I'm a Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips Believer!

I had the chance to try these first-hand and wondered, "Do Crest 3D Whitestrips Professional Effects really work?" After 7 days, I can tell you, "Yes! They really do work!!"

I roped my husband into being my guinea pig, but trust me, he had no regrets in the end.  He started out with some seriously yellow-spotted teeth...

...and ended up with some pearly whites...

Here is some insight into his brain while using the Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips for 7 days:

Day 1 

 "Absolutely the worst!  I'm drooling all over and talking a lot like my 2-year-old.  Plus, tasting plastic in my mouth is not pleasant."

Important to know: the instructions recommend NOT brushing your teeth before applying the whitening strip.  They're surprisingly vague on whether you should brush afterwards.  You'll want to (and he did) because your teeth will feel slimy.

Day 3

 "These are definitely only to be worn when no company is going to be dropping by.  That means I've been waiting until the couple hours right before bed, and last night I completely forgot."

Day 5

  "The strips apply really easy.  And my wife isn't even noticing I have them on (well, at least until she remembers I'm around and tries to ask me something)"

Day 7 

"HOLY COW!  I thought I noticed an immediate difference on Day 1 (and I did), but tonight when I was all done I couldn't stop staring at my teeth in the mirror!  They're WHITE, and they're SHINY!  I never would have spent the time or money to have this done at the dentist's office.  Really, really amazing!"

Do Crest 3D Whitestrips really work? In our house, we are now teeth whitening believers!  2 hours a day for 7 days is nothing to undo years of yellowing teeth.  And being able to do it at home for a fraction of what it would cost at the dentist is even better!

Have you used a product for tooth whitening before? 

Products mentioned in this post were provided 

complimentary through Influenster for my review. 

 I was not compensated or influenced in writing my opinions.

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Ultimate Thanksgiving from Cravebox

I have to admit my second Cravebox isn't as over-the-top thrilling as the first, but that doesn't make it bad.  What it does have going for it is being stuffed full of improved-for-convenience Thanksgiving staples.  The products this time around are things we'll all be needing in the next few days...

Ultimate Thanksgiving Cravebox

L to R:  Duncan Hines Frosting Creations, Brookside Smooth Dark Chocolate Covered Fruit,

 Knorr Homestyle Chicken Stock, (2) Del Monte Whole Green Beans  

Not Pictured:  Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits, $35 voucher Folded Words customizable cards by Walgreens,

 (2) McCormick Turkey Gravy Mix

Truly, the food items I've listed above will make your holiday preparations so much easier!  Especially the green beans which hold up so well in a classic creamy green bean casserole.  I've used the homestyle stock before with mixed results-sometimes it leaves a greasy coating on my tongue-but I tried it last night in a black bean soup and it tasted great!

What I'm really excited about are the Folded Words cards by Walgreens and the chocolate covered pomegranate candies.  I had twins in August and haven't sent out birth announcements yet, and of course it's also time for Christmas cards.  I think one of these designs will be perfect...




As for the candy...

...it's all gone!

Retail $ of box items: $57.99

-$14.00 shipping:

$43.99

Tell me, how do you make your

 Thanksgiving Day cooking a little easier?

All items mentioned in this box were provided for my review. 

 I was not compensated or influenced in writing my opinions.

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WINNER!! 12 oz. Tully's French Roast Coffee

Congratulations Rochelle J!!

You've won the 12 oz. Tully's Coffee giveaway.

(Notification & information request has been sent to winner's email. 

 If no response is received, a new winner will be chosen Tuesday evening)

Thank you to everyone who entered!  

I hope to hear much more from you as Freemples gets up and running!

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Influenster and VoxBox

Getting free things is REALLY nice!  But, sometimes it's also nice to have a place you can go to share your opinions on products you love (or hate) and know that other people like you are there sharing their opinions, too.  That's what I've found at Influenster.

