I occasionally like to enjoy an "adult beverage" on a hot summer day. There was so much to choose from when I went to the liquor store that I decided to buy a selection and review my choices. I did not receive any of these products for free and all of the opinions are my own.
Selection of beverages.
My first selection was Palm Bay Iced Tea. I've had some Palm Bay beverages previously and I expected this to be pretty sweet. I was surprised to find it wasn't as sweet as expected. At the same time, it didn't taste like "iced tea", in my opinion. It was a subdued peach flavour. Not overwhelming. If you're looking for basically a "hard iced tea", this did not fit the bill for me. That being said, the peach flavour was still quite good.
Next I tried Smirnoff's Red Sangria. Let me start by saying, I am a Sangria fan, so I had high expectations for this one. It was very good, a blend of fruit flavours. While I liked this one, I did prefer the white sangria (see the next beverage).
As mentioned, I am a Sangria fan. I enjoyed the red sangria, but Smirnoff's White Sangria was my favourite. More of a citrus flavour. Crisp, clean and delicious taste. This was my favourite of all of the drinks in this post.
I love Pop Shoppe, so I had high hopes for this one. The Pop Shoppe Hard Soda - Lime Ricky flavour had the Lime Ricky flavour of the classic soda, however, I felt there was a strong alcohol taste. If you like your vodka taste to be prominent, this is the one for you. Unfortunately for me, this was my least favourite.
I will admit that I hesitated to buy he Hires Root Beer and Vodka. I had previously tried a hard root beer that I still have nightmares about. That one was a beer blend, and the after taste was awful. This one, on the other hand, was absolutely delicious! If you like root beer, this one is for you. It tastes just like the classic Hires Root Beer. This ranks up there with the white sangria as one of my favourites.
The Smirnoff VII Watermelon drink was the drink I chose with the highest alcohol content (this one has 7%. I was expecting a heavy vodka taste, and while there was a bit of an alcohol after taste, it was only mild. I really enjoyed the Watermelon flavour.
The last one I didn't snap a picture of before I drank it, but it is the Snapple "Spiked". This one I found particularly sweet, so if you're looking for the kind of drink that really masks most of the alcohol taste, this is for you.
While each of these had it's own enjoyable elements, this is how I would rank these beverages (from least favourite to best):
Pop Shoppe Lime Ricky
Palm Bay Iced Tea
Smirnoff VII Watermelon
Smirnoff Red Sangria
Hires Root Beer and Vodka
Smirnoff White Sangria
Regardless of your summer beverage choice, please remember to enjoy responsibly.
Do you have any favourite beverages that you think I should try? Feel free to suggest some in the comments section, or connect with me on Social Media:
I know... an "Overtired Mama" doing a hair and makeup tutorial. I can't believe it either.
I've watched many hair and makeup tutorials and thought "I wish I could do all of that". But alas, even the simplest makeup tutorial has me coming out looking like I just applied clown makeup or had a 4 year old do my eye liner.
If you are someone who is seasoned when it comes to applying makeup, this tutorial will not be for you. I'm a makeup minimalist. And when I say that, don't mistake it for a snobby or snarky comment. It's not that I don't like makeup, I actually like wearing it, I'm just not very good at it. Oh, and I also love sleep way to much - I would give up a 10 minute makeup routine if it meant 10 more minutes in bed. I'm that bad.
Anyway, I made a few changes over the last few months to the way I do my hair and makeup. While I still don't wear makeup every day, there are times that I really need to, so these are my quick and dirty tips and tricks. Below is a video that will take you through my routine. Then I will review each of the products I used individually.
Milkshake Color Maintainer Shampoo and Conditioner
I was introduced to this product by a childhood friend who is now a hair dresser. She told me I would love this shampoo and conditioner, and she wasn't kidding.
The first thing you will notice is the amazing smell. It's like smelling cupcakes that have been placed right in front of your nose. So good! Warning: may make you hungry. But even though the smell is amazing, once you're done in the shower, the smell isn't strong. I say that because I know many work places are scent free these days, so people are nervous about whether the smell will linger. It really doesn't. If I pull my hair right up to my nose to smell, I can get a really faint scent, but someone would have to be pretty close to you for that to happen.
