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What We Reviewed In Summer 2009

September 27, 2009 By

We received so many wonderful products to review over the summer! If you’re looking for a gift idea or wondering what another Mom thinks of a product, this is the review for you to read!

Books:

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Raising Girls – Written by a a pediatrician, teacher, and health writer, all of whom have daughters themselves, this no-nonsense book covers birth to womanhood with age- and stage-specific tips on supporting and encouraging your daughter as she grows. I was glad to see sections devoted to my personal concerns about my daughter, including body image, making friends, dating, and living in the digital world. Available on Amazon and in bookstores.

20 Easy Ways to Help Save the Earth – From recycling bottles and cans to innovative ideas like using rainwater for watering household plants, this brightly illustrated book teaches kids why it’s important to protect our plant. It’s written in both English and Spanish by Youth Soccer Coach Pedro Rita and his wife, psychologist Susan Adam-Rita. Coach Pedro was inspired to write this book after seeing how many food wrappers, water bottles and other pieces of trash were scattered on soccer fields after games. The book reinforces tips you may already be teaching your kids like turning off lights and biking or walking instead of driving. Available on Amazon.

Skin Care:

Belli’s Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer – Belli products are mainly aimed at expectant mothers, but this moisturizing hand sanitizer is terrific for anyone who wants a non-drying alternative to typical alcohol-based products. Made with benzalkonium chloride– a non-drying, powerful antibacterial that kills 99.9% of germs on contact. It has a light citrus scent and the 2 ounce tube is easy to throw in a purse or diaper bag and can be taken in your carry-on bag on an airplane. Check out the Belli site for more terrific and safe products for Moms and babies.

Neutrogena Skin ID – This product is for everyone with any kind of skin breakouts!  I received two personalized kits, one for me and one for my 12 year old son, and we both got products that treat our specific skin issues. I have occasional breakouts but mostly blackheads and dry patches, he gets pimples plus blackheads.  We both took the What’s your skin iD? evaluation, then we each got 3 products plus a travel bag.   I have been VERY pleased with the products we received, especially the creamy scrub/mask. A bit of it on top of a pimple before bed and the pimple is practically gone in the morning!  The cost is $39.00 plus S&H for a 60-day supply, with a 60 day money back guarantee. You will automatically get refills every 60 days unless you cancel. Compared to the cost of other treatment kits, this is very reasonable.

Outdoors:

Grill Daddy – Here in Michigan, most people stop grilling outside after Labor Day, but for those of you who are lucky to be able to grill year-round, I can highly recommend the Grill Daddy. You fill it with hot water, then as you scrub your grill, it releases a stream of water to help dissolve baked on food and grease. The bristles are made with stainless steel and get in between the grates of the grill. We had the best results using it on the grill after cooking, before the grill was totally cool. Much less messy than using those green scrubby pads! Available on their website for $19.95 plus S&H.

Arm & Hammer Baking Soda – Did you know you can use baking soda in your POOL? It’s true! Arm & Hammer sells a waterproof 12 lb. Resealable Pouch with an enclosed scoop to keep ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda handy at poolside. Here’s how it works: ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda helps maintain the pH of the water in your pool in the desired range and provide necessary alkalinity (mineral salts found in water). Recommended pH control by ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda and a disinfecting agent will keep your pool water sparkling clear, and your eyes from burning. We don’t have a pool, so Arm & Hammer sent me a box to put in my fridge, and a canister with a shaker top that’s perfect for scrubbing countertop stains without scratching. No kitchen should be without baking soda!

These are just some of the terrific products we reviewed over the summer, watch for another product review round-up coming soon!

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Screen Routine Facial Sunscreens

June 30, 2008 By

From Parent Reviewers I received samples of a new line of facial sunscreens from Screen, Inc. called Screen Routine. Sunscreen commercials always show people rubbing it on their arms or backs, but you never see TV commercials for people applying sunscreen to their faces, and that’s a shame. My son went to a pool party before I received the samples, and didn’t apply any of the sunscreen I sent with him to his face, and came home with a burned forehead, nose, and cheeks. Screen Routine has come up with a line of products that protects the facial skin of tweens through adults.

