Dr. Scholl's For Her High Heel Insoles

I’m not the type who usually wears insoles; although, my mom always swears by them. Still, I was excited to receive a free pair of Dr. Scholl’s For Her High Heel Insoles to review from BzzAgent and Dr. Scholl’s. I received a single pair of insoles. They’re a squishy gel, which you can feel right through the package. The difference between the high heel inserts and those meant for other shoes is that they’re clear and much thinner.

I placed these into my wedges, which only have 2″ heels but can sometimes be irritating on my feet, especially as the inserts of the shoes are slowly wearing down. I’ve had them for a few years and they’ve gotten a lot of love, let’s say.

Right on the package, it explains how there’s arch support, and this is the feature I appreciated the most. The reason you wind up up on the ball of your feet with heeds, is that there is no arch support. The gel is thicker under this area, and I could definitely feel it. It squished under my feet all day, and it made me want to dance. I couldn’t help talking about it. My feet finally had a comfortable place to rest on.

I didn’t feel the insoles as much under my heels; although, I’m sure they helped. When they adhere to your shoes, they are closer to the inside and taper out toward the outside and toe, so it doesn’t cover the entire bottom of the shoe, even the large, which I placed in a size 7.5 shoe. There wasn’t much material under the ball of my foot, but I didn’t notice because of the arch support.

The adhesive worked well. The insoles stayed perfectly in place the whole time I wore them, and I even had to take one out to restick it because of my own incompetence. These were also thin enough that I could wear them comfortable in my shoes. However, if yours are already a little tight, you might want to reconsider the product.

In the past, I’ve tried products from other companies, but Dr Scholl’s definitely gets my support, now.

Dr Scholl’s has provided me with several $4 off coupons, and while I’m going to snag one to buy another pair of insole’s for myself, I really want my readers to be able to enjoy this product, too. The $4 coupon basically halves the price that you’ll pay on Amazon or stores like Walgreens, so it’s definitely worth it. Otherwise, you’ll probably want to pick the pair of shoes that are the most uncomfortable and buy only one or two pairs of insoles to help with your pain.

This is going to be a simple contest. The first six people who comment on this post will receive one coupon for $4 off. You must also be a fan of Reviews by Cole on Facebook After six commentors, the giveaway is done.

I received a product sample, coupon, collateral or other special premium from BzzAgent.

Nevertheless, none have convinced me to move away from my methods, and for anyone who is interested in two of the popular options, I’m drawing this comparison.

I used both “Comment Contest” “And The Winner Is“. Both are available for free and you can install them directly from the dashboard of your self-hosted WordPress blog. Originally, I preferred ATWI; however, there was some conflict with Reviews by Cole, so I instead used ATWI.

ATWI works by placing a small box on post pages, so that you can confirm the post as a giveaway and enter the number of winners. When your contest finishes, you can access the plug-in control panel from the link clearly added to WP’s navigation. A list of posts checked as contests appear, and you can click a button to close comments and determine a winner. The winner’s email will appear and clicking it opening up a new message on your mail client, with the subject line filled out with the post name, followed by the text “And the Winner Is You!” It makes notifying the winner that much easier. I especially enjoy that I can close comments from the dashboard.

And The Winner Is..

After your winner responds, you can confirm the winner, or head back to the control panel to choose a new one. If, for some reason, you accidentally close comments, you can re-open them from the post page.

On the other hand, Comment Contest does not require you to select a post as a giveaway. When you enter the control panel, which is slightly harder to find under the “Plugins” menu, you are automatically given choices, such as how many winners there are, the number of maximum entries and an editor to craft a notification email directly from the plug-in. However, you can skip the email step.

Comment Contest

On the next page, all recent posts display and you can choose the giveaway from the list. Doing so shows all of the comments, allowing you to manually uncheck them as entries. One of the major differences between these two comments is that you must first review comments on your post for ATWI. On the other hand, you can go right to the Comment Contest control panel and review comments before selecting a winner. However, Comment Doesn’t doesn’t show a date for the comments, for instance, if you haven’t closed the comments on time. Of course, if you want to prevent future comments or spam, you have to manually close the comments with Comment Contest.

Comment Contest allows you to enter the name of the giveaway prize, which is inserts to your email form. After generating the winner, it will show their comment and email address, as well as a list of all participants and their emails. The winner’s email is not linked here, so you must manually copy and paste it into your email tab or program.

Perhaps the weakest part of Comment Contest is the inability to save winners. It’s up to you to remember who won. ATWI keeps a list of all previous giveaways and the winners, even if you haven’t yet confirmed them. You can return to the control panel to determine a new winner. Comment Contest requires you to go through the entire process, disregarding your previous winner.

