Get Dolled Up with Old Navy Dresses!

And it's that time again- Old Navy Sample & Share's on Crowdtap! If you haven't yet heard me *talk* about Crowdtap, keep reading and I will let you know all about it (or click the link there and get started!)  I was chosen to participate in the new Get Dolled Up in Old Navy Dresses! sample and share as part of Old Navy's Style Council. This is an awesome program that Old Navy does through a site called Crowdtap. Crowdtap is Secure VIP access to your favorite brands. Inform their decisions, share your ideas and help them spread the word.. So, what exactly does all that mean?! It means people like you and me get to try out new products, give insight, and participate in discussions for companies that are part of Crowdtap. But, back to the matter at hand, Old Navy's new Spring DRESSES!

Maybe it's just me, but there has ALWAYS been something about wearing a dress that makes me feel so feminine and sexy. I don't care if it's just a cotton maxi or a gorgeous gown, I just feel so good when I wear one. So, I was extremely excited to be included in this Sample & Share program and try out the new styles! Last year I ended up with a large selection of my summer wardrobe being skirts and dresses from Old Navy, so I was hoping to update my wardrobe with some more, and I was not disappointed! Of course, I took my bestie with me and since we both are going back to college right now (her for teaching degree, me for nursing degree) and we live an hour away from each other, this is always an AWESOME excuse to get some much needed friend time in. :)

All of the dresses are really gorgeous this year, and there was quite a few this year that are quite dressy. Maybe I hit the season wrong last year, but it seemed like most of them were very casual last year, so I was pleasantly surprised to find dresses that could be considered Easter dresses and career friendly! My girl was looking for a dress that could be worn to a wedding as she has quite a few to attend over the next few months and I was looking for something that would be comfortable and more casual, so we were excited to see both styles!

After trying on MANY styles and cuts, we both found a perfect one for each of us. I ended up with a long green maxi dress and she got a tan flowery print dress with a cute spring cardi!

Digital slideshow made with Smilebox

Pin It

LISTERINE Total Care Zero Sampling Program

Let's face it- We all have bad breath at some point in our lives. I know there is probably nothing worse for me than talking to someone wondering if the bad taste in my mouth is also giving off a bad odor to the person on the other end of the conversation. And I also know, there is nothing worse than BEING that person on the other end of the conversation. I mean, normal people just don't blurt out "Dude your breath is RANK!", so how do you tell someone that tactfully? No matter what you say, it is going to embarrass that person. And I don't like to do that to my friends, family or even acquaintances. Nor do I enjoy being told it either. So, what can we do to fight against bad breath PLUS have a healthy smile besides brushing and flossing? MOUTHWASH. Now, I know most of us have heard of Listerine, but have you tried of the NEW Listerine Total Care Zero? It is a new LESS INTENSE ZERO ALCOHOL Listerine. And let me tell you, it works great! I've always liked Listerine, but the burning feeling in my mouth was more than less desired, so I tended to buy less of this well-known brand and more of the others. After being included in a Sampling Program from Crowdtap sponsored by Listerine, I am very impressed with their new product and have already purchased quite a few bottles of the new Total Care Zero product myself! It is an awesome feeling, having a clean mouth, and one I'm quite enjoying!

Some of the awesome benefits are:

• Helps Prevent Cavities
• Restores Enamel
• Strengthens Teeth
• Kills Bad Breath Germs
• Cleans the Whole Mouth
• Freshens Breath

I've even found these smaller bottles at some local *mart stores that make great travel or throw-in-the-purse so I don't have that after-lunch-smelly-breath-OMG-here-she-comes-everyone-take-3-steps-back-to-avoid-the-cloud-of-stinkiness. Because no one wants to actually live out that episode of Spongebob  Squarepants in "Something Smells" where he thinks he is horribly ugly but really only has some rank breath. So, here you go Spongebob, if only you and Patrick had some Listerine Total Care Zero, than you could eat your sundaes and not worry about disintegrating your friends and neighbors with the rancid breath!

