Personal Planner Review and Giveaway

I received one $40 to create my own personal planner.
 

I'm a self confessed stationary addict. I buy a new notebook, pen or some other piece of stationary at least once a week.  When I was offered the chance to try out the great new notebooks offered by Personal-Planner, there was no way that I could pass it up! 
 

                                         Personal Planner

I received my voucher via email with easy step by step instructions on how to activate it.  The whole process took less than 30 seconds and I was off, ready to create my personal planner.  The website was super easy to navigate with clearly set out site map.  The design process was broken down into each section of the personal planner.  It was simple to apply a component, check how it fit and undo if it didn't quite look right.  There was a multitude of page colours and designs to choose from. 
 

There are four sizes to choose from Small, Medium, Large and A5.  I chose a medium planner so that I could fit it in my bag. I was pleasantly surprised when the planner arrived and it was a reasonable sized square shape, leaving room in my bags diary pocket for pens and other accessories.
 

One of the best parts of the Personal Planner is that you can custom design the front and back covers.  If you are super creative you could upload a drawing. If you are like me and don't have a drawing bone in your body, then there is the option of uploading photos.  I was able to use photos that I had taken with my phone.  The website did warn me that the photos may not be high enough quality but they turned out great.  The website also gives you the option of a block colour with writing if you prefer something a little more simple.
 

The personal planner diary pages can also be designed to suit your needs.  You can include lines in the note space, as well as a to do list at the bottom of each page.  There is also the option to include your own key personal dates.  You can start the diary at any time of the year and it still runs for a full 12 months.  This makes it great if you need it for the financial year rather than the calendar year.  There is also the option to custom design the pages after the diary entry pages.  I included lined space, a yearly overview and table space.   

 I love the feel of the Personal Planner and the pages are made of heavy, quality paper.  The front and back covers are also covered with a plastic overlay to protect the great designs from damage.  Each planner also comes with an elastic closure in your choice of colour, a plastic sleeve and a ruler. 
 

Upon submitting my order, I was told that delivery could take three weeks.  I was then pleasantly surprised when the order turned up in my mail box after only 2 weeks.  I have ordered custom items in the past so I was extremely happy with this turn around.  I can't wait to start using it!
 

Have you got diary envy yet? I've got some great news for you then!  I have one voucher to create your very own planner for one lucky Musings of the Misguided reader.  All you have to do to enter is answer one simple question.  The best answer, chosen by me, will win the voucher. Entries close 7pm AEST on the 6th of April 2013.  Sorry guys Australian entrants only.
 

What's one thing that you would include in your custom designed planner?
Terms and Conditions
1. All decisions are final.
2. Competition begins 7pm AEST on the 23rd day of March in the year 2013 and closes 7pm AEST on the 6th day of April in the year 2013.
3. Each entrant is permitted to enter the competition once only.  Entries will be identified by email addresses and duplicate entries will be removed.
4. Competition is open to Australian residents only.
5. The winner receive one voucher to be redeemed at www.personal-planner.com.au/AU
6. The prize is not redeemable for cash.

Jo-Baz Hair Colour Remover Review

I received one Jo-Baz product to review. All opinions are my own.
 

I have already tried the Jo-Baz straightening product so when I was given the opportunity to trial the colour remover I was excited.  I have been dying my hair since I was 15. I was 'gifted' the awesome family genes that meant I started going grey at 13.  Now at 24 I'm all salt and pepper.  In the past I have gone with blue black as a favourite colour, which of course meant that it was next to impossible to go anything lighter.  My one attempt at doing a home job of going lighter resulted in me having bright red roots and no change the rest of my hair.  Going lighter was something I trusted to the professionals.  My last hair dressing appointment took 4.5 hours to lighten and redye, so I was a little skeptical when this product boasted being able to remove colour in the same amount of time as a hair dye.

  This is what my hair looked like when I started. The last colour that I put in was a Burgundy, which went from a nice purple to a kind of washed out reddish brown within a few weeks.

