Old Navy Activewear

I love Crowdtap.  In a world filled with websites promising free samples in exchange for your opinions this is one of the few that means it while being easy to use (and pretty to look at!).  A few weeks ago I was chosen by Crowdtap to participate in a sample and share at Old Navy.  I was pretty ecstatic, as in happy dance ecstatic, as in shout it from the rooftops and call my mom ecstatic.  This sample and share meant that not only would I get to try some Old Navy activewear FOR FREE but so would a friend, all thanks to Crowdtap and Old Navy.

Choosing a friend to share with wasn't too difficult, my sister has been working really hard to get healthy this year and I knew some new activewear would be a perfect reward for her hard work.   So one beautiful Sunday afternoon we left the toddlers with my husband (good luck!) and made the journey to Old Navy (you know, a less than 5 minute drive away).

My sister can rock red pants, no?

I won't lie, at first I was kind of disappointed by how small the activewear section was...

but it turns out they were able to stuff a lot of variety into a very small space.  

Looking for anything active

Perusing the racks

A difficult decision

When it came time to try things on we had several options.

Ready to hit the dressing rooms

My options

Our dressing room attendant was very nice, especially considering how giggly we were.  We went back and forth between the rooms quite a bit critiquing each others outfits.  It was hard to narrow it down.

Since I knew I would primarily be using my outfits for yoga I decided to test them out with a few common moves:

I am sure dressing room yoga will be the next big thing.  You just wait and see.

I feel no need to say nice things about something just because I got it for free.  This entire blog is about being truthful, even if I am sharing the eloquent truth of "this sucks."

That said, I cannot express in words how much I love Old Navy activewear... but I will give it try.  It is form fitting yet stretchy, soft yet durable, basic yet stylish.  I felt completely comfortable walking around the dressing rooms where everyone could see me even though I was wearing clothing that hugged all of my curves.  I feel like I could actually wear this to the gym (as well as my usual exercise venue - the living room) without being self conscious.  I felt sexy and stylish and comfortable and hugged.  Yes, hugged.  It was nice.  In the end I actually bought an extra pair of pants and shirt in addition to the items I got for free, I didn't even look at the price tags, just took it to the counter and said ring me up!  

My sister was also a big fan of the clothes but here I have one critique, the range of sizes.  It may have just been this location but we were only able to find a few items bigger than a size Large.  In my opinion this is the perfect activewear for someone who is starting their journey of health or weight loss and as such I think they need to offer a large range of sizes in store.  This is very personal for me, several years ago I lost 60 pounds and it was very hard at first to find comfortable workout clothes (I was a jogger then) in stores.  I had to spend a lot of time ordering online, receiving the clothes, trying them on, and returning them.  You really have to try activewear on to see if it is the right fit for your body and chosen activity, being able to go to a store and try something on makes a HUGE difference, especially when you may be struggling to find motivation.  

When we got home we did a fashion show for the kids and husband, we even showed off our tough moves.  This elicited a big round of toddler applause :)

This may sound crazy but I actually think we looked better in our activewear than we did in our regular clothes!

Final verdict:  You want this, seriously, go buy some Old Navy activewear.  You can thank me later.

Speaking of, thank you Old Navy and Crowdtap for this fantastic sample and share of activewear!

Bed Head by Tigi Part I

A few days ago this happened:

The good people over at Bzz Agent saw fit to send me free samples of Bed Head to try...did I mention they were free?  Pretty exciting.  (Side note: the bzz agent boxes are cute, it felt like I was getting a present)

If you are like me then you think of Bed Head by Tigi as something from the 90s that made you look as greasy as one does in the early morning hours before showering.  To be honest I was expecting my free samples to consist of hair glue or texturizing paste or generally something not all that useful to a long-haired, reasonably clean person like myself.   What I actually got was Straighten Out Straightening Cream, Recharge Shampoo and Conditioner, and Elasticate Shampoo and Conditioner.  Basically they gave me products that claim to straighten, shine, and strengthen my hair, so I guess they've been reading my mind because that is pretty spot on with what I want for my crazy tresses (you like that?  tresses?  it's fancy).

Today's review focuses on the Straighten Out Straightening Cream.  According to the bottle Straighten out is a  "98% HUMIDITY DEFYING STRAIGHTENING CREAM.  Superstar thermosetting polymers power this high performance hot iron cream. For 48 hour serious, serious straight, even in 98% humidity."

