Smiley360 Review: Neosporin Eczema Essentials Pack

When Smiley360 emailed me about this review opportunity, I could not click the link fast enough. I have been wanting to try this product ever since it came out a few months ago but just never bit the bullet. Now they sent me my own box to try out :) It's not the nicest subject in the world, but i have really bad eczema on my hands. It gets so bad my doctor says it's borderline psoriasis and I'm really hoping it doesn't decide to cross that border any time soon. When my hands get bad, nothing helps me but prescription steroid cream. I have tried every over the counter lotion you can imagine and have never found anything that works without that prescription stuff. So I had high hopes for this kit - maybe I would finally have relief from a product I don't have to make a doctor's appointment to get.

First, some info about the product. Neosporin Eczema Essentials is a 3 piece kit that includes and anti-itch cream, daily body wash and moisturizing cream. The hydrocortisone anti-itch cream is only to be used a little here and there as needed while the other two are designed to use daily. The main ingredient of this kit is the moisturizing cream - this is the product that is supposed to heal the skin. When used according to the instructions, the product claims to restore visibly healthier skin in 3 days.

The only bad thing about this review opportunity was the timing. Typically my eczema isn't very bad during the summer because Florida is so humid. I've had this product for a couple of months now just waiting for a flare up to try it and man did I get one this week. I touch a lot of nasty dirty objects all day at work in the jewelry store. You wouldn't think a jewelry store would be a nasty place, but you are touching people's jewelry and watches all day and believe me ... people are gross when it comes to their jewelry. I have had to actually scrape thick layers of funk off the back of a watch just so I could get it open on numerous occasions. Anyway, add the increased amount of icky stuff I had to touch this week to the fact that I am honestly OCD about washing my hands and you get one heck of a painful eczema flare up.

Left Hand - Before

Right Hand - Before

I tried my best to get good before and after shots of my hands, but these were as good as I could get. I'm not sure if it really shows the pink splotchiness of my knuckles, so just know it is much worse than it looks here. Also, my right hand is always worse than my left hand. This was a particularly bad case - see those bleeding cuts? Those are from my skin becoming so hard and rough that it cracked and bled. Yeah ... it hurts. By the time I finally decided to use the lotion my hands were really sore and burning. Plus it just looks bad. I'm sure it grosses people out when I help them and they see my hands. It's one of those awkward moments where they wonder if it's contagious.

How did it perform?
So, I applied the moisturizing cream from the Neosporin Eczema Essentials kit. At first anything feels better than it did and for a few seconds I was excited...

Left Hand - After

Right Hand - After

Then the burning started. I toughed it out for a few minutes hoping it was just an initial shock to the skin, but it just didn't stop. It burned so bad that I had to hurry to rinse it off and look at how much worse my hands look! Because it irritated my skin so much it made the red more vibrant and intense. It just looked painful. I didn't have full relief until I got home from work a few hours later and slathered myself with the steroid cream. And just so you know, my hands looked 90% better by the next morning. That steroid cream is magical stuff for my hands.

I give this product 2 out of 5 stars. I had high hopes, but it just didn't hit the mark and ended up causing more pain. I gave it 2 stars because I will be the first to admit that my eczema is a very severe case, so if you had a more mild case it may very well help you. My flare up was just to much for this kit, so much so that I didn't even get to complete the full 3 day challenge. If your eczema isn't as bad as mine and you were looking for an otc relief product, this would still be worth a try. The whole kit sells for around $15 and is available at any drug store so it's hardly going to break the bank like a prescription might. For me though, I'll have to stick with my prescription :(

If you would like to try this product for yourself, go here to print a $3 off coupon. Hopefully you will have better luck than me.

*I received the Neosporin Eczema Essentials pack free from Smiley360 to facilitate my review, but all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and were not influenced in any way.

I Received my Neosporin Eczema Essentials Smiley Kit!

I was selected to try Neosporin's new Eczema Essentials kit as part of Smiley 360 :) I'm not sure if I have mentioned it all that much before (it's a little of an embarrassing topic), but I have fairly severe eczema on my hands, with a little bit on my knees and elbows. Occasionally it turns up in some random places as well. I'm excited to try this out, but since it's summer my skin has been really enjoying the extra humidity in the air. Is it bad to hope for an eczema outbreak so I can try this stuff for real?

I'm going to be giving this a thorough run through with before and after photos and everything, so stay tuned to the blog if you want to learn more about this promising stuff!

