Product Review: Toothy Tabs

Katie May 19, 2015 0 Comments

In my quest to try and go liquid-free on my next trip (which actually happened by the time you read this, but didn’t at the time I wrote it… time machine?), I decided to try solid toothpaste from Lush, which they call “Toothy Tabs”.  I bought the “dirty tabs” which are minty and the Sparkle tabs which are lemon, grapefruit and pepper.  This review will just be on the Dirty ones since that’s all I’ve tried so far.  (To be honest, I was scared to try it but needed to see if they’d work for the trip so I watched a youtube demo and finally decided to go for it – months after I ordered them!)

Each box comes with 40 tabs and you only need 1 for each time you brush your teeth so they can last you 20-40 days depending on if you brush your teeth day and night or not. I probably won’t use them regularly, but only for trips so they should last me a few trips!

All you need to do is take one of the tabs, nibble it in your front teeth to break it apart, and start brushing your teeth like normal.  I use an electric toothbrush and had no problem using it with the tab – just make sure you’re leaning over the sink because there is a LOT of foam produced. (Sorry I opted to not take a photo of me foaming at the mouth mid-brush)

The tabs smelled VERY strongly of spearmint – in fact I could smell it in other rooms when the tabs first arrived at the house and was going crazy trying to figure out where the “gum” was hiding – but I didn’t get that strong of a taste of it. It tasted pretty neutral. But I found the end product to be a mouth that felt fresh and teeth that felt clean (if I ran my tongue over my teeth nothing was bumpy – which my dentist tells me is a sign of clean teeth!)

I will have to suck it up and try the other flavor at some point (perhaps to see how it combats morning breath as I tried the dirty tab as a brush before bed) but these will be making the trip to Tulsa with me. (Made the trip to Tulsa with me?)

Product Review: Artensoft Photo Collage Maker

Katie May 13, 2015 0 Comments

I love making all sorts of photo collages with my concert pictures or for other special events.  Usually I have to use a website online in order to get this done and then you run the risk of the sites not being available the next time you want to make one.  Well, now I have Artensoft Photo Collage Maker on my computer so I can make collages whenever I want!

First you select your base image and then select all the photos you want to be within the collage.  I chose to use Hanson bowing from the recent Eat To The Beat concerts in Disney World and then make the collage up of several photos that I took during the shows.  I tried to upload all 700 that I had taken, but it only ended up using about 300.  Because I was using so many and decided to have 1,000 squares in my collage – this took a lot of time.  In fact it took a period of several days since I am not always available to be working on my PC.  Then the first time I tried to save the collage it glitched and had some sort of bug and couldn’t be saved so I had to start all over again!

Once it finally ended up working out, I was pleased with the result and have been having a lot of fun looking at the finished image to see all the smaller photos it is made up of and having fun reliving the experience!

I also made this quick how-to video if you’d like to see how it works before buying!

Product Review: How To Turn Your Knowledge into Income with Udemy

Katie May 10, 2015 0 Comments

;Udemy is a great site I have been using a lot myself lately.  I’ve completed a few courses in web design and programming and have a lot more on my wish list and in my course list.  I also have some photoshop classes on my wishlist, courses on how to use other programs, to teach myself new programming languages, etc.  There are so many wonderful tutorials on Udemy that it’s hard not to make a huge wishlist. (And I love that I have that as an option)  But the more courses I take the more I wonder – can I do this? Can I teach my own course using what I already know to help educate others?

The answer is yes, I can, if I want to put the time and effort into it.  But I would have absolutely no idea where to begin – until now.  Enter Dave Espino and his course on “Udemy: Fast & Easy Udemy Course Creation”.  This is the most recent course I have completed and I am now prepared with everything I need to know, all the programs I will need, and everything that I need to do in order to become successful in creating courses to teach others on Udemy.  Now just to decide what I’d like to teach and get started!

If you think that you have a unique skill and others would benefit from you teaching it, then be sure to check out Udemy and Dave’s course.  I think you will be quite happy with all the information that Dave provides and will soon be on your way to creating just one course but allowing people to enroll at all different times and take the course at their leisure – and you’ll still get paid!  You do the work once and then you’re good to go! (But always have the option to update videos in your courses if it is needed!)

A special link for ConcertKatie readers to get a huge discount on this course:
https://www.udemy.com/udemy-course-creation-online-course-publishing/?couponCode=TMSNPreferred

(Course is originally $147 you can enroll for just $27 – that’s 81% off!)

