Frederic Fekkai Shampoo & Conditioner Review

I am a BzzAgent and as such I am sometimes sent products to test and review. If you don't know what BzzAgent is check out my review here.
I was thrilled when a box arrived last month with full size bottles of Frederic Fekkai Shampoo and Conditioner for me to try!

I am a girly girl at heart and love trying new beauty products so I excitedly popped these open.

Here's the verdict:

I was sent the Glossing Shampoo & Conditioner which did exactly what they say they will do: they made my hair shiny and super healthy looking. The shampoo and conditioner are made with real olive oil so they make the hair shiny and healthy by improving the quality of the hair, not by covering the hair shaft in silicone like some other glossing products do. These are conditioning so they are a bit heavy for my oily hair, but I solved this by only conditioning the ends of my hair, leaving my scalp alon so my hair doesn't get flat.

My hair was really soft. I didn't expect this but the Glossing Shampoo & Conditioner made my hair so touchable and soft, I just wanted to pet myself. Even during the day it was soft and stayed untangled.

The Glossing Shampoo & Conditioner rinsed out cleanly and smelled great. They don't have a heavy perfume-y smell and have a soft pleasant scent instead.

This is a salon line by renowned stylist Frederic Fekkai and you can buy it in salons, online at the Fekkai website, and at specialty retailers like Ulta, but it's also in drugstores. I think that it's great that this line is available in drugstores so I can use my Rite Aid +Ups or CVS ExtraBucks to pay for them! The bottles retail at $21 for 8oz or $35 for 16oz. Now, that is more expensive than I usually would pay but you don't use much and it will last. I think that the products are definitely worth a try because any beauty product that works for you and keeps your hair healthy, shiny, and soft is one you want to have around.

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How I'm Saving Today

I did some sale-rack early Christmas shopping as I perused the sale racks at Ann Taylor Loft and found some great gifts for my sister (and a dress for myself). I got them all at a great price and I really think that my sister will love the gifts. I'll be honest and say that the dress wasn't in my budget and was a definite impulse buy but luckily I am so frugal that $30 is considered a splurge (on sale from $90 I might add) and I have already worn it twice so I think it was worth it. Also, I did a mystery shop this week and had a very nice dinner with my husband which we will get paid $15 for! I did some minimal grocery shopping this weekend to get some great stock up deals and fixins for the turkey I made this weekend, but it was less than $25. To top off the week I got a red light camera ticket so I guess that this was not much of a saving week. I tried to be frugal about my purchases, didn't eat out, and did a mystery shop, but the unexpected ticket is a budget buster. Better luck next week I hope!

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Cash in My Mailbox: Ebates

Aww Yeah! I love cash in my mailbox! Well, not cash per se. A check actually. It's safer to send in the mail that way.

Where did I get this check from? The magical check fairy? Nope. Ebates!

My favorite cash back site is Ebates. Just log onto the Ebates site, find the participating store you are shopping at, and click the Ebates link to get to the site. Then shop as normal and you will automatically get up to 25% back on your purchase, though most stores average about 5% cash back. They even have some promotions where you can get double cash back. Sign up through the link below and get $5 automatically as a signup bonus! Ebates works with a long list of well known companies so you will likely find the store you are looking for. Additionally, they also include promotion codes which you can you at online stores in addition to getting cash back through Ebates. Your cash back is based on the price you pay after the promotion code.

I personally have been paid a few times by Ebates for my online shopping. They send you a check every three months automatically and there is no minimum that you have to accrue before they send you your money. Today's check in the mail was for $8.42 but every little bit helps! With my first purchase Ebates also sent me a $10 gift card to Target as my signup bonus and this is still available so jump on it!

I have tallied up all the money I have made so far this year from small checks like this Ebates one and so far I have made $346.53 since June! Those small amounts earned from online surveys, cash back shopping, and sending in rebates really add up! Take that debt!

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Saveology Deal: Get 2 Movie Tickets at Fandango for $12!

I love going to the movies but I hate paying $10 for a movie ticket, or $11.50 each if you use Fandango (including the processing fee). But I love getting half price deals for movie tickets from daily deal sites! This is a great way to enjoy going to the movies and not busting your budget.

Today Saveology is running a deal for 2 movie tickets from Fandango (a $24 value) for just $12! You can score the deal here.

Here's the fine print:

Limit 2 deals per household
Promo codes to Fandango expire 1/14/12
Excludes IMAX movies

Looks like 3D movies are not excluded so this is a great way to get those super-expensive 3D movie tickets on the cheap! The voucher will give you a $12 credit toward your movie ticket so those $14.50 3D tickets will only be $2.50 extra (or $8.50 including the cost of the voucher).

