Altra running shoes - review

I recently did a review of the Eve shoe by Altra for a friend's blog, RunBreak.  Be sure to check it out if you are interested in running shoes. Actually, I don't run in them, I wear them to the gym and out and about and they are super comfy. So check them out even if you aren't in the market for new running shoes.

It's also exciting that Altra recently had two of their shoes awarded the Best Debut award by runners world. You can read more about that on Altra's blog.

Zoya Fingernail Polish - try some for (almost) free

I was introduced to the Zoya company last year when I was able to purchase some products at a huge discount  this past November. I used the fingernail polish a couple of times, the remover once, and have been meaning to blog a review since.  I didn't blog about the deal last November because I had not used the product yet and didn't want to recommend something I had no experience with.  They have another deal right now and this time around I can happily recommend them.

Zoya offers a HUGE line of fingernail polish.  The zoya company is

the first to remove toxic ingredients such as toluene, camphor, formaldehyde and DBP (dibutyl phthalate) from its formulations

Did you know formaldehyde is in your normal fingernail polish? I bet you didn't.  Kinda scary huh?    I wanted to try the Zoya brand because it didn't contain any toxic ingredients.  I tend to wear fingernail polish the majority of the time, only times I don't wear it is when I want to give my nails a break and leave it off for about a week, which happens once a month or so.   So for me, finding a fingernail polish without the harmful chemicals was important.

I've worn two of the colors that I bought from Zoya. I kept each one on my nails for 2 weeks.  I used their base coat and top coat, as well as the color itself.  After the 1st week the tips were a bit chipped but not bad enough for me to remove the color. It wasn't too  noticeable and I wanted to see how much longer I could wear it.  It lasted another week before I had to remove it because it was pretty chipped.  I should note that I'm hard on my nails.  After using their nail polish twice, I used an OPI nail polish, and it was chipped and I was ready to remove it before a week was up.  I used the Zoya base and top coat with the OPI color also.  In my book, Zoya was the much better product and lasted much longer.

For me, I'll be buying Zoya from now on instead of other brands available.   I do realize I'll have to order it online since it's not available in local stores, but I'm ok with that.

Now, I did mention there's another deal going on right now.  I read about the deal on The Crunch Wife and wanted to spread the word (after I ordered some more polish for myself).    You are able to get 3 FREE bottles of the nail polish (they retail for $7/each) by using the code FB2011 during checkout.  The only thing you will pay is shipping, which for me was $6.95.    While you are placing an order, if you need more fingernail polish remover I do recommend theirs, it worked great.    Oh, and I believe the coupon is only good  until January 7th.

 

Tom's of Maine Toothpaste review

I have been a bzzagent for awhile now and was recently given the opportunity to test toothpaste by Tom's of Maine.  I jumped at the chance since this product is more natural than other toothpastes on the market and since I'm trying to get away from harmful chemicals this company has been on my radar.

I have been using Tom's of Main Wicked Fresh toothpaste, cool peppermint flavor.  At first I was a bit worried since I have sensitive teeth and in the past if I have used a non-sensitive toothpaste for more than a couple of days my teeth would get really sensitive.  I'm happy to report that I've been using this toothpaste for a couple of weeks and have had no issues like that.  The sensitivity I have is roughly the same as when I'm using a sensitive toothpaste.  I also looked on their website and they do have a sensitive toothpaste, so I'll definitly be trying that one in the future.

I was also worried that the taste would bother me.  Any time I have tried to use a more natural toothpaste in the past I haven't been able to handle the taste.  I suppose I should have a disclaimer here and let you know that I'm very picky when it comes to tastes and a lot of normal toothpastes I can't handle either.  While I can't say this toothpaste has the best taste, it's actually pretty good.  It's a lot better than I expected and I'm able to handle it with no problems.  This is a major plus for me.

One of the reasons I wanted to review this product on my blog is because it is a more natural toothpaste and the company is environmentally friendly too, which makes me want to support them and tell you all about them.

This toothpaste does contain fluoride in order to help fight cavities however it DOES NOT contain alcohol or any other artificial ingredients.  Heck, the company even lists all their ingredients on their website and tells you the purpose and the source for the ingredient.

I recommend checking out the company's stewardship model too.   Here's a brief glimpse of what you can find mentioned in their stewardship model and why I recommend this company:
No animal testing or ingredients
Sustainable practices are a priority
NO artificial colors, flavors, fragrance, or preservatives
They use recycled materials and their packaging is recyclable

I also like that this product is very easy to find, I've seen it at my local grocery stores and mass merchandise stores.  I do believe I've seen coupons for this brand as well.

