Smooth Viking Beard Conditioner

Hey ya'll!
Long time no blog post! I've been a busy busy bee around here!

So this week I was able to test out a beard conditioner. Well I didn't use it on myself because I'm a non-bearded and all... but my husband has a full on viking beard so I used it on him.

This stuff smells great. It smells manly and comes in a nice little burlap bag so it would make a great gift.

When using it, you don't need much. The directions say to scrape a little up with the back of your nail and massage into your beard. Then repeat as necessary. Easy to use, and fairly quick results! After using a few times, my husband's beard felt softer and smoother.

The beard conditioner has all-natural ingredients which is great as well!

You can find it at http://smoothviking.com. They also have lots of other cool products for the beard aficionado.

♥ Caitlyn
#SmoothViking

* I received this product for free to review but these opinons are my own.

Best Teacher Ever Mug

Hey Ya'll!

So I'm on my second mug of the day when it comes to reviews and this one is just as cute as the last! It's the "Best Teacher Ever" mug! I got it on Amazon here.

It has a cute little apple as the period!! I'm in love.

So anyway this mug has the words on both sides so if you can totally see that you're the best teacher ever all the time, in case you didn't know it already. Such a great reminder!

This mug comes in a cute little box wrapped in tissue paper, perfect for a gift.

♥ Caitlyn

*I got this product for free to review it but these opinions are my own.

Best Boss Ever Mug

Hey Ya'll!

Today I'm reviewing this cute Best Boss Ever mug! I got it on Amazon here.

The words "Best Boss Ever" are printed on both sides so your boss knows they're the best whether they hold the cup with the left hand or right! It's made a really thick glass and it comes in a nice little gift box wrapped in tissue paper.

This would make a great gift!

♥ Caitlyn

I received this product for free to review it but these opinions are my own.

Arabica Coffee Scrub

If you like the smell of coffee, love shower scrubs, and want your skin to feel soft, this is the perfect product for you!

Now I sound like an infomercial, ha! But seriously, this stuff smells great. I'm a coffee buff. I love the way to tastes, smells, wakes me up in the morning... this Arabica coffee scrub makes my skin feel so so soft and it smells like I'm drinking a cup of coffee while I'm at it. Since I can't drink coffee in the shower, this is the next best thing!

So I've used this in the shower several times now and I can honestly say that it does not leave my pores clogged or give me any type of funky sensitivity rash. I feel exfoliated after getting out the shower, and it leaves a very very light layer of oil on my skin that keeps my skin feeling soft all day. I've tried other scrubs and the one thing I don't like about them is that they make me feel greasy. Sometimes I even have to follow up using a scrub with my regular shower gel so I can wash some of that oil off of my skin. This scrub is not like that. The layer of oils it leaves is light and absorbs quickly. 

So if you're interested in checking out this product (which I think you should do), you can find it here.

♥ Caitlyn 

*I received this product for free to review it but these opinions are my own. 

pH Test Strips

I received a set of pH Test Strips for free to review!

These test strips can be used to test the pH in water, saliva, or urine. They're easy to use and easy to read. The results are quick and all you have to do is hold the test strip up to the side of the package and match the colors to figure out the pH.

A great pH is right at 7- perfectly balanced. I tested my saliva a few days in a row and got a 7.5 pH reading each time so I'm pretty close to where I need to be. To test my saliva I needed to wait awhile after eating and then I was supposed to spit on a spoon and then dip the test strip into the saliva. I didn't ever test my urine because it just weirds me out, but if you're into that sort of thing, go for it!;)

If you're interested in purchasing these, they can be found on Amazon here.

♥ Caitlyn

Exercise Ball

Hey friends! Today I'm reviewing an exercise ball! I ordered it on Amazon here.

I was pretty impressed with this ball. It's a super thick and heavy duty pvc and is slip resistant as well. It can hold up to TWO THOUSAND pounds (whoa!) and it came with it's own pump.

It's also a pretty blue!

I was really ready to try this ball out because I'm in my second semester of pregnancy with my third kiddo and my hips have been killing me. I can't sleep at night, I can't get comfortable during the day, it's just a real buzzkill. I wanted to do some exercises on this ball that would help stretch my hips out and relieve some of that pain. Really all I have to do is sit on this thing and bounce and I felt immediate relief. I have also used some exercises courtesy of Pinterest ;)

My husband also likes this ball. He is a fidgeter. He can't sit still so he's always tapping his foot or strumming his fingers on something. At night he can come home and sit on this ball and bounce around while we play with our kids or watch tv. It helps him relieve some of that energy so he can relax. I have to fight him over this exercise ball because he's taken it over!

My rating: 5/5
Pros: Thick pvc material and very sturdy. It's held up to two weeks of use from us so far and it doesn't look to be slowing down or even losing air!
Cons: The pump started to let air back out of the ball after it got about 75% aired up. It wasn't too bad once I kept pumping but if I stopped I could hear the air leaking back out.

