Clean Eating: Feline Edition [Sponsored by Influenster]

I was given the Temptations items in this post for free from Influenster for review purposes, but did not receive any additional monetary compensation. Blog posting and other sharing on social media with brand hashtags was encouraged, but not required in exchange for receiving the products. All opinions are my own. See Influenster detailed disclose post here.

I have a fair number of goals that could be aided by changing the way I eat: losing weight, helping the environment, supporting animal welfare. Beyond simply being vegetarian though, I don't put any real restrictions on what I actually eat. I just don't think that's a healthy - in a holistic sense - thing to do so (see some discussion here). Abe has some similar, sometimes more extreme beliefs and goals, which to an extent I allow him to impose on me and our household, since I don't disagree with the concept/result - for example, he goes further than I would to avoid artificial colors. But any thing even remotely resembling a "clean eating" strict diet? Absolutely not!

But when it comes to the cats, I kind of do impose some healthy eating habits to meet my ideals. (They can't complain! Or, if they are complaining, it sounds the same to me as when they complain about how evil we are for not allowing them to drink out of our water glasses or freely chase squirrels down the street.)

The staple of their diet is Halo dry cat food (the indoor cat formulations, because that's what I've found at a store), with plenty of water always available. Looking at the ingredient list, you can see that, although it's fortified with various nutrients, the top ingredients are clearly real food, akin to what the cats would eat in nature, with salmon listed first thing.

My only minor quibbles with this product are the plastic bag it comes in (thick and sturdy - which is nice, except that comes at a price of more plastic wasted), and that it's dry food. Cats don't have a very strong thirst drive, since in nature they would get much of their water by eating whole animals (which would contain water). Dry food obviously doesn't give them sufficient water, and they won't always drink enough water separately to make up for it, which eventually leads to kidney disease.

To compensate for that, it's important for cats to also get some kind of wet food. What we've chosen is Rad Cat raw cat food as a daily treat. Less than a dozen individual items, and several of them are actually parts of the same things (e.g., turkey thigh/leg, heart, and liver; egg yolk and shell). It's not fortified with individual isolated nutrients, but with additional whole items like gelatin or kelp to provide the nutrients that cats need.

At times, when I just had Imogene, I fed her raw food as the primary food, with dry food as a treat, but the cost would be super high for both cats (especially Hera, who, especially when we first adopted her, eats ridiculously amounts), plus with the waste of the plastic containers, that's not really feasible right now. I'm glad they get a bit of it every day, but I'm also comfortable with the quality of the dry food it supplements.

With that context in mind, you can probably imagine that when I received a Temptations Snacky Mouse toy with Temptations treats to try out, I was mostly concerned about what was in the treats. The latter half of the list looks similar to the Halo dry food - lots of isolated nutrients, important albeit not from a whole foods kind of source. But the beginning of the list looks a little different: First ingredient is "chicken by-product meal", followed by corn, and shortly thereafter "dried meat by-products" and natural flavor. 

Corn isn't really good, at least so high on the ingredient list. Cats are obligate carnivores - they benefit from some roughage, which they would get in nature from the stomach contents of the small animals they'd eat - so grains in cat foods aren't providing quality nutrients but are just filler. More grains equals less animal protein.

Natural flavor also isn't great, but mainly just because it means the actual ingredient(s) isn't being disclosed. If it's "natural" versus artificial, then it's at least derived from real stuff, but it can be still be hugely processed before it gets to the flavor stage. Just like in human food, natural flavor is better than artificial flavor, but fully disclosed ingredients are even better.

And what about those by-products? By-products are basically what they sound like: the product that's leftover after other portions have been processed for human consumption. It doesn't necessarily mean it has no nutritional value, but it's definitely not the same as whole muscle meat. It's random leftover pieces - includes organs and bone that are good for cats anyway (remember, they'd be eating small animals basically in whole, if they were catching their own prey), but it can also be feet or meat deemed unsuitable for humans (such as dead on arrival animals) that at best have no nutrition, and at worst could be harmful.

