Kozy Shack Indulgent puddings

Thanks to BzzAgent, I had the chance to try Kozy Shack's new Indulgent Puddings line. They come in four flavors: Chocolate Truffle, Salted Caramel, Dark Chocolate, and Vanilla Bean. I received coupons for two free products, so I tried the Dark Chocolate and the Salted Caramel (my store only carried 3 of the 4 - they did not have the Chocolate Truffle).

Let me just say, these are really good. I mean, really good. The flavors are incredible (although I did wish that the caramel had a stronger caramel flavor - I thought the salty to caramel ratio was a bit off). They are super smooth and creamy. They don't have that gummy mouth feel that the shelf-stable pudding cups have. Really a delight to eat.

The ingredients are pretty great, too. Not much in the way of chemical additives and things you can't pronounce. For example, the salted caramel contains: Reduced fat milk, cream, brown sugar, modified tapioca starch, and less than 2% of caramel color, sea salt, natural flavors, carrageenan, maltodextrin. The dark chocolate is very similar. That being said, these are definitely not a health food. They are pretty high calorie and high fat. But as an indulgent dessert from time to time, they are pretty wonderful. (Note: I don't have any memory of how much they cost. They weren't cheap, but I don't recall them being horribly expensive.)

I will definitely consider buying these again in the future.

Robitussin 12-Hour Cough Relief

Thanks to CrowdTap, I was able to get a free sample of this product.

Now, CrowdTap has very short turn-around times on their missions, so I can't really talk about the effectiveness of the product. The active ingredient is an extended-release dextromethorphan. But this mission was mainly focused on the flavor. It comes in grape and orange, but the store where I got it only had orange. In short, the flavor is awful. There is very little orange-ness to it. It is thick and gritty and just tastes like nasty medicine. This product is going to have to work significantly better than the short-acting version for me to consider buying it in the future.

Kashi Overnight Muesli

I was so excited to try this as I have enjoyed most Kashi products I have had in the past, but I was very disappointed in it.


I tried the cherry-almond flavor, using 2% milk. After sitting in the refrigerator for almost 10 hours, I found the kashi to still be very runny and the grains to still be far too chewy. So I stuck it in the microwave. And let me just say that the amount of time they say is not nearly enough to warm it. I think I ended up doing it three times longer. At that point, it was warm, and the grains had softened a tiny bit more. And at this point I could at least eat it. The flavor was overwhelmingly cinnamon. Cinnamon, cinnamon, and more cinnamon. You could barely taste the grains, almonds, or cherries over the cinnamon. And there were very few cherries or almonds. (And I just went and looked at the Kashi website. There was cardamon in there? Really? I love cardamon. Did not taste a bit of it. And my finished product looked nothing like their picture.)

Now the cost. Wow. $2.49 for one serving. Even for it being organic, that is outrageous. There was barely 1/3 cup of stuff in the container (yes, I measured it before I added milk), most of that whole oats. You can get organic rolled oats for well under $2/pound. So I'm guessing I could make this mix myself for no more than $.50/serving. And that's with me buying ingredients retail. That's quite a markup. Overall, I see this product as yet another in a long line of "I've got money to burn and I'm too busy to do things myself and I don't care about the extra packaging that I'm just going to throw away" products that are all the rage these days.

It's a shame, Kashi. I've lost respect for you with just this one product. #freesample #houseparty #chatterbox

Drip drop hydration

Through Smiley 360, I got the chance to try Drip Drop hydration for free.

Overall, I thought the product worked really well. It seemed to do more for hydration than leading sports drinks. However, I do have to admit that I don't usually drink a full 8 or 10 ounces of those when I use them, and I was doing that with Drip Drop, so it's possible the difference wasn't that much.

However, when I look at the product as a whole, my opinion goes downhill. I found the flavors to be average at best. I tried both the lemon and the berry. The lemon tasted closer to a natural flavor, but both were tolerable, but underwhelming. Neither of them really tasted like "real lemon" or "real berry." And there was some after-taste. They were also far too sweet. I mean, insanely sweet. I really had to push myself to finish the whole glass. The second time I used it, I diluted it more which made it more palatable.

The ingredients is where it really bombed for me. The product contains sucralose. I see no need for this as it also contains a couple kinds of sugar. I avoid all products that contain sucralose (and other artificial sweeteners). Because of this alone, I am hesitant to recommend it to anyone, and especially hesitant to recommend it being given to children.

It also costs over $1 per serving, so it's fairly expensive. Overall rating - fair.

