Samantha on the Prairie

BzzAgent sent me a review kit for MidNite Sleep Aid . I don't usually take anything to help me sleep except an occasional Benedryl , but I have had trouble sleeping in the past and didn't know how to deal with it. My kit included: A full sized 30-count package of MidNite 2-count samples of MidNite to share with friends Coupons good for $2-off any 28-count or larger MidNite product Going through cancer and surgeries and the extended hospital stays took a toll on my sleep health. During those times, I tried Ambien , but that didn't help provide good sleep and I sleep talked and even woke up to find myself drinking water (it splashed all over my face). I even participated in a sleep study for cancer survivors, which helped a little bit but required some interaction after a meditation period that generally woke me back up. The routine was also not ideal for nighttime awakening. I took a look at what MidNite claimed before deciding to try it. I don't want to take so...

I have course, thick, wavy hair that's hard to tame, so I usually rely on a flat iron to keep it smooth between washings. Over the years, I've owned five or six irons, all different brands, and all except this one, the usual Target or Walmart variety ($20-30 price point). In the past, I was always complaining to my husband that either the iron handle gets too hot, or I can't get a good smooth look without several passes, which is time consuming, or my hair gets caught between the plates and handle pieces. At the salon, my stylist can straighten my hair quickly, without catching my hair, burning her hands, or frying my hair, so a few months ago, I decided it was time for something much better. I just never expected something THIS nice. As a gift, my husband got this limited edition flat iron from GHD during a Woot special. Anyhow, what I like about this flat iron is that it gets super hot, heats up quickly, beeps to say it's ready (this is really useful), the casi...

Normally I use this blog to review products that benefit my skin or hair, but I just have to rave about something a little (not a lot) stinky - alpaca poop. Yes. Alpaca poop. My friend and his family run a small farm with several adorable alpacas. They offer alpaca manure for a very reasonable price, so I picked up a bucket for my small summer garden. My biggest problem with my potted plants has been weeds. It seems like the birds are dropping seeds in the pots constantly, so I'm pulling the little things every day. I also was worried about insects and keeping the soil moist under the hot summer sun. I'm good about feeding my plants properly, keeping them watered, checking the soil, and pruning, but I felt like these guys needed something extra and it turns out what they needed was manure from the  Pauley Alpaca Company . You can see below how beautiful my plants are. Just a week ago, they were noticeably smaller. The soil was drying out quickly, and I was weeding con...

My sister is visiting for a few weeks and brought with her everything from her dorm. Though she doesn't often wear makeup, I noticed she's been using Revlon ColorStay foundation and decided to try it. I've been struggling with the right tone for my skin lately with everything looking too beige or too dark. Some foundations look like I slathered paste on my face or rub off all over the place. The Revlon ColorStay foundation I used was "ivory" and meant for normal/dry skin and it looked exactly how I wanted it too. My skin looked smooth, fresh, and younger. I'm thrilled! When I tested it out, it was around 10pm and I wore it to bed. The photo below is from this afternoon, before washing it off, so about 18 hours after applying it. Amazingly, it looks just like how I applied it last night. It truly is "colorstay." One thing I really like is that I didn't use a primer or concealer or moisturizer before applying it. What you see is just f...

BzzAgent sent me Dr. Scholl's for Her High Heel Insoles to try with my shoes. They're designed for heels at least 2" tall, helping to shift the pressure off the ball of the foot, which is my biggest complaint when wearing heels. The insoles come in this pretty secure plastic packaging that I found quite difficult to open. I went at it with scissors but kept worrying I'd cut through the very clear (hard to see while cutting) insoles. Since I'm a big fan of good package design, this crazy one irked me. I think there's a way to pull off the back, but I couldn't figure it out. My first thought was to try them in a particularly uncomfortable pair of Mary Jane's (the green shoes below). You can see they are fairly stiff leather with a high chunk heel. The insoles fit well in the shoe and were easy to properly place, but my foot didn't fit without a squeeze! Totally uncomfortable. I really wanted the Dr. Scholl's insoles to work, so I gave...

I shop at Target a lot, often enough that my preschooler tells me which doors to go in for groceries or household products. We're fans of Method, mainly because the prices are low and the product packaging is really cool. Since we're on a "buy healthier" kick, I decided to try Method's All-Purpose Cleaner in Pink Grapefruit scent. I keep this cleaner primarily on the first floor, usually under the kitchen sink. Most nights, I use it to quickly clean off the counters and the stovetop, but at least once a week, I also use it on the bathroom mirrors and sometimes the tile floors for quick clean up jobs. It's fantastic for cleaning off the top of the washer and dryer, and honestly does an amazing job on my dining room table without destroying the wood. I was pretty happy with this cleaner until a couple nights ago when my husband noticed that there's a slightly sticky residue on the counters after I clean. Bummer! I tested it out to make sure it was th...

It's been two weeks since I colored my hair with Vidal Sassoon Pro Series hair color in 5C Medium Cool Brown . I admit that I didn't like that my hair wasn't as soft and smooth but the color seemed like a good match to my natural color and took well. In my entire history of coloring my hair, except when using rich red or true black, I either end up with the color not taking at all (rarely) or the color lasting about 4-6 weeks before notably fading. My experience with VS Pro Series is an exception in that it lasted about a week before looking kind of blah. You can see in the picture above that some of the brown is still there, and it does continue to look pretty good near the ends, but the areas around the side and front have mostly faded away. This is funny since I only shampoo twice a week, use a gentle product, and have tried to avoid washing the more faded areas as much as the rest. I was on the fence about using this brand again, but now definitely won't try...