And don't forget, there are coupons available here to try this beyond awesome new product out! Plus, if you aren't already a Crowdtapper, what are you waiting for?! I've earned tons of Amazon gift cards and gotten to try out some great products! You are missing out! Make sure to join here to link our accounts together! :) 

Please note, while this product was provided to me in a sampling program from Crowdtap & Listerine, all the opinions expressed here were completely my own and are truthful. Pin It

The Smurfs and Just Dance 3

Okay, we all grew up with these little blue guys (well, I guess we don't want to leave out Smurfette- gal!), so when the new movie came out, I was excited. But, taking three kids to the movie theatre is simply not in our frugal budget, so we usually wait for it to come out on bluray to watch on our huge LED tv and surround sound! Besides, it's much better when I can pause the movie for them to tinkle ;) So, getting picked to host this party from Crowdtap was awesome! Due to my finals, we actually had to wait to have the party till after it had been out for a bit, but that didn't matter because we all had a great time! We actually mixed it up a little and played Just Dance 3 on the Kinect as well (another party hosted from House Party) and I think everyone had a great time! My younger children attending (ages 3 & 5 really didn't watch the movie, but the older children in the group (7, 11 & 12) really watched the whole thing and I actually enjoyed it as well. It was a really cute and funny movie, great for the whole family! Just Dance 3 was perfect too, it really loosened everything up for everyone at the beginning and got everyone mingling and having fun together. I love doing this stuff! :)

A slideshow design by Smilebox

Pin It

January means SWEATERS!

 Get Cute and Cozy at Old Navy’s Bundle-Up Bash!

I know a lot of the country has already had snow, but as I sit here on December 31st typing, it is going to be 65 degrees today. Not exactly sweater and scarf weather. So, while I loved this hosted party from Old Navy and Crowdtap, I can't really give a good impression of my outfits till it starts to finally get cold here in Lexington, SC- usually mid January and February, maybe some in March. While it stinks to only get about 3 months of the year to be able to wear all that Cute & Cozy warmness from Old Navy, it is nice that I don't wear it out in one season, and of course most of Old Navy's pieces are basic classics with a flair, so I don't have to worry too much about them going out of style. So, with that being said, I was still excited to try out the new sweaters and accessories from Old Navy and share them with 3 of my friends. I choose to take some of my favoritest people in the world that I love the most, which are, my bestie Crystal, my mom Pam, and my hopefully-soon-to-be sister-in-law Kellie. This has probably been my favorite hosted party yet!

We started out by all meeting together at my house and riding together. We grabbed a quick lunch, and headed up to our local Old Navy store. I think it was really cool to already get together talking about what our ideal outfit for the winter was. It was interesting to talk to my friends/family about what their style and preferences were. I like to feel "well put together"- you know, like everything was made to go together in an outfit. It just...fits. Anyway. When we arrived, Crystal tried to get hit by a car by taking this picture and posting it to facebook...so here is our "before" picture...laughing at her! :D

Okay, so moving on, we all went our separate ways almost immediately. It's funny how different we all are! I had a huge stack almost immediately, but I was having some issues finding sizes. I think that can be absolutely THE MOST frustrating thing about shopping anywhere- not having all the sizes in stock. I know they can't have tons of merchandise on the shelves, but it is highly aggravating. Good thing I like online shopping- I found quite a few things not in my size that I grabbed online at Old Navy's website when I got home!

Almost all of really liked the Double V-Neck Pullovers and we all really liked the Scarves, but I ended up grabbing a hat  as well as some Popcorn Sweater Boots to pull my whole outfit together. I also went with the Sweetheart Skinny Jeans in Sterling Grey. I really like the cut of these, they fit really well on me and I don't feel like my (ahem) crack is showing all the time. I don't like really high cut pants either, but I can't be a mom in jeans that every time I bend or squat, my bootie is flashing everyone behind me. Anyway, you will see more of Old Navy's Winter selections in the slideshow below! :)

Well, I am trying something different this time with the pictures, since we had so many. This is a neat little slideshow program. You will have to let me know how you like it. I thought it was really neat!

And of course, here is a few of the sweaters and accessories I've bought since hosting this party...I actually have a few more, but my gray sweater cardigan and Old Navy trouser jeans were dirty, so they missed out on the fun! :)

Now if we could just see some colder weather! 

*Hoping for some snow!*

Pin It

Get Fab & Fit in Active by Old Navy!

Okay, so can I get a raise of hands of people that think they could stand to use a few pounds? And even if you don't need to loose weight, according to the Mayo Clinic, an adult should be getting at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity. So, my question to you, is this: Are you getting that? That's at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity FIVE days a week!