Glee Gum - a review

I recently read a review of Glee Gum over at Tips 4 Green. I was anxious to try the gum since it is free of aspartame, something I can find in all the gum for sale at major stores (such as Walgreens, Target, etc).  I looked on the Glee Gum website and found that their gum is sold at Whole Foods. Now I'm really excited because I love to shop at Whole Foods.  I was at the store this past Tuesday and picked up a packet of Glee gum in the spearmint flavor.  It cost $0.79 for 18 pieces, which I thought was decent since other popular brands cost over $1.00 for 18 pieces.

Unfortunately, the gum didn't live up to my expectations.  I chewed one piece and it was so small it was like I wasn't even chewing on anything.  Plus, there was hardly any flavor.  The gum also got hard rather quickly.   Next time I tried chewing two pieces at once.  While this made the gum the right size, for me, the flavor wasn't improved.  Plus, because I'm now chewing 2 pieces at once, I really only get 9 uses out of this gum (in fact, I only have 2 pieces left and I've only been chewing it for 3 days).

The flavor is not very strong and is gone within a minute.  That doesn't cut it for me.  I chew gum at work to help with bad breath after I eat. Since I eat every 3 - 3.5 hours,  this is at least 3 times during the day.  The gum doesn't work for what I need/want it for.

I'm really sad to have to report that the gum didn't work for me.  I really wanted to support this company and chew a gum with no aspartame.

Have any of you tried this gum, this specific flavor, and been happy with it?  If so feel free to leave a comment so others can get another review of this gum.  

I haven't given up on this gum completely, yet.  I'm going to buy the peppermint flavor to see if that is more to my liking.

RoadID

I recently ordered a RoadID for myself.  The RoadID is geared towards athletes who aren't always able to carry identification with them when they work out.  Of course, it could be used in a bunch of other situations too. I'm thinking when traveling, hiking, etc. You get the idea.

As you know, I'm a runner.  I've recently had a couple of scary incidents at a local park when I've ran.  One day I ran, even though something I ate the night before didn't agree with me and nothing was still in my system when I went running.  I shouldn't have gone, I didn't have the energy I needed.  I then got lost and instead of doing 4 miles, I did a little over 6 miles.  I couldn't run the whole thing. I was weak, I could barely lift my feet.  I had to walk home (the state park is behind my subdivision, and I'm able to run  on a sidewalk until it connects to the park..at which point there is a path in the woods that I can take that connects to the trail I like to run). I had no way to call my husband and ask him to pick me up.  

Another time, similar thing happened although I had the energy I needed, I was just lost and did a lot more mileage than I expected and was super tired.

It got to where if I was going to run at the park I would tell my husband where I was running and if I wasn't home in 2 hours to drive into the park and look for me.   I've also been known to trip (a lot!) when running there since I am running trails and not paved areas.  I've fallen several times and luckily wasn't hurt to the point that I couldn't run but the possibility of hitting my head on a tree or a rock is there.

So, as you can see, the RoadId is something I felt I needed.   When I run in the warmer weather I only have on a tank top and running shorts. I don't have pockets or a way to carry a phone or wallet or ID.   The RoadID will at least give people information about me if something happens.

The RoadID comes in either a bracelet or anklet.  I decided on the anklet.  I'm not sure why, but it kept calling to me.   You get an engraved metal piece with up to 6 lines of information.   Here is what I put on it and I mostly followed what was recommended.  I put my full name and year of birth on the first line.  The second line has the city, state, country I live in.   The third line has my husband's name, our home phone number and then HUS behind it so they know he's my husband.  The 4th line has my sister's name, her cell phone number, and the SIS so they know it's my sister.  (My husband doesn't have a cell phone).  The 5th line has my blood type and a medical allergy I have.  It's recommended that you put any medical conditions or allergies you have on.  The last line I used for a mantra. I didn't have any other info that I felt needed to go on it, so I used the line I repeat over and over in my head when I run uphill.  You want to know what it is don't you?  Ok..here it is: reward the uphill.  Simple...but so true. I hate hills.

