BelVita Breakfast Biscuits Review: Influenster Sugar & Spice VoxBox

 Hello, everyone!  I'm working my way though my Influenster February VoxBox items, and today I get to review the BelVita Breakfast Biscuits!

belVita nutritious sustained energy breakfast biscuits, 4 pack

I received a packet of 4 biscuits, in the flavor Cinnamon Brown Sugar.  The picture on the packet would lead you to believe that these biscuits have the appearance of rice cakes, and let me tell you, that is SO wrong!  These biscuits look like crackers, and have a pretty wheat pattern on them.

(pic of biscuits)

This one packet of biscuits have 19g of whole grain, and advertises that they will keep your energy going strong all morning.  What OnlyAverageMom DOESN'T want that?!!

I really loved the taste of these biscuits, and so did my kids.  My biscuits were broken in the packet; but they still tasted really good.  I will definitely pick these up for beach season- such a great treat and easy to eat with no mess!

If you would like to try these awesome biscuits for yourself, a box of 5 of these packs is available at CVS (and other local retailers), for around $3.69.

Final score for these lovely biscuits: 5/5  Awesome!

Until next time, my lovelies- stay beautiful!





Disclaimer: "I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes."  Although I have received these products at NO charge to me, my thoughts and opinions (as always) are my own, and a true and honest review of the products.  No amount of freebies or money would ever change that!  None of the links in this post are referral links.

What's this, you say?  You've never heard of Influenster?  Well, let me tell you, if you aren't a member of Influenster, you are missing out!  Influenster is a community that has members that review pretty much any product, company and service under the sun!  It's a great place to check out if you are contemplating a new purchase, and to leave a review to let others know if you love, or hate something that you have tried.  Once in a while, members are selected to receive VoxBoxes: boxes full of samples to try and review.  I was lucky enough to be chosen for the Sugar & Spice February VoxBox, and have an awesome time trying out lots of new products!  Oh, did I mention that it's all FREE??!!  Even better!  So, now you know about Influenster, and you want to join?  There is one catch; it's invitation only, but I would be happy to invite you: just shoot me an email (or leave a comment) with your e-mail address, and I'll send you a invitation to join this awesome community!
  

PS- Did you know I have a facebook page now??!!  Go HERE to like Only Average Mom on the 'book, and I'll let you know all about everything that is going on here, plus other little updates, things too small to post.  Thank you! 

Clinique Mini-Haul: Perfectly Real Makeup Review AND... Gift Time at my Macy's!

Hi, everyone!

I found another awesome deal (at least for me!), and just wanted to share it with you all!  I went prom dress shopping with my bestie's oldest, and as the bridal shop we were going to go to was closed, we decided to haul ourselves over to the Mall. 

Let me point out that we don't actually have a mall to call our own.  We live in a very rural area, just outside one of the largest beach resorts on the east coast.  "The Mall" is 45 minutes away, and in another state.  Our closest Walmart is actually in another state (closer by 15 minutes), and our closest Target is 45 minutes away, and also in another state).

As we pulled into the mall, I thought we should probably begin with Macy's- they have lovely things at great prices.  As we were heading from the men's section (45 minutes is a long way to go shopping, we don't mall it often enough to know what entrances are which), I stopped short as we entered cosmetics.  Clinique was having their "Gift Time!"  Even since I worked at the Men's store at Belk in Pinehurst, NC, I've had a love affair with Clinique.  Their foundations are great on my skin, the skin cleansing system is seriously my go-to routine, and the Black Honey lip gloss?  Perfection.  

Clinique's gift time is one of my favorites, as you only need to spend $25 to qualify for the free gift bag.  Anytime I see that a store has their Clinique gift time, I try to find an excuse to get the free gift bag full of awesome goodies.  This was no exception.

Clinique Perfectly Real Makeup liquid foundation, shade 02 (VF-P) 1 fl oz, $25, available HERE

My usual foundation color is a bit off, as I purchased it mid-summer, so I asked for a foundation match.  I like what I have at home (Matte-finish), but it wasn't quite at the $25 mark to get my free gift.  So, I decided to try something new, that WAS $25, that had a bit less coverage.  My "non-summer" color is 02.  Who knew?!  

swatch on hand.  The top is where i just applied it, and below is where I blended it in.  Perfect match!

