Friday, August 31, 2012

Bzz Campaign Review for Covergirl with Olay Tone Rehab Foundation and Pressed Powder

I have fair skin. When you look at my face you may not think that I would use such a light makeup shade, but I do. I have always had difficulty finding a drugstore color match that did not oxidize into a orange or tan shade on my jaw or chin.

When selecting a new foundation or powder to purchase, I choose shades in Fair, Ivory, or Light. As we all know, every brand and product type, seems to have their own idea and interpretation of what a really *REALLY* light skin tone is named. Lucky for me, the  COVERGIRL & Olay foundation and pressed powder that I was sent, seems to be a great match for me. I have a cool tone, light skin type with pink undertones.

I always have dark circles under my eyes, as I have been an insomniac ever since I can remember. I also am a mommy to a happy and energetic toddler and do not get much sleep during the day to refresh my overall appearance from my lack of nightly shut eye.

The Cover Girl Tone Rehab 2-in-1 foundation (110 Classic Ivory) is housed in a sleek container and the white ribbon-like Olay Serum is laced though out the product.

When I first opened the product I immediately noticed the refreshing spa-like fragrant and was drawn to the scent. I used sparingly a total of 2 pumps on my entire face. I patted a few dots with my ring finger along my delicate under eye area. I suggest using the ring finger as it has lesser strength than the other fingers and you will not be putting as much weight and tugging of the eye area skin.

I then applied the Cover Girl & Olay pressed powder in 310 Fair. I liked the look of the mirrored compact and it felt nice in my hand. The powder was smooth and set my foundation well.

I can wear this all day, without it rubbing off and my skin stays smooth and soft. I do have naturally oily skin so I was a bit shiny at the end of the day. I would suggest a touch up here and there with the powdered compact to maintain a matte, shine free face. 

I also might recommend a translucent powder to set it further for those with really oily skin. Perhaps Cover Girl and Olay would also do a colorless translucent powder to set the face with after using these.

My overall skin condition: I do have some blemishes from time to time, but my skin is not heavy acne so I am not sure how well the coverage would do for someone who needs to camouflage a lot of blemishes. I do have large pores, these 2 items did make my face look smooth. I do not have any wrinkles so I cannot speak on how well this works for wrinkle prevention.

Overall, I really like the products. I did not have any break outs from the formulations. I have used these for 2 weeks. I normally use Mineral foundations but will continue testing these out. I would love for Cover Girl and Olay to make these same 2 products in a natural pressed mineral compact and mineral foundation.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Bzz Review of UNREAL UNJUNKED candy bars and candy

I was excited to receive my coupons to try the new UNREAL/UNJUNKED candy from BzzAgent. For those of you that do not know about BzzAgent, it is a company that partners with other companies to provide products to consumers (like me) free of charge or at a discount in exchange for their unbiased, honest review. It is based on the wonderful idea of word of mouth marketing.  When I love a product, and I know that it works for me, I tell everyone I know about it. I was sent coupons for free and buy one get one free candies from this exciting company. 

I will review the candy shell with peanuts. These are similar to MM candies but these are quite different for several reasons which I will explain.

First off, the packaging is very bright against a black background and reminds me of something from the PacMan game / or general arcade machine designs/logos from the 80s. It is very retro style neon, and the bright lines say "unreal" upon closer inspection. I would have chosen perhaps something easier to decipher for a label/package design as it is hard to know what type of candy is inside the packaging if you are not familiar with the brand. But I must say, the bright and flashy style did get my attention as it was very unique, and for that reason the company has succeeded.

The packaging weight seemed a bit light, when held in my hand, as if it did not have much candy inside. I think it would be better value for the retail price if there was a bit more product inside.

I tested out the peanut candy shell (similar to mms). I always select candies with peanuts or nuts if given the choice, as I love the crunch and also am just nutty like that. :)

I noticed the colors were much deeper in shade (earth tone), and seemed more natural looking. I looked at the ingredient list was was happy to see that the dyes used were natural food dyes and not those with chemical names. Only natural colors from plants such as cabbages, beets, and turmeric roots. Real cane sugar is used. There is no corn syrup, no partially hydrogenated oils, no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, no GMOs (the ingredients aren’t genetically modified), and no preservatives.

The taste of the UNREAL candy was quite nice for a regular chocolate candy bar type (I must admit I am a bit of a chocolate snob and do not each much of the Hershey or similar brand grocery store/convenience store chocolate types--as I am more of a fan of Godiva and other high end types.) I do like Dove chocolate which is easy to find and at a good price. I also am more of a dark or semisweet chocolate gal. I find that dark chocolate is harder to find in regular candy bars, and when found, it is still too sweet for me.

However, on a positive note, I was happy that this UNREAL brand did not taste as sweet as regular chocolate candy. I enjoyed testing / tasting / (finishing the package) this candy. Removing the high fructose corn syrup from the candy ingredient list makes for a healthier option, and makes it easier for those who are trying to remove that particular ingredient from their lifestyle. I have a few friends who have decided to refrain from the high fructose corn syrup in their diets. I did not notice an after taste or "diet food taste" from these candies. I do know however that these are not diet candies, and they do have comparable fat content to other chocolate candies. Those watching their weight or those on a diet will need to realize that these are not health food and are meant to be a treat in moderation and should not over indulge.

For improvements or suggestions, I would love for the company to come out with dark or semisweet chocolate versions of these. I plan to try the peanut butter cup kind next and will try all of the other UNREAL candies soon. I have since told others about this new and unique candy and have shared a few coupons. 

I was happy to test this candy out. Thank you to Bzzagent for my coupons for both the free and buy one get one free coupons to try this new and exciting brand. 

Want more info about this new candy? Visit:
http://getunreal.com/