BzzAgent Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge Review

As a BzzAgent I was asked to try out and review the entire line of Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge hair products. 

 

I received the shampoo, conditioner and the 1-minute treatment to try and I have to admit that at first I wasn't wowed at the idea of using the line since I finally found what I think is my holy grail shampoo. So the first time I used all the products I wanted to see how well it would do with a ton of products in my hair, a combination of hairspray and dry shampoo, plus it was really tangled. Well after using all three products for just one time I noticed a huge difference, hair went from being product filled, tangled and frizzy to smooth and silky. I was able to run a comb through my hair and not worry about having to fight through the knots that I normally do.

One other thing I wanted to point out about these products is that they smell so good it is definitely a plus factor for me. Now the shampoo has these little mirco-beads that are supposed to burst on impact and provided extra moisture but I am not to sure how well they really work because sometimes I can feel them while I am working the shampoo in but I assume they burst because when I rinse my hair I don't notice any being left behind. This was a big deal for me since I have tried another brand of shampoo that had micro-beads but they didn't burst and I would find them in my hair even after it was dry. 

The conditioner and the 1-minute treatment is what I think  really gave my hair the hydration it has needed to help it recover from the dry winter air. As well as contributing to getting rid of my tangles. Now I have noticed that my hair does seem nice a silky feeling for a couple of days but any longer and I need to use a leave-in conditioner if I want to stretch it out for a third day.

The price and availability on these products is good since they can be purchased in many drug stores. 

My overall opinion is that these products seem to be working for me right now but I don't think I will be buying anymore for a while since I still have quite a few full size bottles of other brands to work through first. Once those are gone I will more than likely be picking these up at the store. 

Julep March Secret Store Haul

Revive and Moisturize Survival Set
Retail Value:  $78 on sale $16.99

Julep Facial for Hands Glycolic Hand Scrub (3 oz.): $32
Julep Glow On Age Defying Hand Brightener (3 oz.): $32
Bonus Gift: Kylie - It Girl: $14

Pamper Yourself Beauty Lover Set
Retail Value: $76 on Sale: $21.99

Bonus Gift - Julep Boho Glam Lengthening Mascara: $24
Julep Topcoat For Hair: $16
Poppy Lip Gloss: $18
Julep's Exclusive Make-up Bag: $18

Sofia

Sofia- $14






The first set that I got I already had both the hand scrub and the lotion but since I keep the lotion next to my computer I figured I should pick up an extra of both. The polish really is a bonus since I had wanted it ever since I became a Maven but I joined the month that it was released and it has been out of stock for almost an entire year.

Kylie

The second set that I picked up had two items that are on my wishlist, the makeup bag and the lip gloss. I mentioned in a previous post that I only had one more of Julep's lip glosses to get before I had the whole set. The makeup bag will be the perfect size for my trip to Paris this month, it even has a couple of slots to keep polishes in. The mascara is my go to mascara and this will be my third tube of it. The last item in the set is the Topcoat for hair which is something I haven't used before but it sounds interesting so I will give it a try.

Lip Gloss in Poppy

Boho Glam Mascara

Topcoat For Hair

Makeup Bag

Inside of make up bag

The last item I picked up wasn't apart of the secret store but since I had the free voucher for a nail polish I figured I should include it in this order. Sofia is a glitter top coat that glows in the dark. I already have a polish similar but it is all goopy and smells horrible, so if this turns out to be almost identical I plan on tossing out my old one for a Julep's 4-Free polish. Sofia was originally introduced last March then it was brought back for Halloween where it was revealed to glow in the dark.

In all I spent roughly $15 out of pocket because I used up what was left on my Julep Gift Card and the free voucher for Sofia. For $15 I managed to get a lot of products and add 2 new polishes to my collection which is great.

BzzAgent Schick Hydro Campaign

As a BzzAgent I was given the opportunity to tryout the Schick Hydro Silk Razor for free. The first thing I noticed was that the handle wasn't bulky like other razors that I have tried and the handle is very comfortable to use. The next thing that I noticed is that the razor has an oval shaped cartridge which is good for getting behind my knees. The number one thing that stood out to
me was the moisturizing strip, it is on both sides of the blades so it will moisturize the skin before the blades contact the skin as well as after.

Now after using this razor for over a month I love how my legs feel after shaving, the moisturizing serum really helps in keeping my legs from drying out. I haven't need to use shaving cream while using this razor and I haven't experienced any issues with the razor pulling or tugging at my skin. Normally when I use a new razor/cartridge for the first time I always end up with a a few cuts here and there as well as some razor burn but I didn't get either from this razor. The claims that the Moisturizing Serum hydrates skin for up to 2 hours seems to hold true, usually I get really dry skin after shaving and I need to use lotion but since using this the Hydro Silk I haven't needed to.

