Reviews by Friends of Reviewer11

PattyTherre says "Lavoris whitens my teeth before I even brush them!" about Lavoris Whitening Rinse

PattyTherre — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 05:57:56 GMT

Quick View: This whitening rinse actually works well to remove stains on teeth. I use it before brushing and my teeth have become noticeably whiter!

My Take on Lavoris Whitening Rinse

This mouth rinse is designed to be used before brushing. Just pour a half of a capful into the cap (or other cup) and swish your mouth for around 60 seconds. The clear liquid is minty fresh and doesn't hurt sensitive teeth although it does contain peroxide. It also contains ingredients to strengthen tooth enamel which is a plus. After swishing, spit it out, then brush teeth as usual.

You will see a bit of foam on your gums at times but that's just the peroxide and it doesn't sting or hurt anything. My stains come from tea and diet cola and I am forever trying to make my teeth whiter. I have used other rinses which worked pretty well but Lavoris Whitening Rinse works the best so far. My teeth are noticeably whiter and cleaner. My dentist was very impressed with how good my teeth looked since my last check up....

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MRSverret says "Try it, you will not be disappointed!" about Bolthouse Farm Vanilla Chai Tea, With Soy Protein, 33.80 fl oz

MRSverret — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:21:39 GMT

The other day while shopping I noticed Bolthouse Farms Vanilla Chai Tea. I briefly skimmed the label and thought I would like it. I was right, this stuff is awesome!

For around $4 I bought a 32 oz. bottle. The bottle says it's a blend of green tea, soy protein and chai spices that is naturally sweetened with vanilla. The drink is all natural. There are no preservatives, artificial ingredients and it's dairy free.

The chai tea has lots of vitamins and it's low fat. In 8 oz. you get 160 calories, 28 fat calories, 3 grams of fat and 1 gram of saturated fat. There's 60 grams of sodium, 21 grams sugar, 530 grams of potassium, and 10 grams of protein. In addition it has 30% Calcium, 200% Vitamin B6, 20% Magnesium, 150% Vitamin C, 15% Iron, 180% Vitamin B12 and 20% Zinc.

The drink is a little thick. It looks and sort of tastes like a thin egg nog. I love it and will be buying more. I definitely recommend this tasty drink.

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PattyTherre says "10 watches for the Gossip Girl who can't make up her mind!" about Gossip - Interchangeable Mother-of-Pearl Watch Set

PattyTherre — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:52:20 GMT

Quick View: I have a teen girl on my shopping list who is as fickle as I am. She loves style but her moods change all the time. When I saw the Gossip - Interchangeable Mother-of-Pearl Watch Set, I knew she would like it. I gave it to her for her birthday but I now have a set too. For $28.00, how could I go wrong?

My Take on the Gossip - Interchangeable Mother-of-Pearl Watch Set

Gossip makes many styles of fashion watches, none of super high quality. This set comes with a mother of pearl face and can be purchased in silvertone or goldtone. I bought one of each. I gave my relative the gold and I bought the silver. The silver looks better and more high quality.

This set comes with 10 interchangeable croco look straps in black, pink, bronze, white, purple, orange, dark green, seafoam blue, brick red, and deep blue. That's a lot of choices! The watch is stainless steel and the face has Arabic numbers at every hour. It has hour, minute, and second hands. The face is easy to read and the width...

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Jolie says "buyuggsboot.net is a scam! Ugg Boots from China that are fake." about www.buyuggsboot.net

Jolie — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:22:46 GMT

Background on Buyuggsboot.net

A friend of mine at Viewpoints recently passed along a site called www.buyuggsboot.net. She found it online. www.buyuggsboot.net is a web site that sells all styles of Ugg Boots at discounted prices.

We werent certain if www.buyuggsboot.net were the real or not. But after a thorough review of the site, we thought it was legit. Buyuggsboot.net looks like a reasonable reseller of Ugg Boots. The page is designed well, the pictures look authentic and they make claim to having the real deal. They also consistently site throughout the web site having customer satisfaction commitments.