♥ Caitlyn

* I received this product for free or at a discount so I could review it but these opinions are my own.

Glass Bottles

Hey guys!

Today I'm reviewing some no-leak glass bottles.

I ordered these for a reason. My brother has some serious allergy issues (including gluten and dairy), and he's been having a really rough time health-wise. He's been sick for a long time, and now that he finally knows what's going on, his doctor has him on a strict diet. She also said that he can't drink from plastic water bottles anymore.

Glass water bottles are often hard to find, especially when you live in a small town like I do. They're usually not very cheap, either, so buying a bunch of glass bottles can be pricey. When I had the opportunity to review these, I jumped on it!

My first thoughts upon pulling them out of the box:

1. They're heavy! They're really thick glass so I'm not worried about accidentally breaking them unless I drop them on the concrete. 

2. The lids fit great. No leaks!

3. They're marked with ounces, so you know how much you're drinking. 

4. They're clear, so you can see what's inside, unlike aluminum bottles. 

They also came with a note that has info on all the benefits of using glass bottles. 

When I gave these to my brother he was super excited. I haven't heard anything from him since I just gave them to him last night, but I tried them out beforehand and they wash well and I would definitely have to recommend these.

♥ Caitlyn

*I received these bottles at a heavy discount so that I could review them but these opinions are my own.

Sumpri Sphere and Cube Ice Molds

So this past weekend I tried out some Sumpri Sphere and Cube Ice Molds!

What's nice about these molds is that they come as a set, so you can make sphere and cube ice at the same time. The cubes are HUGE, easily twice as big as a regular sized ice cube. The spheres are also large as well. The cube molds were just a silicone tray with large square openings, which is pretty standard for an ice cube tray so using it was simple. What makes it great is the size, so you could easily make ice infused with fruits or herbs. 

The spheres were a little harder to use. The top of the mold sits down into the bottom half, and has little holes in it so you can fill up the spheres with water. The holes are not very big so they're pretty hard to fill. The top of the mold also has a tall rim around the outside so water tends to sit on top of the mold. If you try to drain it, the water on the inside of the mold drains out also, so when you use the mold you just need to leave that top part covered in water and knock it off after the spheres are frozen. We ended up having to fill the spheres up more after they were initially frozen because they were not all the way filled and we ended up with half-spheres. 

The frozen spheres and the top layer of ice. 

After freezing, you need to pop off that top layer of ice and pull the spheres out. This part wasn't too difficult but I was afraid I was going to break the spheres, ha. I didn't though! We used these at a football party for mixed drinks and everyone was impressed. My husband was super excited to use this mold which surprised me! 

My rating- 5/5
Pros- Silicone is easy to clean and super sturdy. Huge cube tray, and the spheres were large as well. They look great when they're done!
Cons- A little hard to fill, the top rim made the top fill up with water which was confusing to us (ha) but I don't know how else you would be able to make sphere molds without doing this. 

If you're interested in purchasing some of these, you can find them on Amazon here.

♥ Caitlyn 

*I received this product for free to review but these opinions are my own. 

Valentia Exfoliating Scrub for Men

Hey ya'll!

It's been a wild week here on the farm. We just got a new load of cattle and my husband has been running around like a crazy man... he is definitely in need of some pampering.

Lucky for him, I was able to review some Valentia Exfoliating Scrub for Men. I received this product for free so I could give my unbiased and honest review... and let me tell you, he loved it!

First things first... the scrub iteself comes in a little plastic container, which is nice. I like that it has a wide open lid so you can get it out with your fingers and not a plastic pump.

So when it came in, I opened the box and put it in the shower. When my husband got home I told him to try it out and let me know what he thought about it.

As you may know, my husband is a farmer. He gets dirty, he has dry skin from being outside all day... I have been trying to get him to exfoliate for years. He uses my exfoliating scrub every so often but he doesn't like the way it smells. He doesn't want to smell like a cucumber melon or a vanilla bean.. he's a FARMER and needs something MANLY. This stuff smells exactly like that. It smells GREAT. After his shower I just wanted to snuggle up next to him he smelt so good. He also liked the grittiness of the scrub. It has lots of grit in it, not just little pieces here and there. He used it on his face but he also used it on his shoulders and arms and was surprised at how smooth it made his skin feel.

I give this scrub a 5/5. It smells great, comes in a nice wide-mouth container, and really exfoliates well. My husband loves it and I'm glad he's not a scaly lizard man anymore.

If you're interested in this product you can get it here-- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014PJC5O0

♥ Caitlyn

#ValentiaExfoliatingScrubForMen

Tazo Chai!

Hey ya'll!

