Zombie Nails Tutorial

So we have an interesting post for you guys today! A couple days ago I decided to Zombie nails! It was so much fun and pretty easy to do. I decided to create a Zombie Nails Tutorial for you guys! :)

Step 1:

I tried to take pics a long the way so I have a couple to help you recreate the look. First you find some press on fake nails. I used black because I wanted a darker effect on the ends but you can use pretty much any color since you will be covering most of it with polish anyway.

Zombie Nails Tutorial

Step 2:

Next you have to “mangle” the ends of the nails (best if the nails are not on you). You can take nail clippers and cut angles or random cuts into the ends. These nails were a little shorter than I wanted so they looked a little funny when I put them on. I would suggest finding nails that are longer than your natural nail so that you don’t have them in awkward positions. The good thing about them being shorter is that they did make an awesome effect once they were all painted.

Zombie Nails Tutorial

Step 3:

If you ending up having a gap in between like I did paint the extra in the color of the fake nail. Then pain your nail with a neutral color. I used Joshua Tree from Cult Cosmetics that is like a nude color, but I have seen others use light grey’s and it still comes out great. I just think the fleshy like color looks better. After you paint two coats add some texture by running a toothpick down your nails. Not all lines will stay to the end but even the little bit that do add a little extra to the design.

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Step 4:

Next you take a dark red and paint where you are going to have the “blood” I painted mine on my natural nail in between the cracks (you can see above) and around the cuticles. The dark red gives the “blood” dimension and makes it look like some has dried over time.

Step 5:

This is where it starts getting fun! I used a couple different colors for this next part but you can use pretty much anything in the same realm to get the same look. First I started with a black. Take your nail polish brush and wipe the majority of the nail polish off of it. After, take the brush and starting from the cuticle sweep the brush down toward the end. You definitely don’t want every stroke to be perfect. Zombies don’t have perfect nails. :)

Repeat step 5 with your other colors as well. I went crazy and decided to use a dark silvery grey to make it different but most would say to use dark grey with no sparkles. I did step 5 again and again until I got the look I wanted!

Step 6:

Last but not least, THE BLOOD! I used a bright red for this step but you don’t have to go quite as bright. First you put a bunch of the red around your cuticles and in the mangled ends of the nail. Then you repeat step 5 but drag the polish from the tip of your nail.

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Step 7:

If you want more than just your nails to be zombied out you can use eye shadow and other makeup on you hands to finish the look. I used greys, some black, browns and some tans.

Zombie Nails

I think it turned out amazing! I loved them and I even got to freak some people out in the process! Be sure to stay tuned for more great designs!

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Batiste Review

We are so excited that we are back with another Batiste Review! In case you missed out last review, Batiste is basically a powder in spray form that attracts the oil and dirt in your hair and helps take it out. The main reason you would want to use this kind of product is so that you don’t have to “wash” your hair as often. While you want to keep your hair clean, soaps can often strip your hair of it’s natural oil and further dry out your hair.

Batiste Review

Since the last time I reviewed this product I decided to go out and buy some. I got a product that was similar in price to Batiste but it was no where near this quality! The other product left my hair and scalp feeling dry and itchy, while this product seems to improve my hair. Not only is the quality itself that much better, but Batiste also comes in different scents! I get migraines pretty easily and strong scented hair products seem to trigger them. I was very surprised at how great Batiste smells!

Batiste Review

I love the spray cans they come in! They always have the cutest designs and I’m proud to show them off. I hate using products that have plain packaging just because I like having lots of color! But I’m sure you guys already noticed that!

Of course if you try another dry shampoo product you will get results, but they end up weighing your hair down and some even leave a strange film behind. As a mommy of two toddlers, sometimes it is just too hard to take the extra time to wash my hair and my hair gets greasy really quickly especially after chasing the girls around. It is so nice to still have great hair without having to rewash and re-straighten my hair!

If you have really oily roots, or if you just want healthier hair you should check out Batiste! Their products are great and they really are a life saver for your hair! You can find them on their website here.

**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here.

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What did I wear to the iFabbo Conference?

