Tartan + Twine - Holiday Product Review

This year was a very busy and exciting year for our family. Our latest edition, Christian, was born this past summer and we've been getting to know him and enjoying having a little baby in the house again. Because much of our time has gone into our kids, we tried to simplify gift giving this holiday season. I wanted to do most of my shopping online and instead of giving tons of gifts, I wanted to give less gifts but better quality. Not to mention, gifts with purpose instead of gifts that would just sit around and gather dust was a priority.

I was contacted regarding the new Tartan + Twine beauty and travel bag collection for Fall 2016. These items make great gifts for anyone who likes to stay organized. I received the Gwynn Check valet as a sample, which measures 11x2x6.75. The interior has a number of different pockets, of different sizes. You can use this item if you travel and store makeup, hair accessories and jewelry in the pockets. Or if you're like me (someone who just had a baby and is literally traveling nowhere!) you can use it in to organize some of your bathroom or jewelry items.

The prints are really cute. I personally would like something a little more simple and conservative, like the Caitlyn Grove collection, but you can go with the Gwynn Check edition which has a little bit flashier items. Prices are very affordable. The Gwynn Check valet I received retails for $25 which is pretty fair considering the amount of space you get in the valet. Smaller organizing bags go as low as $12.

For more information you can visit www.tartanandtwine.com or you can shop at your local Ulta beauty store.

Scotties - Summer Product Review

Scotties tissues got me through allergy season this past spring and they also got me through the summer when I was very pregnant and had that pesky stuffy, nasal congestion that comes along with pregnancy hormones. Now that our little bundle of joy has arrived, I pay more attention to the products we have in the house. Our new baby has very sensitive skin, and it seems everything irritates it. That's one reason I love Scotties. Their tissues are so soft and gentle on sensitive skin, I don't mind using them to wipe my son's face. The tissues don't fall apart, leave fuzz behind, or irritate the skin.




Every summer we try to make memories and adding a new member to our family is what we have all focused on this summer. My first born son is thrilled to be a big brother and loves to help with his new baby brother. I love having an infant around again; I forgot all about those tiny toes and the wonderful baby smell. It's a joy watching my husband interact with his second son. #ScottiesEverydayComfort  has made it easy to take care of our newborn and those tissues come in handy early on after you have a baby when those emotions and hormones are flowing! Don't worry, you become more normal after a few days- haha.

Scotties products are extremely affordable and you can affordably keep them in every room of the house. Their boxes come in a wide variety of different colors, styles and themes so you can tailor your tissue boxes to your current décor. They have seasonal boxes as well which are nice to include in your holiday décor throughout the year. For the summer, there are plenty of neutral themes and summer-like themes to keep on hand.

For more information on the Scotties brand you can visit their website at www.scottiesfacial.com . You can also find Scotties tissues in a variety of grocery and retail stores. If you are a fan of shopping online, you can find their products at: https://www.amazon.com/Scotties/b/ref=bl_dp_s_web_8462018011?ie=UTF8&node=8462018011&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=Scotties . With the new baby in the home I have been doing as much shopping as possible online in order to keep things simple and not have to travel out with the baby and eight year old in tow.

Glutino - July Product Review

Well our perfect little bundle of joy decided to make his arrival a bit early and on July 16th we welcomed our second son, Christian, into our family. Since then life has been nothing short of hectic and while Christian is a wonderful little baby, we have had to get back into our routines with work and our first son's activities. Easy, pre-made meals and handy snacks have kept us going through the long nights and the busy days. I recently received my July shipment of samples from Glutino and received some really great products that have been useful.

Toaster Pastries
Think Pop Tarts but better. Glutino's version is gluten free and free of gross additives like preservatives and artificial dyes. They're just as tasty and my husband and son fight over these bad boys.

Pretzels
Glutino has a ton of different gluten free pretzels and they are all delicious. One of the things I missed most when I went gluten free was pretzels because they're such a low calorie, filling snack. You can dip them in just about anything and they are easy to take on the go. The Glutino honey mustard version are awesome.

Pie Crust Mix
I like to keep a pie crust mix handy in my pantry. Usually it gets used for a chicken pot pie or with all of the fresh, homegrown fruit coming to our local markets, whipping up a quick pie is a cinch with a Glutino pie crust mix.

Sea Salt Crackers
It's really helpful to keep a basic cracker on hand that you can use plain, or with something like hummus, peanut butter or a dip of some sort. Glutino's Sea Salt Crackers have a great consistency and texture to them and they're also really tasty.

For more information on Glutino's latest products or to find out where you can buy some of their great products, you can visit www.glutino.com.

