Freebie: Science Diet Dog and Cat Food

Alright so you saw our review of Hills Science Diet IIDEAL BALANCE ^™ GRAIN FREE DRY CAT FOOD.

Here's your chance to let your cat or dog give it a try.  Just follow this link to hillspet.com/ideal-balance and select which pet it is for. Whether it's cat or dog and on the bottom right hand side you will see your rebate for a free bag. Easy as that.

I have to say that our cats finished the bag and seemed to really like it. You can't beat this healthy choice for your littlest furry family members.


Disclaimer: All products were provided to me free of charge for review.  I am not affiliated with the company nor was I paid for my review.  All opinions are my own personal opinions. I am a bzzagent!

Sample Boxes?

Okay, here's a post where I'm looking for some input from my fellow bloggers (or any other ladies out there).  I currently subscribe to the Julep Maven Program.  I LOVE getting a special surprise in the mail each month!  I have been thinking lately about joining another program similar to Julep Maven only involving a variety of beauty products.  I have found a few different ones out there and I was wondering if anyone could recommend one or two of them for me to try?  The ones I am currently looking into are:

• Beauty Army-  Looks like this one is currently sold out of subscriptions so I signed up for the waiting list.  Seems like a lot of these are sold out at the moment.  
• Glymm- I haven't heard a lot about this one so if anyone has any experience I would be interested in hearing it.
• GoGogirlfriend- Again, I haven't heard too much about this either.  Looks like this one is also sold out at the moment. 
• Birchbox- This is one I have heard a lot about but is ALSO currently sold out.
• TestTube- This one is only every three months and I really like the idea of getting something monthly but I'm still interested if you have tried them.
• MakeUpMonthly- A little more expensive and I haven't heard a lot about them.  If it is full size products I might be slightly more interested.
• The Soap Box- I'm not going to lie, when I saw this I fell in love! I LOVE taking baths (and I have an amazing bath tub just for this purpose) and I love trying new bath products.  I was bummed when I saw they ALSO have a waiting list. I'm really hoping that I can get included on this one!
• The Look Bag- This one looks promising as well.  Anyone have any experience?  

If you have any experience of recommendations about any of these I would love to hear it.  Or if you know of any others that I may have missed as well.  Thanks in advance!

Woolite® COMPLETE

Woolite® COMPLETE: Thx Woolite COMPLETE 4 my coupon! Receive 20% off at Amazon.com http://amzn.to/xAP9Ul *Please remember the FTC requires you to mention that you received a free sample courtesy of Smiley360 when sharing.

Product Review: Stash Tea

First, I want to apologize for being absent for a little while.  I know all three of my readers (are there even three?) were wondering where I was.  We moved recently and life has been so crazy with so many other obligations going on that we still haven't fully unpacked.  We have been trying to spend some time getting our house in order.  

So anyway, today I am reviewing another product I received in my Love Vox Box from Influenster, the Stash Herbal Tea Sampler.  It took me a little longer to review this product because I wanted to get a chance to taste all of the flavors.  This is the perfect time of year for me to test an herbal tea because I am suffering from allergies and with that comes a dry scratchy throat and nothing soothes a dry scratchy throat like herbal tea.  So, here's what Stash has to say about the product:

Product Details:

This sampler features some of Stash Teas most popular herbal teas. Enjoy two tea bags each of the following flavors: acai berry, blueberry superfruit, chamomile, cinnamon apple chamomile, lemon ginger, licorice spice, mango passionfruit, peppermint, and wild raspberry hibiscus. All naturally caffeine free and made from 100% natural ingredients. Steep for 3-5 minutes at 190-209 degrees Fahrenheit.

Where to Buy:

Stash tea is sold at grocery stores, tea and coffee shops, club stores, mass merchandisers, natural foods stores, and online at www.stashtea.com

My Initial Impression: I'm a big fan of hot tea so I was excited to try this.  The flavors sounded amazing and they smell amazing too! Most of the flavors sounded appealing to me other than the licorice.

Pros: Pretty packaging, yummy smells, what is there not to love?

Cons: I didn't like the licorice flavor just as I suspected and I wasn't crazy about the lemon ginger either.  I think this has to do with my personal taste as I am not a big fan of these flavors in general.

Final Impression: Overall I loved the flavor of this tea and a big plus is the fact that it is made from all natural ingredients and is caffeine free which means my hubby can enjoy it too!  I would definitely buy this product and recommend it.