As you may know, I went to the iFabbo Conference in San Francisco. What I didn’t share with you was what I wore, what my makeup looked like and what I brought. I also haven’t shared my goody bag with you, but that is coming up in another post. Today we are talking about beauty and I can’t wait to share with you!

iFabbo Conference

I decided to keep it simple with some jeans a shirt and of course my new Carhartt Jacket that my hubby got me. I also wore some Keen boots! I also went simple with my nails! I decided to use Sensationail’s Crystal Avalanche and some glitter from IBD. It looked a lot like snow to me but I thought it would be a good day for something simple. Especially on such a hectic day!

Of course I was sporting my Tote bag from Zazzle.com that had all my essentials inside! I had my business cards (also from Zazzle), a notebook, pens, and a drink. I tried to keep my bag light so that I had room for any goodies I was getting from the conference. I cannot tell you how happy I was that I had this bag! It definitely made everything so much easier and it held up really well for the conference!

iFabbo Conference

Now for my favorite part, the makeup! I decided to keep it somewhat simple but stick with my favorite purple eye colors of course! I started off with my Laura Mercier Primer, followed by their Smooth Finish Foundation Powder (review to come), my NYC New York Color eye palette and of course some blush and bronzer from the Laura Mercier Glamour Wardrobe from last years Holiday Collection. I thought it turned out quite great and it lasted the whole night! I love my Laura Mercier makeup! It never lets me down!

Well I think that about does it! Stay tuned because next time we will be sharing what we got in out goody bags and trust me, they were pretty darn great!

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Jellyfish Art Review

I will admit, I have not been as excited as I was when I was told I was getting to do a Jellyfish Art Review! What is Jellyfish Art? It is an amazing company that not only sells Jellyfish, but also sells Jellyfish Tanks.

About Jellyfish Art

Jellyfish are becoming the next trend in ornamental aquariums and Jellyfish Art is the leader in supplying live jellyfish and their specialized aquariums and products. Their mesmerizing forms and soothing movement create living works of art. Jellyfish aquariums are a new kind of interior decoration, sources of light and life that become the focal point of any space.

What we thought

We received Jellyfish Art’s 1 Jelly kit to review! I knew immediately that this would be a great addition to our house. I have been wanting fish for a couple years but never had the chance to get everything together since my Angel fish died. I had my Angel for about 5 years (yes I know that’s a long time!) before he died and never had the time to set up a new fish. Not only was I excited about getting a new fish, but I was stoked about this tank!

You can buy the tank by itself, or as a kit. When I first learned about this tank I thought it would be a lot smaller. I remember having a 5 gallon tank and I always hated how small it was. The way that this tank is designed makes it look a lot bigger and looks great with any decor. When we first set it up both our girls stared at it for at least an hour! That’s without having fish in it! It truly is an amazing thing to look at!

The 1 jelly kit does not come with the salt water mix, so we had to go out and find some. It was not as hard as I thought it would be to make the salt water! It was actually very easy! The one thing I would suggest is to make sure that you tighten the fixture at the bottom of the tank that connects to the air pump. We forgot to and it started leaking the next day, but it stopped after we tightened it, so it was our own fault. After we got the tank all set up we ordered our Jellyfish and could not wait for it to get here!

Our Jellyfish got here 2 days later and I was very surprised at how well he was packaged, they made sure that he was nice and comfy in his box and that he wouldn’t move too much when shipping. Thankfully Jellyfish Art sends you live rock with the jellyfish to make sure that they can be acclimated to the tank properly. Instead of waiting weeks for the tank to be ready we only had to wait about 3 days including the time we waited for our fishy to arrive.

Jellyfish Art Review Jellyfish Art Review Jellyfish Art Review Jellyfish Art Review DSC03236

I absolutely love our Jellyfish and his tank! Not only does the tank itself change colors with the LED bulb, but the jellyfish changes colors with it! I constantly catch myself and my husband just staring at it. Everyone that sees him also freaks out! Most people I show, or talk to have never seen anything like it and all want one! Once we got him acclimated I told my oldest daughter that we were going to name him Squishy, she got upset and told me that she was going to call him Tag. We decided to change the name to Tag because this is the first pet she has named! We have tried multiple times to get her to name a pet and she refused until she saw Tag. I was a very proud mommy, but the name does fit him.