On the one hand, I like the idea of all parts of an animal, once it's doomed to consumption anyway, being used for something. But my cats are my babies! The fact that I brought them into my home means I made myself responsible for their well being. I doubt the potential health risk is significant (their stomachs are made to digest raw meat, after all), but it's simply not high-quality food. It's bits and scraps, processed to meet certain numbers - but it is processed, it's not real food that should the staple of anyone's diet.

That said, like I don't constrain myself to not only eat for pure health, the girls are entitled to treats as well! While I don't think the Temptations treats are truly healthy, I also don't think they're inherently harmful, and I have no issue with Imogene and Hera have a few pieces occasionally. 

They haven't quite gotten the hang of the snacky mouse to earn their treats, but they love the eating treats part!

Influenster required disclosure: I received the Temptations products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Conscious Consumerism: Rimmel Mascara [Sponsored by Influenster]

I was given the Rimmel items in this post for free from Influenster for review purposes, but did not receive any additional monetary compensation. Blog posting and other sharing on social media with brand hashtags was encouraged, but not required in exchange for receiving the products. All opinions are my own. See Influenster detailed disclose post here.

I recently received my first box of goodies from Influenster - the #ModaVoxBox. A couple of the items are disposable and/or plastic products that I try not to have in my life - tissues (I do have a box around for guests or occasional extra-gross situations, but generally use handkerchiefs), single-serve hot cocoa, and the bottled water. The hair mask and lotion are things that you can rarely avoid buying in a plastic bottle, so I'm still checking them out to see if they're products I'm really interested. 

The remaining items were make-up items by Rimmel: Rockin' Curves mascara, Moisture Renew lipstick, and Moisture Renew lipliner. (See me wearing all three products on Instagram here.)

I generally stay pretty loyal to my products - once I find something I work, I stick with it. I am, however, currently in the market for a new perfect mascara, so I was intrigued to have the opportunity to try this one.

Of course there are some specific factors I look for in a particular item (e.g., not clumpy for a mascara, non-sticky for a lip gloss), but summing those up in "product effectiveness", the three things I consider when buying something are: 

1. Product effectiveness
2. Readily available in nearby stores (to avoid shipping costs and materials)
3. Packaging (environmental impact)
4. Company responsibility (including animal rights)

Obviously the first three are or become fairly self-evident; the last one I try to confirm on PETA's animal testing list (though the three companies discussed in this post aren't on the list either way; I'm guessing because they're UK based?), and/or on the companies' websites.

For a few years, I had the absolute best mascara: The waterproof version of the Boots maximum volume I'm now trying again - but a couple years ago they completely revamped the line and it's no longer available in waterproof. The current version is good in most other respects, but I really would love to find something equivalent that's waterproof. 

I've tried at least a half dozen other mascaras in the past year. Most recently I bought this Pixi mascara, as the display indicated it was an animal-friendly, eco-friendly brand; it's water resistant, but merely ok in other respects. With this long search in mind, you can imagine I was intrigued to get a chance to try this Rimmel mascara in the Influenster box.

How do these current three options rate? Below are evaluations on the four factors mentioned above, on a scale from 1 to 10. (All are comparable in price - in the $6 - 8 range.)

Rimmel ScandelEyes Rockin' Curves: 
1. Effectiveness: 7. I found the "heart shaped" brush annoying - either I have oddly shaped or sized eyelids, or I just don't know how to use these brushes, but I can't manage to apply it to my entire eyelashes in one swipe, so the marketed ability to target certain parts of the brushes for certain spots just doesn't work. Provides good volume and length. Doesn't appear to be available in a waterproof version.
2. Availability: 10. Found at both Fred Meyer and Target, both regular shopping spots for me, and most other retailers that sell make-up.
3. Packaging: 5. Comes in rigid plastic on cardboard backing. Tube is on the larger side, but it also does contain more product (0.41 oz). 
4. Social responsibility: 7. No animal testing (source), but doesn't make it easy to confirm.
Overall: 7.25

