Paula's Choice Resist Hyaluronic Acid Booster

I received samples from BzzAgent, where you get to try great things for free in exchange for word of mouth advertising! Lately I have been lucky enough to have been chosen for several different Paula's Choice campaigns through BzzAgent, and I have to say, what a GREAT brand! The products deliver everything they say they will. This time around, it's the Resist Hyaluronic Acid Booster. When I hear the word acid, I immediately think of exfoliation, but that isn't what's happening with this product. This acid actually plumps your fine lines and wrinkles. Paula's Choice Resist Hyaluronic Acid Booster contains a specialized mix of hyaluronic acid plus other skin-repairing ingredients that work immediately to visibly plump and smooth wrinkles. It also boosts the hydration and anti-aging benefits of any moisturizer or serum you add it to, helping to prevent moisture loss and reinforce your skin’s natural barrier function. For best results (and a healthy glow!), apply 1 – 2 times daily. I decided to directly apply it to my face and then put my moisturizer over it. This comes with an eyedropper for application, as you are supposed to mix it with your product of choice. I found that using it on it's own works wonders. First of all, it's a liquid-gel. It's clear and it's slightly thick in consistency. I simply swiped a tiny bit off the side of the dropper with my finger and applied to the area underneath my eyes and on my upper lip. It goes on with a very slick feeling, not sticky at all and it instantly absorbs right into your skin. I had absolutely no difficulties applying my moisturizer over this. I used it every morning and every night and am happy to report that yes, once again, Paula's Choice comes through on her promises. The lines on my upper lip area have greatly diminished and I have also seen noticeable improvement under my eyes. When I woke up in the morning, I did notice that my skin definitely felt much softer in the areas where I had applied the booster. This product is around $40 and sometimes you can catch it on sale. Make sure you head on over to the website at www.paulaschoice.com and sign up for emails!

Tophatter

Recently I checked out an app called Tophatter. It's a bidding site. It operates very simply and I thought it was cute. You can even chat with your fellow bidders. A large group of us were gathered for Urban Decay & Smashbox cosmetics. Now I'm plenty old enough to know all about buyer beware, but this was crazy. The bidding started to get out of hand & go way over retail price. So, quite a few of us spoke out & our ability to comment was abruptly silenced. The worst part is, the cosmetics they were selling weren't even current. I'm just really disgusted with the way it was handled. Any time you buy an item online, decide beforehand what your maximum bid is and find out how much the product currently sells for. I watched silently (forcibly silenced) as women paid more than retail for cosmetics that had been on clearance a year ago. Buyer beware!

Cappuccino K-Cups? Yes, please!

Grove Square makes these French Vanilla cappuccino K-cups that are less expensive than other brands. I found them at Wal-Mart. I love a French Vanilla cappuccino from the gas station, so I was excited to try these K-cups out.

The taste is somewhat similar. It's not as flavorful or smooth. It certainly doesn't have that delicious fullness to it that the gas station cappuccinos have.

Basically, it's hot chocolate.  It is tasty though. After trying this brand, I'm really willing now to plunk down extra cash and try the Gevalia cappuccino K-cups.

Have you tried these? What did you think?

Oh yes - Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid

Go to Paula's Choice right now and buy this.  Click on Paula's Choice and it will take you right to the product line.  There's a liquid as well as a gel.  YOU NEED THIS.

What is it?  It's a 2% BHA liquid (or gel) that gently exfoliates your skin.  It reduces redness, reduces the appearance of pores and it also reduces acne breakouts.  It leaves your skin looking brighter and reduces the appearance of wrinkles as well!

I saw results OVERNIGHT.  I am not making that up.  I received a full sized bottle thanks to BzzAgent, who allows me to try some incredibly great products (and some stinkers).  Thankfully, this is the best skin care product I have ever used.  You put a little on a cotton ball and apply to a clean face.  Now swish that cotton ball over your neck & chest area, as well as the backs of your hands.  Follow up with a little moisturizer on your face.  Wake up in the morning and you look marvelous!  My pores were gone.  Where were those little bumps that are always hanging around the bottom of my lip line?  With continued use, my skin looks brighter.  My dark spots are still there, maybe not as dark. I love that my pores are GONE.  They were nasty and I don't miss them!  Instructions say to use it 1-2 times a day and I did find that this was too drying for my skin, so I scaled it back to once at night.  Make sure you use a moisturizer afterwards because this can be drying.