Jellyfish art not only sells these products, but they offer all the information you need to keep your jelly happy and healthy! I cannot tell you the number of times I have gone onto their site to find answers to all my questions! They really are a great company and I think everyone should own their own Jellyfish tank! They are definitely worth every penny! You can find Jellyfish Art and their great products here.

**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here.

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iFabbo San Francisco Conference!

Yesterday was a long day! Star Focal went to the iFabbo San Francisco conference with our best friend from Casandra’s Reviews . After only 3 hours of sleep and a WHOLE lot of caffeine, we were on our way to San Francisco for our first ever conference! We could not wait to meet other bloggers and to hear what all the panelists had to say!

We were amazed when we walked into the Merchants Exchange Club! It was a beautiful building and there was so much going on! We got our name badges and went to take a seat but got caught along the way with all the brand booths that were set up! The first booth that I got stuck on was the Boohoo.com Booth! I was able to snag their Danni Velvet Fringed Kimono! I fell in love immediately! Stay tuned for a review of this and hopefully many other Boohoo products!

iFabbo San Francisco Conference

Another great booth at iFabbo was the Becca Cosmetics Booth! I was very excited about this booth! What I did not know was all the awesome information they were going to share with us about their company! For instance, did you know that Becca Cosmetics was started because they wanted to create a foundation line that EVERYONE could use? 50% of their foundation line is light to medium shades and the other 50% is medium to dark shades. I am definitely in the ghost white category, but I love that they think about everyone when they create their lines and not just a select few! We also got a personal demo of a new product that I will talk about later on!

iFabbo San Francisco Conference

Another great booth that I got to check out was the Lotus Premium Denim Booth. Lotus Premium Denim was created to make our lives easier when it comes to picking out that perfect pair of jeans. I personally know how hard it is to find a great pair of jeans and I was wowed about how cute these were! They eliminate the need to get your jeans altered for that perfect fit! I hope to be able to share their products with you soon!

I also checked out the Prai Beauty Booth and while a lot of their products didn’t apply to me personally, we got to check out some of them out and I cannot believe how amazing they are! They had a large selection of items to rejuvenate skin and give you the extra moisture you need. I also love that one of their collections is named 24k Gold. We had a lot of fun looking at their products.

There were two other booths that I did not get a chance to check out because they were pretty packed! One was the Dermalogica Booth. They were doing a face mapping exercise that was creating a lot of buzz and I was a little bummed that I didn’t get to check it out! I have heard amazing things about their products and this is another company that I will be sharing with you a little bit later on.

Last but certainly not least was the Beautisol Booth. The cool thing about Beautisol is that it was created by one of the founders of iFabbo, Sinead Norenius! Beautisol offers many different self tanners that I hear are absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to share them with you! So stay tuned for that one as well! I wish I had some more pictures of the booths, but apparently I was so star struck that I forgot to keep my camera out of my pocket! lol

PR: How to create an impressive Press Kit/Media Kit and how to develop better Agency/Brand relations

Okay, so now to the good stuff! So obviously I am not going to share all of the secrets I learned at this conference but I will share with you who was there and a couple things I took from the conference. The first panel of the day was “PR: How to create an impressive Press Kit/Media Kit and how to develop better Agency/Brand relations.” Members of this panel included Alle Fister from Bollare.com, Crosby Noricks from PrCouture.com, Adrienne Arieff from Arieff.com, Lorraine Sanders from SFIndieFashion.com, and of course our wonderful moderator Rebecca Silliman from ModCloth.com. This was one of my favorite panels of the day, okay they were all my favorite, but I got a lot of information from this one. One of the main things I learned from this panel is to have your own voice and to make sure that it is the same voice in everything you write. Don’t be afraid to be yourself because that’s what people are looking for.

