Great Health Freebies from Tomoson

The freebies from Tomoson.com just keep coming! If you haven't signed up yet, what are you waiting for? To learn more about how Tomoson works please click here.

This week I am going to be reviewing some awesome health products received complimentary in exchange for my honest reviews.


First up this week is NuYou Labs Garcinia Cambogia Liquid Drops. There has been a lot of hype and talk about Garcinia Cambogia lately and how it's not like HCG diet drops and I've been interested in trying it. I'm not a huge fan of taking pills or supplements, but when I saw that this came in a liquid form, I thought why not give it a try?

Garcinia Cambogia Weight Loss Drops

According to the manufacturer this product is recommended for rapid fat burning and is a quick weight loss liquid. This product also contains green coffee bean extract also which I understand is also supposed to help with weight loss and acts as a natural appetite suppressant.

I read the ingredients and it says that it is 100% Aloe Vera combined of 50% Garcinia Cambogia and 50% Green Coffee Extract. The directions state to use 20 drops. When you extract the liquid into the dropper, it only filled it half way. I wasn't sure if it was enough. But when I counted the drops, I realized that I needed to reload the dropper twice to get the full dosage since it doesn't completely fill up all the way. The taste is very pleasant. Tastes like sweet lime. This makes it very easy to take.

The real test is how does it work? For the first week, I actually gained about 2 lbs and went from 115.4 to 117 lbs. I was very sad about this. But then after using the product for 3 weeks, my weight went back down and has been at a steady 115 for the past 4 days. One thing to note is, I don't exercise because I'm super lazy and I sit on my butt all day at work. So as far as burning fat, I have no idea. But I can tell you that when I take this twice a day, I haven't been getting my afternoon snack cravings, which has been very nice.

If you would like to learn more about this product or are interested in ordering, you can find it on Amazon here.

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The second product I am going to review this week is Joyal Beauty® Retinol Serum- BEST Anti-aging Serum

Joyal Beauty Retinol Correcting Serum

I have been testing out several different serums lately so I can provide my honest opinion about how well I think they work. This particular serum from Joyal Beauty actually contains 1% Retinol, which is actually a step up from the other serums I have been testing.

According to the manufacturer this serum is meant to improve skin tone and reduce dullness, brighten dark circles and age spots, and prevent deep wrinkles and cellulite. It is also 100% Fragrance-Free and colorant-free, Paraben-Free,SLS-Free, and non-irritating. I like that is is not tested on animals and made in the USA.

This serum is actually pretty thick. I found that it works best for me when I pump 2 small 1/2 pumps into my hand the serum into my hand before applying the product. I show you how I apply it in the video below (sorry you have to see me without makeup again). 

My husband, who shot the video, asked me afterwards "Why didn't you just use 1 whole pump?" That is an excellent point. And I don't really know why. But I think with the way the pressure of the pump action works, I get the right amount of product this way. Then I use my finger to apply the serum to my face. You can really feel it tingle as it dries. To be honest, I haven't noticed a ton of improvement. My jowls look better, and my crows feet look a little lighter. But I think you really need to use the product for a longer period of time to really start seeing the results. From what I understand, your skin has to get acclimated to Retinol. I'm still going to finish up the bottle and possibly report back after the product has been used up.

If you would like to learn more or order this product on Amazon, you can find it by clicking here.

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Have you tried Garcinia Cambogia for weight loss? What is your favorite beauty serum? I'd love to hear from you!

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for my next blog where I review free stuff for the home and family. 

April's Free Goodie Haul from Bzz Agent

First off let me start by saying this was an AWESOME Bzz Kit! I could not believe the selection of products that Bzz Agent allowed me and my family to try all complimentary from Kroger. The kit contained P$t Brownie Mix, Tomatillo Lime Tortillas, Private Selection Breakfast Blend Coffee, and Simple Truth Organic Banana Chips. Then we went to our local Fry's food and picked out the HemisFares Rigatoni Pasta, Private Selection Applewood Bacon, and Kroger Classic Fajita Cooking Sauce with the free coupons we received.

Check out all of the stuff in this BzzKit!

The first thing we tried was the Applewood Smoked Bacon. The bacon was very high quality with just a hint of smokiness. It was not only great as a breakfast side, but we used it on burgers and put it in omelettes.

