The Most Amazing Carpet Stain Remover EVER, seriously.

Ok, before I get started I need you to not judge me. My carpet is in an awful state.  I loaned a friend my carpet cleaner a good six months ago and we have beige carpeting and a 9 year old, enough said. 

I was given the opportunity to test out and review Greenwald’s Carpet and Fabric Stain Remover.  

Maybe I’m just a skeptic at heart but I didn’t have high hopes. I’ve tried a bajillion different stain removers and carpet cleaning solutions and never been too overly impressed with the results. Right by our back door a part of the carpet is practically black; I think it’s from dirt collecting on the door and when it touches the carpet the dirt goes into the carpet and I get an ugly black stain. 

You can see how it works in the video, and it works extremely well!  (I apologize for the not full screen, I generally remember to turn my phone but totally forgot this time!) It seriously took less than 4 minutes from start to finish getting that stain out. I was so excited I had to share the results with Facebook, you know it’s a big deal when it becomes Facebook Official!

But given my skeptical nature I had to try I out on a few more stains before I could give my full seal of approval.  I tested two more BAD stains in my daughter’s room.  Are they completely gone? No, it’s a stain remover, not a miracle worker.  But they are significantly better and I’m a little less ashamed of the state of my carpet!

The left pictures are before, and the right are after!

Oh, this is super easy to use btw.  You get these little packets that you just stick in the bottle and fill with water.  I’m not really good at reading directions and cut the packet open, poured in the solution and then filled with water, but obviously that wasn’t the end of the world.

This product is $19.95 on Amazon and you get enough product to make 6  32oz bottles!  If you want you can save yourself $3 and just order the little sticks for $16.95. You can buy them here:  Greenwald's Carpet and Fabric Stain Remover

I received this product for free in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Ander Blake 8 Pack of Chalk Markers Review and GIVEAWAY!!!!

One of my favorite hobbies is Arts and Crafts and I’m always looking for fun, new items and my newest obsession is chalk board markers, more specifically Ander Blake Chalkboard markers!  I recently got their set of 8 chalk board markers and I love them!

  You get 8 colors; Hot Pink, Red, Neon Green, Orange, Yellow, White, Purple, and Light Blue.  These chalk board markers are fantastic. The colors are really vibrant and they look great, especially against the black chalkboard.  Don’t let the name fool you; these are great for so much more than just chalkboards. You can use them on pretty much any non-porous surface and it wipes right off with a little water!  My daughter’s new favorite activity is using the markers to leave us pictures and messages on the bathroom mirror!

                I’ve used one other brand of chalkboard markers, and I have to say these are definitely a superior product. I’ve used these several times now and the quality is just as good as the first time I used them.  The other brand I own definitely seemed to not work as well after a couple of uses.  I definitely recommend shaking these before each use, so they look their best. Definitely do NOT try to use these on porous surfaces or you will be one unhappy camper.

When you first use them you have to press the tip down for a few seconds to release the pressure, then you put the cap back on and shake em like a polaroid picture (I know I know, I just couldn’t help it!)  Then you press the tip against a hard surface until the liquid flows through the tip.  This does take a bit the first time, so just be patient. 

I make up for my lack of artistic ability with my awesomeness

               Check out my video to see how these work and how awesome they look:

                Now, here’s the best part: Ander Blake has agreed to sponsor a giveaway for my amazing readers and one lucky winner will receive her own set of these awesome markers. These have a retail value of $27.99 and can be purchased here: Ander Blake Liquid Chalk Markers

                The giveaway will end on June 14^th and I will email the lucky winner on the 15^th.  The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize or I will have to move on to the next winner, so keep an eye out!  

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This poster and giveaway are sponsored by Ander Blake. While I received this product for free in exchange for my review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Savvy Baby Bandana Bib's review...and the cutest baby ever!!!

                I admit it; I’m a sucker for baby stuff. Unfortunately for me my “baby” is now 9 years old and she’s a total tomboy so I don’t even get the joy of getting her fabulous and cute girly clothes.  So, I’ve just had to learn to live vicariously through my friends and their babies!

