{Review} Dove Deodorant

So when one goes through FOLFOX chemo treatments for one's stage IV colon cancer, one develops lots of interesting problems. One of these problems is extreme dry skin.

Okay, you busted me. I'm the "one" mentioned above. And yeah extreme dry skin. EVERYWHERE. There's something called hand-foot syndrome which causes such severe dry skin that your hands and feet peel and peel and peel. It causes redness, swelling, and pain, plus that flaking. So much fun. I've been keeping mine at bay with an extreme moisturizing approach.

But my armpits. I've never thought about my armpits before. Until they split and I had these horrible split cuts underneath my arms. I couldn't use deodorant for two weeks and I thought for sure I'd be smelly and stinky. Thankfully, I wasn't. I freshened up during the day, I used neosporin and desitin, and protected those slices pretty well.

But it got me to thinking how to best moisturize my underarms.

Hello! *facepalm* DOVE. Dove's deodorants/anti-perspirants are full of moisturizers! Now, I was a bit disappointed as I have been avoiding anti-perspirants for a while. Sweating is healthy. Smelling is gross. And I've been using men's deodorants for a while instead (Old Spice. They have some great scents that aren't too masculine, but they are apparently very drying).

So I switched to Dove for the last four weeks. I'm using the two above. Why? Because I didn't know the difference and decided to get both.

The difference is amazing. My underarms are no longer dark, they no longer itch, they are no longer flaky, and they no longer feel like they are going to split at any minute.

My skin there looks healthier. So much healthier. In fact, I had no idea that they were unhealthy until their new repaired look and feel.

Verdict: Switch to Dove. Seriously. It's good for you. And it doesn't make your clothes stinky. And your underarms will feel and look amazing!

P.S. I purchased these. They were not offered to me for free or anything like that. I just wanted to tell you that I think they rock.

THE HOLIDAYS ARE UPON US!

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE the Holiday season! I love the weather, I love the shopping, I love the deals, I love dreaming about presents miraculously appearing in my house, I love daydreaming about the presents I wish I could afford to give. 

I love shopping and making a day of it. I'm excited. I have a new job this year and, while it doesn't pay a ton, cannot wait to start shopping and doing my budget and getting out there this holiday season! 

I'm kinda busy, but I'm going to be blogging and tweeting and talking about new products I come across and find as much as I can. I feel like I've been neglecting my Tries Stuff blog and I have a ton of things I wanna talk about! 

I got a new Influenster box the other day, I just haven't had time to upload my video and start talking about the products. That is incoming soon, probably Sunday! 

So...

Quick! Tell me one thing you're thinking about for the holidays! 

Newest Vox Box: A Keurig 2.0, 550!!!

I received the BIGGEST vox box EVER from Influenster today! 
Inside I found my Keurig 2.0! 
This sucker brews single cups as usual, but also can brew an ENTIRE CARAFE.  Four cups at once! So much nicer to have that option! 

Excuse the mess, but the above picture shows what came in my box! The Keurig 2.0 K550, a carafe, two carafe sample packs, one of Green Mountain Breakfast Blend decaf and one of mixed samples, and a mixed sample kcup package! Not shown is the water filter starter kit that is hiding behind the boxes of coffee. You also get the welcome pack which tells you how to register your new Keurig brewing system! 

When you do register, you will get a coupon for a FREE box of coffee (varieties can be limited). So this is an amazing, AMAZING way to go. 

The hazelnut was delicious. Can't wait to brew a carafe next! 

{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 

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?

Influenster Spring Vox Box - Broadway Nails IMPRESS press on nail manicure

Hey everyone! So I'm making my way through my vox box and am trying out different things. This video isn't very good quality and for that I apologize, but I did want to post it anyway to show you how to put on the Impress Press-On Nails manicure! The spring color I received was SEXY FRESH which is a pretty tie-dyed look of oranges and blues.  I've tried these before and really do love them. They stick for about 10 days. I have no problems with them coming off in the shower or while doing dishes. I do recommend you follow the instructions re: cleaning your nails and using their prep pad and then making sure that you press down firmly for a few seconds to have the nail take hold.  They come in multiple lengths, although I'm a fan of the "short" as I don't like long nails. 

If you look at my thumbnail on the right hand side of this picture, you'll see some of my nails sticking out. The product comes with 24 nails to mix and match and try to find the right size to match your nail bed. I happen to have a really wide nail bed. However, in every day use, this is NOT very noticeable at all and the only thing I had to do was to make sure I placed the nail in a natural way so it wasn't askew. I've seen these at walmart for about $6, $7 or so at drugstores. I'm not a fan of getting acrylics, so these are PERFECT FOR ME. Seriously. I love them. They also have pedicures, which at first I was making a face like WHAT? WHY WOULD I WANT PRESS ON TOE NAILS? Then I tried THOSE and...SOLD. Perfect for flipflop days! :D  Again, I got this in my vox box from Influenster, which means I'm a product tester and got to try this for free! 

UPDATE! June 13th It's been one week now since I put the Impress nails on and they're still going strong! I had to replace one forefinger nail as the edge caught when I was cleaning the stove (SCRUBBING!), but other than that all is well. There is the tiniest bit of fading at the top of the nail as if nail polish is lightly wearing off, but that's the first time I've experienced this. I think it is because of this particular pattern. Love these things. Saw them on sale at Rite Aid tonight and picked up a few more!