My Macy's Clinique counter has great lighting, so I asked for a foundation match, and was very happy with this- I couldn't even see it on my face, it blended so well.  I'm really happy with it! 

Clinique's Spring Gift- From Macy's

Since I spent $25, plus tax (grumble grumble.  What?  I live in Delaware, the tax-free mecca of the free world!), I qualified for this amazing free gift!  The gift comes in two different shades, Violets, or Pinks; I chose Violets.

Set of 2 makeup bags. one full sized, one brush sized.  Retail value unknown, $5

I received this beautiful bag set, a full size cosmetic bag, and what I call a "brush bag"- just the right size for my brushes to fit in, when I travel.  I LOVE the ladybug and flower design- it's so...ME!

Blusher and angled Shadow Brush, retail value estimated at $5

In the gift, I also received 2 make-up brushes.  I love the clear handles, and the bristles seem to be very soft.  It looks to me to be an angled shadow brush, and a blush/bronzer brush.  They aren't marked, but as that is the makeup that was in the compact included, I'm assuming my educated guess is correct.

Clinique Different Lipstick in Shy, tube is .14 oz (full size), retail value $15

I'm not much of a lipstick person, really- I much prefer gloss, but this lipstick might just change my mind!  Different Lipstick glides on very smooth, and has a light sheer color that can be layered very easily.

Swatch of Shy

This color is great with my skin tones, it's a little darker than what I would have picked up, but that's what makes samples awesome- you find things you might not have tried otherwise!  The color Shy is sort of a violet, a nice break from my usual pinks/nudes/reds.  Love it!

Clinique 7 day Scrub Cream rinse off formula, 1 fl oz sample size.  Retail value $5.73; full size is 3.4 oz and retails for $19.50

I also received a sample tube of the 7 day Scrub Cream.  I've never tried this product before, so I am excited to see if it works as advertises, and will "nudge away roughness, flakiness to refine skin".  

The product is a nice, clean, white. and doesn't have much of a fragrance.  That makes me VERY happy!

Clinique Dramatically Different moisturizing lotion, (3 step skincare, step 3) 1 fl oz, retail value $8.24; a 1.7 full size tube (Smaller size) retails for $14

I've used this lotion before, and it works quite well on my face.  The Dramatically Different moisturizing lotion has a pleasant smell and feel.

The yellow lotion is for very dry to dry combination skin, which works well for me.  The cost of this lotion makes me NOT repurchase it, because I get lots of samples of other brands of lotion, but it is a nice, solid lotion, and works very well on my skin.

Clinique High Impact Mascara in 01 Black, .14 oz, full size retails for $16.

I have already professed my LOVE of mascaras, and I can't wait to give this one a run for it's money: the High Impact mascara in Black.  The mascara COULD be a full size tube, I have it's weight but wasn't able to find out what a full size tube holds.  This cute, dark green tube isn't the waterproof formula, but I've had good luck with Clinique mascaras in the past, so I'm happy to try this one out too!

Clinique Eye & Cheek Colour Compact, contains Color Surge Eye Shadow Duo in Twilight Mauve & Brandied Plum (.02 oz each), Soft-Pressed Powder Blushes in Pink Blush (.06 oz) and True Bronze Pressed Powder Bronzer in Sunkissed (.06 oz).  Retail value $20.65

I absolutely LOVE the little compacts that Clinique sometimes includes in their Gifts, and this one is no exception!  This HUGE mirrored compact  fills the palm of my hand. and holds some great colors.  The eyeshadow duos retail for $20 each (0.07 oz), giving the retail value of the duo in this kit about $11.43; the bronzer retails for $25 each (.33 oz), making the retail value of the sample size in this kit $4.55; and the blush retails for $21 each (.27 oz), making the sample here worth $4.67.  Awesome value!

The sun was NOT cooperating with my home's window placement; This is as close as I could get to true to color swatches: Left to right: Soft-pressed powder blusher in pink blush; Color Surge eyeshadow in twilight mauve; Color Surge eyeshadow in brandied plum; and True Bronze pressed powder bronzer in sunkissed.

All of the shades swatched really light for me, so I layered them a bit so that they would show up in the picture.  I love these colors for spring- purple shadows are awesome with my blue eyes, so I'm excited to use this palette!

