Making Money, Earning Cool Stuff

You may have seen my posts about ways I earn extra cash and try cool products... but if not, I'm putting it all in one spot for easy access.

I love doing things like this to earn extra money or gift cards that I can use for holiday shopping.  I also like sites that send me free products or samples to try.  Below are some that I use!

Hits4Pay-- Just started on this one, but it was recommended on a site I saw... You get $5 in your account just for signing up!

InboxDollars- Sign Up Here!

InboxDollars-- I've gotten a few checks from them.  You get money for reading emails, taking surveys and searching the web.  It may not happen fast, but it's still nice when you reach that $30 mark and get a check... And clicking on emails is SO simple!

MyPoints-- I love this site.  I got involved with it a while back when I started on BzzAgent.  You earn points for reading emails, surveys, and shopping online!  I love getting rewards for stuff I do everyday! Send me your email address, and I'll send you a referral! Email Me!

BzzAgent-- This is a great place to try new products!  You sign up, do some survey stuff, and then based on your answers, they will invite you to BzzCampaigns.  This is a word of mouth marketing thing.  The more you "Bzz" the better.  It's fun, and easy!  Sign Up for BzzAgent here

Influenster-- Another great site that does a thing called VoxBoxes.  These are SO cool.  Sometimes you get to try one product, sometimes it's a few!  Send me an email if you want an invite!  Send Email!

There are many more sites out there... but for now, these are the ones that I use most and that I trust!  

Why I Love My Rainbow Cleaning System!

You may have seen my recent posts about my Rainbow... and maybe you're getting tired of seeing it.  For that, I'm sorry... but I really am excited about our latest purchase!

You may think... "It's just a vacuum cleaner." "You're crazy if you're that excited over a vacuum cleaner."  "What is wrong with you?"

Whatever you're thinking... I want you to step back for a second and let me explain.

I grew up with my mom having a Rainbow.  And of course, I hated cleaning, so I couldn't have cared less about what she, or I, used to clean the floors.  Although, I was always amazed and disgusted at the junk that wound up in the water.

It wasn't until I was grown up and out of the house that I realized how much I took that Rainbow for granted.  When Louis and I got married, he had an old (broken) Oreck.  I HATED that thing.  It didn't pick up ANYTHING.  It was heavy and I hated having a vacuum with a bag.

So, we bought a Bissell.  It was a little over a hundred bucks... and although Louis wasn't convinced there was anything wrong with the Oreck... he was immediately amazed at how much the Bissell was picking up.

Now remember-- we have a black lab.  Lord knows I had NO idea how much a Lab would shed when I first got him.  We have a lot of dog hair-- EVERYWHERE.  So I wanted something that was going to pick up all that hair.  And the Bissell seemed to be doing an ok job... but somewhere deep down, I knew we needed a Rainbow.  The Bissell was definitely better than the old Oreck, AND it didn't have a bag.  But still, emptying the little canister at the end of each vacuum left dust flying around the trash can.  And yeah, I was breathing that crap in.  On top of all that... the vacuum as a whole was disgusting.  I would routinely try to clean it-- dust and dirt everywhere within it.

Having grown up in a home with a Rainbow, I knew how great they were.  My sisters and their husbands had purchased them as well.  Louis, however, wasn't convinced... So when we got the opportunity for a demo-- I jumped on it.  I wanted him to see the difference.

And he did!

Now we do have quite a bit of hardwood in the house we're currently in.  But I HATE sweeping.  I feel like it doesn't do much at all... and afterwards, when I mop, I still find dirt and dog hair that sweeping didn't take care of.  And the carpets... man, it seemed to take forever with our Bissell to get the dog hair up.

The Rainbow rep came and did a full demonstration... and even though I'd used one before, I was AMAZED at what that thing can do.

So let me first tell you:

IT IS NOT JUST A VACUUM CLEANER!

It's an air purifier, deodorizer, sanitizer, humidifier, vaporizer... duster, vacuum... Pretty sure I left something out there...

Anyway! This thing is cleaning machine.  I seriously wanted to use it immediately-- top to bottom -- in our house.    I was vacuuming the floors, the walls-- dusting everything -- cleaning the couch cushions and pillows.  Vacuuming our bed (which, by the way... is disgusting) and pillows.

And after vacuuming my hardwoods... mopping was so much better than normal!  I didn't see any dirt or dog hair!  (I am looking forward to getting the Rainbow mopping attachment though... It mops and sucks up the water too!)

We also keep it running 24/7 for air purification (and deodorizing!).  After a few weeks, it'll help cut back on the dust (less dusting = happier Blaine).  It's also certified by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America!  I have asthma-- so I'm definitely game for something that will help me breathe better.

