Naked Volume by Herbal Essences - First Review

I've used Herbal Essences Naked Volume Shampoo & Conditioner four times now. I don't notice any significant volume difference in my hair. What I do notice, though, is the ease of brushing. It has definitely increased. I normally brush my hair in the morning before a shower and comb it out after a shower. Now, when I brush it right after waking up in the morning, there are hardly any tangles. I have very long hair (waist length) and it normally gets a lot of knots, particularly at the nape of my neck. I say that the Naked Volume conditioner has made a huge difference. I haven't had to use any spray-in conditioner for knots since switching. I also like the uplifting light citrus and mint scent - it helps rejuvenate me in the shower.

I've yet to try the Souffle - next week.

Sample Source Box!

Last week I received an email saying my Sample Source box had shipped and would arrive within 5 - 10 business days.  Here it is!

As you can see the Hershey's Whole Almonds bar was very popular with my husband - I don't think I had had the box opened for five minutes before he scooped it up and wolfed it down.  Definitely a good milk chocolate fix!

I'm most excited about the Quinoa Chocolate Nut Medley by by Quaker Harvest Crunch. Sounds yummy!

I'm least excited by the Snuggle Scent Boosters.  I don't like scents in my laundry.  Husband suggested that we use it if we have extra smelly loads (like one of the cats sprayed on something).  We'll see.  Its "Blue Iris" scent, whatever that is.  I just don't want to be gagging over my laundry and needing to redo it.

You can't quite tell from the photo, but the Burt's Bees sample is a night cream.  I don't use it, but my mother or one of my other friends will be happy to try it.  Great size for overnight trips.

The only coupons are in the John Frieda Frizz Ease sample pack.  Again, a good size for overnight trips and vacations.  I tend to get more fly-aways in dry weather, so it may come in handy during Summer camping.

Nice small free lot.  I'm supposed to be getting a survey about the products to do in thanks soon.  A couple of products advertised on the site I did not get - presumably due to my answers to their questionnaire.

All in all, excellent delivery time frame - questionnaire filled out April 1st, box received May 2nd.   Thanks, Sample Source!

Elle Canada Beauty Box

I filled out a quick survey on the Elle Canada site for their Spring 2014 Beauty Box a couple of weeks ago.  They did not guarantee that filling it out would get you a box, but lucky, me, I received one in the mail this week.  Nice surprise!

It came in a cute pink box patterned with outlined roses and was filled with products, coupons, and basket shredding - nice festive touch!

The Cover Girl mascara is full size.  Sample sizes of Pantene shampoo & conditioner, Satin Care shave gel, and Crest White Strips.  Coupons for Venus embrace razors ($4), Vidal Sassoon hair dye ($5), and Olay Regenerist ($3).  Also a style guide for different hair dos and make-up looks featuring Pantene and Cover Girl products.

I don't use hair dye or mascara but Elle Canada must think they are pretty standard for women if they sent them along.  One of my friends is very happy to be getting free mascara from me!  I'll pass along the hair dye coupon to my mother.  The survey did not ask if I used these products, but it did ask my age! :P

Herbal Essence BzzCampaign

I've been selected for the Herbal Essences BzzAgent Campaign.  Woo-hoo, more exciting free stuff!  This campaign activated far earlier than others I've been assigned to, and I have already received the box of products in the mail.

What I got:
- full size Herbal Essences Naked Volume silicone-free volumizing shampoo
- full size Herbal Essences Naked Volume silicone-free volumizing conditioner
- full size Herbal Essences Naked volumizing "souffle" 
- travel-size sets of the same shampoo & conditioner x 3

Pretty impressive!

I'll be waiting a week or so to try them out as I'm almost finished my current bottle of shampoo (brand omitted on purpose).  Once that is in the recycling, I'll switch in the Herbal Essences Naked shampoo and conditioner.

The products are all free of silicones, parabens, and dyes.  The scent is grapefruit and mossa mint oil.

Mrs Dash Salt-Free Taco Seasoning Review

I received a free 35g package of Mrs. Dash Salt-Free Taco Seasoning in the mail.  Tonight I had some lean ground beef that needed to be used up so I thought I'd give it a try.

