One 'n Only Argan Oil - Moroccan Argan Oil Treatment for Hair #Review

I haven't used this One 'n Only Argan Oil in over a year. I have such difficult hair (curly, frizzy, and unmanageable) that I'm always trying new products in hopes of finding a miracle worker. Also, I feel like my hair gets used to products, although I've heard some stylist say this isn't possible. Anyhow, I should probably change it up more often, but I was trying to finally focus on what I was using so I could finish up some products. Beauty Junkies, you know what I'm talking about!

I had just had my hair cut and coloured and I was getting ready to go back and get another haircut because no matter what I did, I just couldn't make my hair look good. I could flat iron the heck out of it and it still looked horrible; it was dry, heavy, stiff and full of kinks, as if it didn't have a style, something was amiss. So, I thought the cut must be to blame and I needed it tweaked a bit (even though I have a very talented stylist). I was also having a lot of hair fall out every time I'd run my hands through my hair and so I placed the blame on having my hair coloured and/or my thyroid issues. Then suddenly, I had run out of the product that I was trying to finish for eons which was a higher end salon product, and I went back to using this Argan oil instead.

I began by applying a dime sized amount of the oil to wet hair and I did not use any other products. I styled my hair as usual and I couldn't believe it, it looked and felt like I had my hair done at the salon! I didn't even use a flat iron or any hot tools for that matter, just a blow dryer and round brush. My super frizzy hair came out so smooth and soft I couldn't believe it! So, my haircut wasn't the issue, it was the product I was using. Thankfully, I went back to this product before I went back and got another haircut!

I've been back to using this Argan oil for a week now and my hair feels super soft, light, and it has movement again! It looks like I DO have a style now. Also, since going back to this product, I don't have the constant hair fallout/breakage when I run my fingers through my hair, there is still some, but not as much.

Only time will tell if my hair will get used to this product and I will have to switch to something else (no lack of products to try in this house). But, for now me and my hair are happy and we're sticking with this.

Lesson learned: If my hair (especially freshly cut and coloured) looks horrible no matter what I do to it, and /or is falling out more than it should, try changing hair products!

ps. I purchased mine at Sally's Beauty Supply where the price was significantly less than the salon that initially tried to sell me on this product. I think I paid around $11

Come on over and join the blogger link up party at Fabulous and Fun Life!

Amy

XX

Flavoured Liquid Coconut Oil by Nature's Way #review via Social Nature

I was fortunate enough to get to try this flavoured liquid coconut oil free from socialnature. Social Nature is a product sampling community focusing on natural products.

I love my coconut oil and use it daily; whether I'm putting it in a smoothie or cooking or baking with it. But, in the colder months it turns solid and being kind of lazy, I find it a pain to melt it before using it in my smoothies and recipes. So, I was quite happy to hear of a liquid coconut oil that will save me from this tedious step.

So far, I am really having fun with this coconut oil. I love that it's in liquid form so I don't have to melt it before adding it to smoothies or baking recipes. I have the Raspberry flavour and so far I have been adding it to chocolate smoothies, fruit smoothies and my weekly black bean brownie recipe. I plan on using it in a salad with some spinach and strawberries too. The possibilities are endless. I love the flavour and the convenience. Now I want to try all the flavours! It's non-Gmo too!


Product Deets:

• Premium Liquid Coconut Oil
• Choose from 5 delicious flavours
• Alternative to butter, margerine or vegetable oil 
• Ideal for salad dressings, sauces, dips & drizzling on popcorn
• Made with expeller pressed, Non-GMO coconuts
• Cold Pressed, Unbleached, Unrefined
• Non hydrogenated, zero trans fats, hexane free, no solvents
• Stays liquid - even when refrigerated

If you have any recipes that you think this flavoured coconut oil would work in, please comment below, I would love to experiment some more with other recipes.

I received this product free for trial purposes from socialnature, all opinion are my own.

