Tropical Traditions Glass and Surface Cleaner Review

Recently, I did a review about Tropical Traditions Moisturizing Lotion that I won from a blog giveaway, and well I won another Tropical Traditions Giveaway, but this time it was for Glass and Surface Cleaner.

I really am liking Tropical Traditions.  They offer everything from Household Cleaners to Organic Foods to Skin Care Products and so much more!  What makes them special is that everything is natural and good for the environment AND you. 

When I use regular household cleaners, I always feel not too good about it, and I always make sure my kids are out of the room because I don't want them around any harmful fumes but.....HELLO?! I am still in the room!  I would like to switch completely to all natural cleaning products but it's tricky because I've learned that just because something says natural doesn't necessarily mean it's healthy for you and the environment.

I received a 1-gallon bottle, but it also comes in a 32 oz bottle.  I actually prefer the 1-gallon bottle because it goes great with the whole "saving the environment" thing because you can then transfer it into a reusable spray bottle to use and refill over and over again.  No more throwing away bottle after bottle.  The 1-gallon bottle should last me a long time...

It contains NO Ammonia, Alcohol or harsh, volatile solvents that you usually find in most glass and surface cleaners.  After I read this, I realized that I never really looked at my regular glass cleaner.  Well, I looked and right on the front sticker it said, "With ammonia".  I really don't want to be spraying that all around the house.

Tropical Traditions Glass and Surface Cleaner has a scent but it's a VERY, VERY light scent.  And when I tested it out on my kitchen windows, it worked just as good or better than regular glass cleaners.  It dried fast and was streak free.

It's recommended that you use a clean lint free, dry cloth and no rinsing is necessary.  It can be used on all sorts of surfaces including glass like treated glass, auto windshields, Plexiglas, light fixtures and mirrors.  It can also be used on chrome, appliances, vinyl, stainless steel, plastic, porcelain, countertops, walls, floors and more!  And it's great for computers and computer screens (spray onto cloth and wipe).

Tropical Traditions is a brand that I really feel good about using in my home and I know that it's not harmful to my family.

I would definitely Recommend Tropical Traditions Glass and Surface Cleaner and just Tropical Traditions in general.

I received this product from winning a blog giveaway.  All opinions are my own.  Have an Amazing, Awesome Day!!!

Etsy: LovePLS Monthly Update

Things in my shop, LovePLS are starting to pick up.  I've sold 6 things in the month of October so far and it's not even over yet. :)

About half of them were special orders including an order for 55 Felt Pierogies that needed to be personalized for a upcoming wedding.  It's so neat that I am making things for people that they want to share with others on special days like weddings and birthdays.

Speaking of birthdays, if you saw my last update you know that I was asked to make 12 Felt Sugar Cookies for a Snow White Themed Birthday Party.  Well, I received a message from the person who bought them thanking me for them and included in the message was a link with pictures from the birthday party.  I got to see my cookies in action and I must say, the birthday party was beyond impressive.  You can check out the pictures HERE.

I haven't really added too many new items recently because of the orders I received, I needed to remake the things that were bought, but I did make a new felt cookie set that I think is my favorite item I've made...and if you are in love with Owls like I am then you will probably like it too.

Check Out my Shop, LovePLS!

My First Giveaway! 5x7 Free Picture Print Code From Rite Aid

This Giveaway Has Ended...

Hey everyone,

So recentley I entered into the FujiFilm Picture Perfect Halloween Contest, which doesn't end until November 8th, 2011 so you can still enter!

It's a daily entry sweepstakes in which the prizes are things like digital prints, photo mousepads, photo t-shirts, wet n' wild nail polish, and alot more!

Well, I won a Free Digital Print for a 5x7 Photo and well, as thankful as I was to win...I am pretty sure, I don't have any picture frames in the house for 5x7 Pictures.  Plus, I don't know of a Rite Aid around me soooo....I thought I would pass on my winnings to someone who could use it.

Do you want to win the FREE 5x7 Digital Print? Code must be used by by 11:59 pm ET on 12/31/11.

To Enter to Win:  Tell me in the comments what your favorite thing about Halloween is. Leave your email address in the comment.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted). Leave an email address in each comment too please.

3 Extra Entries - Follow me on Google Friend Connect (must follow publicly and leave your GFC name in the comments

2 Extra Entries - Follow me on twitter (@JessKafo)...Leave your Twitter name in comment.

1 Extra Entry - Tweet about this giveaway: Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

#Win a Free 5x7 Digital Print from Rite Aid #Giveaway Ends 11/8/11 @JessKafo http://giveitatryreviews.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-first-giveaway-5x7-free-picture.html

2 Extra Entries - Blog about this giveaway linking back to this post.  Leave link in the comment where I can find it and blog post must include a picture.

1 Extra Entry - Push the Google +1 Button on the Bottom of Post (Leave Name in comment)

Good Luck!!!

