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I LOVE the new Viva Vantage paper towels! I received the paper towels as part of a Crowdtap sample and share a few months back and they are all I have used since! They have ridges that really make them tough towels, they don't fall apart after rinsing, scrubbing, and wringing them out. They're even absorbent! Even after cleaning some tough stuck on gunk in baking pans of mine, the towels were no where near giving up. As an added bonus, Viva Vantage paper towels are very affordable and not stiff to the touch, though I would not recommend using them to clean your face thoroughly.

These samples were given to me for free so that I might review them the opinions I share here are 100% my own.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free from Crowdtap.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.   

Suave Professional Natural Infusion with Awapuhi Ginger and Honeysuckle - For Damaged Hair

I recently received a sample of Suave Natural Infusion with Awapuhi Ginger and Honeysuckle shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in cream. I did not receive full sized products, only a one time use for each product.

Photo Credit Suave

Suave Professionals Natural Infusion Awapuhi Ginger and Honeysuckle is a basic Suave product. I'm not sure if Honeysuckle improves hair texture, or if Awapuhi Ginger makes hair it stronger or healthier. Most likely not, but they do give the shampoo a pleasant smell, ginger spiciness blended with honeysuckle sweetness.

Because I haven't been able to use the product for a long time, I'll just give my first impression of each product that I sampled.

Anti-Breakage Shampoo - $ ($2.88 at Walmart)

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This isn't a volumizing shampoo. Most volumizing shampoos contain wheat protein or some other ingredient that adheres to hair and gives it bulk. And as far as healing damaged ends is concerned, as far as I know, you need to repair damaged keratin with a keratin-bonding agent...usually more keratin. Both claims seem a little off the mark. But Suave Professionals does get rid of the many products that I add to my hair on a daily basis. That alone gives hair a little loft so it appears a little more voluminous. And it's not harsh, so hair isn't just a bunch of flyaways and the damage is not exacerbated. The shampoo doesn't get to lather much and again, leaves your hair feeling clean and light. Hair is not hard to manage after use, so while not a healer, it does sort of deal with the split ends. It does a good job. Other products might do a better one, but for the price, I give it: ☆☆☆☆

Anti-Breakage Conditioner  - $ ($2.88 at Walmart)

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This would most likely be an excellent conditioner for fine, straight hair, very much unlike mine. My thick hair was not provided with enough moisture and there was not enough conditioner to really work through my hair entirely, leaving me with a tangled mess to deal with when I left the shower. I left the conditioner in my hair for the recommended 1-3 minutes and still, the tangles were barely manageable. The fragrance was still just as enjoyable as the shampoos, a delicate floral scent with just a hint of spice. If you have fine, straight hair that needs repair, this might be a good option, for me, it's a: ☆☆

Strengthening Light Leave-in Cream - $$ ($4.98 at Walmart)

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Again, this product had an amazing scent, a soft, subtle, natural scent. The directions say to apply this product to damp hair and work from roots to ends through hair, combing to distribute. The consistency of the product is smooth and creamy and thinner than I had expected it to be. It goes on light and does not weigh your hair down at all. I wasn't sure if I should use my normal styling products in conjunction with it, but with work the next morning, I didn't want to take a chance of not looking my best so I used all my products with this one first. My hair is the softest it has most likely ever been! This is already on my shopping list and I am buying it when I go out tonight! If you couldn't tell, I give it a: ☆☆☆☆☆

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Movie Screening

Photo from gofobo.com

Director Jonathan Liebesman's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" is not as terrible as one might have expected. But in the sense of bringing back memories to this 90s child, this movie is the best so far this year. 

The film does suffer because of the comic book-based elements that inevitably must be grounded in the 'real world' with, at times too much backstory. From main character and our eyes into the lives of the Turtles, April O'Neil (Megan Fox.)

O’Neil, a struggling news reporter seeking to make her bones on a story about the FOOT Clan. In doing so, she encounters the Turtles and befriends them, realizing that she -- and her scientist father -- had a hand in their origin. 

Through a series of confusingly-written scenes that burden us with too much backstory, we learn that the Ninja Turtles were her pets as a young child, and that her father was shot and killed by the villainous Eric Sachs (William Fichtner). The movie is obsessed with explaining how things work in a world dominated by sentient, talking turtles trained in the art of karate. 

From here, the movie auto-pilots its way through weightless, logic-less CG set pieces as Sachs and his Master, Shredder, scheme to unleash a deadly pathogen into New York City, one which Sachs will make money on by providing the government with a cure -- which he'll derive somehow from the Turtles' blood. Given the obsession of explaining the science, I was relieved with the lack of information provided here.

When the Turtles plays the nostalgia card it happens without being forced, which is refreshing. Fans will be pleased to finally see their beloved characters cut loose in action scenes, in ways that enjoyably harken back to the animated series. 

Megan Fox arguably gives her best performance in a summer tentpole to date, but she's still unable to quite nail the deadpan humor the character is often required to deliver. Her dream to be taken seriously as a journalist, which she announces repeatedly, is dropped in favor of an unconvincing and un-earned goal of accepting the turtles as her brothers.