Amy

xx

$1 Eye Makeup Brushes: 224, 222 and 217. Mac Dupes!?

Recently, I heard about these "Mac dupe" brushes selling on eBay and I had to check them out. At $1 a piece with FREE shipping, I felt I really couldn't go wrong. Here are the four that I purchased.  

From the top: #224 #224 #222 #217

The close up pictures above and below are after washing them two times and using them for two weeks,

My order:

Pictured above is a screenshot of my eBay purchase. 

As I mentioned, I heard that these were dupes for Mac brushes and I was in need of some pointed crease brushes. Again, not much to lose since they are $1 per brush and FREE shipping! yay!

I can't tell you how they compare to Mac brushes since I don't own any Mac ones, but I can tell you that I am LOVING these brushes! I can honestly say that I have been using these 4 brushes on the daily since I got them, and I haven't touched any of my other eye brushes since! Yes, I'm loving them that much. 

How they arrived:

They are really soft and washed well with no shedding. They also work amazingly well and blend my makeup like a dream. The handles feel like high quality IMO and each are stamped with their corresponding number. I would never guess that these are low-end brushes, let alone $1!

Insta Pic:

I ordered:
 2 x #224

1 x #222

1 x 217

I am so happy with my purchase and if I need anymore brushes I would definitely order these again or some others from this seller. Of course, only time will tell how they will hold up in the long run, but so far, so good. *Fingers crossed

Note: I've had some people on Instagram ask for a link. I will provide a link to one of the brushes from my purchase (not affiliate), but keep in mind that it may eventually expire. In that case I would recommend searching on eBay for makeup brushes with the number you are looking for eg. ``eye makeup brush 224`

eBay link: eBay makeup brush #224

I love finding great buys and bargains, so please leave a comment if you have any to share! Or, have you found any great bargains or dupes for higher end products?

All products were purchased by me and all opinions are my own.

ps. Come join the fun at a Blogger link up party over at a fabulousandfunlife

Amy
xx

Secret Clinical Strength Invisible Solid Antiperspirant in Completely Clean: Review

Today I'm going to share my experience with Secret's Clinical Strength Invisible Solid Antiperspirant/Deodorant.

Claims: 

• 4X STRESS SWEAT PROTECTION*
• LIGHTLY SCENTED
• GOES ON DRY OR CLEAR

*80% sweat reduction versus the 20% sweat reduction
required by an ordinary antiperspirant 

Available in: 

• INVISIBLE SOLID 
•  CLEAR GEL

From the Box: 

• Clinically proven to provide extra effective wetness protection
• "Adapts & Responds" Technology to give you Customized Protection that adapts to you.
• Goes on dry and stays dry
• 48 HR odour protection

I received my package from BzzAgent and was excited to get started. If you haven't heard of BzzAgent, they are a great site where you can try out products for FREE, to test out and give your opinions on them, that's it! It's loads of fun too! You don't have to have a blog either.

Here is how my package arrived from BzzAgent:

Here I am before, stressing about an impending "situation" And, ready to put my the product to the test!

Here I am shortly after. Feeling relaxed and taking silly selfies for this review:

It didn't leave any marks on one of my favourite black tops, which I wore with my favourite new lipstick (Jordana Modern Matte in Blush).  And, my Malibu Lemon Blossom perfume by Pacifica is also pictured along with my new Secret Clinical Strength deodorant.

Here I made a little collection of tools I use to stay #stressfree (including the latest addition, My Secret Clinical):

The first thing I did when I got the product was put it to the sniff test. It passed with flying colours, I love the scent! I decided to put this product to the test during a stressful situation and it stood up really well. I normally only wear deodorants and if I'm stressed I sweat, but at least I don't stink! :P This definitely controlled the normal wetness factor as well as any potential stink factor. It also stood up to a light workout. I could tell because I was sweating on other parts of my body but not so much on my underarms. Maybe I should just slather this product all over my body.. OK, just kidding. I mean we do need to sweat a bit to release some toxins from our bodies. But, no one wants to walk around with wet under pits!

