My Points and BzzAgent

I know I've written about BzzAgent.com before, but I don't think I've ever gone into detail about the other perk, you know besides getting to try out awesome products for free. In addition to all the freebies and coupons, members also receive MyPoints credits. MyPoints is one of those sites that offers cash back for online shopping, but they also partner with BzzAgent. I have already redeemed some of my points for a $10 Amazon gift card and I've never made a purchase. All of my points have come from completing activities on BzzAgent. The only thing that's bumming me out about this site is that I can no longer find Amazon gift cards as one of their rewards. There are lots of other great rewards though so I'm sure I'll find something else. A few I'm considering are cash through PayPal, a Visa gift card, or an iTunes card.
Joining both of these sites is absolutely free. Neither will cost you a dime!

June Birchbox

Well my Birchbox for June arrived yesterday and once again I have mixed feelings about it's contents. First off there are 2 products that I'm excited to try out. The first is called Egyptian Magic, All Purpose Skin Cream. I've heard of this stuff and it's supposed to be fairly amazing! Next up is the Cynthia Rowley Beauty Creamy Lip Stain. The color is called Sugar and it looks like it will compliment my coloring. Then there is the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser Starter Kit. This came in it's own box which included the face wash and a muslin cloth. It's a "British award-winner" and it's supposed to purify the skin. I've never heard of this brand but I'm always ready to try out new facial cleansers. After that, we have the Antica Farmacista Bergamot & Ocean Aria Body Wash. It's made with sweet almond oil and is called a "nourishing cleanser". It looks like the complimentary stuff that you'd find in the bathroom of an upscale hotel. Last, and most confusing to me is Miss Jessie's Original MultiCultural Curls. This says that it's specially formulated for "multiethnic hair" and "mixed heritage & multi textured curls". I don't think that applies to me and I definitely don't have curls. This is the second time I've received a product for curly hair. I went back and checked my profile to make sure I hadn't accidentally told them that my hair was curly, and I did not.
So the curly hair product aside, I think this was a pretty decent box. For $10 a month I still feel like the anticipation and excitement of opening the box to see what's inside is worth it. I'm still not 100% satisfied, but I'm also not ready to give up on Birchbox just yet!

Direct TV- Worst Service EVER!

I hate my Direct TV. I don't use that word lightly. I seriously despise this company. The service is the absolute worst! Every time it rains my television goes out. When the weather is bad, that's when you want to be inside watching television. With Direct TV that's just not possible. I have called more times than I can count and they won't make good on the promise they made when I signed up. I was told that if the service would not work well, they would cancel the contract with no penalties. However when ever I call they dance around the subject and promise to get someone to fix the issue. Techs have come and gone, the problem remains. Sometimes they even tell me that it's normal for the satellite to go out when it rains or snows, like that's no big deal. Just now, my service went out and it's not even raining. It's just cloudy today. Awesome.

Free Restorsea Skincare Samples

It appears that you can order a free sample of each of Restorsea's products. After filling out the form it says to hold the ctrl key to select more than one product. I can't guarantee that all 7 will come, but it does appear to be what they're offering. I've never heard of this company before, but I'm always down to try out new skincare products!

Kate Spade on Zulilly

Zulilly always has some great deals, but right now they have Kate Spade bags! I'm totally obsessed with this pink bag! How cute is that for summer!?!
If you've never shopped at Zulilly, basically they have all kinds of designer duds at pretty low prices. Each shopping event lasts for a few days (or weeks depending on the event), and during that time there are a limited number of each item available. I've found some adorable clothing there. Usually I shop for my daughter, but I've also found some great items for me too! In addition to clothing, they sometimes have toys and decorations for your home. If you've got some time, they're definitely worth a look!