                 So baby bandanna bib’s seem to be all the rage lately, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get a set of these Savvy Baby Bibs! The pack I got is sold on Amazon for $19.99 for a set of four, AND you get a free pacifier clip (you can use it for teething rings too if you’re a pacifier free zone!)

                Can we just talk about how stinkin’ cute these are for a second??  There’s 4 different designs and I honestly can’t decide which one is my favorite. There’s a black with white polka dots, a red chevron, a yellow triangle pattern, and a gray with arrows pattern.  Ok,  I lied the black with polka dots is definitely my favorite, I love polka dots!

Is this not an adorable baby???

  I’m sure I’m not the only one who hesitates to buy items like this online; you can’t always be certain of the quality online and as parents we all want to make sure we are getting a quality product.  I hate baby bib’s that are all stiff and scratchy, so this was definitely a concern for me.  My concerns have definitely been laid to rest! I was seriously wowed by the quality of these. I received another set of bandana bib’s that I had ordered the day after these, and there is no comparison.  These bib’s are softer and the fabric is obviously a better quality.  The other set of bib’s had several stitching issues and I had to take a pair of scissors to each one to cut off loose string.  Here’s the worst part, the other bib’s were MORE money and didn’t include a free pacifier clip.

          

     If you’re in need of a baby present, I definitely recommend getting a set of these.  You can purchase them here: Savvy Baby Bandana Bib's

    What do you think of the baby bandana bib?  Is this a fad or do you think this baby big design is just getting started??

I received this product for free in exchange for my honest. unbiased opinion and all opinions and views expressed are my own.

Flawless Foundation...Drugstore Buys

For years I pretty much stuck with the same foundation. Occasionally I used a powder compact, but that was the extent of my face makeup. I was introduced to primer a few years ago, and added that to my beauty routine occasionally, but it has only been the past few months that I have radically altered my face makeup routine. I will post about high end makeup at times, but for now I’m going to focus on affordable, or “drugstore” products.

 Primer is a MUST HAVE. Not only does primer improve the look of your makeup, it lasts so much longer when you take the time to apply a primer. Sometimes I forget and I can totally tell the

difference. I have used probably 4 or 5 different primers at this point, and my favorite primer is…..Vagisil Chafing Relief Powder Gel. No, I have not lost my mind. Smashbox Photo Finish Primer is the first primer I ever tried and I loved it, but at $36 per ounce, this was way out of my price range. I tried a few cheaper primers, but never got the same results. A friend introduced me to this gel and guess what? It is the same as the Smashbox Primer, but at $4.98 for 1.5oz it’s a little more budget friendly. I know it sounds crazy, but I swear I get the same results using this as I do with the Smashbox primer.

And the Liebster Award goes to.......

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Yay! I was nominated for the Liebster award!  What is this Liebster Award you ask? It’s an award given to bloggers with less than 200 followers to help them grown and connect in the blogging community. I personally think this is an awesome idea, and I’m so excited to be a part of it!

I was nominated by Kathy over at MomWifeWoman and since Liebster means sweetest, kindest, lovely, valued, endearing, and welcome just to name a few, this makes me feel all kinds of warm and fuzzy inside and I’m super thankful Kathy was nice enough to include me, and ask you go check out her blog!

ThEre are several variations of “The Rules” floating around for the Liebster award, but I’ve chosen to use these:

So here goes:

11 Questions to answer from Kathy at Mom Wife Woman

1.)    What is my greatest joy in life? 

-My daughter. Sometimes it still amazes me that I created this person and it’s amazing to see her grow up. She’s 9 now and she’s definitely become her own person and I’m so proud she’s mine!

          2.) Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your 18-year-old-self?

          -Just say no to credit cards!  I made some pretty unwise decisions with credit cards at 18 that still haunt me today. I would emphasize the importance of financial responsibility and how the decisions you make today, will impact your life for years to come.