 

First off, ingredients:

• yellow corn flour, chili pepper, maltodextrin
• corn starch, cumin, dried onion
• garlic powder, potassium chloride, yeast extract
• onion powder, sugar, black pepper
• citric acid, oregano, red pepper, celery seed

Package directions: brown 1lb ground beef; drain.  Add 3/4 cup water and seasoning mix.  Heat until thickened; stirring often.

Preparation was as simple as the directions.  I sautéed half an onion first before adding the ground beef as my only change.  Drained the beef and added the mix:

After incorporating the water, mix, and beef, it took about three to four minutes to thicken up a bit, resulting in:

Looks and smells good.

Taste: good mild chili taste.  Needs salt.  I like my salt too much for salt-free it seems.  I added a dash of sea salt to my bowl and that enhanced the flavours enough for me.  I'd say its a good base, and great if you want to eliminate or control the amount of salt and sodium in your mix.  Its easy to add your desired amount of salt at the end or to your own dish.

Other comments: does it really need sugar?  I doubt it.  Potassium chloride is classified as a type of salt, though sodium-free. Sneaky.  It is used for a wide variety of other non-food production processes - check out Wikipedia for more.

Finish & Mrs. Dash Samples

These came in the mail over the last couple of weeks.  Both had coupons with them.  Mrs. Dash took a little longer than expected, but it is fun to get Taco seasoning.  More useful for me than an all-purpose seasoning.  We'll see how salt-free tastes!

What's In My Purse?

In response to the blogging trend of the same name, here is a list of the contents of my purse today:

• Wallet (flowers & bees pattern from Shag Wear)
• Coupon file 
• Personalized note pad
• Pen
• Hair clip
• Random kleenex tissues
• SwissCard
• Pill vial (two-day supply of prescriptions, vitamins, Advil Liquigels)
• Mirror
• Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Wine (?)
• Cell phone
• Old McDonald's receipt for two-for-one pineapple mango smoothies
• Earrings I wore two days ago
• Current prescription I need to fill
• Mini emery board
• Annabelle #420 Blush lip liner
• Clinique Sassy Spice Colour Surge lipstick
• Aveda Nourish-Mint hydrating lip glaze in #764 Ginger Lily
• Work access card
• Work key chain

I'm using a Nine West crossbody style 8" high by 7" wide with one zippered exterior pocket, one main zippered pocket, and one hidden zipper pocket inside.

Love & LavAzza

I've been enjoying the flavours my my LavAzza coffee packs for about a month now.  I use a four-cup Cuisinart drip coffee maker at home - or rather, my husband does...I'm too sleepy in the morning to be much use.  Special coffees are love at work in our home.
 

We started off with the Gran Aroma which is a medium roast.  I love my morning Special Coffees which consist of about a third a cup of coffee, topped by milk foam and cinnamon.  Here is my first Gran Aroma cup and you can see that there is a a lot of foam!  The first sips are sweet and warm, perfect morning waking comfort.  Then the coffee comes through and its a warm nudge of deliciousness and awakening aroma.

The aroma on this coffee is amazing.  From the first opening of the package - which has a round air seal by the way - its just dreamy!  I stood there inhaling the scent of the grounds in my slippers one morning and I could have gone back for more later in the day.

The taste of the Gran Aroma is a standard medium roast - a bit acidic, not very deep - although there is a sense of quality in the liquid - it truly has become coffee, not hot water and coffee.  For myself, medium roast is an okay roast - I prefer the dark.  The Gran Aroma is a medium roast I would go to for the quality if I couldn't find any dark roast.

Onto the Gran Selezione.  THIS is the roast for me.  Oh how amazing it tastes in the morning and blends into the foam like its in a lover's arms.  Yes, the Gran Selezione is so delicious its making me poetic.  It is dark, velvety, smooth, and deep with a hint of quality chocolate.  This is the one I will be looking for in stores.  I'm so sorry that my package is almost empty!  Again, I could inhale the scent of the grounds themselves for hours. 

If you are a dark roast lover, I recommend the Gran Selezione.  My price-checking has come up with $12.99 a package at London Drugs.  I did find Gran Aroma at Superstore, but only that roast.   Don't forget to scour the internet for a $2 off coupon, and I also found Sample Source tear-off coupons for $2 off a package at Superstore.

My BzzKit came with a few $4 off coupons, if you know me, you may be one of the select few recipients. 