My final decision on the razor is that it is amazing and it has provided the best shave I have every gotten before.

Awesome Zoya Sale

 

I finally caved and placed only my second order with Zoya after seeing this sale. I ended up ordering 9 polishes, 6 of which make up the Gem and Jewels collection I have been drooling over for about a year. I was disappointed that the one color that I really wanted wasn't available. The only issue I had with ordering was that I had to have my order shipped to my mom because there wasn't an option to for AE (Armed Forces Europe) in the state portion of the form. I have found this to be an increasing issue with companies I would love to order from but now I don't. 

Since I just can't wait to get these (I estimate I'll wait 6 months before my mom ships them to me) I might as well show some stock photos of the polishes. 

I ordered two top coats from the Fleck Effect Holographic Nail Polish Glaze Collection (Spring 2012), I wanted to get Chloe as well but it wasn't available anymore. 

Maisie

Opal

 

 From the Glamsicle collection (Originally released in 2005)

LA Pop

Zoya Gems & Jewels Holiday Nail Polish Collection (Holiday 2011)
Now with these I ordered all 6 because I figured I might as well get two Dream Boxes to go with them, and who knows when they might discontinue some of the colors.

Dream Boxes (I ordered 2) 

Rina

Holly

Kissy

Izzy

Twila

Noel

 

The total damage done $48. 

Since my order came to over $30 I was able to get free shipping plus a free 2 oz. bottle of Zoya's nail polish remover. Overall I don't think I needed these at all but I couldn't pass up a great deal. Since my favorite polishes tend to be by Julep I may only place an order once a year with Zoya, only if they come out with another great deal and a great polish collection.

Julep Maven December 2012

Box # 3 what is in it?

In December I opted to get the whole Holiday Wardrobe upgrade as well and the Glitter and Glow polish set but what I go in the mail was a complete surprise since instead of the two boxes I was expecting I got three. So what was in the third box read below the break to find out.

BzzAgent Glade Expressions Review

So today I wanted to write about the latest BzzAgent Campaign that I have been able to take part in. Once again as a BzzAgent I was asked to try out products and give my real honest review on them. I wanted to make sure to try the majority of the products before writing my review. When I recieved my BzzKit it included a booklet of coupons for $2.00 of the fragrance mist and $4.00 off the oil diffuser, as well as a coupon for a free mist and diffuser. So quickly I went out and purchased all three diffusers, and 3 of the sprays. I was able to locate everything but one of the sprays at Target. It took me a while to try out the diffusers because I was preparing to move so I tried out the sprays to test the scents at first.


First up will be the Fuji Apple and Cardamon Spice: I was hoping that this would smell different than most other apple and spice scented products, I was let down because it smelled just like apples and cinnamon. I did enjoy that the scent was nice and strong so that I didn't have to use much to make my whole house smell wonderful. Using this particular scent it help get me in the right mood for fall.

Next is the Pineapple and Mangosteen: it is a very fruity and smells very good. I didn't use this scent as much because it smelled so strong of pineapples and it just doesn't fit in to my home as well as the others.

Lastly is Cotton and Italian Mandarin: This is my favorite scent by far in the mists because it smells like fresh laundry. The only downside is that this scent doesn't seem to last as long as the others. I just love how fresh this makes everything smell and I found I was reaching for this one the most out of all of them.

Now on to the diffusers! I purchased all three scents in starter kits so that I could have one for each main room in the house. I also did this so that I could have a wood grain diffuser for the kitchen area of the house. I am just now trying out the diffuser because I didn't want to start using it and have to throw out the the oil during the move.

Now that I have moved I pulled out my diffusers and then had the hard choice of which one to choose. I finally settled on the Fuji Apple and Cardamon Spice and at first the scent was much like the fragrance mist but after a week it seems to have mellowed down to a sweet apple scent with just a little hint of cardamon. I definitely prefer this scent as a diffuser than in the mist.One thing I do live about the diffuser is it doesn't require heating and it seems to be spill proof. I do love the look and I have had many complements on it so far.

NowI have run into one issue while trying to locate refills here in Germany, they only seem to have the lavender refill for the diffuser. I was disappointed that I still haven't been able to locate the lavender mist but I am happy that I have found the Cotton and Italian Mandarin as well as the Pineapple and Mangosteen mists.

Overall I think I will continue to use the fragrance mists and the diffusers and I hope to see Glade come out with some different scents for these products in the near future.