  According to the Jo-Baz website the Hair Colour remover works on the artificial dye molecules in your hair by shrinking them and allowing them to be washed away.  It is great for that colour that doesn't quite look how you want it or for when you want a quick change.  It is available in Normal and Max Strength.  Normal is used for medium tones, while Max is used for darker tones.  The product that I used was the Max strength.
 

When reading through the instructions I was surprised with how straight forward it seemed. I wondered if it would be that simple.  I was thankfully pleasantly surprised.  It was in fact much easier than putting a dye through my hair.  There were only a few simple steps and I was all finished in about  an hour.  Normally a hair dye takes me close to 45 minutes just to apply!
 

For the rinsing out the colour remover the instructions stated to take 5-10 minutes depending on the length of your hair.  It was 5 blissful minutes of standing under the shower, no interruptions, alone. Letting the shower wash over my head.  It was definitely my favourite part of the process.
 

This is the colour that I was left with. I did notice as I was rinsing out my hair that it was quite dry on the ends. I think if the product included a conditioner, like the hair dye packs do then this would easily combat this.  It actually did my oily roots some good thought so it wasn't all bad.  I was quite happy with the results and would gladly use it again if I had a colour mishap.
 

Do you dye your hair often? Have you had any dismal results of home dye jobs?

Pong Iphone Case Review

I received one Pong Iphone case for the purpose of this review.  All opinions are my own.
 

When I first read about the Pong case, I admit I was skeptical. Which in turn meant that I had to try it for myself to find out if the case lived up to the hype created by the makers.  I was expecting a quite big case that was pretty ugly but was pleasantly surprised.  While the case was a bit heavier than normal Iphone cases, it wasn't clunky or ugly.  The case comes is available for use with Iphone, Ipad, Blackberry and Samsung and comes in 7 different colours. 
 

Pong Research boasts "Pong Research is the first and only maker of technologically advance Smartphone and Ipad cases that improve device performance and protect users against cellular and WI-Fi radiation.  Compared to standard Smartphone and Ipad cases, Pong's cases have been proved in independent laboratories to improve reception, increase range, conserve battery life, accelerate download and upload speeds and reduce a user's exposure to electromagnetic radiation by up to 95% below international safety limits
Developed by a team of PhD scientists trainted at MIT, Princeton, Harvard and the University of Manchester, all Pong cases are embedded with a multi-patented antenna system that redirects electromagnetic radiation that would otherwise be absorbed by the users' head and body"
 

Included in the package was a screen protector and a micro fibre cloth.  The micro fibre cloth was great. My Iphone has been in a case since I bought it, which means that I have a lot of dirt built up where the case and the phone meet.  The cloth just wiped it straight off. 
 

I have never had a screen protector on my phone. In fact mine came with one and I took it off. They always seem to bubble and make it harder to use touch screen.  So I was skeptical to put the screen protector on and didn't really want to.  When I put it on, I was pleasantly surprised.  The screen went on seamlessly and the only place that it bubbled was around the crack I have near the top of my screen. In fact when I tried to take the screen protector off, I struggled to remove it as I couldn't find where it started! 
 

I can't accurately comment on the decrease in radiation exposure as, like a number of other housewives, I don't have a radiation detector laying around the house. I seem to have every other strange appliance, but sadly not a radiation detector.  What I can comment on however is the battery life and reception.
 

It's no secret that the Iphone has awesome capabilities but crappy battery life.  Unfortunately from what I could tell, this case didn't change that.  With normal use, the battery power was much the same as it always is, crappy. I was disappointed as I am always looking for ways to avoid having to charge my phone multiple times a day.
 

Since the floods, Telstra reception has been pretty dodgy so I was anxious to find out if the case improved the reception and was happy to find that it did! Lately the mobile internet has been closer to dial up speed and extremely painful to use. You really don't notice how much you use your internet on the phone until you can't.  While I had the case on I was able to access social media, netbank and the all important bus timetables.  It really makes life so much easier.  I was impressed too that I had more bars of reception out at Devil Papa's place than I normally do. Making internet access that little bit less painful.
 

If you want to pick up your own Pong Smarphone or Ipad case check out www.pongmobile.com.au or your local Platinum Communications Kiosk in Westfield Shopping Centre Australia-wide. RRP from $49.99 AUD.

Linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT

Palmolive Review and Giveaway.

I received products from Palmolive in order to perform this review. All opinions are my own and are no way influenced by the gift of products.  Digital Parents Collective covered the administration costs of the review.

Pssst. I let you in on a little secret...I hate washing up with a passion.  In fact in the top 5 of household tasks I would happily never do again, washing up is right up the top.  So when I was asked to review the Palmolive dish washing liquid, I knew it had to be a good product to make washing up that tiny bit more enjoyable.  I received two different products, Antibacterial and Pomegranate.

Antibacterial

• Palmolive Ultra Antibacterial Dishwashing Liquid with Lemon Extracts fights germs on the sponge for a least 24 hours.  It contains natural antibacterial agents that combat unwelcome bacteria.
• By taking care of your sponge, Palmolive Antibacterial helps to thoroughly clean your dishes.
• Palmolive Ultra Antibacterial Dishwashing Liquid costs (RRP) $4.99 (750ml)

• Palmolive Ultra Pomegranate Dishwashing Liquid comes with a fresh and fruity Pomegranate scent to infuse your kitchen
• Its rich formula cuts through grease and leaves your dishes sparkling clean
• The perfect marriage of scent and shine
• A great accessory for the kitchen sink
• Palmolive Ultra Pomegranate Dishwashing Liquid costs (RRP) $4.99 (750ml)

I'll let you in on another secret. I hate washing up so much that if something looks too hard to wash up, I will throw it in the bin. This is the reason why I only buy cheap pots and pans. However Devil Papa bought me a set of pans for Christmas that were a little bit more than my usual $10 so I really hoped that the Palmolive Dishwashing Liquid worked as well as the hype it produced.

I really wanted to put the stuff through it's paces so I purposely (ok I was just lazy but it sounded good) left the pans and plates from dinner on the sink, without rinsing them, until the next morning.  We had steak, eggs and chips for dinner. All of it perfect for baked on stuff.  Here's the result.

 Lots of baked on goodness....

Once I was sure it was baked on enough, I started the washing up process. Something which I expected would need a lot of elbow grease and a scourer. I was pleasantly surprised.  The washing up took no longer than usual and I didn't have to use the scourer at all. Normally for baked on foods like the plate, I would have to soak it but I was able to simply wet the plate and then wash with a cloth.

 Something else that I was also impressed with was the amount of suds. Now some people will say that too many bubbles are a bad thing, not me. If it has lots of bubbles, to me it's doing it's job. Even though there was lots of bubbles, it didn't leave a slimy film on the sink and plastics like a lot of other dishwashing liquids I have used do.  It also didn't seem to clog up the cloth, so I was able to use to wipe down the benches after washing up.  Another surprising aspect was that there was still a large amount of suds after I had finished washing up. Previous products that I have used, the suds have all disappeared half way through the wash and it kind of feels like you are just washing up in water.

Now comes the fun part! Thanks to Palmolive I have 3 Antibacterial and Pomegranate Dishwashing Liquid packs to give away to my readers...that's right YOU!

To be in the running all you have to do is tell me the household chore you hate the most and why. The 3 entries that make me laugh or shake my head will be the winners.  

Entries Close on Thursday the 31st of January 2013 at 8pm AEST. Please make sure either your emails are visible on your accounts or include your email in your comment so I can get in contact if you are a winner.

Good luck! I look forward to reading everyone's entries!

Jo-Baz Review

I received the following product to review. I received one box of product to use. All opinions are my own.
 

Anyone who knows me in real life will be able to vouch for me when I say that I have really, really thick hair.  Lately it has been a pain in the arse to control. It has been frizzy and unruly. Thankfully it is now long enough to pull up into a messy bun and it looks half decent.  So when I received the Jo-Baz Everyday Straight Hair, I was excited to try a product that would help keep my hair under control.
 

 *image from here

I don't have the time (or the energy) to sit and straighten my hair every single day, so this product is perfect.  According to the website Everyday Straight Hair works for up to 3 months  by adding Keratin to the hair. "Everyday Straight Hair's key ingredient is keratin, the hair's natural protein. During the formula's smoothing and straightening process the hair's internal structure is permanently changed and keratin is introduced back into the hair. The result is straight, smooth, controlled hair with renewed vitality and condition due to those returned keratin proteins."
 

