De-Mystifying the Sodastream

When I first heard of Sodastream, it just seemed silly for my family to want an item to make soda. First, taste would never be the same. And second, that would just be one more item in my kitchen that I don't have space for. That and mostly, I have no idea how to use one of the foreign items. So when my daughter was looking at the Houseparty's house parties, she was determined to have mom at least try. She had used it once while camping and loved it. So, yes, I applied and was informed a couple weeks later that I will be getting a box full of stuff and one of those things will be a Sodastream. 

I wanted to make sure I know the ins and outs before display at the party, and found the item was actually very smooth to use. In four easy steps, you have a fresh bottle of fizz. Since visual display is usually easier to explain hte step my step, I did a short video for you to enjoy. http://youtu.be/SQyHQbmiUz4 

This review was all done on my own with no endorsement or benefit from a third party. 

Redbox still has a ways to go....

In this world of stream lining, there is already a big name taking up the market. That would be Netflix. So it is easy to see that Redbox is trying to label itself as different from them. They make it easy to see more of the movies they have available by showing those first in what they have available; where Netflix leans towards showing the TV series with a mix of movies. They offer free movies for those days you need something newer instead of having to wait for the mail person gets it to you. I do see this, but it just isn't enough.

There are things that need to be looked at and realized why these short comings will affect them in the long run.

1.      Limited use of being able to use service on the television. With the options of only one game console, no Roku, or any other smart TV devices. The user has to have the computer directly to the computer to be able to streamline. This left me with only being able to use the phone and computer usage. Easy availability makes people able to use it, enjoy it, and let others know to join it.

2.      Download was glitchy and slow. This was both in using the computer and the smartphone.

3.      Confusion of making sure you don't get charged for the DVDs at the kiosks, because of not using the device correctly.

4.      There is a need for more variety available both at the box and in streamlining, since many of the ones that we can streamline for Redbox are already available at Netflix. And if I want to rent a DVD for the day from a last minute decision without waiting for the mail person, I could just stream rent from Amazon. It should also be noted that we don't need to be using the streamlining service to just rent from the kiosk.

Again, I see where they are trying to make their own mark in the streamlining world. But at this time, they will have to pull out more to really catch people’s eyes. They need to make it available to everyone, and make more movies available that reach everyone and every age. I hope this is something they can looking more forward, and come back in a stronger stance.  

This opportunity was given to me courtesy of Bzzagent and Redbox. 

Razor Slimey

I hate giving bad reviews, but Gillette and it's Venus Olay Blades left me no choice. There is just no way of getting past the amount of slime that is coated on the leg. Not oh too much of a good thing. It was the stringy slime, and it got everywhere.

In hopes to find some redeeming point, I focused on a different aspect. 5 blades should be easy to pile on the good points. There were two setbacks to enjoying the smooth super close shave five blades should get. The pads of lotion were too large to let the blades get to my skin, and the slime of the lotion made it hard to the blades to latch on the hair to cut.

By the end of my lovely relaxing bath, I was frustrated. Venus has had some great items, so I believe they are able to take this great idea and make it better. For my serenity, I will wait till then.

Dove clinical protection

Being a girl who uses just the basic deodorant with little frills getting to try Dove Clinical Protection Deodorant courtesy of Smiley360 was going to be a change. They also asked my 14 year old daughter to give it a try, too. If anyone would be the person to impress, it would be her as she is never happy with anything. 

After trying this for a couple of days, our conclusion was that we both found it to glide on, give full coverage and last all day with keeping smell at bay. I found the embarrassing itchy armpits were gone after months of trying to figure out why. With there not being any aluminum chloride or alcohols, my skin was no longer drying out. This seemed to be one of those moments where I said, "Dah." under my breath from having that oversight. One thing neither of us could get past was the stickiness about afternoon when it had gotten hotter. This could be from how the application is a cream instead of a solid, and could be from us just being accustomed to that. 

The POREfessional just for pores?

