Whoa! It's been a while!

Hello, hello! I'm afraid it's been a while since I've made a blog post! Yikes! And it's not even that I haven't had stuff to try; I have had a few things! I just...kinda forgot about blogging about it!

I just got a new Influenster VOX BOX; this one is the #vowvoxbox for brides to be. I made an unboxing video and will plug in my teensy camera and upload shortly!

I received a pair of Dr Scholl's custom inserts from BzzAgent and they are AMAZING. They are well worth the $49.95 as I slipped them into my walking shoes and after 10 miles (2, five mile walks) my feet didn't hurt, didn't ache, and I still felt bouncy! Amazing!

More to come soon, just wanted to say 'HEY!'

~Tiffany

{BzzAgent Campaign} Neutrogena Nourishing Longwear Makeup

About the Make Up: 
The vast majority of cosmetics simply stay true to their name; they cover up your flaws without actually correcting them. With NEUTROGENA® Nourishing Long Wear Makeup you’ll get 12 hours of silky, breathable coverage and start to see smoother, softer, more radiant and even toned skin in as little as 4 weeks.

The exclusive formula helps you look your best now, but makes your best even better. In fact, in a clinical study 100% of women saw improvement in skin’s natural tone or texture. Here’s what’s inside:

• Anti-oxidant rich soy smoothes and refines age spots and discolorations
• Vitamins A, C & E nourish skin and brighten skin tones
• Light diffusing powders camouflage imperfections and mask fine lines
• Broad spectrum SPF 20 protects your skin from the sun

I have a touch of rosacea in my cheeks, which I usually don't mind too much, but who wants to look super flushed all day long? My skin is strange: I have a weird blend of T-zone oily bits, super dry cheeks that can sometimes get a little rough, and my pores seem to be getting larger as I get older despite using salcylic acid cleansers, etc. So I'm always on the look out for something new foundation-wise. When this campaign was offered to me by BzzAgent, I snatched it up. I've used and liked Neutrogena products for a long time now!

I've tried Bare Minerals, didn't like it. I've tried Cover Girl, Maybelline, and other foundations and I still haven't found one that's JUST RIGHT. What I'm really hoping for is a foundation that, after simple moisturizer, would give me long lasting, breathable coverage that matches my skintone.

This foundation is a step towards that direction for me. It is supposed to improve tone and texture of your skin in as little as four weeks while leaving you with wonderful even coverage. So far, so smooth! The difference is subtle, but this is definitely a wearable, long lasting foundation. I've worn it for a couple weeks now (Thanks to Neutrogena and BzzAgent for the full sized sample!) and have had time for trial and error.

I was hoping that this foundation would let me skip steps in my routine (primer, powder, etc), but I find I have to make sure to still use the primer at least to fill in the pores. The foundation tends to sit on top of the skin, no matter how well I blend. I thought maybe it was my moisturizer so I switched that to make sure. I've tried it without, but it does tend to sit on the surface.

Really love how well this one matched my skintone. I chose correctly! Got a few friends to try it out, and the range of colors really works for all of us.

As you can see, my upper right cheek under my eye has the deepest red tone. And I have a matching mark on the other side. (Please don't mind my ungroomed brows. I've been lazy this week!) 

I made sure to moisturize and then used a blending sponge in this picture, skipping primer or BB cream. The bottom-left of the collage above is moisturizer and foundation. As you can see, it did a great job of covering that redness with minimal amount of product. I used a blending sponge and my fingers to apply the product. 

In the two + weeks I've been using this product, I haven't had any breakouts. The slight roughness on my cheeks where the rosacea is has seemed less rough and becoming smoother. And I love that it already has SPF 20 in it. Extra sunprotection helps! At only $15.99 for a decent sized bottle, I will be buying this again. 

Pros: lightweight, even coverage, improving skin tone texture. Long lasting - gets me through a full day. No breakouts! 

Cons: Bottle design -- very narrow neck, hard to pour. Tends to feel like it's sitting on top of the skin instead of blending into it. 

{BzzAgent Campaign} FIBER ONE mealbars

"Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to jump through complex hoops constructed from kale, quinoa and the like to maintain a healthy lifestyle. When hunger hits, pick up a Fiber One® Meal Bar to curb cravings and get the protein and fiber you need!"

I received two boxes of Fiber One meal bars to try: one Strawberry with Greek Yogurt and one Chocolate Peanut Butter. 

I ate them as meal replacements for both breakfast and lunch on the go and they were VERY filling. The Strawberry Greek Yogurt was by far my favorite of the two! Here is the nutrition info for you along with the ingredients. It's basically strawberry flavored cranberries in that bar (I thought that was weird, but I'm guessing that actual strawberries don't dehydrate into tasty, juicy little chewy bits like cranberries do!) with lots of almonds. I was surprised by the amount of almonds! Incredibly filling, I was surprised that this satisfied my hunger and kept me going til my next meal! 

