The Zimmer Zoo

I’ve been meaning to write about each of these for a little while now…so I figured I’d just lump ’em all together into one big post. Hold onto your hats – it’s gonna be a long one…I’ve put links in to get you to where you want to go: Water, Food, Make-up, Hair Care.

Water

A few months ago, Maureen from Callanan & Klein Communications sent me a bottle of water. The water is called Native Water (from the Berkshires)…while the water itself isn’t all that fascinating, it’s the bottle that grabbed my attention. It’s made out of 25% recycled plastic, and it’s biodegradable. How cool is that?! I’m a huge water snob…I have my brand that I like (and I’m even picky enough that it’s got to have a sports bottle top…I know, shoosh!), so I was apprehensive at first. The water is actually pretty good! It’s 100% natural spring water – not that filtered water crap that some companies try to pass off as good bottled water. And while it’s not available in most of the places I shop, if I ran across it, I’d wouldn’t hesitate to get some more.

(I do have to add one comment though – apparently, the bottlers don’t know how to spell biodegradable … they’ve added an extra E in the middle!)

Here’s the official stuff:

Native Water is bottled in ENSO Bottles, a biodegradable and recyclable PET plastic bottle.  Made from 25% recycled plastic the bottles are produced with Ecopure™, an organic compound added to the plastic manufacturing process that allows the bottles to be metabolized and neutralized on a microbial level, completely breaking down the plastic. ENSO bottles maintain the same physical properties and strengths as existing PET plastic bottles yet provide a more shelf stable and practical solution than starch-based PLA materials and oxo-degradable plastics.  The bottles are biodegradable in both anaerobic and aerobic environments and can also be successfully mixed with standard PET plastic recycling.

To add to the sustainability of the bottled water, Native Waters sources all water locally in the Berkshire Mountains in Western Massachusetts.   The water is naturally filtered through layers of sand, clay, gravel and rocks before reaching the surface source.  Native Waters then uses local distributors to send the product throughout New England, eliminating long trucking routes and minimizing the carbon footprint of the bottled water.

Native Water is available in both 500 ml and 700 ml sizes. The product is available at select retail stores, restaurants and colleges throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont and New Hampshire.  Native Water is distributed by Sysco, ghousen of Brattleboro, VT, Nasiff Fruit Company of Fall River, Mass., Great State Beverages of Hooksett, NH, Blue Coast Beverages of Mattapoisett, and Thomsen Food Service of Providence, RI.   For more information on where you can find Native Water,  email info@earthfriendlybottle.com.

Native Waters, LLC

Native Waters, LLC, was founded in 2009 by Steven Nasiff and Rodger Cohen.  The company was founded to provide sustainable product solutions for the beverage industry using the latest technology and a local approach towards improving the environment for current and future generations.  To learn more about Native Water in the ENSO biodegradable bottle,  call 877.228.0711.  Native Waters can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nativewaters.

About ENSO Bottles

ENSO Bottles, LLC, of Phoenix, Arizona is an environmental company dedicated to creating “Bottles for a Healthier Earth”.  ENSO bottles are an environmental solution designed to biodegrade in anaerobic or aerobic environments leaving behind biogases and humus. ENSO bottles with EcoPure™ have been 3^rd party tested and validated for biodegradability and recyclability using ASTM standards. To learn more about how you can help to reduce plastic pollution and improve our environment visit ENSO on facebook, www.facebook.com/ensobottles or contact ENSO Bottles at www.ensobottles.com or call 866.936.3676

Disclaimer: I received this bottle of water from Callanan & Klein Communications specifically to write a review.

Food

I received a coupon for 2 free Alexia^® Select Sides™. I’d never heard of Alexia before, but when I got to the freezer section, the bags did look a little familiar. I got the Onion Rings and the Olive Oil, Rosemary & Garlic Oven Fries. OMG. SOOOOO good!! The onion rings – baked in the oven – were perfect. Crispy on the outside with actual cooked onions on the inside (instead of raw or partially cooked like you sometimes get). And the Oven Fries were so flavorful! I really need to try some of the other flavors (like the Olive Oil, Parmesan & Roasted Garlic). Check out what they have to offer at http://www.alexiafoods.com/

My only complaint is that the bags are somewhat small. Like, small enough that Mike and I can go through an entire bag for one meal. (I suppose that’s because I’m used to Costco-sized stuff though…) I highly recommend picking up a few of these bags for your next meal.

Disclaimer: I’m a BzzAgent so I received samples and coupons for the above items.

Make-Up

I’m not much of a make-up person. My typical day is to throw some eye-liner on and run out the door. Add some chapstick and I’m good to go. This Bzz is from COVERGIRL. Since it’s a brand I recognize (c’mon, who wouldn’t?) I figured I’d give the ShineBlast lipgloss and the SmokyShadowBlast eye shadow a try. (I mostly wanted to try the lipgloss…)

The lipgloss is really nice! It’s not what I remember from my early days of using make-up (you know, the kind that makes your lips stick together? ya. not that at all!) And it lasts for quite a while.

The eye shadow worried me for a bit. It’s a stick … with colors on each end. The rounded end is used for all over color and then the tapered end is used to define. (I only know this because there are instructions on the packaging – thank goodness! I hope I never lose that LOL!) Actually, they were nice enough to point me to the following 1 minute video for how to use the stuff:

Easy, right? Mostly. I mean…I put it on and I think I did okay…but “smoky eyes” just isn’t my thing for working from home 😉 Also, I figure after it gets used for a bit, that tapered tip isn’t going to be so tapered any more…and how do I “sharpen” it? Or maybe it’s so short that by the time it’s not tapered any more, it’ll be gone anyway. I haven’t gotten that far yet.

Disclaimer: I’m a BzzAgent so I received samples and coupons for the above items.

Hair Care

And finally, I received a sample (and coupons) for göt2b^® smooth operator hair smoother. WOW! I’m a frizz head, and had serious doubts about how well this would tame the mane without making it look greasy, flat, or like…I was one of those playdough barber shop heads. This product is amazing. My hair was completely tame and I looked like *gasp* a grown-up! The best part? No crunchies and no looking like a grease-ball. And best of all, while not my best next-day hair, using it one day and then having “next-day-hair” the following day is an option! (Not always the case when you use product in your hair.)

I’m so looking forward to trying out more göt2b^® products!

Disclaimer: I’m a BzzAgent so I received samples and coupons for the above items.

Filed under: food, me, reviews | Tagged: Alexia Select Sides, biodegradable water bottles, Callanan & Klein Communications, COVERGIRL, ENSO Bottles, eye shadow, göt2b, hair smoother, lipgloss, Native Water, Oven Fries, ShineBlast, SmokyShadowBlast, smooth operator, spring water | Leave a comment »