Zipzicles - Product Review

The warm weather is finally here in Buffalo and we've stocked the fridge with all of the yummy treats we need to stay cool and enjoy the summer. Unfortunately, a lot of the commonly sold products at the grocery store aren't very healthy. Freeze pops are made with no real fruit juice and are basically just sugar and artificial dyes. Non-organic ice cream has plenty of junk added to it and popsicles and ice cream bars have tons of added sugar and unnecessary chemical ingredients.

I've done plenty of searching to make sure that we still have yummy treats in the house but that they are healthier than the other options. We've managed to find organic freeze pops as well as real fruit juice ones, real fruit smoothie bars with minimally added sugar, organic ice cream and organic ice cream bars. Still, the flavor choices and options can be minimal. I recently came across Zipzicles online and am really excited to add these to our summertime snack list!

Zipzicles basically are empty ice pop sleeves that you can fill with whatever you want, zip closed and pop into your freezer. In a few hours you have your own customized freeze pops. The options for this product is endless which I love. I'm already dreaming up all the different things we can add to our Zipzicles. Fresh fruit purees can be made in your blender or food processor and you simply pour them into your Zipzicles. You can also buy real fruit / veggie juice and just pour that in the sleeves. I'm thinking about a yummy chocolate milk bar made with our favorite organic ingredients.

You can choose to reuse Zipzicles after you have enjoyed your first batch or you can just repurchase some more to avoid cleanup. This product is very affordably priced. A box of 18 Zipzicles is only $3.99. You are paying pretty much what you would pay for store bought freeze pops but this way you control what you and your family eats. Free shipping is included with all orders over $25.

Stock up your freezer this summer with healthy but refreshing treats that your kids can grab when they come in from outside and want to cool off. You can visit www.zipzicles.com for more information or to place an order.

Hard Candy Look Pro Highlight and Contour Face Duo Stick - Review

 

 

I'm no professional when it comes to applying makeup and I don't wear it all that often anymore. Mainly because during this pregnancy, my skin is about as healthy as can be. But I do like to put it on if I am going out or want to look more presentable. I usually stick to your typical foundation and powder routine but I always welcome new products into my makeup bag as long as they are simple to use. This new product from Hard Candy makes highlighting and contouring easy as can be so you can get the results you are looking for and that all the stars are utilizing.

 

Just a few quick strokes is needed and the two shades that are included in the product work perfectly for my skin tone (Ivory is my typical shade I use). There are three different color palettes you can choose from. It's also really affordable; priced at $6 and available at Walmart.

 

 

The would just recommend that you are careful with the product. The cream stick is very soft which makes it easy to use but you can very easily apply too much or break the tip. Otherwise, add one of these highlight and contour face duo sticks to your makeup bag and enjoy the results!

 

For more information you can visit www.hardcandy.com, visit your local Walmart store or shop online at Walmart.com.

 

 

 

 

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T Blasts Quad Blaster- Product Review

While my son has started to phase out Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from his current list of interests, he's still very much into Nerf guns and toys like that. He was very excited when I presented him with one of the new TMNT T Blasts' guns available through Playmates Toys. We received the Leonardo Quad Blaster gun which comes with four Leo bullets that are soft like Nerf bullets but a bit larger.

The T Blasts Quad Blaster guns are made to launch bullets quite far but they tend to be much safer than Nerf guns. For one, the bullet is fired using a pull back action from a lever on the back of the gun. There is no powerful blast of air propelling the bullet. You press the trigger to rotate the gun's bullets so you can fire off another one.



Single shooter T Blasts are also available and you can buy extra character bullets to make things more fun. My son has been using his gun quite often and it's holding up very well. Not to mention, I think the character bullets are quite cute.


You can find more information on Playmates Toys products as well as the T Blasts Quad Blaster gun and other related products by visiting www.playmatestoys.com. You can also shop for these products online and in retail stores.

Go Away Monster- Product Review

If you have a child in your home and you just have too many monsters lurking under beds or in dark hallways then this is the game to get for your next game night. Go Away Monster is a simple, yet effective game that not only gets rid of those monsters in your home but also helps teach basic shapes and cooperation skills.

The process of playing Go Away Monster requires you to reach into a bag of game pieces. You hope to pull out pieces that will fit onto your game board like a bed. There are monsters lurking in the bag though and if you pull one out you get to toss them into the monster pit for good! This game teaches kids that they can take charge of monsters and get rid of them when they want to.

Go Away Monster is appropriate for 2-4 players, ages 3 and up. You get four bedroom boards in each game box along with 8 monsters, 16 bedroom pieces, a cloth bag for your pieces and instructions. Affordably priced at $14.99, this is a really fun game that you can play with your child while still reinforcing good behavior at bedtime.

For more information on Go Away Monster or other games created by Gamewright, you can visit www.gamewright.com.