Dollar Store Finds

Weekly reviews of products found at the local dollar store. Should you try it?

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Coconut Cream And Vanilla Body Scrub With Dollar Store Applicators

I made a trek to the dollar store yesterday, and I saw this. The store is not about missed opportunities, because just down from this lonely bottle of body scrub were the facial scrubbers. A light bulb went off in my head and the rest is history!

I am a huge fan of these products, as you may have gathered from earlier posts. I still use them all daily. I even have an unreviewed body wash I use with every shower. Needless to say, I have been waiting patiently for the opportunity to do this review since going to the store.

That was the good news. In reality, I am actually disappointed by the scrub. The facial scrubbers were the real winner here. I was imagining an actual scrub. Rough and grainy. It felt more like a liquid. There was almost no grainy feel to this body scrub at all.

I applied the scrub to my face scrubbers, and boy did the scrubber do a good job. Where the product dropped the ball, the applicator picked up the slack! It wasn't too rough, yet it was still firm enough to do a good job. It didn't matter that the body scrub was mostly liquid. The applicator actually did the job, while the scrub moisturized my face. I felt a deep clean I hadn't felt in a long time. Plus, the facial scrubbers applicator has a suction cup back. I was able to stick it to my bathroom mirror.

Alone, the body scrub is pointless. It smells good and has some great ingredients. However, it does not do what most want their scrub to do. Spend an extra dollar, and get an applicator to use. It was a 2 piece package. I gave one to my daughter. That alone completely changed my beauty regime for the better.

What are your favorite body/face scrubs? Do you use an applicator too?

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After Christmas Dollar Store Sales And What That Means For You!

Like many bargain shoppers, I hit the racks of discount products today. I have formulated a little plan.

Next week I will be posting a little dollar store craft project. I am going to decorate a wreath for $1.50 (I love half off sales!). I will take photos of each step and share them with you.

Don't forget to celebrate the sales, too. What can you make for next Christmas on discount?

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Palmer's Coconut Oil Lip Balm

First of all, the label does not lie. It does not include those lovely extras listed above. I think it does include every other product possible. As you probably expect, the label lists a lot of big names a normal person cannot pronounce. Good or bad, that is up to you. However, this is not a bare bones, all natural product. Don't confuse it as one like I did.

With that said, it is still smooth, moisturizing, and smells amazing. It goes well with my other coconut beauty products I have reviewed. I love it a lot for that reason. (Speaking of which, keep an eye open for a new coconut cream and vanilla product review as well. It compliments my first post here, and I am excited to give it a try.)

Whether it really lasts 24 hrs, who cares! Just reapply! That's exactly what I am going to do.

I have a strong opinion about my lip balms, and prefer a base of beeswax. Even then, I prefer homemade kinds. I do not like the store bought kinds that barely contain any beeswax. I think a coconut oil base may have become my second place favorite.

What is your favorite lip balm?

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Happy Holidays from my family to yours.

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Small Break

First of all, happy holidays!

I am having some financial trouble, plus my vehicle is not road worthy at the moment. That puts me in an awkward position. While I work toward figuring out my situation, I have to take a break from my reviews.

Please don't give up on me. I hope to return at some point in the new year!

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Fresh Carpets For A Clean Holiday

Christmas Eve is this weekend. The last thing you want are bad odors overpowering your delicious food. Before the friends and family show up, I tried this carpet powder so I could tell you whether it is a worthwhile investment.

This is not a generic brand. Arm & Hammer, and Oxi Clean are brands that people know and love. I was drawn to this box because it is also larger than most of the other options at the dollar store. After all, we are hoping to save money. I was drawn in by the chance to get more for my money.

If you like the scent of flowers, you will like this. The scent is very strong. You will also want to let the powder sit undisturbed for at least 15 minutes before getting out the vacuum. It helps the scent seep into the carpet. However, the scent does not last long in a room that has a lot of traffic. Keep that in mind. With that noted, bad odors were not present anymore. Whether regular baking soda would have been just as effective, I do not know.

I used approximately one third of a box in just my living room. One box would handle my apartment pretty well, for one vacuuming. At a dollar, that is not terrible. It can get costly if you use it daily. However, it's only a dollar investment if you were to stick to pulling out the carpet powder once a week instead.

What makes your home smell fresh?

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Cannot Afford Glade? Air Fresh Cashmere Woods Has You Covered

I love candles. I love when people give me candles. I know I cannot be the only one. When I saw this candle, I knew I had to review it.

Glade candles are known for making a house smell amazing. Can Air Fresh hold up under the pressure? So far the answer is yes.

