Bzz Campaign: Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips

I've blogged a lot about BzzAgent in the past, so click the "BzzAgent" tag in the left sidebar for more of an overview of what it's about. This time, I'm excited to write about a new product from Green Giant: veggie chips!

There are two delicious flavors- sweet potato chips with sea salt, and cheddar veggie tortilla chips. Both are yummy! I don't even like sweet potatoes, but I enjoyed these chips. They were mildly salty, and tasted like a healthier version of "normal" potato chips. They reminded me of baked chips, but they had a unique flavor from the addition of the sweet potatoes. As for the cheddar tortilla chips, they were reminiscent of Doritos, but were not as greasy or artificial-tasting. You could tell that these chips are healthier than most similar products on the market!

I like to snack, so I will definitely be buying these chips in the future! Since I'll eat chips anyway, I might as well make them better for me! Both varieties of Green Giant chips are packed with whole grains- about 25% of the daily value. Tasty and better for you!

Disclaimer: I received these products for free from BzzAgent. All opinions expressed are my own and are in no way influenced by the fact that I received free products.

Review: Garnier Triple Nutrition Miracle Dry Oil

I am always looking for new products to use on my hair.  It's a frizzy mess, whether it's dry and windy out in the winter or hot and humid in the summer.  If I don't put product in my hair, I look like I'm being attacked by some sort of monster the moment my hair is not sopping wet.  I was recently introduced to oil-based hair products when I tried an oil creme (from Dove).  The product is great but the problem that I have with creme-based hair products is that then they get all over your hands, and it feels like no matter how much you scrub them, the product never entirely comes off.  That's why I was very excited to be afforded the opportunity to try Garnier Triple Nutrition Miracle Dry Oil.  It's in a spray bottle, which means I can just spritz it onto my hair and not worry about getting it all over my hands.  Just a few sprays and my hair is tamed and shiny for the day!  And it's not a heavy oil, so my curls still show.  I've used it on both wet and dry hair and it works great on both.  Most other hair products are a mess on dry hair because they don't absorb well, and instead are left looking clumpy or greasy.  Not this oil!

The one problem that I had with this product (and the reason I am giving it 4, not 5, stars) is the bottle design.  It's very wide right at the place you'd naturally grip it, so it is hard to hold while you're reaching behind your head to spray it.  Sometimes I find myself holding the bottle with two hands in order to not drop it, which, as you might imagine, is pretty awkward.  I'm tempted to move the remainder of my oil into a narrower spray bottle, to avoid that problem in the future.

 

The scent of this oil is nice- it reminds me of the summer with its coconut-esque smell.  It is a little stronger than I would normally choose for a hair product but since it's currently snowing outside and it's freezing cold, the reminder of warmer summer days is very welcome!

I have not used this on my face or body even though it's designed to be a triple use product.  I don't like feeling like I have any product on my face, so I generally don't use a moisturizer there unless my skin is really, really dry- plus, extra oil on my face is never a good thing!  I might try it on my legs though, the next time I need a body moisturizer, to see how it compares to the lotions I usually use.

If you have frizzy, uncontrollable hair, Garnier Triple Nutrition Miracle Dry Oil is the product you've been waiting for!  Just pick up an empty spray bottle (usually about $1 in the travel section) to make it easier to use.

Disclaimer:  I received a free product for review from BzzAgent.  All opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced in any way by Bzz Agent, Garnier, or the fact that I received the product for free.

Product Review: Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Insoles

As a BzzAgent, I often have the opportunity to sample new products in exchange for my honest opinion on them.  This time, I've been able to try Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Insoles.  I was really excited for this campaign.  I have some problems with my feet/knees, and I'm always interested in new products that might help me with that.


I decided to put the Massaging Gel Insoles into an old pair of sneakers that I was hoping to "revamp".  The original insoles were getting flimsy from wearing the shoes for so long.  I was very pleased with how the new insoles made me feel like I was wearing new shoes again!  They fit perfectly into my shoe and gave me the support I needed.

My old sneakers with new Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Insoles

The insoles are able to fit women's shoe sizes 6-10.  That means that if you have a shoe that's smaller than size 10, you have to trim the insole down.  I've been wary of products like that in the past, because I'm always afraid of messing up when I'm cutting and ruining the insole.  The Dr. Scholl's insoles were super easy to trim, though!  On the bottom of the insole is a guide telling you where to cut for each shoe size.  Despite that, I still measured them against the insoles I was replacing.  I was extremely pleased to find out that they lined up exactly with the size 8 guideline on the Dr. Scholl's insole!