I recently got a super fun package from Tazo Chai and Smiley 360! The #SweetMeetsSpicy mission came with a few tea bags, an informational packet, and 3 free coupons for a Tazo Chai product.

 Here's what I got with my free coupon! A chocolate latte concentrate!

Here's the supplies for my mission with Tazo Chai.

The verdict: I didn't really like it that much. I didn't really like the spiciness. I wish I did.

I did share the coupons with friends and I've heard from one of them and she really enjoyed it. She got the vanilla caramel tea bags. This is what she said: "I bought the Tazo Chai vanilla caramel tea bags at Tom Thumb. It is really good! Almost sweet even without adding sugar, you can definitively taste the caramel in it. I did end up adding sugar to it also."

You can find Tazo Chai at Wal-Mart, Safeway, Target, Publix, Wegman's, and Kroger!

♥ Caitlyn

I received this product for free so I could review it.

Asian Snack Box

Today I tried out an Asian Snack Box!

I'm a foodie if you didn't already know. I love making food, eating food, trying new foods, etc. When I got an opportunity to try out this Asian Snack Box I was like "Um, yeah!"

So let me be honest here. I've tried a few Asian snacks from World Market and I either can't figure out what's in it, or it just doesn't taste good to me. 25 years of American food has my taste buds trained I guess. :)

This snack box came from Amazon. I ordered it exactly 11 days ago, so if you're wanting to order one be aware that it takes a while for it to come in. I also used my free prime 2-day shipping so I'm not sure why it took that long. It didn't ship until yesterday so I guess it just takes that long to get it packed? IDK.

It comes with 20 different random snacks, and according to the other reviews on Amazon, it's just a luck of the draw. A few reviews said their 20 snacks were mostly little pieces of candy and not actual snacks, but mine were better than that. I only had a few pieces of candy. The snacks came in a cardboard box with a nice little card inside.

I haven't tried everything yet, but I have tried a few things. The Pepero were biscuit sticks with chocolate and almonds on them (delicious), the little ice cream was a marshmallow (my 3 yr old ate it before I got a chance to try it ha), the round thing in the white wrapper was not my favorite (read: ick) and was some type of flaky wafer thing with a weird fig/prune/coffee filling, and the tiny blue and white thing on the bottom right was just labeled as "milk." It was like a white chocolate nerd thing. It was good!

In this picture all we've tried was the little thing in the clear package. It was like a steamed bun!

In this picture we've tried the pineapple one (cookie with pineapple filling), and the apple fruit chew (my husband loved this!).

Overall, the snacks we got were pretty good and I'm not sure if they chose things they knew Americans would like, but some of those things were so tasty my husband wants me to find more of them on Amazon!

My rating: 4/5
I took 1 point off for shipping, and it's regular price of $25 seems pretty pricey to me when I feel like most of this stuff is $0.50 at some gas station somewhere in Asia.
It was a fun little treat though, so I enjoyed tasting what I've tried so far!

♥ Caitlyn

*I received this product at a discount so I could review it. If you're interested in checking it out, you can find it here.

Pampers VoxBox!

Hey guys! So a little while ago I got a new VoxBox from Influenster, and this one was courtesy of Pampers!

Pampers has revamped their cruisers diapers to have three channels that store away the wetness. These three channels keep the diapers from sagging (yuck) and also keep their supreme leak protection (yay!).

Here's my VoxBox!

I received 3 Pampers Cruisers and used them on my youngest daughter, who is now 9 months. Normally I just use Luv's or I might even grab a big pack of the store brand diapers at Sam's because they're super cheap and you get a lot of them at one time. However, after using the Pampers Cruisers I really did like them! 

One of the reasons I never used Pampers before was because they just didn't work well with my first-born. She had leaks galore, but sometimes different diapers just work for different kids. What worked for her (Luvs) just isn't working for my youngest. She has bad leaks with both Luvs and the Sam's brand, and was peeing through diapers every. single. night. which was making me wash crib sheets like crazy. As if I needed more laundry!

These new cruisers have worked so so so much better, and I'm not just sayin' that because I got these for free. I have a much happier baby now who sleeps better at night and doesn't wake me up at 5 in the morning with soaked sheets. Pampers made a believer out of me. 

Pros: No sag! These channels really do work. Diaper sags are gross, and if you're getting the cheap diapers they sag before they even get wet. No thanks. My kids have super sensitive skin. Like super super sensitive. The Pampers have not given her a rash, so that's a plus for sure. Don't leak! No more poop stained onesies (gross I know, but this is a parenting blog I mean what did you expect?!?).

Cons: Kind pricey. But hey, do you want to spend a little more dough to wash less laundry? I do. 

*I got these for free from Pampers and Influenster so that I could review them, the above opinions are my own. 