Now, to be honest, I was extremely skeptical when I first came across Influenster.  The commitment you make with them is heavily weighted in social media and the products they promised for review seemed a little to good to be true.  I'm here to tell you, signing up with Influenster was definitely worth it!  Here are the basics you'll need to make a decision about signing up to do reviews...

Badges

Starting off with Influenster, you'll want to "unlock" your badges.  This is a fancy hip way of saying, "Take surveys based on your interests in influences."  The more surveys you complete,or badges you unlock, the better your chances at being approved for products to review.  Examples of the badges I have unlocked include the Jetsetter (travel), Mother Bear (parenting), and Mosquito (outdoor adventure).  

VoxBox

Why put in the grunt work of unlocking badges?  So you can receive one of these...a VoxBox filled with new and exciting products for you to try.  When it comes, it's a tiny little box, but packed to overflowing with great free things!  In a year's time, I have received two boxes with items like Venus razors and Stash Tea.  The only thing you are required to do when receiving a VoxBox is complete a survey after using the products.  On top of that, it's all your choice, with options for additional rewards based on how much you share on social media.

Brand Challenges

This one I didn't understand until recently when I received one.  Basically, Influenster works to team up a specific brand with people to try out and share their product.  Now that I know, I'm just going to tell you that Brand Challenges are awesome!  My husband right now is trying out Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips-watch next week for the amazing results he's getting!

Want it broken down more simply?

• Sign-up and start unlocking badges
• Qualify for your VoxBox, try it out, and let them know what you think
• It's that easy and it's completely free!

Interested in giving Influenster a try?

Leave your email in a comment below 
and I can send the 1st three people an invitation, 

or sign up here.

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Less Than Impressed with Saveology

Have you done any business with this company?

They are a daily deals sight similar to other sites that are so popular now.  Yesterday they were offering a $15 The Children's Place gift card for $7.50 and I decided I shop at the store often enough that it would be worth giving Saveology a try.  I'll never make a purchase with them again!

After completing my purchase I had to wait 24 hours to redeem my voucher.  No big deal.  I even got a text today reminding me to come back and get the item I had purchased.  To do that, you have to call their redemption center.  At this point, I was still not worried, although it probably should have been a red flag.  

The customer service person who took my call started off nice, took my information and told me how long it'd take for my gift card to arrive.  Then he launched into a sales pitch for $100 gift cards and magazine subscriptions.  When I told him I was not interested, I could see the dials in his brain working as he looked down his phone script for what he was supposed to say to me.  After telling him 3 times I was not interested and please just send my The Children's Place card, he got flustered and put me on hold.  He never came back on the call.  

Now I will have to vigilantly watch my credit card bill and give up all expectation of the gift card I did purchase ever showing up in the mail.  Never making another purchase with Saveology again!

Have you ever used Saveology?  

Is this a typical transacation with them?

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Super Simple Giveaway-Tully's Roasted Coffee!!

If you've been reading here and here, then you know I've been testing out the Cooking Light Selects Cravebox this week.  This was one of the items provided...

Tully's French Roast Black Coffee

Well, I am not a coffee drinker and my prudishness is going to be to your reward!  In an attempt to build a Freemples following and to share this great product, I give you the first Freemples giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Cooking Light Selects Cravebox

My first Cravebox has me SOOO excited for more to come!  Look at the amazing food that the mailman delivered to me...

L to R: (3) Fruit Crisp from Dole, Kitchen Measurements Conversion Magnet, (2) Perfect Pinch Salt Free Garlic & Herb Seasoning from McCormick, Torani Salted Caramel Syrup, Nectresse 100% natural sweetener, & Tully's French Roast Coffee.

Trying the things in this box has been a lot of fun for my family.  The Perfect Pinch made a really simple and fast chicken dinner over the weekend, and the Nectresse worked great to sweeten up my husband's late-night grapefruit snack.  Today, though, I want to focus on the two things in the Cooking Light Selects Cravebox that we absolutely loved!