Your voucher will be emailed to you the day after you buy it online.

Hurry! This deal ends at 1am EST 11/15/11.

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Couponing Basics: Part III: Organization is Key

Organization is key for couponers. If you can't find the coupon you need, then its worthless. There are a few methods of coupon organization out there but my preferred method is using a coupon binder divided by sections.

Coupon binders are easy to make, easy to use, and work well to organize coupons you get from sources other than newspaper inserts. The binder is divided by sections according to grocery aisles, types of products, etc. The binder can be carried with you to the store which allows you to take advantage of deals on the fly. The other popular method for coupon organization is by organizing whole inserts from the newspaper by date and clipping only those coupons which you need for your shopping trip. You can find more info on the whole insert organization method here.

I use the categories which are on the Krazy Coupon Lady website here. I printed out the sheets and put them in plastic sleeves, then put those sleeves into a standard three ring binder. Then I got trading card plastic sleeves (pictured below) and put them into the binder to hold and organize my coupons. To make it easy to flip to the right category, I put plastic label tabs on the divider sheets and organized the sections into the approxmate order in which I walk down the aisles at my local Safeway.

Yes, I take my binder to the store with me. It is easy to sift through my binder to find the coupons I need and I have some extra plastic sleeves in the front to hold stock up prices, a pen, and the coupons I am using for my purchase. I also keep store policies at the back of my binder. These store policies are useful to have on hand in case the clerk does not want to take your coupons or is not well versed in the store's coupon policy.

Check back next week and I'll discuss how to strategically shop with coupons to get rock bottom prices!

Next Post: Couponing Basics Part IV: Coupon Matchups

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Get Designer Fashions and Accessories on HauteLook for up to 75% off!

I am broke. And need new boots. Seriously, my taupe flat boots that I bought from Old Navy a few years ago and I *love* have a hole in the toe and the sole is wearing out. Sigh. So I started poking around online for boots that were comparable but of better quality, leather preferably, so they last longer. But I really didn't want to spend a lot either. What's the answer to getting high quality boots for a low price? Hautelook!

Hautelook is a deals site that offers designer fashion, accessories, beauty, and home products for women, men, and kids at up to 75% off. The sales last only a few days and the site is free to join! This is a fantastic way to get great gifts on the cheap as well as get designer clothes for non-designer prices. And, unlike many daily deal sites, they allow returns for credit or a full refund. To sign up click here .

To sweeten the deal, PlumDistrict is offering a voucher for $50 worth of goods at Hautelook for just $25! Combine that with the 10% off PlumDistrict promo code "fabulous" and it's only $22.50! PlumDistrict is a daily deal site geared toward moms that offers daily local and national deals for kids, women, and home. I am not a mom but I have already bought three deals from them for home goods from One Kings Lane and beauty products from Bloom. It's free to sign up and you can get a free $5 credit using this link.

I took full advantage of the Plum District deal and snagged these glorious Report leather boots on Hautelook for just $38 including shipping! You can get some great deals too but hurry because the Plum District deal is only good for 4 more days and the sales on Hautelook change every few days and quantities are limited. The Report boot sale ends tomorrow but there are plenty of other sales available.

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Free box of Nature's Path granola bars!

Oh how I love granola bars! Such a perfect, portable and healthy snack!

And they are often so cheap with coupons! But what's better than cheap? Free!

Vote for your favorite new flavor of Nature's Path granola bars and enter to win a $500 Whole Foods gift card, plus they will send you a free sample box of Nature's Path granola bars. Yum! Go over here to get your free sample.

Thanks Common Sense With Money!

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Best Deals at Rite Aid This Week: October 30- November 5

Below are some coupon matchups for this week's Rite Aid deals. Remember to roll your +UPs to spend less out of pocket by breaking your purchase into a few transactions and using the +UPs from the first to pay for the later transactions.

Remember to sign up for the Wellness Plus card and use it to get +UP Rewards to spend in the store as well as discounts when you accumulate points. The great thing about Rite Aid is that they allow you to stack a Rite Aid Store Coupon with a Rite Aid Video Values Coupon (http://riteaid.adperk.com) as well as a Manufacturer Coupon. Rite Aid also has Single Check Rebates (SCR) on lots of items every month which only requires you to enter your receipt number online and they mail you a check at the end of the month. So stacking coupons x3 + SCR= tons of savings!

