Review: Petunia Skincare 1.0mm Derma Roller, Eye Serum and Anti-aging Serum

I've never used a Derma Roller before I was given this one to try out. So I read the directions really well and it said to roll over the affected area with steady pressure in all 4 directions for 10 times. Then apply the serum you want to absorb more quickly because using this product will help the serum you use absorb more quickly. So I followed the directions and found this derma roller to be a little harsh. It is not for someone with really sensitive skin and will leave you skin a little irritated and red. It's best to use this at night, apply the serum right before bed. The redness will be gone by morning. I used the serum with and without this derma roller and saw no real difference in how the serum worked.

I found the eye serum to be a nice light serum that didn't irritate my skin at all. While I didn't see any puffiness diminish in the week that I used it, I did feel smoother skin in the places that the eye serum was used. It says it helps with puffy eyes, dark circles and swollen eyes. I don't have any of those problems to begin with so I didn't see it work in that way. I will say that the description on Amazon says it is never tested on animals and cruelty free and I really loved that about this eye serum. 

The anti aging serum was used on my forehead and around where I have fine lines around my eyes. I really don't have a lot of fine lines yet but there are a few on my forehead. In the week that I used this anti aging serum I did see the fine lines on my forehead seem to reduce or look less noticeable. This said that it was also good for uneven skin tone which I do have in places. But I didn't see any noticeable changes in that area after using this serum for a week. 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Home Made Rat Toys

*Flower*

So you have a new rat and want to know what toys to get? Well some of the best rat toys are the ones that you make yourself.

Cardboard Tube Treat Holder

The easiest thing to make is this treat holder. All you need is a toilet paper tube, fold in one side and fill it with a few pieces of fruit, veggies, or any other treat your rat likes. Then fold the other side in and give it to your rat. They will have loads of fun trying to get to the treats inside the tube.

Paper Towel Box

Rats love to play under paper towels. If you put a few paper towels into a tissue box and cut a hole in the side so they can stick their heads out as well as get inside without jumping on top of it, they will jump around inside that box like they were kittens all the while playing 'chase the paper towel'. It is the cutest thing to watch and they will love it.

Fishing

I bet you didn't know that rats love to fish, did you? Well, neither did I until I had a coffee cup filled with ice and Pepsi and my rat, Dusty stuck his nose right down in the cup and pulled out an ice cube and ran away with it.

He looked very happy and came back a few seconds later to fish another ice cube out of my cup. So I tried other things in a cup of water. I put strawberries in a cup of water and he stuck his nose right in and pulled them out as well.

Try putting different veggies or pieces of fruit your rat likes into a bowl of water. They will stick their entire face down into that water to grab the treat, only to come back for more.

Paper Bag

Believe it or not, a simple paper bag will give you and your rat hours of play time. Rats love to hide and get into and under things. That coupled with the noises the paper bag will make as they walk into it, will make them want to jump on it, drag it around and tear it into shreds. Even if your rat doesn't chew it to death, you should use a new bag the next time you play as most rats will have urinated in the bag while playing.

Veggie Shish-ka-bobs

Rats love vegetables and will eat just about anything you give to them. An easy thing to make for them is this shish-ka-bob, made from vegetables. Take a head of fresh broccoli and cut off the large hard stems from the middle. Cut the hard outer peel from the stem, then cut into square strips and add small pieces of other vegetables to the stick of broccoli. You may need to cut small holes into the vegetables before adding them to the broccoli stick. Give it to your rat and watch him happily eat it. Make sure to remove any remaining fresh food from your rat's cage at the end of the day so it doesn't spoil.

So there you have several easy and cheap ideas for rat toys. Rats love to have new and exciting things in their life and it will also keep them happy and a happy rat is a healthy rat.

Don't be upset if your little ratty doesn't like all the toys you buy or make for them. Rats can be picky and love the simplest things. Make sure to give them plenty of time outside the cage with you and plenty of time playing. Have fun with your little pet.

Review: Auto Glass Breaker and Seat Belt Cutter

I don't have a car right now but hubby does ride in them and I thought that having a 5 in 1 tool like this one would be great to have around no just for emergencies in a car but for emergencies at home. This auto glass breaker and seat belt cutter also has a flashlight and emergency beacon so rescuers can find you if they see it and are trying to find you. 

