples of the Fekkai Glossing cream for me to pass along to friends and family, a BzzAgent letter, and a Fekkai brochure and DVD with information about Frederic Fekkai and his line of hair care products.

The first thing I like to do when seeking out a new shampoo and conditioner is checking out the scent. And I have to say, the grapefruit-like smell of both products is irresistible! The bottles were sleek in their appearance and handy with a simple pop-up lid for easy dispensing. And don’t let the small size of the bottles fool you, these products are so rich, luxurious and sufficient, you will be able to use much less than other products you may be used too! I have used both products for quite a while now, at least several weeks, and I still have more than half the bottles of both products left in them!

The shampoo is lathering up nicely, and while you indulge in the great scent while washing your hair, the shampoo takes care of the rest. It restores moisture, makes your hair soft and shiny, while protecting your hair color against brassiness and UV light fading, making its shine super vibrant! The conditioner is creamy and luxurious, it makes the hair super smooth, which you can already feel while rinsing it out. The scent is my favorite feature overall, it will last and last not only while washing, as many other products’ scents are already gone after your hair dries up, but this shampoo and conditioner’s scent will last the whole day and even the next day it still smells great, and I’m still always glad to get a whiff of it now and then throughout the day.

I love how these products pampered me and my hair. My hair is straight, long, and color treated every couple of weeks, which leaves it frizzy and damaged. I’m also using red hair dye, which is a hard to keep looking vibrant color anyways. I switch shampoo and conditioner brands quite often to find the right brands to revive my hair’s look. But it is kind of hard to find the shampoo and conditioner that do not weigh the hair down while trying to make it look smoother, and instead making it look like it need to get washed again only after a couple of hours. I have rarely seen my hair look so shiny and healthy, while feeling smooth, sleek, and having my hair color look vibrant. I received quite a few compliments about how good my hair looks, thanks to the Fekkai Technician Color Care shampoo and conditioner!

I have never used the Fekkai brand before but am honestly very impressed and happy with the results I got. I have to admit I actually fell in love with the Fekkai Technician Color Care shampoo & conditioner! I recommend trying it out for yourselves and honor yourself and your beauty with a little pampering that you so well deserve!

To learn more about Frederic Fekkai and his products, visit the Fekkai website at www.fekkai.com!

BzzCampaign - Burt's Bees Sensitive Skin Facial Cleanser and Daily Moisturizer Cream - My review

BzzCampaign - Burt’s Bees Sensitive Skin Facial Cleanser and Daily Moisturizing Cream

As a BzzAgent I received full size products for free to test and review. I was recently selected for the Burt’s Bees Sensitive skin line BzzCampaign which I enjoyed being a part of very much.

The BzzKit I received included a full size Burt’s Bees Sensitive Facial Cleanser, a full size Daily Moisturizing Cream, a BzzGuide and BzzAgent letter for me to help me create some Bzz, and also several samples of the Daily Moisturizing Cream plus coupons to pass along. Here is a pictureI took of my great BzzKit the day it arrived:

Now on to a little background story about me: Ever since I was a teenager my facial skin has always been very sensitive and still easily breaks out today. I am constantly searching for the perfect facial product for my skin that are gentle, yet fight breakouts successfully. I tried a lot of different facial cleansers already and think it's hard to find one that works for me.

Now on to a little more valuable information about the products in the new Burt’s Bees Natural Skin Solutions for Sensitive Skin line you all might want to know. All products are 99% natural and gentle enough for daily use. They are fragrance-free, hypo-allergenic, dermatologist-tested and allergy-tested. Burt's Bees has also made a point in never testing their products on animals ever since they came into business over 25 years ago! All products in this line contain cotton extract to soften and help replenish the skin’s outer layer. Cotton extract includes seven sugars which help improve the skin’s barrier function, reduce skin redness and increase production of keratin, which is the key material that makes up the outer layer of the skin, gives strength, flexibility and its water-retaining capabilities. Cotton extract increases softness, suppleness of the skin and helps even out the skin tone. You can find the Burt's Bees Sensitive Skin line in mass retailers like walmart and Target, drugstores, grocery stores, and natural health stores. Depending on your skin's needs you can choose between facial cleanser, daily moisturizer, eye cream and night cream. Price ranges between $9.99 and $14.99.

