Reviews by Chicagofungirl

Chicagofungirl says "Trilastin did not get rid of my pesky stretch marks..." about Trilastin Intensive Stretch Mark Complex

Chicagofungirl — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:46:27 GMT

I have been troubled with stretch marks for a few years now. I lost a bunch of weight rapidly, and low and behold they appeared....sigh. I have tried just about every cream out there and Trilastin is no exception.

A month or two ago a friend who had a few babies recommended Trilastin to me. After I got over the sticker shock ($80.00 for SIX ounces) I decided to give it a shot. I trust my friends judgement, and I knew she would never recommend something unless she really trusted the product. I went online shortly after the conversation with said friend, and ordered a bottle pronto.

When the bottle came I couldn't get over how small $80.00 worth of product actually is. According to the directions you are supposed to apply Trilastin in the morning and evening, preferrably after a shower. Well I could tell right off the bat that these 6 ounces weren't going to last long applying it twice a day. But then I remembered all the fantastic things my friend said and I pushed all...

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Chicagofungirl says "Fantasia Frizz Buster is a big BUST in my book..." about Fantasia Frizz Buster Serum 6 oz

Chicagofungirl — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:37:15 GMT

I'm always looking for ways to tame my frizzy/curly hair and was hoping Fantasia Frizz Buster serum would help. Yet again, I was wrong.

I have very thick, coarse hair. It is naturally curly and therefore requires a lot of attention and maintenance to keep the frizz away. There are all sorts of 'anti-frizz' products on the market, and I'm afraid I've tried almost all of them.

While shopping at Target a young lady was raving about this product. She had hair similar to mine, and she kept going on and on and how well it works for her. She was purchasing two bottles. I decided to give it a shot and I put a bottle in my cart. $8.00 for a small bottle is a bit on the steep side, but if it works then it is money well spent right?

The instructions say to apply a small amount to wet or dry hair and the product will do the rest. First and foremost, this serum had an awful feel to it. It reminded me of glue. It was clear and 'blob like'. I had reservations about putting...

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Chicagofungirl says "Yikes, these Buitoni Tortelloni's are awful!" about Buitoni Chicken & Prosciutto Tortelloni

Chicagofungirl — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:20:38 GMT

Recently I had a coupon for Buitoni filled pasta. The Buitoni raviolis and tortelloni's are kept in the refrigerated section of your grocer, as opposed to boxed and in an aisle for dry pasta.

There were several to choose from and I went with The Chicken & Prosciutto Tortelloni's. The package boasts it is made with "tender chicken, ham and parmesan cheese". Didn't sound too bad, and the item was on sale. When I combined it with my coupon it cost about $1.00 not bad at all!

Preparation is simple enough, boil water and add the tortelloni. According to the package, they should take about 8 to 10 minutes to cook. Each package contains 2 1/2, 1 cup servings. Each serving has 330 calories and 9g fat (no trans).

I made the pasta according to the package and added some of my own red sauce to the tortelloni's. The minute I ate the first one I knew something was wrong...lol. OMG, the 'meat' is really really bad. It does not resemble chicken or prosciutto at all. In fact, it reminds...

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Chicagofungirl says "I can't believe I waited so long to check out Aldi!" about Aldi Food Stores

Chicagofungirl — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:39:26 GMT

I have heard lots about the Aldi stores. I finally took my first trip there a few weeks ago and I was pleasantly surprised. This place rocks!

One of the first things I noticed is when you arrive you must A: bring your own bags (or buy some from the store) and B: you must put a quarter into the cart in order to access it. No biggie, you get the quarter back once you return your cart, and one of the reasons they are able to keep such low prices is by cutting the overhead on stuff like that.

This place is GREAT for certain things, and they need improvement in other areas. Personally I will not buy milk, eggs, flour, sugar, pasta anywhere else. They are DIRT cheap there. The store is small, and the food items are kept in the boxes they are shipped in, but if you can get past that, you will save some major money there (especially if you have kids). They do a good job keeping up with the current trends you can find quite a bit for more than half of what it would cost at a local...

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Chicagofungirl says "Hawaiian Punch singles to go, is my new GO TO drink." about Hawaiian Punch - Sugar Free Wild Purple Smash

Chicagofungirl — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:42:51 GMT

I ran across the Sugar Free Hawaiian Punch Wild Purple Smash drink mix at my local Dollar General (LOVE that store!) These are the 'singles to go' which means they are packets that you add to your bottled water. I've tried some of the Crystal Light singles and enjoyed them, so I thought I would give the Hawaiian Punch ones a try.