I am sold on this truly amazing machine.  If you've just moved into a new place, if you have pets, if you have babies (especially if you have babies)... Let us come show you how this thing works!

I know you may be annoyed that I've asked you to let us come do a demo.  But let me tell you why:

First of all-- we're doing this thing called the "Ride Along Program".  Basically, we need 12 couples to let us do demos-- and we get ours for free (and if you decide you want a Rainbow-- you can do this too!).

Now... I know your time is valuable.  But by letting us come in and show you the Rainbow-- you get an ABSOLUTELY FREE vacation (NO, it's not a time share...).

Secondly-- The demos are FUN!  Yes, I said fun!  I come along and help the Rainbow rep out, we demo the thing... but we have fun while doing it!

Third-- These are NO PRESSURE demos.  It's very laid back, and like I said: FUN!

Fourth--You are under NO obligation to buy anything.

Fifth-- You'd be helping a friend.  What's the harm in that?  I promise, we are not going to MAKE you buy anything.

I would really appreciate your help on this.  We can do it on a weeknight, or a weekend-- whatever fits your schedule!

Now there's a lot I didn't tell you about the Rainbow... partly because it would make this post that much longer... But also because you probably wouldn't believe it until you see it!  I'm telling you... it's worth just doing the demo.  Like I said, if you have babies-- I HIGHLY recommend it.  Do you have any idea what's on your floors?  And pet owners-- if you're like me and love your animals, but hate the hair... another great reason to at least let us come show you!  AND anyone who suffers from allergies, asthma, sinus issues, migraines, etc... This thing can help you too.  What's the harm in just doing a demo?  Absolutely nothing... and hey-- a free vacation?  That's a pretty sweet incentive!  :)

So...

Help a girl out?

I want my Rainbow for FREE!  :)

My "No Poo" Journey

My “No Poo” Journey

I’ve told some of you, and my Twitter followers, that I have started the “No Poo” journey.  What is that?  Well, basically, I gave up my shampoo and conditioner… cold turkey, and I’ve replaced it with baking soda and vinegar.  Yep, you read that right.  I’ve been considering this switch for a little while, but I was trying to decide when would be a good time (since there IS a transition/detox period).  Well, I can’t say I picked the “perfect” time to start, because I’m constantly having things come up (meetings, live events for work, etc.).  I’m at the beginning of week 3.  Two whole weeks of no shampoo or conditioner.  And I will NOT lie to you… I have daydreamed about the rich, lathery (is that a word?) goodness of shampoo.  I even dreamt that I accidently used shampoo!  Haha.  Talk about weird!

Ok… so let’s start at the beginning.

May 20^th was my first day.  I had bought a condiment bottle for my baking soda mixture, and a spray bottle for the vinegar mixture.  I mixed my ingredients the night before so they would be ready to roll when I showered the next day.

I used 1 tablespoon per cup of water… although, I put 2 tablespoons in my bottle, and my bottle doesn’t quite hold 2 cups of water—so my first batch may have been too much baking soda.  In my spray bottle, I mixed 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar with a cup of water. 

Day 1 – I used the baking soda on my scalp, and massaged in with my finger tips, trying to get my entire scalp clean.  Rinsed thoroughly. I then sprayed the bottom half of my hair with the vinegar mixture, and rinsed well.  I did notice a bit of trouble with tangles, but nothing too major.  I blow dried and straightened my hair and it looked great!

Day 2—I just rinsed with hot water… blow dried and straightened.  It looked ok.

Day 3—I used the “conditioner” of vinegar.  I dried and straightened my hair, but wound up pulling up the front half because I was feeling a little greasy!

Day 4—I used the baking soda and vinegar (still the original batch, because I didn’t use all of it the first day).  Hair looked ok.

Day 5—I didn’t even wet my hair this day.  I straighten it a little in the morning.  By the time I got home from work, I was feeling pretty oily, and I was about to go to dinner with my parents.  I used some cocoa powder on my roots (You can use cornstarch, but on my dark hair, it makes me look like I’m really going grey!  The cocoa powder works pretty well, and smells good too). 

Day 6 – Just used the vinegar rinse.  I did dry my hair, but wound up putting it up before leaving the house.  Not too oily, but didn’t look great…

Day 7 – Washed with baking soda and vinegar.  Hair looked ok.  Feels very different!

Day 8 – No wash or rinse, just straightened! Easy enough, not too greasy.

Day 9 – Rinsed with water… pulled up… didn’t even dry it.

Day 10 – Baking soda and vinegar.  Hair look alright.