The Burt’s Bees Sensitive Facial Cleanser is a soap-free, very cream like cleanser, that is clinically proven to moisturize sensitive skin. It gently cleanses away dirt and make-up without over drying, irritating or causing redness. It has a nice texture and left my skin super soft after use! It’s almost completely non-foaming, which took me a little while to get used to since I usually use foaming cleansers.

The Burt’s Bees Sensitive Daily Moisturizer is a weight-less lotion that will not clog your pores up. The aloe in it soothes your skin and the rice extract keeps skin moisturized all day long, which is a great lotion especially right now in winter. What I really liked about this lotion is that it did not leave any oily residue behind and absorbed completely into my skin. I usually avoid lotions on my face because my skin responds to them almost always very sensitive and breaks out like crazy.

My opinion of both products: I enjoyed using the cleanser and moisturizer very much! I loved how clean, soft and renewed my skin felt. The only negative thing I experienced is that I had lots of little breakouts after a few weeks because this cleanser lacks an anti-breakout additive. I'm sure this is not caused by these products, but rather because my skin is extra sensitive during this pregnancy and my hormones are a little whacky.

My rating for these products: 4 out of 5 stars!
If you have sensitive skin and are looking for products that really work for you, I highly recommend that you give the Burt’s Bees Sensitive Skin Solutions line a try and see for yourself how great they work!

For more information, tips and coupons visit Burt’s Bees online at www.burtsbees.com and on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/#!/burtsbees.

My review for the Lawry's BzzCampaign

As a BzzAgent I get the opportunity to receive products for free to sample them and share my honest opinion about them with the company, with BzzAgent and with all of you.

I was recently selected and asked to join the Lawry’s BzzCampaign, which of course I couldn’t say no to. I’ve been using Lawry’s products for many years and it is one of my favorite brands for cooking.

I received a great BzzKit, which included a BzzAgent letter for me, an official BzzGuide with information about the BzzCampaign, a small bottle of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, three packages seasoning mixes (Taco, Tuscan Style Chicken Marsala, and Southwest Chicken Skillet), coupons for the seasoned salt and for the seasoning mixes to hand out, and last but not least there was a cute Lawry’s apron included, which was a nice surprise!

I already was familiar with the seasoned salt and taco seasoning mix. Both products are used regularly in my kitchen and enjoyed by our whole family. The seasoned salt is a great all around usable spice, just sprinkle it on your meat, in your soups and stews, on veggies and wherever you like! It’s really simple to turn a family dinner into a delicious experience just by using Lawry’s seasoned salt. The Lawry’s taco seasoning mix is our personal favorite for taco seasonings available out there, it’s flavor is rich and makes awesome tacos! I love making them with any kind of meat, ground meat, beef, pork or chicken all taste great with this.

The Tuscan Style Chicken Marsala was also really easy to make, just brown some chicken breast, remove from skillet, add water and seasoning mix, bring to a boil and return the chicken back to the skillet. The recipe on the package includes adding mushrooms to the skillet, but in my experience it would be a better choice to omit mushrooms, because my kids didn’t like it at all with them. I served it over rice which I enjoyed very much.

The Southwest Chicken Skillet was super delicious! The whole family just loved it! It had awesome flavor and was quick and easy to prepare. Lightly brown chicken breast pieces, stir in water, seasoning mix, beans, tomatoes, corn, and instant rice. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer. Just before serving sprinkle with cheese and let it melt.

All Lawry’s products I received and sampled are wonderful products that will help create perfect dinners in a short time, which is perfect if you are a busy mom or have little time to cook after work. I highly recommend Lawry’s and will continue being a loyal customer!