Hurry over to the Rite Aid Facebook Page today and like them to get a $5 off coupon for Nature Made Fish Oil capsules. These will be on BOGO next week and you can pair this coupon with a manufacturer's coupon for a great deal! I take fish oil capsules every day for the Omega-3 acids which are good for my skin and heart, plus the fish oil helps my eyes not to be so dry.
Thanks to Common Sense With Money for the tip!

Bufferin $6.99
Buy 1, Submit for $6.00 Single Check Rebate
Use $3.00/1 Bufferin product, any 130 ct. from SS 10/16
Pay $3.99, Submit for $6.00 Single Check Rebate
Final Price: $2.01 Moneymaker!

Crest Toothpaste, Oral B Advantage, Complete, or 3D Manual Toothbrush $2.69
Use $2.00/1 Crest Complete Toothpaste, Scope Dual Blast Rinse, Oral-B Complete Floss, or Oral-B Complete Toothbrush from SS 9/11
Or $0.75/1 Crest Toothpaste, 4 oz. or more or Liquid Gel from PG 10/16
Or $1.00/1 Crest Toothpaste, 4 oz. or more or liquid gel, excludes Crest Cavity, Baking Soda, Tartar from PG 10/2
Or $0.50/1 Crest Toothpaste, 4 oz. or more, or liquid gel from PG 10/2
Or $1.00/1 Crest Toothpaste, 4 oz. or more or liquid gel, excludes Crest Cavity, Baking Soda, Tartar from PG 10/30
Or $0.50/1 Crest Toothpaste, 4 oz. or more, or liquid gel from PG 10/30
Or $0.75/1 Oral-B Pulsar, 3D White, Pro-Health or Complete .75/1 or any (2) Indicator or Cavity Defense Manual Toothbrush from PG 10/2
Final Price: $0.12 Moneymaker!

Mentos UP2U Gum $1.00
Use $1/1 Mentos UP2U from SS 10/9
Final Price: Free!

Pantene Shampoo, Conditioner, or Stylers $3.50
Buy 2, Receive $2.00 +Up Reward
Use $3.00/2 Pantene products, excludes trial size from RP 9/25
Pay $4.00, Receive $2.00 +Up Reward
Final Price: $2 ($1 each)

Herbal Essences or Aussie Shampoo, Conditioner, or Stylers $2.99
Buy 1, Receive $1.00 +Up Reward
$1.00/1 Herbal Essence or Aussie product from PG 10/30
Pay $1.99, Receive $1.00 +Up Reward
Final Price: $0.99

Glucerna Hunger Smart Snack Bars $4.99 – great for diabetics!
Buy 1, Receive $1.00 +Up Reward , Limit 4
Use $3.00/1 Glucerna Hunger Smart product, any LIMIT 1 coupon per transaction from SS 10/2
Pay $1.99, Receive $1.00 +Up Reward
Final Price: $.99

Downy or Bounce Fabric Softener or Tide $5.99
Or $0.50/1 Downy liquid fabric softener or dryer sheets from PG 10/30
Or $0.75/1 Bounce product from PG 10/2
Or $0.50/1 Bounce product from PG 10/30
Or $0.50/1 Tide detergent from RP 9/25
Or $0.50/1 Tide Detergent from RP 10/23
Or $0.50/1 Tide Detergent, Downy or Tide Stain Release from PG 10/2
Or $1.00/2 Tide Detergents, Downy, Tide Stain Release or Bounce from PG 10/2
Or $2.00/3 Tide Detergents, Downy, Tide Stain Release or Bounce from PG 10/2
Use $2.00/1 Tide Detergents from PG 10/30
Final Price: $2.19

Schick Intuition, Quattro for Men or Women System Razor or refills $8.99
Buy 1, Receive $2.00 +Up Reward
Or $3.00/1 – Schick Intuition Razor or Refill – (smartsource.com)
Or $3.00/1 – Schick Intuition Razor or Refill – (smartsource.com)
Or $2.00/1 Schick Quattro for Women Razor, any from SS 9/25
Use $4.00/1 Schick Quattro for Women Refill, any from SS 9/25
Or $2.00/1 Schick Quattro Titanium Razor or Trimmer, any from SS 9/25
Or $2.00/1 Schick Quattro Titanium Refill, any from SS 9/25
Or $2.00/1 Schick Quattro for Women Razor, any from SS 10/30
Or $2.00/1 Schick Quattro Titanium Razor or Trimmer, any from SS 10/30
Or $2.00/1 Schick Quattro Titanium Refill, any from SS 10/30
Pay $4.99, Receive $2.00 +Up Reward
Final Price: $2.99

You can find more great deals at Rite Aid at TheKrazyCouponLady.com and CouponMom.com

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