Carmex Click Sticks in Vanilla & Lime Twist Product Review

I 'm a bit of a lip gloss and lip balm junkie.  I can have upwards of ten open containers at any given time and my five year old daughter might even have more!  I love trying new brands and flavors but there is one that has been a long time stand by and it comes in a little jar with its trademark yellow lid.  The Original Carmex has long moisturized my lips and helped me sooth the cold sores that I seem to be plagued with every winter.

As much as I love it, I've never been crazy about the delivery.  The germ-a-phob didn't like that to apply I had to dip and redip my finger into the jar.  That's why I love the click sticks, so much handier for quick reapplication while I run errands!  Now there are two new great flavors, Carmex Lime Twist and Carmex Vanilla click sticks!

As a member of the Carmex Blog Squad, I got a cool review kit that included both new flavors and a fun picnic blanket too.  They even threw in a stick of Carmex Moisture Plus lip balm, just for fun.  All three have SPF 15, which is really important to me as my mom has had skin cancer so we're all very aware of the need for skin protection.  Both click sticks also have three additional moisturizers not found in the original line.

I couldn't wait to tear open the samples and had to try the Lime Twist first because citrus is my favorite scent.  It was okay. I just wouldn't purchase this particular scent.  Mainly because I wish the lime scent would've been a little stronger, it's pretty subtle, which may be fine for most Carmex fans.  It was just not a love for me, purely for the scent.  

The Vanilla was by far my favorite.  I liked it's rich warm scent; it's perfect for the fall.  Vanilla just seems like a cold weather scent to me, guess that's because of the cookie connection for me!  I'm very happy with it's performance and I even prefer the Carmex Vanilla click stick scent over the Original Carmex Stick I've purchased before.  It'll be the new standard in my purse.

Actually, I've found two new favorites because the Carmex Moisture Plus lip balm was also a big hit.  I liked it the best out of all the products sent to me.  The lip product junkie in me just loved the super sleek modern and sophisticated design.  The slant tip makes for easy application and I really liked the feel of this balm on my lips and the slight glossy finish. 

I haven't tried them yet, but noticed this product also comes in tinted versions and am exctied to try the plum and berry.  I normally wear lip tints or glosses versus lipstick and it would be great to combine a little sheer color with the ultra hydration and moisterizing protection I've come to expect from Carmex.   It would be nice to have one less thing to carry in my purse, especially since it's now a diaper bag and space for my things is in short supply.

I would like to add that the Carmex Blog Squad was kind enough to offer a giveaway along with this review.  I'm sorry to add that I didn't note the conditions as well as I should've.  I thought I had until the upcoming deadline to post and didn't realize I also had to have the winner's information by that date.  There isn't enough time left to run a giveaway and give my readers time to enter, especially since this weekend is a holiday in the US.  I know many readers will be spending time with their families and won't be online until next week.

I apologize for missing this opportunity for you!  Hopefully, you'll all understand that the delivery of the kit coincided with the end of a high risk pregnancy and the medical complications I had that consumed my whole family the month following delivery.  So things did not go quite as they normally would.  However, I hope that will not stop you from trying out Carmex's new products.  I have been a faithful Carmex user for years and find their products to be high quality, as well as very helpful and useful for lip protection. 

Disclosure: As a member of the Carmex Blog Squad, I received complimentary product samples from the makers of Carmex.  The opinions and experiences related within are personal and unbiased; they are not influenced by this relationship.

The Crayola Experience™ at Two Rivers Landing

A couple of years ago I read about the the Crayola Factory on my friend Kim's blog 4 Crazy Kings.  It wasn't possible to visit it the first time we were in the Philly area but it's been in the back of my mind to try to make it there eventually.  The Reviewer's Retreat got us a little closer to Easton, PA and even though it would make for a very long day we decided to squeeze a visit in on our way home.

Like Hershey's Chocolate World, it's not really at the factory, but still attempts to give you a factory like experience by showing you how Crayola crayons and markers and made through a demonstration and talk. I'm sure it's quite informative, unfortunately our speaker was nearly unintelligible.  I don't know if he was just mumbling or if his microphone wasn't loud enough but we weren't the only one who couldn't understand most of what he said.  The video monitors helped show us the process, and it was nice to get a cool macaroni and cheese colored crayon.

The Crayola Factory has several exhibits, each set up as a station for visitors to explore or create with a hand-on activity using their great products.  We had never used some of them before and it was a great introduction.  There were so many choices and many were open ended so depending on how involved your child got with the project you would spend hours and hours there.  Admission is around $10 a person, but you do get to use their supplies and get silver coins redeemable for crayons, makers, and clay so that does off set the cost.

Two of ER's favorite activities are best seen through video clips, the first is in After Dark, with as you can imagine, glow in the dark fun.  It's really fun to draw with the light wands.

The second was the Cool Moves exhibit, where you use your whole body to create a picture on the screen.  It was a very popular activity and actually looks cooler the more people you have.

Surprisingly the gift shop is not on location, but nearby on the same block.  You can't miss it as you leave, but it was kind of nice how you didn't have to stop in, although you know we did!  The world's largest crayon is there, all 1500 pounds of it! 

There are some exclusive products but these are mainly Crayola themed items like t-shirts and other clothing items, and things like mugs, plush, and licensed products and not creativity products or supplies.  The extensive collection of every Crayola supply imaginable is worth the stop alone, along with the displays of crayons and markers you can use to make your own customized collection.  We picked out some glitter crayons, Color Wonder sets, and yet another stuffed friend...this time a purple crayon.  If given the choice ER always seems to pick a new stuffed lovey.

After getting our creative groove on, we stopped at Chick-fil-A on our way to the highway.  I love me some yummy chicken from there, it's only the second time I've ever eaten at one.  The first was on our way home from Disney World.  There are some in Albuquerque but we never went and I'm still waiting for more to show up Michigan.  There's one on a university campus, but that's hardly convenient!

The stop at Crayola did mean that we didn't get home until very, very, late.  I don't think we were even out of Pennsylvania until after seven at night.  We also had to contend with driving through a heavy rain storm but seeing how much fun ER had made it worth it.  The entire trip was just jammed packed with fun, it was so busy Brad said he needed more time off to recover from his vacation!

A Crafty Soiree #53

So happy you're joining us today for A Crafty Soiree!  Here are a few favs from the party, courtesy of Malia, my lovely cohostess.  She's such a sweetheart for helping me out while I take a maternity break from blogging!

Whoo's adorable? These Felt Owls by The Iowa Farmer's Wife, that's whoo!

Upcycled Table and Chairs by Artfully Caroline. Looks so pretty and polished!

Grab yourself a fork so you can dive into this Cherry Ripe Slice from Desire Emprie.

 Thanks everyone for linking up!  I'd love to see what else you're been working on...

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Party Guidelines

1.  Link up to four of your creative projects (No Etsy stores or other linky parties pretty please).  

2.  Add your link to the specific posts not the main URL.

3.  Add a "Crafty Soiree" button to your blog or posts.

4.  Please comment on the post linked up in front of you.  All partygoers love meeting new friends... don't just stop there...if you see something that catches your fancy-- stop by and say hi!

5.  Your hostesses would love it if you'd follow us. You can find Malia here.

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