I use this on my rough knees, on my heels, on my elbows.  My kids use it for redness and acne breakouts.  It is incredible how fast (1-2 days, I'm serious) the breakouts go away.  For the price, you just can't beat it.  It's effective, does what it says it's going to do and a whole lot more.  It seems I'm always finding new uses for this.

I've always loved reading Paula's books - Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me!  - but now I am hooked on her skin care and am looking forward to trying more!

Best part of all about Paula's Choice?  Head on over there and score samples!  That's right - you can purchase samples and deluxe samples of just about every product she creates.  That, dear readers, is what a real company does when they have nothing bad to hide!

I shall leave you now with the info from Paula's website:

Shrink enlarged pores with this leave-on exfoliant that removes old skin cells both on the skin's surface and inside the pore.

• Acne Breakouts, Anti-Aging, Blackheads, Enlarged Pores, Keratosis Pilaris, Redness, Rosacea, Wrinkles
• For All Skin Types
• Creates radiant, even-toned skin
• Reduces redness & builds collagen
• Unclogs & diminishes enlarged pores

PLEASE NOTE: Do not use if you are allergic to aspirin or its derivatives.

What makes this product unique?

Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant rapidly exfoliates both the skin's surface and inside the pore, reshaping the pore lining, unclogging pores and improving skin cell turnover rate. The result is a dramatic improvement in the skin's appearance, feel, and function which leads to healthier skin. There is a great deal of research indicating that BHA (beta hydroxy acid) increases collagen production and drastically smooths the surface of skin. Additionally, BHA has antibacterial properties that attack blemish-causing bacteria. The lightweight, non-occlusive formula allows for a faster and deeper exfoliation rate than our gel or lotion BHA products, so it's an ideal choice for stubborn clogged pores or blackheads.

This product is 100% fragrance- and colorant-free with a pH range of 3.2-3.8. Every Paula's Choice BHA product is formulated with additional soothing agents.

Who is this product for?
All skin types may use this product, but the texture is especially suited for those with normal to oily or combination skin, stubborn blackheads, and blemish-prone skin. It can also be used regularly to eliminate calluses on feet, elbows and knees.

NOTE: Those allergic to aspirin (acetylsalicylate) should not use products containing salicylic acid (beta hydroxy acid).

Let me know if you've tried it or any of Paula's other products!  How did it work for you?  :)

In the Meantime...

I haven't received a campaign for BzzAgent in AGES!  I keep current on my surveys, like their posts on Facebook, tweet about my score (which still remains high) and I still don't receive any invites.  :(

However, Allure Magazine asked me to review L'Oreal's Revitalift skincare line.  So I was happy to do so.  It was an 8 week test.  I received the eye cream, face cream and face serum.  I was instructed to use the serum, then the eye cream, then the face cream every morning and night.

Uh...seriously?  Why do I need all three of these products every morning and night?  After 8 weeks of using the three products together faithfully every day and night I came to the conclusion that um, because you do if you want to have nice skin.

Face serum is lightweight and you only need a little bit.  This stuff will exfoliate your skin (if you put too much on, it becomes gummy & you can actually rub it off and it comes off in little bits, which I found interesting).  Ok.  So the serum exfoliates your skin, leaving your skin looking brighter, of course, but it also leaves your dark spots (ew how I hate them) looking lighter.  So put on the face serum and move on to the

Eye cream.  It has a metal slanted tip applicator.  I thought this was just L'Oreal being weird and trying to stand out, but found that the coolness of the metal tip felt really, really good on my undereye area.  Even when I stood shivering at the sink in the winter, that metal tip under my eyes felt really good.  This eye cream will eliminate any signs of puffiness.  And I do mean ANY.  I don't have puffiness underneath my eyes, so I thought well, this eye cream isn't going to help me any.  Until I had a day where I'd spent a good time crying. When I cry, my upper lids puff up to gigantor proportions.  Thought it couldn't hurt to try the eye cream on my lids, so I did so before bedtime, just knowing that I'd wake up with puffy lids anyway.