Prize is a CODE for a free 5x7 Digital Picture.  Code will be emailed to you after a response of winning is received back. Giveaway will end on November 8th at 11:59pm CST. Please leave an email address in each comment. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

"As Natural as it gets" Oven Cleaner Review with Recipes

Oven cleaning is a tricky business.  You have to have something that is strong enough to cut through all the splatters and spills, and all the baked on messes.  But do you really want to be using chemicals that smell and probably aren't healthy to breath in; not to mention you are putting it where your food goes.

I am guilty of using the commercial chemical oven cleaners, and every time I do...well, I feel guilty.  I don't like spraying stuff in the house that has such a strong odor when I have little ones running around breathing it in.  But, what's the alternative?  Not cleaning the oven?  I've tried that and well if I want food that is "well smoked" and setting the smoke detector off every time I open the oven door, I will go that route.

An oven has to be cleaned, so I set off on a mission to find a safe and healthy option.  I looked through all kinds of different oven cleaner recipes to find the right one for me.  There was one important factor besides being natural.  I wanted it to be easy.  I needed it to have just a few ingredients that were easy for me to find at the grocery store and also reasonably priced.  I finally found 3 different oven cleaner recipes for 3 different purposes:

• Regular "Everyday" Cleaner
• Stubborn Stain Cleaner
• Super Heavy Duty Cleaner

I used all three cleaners on my oven.  Luckily, my oven was 3 different kinds of dirty....

Regular "Everyday" Cleaner

Ingredients:

1. 5 Tbs. of Baking Soda
2. 3 Drops of Dish Soap
3. 4 Tbs. of White Vinegar

~ ~ ~ Mix Ingredients together until they form a thick paste.  Apply to inside of oven and scrub with sponge.  Wipe Clean and rinse thoroughly.

 I used this on the sides of the oven.  They weren't very messy but still needed to be cleaned.  This is definitely a very good "everyday cleaner" which I think would be good to clean other things as well.

Stubborn Stain Cleaner

Ingredients:

1. Lemon Juice
2. Salt

~ ~ ~ Use equal amounts of lemon juice and salt (I used 1/3 Cup for both).  Apply paste to stubborn stains and allow to sit for 3-5 Minutes.  Scrub with a scrub brush and wipe clean.

I used this on the door.  It has some stains on it that I couldn't even get off with commercial cleaner.  And this stuff failed at taking it off too.  I left it on for 5 minutes and scrubbed it really good with a scrub brush; not really anything happened.  The lemon/salt mixture was slightly dingier looking than when I started so I know it helped clean a little bit...but all the stains were still there.  Maybe it just needed the Super Heavy Duty Cleaner...

Super Heavy Duty Cleaner

Ingredients:

1. 1 Cup Salt
2. 1 Cup Baking Soda
3. 1 Cup Water

~ ~ ~ Mix everything together and make a paste.  Apply to oven.  Heat oven to 500 Degrees for 60 Minutes.  Allow to cool and wipe using a moist cloth.

I used this on the oven floor and on the door.  I applied it thickly all over the bottom of the oven.  The oven was pretty messy because of all the food drips.  As I'm applying it, I'll be honest, all I was thinking was, "I hope this works" and "I hope this doesn't catch my oven on fire".  I was afraid that it being so thick on their and being so close to the part that heats up that it was going to start a fire.  So much so that right when I got done applying it and turned the oven on, I ran to the computer and looked up, "How to put out a fire in your oven".  Here's what I found so if you try this and are scared of the same thing, you won't have to go look it up.

Oven Fire Tip:  If a fire starts in your oven, don't panic and simply just shut the door and turn off the oven.  With the door closed and the oven off, the fire will not have any oxygen to keep going and it will burn out.  Also, you could throw baking soda on it but never throw flour or water on a kitchen fire as it will just make it worse.  All educated? Feel safer? Ok, back to the review...

After about 5 minutes of it being on there, the baking soda mixture was sizzling.  After about 10 minutes, it actually started smelling good, like something was baking in the oven.  However, after about 30 minutes, I started to smell the old commercial cleaner that I had always used.  Hopefully, this natural cleaner was cleaning all the chemicals away.

After 60 Minutes were up, I opened the oven and the paste was now all dried out and I could actually pick up big pieces of it.  No oven fires either! :)  After the oven cooled off, I started wiping the mixture away from the door first.  Again...it didn't work.  I don't know what is on there but all I know is...it's not coming off.  Then I started to clear away the cleaner from the bottom of the oven.  And what I saw underneath was disappointing.  It was black.  I was kind of upset because I had done all that work and nothing.  Luckily as I started wiping more away, I saw in some places it was clean.  After I got everything wiped off, only about 40% of the bottom of the oven was clean.

