Munchkin Baby Wipe Warmer

I'm currently 8 months pregnant with my second child and so baby products seem like a natural way to go. With my first baby I had a baby shower and got a wipe warmer as a gift, I was super excited. If you don't know what this, it is a container that you plug in and you put the baby wipes in it and it warms them up. This is to help with newborns so they don't have cold wipes on their bums and they don't get cranky or upset.

(photo courtesy of ToysRUs)

At first I was so excited to use this, I plugged it in, put in the wipes and couldn't wait to to change the first diaper. To my surprise when I went to grab that first wipe it was dry, and so was the second one. The warmer was drying out the top of the stack of wipes. It was drying them out fast too, by the time the next diaper needed to be changed the top wipes were dried out and I ended up throwing them away. It was nice to have warm wipes for my newborn but I was frustrated with the wipes drying out. This product also has a little light on it, that was useful to find the wipes at night and not having to turn on a bright light.

Rating: Pesky, I didn't like this product and felt I was wasting money on wipes and was glad it was a gift and I didn't buy it myself.

Tips:

• If you do get this, you could flip your stack of wipes to try to rehydrate the wipes as they dry out

Price: $25- $35

Happy Testing!
Katelyn

Veet Bladeless Razor Kit and Wax Strips

I have used both of these products in search for an alternative to shaving. I used the Veet Bladeless Razor Kit on my legs and the Veet Wax Strips on my eyebrow area on my face. I was hoping these would be "the next best thing" in hair removal and that it would solve my razor burn problem.  With the Veet Bladeless Razor Kit you are suppose to be able to:

• Remove hair for a velvety look and smooth skin
• Put the cream on your legs and remove with a plastic bladeless razor
• Lasts longer than regular shaving

The Wax Strips are pre-filled strips that you just rub on to your skin in the desired area and remove quickly to remove the hair.

(Photos courtesy of Veet)

When using the Bladeless Razor Kit I followed the directions that came with the kit. I applied it to my legs and let it sit for a few minutes. With the "razor" provided I started to remove the foam cream as though I was shaving. For me, some of the hair was removed but most was left behind along with irritation and slight chemical burns. After finishing up and washing my legs, they stung and burned and were spotted with red bumps. I'm not sure if I'm just sensitive but it was not a pleasant experience. They have a sensitive formula I have not tried but I'm not sure its worth trying since it hurt so bad last time.

The Wax Strips were much easier to use but not as effective as other wax strips I've used. After applying them to my skin and removing them, I noticed that some skin was removed too. It didn't hurt but it was red for a day and them the skin got dry and peeled where I had used the strips. Also if any hair was to coarse it did not grip well to the hair or remove it.

Rating: Pesky, and a waste of money. I was in more pain than if I would have just shaved my legs and used my regular wax to wax my eyebrows. It did not preform as it claimed, for me.

Price: Between $8-$12 for each product depending on retailer.


Thank you for visiting my blog!

Happy Testing!
Katelyn

Black Bean Brownies

I love sweets, and especially during this pregnancy. As everyone knows if you are not careful, especially being pregnant, you can really pack on the pounds eating sweets. So I went searching for a healthier version of my favorite treat, Brownies! I happened upon this great Black Bean recipe from AllRecipes.com, posted by Elizabeth. (here is the actual website http://allrecipes.com/recipe/black-bean-brownies/) I thought I would try them out and see if they would pass my pregnancy taste test. Here is the Recipe:
              

1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

3 eggs

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 pinch salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon instant coffee (optional)

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x8 square baking dish.
2. Combine the black beans, eggs, oil, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, sugar, and instant coffee in a blender; blend until smooth; pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the mixture.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the top is dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes.

 

 

(photo courtesy of user zerofifteen)

 

The recipe is very easy to follow and takes little culinary skills. There were a few things that I did differently and am still experimenting with. I changed the vegetable oil and used Coconut oil because of the added health benefits (see here) of the oil and to add a hit of coconut taste to mask the black beans. I also have never used the instant coffee so I'm not sure how that would taste either. I'm wanting to experiment with using Honey or Agave Nectar as my sweetener instead of sugar and will report back to you how those worked out. One thing too, is I usually cook them about 5 minutes longer to make sure the center is fully done. These rise pretty good when cooking but don't be alarmed if after they cool they are about half the height. They are a dense brownie and turn out moist cake like instead of a chewy brownie. My favorite thing about these is they never dried out for me, the next day they were just as moist as the first.

