LUSH Decor Review and Giveaway

I received a gift code to facilitate a review of LUSH Decor products. Any opinions expressed are my own. Sweepstakes is sponsored by LUSH Decor.

I realize something about myself. When it comes to certain things, like home decor for instance, when I find something I like and coordinates, I have a tendency just to let well enough alone. Because of that, I’ve had the same curtains up in my living room since we moved into our house nearly 7 years ago. Sure I’ve taken them down and washed them a few times a year but they go right back up. Then there’s the fact that our house is like a cave due to our ugly paneling and poor lighting. I really wanted to lighten up our living room. I thought a good way to do this might be by changing the curtains, bringing something lighter into the picture.

I decided to go with an off-white curtain. I didn’t want to just plain white I wanted to do something that would give some dimension to the walls. LUSH Decor had plenty of options. LUSH Decor gives you Anthropology level style but not at Anthropology prices. They have beautiful stylish blackout curtains which I’d love to get for the bedrooms. I decided on something that will let a little more light into the living room though and went with the Circle Dream window curtains in the color ivory. I love the dimensional look for the circles at the top of the curtain. They really lightened up the living room. the best part was when I was getting ready for work this morning and saw the morning light filtering through the curtains. It’s amazing how a little change can be so refreshing!

LUSH Decor has so many beautiful items at affordable prices. I think the bamboo throws would be a nice accent draped on the side of the couch. We use throws frequently in our living room. I’d love to have the one in taupe to add to our living room.

After I did the living room I though about how I’d love to refresh our bedrooms for the spring and summers. I just love the quilts that LUSH decor has. I particularly like the one i have featured in my review header picture at the top of this post. My oldest son has a fascination with sea life. We love watching shark week, he loves fishing, all that stuff. I think the sea life quilt set would be perfect for him. They also have a teen window curtains section to find something they’ll like and you can be happy about.

I just gotta tell you, I was given a $75 gift code to use to shop for items to review. I got both sets of curtains for the living room and a valance for my kitchen window from LUSH decor and was still a few dollars under budget. These window treatments are not cheaply made either.

You can find LUSH Decor on the following social media sites:

Facebook: facebook.com/lushdecorhome

Twitter: @LUSHdecor

Pinterest: pinterest.com/lushdecor

GIVEAWAY

1 Luv Saving Money reader will win

a $200 LUSH Decor gift code!

US only

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The Sore Throat Remedy You’ll Enjoy Using: GoGargle

I received the below mentioned product and a CVS gift card to complete a review of this product. Any opinions expressed are my own. Sweepstakes is sponsored by GoGargle.

UPDATE: As far as I could tell this product and site no longer exists. You can find similar gargle products on amazon.

Did you know that every year, 15 million people visit the doctor for complaints of a sore throat. Everyone seems to have their own product or cure they go to when they have a sore throat.

Sure there’s throat sprays out there that help temporarily with the pain of a sore throat. They are not cures but temporarily mask the pain. Not to mention the artificial colors and chemicals in the sprays. You can do a salt water gargle then you’re left with that salty taste in your mouth when you’re done but, hey, at least it works and it’s a more natural remedy. GoGargle is a a safer sore throat treatment that uses the idea of salt water gargles to help actually heal your sore throat but in a better tasting way.

Just drop one of the GoGargle tabs into some warm water, let it dissolve and gargle. I’ve noticed my throat feeling a little tighter the last few days. Then today I noticed it starting to get a little sore. I decided today was the day to give GoGargle a try. The tab took a minute or two to dissolve but did dissolve completely. It said it had a minty fresh taste. I’m not a huge fan of mint tasting things if it’s overwhelming. Thankfully it was not. In fact the flavor combination was very pleasant. GoGargle also contains honey, chamomile, and 14 other ingredients to help take the pain out of your sore throat and heal it. It also works for dry throats which happens to me often this time of year with the dry heat indoors.

This is definitely a product I’d be happy to use again. While my sore throat was only a mild one this time, it did bring instant relief and the flavor added to the pleasant experience with this product.

You can find out more about Gogarle on their website: GoGargle.com GoGargle is sold an many retailers including: CVS, Giant Eagle, Meijer, Martin’s, Winn Dixie, and more. Check out their store locator to see where you can pick some up at. Before you do, be sure to print this coupon to save $1 on GoGargle.

