Hershey Spreads

I was selected as one of the lucky few to taste test one of the new Hershey Spreads.  Due to hit shelves tomorrow, the spreads come in chocolate, chocolate with almond, and chocolate with hazelnut.  I was sent chocolate with hazelnut and couldn't wait to give it a try.
I am one of the very few people who have never had a chocolate spread before.  I'm also one of those people who simply cannot eat anything sweet in the morning.  So I was looking more forward to trying it as a dessert rather than on toast or as a midday snack.
I first tried it on its own, just having a spoonful.  It was way too sweet.  You could definitely tell it was made up of Hershey chocolate because it had that wonderful taste, but there was something else in it that made it too sweet to enjoy.  I decided to try it with something else...the next day.
I put a spoonful on a homemade sugar cookie.  Much better.  But still, that one spoonful went a long way and any more than that was too sweet.  I also tried it on toast and pretzels, but could only use a small amount.
Personally, I feel like it's too sweet for me, though the taste is great.  But if you have a major sweet tooth Hershey spreads are definitely for you.

Meaningful Beauty Crème de Serum

I kept seeing the infomercials but never gave it a second thought.  Cindy Crawford advertising some skin care that's supposed to fight wrinkles and improve your skin.  Thankfully, my good genes have prevented me from getting wrinkles (yet...I know the day is soon approaching) so I really never considered using it.
So when I received my sample of Meaningful Beauty Creme de Serum I was a bit underwhelmed.  I don't have wrinkles.  This wont work on me.  Sure, my skin is a bit dry except on my t-zone, where I have to use pore strips every few days, but that's it.  No way would this work on me.  But I gave it a shot anyway.
The first thing I noticed is how little the directions tell you to use - just one to two pumps for your entire face.  The next thing I noticed - how soft and light it was.  Sure I've used moisturizers that were light, but this actually felt refreshing.  I rubbed it in and went on my merry way.
A few hours later I happened to have a moment to take a breather during my busy day, and I lazily leaned on my elbow and put my hand on my cheek.  My cheek felt SO soft.  That's when I started acting like a crazy lady and started feeling the rest of my face.  It hadn't been that soft in years.  I touched my nose - no oil or tiny bumps.  I was floored.
After using the serum for nearly two weeks I can tell a dramatic difference in the texture of my skin.  It's so soft and I have yet to need to use a pore strip.  I can't really comment on how it works on wrinkles, but if it works as well as it does on everything else I wouldn't be one bit surprised if the claims are true. 
Will I take the plunge and buy another bottle when this one is out?  For the results alone, yes.  However, Meaningful Beauty needs to do one thing to make me a true fan - make it more of an organic product.  As well as it works I am trying to stay as natural as I can when it comes to what I put in and on my body.  
If you'd like more information on the serum you can check it out here.  To learn more about the entire Meaningful Beauty regime click here.

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Cottonelle Fresh Care Flushable Cleansing Cloths

I was given the opportunity by Crowdtap and Cottonelle to try their Cottonelle Fresh Care Flushable Cleansing Cloths for free.  I was sent a Cottonelle dispenser with a package of wipes and asked to try them out.
Let's start with the package itself.  The design is very sleek.  Instead of your normal baby wipe-type box it is a very sleek vertical dispenser with a snap-on lid.  Very stylish.  It only comes in wipe, which is a bit bland, but I am hoping they snazz up the color a bit, or at least give different options.
Now the wipes. They are a good size - not too big but not too small where you are wondering where they are, or have to use multiples.  The best thing though, and the selling point for me, are how the wipes feel.  Though they are moist they are not wet and sticky.  They provide just enough moisture to help you feel refreshed.  When I was done they flushed right down - no problem.
I found out these wipes aren't just for humans.  My dog came in one day and let's just say she was a bit less than clean.  I decided to use a wipe on her.  It worked great, and it was more gentle on her than the usual wet paper towel I use on her in the past.
I have yet to find Cottonelle Fresh Care Flushable Cleansing Cloths in too many stores, but I did find them at Costco.  All in all I feel like they are a great product and I will definitely buy them in the future.