I did not, however, like the flavor of the Chocolate Peanut Butter. It was jam-packed with peanuts and chocolate chips as you can see from my instagram pic below. What you can't see, is the layer of chocolate on the bottom of the bar. The chocolate really did satisfy my sweet tooth, but I didn't like the flavor over all. 

These are available in most grocery stores now, so if you're looking for a meal replacement bar for on the go breakfasts or lunches that are satisfying, filling, and hits your sweet tooth, check them out! I totally recommend the Strawberry Greek Yogurt. 

{BzzAgent Campaign} Neutrogena Nourishing Long Wear Make Up!

Man, is that what I look like when I'm speaking to someone? Yikes. I feel so self-conscious now. Eep!

But yes! The newest BzzAgent campaign is for Neutrogena's nourishing long wear makeup! It is supposed to give you 12 hours of coverage, correcting your tone, and protecting your face with SPF 20!

This is Nude #40, which is very light. I'll be back with pictures showing if it covers my hint of rosacea and other funky mismatched discolorations I have on my face! :) 

I am a BzzAgent and received this product free from them to try! <3 

{BzzAgent} Fair Trade Coffee from Green Mountain Coffee!

 Mmmm coffee. Nectar of the gods. The reason I am functioning in the morning. And now with Green Mountain Coffee you can feel good about the great tasting coffee you are drinking. Why? Fair Trade, baby!

"Fair Trade certification gives farmers a fair price for their beans with a guaranteed minimum, which means they can invest in their crops, their communities, and their future. Fair Trade also lets Green Mountain Coffee® and farmers work closely together to bring the best tasting coffee to market."

So, yes, that cup of coffee you brewed in your Keurig helps the farmers DIRECTLY.

I got to try these flavors for free thanks to BzzAgent and was amazed at the delicious strong taste of the Three Continent Blend, but I think my favorite is the Sumatran Reserve. Rich, bold, and delicious, it was quite wonderful!

Check out the Fair Trade Story (http://choosefairtrade.com/fair-trade-story), Kelly Clarkson's travelogue, and get yourself some discounted k-cups directly from ChooseFairTrade.com!

BzzCampaign: LUSTER DISTINCTLY WHITE

A stunningly whiter smile can be yours with Distinctly White Dual-Action Whitening System:

• Visibly whitens teeth in as little as 2 days, with complete results in just 3 days
• Features a simple 2-step, dual-action whitening process
• Includes a gentle, cleansing mouth rinse to pre-treat teeth and whitening gel with active dental peroxide to whiten surface and deep stains
• Enamel safe
• Will not cause tooth sensitivity

Luster's Distinctly White is my newest BzzCampaign from Bzzagent! Everyone wants whiter teeth. It makes you look younger and healthier! I've had my teeth whitened by a dentist about a decade ago and while the results were amazing and lasted a while, they made my teeth ACHE. Holy sensitivity, Batman! It hurt to breathe! I couldn't sip a drink through a straw for a few days! Yikes! And then I went back to smoking and it all went to hell in a handbag. 

Well, I quit smoking and although I'm pretty pleased with my teeth, they still have some staining and I would love for them to be brighter! 

Here are some before pics, without make up and then with make up (lipstick, you know how it can make your teeth look different!)

 Not too bad, right? These close ups can make a girl self conscious! I"m now pointing out to myself that I have a zit there, some plaque build up there, yikes! lol 

Now the toothpaste NOW! is supposed to brighten your teeth in ONE brushing, a optical illusion of sorts. So I did that today and snapped a pic before trying the whitening system! 

What do you think? I think it's definitely brighter although that could be the flash! I then did the pre-treatment rinse and painted on the whitening gel. The rinse was a mild pleasant flavor. I made sure to swish the front teeth especially since that is where you want the whitening! I then painted on the gel and kept my lips pulled back from my teeth for 30 seconds as instructed until it dried. 

The directions say to do it for 12 treatments, so I'll check back in with you in a week to show the progress! 

The dual action system retails for about $12.99! Not bad at all! 

FAGE Total Greek Yogurt

So are you a Greek yogurt person? Have you jumped on the bandwagon yet and tasted this protein-packed deliciousness?

My brother was telling me to get greek yogurt because it's higher in protein, helps keep you full longer, you want to diet and eat more healthy, right, so get this!

So I tried the brand he recommended and got it in the flavor he recommended (vanilla bean) and wasn't all that impressed other than it tasted like a warmer version of frozen yogurt (froyo!).  Meh.

Then BzzAgent and its latest campaign came around, this time for FAGE Total Greek Yogurt. Why not? I've been trying different brands of greek yogurt, they're all the same, right?

Wrong. So wrong!

Click to go to FAGE's Facebook page

So, greek yogurt is different from regular yogurt because it's strained through a cheesecloth to remove the whey, leaving a thicker yogurt somewhere in the consistency of a soft cheese. The other greek yogurts I have tried were still really wet, and while a bit thicker, they have NOTHING on FAGE.

I admit I've been confused these last few months as I tried greek yogurt after greek yogurt, all prepackaged with fruits or fruit-like jelly, or pre-flavored. Still, you opened them up and they had a bunch of water on the top and you mix it and it's still...watery like regular yogurt, albeit a bit thicker. "People cook with this? How? What the hell would I make with it?"

