How to get the look using COVERGIRLs Blast Collection

I was asked by BzzAgent to try Covergirl's new Smoky ShadowBlast and ShineBlast Lip Gloss. I was really excited to try the Smoky ShadowBlast because I love the idea of smoky eyes but I have never been able to achieve it. With the Smoky ShadowBlast I had smoky eyes in two simple steps!  However, when using the eye shadow if you turn the applicator completely extended the eye shadow falls out.  I actually bought another one and thought the first one might be defective.  It happened with the second one, as well.  So far warning do not extend the eye shadow too far out of its applicator.

I also enjoyed the ShineBlast Lip Gloss.  I have always preferred lip-gloss over lip stick.  Their lip-gloss smelled really good and made my lips extra shiny.

Attention Readers: I have started a new program where I will be sharing the latest deals and discounts that are passed along to me, to my readers.  I will also be sharing some great money saving coupons!  Several years ago I started a similar program when I wrote for Clubmom.  I love being able to pass along the discounts I get to my readers, as well.  Visit my Deals and Coupons Page for a Covergirl Coupon and more.

Check out Covergirl's video for applying the Smoky ShadowBlast!

Disclosure: I was given Covergirl Products free by Bzzagent.  In return I share my opinion; good and bad.

What is a BzzAgent?

What is a BzzAgent? Great term to know because I am a BzzAgent and I talk about being a BzzAgent all the time! Basically, in my own words a BzzAgent is a person who receives free products, promotional items, and services, tries them out and tells others what he or she liked or disliked about the product or service. It is word-of-mouth marketing with a twist! The company is giving you the product asking you to try it out and if you like it promote it. But if you don’t like they are also taking the risk that you tell your peers the flaws of the product or service.

In reality, being a BzzAgent lets you try the newest and latest great things on the market. It keeps you in the know and lets you pass along great coupon offers to your friends and family.

As a BzzAgent, once I receive the product or service I try it out and either by word-of-mouth or through this blog I share my experiences with my friends, family, and readers. I then pass my experiences along to the BzzAgent.com website in the form of a written report or video.

I have been a BzzAgent since 2005. I go through stages where I want to try things out and share my feedback with my peeps. And other times I just want to take a break from it. That is what great about being a BzzAgent you go at your own pace and only sign up for things that you are interested in. However, your rating is based on involvement so the higher your rating in the system the more campaigns you get to try. I encourage anyone who does sign up to be patient with the process and when you get a campaign try it out and write reports on your experiences. If you do not write a report it will hurt you and they will be less likely to offer you campaigns in the future.

A few years ago BzzAgent teamed up with MyPoints.com. Now every time you complete a survey or write a report you get MyPoints.com points to redeem for gift certificates. Just last week I had enough points for a $50.00 gift certificate to Kohl’s.

I give BzzAgent two thumbs up. Their program allows me to try the latest products and earn points for great prizes.

Hill's Science Diet Toy & Small Breed - Special Offer

As I mentioned in a previous post I am a BzzAgent and I was asked to feed my dogs Hills Science Diet Toy and Small Breed Dog Food and see how they liked it.   Great news they love it.  Even greater news they passed along a link for my readers to their promos page with a "Special Offer"! 

Buy new Hill’s® Science Diet® Small & Toy Breed dog food before May 31 and your dog will be sitting pretty with a new collar and leash! Just download the mail-in offer form and you’ll receive a free* Li’l Pals® collar and leash valued up to $12. 

*Wondering what a BzzAgent is?  Stay tuned tomorrow I will explain all the wonderful perks that go along with being a BzzAgent.

Growing Your Own Spices

My goal is always to provide healthy food to my family at bargain prices; much easier said than done. One of the best most economical ways I have found to feed my family on the cheap is to grow it myself. Here is my post and more information about starting a garden by seed.

We love flavoring our food with spices mainly: cilantro (for my homemade salsa), basil, and oregano (for my homemade spaghetti sauce).

Instead of buying spices which can be very expensive I grow the plants indoors. I usually grow about four plants in each container and just cut sprigs and dice them as I need them. There is no need to dry the spice because the plants remain healthy and thriving indoors all year long.

I purchased Burpee Spice Kits at Home Depot. They were very inexpensive and came with everything I needed to start growing the spices. The pots are completely biodegradable, however, they can be used indoors or outdoors. The pots typically last for about four years before they start to break down. By then I will need to re-pot the plant anyways.

Spice plants also make great gifts. The kit comes with enough seeds that you can start several more plants in peat pots and give them as hostess gifts or end of the year teacher’s gifts.

Ebay Sales Improving – Is it an indication the economy is doing better?