Stay tuned as I have one more review to do to complete my product reviews for my Love Vox Box!

Disclaimer: All products were provided to me free of charge by Influenster for review.  I am not affiliated with the company nor was I paid for my review.  All opinions are my own personal opinions.

Product Review: Venus & Olay Razor

Today I'm sharing with you another goodie I received in my Love Vox Box from Influenster.  Before I begin, I am sad to say that there will be no pictures of my hairy/smooth legs.  I will do a lot of things in  the name of product testing but I will not subject the general public to pictures of my legs, sorry folks, I'm really doing you a favor.  I'll give you a moment to pull yourself together....

Okay, moving on, here's what Gillette says about the product:

Product Details

• Venus' five-bladed razors shave you close and adjust to women’s curves for a smooth and comfortable shave, even over tricky shaving areas like knees and ankles.
• Olay Moisture Bars contain skin-enhancing elements found in Olay products: Petrolatum helps lock in skin’s moisture for less dryness and Glycerin helps offer that goddess glow! Just wet the razor to release a light lather.
• As with most Venus razors, new Venus & Olay also features a rounded, pivoting head designed for women’s curves, and a soft-grip ergonomic handle for confident control, even in wet and soapy environment.

A refillable Venus & Olay with one replacement cartridge sells for approximately $8.99-$10.99. Packages of three replacement cartridges are available for about $14.99 - $19.49.

Venus & Olay will be available starting March 15, 2012 at food, drug, convenience and mass merchandise stores throughout the United States. 

Visit the official website to learn more.

Here is what the package looks like:

Now, I have to say when I saw the package I did cringe a bit.  I have injured myself plenty of times trying to open those hard plastic packages on products.  I was prepared to get out my scissors and got to battle! But alas, to my amazement the package had some sort of secret (or maybe not so secret) handle on the back to help open it up!

  

The package also contains a little suction cup shower hook

And the blade cartridge comes in a little sealed pod.  

Here is what the blade looks like.

The Olay Moisture Bars are supposed to keep your skin moist during and after shaving.

Here's the lowdown:

My Initial Impression:  Easy to open packaging (thank God!), nice design, smells heavenly! 

Pros:  See above, you don't have to use shaving cream, make legs nice and smooth during and after shaving.  

Cons:  I'm not sure exactly how many uses you are supposed to get out of this product but after using it once it seems I could probably only squeeze one more use out of it before the moisture bars would disappear.  

Final Impression:  I like the product overall.  My legs did seem to stay smoother longer than when I shave with other razors.  I just wish the moisture bars didn't disappear so quickly.  I think I would end up spending a little more money to use these razors but it may be worth it.  I'm on the fence with this one only because of the price.

Thanks for reading and please stop by again shortly as I will be reviewing the remaining products that I received in my Vox Box. 

Disclaimer: All products were provided to me free of charge by Influenster for review.  I am not affiliated with the company nor was I paid for my review.  All opinions are my own personal opinions.

Woolite® COMPLETE

Woolite® COMPLETE: Thx Woolite COMPLETE 4 my free sample! Receive 20% off at Amazon.com http://amzn.to/xAP9Ul *Please remember the FTC requires you to mention that you received a free sample courtesy of Smiley360 when sharing.

Julep Maven Program

Hey ladies, do you love nail polish like I do? If you do you and you haven't heard of the Julep Maven program you're missing out! This month they are running a special where you get your first month's box for $.01.  I have been a member of the Julep Maven program for a few months now and I love it.  Every month I get a box containing two nail polishes and one or two other products at Julep.  I love the polish and products and it's nice to get something in the mail every month.  Click the link below to check it out.  Make sure if you decide to sign up that you use the referral link below so that I get credit for referring you.  If you sign up use the discount code SHAREONMARCH to receive your first box for $.01.

Link:

http://julep.com/?r=17443979

Knorr® Homestyle Stock

Knorr® Homestyle Stock: Thx Knorr 4 my free sample. Get great Knorr Homestyle Stock recipe ideas at http://bit.ly/sDRUdc *Please remember the FTC requires you to mention that you received a free sample courtesy of Smiley360 when sharing.

Sharing Smiley360 Mission

Sharing Smiley360 Mission: I'm a Smiley360 member! Sign-up for free at http://bit.ly/lTDqVw Be heard. Be happy. *Please remember the FTC requires you to mention that you received a free sample courtesy of Smiley360 when sharing.

