Another great site I was introduced to recently is BrandBacker. This site is a WOMM (Word of Mouth Marketing) company with some great opportunities to work with different companies with different types of compensation ranging from samples to blog promotion to payment and everything in between. There are not a whole lot of companies with sampling available to Canadians, but there are some and although you may not be accepted to each one, it's an enjoyable process and getting free stuff is always fun. I haven't been with them for long, and my blog is still a small one, so I've only completed two campaigns to date. I am waiting on samples for two others, so 2015 is already off to a promising start. The thing that sets BrandBacker apart is the fact that you have interaction with the companies you're working with. So far, I have nothing but glowing reviews. There have been some bumps, but working with the company who's brand you're representing instead of the WOMM company makes a difference - they see you as a customer and one who has the potential to bring in more customers at that. My very first campaign came from Markwins Beauty. You can find them on the web at markwinsbeauty.com, follow them on Twitter @markwins4girls, or find them on Facebook. This was my first one, and my bumpiest. I was originally accepted to a different campaign, but received the wrong samples, so Brandbacker decided to switch me to this one and suggested I contact Markwins in regards to the incorrect samples and also that this campaign comes with three samples (mascara, lipgloss, and nail polish), but I had only received the nail polish and lipgloss. They did not answer or address my issue, but it is what it is and I let it go. Although I mentioned in my blog post that a third product sample was not received and would not be reviewed, I did really enjoy the products and gave the samples I had an honest review. They have offered two campaigns since and I have not been accepted to either. Click here to read my Liquilights Glow Gloss review and here to read my review of Rock Me Nail Varnish. My second campaign is from Kiss Me Organics, who were kind enough to send me a full sized package of organic matcha green tea powder. You can find them on the web at kissmeorganics.com, follow them on Twitter @kissmeorganics, or find them on Facebook. This campaign went smoothly from beginning to end and the people at Kiss Me Organics are delightful to deal with. Read my full review of Kiss Me Organics Matcha Green Tea Powder here. I'm waiting on two samples from Hyperbiotics, and you'll see a review on those once I've tried them.
If you have a blog, I suggest you give them a try. Trying out new, exciting, and sometimes innovative products is great, but getting them for free to blog about is better! You can sign your blog up at brandbacker.com.
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2014 Has been an interesting year for me, full of highs and lows. I haven't really ranted as much as I thought I would when I first named this blog, but I didn't want personal issues to be plastered all over the internet for all to see unto the end of time. Sometimes we get over stuff and sometimes we don't, but I believe that there's no reason to make it worse than it already is (or seems in the heat of the moment) so this blog ended up being more about my recipes, interesting things I found online and of course all the free stuff I got to try out this year! So here's the lowdown on all my favorite posts so you can re-live them with me, or find a gem you haven't already read. I hope you enjoyed reading this blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Here are some of my favorites for you to enjoy: Door-to-door Sales - Gotta Love 'Em Original date of post: May 13, 2014 Bearded Dragon Love Original date of post: May 27, 2014 Driving Pet Peeve #1 Original date of post: June 03, 2014 Breeding Feeder Insects: Superworms Original date of post: June 14, 2014 Book Review: The Terror by Dan Simmons Original date of post: August 15, 2014 Little-Known Superfoods You Should Get to Know Original date of post: August 21, 2014
I Need a Pintervention! Original date of post: August 31, 2014 The Wonder of Coffee: Not Just for Drinking Original date of post: September 7, 2014 Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Original date of post: September 22, 2014 Interesting Lifehacks Original date of post: September 27, 2014 Terrible Foods to Avoid Original date of post: October 2, 2014
Funny Canadians Original date of post: November 5, 2014 Laser Eye Surgery: My (Ongoing) Journey Original date of post: November 6, 2014 Kiss Me Organics Matcha Review Original date of post: December 23, 2014 It's been an interesting year and I thank you for being a part of it! I'm looking forward to 2015 and all that it has to offer.
