Life and reviews

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

InstaNatural Dead Sea Mud Mask

I received the Dead Sea mud mask as a promotion through Tomoson.

As you can guess, the mud comes from the Dead Sea, it smells like it too. Smell is the first thing I notice before anything else and sometimes you can't help it. It can be the deciding factor between liking something or hating something. For me, unless it starts invading my other senses I can handle most smells, I am a mom with three kids after all. While the smell isn't pleasant, it's not the worst I've smelled, especially since becoming a product reviewer.

With that said, let's discuss what I like about this product. To me, mud masks are the best! I would love love love to go to a spa and sit in a giant tub of mud. Maybe it's because it makes me think of when I was younger and my sister and I used to play in the mud or maybe it's because mud is a great exfoliator and leaves your skin feeling silky smooth. Mud is the greatest thing to happen to beauty care. So you slather this mud from the Dead Sea on your face after you wash it. Avoid the eye area and mouth as much as possible! Leave on for 10-15 minutes until dry. Wash off with warm water and a wash cloth, you will need one, dried mud is not easy to wash off. I find mud masks are a great way to spend Saturday nights, I like to watch movies and listen to my fiancé snicker at me while the mud dries making it harder to talk. You only need to use it once a week so you don't have to completely rearrange your life to do it.

The end result is clearer skin because the mud breaks down impurities that clog pores leading to pimples and blackheads. Softer skin because the mud exfoliates all the dead skin cells off leaving beautiful clean skin.

InstaNatural youth express eye serum

I received this product as a promotion through Tomoson.

I love beauty products! I love potions and lotions of all sorts! I love this eye serum! As you can see from the picture it has a lot of good ingredients in it, vitamin c, passionflower and caffeine. All it takes is a couple small drops patted onto the delicate skin under and around your eyes and crows feet lessen, fine lines start going away and years shave off the outward appearance. It's not sticky so you don't feel like you rubbed your eyes with a glue stick. It's got a light fragrance that you only really notice while applying it. I love using this, the worst part is remembering to put it on.

InstaNatural Retinol Moisturizer

I received this product through Tomoson in exchange for my honest review.

I really can't explain how much I love InstaNatural and their products. I love that they are natural, the top ingredients in this product are vitamin c, hyaluronic acid, jojoba oil, shea butter and green tea. It also has aloe Vera, sunflower oil and palm oil.

I applied this product every other day after washing with my oil facial cleanser and usually at night. Anyone who has ever used a product with retinol in it knows it can increase skin sensitivity, especially to sunlight. Normally I have irritations to products with retinol in them because I have very sensitive skin. I didn't get any of that with InstaNaturals retinol lotion. What I did get is fine lines that all but vanished and wrinkles that are less visible. My skin is also softer and smoother.

If you are in need of a lotion to help lessen the signs of aging I recommend this lotion to you. It's not heavy, can be worn under make up and isn't harsh. Plus, it works!

InstaNatural seaweed powder

I received InstaNaturals Seaweed powder as a promotion through Tomoson in exchange for my honest review.

The smell is a little offsetting. It smells like the beach after seaweed has washed ashore and sat in the hot sun all day. That's the biggest downfall of this product. It comes with a couple recipes on the canister, I used the cellulite scrub which is a simple mixture of the powder, sea salt, Olive oil and essential oil if you choose. You mix it together, massage into the areas you wish to improve, mine was my thighs, then you just hop in the shower to rinse it off. I used it every other day for two weeks and have noticed quite the difference in the appearance of cellulite on my thighs.

I also used the facial scrub recipe, again provided on the canister. This one uses the seaweed powder, coconut oil and sea salt. Using circular motions you rub it into your skin and rinse off with warm water. I followed up the scrub with my InstaNatural facial oil cleanser. My skin is so soft and smooth after using this a few times a week. This makes the cold winter air much easier to deal with. This time if year my skin usually gets so dried out because of the cold temperatures, this scrub makes it easy to beat the effects of the weather.

I think I'm going to try the body wrap next, I just need to get more plastic wrap! All in all I am yet again extremely happy with InstaNatural and their products! I'm constantly raving to friends , family and coworkers about this company and their products!

KissMe Organic Ceremonial grade Matcha green tea

I received KissMe Organic Ceremonial Grade Matcha Green Tea powder through Tomoson in exchange for my honest review.

I am a huge fan of green tea! I've been drinking it for many years for the health benefits associated with it. Whenever I am sick, green tea is my go to remedy, usually with some honey. I was really excited to try Matcha because I've heard so many great things about Matcha compared to other green teas. Matcha is a fine powder instead of ground up tea leaves in a bag. You add a scoop to boiling water and whisk until you develop a froth. The thing to remember is that Matcha is definitely stronger and slightly more bitter than store bought teas. I tried it at first without any sweetener and decided I liked it much better with a teaspoon of organic honey. I have been drinking it several times a week and I absolutely love it! It's perfect for a warm drink on a cold afternoon and a much healthier option than hot chocolate.

Monday, December 15, 2014

One Direction Makeup tins

I tried out the One Direction Makeup Collectible tins and I thought they were alright. My young daughters are big fans of the band and went absolutely crazy when they saw that I had received these. I loved the colors of the eye shadows, especially the green one! The only downfall is it didn't last. It produced creasing after just a couple hours of wear. The eyeliner lasted but not the eyeshadow itself. The lip gloss was aimed more towards younger people as none of the colors appealed to me. My girls on the other hand absolutely loved them as well as the glittery over coat. I didn't get to try out the nail polish but my daughters used them and loved them! I think this would make a great gift for younger girls. Powered by BrandBacker

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Dr. Song whitening and remineralizing kit

Im a big time coffee drinker and smoker, my teeth are not as white as they could be, even though I use a whitening toothpaste twice a day, every day.

I need some work done on my teeth that will involve white fillings. My dentist said I have to get my teeth whiter and cut back on coffee, yikes!

I received the Dr. Song whitening kit in the mail in exchange for my honest opinion. I've only used it a handful of times but I'm seeing results. I'm sure with continued use my teeth will get whiter.

Here's the deal with the kit, you get two teeth trays, a little blue light that helps with the whitening process, syringes of whitening gel that you paint on your teeth using a little brush, syringes of remineralizing gel and of course the brush.

So you take the trays, form them to your teeth, stick them in recently boiled water, put them back in your mouth and reform them again. Then you brush and floss your teeth. Carefully apply the whitening gel to your teeth using the brush, you don't want to get it on your gums, there is a warning on the website about the type of bleach used causing discoloration. Now, the whitening gel is recommended for about 15 minutes but can be left on for a couple hours. The blue light can be used for the first 15 minutes of whitening, it didn't last that long with me, it's a little awkward to use.

Seriously awkward! So, after whitening your teethe they recommend you brush your teeth again and wash out the trays. Then add the remineralizing gel and pop the trays back in your mouth for 15 minutes to 4 hours. I found the best way to get full coverage with the remineralizing gel is to gently brush it on your teeth using your toothbrush, squirt a little extra in the tray and then fit over your teeth. After however long you choose to leave this treatment on you wash the trays and brush your teeth again. It's a little bit of a process but I guess if you want shiny white teeth you need to make some sacrifices. Myself in particular since I love my coffee and cigarettes. I will continue to use the Dr. Song teeth whitening system since it has been working. I would probably see more dramatic results if I left it in longer or used it more frequently. I'm happy with the results so far! I've noticed quite a difference in the color of my teeth!

This is after 4 times of using the whitening gel for only 15 minutes each time. I can't wait to see how white I can get them and hopefully before my dentist appointment next month!