Increasing reach and followers: ‘How to’ for all the social media platforms

The next panel was the “Increasing reach and followers: ‘How to’ for all the social media platforms.” This panel was moderated by Sinead herself and included Laurie Mueller from Facebook, Alex Loscher from Google +, Merlena Stell from MakeupGeek.com, and Jen Mathews from MyBeautyBunny.com. They taught me that I should make sure to take my voice from my blog and apply it to social media and to make sure that I am talking to my readers and not just broadcasting to them. The biggest piece of information that I will take out of this is too ask questions when I post instead of just posting what I wrote. Make my readers want to know more about my post instead of just showing it to them.

Photography/Videography : Tips and tricks of the trade for better images and more engaging Videos

This next panel blew my mind, Literally! This was the ” Photography/Videography : Tips and tricks of the trade for better images and more engaging Videos” panel. Moderated by Hadi Leila Labarang from MyMuseBox.com and featuring Serge Jespers from Adobe, Jeff Fluhr from SpreeCast.com, Jim Barcelona from InstagramersUSA.com, and Susan Yara from NewBeauty.com. I was excited about learning more about photography. We got to see the new Photoshop and I have to say that this is a must have for everyone! It was amazing to see and it has so many awesome features. I learned from this panel that Videos get more feedback than regular posts and readers appreciate it more when you schedule a video or live chat regularly.

Lunch!!! :)

After the panel we had lunch, which was provided by MadVideo! I will talk about Madvideo soon, but we had an amazing lunch thanks to them and I was truly grateful because after such a long morning I needed some fuel! I had a Turkey and Bacon sandwich, some chips, an apple, and of course an amazing cookie!

Legal zone: FTC rules, updates, trademarks and copyright

After lunch we had the “Legal zone: FTC rules, updates, trademarks and copyright” Panel. I was very excited about this one because it is very hard to find accurate legal information about blogs. Mona Bajwa from Trymbl.com moderated and Gregory Lemmons from LordBertram.com and Laura Slezinger from VentureGainedLegal.com gave us lots of great info! From this panel I learned to be very careful about what I put on my blog and how I can protect it and to always ask permission to use any photographs or even company logos in my post.

Monetizing your blog: Work smarter not harder

One of the panels that I was most excited about was the “Monetizing your blog: Work smarter not harder” Panel. It was moderated by Tonia herself and included Oliver Deighton from Viglink, Christine Martinez from Luvocracy, Amanda Nudelman from Disqus, Amber Murray from BueatyJunkiesUnite.com and Koldo Garcia from MadVideo. While the main purpose of this blog is to give my readers information so that they can make informed purchases, it is hard to spend all this time on my blog and not get more out of it. I was excited to learn how I can continue doing what I’m doing but make some money on the side. So what did I learn from this panel? I learned that Disqus is pronounces “discuss” and not “diskiss”! Okay maybe some of you already knew this, but I was in the dark. WAY IN THE DARK! lol

Cupcakes and Lemonade!!

Luvocracy let us have a cupcake and lemonade break! The cupcakes were absolutely amazing! Thank you Luvocracy for all your great information and the cupcakes!!!

iFabbo San Francisco Conference

The future of fashion and beauty in the digital space

The last “Panel” of the day was “The future of fashion and beauty in the digital space.” Moderated by the lovely Roxanne Nejad from Boohoo and including Annemarie Frank from HSN, Bianca Posterli from Glam.com, Euenia Chien from ShopStyle, and Tracy Sun from Poshmark. I loved learning about the latest fashions and where these icons think fashion and beauty are going over the next few seasons!

I learned so much yesterday that it is going to take a while to implement it all into Star Focal, but I cannot wait to see where we will be going next! Stay tuned because I will not only share with you what we got in our goody bag that was worth over $400, but I will also share with you my look for the conference! Be sure to check out iFabbo and any of the wonderful people/companies listed above. They were all absolutely amazing and I had a blast!

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Why Do Blogs Use SEO?

For the longest time here on Star Focal, we went without using SEO to promote our page. Why do you ask? Because I just didn’t know how to do it. SEO is a fairly complicated process and it’s very hard to figure out how to use it correctly. Why do we need SEO? SEO is what will help search engines like Google find us. Without SEO you get put to the bottom of the list when someone searches for something on our site.