I didn't.  I absolutely didn't.  My eyelids weren't puffy at all.  So this little tube is worth having around, definitely.  Under my eyes it didn't help with the wrinkles I have and they're not all that bad so I thought this would help.

Finally, the face cream - moisturizer.  It's a nice, thick cream that really moisturizes well.  It does help make your skin feel firmer.

Bottom line is, I really liked these three products a lot.  They're around $20 each, so to buy all three is $60.  I'm not really willing to spend $60.  I will, however, invest in the face serum!

Covergirl Blast Flipstick Lipcolor

My 16 yr old had surgery, so I am very far behind in my buzzing!

 I received three Flipsticks from BzzAgent. The colors are: Minx, Vixen and Stunner. Each lipstick is double ended. You have a regular lipstick on one end and a creamy, shimmery shade on the other end. The premise is you can go from day to night with just one Flipstick.

I have brown hair, fair colored skin and blue eyes. So right away, Minx was definitely not the color for me. It's brown. It's a pretty shade and I really wanted it to work, but brown lips don't work on my face. I was hoping the golden shimmer would work then, but it didn't.

Vixen is another pretty color that I had high hopes for. It was too mauve. Actually out of the three, this is the only one that came close to being a possibility, but the mauve tone just didn't work for me. The shimmer color with this one is a pretty pink shade, but it just didn't work.

Finally, we have Stunner. It's a red shade and since I've never worn red, I was pretty pumped up about this one. It's dry and cakey. Must be something to do with the ingredients. There's a really pretty gold shimmer with this one and it's creamy but it didn't help me.

Thinking that it just must be me and my terrible lips, I had my friend try these on as well as my 16 yr old daughter. My friend had the same results as I did. My daughter was overcome with joy with the Stunner shade, since she advised us that it's the same shade Taylor Swift wears. Not one of the shades looked good on my daughter either, and that's really saying something, since any lipstick I have ever purchased always looks good on her.

 Check out Covergirl's site here (it will open in a new window):  http://covergirl.com/blastflipstick

 If you wear lipstick, you'll love Covergirl Blast Flipstick. You can carry two shades with you in one lipstick! Bottom line is, there are loads of pretty colors to choose from and I'm looking forward to checking out some of the other colors at my local Target.





 

One Month Milestone with Burt's Bees

Hi! It's been a month now since I first started using Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Night Cream, Facial Cleanser and Face Mask. The pros: Super soft skin. Redness banished. I've been using the Night Cream during the day as well and I love the matte finish. It's like using a primer and moisturizer in one - seriously...I no longer use primer. The cons: My wrinkles are still here. They haven't diminished, not even a tiny bit. Despite that, I'm still willing to stick with this product because it makes my skin feel incredible and I have used many different brands over the years and nothing has banished the redness in my skin like Burt's Bees. If I use the Face Mask, I use it at night so that when I wipe it off, I rub what's left into my skin and go to bed. I have not had any problems with these products causing breakouts, either. The end result? I love this line from Burt's Bees. I was never a fan before, but I sure am now! Want to try before you buy? Head over to here to purchase a travel sized cleanser: and here to snag a travel size Intense Hydration Day Lotion! I still have quite a bit left in my magical jar of Night Cream, so I will continue to keep you posted on my progress, despite the campaign ending soon. This is good stuff, so I want to keep bzzing!

Burts Bees Intense Hydration Continues!