I Received My 5 Hour Energy Smiley Kit!

Hooray! I received this about a week or so ago, but it was lost in the pile on my desk :) I was chosen for the Smiley 360 mission to try out 5 Hour Energy. Lucky for me, I have been a long time user, so this was a nice opportunity to get a few free bottles! My husband was thrilled when I opened the box - he's an addict.

I'll be posting a full review here shortly, so stay tuned if you want to find out more about this great product!

I Was Selected To Try Neosporin Eczema Essentials!

Woo Hoo! Smiley360 offered me a trial of Neosporin's new Eczema Essentials pack and I delightfully accepted :) Gross as it sounds, I have pretty severe eczema on my hands to the extent that I would go to the dermatologist back when I had insurance and get prescription cream for it. It is a constant struggle to find any products that help nowadays. I still have some of my cream from the doctor left, but it will not last much longer and I don't have insurance right now to where I could go to the doc for another scrip. I have been very curious about this product ever since it was released a few months ago but I haven't bit the bullet to give it a try yet.

So, if you have eczema like me, stay tuned for my review coming up in about a month. In the meantime, you can get a $3 off coupon to try this out for yourself and get some relief before I get mine :)

Review: Arm & Hammer Sensitive Whitening Toothpaste

I was lucky enough to be chosen by Smiley360 to try out and review Arm & Hammer Sensitive Whitening Toothpaste :) I have been using the product for almost a full month now and I have to say I am in love! I'll admit, the taste of the toothpaste did take some getting used to. If you are expecting it to takes like other mint flavored products, you will be very disappointed. It is minty, but it's a much more subtly mint and it has a nice dose of baking soda flavor - not exactly everyone's favorite taste. After a few days of trying hard not to let the paste touch my tongue (I know -I'm like a 5 year old), I did become more accustomed to the taste and now I actually like it. I have plenty of other reasons to love this toothpaste though...

First of all, I have always had a problem with tooth sensitivity. I've had a lot of dental work done (believe me, I am not exaggerating) which has left me with major sensitivity to hot and cold, sweets, and even brisk wind sometimes. It's one of those things that you don't think about until it rears its ugly head and ruins your day by making you teeth hurt. Due to the fact that I have had so much done to my mouth, I am really particular about how I care for my teeth to make sure I don't have to endure everything all over again any time soon. This has made me a tooth brushing fanatic. Seriously, I own a Sonicare toothbrush and I brush my teeth for about 3 or 4 minutes morning and night. Yeah, I'm obsessive; but i have become addicted to that clean teeth feeling and that is exactly what I get with the Arm & Hammer toothpaste.

You know when you haven't been to the dentist in a while and you can feel grit when you run your tongue across the backs of your bottom front teeth? I can't be the only one who notices this and I absolutely hate the grit! It's like a constant reminder that your teeth could be much cleaner. This is the test that I put each toothpaste to - does it help with the gritty feeling whiles also freshening my breath? I have gone through a lot of different products and the Arm & Hammer wins this title hands down. I was previously using Crest ProHealth and Aquafresh Extreme Clean, but neither of those products got my teeth feeling as clean and as fresh as the Arm & Hammer. Thank you baking soda! It's kind of a weird thought, but this toothpaste does to my teeth what bar keeper's friend does to my stainless steel sink - it scrubs off the grime.

The other issue I am always having is that due to my crazy sensitivity, I can never use teeth whitening products. I have tried all kinds of different toothpastes and whitening strips as well as the expensive trays you get from the dentist and all of those products have left me with incredibly sore teeth for days afterward. I honestly have to let my teeth recover and only drink through straws for a few days or it can ruin my day fast. I was a little skeptical of this product claiming that it would also whiten my teeth, but after 1 month I really do see a difference in the color. See:

Consider yourselves lucky - I actually put on lipstick for this photo! Even with the lipstick on, my teeth still look nice and white - maybe not movie star white, but that are certainly not yellow. My teeth have never been too bad as far as their color, but I did have that yellowy ring down by my gum line and after using the Arm & Hammer toothpaste, that is almost completely gone! I have nice, even colored teeth :) I'm hoping to go bold with red lipstick soon (it would have looked silly with my outfit today) and I am confident that I will not look like I have nasty teeth while wearing it :) The nice part of the whitening in this tooth paste is that it also has Orajel in it - this is what makes it not hurt your teeth and I think that was a brilliant idea.

