L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Bright Reveal

I just finished the challenge from L'Oreal and BzzAgent to try L'Oreal's Revitalift Bright Reveal line for 30-days to see how it worked for me. I am a Murad girl, but I love giving other lines a try to see if there may be something better out there for me. I must say, I'm overall satisfied with my end results and my overall opinion of most of the products.  The line includes the Daily Scrub Cleanser, Brightening Day Moisturizer with Broad Spectrum SPF 30, Brightening Peel Pads and Brightening Dual Overnight Moisturizer.

Let me start with my favorite product in the line....the Day Moisturizer. This is a quickly absorbed cream moisturizer with a fabulous citrusy-beachy scent. I LOVED it. It felt great going on, gives a slight luminescence to the skin, and I especially liked the fact it came with broad spectrum SPF 30.  This is the one product in the line I would definitely continue to use.

Next was the night dual moisturizer. This is a nice half gel, half cream moisturizer that felt great going on, absorbed quickly and didn't feel heavy like many overnight moisturizers do. A lot comes out in one pump, and I tried doing half a pump, but found it dried up more in the pump, so I just continued to use a full pump that was enough for face, neck and décolleté.

The peel pads were just like old school Stridex pads in feel and use. I liked these, but felt like after about 2 weeks, they were just a big too much for me to use on a daily basis, so cut back to just using every other night. I would love for these to be actually stronger, and on a weekly basis for better results.

The worst product in the line to me was the Daily Scrub Cleanser, mainly because of 2 words.....plastic microbeads.  I thought these things had been banned already in the US?  Ugh. Because I was using these as part of a trial, I continued to use it, but threw it in the trash on day 30. I hope they make a change with this. The beads stayed all over my face (I used my Clarisonic with them) and got in my hair too.  I regularly use Murad's AHA Cleanser, and I would much rather L'Oreal come up with a weekly cleanser like that with this line, and maybe another daily cleanser.

I don't do selfies....AT ALL (for many reasons), so I did a before and after with my hands, because they are covered in spots and are crepey.  I used all the products on my hand when I would use them on my face.  As you can see...not much difference in the spots from the before (L) to the after (R) but I did notice a difference in how moisturized my hand was and a slight lessening of the crepeness.  On my face, I did notice a more smoother texture over the 30 days and a little bit of lightening of my spots/freckles.

Overall, I would recommend this line for someone who is looking for a better way to care for their skin, brighten and smooth it up a little, without having to spend a ton of money.

***disclosure*** I was given this product for free to review.

Decadent Dessert in a Flash Anytime

Well, for those who know me, know I love cake.  But sometimes, with my schedule, I just don't have time or energy to bake my own cake.  That's why I was super excited when the folks at BzzAgent gave me the opportunity to test out Kroger's new Private Selection Upside Down Cakes.

Kroger's PS Upside Down Cakes come in three flavors, Double Chocolate Molten, German Chocolate Fudge and Amber Honey Apple Slice.  The best part....they're Warm and Serve and ready in minutes!  Chris and I both love German Chocolate Cake, so we gave that one a try.  It's truly simple...open the box and stick it in the oven...

This is what it looks like when it comes out of the oven...and smells heavenly!  Next, you just grab a plate, flip it, and serve.

It was warm, chocolatey and AMAZING!  I highly recommend grabbing one of these the next time you go Krogering...for a last minute party, or just a treat for yourself.

Go Meatless on Mondays!

 

Everyone's looking for a way to incorporate healthy eating into their lifestyle.  One trend has been Meatless Mondays, and I've seen recipes all over the internet.

As part of the BzzAgent program, I was asked to test out MorningStar Farms line of meatless products.  I have had them in the past and have honestly, never been disappointed, but I haven't had them in a while and was pleasantly surprised at the large variety of items they now have.  From breakfast foods, to "ribs", to "chikn strips", there are so many things to choose from.  Several times I have made chili with their Recipe Crumbles to keep things low fat.

It's also time for Lent and that means Fish Fridays so MorningStar Farms can help you out when you're craving that burger, but you look at the calendar and it's Friday. 



So, here's a great idea for you to go meatless with MorningStar Farms:

Patty Melts

Saute some chopped onion in a skillet with butter or oil until translucent.

Heat 2 1/4lb. Grillers Burger, in a skillet with a little coconut oil.

Toast two pieces of Rye bread per burger.

Assemble:  I used bottled Kraft Thousand Island dressing....and spread some on both sides of the toast. Add the Grillers burger, then top with a slice of cheese and the sauteed onions.

Serve with your favorite side!

Jazz up your salad and your lunch hour!

BzzAgent time for me again.  Sampling out the new Lean Cuisine Salad Additions.  They are great "salad fixers" you find with all your other Lean Cuisine options in the freezer section.  All you need to bring along is a bag of lettuce and a tummy growl.

