Costume Discounters - Business/Product Review

Who says costumes are only for Halloween? No way! And if you have kids the more costumes the better! So you can understand why I felt very lucky to be approached by Costume Discounters to do a review of one of their products.

My first step was to choose a costume. Now, THAT was a dilemma because they have a HUGE selection to choose from. Kid's Halloween costumes, adult costumes, girls dress up costumes, and costumes for all sizes from infant/toddler to plus size! They even carry accessories, make-up, dog costumes, props and decorations! 

I let Momo take a peek at the costumes and after changing her  mind about a million times she decided on the Girls Pink Deluxe Power Rangers costume. The package included the jumpsuit, belt, belt buckle and mask, with optional accessories sold separately. 

I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly the costume shipped and how carefully it was packaged. If was even wrapped in bubble wrap! (I'm assuming the bubble wrap was used to protect the mask?) However, when I saw the mask I thought, "Oh boy. This mask isn't going to last a DAY!"  It's made of the plastic that would crack the first time it was sat on or stepped on, which is BOUND to occur in our household: 

But guess what? So far so good and it's been about two weeks! 

Momo couldn't wait to put it on. Here she is in all her Power Ranger glory: 

Regarding size: Momo is off the charts for her height and weight. She just turned four but I knew that a small would probably be too snug and the medium would probably be too long. Decisions, decisions!  I opted for the medium and I'm glad that I did. While my prediction was right and the jumpsuit ended up being too long it only took a few seconds to roll up the sleeves/pants. (Don't mind the dirty Crocs she is wearing. Remember, optional accessories like the Power Ranger boots are available for purchase, though I didn't see any pink or white ones!)

To give you a better idea on the size/fit I had Kailani (8) put the same costume on: 

She is a true size 7 and the medium fit her perfectly. No rolling up of anything necessary! 

I was actually surprised that she cooperated and was willing to try the costume on for me. She did insist on wearing the mask. Not because she was embarrassed to wear a Power Ranger costume but she was a little annoyed that her sister chose the PINK costume. HA! Third graders...I tell ya.

Regarding the quality - being someone that sews I can be quite particular about clothing construction. I have to be honest and say that the costume is well made and will probably last quite a while. I still have my doubts about the mask though. Just speaking the truth here!

You should also know that the costume is made of 100% polyester. Could be itchy for some kids though mine didn't have any problems with it. Also, with it being 100% polyester it could get hot during the warmer months. However, even living here in Hawaii my kids had no issues with it whatsoever!

My final thoughts? With the huge selection, competitive prices, fast shipping and overall good quality of the costume I have to give Costume Discounters two thumbs up! Let me also mention that they GUARANTEE to have the lowest prices! If you find an identical costume on the web they will price match it AND give you an additional 20% off!  So if you are in need of a costume, whether it be for Halloween, a party, theater performance, play date, you name it, be sure to check out Costume Discounters!

Thanks to Costume Discounters for the opportunity to do a review!

Note: Costume Discounters provided me with a costume free of charge in exchange for my honest review.

WEN Cleansing Conditioner - Product Review

WEN - Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner

Do you love haircare products? For the longest time I was in search of the ultimate shampoo and conditioner. I tried everything I could get my hands on! Matrix products, Paul Mitchell, etc. Now that I am a stay-at-home-mom on a budget I don't have the luxury of buying salon products as much as I would like. So when I was recently presented with the opportunity to try Wen's Cleansing Conditioner I jumped at the chance.

To give the product a fair review I read the information and instructions carefully. Before actually stepping into the shower I noticed that the Cleansing conditioner is advertised as a single step process that cleanses and conditions your hair. (Cool! Save me some time!) It is made with natural ingredients, and contains no sodium laurel sulfate or other damaging detergents found in other shampoos (Excellent! It's great to go green when you can!) The natural ingredients helps prevent stripping your hair and scalp of their natural oils (We certainly don't want that!)

Okay. So far so good. But then I began to wonder about the words they used to advertise. "Cleansing Conditioner". How is that any different from a "2-in-1" or "shampoo plus conditioner" product? Is this all just semantics? A play on words? After all, most shampoo plus conditioners are just that, a one-step process to shampoo and conditioner your hair?

Then I noticed that the instructions say to use between 16-24 pumps of the stuff! WHAT? That's a LOT of product! But wait a minute, according to the website it says for long and/or coarse hair to use 32-40 pumps! Wouldn't that be, like, the WHOLE bottle? Hmmmm. Interesting. (But I have to admit, I find this much more realistic than the "apply a dime size amount" that other shampoos instruct you to do! )

At this point I'm beginning to feel a bit skeptical because 1) the above mentioned reasons - is this all a marketing gimmick? (Use more so you have to buy more?) 2) I didn't want to be that person that fell for a product being advertised on an informercial and 3) I love my current shampoo and conditioner! This is going to be a tough sell!

So I tried it. My first experience with the cleansing conditioner was....(drum roll please....) "Wow. This stuff really wakes you up!" It made my scalp tingle and it smelled so good! For a second I even thought, "Could this be just as good as my morning coffee?" Yeah. It was THAT invigorating! (But no, it has not replaced my morning cup of Joe!) But something was missing - the LATHER. It even states on the bottle that the cleansing conditioner doesn't lather but I didn't realize how much I liked lather and bubbles and foam until I lacked it! *Sigh* That's okay because when I stepped out of the shower and combed through my hair it was like butter. It was SO SLEEK that I decided to try some in my 7-year old's hair. She loved it. NO CRYING afterwards when it was time to comb through. THAT right there should be enough to get every mom in America to buy the stuff! :)

I continued to use the product for about three weeks - every other day. I really went back and forth with, "I love it" and feeling as if I needed more conditioning. My hair definitely felt really, really clean but it still lacked that silky, soft feeling. As recommeded by the website I started adding a small amount of the product as a leave-in conditioner. I still wasn't getting the results that I wanted so I ended up conditioning my hair with my regular conditioner.

So my final thoughts and recommendations are a bit mixed. As for MY experience with the product I liked it enough that I was scraping the bottle for the very last drop. And while I felt that the Cleansing Conditioner cleaned my hair really well I felt as if it did not condition enough. Would I consider using it in conjunction with my own conditioner? YES. However, the cost is a deterrent. Actually it's not even the cost, it's the ordering of the products.

Currently their website is offering the entire Wen haircare system for $29.95 plust $5.95 shipping and handling. The system includes:

• 12 oz. Wen Cleansing Conditioner
• 2 oz. Wen Styling Cream
• 2 oz. Re Moist Intenstive Hair Repair Mask

And these bonuses:

• 10g Wen Texture Balm
• Wen Wide Toothed Shower Comb

So that's about $1.00/day if you use all the products. Not bad if you break it up that way. However, I don't like the fact that when you order the system at that price you are also committing to the automatic renewal system - every three months you are automatically billed and sent a 90 day supply of the products. Personally, for me I like the option of being able to walk into a store and purchase what I want, when I want without having to commit to anything. Maybe Wen will eventually have that option? If they did I would probably continue to use the Cleansing Conditioner (in addition to my conditioner) as well as try some of their other products.

For more information on Wen haircare products please check out their website here.

DISCLAIMER: I was given the opportunity to review this product as a result of my membership at The Product Review Place . The Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner was provided at no cost in exchange for my unbiased review.

Edited to add:

ENTER TO WIN:

While scouring some blogs I found a couple of contests/reviews giving away Wen products. Check them out! Maybe you can win and try it out for free!

Simply Stacie - win the entire system! Contest ends January 13th

Mommy's Online Garage Sale - win a bottle of the Cleansing Conditioner! Contest ends January 20th