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Yardenit Cosmetics Review

Posted by Professor on January 3, 2013
in Eco Friendly Products, Family Stuff, Girl Stuff, Health, Personal Care Products, Products for Dad, Products for Mom, Seasonal Stuff

Yardenit is the celebrated baptismal site on the sacred Jordan River in Israel. They embrace Pilgrims from the four corners of the earth who come to the Holy Land and to Yardenit for a specific purpose: to walk in the footsteps if Jesus and to be part of the baptismal ritual of following their Savior through the waters of baptism.

You do not have to travel to the Holy Land to experience Yardenit specialty products. You can visit their online store and shop for Holy Land souvenirs, Christian and Jewish gifts, inspirational jewelry, food items eaten during biblical times, music, books, clothing, cosmetics, and toys.

Our Review:

I found this was a very interesting website and web store. I had never actually sought out a store in the Holy Land so I was not aware that one existed. This is a rare gem! The web store offers so many products for both Jewish and Christian guests. They offer a vast array of products… from cosmetics to clothing!

We were privileged to review two of their cosmetic products. We were sent AYA Natural Nail Oil and Olea Essence Lip Balm. Both products are all natural which was a plus! I was concerned about getting a package from overseas … as I was not sure if it would ship well…especially with cosmetics enclosed. But I assure you Yardenit packaged their products beautifully and safely. They were packaged very tight and wrapped so that nothing would break or spoil. I was very impressed.

AYA Natural Nail Oil:

This product is made of 100% AYA natural Oil blend that may have antifungal properties. Nourishes, Moisturizes, and promotes healthy nail growth.

Ingredients: Extra Virgin olive oil, Sweet Almond oil, Tea Tree oil, Jojoba oil, Wheat Germ oil, Geranium, Rosemary, Lavender, and Tocopherol (Vitamin E).

*** We liked this product… the overall packaging was very nice. The oils come in a little dropper like bottle. You then apply right to the nail and rub into the cuticles daily. I used this item for a week and found that it made a difference to the overall health of my nails and cuticles. My cuticles are generally very dry … but this product improved them ten fold. I find that they are no longer peeling after use of this product. My oldest daughter also used this product. Sometimes her nails are prone to peeling …after using this product I can honestly say that her nail structure has improved. It seems that her nails are healthier and stronger and no longer peeling.

Just as a side note… the description states that it “may” have antifungal properties. I believe this is because one o the ingredients in the product is Tea Tree Oil, which is a known antifungal agent.

Olea Essence Lip Balm:

This product is made of all natural ingredients with no preservatives. It is Olive oil based and enriched with jojoba oil, wheat oil and avocado oil. It restores damaged and chapped lips.

Ingredients: Olive oil, Seabuckthorn oil, Bees Wax, Jojoba oil, Sesame oil, Caster oil, Wheat Germ oil, Avocado oil, Tea Tree oil, and Lavender oil.

*** This product was also a hit in my family. We are currently in the winter season and chapped lips are the norm around our house. This product came nicely packaged in a little pot …so it is easily applied with the finger. So I could easily use this on more than one person if needed (unlike a stick lip balm … where it would be limited to one person). The person who benefitted most from this product was my son. He is prone to chapped lips and often licks the top of his lips so the area right above the lip is red and chapped. We have a hard time finding anything except Vaseline that will do the trick because he says that the products we have tried “burn” his skin. Well, we have a new favorite in this product! This has done wonders for his skin and it is gentle and does not burn! It has cleared up his redness and chapped lips…I am so pleased! I did in turn use this on myself and found that my lips feel smooth and not as dried out as they usually feel this time of year! Very nice product!

Overall, we were very impressed with the Yardenit products we received. The only thing I do have to mention is that since the products do have Tea Tree oil in that particular oil seems to take over as the scent of the product. It is not a bad scent… some call it medicinal or a clean scent. It does not detract from the product… but it does take over the other oil scents that are ingredients in the product. I must say that since the Nail oil had the ingredient of Almond oil I expected an overall “almond” scent since that oil seems to be a powerful scent… but the Tea tree Oil is stronger. In the Lip Balm the Tea tree oil was not as strong… but it was still the main scent. I attribute the scent not being as strong in the Lip balm because it is a solid rather than a liquid like the oil. But generally the scent is not bothersome; in my experience it is rather pleasant.

On a side note: I was interested in another product and was worried about shipping to the USA from Israel (I thought it might be expensive) when I enquired with the company I found that their sipping rates are based on weight. The product I was looking at was their hand lotion, which is 150 ml or 5.1 fl oz.; the shipping on this product would be about $ 5.00. I found that this shipping cost was comparable to an average online store. So I was pleased.