To add to the thought it was authentic, the pricing seemed good but not amazing. As you probably know a typical pair of Ugg Boots cost about $110. On Buyuggsboot.net the cost was $89.00- approximately a $20 savings. Seemed like a good deal, but they werent so cheap that I thought it could be scam. As an aside, last year Nordstrom had a similiar sale on Ugg boots so the pricing seemed...

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Jo says "Clinique Lines and Defines my Lips" about Clinique Defining Liner for Lips

Jo — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:15:38 GMT

To the Point

Clinique Defining Liner for Lips is the second lip liner I have bought in about 10 years. My first experience wasn't great. However, my friend told me that it keeps her lipstick on longer.

On my makeup shopping spree to the Clinque counter I bought Clinique Defining Liner for Lips.

A Closer View

I took the advice of the sales clerk and bought the color pomegranate. Clinique Defining Liner for Lips costs $14.00 which is about the same amount as I would pay for any decent liner.

I didn't know until I went to write this review that the cover has a built in pencil sharpener. That's really cool. I have a pencil sharpener but it's nice to have one anytime I need it.

Clinique Defining Liner for Lips is creamy and goes on very smoothly even when sharp. I agree with the claims that it goes on evenly as well. I line my lips and then was told to color my lips with the liner. Another method is to draw two dots on the upper lip's bow, a dash across the bottom of the lower lip and then...

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Katrena says "Smartvalve Toilet Fill Valve Left Me Feeling Pretty Slow & Dumb" about American Standard Smartvalve Toilet Valve Model 3198.000

Katrena — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:12:13 GMT

The American Standard Smartvalve toilet fill valve box says "Installs in under 15 minutes." I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. I figured that even if it took my husband an hour and a half to get home that I would be able to smile and say "I already fixed the toilet!"

I am not a plumber. I do not have a plumber's tools. I don't make the money that plumbers do; therefore, I went to Lowe's and bought this thing that used to have a floating ball in it but newer versions now go straight up and down on a rod. It is supposed to cue the water to stop running after the back of the toilet fills to the appropriate level.

What I Like about SmartValve:

Height adjustment is easy--just twist the yellow part and lift or lower and then twist back to lock.
Opening the top for maintenance is easy, although I wouldn't recommend doing that while the water is running like my husband did. :)
There aren't many parts, but the directions didn't really talk about where to put all of the parts.
I can now flush...

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AngelaWLaFon says "Cuisinart Waffle Maker Makes Homemade Waffles Easy & Yummy" about Cuisinart Waffle Maker - Classic Round Waffle Maker - WMR-CA

AngelaWLaFon — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:09:56 GMT

Cuisinart Classic Waffle Maker

I am a big believer in starting the day off right with breakfast. As a homeschool family, we enjoy making and eating breakfast together. It may be as simple as some yogurt with granola or scrambled eggs with rosemary but waffles are always a hit. I admit I've been a frozen waffle buyer for years but last year we traveled across the country and the kids discovered fresh waffle makers in hotels. It's just hard to go back to frozen waffles after enjoying freshly made waffles.

The Cuisinart Classic Waffle Maker:

Comes in stainless steel

Easy to use with a "Ready to Bake Light" and "Ready to Eat Light"

3 settings for your waffle preference

Heats up fast

Wipe clean baking plates

The Cuisinart Classic Waffle Maker really is easy to use. I have a couple of tips though. Spray with Pam. Follow the directions and don't fill the waffle maker plates all the way or else it will run over. Fill about 2/3 full and you'll have a full size waffle after you close...

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Jo says "Chobani Greek Yogurt: give it a try" about Chobani Greek Yogurt

Jo — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:34:22 GMT

I learned about Chobani Greek Yogurt at a 12-week weight loss class I have been taking. The reason it was mentioned is because of the amount of protein the yogurts have.

I just finished Blueberry Non-Fat yogurt. I have tried every flavor (except plain) and find them all really delicious. Make sure you stir them because the fruit is at the bottom. I have one a day!

Chobani Greek Yogurt comes in 6-ounce and 16-ounce cups. That is a bit strange because the larger containers serve 2 although they have 8 ounces. Obviously you'll get more calories in half of the 16 ounce yogurt.