Then we made the HemisFares Rigatoni for dinner. I'll be honest, I'm not a huge fan of large pasta noodles. I prefer thinner pastas like spaghetti, angel hair, and linguine. But the rest of the family wanted to try it, so that is what we picked out. The rigatoni was very firm and extremely filling. It was okay, but I think for me it's a texture thing. I don't think I would have purchased it without the coupon. I feel that there are other pastas out there that are comparable and less expensive.

Hubby decided to make the brownie mix for dessert. The brownies were very light and cakey and really good. You can't go wrong with chocolate!

Another night we made chicken fajitas with the Classic Fajita cooking sauce and the Tomatillo Lime Tortillas. It was pretty tasty. The Fajita cooking sauce was a bit on the salty side, but it was still really good. The Tomatillo Lime tortillas were different. The hint of lime worked well with the fajita sauce and lessened the flavor of the salty sauce. I'm not a huge fan of the packaging though. The sauce was very hard to find on the shelves at Fry's and the blue color doesn't scream appetizing to me. It feels very dated for some reason.

Jaxon trying out a banana chip. He spit it out right after.

The banana chips didn't go over very well. Nobody in my house really likes them. They are a bit too hard and tasted like stale bananas. We only had one or two pieces each before we put the bag away. It's still in my pantry though. I hate to waste food. Any takers?

But the best was the Private Selection Breakfast Blend coffee. We are still using up the bag. It is comparable to more expensive coffees and really feels like a premium product.

The coupons were really fantastic too! I passed them out to my family and friends. Perhaps the most coveted were the $5.00 off of these Kroger Products. I wanted to keep it for myself, but that kind of defeats the purpose.

Have you signed up for Bzz Agent yet? Click on the bee to join for free!

How to get free stuff with pre-packaged food rewards programs!

Rewards Programs are a fantastic way to get free stuff!

I eat a lot of frozen dinners. I know they are not the most healthy of meals, but for me they are a convenient option to take to work. Not only are they tasty, but they help me maintain my weight on a budget at usually less than $2.50 a meal. So one day I read the box on one of my Lean Cuisines and saw that they had this rewards program and a way to get free stuff. I figured, well I eat them every day anyway, why not take a few minutes to enter the codes on the Lean Cuisine website? This led me to discover a treasure trove of free goodies to explore!

All I had to do was create an account and cut open the box to uncover a code with random letters and numbers inside and enter them on the website. Each code is worth 20 or 40 points. I have even had my friends and family save their boxes for me for even more opportunities. Unfortunately the rewards program has already closed down, but it looks like it is still available to Canadian consumers with even cooler stuff. But to show you some of the perks of rewards programs, here are some of the awesome things I got for free just for entering the codes:

Colorful plastic measuring spoons

How cute are these?

A free thermal lunch bag

Perfect for taking your Lean Cuisine to work!

And my personal favorite...free magazine subscriptions! I seriously haven't had to purchase a magazine in almost 3 years. I've gotten free subscriptions to Self, Glamour, Women's Day, Redbook, and Living. But there were lot of other ones to choose from.

I spent most of my points on Magazines

Since joining the Lean Cuisine rewards program, I have paid attention to other rewards programs advertised on the products I buy. Another recent one was with Healthy Choice (another one of my favorite frozen dinners). 

See the rewards advertisements on the boxes?

It was a very brief promotion. You had to purchase 4 Healthy Choice frozen entrees in a single transaction between January 1, 2015 through February 25, 2015. I purchase 4-5 meals at a time, so I figured why not? So I went to the website at http://reward.healthychoice.com/ and followed the instructions via text and got to choose between lots of different prizes in my area. These prizes consisted of free passes to a gym, to day spa treatments. I was really looking for a massage so I used my code to get a free hydro massage at my local Planet Beach.

My voucher for a free massage

So I booked my massage and got to enjoy 20 mins of what is called a "Hydro-Massage". You basically get to relax in a private room and lay down fully clothed on this special bed where waves of high pressure water goes up and down your body. It was pretty cool but could have lasted much longer. I don't think I would have paid actual money to get this type of massage. But I'm not complaining because after all, it was free!