It's Friday, 11/2. Here's my update on Burt's Bees Intense Hydration facial cleanser, night cream and mask! I've used the Intense Hydration Treatment Mask twice now. It has a thinner consistency than the night cream. You apply a thick amount on your cleansed face and wait 5-10 minutes, then wipe off with a cloth or tissue. You rub any remainder into your skin. Wow! It's so skin softening that it's just amazing. I love it. The scent is mild, at least to me. I still can't get over the super strong scent of the facial cleanser, but it does such a nice job that I'm overlooking it. It's creamy and it really gets my face clean without stripping it. The night cream is magic in a jar. I wish it was in a tube though since a jar isn't the best option for a treatment cream. I love the way this night cream feels on my skin. I haven't tried the day lotion yet because it's November and the weather has turned cold here. Once it hits spring, I'm definitely going to buy the day lotion. How much do I love these products from Burt's Bees? Enough that I was wishing they had an Intense Hydration line for my body. I thought about buying a jar of the night cream and using that, that's how much I love this line. Then I visited Burt's Bees' website and found that they have a travel size of the cream cleanser and of the day lotion - each only $2. What a GREAT way to try these products! Head on over to to snag these so you can try before you buy! Sometimes Target carries the travel sizes, so the next time you're there, check it out. The website prices for the full size products are a little bit higher than those I've seen in the store, just a little head's up there. While I was at the website, I discovered that there's a new line of body lotion and hand cream for extremely dry skin called "Ultimate Care". I'm going to be looking for that at the store! I love the way these products feel on my skin. The only wish I have is that I wish the facial cream had some sort of treatment. I'm an Olay Total Effects girl and I like that the Total Effects cream helps with a number of concerns. Unfortunately, the Burts Bees line only moisturizes. But oh, what a wonderful experience that is!

Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Campaign!!!

On to the Buzz!

 Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Campaign has begun!  In this campaign, I received three full sized products from BzzAgent.  Included were:  Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Cream Cleanser with Clary Sage, Treatment Mask with Clary Sage and Night Cream with Clary Sage.

What is this Clary Sage, you ask?  Burt's Bees tells me that Clary Sage has the exceptional ability to trap and retain moisture.

All products are 99% natural and dermatologist tested.  The products intensely hydrate dry skin and use probiotic technology, which increases collagen renewal and retains moisture.  The products also help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

The cleanser removes dirt, oil and makeup (and I can vouch for that, it even removed my mascara, but I do not recommend using it on your eyes!).

This is a great campaign and I am really looking forward to seeing the difference Burt's Bees Intense Hydration products make on my dry skin!

Glade Expressions Bzz Campaign

Recently, I was offered the opportunity to try the new Glade Expressions Fragrance Mist and Diffuser Oil by BzzAgent.

The oil diffuser is different.  It doesn't look like a typical oil diffuser.  It blended right in with my bathroom decor.  At first the scent was extremely strong, but now I don't even notice the scent and there's still a lot of oil.  I don't know if the scent wore down or if I'm just used to it now.  I chose Lavender & Juniper Berry and I absolutely love the smell.  It's clean with a little earthiness to it. What's nice is you just have to replace the oil container & the scented board instead of junking the entire piece.

The fragrance mist is different as well.  You squeeze the sides to spray, which takes a bit to get the hang of.  It does not look like an air freshener can, which is really nice, since I can leave it out so it gets used more often!  I chose the Cotton & Italian Mandarin scent, which is fresh and clean, it's a very clear scent.

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Another great campaign from BzzAgent!  I love the scents & so does my family.  Thank you, BzzAgent!

Nerf Campaign

My son LOVES Nerf. I just signed up for a new Nerf campaign at BzzAgent! Stay tuned, I'll have all the buzz about Nerf right here!

It's a hit.  It's the Firevision Football and it comes with two goggles (or whatever they're called) that light up green or red and when you wear them and look at the football, prepare to be amazed!

My son and his friends played with this for over an hour before the adults finally couldn't take it any longer and grabbed it for themselves.  It was a HUGE hit at the party we attended and everyone wanted to know more about it!

This is definitely worth getting for your kids.  It got mine outside and active!

