EcoMom Approved Products Review and $15 Giveaway

EcoMom is one of my favorite stores online. They sell an assortment of wonderful natural, organic, and healthy products that they have compiled and tested themselves to help parents make easy, practical and affordable healthy choices for their families. They partner with charities like Healthy Child Healthy World and team up with EcoMom experts in various fields of expertise to share their information for a healthier, more balanced, and sustainable planet and lifestyle for us all. Within their website they have a icon coded system to help you quickly evaluate which products work for your own family.

I was sent samples sizes of these EcoMom Approved Products for free from EcoMom to try out and review: Pangea Organics Japanese Matcha Tea with Acai & Goji Berry Facial Mask, SmartyPants Gummy Vitamins, SKINKiND Microfine Face Scrub for Men, SKINKiND Travel Size Essential Moisture for Men.

I tried out the Pangea Organics Japanese Matcha Tea with Acai & Goji Berry Facial Mask myself and enjoyed it regardless of the fact that I resembled the Creature from the Black Lagoon when I had it on! As you can tell from my facial the product isn't the most attractive color. It is kind of a muddy green and has a gritty texture that spreads on pretty thin and unevenly too, but I believe the good outweighs the bad for this product. My gritty mud monster face becomes radiant and smooth after washing it off. It doesn't seem to irritate my skin or leave my skin too dry. It also helps exfoliate because of the grit and instructions to rub it in circular motions with wet fingers before washing completely off. When taking it off be sure to use a warm to semi hot water on a washcloth that isn't white (this seems to stain and the granules like to stick in the cloth). It also has a very pleasant herbal, minty smell that rejuvenates my skin and perks me up when using it. I just think that it is more like a scrub than a mask. For the price of about $40 for a tube of 4 fluid ounces the price might be a bit steep for some, but the list of certified organic: essential oils, extracts and other ingredients in the Pangea Organics Japanese Matcha Tea with Acai & Goji Berry Facial Mask are extensive (nothing artificial or synthetic in there) and worth every penny. So in a nutshell, to me, this is a heavenly nutrient-rich, all-natural, nature-derived feast for your face.

My kids got to try the SmartyPants Gummy Vitamins. They are an all-in-one multivitamin with eco-friendly non-tuna sourced DHA Omega 3's, Vitamin D, Choline & 12 other key nutrients. They are also gluten and casein free, have no high fructose corn syrup, and only have 5g of Organic cane sugar per serving (that is 80% LESS sugar than in a glass of unsweetened apple juice). I only had a small sample pack of 4 gummies and supposedly all 4 gummies in a daily supply. I am not sure why they couldn't have made just one gummy with all the vitamins instead of having to take 4 although the bottle of 120 then only will last 30 days. I like that they are made with natural flavors and colors from natural sources. Flavors include: lemon, orange, and cherry. These are great vitamins for kids that like gummies and don't like their veggies or fish. They don't taste fishy at all, are chewable, and my kids enjoyed them. They wished we had more. A bottle of 120 that lasts 30 days is about $19.95. Every time you buy a bottle of SmartyPants, they donate to Vitamin Angels so that 2 children most in need recieve a years worth of vital nutrients.

My husband got to try the SKINKiND Microfine Face Scrub for Men and the SKINKiND Travel Size Essential Moisture for Men. The SKINKiND Microfine Face Scrub for Men goes on before a shave and exfoliates the face to battle ingrown hairs and dead skin. I kinda wish they had this product or one similar for when I shave my legs too! This has Aloe Vera gel to cool the skin, natural Bamboo powder to exfoliate, Organic Blood Orange and Vitamin E to provide antioxidant protection to new skin that is unveiled, Cedarwood to tone and decrease acne, and Organic Cinnamon Leaf to bring oily skin back to normal. My husband commented that it has a slight fruity or citrus smell, but nothing overpowering. He said it was easy to apply but to him it felt very abrasive...like sandpaper. He didn't think that it was very pleasant on his face and thought that it wasn't microfine like they had called it. I tried a little on my face and I really didn't think that it was all that bad. He did notice that after his shave with his razor that his face felt pretty smooth and the face scrub did clean the pores and buff away the dead skin. A 100ml/3.4flOZ container of it costs about $29.00 at EcoMom. The SKINKiND Travel Size Essential Moisture for Men goes on after a shave to help moisturize, rejuvenate, and help with post shave irritation. Again this product would be wonderful for the woman after leg shaving. This has Organic Rosehip, Avocado and Jojoba oils to revive the skin; Sandalwood, Fragonia and Lavender as an anti-inflammatory and oil normalizer; Bergamot to control blemishes; and Vitamins A & E. My husband said this product smelled pleasant and has a slight fruity or citrus smell, but nothing overpowering. It was easy to apply and left his face softer than right after his shave. It didn't leave his face sticky or oily and he thought that his face liked the stuff better than the face scrub. A 1.7flOZ bottle of it costs about $18.00 at EcoMom.




WIN IT:
Sarah from EcoMom has generously offered $15 for anything in their store for one of my readers to win.