3.)  What’s your favorite TV show?

          -I would have to say Gossip Girl.  I was so sad when it ended, but I can watch re-runs on Netflix and never get tired of them.

4.)  What are three things you cannot live without?

          -My cellphone would definitely be number one. It’s so much more than just a phone, I use it for practically everything!  My chapstick would probably be number two. Three would probably be my planner.  It helps keep me organized at work and keep track of important Dates.

5.)  Who is your favorite fictional character?

          -Ha, I’m watching Game of Thrones as I type this, so it’s only apt that my favorite fictional character right now is Arya. She’s shown a strength that is far beyond her years!

6.)  What is your most prized possession?

          -I’m not a hugely materialistic person, so I’m not sure I have one single prized possession. Probably the things I treasure most in life are my photo books and photo albums.  No material possession can top the memories contained in those books!

7.)  Describe yourself in three words.

          -determined, loyal, and caring.

8.)   What is your guiltiest pleasure?

          -eek! Probably smoking. I know, I know it’s horribly bad for me and I need to quit asap, but man, it’s still a guilty pleasure I enjoy! Don’t judge!

9.)   What single quality do you most appreciate in people?

          -Honesty.  Trust is paramount in ANY relationship and you can’t have trust without honesty. I would rather hear a little harsh honesty, than a pleasing lie any day of the week.

10.)   What’s your favorite post that you’ve written?

          -This one here:  It’s taken me 32+ years but I’ve finally started to figure out proper makeup application and I hope my post will help someone else! The biggest problem I’ve had finding good makeup tips is that a lot of the makeup and tools are WAY out of my budget, so I plan on focusing on budget friendly makeup!

11.)   The question is missing!

11 random facts about me

1.)     I have worked for the same company since I was 16 years old. My 17^th anniversary is in November!

2.)   I won’t eat chicken on the bone. I love chicken…as long as there are no bones in sight!

3.)   I can’t wink. My family has gotten great enjoyment teasing me about this for years!

4.)   I love mountain dew. I pretty much drink it every.single.day.

5.)   I love to read and can finish a good book within a day.

6.)   I’ve never seen The Atlantic or Pacific Ocean.

7.)   My favorite ice cream is Birthday Cake Ice Cream

8.)   I only wear white tennis shoes

9.)   I hate skinny jeans, with a passion.

10.) I used to be a super coupon shopper, like get paid to shop coupon shopper!

11.)   I used to make & Sell boutique hair bows

Now I get to nominate 11 blogs:

          1.) Heaven’s Yes I love freebies!

          2.) Freebiester Amy

          3.) Mom and Daughter Duo

          4.) Snap, Crackle, and Kpop

          5.) FancyHunny’s Fab Finds

          6.) BWM Reviews

          7.) The Life of a Texxasgurl

          8.) Omaha Mom Reviews

          9.) Southern Mom Reviews and more

          10.) Nifty Thrifty Military Mommy

          11.) Take it or Leave it

My questions for you are:

1.      What makeup item can you not live without?

2.     Coke or Pepsi?

3.     What is your favorite recipe? (link, please!)

4.     What is your favorite blog? (link, please!)

5.     What movie are you most looking forward to this summer?

6.     Favorite item you’ve bought or received in the past month?

7.     Best 80’s song?

8.     What is the number one reason people should follow your blog??

9.     What is your favorite form of social media?

10.   What is your favorite book?

11.     you’re going to make cupcakes, what flavor will you make?

I hope everyone has as much fun with this as I did! I’m super excited to see everyone’s blog posts! 

The Bella Voxbox and my first campaign with Influenster Experience

      There are only 12 days left in the Bella VoxBox campaign from Influenster and I just wanted to give an update on my thoughts on the products and the whole experience!