Yardenit is currently having a sale on some of their merchandise…so take a look around their store! You can find a link to the store here: http://www.yardenit.com/store

For those interested in the Yardenit site on the Jordan River or for more information on Yardenit in general feel free to visit their home page here: http://www.yardenit.com

If I am ever in Israel I think this would be a neat place to visit and a great place to purchase souvenirs!

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

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eco.kid’s Giveaway

Posted by html404 on December 28, 2012
in Giveaways, Kids Stuff, Organic, Personal Care Products

eco.Kids is hosting a giveaway with us! You can read our review of them on the blog: Kim’s review

eco.kid’s products are all natural and safe for your babies. We love how they also work. Unlike most organic products that only do half the job, these do more then their fair share. Plus they smell good too!

You can enter to win below! They are giving away ten products. Which adds up to five winners winning two products each.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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eco.kid Organics for Kids

Posted by 278Wife on December 18, 2012
in All Natural Products, Kids Stuff, Organic, Personal Care Products, Reviews

The company, eco.kid, is a company dedicated to making healthier choices for our children and our environment. Their products contain no synthetics, no silicone, no sulphate, no artificial preservatives, no artificial fragrances, and no artificial colouring. They have an entire line of products for children’s hair, skin, and body. The products are most suitable for kids ages 3-12. I was able to review five of their products, in which I was extremely impressed.

Prevent and Prevent Sensitive Daily Shampoo

Prevent and Prevent Sensitive are shampoos that contain a botanical complex of Australian essential oils opposed to sulphate detergents. The goal of these shampoos is to make the hair unattractive to head lice, which is a common problem in children ages 3-12. I found both to be very gentle on my son’s scalp. Both shampoos were easy to lather and easy to rinse out. They had a citrus like odor, and left the hair shiny and soft.

Daily Tonic Leave-In Conditioner

Daily Tonic is a leave-in conditioner enriched with organic moisturizers and ultramarine biopolymers that assist in detangling hair while adding strength and shine. I had a friend of the family try this on her 6 year old daughter’s very curly hair. She raved and raved about how amazing the product help detangle her hair. She was amazed, too, at how shiny her daughter’s hair was even the next day. Daily Tonic has a very light plant-like odor to it, and a little goes a long way.

TLC Hypo-Allergenic Hair and Body Wash

TLC hypo-allergenic hair and body wash is a gentle, “no tears,” formula for extra sensitive skin. This was by far my favorite product. It can be used on both the scalp and the body. My 3 year old son is very active, so switching back and forth between a shampoo and body wash is not the ideal situation. I loved that I could use this on his entire body and not worry if it should happen to get in his eyes. My son has sensitive skin, and TLC was so gentle on his skin. It lathered nicely, and rinsed away easily. It left his skin very soft and smooth. I liked that I only needed to use a small amount of it, too.

Outback Jack Aussie Outdoor Spray

The final product I received from eco.kid was their Outback Jack aussie outdoor spray, also called Bug-a-Bug. This is an organically certified hypo-allergenic insect repellent spray. It soothes the skin and at the same time repels insects. It is a very light feeling spray that smells more like lotion than a bug repellent. It would be a great product for any family that spends lots of time in the outdoors, or even just going to the playground or beach.

Finding quality organically made products for children is a very arduous task. It makes it that much more difficult when your child has sensitive skin. Eco.kid products do it all. Their products contain all pure plant essences and certified organics and many of their products are designed for sensitive skin. These would definitely make great stocking stuffers.

For more information or see the other products they offer, visit their website.

www.ecokidUSA.com

We will be hosting a giveaway a week from Friday so be sure to come back and enter!

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CREST Whitening Strips Put to the Test

Posted by html404 on December 7, 2012
in Personal Care Products

We were given the opportunity to participate in a review tour with Crest. They sent us a bottle of teeth yellower and then a package of Crest Whitening strips called, Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips, so we could see the reaction of others to yellowed teeth versus white teeth. One of my daughters tested the product out for us.

CREST Whitening Strips Put to the Test

Before photo with CREST yellowing.

First she put the yellow coat on her teeth and waited about five minutes before removing it. My other daughter’s reaction to her extremely yellowed teeth was hilarious.

Of course she was moving when the picture was snapped and caused the photo to be blurred but we can’t reenact a response like that!

Afterwards she used the Crest whitening strips to get the desired white effect and everyone’s reactions were much better. The entire process took about thirty minutes give or take since she took off the whitening strips about five minutes before the suggested time.

After with CREST whitening.