Sounds good to me.

Saturday morning, May the 4th, we went to a "May the 4th Be With You" Star Wars celebration at a local library.  I knew there would be members of the 501st Legion there so I wanted to look my best for pictures.  Yes, I wanted to look my best for dudes dressed as Storm Troopers, that is pretty much my ideal day.  I was in a hurry but managed to wash the hair, slap on some of the Bed Head cream, and run a semi hot flat iron over it before rushing out the door.  Oh and I also snapped a pic:

Thumbs up y'all!  Now where did I put my glasses...

In the car I noticed that my hair was very straight and very soft but not at all greasy or heavy.  At the library I chased around several toddlers, adults, and storm troopers and had a total blast both infoors and outside in the Texas heat and sun.  (BTW, the 501st were awesome.)

How do you like my awesome Yoda ears?  Totally forgot they were on my head.

I had no opportunity to brush my hair let alone look in a mirror until much later in the day and was pleased to see my hair looked like this 15 hours later:

totally took this pic at midnight

Pretty impressive stuff.  I don't exactly have curly hair but it has a tendency to get wavy and bushy over time and as you can see that didn't happen.  

Final verdict:  I like it well enough that when I run out of the sample I will actually spend my own hard earned dollars to get some more.

Vaseline® Spray & Go Moisturizer

I received my Vaseline® Spray & Go Moisturizer complimentary from Influenster a few weeks ago and I was pretty excited to try it.  I am a total science geek and for some reason this felt sciency, like the lotion of the future.  I pulled it out after a shower and found that there is a little bit of a learning curve when it comes to getting the spray angle right.  After creating a couple of slippery spots on the bathroom tile I figured it out and was impressed by how quickly it absorbed into my slightly damp skin and left my skin feeling soft.

**Here is a helpful video from Vaseline on how to use the spray

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KRWa8su0q1U" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

But there was one problem...the smell.  It's kind of flowery?  lotiony?  icky?  I don't like it.  That isn't uncommon with creams and lotions of course, a woman's post bath routine can often leave the place smelling like a spa.  What was uncommon was how strong the smell stayed and how long it lingered.  As in all day.  So if you like the smell it would definitely save you some money on perfume, otherwise you may want to skip this one.

Final verdict:  P. U.

Question, has anyone tried any of the other "flavors"?  I am curious how those smell.

P.S. By writing this review I am entering the Brand Challenge for a chance to win a prize. But we all know I was going to write it anyway.

Colgate Optic White System: The Results

The time has come to reveal my before and after pics from my highly scientific Colgate Optic White review.

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, I present to you, the "after":

Fascinating.

Here are the two collages together for easier comparison:

Did you hear that?  Listen closely....that is the sound of me not being impressed.

My teeth pretty much looked the same at the end of the week as they did at the beginning and I have to say, the mouthwash was a beating.  I was soooo happy to not be using it anymore because it made my mouth was incredibly sensitive all day long.  Nachos and tacos were like torture and around here nachos and tacos are what we call dinner.  I did like the toothbrush but I am addicted to my electric toothbrush and have ultimately decided to make the Colgate one a travel brush.  My husband on the other hand actually went out and got one of his own.  The results of this experiment were not enough to make me switch my brand so when I bought toothpaste this week it was my usual Crest.  Sorry Colgate, better luck next time?

Final verdict: There are groups who would protest the use of Colgate Optic White mouthwash on prisoners at Guantanamo Bay but the toothbrush is great.

Colgate Optic White System

Another of the products I received in my Sugar N' SPice VoxBox from Influenster  was the Colgate Optic White tooth whitening system (toothpaste, toothbrush, and mouthwash).  I've been really excited about this because I LOVE SCIENCE.  What you say?  What does science have to do with this?  What DOESN'T science have to do with this?  The toothpaste box makes the claim that if you brush your teeth regularly with it's product you will have whiter teeth in one week.

EXPERIMENT TIME.  (I am giddy with joy)

I really wanted to start this ages ago but we had to go out of town a couple of times and then everyone in this house was sick (nightmare) but the time has come at last.  The box only says to "brush regularly  so my plan is to brush with the toothpaste and toothbrush provided for two minutes and then follow up with the mouthwash twice a day (morning and night) for 7 days.  