       A quick recap on what I received in my VoxBox: Dove with Real Fruit Blueberry covered in dark chocolate, The Not Your Mother's Deja Vu Du Styl Extender, The EcoTools mattifying brush, Rimmel Long Lasting Finish by Kate lipstick in shade 08, Rimmel by Kate Scandaleyes Mascara, Sally Hansen Air Brush Legs, an Ebay guide writing promo, and Club W wine club invite and discount code. Now that I've had plenty of time to try the products I'd like to give a better overview of my experience with each product; what I loved and what I hated etc...

Dove with Real Fruit-
             These must be good as every time I've bought them my daughter eats most of them before I ever even get a chance! I'm not a big fan of dark chocolate, definitely more of a milk chocolate girl here, but these are amazing!  I really want to try the cherry ones, but they have been out of stock every time I go to buy them!

Not Your Mother's Deja Vu Du Style Extender-
              I've used this several times and I'm pretty pleased with how it works.  It definitely helps you squeeze an extra day out of your hairstyle.  I have super thick curly hair that I straighten and it takes forever so getting an extra day out of it is a big deal to me.  And it smells amazing!  My daughter gets super oily hair right by her scalp so I've used this to help on the days its really bad and there's a noticeable difference, so it has several different uses. 

Makeup Brushes for the Financially Challenged- UPDATE 05/31

              I've always loved makeup, but for years I felt so intimidated by all of the different choices and options out there, that I kind of stuck to a very basic routine and my makeup was always pretty “meh.” Well, about 6 months ago a friend posted a picture online and she looked absolutely stunning. Now, I’m not saying she isn't beautiful as is, but I also know she wasn't born looking flawless. She suggested I start looking up tutorials on YouTube, and oh man was that the best advice she could have given me. I have learned so much in the past few months, and I feel like I've definitely stepped up my makeup game. I've gotten a ton of compliments and even my husband has noticed!

                  I've tried a few high end makeup products, and I definitely think there are some products out there that are well worth their high end price tag, I can’t spend $100’s of dollars on makeup. That’s just not me. While I definitely don’t mind splurging every once in a while, I've done a little research to figure out what products I can get at a much lower price point and still get great results. I've decided to go ahead and break this up into multiple posts, starting with brushes! I think people that are unfamiliar with makeup tend to underestimate the importance of having the right brushes to apply your makeup. I could go on and on about tools all day long, but we’re going to stick with the basics for today.
                                                 

Mail call! New products in this week!

I've gotten a lot of great new products to try lately, and I'd like to share some of them with you guys! Reviewing products is great, but I assure you I will always give you my honest opinion. If a product doesn't meet my standards, you probably won't ever hear about it from me. So without further ado let's get down to it!

Dash Mate Product Review and Giveaway!!!!

                I’m so excited!!! I have ANOTHER giveaway for this week! I will be giving away a CJS Dash Mate 2015 courtesy of our friends at CJS Savings. What is a Dash Mate?? It’s this little guy: The Dash Mate is a cell phone holder that mounts to your dash using your air vents to hold it securely in place. It will hold securely any device up to 3.5 inches wide, which includes most cell phones out there today.

               I was a little skeptical when I got the Dash Mate. It is tiny. Like fit in your pocket, weighs an ounce tiny. No way was this little thing going to hold my phone securely….with an air vent no less! I have a Samsung S5, so it’s not a little phone, but somehow this thing totally works. I've been using the dash mount for the past two weeks and my phone has only fallen once and that was a user error. If you use the product correctly and make sure it is mounted correctly it stays very secure.

              Now, I don’t have any facts or statistics to back this up but a friend of mine that happens to be a cop once told me that having a permanent dash mount, or even the ring some mounts create on your window is like a big red X for would be thieves to break into your car. For this very reason I have never owned a dash mount, plus I think the big clunky ones that sit on the dash or attach to your windshield are kinda ugly. This is probably my favorite part about the dash mount. It leaves no trace; when you aren't using the dash mate it’s tiny enough to stick in your purse, your console, etc….

