March Empties: Health and Beauty! #Reviews

March seriously flew by! I can't believe it's already time for another empties post. My last empties post can be found HERE if you want to see last months empties.

I didn't realize I had collected so many empties, so I will try and be brief with my reviews and I will post links where possible.

Let's start with beauty products as I know that's what most of my readers are probably interested in.

- George's Always Active Aloe Mist- This is a staple in my beauty routine. I love to use it after cleansing and to dampen skin in between layering my skin products. It's very hydrating and great to have on hand in the summer, but I use it all year.

- Retin-A Micro Gel 0.04%- This is by prescription here in Canada. This particular formula does not cause irritation or peeling of the skin. I never even had an adjustment period with this Retin-A product. Retin-A is supposed to promote skin cell turnover and build collagen.

- Martina Gebhardt Black Mud Cream- I've been using this heavy cream every night since 2012. It did wonders for my dehydrated and acne prone skin! I always go back to it. I am currently trying out another product from Martina Gebhardt, but I highly recommend this to anyone with dehydrated or devitalized, or acne prone skin. (It also comes in a lotion).

- Pure + Simple Rejuvenating Rosehip Mask- This is super hydrating. I love to use it after a gentle exfoliation for better absorption. You can leave it on or wait 10-20 min then rinse. It's all natural and cruelty free.

- Vichy ProEven Advanced Daily Dark Spot Corrector- Although it has some great ingredients, I did not notice enough of a difference to purchase this again.

- Alba Botanica Terra Tints- I have this in the colour "Bloom." This is a mineral tinted lip balm with SPF 8. It gives my lips the hydration it needs, sun protection, and I love the colour on me. It's a pretty blush of colour on my lips, I'd say a light berry tone. I've tried so many others but this is my favourite and it's perfect for summertime!

- Madre Bees Organic Lip Balm- I always have these organic lip balms on hand. iHerb always puts them on sale, so I stock up when they are on sale. (They also come in a shimmer formula).

- Nature's Answer Rhodiola- This is nature's stress buster. Regular readers of my blog know how much I rave about this product. It's the only thing that stopped me from waking up at the crack of dawn every morning! I take one a day in the afternoon.

- Madre Labs CocoCeps-  This organic cocoa powder contains immune building cordyceps & reishi mushrooms, and the pure dark cocoa powder is good for our hearts. I put this in my morning smoothies everyday, and sprinkle it on ice cream etc. It is unsweetened, so I like to add Stevia. It's also a great natural energy booster!

- True Raw Choice Colloidal Silver- I get this at my local pet store (Pet Valu). It's great for people and pets! I highly recommend you keep this product on hand. Below is some info to help you decide if this product is for you and your 4 legged friend...

Here is some info from True Raw Choice's website:

Colloidal Silver is used as a treatment to fight more than 650 disease organisms found in pets. The treatment is effective against bacteria, fungi and viruses without affecting the healthy cells surrounding the infection.
Treats... Osteoporosis, Arthritis, Nerves & Stress, Blood Circulatory Cleanser, Eyes, Ears, Caker, Sinus, Muscle & Joints, Bones & Ligaments, Allergens, Pollution, Skin Problems

- Hydrogen Peroxide- I use this for my homemade cleansers, to disinfect my mouth guard, as a teeth whitener, and for cuts and scrapes. It has many uses and everyone should keep some on hand. I buy mine at the dollar store to save a bit of money.

-Nature's Way Niacinamide- I actually take this to help my body metabolize carbs. It helps me maintain my weight. That's not why I started this product, but that's what it ended up helping with. If I have a high-carb meal I will take 1 capsule. (From iHerb: "Niacinamide is the non-flushing form of Niacin/ Vitamin B3. It is necessary for normal breakdown of fats and the release of energy from carbohydrates"). This explained to me why it ended up helping with maintaining my weight.

I buy a lot of these products on iHerb's website. I highly recommend them for their low prices, low international shipping, and it's pretty much a one stop shop. I can buy most of my health and beauty products there (from Elf to Real Techniques and Physicians Formula, plus all my supplements), it's quite amazing.

If you've never shopped at iHerb, you can save $5 on your first order with discount code AGU725 or by clicking HERE.

If you do shop at iHerb, make sure to check out the Daily specials & Deals at the top of their website. They offer some serious savings with those deals, and they change daily!

I hope you enjoyed seeing what I used up this month as well as what I loved and what didn't work for me.  Hopefully, you find my reviews helpful, I know reading reviews helps me to find products that work for me.

Have you found any products you can't be without? If so, please share in the comments. I get some of the best suggestions from my readers!

ps, come and join the fun over at a fabulousandfunlife and best-blogosphere-link-week-65

Amy
xoxo

Decluttering Series: Beauty Samples Stash Testing + Reviews #challenge

I love getting samples of new products to try but I don't always use them right away as I'm often trying to finish up some full size products that I'm using. Now I find myself in a sea of samples so to speak so I've decided to take on the task challenge of using up all of my samples.

Hair Samples

Face & Body

Other Samples

As you can see I have a lot to get through and these are only the small size sample that I've accumulated. I have given a lot of samples to friends and family when I had duplicates or items that I thought they would enjoy more than I would.

Storage

This is how I decided to store my samples to give me easy access until I finish them up. Oh, the victory I will feel when that day comes! All the hair samples are in the basket and everything else is in the clear zippered bag.

I will use a few samples each week and report back on my experience with the products. Some samples are one time uses and others will give me a few uses and may take longer to finish up. 

I am looking forward to this challenge! 

Here is what I tried this week:

-TreSemme 7 Day Keratin Smooth System- Wow, did I lose a ton of hair using this 3 step system. I lost a lot of hair during each step and I have no idea why. Maybe it's not suitable for fine, fragile, bleached hair, but I didn't read that on the packaging anywhere. I didn't even follow the part of the instructions that tell you to go over each section with the flat iron 3 times, once was enough for me. The end result was dry hair and it only remained straight for the 1st day, after that my waves started to come back. I did not notice any special straightening from this product over using any normal shampoo, conditioner and treatments.. other than a lot of hair shedding!  I have two more of theses samples and they are going straight in the garbage.

-LaCoupe Argan oil Smoothing Shampoo and conditioner- My fine, curly hair was totally weighed down by this products and looked dirty with no style. Maybe better suited for people with coarse hair.

-Garnier Makeup Removing Lotion Cleanser- This worked well at removing my makeup but still required a cleanse after. I prefer to remove my makeup with an oil, Micellar water or wipe over this lotion cleanser.

-Almay Smart Shade- This blended into my skin nicely and had light coverage that evened out my skin tone. I didn't have any irritation or breakouts from it but I found the shade turned dark on my light-medium skin tone. Maybe it oxidized or is the wrong shade. The sample was from a magazine insert and doesn't state the colour.

I hope you enjoyed this post and mini reviews. If you have a lot of samples to use up maybe you'll join me in this challenge.

Come check out some other great beauty blogs here! Fabulous and Fun Life Linkup Party!

Amy