Boots No. 7 Maximum Volume: 
1. Effectiveness: 8. Normal brush. Moist formula. Provides reasonable amount of volume and length. Only real drawback is that it's not available in a waterproof version.
2. Availability: 6. Found only at Target, as far as I can tell (for retail stores; also available online). 
3. Packaging: 8. Comes in a single plastic wrapping, no rigid plastic or box. Tube is a bit on the larger side for how much product (0.23 oz).
4. Social responsibility: 7. No animal testing (source), but doesn't make it easy to confirm.
Overall: 7.25

Pixi Lash Booster: 
1. Effectiveness: 7. Normal brush. A bit dry. Provides reasonable amount of volume and length - just a smidge less than the Boots option. "Water resistant" is a good balance - stays on through watering eyes, but can be rubbed off in the shower without the hassle of actually using makeup remover.
2. Availability: 6. Found only at Target, as far as I can tell (for retail stores; also available online).
3. Packaging: 9. Comes in a cardboard box, no plastic. Smaller tube relative to others with similar amount of product (0.25 oz).
4. Social responsibility: 10 No animal testing (source), and advertise to imply this and make it easy to confirm.
Overall: 8

Overall, I think I'll be sticking with Pixi for the time being, although I definitely am not calling off the search yet for the perfect mascara.

Influenster required disclosure: I received the Rimmel products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

What Does "Sponsored" Mean: Influenster

See background on my disclosure standards and why I'm doing this post here. This post will be somewhat of a living document, and I'll update it if relevant information - either my own decisions or standards set by the sponsor - changes.

Sponsor: Influenster

Type: Marketing network
Contract length: N/A - Products are provided without explicit contract terms. Eligibility for each campaign is determined based on a stand-alone survey for that campaign, as well as one's standing with Influenster based on participation in prior campaigns.

Compensation: Product only. After the initial VoxBox for a campaign, the chance to win additional products from the involved brands can be earned through specified sharing tasks.
Terms: https://www.influenster.com/terms

Sponsor hashtags: 

• @Influenster will be tagged.
•  #[campaign]VoxBox (current campaign is #ModaVoxBox). 
• Each brand that has products included in a campaign/VoxBox will have additional hashtags, varying by campaign.

My hashtags: These are hashtags I'm making up to make it clearer when there is indirect compensation or other incentive to post something.

• #InfluensterBadgeTask will be included on anything being posted to earn points towards the campaign badge, which helps maintain my standing with Influenster and improves odds of being involved in future campaigns.
• #InfluensterBrandBadge and #contest will be included on anything being posted to earn points towards a brand badge, which enters me in a chance to win additional products from the brand involved.
• #sponsored will be included on all postings featuring product received from Influenster, regardless of whether or not it was posted to earn points.

Blog post disclosures:

• The labels "sponsored" and "Influenster" will be indicated. (These are listed in the footer to the post.)
• The following disclosure will be inserted at the very top of the post: I was given the items in this post for free from Influenster for review purposes, but did not receive any additional compensation. Blog posting and other sharing on social media with brand hashtags was encouraged, but not required in exchange for receiving the products. All opinions are my own. Please see my Influenster disclosure post for additional information, and let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
• The following disclosure required by Influenster will be inserted at the bottom of the post: Influenster required disclosure: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Summary of requirements: There are no explicit requirements in exchange for receiving free products for review/testing purposes. However, performing recommended tasks are encouraged, and will improve your standing to be considered to receive future free products, resulting in an indirect non-monetary compensation for performing the tasks.

How it works: 

There is no contract (beyond agreeing to general terms of using the website) to sign up an Influenster account and potentially be eligible to receive a "VoxBox" - a package of free products to review and share on social media. Before each campaign, Influenster sends members a survey, they have to respond within a certain time frame and meet eligibility requirements in their survey answers to be mailed a box for that campaign. 

