How to Take Care of Your Miracos Makeup Brushes

This post is sponsored by Miracos, but all opinions are my own.

Your makeup brushes are tools.  As with any work, the better your tools, the better results you'll get.  That doesn't mean that you have to buy the most expensive tools because they don't always work better than mid-range brushes.  

I recently discovered Miracos Makeup Brushes, specifically the Limited Edition Essential Luxury Brush Kit.  It's affordable, yet it performs like more expensive brushes.  They are absolute proof that you don't need to spend a lot of money to get good results.

Like any tools that you use, the better you take care of them, they better they perform.  They will also last longer, which saves you money in the long run.  

Finding The Best Car Insurance in Ohio Is Full of Surprises...

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own.

Trying to find the best car insurance can be a trial. We all know the big car insurance brands: State Farm, Geico, Progressive, Allstate — but after browsing those sites, I’m never sure if I’m actually getting the best deals. So this time I used Clearsurance, and what I found totally caught me by surprise. All those household brands we all see advertised so often? They aren’t ranked very highly. Clearsurance, which is a website that collects reviews from people about their insurance company, uses the data it gathers to create unbiased rankings of car insurance companies, both by state and nationally for 2018. The detailed breakdown helps you compare companies and find coverage that’s actually the best deal for your location and driving history.

Once I got over my surprise, I decided to see what companies other consumers ranked as the best car insurance options in Ohio and if my car insurer was rated highly by other consumers. I didn’t even recognize some of the companies that ranked ahead of the giants in car insurance, including my own insurer.

For instance, Amica Mutual, which offers a home ownership discount, was founded in 1907 and ranks as the fourth best company in all of Ohio. Amica Mutual’s 4.46 rating out of 5 on Clearsurance is significantly higher than that of Progressive (4.16) and Allstate (4.1).

Take a look at what companies are ranked as the top 5 car insurers in Ohio on Clearsurance:

1. USAA — 4.68
2. Erie Insurance Group  — 4.48
3. California Casualty Group — 4.47
4. Amica Mutual Insurance Company— 4.46
5. Shelter Mutual Insurance Company — 4.43

These aren’t the names we typically associate with car insurance. So why are these brands so much better than the big companies we all know? Clearsurance has tons of great information to help you navigate your car insurance coverage, and one of the things I discovered is that companies like Geico and Allstate spend billions of dollars a year on advertisements to become the names we think of when it’s time to buy car insurance or consider switching car insurance. But those advertising dollars have come to from somewhere, and it ends up driving up the cost of our insurance premiums.

Why should we be paying more to insure our cars so that our insurer can solicit new business?

For the most part, the companies rated highly in Ohio are lesser known than the big names. But the bottom line is, they’re better. These are the companies that other policyholders have found offer fair prices with good customer service and claims handling.

Still, we’re not all eligible for these top insurers, and we don’t all have the same insurance needs. That’s something else Clearsurance understands and helps you navigate. For example, USAA is the best car insurance company for Ohioans, but it only serves active and former military members and their families, and a company like Erie Insurance Group offers a multi-car discount, but that’s only an incentive if you’re driving multiple vehicles. Plus, not all car insurance companies cover high-risk drivers, so if you have a lot of accidents on your record or a DUI, you may not be able to obtain coverage from one of these companies.

What are the best options for high-risk drivers in Ohio?

I did some digging into the car insurance companies that sell in Ohio and offer policies to high-risk drivers, often referred to as non-standard drivers. Using their ratings on Clearsurance, I found two companies for high-risk drivers:

1. Safe Auto - With a rating of 3.91, Safe Auto doesn’t compare as well with the highest rated companies in Ohio, but it tops the list among companies that cover high-risk drivers. The reviews talk about Safe Auto being among the cheapest options people could find, and consumers seem to have pretty good overall experience with the company after a claim.
2. The General - The most well-known among companies on this list, The General has a rating of 3.68. Consumers seem to believe The General offers cheap prices, but the low rates are reflected in the customer service and handling of claims.

Finding the best car insurance for you or your family shouldn’t have to be completely mind-boggling. Once you step outside the buzz of all those big name brands, figuring out which companies actually offer the best customer service at the best price becomes a lot easier, especially if you’ve got Clearsurance on your team.

9 Must Have Essential Oil Roller Blends

These are my must have essential oil roller blends; the ones I always have with me.  

If I'm not diffusing my essential oils, then my favorite way to use them is in a roller bottle. Roller bottles make them easy to grab and go and easy to apply.

Making roller bottle blends lets you mix right in the bottle. I can keep my essential oils pure and reduce clutter in my oil storage because I don't have to mix oils in bottles.

Essential oils have to be diluted before you can apply them to your skin  Roller bottles make it easy to dilute them so you don't have to grab a carrier oil or a solid carrier oil stick each time you want to apply oils.

Amazon Prime Day Deals 2018

Keep watching this post for the best Prime Day 2018 deals!

Don't miss any Amazon Prime Day 2018 deals!  I'll be updating the post all day with deals.

You do need to be a Prime member for the deals, but you can join today and still get these deals!  I've been a Prime member for the free shipping for years.  We also use Amazon Video (Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is excellent!) and use Amazon Music (I'm listening to it now!).

See all of the Prime Day Deals here!

The prices shown aren't always the right price.  To see the Prime Day deals, click on the listing  The price is most likely a lot cheaper!

TECH AND GADGETS

• Echo Dot  Reg $49.99 down to $29.99
• Echo Spot Video Doorbell $379.98 down to $278
• Fire HD 10 Tablet with Alexa Reg $149.99 down to $99.99
• Fire TV Stick With Alexa Reg $39.99 down to $19.99
• Kindle Paperweight E-Reader Reg $119.99 down to $79.99
• Apple MacBook Air Reg $1398.60 down to $806.88

HOME

• Crock Pot 8 in 1 Pressure Cookier Reg $79.99 down to $69
• KitchenAid 5 Speed Blender Reg $129.99 down to $78,16
• 20% off select Amazon Basics
• Philips Air Fryer Reg $177,99 down to $99.99
• Popcorn Popper Reg $30 now $15
• Instant Pot Cookbook Reg $20 now $12 

BEAUTY

I got a heads up that select Johnson & Johnson products will be 30 percent off for Prime Day.  Check out their landing page for the products.

• Aveeno
• Clean and Clear
• Neutrogena
• Amope Reg $34.99 now $24.49

FASHION

• Select fashion for the family 30% off.  Add to cart to see savings.

NATURAL LIVING

DIY Wake Up Shower Melts Recipe

Start your morning off right with these shower melts with a blend of essential oils to wake you up.

Mornings are rough, amiright?  I've been using my Awake essential oil blend in my diffuser to get myself and my kids alert in the mornings.  It works, but I've been trying to work from my office this summer to get some more work done.

Why is it that I can more done in an hour in my office than I do all day at home with my kids?  But I digress...

So I made these wake up shower melts to use in the morning instead.  They use a blend of essential oils that are said to help you wake up. 

Steam baths have been used in many different cultures all over the world.  Today, they are easy to do right at home with your shower.  

If you're not a bath person, these shower melts, also called shower fizzies, work in a similar way.  The hot water creates steam, and the melts give off essential oils as they dissolve to fill your shower with with aromatherapy vapors.

Think of them as a bath bomb for your shower.