Vichy idealia Life Serum

Being a full-time mom of 2 I've been known to relish the "mom time" after the kids go to bed. So much so that I rely on caffeine in the morning but the bags under my eyes that give me away.

Fortunity I was able to try VICHY Idealia Life Serium along with some friends courtesy of VICHY and Crowdtap in exchange for our honest feedback. We all got 8 day samples to notice the difference and review.

I have to say this stuff even comes in a pretty package! I was a little disapointed though as I had to Google the instructions and attach my own instruction sheet to it for the ladies. We were supposed to use it one or 2 times daily. Most everything on the packages was in French (I believe).

The ladies and I were all so excited to try this. I use moisturizer daily & feel my skin is "ok" aside from my bags and pore size. But I'm always up for trying something new. 

The first time I opened a package and squeezed some in my hand I was surprised by the consistency. It almost feels like shampoo (not bubbly). It's also very shiny. But what had me hooked from the first second is the smell! I don't like perfumish smelling stuff but this smells amazing!! I wanted to put it on twice daily (especially right before bed) just to smell it. 

After day 1 I could tell that my skin was smoother. One of my friends compared the feel of her skin after a few days to "wax" because it felt so soft and smooth. I thought about it for a bit and I have to agree with her. Unfortunately it didn't shrink my pores, but it did make my skin look more healthy with the glow. 

Here's days 1-4

Here are days 5-8

VICHY Idealia Serum is available at Ultra.

Verizon Family Education Tools

Wishing your kids would quit playing Angry Birds on your phone & wishing they'd play something more educational? I know I was recently discussing that with a friend!

It seems like kids are spending more time on our electronics. I wouldn't mind it as much if they were learning something while they were playing. I know my friend felt the same. We both had some edicational apps on our phone/tablets, but the kids ignored them and went straight back to the "fun" (aka non educational) apps.

Amazingly, about 2 weeks after our, conversation about school starting again & needing to find learning apps that they find fun, I learned about Verizon Educational Tools App!

Verizon Family Education Tools is an app designed for kids from kindergarten to high school senior and even special needs. The apps are reviewed by educational professionals who know what helps our kids learn. The app is well designed and easy to navigate, arranged first by grade level. Then subdivided by category (mathematics, vocabulary, spelling, calculus, etc).

The Hungry Fishie Game is currently a favorite of my kids. They "feed" the fish whatever number is on his tummy. The higher the difficulty the more bubbles you had to combine to add up to equal the number the fish wants.

Some of the apps are free, some are not. For me, having a new 2nd grader I love the portability and ease to navigate. He can pick and choose the apps he'd like. My daughter is in preschool so sadly, there's no category for her yet.

For some reason the app seems to be having a log-in issue suddenly. Hopefully by the time you read this it'll be resolved, but it keeps asking us to log-into our accounts. 

The only other issue I've herd with the app is it only seems to be supported on iPhone, iPad or iPod. Both my kids have a Kindle and I try to keep them awayfrom my phone unless I forsee an emergency meltdown coming. They really like the games, but now constantly want my iPhone to play on because they don't have these games on their kindles. If your kids have iPads, like one of my friends' kids, this seems to be a must have app.

The game prices range from free to $9.99 (I believe). I just noticed they also have test preps available - apps for ACT testing as well as SAT. I'd much rather be paying for fun educational downloads then paying for the non-educational games that my kids won't get much out of.

I highly recommend a quick download just to check it out instead of buying another app that the kids will play for an hour and be bored with.

*Compinsation was provided by Verizon in exchange for my review of the Verizon Educational Tools.

Shore-ly a Beach Beauty in Old Navy Beachwear!

I know what your thinking... cute swimsuit, right? Well, that's what I was thinking as soon as I saw it online! How lucky for me that I got to go into Old Navy with 3 of my besties and get this swimsuit, flip flops, towel and beach bag FREE?!? Amazing. How? I'm a member of the Old Navy Style Council on Crowdtap. Occasionally they choose people to go in-store for a clothing sample and review the items they received and their in-store experience.