 

Also here is the posted nutritional information which makes me not feel as guilty when I'm eating them.

Amount Per Serving Calories: 126 | Total Fat: 5.3g | Cholesterol: 40mg

 

Rating: Average, The only reason I'm giving these an average is because I had to tweak a few things to my liking and I like chewy brownies, but its really hard to tell they are "Healthy" brownies. I tell people about this recipe if they want a sweet treat and watching what they eat.

 

Tips:

1. Use Coconut oil instead of vegetable oil
2. Cook about 5 minutes longer
3. Don't be alarmed when they fall to about half the height
4. Definitely use the chocolate chips on top

I hope you enjoy these brownies!

 

Happy Testing!

Katelyn

Lint Lizard, As Seen On TV

Sometimes my dryer doesn't seem to be getting my clothes dry after one cycle. Living in an apartment I will call the maintenance guys to come figure out what is wrong. That can take a day or two and in the mean time I'm drying loads of laundry over and over. When they do show up it, the problem is usually a clogged vent from lint that gets through the lint "catcher". Thanks to being pregnant and late nights watching infomercials I found my answer, the Lint Lizard. No more waiting for someone else to fix my problem. This product claims to do the following:

• Reach in your dryer to clear out all the lint build up
• Reach your outside vent as well
• Attach to almost any vacuum
• Save you money

 

(Photo courtesy of As Seen On TV)

Watching and reading all this I didn't see a downside. After receiving the Lint Lizard I wanted to use it right away. I attached easy to my vacuum but has a bit of trouble staying on. I have to use my other hand to keep it on. The other issue is its a hard but pliable plastic and it comes coiled in a square box and it is difficult to keep it straight or maneuver in the dryer. You can use your regular extender nozzle on your vacuum to clean out you dryer but the Lint Lizard just gives you added reach to your cleaning. Also with a price of $10.99 + S&H, I think over time would definitely save you money of not having to rerun clothes through the dryer to get them dry.

Rating: Average, this is not a must have product but does what it claims.

Tips:

• Have to hold it in place on vacuum if not a snug fit
• Coiling problem from box in shipment

Price: $10.99 + S&H

Thanks again.

Happy Testing!!
Katelyn

Shout Color Catcher

This review is coming from a guest tester (my mom)! The Shout Color Catcher claims, from there website ( www.shoutitout.com/en-US/Products/Pages/shout-color-catcher.aspx) to do the following:

• Sheets lock up loose dyes found in the wash water to prevent dyes from running or bleeding onto other clothes.
• Sheets change color as they absorb any loose dyes.
• Saves time by reducing the need for sorting.
• Saves money by reducing the need for half-size loads.
• Works in all water temperatures.

(Picture courtesy of Shout)

 



My mother used them in a load that had jeans that had never been washed before and a light colored shirt. Now anyone would know, that is not a good combination. The blue dye from the jeans would be all over that light colored shirt and anything else lighter then the jeans. My mother put in some of the Shout Color Catcher sheets and they worked! They caught the color of the jeans so it didn't end up on the shirts. The sheets did come out a different color as proof they caught the dye. My father travels a lot for his career and my mother is always doing laundry (and quickly) for his next trip and it saves her time on sorting out all his light shirts and dark clothes. My mother offers this advice when using these sheets though, read the directions on the box. The larger the load the more sheets you may need to catch all the dye that runs. You will want to read the directions and follow what they say depending on the load you are doing. As to saving money, that would have to be calculated out depending on how much money you are spending on water, energy, and laundry detergent, on half loads, compared to how much the sheets cost and how many you are having to use in each load. So it is kind of dependent on your situation, but I think we can all agree that it probably saves you money on not having to buy new clothes because they got "tie-dyed" in the wash from you blue jeans and that new red shirt!

Rating:Perfect, the product did what it claimed to do.

Tips:

• Read the directions on the box and follow based on your load of laundry

Price: Starts at $4 for a box of 24 sheets.

Thanks to my guess tester and thanks for reading my reviews! Please leave me some comments with either feedback on how well (or not so well) my blog is helping you, I'd like to know what or where I can improve to help you better. Also if there are products you wanted tested, let me know!