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Make sure you leave me your email in all posts so that I can contact you. Don't forget to leave a comment for each task and the correct amount of entries for each task. This contest ends on Friday September 16, 2011 at midnight (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). This Giveaway is open to all 18 years and over in the U.S. Only!!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Thanks to EcoMom for providing me this promotion information, free product, and giveaway free for my readers. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review and giveaway.

Zatarain's Mardi Gras House Party and Review

I had the chance to host a Zatarain's® Mardi Gras House Party ™ sponsored by Zatarain's on Tuesday, February 16th, 2010. I had fun putting the whole thing together and since I was already a big fan of Zatarain's I knew our party was gonna be a big hit with my family and friends. It turned out great and we had a lot of fun!

Zatarain's, for those of you who are not familiar makes zesty boxed meals and other products that are New Orleans based. They have been around for more than 100 years and their wonderful products are definitely part of the New Orleans tradition of distinctive flavorful cuisine. I love New Orleans food! Even though I didn't make any at this party one of my favorite New Orleans dishes is gumbo because I absolutely love soups, stews, and chowders and can't get enough okra! I love that Zatarain's has a recipe section. They also have cooking tips that will make your authentic New Orleans meal a success! New Orleans definitely has a rich cultural heritage and when my family and I were living in Florida we were saddened to hear about Hurricane Katrina that had past through there and caused so much damage and loss of life in 2005. We were hopeful that Zatarain's would be along with the survivors of Katrina because we love their food. We were very glad to find out that they overcome the struggle that was put before them and still prosper regardless of the trials they had to face during that time.

Before I received the party kit I was only aware of the Zatarain's boxed mixes that Zatarain's made. I was pleasantly surprised when I got the kit and it had Zatarain's Creole Mustard, Zatarain's Creole Seasoning and Zatarain's Root Beer Extract along with the Red Beans and Rice and the Jambalaya Mix. I was also surprised to see that the Red Beans and Rice was the Reduced Sodium variety. The reduced sodium mixes are new to Zatarain's and contain 25% less sodium than their regular counterpart. They also have a number of other very yummy products.

My FREE festive party pack included:

For me:
* 5 Zatarain’s Products to try:
Jambalaya Mix (we dressed this up with Italian sausage and pineapple for a different zing)
Reduced Sodium Red Beans & Rice (I really love the new reduced sodium varieties...they taste just as yummy!)
Creole Mustard (yummy! We are going to enjoy this later on Brats!)
Root Beer Extract (my Sodastream soda maker came in real handy and we enjoyed the root beer floats!)
Creole Seasoning (very good in a lot of dishes...just jazz it up!)

* 1 Zatarain’s Apron (I love it! See me wearing it in the first picture?)
* 1 Mardi Gras Party Guide
* 1 Sample Mardi Gras Menu
* 5 Mardi Gras Masks (sweet feather masks! My kids especially had fun trying these on!)
* 6 Mardi Gras Recipe Cards (yum! I am going to have to try these later)

Stuff I shared with my guests:
* 15 sets of Mardi Gras Beads (nice set of gold, green, and purple beads with a Zatarain's logo hanging from them)
* 15 sets of 3 Doubloons (also the royal jewel colors of Mardi Gras and stamped with the logo of Zatarain's and Mardi Gras 2010)
* 15 Money Saving Coupons for Zatarain’s Products (manufacturer's coupons for 50 cents off any one (1) Zatarain's rice or pasta mix)
* 75 Gift Cards for 35 Free MP3 Songs from E-Music (I didn't give these out because unfortunately you have to sign up and then if you don't cancel the service you are obligated to pay money...bogus!! I did listen to some righteous jazzy tunes though through Radio Free New Orleans.)
* And other downloadable party favors.

Here is a Fun Fact:
*What is the difference between Cajun and Creole?
Cajun is the robust country-style cooking of the descendants of the French Acadians (now known as Cajuns). Cajun cooking uses a dark roux as the base of many dishes. It relies on the culinary “trinity” –equal parts of chopped green bell peppers, onions and celery. Many Cajun dishes are spicier than Creole dishes. The most famous dish of Cajun origin is Jambalaya (a rice dish that contains the trinity, tomatoes and various meats, poultry and/or seafood).
Creole is a full-flavored cuisine of refined European settlers of New Orleans -- the best of the French, Spanish and African cuisines. Creole cooking also relies on the culinary “trinity”– chopped green bell peppers, onions and celery. Creole dishes typically use more butter, cream and tomatoes than Cajun dishes. A famous dish of Creole origin is Etouffee (a spicy and delicious stew traditionally made with crawfish or shrimp, vegetables and a dark roux). The word Etouffee means "Smothered."

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So, Jazz it up with Zatarain's!

DISCLAIMER: Thanks to House Party ™ for providing me with this opportunity to host a Zatarain's® Mardi Gras House Party ™. I received the above samples and coupons to hand out to hand out to guests and test and review myself. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. House Party connects people through parties. You too can use the helpful tools to plan your party, create invites, join sponsored events, share pictures and video, and explore thousands of parties being held in homes around the country.