This was an excellent opportunity and we had SO much fun trying out the different styles. If you haven't been to Old Navy swimsuit shopping yet, I highly suggest you check out their swimwear here. They had an amazing variety from 1 piece to tankini to bikini. If you weren't aware of their beach accessories you should check those out as well. I bought a few of their beach towels last year and it was no secret they were and still are my favorite!

Ivory® 2-IN-1 Hair & Body Wash Trial

I recently got an opportunity from a company I'm new to called, Influenster. I had no idea what product they were going to send me aside from the fact that it was a 2-IN-1 shampoo/conditioner &  body wash. It's the kind of thing I'd buy for hubby (who could care less about the hair under his baseball hat all day everyday) and something I'd immediately dismiss for my own use. But figured I'd at least stick to my word and give it a shot. After all, I'm a busy full-time mother of 2. I find it hard enough to find time to change my clothes let alone find enough shower time to shampoo, rinse, condition, rinse, body wash, rinse....

A couple weeks ago I got the package at my door. Excited to see the brand and smell what I'd be showering with for the next 2 weeks (yes, I was going to stick it out for 2 weeks, good or bad before I gave a fair review). Having extremely long, blonde hair I'm very fussy about my hair products because if it doesn't work, I'll be spending all that extra shower time I saved trying to fix whatever it did to my hair each day.

Contents of the package I received from Influenster.

The box arrived shortly after being accepted. Here's what I found:

• Welcome Note
• 1 full sized bottle of Ivory 2-IN-1 Hair & Body Wash
• 3 coupons for $0.75 off 1 bottle of Ivory 2-IN-1 Hair & Body Wash

First things, first... the smell. I had nothing to go on yet aside from the smell since I'd already showered for the day and would start the next day. I gave it a quick sniff and can't say it was anything too overdone. It actually reminded me of a bar of soap. It wasn't real feminine like the products I'm used to, but not masculine either. It was a very clean scent though, one I could live with.

The next day I threw caution to the wind and grabbed it quick before I hit the shower. I was in a hurry anyways so I was really hoping it would cut my shower time down. When I put some in my hand I was surpised it didn't lather quite as much as usual shampoo, but then again it was supposed to be different. Rubbing it in my hair I thought felt a bit odd, but soon enough after a quick washdown and rinse I'd cut my shower time in half (impressive since I usually have to take fast showers anyways, as my 2-year-old allows me little to no privacy).

Rinsing my hair felt clean and ready to go. A quick towel off and I felt fresh head-to-toe. Brushing my hair I have to say wasn't quite as easy as when I use my normal product, but it was much easier then after I use those shampooing conditioner bottles you find in hotels. A quick spritz with my detangling spray and I was set.

I have to say, once my hair dried I was FLOORED! I don't remember the last time my hair was so shiny... yes, actually I do. After the last visit to the salon! I figured for sure that first trial had to be a fluke, surely it must have been the detangler that I sprayed in my hair. I made a mental note to brush through the mess the next day with no detangler. That seemed to work fine anyways because I didn't seem to need it as much the next day (maybe I just had awful bed head the first day)? Later, my hair dried... it sounds so egotistical of me and self centered but it was a sunny day and I had the sunroof open and with the sun shining in on my hair I could NOT stop looking at it.

My mom happened to be visiting and not wanting her to think I was a total ego maniac I told her what'd been going on and I was using the new Ivory 2-IN-1 Hair & Body Wash. Apparently she was intrigued and very excited when I said it was made by Ivory. She said, "Really? Ivory? That means it's affordable too!" Later she was headed to the gym and I caught her sneaking some from my bottle into her portable shampoo holder. She said she was out of shampoo and figured the gym (where she's always in a hurry to shower) would be the perfect place to try. She returned raving about it and telling me I had to give her one of my coupons.

I also tried it out on the kids' bath time and not only is it quick and easy, I found that it doubles as bubble bath. The kiddos love this stuff as much as I do!

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Marc Jacobs DOT Party

It was time to grow up... I've been thinking that for awhile; in fact each time I'd spritz myself with my Body Splash. I know it's time for a perfume and really need a change from the same-ol-same-ol. My ever dying love of Body Splash vs perfume has gone on far too long. But I have the biggest fear of being one of "the perfume girls" you know the ones that you and walk down an isle in the store 2 minutes after them and can still smell their scent. Or the ones that your by in the checkout that make your nose run and your eyes water. I've been addicted to Body Splash for fear that a perfume would be too much.