Check out this "Hydro-Massage" bed!

As of this posting, Kellogg's has a rewards program that I am currently accumulating points for. I mean, who doesn't eat Kellogg's? You can sign up for it here:

So next time you purchase something you are planning to buy anyway, check out the box to see if there are any opportunities to get free stuff! It only takes a couple of minutes out of your time and it's totally worth it. Have you tried out any rewards programs? What cool free stuff have you got? I'd love to hear about it! Thanks for reading.

February Freebies from BzzAgent

February was an awesome month for freebies! I got to try all these awesome products for free this month through one of my favorite product testing sites called Bzz Agent! I'm also going to give you a little tip on a great rebate app for free cash$

Bzz Agent is a website that anyone can join. You just need to sign up with Bzz Agent and do some initial surveys so that they can tailor product suited to your lifestyle. When a campaign comes along that they think you would be a good fit for, they send you an invitation via email. The campaigns fill up quickly, so you want to jump in right away. You receive free full sized products that you get to test out and review. They even give you coupons to pass out to your friends. The whole point is to generate a "Buzz" and get the word out. Also your insight help the sponsors better their products and marketing campaigns.

I love to eat healthy and am an avid calorie counter, so Greek yogurt is a daily staple of my diet. So when I signed up for the Chobani Simply 100 Greek campaign, it was right up my alley. I received a coupon for a free Chobani Simply 100 to my local Kroger store and used it to purchase the peach flavor. I also had a store coupon for $1 off that I was able to use for 3 additional Chobani Simply 100 flavors so I picked out the strawberry, blueberry, and vanilla. As an added bonus I got to earn free money for this purchase of Chobani with a great free app called Ibotta! Ibotta is a mobile rebate app that anyone can join for free.

Here is how it works:

1. Join Ibotta
2. Unlock Rebates from your local store. To do this, you have to click on the product that you purchased or plan to purchase and answer a simple question or watch a short video. 
3. Go shopping at your store. 
4. When you get home scan the items you unlocked the rebates for and then scan your receipt. 
5. After your purchases are verified, they deposit cash into your account after a few days. 
6. You can also get bonuses for doing tasks and when you find your other friends from Facebook or what not, who are also on Ibotta, you get even more $ through your "team"! 

Now onto the product reviews...

I have tried so many varieties of yogurt with all types of textures and flavors from whipped to creamy - you name it! I also have a very slow digestive system, so it is important for me to make sure I get a ton of fiber in my diet. Everyone knows that yogurt is a great source of protein and calcium, but I've never seen a yogurt that has fiber in it. And for only 100 calories? That's a pretty amazing combination.

I cracked open my peach yogurt and stirred it around a bit before taking my first bite. It was not sweet. It was almost like plain Greek yogurt with a hint of fruit. So I thought if I stirred it a little more it would get sweeter. It did not. Needless to say, I was kind of disappointed with the flavor. I tried each of the flavors every day that week, and they were all kind of bleh.

The health benefits of this yogurt are so perfect for someone like me, but with such a bland taste, I don't think I will continue to purchase. There are so many other delicious varieties of low calorie Greek yogurt on the market, I think for now I will stick to my favorites.

Another cool campaign from Bzz Agent in February was a free coupon for a pound of fried chicken tenders and a 1.25 liter bottle of coke from Fry's Food, our local Kroger store. I get the baked chicken from the deli all the time, which I love, but I don't usually eat fried foods very often. But a pound of fried chicken tenders and a bottle of coke is big enough to share with the whole family. I also got myself an 8 piece baked bbq chicken to go along with it in case I didn't like the fried pieces. That turned out to be a good move.

Unfortunately the chicken was dry, dry dry. I don't know how long it was sitting there but I didn't really care for it. The hubby didn't either. My 4 year old son Jaxon had a few pieces but also wasn't into it. That is really saying something, since the kid only eats fried chicken or mac and cheese as a dietary staple. At least you can always count on coca cola!