I know I don't...even with my new commitment to loosing the extra poundage still leftover from having my kids and all the other stress in my life (*sigh* I'm an emotional eater!). So, when I go accepted into the Old Navy Active Sample & Share with Crowdtap to try out their new line of workout clothes, I was super excited. I mean really, what woman doesn't like new clothes?! And, it definitely helps to get me moving if I have something super cute to wear! I think it kind of goes back to the idea of dressing your best to do your best work. I know that it means for professional work and such, but I think it can apply here, too. For instance...this is what I normally would wear to work out:

As you can see, it was nothing cute, sexy, or chic. Matter of fact, it was "the straight out of bed look" and boy, did I have it perfected! LOL. I usually wore a ribbed tank or a cut up t-shirt with a pair of Old Navy yoga capris or my sweats. Now, I want you to understand that while I enjoy feeling "pretty" and I like to look nice, I also hate spending a lot of time to do it. So, I'm more of a no-fuss kind of girl. I have 3 kids and a million and one things going on in my life, so taking hours or even an hour to get ready to go anywhere is simply out of the question. So, this brings me to my Old Navy Active experience. I received my coupons, one for me and one for a friend, in the mail this last week and was excited to get up to the store before everything was picked over too badly, which has been the normal experience for me. I guess either Old Navy doesn't believe in fat people sizes or else everyone that lives in my area is fat, lol, so all the larges and x-larges will be gone and forget it if you need an xx-large!

Okay, so moving on, my bestie and I managed to meet up this weekend, but we did have a few tag-a-longs or as we affectionately called them, "the panel of judges":

The Judges!

Right away after arriving, I had a cart full of the new active line and so did she! The biggest disappointment was of course the selection, but it was a typical store selection issue, not like the last few times where it seems that there was NOTHING left. We headed to the dressing room and my hopes was for the Women's Hooded Running Top (my store had this in the gray with the green tones), the Women's Active Compression Pants (also in the gray with the green tone), and the Women's Padded Sports Bra (Tropical Undertow is what they call the green tone, lol). I was also looking at the Floral Graphic Active Tanks with the Women's Color Block Compression Jacket. I fell in love with these clothes immediately! I put on the pants and already felt sexy and ready to go! By the time I had put on the sports bra with the hooded top, my friend said to me laughingly, "I hate you! You look so cute!"

So, as you can see, I'm really excited about this new line! A few of the items I wanted did seem to run a little small, as I usually wear a large to x-large at Old Navy, but the outfit I got seemed to be pretty true to size. Unfortunately, this month's budget is all tapped out, but I can't wait to go back and get some of the stuff in pink and black and add some more tops to both colors so that I will have at least 3-4 outfits for my week. And just to prove a point, I actually got up this morning at 7:30 and jogged on the treadmill for over 30 minutes just because I like the way these clothes make me feel, lol!And this brings me back to my original point of, you can look good just by simply putting these clothes on! No prep work needed, and Old Navy prematched almost everything to each other so you can go with all basic colors (black/white/gray) or add in a little color (currently have the green and pink) to make it your own style!

And by the way, my friend that hated me, I thought she looked pretty darn hot too!

 So, what are you waiting for?! Go get some Old Navy Active and get moving! *singing the "I like to move it move it" song from Madagascar in my head....*


*Quick Update*
I had to go buy some more! I am so in love with these workout clothes, they are so comfy and look so awesome on! Plus, when I have cool new workout gear, it inspires me to do more working out! Here is everything I know own from the active line:

Old Navy Active & Compression!

There are 3 Sports Bras, 3 Compression Pants, 2 tank tops, and 3 pullover jackets. Enough for a week or so of workouts!

Also, I want to add that exercisetv.tv is an awesome site to download workouts from and a lot are only a few dollars! I burn them to dvd and play them on my tv! And they offer some for free with different codes (just google exercisetv code). You do have to buy something else with it, but a lot the videos are only 1.99 to begin with and some are free! Like these here and here.

Pin It

Crowdtappin' It!

I'm sure you've seen my Crowdtap posts, like the Old Navy Spring Party and Summer Party and Playtex Sport Sample Share. I know many of you have joined and are Crowdtappin'. But, some of you haven't!

 

Signing up is easy, just have Facebook. Pick a charity. Earn points by participating (<--means you TAKE PART lol) in discussions. Also, do Quick Hits to earn you points. In discussions, the more active you are & the better your info is, the more likely to get starred (=points). Oh, did I mention that $ is involved?! Everyone likes green in their pocket! You can redeem your $$$ in amazon e-gift cards once you earn 9.99. And, 5% of the earnings goes to your charity and Crowdtap matches it! Soooo, why are you still here? 

Get Crowdtappin'!

Pin It

Old Navy Style Council: Summer Shorts Party!

Have I told you yet that...

I ❤ Old Navy & Crowdtap!  