Truvía® natural sweetener Product Review

I have a confession to make, I have been addicted to the same sugar substitute for years- Splenda!  I have tried other brands and everything else seems to have an aftertaste that I can't stand.  I am a sugar substitute snob!  I have never liked another sweetener and it is a hard task to even get me to try another sweetener.  So, when I saw a sample box of Truvia in my Influenster box I'm pretty sure I actually rolled my eyes.  However, I decided to put aside any preconceived notions I may have had about any sweetener that is not my beloved and give it a try.  According to the Truvia website, one packet of Truvia is equal to two teaspoons of sugar.  I love my coffee very sweet and I usually use three packets of Splenda in my morning coffee so I did the same for the Truvia.  In retrospect it was a little too sweet so the next time I tried it I used two packets.  However, I must say that I was presently surprised.  I actually LOVED the Truvia and felt it actually tasted more like real sugar than Splenda.  In fact, I never noticed that Spelnda had an aftertaste until I tried Truvia.  I can honestly say that I have been officially hooked on this product!  My husband loves it too!  In fact, when we went grocery shopping this weekend we actually bought a box.       

Here's the lowdown:

My Initial Impression:  I was hesitant to try.  I did notice however that the product inside the packets looks more like sugar, a little more grainy, than other sweeteners. 

Pros:  Tastes great, you need less product to get the same sweetness as other sweeteners, it's natural!

Cons:  I honestly really couldn't find any flaws.  The price seemed to be comparable to other sweeteners, at least in the store we shop at. 

Final Impression:  I am officially hooked!  I will be using this product from now on.  I still use Splenda when I am out because I have noticed that not a lot of places actually offer it.

Thanks for reading and please stop by again shortly as I will be reviewing the remaining products that I received in my Vox Box.

Disclaimer: All products were provided to me free of charge by Influenster for review.  I am not affiliated with the company nor was I paid for my review.  All opinions are my own personal opinions.

Product Review: Science Diet® Ideal Balance™ Grain Free

So all you pet owners out there more than likely feel the same way we do about your pets. I'm sure you too treat them as if they were part of the family and even spoil them like the were your kids. So you look after them and make sure they eat right.
We have been feeding our girls Purina Cat Chow Indoor Formula dry food and our cats are extremely picky about what they eat so there is no straying away from what we feed them. Trust me we've tried and they sniff the impostor food and look up at us as if to say "you thought we'd like this? Then you eat it!" Then as if in protest turn and leave the kitchen. So when the opportunity came up for us to review a new cat food I thought to myself "well I know how this is going to end". We received the new bag of food and decided right off the bat to try something. I got two bowls that were exactly the same and placed them side by side. In one I placed their old dry food that they have always ate. In the second bowl I placed the new Science Diet® dry food and left them to see who ate what and how much. My first observation was kind of surprising in that Sarah our younger cat went right over to the Science Diet® bowl and started eating. She went back a few more times and chose the Science Diet® over the Purina food. Now Hannah our older cat is much more picky on what she eats and she has gone to the old reliable food. I did remove the Purina food and she ate the Science Diet® food. So it seems as though she will eat it but if given the choice between the two she would choose the food she's used to.
Now in doing some research I did come across some things that should have been obvious from the start. First of all looking at the ingredients the Purina Cat Chow contains corn meal, corn gluten and soy. Whereas the Science Diet® food does not contain any grain at all. What's the big deal? Well cats are carnivores, and as funny as I think it would be you don't see them sitting in a corn field chowing down on an ear of corn. So should their diet really contain things they typically wouldn't eat if they were out on their own? The grain and corn meal can cause health issues such as urinary tract problems and weight issues. Now not all grains are bad for cats though. Grains such as oats, barley and brown rice, contain beneficial nutrients and they are useful to the production of kibble. These healthy grains help “hold” dry food together and supply nutrients.
So with everything I'm going to give you the positives I find as well as the downsides. So I told you above what I liked about the product and the reasons why I am seriously considering switching to the Science Diet® food but what may hold me back? Well there are two things that may and they are cost and availability. The cost is higher than what we're paying now. Now we get a 3.5lb bag for $4.50, and for a 2lb bag of the Science Diet® food your looking at $12.49. Kind of a big difference. As I look for a place to purchase this food I am limited to some veterinarian offices and Pet Smart. I wouldn't mind going to Pet Smart but a lot of times it's out of the way. It would be nice to purchase this at a grocery or retail store like a Walmart or Target. The more I look into a grain free diet the more I'm sold as we would do whatever to keep them healthy. They seem to like it though so so far they are sold.