It's Here!! LavAzza Coffee BzzKit!

Arrived this morning.  Can't wait to try it!

LAVAZZA Italy's Favourite Coffee

A BzzCampaign!  Hooray!

Notification came today to participate in this BzzAgent campaign for Lavazza's new drip coffee.  How deliciously exciting!

My previous experience with Lavazza has purely "bean" with espresso  (they have the best decaf around), so this will be an interesting venture into whether or not they have been successful with the drip coffee/French press variety.

Drip/French Press coffee varieties by Lavazza include:

Gran Aroma

Medium Roast

A balanced, highly aromatic blend of 100% Arabica beans with fragrant floral notes and a citrusy flavour profile.

 

Classico

Medium Roast

This blend’s start-stop roasting method produces its intense aroma of dried fruits and rich, full-bodied flavor.

 

Gran Selezione

Dark Roast

A full-bodied Arabica blend with intense flavor and chocolate undertones that comes exclusively from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms.

 

Perfetto

Espresso Roast

Made from 100% carefully selected Arabica beans, this dark and velvety blend is bold with lingering caramel notes.

The campaign officially begins February 26th.  The BzzKit is slated to include:

• A FREE 12 oz bag of Lavazza Gran Aroma Specialty Drip Coffee
• A FREE 12 oz bag of Lavazza Gran Selezione Specialty Drip Coffee
• A travel mug per me (that's "for me" in Italian)
• $4-off coupons to share with other coffee drinkers (would that be you???)
• Lavazza magnets to pass along, too
• An Italian Gestures Game for my Passion Party (not the lingerie party, a coffee party!)

 The game idea makes me smile.  I hope it will be a good laugh.

Grazie, BzzAgent & Lavazza!

Johnson & Johnson Healthy Essentials

Way back in mid-Fall, the Healthy Essentials™ program site of Johnson & Johnson™ had a promotion.  You were allowed to sent an invite to the site to five specific email addresses.  If one of them accepted, they said you would get a gift bundle.

I dutifully plugged in my five and waited.  And waited.  And waited some more.  I knew at least one person had accepted long before Christmas.  Still no word.  I was getting annoyed  - perhaps I had submitted this information under false pretenses and these people were getting spammed.

Lo and behold, Friday, January 17th in my inbox I receive an email from Healthy Essentials™ subject line "The Special Trial Gift Bundle is Yours!".

Hi ,

Great news, we’re sending you one of the great trial gift bundles of Johnson & Johnson Inc. products for you and your family to enjoy. It's just our way of saying thanks for sharing the benefits of the Healthy Essentials^™ program.

Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for your trial gift bundle to be processed and shipped. In the meantime, thanks again for being a valued member of the Healthy Essentials^™ program.

Take Good Care.

OK, so great that it is coming, a trial gift bundle!  Woo-hoo!  I'm excited by the prospect of a bundle - my head is filled with images of gift bundles and gift baskets.

Yesterday, February 3rd, a little box appeared at my doorstep:

The size is reminiscent of the Proctor & Gamble™ seasonal sample boxes that I used to get.  It is not really the gift basket I envisioned or felt was advertised, but it is still free stuff.

Inside was:

The Neutrogena™ is a For Men product with SPF 20. The long Splenda™ is a French Vanilla flavour for coffee flavouring.  Expiry dates for Reactine™ is October 2015, for Tylenol™ for January 2015, and for the Motrin™ March 2014.  Um, that is less than a month away.  Not so good on that one, J&J! 

I'm happy that it was all free, but I feel a bit mislead about the size of the bundle, and of course it doesn't look good to give a pain killer sample that expires in less than four weeks.  3/5 stars including the wait. Still worth doing again if the occasion arises.

The Health Essentials™ program allows you to collect points mainly via printing and using coupons from their site.  You can earn two points per week by printing coupons, and two points per redeemed coupon.  One-time point offers include signing up, completing your profile, your Health Grade™, and signing up for a survey panel (no points for surveys themselves).  Once you do these four, you end up with 45 points.

To get a themed product package requires 100 points.  If you print one coupon and redeem one coupon each week, it will take you 25 weeks to earn enough points for a gift bundle.  That is two per year, and there is usually a selection of at least four from which to choose.  I think twice per year is decent, although personally I do not use enough of the product to need one coupon per week.  A larger family would do well with this, so if that is you, go for it!

