Product Reviews

Scented Memories

October 24, 2013 Leave a Comment

Disclosure: I received the Glade® products shared in this post in exchange for my honest review. As always opinions shared here are 100% my own.

Have you ever caught a whiff of a certain smell, a scent that you’ve smelled before and it automatically conjures a certain memory? I do that all the time. The smell of fresh cut grass makes me think of summers as a kid, mowing the lawn, then sitting on the porch swing to enjoy a glass of iced tea. There’s a certain cologne my husband wore when we were first dating that always brings a smile to my face.

In a recent survey conducted by Glade® they found that 4 out of 5 (more than 80%) of Americans are consciously aware of how scent can inspire a mood or feeling. Knowing that scents can evoke memories and positive emotions it makes sense that most want their homes to smell nice.

Two of Glade®’s newest products help with the goal of a lovely smelling home while also serving as an artfully designed piece of your home decor. The Glade® Sense & Spray® Automatic Freshener, shown in the photo above and the Glade® PlugIns® Scented Oil Customizables™ Warmers shown in the photo below.

The Glade® Sense & Spray® Automatic Freshener is motion activated so that when a person enters the room, it senses their presence and releases a burst of scented spray. It also allows you to push the top of the freshener down to release a burst of scent whenever you choose.

My freshener came with a Clean Linen scent so I decided to test it out in my guest bathroom. I love that the Clean Linen smell gives off a clean, fresh vibe in a room that is not normally known for smelling so fresh… I did have guests over while testing the freshener and heard rave reviews about the fresh scent and how cool the freshener itself looked sitting on the bathroom counter. BUT we did get one comment that the freshener almost found itself on the floor when one guest used the bathroom in the middle of the night… I guess he turned on the light, the freshener went off and scared him to death! haha.

I tested the Glade® PlugIns® Scented Oil Customizables™ Warmers in my home office. The Warmer comes with two scented oils that alternate from day to day. One day my office smells like Apple Cinnamon and the next its Lavender & Peach Blossom. I love that the alternating scents mix things up so you don’t get tired of one smell too quickly. Each morning when I walk in to turn on my computer I’m met with a scent just as strong as when I opened the package!

Your turn: Do you have a favorite scent or scent memory???

Visit www.glade.com and to learn more about Glade® products.

Filed Under: Home Decor, Product Reviews Tagged With: air freshener, Scent

A Natural Fabric Softener Solution and a Giveaway!

October 7, 2013 11 Comments

Hey there lovelies! How was your weekend?

Let’s start this week with a fun product review and giveaway! I don’t know about you but laundry is one of my LEAST favorite household chores. Anything that can make that process go by faster is a win in my book… Introducing Woolzies Dryer Balls!!! They are a non-toxic, natural solution for softening your fabrics. They’re made of 100% pure New Zealand wool but are safe for people with wool sensitivities. They claim to help eliminate wrinkles, shorten dry time (whoot!), reduce static and they are chemical free.

I received a box of six XL Woolzies to try out. I’ve been using them in place of my normal dryer sheets for the last two weeks. Using the Woolzie dryer balls couldn’t be simpler… You just place the six dryer balls in the dryer with your wet clothing and turn it on! When the clothes are finished drying there’s less static, less wrinkles and softer clothes all without the film that dryer sheets can leave behind.

I don’t like to use dryer sheets with my daughter’s clothes at all since she’s only three months old. I’m still afraid of the reaction she might have to chemicals on her clothing… I will however use the Woolzies dryer balls!

If you prefer scented laundry you can add a drop of fragrant essential oils to one or two of the dryer balls before putting them in with your wash. Again, fragrant laundry all without the harsh chemicals that can be found in other laundry softening alternatives.

Honestly, I wouldn’t say the dryer balls are better at removing static then dryer sheets, but the peace of mind that they’re not leaving anything else behind is well worth the trade off. Overall I was pleased with the product and felt good knowing that my daughter’s clothes especially could be less static-y, spend less time in the dryer and I didn’t have to worry about a rash or something not so fun on her skin later!

It’s YOUR lucky day because I have another box of Woolzies Dryer Balls to give to one Truly Lovely reader! Enter using the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway will close one week from today and the winner will be announced on October 15th. Thanks for entering and good luck!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a box of Woolzies Dryer Balls in exchange for my honest review. As always opinions shared here are 100% my own.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Product Reviews Tagged With: laundry

Who doesn’t love CHEESE!?!