Comment Contest also has some incorrect English because the creator isn’t American or British. It’s not a huge deal, but something that sometimes bugs me. Because ATWI will now work on all my blogs, I will soon be switching over to it. Ultimately, it requires less effort on my part and fewer clicks. However, if you like the integrated emailing feature or want more control over who can enter your giveaway (for instance, if you reply to comments you can ignore entries from WP’s admin account), Comment Contest allows you to have a bit more control but lacks the finesse of And The Winner Is..

Nature Valley Dark Chocolate & Peanut Butter Granola Thins

Each granola thin is about the size of half a graham cracker, so it’s not super huge, but it feels indulgent. They’re ten in a box, but I swear that it lasted forever. They’re individually wrapped, with some weird cardboard support in the package. It’s one of those slightly wasteful packaging designs that I don’t love, but I did like the snack enough not to mind. The second ingredient is sugar, unsurprisingly, so it’s not so good for you.

My only complaint is that the dark chocolate was awfully sweet. Someone who likes dark chocolate because it’s less sweet might be disappointed. I love dark chocolate, but this was not it. The combination of peanut butter and chocolate was still enjoyable, of course.

You should beware that it’s not the cheapest snack option.

The ’80s Are Back in Style

We're Tying in Front Again?

Animal Print is In

I can do animal print. I tried on a black and white top with spots. The top was weird, but the color was nice. I’m also seeing a lot of mix and match patterns, like the bra I got from Smart & Sexy.

Tiered Tops

Tiered Tops

The tiered tops trend seems like it’s not going anyway. Tank tops and off-the-should tops are especially common in this style. I haven’t found one that I like, but I’m not necessarily against the trend. It might not work with every body style or shape, of course. There’s some interesting tutorials I’ve seen on Pinterest that highlight this trend.

Those Sleeves Are Huge!

This is another throwback to the ’80s, really, but I wanted to list it on its own. Sleeves are really long, as in the armholes. I tried on a shirt and felt like I had wings. I didn’t find it comfortable or flattering. It’s all over, though. Some tops even have decoration to make it look like the sleeves are longer than they are!

The Maxi Dress

Giant Sleeves and Awkward Waistline?

UltraLow Waists

A lot of shirts tie or have elastic bands at the hips. The rest of the fabric hangs down loosely from the waist. It almost always looks like two shirts were sewn together, to me. It’s definitely meant for someone thinner than I am. I can see it working but it doesn’t look pretty on the hanger.

Tek Gear Roll-Waist Yoga Pants

I found these Tek Gear yoga pants in the active apparel section of Kohls. I don’t think I’ve ever even been to that corner of the store before. Granted, most activewear tends to be far too spandex-y or nylon-y. I wanted something that was still breathably cotton. I’d never tried toe roll-waist style before, but they’re definitely in style. I’d read that they can be slimming and help you to pick whether you wear them higher or lower, and I’d hoped this would help with the height issue.

I didn’t need it to, though. These pants are available in different lengths so I quickly found one in “short.” This is the one definite plus. I can actually roll the waist all the way down on these and the double layering definitely slims around the waist. I feel pretty attractive in these. There’s just a bit of spandex, so they’re stretchy, but they don’t seem to lose their shape to me.

You should probably purchase one smaller than normal because they do run large. I went down a size and the flare at the bottom of the legs its feminine, while the thighs feels neither too large nor too small. It’s comfortable for lounging around the house but passable if I want to take a walk or run to the store. If you’re worried about the fabric being too thin, don’t. It’s thicker than any similar pants I’ve ever owned, and I’m sure that will be good for the walks I plan to take in these.

Also, these are so much more attractive on!

1. “You Are awesome”
2. Be Thankful

These are just two things I sometimes need to be reminded of. The second one is actually pretty recent, and I added it after reading a quote on Pinterest. It read, roughly: what if you woke up tomorrow and only have the things you thanked God for today. Now, I’m not religious, but it got me to thinking. I often struggled with my anxiety but being grateful is something that is not only becomes more difficult with anxiety but it can ease anxiety. Double-edge sword and all. Still, I wanted to be more grateful and making a running list makes me feel pretty awesome.

For example, I’ve been able to get gift cards for working with websites like EdenFantasys. I’ve tried some pretty awesome products because of this blog — and for free! I’ve even made some money. Aside from my websites, I’ve had a fantastic time recently with my best friend, who just moved back to the area.