I had already bought and used this item few months back, but didn't like something about it and handed it off to my daughter. When Total Beauty asked me to do a review on Benefit's POREfessional, I decided to give this a fair shake and remember the detailed reasons I went on to try to find another 

"miracle" primer. Before January, I was still living in the old ages of make-up and thought it was time to update my look. I was turning 40, so my pride wanted to keep me looking young. When I informed the counter lady I wanted to know more about this foreign item called primer, I swear she was jumping up and down inside herself. She ran right over to the POREfessional display, showed me how it worked, and advised that I give a whirl.  

Now that I have refreshed my opinion with this lovely item, I remember why it was handed to my 14 year old. When applying this item, I actually had to use more than what I was advised to get all over my dry skin which made it hard to spread. Even though it does apply like satin, in time it felt like a layer of cake on my face. And then, come mid-day the glare from the shine could have blinded someone. And as for lines, it was limited. It was only ok for fine lines, and it did nothing for real ones.

In all honesty, this primer is great for those who really want to minimize the look of large pores. I wouldn't advise this for those with oily skin, and would advise them look elsewhere if they need it to minimize lines. My daughter loves it, but she is also very young with great skin.

Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Insoles- BzzAgent Review

 Did you ever wonder what it would be like to walk on water? Ok, maybe more like jelly? It was a delight to feel the Dr.Scholl's Massaging Gel Insoles courtesy of Bzzagent. They were so comfortable with the support for arches and soft jelly on the front and heels. These helped relieve a lot of physical stress your feet deal with every day. I would say these really are a must have for those who are on their feet all day, either because of walking or standing. Walking around town has just become a treat now, and I just never want to take my shoes off.
  

If you would like to know more about Bzzagent, make sure to follow this link...http://tiny.cc/ajtfyw. 

Palmolive soft touch isn't just your grandmother's soap

 Palmolive goes back to when my grandmother had 13 kids: 4 in diapers and dishes as high as you can see. Having a home like that required a soap that could take care of anything, and Palmolive was it. When I grew up, Grandma's kitchen was always filled with everyone sitting around the table socializing, others helping with dinner, and some doing dishes. Since there were 13 kids, they all grew up, got married and had kids. There was never a dull moment in our kitchen. One thing I will always remember is the smell of the dish soap while the dishes were getting washed. Fresh and clean with a soft floral would linger. Through Influenster's trial campaign of Palmolive soft touch, I got to live through it all over again.

Palmolive Soft Touch gave us two great bottles of fun, and one was swiftly given to my dear friend who is a hair dresser. If anyone washes her hands a lot and needs something that helps, it would be her. She was very thankful for the chance to enjoy Palmolive's gentle use on the hands.     

The question was, does Palmolive Soft Touch still work as well as Grandma had faith in it? I would have to say yes on being gentle on the hands, and the smell still smells like I am at Grandma's. I tried both the Aloe and Vitamin E types of soap to get a good idea how they worked.

It seemed they both had a different way of working. I found that the Aloe was great on being gentle on the hands, and cut through grease. It, also, cut through coffee stains on my coffee pot that even my everyday dish soap couldn't do.

Still hoping to find that dish soap that actually lotion my dry skin, I went to grab the Vitamin E and the store and give it a try. I found the replacement for my hand soap, and it washes dishes. Score! Right? Well yea, since very few of my dishes require to be hand washed. The only concern is that it doesn't cut through grease as easily as the Aloe.

My over thought is that they both work at being gentle on the hands that sometimes see too much water. If you wash your dishes by hand a lot though and want it to be quick and fast, go for the Aloe. If you want that extra relief because you have dry skin, grab the Vitamin E. I believe the Cocoa Butter is about the same as Vitamin E, but I didn't try it so not able to completely say if it is true. Yes, this is my grandmother's soap that I can now see why she loved it. Though the scenery in life changes, it is nice to find things that change to continually bring great quality while still sticking to the things that make them great.

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.