Enter the BzzAgent campaign! I was able to get a 17.6oz tub of FAGE Total 2% for free thanks to this campaign. I admit to some trepidation as I was in the store. Your choices are 2%, 0%, and classic. Yes they have smaller ones with add in flavors such as berry or honey, but at my store, these big tubs came in just those flavors. I've had plain yogurt before and was preparing myself for sour beyond sour.

That's not what I got.

Thick. Creamy. Incredible texture. Slightly tangy but not pucker your face sour. Delicious.

I added fresh strawberries to it and I had a wonderful amazing breakfast. The flavor combination of the yogurt and the strawberries was delightful: light but filling, refreshing, and then I started thinking about desserts. Could I substitute the yogurt for cheese in a cheesecake? (What? I'm not healthy by any means. I need to work on it, but I like my desserts, okay!?)

And look at all the ideas FAGE has on their website:

Honey scented fruits? Mmmmm
Greek Yogurt Cheesecake? I KNEW IT!
Lobster Club with Watercress Sandwich? OH THE DECADENCE

I'm going to start substituting greek yogurt in place of other things in my daily cooking and see how dips, sauces, sandwiches, soups, etc., taste!

What's your favorite recipe that uses strained yogurt?

Review: Draftmark Tap System - Fresh Draught Beer at Home

Click me to get to DRAFTMARK.COM

A_TiffyFit's Review

Ever notice how draught beer at a bar/pub tastes much better than that same brand at home in a can/bottle? It's probably in the packaging, don't you think? I, for one, cannot stand beer in a can. I prefer bottled. Well...I did. Now, I have this Draftmark thing and enjoying it this way!

Disclaimer Repeat: I'm a BzzAgent (named Algaliarept, yes, I used Kim Harrison's demon as my bzzagent name. I love Big Al, so shoot me) and was offered a chance to try the tap system for free. BzzAgent and Draftmark sent me the system and I went out and hunted down refills.

My first note of advice to you: Check your local liquor stores. We went by the store locator and had to drive three towns over. Then I went to my grocery store's alcohol center and they had a display of Draftmark and the beers! WOO! (I'm in metro-west Massachusetts, FYI. Go to Wegman's!)

My dad and my brother are more beer aficionados than I am. I just know what I tend to order and like: Sam Adams Light, Caffrey's Irish Ale (which you can no longer get in the US, dammit), Killian's Irish Red, Sam Adam Cherrywheat, Summerwheat. Are you seeing a theme?

But like most people, I enjoy a good tasting beer with friends, with food, with barbeques, etc., so I was really excited to try this thing out. Cold, draught beer at home without having a bar! One refill is about 11 12 ounce servings with a lot less waste and I can have a small glass instead of a tall, if that's what I prefer!

So far, I've tried Shock Top's Belgian White (nice, citrusy ale!), Budweiser (not for me, but others enjoy it), and now the Goose Island Honker's Ale (my favorite so far!). Refilling the machine is easy. Taking it out is easy. Charging the battery is easy. If you aren't a big drinker, but still want a fresh beer, this thing is fresh in the fridge for 30 days!

I like it a lot and would totally recommend it to anyone who enjoys beer!

What do the refills look like?

I made my first ever youtube video to show you! This is an empty, I should have recorded us refilling the actual system, but hindsight blah blah. Sorry, I was too eager to get to the Goose Island Honker's Ale. Budweiser is not my thing, although others enjoyed it! 

Want to see me not get a good pull? Haha

I always have a little too much foam or head on my beer. It does settle into the perfect amount, but it never fails that I keep messing it up with a little too much! Here's my vid...and yes, I know, my fridge is pathetically empty. NEED TO GO SHOPPING! 

Draftmark's Advice, which I need more practice on is:

THE PERFECTLY POURED DRAUGHT BEER

Sure, the perfect pour takes a skilled hand, but it’s actually much easier than it looks — follow these simple steps and pour like a pro every time:

• Hold the glass at a 60 degree angle
• The spout should begin about one inch from the inside of the beer glass, and shouldn’t touch the glass or beer
• If beer in the glass touches the spout while pouring, simply wipe it down with a damp cloth
• Pull the tap open completely in one smooth, quick motion (this keeps Draftmark from pouring foamy)
• Tilt the glass to straight as it fills
• Close the tap in one smooth, quick motion to prevent excess foam

Beers Offered:

Directly pulling from the draftmark.com website, the beers offered for this at home system are -

Budweiser : A crisp, refreshing lager

Michelob Amberbock : A crisp, refreshing lager

Shock Top Belgian White: A Belgian-style unfiltered wheat ale

Shock Top Wheat IPA : A refreshing wheat beer combined with a crisp IPA

Bass : An English pale ale

But, I also picked up Goose Island Honker's Ale, and I'm sure more are to come! (I keep sending them emails to add a cider! COME ON! A CIDER!)