Crowdtap is an AWESOME site where you get to voice your opinions and try new products all for FREE! Old Navy is one of Crowdtap's many cool clients that does "parties" to gain knowledge about how their customers feel about their products and what can be done to change them to make them better....Hence, the Old Navy Style Council! Which I belong to *grin*. And you can too! All you have to do is sign up using your facebook account (so simple!) and start doing quick hits and discussions to earn MONEY (amazon e-giftcards) PLUS you get to pick a charity to help out at the same time! I have already earned over $55.00 and only been a member for 4 months! Plus, I've gotten to participate in 2 Old Navy parties now and a Playtex Sport Body Wipe Sample Share! Okay on to my latest....

I was picked for the Old Navy Summer Shorts Style Party. This one was a little different. I received the book with 4 coupons total in it for me and 3 of my friends. That's right....It's not just me that gets to benefit from this! You get to hook your friends up too and have a BLAST while doing it (woot woot!)! The coupons were for a pair of shorts, a top, and an accessory (included shoes, hats, belts, scarves, bags, sunglasses, and jewelry). What, you say? That's right...We ALL got to get more than just some shorts- we got a whole complete Old Navy outfit! Anyway....On to the party. We actually had a hard time coordinating this one as I ended up needing to do an orientation for clinicals at school and between my classes and everyone else's schedule, we barely made it work! I wish we could've gotten lunch afterwards and all shown off our super cool summer outfits! Being as it has been like 200 freakin' degrees here in South Carolina, we all were looking for light, summery materials. Here's some of our finds:

 

We all had a GREAT time, with a few mishaps. Our biggest complaint would have to be that our store was not stocked well at all. There were TONS of really cool styles to pick from, but *ahem* we are all a little bigger in the hips and the bigger sizes were non-existent. :( None of us are "plus size" so that wasn't the problem...It just seemed to be that all the cool styles (plaids and such) were only available up to a size 8. And if you were a size 2 (I mean c'mon, really?!) there would've been no problem for you at all! But, let's face it. I have a big butt. So, no size 2 (or even 8's for that matter) for me! My favorite pair was a lightweight cottony material with a drawstring in navy blue. I think they were supposed to be bathing suit coverup shorts, but they were super cute and soooo lightweight and airy, that I could totally see myself wearing them without my bathing suit. I believe the were called the Gauze Cover-up Shorts After searching around a bit, we all managed to find some cute little shorts that made each of us happy with our finds, but then we had to move on to finding a shirt to match. That actually proved to be a little simpler, but the sizes were still scarce unless you wore a small. (HINT--->Old Navy, we need more variety of sizes! We aren't all a stick with no shape! LOL) We all were heading for a more cool summer or beach look...I think because, like I mentioned above, it was like 200 degrees with humidity so thick you could karate chop it with your hands, LOL! I found a really cute summer tank top called the Knotted Racerback Tank that was a tie-dye affect in blue and gray. On to accessories...This was really fun! I have to say that I think accessories are my favorite part of an outfit because it really pulls it together and gives it that special look...For instance a cute pair of beaded sandals, beach hat, and sunglasses really make your tank top and shorts outfit look like a million bucks! I actually had a hard time with this...because I couldn't decide! I finally went with a pair of sandals in brown mostly because I had picked a navy blue outfit and all of my sandals I've bought so far this year (from Old Navy, lol!) have been silver and black. They were beaded with pinks and browns and actually looked great with my new outfit! Now....Where's the BEACH?! :)

  Thanks Old Navy & Crowdtap for all the fun!

Pin It

Old Navy Spring Accessories Party

I was recently picked to host a Spring Accessories Party by Old Navy and Crowdtap. The idea behind the party was to "Show your love for Old Navy by becoming a style ambassador and hosting a spring accessories party!...you can spread the word about Old Navy’s new spring accessories AND have a great time with your friends." I am always looking for a great excuse to have time to spend with my friends, especially since my summer semester was fast approaching! I was supposed to invite 3-5 friends and use Facebook to create the event. Then, a kit from Old Navy would arrive by UPS and have a sampling of accessories in it for my guests and I to experiment with and give opinions about. The kit was to include:

• 5 Old Navy tote bags
• 2 spring scarves
• 1 pair of spring shades
• 1 spring fedora hat
• 1 spring saddle bag
• 1 Old Navy Spring Accessories Sampling party booklet
• 1 dry erase board and dry erase marker 

Actual Products Received

I love Old Navy, so I was pretty stoked to actually be included in this product sample share! I had just been shopping at Old Navy and bought quite a few things for myself and my kids, so I already had been checking out some of the new accessories the store's had out. When I got my package, I was disappointed though. The spring fedora hat was a size small and while I don't have a large head, it didn't fit quite right. And the sunglasses were bright red and look like something you would buy at the dollar store...no shape to them at all! And the spring saddle bag....Seriously? It was dark blue grey and yellow....with tan leather accents. NOT spring or cute at all! Even my 11 year old and 6 year old daughters turned their noses up at it! And both "spring" scarves were neutral colors...One was black and white and the other dark brown and white. Well, after debating on it, I took the purse and hat up to the Old Navy store by my house and exchanged the hat for one in a bigger size (and in the lighter spring colors) and the purse for the yellow one. While the purse is still a horrible size and really not cute at all, at least it was a spring color. And the hat now fits! So, now I was ready for the party!