I liked that I wasn't constantly thinking about the new insoles in my shoes while wearing them.  Sometimes, I find that replacement insoles don't fit the shoe well, or are too thick, and therefore interfere with day to day activities when you're wearing those shoes.  The Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Insoles were nothing like those annoying other products!  They seemed to disappear, and while I could definitely tell that they were much more sturdy and supportive than the old insoles I'd replaced, that was the extent of my paying direct attention to them.  I was very comfortable walking around with the Massaging Gel insoles in!


Overall, I would give this product a 5/5 rating!  (I'm very surprised to be saying that, but I'm also very pleased!)  The insoles gave me the support I need because of my knee problems, fit my shoes perfectly, and were very comfortable to wear.


FTC Disclaimer:  I am a BzzAgent, and received free product samples in order to give my opinion.  This in no way influences what I say about the Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Insoles.  The opinions expressed are solely my own.

Freebie Sites #1: BzzAgent

I tried to do a series like this last year and I failed miserably at it after the second week (oops!), but I am going to attempt (again) to write a series of posts on websites that send out free products to consumers.  The sites are all different in their goals for sending out products, so it's important to learn about each site before deciding whether to join and participate.  I will highlight a different site each Thursday!


The first site that I'd like to highlight is BzzAgent.  You may recognize this name from a number of other posts on my blog.  I've been a member of BzzAgent for about a year and 9 months, and it's been fantastic!  Before I tell you about my experience as a BzzAgent, though, here is some information about what the company's purpose is.


BzzAgent is a Word of Mouth (WOM) marketing site.  What this means is that in exchange for providing free products, the recipient is then expected to spread the word about the product to family and friends.  You are not expected to provide a positive review- just an honest one, whether you liked the product or not.  Companies (such as L'Oreal, Maybelline, Dunkin' Donuts, and Orbit) hire BzzAgent to start this WOM marketing process for them.  BzzAgent works with the company to target a certain demographic whom they think are the prime users of the product.  Then, people who fit this demographic are offered a Campaign- meaning, they are given the opportunity to request a sample of the product as well as either coupons or samples to pass along to others who they think may be interested in trying out the product.  In exchange for this, BzzAgent asks that people report back how they spread "bzz" about the product.  On the website, you submit a report detailing who you talked to, what you said, and how they reacted.  It really is not much to do in exchange for receiving free products!  In addition to that, you can create bzz through Facebook, Twitter, and blogging.


My experience with BzzAgent has only been fantastic!  Over the past year and a half plus, I've participated in 17 campaigns, 6 of which have been online/digital products or services, and 11 of which have been for physical products.  Though it's certainly fun to get "real" items in the mail, the online campaings have been fun too!  I love talking about all the things I get for free and getting friends and family to try the products out with me.  Even after Campaigns have ended, I still find myself bzzing about certain products.  In particular, I still talk about the Maybelline Baby Lips lip balm and the Amazon Kindle Keyboard that I got from BzzAgent!  (Check out my Kindle reviews here and here.)


If you love spreading the word about new products, then BzzAgent might be for you!  Check out the site for yourself!  If you join, make sure to fill out the surveys available to you.  Then, sit back and wait patiently (difficult, I know!) for a Campaign invite, which will be sent to you by e-mail.  hszIt could take months for this to happen, but trust me- it's worth the wait.)  If the product or service looks interesting to you, accept the Campaing offer and then get bzzing away!


Are you a member of BzzAgent?  What do you think of it?

FTC Disclaimer:  I am a member of BzzAgent.  However, I was not asked to write this post, and all opinions expressed are my own.

This is how much I love my Kindle!

A while ago, I wrote a review of the Amazon Kindle Keyboard, which I received from BzzAgent.  My initial review mainly dealt with setting up the Kindle and using it for PDFs.  Now that I've had my Kindle for a few months, I've branched out to use it for many more purposes, and discovered some fun features that I'd like to talk about, too.

