Influenster.com

In my previous post about the Crest Whitestrips I mentioned that I received them for review from Influenster.com. I just want to take a moment to tell you all a little bit about the site and my experience with it. I have been an Influenster for almost a year now and it has been a really good experience. When I signed up I really had no idea what it was, never even heard of it quite frankly until a friend posted on FB about it. She talked about how you could received free products to KEEP and all you had to do was use them and review them. Now you can do as little as take the product survey that is posted a while after you receive the product OR you can do the BONUS tasks as well. Now if you do just the survey that's fine, but the bonus tasks do 2 things, first it helps to bump your score up which shows how much you enjoy the program and really want to become eligible for future voxbox's, AND sometimes it can help you get extra things. Now what is a Voxbox you might be asking? That is what the box of goodies are called that you get from Influenster. Some boxes only contain one specific item (such as my Whitestrips), but there are others that you can qualify for by taking surveys and earning badges and these contain several items (some full size and some deluxe sample sizes). Now your asking "Badges? For what?" These are key if you really want to receive items for review. You earn these by taking surveys on different aspects of your life such as being a mom, a dog or cat lover, outdoorsy type, restaurants, stores, college, etc. The more badges you have the more likely you are to receive more shipments. It's really as simple as that! I have received 2 shipments so far and am looking forward to more hopefully soon. I truly enjoy testing products and since I'm a very opinionated person I have no problem expressing how much I love (or hate) a product. If you are like that as well (or you just like getting free stuff, who doesn't right?) then this might just be the site for you so I encourage you to head on over and check it out, you wont be disappointed! Here's the link:   http://www.influenster.com      ENJOY!!!

Crest 3D Whitestrips

I recently received a box from Influenster.com for review. I was very excited about this product because I have been wanting to try them for a really long time but do to the price could never bring myself to purchase them. That product is the Crest 3D Whitestrips with Advanced Seal No Slip Technology. Now these retail for around $35-$40 for 20 strips. To me that is very Pricey but you can also get coupons for $5-$10 off so that helps. As to whether I believe they are worth the price or not? Here is my experience and thoughts on the product. First of all here is what the packaging says the product does:

Gives you Professional Level Whitening in just 20 Days. In fact, you'll start seeing results in just 3 days.
Product benefits include:
1) Removes over 10 years of set-in stains.
2) Whitens 25x better than a leading whitening toothpaste.
3) Advanced Seal no-slip technology helps Whitestrips conform to teeth for noticeable whitening results without the mess, exclusively brought to you by Crest Whitestrips.
4) Same enamel-safe ingredient that dentists use.

Okay, first off the application of the strips is extremely easy and they do stay put. As a matter of fact for the first couple times they can be difficult to remove, but you get the hang of it. They feel funny on your teeth but do not hinder you from continuing with your day as usual. It says you can drink water while wearing them but I chose not to for the most part but if I did get thirsty I used a straw. The first application I left on for 45 minutes (unintentionally as I got sidetracked and forgot I had them on lol). When I took them off I immediately brushed my teeth and took a picture. The next morning I notice that my teeth were slightly less yellow then the night before. When I was having my morning coffee I noticed that my front teeth, top and bottom, were a little bit sensitive to hot, which was a continuing side effect throughout the entire 20 day process. Some days they were more effected then others but it wasn't excruciating. I did the same process every night before bed (30 minutes), and I have to admit that I was seeing a difference. It wasn't until about 13 days in that I realized that it was a very noticeable difference. My 11 year old daughter and I were talking and she made me laugh, all of a sudden she says "smile again mommy" so I did and she said "wow your teeth things are working!" That made me feel great! By the 18th day there was a huge difference that even my husband noticed, and he notices very little as do most husbands lol. The final results of my using this product is quite impressive I have to say. I have been very skeptical of this and other products just like them, mostly because the price is so high and I have spent a lot of money on over-priced and hyped-up products that just don't deliver ANY results. But this stuff really does whiten pretty good. I do feel that they whiten better than whitening toothpastes, as I have used just about every one of them available on the market with very little result at all. Do I believe that it removes 10 years of set-in stains? Well I would say yes, my teeth are at least 50% whiter then they were which is extremely impressive for a 20 day at-home kit. In defense of the product I think I would have had even better results if I refrained from drinking coffee during the 20 days, but that would not have been good for anyone in my household, lol! So here's the big question: Would I buy this product again with my own money? ABSOLUTELY! I think it's fantastic and I'm extremely happy with the results. I would however look for a coupon because I'm a bargain shopper and I hate to pay full price for anything if I can get it cheaper. I will say this, I plan on waiting a few months (sometime between March and June) and doing the process again. It says that you shouldn't use it more than twice in a years time, which I'm sure is due to the tooth/gum sensitivity that occurs. When I do the second round I will update this blog on my results. Below are pictures I took starting with the before and ending with the final result. I took a picture everyday but I only uploaded a few. And honestly my crappy camera didn't do any justice as to the actual results.