There are 8 packets per box and I picked up the box for $1.00. The idea is to pour one packet in a 0.5 liter bottle of water and shake (you can also add more water if you want a milder flavor). Each packet contains 10 calories which is much better than a sugary soda. The Wild Purple Smash was yummy and it satisfied the sweet tooth I had this afternoon. I also enjoyed the fact that I didn't have to feel guilty for consuming too many calories through my beverage (which happens alot). As I get older I have a hard time justifying an extra 30 minutes on the treadmill because I decided to drink a sugar filled soda at lunch.

I recommend Hawaiian Punch singles...

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Chicagofungirl says "Dumb Dares is a fun way to get a few laughs in the office." about Loncraine Broxton Dumb Dares

Chicagofungirl — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:28:21 GMT

I received DUMB DARES card game as a Christmas gift last year. It was given to me by the spouse of a coworker and she is known to have a good sense of humor.

Dumb Dares consists of a deck of cards and the "Diabolical Dare Selector". Basically, you choose a card from the Dumb Dares card pack. You then tap the base of the Diabolical Dare Selector and the lights will display which dare on the card you need to complete. If the green light on the Dare Selector illuminates, you must perform the dreaded Extreme Dumb Dare.

Some of the dares are:

Growl every time someone walks past your desk.
Pretend to have a long phone conversation with somone in a foreign language.
Say thank you to the copier every time it copies a page.
Put mosquito netting around your work area. Play a tape of jungle sounds all day.

As you can see, alot of these are silly and cannot actually be done in a professional setting. These cards are good for a laugh in the middle of a workday and makes for a good (inexpensive)...

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Chicagofungirl says "Vaseline lotion quenches my thirsty skin...." about Vaseline Intensive Care Total Moisture Dry Skin Lotion

Chicagofungirl — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:07:05 GMT

I'm sure anyone who lives in the Midwest can appreciate what I'm about to talk about. Each year between the months of November and April my skin goes into major DRY shock because of the incredibly cold winters Chicago is known to get. My skin gets incredibly dry, itchy and sometimes just plain hurts! I have tried various different lotions to no avail. It seemed that with the others I was having to reapply all over again a short time later. That is until I ran into the Vaseline Intensive Care Daily Moisture skin lotion. This stuff is great! Originally, I ran across it on accident. I was at a friends house and ended up using some there. I was surprised how well it moisturized without having a 'greasy' feeling afterwards. I went out to buy some a week later and have been using it since. I found it works wonderfully if you moisturize head to toe with it right after you get out of the shower in the morning. If you've got dry skin, you may want to give this product a shot. ...

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Chicagofungirl says "I love Oil of Olay firming cream!" about Oil of Olay Night Firming Cream

Chicagofungirl — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:00:21 GMT

Sigh. The inevitable happened the other day. When applying some eyeshadow I noticed that I had the beginning signs of wrinkles around my eyes. Since I'll be 31 this year, I knew the day was coming soon. After I got over my pity party, I decided to be proactive and head to the store to find something to start using at night. I currently use a daily moisturizer, but I haven't actually ever gone out to buy wrinkle cream......yet. Well until last month. After going to the store and spending a good 30 minutes looking at all of my options, I decided to check with a few friends and see if they had any particular brands they used/recommended. Surprisingly enough two people both mentioned the Oil of Olay Night Firming Cream, so I went back to the store the next day and bought it.

That was a month ago. Is my 'wrinkle' gone? No, of course not. But since using this cream as directed, I've noticed a big improvement with the firmness of my skin and the overall appearance. In...

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Chicagofungirl says "I would buy Cover Girl mascara again..." about CoverGirl Volume Exact Mascara

Chicagofungirl — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:53:28 GMT

My mascara was getting old so it was time for me to get some new stuff. I headed off to the nearest Target to see what they had. I would like to start off by mentioning that I was floored at all the new mascara they have to choose from nowadays!! I remember a few years ago, the only choices you had to worry about making was whether you wanted water proof or not. Now they have all these new 'technologies' for the brushes, as well as an array of brands, colors and PLUMPING ACTION. I think I stood there for a good 15-20 minutes going through the different brands trying to determine which one to choose.

In the end I had a coupon for $2.00 off a Cover Girl product and I chose the Cover Girl Volume Exact Mascara. When I got it home I was very pleased at how the product worked. For me it provided more than enough volume and I liked how big the brush was, made it that much easier to apply. Removal was hassle free and I would definitely buy this product again!