I started selling on Ebay several years ago. When I started selling on Ebay the economy was thriving. (Anyone vaguely remember those days?) I started first selling some of my children’s outgrown clothes and toys. When I had sold all of our unwanted extras I started going to yard sales looking for good finds to put on Ebay. I had really good luck with vintage toys. Vintage is a very loose term on Ebay, often it is referred to items from the 1970s and 1980s. I came across a box of metal Transformers being sold for $10.00 at a yard sale. I went on to sell the Transformers in individual lots on Ebay and made a profit of several hundred dollars. I also had really good luck with older board games. As long as the board was in really good shape and all the pieces were there many of the older board games (again 1970s and 1980s) sold really well.

I was doing really well on Ebay until about two to three years ago. With cash being really tight in most households things have not been selling like they use to. When I initially started selling on Ebay I would often start my auctions at .99 cents and see them jump up very high within a few days. Now I start an auction at .99 cents and often the auction sells at .99 cents. The worst feeling in the world to put all your time in auction, take a chance, and lose money. After several discouraging auctions on Ebay I decided to hold off and wait to sell again when the economy picked up. Luckily for me I don’t have much money in the inventory I have on hand (most of it is stuff I bought at yard sales) and I have the storage to put it away for several years.

Last weekend I decided to test the waters to see if the Ebay auctions were improving in overall value and bidders. I placed five different auctions on Ebay, all ending on Sunday, in my opinion the best time to close a sale on Ebay. All of the auctions were vintage toys and they all started at .99 cents. The items that I was selling were from a larger lot of toys that I had bought several years ago. I had sold several of the toys and already made back my original money on the toys. So the items I was selling were all for pure profit. One of the auctions didn’t sell but several of them did and for more than the original starting price: .99 cents. The item that did the best was a Super Marios Nintendo Wallet the auction started at .99 cents and sold for $15.00. I was ecstatic to sell for $15.00! I know that it doesn’t seem like much but to have the type of interest I did; several people bidding on the one item, could mean people are starting to have a discretionary income to buy the little extras? I sure hope so. I will continue to test the waters and increase my overall number of auctions on Ebay. I am not confident enough to break out some of the bigger items I have been holding onto for two years, but I am hopefully that sooner rather than later Ebay will start to pick-up again.

Do you sell on Ebay? Do you have any observations to share about the changes over the last several years with selling and buying on Ebay?

Hill's Science Diet Toy & Small Breed

I love my dogs! And I must because we have four dogs! Anyone who is crazy enough to have four dogs has to have a huge love for dogs.

In my early twenties, I lived alone and often after dinner I would walk the mall as a way to wind down from the day and check out the clearance racks. Always a frugal shopper even in my twenties!

However, often on my walks at the mall this poor little Mini Dachshund would catch my eye. He had been at the pet store in the mall for months. He was so little in his cage and he just looked so frightened. Every time I went to the mall I visited him. I talked with the pet shop owner and they didn't know what they were going to do with him, he had been there for awhile, he was very scared when people would try to hold him, and he would just shake and pee. Basically he was not a good candidate for a home. All the other dogs just looked so friendly, and then there was this dog just shaking and peeing in the corner. The owner of the shop gave him to me, basically because I think his next stop was doggy heaven. When I was leaving the pet shop I asked a little girl that was there with her parents what I should name him, she said, "Bailey". And, so it was.

I took Bailey home and bonded with him. I showed him love, patience, and compassion. It was not long before he was no longer frightened. We enjoyed long walks and playtime at the dog park.

After Bailey was with me for awhile I meant my future husband. My husband loves dogs and was so great with Bailey, they immediately bonded. My husband and I adopted another Mini Dachshund together, Stanley. Stanley is such a fun dog. He loves everyone and just has a wonderful personality.

Shortly, after having my first child we received the horrible news that my mother-in-law had passed away. She had a Mini Dachshund as well, Mandy. We welcomed Mandy into our home as part of the pack. Mandy brings my husband so much joy because she reminds him of his mother. Funny enough, she refuses to eat my cooking; she reminds me of my mother-in-law, as well.



Over the last year we adopted Maisy. Maisy is part Chihuahua part Dachshund. Maisy is only three years old yet she has been through so much. When in a shelter she gave birth to a litter of puppies. On her way to New Hampshire from Arkansas she was bitten all over her body by another dog that she was placed in a cage with. She has scars all over her from those bites. Yet, in true dog fashion she has thrived in our home and become a well adjusted dog and a loving member of our family.

I am BzzAgent and Hill's Science Diet asked me to try their brand of Toy & Small Breed Dog Food.  I never just stop one dog food and start another so I spent the last week slowly mixing the Hill's Science Diet Dog Food in with the dog food I usually use.  I gradually replaced the one I usually buy with Hill's Science Diet Dog Food.   My dogs really seem to like the Hill's Science Diet food.  In has not bothered their stomach's at all and the small pieces are very easy for them to eat.  Mandy is my oldest dog and is missing several of her teeth, the Hill's Science Diet is very easy for her to eat and she seems to really enjoy it.   Hill's Science Diet is comparable in price to the dog food I usually buy and is available at my local pet food store.

Disclosure