Baking with a Silicone Muffin Pan #BakeMaster12Cup

I received this product free of charge in exchange for a review.

First of all, sorry for all of the reviews lately! I’ve had the opportunity to try out quite a few different products and it seems like the deadlines were all around the same time.

I had to throw away my muffin pan because it was getting rusty and unhealthy to bake with. This isn’t the first pan I’ve had to toss for this same reason. It seems like the dishwasher causes them to rust out pretty quickly.

I was excited to try out the BakeMaster Silicone Muffin Pan Silicone Cupcake Pan because I knew there was no way this one could rust out! I also looked forward to being able to bake muffins without having the dreaded task of scrubbing the pan afterwards.

I baked cupcakes to give this pan a try. The pan seemed very flimsy and I was nervous that the pan would easily bend and batter would spill when I was putting it into the oven.

Mistake number one, I filled the muffin cups too full and this is what I ended up with—no fault to the pan itself, just user error.

To my surprise, it was very easy to clean up all of the run-over from the pan. It didn’t stick at all. However, the bottoms of the cupcakes stuck to the pan. I was only able to take one cupcake out without it sticking. The rest of the cupcakes broke in half when I tried to take them out after cooling.

So that was a disappointment! This was my first time to use a silicone baking pan, so I’m not sure if it was this specific brand or if this is normal with silicone—either way, it wasn’t what I expected!

Some of the great features this muffin pan touts: 100% Food Grade Silicone, BPA free, Microwave and Dishwasher Safe. The product has a 5 star rating on Amazon, so maybe it was just me! However, I give this a 3 star rating.

Do you use silicone bakeware? What has your experience been?

Wednesday Review: Valentia Eternal Youth Exfoliating Scrub #naturalbeauty

I received this product free of charge in exchange for a review. Opinions are mine alone.

I like to use an exfoliating scrub on my face at least once per week if I have a scrub in the house. The scrub gets rid of dead skin cells and leaves the skin looking brighter and feeling softer. (Does anyone else have this TLC song in their head right now? Hello, 90s!)

Anyway, I was excited to try out another Valentia product because I’m always impressed with them! The Eternal Youth Exfoliating Scrub -Natural and Organic Ingredients with Green and White Teas + Tropical Butters was no exception.

This product lists ingredients such as green and white tea, aloe vera, jojoba beads, olive, avocado, and kukui butters. All natural ingredients which yield great results. Together, these ingredients: have potent antioxidants that provide anti-inflammatory, anti-irritant, anti-aging effects, moisturize the skin, and firm the skin.

I prefer products that I can just use in the shower during my morning routine—this is one of those that I can easily incorporate without taking up too much time.

One thing I wasn’t particularly fond of was the smell. It was kind of minty—it definitely had a freshness but I’d prefer something a little less “smelly”. It had a slight burn to it that reminded me of using Vicks.

Overall, I recommend this product if you’re looking for a natural exfoliating scrub. I have used better scrubs but they were not made with natural ingredients. A definite win for the Eternal Youth Exfoliating Scrub.

#intelliarmor 4-USB Port Portable Wall Charger Review + Coupon Code

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Like most families, we have numerous electronic devices which require charging almost every day. Each device has its own charger and before we know it, we hardly have enough outlets to charge everything!

That’s why the intelliArmor 4-port Portable Wall Charger is such a game changer. Having this charger means we can charge up to four devices in one outlet “receptacle”, meaning if you had two of these chargers you could charge eight devices in your standard two outlet receptacles. We love it.

It’s only 3” x 2.5”, so it’s very compact and would be great for traveling. It also features state of the art technology which ensures rapid charging with safe and high quality results without the risk of overcharging.

If you’re in the market for such a charger, I recommend this one! It’s available on Amazon.

Even better, you can use Coupon Code “SmartPwr” to save 20%! It’s already affordably priced and is available on Amazon Prime. What a great deal! I just might have to buy another one!

Lifelong Learning: #GrozaLearningCenter Roots Booster Workbook Review

Disclaimer: I was sent the Groza Learning Center Roots Booster workbook for free in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Are you a lifelong learner?

I love to learn new things and I’m always curious to know more. One of my favorite parts about being a newspaper reporter was being able to interview and talk to interesting people. I learned so much!

I’m excited to share my newest endeavor in lifelong learning. I was sent a Groza Learning Center Roots Booster workbook. It’s a strategic vocabulary building guide complete with activities and quizzes to help you improve your vocabulary.

The workbook is made for people like myself who love to learn and want to increase their vocabulary, homeschoolers, and anyone who recognizes the importance of learning root words.

If you can master root words, it will be beneficial for your entire life and especially so in your educational career. The book has helped countless students improve test scores and other vocabulary related challenges.

Looking through the workbook, I can see that there are a lot of roots that I already know but there are also many that I don’t know! Even as a college graduate, these are simple skills that I need to brush up on.

I like that the workbook has various activities based on the different ways of learning—visual, audio, hands-on, etc. This is such a great way to absorb the information.

I really look forward to completing this workbook and increasing my vocabulary and comprehension.

