Protect Your Little Ones From Mosquitoes This Summer With Fairy Tales Bug Bandit Spray

It's that time of year again where we have to make sure we stay hydrated, wear sunscreen, take safety precautions with the high temperatures, and protect ourselves from those pesky mosquitoes. We have had more than our fair share of rain this year and with the extra rainfall comes the abundance of mosquitoes. I am very particular when I let my little boy go outside in the evening when the mosquitoes are most active, because he gets attacked like crazy. It's not unusual to see those enormous red patches all over his skin. 

It is essential that I use a good mosquito repellent on him. I received a bottle of Fairy Tales Bug Bandit DEET-Free Bug Spray to test out. This product does not contain chemicals or pesticides. It has a blend of lemon eucalyptus, soybean oil, and citronella to proved hours of protection against mosquitoes, fleas and no see-ums. 

As a mom, I love the idea of insect repellent that is free of harsh chemicals, toxins, parabens, and sulfates. Even better for those with allergies, it is also free of dairy, gluten and nuts. I have been using it on William for about a week and it has been working amazingly well. The one mistake I made the other day was not applying it to his neck. He was fine everywhere else, but the mosquitoes are so bad that they found his neck and had at it (sad face). I learned my lesson and sprayed some product on my hands and rubbed it along his neck for extra protection. I really appreciate that it does not leave a lingering pesticide odor and is very effective. You can't really put a price tag on protecting your little ones and this product is well worth it!

Fairy Tales Bug Bandit has become a summer must have! Even my husband uses it when he goes outside to work in the yard towards the evening hours. You can find Fairy Tales Bug Bandit on their website, at salons, specialty stores and retailers across the U.S.. An 8-ounce bottle retails for $13.95. Be sure to follow Fairy Tales Hair Care on Facebook and Twitter for product promotions and updates.

I received a product sample in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own as always. 

Hard Candy Brow Ink Review

I am sure by now most of you have seen the latest beauty trend-- eyebrow enhancing. Some use products to fill in thin brows while others take it to the extreme. I personally go for a polished look and prefer natural looking brows. I got my eyebrows threaded a few months ago and after the process was over, the technician applied a brow filler. I really loved the look because it was super natural yet slightly dramatic (if that makes sense). I have never used any eyebrow filler in my whole life, but since then, I've been intrigued.

I have been seeing ads for kits that go up to $50. No way. I refuse to invest that kind of cash into a basic product. Today I want to share a new product from Hard Candy called Brow Ink. It is actually a brow stain. No lie, the word stain scared me a bit.

This product comes in a fun, contemporary looking tube. It comes in 2 colors: 1108 Light Medium and 1004 Medium Dark. I tried the medium dark since I am a brunette. When you open it, you will find a long, slender wand with ultra fine bristles.

This Brow Ink comes in a gel formula and instantly darkens and defines your brows. It has Henna Fruit Actives that nourish hair while the Longwear Ink Technology transforms brows that stay in place for 24 hours and is waterproof. 

I found the product very easy to use and it really does what it supposed to. One tip I will offer is that you should not press down too much when you apply. You will end up with too much product in one spot. If that happens you can easily use your finger to blend it in. 

The end result is a fuller, natural brow look. It does not smudge at all and does not come off until you remove it. Want to hear the best part? It costs only $6 and can be purchased at Walmart and Walmart.com. I still can't believe how good it is considering the low price tag. Seriously, it is worth a try and I highly recommend you give it a shot. If you try it out, please let me know how it worked for you.

Be sure to check out Hard Candy at their website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for beauty tips and product updates.

I received product in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own as always.  

Dove Beauty Bars - A Must-Have For Radiant Summer Skin (Giveaway)

Can you believe that today is the first day of June? Although the official summer season has not started, the temperature says otherwise. It is already blazing hot out and this means many of us are wearing shorts, tank tops, and sundresses. It is important to me that my skin always looks and feels good, especially when more of it can be seen. One of my summer beauty must-haves is a classic item, the Dove White Beauty Bar. It's a very effective way to get your skin looking and feeling smooth and moisturized for the season.

Dove Beauty Bars are not soap. While soap strips skin of essential nutrients, Dove replenishes them. It is renowned for its 1/4 moisturizing cream and contains natural skin lipids that deposit onto the skin. It contains a blend of very mild cleansers so your skin isn't being stripped or dried out. With all of the trips to the pool, beach, and other outdoor adventures, Dove beauty bars will help replenish your sun-drenched skin. It is also the #1 recommended bar by dermatologists.

Dove makes a variety of beauty bars, but the classic White Bar is my favorite. Are you ready to get your skin summer-ready? Enter below for a chance to win a Dove Beauty Bar prize pack. One winner will receive 3 2-packs.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This giveaway is open to U.S. Residents only and will end on June 14, 2016. Be sure to follow rules in Rafflecopter. One winner will be chosen and contacted via email to claim prize. Mom Files is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!

I received product samples for review purposes. All opinions are my own as always.

Sriracha | A must-have in my kitchen

I have talked about my must-have staples in my spice cabinet before, but I left out something very important... sriracha. Sriracha is a sweet, tangy paste made with sun-ripened chili peppers, garlic, vinegar, sugar and salt. I love it SO much. I use it on and in just about everything savory. There is something so perfect about the balance of heat, garlic and chili that makes it irresistible. I think from getting more "mature", I can't seem to handle very spicy, hot condiments like I used to.