Torani Salted Caramel Syrup

What can I say?  It's DELICIOUS!!!!  I tried it in apple cider on Friday and wasn't a huge fan, but have had it in hot chocolate every day since then and my mouth begins to water while I'm stirring it in!

If you looking for ideas on what to do with the Salted Caramel Syrup, or any other of the dozens of flavors Torani offers, you'll definitely want to check out their website.  It's packed full of great recipes and ideas.  A few that I want to try are:

Salted Caramel Steamer

Baked Praline Yams with Pecan Streusel 

Caramel Bread Pudding

Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Marinade

Zabaglione Cheesecake

Go look for your favorite flavors at Torani.com, or find them on Facebook at I.like.torani.

Dole Fruit Crisps

The new Dole Fruit Crisps are delightful!  30-seconds in the microwave, pour on the oatmeal topping, and you've got a warm tasty treat.  We tried the peach, apple cinnamon, and apple pear and liked each of them well enough.  The apples in the apple cinnamon are still crunchy, which was nice!  And what's great is that the box shown above includes two bowls of fruit crisp-that was a great surprise!  Take a look at my kid's reactions...

You can find more information at Dole.com or on Twitter @DoleFoods

For my first Cravebox, the item's I received from Cooking Light Selects definitely did not disappoint!  And since I'm not a coffee-drinker, I'm going to pass the excitement on to you.  Watch tomorrow for Freemples' first giveaway, a 12 oz. bag of Tully's french roast coffee!

Retail $ of box items: $33.89 

-$13.00 shipping=

$20.89

Be sure to check out my first post on Cravebox here

All items mentioned in this box were provided for my review. 

 I was not compensated or influenced in writing my opinions.

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Craving a Product Discovery Opportunity?

Isn't this box pretty?

Cravebox is a product discovery company and I received my first one this week!  What is a product discovery company?  One that gathers together the cream of the crop in products on the market and introduces them to consumers in a creative and exciting way.  Cravebox does a fabulous job of this and prides themselves on their presentation in a beautiful box!

My next post will reveal the amazing products waiting inside my first Cravebox, but today let me share why I think you'd love to get one of your own:

• Very low-to-no pressure.  There's no requirement to share with 50 of your closest friends or get 100 comments on an item 100 other bloggers are reviewing.  The products are yours to try and if you want to share with people you know, they don't mind.
• Full-size products, and a lot of them.  No sample-sizes here (at least not in my first box).  What you get is definitely worth your time and money.
• Variety.  Since I was approved and received my Cravebox a week ago, I've seen opportunities for 3 more completely different boxes being mailed out soon.  

My first Cravebox was full of food products!

What I want you to know up-front:

• There IS a cost to receive your Cravebox.  When you sign up you are asked to provide a form of payment that will cover the cost of shipping when you are chosen to receive a package.  I decided not to sign up the first time I heard about Cravebox because of that.  Now, though, I'll tell you I'm kicking myself for all the amazing stuff, I'm sure I've missed out on.  The box I received was hefty and the products inside were well worth the $13 I had to pay.  
• Cravebox recipients are chosen by random drawing.  They send out information each time a new box is ready and draw from the people who sign up.  There is a formula for better chances if you've shared about their company or your products in the past, but it is not a requirement!  Any person can sign up and have a chance at winning.

I'll reveal my Cooking Lights Cravebox products very soon.  I hope you'll come back to see. 

 And if you want your own, you can sign up on the Cravebox website.

(To whet your appetite...)

Retail $ of box items: $33.89 

-$13.00 shipping=

$20.89

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Hello and Welcome!

Well, here I am and there you are, both wondering what we're doing...

It's simple.  For most my life I've enjoyed getting things for free.  And there is a lot of stuff out there to get for free-you just have to know where to find it.  People are always asking me, "How did you get that?"  Here's my way to share where all that great free stuff comes from, and how you can get some, too!

Here's my promise...I'll be honest.  I don't always like things, and I have absolutely no problem sharing why. Maybe even more candidly than with the things I do like.

All I ask of you?  Try a couple free things, too, and let me know how it goes!

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