The final campaign for February was for International Delight® Fat Free & Sugar Free Coffee Creamer. I drink coffee every day. My usual go too flavor is the Walmart brand Great Value French Vanilla. It is almost identical to Coffee Mate and it costs less. I have tried many varieties of International Delight creamers in the past. They always come out with new and exciting flavors and they are very enticing. However, with each flavor I have tried, I was never super crazy about them. They always had an unnaturally sweet flavor to them, sort of how Sweet N' Low has a weird flavor to it when compared to sugar. So I wasn't sure that I would like the International Delight Fat Free & Sugar Free Coffee Creamer. But since I received a free coupon, I was very excited to try it.

So I took my free coupon for International Delight to my local Walmart and I chose the Fat Free & Sugar Free Caramel Creme flavor. All I can say is O.M.G.! It is awesome! It doesn't have that weird sickly sweet taste that International Delight usually has and it's only 15 calories a serving. It is delicious and two tablespoons is just perfect. Just enough sweetness and flavor and fat free too. I don't feel guilty. The price could be a little better as it is much higher at $3 something compared to my usual $2 something, but if I get a coupon, I will definitely purchase again.

Stay tuned for March's haul. Have you signed up for Bzz Agent yet? Let me know what free things you got this month!

January's Haul of Free Stuff from Bzz Agent!

This season has provided several opportunities to get free stuff. I got to try all these awesome products for free this month through a fantastic product testing site called Bzz Agent!

Test free products with Bzz Agent

Bzz Agent is a website that anyone can join. You just need to sign up with Bzz Agent and do some initial surveys so that they can tailor product suited to your lifestyle. When a campaign comes along that they think you would be a good fit for, they send you an invitation via email. The campaigns fill up quickly, so you want to jump in right away. You receive free full sized products that you get to test out and review. They even give you coupons to pass out to your friends. The whole point is to generate a "Buzz" and get the word out. Also your insight help the sponsors better their products and marketing campaigns.

The contents of the Kroger Simple Truth Organic BzzKit

This month, I received the Simple Truth Organic BzzKit and was thrilled to see all these amazing products from Simple Truth. The kit contained Simple Truth Organic Dark Chocolate with Quinoa, Ready to Drink Tea Energy Beverage, a coupon for a free Ready to Bake Bread, a coupon for a free Simple Truth Organic Greek Yogurt Cup, and a bunch of coupons to pass out to my friends.

Dark Chocolate with Quinoa?

The first thing I tried was the Dark Chocolate with Quinoa made with 70% Cacao. Now first off, I love dark chocolate! At first bite, it was a little bitter. I was quite surprised it that it was not sweet at all. It had kind of a baker's chocolate flavor to it with a Nestle Crunch texture. Hubby tried it and thought it was gross. But the more I ate, the more the flavor grew on me. I don't know if I would buy it again, but I do like how it is not only a treat, but it also has 4 grams of fiber! Love that.

Next I tried the Ready to Drink Tea Energy Beverage in Lime. I tried a few sips and then never touched it again. I'm not a huge fan of tea anyway, so to me, it was kind of bland. But then again, I think all tea is bland.


Then I went to Fry's Food, my local Kroger store to use my free coupons. I was amazed at the huge variety of Simple Truth products! They have everything from fresh beef, to chips and candy, to beverages. It is all over the store too and not just in the organic section. It makes shopping for organic food really convenient and you don't have to search all over town and spend a fortune on good organic products.

My yummy beef and cheddar sandwich!

So I found the Simple Truth Organic Ready to Bake Bread in a display near the bakery. They had 4 different varieties at my store. We chose the Italian Simple Truth Organic Ready to Bake Bread. It was really good. Just throw it in the oven and a few mins later you have warm, fresh bread. The texture was awesome- crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. I even made myself a sandwich with it.

Black Cherry Greek Yogurt

I also chose the Simple Truth Organic Greek Yogurt Cup in black cherry. There was not a huge variety of flavors so that one looked like my best bet. It was a little bit bitter as greek yogurt usually is, but it needed a little something to sweeten it up. I eat greek yogurt every day, so I have tried almost every variety there is. I wasn't a huge fan of this flavor. Especially when there are so many other more flavorful varieties out there.

So the Simple Truth Organic brand gets 4 stars from me. It makes eating organic food more affordable, and convenient since there are so many products available in this line. And you don't have to go to a specialty store to get it. I would give it 5 stars if the products I tried tasted a little better. But I will definitely check out some of the other products in this line and you should too!