My hair also has also had noticeable changes since I started using this shampoo and conditioner. It's got a shine to it, and again, very soft.
Milkshake has a number of products including purple shampoo and styling products. Sales of these products are generally limited to beauty salons, and even at that, they aren't available at every salon, so they can be hard to come by. I have found some websites that sell them, so it may take a little searching to find them.
A bottle of shampoo generally runs for approximately $22*.
Pantene BB Creme
I seriously love the way my hair feels every time I use this product. You would think that would motivate me to use it every time, but unfortunately, I don't always use it. This product has many benefits, including heat protection, anti-frizz, and moisturizing components. What I love about this product is that my hair feels so soft and manageable when I use it. I live in an area where we have a lot of fog and it helps manage the frizz that type of weather produces.
Purchased for $6.*
Moroccan Oil Heat Styling Protection
I've had many a hair stylist gasp in horror when I said that I didn't use any product in my hair, not even a heat protection product. Well stylists, worry no more! I'm sold on this Moroccan Oil Heat Styling Spray. Not only does it protect my hair from the high heat of my hair dryer and hair straightener, it tames my fly aways that seem to always pop up through out the day and helps keep my hair in place. Not quite a hair spray, but does help a little with my style.
Purchased for $21.*
TRESemmé Dry Shampoo
While I didn't mention this product in my video, I thought I would include it in my review anyway. There are days that I wake up late and just need to run out the door. That being said, I have combination hair (dry at the tips, oily at the roots). So, it doesn't take long for the oil to take over the roots of my hair. If I go beyond a day and a half without a shower, it's noticeable. My friends have been raving about dry shampoo for a while. I experimented with some, but TRESemmé's dry shampoo is the first one that helped control the oil in my hair. In a pinch, I can use this as I head out the door. I simply part my hair in a few different spots, lift a small layer at each part and spray underneath the layer , near the root and it keeps my hair looking fresh!
Purchased for $6.99.*
L'Oreal Paris Ultra Even Lotion
I have really dry skin, especially in my "T-Zone" area (above my eyebrows down on to my nose). I don't exfoliate as often as I should, and I need regular moisturizing. This product makes my skin feel and look great, and it has SPF 15, which is great because an important part of great skin is protection from UV rays!
Purchased for $7.99.*
e.l.f. Hydrating Face Primer
I'm new to makeup primers. Some may use this instead of a moisturizer before applying makeup, but I use both. This smooths my skin's surface and helps set my makeup. You don't need much to apply, a little goes a long way.
Purchased for $5.99.*
Super C.C. Cream by Physicians Formula
I'm also new to Physicians Formula makeup. I decided to give it a try, as I'm always experimenting with new products.
Again, it doesn't take much to go a long way. I didn't breakout with this makeup. It went on easily and stayed on, but was easy to remove as well at the end of the day.
Purchased for $13.99.*
Physicians Formula Super CC Color-Correction + Care Instant Blurring Eye Cream
This is also the first time I tried an under-eye makeup (a lot of "firsts" for me in this review). I had been using concealer to disguise the darkness under my eyes, but this cream works so much better. It really covers the darkness well, and the cool applicator tip helped reduce the puffiness under my eyes.
Came free with the Super CC Cream.*
Mabeline Color Show Eyeliner
As mentioned in my video, I haven't been wearing eyeliner very long. I've always been nervous putting things that close to my eyes. I'm still not great at it, and I have a shaky hand, so that just makes it even more difficult. I tried a liquid liner, but you really need a steady hand for that. This pencil is perfect because it's easy enough to erase if you make a mistake, but it glides easy for those of us who have difficulty putting liner on.
Purchased for $2.99.*
Wet n Wild Max Volume Mascara
I'm not usually seeking volume for my lashes, just colour, but I do like this mascara. The brush has great bristles that separate your lashes to give them lots of definition.