The company donates 10% of their profits to charities. http://www.chobani.com

Chobani Greek Yogurt is delicious. I was a bit apprehensive at first because I am so used to non-Greek yogurt I had no idea what to expect. I thought it would be too thick but it isn't. It is just the right consistency.

My Blueberry yogurt has real blueberries in it; 14 grams of protein; no fat; and no cholesterol. However it has 20 grams of...

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Jo says "Amana 30 Inch Freestanding Electric good on a budget Range " about Amana 30 Inch Freestanding Electric Range #AER5830VAD

Jo — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:36:42 GMT

To the Point

We finally decided that having two burners on which to cook just wasn't working. We wanted a ceramic top and it had to be electric. We didn't want to spend a lot of money. The Amana 30 Inch Freestanding Electric Range #AER5830VAD was $400.00 on sale at Home Depot back in August. The regular price is around $550.00. That's still in the low end of range prices.

A Closer View

The first thing we noticed was that this range is smaller than our previous one. It doesn't make a difference to us. We have a small kitchen so it is good. What isn't good, especially for a family, is that the bottom drawer is not nearly as deep as any other range I've owned. My cookie sheets are always falling in the back and onto the floor.

I would not recommend the flat top style range if you have children. I know that kids touch coils as well but the ceramic is hot even when it is not red. There is a hot light indicator but a child would have to know to look for it.

The Features

Pros

The Amana 30 Inch...

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Meri says "So long overdone rolls, so long burnt cookies... " about Pampered Chef Stoneware

Meri — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:10:32 GMT

Pampered Chef Stoneware turned me into an awesome baker. If I had not experienced baking with it I probably would be quite skeptical. So long overdone rolls, so long burnt cookies... truly amazing.

I have never burned baked goods while using the Pampered Chef Stoneware pieces. In fact, my cookies look as if I bought them at a bakery- perfectly baked to a golden brown. The secret to the way it browns is in the way the stoneware is made- each piece of stoneware is formed from a natural stoneware clay that evenly distributes heat and draws moisture away from the stone. As if that isn't enough of a sell, the stone retains heat so it acts like a warming dish after the items are baked. Somehow, it doesn't burn the baked item.

Seasoning the Stone:

It takes a little getting used to baking with any piece of Pampered Chef Stoneware. After receiving one you first need to wash it with hot water. The next step is called "seasoning" the stone. This is done by either baking a couple batches of high...

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Katrena says "Rudolph is a Favorite Christmas Movie at My House" about Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Katrena — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:49:07 GMT

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer has the charm of an older movie with a story that never grows old. This movie focuses on how being different really isn't bad at all.

Sam the Snowman sets the stage and narrates the story beautifully. The characters are lovable, even the Abominable. Although Santa is a bit grouchy in places, he begins to cheer near the end. Even the relentless elf boss decides to soften at bit. The technology used to make the characters is quite interesting and really appeals to kids. Even the scary characters don't look all that scary.

The Story:

Rudolph is born looking different from the other reindeer because he has a shiny red nose. His father decides Rudolph should wear a cover over his nose, and Rudolph is showing great promise as the young ones try out for the sleigh team. Unfortunately, his cover pops off and Rudolph is no longer welcome by the other reindeer his age...except Clarice, who has a crush on him and decides he looks better without the silly cover.

Eventually...

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Katrena says "Twenty-six Princesses is a Fun Twist on an Alphabet Book" about Dave Horowitz - Twenty-Six Princesses

Katrena — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:22:11 GMT

Twenty-six Princesses [2008, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN: 978-0-399-24607-4] by Dave Horowitz is a 32-page children's picture book that covers the letters of the alphabet as the story of these princesses develops.

Not all of the princesses are being particularly ladylike, and I think that's why my girls like this one. The book also incorporates rhyming and lots of humor. My girls got a kick out of Princess Nell, who apparently passed gas and they also started laughing about "Princess Ruth, mithing a tooth."

The illustrations are colorful and compliment the story.