When we went to the zoo last weekend, I applied the “tween” screen to my 9 year old, the “teen” screen to my 11 year old (who is already developing breakouts on his face), “man” screen to my husband, and “chic” screen to my own face. All the products started out white but blended in quickly with no oily residue. Of the four formulas, only the Tween Screen is scented for some reason, and it has a pleasant tropical fragrance. The other three formulas are unscented. Shop the Screen, Inc. website to purchase individual 3 ounce tubes or buy it by the case. A tube is $14.00, which might seem pricey, but this is a quality product. I say $14.00 is worth it to avoid a painful and dangerous facial sunburn!

Filed Under: Health, Kids Tagged With: , , ,

Giveaway #1-Sunblock and Skincare Products

June 16, 2008 By

Giveaway Closed. Winner-Comment #23, Susan from Dirt Makes Fat Congratulations!

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I’ve got a prize package of four products for one lucky winner, and having received samples for myself, I can tell you that all of them are fantastic. The total retail value of this prize package is $125.97! This is what the winner will receive:

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 85 with Helioplex SRP $9.99
Sun protection is not just for the beach. Research indicates that the key to proper sun safety is protection from a lifetime of cumulative sun damage. It is important to think beyond the short-term prevention of a sunburn taking preventative measures to protect yourself against the damage that appears over the course of a lifetime. The higher the SPF number, the better protected you are over a longer period of time. If you look at it from a cumulative perspective, applying an extremely high broad-spectrum UVA/UVB product like NEW Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 85 with Helioplex will ensure less damage over a lifetime.

Aveeno Continuous Protection Sunblock Spray SPF 70 with Active Photobarrier Complex SRP $10.99
According to Aveeno, the amount of sun exposure you receive over an entire year is equivalent to being at the beach for an entire week without any sun protection, and in fact, 80% of your lifetime sun exposure comes from daily activities. A broad-spectrum UVA/UVB sunblock like Aveeno’s NEW Continuous Protection Sunblock Spray SPF 70 formulated with Active Photobarrier Complex will deliver very high, very broad and photostable protection, shielding your skin from burning UVB rays and aging UVA rays over a longer period of time.

Ambi Even & Clear Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30 SRP $9.99
Women of African, Latin and South Asian descent have higher levels of levels of melanin but still need the broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection offered by an advanced SPF product. With Ambi Even & Clear Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30, a unique daily moisturizer with SPF that bears the Skin Cancer Foundation Seal of Recommendation, darker skin tones are protected while visibly reducing skin discolorations.

Remergent High Intensity DNA Repair + SPF 30 SRP $95.00
Incidental sun damage, which is present all year round, is specifically seen with short wave UVA rays that have the ability to pass through clouds and glass are largely responsible for premature signs of aging including photodamage, fine lines and wrinkles and may contribute to early signs of skin cancer. With highly advanced biotechnology skincare products like Remergent High Intensity DNA Repair + SPF 30, your skin’s DNA repair mechanism is prompted to self-correct actually reducing the visible signs of sun damage while providing daily protection. Additionally, this potent daily corrector offers patented DNA repair enzymes, antioxidants and moisturizing emollients to repair and condition as it protects.

Couple of things-the Ambi Even & Clear Daily Moisturizer is designed for women with darker skin, but I’ve been using it every few days, alternating with my regular moisturizer, and it absorbs really well and makes my skin feel soft. Also, did you notice the retail value on the Remergent? NINETY FIVE DOLLARS? This is some serious skin pampering, people.

You get one entry by leaving a comment on this post. Leave your REAL NAME or blog alias, comments left with obvious keywords will be deleted. Please also leave a valid email address. I use random.org to choose winners and If you are chosen as the winner of this giveaway, I will be emailing you for your mailing address.

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