One thing that I am consistently grateful for is a hot shower, with a great-smelling body wash . Starting the day off feeling fresh and clean does wonders for my mood. Sometimes, I’ll be in a funk and forget how much those simple things can do to lift me up. It’s that much easier to feel good, mentally and emotionally, when some awesome bath products have left my smelling good.

Sure, nothing’s perfect but, then again, nothing ever will be. There will always be trials. The best part, though? It will always pass.

In the spirit of being thankful, I’d like to thank you. Thank for you the review and giveaway opportunities. Thank you for reading and commenting. Thank you for entering giveaways. Thank you for following on Twitter and liking on Facebook. Thank you for the conversation and food for thought. I am forever in your debt.

The Big One sheet set

All I really wanted was a set of black sheets for my bed. I figured if I was looking for basic cotton, it wouldn’t be too hard to find. I remember buying the smoothest, softest sheets ever from JC Penney in the past. I no longer have a full sized bed, so I gave them to mom and I sleep like a baby when I spend the night at her house. To JC Penny it was! I actually found an option on JC Penney’s website but, for whatever reason, black was available in every size but mine (queen). Sears had options online but were backordered until June! June! I mean, we’re talking about sheets here! I went to my local JC Penney, in hopes that they might have my color and size in stock, but there weren’t any black sheets to be found. The same was said for every department store in the mall.

My next stop, then, was Target, which had a variety of black sheets, but I don’t know who would buy them. Aside from the microfiber, which is far too warm for my body, every model felt like crap. Scratch, thick, stiff. There was no way I was going to pay the $50+ for the worst sheets I’ve ever felt. A handful of other stores provided no options. I was starting to think that my simply request was impossible. Bed, Bath and Beyond provided a costly and not-quite perfect solution: I could get black stripes for $90. I was hoping to spend a little less.

I think of Kohls only for clothes and shoes. I’d actually looked on their website, but couldn’t remember anything that seemed to fit my needs. It could be that they’re almost completely sold out of black sheets and they’ve updated the website to reflect that. Regardless, they had an amazing sale but their shelves were nearly empty. I grabbed the closest size and headed to guest services, hoping they might be able to order my size at the insistence of my shopping friend. Wouldn’t you know that they no longer do that, so she employee sent me to the kiosk, which couldn’t help me because it uses the same system as the website.

So I handed the sheets over to the cashier when I was checking out with something else, completely dejected. However, she was pretty awesome and offered to go look for some in back. I had no help but she returned triumphant! I was stoked, because I paid less than $35 for a new set of sheets.

As you can expect, they’re not perfect. They’re not the silky smooth cotton I would have really liked and these sheets definitely feel a little scratchy out of the package. For some reason, the flat sheet felt softer than the fitted one. However, after washing they soften up quite a bit; washing also seems to make lint stick to them. My bed look a little sloppy because of that, but other colors won’t be so problematic. The color is extremely deep and hasn’t faded at all in the wash.

I was worried that just because I’d found sheets, they wouldn’t fit. At the time of purchase, my pillowtop mattress was about 18″ high. It’s definitely sunk some since them, but I’ve consistently had problems finding fitting sheets that fit. The Big One sheets fit before washing and they didn’t seem to shrink at all, another worry. I’m not sure about the return policy, but sometimes you can’t return things after washing.

One thing that I love is that the flat sheet is quite wide. It hands past the edges of my mattress, which is fantastic. When I turn down the sheet and blanket, the sheet extends the full width of the blanket. Sheets that are less wide tend to look sloppy, in my opinion.

These are a little prone to wrinkles, but my flat sheet isn’t doing that annoying curling thing, yet, so we’ll see. I like the feel of these on my skin and, for the price, all the faults are acceptable. That’s pretty much what all the reviews say, too.

When it comes down to it, I think the money is part of the reason that I don’t know what I am doing for my birthday. I’d love to have a big bash or even a picnic in the park, but money’s always a little tight and, if I go to a restaurant, everyone will pay for themselves. Of course, it’s always a little more comfortable if we hang out at my house, or even in an open and public area. Last year, I did dinner with a variety of friends, most of whom ditched me once we got home. It was obvious that it was a group that wasn’t super comfortable together.  It was awkward and made me feel pretty damned uncomfortable.

So, while I’d like to have a big shindig at my house, I can’t/don’t want to pay for it, but I’d really like something a little more enjoyable. Perhaps I’ll do dinner with a few close friends and invite other people over for s’mores over a fire pit or just head back here for some movies and games. I suppose, it should all be about what I want, in the end. It is my birthday after all, I just have a hard time not trying to please everyone (ask Christie).