I have an emergency kit at home and like finding new things to add to it. The power went out in my neighborhood several times last year and having flashlights and other emergency products in my kit makes me feel prepared in case of a more dangerous emergency like an earthquake. 

This is a great tool to have and it came with 2 emergency mylar blankets which can help keep you from suffering hypothermia in the cold.

We popped in some batteries to check it out and everything works on it. Ken even used the seat belt cutter to cut some old fabric in half to see how sharp it was and it's pretty darn sharp. This is a great product to keep in an emergency kit or your car. 

This is the first window breaker tool that I've ever owned and my husband was thrilled that it also had a seat belt cutter along with it. Both of those things are must haves for anyone who owns a car because you just never know when you're going to need them.

If you'd like to order one of these Auto Glass Breaker's, you can do so here.

I give this product 5 out of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I received this item for free or at a deep discount in exchange for my honest review.

Happy Raturday!

Welcome to a new weekly blog post I'm calling, Raturday! I've seen Caturday and while that's really cute, I think the rats needs some photo time so everyone can see how cute these little animals are. I've gotten permission from Rat Logic's fb page to share their pictures on my blog. So get ready to smile because these are cute. 

*click pictures to enlarge*

Review: Microfiber Cleaning Duster

I've been needing some kind of feather duster to dust off my book shelves. I used to use Swiffer Dusters but they are a bit on the expensive side and some of them use Febreze as an added scent to make them smell good and I don't like the scents they use now. 

So I was looking for a new feather type duster to use on my book shelves to keep them dust free. This Microfiber Cleaning Duster is perfect for what I want to use it for. I don't have to use any oily sprays that will ruin my books and it picks up the dust really well. it's big enough to reach in the back of the book shelf to get in those hard to reach places and best of all it's washable! No more wasting money on refills for other dusters. 

I have a dog and two rats so we get a moderate amount of animal hair and dust on flat surfaces. This duster picks up the dog and rat hair really easily and doesn't let it go until I throw it in the washer and wash it. It kept its shape really well after washing, which was one of the big reasons for such a high rating. I don't want to have a new duster fall apart right after the first wash and this one didn't. 

If this sounds good to you and you'd like to purchase one for yourself, you can do so here. 

I give this Microfiber Cleaning Duster 5 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received this product for free or at a deep discount in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Hunter By Night by Elisabeth Staab

Book Blurb...

She wants out

Party girl Alexia Blackburn is only hanging around the vampire compound until her best friend—the queen—has her baby. After that, nothing is going to stop Alexia from getting back to daylight, safety, and feeling like a normal human being. But leaving the vampire world has one big catch...

He needs her to stay

Head of vampire security Lee Goram has hated and distrusted humans for centuries. Feeding on vampire blood has kept him strong...but now it's killing him—and he's horrified to discover that Alexia may hold the key to his cure. He'd rather die defending his king than admit his weakness, but time is running out for the great vampire warrior...

My Review...

Alexia found herself living at an estate full of vampires, not liking finding herself alone and lonely she sneaks out a few times but gets caught by Lee one time on her way back in. He's furious with her because there are troubles brewing that she doesn't know about and is afraid she could inadvertently get caught in the cross fire. 

Lee doesn't like humans because of the way his family was killed and because he's lived for so long he's been around to see what humans will do once they find out about vampires. But he can't help but feel a strong pull in Alexia's way. 

I want to start out by saying that this is book 3 in the Chronicles on Yavn series and this is the first book I've read so far. I won this book in a blog contest and decided to read it even though I hadn't read the other books in the series. 

I loved how snarky Alexia is, her sarcastic attitude towards Lee and his tough guy attitude at the remarks she makes was so much fun to read. Staab has a great sense of humor and it definitely shows in this book. Some of the things that Alexia says are just too funny for words. 

Of course while their romance is heating up there's a cra-cra, extremely evil, back from the dead guy  on the loose who could bring about the next plague epidemic. Their home is under attack and it could be an inside job. 

While this book can be read as a stand alone, I think it would probably make more sense if the 2 previous books were read first. There are several secondary characters in this book that I came to like and want to know more about so I'll be reading the other books in this series to see how they all fit in and got to the point where I found them in this book. 