New Campaign! Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Insoles

I'm excited that I've been able to join in the Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Insoles campaign on BzzAgent!  From the BzzAgent campaign page, here's a little info about these insoles -

Dr. Scholl's^® Massaging Gel™ Insoles provide energizing support and cushioning for men and women on the move. Designed for shoes that fit virtually any lifestyle, these insoles incorporate two types of gel to provide comfort in your shoes and absorb shock all day long.

Tired, achy feet can affect your lower body and may impact your mood, too. Discover all that's possible when foot discomfort isn't slowing you down. Connect with the people you want to see and enjoy the things you want to do — all because of the energy you're feeling from your feet up!

Why they're so good:

• Double the comfort in your shoes (for people with foot discomfort)
• Feature a Dual Wave Design™ — soft blue gel cushions and provides superior shock absorption, while firmer purple gel offers added support
• Can be used in a variety of shoes
• Belong to a full line of Massaging GelTM foot care solutions
• Come in men's sizes 8–13 and women's sizes 6–10
• Sell for a suggested retail price of $12.99
• Can be found in the foot care aisle of most drugstores, grocery stores, and discount mass retailers
• Offer a money-back guarantee, so there's no risk in trying them!

I'm excited because my feet hurt every day, so I am really interested in seeing if there is a difference wearing the Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Insoles.

Have you tried these already?  What did you think?  I haven't gotten mine yet, so let me know your opinion!

Here's my update:  I put these in my Converse.  At first they seemed so squishy and comfortable I just couldn't believe I'd never tried these before.  Then I realized that my feet really, really hurt after wearing my Converse, which isn't usually the case.  I removed the inserts and my feet don't hurt anymore.  I think the inserts were too thick for my shoes - I had cut them to perfect size, but because of the thickness of the inserts, my shoes didn't fit the right way anymore.  I definitely kept them, because they're super squishy and I plan on trying them with different shoes.

If your shoes are a little too big, I highly recommend buying a pair of these & putting them in your shoes so that your shoes fit perfectly!

Bzzing about Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector B.B. Cream!

Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector B.B. Cream

BZZAGENT REPORT!

Have you joined BzzAgent yet? Why not? They allow me to try many different products based on my interests and I get to let my friends and family know whether or not I liked them! It's fun to try so many different things for free and I like being able to give my opinion on them. My latest campaign is the Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector B.B. Cream. This is the perfect campaign for me, since I hate spending a lot of time with face cream, foundation, etc..

What's a B.B. cream? Well, it's a tinted moisturizer that has some added benefits to it. The beauty mags will tell you to just throw on some tinted moisturizer on the weekends, but they neglect to mention that if you use a drugstore brand, don't waste your money or your time. They just don't have the coverage.

Garnier's B.B. cream has mineral pigments, so you get really great coverage. They also add Vitamin C, to gently fade away your discoloration and smooth out your skin tone. Garnier claims you'll see results in 2 weeks and by 4 weeks you'll see major results. I haven't been using it that long, so I don't know yet.

It doesn't come in a hundred different shades. This makes it easier for me. I chose the Light/Medium, because I'm in between both. It actually works for me. I thought it would be too dark, but it's not. If I were using this in the winter, I would probably switch to Light, but I'm not sure since the Light/Medium is working out so well.

Since this is good for your skin, you can reapply this as often as you want throughout your day. I thought that meant it didn't have staying power, but it does...somewhat. If it's hot and muggy outside, this is going to slide right off your T Zone. I was surprised to find at the end of a long day that I could still see coverage on my cheeks.

It claims to hydrate for 24 hours and it does a really great job on hydration. It does look a little greasy under my eyes and on my chin, so I have to apply powder over it. Which is insane, since my skin is very dry! So I set Garnier's B.B. cream with powder.

It's very lightweight, my skin feels really soft. I would definitely repurchase this and I am recommending it to all of my friends.

Bummed

I've been noticing BzzAgent, as well as another survey site, haven't been offering me campaigns or products to survey. :(

BzzAgent offered me the opportunity to be in a campaign to track my children's online activities and the invite stated that only those who participated in this campaign would be invited into the Kindle campaign.