Check out the hashtag on instagram and twitter: #SagToSwag

♥ Caitlyn 

FSL Patriot Electric Earmuff

Hey ya'll!

I was sent a FSL Patriot Electric Earmuff for free so I could review it. These earmuffs are used for hearing protection when you're out hunting or just otherwise shooting guns.

The ones I normally wear are not electric, so I can't always hear what everyone is saying. That means that I have to constantly take them off and put them back on, which is honestly a hassle. These have a small microphone on the side and a volume control so you can hear without hurting your ears.

These came in a dark hunter green color, so you can wear them out and not give yourself away. They have a steel headband that is easily adjustable. They fit both myself and my husband, who has a huge head. They use two AA batteries, and I have not had to replace them yet. The listing on Amazon says that you can use the same batteries for up to 30 continuous hours. That's a lot of hunting, you guys.

I have used them while shooting at targets, but my husband recently took them out when he went dove hunting on opening day. He liked them as well because he could hear if the person sitting a ways down from him on either side shouted that they were getting up to find a bird.

My rating: 5/5
Pros: Lightweight, electronic comes in handy, they are really adjustable (from smaller sizes to pretty large), they have a 3 year warranty according to their Amazon listing as well!
Cons: None

If you're interested in checking these out, you can find them on Amazon here.

♥ Caitlyn

Mail Call!!

Well honestly my mail has been pretty light the last couple of weeks. Things here and there, but not a lot at one time like I had been getting a few weeks ago. I've also started college back (last semester!) so I haven't been filling out quite as many sample forms.

Since the mail has been so light, I thought I would just save what I've gotten over the past few weeks and do one post. This week I also got a CrowdTap package, a Bzzkit, and an Influenster box, so I'm posting those as well!

Things that are still available:
Allegra Sample
Micellar Water by Simple Skincare
FREE 4 Pack of Boost 100 Calorie Drink
Bragg Sample Pack, including 3 samples

Things that are no longer available:
Philosophy Miracle Worker Cream

My CrowdTap Package!

I'm pretty excited about this Crowdkit! I love coffee, so these are something that I could probably use daily, and they sent me tons of them! I got three each of caramel, mocha, vanilla, and hazelnut. I'm going to give most of them to friends so they can try them and tell me what they think! These Folgers Flavors are easy to use, you just put them in your coffee like any other coffee flavorings or syrups. I haven't tried them yet! 

*I received this product for free so I could review it!

My BzzKit Package!

This one is good for my family too because we all suffer from seasonal allergies. This is Claritin for KIDS! I didn't even know they made such a thing.... and all those papers? Those are coupons to give to my friends! 

*I received this product for free so I could review it!

My Influenster Box!

This is my SECOND Influenster box. The first was called the "I DO" box and it contained all kinds of stuff that I could use to go to a wedding. My bestie is getting married in October so it will really come in handy. This one is from Pampers! It contains 3 size 4 pampers diapers. They're a new style, they have 3 chambers to hold wetness instead of just one, so their diapers won't sag. They're cute hashtag is #SagToSwag! My littlest one has been wearing Luvs, but they really haven't been working well. We went on a last minute trip to Missouri for a funeral and stayed overnight in a hotel. On the 8 hour drive there she had 3 blowouts, 1 on the way to the hotel after dinner, and 1 more on the way home. They were so bad that I had to wash her carseat cover in the sink of our hotel room using the soap the hotel had provided. Yes. THAT bad. To make matters worse, we picked a hotel that didn't have a coin laundry, like every other hotel in the world. I digress!

Anyway, I just bought a huge box of these before I got my box in the mail, so I guess we'll see how they work ha!

*I received this product for free so I could review it.

Looking forward to trying all this stuff out! I LOVE new things!

♥ Caitlyn

Teenie Toe Separators

Hey ya'll!!

Today I'm reviewing a set of Teenie Toe Separators. I received these for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

These cute little toe separators are made for smaller children. The work better than using the big ones that are made for adults because they slide off, they're too big, etc. These are way smaller than those.

They come in a pack of 12, and they're pink. They're shaped like a foot until you pull them apart, then they are ready to be used as toe separators!

I used these on my (almost) three year old. She thought they were fun and tried to play with ALL of them and I walked into the living room to find them all separated. ALL TWELVE PAIRS. That's okay, they were easy to put back together and I showed her what they were really to be used for. She was excited, she loves getting her nails painted!

These worked pretty good on her toes, but I think she was still a little too small. They would probably work better on a 5 or 6 year old, and not a 3 year old. I'll keep them for when she gets bigger. :)

My rating: 5/5
Pros: Cute! They're shaped like feet and made of foam so they're soft and easy to bend to put in between their toes.
Cons: Just a little too big for my daughter's toes, but she can grow into them.

If you're interested in checking these out, you can find them here.
♥ Caitlyn