            We all know that talking or texting while driving is dangerous, but how many times have you been driving and your phone goes off and you look down to see who’s texting or calling you? I do it A.L.L the time and to be totally honest I never even thought about it, until I was able to stop doing it. We all know how dangerous it can be to take your eyes off the road when driving for even a second. I’m ashamed to admit that I’m a huge culprit of being a distracted driver. My phone goes off A LOT and I always have to look because what if it’s important right??? With the Dash Mate my phone is literally in front of my face without me having to take my eyes off the road. Or how often have you taken your eyes off the road to check on your kiddo in the back seat??  I can turn the camera on and be able to see exactly what my kiddo is doing in the back seat!

Check out my video to see the Dash Mate in action!  I apologize for the glare in advance!

     This product is really affordable at $9.95 and can be purchased here: http://www.cjssavings.info

   So, if you would like the opportunity to win one of these little guys, please enter the giveaway below, I think you’ll love the Dash Mate as much as I do! And I would love to hear what you guys do to minimize your distractions when driving!


a Rafflecopter giveaway



I received this product for free in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.  CJS Savings has been kind enough to sponsor this post and allow me to do a giveaway for my readers.

May the Luck Be With You and win a Baking Gift Set featuring Kitopia Reusable Cupcake Liners!

A neighbor gifted me a set of reusable silicone cupcake liners a few years back, I used them once and they’ve collected dust in my kitchen cabinets ever since.  To say the least, I was not a fan.  Not a single cupcake I made came out of the liner without parts of it sticking to the liner, and who wants half a cupcake???

I was recently given the opportunity to try Kitopia’s silicone cupcake liners and I decided to give them another shot and I’m super glad I did! The first thing I noticed about the Kitopia liners is they weren't as thick  as the other one’s I own, and I think this is makes a huge difference. They are sturdy enough to use without a muffin tin, but not so thick that your cupcake stays stuck in them after baking!

Sublime Beauty Sampler Pack Review: A breakdown for the skincare product challenged

I will be turning 33 this year, for most people that isn’t what you would consider “old” by any means, but when you’re surrounded by 20 year olds all day, like I am, 33 starts to feel really old pretty fast!  I’ve never had a real skincare routine, I've always just bought whatever face wash sounded good at the store and that was pretty much the extent of it.  One of the things I've learned in my new found love of all things makeup is that the better you take care of your skin, the better your makeup will look!

                So, I've decided I should put a little more effort into my skincare routine, and maybe when I’m 50, I won’t look 60! But where do you even start?? There are so many products available today, and I can’t even pronounce half of them! When I was given the opportunity to review the Sublime Beauty Skincare Sampler, I figured this would be an awesome starting point for me in my quest for better skincare.

        

  The sampler comes in this adorable little gift box that I will definitely be saving to reuse in the future. I absolutely adore when a company puts effort into their packaging, especially when it comes to HBA items. You get 9 samples of Sublime Beauty products and I’m going to give you all my thoughts and impressions on each sample; I had to look up what each item was so I’ll also give a quick overview of what the product is for.

Comfy Nest Memory Foam Bathmat

We are currently renting our house, which means I’m stuck with the not so awesome colors the owner chose for certain rooms. One of those rooms is the bathroom; it is painted a weird colored green.  It’s too light to be forest green, but too dark to be a mossy green.  It’s just a weird color okay?  This has made finding accessories for the bathroom a bit of a challenge for me.  After months I finally decided to just stick with brown and off white, because they complement the green and there was no way I was going to be able to match this shade of green.

     

     Now that you understand the struggle that is coordinating my bathroom, you may understand why I was given the opportunity to receive and review the Comfy Nest Memory Foam Bath Mat.  Seriously, I was most excited because it’s brown and matches my existed color scheme and who doesn’t like nice things? I’ve never own a memory foam bathmat, as they have always been a little out of my price range.  Unfortunately, I have now been spoiled by this bathmat and will definitely spend the extra for memory foam in the future!

USB 3.0 That is Just Genius Cord Giveaway Winner!

Winner Alert!!!

