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

December Health, Beauty / Skincare Haul from iHerb!

I wanted to share this little health and beauty haul with you all, especially because ALL the products contained in the order happen to be staple/must-have items for me. I have been using most of them for years and I will not be without them!  If you see my empties posts you have surely seen these products in those posts. I will provide links to the products if you'd like to read up on them some more.

Healthy Origins Q10- Vital for heart health and I'd say anyone over 40! It's used by all the cells in our bodies. I take one 100mg gel cap per day. Note: I have read many articles that claim that the latest form of Q10 called Ubiquinol, that is much more expensive, is converted to the Ubiquinone form in our stomachs. So, I opt to continue taking the more cost effective form of Q10 called Ubiquinone.

George's Always Active Aloe Mist- I use this morning an night when layering my skin products. It really helps my other products absorb into my skin better. It's very refreshing and healthy for the skin since it's made from pure active aloe vera. It comes out in such a fine mist, that I have saved an empty bottle and re-purposed it to dispense my favourite leave-in hair conditioner. ps. This aloe lasts forever because the mist is so fine!

Reviva Labs Collagen & Elastin Toner- This is hands down my favourite toner ever! It is so soothing to the skin. It has replaced my previous favourite toner by Thayers, which was also alcohol free, but this is MUCH more soothing to my skin. I use Retin-A, so I like to use gentle products. The fact that it contains collagen and elastin can't hurt my aging skin either.

Nature's Answer Rhodiola- This is the best Rhodiola I have tried and I've tried many. Rhodiola is an adaptogen, which helps our bodies deal with stress. This single-handedly stopped me from waking up at 5 AM everyday. I'm guessing my body was spiking the stress hormone cortisol in the morning and this supplement is helping my body deal with any stress. I take one 100 mg capsule daily.

BHI (Previously Heel Homeopathics) Calming Tabs- These are great little homeopathic tabs that are a combination of remedies. Most classic homeopaths don't believe in combination remedies and use only single one's, but I say whatever works. This helps me on many nights with my insomnia when nothing else does. I always have a bottle by the bedside. Homeopathics do not interact with allopathic medications.

Now Foods Xyli-White Cinnafresh Toothpaste- This is a fluoride-free and SLS free toothpaste and the Xylitol is great for oral health. My dental checkups improved since starting this toothpaste years ago, so I've never looked back. It's more expensive than drugstore toothpaste but so worth it. I just make sure to not squeeze out more than I need. I never see it on sale but it happens to be on sale today for only $1! ahhh.. I want to buy a whole box full at that price. It would save me so much $$, but it's one per customer at that price.

Sierra Bees 8 pack of Lip Balms in Tamanu & Tea Tree- This is an iHerb brand and I love all of their Sierra Bees lip balms that I have tried. They have so many types and they are always having some kind of deal on them, so I usually pickup a pack when I see them having a promo. This pack was on promo for only $1!

A tip when shopping on iHerb- always check their "daily deal's" and "trial" links at the top of their website, you can find some really amazing deals there! The daily one's change every 24 hours, sometimes I check daily until I see the deal I can't pass up and then place my order. ;)

If you have never shopped at iHerb before and you would like a $5 coupon, you can use my referral code to get $5 off your first order. The code is AGU725 and you can just enter it during checkout or you can use this link to have it apply automatically.

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my must have health and beauty products. I'd love to hear what some of your must-have products are!

ps. Come check out the linkup party over at a Fabulous and Fun Life! 

Amy

XX