Enter Crowdtap! They gave me an AMAZING opportunity to host a party featuring DOT by Marc Jacobs. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical of anything that was labeled, "Perfume." It's always been my experience that I thought they smelt a bit too much like my Grandma's perfume. Boy! Was I surprised!!!

First off, the bottle. I know you love it! What's not to love. I have a black & red bedroom and was SO excited to display this bottle unlike my Body Splash I have to hide. When my DOT party started I lost track of how many people just got excited over the design of the bottle. I do have to say it's great marketing. Everyone that owns this perfume will leave it sitting out for guests to see. Guests see it, think their host smells good and know exactly what she's wearing by the cute bottle they are drawn into look at. Therefore creating more sales. Genius!

Bottle on Display (cute, right)?

My friend Holly was already familiar with Marc Jacobs and currently wears Daisy. She was excited to try another scent from Marc Jacobs and fell in love instantly. Last I talked with her about it she's been alternating DOT with Daisy depending on her "feel" for the day.

I tried it up against the most important critic in my life (aside from myself); my husband. I gave myself a small spritz and shortly after went and snuggled up next to him so that I knew he'd be exposed to the scent. It didn't take long until he said, "You smell good." That's all it took for me.... SOLD! I like it and hubby likes it. That's all that matters.

Though I do need to share my 5-year-old son's reaction. He saw me dressed up in my black button down with my red tank underneath my dark jeans, red belt, red shoes and the red & black polka-dot headband from Marc Jacobs. He then saw the table setup for the party with the bottles displayed and said, "Are you having a ladybug party?" I said, "Something like that" (just to spare the drawn out explanation to a 5-year-old) and proceeded to tell him it was for a perfume. His reply, "Can I smell it? I've always wondered what a ladybug smells like!" I couldn't stop laughing. I told him I was wearing it, he smelled me and said, "I guess I like how ladybugs smell, Mom. You smell good."

The kit that I received from Marc Jacobs & Crowdtap

If you're wondering about the leys, my friend Melissa had just found out before coming she'd won a trip to Hawaii and stopped and picked up some extra swag for us all. Congrats again Melissa, you deserve it!

Crowdtap is a company that gets consumer feedback on brands & products. In exchange for your thoughts and input  you get points that may be redeemable for prizes and gift cards. You may also get selected for the occasional sample and share like the one demonstrated above.

Cottonelle Clean Care Routine

Cottonelle Clean Care Routine

I'm sure by now you've seen the commercials and herd about the, "Cottonelle Clean Care Routine" and probably giggled at the advertisements much like me. But have you actually thought about the point they're trying to covey? I can't say I really had until I got the chance to give the Cottonelle Clean Care Routine a shot for free thanks to Cottonelle & Crowdtap.

They sent me:

• 18 roll pack of Cottonelle Clean Care toilet tissue
• 2 - 4 roll packs of Cottonelle Clean Care toilet tissue
• 3 packs of Cottonelle Flushable Moist Wipes

The idea behind it actually a basic and something that most people already know. Cleaning with water, is better then cleaning without. Think about it, when you have a child do you pull out the regular toilet tissue... nope. We want to make sure their little bottoms are extra clean to prevent any rashes. It's the same concept, applied to everyone though, including adults.

I gave out a 4-pack of toilet paper & flushable wipes to my mom and a package to my brother. Neither of them were familiar with the Cottonelle Clean Care Routine. Once I enlightened them it seemed to make sense but my mom, a loyal Charmin Extra Soft user was hesitant and my brother seemed a bit reserved but agreed that it made sense.

Flash forward a couple weeks later and I asked them about their experience...

My mom was pleasantly surprised by the toilet tissue thickness and quality. She didn't think it was stiff, but being an Extra Soft kinda girl said she'd actually keep using Cottonelle and ditch the expensive Charmin and try the Cottonelle Soft. She also said she enjoyed the wipes so much that she purchased an additional package for the car for those long road trips. As for my brother, he didn't go into much detail but did said he'd most likely purchase more of the Flushable Moist Wipes.

