BlockIt RFID Blocking Shield Review!

If you're a traveler, shopper, or even just someone who has a debit/credit card, this one's for you! Recently I was selected to review a product that can make a huge difference when it comes to theft! In exchange for my honest opinion, I received a BlockIt RFID blocking shield to use with my debit card.

If you're not familiar with RFID, it stands for "Radio-frequency identification". This technology is the same that is used for microchipping pets and identifying animals that are being tracked. Essentially, these waves can pick up the data that's stored in the magnetic strip on your credit or debit card. This opens you up not only to a world of hurt when it comes to finances, but to the possibility of identity theft as well.

The BlockIt sleeve is made of high quality, expensive aluminum housed within a thick, decorated, cardstock exterior. There are SO many patterns available, but I selected the pink and grey fleur de lis pattern. It's really cute, and it has an added bonus of helping me to find my debit card when I'm frantically looking for it! I love knowing that my information (and money) is safe! I haven't had it bend, tear, or scratch up and it's been in my wallet for a few weeks now!

I'd highly suggest this if you're traveling, especially!

Dash Mate Makes Travel A WHOLE Lot Easier!

If you know of me personally, you know that my husband and I are on the road a lot for his band's gigs. The typical routine is to have one person hold the phone and navigate while the other person drives. This can be a bit bothersome, as one person has to hold it so that the driver can see. Additionally, the calibration in the phone will change direction at the slightest tilt. It's annoying to have to hold the phone a certain way, for any amount of time. It's also easy to lose the phone when not using it for GPS purposes. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but in our roadtrip condition, we are absolute slobs because we're essentially living in the car.

Needless to say, I jumped on the opportunity to review a product that would make our travels more convenient. CJ's Savings offered this promotion to me in exchange for my honest opinion.

I know, I know. My car needs a dusting.

To be honest, I expected to get a cheaply assembled, Chinese piece of crap (let's face it, most of these products are worth about $1 and break within a few uses). What I got, however, was a pleasant surprise. Upon opening the box, I pulled out a sturdy, thick piece of plastic. The phone holder itself slides to adjust to different positions for the phone and different sizes of phones. The clip on the back was my main concern, but it is actually made of very thick, durable plastic. I tested the Dash Mate with my phone and was pleasantly surprised to see that it fit. I have a cheap Straight Talk phone, so typically accessories don't work with it. The Dash Mate is extremely adaptable, and it worked perfectly! The final test was to see if it actually fit the air vent in my car. Turned one way, it was a little loose and slid around. HOWEVER, I quickly realized that it wasn't SUPPOSED to fit that way. Once I turned it the other direction, it stuck to my vent like Velcro. It doesn't rattle or slide around and it fits snugly. When you need to pull it out, it is easily removed. I'm very impressed with how well the Dash Mate works and the quality of the product overall! Highly recommended by this traveling blogger!

Want one?

Travel Pillow Provides Quality without INFLATION of Price!

Recently, I was given a free travel pillow to test out. I was anxious to see what it was like for two reasons, the main one being that my husband and I are on the road a lot for his band gigs. More often than not, we're at least four hours away from each show, and at least one of us has gotten little to no sleep (he works overnights). We'd talked about getting a few pillows and blankets for the car, but hadn't acted on it. The second reason I was immediately curious about this pillow was because in the past, I've had travel pillows that IRKED my NERVES! You know the type...usually made of a silky material, filled with little Styrofoam beads, and U-shaped. ANNOYING. And GOD FORBID any sharp dog toenails get near it! Seeing that this travel pillow was different peaked my attention, and I decided to see what it was about!

My first impression upon opening the package was "THIS is a travel pillow?? It's not going to be big enough for anything!". It was SO compact that the bag literally fit in my hand. ONE hand. I undid the drawstring on the bag, and, with a little difficulty, pulled the pillow out. My first impression was that it is made of a tough plastic or rubber. Additionally, the outer shell feels like velvet. My concern was that this material would be HOT after continuous use. But, I decided to inflate it immediately (it's like a balloon) and check it out. 

A bit of air went into the pillow when I twisted the valve on the side (it is durable, high quality plastic, and I didn't feel that it would break easily). Being the size that it is, I didn't expect it to take much air to inflate it. However, it took less than I thought. It inflated easily and inflated to a firm, almost bow tie-like shape. The edges look well-secured, and the seam goes deep. There is an elastic band that goes across one side of the pillow, that is for securing it in place around a seat headrest. This feature is very convenient. By adjusting how much you inflate the pillow, you can change the firmness. All of these features make it easy to use and comfortable.

The only negative thing that I have to say is that the velvet-like exterior grabs dirt/lint VERY easily. However, a quick roll-over with a lint roller is an easy fix.

Brushes, Brushes, and More Brushes!

I am a shameless makeup junkie. I'm not sure why, either. A girl can only wear so much makeup in her lifetime, and I'm pretty sure that my lifetime eyeshadow quota was met about five palettes ago. It wasn't long after I got my first palettes that I realized that the stuff wouldn't apply itself! Enter: brushes! I LOVE my brushes. I have a huge collection, but I've not been too happy with some of the brands I've tried. But...the hoarder in me says that I need to keep them because I may need them someday when my good brushes are too dirty to use.

Imagine my excitement when I was offered the opportunity to review Petunia Skincare's set! I have used other Petunia products through reviews and I am in LOVE with their hyaluronic acid serum, so these brushes HAD to be good!

They shipped to me quickly and I TORE into the box in excitement! They were packaged tightly in a nice box. When I opened the box and pulled out the roll, each brush was already in place. Now, any veteran brush buyer knows that when buying brushes online, they're GOING to smell a little odd at first...ESPECIALLY if they are enclosed in a roll or a storage box or bag. These were no different. However, after being laid out to air out for a day or two, the brushes were fine. This bothers some people. Personally, I understand that SOMETHING (adhesive) has to keep the bristles in place. I'd rather have durable brushes that take a day to air out than brushes that fall apart but smell good immediately.