One thing I forgot to mention was, when I created my Facebook event, I had already determined what I wanted to theme my party around and I had created a game to play with the accessories. After receiving the kit though, it seemed that they wanted the hosts to choose from 2 different themes they had picked for us to do. Being as I had already invited my guests, I did not want to change up the flair of the party and to be honest, I thought my idea was better anyway! :D

Well, here is a few of my favorite pics from the party and you can check out more here.  














Okay, so as you can see from these pics and the ones on Facebook, we had a great time with this! The "theme" behind my party was for each guest to bring a few accessories of their own for everyone to "play" with. When everyone arrived, I had them place them in categories (scarves, hats & handbags, sunglasses, jewelry, gags, etc) and then we put them on the floor in a circle. Then, I took a bottle and placed it in the center...Like Spin the Bottle. And, the basic idea was that whatever you landed on, you had to pick one of the accessories from that category to wear, no matter how silly and try to make it work! It was a lot of fun and I think it really loosened things up for everyone! We also decided to let people "steal" each others accessories instead of spinning and then the "victim" that was stolen from would get to spin again. The top fav accessory was hands down the Old Navy Spring Fedora! Secondly, I would have to say the black and white scarf as it went around a few times as well. Surprisingly, the red sunglasses were actually really cute on, so a few of each were checking them out too. I think I liked them best as a hair accessory ;). The Old Navy Saddle Bag was probably least liked...And everyone loved their cute Old Navy tote bags! Thanks Old Navy and Crowdtap for giving me the opportunity to spend some time with my friends and share some of your newest accessories for the spring! Can't wait to see what you have for me next!












Pin It

Playtex® Sport Body Wipes

I was recently picked on Crowdtap to sample and share about Playtex Sport's newest product, body wipes. I actually was really excited about this product because it is soooo hot here in SC and walking around campus at school can make you feel like you are melting...Who wants to sit in class like that?! Now, I haven't had a chance to actually use them for that yet, as I just started back to school today and it was unnaturally cool for May today (hey, I'm not complaining! LOL). But, I did get to share these with my daughter and a few girls from her soccer team during one of their last games. All of these girls are ages 10-12, so I didn't feel comfortable posting their pictures here without getting consent from each parent, so I decided to just share with you their thoughts and mine on the product. First of all, here's some information on the product itself:

• Alcohol-Free
• Comes in 2 convenient packaging; 24ct travel pack and 20ct box individually wrapped
• 5.7in x 7.8in in size
• Fresh & Clean Scent
• Removes Dirt & Sweat
• Great for the whole body!

What the soccer girls thought....Most of these girls go out to eat after practice and games, so I thought they would be excited to have something to wipe down with before going out with the family, and it wasn't that they didn't like them, but they were just like "cool" and "smells good". I asked them if they took the grimy sweaty feeling away after practicing and got "yeah". LOL I guess that's what I get with pre-teens, huh? Regardless, though, some of the other moms on the team were asking about them and wanting to get some to keep in their purses to have their daughters use to clean up after soccer, so I guess it wasn't a total bust. One of the mom's later came and told me how they went to eat after using them and she sat next to her daughter and she was surprised at how she didn't smell like the outside, she had a nice clean scent.


Now, how do I feel about these wipes?....I love they are alcohol-free, but I would imagine they would have to be or else they would probably cause a stinging or burning sensation when wiping sensitive areas, like under your arms or neck. The scent is almost like a cool cucumber smell-very light and refreshing. I like that a lot because I can't stand strong flowery smells...The size is okay. I almost think for what you are using them for (dirt and sweat) they could be a little larger...Like a 7x9 size. Though I think for young girls, this size is fine. I'm just a good bit larger than a 12 year old! ;)  I like the idea of having a travel pack to keep in my purse. Less mess to clean up, and easier to open. As for the usage, I have used them a few different times and I have not had a real complaint to give. They take care of the sweat and dirt, just as advertised! These will most definitely be a staple in my purse, especially for the summer months!Pin It