You can find GoGargle on the following social media sites as well:

Twitter: @GoGargle

Facebook: facebook.com/GoGargle

Pinterest: pinterest.com/gogargle

GIVEAWAY

1 Luv Saving Money reader will win

a GoGargle kit that includes one package of GoGargle and a $20 CVS gift card

US only

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Purex Power Shot Detergent

I received the below mentioned product in order to complete an honest review. Any opinions expressed are my own. Sweepstakes is sponsored by Purex.

Laundry, it’s a necessary chore. Some have more than others but it’s still a chore none the less. Having a family of 6 with our three boys being involved in some type of sport almost all year round and my husband and I both wearing uniforms to work, we definitely have laundry. Not to mention a toddler that probably goes through 2-3 wardrobe changes a day.

We have an HE washer. Sometimes I wonder if I’m using too much laundry detergent or maybe not enough. Purex came up with a solution to eliminate the guessing game with easy to use Purex Power Shot.

Getting the right dose is easy,when you get your brand new bottle just flip the bottle over and watch the reservoir fill up. Turn it back over, pop the cap and pour into your washer. The reservoir automatically refills so it’s ready for your next load. Have a large load or an extra dirty load just use 2 doses. That’s it. Purex Power Shot detergent will be available in Mountain Breeze (which I received), and Natural Elements Linen & Lillies scent. I used this detergent for several loads of laundry already and it cleans just as well as all the other Purex detergents I’ve used (and I’ve used a lot).

Here is a short video I did to show you how the dosing works:

SWEEPSTAKES: Since Purex Power Shots will be coming soon to store near you, you have a chance to enter the Coming Soon Sweepstakes from Purex in which the THREE Grand Prize winners will win a Whirlpool Washer & Dryer Set. 300 Runner Up winner will win a FREE bottle of new Purex Power Shot detergent. You’ll also be emailed a $1.00 coupon to use for new Purex Power Shot. See official rules for full details.

GIVEAWAY

3 Luv Saving Money readers will win

a coupon for a FREE bottle of Purex Power Shot Laundry detergent

US only

Entry -Form

New Radiance Naturals Vitamin C Serum

I received the below mentioned product at no cost in order to complete an honest review. Any opinions expressed are my own. I do received compensation for my work but regardless of product or monetary compensation I only do honest reviews.

I’ve tried a few different vitamin C serums over the past year or so. After trying a few I kind of have an idea of what I want and what has worked for me in a vitamin C serum. I used a vitamin C serum for my face and neck on an almost daily basis. Since trying them I think it’s a great compliment to my daily skin care routine. The latest Vitamin C serum I’ve tried is New Radiance Naturals Vitamin C Serum

New Radiance Naturals seemed to have all the things I looked for in a Vitamin C serum. Obviously the vitamin C but also vitamin E, hyaluronic acid, and this one even had an amino blend. I loved the fact that it was all natural. I also like the glass dropper bottle which normally makes it easy to dispense the proper amount and use the right amount.

New Radiance Naturals is 98% natural and 76% organic. It’s not tested on animals and is made in an FDA certified facility. It contains other beneficial ingredients such as witch hazel and organic aloe. They also have a no questions asked money back guarantee for 365 days!

New Radiance Naturals vitamin C serum was a very thin liquid consistency. It had a mild vitamin-type scent to it which I had also experienced with a few other vitamin C serums. When applying the vitamin C serum i would put about half a dropper full on my hand then apply to my face. This was the thinnest formula I’ve ever used though. The serum ran all of my hand like water. I ended up having to use more than I normally did with other formulas because some of it would run off my hand before I got it to my face and it absorbed quickly. I seemed to waste more product with this one, an experience I hadn’t had with a vitamin C serum in the past. Applying a drop or two directly to my face was not an option since, again, it would just run down my face. I also noticed my hand and face had a mild sticky feeling to it after use.

So my feelings on this product on in the middle somewhere. It has tons of great ingredients for your skin. It did help brighten my skin as other vitamin C serums have done, and is mostly natural and organic. I do feel like a lot of product was wasted though do to the consistency. Perhaps if it wasn’t so runny it I could fully back this product.