I received a free enrollment in this course in order to share this information with my readers!

Product Review: Vivaselfie Stick

Katie May 5, 2015 0 Comments

Have you ever found yourself wishing your arms were just a little bit longer to get all your friends in a picture? Or maybe you like to travel alone and want to get pictures of you with landmarks behind you – without having to talk to strangers?  Then the Vivaselfie Stick is for you!

The vivaselfie stick works with blue tooth and can be paired to Android or Apple phones. (iOS 4.0 and Android 3.0 or above) It has an extendable pole for selfies or above-crowd shots. It is lightweight with a sturdy non-slip grip.

The Vivaselfie Stick will give you:

Connection – get group and family photos with no one left out because they need to take the photo.
Creativity – reach over or around walls and into narrow places to get impossible shots and hidden views.
Fun – raise your camera above the crowd for great videos or photos at concerts and other events (though I can’t say I recommend this one because you’ll probably annoy everyone around you!)
Travel – get great shots of your travel destinations without begging others to take photos of you when you travel.

The set up is simple – take the monopod out of the box and charge it with the included USB charger (I found it charged very quickly.) Once you are charged up, turn the stick on and look for it in your Bluetooth settings so you can pair it.  After you’re paired, attach the phone to the monopod.  I found that my phone didn’t really fit well with the case on it, and it worked better when using the phone without a case.  Extend out the monopod, frame your selfie and hit the shutter button on the stick.  And Ta DA! An awesome photo was captured on your phone!

Sorry for cutting out the background on my selfies – but my room is a MESS and I wanted to get this review posted and not waste time tidying up. The point of the photos was to see the distance between the shortest setting and longest setting (which almost reached the ceiling in my room) I can’t wait to try this out more on trips!

I received a free product in exchange for this honest review.

Product Review: Secret Outlast Clear

Katie May 2, 2015 0 Comments

I recently got a free sample of Secret’s new “Outlast Clear” deodorant from clearlybetterchallenge.com as a member of One2One Network.  I am rather picky with my deodorant and normally wear clinical strength, but I figured I would give it a try.  I was not a fan of the “active fresh” scent and I also seemed to get a defective stick that had a sticker that covers the top inside as well.  Fortunately I was able to work around this and get the deodorant to come out.  Aside from the scent I liked how it worked and kept me protected and dry throughout the day (even in an office that can often feel like a sauna.)  I would certainly try this product again – assuming it had a scent that was more to my liking.

Product Review: Pop Chart Lab Print

Katie May 2, 2015 0 Comments

My Dad’s birthday just passed, and I always have trouble trying to find something unique to get him. However, this year I think I knocked it out of the park with a poster print from Pop Chart Lab.

In 2010 a book editor and a graphic designer joined forces to render all human experiences in chart form. They have made infographical treatments of beer, culinary tools, hip-hop, and dozens more.  Now they’ve expanded and have a small team of researchers, designers and soldiers and continue to assemble, sit, cull and arrange massive amounts of cultural data into meaningful works of art and information.

I received the “Visual compendium of baseball jerseys” print in a poster size of 24×36. The poster features 121 hand-drawn uniforms from 1869 to current and also serves as a visual record of fashion trends in baseball over the past 150 years. Posters are printed on 100 lb archival stock certified by The Forest Stewardship Council, pressed on an offset lithographic press with vegetable-based inks.

I received a free product in exchange for this honest review.

Product Review: 7-Port USB Hub

Katie May 2, 2015 0 Comments

If you’re like me – you probably have a lot of gadgets on your desk and things that you need plugged into your computer at any given time – but you may not always have enough USB ports.  I have 3 ports on the front of my computer – but 2 are just above my CD drive and I can’t open the drive if I have 2 things plugged in so I am always unplugging and rearranging things.  I probably have some more plugs in the back of my computer tower – but I can’t exactly easily reach or see them so I tend to ignore the fact that they are there.  Now instead of needing to shuffle everything around – I have enough room for everything and then some with my new USB 3.0 7-Port Hub.

Easily add 7 Super Speed USB 3.0 ports with up to 5Gbps transfer rates depending on your computer or laptop. Ports indicate with LED lights. Built-in Overvoltage/Over-current/Leakage/Short Circuit protection module. Supports Plug & Play and Hot Swaps.  Guaranteed Safety: UL certified design, industry grade materials and premium circuitry ensure superior performance and reliability.