Ebates

I will be the first to admit - I kept hearing about Ebates, but thought it was some kind of scam.  I also thought it was going to be a pain to use if by some chance it wasn't a scam.  But for some reason I decided to sign up about 3 months ago, and now I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner.
Here's how the site works.  Say you want to do some online shopping.  Go to Ebates first and find the store you want to shop at (they have hundreds of stores on their site).  Click on the store, which will take you to the store's web site.  Shop as normal, check out as normal, and get cash back.  Yes, that is all there is to it.
Ebates partners with these stores and you can get anywhere between 1% back to 25% back.  They credit you pretty quickly - their FAQs say about 2 days, but I have had some stores, like Target, credit me in less than half an hour.  There have been two times where it has taken over a week to credit me.  I simply went to their help page, filled out a form, and I was credited in less than 10 minutes.
So here has been my experience.  When first signing up I got to choose a $10 gift card for a store like Target, Amazon or Macy's.  I chose Macy's, and before I even made my first online purchase through Ebates I received my gift card in the mail. I have made 18 purchases in the past three months, ranging from $2.99 to $115.99 and have received $27.98 back.  Ebates has 3 month pay periods, so they have deposited $2.32 in my Paypal account, and the rest (for purchases made August through October) will be deposited on the 15th of November.  I also received an additional $5 credit because one of my friends joined and used the site.  Also note that if you do not have a Paypal account you can get a check sent to you.
Ebates not only gives you money back but they offer coupon codes for stores.  So you not only get money back but you save money to begin with.  Talk about win-win.  They will also have double cash back for selected stores for a certain amount of time.  I am looking at one store now and their cash back was 20% but has now doubled to 40%, wow.
There are a few disclaimers.  First of all, you MUST go through their web site to get credit.  Second, you will not be credited for tax or shipping fees.  Third, realize you will not get your check or deposit immediately because of the payment schedule.  You should get credited immediately, but refer to their schedule for when you actually get the money back. Finally, make sure to check the terms and conditions for EACH store.  They are all different and some of them state that you will not get cash back if you use a coupon code found outside of Ebates (I have yet to encounter that problem though).
So give Ebates a try.  If you don't like it you never have to use it again, but I have a feeling you'll get hooked and, like me, wonder why you didn't sign up before.
You can sign up under me by clicking here or just go to Ebates.com

Target Getting Rid of Store Coupons?

A while back I expressed my love for Target and all the deals you can get there.  My love affair is waning, however, after discovering something today.
I found an item I wanted in the Target ad in today's newspaper.  It was a good price, so I decided I'd go buy it later on in the day.  I continued looking through the paper and found a manufacturer coupon for the same item.  Great, I could get an even better deal.  Before leaving I decided to check the Target coupon page to see if there were any coupons I needed.  Lo and behold, they also had a coupon for the item!  I was going to get my item at 50% off with both the manufacturer and store coupon.
So I went there, found my item, and took it to the register with my coupons (and my RED Card, of course).  I handed the employee my coupons, and she said I could only use one.  I told her that one was a store coupon and one was a manufacturer coupon, and per their coupon guidelines I can use both.  She was insistent that both were manufacturer coupons, even though I had clearly printed the one off from the Target site.  I figured I was getting nowhere, so I went to the service desk and asked for a manager.  I told her what was going on and she too was insistent that BOTH coupons were manufacturer coupons.  I looked at the one I had printed out, from the Target site where the Target store coupons always are, and sure enough it said "manufacturer's coupon" on the top.  I went ahead and bought my item using ONE manufacturer coupon, my RED Card, and my Cartwheel (more on that shortly) and still paid a good price, but felt very duped by what happened.
On my way home I started pondering - maybe the coupon had some kind of indication it was a manufacturer coupon before I printed it and I just didn't see it.  So as soon as I got to my computer I decided to look.  There was NOTHING pre-printing to indicate it was not a store coupon.  I would have to print out every coupon I wanted before I knew if I could use them or if they would be a duplicate of a manufacturer coupon I already had.  What a waste of time, energy, ink and paper.
So why the change?  Other than the fact that they probably thought most people would think "oh well" when told that they can't use their coupon (not me) I think they are trying to get rid of Target store coupons entirely and are hoping people switch over to Cartwheel.  For those who don't know what Cartwheel is, it's a portion of their site that allows you to pick ten deals, ranging from 5% off a certain item, to 20% off.  You select your deals and you can either print out your barcode for the checker to scan, or you can use the Cartwheel app and they can scan your smart phone.  If your friends join you get extra deals.  Until today, customers were able to use a manufacturer coupon, Target coupon AND Cartwheel together, and still get their 5% off if they have a RED Card.
Target has really been pushing Cartwheel and now I see why - they are trying to make people think it gives great deals.  Granted, ANY amount off an item is never a bad thing, and I always appreciate any penny I save.  But the savings aren't nearly as good as coupons.  For example, my Cartwheel gave me 10% off my item today, which equaled $1.20.  The coupon I printed from their site was $3.00 off.  I bought some tissues last month with all three - manufacturer, store and Cartwheel deals.  The store coupon was $1.00, while the Cartwheel deal was 5%, or about 30 cents total.  If I ever had to choose between the two I would definitely choose the Target coupons.  Not only do they give you a better deal, but you are not limited to how many different ones you can print.  The only reason I have been using Cartwheel was to supplement my coupons, not to replace them.
So what can you do to get your Target coupons back?  Let Target know how you feel.  You can Send them an email, call them at 1-800-591-3869, let them know on Facebook,  Tweet them or tell your local Target manager.