This is what my hair looks like on a normal day

I'm a sexy beast.

I will admit when I read the instructions for the first time I was a bit daunted by the amount of process there seemed to be, but I was pleasantly surprised just how easy it was to use.  I'll be the first to admit that I am no whiz when it comes to whipping together a hair style, so the ease of this product once I got going really appealed to me.  However I would suggest before you start that you have large clips, hair dryer, a comb and plenty of cling wrap.  I didn't have a hair dryer so the process took a little bit longer.
 

 In the running for sexy Mama of the year with my cling wrap hair do.

As I have mentioned, my hair is very thick. I wasn't able to get the super straight effect that I desired but I do think that after another run over with my straightening iron and a dose of fixing cream that it will become more sleek.  Although my hair is not super straight, it is a lot healthier than it has been a long time. My hair has lost the frizz and it's not such a pain to do anything with. One thing that I also noticed is that there is more moisture in my hair so it is a lot easier to brush each day. Instead of having to take 10 minutes and some leave in conditioner to be able to get the knots of one day out, I can now pull a brush through it and there is only a couple of knots.  My hair does still have a couple of waves through it but they are much more defined. 
 

All up, it took me about 2 hours to put the products through my hair. It is a 4 step process that you need to do, if you want to make it more permanent. If you don't want it to be as permanent you can skip straight from keratin, to the fixing cream without ironing out your hair.  This dramatically cuts the processing time but it doesn't give you the straightening effect.  The straightening time will vary depending on the length of your hair and how thick it is. It took me about 45 minutes to iron it all out.  If you can manage to wrangle a friend to help you out with that step then I would really suggest it.
 

 The instructions called for an olive sized amount of Keratin B. Obviously my olives have had the super size treatment. p.s don't you love my hawt pink gloves.

Overall I am happy with the result from Jo-Baz Everyday Straight Hair. While my hair still has a bit of a wave, it looks much better than before I used the product.  I think what I struggled with the most was not being able to tie my hair back for 3 days after putting the product in my hair. So I suggest doing it when you don't have a lot to do and can have your hair down.  It is also recommended that you don't dye your hair for at least 14 days after the product has been used in your hair as it may effect the results, especially if the dye uses bleach. Bleach will remove any effects of Everyday Straight Hair.
 

The end result. Much more contained!

Jo-Baz Everyday Straight Hair can be found at your local Priceline or Big W store.

Tasty Summer Treat!

*The following post is a review of Smooze Fruit Ice.  I received 8 products to test and give my thoughts on. All opinions expressed in the following post are my own. No monetary compensation was made for my opinions.*
 

I was super excited when I was contacted to review the Smooze Fruit Ice products.  It has been stinking hot here lately and I was pumped to try out a new frozen treat.  Upon receiving them, they promptly went into my freezer.  I think I checked them every couple of hours to see if they were frozen yet haha! I'm not sure if it is my dodgy freezer but they seemed to take a bit longer than normal ice blocks to be completely frozen. 
 

 When reading all about Smooze Fruit Ice, the first thing that stood out to me was that they are dairy free.  With allergies on the increase, it is so refreshing to see companies making yummy treats for those who can't indulge in dairy ice cream.  "Smooze Fruit Ice is made with a base of coconut milk, with real fruit added to create four delicious flavours – Pineapple + Coconut, Pink Guava + Coconut, Mango + Coconut and Simply Coconut.  Available in boxes of 10, Smooze Fruit Ice doesn’t need to be frozen all the time, making it a convenient addition to the pantry all-year around."
 

I have to admit I was a bit worried that with the Smooze Fruit Ice being made with coconut milk, I thought the coconut flavour would be quite strong and overpowering. I was however pleasantly surprised and they offered a sweet refreshing treat on a hot afternoon.  They were  a definite winner with Devil Spawn who devoured two in one sitting.  That's the great thing about them, they are small enough for little hands to handle.  The thicker cardboard packaging also means that they aren't too cold for little hands to handle. 
 