My Viewpoint:

Twenty-six Princesses is an alphabet book that shows lots of princesses, many of which are behaving badly. This can be a fun book and my kids liked to look for the letter of the alphabet that was somewhere on each page. The rhyming words made the book fun to read. People who are looking for well behaved princesses in their storybooks would probably do better to try another children's book.

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PattyTherre says "My two fave inexpensive body butters but which wins my $8.00?" about Tree Hut vs. Avon's Mark Self Sanctuary: Battle of the $8.00 Body Butters. Which is Better?

PattyTherre — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:00:10 GMT

Body butters! I love them. I have very expensive ones, all natural ones, and I have some inexpensive ones. Two of my favorite body butters under $8.00 are Tree Hut's various butters and Avon's Mark Self Sanctuary body butters. But if I had to pick just one, which would it be? Read on to see!

Tree Hut Body Butter vs. Avon's Mark Self Sanctuary Body Butter

Size and Cost

Tree Hut's body butters come in a 7 ounce tub for about $7.50. Self Sanctuary body butters are 6.7 ounces and cost $8.00. Both go on sale frequently though. There is so little diffrence in the two in these areas that I call this one ...

The Winner: A Tie

Scents

Tree Hut has luscious scents like Coconut Lime, Hawaiian Kukui, and Almond Honey. Avon's Mark brand comes in fresh blends like Lemon Sugar, Honey Jasmine, and Lime Lavender. My favorites are Tree Hut's Coconut Lime and Mark's Self Sanctuary Lemon Sugar. I have tried the other Tree Hut scents and all were amazing. I smelled the Lime Lavender Avon brand and thought it...

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Katrena says "Find Moon Phase Image for Any Date 1800-2199: Cool!" about Moon Phase Images Virtual Reality Web Site

Katrena — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:36:20 GMT

The Moon Phase Images Virtual Reality Web Site offers visitors the opportunity to find out the moon phase for dates between 1800 and 2199. According to the web site, the lunar images were created by R. Schmidt.

How It Works:

The home page shows a virtual image of the moon as it appears at the present time in universal time that is updated every four hours. Users may also choose to see the moon as it appears at another time by choosing:

Century
Year
Month
Day
Hour
Time Zone (Universal, Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific)

What I Like About This Web Site:

Easy navigation--users can go back and reset with another date quickly
Very simple--doesn't have advertisements or other topics
Easy to use--my 8-year-old learned how to use it in just a few minutes
Wide range of dates available
Seems to be accurate but I

What I Don't Like About This Web Site:

The default century is the 1900s
It doesn't list the name of the phase--just shows the picture

My Viewpoint:

My daughter has had an assignment to...

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Katrena says "104.7 fm Radio "The Fish" Has Great Christian Christmas Music" about 104.7 fm radio "The Fish" Web Site

Katrena — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:11:35 GMT

Radio stations don't like the area in which I live. I'm in a rural area where even cell phones often do not pick up. It's not unusual to see people walking around outside their homes when they try to talk on the phone. Radio? Well, if it's not clear, sometimes it's just not worth the effort...unless I try to pick up a station on the radio.

I love to listen to Christmas music. I came across the web site for 104.7 fm "The Fish" in Atlanta by accident, and I'm glad that I did. This Christian radio web site is very user friendly, and at this time they are playing all Christian Christmas music. I particularly enjoy listening to the Christian Christmas music, both older and newer songs, and this station is playing both. They are playing a few secular songs like Frosty and Sleigh Ride. They advertise that they are kid friendly, and so far I would agree with that.

I can easily find the area to click to listen to the station live, and I can also see the last 15 songs played. The song list has...

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GigiandAdonai says "Great for dancewear or for layering. " about Intimate Eve Camisole

GigiandAdonai — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:49:22 GMT

The Intimate Eve Cami came from Sears and I can't remember the last time I shopped at Sears. I was with a friend on Saturday and she was in search of the perfect petite-sized housecoat with snaps for her 88-year-old mother. None of the anchor stores at the mall sold them so they kept suggesting we go to Sears; which really was our last department store of choice when we had Belk, Dillards and JC Penneys but we headed to Sears and while on the way to the lingerie department I spotted the camisoles. I wasn't really shopping for anything and honestly, I wasn't in need of more camisoles but they were on sale so I got me two, a pink one and a white one.