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Chicagofungirl says "Pantene's Hydrating Curls Shampoo is great" about Pantene Pro-V Hydrating Curls Shampoo

Chicagofungirl — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:46:23 GMT

I am always on the search for quality hair care products at a reasonable cost. Don't get me wrong, I love going into Ulta but with times being tough, I have a hard time plopping down that kind of money for shampoo and/or conditioner.

I've tried both ends of the spectrum. The salon quality high end products work but they were tough on my wallet. The discount brand generic products were extremely affordable, but they didn't do the job. My goal was to find a happy medium. Pantene Pro-V Hydrating Curls shampoo turned out to be the winner! Pantene's products are relatively affordable, and the folks at P&G are always throwing in awesome coupons in the Sunday paper. In fact, I had a coupon for $3.00 any two Pantene products. I went to my nearby K-mart and the Pantene brand was on sale two bottles for $7.00 which means I paid $2.00 for each bottle! Total bargain! Same great price as the discount brands, but much better quality!

If you're looking for a good shampoo and you...

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Chicagofungirl says "Pantene's Curls Conditioner is a very good product..." about Pantene Hydrating Curls Conditioner

Chicagofungirl — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:42:13 GMT

I decided to use Pantene Hydrating Curls Conditioner after having a coupon for it. I am familiar with the Pantene line of hair care products and have used them before in the past.

Being half Italian, I have very curly, thick hair. I have had a difficult time in the past finding a product that will mosturize as well as keep my hair tame. Haha. People often think that curly hair just 'gets' that way after a shower, but in actuality, if you don't have the proper hair care products, your beautiful curls will just turn to frizz (or at least mine). That is why I have often found myself, washing, conditioning and then deep conditioning each morning. That routine gets old...and quick. I wanted to find something that would at least help enough, where I could get by with just a shampoo and conditioning each morning as opposed to the deep conditioning as well. (Can you blame me???)

I was intrigued when I found the Pantene Hydrating Curls Shampoo and Conditioner and was even more...

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Chicagofungirl says "Yum, this bar was delicious." about Kellogg's - Special K Blueberry Cereal Bar

Chicagofungirl — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:39:43 GMT

On my never ending quest to find satisfying, yet healthy snack foods, I happened to come across a Special K blueberry bar.

I have to admit, this is a pretty tasty snack. There is a white frosting on top as well as pieces of blueberries within the 0.81 oz. bar. I finished it within 4-5 bites, but afterwards my sweet tooth was totally satisfied. Even better, there are only 90 calories in each bar, which doesn't make you feel guilty!! Nutrition facts below:

Calories: 90 - Fat Calories: 15 - Total Fat: 1.5g - Sat. Fat: 1g - Sodium: 90mg - Protein 1g.

If you are looking for a low calorie, guilt free snack, give these a shot.

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Chicagofungirl says "I would rather have NO snack instead of this granola bar..." about Nabisco - Nutter Butter chewy granola bars-100 calorie

Chicagofungirl — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:29:21 GMT

I'm always on the hunt for tasty low cal snacks. I like to keep several different choices in my desk at work and am always trying new ones.

I have been a big fan of the 100 calorie pre-portioned snacks, so when I saw that they had these Nutter Butter granola bars, I was excited. I love the Nutter Butter cookies (peanut butter sandwich cookies) and I like granola bars, I figured it was a no brainer.

Boy was I wrong. These things are awful. The granola bar has some sort of 'frosting' on the top, which is not appealing to the eye or tastebuds. The overall taste and texture of the bar was terrible, I couldn't even force myself to finish the whole 0.84 oz. bar. I opted to throw it in the trash.

Bottom line, do yourself a favor and skip this snack.

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Chicagofungirl says "Exceptional service! I love this insurance company!" about State Farm

Chicagofungirl — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:37:28 GMT

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Chicagofungirl says "Good stuff" about Sierra Mist - Free

Chicagofungirl — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:07:20 GMT

About 2 years ago I switched to diet sodas because I consumed so many extra calories per day with the real soda. I'm a big drinker, I'm always toting around something to sip on throughout the day.

When I saw Sierra Mist Free I was intrigued. I've had Sierra Mist before, and like it more than Sprite or 7up so I was very curious how their diet version would taste. I bought a bottle and have been a fan ever since. There is very little after taste which is a big plus in my book when it comes to diet drinks and I like the clean crisp taste.

If you haven't tried Sierra Mist Free yet I suggest you give it a chance. I think you'd really enjoy it!

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Chicagofungirl says "If you are a woman you must read this." about Monistat 3

Chicagofungirl — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 21:46:36 GMT

*Disclaimer: This review may make a few people uneasy, so if you're squeamish please feel free to pass on it.