 In my package of yum I also received a few drink recipes to try with the Smooze Fruit Ice.  The breakfast smoothies weren't overly appealing to me but when I saw a Mocktail recipe I just knew that I had to try it.  Turning it into a Cocktail of course.  It was delicious and hit the spot after a long day of toddler wrangling. 

Tropical Mocktail
1 Coconut + Pineapple Smooze Fruit Ice
1/2 can Passionfruit Pulp
1 serve of Sugar Syrup *see note
1 Handful of Ice
 

Method:
In a blender mix together Smooze Fruit Ice, Sugar Syrup and Handful of Ice.  If you are using Icecubes from your freezer then I suggest smashing up the ice before blending otherwise it will take forever to chop up the ice. 
 

Pour mixture into a glass of your choice (or in my case plastic cup because I have a toddler and we can't have nice shit when he's around) and mix through Passionfruit Pulp with a spoon.
*Note: Sugar Syrup is made with 3 Tablespoons of brown sugar and a dash of water, enough to make a syrup consistency.
Add alcohol of your choice. I used vodka and I was yum! I think Malibu would go nicely with it as well.

 

 Smooze Fruit Ice doesn't need to be frozen at all times, so makes a great addition to your pantry.  In my local Coles I found them in the same aisle as the Ice-cream cones and toppings.  The media release I received stated the RRP as $6.49 AUD for a box of 10.  I went into Coles this morning to suss them out and found out that they are $5.99. Score! I love them so much I went and got my own box as we finished off the products we received yesterday.
 

They will definitely be a feature in The Funny Farm's Summer this year!
 

What's your favourite thing to eat or drink on a hot day? Have you tried Smooze?

Popping my product review cherry

Sooo this is my first product review.  Be gentle with me.

I had the absolute pleasure of test driving some Aveeno lotions and bath products.  Aveeno prides themselves on being natural products so I'll have to be honest and say that I was skeptical about how effective the bath products were going to be.  Smell plays a big factor in me choosing a shampoo and bath wash so I wasn't sure how these were going to fare.

I received all four products in the Baby range in the mail last week and having been giving them a work out ever since.

I tried the "Daily Moisture Lotion" out on myself first.  I've had really bad chapped lips lately and nothing seems to soothe them.  I rubbed a little of the lotion of my smoochers and they were kissably smooth in a couple of minutes and stayed like that until I had a shower. I've been using it since and my pout has been snog worthy since.  

Dyllan has had a raging nappy rash for the last 2-3 weeks that the normal remedies has been keeping at bay until a poonami occurs (yes these are still very much possible with a toddler, they are just bigger and smellier).  I tried out the "Soothing Relief Moisture Cream" on his little but.  It didn't have much effect on keeping the rash at bay however it was the first time that I was able to rub cream on the rash without him screaming like a banshee so there was success.

Bath time meant we got to test run the other two products in the baby range, "Soothing Relief Creamy Wash" and "Wash and Shampoo".  Dyllan has a bath so I decided to see how the creamy wash would bubble up in the tub.  I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of bubbles it created.  Dyllan didn't complain so it must have been a winner.  I used it on myself later in the shower and found that it did soap up nicely on a sponge too.  It also had a pleasant, without being intrusive scent.

I was apprehensive about trying out the wash and shampoo because hair washing is a bit of a sore point in our household.  Mainly for my ear drums, as well as anyone in a 5km radius.  Dyllan hates getting his hair washed with a passion.  He screams blue murder and something (usually me) always gets headbutted.  I gingerly lathered up Dyllan's hair with the shampoo, held my breath and poured the first rinse of water over his head....there was nothing. There was no screaming, no headbutting and no madly clawing at his eyes even though no water actually goes into his eyes.  It was a success.  It was quite possibly the best hair washing experience for all involved since Dyllan learnt to sit up by himself.

Overall I was really happy with the Aveeno Baby range.  I will definitely be buying the wash and shampoo in the future.  

If you would like to give the Aveeno Baby range a whirl or know someone who might benefit from them, then head into your nearest Major Supermarket, Pharmacy or Specialty Retail Outlet. Australia Only.