Purchased for $5.99.*
Avon Marbelized Baked Eye Shadow - Rose Gold
I'm not one for wild colours for my eyes, so this is the perfect shade for me. It's sort of a pink/purple that is perfect for a daytime look.
Purchased for $4.*
Avon Be Blushed Cheek Colour
I'm all about simple makeup. The easier it goes on the better. That's why I love this cheek colour. A stick similar to lipstick, but just a little thicker. Apply directly to your upper cheek and blend. Some people use it for lip colour too, but I haven't tried that. I do find that since the texture is thicker than a powder, when you blend it makes the colour look deeper than it is. Give it a minute before you panic and start taking it off.
Purchased for $9.*
And that's it! Feel free to leave any comments, questions or recommendations! As mentioned, I'm not the most versed in makeup, so if you know of a product that is simple to apply that you think I should try, let me know!
* Note: Prices were at time of publication. Some items I purchased on sale. Please see your local supplier for up to date pricing.
I was fortunate enough to have been selected to try L'Oréal's Hydra Total-5 Ultra Even products as part of Influenster. I received the products free to try. The opinions are all my own.
I'm going to start by saying, I came in to this with no skin care regimen. I mean, none. I very rarely wear makeup, but when I do, I typically take it off with soap and water (gasp). The only products I really use on my face are sunscreen, and the odd moisturizer if I notice my skin is looking dry. I'm what you call low maintenance.... probably too low, but I digress.
L'Oréal's Hydra Total-5 Ultra Even products offer a 3 step skin care regimen: 1 - cleanse; 2 - tone; 3 - care. I received 4 products in my box: scrub/exfoliant, toner, ultra-even lotion and ultra-even moisturizer.
You can check out my "unboxing" here:
Here is my "before" picture. No make-up, and right before I used the scrub, toner and moisturizer for the first time:
So I started the regimen right away. Beginning with the scrub. There are small little "beads" within the scrub, which you feel as you massage it over your face. The smell of this scrub is very enjoyable, a citrus scent. You can feel the scrub working as there is a tingle as you massage.
Once finished with the scrub I moved on the toner. A little bit on a cotton ball, and dabbed around your face. No real scent to this product, and didn't feel too much when I was putting it on, it was like dabbing water on my face.
Finally, the Ultra-Even moisturizer. I took a little too much my first time around, you only need a little to cover your whole face, so don't go crazy. Again, no real scent, nice cool and smooth.
Almost immediately I could notice a difference in my face. This picture was taken right after the first use:
I continued to use these products for 3 weeks. I will admit that I was not always vigilant to use it twice a day, every day - sometimes it was once a day, and I did miss a day here and there. But generally I did the routine in the morning when I woke up, and before bed at night. I usually used the lotion in the morning, and moisturizer at night.
My skin looks and feels noticeably different. In my opinion, my skin looks more radiant. My skin was typically prone to dry patches - patches of skin that were dry and flaky, very noticeable when wearing any kind of foundation. With these products that has been reduced drastically.
I went back to my original photo location so you could see the difference in my skin - again, no makeup in this picture, this is a photo taken at the end of the day:
Overall, I love these products. I have to say that my favourite products of the 4 were the scrub and the lotion. The best part - a little bit of each product goes a long way, so you don't go through them very quickly!
Thank you to Influenster and L'Oréal for the opportunity to try these products out! #5Works #BeyondHydration
If you read my blog regularly, you know that I colour my hair freqently. I always colour my hair all over when I re-colour, even if I'm staying the same colour. I was given the opportunity to try Clairol's Root Touch-Up. The beauty of Root Touch-Up is that you focus on your roots, and don't need to colour your whole head. The products claimed a quick colour (10 minutes) so I decided to put that claim to the test. Here is my experience.
I had coloured my hair many weeks before I decided to try Root Touch-Up. I had quite a bit of re-growth. I typically lighten my hair in the summer from a light brown to a medium blonde. So my full colour, done weeks before, was a medium blonde colour. I was worried about whether Clairol's Root Touch-Up would match the rest of my hair colour. I chose the "medium blonde" shade and got to work.
