I Did It My Way

When I started My Little Review Corner, I wanted to have fun with this and use it as a creative outlet but I also promised myself I wouldn’t let it take away from other aspects of my life. If you have been reading over the years, you know that I’ve always tried to figure out a balance of all aspects of my life.

A couple of months ago, I realized that I wasn’t having fun anymore. For example, for the first time EVER a winner didn’t get a prize because the sponsor was abrupt, dismissive and when I tried to get things sorted out, blocked my email address! The winner is a lovely woman and while she was sweet and very understanding of the situation, it really hit home that I didn’t want to do this anymore! There was too much to do in life, I was always feeling stressed and I let other things that I enjoyed go by the wayside. I also found that I wasn’t working as hard as I could to reach my healthy living goals.

Something had to give and now it has.

I’m not saying I’ll never post again – but I am saying that it is time for a change.

When I pulled back from here and started doing other things, I realized how much I had missed those things and how much happiness they gave me. And, sad as it is, I didn’t miss doing this at all.

So while it’s not goodbye, it is definitely “see you later” for now. I have to do things my way and in 2014 my goal is embrace the things and the people I love.

So see you later gang! (That being said, don’t worry. The giveaways that are still running will end and I will be in touch if you are the winner!)

Hitting the send button is going to be really hard…but here it goes…..

SunZone – Perfect for all Types of Weather (G!veaway – Canada)

I have to admit, the idea of sunscreen in the winter was something that I had never crossed my mind. Now that I’m over 40, however, I have realized that I haven’t treated my skin well and I need to do everything I can to keep it healthy! So, realistically, sunscreen all year round makes perfect sense!

SunZone is a new line of sunscreen products that are perfect for all seasons. My brother and his family traveled to Florida this winter so they were able to try some of the products while out in the blazing sun while we tried them here as we battled against some brutally harsh winter conditions. And the beauty is that Sunzone has such a diverse line of products that there was something for everyone!

I tried the SunZone Work SPF 60 Lotion during some of the recent days when the sun was shining brightly but the wind was also whipping like mad! I found it easy to apply and that it was lightweight and non-greasy. Those are huge selling points for me because I can’t stand any type of lotion, especially on my face, that feels greasy — if it does I will wipe it off immediately. After shoveling snow wearing the SPF 60 Lotion, my skin felt soft and smooth and I didn’t get any windburn so I have started using it regularly. Sold!

Two SunZone Sports products — the SPF 60 Lotion and the SPF 30 Clear Spray were immediately snagged by Grownup Girl. She exercises, all seasons, outside and wanted to try them out. She tried both while out running and said that she liked their lightweight nature. She is relatively fair so she particularly liked the SPF 60 Lotion (which also comes in SPF 15 and 30) but thought the Clear Spray would be a good choice when she was planning to run in the summer and needed to get to some harder-to-reach areas (it’s also available in SPF 30, 45 and 60 so she thought she’d pick up a 60 for herself after trying out the 30).

During their trip to Florida, my brother and his family tried out some of the SunZone Family and SunZone Kids products. My sister-in-law returned raving about them! For her and my brother, she said that the SunZone Family SPF 60 Lotion was a great choice. Generally my sister-in-law doesn’t burn so at first she thought 60 was higher than what she would need but she said that she appreciated it given the fact they were out in the sun all day long. She said she also liked the fact that it is hypoallergenic so it didn’t clog her pores. And for my brother, who is fair as fair can be, she said it worked perfectly because he could stay outside for long periods of time and had absolutely no problems – he didn’t even turn pink during the entire trip (whic h I think is a new record for him!). If SPF 60 isn’t what you are looking for, you can also get the lotion in SPF 15 and 30 and the clear spray format in SPF 30, 45, 60. And it was obvious that my sister-in-law was completely impressed with the SunZone Kids SPF 60 Lotion as well as the Clear Spray. Their kids generally squirm away when you try to put sunscreen on them in any form but, according to their mom, she found the spray easy to apply and the kids didn’t fuss at all! Like the rest of their lines, these products come in varying SPF formulas so that there are a variety from which you can choose to get what is right for you!

So what else makes SunZone products the ones to choose?

Their lotions are made with green tea extract, Vitamin E and moisturizing Aloe (which give them a lovely fresh scent). They are non-greasy (as I mentioend before that is a HUGE selling point to me because I hate the greasy feeling I’ve always associated with lotions but you don’t get it with Sunzone) and are also lightweight. It’s also non-comedogenic (aka it doesn’t block pores), dermatologist tested and hypoallergenic. Their aerosols provide ultra sheer mist spray and are easy to apply in hard to reach areas. And all of their products are water resistant, oil free, PABA free, Paraben free, protects against sunburn and broad spectrum protection against UVA/UVB rays.

Sunzone products are now available to buy on Amazon.ca and will appear in numerous retail stores across the country in March (including Mark’s Work Wearhouse).

You can win an ENORMOUS Sunzone prize pack – which includes 5 continuous sprays and 5 lotions.- enter by clicking on the SunZone logo below!

Giveaway ends February 7th, 2014 at 11:59 PM EST. Open to Canada (excluding Quebec).

Turbo Brings Lots of Laughter!

As I know I’ve mentioned before, in many ways I am basically a big kid. I love animated films and movies that make me laugh. Turbo is a great movie on both counts!

Turbo is just your normal garden snail. He’s nothing special really. Well, that is true until he wishes to be the fastest snail in the world and his wish becomes a reality!

Not only does the story line and the jokes make me laugh, but I appreciate the voice work and there are some amazing actors involved. Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Snoop Dogg and Samuel L. Jackson are just a few of the all-star cast.

Turbo is a fun film not to be missed as it is one that will be appreciated by kids and adults alike!

Royale Gives You The Tiger with New Tiger Towels (G!veaway – Canada)

January is another time of year when I start motivating myself to get cleaning! With the post holiday gifts, I find that my home becomes a jungle as I try to weave and wade through everything that has accumulated! So I was pretty excited when I heard about Royale Tiger Towels and I wonderd, could it handle the jungle inside any home?

The entry was a resounding yes! I discovered how much I like Tiger Towels because they are really absorbent (a good thing for me as I have a tendency to overclean with too much product so I need something to wipe it off!). I also liked the fact that you could choose the size of sheet you needed because sometimes I only need 1 small piece while other times I need something larger to do the job. Royale’s Tiger Towels meet the challenge and exceeded my expectations!

The other thing that I learned about Royale is that it has recently introduced the newest member of its feline family – Tiger Towels – and a new charitable partnership with PANTHERA, the world’s leading wild cat conservation organization. I’m a bit of a softy when it comes to animals and, because of that, I appreciate it whenever I learn that a company is doing their part to help the world’s animal population!

You can win a Royale Tiger Towel prize pack – which includes A pack of Tiger Towels, A Tiger Towels plush tiger and The TIGERS FOREVER book – a decade worth of stunning images and stories about tigers and tiger conservation efforts from National Geographic photographer Steve Winter (a $70 value) – enter by clicking on the Tiger Towels image below!

Giveaway ends January 31, 2014 at 11:59 PM EST. Open to Canada (excluding Quebec).