Mineral Fusion - Minerals on a Mission

I was excited when I got a chance to try Mineral Fusion product line for free (well, for the cost of tax-about $2) through Smiley360. With my coupon, I purchased the powder foundation in light natural. After using it for about a month, I have very mixed feelings about it.

First, I had a really hard time finding the product, and based on emails/updates from Smiley360, many people have had this issue. It is available at Target, but only at select Targets. I live in metro Atlanta, and it is not available at my preferred Target, or even my second preferred Target. So in order to get the product, I had to go out of my way and make a special trip to one of the few Targets in the metro to get it. A big con.

And now a pro. I have horrible allergies and have issues wearing any makeup without it irritating my skin and eyes. Since trying the powder foundation, I have had no problems with an allergic response. It does not bother my eyes at all which is very unusual for any product I put on my face. And it feels very natural.

However, I am not thrilled by the coverage. The powder seems to float on my skin and does not look natural. It also doesn't even out my skin tone nearly as well as a much less expensive pressed powder I have. I also have to reapply it during the day to maintain coverage. For what the product costs (roughly $25), I expected a lot more. For the price, it just isn't worth it for me. I honestly wish I had tried the liquid foundation now (I didn't because I have never found one I like), but there is no way I'm going to spend so much money to try it on my own.

So overall, at least for this specific product, I cannot recommend it unless you have bad allergies and are desperate for a new makeup to try.

Orajel Single dose cold sore treatment with moisturizer

Thanks to Smiley360, I was able to try Orajel Cold Sore treatment for free. Now, there still isn't consensus if what I get are really cold sores, but the dentist says so. (I am skeptical based on them only ever happening in the corners of my lips, but whatever). I thought this product might be a good test.

When I felt that tingle coming on, I gave the product a shot. It's basically a little vial that you squeeze to break and allow the liquid to enter the cotton tip. Easy enough to use, although it requires a bit more force than you might think to break the vial. I applied as directed. I also used the moisturizer as directed.

My thoughts: The product does not work. It never really says that it does or does not 'cure' cold sores, but it did nothing for mine. By the next day, it was much worse. The product does claim pain relief. Yes, there was some, but not nearly enough or for as long as the rather high price deserves (@$20). Finally, the moisturizer is the most disgusting thing I have ever encountered. A super viscous, nasty, oily texture with a pretty vile flavor. I do not recommend. Stick with whatever you are currently using.

I Like Free Stuff and I Cannot Lie

(Old post, but moving it from other blog to this one. Original post date 5/6/14) So, I'm a member of a couple of sample panels on-line. I was fortunate enough to get the chance to do two campaigns through Smiley360 at the same time. The first is for Nature's Bounty Hair, Skin, and Nails gummy supplements. Given my thin hair and fragile nails, I was quite excited about this one. Check it out here if you would like. My sample was enough to get me through 40 days. Can't say I've noticed a difference yet, but I realize it would take months to see a real different in hair or nails.

My other current mission is for Arm & Hammer Truly Radiant toothpaste. I also got a free, battery-powered spinbrush with this one. Check it out here. I love the flavor of the toothpaste, although it isn't something I'd be able to use exclusively as I need a sensitive formula. But the taste is great and I love the way my teeth feel after using it. The toothbrush is decent. I find it to be louder than other power toothbrushes I've used, and the brush head is a bit on the large size. But it gets the job done. I would definitely take it with me when I travel. smiley360
Arm & Hammer

Brookside Chocolate Crunchy Clusters

Thanks to CrowdTap, I got to try a sample of Brookside Chocolate Crunchy Clusters in berry flavor. Overall, I found the treats to be quite tasty, and given how fast my husband was going through them, I think he agrees.

The pluses:
- Great flavor. The blend of dark chocolate, sweet berry filling, and crunchy cereal is great.
- They pair really well with other food. I tried them on yogurt, but I bet they'd be great on cereal and oatmeal.

- The coating is also pretty solid, so I had no problem with any melting.

The negatives:
- Don't refrigerate them. If you do, the berry goo becomes very tough and chewy. Unpleasantly so.
- The coating is a bit waxy. Not too bad, but if you don't like that texture, these might not be for you.
- Inconsistent size. This was perhaps the biggest negative. Some pieces were tiny and some were huge.(See picture. And I probably don't even have the smallest pieces in my hand.)


So, out of five stars, I'd probably give them a conservative 4. They won't be my go-to chocolate snack, but will definitely be one I'd consider.