The best thing that the Kindle has done for me is allow me to read more often.  It's so light and slim that I just carry it around in my purse.  Whenever I have even a few minutes of down time, I pull out my Kindle and read a few pages or a chapter of the book I'm reading.  Because the Kindle automatically remembers the last page I read, there's no need for me to worry about remembering page numbers or finding something to use as a bookmark.  During my first three and a half years of college, I rarely read books for fun during the semesters- maybe one book a year, if that.  It was disappointing, because I love to read, but I just couldn't justify carrying around a heavy novel when I was already lugging notebooks and textbooks.  It wasn't worth the extra weight when I wasn't even sure if I would have time to read during the day.  I am so excited to be able to read more for fun now, and it is all because the Kindle is so easy to carry with me all day!

I also love that my local library (at home, not at school) has a fantastic program that allows you to check out Kindle books.  Though the lending period is shorter than for print books (two weeks instead of three), I have been able to find the majority of books I want to read using this system.  Even new releases are available for the Kindle, and overall there is less of a wait list for the e-books than print books!  This discovery has made having a Kindle simply fantastic!

On top of that, as many of my followers know, I review books on this blog.  Some of the books I receive are e-galleys, which I previously had to read on my computer using Adobe Digital Editions.  While the program itself is very useful, it hurts my eyes to read from a computer screen for too long.  So, it was taking me forever to finish books that I received in this format.  Now that I have a Kindle, I can upload my e-galleys to it, and read them much more quickly and in a way that is much easier on my eyes.

If I want to listen to a book instead of reading it, Kindle has a text-to-speech feature.  The voice is computerized, and therefore does not always catch nuances in pronunciation that a human would.  However, I have used this feature a few times and it is still nice to have when I want to continue with a story but either don't want to read (ie, if my eyes are tired), or if I can't (such as while driving).

These are just the reasons that I can think of off the top of my head for loving my Kindle.  (And for me, love is a strong word to use, since for the longest time I was convinced that I would hate using an e-reader.)  Sure, there are still reasons that I enjoy reading books in print, but I would not change having my Kindle for any reason.  If you're someone who loves reading but just doesn't want to carry around a heavy print book all the time, get a Kindle for yourself and rediscover your love of reading!

Do you have a Kindle, or another e-reader?  What's your favorite thing about it?

BzzAgent Campaign - Aliyah has a Kindle!

I recently joined the most amazing Bzz Campaign yet- for the Amazon Kindle 3!  (I've written about BzzAgent here in the past, so check out that post first if you don't know what BzzAgent is.)  That's right- BzzAgent sent me a Kindle 3, for free, to sample & spread the word about!  Now that I've had it for a few weeks, I thought I'd share my opinions.


The Kindle was pretty easy to set up, though I did use the guide that came with the Kindle to help myself out.  You can charge the Kindle either through the USB drive on your computer, or by plugging it in to a regular outlet (mine came with an adapter that allows me to switch between the two; these are also available for purchase if your Kindle does not come with one).  I left mine to charge for most of the day while I was in classes, and then in the evening I went about putting things to read on my Kindle.


I wasn't ready right away to pay for books to load onto my Kindle, but I did have some PDF files that I needed to take to class.  I decided to put those on the Kindle and see how things worked out.  After skimming through the guide, I realized how easy it is to add PDFs to the Kindle.  All you have to do is drag the file to the "Kindle" drive, and it's loaded!  I was so glad it was easy to save the PDFs onto the Kindle.  Now, instead of printing 20+ pages of articles each week, I can bring the articles I need on my Kindle and save my printing balance for other things.  The one thing I did not like about reading PDFs on the Kindle was that you can't adjust the text size.  Instead, you have to use the zoom function, which took some getting used to.  But once I did get used to using the zoom, it was super convenient to read my PDFs on the Kindle.


I also realized that my local library allows me to check out Kindle editions of library books.  How cool is that?!  I'm away at school, but I can still read books from my home library on my Kindle!  It's a great way to read books that I wouldn't buy, and that my school library doesn't carry.  Initially, I was a bit apprehensive about reading a book on the Kindle as opposed to a print edition.  I've only read two books in non-print format before, and only because I was so desperate to read them that I found them on the Internet instead of waiting to get them from the library.  I found it difficult to read for too long on the computer screen, and I was afraid that the Kindle would be a similar reading experience to that.  I was mistaken!  It is very easy to read from the Kindle screen since it is not lit like a computer screen.  It really does look like you're reading from paper even though it is a digital screen!  I can also read outside in the sun without there being any glare on the screen like there is when using a computer outside.