Day 11 – Rinsed with water, dried and straightened.  Looked a little oily.

Day 12 – Vinegar rinse… wound up using cocoa powder after drying and straightening.  Then pulled up the front part to try to cover some of the oiliness!

Day 13 – Washed with baking soda and vinegar… dried and straightened.  Hair looked ok until I got out in the humidity.  Got a little out of place and crazy some.  Also… I was around smokers, so my hair smelled terrible.  I made the mistake of redoing the baking soda and vinegar that night. 

Day 14 – Didn’t wash or rinse, just straightened.  Didn’t look too bad.

TODAY – Didn’t wash or rinse… just pulled my hair up.  My hair is oily, and my scalp has that “itch” to it.  It makes me feel like it’s dirty… but I’m trying to deal with it because I know my hair has to adjust… this is part of the process!

Ok… Hopefully I got all of the above info right.  I kept notes on my iPad about the first week, then the past week I haven’t really kept notes, so I tried to do all that from memory.

Some challenges I’ve dealt with:

-Static.  I read on one website that this meant I was using too much baking soda.  I’ll have to cut back and see how that does.  I do use a good bit of the bottle because I try to make sure to saturate my scalp, and massage my entire scalp to remove the oil/build-up.

-Oil/Grease.  This is, like I said, my hair’s response.  My scalp is trying to adjust.  I’ve been doing a lot of pulling my hair up, and using the cocoa powder to help.  I’m trying to stay at every third day (the longer I can go between, hopefully the shorter the transition). 

-Dryness.  I forgot to mention… Day thirteen, I tried using apple cider vinegar instead (one site I read that white vinegar was better for oily hair, while ACV was better for dry hair).  I think the ACV helped.  Oh… and one day I tried a tiny bit of coconut oil on the ends… and it wound up making it too oily!  I’ve been reading up on some conditioning masks that I can do… so maybe that will help.

I do have to say though… overall, I’m really liking the results.  My hair feels softer, less frizzy (I haven’t used ANY product on my hair since starting this!), more manageable.  And it definitely saves time on days I don’t have to even rinse it! 

I’m also excited because I’m saving money (baking soda and vinegar are CHEAP and you don’t use them up very quickly!).  I’m also not coating my hair in chemicals!  It’s amazing the difference I’ve seen in such a short time.  Yes, I am dealing with oily bouts, but I have to keep reminding myself that my body is just adjusting.

No poo isn’t for everyone… but I think it’s going to be good for me.

Another bonus—it supposedly helps with hair growth (I am desperately trying to grow my hair long enough that I can donate it… but still have some length when I chop it off!). 

It is definitely a journey.  It takes time and patience.  I am only 2 weeks into it… and yeah, I do think about lathering up with shampoo, but I am determined to stick with this! 

And just so you know…No, my hair does not stink.  The vinegar smell goes away completely when my hair is dry!  I am also considering buying a natural bristle brush, which they say is good for helping to distribute the natural oil throughout the hair.

I am posting the link to the site I used as my inspiration to start this journey.  I will continue to update you on my progress and answer any questions you might have!  I will also probably do more research when I have questions.  In the past two weeks I have read countless articles about the No Poo Movement… Mostly to encourage myself to keep at it! 

Websites:
http://coderedhat.com/no-poo-method/
http://ashleysgreenlife.blogspot.com/2012/12/how-to-wash-your-hair-with-no-poo.html
http://www.pistachioproject.com/2012/08/no-poo-faq.html

These sites go a bit in-depth on the reasons why it's good for your hair and such.  I didn't take the time to do all that... just wanted to give you my results/trials!

Have you ever gone “No Poo”?  Are you thinking about it?  I’d love to hear your stories/tips! 

I'll try getting some pictures added when I get them uploaded to my computer!  Thanks for reading!

Contradictory... maybe, but have to be honest!

Ok... So I have posted about a BB Cream before.  And let me be honest... at that point, I really thought I liked that BB Cream.  It was cool, had the beads that helped it adjust to my skin... yadda yadda.

Then...

I got the opportunity to try Garnier Oil-Free BB Cream, thanks to BzzAgent (most of you have heard me talk/write about BzzAgent before-- it's Word of Mouth Marketing. I get a free or discounted product to try... and then I get to do what I love most-- TALK about the product).



I was really excited when I found out that I got into the Garnier Oil-Free BB Cream campaign.  I had been using that previous BB Cream, but was still having to use bronzer to get the coverage/color I wanted.  When my cute package taped up with the BzzAgent bee tape, I was SO excited!