Ultra Plumping Hydration Mask by Valentia Review #ValentiaUltraPlumpingHydrationMask

Disclaimer: I received this product free of charge in exchange for a review. Opinions are mine alone.

I have to admit, the name of this product kind of scared me a little bit! I certainly don’t need any extra “plumping”, especially not ultra plumping!!

But all kidding aside, this is a great product. I have reviewed Valentia products before and I always love them. It’s a great brand with quality products. Even better, the product is paraben free.

The Ultra Plumping Hydration Mask is really easy to use. Simply rub it onto your face and leave it on for 15-30 minutes. It tingles at first, which is normal. Once the time is up, wipe it off with a warm wash cloth.

I noticed my face was super soft and felt very well moisturized after using this. I also noticed a nice “glow”.

I had fun trying this product out and I recommend it!

Do you ever use masks, such as this one, in your beauty routine?

#ShowerBouquet Lace Mesh Shower Poufs/Sponges XL Review

Disclaimer: I received this product free of charge in exchange for a review. All opinions are mine alone.

I’m an avid shower pouf user. I just don’t feel like I get clean when I’m using a wash cloth—there’s something about the extra suds that the shower pouf creates that makes me feel like I’m getting cleaner.

I love the Lace Shower Pouf Bouquet that I was sent. The pastel colors are perfect for spring and the overall style is feminine. The pack comes with yellow, pink, blue, and purple.

These are really good quality too. I often have a bad time with shower poufs quickly falling apart—but these have worked wonderfully.

This bouquet would be a great part of a spa gift basket. I could definitely see something like this being used at a bridal shower too! There are a lot of creative ways you could arrange these to make it look like a flower bouquet.

Are you a shower pouf user?

#4 Tweez'em Stainless Steel Tweezers for Ingrown Hair Review

I received this product free of charge for testing purposes. #MBSplintertweeze

These would work great for splinters and ingrown hairs because the tips are very sharp and it makes it easy to be precise. I was also impressed with the sturdy quality of the stainless steel.

Whenever I go to get my eyebrows waxed, the salon tech tells me that I have the most stubborn eyebrow hairs—and I do! I was hoping these would work for my stubborn eyebrow hairs but it just cuts the hair instead- so that part was disappointing.

The #4 Tweez'em Stainless Steel Tweezers for Ingrown Hair are available on Amazon.

 

Do you have a favorite brand of tweezers? Please share in the comments!

Things I Love Thursday & Link up

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links and a product that I received free of charge for a review. Turns out that I loved it—so it’s being featured here today! This product is specified in the post. Enjoy!

Welcome to another addition of Things I Love Thursday! I’d love for you to link up below. It doesn’t have to be a post dedicated to the things you’re loving this week, it could even be a blog post that talking about something positive that happened in your life or a weekend trip recap, etc.

 

♥ A Birthday Gift from my Sister

My sister surprised me for my 30th birthday with a very special gift! I had so much fun opening it. She wanted to send me 30 items but with a baby and a toddler in tow she couldn’t quite get that done! So she ended up giving me 20 items and a $10 gift card to Target! Certainly works for me. Pink is my favorite color so this was just perfect!

 

♥ Trim Evolution Fruit Infuser Water Bottle

Disclaimer: I was sent this product to review. All opinions are honest and my own.

I had two concerns when I received the Trim Evolution fruit infuser water bottle from Amazon:

1) Would I actually be able to taste the fruit flavor in the water?

I was pleasantly surprised that I could taste the fruit flavor! I absolutely loved the strawberry flavor in the water. It wasn’t strong or sweet like some flavored bottled waters are—it was just perfect. Plus, the flavored water is all natural with no artificial sweeteners—and calorie free! There are so many flavor options using fruits, veggies, and herbs.

2) Would it fall apart in the dishwasher?

I didn’t notice any signs of wear or warping after washing the bottle and accompanying parts on the top rack in the dishwasher. Yay! I do not like products that I have to wash by hand. Who has time for that anyway?

Other Benefits:

• Cap doubles as a handle (LOVE)
• Made of Titan plastic, which is shatter proof
• No BPA or other toxins
• There’s a space below the fruit infuser so you can easily add ice
• Has a removable citrus press
• Available in four fun colors: blue, red, black, purple
• Only $10.99 and on Amazon Prime

 

♥ My Father-in-Law

I don’t think he would mind me posting his picture here, but I don’t believe he knows about my blog either! In the last few weeks, he babysat Little Miss Sunshine two times. One time on my birthday so I could go have a little me time, and another time while I had to go to the doctor. Today, I invited him to go to a fall festival and we had a lot of fun! I wouldn’t have been brave enough to take Little Miss Sunshine on my own, and I think he gets a little depressed and lonely during the days now that he can’t work. Win win!

 

♥ Inspirational Meme

I saw this on Facebook and knew that I had to share. Sometimes what we think are big things that weight us down and keep us from going after our goals are really pretty small things that aren’t all that important.

 

♥ Little Miss Sunshine

Of course I love her every week, but I just wanted to share this little moment in our lives. She is at a really fun age. She can communicate a little bit now. She’s like my little shadow—and a pretty cute one at that! It’s fun seeing more of her personality—she’s really funny!

 

What are you loving this week?