Disclaimer: All products were provided to me free of charge for review.  I am not affiliated with the company nor was I paid for my review.  All opinions are my own personal opinions. I am a bzzagent!

Product Review: T-Fal Ingenio Cookware

So we were desperately in need of some new cookware. Our old cookware was 10+ years old and the cooking surface was scratched and starting to come off. So we did some comparison and came across this T-Fal Ingenio cookware. There were a couple features that this set of cookware offered that really sparked our interest. The first being the handles are removable which offers a couple benefits.

By removing the handles the pans can be placed in the oven at higher temperatures than if the handle was attached. Without the handle these pans can go in the oven up to 400 degrees. These handles are very easy to attach to the cookware and remove and is as easy as pressing a button. The handle actually clamps onto the side of the cookware. The other benefit to removing the handle and an important one is storage. By removing the handle these pots and pans can EASILY be stacked within each other and takes up minimal space.
Then you have the T-Fal technology. The promotion video we watched showed a chef cooking on dish after another without having to wash the pan in between dishes. All he had to do was a quick wipe of the pan. He never used any non-stick spray, oil, or butter. Which is great because it makes for much healthier cooking. In these videos everything he cooked just slid right out of and off the pan.

So how did this product live up to it's advertisements?


Let me start by saying that neither my wife nor myself are expert cooks, but we do enjoy cooking and cooking new things.

After receiving this product the first thing I noticed was how light all of these combined was. If I stacked the same number of our old cookware and compared to two. The old cookware would have easily outweighed the Ingenio cookware. Then I noticed how easy the handle was to remove and place on all of the cookware. Each piece of cookware has a copper inset in the bottom of each piece which allows for the entire pot or pan to disperse heat equally throughout the piece so you don't have the outer part of the pan being cooler than the middle. Also in the center of the pans you have their thermospot indicator which shows you when the pan is preheated and ready to use. As you can see below once the lettering goes away you know it's preheated.

Once I started cooking I noticed immediately the non stick coating. Our cookware is now 3 months old and I can still cook my son scrambled eggs and cheese, my wife's dippy eggs, and my omelet all without any kind of nonstick spray or butter. In fact I can toss a piece of sliced cheese in the pan and throw a piece of bread on top and the cheese just wipes right off. If I tried that in our other cookware it would have been a burnt mess.
All in all this is by far the best cookware we have ever used! If you are in the market for, heck even if you're not in the market you really should consider the T-Fal Ingenio cookware. You will not be disappointed.

I do have one concern that has arisen with the pans. One of our pans that we use the most seems to have been scratched from the handle being applied and removed. It's in the upper corner of the pan and you can actually see it in the picture below. I don't think it's something that will become a problem because it is in the top of the pan and won't interfere with cooking. Just something that we've noticed though.

Disclaimer: All products were purchased by me and reviewed by me and my experience using this product.  I am not affiliated with the company nor was I paid for my review.  All opinions are my own personal opinions.
*Photo's with the exception of the bottom photo were taken from T-Falusa

Product Review: Kiss Nail Dress

Welcome back!  Today I'm reviewing the very first item I tested out of my Love Vox Box provided to me by Influenster, Kiss Nail Dress.  Here is the design that came in my Vox Box:

I love the design as I am really into bold nail art.  Honestly, I love nail art and painting my nails but I have NEVER tried any kind of nail sticker before.  The reasoning behind that is simply that I always felt like it was "cheating."  I'm the type of person that always feels like I have to create everything myself, from scratch.  So while I have always been curious about the nail stickers I have never tried them.  However, with that being said, the Vox Box was just the kick in the butt I needed!

Here is the information I was provided about the product:

Introducing Kiss Nail Dress, ultimate nail fashion for tips and toes! Just peel, apply, and shape for a manicure that lasts up to 10 days. On in minutes, off in seconds without remover. Nail Dress is available in 18 different styles, many of them featuring 3-dimensional jeweled designs. Check out Peplum, a deep black with multi-colored gems for a pop of color, or Babydoll, for a golden and glamorous jeweled look. Skip the topcoat, Nail Dress has it built in.

With 28 strips in each package, you can cut up your extras to create designs that can be used on top of polished or artificial nails. Nail Dress doesn’t dry out the way other polish strips can, so you can save them to use on your next DIY mani. A nail design booklet is included in each package, just in case you need a little inspiration.