As for me, I have tried them before and used them often for camping. Having these on the back of my toilet has been awesome though! Having an soon-to-be 6-year-old who is still having wiping issues was getting old, and he was getting old for having the problems still. He would either not wipe, or he would be wetting down large amounts of toilet paper and using that (which resulted in LOTS of clogged toilets). I introduced him to these and his initial reaction was that he was using "baby wipes." I reassured them that these were for big kids & adults and I haven't dealt with a clogged toilet since and I haven't had to worry about him ignoring the wiping process either! I've also been potty training my 2-year-old and having them handy makes things SO much easier then running to find baby wipes after each of her potty breaks.

It’s Tee Time at Old Navy!

It's spring time again... though you'd never know it by looking out your window here in Minnesota when you see the fresh 6" of snow blanketing everything. Regardless, the weather will warm up eventually and when it does my gal pal, Sheree and I will be ready thanks to Old Navy and Crowdtap! I was on of the lucky ladies chosen on Crowdtap to choose a friend and go shopping at Old Navy for 2 new tee shirts each.

We arrived in our local Old Navy store right around 6:00 pm and got right down to business throwing every variety of shirt we could find in our carts! After about 30 - 45 minutes it was off to the dressing rooms. There was a wonderful girl working the changing area named Meghan. She was extremely helpful, and knowledgeable  In conversation we were surprised to find out she was new!

I loved this grayish black and pink shirt so much I had to take it home!

We tried on so many shirts that I can't even begin to post all the pictures here, or describe them all. But they really are a one-stop-shop for tees. I couldn't believe the variety they had and loved the colors for spring.

Not sure what it is, but something I love about these shirts with the added length to them.

After trying on LOTS of shirts and bringing home LOTS of extra finds, we left the store a few minutes before they closed at 9:00. We had so much fun and hope I get another excellent opportunity sometime to do it again. If you are interested in checking out a portion of the selection you'll find a few styles here: Old Navy Tees

Crowdtap is a company that gets comsumerfeedback on brands and products. In exhange for your thoughts, and opinions you get points that may be redeemable for prizes and gift cards or the occasional sample share.

FREE Old Navy Shorts with Crowdtap

Seems odd to say that summer is right around the corner. I think it showed up early this year with the temperatures we've already had here in Minnesota. Either way when the heat gets turned up even more, I'm happy to say I'll be ready with the FREE Old Navy shorts a friend and I got for being a member of *Crowdtap.

I chose my friend, Sarah to come have a little shopping date with me. It's amazing how rejuvenated you can feel after just a couple hours out of the house spent with a good friend and no kids (I feel like I spent the day at a spa followed by a yoga class - or vice versa). Don't get me wrong, I love my kids and I'd do anything for them but we all need a little "me" time. 

Sarah & I both were looking for different styles right off the bat. I knew I wanted something that'd be comfortable for the boat and would dry fast, and of course something that would give my full legs a tan. After looking online, I was pretty sure I knew exactly what pair I was getting. Sarah was thinking khaki and something longer. She's more of a capri style girl.

Even having a good idea of what we wanted we had SO much fun trying on the various styles. Here are some of the pics:

First style selections - I wasn't feeling the jean shorts but Sarah was

These printed shorts are what I had my heart set on before I even got to the store I knew I was leaving with them, Sarah decided against this style.

Sarah in her khaki style and I totally fell in love with these print shorts (these were my final choice) - cute and comfy!

Sarah's final decision and I can't believe I really loved that style as much as I did.  They are so cute on both of us!

After I tried on about 10 pair of shorts I finally decided on a couple pair of print shorts that I think will be perfect for the boat all summer long and a pair of denim shorts. Sarah chose the shorts in the last picture and we both picked up some cute tanks and a couple other various shirts. I also found a super-cute pair of sandals for my little girl that were on clearance!

Thanks again to Old Navy and Crowdtap for such a wonderful experience. The ladies in our store were excellent and SO helpful even though we both had a mountain of clothes in our dressing rooms and kept bugging them for the occasional pictures.

*Crowdtap is a company that gets consumer feedback on brands and products. In exchange for your thoughts and opinions you get Amazon gift cards and the occasional sample share.