 

Why does it matter that people can find us? We started this blog to make sure that you can make informed purchases of products. The more people view our site, the more potential reviews we can get.

Recently we started making sure all of our posts utilize SEO and I finally found a tool to help us figure it out. That tool is the Yoast Plug in for wordpress. If you have wordpress I highly suggest you get this plug in. Since having it my views have increased and is seems our page is now higher on Google.

Happy Blogging!

Citation: resellerblognews.com

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Zing Anything Review

I will admit, I have a very hard time drinking water! Mainly because while I am okay with the taste, I just prefer those horrible sugary drinks. Sure I can put lemon and all kinds of things in the water, which I have tried many times, but I hate trying to take a drink of something and all of the sudden choke on a piece of whatever I decided to put in my drink that day. I was sent some awesome products for a Zing Anything Review!

About Zing Anything

The Zing Anything product line and technology is designed with the purpose of extracting the essence of all natural ingredients and allowing these flavors to infuse directly into a liquid of choice. Flavor, aroma, hue, plus the added vitamin, minerals, and nutrients all infuse naturally when using fresh ingredients like fruits/vegetables in the Zing Anything product line of water bottles and salad dressing makers.

What I think

I received the Citrus Zinger and the Vodka Zinger. First I will tell you about the Citrus Zinger. The Citrus Zinger not only infuses your water, but you can use it to easily make fresh Lemonade, Limeade or even Orangeade. One of my favorite ways to drink water is with lemon. For some reason it just makes the water taste fresher.

Zing Anything Review

The Citrus Zinger comes in Pink (pictured above), Green, and Orange. The bottom has a juicer built in that I find works quite well!

Zing Anything Review

Zing Anything Review

One suggestion I would have when using the Citrus Zinger is to wait to fill it with water until you have juiced any lemons you plan on putting inside. I only say this because I am super paranoid and of course clumsy and with my luck I would knock the thing over and juice would go everywhere! Other than that the Citrus Zinger is great! I am very happy that I can make fresh lemonade without the hassle!

I also received the Vodka Zinger to review.

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I love drinking mixed drinks or flavored drinks in general, but I hate all the extra sugar and who knows what else that they add in the process. With the Vodka Zinger you get to choose what flavors you want and you know that they are healthy.

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The bottom of this one is a little more heavy duty then the Citrus Zinger, mainly because you can use other fruits and veggies in this one. Personally, I chose strawberry for my first run. I know, it’s kind of plain but I love strawberry and I am not a huge fan of artificial strawberry flavoring.

The Vodka Zinger only comes in white, but I do love the white! Hopefully they will come out with more colors in the future! I cannot wait to see what products they come out with next!

You can find the whole line of Zingers on Zing Anything’s website here.

**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here.

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Nyx Butter Gloss Review

We were very excited when we found out that we would be getting another great NYX product from Blue Scandal. This time we were sent lip gloss for an NYX Butter Gloss Review.

Nyx Butter Gloss Review

I am not a big lip gloss person so I was a little worried about trying out this Butter Gloss. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t sticky and lasted a lot longer than any other gloss I had tried. It smells and tastes like sugary vanilla, which I of course love and this Enchanted Kiss Butter Gloss set comes in 3 tints.

Nyx Butter Gloss Review

I think this is one of my favorites of the bunch. It has a little more color than the others, but it is still not overwhelming.

Nyx Butter Gloss Review

This one is also one of my favorites. It has very little color so it almost looks like it isn’t there but it still looks great. I wear this one quite often just so that I don’t overpower my makeup.

Nyx Butter Gloss Review

This one surprised me. I thought it was going to be more on the orange side, but when it goes on it looks more pink. I use this one when I want just a little bit of color.

I was very impressed with these glosses. As I said earlier they are not sticky like most other brands and they don’t add too much color. They last a decent amount of time and leave my lips feeling moisturized even after they have faded away.

I have been loving Blue Scandal! They have great products and amazing prices. You are sure to find something you like on their website. Be sure to check out their website here.