The instructions suggested leaving the colour on for 10 minutes, and I ended up leaving it on for 15, mostly because my daughter needed my attention after I had applied the colour.
The end result was perfectly blended, beautiful looking hair. Here is a photo of me with my beautifully refreshed hair.
I will definitely use this product again, and I recommend it for anyone looking for a quick touch up of their roots instead of spending more time to colour your whole head!
Thank you to Clairol and BzzAgent for providing me with this product free for the purposes of reviewing! #GotItFree
Summer is a busy time for your car. Lots of family vacations and road trips. Is your car in good condition? You put some pretty precious cargo in your car, so it's pretty important to know what to look for in your car, and what to do if you do run in to a problem.
I was fortunate to be able to attend a Sailun Tire event at my local Coast Tire. I learned some great tips that I would like to share with you.
Do you change your own oil? If you do, that's awesome! I usually take mine in to have the oil changed. Many garages do an inspection of other elements like the filter of your car when they do an oil change - be sure to check with your garage to see what's included in your oil change. It may not seem important, but a clean filter helps your car run better, so it's worth your while.
I also learned that inside the driver's side door of your car is a little plaque that has some pretty important information about your car.
A few years ago, I had the unfortunate opportunity to blow out a tire after driving over a pothole on a remote highway. I had never changed a tire, so I had to learn on the spot. Sailun tires shared some great information so you won't have to learn the way I did. Did you know that your car has a specific spot where the car jack will attach so you can raise your car? Have a look underneath and see what you can see. Looks simple enough from above when someone else is doing it:
Sounds intimidating, but I've put my own car up on a jack, and as long as you put the jack where it needs to be (have a look under your car), it's not as difficult as you might think.
Does your car have a locknut? Have a look at your tire, if there's a nut that looks different than others, that could be a locknut. A locknut is one that needs a key to take it off. Make sure you keep that key in your car, so you can get your tire off. The tire below has a locknut - on the right hand side, near the bottom:
It's also important to pay attention to your treads and tire pressure, they help ensure your tires work properly and can stop when you need to, keep a grip on the road, and deal with any weather you may run in to. I received two handy tools to help me monitor these two aspects. First is a tire depth card to see whether your tires are too worn. Have a look at the card below:
You put the corner of the card in your tire treat. If your treat is in the green, it's in great condition for optimum performance. If it is in the yellow zone, it performs less than optimally in the rain and snow. And if it is in the red, it is unsafe. There are other tire depth tools that you can find at many vendors, be sure to ask at your local garage where you can get one.
The other aspect I got to try was testing the tire pressure. Here's a picture of me giving it a try:
And my friend Jill:
You take a little tire pressure tool like this:
Which can be found at various garages and stores. You put it on the valve where you put air in your tire, and a small gauge on the end will pop out to tell you your tire pressure. Remember the little plaque on your door I told you about earlier? Information about your require tire pressure is on that plaque, and some cars actually have sensors that will alert you if your tire pressure is low.
Tires are essential pieces to your cars safety. Make sure you check your car for the required size before you purchase. Check the plaque on your drivers door to ensure you're buying the correct size, and make sure you're buying from a reputable dealer.
Sailun tires offers great quality tires at a reasonable price. They're offered at many great garages such as Coast Tire. Check out their website for more information about their tires and find out where you can get your own Sailun Tires: www.sailuntires.ca
I want to thank Sailun tires for putting on this information session as I got so much valuable information.
Before you head on the road this summer for the perfect summer road trip, make sure you give your car a checkup!
And as a bonus - check out this awesome giveaway below - you could win some free tires!
I was happy to have been selected to review L'Oreal Paris Fibralogy products for Influenster. I received Shampoo, Conditioner and the Booster, free of charge, to review, compliments of L'Oreal and Influenster. So what did I think? Let me start by sharing a "before" picture:
My hair is typically flat and dull, with very little body, as you can see. I have extremely dry hair because I am so hard on it (hair colouring, straighteners, curling irons, hair dryers, etc). So when I received the Fibralogy products, I was excited to give it a try. Fibralogy products are meant to thicken your hair and provide you with more body. Sounds good, right?