Another thing that initially took some getting used to was the fact that the Kindle screen is only wide enough to display one page of text at a time compared to the two page spread of a print book.  But the Kindle can turn pages so quickly that it does not affect my reading experience at all. 

I also love that the Kindle as such a long battery life.  In over 2 weeks of having my Kindle, I've only charged it once, and that was only because I needed to plug my Kindle in to my computer to upload a book, not because it needed charging.

Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised with the Kindle.  The reading experience, though not identical to reading from a print book, was not as drastically different as I had expected.  The screen itself was easy to read from, and even when I spend a lot of time reading a book on the Kindle, I don't get a headache, and my eyes don't hurt.  I can even read outside with no problem!  While I still think I prefer reading books in print when I can, the Kindle definitely fits into my school life much more easily.  It fits into my purse and is much slimmer and lighter than a typical book.  Plus, since my school library and the public library in town don't have a wide selection of the books I like to read, the Kindle allows me to read the things I want to even when the libraries don't carry the item.

I would recommend the Kindle to anyone with a busy, on-the-go lifestyle that loves reading but can't figure out how to fit it into their life.  The Kindle is just the thing that will allow you to fit reading back into your life!

Update 1/26/12:  I posted an updated review of the Kindle Keyboard after using it for a few months!

BzzAgent provided me a Kindle Keyboard as part of a Campaign in exchange for providing my honest opinion on the product.  I was provided no additional compensation in exchange for writing a positive review.

BzzAgent Campaign - How "Smarterer" are you?

I recently joined a BzzCampaign for a new website called Smarterer.  Smarterer allows you to take tests about a wide variety of different websites, applications, and programs, and then share your scores- if you choose to- online (Facebook, Twitter, your blog) or even on your resume.  The tests are scored similarly to the SATs (I know...bad thing to compare to!) in that the points are on a scale of 800.  After answering only 10 questions, you can get an accurate score.  The more questions you answer, the more your score can improve.  Because there are always more questions being added to the tests and more people taking them, you do need to answer more questions on each test in order to prevent your score from decreasing over time.


So far, I have taken tests for BzzAgent, Facebook, Twitter, and Blogger.  It's fun to see how well versed I am in these websites that I use every day!  I realized that I know a lot about BzzAgent, and not so much about Twitter!  In fact, I'm at the top of the leaderboard for the BzzAgent test at the moment, with a score of 797.  Based on your score on each test, you also get classified as "smart", "smarter", or "smarterer".  Right now I am "smarter" about Twitter and Blogger, and "smarterer" about BzzAgent and Facebook.


As I said earlier, you can share your scores on your blog.  My scores are in the left-hand sidebar- check them out!  The only problem that I have with this feature is that, since the scores are shared through an HTML code that you have to post yourself, and not a widget, the scores you share don't automatically update.  Therefore every time you take a new test or answer more questions, you have to go back to your blog and update the HTML code.  Update 10/19/11- I was mistaken on this!  The scores do automatically update!  Update 10/20/11- But if you take a new test, your score won't automatically add until you update the HTML code.


Overall, however, I've been extremely pleased with Smarterer.  The quizzes are fun, and the competitiveness of vying for a spot on the leaderboard keeps me returning to the site at least a few times a week to take the quizzes.  I've participated in a few "online-only" BzzCampaigns over the past few years, and Smarterer is the first of those campaigns that I've really enjoyed participating in!  I definitely recommend joining Smarterer and trying it out for yourself.

Smarterer is a free service.  I received an early invitation to the site from BzzAgent.  Since then, the site has opened to the general public and can be joined for free.

BzzAgent!

I have been a BzzAgent since May 2010.  What is a BzzAgent, you may ask?  Good question!

BzzAgent is a word-of-mouth social marketing company.  In a nutshell, companies hire BzzAgent to market their products to a certain demographic.  BzzAgent then gives the product to certain members of the site (the Agents), who typically receive the product to sample (usually, a full-sized sample!),  coupons to give to friends & family, and a BzzGuide with information about the product and some ideas on how to share about it with others.  And it's not "no-name" companies that use BzzAgent.  Some companies that have used BzzAgent for Campaigns in the past have been Orbit gum, Scrubbing Bubbles, Hanes, Maybelline, Keurig, and Dr. Scholl's!  These are reputable companies that want to promote their newest, coolest products to you.