I don't wear many of the nylon camisoles that were worn 20+ years ago. I like the sporty camisoles with the built-in shelf bra. Why? Because many of the dancers realized we could wear these as the outer garment during practice because it was like a tank-top but still added some support. Those of us who are flatchested aren't really...

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Meri says "overwhelmed and under manned..." about Sears Appliance Repair Service

Meri — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:42:21 GMT

We purchased all new kitchen appliances less than five years ago. They were all Kenmore products that we bought through Sears. We have had great luck with Kenmore appliances in the past and so we gave them our loyalty. It was not deserved loyalty however.

Several months ago we had to call the Sears Appliance Repair Service number to make an appointment as our dishwasher was not draining. We were given an appointment nearly three weeks into the future. The day arrived and the service tech man came and repaired the dishwasher at a tune of nearly $400. [if we had not let him repair it we would have had to pay a $65 service call fee] The dishwasher works fine again and all was well until our refrigerator went out.

One night I smelled an electrical fire smell. I went through the house trying to locate the source but couldn't find it. I decided maybe it had come in from outside. I went to bed. I noticed that the fridge was not staying cool and the food in the freezer side was thawing. I called...

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Meri says "love the concept- service needs improvement" about Primetime on Demand

Meri — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:18:42 GMT

I have Time Warner Cable, telephone and internet [roadrunner] service. One of the features of the cable service is Primetime on Demand. The concept of the free service is to make primetime television shows available for those who have missed episodes for whatever reason. I LOVE the idea. The service can use some improvement though as not all of the primetime shows are archived. This can get quite frustrating so you have to know which shows will be saved on the service and pick and choose which ones you view on live TV.

The Primetime on Demand service as it exists right now covers FX, NBC, CBS, and USA networks. ABC does NOT participate in the service. The number of shows listed vary between the networks. The great part about the service is that the shows are stored up to four weeks so you could even go back and watch four shows in a row if you wanted to.

In addition to Primetime on Demand TWC also has A&E on Demand, BBC on Demand and a few others. There is also a Free Movies on Demand...

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Meri says "worst phone I've ever owned" about Samsung - A737 Slider Cell Phone

Meri — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:51:44 GMT

A year and a half ago my son and I bought the same phone- the Samsung - A737 Slider Cell Phone in different colors. Neither one of us has been happy with them.

After we had the phones for a two days we took them back into the Best Buy where we had gotten the phones to trade them for different phones. We explained that the reception range was horrible on them and that we had too many dropped calls. The rep installed internal antennas [at our expense] to help with the range problem. It did seem to help for a while.

My son then went back to Utah to college and of course, I stayed here in Upstate, New York. We spent a few phone calls to each other complaining about the phones but decided to suck it up and deal with the problems. As soon as the 30 day exchange period expired the phones started acting up again. My son would complain that his battery would get really hot after speaking for a few minutes. I didn't believe him and thought he was exaggerating until my phone started doing the...

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Katrena says "Faded Glory Sleeveless Dress & Sweater Combo Has Pretty Style" about Faded Glory Sleeveless Dress and Sweater Combo

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:39:49 GMT

This Faded Glory Sleeveless Dress and Sweater Combo has a unique style with five layers cascading down, alternating white algodon with blue and white print fabric. Each layer also has a pretty patterned strip to separate the layers with a small lace ruffle at the bottom. Daisies encircle the bottom edge of the dress and a matching soft white cotton sweater can be worn with the dress.

I'm not sure on the price of this dress, but I thought it made a cute gift.

What I Like About the Dress:

It is a very pretty style that looks so cute!
The blue doesn't fade onto the white fabric.
The sweater is separate, so it can be worn sleeveless on really hot days.
This dress has been durable--my daughter loves to climb and crawl and usually puts her clothes to the test.

What I Don't Like About the Dress:

The daisies aren't sewn completely down and tend to curl up.
The dress and sweater both have tags--my 5-year-old absolutely HATES tags.

My Viewpoint:

I think this Faded Glory Sleeveless Dress and Sweater...

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