Old Navy White Denim

Thanks to Crowdtap and Old Navy, I was selected to be in the Old Navy Style Council and test their White Denim Collection.  They sent me a coupon for a free pair of white denim pants, in any style and size I wanted.

I'm very petite and it's hard finding jeans that fit me well.  Old Navy sizes range from 0 to 16 (with plus sizes up to 30 available) and their white jeans range in style from the "super skinny" Rockstar to the looser Dreamer.  So I tried on the size 0 in Rockstar and fell in love.

Since I am also about 5 feet tall I knew I'd have to hem just about any pair of jeans I bought, but other than the length the fit and feel of these jeans were great.  They aren't too heavy, but not light enough to where you feel they are see-through.  The fit in the waist was a true size 0 - it did not have to be taken in at all, which can sometimes be a problem for me.  The rest of the fit was great.  I actually would have preferred the fit to be a LITTLE skinnier, but that's just me.  

I love the Old Navy White Denim Collection.  Nothing looks better than a crisp pair of white jeans with a colorful top.  And Old Navy gives you an amazing amount of cuts and styles to choose from.  So if you need some new spring/summer jeans make sure to give them a try.

Colgate Optic White

I got my most recent Vox Box from Influenster last week, not knowing what was in it.  To my surprise there were tons of goodies in there.  Today I'm going to give you my impressions of Colgate Optic White.
The box included Colgate Optic White toothpaste, Colgate Optic White mouthwash and a Colgate Optic White toothbrush.  All of them came in beautiful red and white packaging.  The toothpaste was regular size but the mouthwash seemed small - it was not a trial size by any means, but I am used to buying family size mouthwashes so it just appeared small to me.
The toothbrush was amazing.  I normally use a power toothbrush, but the Colgate toothbrush was very impressive.  It is probably the closest I can get to a power toothbrush in a manual brush.  It felt good in my mouth and it wasn't too big (as I feel some are) but it really felt like it was scrubbing my teeth.  It also had little circles in it, called "whitening cups".  They keep your toothpaste on th brush.  Clever!  My favorite part, however, was the no-slip handle.  If your toothbrush gets a little too wet it won't just slip out of your fingers.
My absolute favorite item from the set was the toothpaste.  It's pure white and has a great taste.  It's not quite minty, but it's refreshing, and it creates enough foam.  After three days of use I noticed my teeth were whiter already.   I will definitely switch to this toothpaste even after my free tube is gone - it is so much cheaper than those strips, and I don't have to devote any extra time in my day or energy to use it.
Finally, the mouthwash.  I have to say, this was not my favorite product.  The taste was great, but it gets foamy after you swish it around a bit.  After the recommended 60 seconds I spit it out, but my mouth felt like it had a film in it.  I had to rinse my mouth with water after.  I tried it again on the second day, hoping I would get used to it, but I just couldn't.  Again, I was left with a filmy taste in my mouth that I had to rinse out with water.  This isn't a big deal, but it added an extra step to my brushing routine and when I use mouthwash I expect my mouth to feel clean after, not filmy.
Colgate Optic White has made me a believer.  My teeth are already whiter after just a week.  I highly recommend the toothbrush and toothpaste.  
Make sure to check out the Colgate Optic White Website and Influenster
*I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes*

Benefits of a Target Red Card (Especially for Apple Products)