 

Recently Free in the Mail...

Here are a couple of things I recently received in the mail gratis.

The first is two two-packs of Advil™ liquid gels.  They came with a bonus $3 off coupon good on a 24-count or higher bottle, expiring at the end of April.  The samples themselves expire at the end of October 2014.   Great to pop in the travel first aid kid or purse.

The second is a sample of Cloud 9™ cat treats.  That is what looks like a pack of gum!  They are indeed in a blister pack.  I guess for keeping fresher, although since blister packs are almost impossible to recycle, that kind of sucks.  Bonus though is the 15% order code also included.

Both these offers were from internet sign-ups at the brand sites.

Third but not shown is a small sachet of Burt's Bees™ gud™ body lotion.  It came  with a coupon, too.  I was disappointed that the sample was only a single-use sachet and not a small purse-sized bottle to use for travel.

Fourth but also not shown is a travel-sized tube of Colgate Sensitive Relief™ toothpaste, plus a coupon. Win!

If I remember correctly, these last two were from liking and registering on their Facebook™ pages.

I am currently awaiting an $8.99 rebate from purchasing an 8lb bag of World's Best Cat Litter™, and a gift basket from Johnson & Johnson Healthy Essentials™ program.

Earning Free Gift Cards

Where to Get Free Gift Cards

I just discovered a website where you can earn free gift cards!  100 points = $1 towards a gift card.  There is a wide variety of card choices, and this is where to get Starbucks™ gift card as well as Macy's™, Amazon™, Sephora™, and more.

It does take awhile after the first 100 points if you do not want to register for a whole bunch of things.  I've found the easiest is to watch for codes and listen to their internet radio.  You can always turn your volume off and have it open in a window behind what you are working on.  But you do need to check periodically - every 10 minutes reveals a code you need to type in to get your points.

The link is below.  Happy earning!

http://www.instagc.com/starbucks/242670

This is the logo of the site:

Quite obviously, it is called instaGC. 

Nutrience Pet Food Campaign from BzzAgent

Yes!  A BzzAgent Campaign for my furballs!  I love my cats and purchase high-end food for them, both because I love them dearly and because one of them has digestive issues (he's a barfer). Previous dry food brands have been Nutro and Royal Canin.

The campaign I was selected for is for Nutrience pet food.  It has both dog and cat varieties.  I have three cats.  Two are indoor, and one is outdoor.  The outdoor one is a feral cat who we eventually after 2+ years convinced to come inside at night when it is cold outside.  Of the two indoor cats, one has been a indoor cat all of his eight years (he's the barfer), and the other came to as a stray older kitten, now about three years old.  He is inside but does have supervised outside time on a harness and leash. 

Here is what my Nutrience BzzKit came with:

Nutrience BzzKit Contents September 2013

As you can see, a coupon for a full free bag for me was included!  Also five coupons of $5 off a any bag to share, two flavours of sample bags, and a French/English information booklet on all the varieties of Nutrience dog and cat food.

Our first plan of action was to mix the sample bags in with all of our cats' current dry food to give an adjustment period.  This lasted 10 days.  Both indoor cats seemed to like it, our outdoor cat seemed to LOVE it - not a kibble left in the bowl the first few times.  The indoor barfer cat was fine with the mixed days, and fine for about a week with only Nutrience.  He has had one big "sicky" recently and we will be watching him closely.

We are concerned about our second indoor cat and are seriously considered switching him back to his old food.  He seems to be having bathroom issues since the full switch - he'll be in the litter box with the "I'm-trying-to-go" stance/look for 10 minutes+ at a time, over and over.  There is only a tiny piddle if anything each time.  He does seem to be pooping at other times.  We are worried about crystals or something else as this is a totally new thing for him and there is no other change to his diet, litter type/location, or habitat. 

Now, in terms of finding a vendor in order to use the free bag coupon...

We started by first calling a private pet food store close to my place of work where we had recently picked up a bottle of Vetericyn for our outdoor cat's hot spots.  No luck there, but they did offer to order it in for us.  Since it was for a free bag, we declined otherwise we'd feel guilty.  We called our regular private pet food store and they did not carry it.  Next we tried one of the bigger chain stores, no luck.  Finally, the fourth try - PetSmart - had it.  I would have preferred to support a smaller local store, but no avail.  The flavour selection was limited, but we were able to get the big bag for free, almost a $40 savings.