Update:  Angel has asked me if she can pay it forward and give her prize to another contestant, so Nancy Jump you are the lucky recipient of Angel's kindness.  I will be emailing you to get your contact information!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway, Angel Heaven Lee is the winner!  Please contact me via email to claim your prize!  

There will be a new giveaway starting this week as well!

Who doesn't love shiny, pretty things???

I don’t get excited about jewelry very often; it’s just not my thing.  I tend to lose jewelry more than anything else, so while I appreciated beautiful jewelry I know that I will most likely end up losing it or misplacing it. 

             
  I was recently given the opportunity to work with an amazing jeweler and the minute I saw his jewelry I jumped at the chance!  William Wang has designed a line of jewelry that is just absolutely stunning.  While I think all of his jewelry is beautiful and deserves its chance in the spotlight, today I’m going to tell you all about The Birthstone Color Pendant Necklace. I was able to choose which birthstone I wanted and I really went back and forth between mine and my daughter’s, but when I saw the Sapphire (my birthstone) I fell in love with it and had to have that one!

          

      Isn’t this necklace just gorgeous?? It’s a Swarovski Crystal set in platinum and I promise you the pictures do not do it justice.  The stone itself measure .42 inches so it’s pretty big and makes a huge impact.  I wore it to work the day I received it and receive a TON of compliments on it!

                It comes on a snake chain, which I actually prefer to link chain necklaces, so that was a big plus for me.  It also has a chain extender on it, which I really appreciated because I prefer my necklaces to hang a little lower and I don’t like them really close to my neck so this saved me from having to add one and it will fit all sizes of necks.

                 This necklace currently retails for $39.99 on Amazon and you get free shipping.  This is a fabulous price and I got my necklace within 3 days of ordering, so if you     are still on the hunt for a fabulous Mother’s Day present you still have plenty of time to order! You can purchase the           necklace here:William Wang Birthstone 

At home professional hair color use...genius or foolish??

There are people in this world that may call me a cheap skate; I prefer to think of myself as frugal. This frugalness often leads me to think that I have a *brilliant* idea on how to save money! I cannot tell you the last time I paid for a haircut, or any kind of hair care service. My sisters in law are both cosmetologists and too pity on my hair a long time ago and started cutting and coloring it for me so I wouldn't do it myself. Unfortunately we now live 3 hours away from them so I’m back to at home hair care!

 You do not realize how awful box hair color is until you switch back to it from professional hair care products. I held off for a long time, but then the evil gray hairs started attacking my head and I gave in. I went to the store got a box of hair dye and….absolutely hated it. The color was nothing like I wanted or the box told me I would get. It left my hair dull and dry and I was over it the minute it was done. I left it alone because I wasn't going to risk further damaging my hair by dying it again so soon.

 Let’s fast forward about 6 weeks or so to yesterday. I noticed the evil gray hair monster was rearing its ugly head again and I made a mental note to get some hair dye next time I went to the store. Well, at about 2 in the morning I had an epiphany! I’ve watched my sister in laws dye my hair a million times, I could totally do this. So today, I made a trip to Sally’s and I was getting me some hair dye. Thankfully my sister in law had left a lot of the needed product at my house for future visits on her last visit, so I only had to pick out color. That is not nearly as easy as it sounds. The choices, oh man. Finally I decided on a brown color with a little bit of red, and some bleach. Oh yes, I was going to be real brave and put blond highlights in my hair too. 

 So I get home and I put the base color in. It was totally easy and gave me the confidence I needed for the next step….highlights! It turns out that this looks way easier to do than it actually is. I don’t know how I managed it, but my hair doesn’t look half bad to me. When I finished my husband didn't ask me what the heck I’d done to my hair, so it can’t be too bad right??

The picture on the left is before, and the picture on the right is after. How do you think I did? I couldn’t manipulate the foils very well and I think if I could find a different way or even get better at the foils I would have even better results. I apologize for the crappy photos, I'm slowly trying to improve my photography skills and I'm learning the importance of up close shots. Have you ever tried at home hair care with professional hair dye?? How did it turn out? Any tips or tricks you can share with me?