September 28, 2013 4 Comments

I personally think life would be drab and unexciting without cheese. I got lucky and married a husband that feels the same way… so needless to say cheese is a necessity on our grocery list. When I received the Sargento Natural Cheese Vox Box from Influenster I was stoked!

Inside the Vox Box were two coupons to try Sargento Cheese Sticks and an insulated Sargento Cheese travel koozi.

After having my baby girl a few months ago my doctor explained that nursing mothers need to take in extra calories, BUT to strive for good calories, aka NOT just junk. Cheese is a great snack food for those extra calories since it is a good source of protein and calcium. Would you look at that? Sargento Cheese Sticks even proclaim that message on their package, “A Natural Source of Protein & Calcium”. Snack time for the win!!!

For my first coupon I chose the Colby-Jack cheese sticks. In about a week the entire package was cleaned out! My husband and I both thought they tasted great. Have you ever noticed that some cheese sticks taste bland or funky… Not like REAL cheese. You can just tell that they are crazy over processed? Well Sargento Cheese Sticks are NOT like that. They taste just as yummy as the “real thing”!

For years one of my favorite snack pairings has been cheese and a few ginger snap cookies. It’s something I learned from my Granny when I would visit her house after school as a kiddo and we would share a snack together. I was delighted to find that Sargento Cheese Sticks were an easy and convenient way to continue enjoying my favorite snack!

First of all, I save time not having to slice cheese, which is awesome! The cheese koozi is fun for taking cheese on the go and all I need is a little sandwich baggy of ginger snaps and I have a yummy snack for the road!

I can’t wait to use my other coupon to try a different flavor of Sargento Cheese Sticks! What flavor would you like to try? What is your favorite cheese stick pairing???

Disclosure: I received the Sargento Cheese Stick coupons as part of a Vox Box via Influenster. As always opinions shared here are 100% my own!

Filed Under: Product Reviews Tagged With: Snack

A Sweet Gift for a New Mommy and Baby

September 25, 2013 6 Comments

Hey there!! Long time no talk!!! Thank goodness for Fancy This Fridays or you wouldn’t have heard anything from me in weeks!! We’re finally past #weddingbonanza2013 and I’m starting to feel caught back up with everything!!!

So today I’m back on the bloggy-blog to share one of the sweetest gift ideas… Klara recently received her very first Christmas ornament from my friend, Jerri.

Jerri is also a blogger, she blogs at Simply Sweet Home, and she is the owner/creator behind the Etsy shop . When she offered to create an ornament for miss Klara I was absolutely delighted! I mean who wouldn’t want a keepsake ornament to commemorate their child’s first Christmas?!?! AWESOME Gift Idea Alert!!!

I was able to choose whether I wanted just her first name or also her middle name, the color of the ribbon and the cute little charm! Don’t you think the rocking horse is so fitting?!?! The other charms include a Christmas tree, baby bottle, baby feet, pacifier, high chair, or a ducky.

The ornament itself is made of two hand stamped aluminum disks that will not rust and thus hang beautifully on your holiday tree for many years!! I really, really believe this would make a beautiful gift for your new mommy friend, a baby shower gift, Christmas gift for your own new little one… As a new mommy myself I was touched by the simplicity but lasting quality of our ornament.

Plus it makes a darling photo prop!! 😉

You can get your own from Jerri’s shop at that link. She also creates hand stamped necklaces and key chains as well as other lovely handmade jewelry.

Your turn: My family has always had the tradition of a new Christmas ornament every year for each of the kids. I plan to carry on that tradition with Klara. Do you have any ornament or other special Christmas traditions?

Filed Under: Baby, Gift Ideas, Product Reviews Tagged With: baby, baby ideas, baby shower, Christmas, gift ideas

A Place of Honor on My Vanity

August 26, 2013 20 Comments

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Clearasil, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #SuperFruits http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

A lot of things have changed since we found out we were expecting Klara. Almost everything changed for the better!! But there are one or two things that haven’t been so positive… Like my skin. While I was pregnant I really didn’t worry about it too much. I mean, let’s be honest, when you’re expecting your first little one there are so many other things that occupy your thoughts more than doing something about your suddenly less than stellar complexion! When Klara was just over a month old I decided it was past time to get my healthy skin back!

Allow me to introduce you to my new favorite skin care product… Clearasil’s NEW! Daily Clear Refreshing Superfruit Cleansers!