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Sometimes I Just Want to Eat Pizza

I received the below mentioned product in order to complete an honest review. Any opinions expressed are my own. I am not a dietary expert, anything posted in regard to my diet is my personal experience.

For anyone that hasn’t seen some of my post in the past 2 months, my doctor put me on a medical diet called a low FODMAP diet. It stand for the mouthful that is: Fermentable Oligo-Di-Monosaccharides and Polyols. To simplify it, it means eliminating or reducing any foods that can cause stomach and colon irritation or can cause issues such as diarrhea or constipation . Standfordhealthcare.org describes them as “FODMAPs are osmotic (means they pull water into the intestinal tract), may not be digested or absorbed well and could be fermented upon by bacteria in the intestinal tract when eaten in excess” The reason being, I have ulcerative colitis but more recently my doctor also thinks I might have Irritable Bowel Syndrome in addition to my ulcerative colitis. For someone who has never been on any real diet in the past, the low FODMAP diet is pretty restrictive and daunting to me.

As much as I wasn’t a fan of doing such a restrictive diet (especially when I had to start a week before Thanksgiving), I just want to feel better and try to have normal days. I love things like pizza, cake, soda, as much as the next person does but I quickly found that I had to eliminate most of that stuff or find new ways to eat some of the things I love. The hardest part for me was finding pizza I could eat. I mean you can’t call Domino’s and ask for a low FODMAP pizza. The reason pizza is so difficult for me to find is it has to be gluten free, it CAN’T contain high lactose cheeses, and according to my dietician should not contain tomato sauce.

What I also found is that many authoritative sites that describe the low FODMAP diet contradict each other. One site says no soft cheeses like goat cheese and Feta while other say they are ok. So I tried searching for pizzas that I could eat to curb my cravings and make them as low FODMAP as possible. Enter in, Smart Flour Foods pizzas.

Smart Flour Foods offer gluten free pizzas which is a great place to start looking on the low FODMAP diet.

So with these pizzas I eliminate the gluten free aspect of my diet right off the bat which is usually the hardest part for me. Smart Flour Pizzas are Certified Gluten Free with no artificial ingredients. On top of being certified gluten free they also use no MSG or preservatives, are free of egg, soy, and rice, and used milk from cow not treated with rBGH (which is a genetically engineered hormone). So it makes me feel better to know that not only am I eating something on my diet it’s also natural.

Still the issues remains on the discrepancies between whether tomato sauce is ok or not. One site and my dietician says no not at all, another site says certain ones can be ok, still another says as long as you don’t have more than a cup on your pizza it’s ok.

Smart Flour Foods pizzas are smaller in size than a regular freezer pizza. One pizza, according to the box, is two servings. I noticed that the cheese pizza didn’t have a huge amount of sauce on it, and with the size of the pizza and everything else falling into place that this should be an ok pizza to eat in the low FODMAP category. The pizzas say to put them in for 11-13 minutes. I tried the first one, the cheese pizza, at 11 minutes. It burnt the cheese a little bit. With the next one I tried 10 minutes and it seemed to work out much better. Even with the cheese being a little burnt the pizza was good.

The kids wanted to try my pizza. I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect them to like it. The flavor is slightly different from a regular pizza. They all ate their pizza and some of my kids asked for me for more. So I decided to pop the pepperoni pizza in too and see what we all thought of that. My pizza pan is huge. It’s even big for regular size pizzas. This pizza was put in for 10 minutes and I preferred the outcome much better.

Again, everyone enjoyed the flavor of this one. I almost forgot I was eating a gluten free pizza. Again, the pepperoni pizza didn’t have an over abundance of sauce so I was able to eat it with my low FODMAP diet. Sometimes if I would cheat in the past and eat a regular piece of pizza I’d know it. I’d get heartburn and other issues. I did not have those issues after eating the Smart Flour Foods pizzas. I also received a Smart Flour Food pizza crust that I can top myself for an even more customizable pizza to fit my dietary needs.

If you’d like to try Smart Flour Pizzas for yourself you can see what stores near you sell them by visiting the Smart Flour Foods Retailer section of the website.

You can find Smart Flour Pizzas on the following social media sites:

Twitter: @SmartFlourFoods

Facebook: facebook.com/SmartFlourFoods

Pinterest: pinterest.com/smartflourfoods/smart-flour-foods

Instagram: smartflourfoods