The only “problem” I had with this, which isn’t really a problem is that the power plug is so heavy it kind of pulls at the ports so that it doesn’t lay flat on top of my computer tower like I would like.  It doesn’t affect how it works at all though and is a minor complaint. I’ll have to either find a new spot to house it or figure something else out if I want it to lay flat.

The 7-Port USB Hub can be purchased on Amazon for $24.95

I received a free item in exchange for this honest review.

Product Review: La Lune Naturals Organic Lip Balm

Katie April 28, 2015 0 Comments

I am the type of person who constantly has to have lip balm on them. There are at least 2 in my purse at any moment, I have one on my desk at work, one on my desk at home, one in my car, one on my nightstand, one in the bathroom – well you get the idea, I don’t like to be without lip balm! I’m always looking to try new brands and new flavors – and La Lune Naturals was a new brand with FOUR flavors for me to try.  The flavors I received are Peppermint, Raspberry, Asian Pear and Vanilla Bean.  The lip balms are made using only safe, organic ingredients like beeswax and coconut oil to ensure that you get the most natural experience.

I have to say that I think vanilla bean is my favorite, with raspberry in a close second.  That’s not to say the other 2 flavors are bad, they aren’t!  Each balm is a different color so I can easily pick out which one I want to use based on the color – should I decide to keep them all together and not spread them out in various locations to make sure that I am never without!

I received a product in exchange for an honest review.

Product Review: Gurin Ceramic Flat Iron Hair Straightener

Katie April 26, 2015 0 Comments

I have very thick, frizzy, wavy/curly hair.  In the past I’ve tried to straighten it, but it took upwards of 45 minutes to do so I kind of gave up and never bothered with it anymore.  Then I became aware that maybe it was the flat iron that I had that was the problem and NOT my hair.  So I decided I’d give the Gurin Ceramic Flat Iron a go.  The flat iron is 1.25 inches with a carrying case.  It can straighten, flip and curl your hair.  It provides adjustable temperatures from 240F to 450F to suit all hair times. The ceramic/tourmaline plates create a shinier, silkier finish in lesser time. The 1.25 inch plate width is wide enough for any hair length and types, yet narrow enough for bangs. You can transform frizzy, dull hair into gorgeous straight, sleek locks.

So I woke up this weekend and decided – let’s see what happens. I had washed my hair the night before so it was particularly out of control and unruly when I woke up. (It is recommended to use this on dry hair which is why I did this) I plugged in the straightener, let it heat up, and within 15 minutes or so (not including the time it took for me to take before/after/during/etc photos) I had straightened all my hair.  If it is going to be this quick – maybe this is a hairstyle I can start wearing more often!

Sorry for the lack of my face in the photos – but it was the morning and I’m sure you understand 😉 Plus it’s my hair we are caring about anyway!

I received a product in exchange for this honest review.

Product Review: Atrico Rapid-Charging 6-Port Desktop USB Charger

Katie April 26, 2015 0 Comments

If you’re anything like me, you have way too many gadgets and not enough USB ports in your computer to charge them all.  I’ve tried to buy USB to wall outlet chargers, but even then I end up with not enough room when I am trying to get everything charged up before a road trip.  Well, now I am happy to report that I am a proud owner of the Atrico Rapid-Charging  6-Port Desktop USB Charger.

The unique design simplifies your home or office by eliminating messy clutter of chargers and wires. The charge tower combines all your charging needs into one simple neat charging location. The tower also has a strip of rubber built into the base to improve stability.  The Atrico Charge Tower has the most current “smart” charging ports which allow you to efficiently charge various combinations of smart phones and tablets. 2 Smart IC ports for any device, 2 ports for Apple iOS devices and 2 ports for any smartphone. The tower can put out a max of 8 Amps and a max of 2.4A per port.

The Atrico Tower Charger is also a great travel charger option as it is capable of handling either 110V or 240V. This is a great option when you’re sharing a room that may not have many plugs in it with someone as gadget obsessed as yourself. Plug the tower into one plug, you can each charge 3 items at once and still have another plug available for a hair straightener or hair dryer.

The Charge Tower is manufactured with the safest, most advanced, PCBA on the market for these types of products and the hub uses fireproof composite materials. The Atrico Rapid Charge Tower comes with a 1 Year Limited Warranty.

I received a product in exchange for my honest review.