After 10 days of mixed food and about 10 days of solely Nutrience the initial verdict is that it is good for our outdoor cat, but varying results for our indoor cats.  We'll keep monitoring the situation.

The indoor "barfer" cat eating Nutrience dry food

Final thoughts on Crest Pro-Health suite

The Crest Pro-Health™ BzzAgent campaign ended a few weeks ago and I want to share some final thoughts.   Overall, not a bad suite, just not as good as I was hoping. My review of the Oral-B CrossAction^®toothbrush stands.   Its good for when I have a cold, that's it.

With regards to the Crest^® Pro-Health^® Multi-Protection Rinse (mouthwash), it DOES make a difference with morning breath if it is used right before bed.  I still can’t attest to during the day as the no-eating/drinking-for-30-minutes-after-use rule has prevented me.

The  Crest^® Pro-Health^® Toothpaste: I thought it was good.  Until I went to the dentist.  I forgot to take a picture of my teeth before my appointment, so there is no “after” shot to compare to my first short.  The reason I won’t be repurchasing is that for the first time ever my dentist told me I had coffee stains on my teeth!  She even showed me the brown marks with a mirror.  I have been drinking coffee every morning for six years.  I can only attribute this to the change in my toothpaste.  

I believe the problem is that the toothpaste I sampled was non-whitening.   I have since discovered that Crest Pro-Health™ does have a whitening type.  If the price is right when I run out of the whitening brand I returned to after my dentist appointment, then I will consider trying it out.  I did like the Cool Peppermint flavour.

Review of Crest Pro-Health Products

I forgot my blogger password so this is a little late, but here are some of my thoughts regarding the Crest Pro-Health™ products I received for free from BzzAgent.

Oral-B CrossAction^®  Pro-Health™ Toothbrush:

     My mouth is on the small side, so at first I thought the toothbrush would be very awkward due to its size.  However, I found that it didn't matter much as I could get a comfortable grip on the brush handle at any point.  The toothbrush has raised bumps on the outside for cheek and tongue cleaning.  It also has flexible longer rubber bristles all around the outer edge for gum cleaning.

Back "Bumps"

Side "Rubber Bristle" & Pro-Health™ toothpaste

 

I used the toothbrush for about a week and thought it was really neat.  I liked the way my cheeks were cleaned and my gums massaged.  I should note that the Oral-B CrossAction^®  Pro-Health™ toothbrush I received is the Soft variety.

    However after a week, my inner cheeks started getting sore.  By 10 days in, I knew I couldn't use the brush anymore - my inner cheeks had become too sensitive to the friction of the bumps and it hurt to use the brush.  I went back to my old toothbrush without the bumps, still using the Crest^® Pro-Health^® Toothpaste.   

    However, I am keeping the Oral-B CrossAction^®  Pro-Health™ toothbrush, as when I get my first seasonal cold/flu I know I will love being able to scrape the inside of my mouth, cheeks, and tongue of all the sick goo from colds/flus until I get better.  So, although it is not for me for everyday use, the Oral-B CrossAction^®  Pro-Health™ toothbrush does have a place in my oral health routine.

Crest^® Pro-Health^®  Toothpaste:

    The toothpaste is a blue gel with tiny darker blue dots within it.  It has a pleasant mild mint taste.  I received the Cool Peppermint flavour - nothing overpowering while brushing, and nothing really lasting either.  I like the cap on the toothpaste tube as you can stand the tube upright on your counter to save space and also let gravity do the work of getting the toothpaste to the open end of the tube and not rolling and squishing yourself.  I have taken a teeth smile photo of when I started using the Crest^® Pro-Health^® Toothpaste:

My crooked smile

and will post another after two months use.  I began diligently using it in the morning and the evening, however I have been a bit lax after four weeks with the evening brushing.  The instructions do say to use it twice per day for results. 