Happy Holidays... See you next year :) A while back I gave you the best info I had at the time regarding sites that offer product testing opportunities to Canadians in this post. There aren't that many, and even the ones that are available don't give out many opportunities, likely due to the fact that there are few of them and many of us, so it's slim pickings. The one exception to this rule is BzzAgent. Their campaigns are numerous and getting an invite is a sure thing as long as you keep your surveys up to date and you bzz about the campaigns they do give you, like you're supposed to. They have some really interesting ones: food, alcohol, books, beauty, personal care, pet food, kids toys... really the list could go on and on. Here are the Bzz campaigns I've been thrilled to be involved in - I'm sure you've heard me ranting and raving about these products here on my blog and on Instagram, Google+, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Make sure you follow me for all the latest updates and coupons when I get them! For my full review of the Pantene Pro-V Ultimate 10 campaign, please click here. For my full review of the Sawmill Creek Wines campaign, please click here. For my full review of the Clairol Nice 'N Easy campaign, please click here. For my full review of the Secret Outlast Clear Gel campaign, please click here. It's been a good year - four campaigns is not too shabby! It's nice to get free stuff, and this year thanks to BzzAgent and the good people at Pantene, Sawmill Creek, Clairol and Secret, I received shampoo, conditioner, BB creme, hair colour, deodorant, and two bottles of wine.
Here's hoping for an even better 2015! Happy New Year! So we've made it through another year and now is the time when everyone starts making resolutions they'll most likely break before the month is over. I've decided to bring everyone who reads this blog (even only once) along with me on my resolution this year. It's probably the easiest and most difficult - being a better person. Do it for yourself, your friends, family, co-workers, and random strangers. If every single person who reads one of my ideas and does it once a day, your life, and the lives of others, will be enriched. This I promise. I hope you'll join me. Check every day as I've decided to post a quick idea for you to apply to your life. Feel free to leave your own ideas in the comments section, or just let me know how it's going for you. Today's resolution is simple: Kiss someone you love every day. Pick one person, your significant other, your child(ren), your parent, your best friend... just pick one person today and kiss them every single day that you see them this year. Even if you're mad at them. It will improve your relationship - who doesn't feel better when someone gives them a kiss? Random Quote for the Day
First up for review is Kiss Me Organics, Organic Matcha Powder. What is so great about Matcha Green Tea? Well, it has four very appealing benefits when consumed on a regular basis: antioxidants, improvement of skin health, energy and metabolism booting properties. According to their website: Kiss Me Organics was kind enough to send me a package of their Organic Matcha Powder and some recipes designed to enjoy the flavor while basking in the benefits of this wonder powder. You'll get the report URL when you receive your order of Matcha! Every morning my husband and I have a warm glass of honey lemon water to kick start our day. Since we started doing that, we have found a positive difference in our digestion, so that alone is worth the price of lemons. When I received my sample pack of Organic Matcha Powder, I decided that the best way that I could make use of this was to add it to our morning drink. The first way I tried was to just stir in a 1/2 tsp into each glass manually. Even with warm water, it did not dissolve completely, but there was no chalky or gritty mouthfeel, so that wasn't really too much of an issue. The next morning I decided to put my Nutribullet to use and gave the powder and warm water a quick buzz before adding the lemon and honey. Magic! It was frothy and smooth and perfectly delicious. I'll add my recipe to the bottom of this post if you're interested in trying it for yourself. So now that I've been using the matcha each morning, have I seen any improvements? We've been making slow and steady improvements to our diet and health in our home this last year, and I believe this is going to become a fixture in our cupboard. I do have more energy and focus these days, which is much needed this time of the year, and since I have been dealing with some lethargy issues lately, I have to give the credit to Kiss Me Organics and their Matcha Green Tea Powder. Since they send a link to 10 recipes with each order, I tried the latte also (delish!) and am looking forward to baking their marble cake - healthy cake? Yes, please! I'll post here once I get around to it, possibly this weekend. So how do you get your own? So easy! Click here (Canadians) or here (my friends in the USA) or here (my friends in the UK) and get your own 4oz bag for less than $30! It may not sound like a whole lot, but you don't need to use very much to get all the awesome benefits and this bag will last the average person about 6 weeks! That is a small price to pay for increased energy, tonnes of antioxidants, healthy skin and a boost to your metabolism! Early Morning Matcha Lemon Drink Serves 2 INGREDIENTS: 1 tsp Kiss Me Organics Matcha Green Tea Powder 1 Lemon 2 Tbsp honey 1 cup hot water 1 cup cold water 2 glasses DIRECTIONS: 1. Mix Matcha into hot water, either by hand or in a small blender, dissolving completely. 