My very first campaign, way back in July 2010, was for Orbit gum.  It was a ton of fun to participate in!  That summer, I was working at a day camp, and I was able to share coupons for free Orbit gum with a bunch of my co-counselors.  Since then, I've also participated in campaigns for Maybelline lip color, L'Oreal eyeshadow, TresEMME shampoo, and Water Bobble.  Now, like any product you might try, I wasn't a fan of everything BzzAgent sent me to sample, but I had a lot of fun trying out all these new products anyway!  (And I still use my Water Bobble nearly every day- it's sitting right here on my desk as I write this!)

Just last week, BzzAgent started an awesome new program called the Daily Bzz.  Now, in addition to being selected for Campaigns based upon demographics as in the past, there are certain campaigns that are open for this new Daily Bzz program.  You get to be as creative as you want to tell BzzAgent why you deserve to participate in the Daily Bzz Campaign.  And these campaigns are the really awesome ones- such as Campaigns for a Kindle, Cuisinart blender, and The Help.  I've been having so much fun with the Daily Bzz Campaigns I've participated in so far!  My "creative" entries have all been videos- linked here for the Kindle, here for MiO, and here for the Cuisinart blender.  The Daily Bzz is open from 11am-6pm each weekday.  Then, BzzAgent looks at all of the entries, picks their favorites, and lets you know the following business day if you've gotten into the Campaign.  I've been SO lucky with this so far, and gotten into the Kindle 3, MiO, AND Cuisinart campaigns!!  That's right- I'm going to be getting all three of these products, totally FREE, just in exchange for talking about it!  Did I mention how AWESOME BzzAgent is?!

So, do you think BzzAgent is for you?  Great!  Just go here to sign up and get started today!  Make sure to answer all the surveys that are provided for you, and you'll get invited to a campaign in no time!

Even more FREE :D - BzzAgent and Maybelline lip color

Apologies for my lack of posting over the last month.  It seems as though this semester is going to be crazier than I expected, so I will probably be doing the majority of my posting during breaks.  Like now!


While I'll be sure to update with an even larger "free stuff" post once I get home this week and pick up all of my free samples that have come since January, I have one exciting freebie to share right now!


I've been a member of BzzAgent for about ten months and I just got my second "real stuff" campaign this week!  ("Real stuff" means that they actually sent me products in the mail, and didn't just base the campaign solely off of the internet.)


For those of you who don't know what BzzAgent is, it is one of the leading word-of-mouth marketing sites.  Companies use BzzAgent to spread the word about their hot new products by sending samples out to consumers.  It is then up to the Agent to learn about, use, and talk about the product they've received.


My new campaign is for Maybelline SuperStay 24 2-Step lip color.


This product is designed with microflex technology so that it will not become flaky even after you wear it for an entire day.  The two-step process includes the lip color itself, which is the first coat, and a conditioning balm- the second coat- to add shine.


I am not one to use lip color on a daily basis, and even when I dress up I usually just wear lip gloss.  However, I was willing to give this product a chance anyway.


I tried the Forever Chestnut shade, from the Naturals shade family.  This lip color comes in four shade families- Reds, Pinks, Plums, and Naturals.  I did not want something that was too bold or bright, so I opted to use the brown.


I found that if I applied it lightly, the lip color blended well with my natural lip tone.  While you could tell that I was wearing lip color, it was not too loud of a color, which is exactly what I was going for.  I also liked that my lips felt moisturized and did not ever feel dry through the course of the day like with other lip colors I have tried in the past.


Unfortunately, the color itself did not last for 24 hours.  Right now my lips look pinker than usual, but not anywhere close to the brown shade I started with this morning.  It's been just about 15 hours since I put the lip color on in the first place.


Overall, as someone who does not often wear lip color, I found this product to be a nice addition to my minimal makeup routine.  It blended nicely with my natural skin and lip tone and gave me a subdue yet beautiful look for my day.


You can try Maybelline SuperStay 24 2-Step lip color for yourself with this $2 off coupon!


Also, I would highly recommend BzzAgent for anyone who loves trying new products for free!  While you're not guaranteed to get campaigns, BzzAgent is working hard to improve their company and I've noticed recently that there are a lot more opportunities becoming available.  Definitely check it out! =D


Disclaimer:  I received samples of Maybelline SuperStay 24 2-Step lip color from BzzAgent.  This review is my own opinion and I am not being compensated for publishing this blog post.