I think this product is fantastic to have on-hand if you have any situations where you don't want to be embarrassed by sweaty armpits. It's in a different league than my usual deodorant. I will probably continue to use my usual deodorant when I'm just chillaxin at home etc. But, for anything else, I will definitely continue to use Secret's Clinical Strength Antiperspirant. It will also save my good clothes too! I'm sick of white blouses turning yellow under the arms from perspiration! And, who needs #stresssweat anyways!?

Have you tried a product from this line?  And, please, share any tips to stay stress-free! We can all use that...

I received this product free for trial purposes from BuzzAgent
 #GotItFreeFromSecret . 

All opinions on this product are my own.

Amy

xx

Laneige Advanced Water Science, Water Bank Gel Cream #lovingLANEIGE Review

I'm a total skincare junkie! I have been for years. So, I was really curious when I heard, after much anticipation, the Korean skincare line Laneige had finally arrived in Canada!

I was even more excited when I found out that I was fortunate enough to be able to give one of their products a test drive through influenster! If you are not familiar with Influenster, I highly recommend them if you're interested in trying out products for free! All you have to do is test the products out and give your honest opinion about your experience with the product. Influenster has much more than beauty products too, they have food and drinks, pet supplies, games, you name it, they have it.

Anyways, back to Laneige. Over 20 years of research has gone into the making of these products. They have a really nice range of products on Sephora's website and I'm pretty much drooling over all of them!

The product that I got to test out and will be reviewing here is the Water Bank Gel Cream, it can be found on www.sephora.com. I didn't get to choose a product from their line, instead, I filled out a questionnaire about my skin and they matched me to the right product for my skin type based on my answers.

Here is some info from Sephora's website on the Water Bank Gel Cream:

What it is:
A cooling, non-oily gel-cream that immerses skin in moisture for 24 hours.

What it is formulated to do:
The six hydrating ionized minerals—zinc, potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, and manganese—in hydro ionized mineral water replenish and lock in moisture while winter cypress polysaccharide extract soothes irritated skin. Cooling and ultra-light, its silky texture makes it the perfect choice for warm climates and oily skin, absorbing instantly and delivering 24-hour essential hydration, protection, and revitalization.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Phthalates

What else you need to know:
This product is dermatologist tested and non-comedogenic. LANEIGE does not test ingredients or products on animals.

The above are features I already look for when shopping for new skincare. Now, onto my experience with the Water Bank Gel Cream!

My Review

A peek inside

My first impression after unboxing the cream was great based on the sturdy, high-quality packaging. And, it came with a little spatula to keep the product sanitary. Talk about attention to detail, I really appreciate things like that. But, it's really what's inside that counts! I had never read any reviews on this product, so I went in with a completely open mind. Excited, I began using the product the day that I received it, of course.

A quick bit about my skin type: I have combo/oily skin that is very dehydrated, aging, reactive, and acne-prone. I know, quite the combo!

The product has a nice light fragrance that is very pleasant. It has a gel-lotion-like consistency. It layers well with my serums and other products, and I could immediately feel a cooling sensation but more importantly, a hydrating feeling on my skin. It plumped my skin nicely and gave it a more youthful look. I found it very soothing to my dehydrated and reactive skin. I did not have any irritation or acne breakouts. The hydration definitely lasted all day. This product also performs well as a base under my makeup as it is not greasy at all, yet it's super hydrating!

After using it for a few weeks I could definitely see that my skin's overall appearance was younger looking. But, the biggest testament to this product happened when I saw a friend that I hadn't seen in a few months. He accused me of "having something done." When I swore I hadn't he said I "at least had some Botox done." I told him I just started using some new skincare, I swore that was it! He didn't seem convinced but I didn't really care because I was just happy that I apparently looked that good! Or, at least that much better! I think it's often easier for other people to see changes in us than it is for us to see ourselves. I knew my skin had improved, but I didn't know to what extent until my friend accused me of "having something done." It is the first time in my life that I've been accused of that! Now, I want to try every product in the range. I mean, seriously! Like, have a Laneige bath or something. hehe

By the way, I did tell my friend that I'm not against Botox. I told him that I was just afraid to put toxins into my skin as it's obviously going to be absorbed by my body, and I don't know enough about what that might cause... but that's a whole other story.