Compared to going to a dentist and getting your teeth whitened for the holidays CREST whitening strips is cheaper and much easier. Despite any discomfort involved in the taste of products, she would be willing to do it again since the after effect of having whiter teeth really does improve your entire personal appearance.

So as Crest’s slogan goes:

I participated in this campaign for One2One Network. I received product to facilitate my review and by posting, I am eligible for incentives. All opinions stated are my own.

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U by Kotex Wrap Up #KotexMoms

Posted by html404 on November 12, 2012
in Girl Stuff, Parenting, Personal Care Products

It’s been great to be a part of the U by Kotex for tweens campaign. I know it has made me re-think how I was educating my daughters and in many ways it evoked some more dialogue about menses and the changes the girls bodies are going through or will be going through.

Our girls liked the Kotex tween products, except one of the girls did say more coverage was needed for heavier flow days. They liked the cool packaging and the surprise packages throughout the campaign. The last surprise was a $25 gift card to treat the girls to dinner out. We went out last night to Panera Bread for soup bowls..YUM! cheddar broccoli and tomato were our soup choices. We talked, laughed and watched my 12 year old antics which made us laugh even harder. The girls came to the conclusion that we needed to do a girls dinner out more often!

In the last package the girls also received calendars. Last month I said even I needed more discipline in this area because I have not been charting like I should and now that I am in my 40’s who knows when things will start to change for me. My middle daughter put her calendar to use right away by applying it to her wall. My oldest said she didn’t like calendars because she doesn’t like things that tie her down and charting her cycle ties her down – she’s funny that way, that one is (wry smile). My third daughter didn’t have much to say other than to ask what they are for, but she has yet to start her period so things are still a little obscure to her. Remember she’s my Amelia Bedilia and I say that quite affectionately. You just have to meet her to see for yourself.

What I loved best about this campaign is what I always love about blogging, that I get to include my children, it’s on my top ten things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

“I wrote this review while participating in a Brand Ambassador Campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of U by Kotex Tween and received products to facilitate my post and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

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Monthly Maintenance Talk With My Girls #KotexMom

Posted by html404 on October 29, 2012
in Girl Stuff, Personal Care Products

A monthly maintenance talk with my girls is something I am still working on. Usually they just come to me with their questions or respond if I ask them questions as pertaining to any issues that come up. They also have their book on “maidenhood” they can refer to, but I don’t know how often they do that since we started going through it a few years ago in preparation of their monthly cycle and I think we have basically covered everything in it.

I have also told them about and shown them www.Kotex.com/tween as this is a site to use for reference for facts about puberty, FAQs, help for us moms to know how to start talking to our girls, as well as tools like a calendar. There is also U by Kotex website page for period questions for both tweens and teens. As much as I love having resources available, my preferred method of passing information along to my daughters is by talking directly to them. I just like being the first source of important information for topics like puberty, menses and sex education.

Monthly Maintenance Talk With My Girls

When issues have come up like the girls asking how to deal with blood overflowing onto their panties, I have told them to double up on pads for heavier days or use a larger size maxi pad or a maxi pad with wings. Each girl has to find out what works best for them.

I have tried to encourage my girls to keep track of their cycles with a calendar but it’s slow in coming. My reasoning is so they know when their moodier times are going to hit so we can all prepare for it. I am not always good about this myself and it isn’t until my period starts that I realize my emotional week was due to the onset of my period. This is something I have to work on with them and it will mean developing new habits for all of us.

Hygiene really hasn’t been an issue for us. My two older girls have been very good about that. My third daughter I suspect will be different just because her preteen years have been so very different than the other two. The other two I really didn’t have to tell them to start showering more often. My three preteens I have to tell them to shower.

Cramps and discomfort is a topic I think we do talk about every other month, it just all depends on how uncomfortable the girls feel. I do allow them to rest more on the days cramping is bad. At the same time I do want them to know they can still function even amidst their discomfort, so it all depends on how long they have been on their period and how long the cramping lasts. I think it’s good to realize everyone has their own pain tolerance and allow some wiggle room without becoming a “commando” mom.

How do you educate your daughter on the discomforts of her monthly cycle? Or how do you think you will if your daughter is still too young?

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Crest Video Review #CrestSponsored

Posted by html404 on September 24, 2012
in Health, Personal Care Products, Uncategorized

Trying new product through video or vlog post, which isn’t something I normally do but thought I should start doing. In the video below I tested out products.

Crest Video Review

I wanted to start this review by saying that when our family buys any personal care products we read the labels for ingredients. If we do not recognize the ingredients we look them up on ewg.org.