To say, I am disappointed is saying the least.  I was hoping to have found a great alternative to the yucky store-bought cleaners...and I still had a dirty oven.  I did however find a great "everyday" cleaner but I still have a damn dirty oven.

Well, to me, finding a natural oven cleaner is important, and even though it's messier and may take a little more scrubbing, it's something that I want to continue to do.  I just have to find the right oven cleaner recipe.

If you have a natural oven cleaner recipe made from household items that actually works, let me know in the comments.

Giveaway on K Squared Glamour: Sigma Polishing Tool and Buffer Brush!

If you are a big makeup lover, you are sure to know about Sigma.  Great quality and sleek products.  LOVE!

If you would like to win some Sigma Products, head on over to K Squared Glamour's Blog because that is where you will find the giveaway.

You could win the Sigma Cleansing and Polishing tool and the Buffer F45 brush!

Giveaway ends in only 4 days (from the time I wrote this) so you better hurry!

Click HERE to Enter.

Good Luck!!!

Jergens Natural Glow Healthy Complexion Review

Summer is starting to end and with the approach of winter, everyone's tan starts to fade away.  But if you want to be tan all-year-round, all you have to do is buy the right products (aren't we all so spoiled...)

I have already done reviews on tanning products for your body, like Jergens Natural Glow EXPRESS Body Moisturizer and Jergens Natural Glow FOAMING Daily Moisturizer but everyone knows you can't use that stuff on your face, but our face does need love too so I tried Jergens Natural Glow Healthy Complexion.

It's a daily facial moisturizer that gradually creates natural-looking color.

What you do is apply a generous amount to your freshly cleansed face daily making sure to blend it well into the jawline and hairline but also making sure you avoid your eyebrows. You allow several minutes for it to fully absorb and wash your hands after application.

You should start to see a gradual color change within a couple days, but it also says if you don't see a difference, apply more than once a day....this was the case with me.  My skin is pretty fair and I was making sure I was applying it daily but I wasn't seeing much of a difference.  At the time, I was also using the body tanning products so my skin on my body was not really matching the skin on my face.  I needed to apply more.  As with all the other Jergen's tanning products, it comes in Fair to Medium Skin Tones and Medium to Tan Skin Tones.  I was using the Medium-Tan and I still wasn't getting much of a difference so even with my super light skin, I think the Fair to Medium would be too light.

Moving on to the scent. This is very important when I am looking for self-tanners.  Some products REEK and some others don't.  I would say Jergens Natural Glow Healthy Complexion is right in the middle.   It doesn't smell horrible, but I wouldn't say it smells good either.

One good thing about it though is that it contains SPF 20 so as it's making you tanner, it help protect your skin from the sun too.  This is very important to me.  I love being tan, it makes me feel really beautiful but I'm not willing to scacrifice my skin for it.  I can apply self-tanners easily to change the color of my skin, getting rid of wrinkles and sun spots requires a lot more effort.

I think I would recommend this product but just keep in mind that you might have to apply more than once a day to get your desired results.

I purchased this product.  All opinions are my own.  Have an Amazingly Awesome Day!!!

Eve Organics Blush Review

Yay! I won another blog giveaway, and this time it was for Eve Organics Blush.  I received the "Joyful" Blush which is a neutral peachie-pink blush.

I have never used a mineral makeup before so I was very curious to try it out.  When I received the blush, it was in a cute little jar, and I really like the way it looks.  It's simple but very chic, and I wouldn't mind my makeup sitting out if everything was in containers like these.

I tried the blush and I loved the color!  It was perfect for my skin tone, and I could see it being great on alot of different people.  What I noticed the most was that it blended so well.  I don't think I have used a blush that has blended so good.  Even if I accidentatley get too much on my brush, it still looks great because it blends in so naturally.  Looking up close after I put on the blush, I noticed that it had a little bit of sheen to it...really the perfect amount. 

Now, I love the blush in general, but the thing I love the most is that they do not have an expiration date!  I think that is amazing.  I always hear the "makeup rules"..."Throw away your mascara after 3 months".  "Don't use lipstick after 1 year".  But you can keep Eve Organics blush until you use it all because with all their loose minerals, they are inert, which means they cannot grow mold or be contaminated.

Having to get new makeup when you haven't even had the chance to use all of the old one can get expensive, and that's why most people don't change out their makeup as often as they are suppose to.  I'm soo guilty of this...which is such a bad thing because not changing your makeup can lead to eye infections as well as a bunch of other nasty stuff.  Having a makeup that doesn't expire is worth it just for saving money and health reasons alone but having a product that is also amazingly beautiful is definitely worth it.

Eve Organics Blush sells for $13.50 and comes in 8 different varieties.  Check out their website...they have all kinds of great products.

LOVE!

I received this product from a blog giveaway.  All opinions are always my own.  Have an amazingly awesome day!!!