It's amazing how a few squirts of sriracha can transform a dish. My husband isn't quite sold and still prefers the traditional West Indian pepper sauce. I need to find sriracha in mini-bottles so I can stash one in my purse! I am serious :-)

Are you a sriracha fan?

My spice cabinet must-haves

Today I wanted to share my go-to seasonings and spices that I use all the time. I have so many people ask me what I season my dishes with so I figured I would post about it. My number one item is my Badia Complete Seasoning. I use it in all of my savory dishes including meat, poultry, fish, beans, rice and pasta.  It has a lot of Caribbean and Spanish flavor. I must have garlic powder (as well as my fresh garlic) and Badia makes a great one. Badia products can be found at Kroger, Publix, Food Lion and some Walmart stores (in the event you wanted to check them out for yourself). I also love my fine sea salt and black pepper grinder. I love the multi-colored peppercorns too. They have a very unique taste and is a little less peppery.

For additional flavor and color, I love my Tony Chachere's and Goya Sazon. I do have a number of other items in my spice cabinet but I tend to have my favorites that I use most often. I can't forget my other staples- fresh onion, garlic, scallions and cilantro. So there you have it! What are your favorite spices and seasonings?

He's old school and not changing one bit

If you have been an active Momfiles reader then you might know that Dwayne and I are very old school. I however know when to get with the times. For example, these are my ear buds. They are cute, small and can fit in my pocket.

Here is Dwayne's version~ the bulky headphones. He has had them since about 1996. It finally came apart a week ago and he was heartbroken.

He went and bought new headphones. They are HUGE. It is like he specifically needed to seek out the biggest ones he could find. Not only is it enormous but it also has a 50 foot cord attached! WTH!?

You can compare the size of the old ones with his new ones. My husband takes old school to his own ridiculous level. Oh and he likes to listen to his cassette tapes from his boom box with these. He has even tried plugging this thing into his BlackBerry! bahahaha!

I did go and buy him some plain ear buds for his phone so he doesn't look like a fool. Bless his heart, what do I do with him? ;)

I'm a Carmex Blog Squad member! {Closed}

**Contest Closed**
Winner is #177 miss ahsia~ Congratulations!!

I am so excited to be an official Carmex Blog Squad member! Of course you all know we have some serious Carmex fans in our household. We have been loyal users for over 10 years now and can't go a day without the stuff! I was very happy to hear that Carmex came out with 2 new skin products, Carmex Healing Lotion and Healing Cream. I have some serious issues with dry skin especially when the seasons change and in the colder weather months. I also have super dry hands from all the hand washing I do all day long. I tried out the Healing Lotion on my legs and arms and really loved the feel and smell- Not heavy or greasy but just enough of an emollient feel. The scent is subtle and almost reminds me of playdough (in a good way). My 16 year old took the travel size tube of lotion to practice on Friday and the whole volleyball team was raving about how cool it was that Carmex makes lotion and how nice it smelled and felt. Needless to say her travel tube is empty! You can purchase the lotion and cream at Walgreens and Drugstore.com. It runs for about $5.99 and that is not bad at all!

Since my family already was VERY familiar with the traditional Carmex lip products (tubes, jars and sticks) we were eager to test out the Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm especially with the hint of color. I grabbed the peach tinted one and I really love how subtle the color was as well as the deep moisturized feeling my lips had. It was not greasy or heavy at all and lasted for a few hours. I really love how the tube looks like a lipgloss/ lipstick. Very girly and pretty :) I think these are great as add-on gift for teenage girls as well as stocking stuffers.

I was squealing like a girl when I received a package from Carmex that contained this cute (and big) travel bag.

When I opened the bag and found all of these goodies I was giddy with excitement and my kids were calling dibs on what they wanted. This fantastic kit came with an assortment of Carmex Lip Balm tubes, sticks and jars as well as 3 Carmex Moisture Plus sticks and one each of the Healing Lotion and Healing Cream. The bag is nice and roomy and it came with 2 cute zipper pouches perfect for all your travel beauty essentials. This kit is valued at $53 and guess what? I get to give a kit away to one lucky Momfiles reader!


Here is how to enter:
*Mandatory: Please tell us if what Carmex products you would like to try. Already a Carmex fan? What is your favorite Carmex product?

For additional entries (leave a separate comment for each entry to count):
~ "like" Carmex and Momfiles on Facebook
~ Follow Carmex and Momfiles on Twitter
~ Tweet this giveaway (once per day)- Enter to win a big @CarmexLipBalm kit from @momfiles http://blog.momfiles.com/2010/10/im-carmex-blog-squad-member.html #giveaway
~ Mention this giveaway on Facebook
~ Sport the Momfiles button on your blog
~ Follow Momfiles through Google Friend Connect

This contest is open to US residents only and will end on November 8, 2010 at 9:00 pm EST. Please leave a visible email address if you do not have a Blogger profile. Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be emailed. Good luck to everyone!

Disclosure: I received a Carmex travel kit as compensation for my post and hosting giveaway. All opinions are my own.