BzzAgent Unreal Candy Review

As a BzzAgent I had the oppurtunity to try out a new brand of candy called Unreal. As a BzzAgent they provided me coupons to try out the candy for free, I actually wanted to try all the types of candy from this company before I gave my review on it so I purchased the others with my own money. When I finally got around to trying out all 5 different types of Unreal candy, I had great expectations for the candy because my family has been trying to eat healthier and avoid artificial ingredients. Now the flavors aren't going to be exactly the same as the big name brands but at least I could read the ingredient label without having to look up ingredients I didn't know.

First up is Unreal 54, they are the healthier equivalent to peanut M&M's and in my opinion they taste better than peanut M&M's. The colors are amazing jewel tones that come from natural sources. I definitely got a pure chocolate and peanut flavor, and the flavor even pleased my picky husband.












Next up is Unreal 41, they are the equivalent to regular M&M's. I am not a fan of regular M&M's so I wasn't sure if I would like Unreal's version. It turns out that Unreal 41 were not my cup of tea either. The flavor is pure chocolate but it isn't the same flavor as "normal" milk chocolate that most people are used to. My husband tried them and said that they had an after taste that he didn't care for.










Now Unreal 5 was a complete miss for me. It is the equivalent to a Milky Way and there is hardly a comparison between the two. The caramel wasn't as smooth as regular caramel, even compared to my own homemade the taste and texture was off to me. The nougat wasn't as flavorful as a Milky Way.

Unreal 8 was another miss for me. It's equivalent is Snickers and once again it didn't measure up. The only difference between Unreal 5 and Unreal 8 is the addition of the peanuts. I expected more peanuts but I didn't really get much, and I still had all the same issue with Unreal 8 as I did for Unreal 5.











Last but not least is Unreal 77! By far this is my favorite that I tried, since Reese's have fallen out of favor with me I am glad I enjoyed this one. First off I liked that the peanut butter cups do not have the paper cup on the outside. When I bit into the candy the peanut butter filling is smoother than Reese's. The filling didn't taste like it had all the fillers that Reese's has, as well as it wasn't as sweet. One surprising thing that I noticed was that the Unreal logo is on the bottom of each peanut butter cup. Now the flavor was just pure chocolate and smooth peanut butter and I was sold on this one.

Overall the I love the concept of Unreal and I would love to see them make more varieties. But remember you won't know if you like it until you try it! They are currently being sold in Walgreen's and CVS stores across the country, I have even found them in my local Micheal's.

*I was not paid for my review, I was compensated with coupons to try the product free or at a discounted price.

L'Occitane Haul

So I finally got around to finding a local L'Occitane store here in Texas and went crazy, well as much as I could let myself. Just before I went and I sold a bunch of books and that left me with some spending money (this made my husband very, very happy.) So what all did I get?

Miss Jessie's Free Samples

Miss Jessie's Free Samples

 So I found out recently about a company called Miss Jessie's and they specialize in products for curly hair (which I don't have.) I didn't think any of the products would suit me but I figured that I could at least look. After reading through the descriptions I settled on three (even though I only wanted two.) I chose two moisturizers because the ends of my hair are really dry and I chose the styler because it says it adds shine and luster which I could use too.

Here are the products that caught my eye and what the website says they do:

Revlon Lip Butter Review

Revlon Lip Butter Peach Parfait

Free Zoya Polish

So yesterday I was a bit bummed that I didn't have any red polish and today I managed to get one and for free! Zoya is having a promo for the 4th of July and you can now get their polish America for free. Just spend $10 in the Zoya.com shop and then enter FREEDOM2 during check out, The Color America will be added to your cart for free. Free polish + free shipping equals a happy girl!

  HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!

Everyday Minerals Haul Part 1

Everyday Minerals Haul #1

I finally broke down and ordered some full size product from Everyday Minerals and I couldn't have chosen a better time. They were running a promo where if you spent $21 you got 4 free travel eyeshadows, I loved my package so much that I placed another order with them and got 4 more shadows. I do have to make a note that I received my order the next day (jumps up and down) partly due to the fact that they are an Austin, TX based company and I live in San Antonio, TX.

Target Summer Beauty Bag

Target Summer Beauty Bag

So I managed to snag one of these free Target beauty bags and I am so happy I did. Here is what it came with:

Julep Maven June Box Update

I just got my free polish from Julep in the mail today and they included a sample of another one of their products.

After combing through all of Julep's colors I chose Megan a nice aquamarine with some shimmer to it. They also included a sample of The Best Pedi Creme Ever! I almost bought a new subscription just for this product alone but stopped myself since I already have half a dozen foot creams from other companies. 

Updated list of June box items and values: