Luv Saving Money

**I did not receive any compensation for this post.  Prize is sponsored by Perricone MD**

I think we all know how important it is to protect our skin from the sun.  It’s important to protect your skin all year round, not just in the summer.  Sun damages is the number one cause of premature aging and skin cancer.  Using products that protect from both UVA and UVB rays (broad spectrum) is the best.

Perricone MD Photo Plasma is a product that does a lot of work for you. This one product contains a broad spectrum SPF 30, contains powerful antioxidants to help slow the signs of aging, and it’s also a light weight moisturizer.

Photo from Perricone MD blog (photo linked)

You can click on the picture or the link above to read all the details about this multi-duty product.

I’ve had the pleasure of trying Perricone MD products in the past.  While they are expensive I can attest that they do work.  I love the consistency of the plasma products, weightless and your skin just drinks them up.  They feel so soft on your skin.  Wouldn’t you like to try this product?

**I received the below mentioned product at no cost in order to complete an honest review.  No other compensation has been received**

I love it when companies come up with ways to make my every day chores easier.  Like laundry for instance.  With 6 people living in this house, my husband and I both in uniforms for work, and my boys with their football uniforms we do laundry just about every day.  Some day there are 4 or 5 loads done.

Dizolve laundry detergent is one of those cool innovative products.  I’ve tried a number of different kinds of laundry detergent but this one is truly unique.  Dizolve is laundry strip, not a liquid or a powder.  It’s pre-measured, safe in HE washers or regular washers, can be used in hot or cold water,  hypoallergenic, and has 20X ultra cleaning power.  There’s more but I’ll get to the rest in a minute.

Each box has minimal packaging and has enough detergent strips for 72 loads of laundry!

Each sheet in the box is perforated into 4 strips.  You only need 1 small strip to do a load of laundry.  You can use 2 strips for larger, heavily soiled loads or a half strip for a small load.

You simply throw the strip into your washer first then add your clothes and wash as you normally would.  No measuring, no mess, it dissolves completely.  Dizolve strips are also fragrance free.

Dizolve is also a more eco-friendly laundry detergent.  Besides the minimal packaging (the whole package is only about the size of a paperback book) and biodegradable product, it reduces transportation costs by 94%.  How?  A single strip is only 2.5 grams which is less than a loads worth of liquid or powder detergent. That’s 94% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.  Dizolve is Phosphate-free, safe for septic tanks, and 1,4 dioxane free.

Here is the lonely little strip in my washer.  Doesn’t look like it will do much does it?  Well we shall see.

I washed one of my daughter’s white onesies.  She she had an…um..explosive diaper, you know that kind that doesn’t stay contained within the diapers?  I did use a little of my fels-naptha stain bar to help with that but it came out looking good as new.  I was so glad.

I then tried it on my son’s football pants after practice.  I posted a before pic below.  You can see some of the mud and things from practice.  I tried a medium load with some other articles of clothing that needed washed.  I tried just one strip to see how it turned out.

Wow they turned out wonderful.  One little strip and washed it with a bunch of other things.  They work great!

When you purchase Dizolve laundry strips a donation is made to the Sierra Club of Canada. You can also choose another fundraiser to support.  At this time it seems all the charities are in Canada since that’s where this product is made.  Since they are now marketing to the US, I’d love to see some US fundraisers added as well.

You can purchase Dizolve laundry strips on their website: http://mydizolve.com/.  They always offer free shipping for Canada but for the month of September they are also having a buy one get one free deal.  They are also having 10 bonus draws for a year supply of Dizolve detergent when you order.

You can find Dizolve on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dizolve/208168661600
and on twitter: @dizolve

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**I received a sample of the below mentioned products in exchange for a review.  No other compensation has been received**

I’ll be honest, I’ve always been one to think, vanilla extract is vanilla extract. Whether it was store brand, big brand, or gourmet.  I figured the gourmet brands might have a little more flavor but I was doing alright with my store brand vanilla extract.  I mean, it made my cookies, it worked fine in a vanilla milkshake, whatever.

Then I had the chance to try Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract.  Wow.  When you open the brown glass bottle the scent hits you.  I swear it’s like you can almost taste the vanilla when you smell it.  There is a bit of an alcohol scent to it too.  (It does contain 35% alcohol).

Nielsen-Massey uses hand selected beans from the Bourbon Island of Madagascar.  They also use a cold extraction process the brings out all 300 flavor compounds in the vanilla bean.

I really wanted to get a sense of the taste difference in this vanilla.  I thought vanilla milkshakes might be a good way to try.  When I make my vanilla milkshakes I use vanilla ice cream and milk of course but I usually add about a teaspoon of of vanilla extract for more flavor.  (I might have also picked that up from a certain restaurant I used to work at).

Seriously love the scent of this stuff.  I have to take a couple whiffs of it every time I open it.  Anywho, I added about a teaspoon per serving when I decided to make vanilla shakes for the boys and I.