I hope this review was helpful and that you will give this product a chance, I'm sure you will be as happy as I am with the results and feel a lot more confident with your smile, as I do. Thanks for reading everyone and happy whitening!!! :)

~~Oh and P.S., Influenster.com is a great site where you can try products for FREE and share your opinion with others. This is the second product they have sent me for review. Check them out, they really are a great site! :

Garnier Nutritioniste Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream

Price: $6.36-$6.99
Amount: 1.7 Fl. Oz.

• Fresh scent, kind of  a light mix of Honeydew and Cucumber.
• The packaging is bulky and I would prefer a pump bottle myself. I don't much like having to put my finger into the jar, even though my hands are always clean it just seems a bit unsanitary. I also broke my lid when I dropped it into the sink by accident, so I would say the plastic is too brittle.
• Starts as a gel but turns to a liquid as your body heat melts it. BUT as you rub it in it thickens to an almost cream consistency until in absorbs. 
• If you don't rub it in until it dissipates it can leave your skin feeling sticky until it's dry. But then your skin feels soft.
• Doesn't feel like much at first but after about 20-30 minutes you can feel the moisture in your skin. 
• I had no reaction to this product, no breakouts, rashes or burning.

I feel like this product would be good for all skin types unless you are already extremely oily. I found it to be quite perfect for the most part except during June/July when it was really hot out, because it did tend to make my T-zone a bit oily. And during Jan/February when it was very cold and my skin was so incredible dry it seemed nothing worked. My skin is a bit tempermental, but overall I feel this product is very good. The price isn't that bad either because most moisturizers I have found are quite expensive($10-$30). Also, 1.7 fl.oz may not seem like much but a little goes a LOOOOONG way. I bought this product around November of last year(2011) and I still have maybe 3-5 applications left. Granted, I don't use it every single day but I do use it at least 2-3 times a week. I highly recommend this product, but keep your eye out for a coupon. I saved $1.00 on mine so it was worth it even more! :)

I give this product 3.5 out of 4 stars for the inconvenient packaging.

Pond's Luminous Clean Wet Cleansing Towelettes

Price: $4.69-$4.99
Amount: 30 count

• Has a fresh floral scent, not over powering and quite pleasant.
• Removed my makeup pretty well with the exception of my waterproof mascara and liquid liner.  
• Diamond shape embossed design helped to lightly exfoliate and left my skin very soft.
• I loved that my skin didn't have a sticky feel while drying, and my face really felt clean.

Overall I really liked this product. I only had the 5 pack sampler but it only took one to convince me how good they really are. I have sensitive skin and this product in no way irritated my skin, which is a common problem I have with many different makeup remover wipes. Price wise I don't think that 30 for $5 is bad. Comparatively  the Neutrogena wipes are $5.99-$7.99 for 25, so I can appreciate the extra 5 for $1.00 less. I would repurchase these again but I think that I would probably wait for a sale or a coupon, or both if I'm lucky. I definitely recommend this product to all you ladies out there, especially if your like me and have a tendency to forget to remove your makeup before you go to bed. Just leave these by your bed stand and you wont even have to get up to do it!

I give this product 4 out of 4 stars.

Welcome to my Blog!

As a wife and mother of 2 beautiful girls, I own a majority of responsibility in my household. My husband makes the paycheck and I dictate where it goes and when. Now for some that may sound like "YES! I'm in control! Muahahaha!" But let me tell you something, it's not as fun and fulfilling as you might think. In fact it can be downright stressful and drive you to drink! I'm responsible for the budget in our household which means if something doesn't go right monetary wise, I'm the big bad wolf. There's a lot of responsibility that goes along with having control of where the money goes in your house. I have to make sure that the bills are paid first and foremost, and then allow for the weekly food supply, school related things, and gas in our cars, among other things. We live on a single paycheck per week as many American households do and sometimes ends just don't meet. When this happens it's my job to shuffle and re-manage things so that the important things such as food and gas aren't an issue, and to find ways to save money as often as possible.

That's what this blog is about, SAVING MONEY and your mind!! I will be doing MANY reviews on products that either myself or someone in my family has used. These reviews are meant to help you as my readers decide whether spending money on that product is really worth it to you or if you should save your money for something else. I was once an impulse shopper (before my kids) and I ended up with a lot of unused and unliked things that I just didn't need or really want for that matter. If I had back all the money I wasted while impulse shopping I could probably pay off my house. But now the means to impulse buy is no longer there and I have others to think about besides myself, so I think really hard before I purchase anything ESPECIALLY for myself. Because as a mom you always have that little voice in the back of your head that nags at you, making you feel like a villain every time you spend money on yourself instead of your family. So in order to ease my mind (and hopefully yours) I will tell you whether I feel a product is really worth it's price or whether you should keep your money and put it towards something better. I will also post any freebies I come across and/or coupons available. I will try to update daily or as soon as possible so you don't miss out.

So I would like to thank you for joining my blog and please feel free to ask any questions or offer any input you feel might help make things better or easier for me to help you. I look forward to making your life easier and more FRUGAL!! :)