General Mills & MyGetTogether- Chex Mix party!

First, I want to apologize for not posting as often as I should be.  Now that I'm back at school, I (a) have a lot less free time than I did over the summer, and (b) don't get samples as often.  My mailing address at school is a PO Box, and since most companies won't mail samples to PO Boxes, I have to wait until I go home to get my mail.

Next week, I will be hosting a Chex Mix MyGetTogether, courtesy of General Mills.  For those of you that have heard of HouseParty, this is a similar event.  (However- I haven't yet been selected for a HouseParty; it seems much easier to participate through MyGetTogether.)  I've been sent a "Host Kit" containing materials for my party.  Specifically, I've been given

• 3 bags of Chex Mix- original, Turtle, and Honey Nut
• football-themed paper plates and napkins
• a nice Chex Mix-branded plastic bowl, to fill with snacks
• coupons to share with my guests

Wow!  All of that, for me to share with my friends.  How generous!  It is obvious to me that General Mills really cares about their brand and their reputation with consumers.

My party will be spread over a few days, as I normally have friends over throughout the week. Since General Mills wants these MyGetTogethers to spread information about their brand, I will be sharing the Chex Mix, etc., with different groups of my friends as they visit me over the course of a few days.

I've put together a mini-blog type thing to chronicle my preparations for this party; it's also where I will post pictures and comments after the big event.  You can find it here.  Please check it out and comment!!

From now on, I'll put forth more effort into maintaining regular posts on this blog.  Stay tuned for updates about my MyGetTogether as well as some new product reviews!

It's been a while...

I wanted to apologize for not posting in a while- I had a crazy end of the summer, and now that I'm back at school, while I will do my best to post often, my schedule is a lot more hectic than it was before.  However, I haven't given up on this blog, so I hope you continue to check back for new posts!

<3 Aliyah

Country Crock Original Butter

Rating: 9

I sampled Country Crock Original Butter as part of the Sam's Club open house this weekend. There were a lot of food samples, so many of my next posts will be reviews of these items.

The butter was served over corn. Unlike some butters that make food too greasy, Country Crock Original Butter imposed a sweet flavor on to the food. I can imagine it tasting great on anything from a bagel to other vegetables.

Since I do a lot of baking, I tend to buy sticks of butter and not tubs. However, if you are looking for a flavorful, sweet tub butter that won't make your food greasy, this is a must buy!

BzzAgent Campaign update - Orbit Gum

Rating (for the Orbit spearmint gum):  9

I was lucky enough to receive my Orbit Gum BzzKit early last week.  How generous- I got 5 packs of gum in 5 different flavors, as well as 6 BOGO coupons to give away to my friends.  BzzAgent relies on word-of-mouth marketing, so the campaigns are designed to facilitate conversations about the product.

I work at a day camp with a bunch of other college students or recent grads, and after lunch is the perfect time for gum.  I was able to share Orbit spearmint gum with my co-workers and give away the BOGO coupons, too.  It seems like Orbit will have some new customers!  I rarely ever chew gum, but even I love the long-lasting, sweet flavor of Orbit gum.  I liked that the gum did not lose its flavor too quickly, so it felt like a worthwhile product compared to some other gums.  The new retro package designs are cool, too- not necessarily a selling point for me, but nice if I was already going to purchase the product.

This BzzAgent campaign has been a really positive experience, and I'm looking forward to participating in more in the future!

You can reach the BzzAgent website by clicking on their button in the sidebar of my blog.  Let me know if you sign up!

EOS Shave Cream

Rating:  6

I was really looking forward to finding a shaving cream that doesn't make a mess all over the shower with crazy amounts of suds.  Unfortunately, EOS Shave Cream was not the one.

I sampled the pomegranate raspberry scent; many other scents are also available.

Instructed by the package to use a thin layer of the cream, I did just that- but found that I needed to use much more than that to make shaving comfortable.  The razor felt like I was dragging it against my skin instead of it sliding smoothly.  I normally just use soap for shaving, and I even found that better than using the EOS Shave Cream.

I did like the scent of the Shave Cream; it was nice to get out of the shower smelling fresh and fruity.  I like that EOS has products in unusual scents because it gives an interesting change to the monotonous routine of showering every day.

Unfortunately, this product did not perform as well as I expected it to; I will stick to my usual shaving cream or soap.

Monster High by Lisi Harrison

I'm a member of HipScouts, a program by Little, Brown and Company publishing that sends out ARC (Advanced Readers Copies) of young adult titles to be read and reviewed.  I'm going to post reviews of some of the books I receive through this program (as well as a similar program from another publisher).  Monster High will be available for purchase this September.  I do my best to keep spoilers out of my reviews!

Rating:  7

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and was excited to pick it up each evening.  I felt that the characters were well-represented and realistic (as "realistic" as monsters can be, anyway).  Even though I'm not in high school anymore, this book transported me back a couple of years and triggered many of the same emotions I felt then.  Lisi Harrison does a great job including just the right amount of information to keep the plot moving while also including important life lessons.  However, I felt that the book ended rather suddenly.  I was hoping that we would find out more of what happened after the dance, and instead, the ending was not satisfying.  It left me with a cliffhanger that I'm not sure needs to be satisfied with another entire book; we really just needed another chapter or two.

Update:  There will be a sequel to Monster High released in Spring 2011.

Houlihan's Salsa Cruda Bruschetta

Rating: 9

Some folks from Houlihan's stopped by the camp I work at this afternoon to drop off food and coupons for the staff. How nice! (Of course, they were soliciting- but who doesn't like free food, especially after an entire day of working outside?!)

The bruschetta is made with perfectly seasoned chopped tomatoes atop an herb cream cheese spread. I tend to find bruschetta too garlicky, but the seasonings on this were not too overpowering, and the tomato flavor was very prominent. The herb cream cheese added a nice, fresh touch and also prevented the bread from getting too soggy. Fresh, soft italian bread completed this wonderful bite. My only complaint would be that the end pieces had a lot less topping than the middle- but, it still tasted delicious! I would be sure to order this the next time I go to Houlihan's.