I particularly liked Theresa and Xander. Xander finds Theresa in the hospital waiting for someone to get a blood sample from her baby, who just happens to be a vampire. Yep, this book has baby vampires. Tiny baby vampire fangs and all that. How cute is that? Theresa is a widow and so is Xander, they find a spark of fire between them while bunking down in a safe place and waiting for the trouble back home to quiet down. 

I love paranormal romance, especially when vampires are involved. If you do too, then you'll like this book. 

I give this book 4 stars. 

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a 'Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to samples like these at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.
Did you know you can sign up at Tomoson and Crowdtap and get free products too?

This week I received:
An Auto Glass Window Breaker and Seatbelt Cutter and two Thermal Blankets
Eye Serum
Anti Aging skin serum
Make Up Brush Set
Bike Light Kit
Derma e Firming Moisturizer
Derma e Dark Circle Eye Cream
Neocell Biotin Bursts chews
beauty Infusion refreshing collagen drink mix
Loreal Color Vibrancy Shampoo, Conditioner and Shock Treatment
Microfiber Duster

It was a good week for me, what about you? Did you receive any freebies or free products?

Review: Rechargeable Bike Light Set

I recently bought my husband a bicycle for Christmas because he had been wanting one for a while and he needed bike lights for it so I was so excited to be able to get him this set.

Ken really liked this front and back light set because not only is the front light super bright but the back light has several modes including flash and steady. I really liked this flashlight because it's brighter than any other flashlight that I have in my house and I have several of them.

The flashlight detaches easily so it doubles as a front light as well as a take with you flashlight and it's bright enough that you will be able to see whatever it is that you are looking for even in the darkest of places. I really like that the light is rechargeable but you can also use AAA batteries if you want to.

My husband is so happy with his new bike light, he's been showing it off to all his friends. 

If you'd like to buy this bicycle light kit for yourself, you can do so here.

I give this bike light kit 5 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received this item for free or at a deep discount in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Petunia Skincare - Professional 12 Set Makeup Brush Kit With Travel Pouch

It's been years since I bought myself new make up brushes. Years...

So I was so excited when given the chance to try these for free and review them. I love this set. Look at all those beautiful brushes. 

To tell you the truth, there are a couple of brushes here that I've never had before. I had to look up what they were used for. I didn't know there was such a thing as a foundation brush but there is and now I have one and even though it will take a little time to get used to using it, I will be using it. Better than using my finger tips like I used to. 

This brush set comes with a nice pouch to keep all the brushes in one place and in good shape. The only thing I didn't care for was the smell of the pouch. It had a strong nail polish like odor to it. But hopefully that will fade over time. 

The other thing I really liked about these brushes is they were not tested on animals. Petunia Skincare is cruelty free and not tested on animals.

If you like this brush set and pouch, you can buy your own set here.

I give this make up brush set 4 out of 5 stars.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Review: Ruthless Perfection by Susie Warren

Book blurb:

A filmmaker wanting to honor her family’s legacy approaches a reclusive billionaire for help...

 Isabel Neri’s innocence captures the attention of a well-known Italian marble mogul, Marc Santoro, when she approaches him against her family’s wishes. Wanting to honor her disgraced grandfather, Isabel needs Marc’s permission to produce a film about the Carrara marble industry. 

Faced with honoring an old family obligation, Marc allows Isabel to travel to Italy with him but seeks to limit her exposure to his family’s tragic past. Isabel discovers the untold story and challenges Marc to reveal the truth. She is forced to expose her own secret as their desire sparks out of control.

My review: 

Some of this story takes place in Italy where Marc has a marble quarry and I really liked getting a look into that business and setting. I haven't read many books set in Italy so this was a treat for me. 

Isabel wants to produce a film but she has to go against her families wishes in order to do what she wants to do. Going against one's family isn't an easy thing to do but she is determined. 

These two characters make easy work of denying the feelings brewing between them as well as to themselves. Marc holds a secret and wants to no one to know about it and so is reluctant to help Isabel with her film of the marble business. She wants to make the film in honor of her grandfather even though her family isn't behind her in her venture. Isabel, being the innocent that she is doesn't want a sexual relationship but these two are drawn to each other even though Marc isn't looking for a permanent relationship at the moment. 

This was a quick, passionate, fun read and I found the characters likable and the setting to be interesting.  If you're in the mood for a nice contemporary romance, then you might like this one. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.