Now onto the review…

Crest and Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control Review

I thought my husband would enjoy reviewing these products, but he’s been sick so I ended up reviewing them myself.

The Crest Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control products includes:

Toothpaste: The toothpaste is mint flavor, which isn’t my favorite, but it does leave my mouth feeling fresh and clean. As far as noticing a long term difference, not enough time has passed to determine any significant difference in my oral health.

Mouthwash: I did not like the mouthwash. It doesn’t smell good or taste good. Shiver.

Glide Dental Floss: We have used Glide for several years and it is by far our favorite dental floss. True to it’s name it glides between teeth without fraying or getting stuck.

Pro-Flex Oral-B Toothbrush: I really like the soft head Pro-Flex Oral-B toothbrush. I liked how it brushed and felt on my teeth and gum lines.

3 out of 4 isn’t bad, right?

To learn more visit the Crest and Oral-B Pro-Health Clinical Plaque Control website.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blogger review campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Crest and received product samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central Consulting sent me a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

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A Day at the Spa for The 2nd Talk #PoiseFab5 #CBias

Posted by html404 on September 21, 2012
in Personal Care Products, Uncategorized

Last week I had the opportunity to invite one of my friends, Linda, to experience a spa day with me. She and her husband are the owner of the horse barn where we board Blaze. She’s a hard worker, most of what she does is very physical so I thought she would benefit greatly from being pampered a little. Plus she’s been so good to our horse and has taught the girls a lot about horse care and horses, it was nice to give back to her for a change. Little did I know that Linda has been having some arm pain/issues so it was perfect timing. Neither of us had ever gone to a spa. Linda had a massage a couple of years ago and I had a Raindrop (lighter massage with the use of essential oils along the spine), but that’s it.

I had no idea where to go, so I tried rounding up a few recommendations and it took calling four different places, coordinating our schedules with appointment availability (who knew these places were so popular!) and going to two different spas to receive the services we desired.

Massages

On Wednesday we went to a natural wellness center to receive 90 minute massages. When I initially made the appointment I wondered how on earth I was going to make it through a 90 minute massage, it seemed so long. But boy did it go fast! I just got an upper body massage and it loosened up my tight muscles, but I was surprised at how much my body hurt later in the day and even into the next day. I really wasn’t expecting that, though I should have been since I have been sore after my husband has tried rubbing out knots in my back. I agreed to a medium to deep massage though since I am prone to muscle spasms in between my shoulder blades and spine.

Linda really appreciated the massage. She chose a full body massage. We both came out feeling relaxed. She said that it really helped her arm alot and that it’s feeling better.

Special thanks to our massage therapists!

Pampering Our Hands and Feet

I have had a manicure and pedicure before. The hospital where I delivered our first five children pampered new moms with manis and pedis. I think I had one or the other with at least three of the older five kids. The thing is the two places we went to did not offer either of these services, so we chose a facial massage, which included neck and shoulders…she even did something with our feet. Linda said she even worked specifically on her sore arm and because of the pressure points she focused on Linda said her arm was relieved of the pain! Amazing.

Then we had a hand and foot treatment. Our hands were sprayed with rubbing alcohol or something, soaked in paraffin, put in plastic bags and covered with oven mitts. Then our feet were soaked in hot water bath with river stones in the bottom of the foot tub, next she lathered them with a salt and oil mixture, wrapped them in towels and soaked them again. Finally they were rinsed and dried and rubbed with cream.

With this treatment we also received a hot pad to put around our neck and while our feet were soaking the massage therapist gave a short shoulder/neck massage. Very nice.

Facials

Our facials were actually facial massages and we were surprised at how much we enjoyed it. It was very relaxing and felt very nice during and after. I had a lot of dry skin from tanning earlier in the spring, so much so that my face was starting to feel rough. Now my face feels soft again.

I couldn’t help but lay there thinking, “No wonder people treat themselves to things like this. Why don’t I do this more often?” Tucking it away for future use!

The 2nd Talk

Did you know September is Menopause Awareness month? A huge part of a day at the spa was to talk to Linda about menopause. I may not be going through it yet but my days are numbered and I realize my childbearing years are coming to an end. Linda was very accommodating and shared with me her experience, the hot flashes that go along with the aging process. Then I gifted her with some new menopause products made by Poise that just came on the market recently. Linda was very grateful because the three products I gave her should help her with some of the symptoms she’s experiencing. I bought the Poise Feminine Wellness products at Walmart (see my Google+ album of my shopping experience) the morning of our massages. The products were located in the health and beauty section for feminine products. I forgot to use the coupon though. I am terrible with coupons. Hardly ever remember them.