First, you begin with the Shampoo, once it's rinsed from your hair, you add a small amount of the thickening booster and, without rinsing the booster, add the conditioner, then it gets rinsed out together. Ultimately, the products are meant to leave your hair feeling clean, thicker and softer.
I've been using these products for a week now, I'm not sure that my hair feels much thicker, however, I do notice my hair is softer and certainly appears to have a little more body to it. Here is my "after" picture.
What I love about these products is that a little goes a long way. You only need a small amount of product for it to do it's work. I also love that my hair doesn't feel greasy or weighed down after I use the products, as some products have done in my past. They also don't have an overwhelming smell, which is great, because I have had some shampoos that are so scented that I can't wear them to my scent-free workplace.
So what does this all mean? I think these are good products. I'm not sure that I would purchase them to thicken my hair, but I love the way my hair feels when I use them. I've scouted these products out at some of my local stores and the prices are very comparable to other similar brands, so you're not breaking the bank for great quality. I would recommend these products if you're looking for softer hair with a little more body, but the jury's still out on the "thickening" claim. I plan to continue to use these products to see if I notice a difference. I will share once I'm done the bottles!
Have you tried the Fibralogy products? What did you think?
You may have heard of Stella & Dot - they offer bags, wallets, jewelry and other accessories. I knew a number of people that raved about their products, but I never experienced any of their products myself, until now.
My friend Jill was a true fan of Stella & Dot and ultimately became a Stella & Dot personal stylist! She encouraged me to try out one of the products, and I chose the Chelsea Tech Wallet because I loved the pattern, and I liked the idea of having a wallet that could hold my cell phone.
This wallet has lots of sections and a few spots for credit/debit cards.
What I love about this wallet - it has plenty of room for money and cards. I am notoriously famous for carrying too many cards, but this wallet was able to accommodate all of my credit, debit, loyalty and membership cards, as well as hold my cash, and still left plenty of room for my cell phone. It has a wrist strap that was very sturdy and allowed me to go without a purse and carry this alone.
My family and I went on a recent vacation to Florida, so I carried this wallet with me and couldn't believe how many compliments I received! It's stylish and practical. I LOVE this wallet.
There is only one change I would make in this wallet, and that is that there is no change compartment. I initially put the change right in with my cards/cash, however, they coins got stuck in between cards and were hard to find. Eventually I settled on putting a small change pouch in the wallet to hold my change. It still holds the pouch, my cards, cash and phone.
I highly recommend having a look at what Stella & Dot has to offer. You can have a party at home with a personal stylist to show you everything (and, bonus, you get some great deals), and there's even an opportunity to have a fundraising party where proceeds from sales at your party goes towards a cause close to your heart. I'll be doing the latter in a couple weeks with Jill as our personal stylist!
Have a look at Stella & Dot though the link below, and, BONUS, the wallet I reviewed in this post is on sale at the time of this publication!!!
I know, I've been doing a lot of product reviews lately, but when I find things I like or that I'm interested in, I want to write about it!
Today I'm going to review Timothy's Dulce de Leche hot drink. I came across a 3-pack of the K-Cup version of this drink. I was intrigued, because I absolutely love most all things caramel or butterscotch related. So I decided to pick up a pack and give it a try.
I grabbed this pack at Wal-Mart and the price was $2.96. So, approximately $1 a cup. A little more than I like to pay for K-Cups (I'm a bargain shopper), but I thought I would give this little treat a try, and I'm so glad I did.
Each cup is a creamy delight with a caramel taste. So yummy! I love hot chocolate, but this is even better. It's not a coffee drink, just a yummy treat. It's sweet, so I wouldn't recommend more than one at a time. And it's a nice evening treat, especially on a cold night.
I recommend running it through the smaller cup cycle on your Keurig (6 oz cup), it gives the drink just the right texture.
Check out the Timothy's website for more details, and you can also order a box there: http://www.timothys.ca/products/product-dulce-de-leche.php
Have you tried Timothy's Dulce de Leche? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!