Happy Testing!
Katelyn

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil (or as my husband jokingly calls it, The Miracle Oil) is truly one of my favorite and most diverse products in my house. There are several things I use Coconut oil for, they are:

• Cooking/Baking
• Facial and body moisturizer
• Leave in/deep conditioner
• Deodorant

 

(picture courtesy of Central Market)

 



I was introduced to Coconut oil when my mother-in-law gave me a book to read called "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon, and in there she talks about the benefits of substituting, in your diet, Vegetable oil with Coconut oil. So I did a little research of other things Coconut oil could be used for and found not only cooking uses but beauty as well. The best Coconut oil to use needs to be unrefined and pure.

Let me starts with the cooking. I don't really want to get into all the health benefits of using this product because I'm more here to review how well it works, but please look in to the many benefits it has for your heart! When I am baking something is when I love to use Coconut oil instead of Vegetable or Canola oil, it has a slight coconut flavor but doesn't over power the dish I'm making, which I love. Its easy to use, you do have to run the jar under warm water to liquefy it, but is no different than using other oils in baking.

Now for the beauty tips. My husband and I use it as a facial moisturizer and we love the way it feels and smells. We put some in a small container, since you don't want to be sticking your fingers in the stuff you will be cooking with, and then just get a small amount and rub it between your fingers to melt in to oil. If you make sure to not use to much, (a little goes a long way) it feels so lightweight and doesn't make my skin to oily. I'm also pregnant right now and I use this on my growing belly to elevate itching and dry skin. I love the smell of it, makes me smell tropical! It is very moisturizing. I also use this as a leave in conditioner, after I wash my hair. When my hair is still damp I get a small amount on my fingers, rub together to make an oil, then run it through my hair concentrating on the mid-shafts and ends (split ends). After styling I use a itty bitty amount at the roots for fly-aways. For deep conditioning, wet your hair with water, place a generous amount all over your hair, leave in 1 hour, then shampoo as normal. Your hair will come out shiny and soft. Last but not least, deodorant is another use. Instead of applying your roll on deodorant, grab a cotton ball and put some Coconut oil on it and rub it onto your underarms. It smells better than other deodorants but if you are planning on sweating a lot use your regular deodorant, it doesn't mask the oder that well and so it wont work well on outside activities or sports, but everyday life should work alright.

Rating: Perfect, I recommend this product to everyone! It has so many uses that it is a staple in my household. I love multifunctional products!

Tips:

• Run jar under warm water to liquefy
• Make sure its unrefined, pure Coconut oil
• A little goes a long way
• OK as deodorant for everyday things but not heavy sweating activities

Price: Depending on the size and brand, between $8-$20

Thanks again for checking with me!

Happy testing!
Katelyn



Aztec Clay

About a year ago I had no idea what Aztec Clay (also known as Bentonite clay) was, but this product has been a huge staple in our household. Aztec clay has tons of uses, listed on the back are:

• Facials
• Acne
• Body wraps
• Clay baths
• Foot soaks
• Chilled clay for knee packs
• Insect bites

(picture courtesy of Vitamin Shoppe)

I have used this product for facials, acne and insect bites. First I'll start with the facial and acne use. The first time I used this product I used water to mix with the powder, per the instructions on the back. I used a plastic spoon and plastic bowl as metal can react and change the components of the clay. When mixing, the clay was a little clumpy and hard to get the right consistency, but I sill used it and it was cool and felt great on my skin. I just spread it all over my face avoiding my eyes and mouth but making sure my problem areas were covered well. When it drys it gets very tight, you can feel your face pulsating and you cant move your face at all. I left it on for about 10 mins. You then need to wash it off with warm water. My skin felt really clean and soft. I then tried it with Raw Apple Cider Vinegar and I like how that mixed and felt much better than water, but the smell is a little bit harsher.

Now to bug bites, my husband has the worst reactions to bug bites. The area swells and hurts, not to mention itches. I mixed the powder with water and put a little on the area where the actual bite is and put a band-aid over it. Changing the clay and band-aid every few hours and in about 24 hours every symptom is gone. It is a life saver for him and my son.

Rating: Perfect, I recommend this to everyone, especially for bug bites. If that's all you use it for you will get your moneys worth.

Tips:

• Use Water for bug bites and Apple cider vinegar for facials, when mixing
• Use non-metal utensils and bowl

Price: Between $5- $8

I hope this review helps you decide when it comes to using or buying this product! Thank you for reading my first review!

Happy testing!
Katelyn