2. Add 1/2 cup cold water to each glass. 3. Roll lemon around on the counter, applying pressure as you roll - this will help loosen the juice. Cut lemon in half. 4. Squeeze all the juice out of one lemon half into one glass. Repeat with other. 5. Add 1/2 cup of the matcha water to each glass and 1 tbsp honey - DO NOT add honey to pure hot water - you will kill off all the beneficial elements present in the honey. Add it to the warm water only. 6. Stir to combine and enjoy! You can also add muddled mint leaves for a little change every now and then. Product Rating: 5 smiles out of 5 Product Website: kissmeorganics.com Product Type: Green Tea Powder Would I purchase again?: yes Would I recommend?: yes All opinions expressed in this blog are my own, unbiased after testing the product. The product was offered free of charge from the good people at Kiss Me Organics with the expectation of an honest review within this blog, favorable or otherwise . Powered By
Got my newest Bzz Campaign going - Secret Clear Gel Deodorant in Ooh-La-La Lavender scent. So let me start off by telling you that I was not really that excited about this one. I have tried gel deodorants before and was always sorely disappointed. The messy application, the sticky feel, poor odor and wetness protection and my absolute favorite - flapping my arms for twenty minutes trying to get it to dry. Let's just say that 100% of the gel deodorants I have tried in the past went into the trash after only a few uses. I'm a solid kinda girl, and since they've been coming out with better deodorants that will not leave white marks, I surely thought that a solid girl I would stay. I was wrong. The first thing I did was smell it. It's always the first thing I do with everything, because scent is very important to me and if it's the least bit overpowering or 'perfumey' back on the shelf it goes. I do generally pick out the powder or lavender scents, so this one is right up my alley. The scent is soft and dreamy, like you were walking by an open window with lavender drying on the sill and a light breeze just happened to blow the right way. I would stop to inhale and enjoy. That is how I felt when I smelled this deodorant. The scent lingers, too. All day long I get a nice little hit of lavender when I move around. I can't really smell most deodorants after a few hours of wear, and for this one to be consistent really blew me away. It wasn't really strong in the morning, okay in the afternoon and practically gone in the evening - it stayed the same all through the day well past bedtime! Just a click or two is definitely enough to get you through the day. And it dries fast! The first time I applied it I resigned myself to the flapping and the waiting, but then I realized that while I had switched over to the other underarm, the first was already dry! Not even sticky or tacky, dry and ready to go. Impressive. The other thing I was really taken aback by was the fact that it actually works! I really felt drier and fresher all day, and as I mentioned before, it really outdoes itself on the whole longevity thing. I still felt fresh while I was crawling into bed, a full 15 hours after I put it on. Product Rating: 5 smiles out of 5 Product Website: www.secret.com Product Type: deodorant Would I purchase?: yes Would I recommend?: yes Clear Gel deodorant was sent free by the good people at BzzAgent and Secret. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own, unbiased after testing the product. The product was offered free of charge with the expectation of an honest review within this blog, favorable or otherwise
Back in late October I received my Clairol Nice 'N Easy BzzKit. Since I wanted to enjoy my pink hair for a little while longer, I decided to wait until there were about three weeks left in the campaign before I used the colour. I did actually colour my hair Natural Mahogany Black quite some time ago, but since the battery in my notebook died, I haven't gotten around to reviewing it here. Now that I am up and running again, I present my thoughts and observations while I shifted a shade... or three! Let's start at the beginning. According to their website: I received the #2BG/126 Natural Mahogany Black shade (we did have a choice, they didn't just send whatever they felt like) and I prefer to go bold when I colour. Here are my package contents: Colour blend formula Colour