That's about it for my quick mini-haul from Clinique- I'm so thrilled that I chanced on these items!
Financial breakdown: 
Cost out of pocket: $25 plus tax (grumble grumble)
Value of items:  est. $75.62 (gift) plus $25 (purchase).  $100.62- Holy cow!
I would definitely call this an ABOVE Average deal!  The best reward ever was helping my friend's daughter pick out a prom dress.  You know it's the right one when the shopper starts to cry when it's tried on.  Best feeling ever.

Until next time, my beautiful friends, stay gorgeous...and OnlyAverage!

Disclaimer: I puchased the qualifying item with my own money, and received the gift items because of my purchase.  I was neither asked nor required to review these items, and any links in this post are NOT referral links.

PS- Did you know I have a facebook page now??!!  Go HERE to like Only Average Mom on the 'book, and I'll let you know all about everything that is going on here, plus other little updates, things too small to post.  Thank you!  

Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer Review: Influenster Sugar & Spice VoxBox Review

Hello, My name is OnlyAverageMom, and I have very dry skin.  At least when it's NOT summer; because then I have oily skin.  I was raised in a very dry and cold area of Northern New York, and once I became a "real" grown up, I did the sensible thing and moved to the beach.  It's still cold here in the winter, and we do have all four seasons, but the winters aren't nearly as extreme as they are in the awesome place I grew up.  Why am I telling you all of this, you ask?  Well, I wanted to give you a little history of my crazy skin before I begin telling you all about a new lotion that I have tried.  I am by no means a skin expert, but I DO know dry, itchy, winter skin; mostly because I live in it.

Influenster sent me an awesome box a couple weeks ago, full of amazing things for me to try. I posted a very quick overview of what I received and my initial thoughts, but now I want to take the time and do the job properly and tell you exactly what I think, after several uses.

In my Sugar & Spice VoxBox, I received a bottle of Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer- a lightly scented lotion with a continuous spray nozzle.

Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer lotion, 6.5 oz bottle

I've used this type of spray bottle before- sunscreen is my BFF, and the gentle mist is the best for my family, to protect us from the sun- especially on a sandy beach.  When I saw the bottle I was all excited, and said to myself, hey, that's a neat idea for lotion!

My girls and I have used the lotion several times now: all you do is slide the spray head to line up with the hole, press the top, and a continuous spray of lotion comes out!  This is perfect for my kids- just a quick spray, and then a quick massage-in, and they are good to go!  Even my 3 year old can spray the lotion on and then rub it in (she's quite the independent one!), and the lotion is very lightly scented.

I love this lotion for ME as well; just a quick spritz and I am good to go after my shower, and when winter itch gets the best of me, I can just spray quickly on, and the NON GREASY formula is awesome and absorbs right in, banishing my dry skin for a respectable amount of time. I know many of us keep searching for the "perfect" lotion, and this one here is pretty close!

If you would like to try this for yourself, head over to your local Walmart- this lotion is reasonably priced at around $5.94.


I took a Vine video of my oldest using the lotion, and while I can't figure out how to post the video here, I DO have a  link for you, if you would like to see it :)  Vaseline Spray & Go in Action

Well, that's it for my thoughts on the Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer: I give it a final grade of 5/5: awesome price, not greasy, easy to use, and doesn't trigger my allergies- what more could I possibly ask for?!  I hope all you lovely average people are having an above average day!  See you all next time!




 Have YOU tried this lotion?  Love it? Hate it?  Leave a comment and let me know- I always like to try new things, and if there is something out there I SHOULD know about, tell me!

Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.  Even though the product was free, my thoughts and review are my own true opinions- no amount of freebies will ever change that!

Don't know about Influenster?  They are an awesome company, where members leave reviews for pretty much any product, company or service, and send out awesome stuff to have their members review.  I joined in January, and was lucky enough to be selected to receive February's box.  Did I mention that it's all totally FREE??!!  Want an invite to join? Email me and I'll send you one!

PS- Did you know I have a facebook page now??!!  Go HERE to like Only Average Mom on the 'book, and I'll let you know all about everything that is going on here, plus other little updates, things too small to post.  Thank you! 

Nectresse All Natural Sweetener Review: Influenster Sugar & Spice VoxBox

Hey, y'all and welcome back to OnlyAverageMom!  I'm writing today about another product that I received in my Influenster Sugar & Spice VoxBox: The Nectresse All Natural Sweetener, from the makers of Splenda!