Note: I was not compensated for this post. These are my own views and opinions. And yes, that is my coffee mug, and yes, I am a Coronation Street (Corrie) fan.
I love having my nails done. I don't just mean the luxury of going to the spa for a manicure, I actually love the way my nails look when they're decorated, whether that be gel nails, polish or nail stickers.
I've tried a lot of different nail polishes, treatments, stickers, etc, and I had a number of friends asking me to try Jamberry, so I thought I would give it a go.
I had tried similar "stickers" before, and when I say "similar", I mean, ones that you apply and file off the excess. I had some good luck with some, and bad luck with some. What intrigued me with Jamberry is that they are "heat activated". So, I went "all out" and bought myself one of their little heaters. They do indicate that these heaters are not necessary as you could do it with a hair dryer, but I liked the idea that these heaters stand on their own, so there's no figuring out how to hold the hair dryer while getting ready to apply the sticker.
This is how the Jamberry nails work - you have a sheet of stickers, enough for a manicure and pedicure... maybe more if you're creative and don't make any mistakes. They come in an oval shape, in various sides, so you cut them in half and use them on the fingers they fit on. Once you have determined the size you need, you heat them for 3 to 5 seconds and apply them to the nail. Then you take small scissors and clip off some of the excess and file off the rest. Then you put your nails back in front of the heat to have it bond to the nail. I will admit that this process took a little longer than I expected, and I think that probably with practice, it wouldn't take so long, but to do all of my nails, it took approximately half an hour. But once I had them all on, I loved them:
I've had many compliments on my nails as well.
Even after a week and a half, they were holding strong:
You can see in the picture that there's a little bit of lifting at the tip of the nail, but it was nothing that affected the look of them particularly.
I will also note that they recommend cleaning your nail before hand with alcohol, however, I didn't do that step. I had clean hands, but I didn't specifically clean the nail.
My nails lasted about 2 weeks and then they started to lift near the nail bed, and at that point I removed them.
Next, I decided to try the Jamberry Juniors on my daughter. She is 5 years old. I had heard some good things about this product. So, I followed the same application proceedure as I had with my own nails. Unfortunately, it didn't quote turn out for us. This is a picture once we were done:
The stickers started lifting almost immediately, and after about half hour, she got annoyed with them and took them all off.
Now, I know everyone's nails are different, so it may just be that her nails don't take to this product. We will try them again sometime to see if we have a different result.
So ultimately, a big thumbs up from me for the adult ones! Not so much for kids. Have you tried Jamberry nails? What was your experience?
Note: These opinions are solely my own. I was not provided any compensation for my review.
I'll admit it, I torture my hair. I have for years. Bleach, perms, curling irons, straighteners, hair colouring, I've done it all. So, it comes as no surprise that my hair is brittle.
Over the years I've tried a number of treatments and products in order to help my hair feel healthier. I've used hot oil treatments, salon brand products and just about any store brand you can imagine. When I was approached by BzzAgent (a totally awesome product review site that you should check out at www.bzzagent.com) to review Pantene Pro-V Ultimate 10 products, I went in to it with an open mind.
What I received from BzzAgent was a bottle of Pantene Pro-V Ultimate 10 Shampoo, Pantene Pro-V Ultimate 10 Conditioner and Pantene Pro-V Ultimate 10 BB Crème.
I was excited to try these products out. So, the next morning I tried the shampoo and conditioner first. Both had a nice smell - not over powering, and the smell didn't linger, just a nice clean smell. And the conditioner was my favourite. You could feel it wrapping around your hair and it rinsed out so nicely leaving your hair free of tangles and feeling strong.
Once I was done washing my hair, I put the BB Crème in my hair before subjecting my hair to the blow dryer. I typically don't use styling products, aside from a little bit of mousse here and there, but this BB Crème was great. Just a small amount was all that was needed, I spread it through my hair and began to blow dry. When I was done my hair looked shiny. It wasn't greasy or sticky.
I have continued to use these products for 2 weeks and the difference in my hair is pretty visible. I went from dull looking brittle hair, to shiny strong hair.