As you can see it has clearly earned a place of honor on my vanity! Historically I haven’t followed the most consistent skin care regimen. Back in high school I was one of those stereotypical pimple faced teenagers. I spent my primitive high school years trying every face wash I could get my hands on, committing to each one hoping for results… Then about the time I went into college my face decided to clear up for the most part with a stray blemish popping up only every now and then. So, I relaxed with my routine and tended to use whatever facial cleanser that happened to catch my eye in the store. Which brings us to the present and my post-pregnancy blemished face.

Yep, that’s me with no makeup on, a few unsightly blemishes and a glimmer of hope that this new Clearasil face wash would help my complexion.

You guys! I have been using the gel face wash shown above for almost two weeks now and I love it! The fruity scent is light and refreshing. My skin feels clean, but not dry after every wash and my blemishes are all but gone!!! Needless to say I’m sold! Me, again without makeup…

Post-baby skin (✓)!!! Now if I could just fit into those pre-pregnancy jeans! 😉

Want to try Clearasil’s NEW! Daily Clear Refreshing Superfruit Cleansers for yourself? The entire line can be purchased at Wal-Mart for less than $5! Oh and BONUS = Here’s a $1 off coupon just for you! 😉 So you can try your choice of the three cleansers for LESS THAN $4!!!! (Hopefully your Wal-Mart isn’t sold out of the other two kinds like mine was!!!)

Happy shopping lovelies!!

Filed Under: Product Reviews, Shopping, Sponsored Tagged With: face wash, skin care, walmart

Interchangeable Necklaces Styled by Tori Spelling

June 12, 2013 4 Comments

*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Styled by Tori Spelling and Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft stores for a campaign via Blueprint Social. As always opinions shared here are 100% my own!

Every woman and young lady that I know loves jewelry… The more pretty baubles you have to choose from when getting dressed for work, a night on the town, or just every day the better!!! Am I right!?! That’s why I am in LOVE with all the pretty new pieces now available at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores!

You might’ve seen the Styled by Tori pieces that were available before but now there are even MORE fun colors and ways to mix and match pieces to create your own unique looks! Just check out all the blingy goodness I received in my Blueprint Social sampling box!!! And that’s only a small snippet of the awesome-ness that is now available!!!

One of my favorite features of this jewelry line is that they are made to be interchangeable. You can purchase just a few key pieces and create several different looks! For example with just four pieces from the Styled by Tory Spelling Noir collection I was able to create two very different interchangeable necklaces!

Step 1: Gather your necklaces pieces. Mine included two necklace bottoms, one necklace top and a set of connectors.

Step 2: Connect the first necklace bottom to the necklace top using the two connectors. You can see in the photo below, it’s SO easy to do. Simply open the connector and slip the two ends inside. That’s it!

Viola! There’s your first necklace! The necklace bottom shown here is the Five Stone Bib bottom in the Smoke color.

Step 3: Create a completely different look by replacing the first necklace bottom with the second necklace bottom. Simply change it out at the connectors, leaving the connectors attached to the necklace top.

And boom! There’s your second necklace! The necklace bottom shown here is the Leaf and Rhinestone Tri-Color Necklace Botto.

You can find more information and ideas for creating your own Styled by Tori Spelling looks by following them on , and . Oh! And make sure you get entered into the being hosted by Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores! It’s only open from June 3-20th, so hurry to get your entry in!!!

To enter click over to the , fill out the official entry form and upload a photo of you wearing jewelry made with the Styled by Tori Spelling collection.

The Grand Prize includes a trip to L.A. for you and a friend! The winner will head to an LA area Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store to shop & craft with Tori Spelling! Winner and guest will each receive air transportation, hotel accommodations, dinner, up to $100 to spend for the craft items and $100 Styled by Tori Spelling gift basket. Five first prize winners will receive $100 in jewelry!!! .

To see more fun Styled by Tori Spelling looks created by my fellow bloggers check out the links below!

Filed Under: Crafts, Product Reviews Tagged With: Jewelry

Blackberry Z10 Keep Moving Party

June 11, 2013 Leave a Comment

We’ve all seen the old Blackberry devices, right? When I think of those I think of big and clunky with the small push button keyboard. Well, the new Blackberry Z10 now available at Verizon Wireless is nothing short of sleek and stylish! Plus it has all kinds of amazing new features!

As part of the Verizon VIP Crowd on Crowdtap I was recently given the opportunity to test out a brand new Blackberry Z10 and share it with a few friends at a Blackberry Z10 Keep Moving party.

Prior to the party I created an event on Facebook to share information and invite friends to the party. The group also included several poll questions and a request for a photo from each of my guests that described ‘What keeps them moving?’