KINDLE! Oh yeah you bet I was in. So I signed up, had some major problems with the company, relayed all this to BzzAgent, they were supportive and sympathetic, I continued to plug along with the campaign, continued to Bzz my little stinger off and yet...I was NOT invited into the Kindle campaign.

When I emailed BzzAgent about not being invited, I was told that the current invite was an early invitation, but those who had participated in the internet safety campaign would be invited "soon".

That was months ago and the Kindle campaign is done and over.

I'm disappointed with BzzAgent! Have you noticed you haven't been receiving as many campaigns or products to try? Not as many free sample opportunities as there used to be?

Freebie Friday Continued

Do you like pistachios? My husband and daughter sure do! Win a free (yes, I said FREE) bag of pistachios!

Just head on over to Facebook, "like" their page (link is the title of this blog, just click it) and then register at the sign up link on the left. Once you sign up, you'll be eligible to win pistachios and lots of other cool prizes the more fans their "Keyboard Cat" gets, so be sure to share this freebie with friends!

FREEBIE FRIDAY

Going to the movies tonight? Well then hop on over to Facebook and "like" AMC Theatres for a coupon for a FREE Icee! I love Coca-Cola Icees!

What movie are you going to go see?

Friday's Bzz!

Have you signed up with BzzAgent yet? Today's campaign is the Blender Bottle. Think about how awesome it'd be if you could premix your pancake batter! Imagine being so tired and all you have to do is just shake and pour and you'll have pancakes in no time flat!

Check out BzzAgent for more great campaigns like this one!

Log in to Bzz Agent NOW!

My mistake - all those great products I listed last week? They're available THIS week! So get on over to BzzAgent and click on the "I Want In" button to snag the Bodum glassware campaign! These glasses look really cool and can be used for cold or warm (not hot) beverages. Unlike other glasses that look like this, this one is ACTUAL glass, not plastic!

New Feature at BzzAgent

Instead of waiting around for the next campaign to begin, BzzAgent has now developed a new program called "The Daily Bzz". Each day, The Daily Bzz highlights a campaign. You can invite yourself in by telling BzzAgent why you deserve to be chosen for that particular campaign. The better you market yourself, the higher the chances are that you'll get picked.

Here's the campaigns that were this week, which I missed because I didn't get the email until today (Friday).

Monday: Bodium. These are clear, insulated drinking glasses that look super cool. I don't need them, but they look awesome and I wonder if they'd have the same problem with condensation that my current glassware does.

Tuesday: Cuisinart Smart Stick. Electric hand held blender stick. I think people use them for drinks or whatever. Now this is a campaign I am really highly upset that I missed, because this is EXACTLY the tool I need when I make spaghetti sauce. I wonder how much this thing costs in the stores...

Wednesday: Dreamlights. Looks like lightning bugs in a jar. Definitely not a necessity, but it looks pretty and who doesn't like lights in a jar? ROFLMAO

Thursday: Lawry's marinade sauces. I was lucky enough to already have been in this campaign and I can tell you, it was a good one. We received four marinade sauces, a bottle of Lawry's season salt and an grilling apron. The marinades are really tasty and the amazing part is, my entire family liked them. That doesn't usually happen, so check out the Lawry's marinades.

Friday: Blender Bottle. I'm assuming you mix powdered drinks in this? I have no idea. The bottles come in different colors and they're plastic (ick). They have a metal ball you place inside that's open metal frameworked. So it looks like it would really do the job of making sure whatever you put inside gets blended. Moms who drink powdered drink mixes, this would really come in handy and would make sure your drink is thoroughly blended. No icky powder beads at the bottom! You can also mix pancake batter in this while camping or even make the batter ahead of time the night before, stash it in the fridge & you don't have to deal with making the batter when you wake up. I really like that idea because I hate having to deal with mixing anything before I've had my coffee!

Well that's it for this week! Have a great weekend!