FREE Activities & Goodie Bags for the Kids @ Target 2/25

Tomorrow (2/25) head over to your local Target store between 9am & 11am for a FREE reading of The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (for his birthday I'm assuming). There will also be other activities and goodie bags for the kids.

You can find more information here.

FREE Dinner @ Noodles & Company (Facebook & Pintrest Required)

Noodles & Company is saying if you've "pinned" Noodles on your Pintrest account they'll buy you dinner. You can see their Facebook post here. After you post your Pintrest photo (or a link to it) you can email them your mailing address to: socialmedia@noodles.com

"Anyone have Noodles on their Pintrest page? Send us a pic of your "pin" of Noodles and we'll buy you dinner!"

FREE Transformers Toy

Get a FREE Transformers toy at Target this week. First, you'll need to sign-up for Target coupons on your cell (if you don't already) and you'll get a $5 off coupon via a web link the cashier will need to scan. Next, head over and print off a $5 off manufacturer coupon from the Target website. There are action figures on price cut this week for $9.99 down from $11.99. This will make a great stocking stuffer for my son!

If you need to sign-up for Target coupon texts, you can do so here.

To print the manufacturer coupon, look under toys here.

As if that's not a good enough deal, the manufacturer is also offering a mail-in-rebate when you spend $20 on Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon merchandise (shirt, limited edition Kreon, and a $5 off coupon). You can find the rebate here.

FREE $2 ECB at CVS

Head over to CVS.com and get $2 worth of FREE ExtraCare Bucks when you pledge to spend your ExtraCare Bucks rewards that will begin printing from the magical red coupon machines tomorrow. Hurry over to be one of the first 500,000 and get yours here.

FREE Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Cleaner

These Scrubbing Bubbles toilet cleaners are on sale at Walmart for $3.97 which makes it FREE after the $4.00 off coupon you can get here.

NOTE: The box must look like the one pictured. If it doesn't have the yellow stripe running up the side, it will ring up at $9.97.

Schick Razor Money Maker at Walmart

Hurry over here to print out the coupon good for $6 off 2 Schick Razors (remember you can print 2/computer). Use these coupons over at Walmart to grab 2 packages of Schick razors ($1.97/pack) and you'll MAKE $2.06 buying razors. You can print yours here.

BOGO Entree at Ruby Tuesday

You can grab a buy-one-get-one FREE entree from Ruby Tuesday when you sign-in with your Facebook account here.

FREE Dole Salad

On Friday, Hy-Vee is having a huge 1-day sale. One of the items they have on sale is Dole salads for just $0.69. If you head over here you can print a coupon for $0.75/1 Dole Salad = FREE Dole Salad on Friday!

You can print your coupon (twice) here.

FREE Ba'Noodle Buddy Bag Sealer (Facebook & Twitter)

If you head over here you can fill out a form to get a free Ba'Noodle Bag Sealer. You must like Anthony Sullivan (the infomercial guy) on Facebook AND Twitter to get it. You can follow him on Facebook here, and Twitter here. You can enter the giveaway here.

NOTE: People have been getting errors when submitting the form, but I still received a confirmation email so it should be working.

6 FREE Wings from Buffalo Wild Wings (Facebook)

Remember the Save Our Season promo BW-3's was running during the NFL lockout for 6 FREE wings? The time has come to get your wings... if you signed the Save Our Season petition head over here to print your coupon.

NOTE: As per the terms of the coupon; you can only use this on a day where there is a NFL game in September.

FREE Dannon Oikos Yogurt

Hurry here to get a coupon emailed to you for a FREE Dannon Oikos yogurt. Get yours here.

Also, before you throw away your papers; check the Parade magazine inside... there may also be a coupon for a FREE one in there.

$1 Off Bounty & Puffs

Go find a teacher's wish list and you'll get a coupon for $1 off any Bounty product + $1 off any Puffs product by mail (first 25,000). Enter your zip code, find a teacher click on their name and hit get my coupons. There was only 1 teacher registered in my area, but that was all I needed. You can get yours here.

NOTE: If you have extra supplies lying around after all these great back to school deals, I highly recommend donating them to a school. Teachers spend a lot of their own money on supplies to teach our children.