A Useful Site

 I once told you about the difficulty I find when face to face with all the product choices available these days. In recent years I have been testing a multitude of samples through such programs as BzzAgent, Influenster, Shopper Army, Chick Advisor and Sample Source.  Even Proctor & Gamble sends out a box of their products from time to time.

I've tried new products in categories from dried pasta to electric toothbrushes. There were many shampoos, face creams and even makeup items like lipstick and mascara. I've been introduced to so many products I might never have discovered otherwise and some of them have become family favourites.

I've discovered that in some cases you really do get what you pay for. John Frieda and Vichy are two companies that I likely never would have gambled my money on. Their products are quiet pricey, but now that I've had samples to try first, I know they are well worth the money. I now have favorite products amoung these brands.

Still, there are new products introduced everyday and the choices are still hard to make in many cases.

In another blog I mentioned the Oral B toothbrush I received from BzzAgent. That post was spotted by a member of the staff at Reviews.com and she reached out to me to see if I would include a mention of their site in that post or some future one. Well, that's an old post and I doubted many people would find it (or would have if I had not mentioned it here) so I didn't really see the point of adding anything there until now.

The thing is, I have now explored their site and decided it might be helpful to some of you in sorting though products to find one that's right for you. It may even help you with your upcoming Christmas purchases. They do extensive research on a wide range of products and name what they feel are the best. They tell you how they reached those conclusions and realize everyone likes different things for their own reasons. They even welcome your input.

The first review I found, of course, was about the electric toothbrushes. The amount of research and effort put into this one review is so extensive it boggled my mind. But it proved to me that this is not just some lone person, like me, with an opinion. Looking further I discovered there is a team of at least 50 people in this company and they really do look into not only products but services as well, before giving an unbiased review.

It is an American company so some of the things just don't apply up here. On the other hand, a great deal of it does and is very helpful. The only thing I can compare this site to is Consumer Reports but the lists of things they review don't often overlap. I suggest you go to https://www.reviews.com/ and check it out for yourself. Decide what type of product you would like to see their top choice for and put it in the search box. Play with it a bit. Decide for yourself if this site will be useful to you in helping you make difficult product choices in the future. I think it is at least a site worth knowing about.



Note: July 17, 2020   Apparently the link about the toothbrushes doesn't exist anymore but I have now been provided with a new one for you to check out, if you care to.   https://www.consumersadvocate.org/electric-toothbrushes

Thanking my Lucky Stars!

Some people are lucky, and some people are not. I spent the majority of my life never winning anything. Well, that's not quite true as I did win a record album from a radio station once when I was a teenager. That got me all excited, but I never did get it. I expected it to arrive in the mail, but perhaps I was supposed to somehow make my way across the city to fetch it. No such luck. I ended up more disappointed than if I had never won it at all.

My youngest son won a Mickey Mouse phone from an Ottawa TV show when he was about 8, and he managed to win a couple of summer camp trips too. I thought he had way more luck than I'd ever had. Perhaps it had just skipped a generation or something.

Things changed for me about 5 years ago when I suddenly had a winning streak. I enter contests on line and was doing rather well.  Then it petered out again and I was actually having bad luck for a while.

This year has been extremely lucky for me so far, though I expect that luck just has to run out any day now.

In February I told you about winning a big basket of goods from the merchants of Almonte. Since then the BzzAgent people sent me an Oral B Genius 8000 electric toothbrush to test. The thing is amazing as it works with my phone's blue tooth and actually teaches me how to do a better job of brushing while it gets my teeth dentist clean. It was worth about $200 but all I had to do was write a review.  I did that but it was nothing compared to the extensive review on electric toothbrushes I later discovered posted on https://www.reviews.com/

 

Of course I managed to score a box of goodies from Sample Source too. That also takes luck and timing. I always count myself lucky when I manage to get one.

Then recently I went to the Shop Local Showcase in Kemptville and, as usual, filled out slips for various draws I found there. I was present when I won one of the hourly prizes. I got a $25 gift card for Hard Stones Grill. Later in the week I got a phone call and found out I had also another basket full of stuff from the Royal LePage realestate booth.  That's almost embarrassing as that's the booth I went to first, when I was trying to discover who had called my name. And before I could even get into Kemptville to pick that up, a new friend, Gary Blake,  presented me with a lovely painting he had done out of appreciation for some little thing that required no reward. Lucky is one thing, but who can believe there would ever be so much of it all at once! It's been an amazing week!

I picked up the basket this past weekend, and it contained two bottles of Wayne Gretsky wine (one red, one white), four jars of Mrs McGarrigle's mustard, a $50 gift card for Heather's Healthy Harvest, another $50 gift certificate for the Brigadoon, and also one for a car wash. The rest of the stuff in the basket had to do with rolling your own sushi. That's not something that is likely to happen in this house, but I'll find someone who will appreciate it.  Maybe it's even you, if you tell me a story about how you do such things at your house or what on earth got you started.  I've had such great luck lately, I think it's time I gave something away.  You deserve a reward for reading this far, or for answering my question on Facebook. Only a couple of my facebook friends have done that so far, so this is your chance to see how I actually win things. I pick contests like this, where the odds are really good as there won't be a huge number entering. I'll pick the winner on June 5, 2017.  I'm sorry, but you will have to be living in Canada to win though I'd love to hear stories from the rest of you too..