Paula's Choice

I had already been using and was fairly obsessed Paul's Choice skincare products when I was invited to try out the CLEAR Acne Kit through BzzAgent.com.
I'm 34 and I still breakout. There I said it. OK I typed it, but still. They're not awful and they don't ruin my day but they're still annoying. Over the years I have tried just about every acne remedy out there. I've used DIY tricks, drugstore products, department store products, all natural products, prescription medications, vitamins, infomercial acne subscriptions, and just about every 3 step system on the market. Through all the trial and error I've never found anything that has consistently worked well. Then I came across Paula's Choice.
The first thing that I loved about the website is that they offer sample sizes of just about every product they sell. The samples aren't free however they're pretty close to it. I love that I can try the products without investing in a full size before I know if I love it. I don't even want to think about the number of practically full skincare products that I've tossed in the garbage over the years. So far I have yet to find a product that I don't love though. The Shine Stopper legitimately works. The Resist Anti-Aging Clear Skin Hydrator is the best moisturizer that I've ever used. I'm totally in love with it! The CLEAR Acne Kit is pretty fantastic too. This is the first 3 step system where I've been able to use all 3 steps with no irritation. It is also the first set I've used that has been consistently improving the appearance of my skin. Totally loving that too!

#GotItFree

Coach Items on 6PM

Today I received a Coach iPad cover that I ordered a few days ago from 6pm.com. The price was phenomenal! MSRP was $168.00, 6PM's price? $34.99! I also had just been emailed a 10% off code that I used to make the purchase. Shipping is always fast and free, so my grand total was $31.49. Can't beat that with a stick! I'm writing about this because I just love this site. I've gotten so many amazing deals! Now, if they just had the Skechers Flash Mob white/pink/lavender in my size!

Coppertone Clearly Sheer for Beach and Pool

The last time I wrote about Coppertone Clearly Sheer I had only used the formula for sunny days. I was pretty impressed with that, and was looking forward to getting the chance to try the one for the beach and pool.
My in-laws have a 5th wheel camper that they keep parked at a campground every summer. Last weekend we took the kids out there to see them. The camper is parked right on a lake and there's a nice little sandy beach. I brought along the Coppertone Clearly Sheer for Beach and Pool. Right off the bat I was loving it because the top turns to keep it locked. This meant I could toss it in my purse without fear of it spraying all over my stuff. I used it on the kids before they went swimming. The label says that it's water resistant up to 80 minutes. I think they may have under estimated that. I only used it once and it kept my kids protected all afternoon. It didn't just prevent burning, they didn't tan at all. They spent all afternoon playing in the water and the sand yet were still as pale as if they'd spent the day inside. I'd say that was a successful test! I received the Coppertone Clearly Sheer from BzzAgent to try and review. If you'd like to get free products to try out, you should definitely check them out!

AT&T and the iPhone 5s

We recently upgraded our cell phones from the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 5S. My old phone was just not working as well as it did when it was new. It seems that each iPhone I've owned has started acting up right around the time my AT&T contract is coming up for renewal. Coincidence? Maybe, but it's happened a few times now. Anyways, so my husband and I went to a local AT&T store and bought new phones. I'm loving the iPhone 5S! The camera is seriously fantastic! The pictures it takes come out so well! I couldn't believe how much better it was than my old phone's camera. I don't know about everyone else, but I almost never bring my big DSLR camera anywhere. It's just not convenient. My husband probably wants to throttle me for the money I wasted on it, but lesson learned. I like using my phone to take pics and my kiddos seem to always be doing something pic worthy. So the phone itself I'm very happy with.
AT&T on the other hand, I'm not really all that thrilled. Their advertisement for 4 lines with unlimited calling and text, and a shared data plan is not real. The girl who helped us said as much. She said the only way it works out to that price is if you're hooking up AT&T phones that you already own or you want to pay full retail price for each phone and not get the discount they offer for renewing your contract. That seems a little dishonest to me, but I went ahead with the 4 lines anyway. My last complaint is actually a mistake on the part of the sales girl. She totally sold me on the insurance plan, but I was just looking over my receipt and it says that I declined insurance.