I love my Apple products - my iPod, iPad, iPhone.  Yes, I own them all (except for a mac, I'm just too attached to PCs).  Anyway, the products are great.  But the one thing I don't like about Apple products is that you never see them on sale.  Sure, you may get a discount on Black Friday, or a store may offer a gift card with your Apple product of choice.  But those are usually your only choices if you want a deal, and I don't know about you but I don't want to wait until November every year to buy what I want, and although a store gift card would be great I'd like an immediate price reduction, not money to use at a store later on.
This is where Target comes in.  I was able to buy an iPad mini this week and spent only $297.83 instead of $329.99.  How?  Let me explain.
The Target Red Card is awesome.  If you have a Red Card debit or credit you save 5% off just about everything in the store, and online.  This 5% discount also applies to Apple products.
So, yay, 5% off!  Right?  But wait, there's more.
Target also offers Rx Rewards.  If you fill five prescriptions at a Target Pharmacy, you will get a rewards card for 5% off an entire day of shopping.  A lot of people think so what, big deal?  I already get 5% off with my Red Card. But the thing a lot of people don't know, or don't realize, is that you can use it IN ADDITION to your normal Red Card Savings.
So let's go back to my iPad Mini example.  Regular price is $329.99.  With my normal Red Card discount that price went down to $313.49.  But when my Rx Rewards card was scanned it brought it down another 5%, bringing the grand total (pre-tax) to $297.83.
My savings didn't stop there.  I stocked up on household items I needed (and used coupons on them) and saved 5%+5% on items I needed to buy anyway. Two items I needed were not in stock, so I came home, found them on Target.com, and was able to use my online Rx Rewards code to get 5%+5% off on those.  Lastly, I preordered an album coming out next week on the same order, and received 5%+5% off on the preorder as well.  The savings added up really fast.
The Red Card also has other advantages.  You get free shipping on Target.com on items (usually with no minimum purchase needed) and you also get an extended return period.
One thing to remember with Rx Rewards - they are only good for ONE day and the online code is only valid for one online order.  So make sure you have everything you need in your cart before placing the order.
Also one last thing about saving money at Target - make sure to check out the coupons on their site.  You can use them in addition to your manufacturer coupons.  So if you buy a roll of Bounty paper towels you can use the coupon you found in Sunday's paper and the one from the Target site on the same roll.  Just please remember not to try to cheat the system - if a coupon requires a specific number of items make sure you have at least that amount.
Let me know what kind of bargains you got shopping at Target!

The Taste: Tuesday at 8|7c on ABC

ABC has a new show on Tuesdays at 8 pm called The Taste.  It's not your usual cooking show though.  They basically pair up amateur chefs with professional ones and do blind taste tests on their food creations.
At first this sounds like your normal, regular cooking show.  But in fact it's very intense and exciting.  The judges are well-known and entertaining (Nigella Lawson, Ludo Lefebvre, Brian Malarky and Anthony Bourdain).  The judges have no idea who cooked the food, what is in it or how it was prepared.  They have one bite of each dish at the end of the show, and the contestant with the worst food is eliminated from the show.
As I mentioned, the judges are entertaining, but the contestants are talented and the colorful backdrops make the show interesting too.  It's definitely not your average cooking show.  So give it a shot!  Watch the most recent episode at http://abc.tv/Z3jimp

Palmolive Fresh Infusions

A few weeks ago I signed up on Influenster, thinking I would just give my opinion online and do some reviews.  Imagine how excited I was to find out I was selected by Infuenster to receive three free bottles of a new product called Palmolive Fresh Infusions.  
Honestly, I wasn't expecting much.  The bottles were pretty (and sizable) and all three scents smelled great (it comes in Lemon Thyme, Lime Basil, and Ginger White Tea).  I thought this was just Palmolive's new gimmick for nicer smelling dish detergent and I wouldn't see much of a difference in how it cleaned my dishes.  Boy was I wrong.
I first tried the Lime Basil.  I used just a few drops and was able to clean a sink full of dishes and glasses.  Not only did it clean them though, they really sparkled.  I couldn't believe a few drops went such a long way and cleaned so well.  I used to use detergent with bleach in it (Palmolive was one of them) and thought that cleaned my dishes the best, but since using Palmolive Fresh Infusions I can definitely see a difference in my dishes and glasses, and for the better.
I love all three scents.  All of them are very light.  They don't smell like chemicals or perfume - they are all light and fresh.  My favorite was the first I tried, lime basil.  I like it because it's a very unique scent and I love the smell of basil.
I gave one of my friends the bottle of lemon thyme since she loves everything lemon.  She loved it, and also commented how well it cleaned her dishes.  She's going to start using it from now on.
So check it out for yourself.  You can find Palmolive Fresh Infusions at Walmart right now, but hopefully it will be everywhere soon.  And you can check out other reviews here.
Also make sure to check out the Palmolive site for their other products and more info on their Fresh Infusions.