Shown below is a few examples of the poll questions asked in the Facebook event group. As incentive to get guests to fill out the poll questions a Blackberry USB pen was offered as a giveaway prize to everyone that participated.

When I received my party package I was able to load my information like Facebook account, twitter account, etc. onto the phone to test out it’s features. One of the things I was most impressed with was the photo editing capabilities. My iPhone 4S has basic editing features like cropping and red eye reduction. But the Blackberry Z10 goes above and beyond that with filters and effects already preloaded into the phone! In other words, you don’t NEED an app for that!

For example here’s a photo I took of clouds above the mountain near my house. After editing it within the Blackberry Z10 photo editor using the auto enhance feature and the contrast feature we get an ominous looking storm out of some crazy sci-fi movie versus a normal cloudy sky! Cool, right?

I was also really impressed with the Story Maker app that allows you to edit your photos and videos into a movie with background music and everything! I tested it out by making a photo tutorial of a craft I had completed recently. You can see it here: .

At the party itself I had planned on taking my guests out for drinks after my baby shower in May… but by the time the shower was over and everything was unloaded at my house everyone was ready to just stay in and relax… So instead we purchased a few drinks and snacks from the nearby grocery store and hung out at home to check out the Blackberry Z10.

As I shared earlier each guest was asked to send me a photo of what kept them moving. I had several guests participate so with their photos I made another Story Maker movie. At the party I also filmed a short clip of everyone waving at the camera and then showed everyone how easy it is to edit a movie by adding in the clip I had just taken. Here’s the finished video…

Overall everyone had a great time checking out the new Blackberry Z10, learning about all the cool new features and getting to spend some time together. So glad I invited all my tech savvy friends who were able to ask questions that I hadn’t even thought about!

Your turn: Are you a Blackberry user? Will you be trying the Blackberry Z10 anytime soon? Or have you tried it already? What were your thoughts?

Filed Under: Product Reviews, Sponsored Tagged With: CrowdTap, Verizon

WIWW – Old Navy ActiveWear During Pregnancy

June 5, 2013 3 Comments

Staying active while pregnant is incredibly important. Sure, the types of activities and exercises you can do while expecting are limited, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stay active long into the third trimester! During the early months of my pregnancy I stayed active by running on the treadmill, even ‘training’ for and running in The Color Run 5K. Later on when running became more cumbersome than it was worth I’ve really focused on walking. I try to go for a walk every day, even if it’s just down to the horse pens (behind my house) and back.

Thanks to Old Navy and Crowdtap I even have a cute maternity friendly workout outfit now! Old Navy Activewear is my go to for fashionable workout attire. Even while pregnant the new additions to their Activewear line are flattering and comfortable!

For this sample and share from Old Navy via Crowdtap I chose one of their brand new Mesh Bubble Tanks in the Carbon color. I love that it has the bubble bottom which allows for plenty of room for my growing baby bump! The racer back styling makes it cool and comfortable for the hot Arizona heat. And the mesh fabric is breathable and comfortable against your skin!

For the bottoms I chose the Old Navy Fold Over Yoga Capris. The fold over waste can easily be worn underneath my pregnant stomach comfortably, the loser fit (as opposed to the tighter compression capris) allows for more leg room (and thigh room, and bum room…) And they pair really well with the bubble top for a fun workout outfit!

This round of Old Navy Activewear has some fun new options so it was hard to narrow down my choices… There are some new graphic tanks and tees, semi fitted tanks, the bubble tanks, of course, and several more options in the Activewear top section!

For the Activewear bottoms I am LOVING the colored tops on the fold over capris! The bright pop of color is an exciting addition to the run of the mill workout outfit!

I shared my other Old Navy sampling coupon with my sister in law, Stephanie. She too chose a Mesh Bubble Tank, hers is the Electric Neon color and a pair of the fold over yoga capris. In her words, she is in LOVE with the capris and loves that the bubble tank can hide any belly flubber! 😉

As you can see we both chose basically the same outfit just in different colors. Stephenie is a super skinny thing while I’m 8 months preggo and the same outfit can definitely work with either body type! So yay Old Navy for making versatile Activewear!!!

Your turn: What is your go to workout outfit? What was/is your go to workout while pregnant?

Filed Under: Product Reviews, What I Wore Tagged With: CrowdTap, Fashion, Old Navy

WIWW – Lilla Rose Hair Clip Review and Giveaway!

May 29, 2013 30 Comments

Hey there dolls! Today my WIWW post is centered on hair! I have a LOT of hair… Every time I visit a new hair stylist, without fail, they comment on HOW much hair I have… It’s not really that it’s thick, it’s just that there is a lot! So needless to say I have always been fairly skeptical of those hair clips that are supposed to hold all of my hair in place all day long. So skeptical that I don’t ever wear them….