Saving Money Everyday with Free Products

A couple of years ago I responded to someone saying "you don't ever get anything for nothing" by posting what I got, for free in the mail, each and every week for about five months. By then I figured I may have convinced them that they were wrong.  Today I've decided to show you the free products I am using daily, in my regular routine. 

I got the shampoo and conditioner from BzzAgent.  I was using Pantene products before but I really like the new Expert line, and find the Age Defy is perfect for me.

 It gives my hair body and shine, and I definitely see an improvement in my hair since I've started using it.  I'll be buying more when this is gone.

The body moisturizer I use came from Yves Rocher, as a bonus when I ordered something else.  It's a full size tube, instead of a tiny packet sample they often send, and I can tell you they will make their money back on me as I think it's the best body lotion I've ever used.

When it comes to my face, I start with Vichy ProEven Dark Spot Corrector (the white tube in the picture), which I got from Chick Advisor. They sent it to me to try. I was then supposed to write a review on the product, and how I liked it.  The time frame I was given was not enough to really see the difference it made in my age spots, so I had put that I likely wouldn't buy it.  I've now changed my mind, and cannot imagine starting my day without it.  I particularly like that I can use any of my regular products over top of it, and it's still effective.

I have a jar of L'Oreal Age perfect that I used daily for a while.  I got it when Glow Magazine chose me to take part in the You Tried It program.  I do like it, but now that the weather is warming up, I may do without moisturizer for the time being, or switch to a lighter formula.

Yves Rocher BB Cream was also sent to me as a bonus.  I've been using it for the past couple of years and so they knew it was something I would like.

I have a tube of the Vichy ProEven Night formula (the blue tube in the picture above)  which was sent to me in error, when they meant to send the previously mentioned product. I use it as part of my evening routine, when I remember. I love the texture of this product, and if I were actually just going to use one of them, this might be the one I'd choose.  It's a clear gel and spreads easily.  You can, if you wish, even put it on thicker for a short period of time, to get the effects more quickly.

For a night cream, I'm still using the StriVectin that also came in the Glow box of things to try before you buy.  I loved this stuff immediately, and checked out the price of it, shortly after I got it. It's really expensive, but it's lasting a lot longer than I'd expected, so that may substantiate the cost when it comes time to replace it. It does something magical to my skin.


Many manufactures offer free products.  All it takes is a few moments to sign up to the various sites, and then jump on the offers when they arrive.


The latest parcel to arrive is from Sample Source.  While some of the samples are....well, sample size, not everything is.  I'm currently testing out the Pronamel toothpaste, from the Sensodyne people.  I do like the way my teeth feel nice smooth after I've brushed.

The VH sauces are good too, as long as you realize these pouches are made for two servings. That's actually perfect for us. I noticed some people got more than one, as their family is bigger than ours.

You can't go wrong with Brookside Chocolate either, though this particular bar has almonds in it, so I'll have to give it to my hubby. He'll be pleased to test that out.

I used the coupon for a free box of Catelli SuperGreens yesterday.  I got Rotini and will make some sort of pasta salad to eat in all this heat.

I'll have to fill out a short survey about how I liked each of the items Sample Source sent me, and whether I've bought more or not. I find that well worth the effort, since I've discovered several things that have become family favourites through Sample Source that I may never have known about otherwise.

Anyway, I think you get the idea.  You can get along quite well using free things if you take a moment to go looking for them.  What are you waiting for?

Promoting an Author

I have been a BzzAgent for many years and it is a well known fact that word of mouth is a great form of advertising.  I have had lots of experience telling others what I think of a product, service or publication. As a BzzAgent any talk is valuable. One does not need to try to sell the product, or even pretend to like it.  Just getting the word out so that others know it exists is all that has ever been required.

A couple of weeks ago author Sabrina Jeffries came up with a way to use her public to help her advertise.  She put out a call for some street ambassadors to help get the word out about her upcoming publications.  I figured, since I tend to review the books I read either for Good Reads or specific publishers anyway, I might as well apply. This is not a BzzAgent assignment, but with my experience, I figured I could handle it. Well, I was accepted, and am now part of  what she calls Sabrina's Dames and Dukes street team member!

Sabrina Jeffries is about to launch a  new series of books, (the Duke's Men series), and the first book is called What the Duke Desires. It will be in bookstores on June 18th.  In the meantime you might enjoy this exclusive excerpt.

I'd be interested to know what you think. 