All in all, I think this is a great product. It cleans my teeth, freshens my breath, whitens my teeth and also keeps me from worrying about breathing with my mouth open :) If you are having any of the issues that I have, I definitely recommendn giving Arm & Hammer Sensitive Whitening Toothpaste a try!

*I was given a free tube of Arm & Hammer Sensitive Whitening Toothpaste from Smiley360 to facilitate my review, but the opinions expressed are 100% my own!

Smiley360 Mission: Arm & Hammer Sensitive Toothpaste

I got my newest Smiley Mission :)

I was given 1 large tube of Arm & Hammer Sensitive Whitening Toothpaste to try out myself and 4 small tubes to give away as samples to others :) I am really excited to give this a try because I have very sensitive teeth. I am constantly trying new toothpastes to see which one will actually help me out and I am really jazzed that it's the whitening variety as that is usually what causes so much irritation on my teeth. Oddly enough, my husband also has very sensitive teeth, so we are really the perfect testers for this product.

So stay tuned for my review coming up in a few weeks!

Not a member of Smiley360? Go here to sign up. It's free, and they send you products and special offers. You just have to try out products and spread the word :)

Eversave: Twilight Turtle Deal (So Cute!) $11 Shipped For New Members

Eversave has such a cute deal going on this week! You can get the Twilight Turtle - a plush turtle doll that projects stars on the ceiling and walls through its shell - for only $15 including shipping! Normally this super cute little guy sells for $34.99 plus the shipping, so this seems like a really good deal. And it's just so cute! You can even choose between a brown turtle or a pink one.

This deal is active for the next week, so you have plenty of time to grab it for yourself. Just think of what a cute baby shower gift this would be :)

Not a member of Eversave? Sign up here - it's free to join and you get a $4 credit just for signing up through that link :)

* I was given a $10 credit by Smiley360 to use on Eversave to get a deal of my choice. Though this helped in my purchase, I only bought this because I think it is genuinely cute :)

Simply Saline Neti Pot Review & Rebate Offer

Smiley360 was nice enough to offer me this great campaign to try the new Arm & Hammer Simply Saline Neti Pot Kit for free :) This is one of the perks of being a Smiley360 Agent :) So, in my kit, they sent me a mail in rebate with a pre-addressed envelope to send my rebate in. Tonight, I was finally able to find one (they are not stocked at Target, Winn Dixie, or CVS) at Publix and they had the Try Me Free rebates advertised on the boxes :)

At the bargain price of $9.99 (the rebate is valid for up to $14.99, so I was please to find it cheaper), this is what you get: a Neti Pot and 50 Simply Saline packets to use with it. I love that it came with so many packs, so I don't have to be stingy with when I use it. 

As a big proponent of the Neti Pot, I was excited to give it a try. My allergies have been acting up with the cold fronts coming through, so I needed a little relief. For those of you who have never used a Neti Pot before, you can watch this how to video. Basically, you use lukewarm water and mix in the packet. Then you tip the nozzle of the neti pot into your nose while you head is turn sideways leaning over the sink. You don't breathe it in, you just let the liquid flow through your nostril and come out the other side. I know it sounds gross, and believe me I was a hard sell at first, but I promise you it works incredibly well. It clears all the unwanted crud out of your nasal passage and helps keep you clear all day. The best part about a neti pot is that you can use it several times a day if you want to because it is not a pill or an invasive treatment. 

So, hurry out and try this great new neti pot on the market. I have used other brands before, and I have to say I really like this one the best. And be sure to look for the Try Me Free stickers on the box so you can get your money back on your purchase :)

Redbox 12 Days of Deals

Redbox is starting a great promotion today :) For the next 12 days, you can text FUN  to 727272 once a day  and in return you will get a code good for 25¢ to $1.00 off a one night rental :)

I got a jump on this thanks to Smiley360 :) As a Smiley Agent, I was given a free one night rental in return for telling you about this promotion. If you want to have offers like this for yourself, you can sign up here for Smiley360. It's free to join and give you offers like this all the time :)

So, don't forget to text once each day to get your Redbox codes :)

Have You Joined Smiley360 Yet?

Smiley360 is a great survey company to be a member of. They will periodically send you emails about available surveys and product trials. In exchange for your participation, you will earn points that can be redeemed for all kinds of things :)

If you are a fan of surveys, this is a legit company that delivers for you as the participant. Head over to Smiley360 today and sign up!