(The white was my attempt to keep you from seeing my personal info)

I received the anklet on Friday and have only had the chance to run once since then.  I wore it, in the park mentioned above, and it was great.  It wasn't annoying. I could tell something was on my ankle but not to where it bothered.  I have a feeling I won't even notice it in the future after I get used to wearing it.  It's incredibly soft and light.  I felt much more comfortable knowing that if something happened to me, emergency personal would at least know who I was and have a couple numbers to try and contact somebody.

My only concern is that when I took the anklet off, it was, um...well..rather..uh..wet.  yeah..sweat.  gross.  It did dry, but I could see where it could get rather stinky after awhile.  The good news is that you can buy replacement ankle or wrist pieces, so I can switch it out in the future.  The replacement pieces are in-expensive too.

In fact, the entire thing is inexpensive.  The ankle is only $20 before shipping and I think shipping was only around $2.

I do think this is the perfect thing for runners and cyclist who do run out on the roads or in the park.   If you don't have a need for this but know a runner or cyclist, I think this would make an awesome gift.  I know I would have been thrilled to receive one for Christmas or birthday.

I actually received an email from the company after I ordered it, and it contained a coupon code for me to share with friends.  They had no idea I would review it on my blog or that I even owned a blog, so I can only assume this is something to do for everyone.

If you are interested in purchasing one, here's the coupon code:

Coupon Number: ThanksKris840176                     

This coupon is good for $1 off any Road ID order.

This just shows another view of the item.  The size it is right now is actually about the size used for my ankle (it's super skinny).  However you can see that there is a lot of material there so you can make it a lot bigger to fit a normal size ankle. 






(I bought this product myself, it wasn't offered for review or for free..the company has no idea I'm putting this on my blog)

Eye Make-up Remover

Lately I've been reading more and more about the chemicals found in every-day products that we use and it's rather scary.   So I'm on the trend of getting away from that and moving to more body and earth friendly products.   Don't worry..I'm working on a post as to my findings to share with all of you.  Exciting huh?

This past weekend I stopped at the mall and went to The Body Shop.  I was on the hunt for chemical free eye make-up remover.  I'm about 1/2 way through the bottle of stuff I have at home and wanted to see what was offered.  As you can guess, I walked out of the store with a bag.

I was approached by a sales associate when I walked into the store so I decided to ask her instead of just searching aimlessly.  She directed my attention to a product that was on display right by the door.  Their Camomile Gentle Eye Make-up Remover is actually on sale right now.  The original price is $14.50 but it is on sale for $8.00.  I said..let's do it.  lol!  I knew I would need it when it wasn't on sale, best to buy it while I could save $6.50.

I did use this product yesterday and it works great!  Sometimes I have trouble because of the type of eye-liner I use, but this one did the trick without any problems.    

I also think it's a pretty decent price, for the product.  Sure, $14.50 sounds like a lot. I mean, really $14.50 for a bottle of eye-makeup remover, that's nuts right?  The bottle is 8.4 fl oz, so it comes to $1.73 per oz.   I knew if I had to pay full price for it, I probably wouldn't have bought it that day and would have searched a bit.  However, at $8 for a bottle that is 8.4 fl oz, that's less than $1 per oz.  That I can handle.  Especially when I know I pay roughly $5 or $6 for what I use from a normal store and it doesn't have the added benefit of being chemical free.

I thought I would then see how much stuff is at a normal store, such as Target or Walgreens.  Somewhere that I would normally buy the product.  I new eye-makeup remover was expensive, but this is a bit nuts.    I went online to Target since I don't have plans to do any shopping this week.   I found that a bottle from Neutrogena costs $1.30 per oz.  I found that a bottle from Almay costs $1.89 per oz.  I found that a bottle of Mabelline costs $1.71 per oz.    I'm happily surprised that the product from The Body Shop is actually not expensive.

I also wanted to share this with you because it is on sale right now, but I don't know for how long.  I don't know if it's just this month or longer.  If you are interested in this product, I would get it while it's only $8.

The Body Shop is actually a great company, I love what they stand for.

While at the store I also decided to sign up for their rewards program or whatever it is. It costs $10 to join, but you get $10 off during your birthday month.  Mine happens to be in October so I knew I would remember to shop and get that $10 back.  You also receive 10% off of your purchase and you earn a point for every $20 spent or something like that.    For me, since I'm going the route of non-chemical products, I thought this was worth signing up for for 1 year.  If I don't like it, I don't have to renew.

(I was not offered this product for review, I did purchase it with my own money.)