 

What the Duke Desires by Sabrina Jeffries
Pocket Books Paperback (On sale June 18, 2013)
$7.99 U.S.
ISBN-13: 978-1451693461
www.SabrinaJeffries.com

  

Trend Micro Update

I have been using Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security for a month now It has generated a monthly report, to let me know what it has been able to prevent.  In the past month it has apparently blocked 9 Web Threats and terminated 1 Unauthorized Change.  It has also eliminated well over a hundred cookies I didn't set up.  It left the good ones though, and I was still able to be recognized by all my favorite sites.  This report can easily be expanded to see exactly what has been eliminated.

This morning I decided to finally do the System Tune up. I had been putting that off as I wasn't sure just what it would change.  But I see it created a Restore Point, so if I find things don't work as they should, I can always put the computer back into the state it was before it got tuned up. 

Well, the tune up freed up 4.07GB of space.  That's a lot, and I'm impressed.  But it also got rid of what I consider to be my good cookies.  I find I now have to log in to the many sites I go to that require a password, as the system no longer automatically recognizes me. I hope I can remember all my passwords, or I'll have to have those sites e-mail them to me.  Once I'm in, of course, their system will remember me again....until the next tune up anyway.  Trend Micro lets you schedule that for once a month, but I'm not sure I'll allow that yet. 

Another thing I notice is that I now have to type in the URL's I go to on a regular basis.  I have not had to do that in a long time, as Internet Explorer 8 remembers those for you, and auto finishes the web address. Well, I'll have those all reestablished soon too, as I do tend to go to many of the same sites day after day. 

One wonders though, since I now see the green highlighted go ahead and click links quite clearly, how I managed to hit so many possible web threats.  Well, okay, so I get a lot of newsletters with links and yes, I enter a fair number of contests, and.....okay so I admit I did hit a few of those grey links as well as the green ones. I did see some links highlighted in red, and avoided those though.  One has to wonder how much trouble I got into before I had Trend Micro to protect me!

I am a BzzAgent and this has been an update on my original blog posting on this product.  If you should happen to want to try Trend Micro Titanium yourself, use the discount code "BZZ30"

Probiotics Is Not a Dirty Word!

I'm a BzzAgent. It seems the best form of advertising is word of mouth, and since I like to talk, I decided to give this a try a couple of years back. The idea is that I will join a campaign to tell my friends and family, and anyone else who will listen, anything and everything about whatever product I have been lucky enough to be asked to buzz about.

Being an aging female, one would think they would happily get me involved in some campaigns dealing with cosmetics, or other creams (oh, oh). Or since it's spring now, maybe a cleaning product of some sort would be appropriate. But no. I have had 3 campaigns so far, and every one of them involved putting something in my mouth.

First there was the Ontario Pork campaign. They sent me a sample of something to sprinkle on pork to give it a nice flavour, or to tenderize it. I like this stuff, but I have no idea what it's called. Too bad as I'd happily buzz about that! But I did enjoy talking to people about pork and that was certainly easy enough. Everyone likes to eat, after all, even if some of them don't like pork.
The second campaign was for Dan Active. Now, this was something new to me, but I had some coupons, both for myself, and to give away, so I got some strawberry flavoured Dan Active to try, and found I really liked it. I still buy the product from time to time. I did have more trouble having discussions about Dan Active, or even giving away the coupons. The minute people heard the word Probiotics, they shut me down. They told me their system was fine. They almost seemed offended that I would offer them a chance to try this product. Another common response was, "I already eat yogurt, so I don't need that!"  Hmmmm.....

Now, this latest campaign is for Multibionta Probiotic Vitamins. There's that word again. I'm having even more trouble with this campaign. The coupons I have are for a free month's supply and I'm not having much luck at giving them away at all. There is even a line on the coupon that says the company is so sure you will feel better that they guarantee your money back! That's a funny thing to put on a Free coupon, but I'm sure they still meant they stand behind their product, even if you paid for it. It's that probiotic thing again, I think, since many people I've offered these coupons to admit they do take mulivitamins. Still, they turn me down.  Yesterday I was in a room with about 20 people, and only managed to give away two.

Well, hey people, I just won a book called The 17 Day Diet, and you will likely be hearing more about that as time goes on.  It came just in time for me to try to lose some of my winter weight. In this book, written by a Dr Mike Moreno, it says probiotics are good for helping you lose weight. It seems there is lots of new evidence that part of the obesity problem might be caused by an imbalance of bacteria in the intestinal tract. So, if you have a set of very efficient bacteria, as you would get from probiotics, they would be more efficient at extracting calories from what you eat and help you manage your weight. At least that's what this book claims. Now that should get some folks excited. I'll be passing on that tidbit next time I try to tell someone about this new product.  The probiotics in Mulitbionta not only help improve you digestive tract, but they are also supposed to improve your immune system.  At this time of year, with all the nasty flu around, one would think people would be happy to get all the help they could, especially since I'm offering to let them try it for free.

I doubt I'll sign up for any more campaigns for products that are supposed to be good for you!