This review is really hard for me to write. I must admit, it's embarrassing. I went back and forth for weeks debating on whether I should publish something so personal, but my experience was so horrible that I felt this was the most appropriate forum to share my experience. Plus I love that I can remain anonymous when discussing such humiliating events.

My boyfriend and I went to Cabos for vacation. As you can imagine we spent a lot of time on the beach and I made the fatal mistake of wearing my damp swimsuit for the majority of the days. I in turn got my very first yeast infection. There were very little symptoms but I promptly visited my Ob-Gyn and she told me that I caught it very early and sent me to Walgreens to purchase Monistat 3. When I took it home I read the directions carefully. Basically you are given three tubes that are used to insert the medicine. ...

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Chicagofungirl says "Hunk o' Junk!!" about Hamilton Beach Stay or Go Blender Travel Cup

Chicagofungirl — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:54:57 GMT

I love my smoothies and have one each morning after my workout. I am usually not hungry by the time I leave my house for the drive in to work, so I was looking for a way to make my smoothies and transport them with me on the way to the office. That way I can throw it in the freezer until my stomach starts growling (usually around 9:30).

I was shopping and ran across the Hamilton Beach blender travel cup. It was a novel idea, and a winner in my book. You put all of your smoothie ingredients in the insulated cup then attach the blender blade at the bottom. Place cup on your blender and let it do the rest of the work. After it's done blending you take the blade off the bottom and replace it with the top which is what you drink from. I must admit, after my first smoothie I was quite impressed. The cup was easy to use and blended my ingredient nicely. It has an extra insulation so your smoothie stays cold awhile, I didn't even have to put it in the freezer that morning.

Here...

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Chicagofungirl says "Send this to 20 people and you will get a million bucks today!!" about Snopes

Chicagofungirl — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:14:42 GMT

Ugh! I got one of those annoying emails today from a friend. You know the ones, BEWARE OF THE XXX VIRUS! DO NOT OPEN ANY EMAILS WITH XXX SUBJECT LINE OR YOUR ENTIRE HARDDRIVE WILL BE DELETED INSTANTLY!!! Or how about NEVER SHOP AT XXX STORE AGAIN, THEY SUPPORT (INSERT RIDICULOUS RUMOR HERE). C'mon people PUH-LEASE, are you guys still believing this crap!?!?

The kind person who sent me the email today (my wonderfully naive Aunt) got a reply. Well actually, I 'replied to all'. Boy did she catch me on a bad day. Usually I just delete without even reading them, but I was feeling rather feisty today and decided to take matters into my own hands. So I used the handy little 'reply to all' button found in Outlook and let everyone know exactly what a bunch of bologna the whole thing was. I'm certain all 50+ people on the list didn't need to see the reply, but I had a point to prove dang it! I politely responded and let her know that the email was indeed a hoax and informed everyone...

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Chicagofungirl says "The Great Debate..which side are you on??" about Kraft Miracle Whip Salad Dressing

Chicagofungirl — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 23:19:42 GMT

I love Miracle Whip. Ever since I was young I chose to use Miracle Whip over mayo for everything. Now that I think about it, my entire family are all Miracle Whip fans. I love the tangy zip that Miracle Whip has. Seems so much lighter than the heavier mayo's out there. I can definitely tell if something is made with Miracle Whip or mayo.

Which brings me to another issue...

My wonderful boyfriend of many years is a die hard mayo fan. Ugh. Now you're probably asking yourself why this is even a point, but boy oh boy does it make things interesting in the house. He despises Miracle Whip as much as I despise mayo. That makes hosting parties (which we do often) interesting. Pasta salads, deviled eggs, sandwiches, you name it, all has to be made in double batches. Well that's how we used to do it, now I refuse. If we make a few dishes with a creamy base, we'll go 'half and half'. For instance I will agree to use mayo in the deviled eggs if we can use Miracle Whip...

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Chicagofungirl says "I LOVE this stuff" about Dairy Queen - Chicago, IL

Chicagofungirl — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:56:55 GMT

I'm sure everyone has been to Dairy Queen, it's a staple icecream/softserve chain found in almost every city.

We went to Dairy Queen today and it's been over a year since the last time I've been there. Man that stuff NEVER gets old...lol. I felt like a kid again. I waited patiently in line while reading the menu trying to decide what I wanted to order. So many YUMMY choices. I usually always get the Peanut Buster Parfait but today I wanted to do something different so I got a Snickers Blizzard. Two thumbs up for me!

Next time you have the munchies I strongly recommend a trip to your nearest DQ.

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