I took my before pictures Wednesday morning in the bathroom mirror (great natural light) after brushing with my usual paste and brush.  They are pretty sexy.

My teeth are HUGE!  Colgate should love me.

Yesterday was my first full day of experimentation/brushing with the new system.  My first thought was that the toothbrush has very soft bristles.  I have been using an electric toothbrush for years and was not at all accustomed to doing all the work myself (FWP).  At one point I said to my husband "Who uses a soft bristled toothbrush?  This is crazy!"  Turns out he uses a soft toothbrush.  Oops.  

I like the flavor of the paste, I don't like overly sweet toothpaste and this paste has more of a natural peppermint flavor with a hint of bitterness that I believe comes from baking soda or peroxide.  It is also a very foamy paste, which made me appear to be rabid.  Not really a concern just an observation.

After brushing I noticed that my teeth were shockingly smooth, it felt kind of amazing.  Then came the mouthwash.  Hmmm.  It was...unpleasant.  The taste was sour and it burned like crazy, enough to bring tears to my eyes.  The directions say to rinse for 60 seconds and I have been doing it like a trooper but I am not enjoying it.  However, it does make your mouth feel extremely fresh!  VERY VERY FRESH!  I recommend that you don't eat anything afterwards because the freshness might turn on you and it won't be pretty.  

So that is where we stand, soft bristles, smooth teeth, and extreme freshness.  Check back in 6 days for what are sure to be enticing and alluring after pictures and a discussion of whether or not the toothpaste box claims are true!

Guest Blog: Old Navy Vintage & Perfect Tee’s

My good friend M is a Crowdtap GENIUS.  She has belonged for only a few months and has already surpassed me on every level of Crowdtap awesome.  Because she is nice and full of amazing she took me with her on her recent Old Navy and Crowdtap sponsored sample and share.  Here is her review (complete with pics of us being dorks):

Old Navy Vintage & Perfect Tee’s

First off, I should explain how this adventure came to happen. I joined a website called Crowdtap about two months ago. It’s marketing website. Which sounds all businessy but it has really awesome perks like throwing sponsored parties and free samples from clients like Old Navy, Durex, Woolite, Cottenelle, Marc Jacob, etc. I was one of many members selected for an Old Navy sample & share (free tee’s for me and a friend).  I brought my gal pal, K, with me to get two free tees from the Vintage & Perfect tee line. I asked K to come with me because she loves Old Navy as much as I do and has a funny obsession with Tee Shirts. We are super dorky and both wore shirts that we bought at Old Navy previously because we wanted to be festive.

Look, we're here!

We walked in and immediately noticed the Vintage tees. We both got really excited. We dove into all of the shirts.

I mean really dove into them. We kinda made a mess. Sorry store employees!

We picked several different colors. I think I had 5 shirts to try on right away. They were in some really great colors.

After flagging down an associate we were able to find the “Perfect” shirts.

We piled on more to try. By the time we headed to the dressing room we had about 15 shirts to try on between the two of us.

Yes, we are dorks.  This is why we are friends.

I fell in love with the Vintage tees. I love how soft and thin/light they were. It reminds me of the shirts that were popular back in the 80’s. I suppose that is why they are called Vintage, maybe? I also really liked the neckline. Note on sizes: Vintage shirts run big. Get a smaller size than you think you need. BUT don’t make the same choice for the Perfect tanks. You will be stuffing yourself into them.

Decision Time!

I ended up with two Vintage tee (the hot pink & the blue “San Francisco ‘94”). I love how soft and light they are and I really liked the V neck. The colors and designs were more exciting as than the Perfect line.  I really do like the Perfect tee but if I had to choose one of the other, which I did, I would go for the Vintage tees again.

K picked a Vintage, Perfect and a few other tees also. We are very happy campers with our purchases.

I especially love my pink tee. I've worn it several times already and it’s only been 4 days since I bought it. In fact, I wore it when I got home from shopping…

…I wore it on Easter morning…

…ANDDDDDD, I’m wearing it as I write this….

Ok, did I say K was obsessed with tees? I meant me.

Thank you Crowdtap and Old Navy for the Sample & Share. I hope to be picked for the next one. And a special thank you to K for letting me be a guest blogger and being an awesome wing (wo)man.