There is no explicit requirement to do anything in response to receiving a VoxBox - I could have received it, never said a word to anyone, never posted anything on my blog or social media, and Influenster and the involved brands would have no recourse against me.

However. Obviously I would then not be considered for any future campaigns! Once you receive a VoxBox, a list of tasks opens up. Each task is worth a specified number of points, and you have to earn 100 points to achieve the campaign "badge". The points for each task are arranged such that you have to perform at least the majority of tasks to to earn the badge. 

Each task includes certain requirements, such as tagging a brand or including a certain hashtag, but otherwise they provide a lot of leeway for how you portray the product on social media. There are options for a variety of platforms - some are specific, such as "post on instagram showing that you spotted X product at X store", some are more generic in platform - "post a picture of you enjoying X product on the platform of your choice", or in content - "blog about the box - the good, bad, and lovely".

It's not clear yet from information available on the website or to be learned from future experience with the organization, but I'm currently operating under the assumption that you have to perform at least some tasks to be considered at all for future campaigns of similar value, and to perform enough tasks to earn the campaign badge to be considered at all for future campaign of higher value.

In addition to unlocking the campaign badge, there are additional tasks you can perform to earn a badge brand for one of the brands involved in the campaign. Completing the brand badge enters you to potentially win additional products from that company (but still not guaranteed - the products will be awarded to the top 10 or 50 or 100 or whatever out of those who complete the badge). 

So for both the campaign badge and the brand badge, although there is no requirement or direct compensation (in product or cash) for posting on social media about the products, there is an incentive to posting, by increasing your odds for receipt of products in the future.

Some Blogkeeping Items

1. I joined Instagram! Username: vegmargaret (My twitter handle wasn't available on instagram, though my instagram handle appears to be available on twitter, so I might change it in the near future on twitter to match, especially as the instagram one is consistent with pinterest.)

I have to tell you that the primary reason I signed up for Instagram is to utilize it for Influenster sharing items. But - because I'll be using it to subject you to potentially obnoxious sponsored items, I vow to maintain at least 80% of my content as cat photos. (Seriously. Hold me to it.)

2. I joined Influenster, and qualified for a "voxbox" which I just received this week. Basically, Influenster is a network that works to connect brands with bloggers and other "social influencers". They do surveys to see if your interests qualify for boxes of product they send out for review. I guess if you prove your worth you get more valuable boxes; to start with you get some hodge podge items from various brands. 

I honestly don't know how I qualified for this one, which is mostly beauty products. Either they give you the first one that comes up when you've joined so you don't think the whole thing is a crock, or my answer to the effect of "routinely wear makeup" (i.e, I have a two-minute routine of standard makeup I apply each day to look professional at my job) was sufficient to make me sound like a fashionista. 

3. I'm hoping this will lead to more opportunities for sponsored posts or products review, as well as maybe applying for some brand ambassadorships. First cause it's fun to get free stuff or (hopefully, eventually!) some extra cash! And as we're looking forward to expanding our family, I like the idea of exploring options that could allow me to reduce hours at my real job and still earn some extra income while being at home part time. I also hope that partnering with brands will expand the reach of my blog, and thus the extent of the community and conversation I try to foster with it. 

I absolutely promise you, I will not promote in a positive light a brand or product that I dislike, regardless of monetary consequences. I know everyone says that, but, heck, I'm not sure I'll even get another voxbox after the direction of some of the (honest and constructive, in line with my ethics and interests) comments I plan to make on this one . Nor will I ever turn my blog into a walking advertisment without my own content (presuming I could even get that much sponsored content, which I realize is presuming a lot). 

If I ever become an asshole or seem to lose common sense regarding sponsored content (since there does seem to be some degree of correlation with these things in the blog world), feel free to call me out on it.

4. Enter my first giveaway here! Despite the preceding paragraphs in this post, this is an absolutely unsponsored, unaffiliated, personally purchased giveaway. I just wanted to do something for my readers who have shared my Doctor Who post and celebrate the awesome reach it's achieved!