When I finally got to try out the product, I have to say, I was immediately impressed.  It goes on very smoothly, and covers very well (I'll show you some pictures in a minute... patience!).  I have acne prone skin.  I have oily skin... I deal with a lot of issues when it comes to my face, so I've been looking for a product that will help!  Now, I am NOT saying this product cleared up any of my issues, but it does a great job at helping to minimize the appearance of the problem while it's occurring!  It covers the redness, the uneven skin.  It doesn't cake up on the peeling, dry, crusty skin that occurs when acne is healing... It matched my skin tone so well that I didn't even feel the need to add any bronzer.

After wearing it all day... I was happy to look in a mirror and not feel the need to grab some tissue or powder to sop up the oil.  This is a major accomplishment.  I HATED feeling oily/greasy  throughout the day.  And now, with this BB Cream, I don't have to worry about it.

Another thing I really liked about Garnier's BB Cream is the fact that it has sunscreen!  This is such a great thing. We've all heard the importance of wearing sunscreen to help prevent skin cancer and aging.  But I HATE having to put on moisturizer/sunscreen and THEN put on foundation.  Thank goodness this already has that built in!

Another great thing... it's long lasting, and doesn't seem to rub off easy.  I like this.  I like not feeling like my makeup has melted away!  I stay covered ALL day long!  Always a great thing.


So now it's time for the big reveal.  And I have to preface this with a few facts:

1.  It takes a LOT of courage for me to put up makeup-less pictures.
2.  The lighting in the pictures makes it a bit difficult to see the great results.
3.  Again... I'm scared to death to post these terrible pictures to the internet... but I'm doing this for YOU!

Here goes:

Before- front

Before- Right side

Before- Left Side

After- Front

After- Right Side

After- Left Side

Another shot from the front, different angle/light.

Ok... So like I said, the lighting doesn't do this product justice.  But look closely.  The before pictures have some redness and bumps... the after pictures- my skin looks smoother, not oily, less red, but at the same time, it still looks natural.

So, what do you think?  Have you  tried a BB Cream?  What was your experience?

Let me know what you think!

And a big thank you to BzzAgent for continuing to let me try out some amazing products and give my honest feedback.

Please note that all content is my own, and I received this product to try for free from BzzAgent!

L'Oreal Paris Magic BB Cream

L’Oreal Paris Magic BB Cream

I’m excited to share with you my experience with L’Oreal Paris 

Magic BB Cream! I received this free to try from SheSpeaks. I’d been hearing about BB Creams here and there, but hadn’t really done much investigating on what they were and what they do. When I got this opportunity from SheSpeaks though, I was really excited to give this a try. I love trying new products, and I love make-up, so it was perfect for me! So what is this Magic BB Cream? It’s a skin care product that has 4 beautifying actions in 1. It hydrates, primes, perfects and corrects. L’Oreal’s BB Cream has beautifying beads, along with lotion with antioxidants. I was really excited to give it a try… but freaked out a little when I squeezed the tube for the first time… Those “beads” are in a very white liquid! Now, I did receive the light version of this, but I immediately thought, there’s no way this is going to work on my skin! I was definitely skeptical. The first day, I applied it as I would my foundation, over my moisturizer. I took a before and after picture for you… and also a “finished” look (meaning all of my make-up had been applied). The lighting in the bathroom isn't really great... and it was EARLY in the morning... Can you tell I'm making excuses for how rough I look?!

Before

After

Finished Product

See how white it looks?!

  I didn’t notice a HUGE difference on the first day, but I was surprised at how the BB cream matched my skin (remember, I told you it was WHITE with the colored beads?!). I also really liked the fact that it wasn’t cakey, too heavy, etc. like some make up products. The only issue I had with it in the first few days was my skin became way too greasy looking throughout the day. Then I stopped using my moisturizer (because that is part of what the BB cream does anyway), and it definitely made a difference. Now I will say, if you like a lot of coverage, you may want to use this product as a primer. I personally have always overdone my coverage, but I’m really beginning to like the lighter, more natural look. I do add a little bronzer on top most days, just to add a little more color to my face. I’ve been using the product for a couple of weeks, and I really like the results. I’m not going to sit here and say that my skin is flawless and perfect, or that I had really dramatic results, because what product can truly do THAT much?! But I feel more confident with the BB cream, because it gives me a more natural look! I also like that it hydrates and smoothes out the appearance of my skin (I do battle with acne… but that’s another story for another day!). You can pick this product up at places like Wal-Mart, CVS, Wal-Greens, etc. It’s not too expensive and is a great product!


Thanks to SheSpeaks and L'Oreal for providing me with a complimentary BB cream. All photos and opinions are my own.