Tresemmé Beauty-Full Volume Shampoo

I really enjoyed using this shampoo. I used it in conjunction with the pre-wash conditioner (step 1) which left my hair soft and smooth and ready for the shampoo.

I loved the smell of this shampoo. It has a fresh, clean scent that lingers in my hair. 

The shampoo has a nice consistency. It is not too thin or too thick. The shampoo lathers so well and makes me feel like I am getting a really good clean. The product rinses easily and completely from the hair after lathering. 

I tend to avoid volumizing products as I have frizzy hair, however, to my surprise this shampoo did not make my hair any frizzier. It did have more volume but it was easily manageable. I found that my hair felt so much lighter even when it was wet. Overall, I liked this shampoo and would continue to use it.

I received free full size products from Glam Sense to facilitate this review.

Tresemmé Beauty-Full Volume Pre-Wash Conditioner

Tresemmé has a new line of products called Beauty-Full Volume.  The system I tried had three components: Pre-Wash Conditioner, Shampoo and Volume & Softness Hair Maximizer.

The pre-wash conditioner is the first step followed by the shampoo and then the maximizer.

I had never tried a pre-wash conditioner before so this was a new experience for me. First of all, I loved the smell of this product! It was such a fresh and clean scent. I have below shoulder length hair and found that I needed about 4 pumps of the product to cover my hair.

The fact that this product comes in a pump bottle is a huge bonus as it makes it so much easier to dispense. After I had wet my hair with water I applied this product. I then waited one minute and rinsed the product out. I found that when this pre-wash conditioner was in my hair, my hair felt so soft and smooth. I was really impressed!

This product was the perfect consistency; it wasn't too thin and wasn't too thick. It was easy to apply to the hair and it rinsed out well. Overall, I would continue to use this product as part of the volume system.

I received free full size products from Glam Sense to facilitate this review.

Butterscotch Pudding Cookies

I came across a recipe on line to make butterscotch pudding cookies.  The cookies turned out well but the dough was so stiff and hard to work with.

 I decided to modify my favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe and created these butterscotch pudding cookies.

Butterscotch Pudding Cookies

1 cup butter (or margarine)
1 1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 box instant butterscotch pudding mix (113g)
1 1/4 cups butterscotch chips

Directions:
1.  In a bowl combine butter and brown sugar.  Mix well.
2.  Add egg and vanilla until well combined.
3.  Stir in flour, baking soda, salt and butterscotch pudding mix and mix until combined.
4.  Mix in butterscotch chips.
5.  Drop by tablespoon full onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Flatten tops slightly before baking.
5.  Bake in a 350 F oven for about 10 minutes.

Yield: about 3 1/2 dozen

Happy New Year

Wishing you all the best for this New Year 2016!

Merry Christmas

Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  I trust you have a wonderful Christmas and take time to reflect on the true meaning of the season.  Merry Christmas!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge Bars

These bars are simple to make using a boxed cake mix.  They are rich and satisfy a sweet tooth!

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix (I used Duncan Hines, 515g)

1 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

10 tbsp. margarine or butter, melted

2 eggs

1 can sweetened condensed milk (300 ml)

1 3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1.  In a bowl combine cake mix, peanut butter, margarine and eggs.
2.  Set aside 1 1/2 cups of this batter.
3.  Spread remaining batter into an ungreased 9" x 13" pan.  Spread batter partially up sides of pan as well.
4.  For filling, combine condensed milk and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and melt mixture in microwave for about 1 minute.  Stir until smooth.
5.  Pour filling over crust.
6.  Drop remaining reserved batter mixture on top of filling.
7.  Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes.

Olay Total Effects 7 in 1 Anti-Aging Moisturizer

I received a sample of the Olay Total Effects 7 in 1 Anti-Aging Moisturizer to review.  I received a 15ml sample size which is a new size that will be available in stores in February 2016. 

The moisturizer easily dispenses from the pump which allows for an easy and clean application.  The product is more of a cream consistency and is lightly fragranced.  

This moisturizer claims to fight seven signs of aging:

1. Visibly smoothes fine lines and wrinkles
2. Evens skin tone appearance
3. Enhances brightness
4. Minimizes the look of pores
5. Visibly reduces age spots
6. Restores firmness
7. Replenishes moisture

After having used this product for 2 weeks I can honestly say I did not see all of the above results.  I did find that the moisturizer evened out my skin tone.  My skin tone was less red than usual and more uniform.  I also found the moisturizer did replenish moisture and left my skin nicely hydrated.  

As for the other benefits, I did not see any results.  I have very fine lines around my eyes but saw no change.  My skin still seemed to have a dull appearance.  I have large pores in the cheek area close to my nose but didn't find they were minimized with the use of this product.  I didn't notice any change in the firmness of my skin.  I actually don't have age spots yet so I can't really comment on that aspect.

Perhaps with continued use of this product I would see more of the claimed benefits.

I do suffer from oily, acne prone skin.  I'm happy to report that my skin did not get any oilier than usual but I did develop a few pimples while using this product.  Maybe it was too rich for my skin or maybe I was going to get those pimples regardless of what I used.

My final opinion on this product is that it is an excellent moisturizer but not a good anti-aging moisturizer.  I would recommend it as a good every day moisturizer but would skip it for its anti-aging benefits.

I received a free sample size of this product from BzzAgent to facilitate this review.