Crest^® Pro-Health^® Multi-Protection Rinse: (aka mouthwash)

    I like this stuff.  It is blue in colour and does not taste too strong.  I can sometimes feel the tingle stronger, and I guess that is because there are more germs in my mouth to work on at that time!  What I do not like is that you cannot eat or drink for 30 minutes after rinsing.  This sucks in the morning, as I sip my coffee on the way to work and of course, eat.  I rush getting ready every morning and having to wait 30 minutes to eat or drink - anything, including water - is a huge pain in the butt.  Thus, I do not use it in the morning, only right before getting into bed in the evening.  The Crest^® Pro-Health^® Multi-Protection Rinse instructions do say to use twice per day but I have only been using it once because of this.

    A different aspect of the rinse is that after swishing, gargling, and spitting out, there is a slight blue residue on my tongue.  Sometimes there is a bit of a thin blue glob on my tongue in places.  I can't really feel it or taste it, but I can see it in the mirror: 

Little blue streaks on my tongue

  My guess is I have more junk in my mouth and the rinse is attaching itself to those bits of junk and not letting those bits grow into more germs and/or bad breath.  Since I am only using the rinse before bed, I don't know how long this lasts, but it is gone in the morning. 

Suite of Crest^® Pro-Health^®products

Crest Pro-Health BzzAgent Campaign

I'm doing awesome with BzzAgent this year!  The latest campaign I have been selected for is Crest Pro-Health^® .  By BzzKit arrived this week in the mail and contained:

1. 500ml bottle Crest^® Pro-Health^® Multi-Protection [Oral] Rinse (aka mouthwash)
2. 85ml Crest^® Pro-Health^® toothpaste in Cool Peppermint
3. One Oral-B CrossAction^®  Pro-Health™ toothbrush in Soft

I am a wee bit disappointed that the kit does not include the floss from the line, and there are no coupons to share with friends/the-world-at-large this time.

So far all I've done is recycled the cardboard from the toothpaste box and read the instructions for the mouthwash, which are a bit intense.

The mouthwash instructions are to use twice per day, but to wait 30 minutes before eating.  A bit annoying as I brush my teeth and then have my morning coffee which I sip throughout the morning.  We'll see how this works out. 

The toothbrush looks really big and has quite a long handle as compared to my current one.  Good timing for me, though, as my current one its starting to look a little worse for wear.

I like how the toothpaste tube (not shown) will stand up on its cap, and then cap is a flip-top.  This makes it easy to keep at the sink and doesn't take up much room, as well as letting gravity keep the toothpaste near the opening so you don't need to roll down the end of the tube to squeeze it out. 

I'll report back after I've tried the kit contents for awhile.  

On a side note, I love the BzzAgent packing tape with their bee brand!

Review: International Delight (TM) Iced Coffee

With the free coupons I received from BzzAgent, I purchased two varieties of International Delight (TM) Iced Coffee.  I bought one Mocha which I brought home with me to try, and another Mocha plus a Caramel Macchiato flavour to take to work for the party I mentioned in my previous post.

My first selection was the Mocha at home. At first sip, I thought “Wow, this is really sweet”.  Then I looked at the ingredient list.  It contains both sugar AND corn syrup which explains why it is so sweet.   However I was pleasantly surprised to see that it did NOT list palm oil or any other non-dairy byproducts on the list.   Hooray!  I sipped some more, and liked it a little more – I thought “This would be great as a granita!”.  I drank more, ”Hmmm, this stuff is growing on me!”.  I shook the container up lots as per the instructions and poured over ice – holy smokes, now I am addicted!  

I still think it is quite sweet, so I would not have the same amount as I would a regular coffee, but I would buy the Mocha again.  To me, it tastes more “sweet” than “chocolate mocha”, so my suggestion would be to cut the corn syrup, leave the same amount of sugar, and up the cocoa content.  I did add some extra coffee and milk to my cold cup to cut down on the sweetness.  I don't normally add sugar to my coffee so others may not feel this is necessary.

I tried the Caramel Macchiato flavour at my work party.  Definitely too sweet for me – tastes like thin syrup.  Yuck.  But, to be fair, I do not usually like caramel.  I didn’t waste my coupons on the vanilla variety as I know I don’t like vanilla at all so it wouldn’t be right to review that one.

One of my co-workers gave me a review of both work party flavours.  She doesn't like the Mocha so much as she thinks it "tastes like chocolate milk".  On the other hand, she really likes the Caramel Macchiato flavour - the rest of the container is hers to finish!  This is a person who likes dulce de leche and caramel flavourings, so if you are the same, chances are you will also like Caramel Macchiato!