Has anyone else tried any products from Laneige? If so, which ones have you tried, and what was your experience? I think I'd like to try the serum and sleeping mask next! :D

I received this product free for trial purposes. All opinions are my own.

Amy

xx

30 Days of Fitness Challenge: Update!

I wanted to update those who may had been following my 30 Days of Fitness Challenge, and also put some closure on this one. My last post in my 30 Days of Fitness Challenge was on April 30th, you can find that post HERE.  The original post to the challenge can be found HERE.

It was a pretty difficult summer for me, with sick family members among other issues. So working out was put on the back-burner for much of the summer. I still did go from doing nothing to doing a variety of workouts, from yoga to HIIT and cardio. Despite this and relatively healthy eating, I was not losing weight.

I ended up having blood work done and found out that I am hypo-thyroid. I had been hypo-thyroid years ago, but once I stopped having soy products my thyroid went back to normal. That`s a whole other story. But, I can tell you, I`m not the only one, this happened to a friend of mine also. Needless to say, I've stayed away from soy since then. But, now I find myself dealing with Hypo-thyroidism again.

I have started a thyroid med that was prescribed by an M.D. who practices bio-identical medicines. He does not prescribe synthetic medications. My understanding is that one that I have started is made from a pig. oink oink.  OK, it`s kind of gross.  I am only on a 15mg dose which I think is low, and I am now due to retest my blood and see where I am at.

This doesn't mean that I've given up on working out. I just have a lot of my focus elsewhere. But, when I can, I do short, at home workouts with weights, cardio and yoga. Although I like variety in my workouts, I am really interested in starting to do some weight lifting. I don't mean that I want to look like a body builder, I just want to feel strong and keep my muscle tone as I am aging. I have actually lost muscle tone, so even getting some back would be great at this point.

I have a few free weights at home, my highest being 8 lbs. There is a gym opening up near my house that is a no-frills gym, so it will have cardio and weight machines and that's about it. But, it's only $10 per month, so I am likely going to join and work on my cardio and weight training there. I will always keep up a yoga practice at home with my assorted DVD's.

I'm sorry if I left anyone who may have been following this challenge hanging, that wasn't my intention. So, while I close this "challenge," I will most likely start up a new one once I've joined the gym. For now, I will continue to work on my thyroid issue, trying to eat healthy, and some at home workouts.

Scored these new workout leggings at Winners for inspiration to keep going! :)

Amy

xx

Reviewsio : Brand New #FREE Product Testing Program Starting up with Amazon!

If you like trying out new products for free like I do, then read on!

There's a brand new free product trial program starting up with Amazon! It's called Reviewsio. It hasn't started yet but it's launching in only 9 days from now, and you can sign up now, and get a head start! If you like trying out products for free (who doesn't), you can sign up with this program and they will send you free products in exchange for your honest reviews.

I already belong to a few other programs that let you try out products for free in exchange for reviews. It's a lot of fun, and who doesn't love testing out new products! I've learned the hard way about which sites are legit and which one's are not. Because this is an Amazon program, I already know it's something I can believe in.

The program launches on October 1st, but you can sign up now as this program will probably fill up quickly.

From their website: "Are you interested in writing reviews for Reviewsio in exchange for FREE product? We are currently looking for talented and trusted reviewers to leave honest reviews for our partner’s product."

"Reviewsio.com members are receiving products in the mail FOR FREE in exchange for their honest review on Amazon.com. After receiving the product, leave a high-quality review and you get to keep the product… no strings attached!

Let me know if you join in on the fun!

Amy

xx