But then Kendra of A Proverbs 31 Wife approached me about reviewing a Lilla Rose Hair Clip… She even picked out a few specific clips from their extensive collection that reminded her of me! How could I say no to that!?!

So I went in skeptical, but when this pretty Bright Start Within a Horseshoe flexi hair clip arrived at my door packed so prettily, with instructions, thank goodness, I was excited to try it out!

The one I received is a Medium – they come in Mini, Extra Small, Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large and Mega sizes. Like I said before, I have a LOT of hair, but the medium was the perfect size to hold my hair in both a half up do like this one…

Or even an entire ponytail!! I was very pleased to find that it was really easy to use (there are instructions included with your order, or they have videos available on the website) and that it held my hair in place! Phew! Skepticism deterred!! Plus, it’s WAY gentler on my hair than a run of the mill hair tie and adds a little something to an everyday outfit!

Lucky for you ladies one Truly Lovely winner will WIN their very own Lilla Rose Flexi Clip this week!! Kendra has generously offered one flexi clip of the winner’s choice valued at up to $15! Enter to win using the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway will close one week from today and the winner will be announced on June 6th. The giveaway is open to US and CA residents only; winner must not have won a Lilla Rose giveaway in the past year.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a Lilla Rose clip in exchange for my honest review, as always opinions shared here are 100% my own!

Filed Under: Giveaways, Product Reviews Tagged With: Hair Accessories

Mombo Nursing Pillow

May 14, 2013 4 Comments

This post brought to you by Comfort and Harmony. All opinions are 100% mine.

Baby girl is due in July, so I have been really interested in and researching mom centered products lately. Especially products to help the new mom transition into motherhood more conveniently. Enter the brand new mombo nursing pillow from Comfort & Harmony.

Here’s a little video of yours truly giving a quick description of what the Mombo nursing pillow is and how it works. A few notes… I am 30 weeks 4 days expecting in this video. Fun times. 😉 You’ll notice we have a cameo appearance from a nosey, little black dog. Thank you Pandy… And you’ll hear a few mumbles from the ‘camera crew’ now and again… i.e. My niece and her little friend were there while my sister in law filmed this for me. I’m going to call this video a mom in training success! Not everything worked out perfectly, but we got it done! haha…

So in short, Mombo is a brand new baby nursing pillow with two unique sides, a firm side for nursing and a soft side for lounging. It also includes a pocket for a small vibrating massager to make baby more comfortable.

Since I have yet to start nursing (or have my baby for that matter, haha) I shared the Mombo with my friend, Meghan and my baby godson, Reiner. Meg was impressed with the high quality of the Mombo. She has used other nursing pillows since having Reiner and said this was the nicest one she’d seen so far. It’s the only one that includes the battery operated massager that either of us has seen on the market. The cover is made of a super soft fabric making the pillow a cozy spot for little Reiner to kick back and relax.

After trying the Mombo while nursing Meghan also shared that she feels like the firmer nursing side will be much easier for me to use, compared to other nursing pillows, when it’s my turn as a brand new mom because it gives you more support while you’re trying to learn the best way to hold baby.

I personally love the pink cover, it will be perfect for baby girl once she gets here.

So how about you friends? Have you ever heard of or tried the Mombo nursing pillow? You can check out other Mombo products by liking Comfort & Harmony on Facebook or following Comfort & Harmony on Twitter. Mombo products are available for purchase at Babies R Us.

Filed Under: Baby, Product Reviews

Scented Memories

Disclosure: I received the Glade® products shared in this post in exchange for my honest review. As always opinions shared here are 100% my own.

A Natural Fabric Softener Solution and a Giveaway!

Disclosure: I received a box of Woolzies Dryer Balls in exchange for my honest review. As always opinions shared here are 100% my own.

Who doesn’t love CHEESE!?!

Disclosure: I received the Sargento Cheese Stick coupons as part of a Vox Box via Influenster. As always opinions shared here are 100% my own!

A Sweet Gift for a New Mommy and Baby

A Place of Honor on My Vanity

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Clearasil, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #SuperFruits http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

Interchangeable Necklaces Styled by Tori Spelling

Blackberry Z10 Keep Moving Party

WIWW – Old Navy ActiveWear During Pregnancy

WIWW – Lilla Rose Hair Clip Review and Giveaway!

Mombo Nursing Pillow

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