**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here.

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Yves Rocher Flower Party by Night Review

One of our new favorite beauty companies is Yves Rocher! They have so many wonderful products with great prices and they use the power of plants to create them! I was able to snag products for a Yves Rocher Flower Party by Night Review!

Yves Rocher Flower Party by Night Review

Flower Party by Night is a spin off of their original fragrance Flower Party. This fragrance is a mixture of Liquorice, Bitter Almond, Star Anise and Vanilla. The name totally fits for this perfume! It is definitely something that I would wear at night. To me it almost smells warm, which is great! Especially with the colder weather coming.

Yves Rocher Flower Party by Night Review

The perfume itself comes in a gorgeous bottle (one of the prettiest bottles I have ever owned)! I can spray myself with it in the morning and still smell it when I get home. I have been so used to using body sprays that the first time I used it I went a little overboard, but since then have learned to only spray a couple times and it is perfect! Not only is it a great perfume for night, but I love wearing this during the day too. It is not overpowering and I get compliments every time I wear it!

I was also able to score the matching Shower Gel and Body Lotion! The Shower Gel also smells amazing! I do wish it was a little more sudsy but it washes great and is quite relaxing! It also leaves my skin feeling soft. I have pretty dry skin so I need all the moisturizing I can get.

One thing that really surprised me is the Body Lotion. As I said, I have very dry skin so it is really hard to find a product that leaves my skin moisturized without leaving it oily. I have tried so many different products only to be let down or just not want to purchase it because of the price. I can honestly say that I have never used a lotion that has worked so well with my skin! Even my husband has commented on how softer my skin is!

I have yet to be disappointed with any of Yves Rocher’s products, which is amazing! Normally you can only find a couple products from each company that you like and most of those products fall in the same category like nails, face, or body. So far I have tried Makeup, Perfume, Shower Gel, Body Lotion and even facial products and they have all been amazing! I highly suggest that you check out some of their amazing products! You can find them on their website here.

**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here.

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Packbasket Grocer Review

While I love the reusable shopping bags that you can get a the grocery store, I hate most of them are made with very cheap material and do not last as long as they should. I was sent a revolutionary reusable bag for a Packbasket Grocer review and I am very excited to share my thoughts with you!

Packbasket Grocer

About the Packbasket Grocer

ADK Packworks™ has created a semi-rigid, lightweight, internal frame that folds easy for storage and stays upright, independent of load. An adjustable strap allowing for a variety of carrying positions (two-handled, over-the-shoulder, and backpack style) is also included. As an accessory, a removable cooler can be purchased for greater shopping flexibility.

What I think

I love how many different uses this bag has. You can use it for shopping, for camping, a picnic, traveling and so much more! Not only is the bag itself very versatile, but they also have tons of accessories to fit your needs. I received the Grocer Cooler Liner and the Topper! I also love that it is equipped with a frame!

Packbasket Grocer

I loved the Topper. When I first heard about this bag I was worried that if it fell over everything inside would go everywhere! This topper comes in light gray which matches all of the Grocer colors and has a stretchy cord with a push tab holder on it so it wraps around your Grocer tight and won’t fall off!

Packbasket Grocer

I also received the Cooler Liner! I always hate going grocery shopping. We live in a small town and the nearest good grocery store is about 20 minutes away and the nearest great grocery store is about 45 minutes away. So when we need to buy refrigerated or frozen food I am always worried about how it will make it home. The Cooler Liner seemed like the perfect fix for this problem!

Packbasket Grocer

It fits perfectly inside the grocer which is great! It even zips closed to you know all your items are safe. I think that the cooler is my favorite part about this grocer! I am so glad that I got it!

Packbasket Grocer

I cannot wait to see what else I can use this Grocer for! I’m sure the longer I have it the more uses I will find! The only issue I had with this Grocer is that I wish it came in more colors! They have a pretty good selection of colors, but as you know I of course would prefer pink or purple! What would you use the Grocer for?

You can find the Packbasket Grocer and it’s wonderful accessories here.

**Disclaimer** I was in no way paid, or obligated to give a positive review, or a review at all for this company. If you would like to read my full disclaimer for reviews you can find it here.

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