Nectresse natural no calorie sweetener, 40 packet box

I received this box and was very excited, because my husband is a serious Splenda junkie.  I am not even kidding: he puts Splenda on or in everything that should be sweet, and absolutely LOVES it!  I saw this, and thought, this is BETTER than Splenda!  It still comes in little packets, but is 100% nautral and made from fruit, instead of being made from sugar. like regular yellow packet Splenda!  I promptly gave this box to my husband, and he began with putting it in his coffee in the morning.

Super cute packaging on the packets!

My husband is the original morning person, and I am not, so his morning coffee is at 5:30 am.  I don't roll myself out of bed until at least 7:30, when my sweet toddler wakes up, so I wasn't there to witness his first experience with Nectresse.  Oh, but I wish I was.

My hubby called me during his morning break, and I casually asked him if he tried out the new orange packets of Nectresse in his coffee that morning.  The answer is yes, yes he did.  He told me that this sweetener was SO BAD in his coffee, that he had to dump it out.  I'll let that sink in.  He couldn't FIX the coffee, and had to DUMP it OUT.  My husband, the waste not, want not type DUMPED out his coffee.  Ok, over it.  He said it tasted too fruity for his taste (this is where I helpfully pointed out that its MADE from fruit, so that kind of makes sense) and was really bad in coffee, but would probably be good on fruit, or to bake with.

The people at Nectresse must have thought that some people would feel this way, because they included a cookbook with the sample.  I'm not much of a cook, but I do enjoy baking, so I was excited to see this recipe book.  I'll give some of these a try, and let you all know what I thought of them.

I wanted to give the Nectresse a fair test, so I decided to try the packets.  Keep in mind that I really dislike all artificial sweeteners, and only use sugar when baking, or adding to coffee, cereal, whatnot (unless I've been specifically asked not to use sugar and to use Splenda baking blend instead).  My first thoughts about the sweetener was that it looked like sugar, and smelled fruity-sweet, and when I tasted it, it tasted good...at first.  And then cue the artificial sweetener aftertaste.  Yep, this one is just not for me.  I do appreciate the chance to try it though!

What I DO love about Nectresse is that it is 100% natural, and made from Monk Fruit.  I had to google that, because I've never heard of monk fruit before I saw this box.  Monk Fruit is a fruit in the gourd family, that is native to China and Thailand.  It's extract is nearly 300 times sweeter than sugar and has been used to treat diabetes and obesity.  Google also pointed me to a site where you can order a sample of this to try for your very own: click HERE for a free sample of Nectresse, so you can try it yourself- for free!

If you would like to purchase the full size of this product, Walmart carries it: $6.96 for TWO 40-pack boxes or $5.48 for a 5.9 oz canister.

If you would like to read even more reviews about Nectresse, you can check out Influenster's Review Page HERE .

To learn more about Nectresse, visit their FAQ page HERE.

My final grade for this product is:  3/5: my husband won't use it, and I really don't bake with artificial sweetener very often.  I'll find a home for my unused portions, don't worry: a friend of mine has a diabetic 8 year old, and she would be happy to take it off my hands.
 
Until next time, my lovelies- stay beautiful!





Disclaimer: "I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes."  Although I have received these products at NO charge to me, my thoughts and opinions (as always) are my own, and a true and honest review of the products.  No amount of freebies or money would ever change that!  None of the links in this post are referral links.

What's this, you say?  You've never heard of Influenster?  Well, let me tell you, if you aren't a member of Influenster, you are missing out!  Influenster is a community that has members that review pretty much any product, company and service under the sun!  It's a great place to check out if you are contemplating a new purchase, and to leave a review to let others know if you love, or hate something that you have tried.  Once in a while, members are selected to receive VoxBoxes: boxes full of samples to try and review.  I was lucky enough to be chosen for the Sugar & Spice February VoxBox, and have an awesome time trying out lots of new products!  Oh, did I mention that it's all FREE??!!  Even better!  So, now you know about Influenster, and you want to join?  There is one catch; it's invitation only, but I would be happy to invite you: just shoot me an email (or leave a comment) with your e-mail address, and I'll send you a invitation to join this awesome community!
 

PS- Did you know I have a facebook page now??!!  Go HERE to like Only Average Mom on the 'book, and I'll let you know all about everything that is going on here, plus other little updates, things too small to post.  Thank you!