Product Review Parade in Dire Need of a Pedicure

I was approached by the seller of #zoshoo shoes and asked if I wanted to try some of their shoes at a ridiculously low price. What they wanted of me was to be honest and unbiased in my review on amazon, to provide a video review (I'm calling it the shoe parade) and share my experiences on my blog and other social media accounts.

So let me make this transparent. I did pay for the shoes, but veeeeeery little. I did not pay for shipping since I have amazon prime. I have not, nor will I be paid for my opinion or review. All craziness is mine and mine alone.

As I am writing this I have not had any problems with the shoes. Should any issues arise (for example if the sole came off while wearing it or if a shoe ws put together backwards) I would contact the seller first to see if their customer service and return policies were working and try to get the issue resolved before posting the review. This is what I would do with any product I received whether through a review, a full price purchase or as a gift. The only difference is my review will be colored by the extra experience and the service and return would be discussed in the review.

One more note, I have gone back to past reviews to update as necessary. Once I was contacted by the seller and offered a newer design of a product to see if it fixed the issues I brought up in my review. It did and I amended (BUT DID NOT DELETE THE ORIGINAL) the review. Quite recently I had a product stop working after only a few uses. The return/exchange time had passed so again I amended my review. The seller contacted me and we are now trying to get the item replaced. I don't see my being an official product reviewer as anything special. I literally call them as I see them. If I can be proven wrong or educated I will add to my review, but it will not change the original review. As a consumer I would prefer to see the process a customer goes through rather than a sanitized version of the experience.

Now that I have penned my reviewer manifesto...

Onto the shoes!

I have 4 pair of shoes that will be examined in this parade in dire need of a pedicure.

The Tobin Western Slip On Cowboy Distressed Ankle Pull on Bootie Women's Boot has a synthetic base and a leather top. The heel is 2.75 inches of stacked wood. There is no opening or closure as these are supposed to be pull-on with using the side tabs. These are year-round use shoes and, in my western riding experience, could be used for riding horses with a western saddle. Unfortunately I could not get them on my feet. I really wish I would have been able to get these on because they were so cute. The opening does not have enough give in order to accommodate my high arches.

The Lace Up Cut Out Heeled Ankle Bootie reminds me of a Gladiator style shoe. The base material is synthetic as is the top, according to the product listing. The heel is a 3.5" wooden block, which I expected to be uncomfortable. The material used for the top of the shoe is cut in a way that provides a good amount of coverage with giving little peeks at parts of the foot. This type of shoe would work for someone who had not yet had a pedicure, but a painted toe would really spice them up. The tie on each shoe is threaded through the panels at the front and then wrapped around the ankle above the shoe before being tied in a bow. Another part that I expected to be uncomfortable but was not. Altogether this was not an uncomfortable shoe for me. It is something I would wear in the Spring and Summer, not for long walks but truly a nice date shoe.

The Chunky Platform Ankle Strap Sandal has a synthetic base and top and is a type of shoe I have stayed away from in the past. I never really got into the platform shoe because I have enough trouble tripping over myself in flat tennis shoes. However I decided I would have some fun and try it. The front of the platform is approximately 1.5" and the heel comes in at approximately 2.5". The shoes easily slid on and attach with a buckle on an ankle strap. I did get the black ones and probably would wear them Spring through Fall in milder climates. Here in Idaho I would have to put these away after summer because I would not want to be caught wading in them. I was quite surprised at how easy it was to walk in these shoes. The weight from the platform kept me centered more than expected. I would not wear these for long distances or on beaches. Not sure why I had to share about beaches since I haven't been on one in over a decade, but just sayin...

The Western Chelsea Ankle Boot are my overall favorite! They have a synthetic base and top, according to the listing. However I believe the majority of the top is leather...I could be wrong. Anyway, there is a low stacked heel and the base has a spongy feeling to it when I walk. I kind of like it and it makes it so I don't clack all over on hard surfaces. Each side has elastic tabs which allow the top to open enough to let my feet in easily. The back of the shoe molds nicely to my heel and keeps my foot from slipping out. I LOVE these. I have worn them with boot cut and with straight cut jeans. They could also work with leggings and even skirts. These are year-round shoes which never seem to make it all the way to my closet.

I have this video which shows the shoes on my feet with jeans and with a skirt and it is fabulous and it is lost somewhere in my computer. When I find it I will upload it.

Quick reminder that I did receive these product at a discount or free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Spritz N Clean

I LOVE this little gadget!
The Spritz'N Clean from Spritz'N is way too much fun, and quite useful. I bet you've had a time where you were using your phone as a phone *gasp* against your face. When you were done with the call it had face grease all over it. You tried to wipe it clean and just made a mess. If you had had the Spritz'N Clean you could have laid a gentle mist upon the surface and used the included MicroChamois to polish it clean. The MicroChamois comes in its own plastic holder to keep it dust and dirt free when not in use. The Spritz'N Clean comes with two velvet-like drawstring pouches. I'm not entirely sure why there are two, but I think one might be for the unit and MicroChamois and the other for the bottle of liquid that goes into the unit. This also comes with the 4 AAA batteries needed to work.

Check out my quick video of cleaning my camera lens.

The unit I originally received leaked the cleansing liquid. I emailed Spritz'N and was extremely pleased with their quick response, apology and immediate shipment of a new product. I was not required to send back the old unit before getting a new one.

The negatives I can find about this product is that I want to see it spray the mist, but in my testing it seems to do better when faced away from me and towards the item I want to clean. Also, I have used this on Husband's glasses and, while it did a fine job with the misting (get it, fine mist?) the MicroChamois was not large enough to cover both sides of the glasses at the same time, so the polishing was a bit difficult.

I received this product at a discount in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Fine Naturals has a Fine Product!

Playing Ketchup with Chocolate...punny, no?

I am still catching up on product reviews and the next one is for the Premium Dark Organic Cacao Powder from Fine Naturals. I really do feel bad about how long this has taken for me to review. I received the product back in September 2015, used it, then got really sick and had to focus on surviving. Yes, that is an excuse, but it does the company no good. I have good intentions when I agree to do something, like test and review a product, but I also have a dismal sense of how long something will take for me to complete. Add in the inconsistencies of life, my ADHD brain, mix well and wait... Okay, enough of my little pity party and onto the review!

I have to say that the interactions I had with the company showed them to posses not only patience for dealing with me, but integrity and the pride in a good product.

Cacao powder is not something you will readily find in local grocery stores, well known recipes or everyday life. It is on its way to the mainstream and I am glad. Cacao powder is different from Cocoa powder in more ways than just spelling. According to iquitsugar.com the main difference is how the fruit is treated.

Raw cacao is made by cold-pressing unroasted cocoa beans. The process keeps the living enzymes in the cocoa and removes the fat (cacao butter). Cocoa looks the same but it's not. Cocoa powder is raw cacao that's been roasted at high temperatures.

You'll find parallel situations when looking at olive oil (cold pressed, extra virgin, etc.), other nut and grain oils, coffee and more. So, why should you care? Well, I care because of the flavor. In my "oh-so-not-scientific" testing, I conclude that there is more flavor that my tongue can taste when using Cacao Powder vs Cocoa Powder. I like making hot chocolate with Cacao, but hot Cocoa (made with the same amount of hot water and stevia based sweetner) leaves a bitter aftertaste in my mouth. I have not had the time to bake with Cacao vs Cocoa powders, but I'm pretty sure the same would happen.

My next conquest is using it in savory applications like a mole or a bbq dry rub. I wonder if ketchup can be made with a chocolate ingredient. Mole styled meatloaf? Yummm!

Disclaimer: I received this product at a discount in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.