Overall I’d have to say we really enjoyed our pampering. Sorry the one photo one of Linda and I turned out blurry.

To learn more about the Poise Feminine Wellness products, please visit Poise on Facebook, Twitter (hashtag #PoiseFab5) and Pinterest.

“I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Poise #CBias #SocialFabric #PoiseFab5. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

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Degree Women® Unapologetically Strong

Posted by html404 on September 17, 2012
in Contests, Personal Care Products, Products for Mom

Do you know someone who you consider unapologetically strong? I know of quite a few actually, but I think my mom stands out the most. Both my parents were strong, but in different ways. Without going into a lot of details my mom was strong for my sisters and me during our growing up years. There were so many things I didn’t even realize until I was older and yet she remained strong when she could have wilted and given up.

My dad had to learn to be strong from a young age. He was diagnosed with Polio at a 12-15 months. He wasn’t suppose to survive, let alone be able to walk, but he lived and walked again. My grandmother was unapologetically strong in my father’s therapy for a year or more. She is the one who did the exercises prescribed by the doctors. She’s the one who never gave up on my father and his ability to learn to walk. If it weren’t for her perseverance my father may never have walked again, but he did. Due to one of his legs being smaller and weaker, my dad walked with a limp for the rest of his life. He used a brace for many years until insurance no longer covered the cost of replacing it for a new one. I was probably in my late 20’s or even early 30’s by that time. Then he went without. I never heard him complain. My mom would tell us when he was sore but we usually didn’t hear it from him. He worked hard to provide for us. He learned to be strong in spite of his handicap and pain.

Degree Women® Unapologetically Strong

All of the strong women you know can now enter Degree Women® Unapologetically Strong Facebook Contest here: http://on.fb.me/OozWMa This campaign kicked off last week, but there’s still time for you to share your own Unapologetically Strong stories and goals. If you do, you will be entered for a chance to win giveaways from Degree Women® to help on their Unapologetically Strong journey. One winner will also have the opportunity to win the grand prize of…..$5,000 to spend on achieving their goal. Wow! That’s motivating isn’t it.

To go along with the contest, Degree also has a new product, Degree Women® Clinical Protection with motionSENSE™ in NEW Cotton Fresh for you to try. It is motion activated to provide extra freshness. It contains a blend of moisturizing ingredients and new scent that smells great!

“I participated in this campaign as a member of One2One Network, I received product, and am eligible for a prize drawing. All opinions stated in the post are my own.”

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Back to School with U by Kotex Tween #KotexMom

Posted by html404 on September 12, 2012
in Articles, Girl Stuff, Parenting, Personal Care Products

Can you believe summer is over? I can’t. Sniff. Sniff. Summer is my favorite season. Everyone’s been busy with their back to school schedules and acclimating to new routines. I know nearly every weekend in September, October and November we have something one or both days of the weekends. It’s mind boggling. With such busy schedules and being out and about more it’s even more important to keep in mind our daughters’ monthly cycles. Since my girls are still pretty new to having their period I tend to baby them a little.

Back to School with U by Kotex Tween

We homeschool so our girls do not have to worry about going off to school all day and starting their periods, but we do go out places. I have always told them to carry a couple of pads in their purse…just in case they started while we are out. Our older girls are very much girlie girls and love purses and accessories, so it wasn’t difficult for them to adapt to carrying pads around. U by Kotex Tween pads are very compact to carry and easy to keep hidden. Last month, my girls received little bags that look like make up bags, which just made carrying pads easier for them.

If your girls are in school, then getting a little bag that could pass as a pencil case could make them more comfortable carrying pads too. It would make it less conspicuous in a locker or back pack.

Warning Signs

I’ve tried to teach my girls to keep track of their menstrual cycle on a calendar so they know when to expect it. This is to help eliminate the surprise element. U by Kotex has a calendar available on their website. Even if they are experiencing irregular cycles at first it is a habit I established as a young girl and wanted them to as well. We all have warning signs that our period is near and my girls know that they are prone to headaches or backaches and probably other things that are escaping me at the moment.

I Remember When…

I remember when I first started my period and going to school. I had to watch what color pants I wore. I even remember asking one of my close friends if she could tell if I was on my period – you know that pad “bulge”? Ugh. These are not very fond memories. I remember being uncomfortable at school when I was on my monthly cycle. Not fun. If I had of had internet access back then, I imagine I would have Googled “pad bulge” or visited a website like U by Kotex Tween to get answers to my questions since I really did not talk to my mom about the subject.

What about you, what are your memories of your starting your period and school? What kinds of things do you do to help your daughter feel more comfortable with her feminine cycle while at school?