And don’t forget about your feet! Nail Dress looks awesome on toes, too – just use the square side of the sticker for a perfect fit.

Where to Buy
Nail Dress’ suggested retail is $6.99 and is available in all major drug chains and mass retailers like WalMart, CVS and Walgreens.

Visit KissNailDress.com to learn more!

Here's what comes inside of the box:

As you can see, there are several different sizes for you to use on either your toes or your fingers.  I had no problems finding the correct size to fit on each of my fingers.  The fact that they come on a clear sheet was a definite bonus for me because I could hold she clear sheet over my nail to match the correct size.  P.s. Check out my awesome nail art done by yours truly.  It was done with one of my favorite Julep nail polishes--but alas, that is a post for another day.

To prepare my nails for the stickers I first removed my existing nail polish with acetone remover.  Acetone is VERY drying on your fingers and cuticles so use with caution.  I used acetone for two reasons; 1. I usually use acetone to remove nail art with several layers, takes less time and smears less; 2. To make sure my nails were nice and clean because sometimes other types of nail polish removers contains oils.  I wanted to make sure the stickers would stick!  After removing my polish I skipped my usual step of cuticle oil for the reason stated above.  I then buffed my nails gently with my Polar Block which you can get here.  Then I proceeded to put the stickers on my nails by following the directions provided on the box.  The only thing I did differently was add a topcoat of my favorite topcoat Seche Vite. 

Here is the end result:

Here's the lowdown:

My Initial Impression:  I wasn't sure about using nail stickers because I thought it might be considered cheating.  I also wasn't sure that they were going to lie flat on my nails  I love the design and I think it looks a lot like the type of design that I do sometimes with my Bundle Monster Plates.

Pros:  Cute design, VERY easy to apply, and despite my concern they went on very smoothly.

Cons: You have to file the sticker on the tip of your nail to remove the excess.  I can see my nail on the tips of my fingers on most of my nails-- meaning you can't "wrap" the tip of your nails like you can when you polish you nails.  It isn't a big deal and almost impossible to see because the background of this design happens to be silver.  Although I wonder if the background was a different color if it would be more noticeable. 

Final Impression:  I'm actually quite surprised by this product.  I wasn't sure I was going to like it and I'm actually quite pleased with the end result.  If you're looking for an easy quick manicure these are definitely worth the money.  I won't stop doing nail art but I am actually considering buying some of these to try again in the near future.  The package says that they last up to ten days so I'm wearing them for as long as they last and I will report back and let you know how long they lasted.

Thanks for reading and please stop by again shortly as I will be reviewing the remaining products that I received in my Vox Box.

Disclaimer: All products were provided to me free of charge for review.  I am not affiliated with the company nor was I paid for my review.  All opinions are my own personal opinions.

Influnster- Love Vox Box

Hello all!  Just wanted to post a quick post to introduce my very first Vox Box, the Love Vox Box, which I received through Influenster! If you aren't familiar with Influenster it's basically a community that rewards people with social influence or "trendsetters" with product shipments, rewards and deals.  You take surveys to tell them a little about yourself and if you're lucky they choose you to test some of the products.  They send out themed "boxes" to those people that they think fit the theme for that box the best.  I got my very first Vox Box a couple of days ago.  This box was called the Love Vox Box. 

Here is a quick peek at what the box looks like when it arrives:

What's inside you ask?  Take a look!

• Gillette Venus & Olay Razor ($8.99-$10.99)
• Kiss Nail Dress ($6.99)
• Stash Tea Herbal Tea Sampler ($3.50)
• Ghiradelli Gourmet Milk Creamy Devotion Bar ($2.99)
• Truvia Natural Sweetener ($3.99)

I will be reviewing all of the products individually over the next couple of weeks.  I was super excited to receive my first Vox Box and I must say I was not disappointed!  Stay tuned for my first review!

Disclaimer: All products were provided to me free of charge for review.  I am not affiliated with the company nor was I paid for my review.  All opinions are my own personal opinions.

Welcome!

Welcome to launch of Honey Do's & Product Reviews. Here you will find all of our product reviews on items we have recently tried as well as different projects you may be interested in whether it's for the home or for crafting. We are a husband and wife tandem belonging to various product review sites. We look forward to sharing with you our thoughts. Please make sure to bookmark or follow our blog, follow us on twitter @honeydosreviews, and even on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/HoneyDosReviews.