I had the Asian-Style Chicken Salad, which has grilled white meat chicken, edamame, pineapple, broccoli and yellow and orange carrots with sesame ginger vinaigrette and crispy noodles.  You just heat up the chicken and vegetables, then add it to you lettuce with the dressing and noodles.  It was really good...the dressing reminded me of Paul Newman's Asian dressing, which I absolutely LOVE.  It was nice to have to warm additions to my cold salad.



My boyfriend tried the Southwest-Style Chicken Salad, which has grilled white meat chicken, black beans, sweet corn, roasted red peppers and poblano peppers with chipotle ranch dressing and crispy tortilla strips.  He loved it, and it smelled amazing.

I highly recommend giving Lean Cuisine Salad Additions a try, whether or not your working on a New Year's Resolution.  You can keep these in the freezer at work and have a welcome change from your typical microwave meal.

Not Flipping for COVERGIRL Flipstick

So, testing out another COVERGIRL product as a BZZAgent, this time, COVERGIRL's Blast Flipstick.



Now, you know me, I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE beauty products and will try anything and everything and will tell everyone about something I love.  I was honestly not impressed with the Flipstick.  The colors they sent me were awful, but I stuck with Vixen, a dark plum color with a lighter frosted pink and then bought Snap, which is a pretty neutral color with a lighter frosted pink.  I think Flipstick is geared for the person who loves a bright, shiny, metallic look on their lips, but that's about it.  Neither colors WOW'd me like I kinda expected from their advertising, and, it a world of long-lasting lip color, this isn't. 

I don't want to deter you from giving COVERGIRL Flipstick a try....it might be right up your alley it you like extremely bold and metallic looking lips, but if you're not, stick with their Outlast all-day color, which I absolutely love!

Kroger Private Selection Revisited

Once again, with the help of BZZAgent, I have been asked to review Kroger's latest additions to their Private Selection line.  This time, their holiday entertaining options.



First, just let me say, the Private Selection line is amazing!  I love Kroger anyway, so to be able to buy products a little more "upscale" while I'm buying cat food and laundry detergent is a bonus in my book.  I have yet to be disappointed from anything I've tried, and this time is no exception.  Held an impromptu get together, and offered cheese with Private Selection cracker wafers (exactly like Carr's) and martinis with Private Selections Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives.

 Let me just tell you....THOSE were amazing!  I was excited when I picked them up, because they offer blue cheese, garlic, jalapeno and CITRUS stuffed.....now, I LOVE anything lemon, so to know I could have citrus-stuffed olives in my martinis was awesome.  I chose Blue Cheese this time, but I will definitely go back for those.

As you can see, NO ONE would know these were Kroger brands, and that can be your little secret!  Private Selection only uses the finest ingredients and are inspired by food enthusiasts.  AND, you know how much I love cheese....they have some new amazing choices for your next antipasto tray.....including Blue Marbled White Cheddar, Buffalo Monterey Jack, Blue Marbled Pepper Jack and more.  We grabbed the Buffalo Monterey Jack, but have yet to sample that....I can't WAIT.  They also offer new coffee options and pasta sauces too.

Once again, I was thrilled at the opportunity to sample the latest Private Selection options again, and loved everything.  We picked up a jar of the Private Selection Montanara Robust Mushroom Pasta Sauce....think I might make some Lasagna Roll-Ups with that tonight!

Give it a try....you won't be disappointed!!

Great Coffee, Good Vibes

 


I love my Keurig.  It's probably my favorite toy/appliance to come into my life for several years, so when I got another opportunity to sample some coffees as part of my BZZAgent duties, I jumped at the chance.

When I was told I would sample Green Mountain's Fair Trade coffees, I had really no clue on what "Fair Trade" meant.  Honestly, I thought it was mainly an "organic" type of thing.  What I found out, is that it's SO much more.  When you buy Fair Trade coffee, you're not only getting a great cup of coffee, you're impacting the lives of the coffee farmers and their families.  Fair Trade helps farmers get the best price for their beans.  It helps them improve working conditions and assists in building health clinics, schools and roads in these area where the coffee is grown.  So yeah, it's doing something for the environment, but it's helping our fellow neighbor as well.

Now, we received 4 different flavors in our sample pack, one of which is their Sumatran Blend, which honestly, is one of our favorite coffees.  It's an Extra Bold Keurig, which doesn't mean anything about the roast, it means there's more in the cup to make a better cup of coffee, especially for people like me who want to make more than just an 8oz cup.  I highly recommend it.  And you can get Green Mountain coffees not only online through their website, greenmountaincoffee.com and keurig.com, but most mass retailers carry them too.

October is Fair Trade Month, and although it's coming to an end, head over to Green Mountain's Facebook page to check out more about Fair Trade coffee, and check out some concerts from Michael Franti and Grace Potter.

Learning about Fair Trade coffees has made me think twice about where my coffee comes from.  Hope you'll do the same.