The smell reminds me of a creamy, caramel, woodland. Believe me, that is not as bad as it sounds. It's a unique blend that makes me feel a little like I am in a wood cabin, relaxing by a fire. However, that is the smell of the candle when unlit.

I have had the candle burning in my apartment for a few hours. The scent is very subtle. If you enjoy a good, light scent, this is the candle for you. If you're looking for a strong, commanding scent, you may need more than one.

The candle is 3oz, not quite as large as the 3.4oz candle from Glade I found online. I would like to note that the Glade candle is almost $3. You can get 3 of these candles for the price of one Glade.

Are you a candle fan? What is your favorite scent?

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No Pop Socket? No Problem. Here's The Stand For You!

I have not gotten on the pop socket bandwagon. I have a wallet case instead. When I saw this, I decided to give it a try!

First off, the hooks holding up the phone are ridiculously high. I feel the reasoning behind it is more of a manufacturer mystery than good reason. It would eliminate some bulk of it was lower.

On a good note, it still holds my phone with the case on it. My case is bulky. It is literally my wallet, and holds a lot. If my bulky case and phone can be held by this stand, I bet it'll hold anything.

The stand is completely adjustable. It all depends on how far forward you want your phone to sit.

Do you use a stand or are you on the pop socket wagon? Make your case. Which is better?

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The Magical Off-Brand Magic Eraser

If there is one thing I need more than anything, it is a little bit of Christmas magic. As someone who baby-sits 2 toddlers, an eraser that will clean up after them is a must.

I decided to give the dollar store magic eraser a shot. There is nothing more satisfying than getting grime off white walls. Well, the results speak for themselves.

I have used the name brand eraser before, so I knew what to expect. What I did not expect was the size of the off-brand sponge, and it's effectiveness. I barely dirtied a quarter of the sponge cleaning the area shown above. It is quite comparible to the name brand.

I will honestly say I am surprised. If you only need 2 or 3 to get the job done, you cannot beat a dollar. If you need a lot, it couldn't hurt to compare the price of these to a bulk box at a bigger store before buying.

What do you wish you could magically erase in your home?

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4 Color Pen With Stylus

This is your basic multi-purpose pen. I got mine in purple. The ink options are black, blue, red, and green. No purple. Lost opportunity?

First of all, we all know what it is like to write with a cheap pen. I did not encounter any of those problems. It surprised the heck out of me! The pen was smooth and easy to use in all 4 colors. It felt a lot like writing with a basic Bic pen. The writing experience may not feel very special, but the grip was reasonably comfortable and it did the job. What more could you ask?

As you can see, the pen follows the pattern of an old school multicolor pen. Each color has a button. Select another color to get your pen to retract. Very simple.

In the photo above, you will also notice the stylus. It is at the top with the colored buttons, instead of at the other end. I have used pens with it at the writing end of a pen, and I found it annoying. I find the placement on this pen to be a positive, however some may not. Decide for yourself.

What are your favorite dollar store pens to use?

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Bolero Skin Care Bunch

Today's review is about the Bolero Beverly Hills skin care products.

Normally I would only review one product a post, but when I saw these, I couldn't resist getting one of each. If I am going to review one, then I should review each product! I have tried each item personally.

My first two reviews are actually all one. They are basically the same thing. As expected, they are not as good as my Bodycology lotions I bought at Walmart. They feel a little more oily. They do not rub in as easily. However, they still work really well. The scent strength and length of scent is better than expected! It has been at least 4 hrs and I can still smell the scent on my skin.

I am also a huge fan of coconut. I was pleasantly surprised by the domineering scent. If you were looking for a higher vanilla scent strength, you will not find it here.

The last thing I would like to note is that the body lotion and cream have different textures. The cream is much thicker and goes on like any body cream would. The lotion is slightly too liquidy, even for regular body lotion.

On the right you will find the original package. As you can see, once it leaves the package, the item is not labeled very well. Even for a dollar store, I found that odd. The item itself had a homemade appearance to it.

The oil feels like coconut oil, basically. Actually, it is literally mineral oil, coconut oil, and fragrance. I feel coconut oil out of the jar would have the same effect on your skin. The real catch here is the scent. For that purpose, it does smell good.

The last item I am reviewing in this post is the hand soap. They also had a bar soap option in this scent. If you do not like liquid soap, that one is for you.

Anyway, as a hand soap, it works like you would expect. One squirt and some water, you have suds. Now, keep in mind this is not a high end brand of hand soap. It's not extra sudsy. However, it does exactly what you want a hand soap to do.

As for the scent, it compares well with the bath and body works hand soap I used previously. The scent sticks around for a reasonable amount of time after your hands are washed. Not as long as the lotion, but I could still smell it for approximately an hour after using it.

Have you tried any of these products before? Let me know!