blend activator Instructions One pair of gloves CC Colorseal conditioner I do have to gripe about the gloves. I would gladly pay a few extra cents for a decent pair of gloves in the box. Unfortunately, this is far from unusual. I usually just use my own latex gloves - they fit better, don't tear and offer better use of my fingers. Seriously, how much would it actually cost a huge company to put better gloves in the box? I bought a box of 50 pairs of latex for $5. I understand that some people are allergic to latex and can't use them, but maybe rubber or something? Look into it, Clairol, please. The colour was surprisingly easy to mix and use. I had no issues with waste, mess or spills. The odor is not unpleasant at first, but does get progressively worse. However, it is not as bad as some, quite manageable in a well-ventilated room. I have to say that the formula itself is a little too watery. I had some serious issues with it dripping down my face. The last thing you want to see when you're applying black hair dye is drips on your face! It did come off easily with a wet towel, so that disaster was averted. When I was ready to rinse it out, there was a lot along the hairline that I did not see, but even after being on my skin for 45 minutes, it easily washed off while I was rinsing the product out of my hair in the shower. That is a definite plus. As you can see, there is not a whole lot of mess to clean up when you're done. Excellent. I did get a little splash on my counter and actually did not notice it until about a half hour later. Good news, though, it did come off. I would not recommend tempting the gods because I did not catch all of it at that time, and the splatter that I found an hour later kinda came off, but not really. I stink at selfies, but here are some 'before' pictures, so you can see what kind of a mountain Clairol Nice 'N Easy had to scale with my hair. First, lots of grey. I told everyone who would listen that I was going for the Bride of Frankenstein look. Then there was the pink and the blonde. Plus the length. I have pretty long hair. So did this one box of hair colour solve all my hair woes? Well, picture number one shows you that the grey coverage was pretty darn good. I have a few stragglers, but since I am no expert, I'm going to guess that I missed those. Photo number two shows just how pretty those mahogany tones really are. The third one shows the length - and coverage. I'd also like to point out that this shade really is very natural looking, not at all stark and shocking the way black dye usually is. Overall, I'd like to point out that this one box did ALL my hair, which is quite impressive. It also covered all the different colours in my hair and now looks like one consistent shade. I have to admit that I was not expecting that. I was pleasantly surprised. Finally, just to let you know, the colour rinsed out easily and hair loss was normal - not too crazy. The CC colourseal conditioner smells amazing, a little like almonds, and they give you a really generous amount. I used it three times before I ran out. My hair feels soft and looks shiny and healthy and natural. Product Rating: 4.5 smiles out of 5 Product Website: www.clairol.com Product Type: hair care Would I purchase?: yes Would I recommend?: yes Nice 'N Easy hair colour with Colorblend Technology were sent free by the good people at BzzAgent and Clairol. All opinions expressed in this blog are my own, unbiased after testing the product. The product was offered free of charge with the expectation of an honest review within this blog, favorable or otherwise
My laptop battery died suddenly two weeks ago. I have never felt so empty! It's amazing how much I take this pretty little notebook for granted. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot you can do nowadays with tablets and such, but there is so much more I can do with this baby right here! Hopefully you noticed that I haven't been posting any new blog entries. I say hopefully because it would really suck if I was just posting these every day and no one actually looked at them! Although Weebly does have an app, it's not very user-friendly and it was waaay too much effort to try to do a post. Plus I keep all my info, searches and pics on my laptop, so there's that issue also. Anyhow, it really, really sucked that I had to wait two weeks, checking the mailbox every day (sometimes twice a day) for the battery, but that is what happened and now I have so many posts it's not even funny. I'm hoping not to overwhelm, but I have received a lot of items to review and it is only fair that they receive their time in in the pages of my blog. So brace yourselves... I have a lot to say in the next coming days! |
AuthorHi! I'm Sonja and I'm glad you're here! I'm happy to share some recipes and gardening tips with you while I let you know about great (or not so great) products, services, and media I encounter. Visit my online shop at MysteriousDragonfyre.com
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