Glade Expressions

I'm sure a lot of people have heard of Glade Expressions by now.. I have seen a lot of commercials, ads, and coupons for it in almost every Sunday paper. I got to do a BzzCampaign for these products, and this sure was one great campaign! I got a free air freshener and a free oil diffuser! I also used a Sunday paper coupon to get a second free air freshener, so I've got a different scent in each bathroom. Here are the different aromas this line offers:

• Cotton & Italian Mandarin (I have this scent in one bathroom- nice, but kind of a strange combination to put a fruity smell with a fresh linen scent)
• Fuji Apple & Cardamom spice (I almost bought this at the store for its "fall" scent, but I don't like the "spice" aspect of this smell.)
• Lavender & Juniper Berry (I usually like lavender, but this has a little bit of eucalyptus in it)
• Pineapple & Mangosteen (I have this one in my second bathroom, and I also got the oil diffuser in this scent... I love citrus and fruity scents!)

The air fresheners do the job, and the oil diffuser was nice. I like the aesthetics of it in that it is not something that people would really notice when walking by it on my decorative shelves. My mom has one of the air fresheners that spray as you walk by (first of all, scares the crap out of you when you're not expecting it, and second, it does not blend in with its surroundings, making it an eye sore).

See? It blends in, doesn't spray you as you walk by, and diffuses a nice scent in the room. My only complaint is that I should have gotten this in a different scent from the bathroom. Having this scent in the living room reminded me of the bathroom, which is not really what I wanted.

I also got lots of coupons to pass to friends, although no one took them. A few of my friends got the coupon from the Sunday paper and got theirs with that.

I enjoyed this campaign and the fresh scents that fill my home because of it.

<img src="https://img.bzzagent.com/image/gladeExpressions.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=9365102339&Campaign=5855213675&Uid=1107360&token=6ab8cf0358563182a4f14a1a7c13af1b" alt=""/>

UNREAL Candy

My latest campaign was a "sweet" one- new UNREAL Candy. It is candy "unjunked." This company creates candy similar to America's favorites- Reese's cups, m&m's, Snicker's, etc.- but no artificials, hydrogenated oils, corn syrups, preservatives, or GMOs. What I found interesting when reading the nutrition facts on the back of the 3 I tried, they even have protein and fiber! What candy does that?! Of course, it IS still candy, so there is some sugar and calories (average of what I tried was 19g of sugar, 190 calories, 3-4g fiber, 4-5g protein).

So that's the background, here's my review.

First of all, it was very difficult to find the Unreal Candy at the grocery store.. but maybe that's because it's so new. I could not find it anywhere at Meijer. At Kroger, I had to ask an employee where it was; I could not find it, but knew my sister had bought it there. The employee directed me to the Book section and said there was a display somewhere around there. It was very small, facing away from the main aisle, and hidden between shelves of books. Odd. I was happy to find it though, and was surprised with my options. I opted for the candy-coated chocolates (like m&m's), chocolate caramel nougat bar (like snicker's), and peanut butter cups (like Reese's). They all have cool packaging and looked good!

As soon as my husband got home, he saw the package of peanut butter cups and immediately opened it up to try, then asked me later what it was. I explained to him my bzzcampaign and asked for his opinion. He did not eat the second peanut butter cup, and stated "It tastes like an old, dried up Reese's." He also tried the "like-Snicker's" chocolate caramel nougat bar and did not have much of an opinion and didn't ask for more. He didn't care for the "like-m&m's" candy coated chocolate either.

My friend Melanie was excited to see the Unreal Candy because she had tried the like-Snicker's before and loved it. She is on a big health kick and is super enthusiastic about being able to eat sweets without feeling as guilty as she would about eating one of those candy bars by the cash register. She really enjoyed the like-m&m's I let her try.

My other friend Paul tried some of the like-Snicker's and enjoyed it, but didn't have much to say.

When I posted about this campaign on facebook, I got a lot of feedback. Some people had heard of it, some had tried it. One lady I work with said she loves it, and it is the only candy she lets her kids eat.

I got some great coupons with this bzzkit. Of course I used the one for one free Unreal Candy, and another for buy one get one free so I could try 3 different kinds. I have a few more buy one get one free coupons, which I will be sharing with friends who want to try it.

I enjoyed it!

<img src="https://img.bzzagent.com/image/unrealCandy.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=6106959830&Campaign=1567983861&Uid=1107360&token=391fb5a6e10ed2f40fcdd9d9091af921" alt=""/>

Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition

BzzAgent sent me a great campaign last week, definitely think it is one of my favorites. I had filled out a survey a long time ago that had one question: What is your hair type? I selected the option "dry and damaged" because I have highlighted hair and it gets even more damage from my straightening, blow drying, and curling. I hoped that I would get some sort of hair product to try, and that I did! BzzAgent let me know that I would be in the campaign for Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition shampoo and conditioner for dry and damaged hair. These new Garnier Fructis formulas are said to be "fortified with fruit science" and "are the answer to stronger, healthier, shinier hair."  I was expecting them to send me a sample size, but I opened my package to find FULL-SIZE shampoo and conditioner bottles! Awesome, these will last me a while!

So let me start by saying that I have worked part-time as a saloon coordinator (fancy words for front desk) for the past year. It is a highly reputable and upscale salon in Ann Arbor, MI. It has been drilled in my head that professional salon products are the way to go! You get what you pay for. So for the past year I have taken their advice and I stick to the pricier shampoos and conditioners, which do work well for my hair. I was a little hesitant to try Garnier Fructis because it is a cheaper shampoo/conditioner that I can buy at my local grocery store. But after just 2 washes, there was honestly a noticeable difference in my hair.. a good difference! Just while rinsing it, my hair felt so silky. I blow-dried my hair and for the next couple of days my hair looked so healthy. Usually when I blow-dry, I also need to straighten some areas because it is still a little frizzy from the damage. But I did not straighten it at all, and it looked like I did- that smooth, silky look that I love. The Triple Nutrition formula has worked so well on my hair for the past week. It gets my hair clean, moisturizes it, makes it smooth and shiny, and it smells great. I know smell may not matter to a lot of people, but I refuse to use a shampoo no matter how well it works if it does not smell good. What's also great is that the fruit oils are weightless.. so my hair is nice and soft while not being weighed down by heavy moisturizers.

I really do not have anything negative to say about this shampoo and conditioner. And if I did, I would say it. I have been 100% honest in my BzzAgent campaign reviews because... well, why wouldn't I be? I'm not the one selling the product! I am a consumer trying a product and letting others know what I thought of it. I love the Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition shampoo and conditioner. When I stop working at the salon and no longer get that nice discount on expensive hair products, I will probably stick to these products that are easier to afford. The ONE thing that makes Garnier not "optimal" for me is that I need special shampoo to keep my hair nice and blonde. For some reason, my highlights get yellow-y after a few weeks so I need to mix my shampoo with a purple shampoo to keep my highlights nice and white. But hey, mixing these products with my Joico purple shampoo has been working GREAT.

P.S. according to my BzzGuide, "Triple Nutrition products now come packed in Eco-Fructis bottles containing PET and 30% recycled plastic. They're also 10% lighter." This perk is not necessarily something that would make me choose one shampoo over another, but I know it is important to others so just thought I'd throw that in there :-)

<img src="http://img.bzzagent.com/image/garnierFructis.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=0443230628&Campaign=1333728502&Uid=1107360&token=b3e81988daad7088b98771a634eb7f4b" alt=""/> 

Private Selection Frozen Food

Via BzzAgent, I received 3 coupons to get free foods from the Private Selections frozen food brand. I could get one free appetizer, pizza, and dessert (excluding ice cream). I got the Private Selections appetizer Southwestern Style Chicken Trumpets; frozen pizzas Fire Roasted Vegetable and Pepperoni & Roasted Garlic; and for dessert, the apple crisp. They have a great variety of choices.. it was hard for me to pick which flavor of pizza I wanted (in addition to what I got, they also had yummy pizzas like margherita and barbecue chicken), but appetizer was pretty easy since some of the options just seemed strange to me. The desserts also looked great, and I was disappointed I couldn't try their ice cream because those flavors looked de-lish!

I decided a fun way to Bzz about this meal would be to throw a girls' night, while also having my parents try the food. Everyone agreed that everything was great. I, too, enjoyed each course.

Abby said: My favorites were the vegetable pizza and the chicken trumpet appetizer. I did really like the apple crisp with vanilla ice cream too, though.

Audrey said: My favorites were the pepperoni pizza and the apple crisp with vanilla ice cream. I liked everything, really.

Mary & Al agreed the pizzas were great.

Personally, I would definitely prefer this pizza over some other brands I've tried, such as Digiorno, California Pizza Kitchen, and others. However, for the price, I think more than 2 servings should be included in each package. I did like the use of authentic, delicious ingredients.. they really came across in the fresh, high quality flavor. They also gave me 5 coupons for $2 off any future purchases, which I offered to my friends & family who tried the foods. I would definitely consider purchasing again with the coupons. Without them, however, I am not so sure since it is a little pricey for just 2 servings.

Edit: Oh! Forgot to mention- they also sent me a great black oven mit in my BzzKit that says Private Selections on it. I put that to good use tonight! : )

<img src="http://img.bzzagent.com/image/privateSelection.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=3221553847&Campaign=4752798868&Uid=1107360&token=8f383df0729ecdb9b79d3b9abb3d7e71" alt=""/>

Kroger's Truly Awesome Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies

<img src="http://img.bzzagent.com/image/krogerTACookies.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=2960275186&Campaign=3564413534&Uid=1107360&token=4a93e738ff154fc429f6f898cdf0312d" alt=""/>

Through BzzAgent, I got to try Kroger's "Truly Awesome" homestyle chocolate chip cookies. Their #1 ingredient is chocolate chips (mmm!), and all of the ingredients are natural with no preservatives. Supposedly, they are supposed to taste just like homemade cookies. I'm sure most people prefer homemade to store-bought, so that is a great selling point. So in order to "test" out whether they truly taste homemade or not, I served dinner for my family then provided these cookies as a dessert. Once they finished, I asked if they thought they were homemade or store-bought. They guessed correctly. We all agreed that if they weren't so crumby/crunchy, they could probably pass for homemade. Heating them up in the microwave and dipping in milk makes it a little more homemade-tasting.

Kroger's Truly Awesome Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies are definitely yummy. However, I have to disagree when they claim that they will taste homemade. They are certainly better than many other store-bought cookies, but I do not think they taste any better than Chips Ahoy chunky cookies, for example. Maybe if the cookies were slightly softer somehow they could pass for homemade.

I would buy again!

Next blog: Private Selections frozen foods- an appetizer, dinner, and dessert! Boy, am I excited to host a girls' night to try this one out!!

Maybelline Lots of Lashes mascara and Baby Lips lip balm

I gave my friends each a tube of the Lots of Lashes mascara and their choice of flavor of the Baby Lips. They were SO excited to be part of the BzzCampaign, and after Bzzing on Facebook, I had several friends ask me about how to become a BzzAgent. Make-up campaigns are always the fun ones!!

Abby said: "Lots of Lashes is a bit clumpy. It added length, though, and the container is cute. I wouldn't buy it because I like my Mary Kay mascara better. Baby Lips tastes really good (she had the cherry flavor), and the tube is so cute. It's mediocre for moisturizing, and I don't really like the tint."

Andrea said: "I like the Baby Lips (she had the peach flavor), but it wears off very fast. I loved the mascara!"

Melissa said: "Baby Lips was not as moisturizing enough for me (she had the pink punch flavor). I usually have to use medicated chapstick for my lips. But I do like the mascara. It gets a bit clumpy at times but overall I like it."

Mary said: "I liked the mascara. I would buy it again. It covers my lashes well."

I say: The mascara is just okay. I have short lashes so I need a mascara that's really good at adding length and this did not cut it for me. I do like how liquidy it goes on and it is sure to grab every lash. It works fine, and I'm using it because my other mascara ran out, but I probably won't buy it again once it runs out. The Baby Lips is good. I used the peppermint flavor, which is delish. I do have to reapply very often because it wears off very quickly.

<img src="http://img.bzzagent.com/image/maybelline.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=3846144142&Campaign=5260130600&Uid=1107360&token=01cdef207b5d1bd09aee784b0a2730e8" alt=""/>