If anyone else I gave free coupons to gives me a review I will post it.  Here are our drinks from the party (creamo for regular hot coffee drinkers is blocked out):

Mocha & Caramel Macchiato Flavours

A sub-note: the International Delight TM cold cup/tumbler I received really does keep drinks cold!  I was impressed and will be using it throughout the Summer.

                             

International Delight (TM) Iced Coffee BzzAgent Campaign

Hooray!  I got into another campaign!  This year is going well with BzzAgent, the word of mouth review company that sends free samples and coupons for people to give honest product opinions.  This campaign features International Delight(TM) Iced Coffees!

My campaign box has already arrived.   Inside were nine coupons for an entire carton FREE of any flavour International Delights (TM) Iced Coffee.  They come in three flavours: Mocha, Caramel Macchiato, and Vanilla.  They regularly retail for $4.99 and are on sale at Shopper's Drug Mart this week for $3.99.  Just shy of two litres, each carton should give about 7 - 8 "Tall"-sized servings.

Also inside the box were two plastic cold beverage tumblers with straws. They look like this:

They are a hard, clear plastic - definitely washable and reusable.  They look like they will be fun to fill with ice and then splash over a good serving of International Delight (TM).   My SO does not like drinking out of plastic, so the second one will be a gift - possibly to the person who gives me the most honest feedback of the different tastes when I bring all three varieties into work next week.  Lucky coworkers!

For myself, the flavour I will use my coupon on will be Mocha.  I don't like vanilla and only like caramel slightly more.  My SO will have the choice of which one of those two he would like to try.  That will leave me with four free coupons.  One will go inside the tumbler to give away, the other three - hmmm - how many should I save for myself and how many to give away to others?

*Photos are from bzzagent.com and International Delight's (TM) FB page.

Always Infinity Campaign Update

I was away for a bit and when I returned home I was happy to see a little brown box with my name on it had arrived from BzzAgent™!

Inside were a page of campaign directions, my free package of Always Infinity, three individually wrapped yellow regular Always pads, and eight $1.00 off Always Infinity coupons to share.

I am happy to report that the free package was this one:

It is the heavy with wings version, which is more appropriate for my personal cycle.

I am also happy to report that they are VERY comfortable and so thin I can't even tell just standing in my underwear that I have them on - the only giveaway is the wings on the outside of the crotch part of my underwear.  They also absorb quite a bit.  It is a great relief to not have to worry about running to the bathroom to change every hour during my heaviest days.  These ranged for me from being good from two to four and a half hours, depending on my level of flow.  This is very important so I don't get dirty or questioning looks at work about going to the bathroom often, and for my peace of mind that there will not be leakages.

It also makes me more comfortable in wearing a shirt that does not cover my bum (in case of leakages) during my period.

I like the "feel" of these against my "delicate parts".  It feels like a cotton fabric - not like any kind of a plastic.  I absolutely hate the comparison of pads to diaper by some not-so-nice women and men.  There is nothing farther than the truth and comparisons like that seek only to shame women for dealing with the natural cycles of their bodies.  For any woman out there who has felt humiliation, embarrassment, or any other negative emotion for their decision to wear pads during their period, I say that Always Infinity can alleviate that negativeness by being thin and fast/heavy absorbing.

The wrapping is fairly quiet for changing in public stalls, but the sides of the package do make some noise.  By opening them slowly less noise happens.  Again, if you are a woman who feels embarrassed by changing your pad in a public bathroom, you can open the package slowly,  but periods are natural and if someone says something or gives you a look, they are the ones who should be ashamed, not you.

The adhesive on the back of the pad is almost the entire pad in length and width in a solid strip.  No bunching happened for me!  The wings have adhesive on each rounded wing and they worked fine.  The wings are made of more tissue feeling material and for me, anchored the pad well and caught any drops from shifting.

I am planning to keep a couple of the free $1.00 off coupons for myself to buy additional packages (they also come in Overnight, so I am going to get some of those) and share the rest.

The three regular pads were put in the kit for me to film an absorption test and post it onto YouTube (you know, the famous "blue liquid" test).  I do not have a YouTube account, and I don't feel right creating one solely for the purpose of posting one video, so it is not likely to happen.