Nature's Best Vitamin C Serum

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

First, I would like to start by explaining what experience I have with skincare. Several years ago I was a Licensed Esthetician; although I am no longer licensed or practicing as an Esthetician, I do still have a lot of knowledge of skincare, skincare products, what ingredients to avoid and what ingredients are good for your skin, as well as what products and ingredients are good for specific skin concerns. Although I can no longer able to give professional advice since I am not licensed as an Esthetician, I can give you my personal opinion. Again, this is ONLY my personal OPINION and I am not saying in any way that I am an expert, you should ALWAYS consult a physician first and foremost.

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, I love Vitamin C and the benefits it gives to our skin. Vitamin C is something our skin needs and is extremely important in maintaining our skins natural glow and youthful appearance. When were young our skin is full of Vitamin C, but as we age our bodies Vitamin C diminishes and causes our skin to not be as youthful looking as it once was. There are other factors that can diminish our Vitamin C in our skin such as exposure to UV lights and pollutants (smoking, ozone, etc.) But we’re in luck since we can purchase Vitamin C in the form of a serum and use it to replenish the Vitamin C our skin loses and needs. 

Here are some of the benefits you will find with Vitamin C:

• ·         Reduces Wrinkles: As we age our skins collagen production decreases which causes wrinkles; but Vitamin C counteracts wrinkles from forming by increasing your skins collagen production. 

• ·         Treats Age Spots: Vitamin C works as an antioxidant which can reduce the sun-damaged cells and actually reverse age-related sun damaged skin. Vitamin C helps repair UV damage that causes fine lines and wrinkles!

• ·         Acne: Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and is known to reduce redness associated with acne and can clear up any scarring from acne as well.

• ·         Young, Radiant Looking Skin: Since Vitamin C helps your skin produce collagen and is an antioxidant; it is known to get your skin a glowing, radiant, looking appearance. 

• ·         Evens Skins Tone and Texture: Again, Vitamin C promotes collagen production; stable collagen levels of collagen will help ensure your skin tone and texture stay even.

Vitamin C Serums can be used in the morning during your normal facial routine, remember that although Vitamin C has sun-protecting properties you will always want to use sunscreen as well! Vitamin C Serums can be used after cleansing and before moisturizing. Vitamin C can rarely cause dryness and flaking, especially when used more than once per day. You can use a moisturizer to avoid this from happening. Another great thing about Vitamin C Serums is that they’re safe to use with your other skincare products.

According to an article from Dr. Oz (Click “Dr. Oz” to read more) on Vitamin C Serums; you can start to see results in as little as 2-4 weeks, for others it may take as long as 6-8 weeks, but around 6 months is when you will start to really see the maximum results. 

Now: My experience with the Mystelic Beauty “Nature’s Best Vitamin C Serum”: 

 

I haven’t been using it long enough to see any results as of yet being that you would need to wait several weeks after using it daily to see real results from ANY Vitamin C Serum (See “Results Time-frames” Below). However, I can give a review on what I have experienced with this product so far. 

First, if you read the Dr. Oz article I mentioned above, you will see that he says Vitamin C Serums work well when mixed with other antioxidants. Nature’s Best Vitamin C Serum not only has Vitamin C in it, it also has Vitamin E and Hyaluronic Acid. 

Let’s take a look at the two other ingredients in Nature’s Best Vitamin C Serum that I have mentioned: (Please note: I am only speaking of the main ingredients; this serum does have other ingredients beyond the three I have mentioned above.)

Vitamin E: Another great antioxidant! Unlike Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid, our bodies can’t produce Vitamin E and we must make sure we get this powerful antioxidant through our own means (diet, supplements, etc.) According to United HealthOne (click “United HealthOne” to read more) Vitamin E destroys free-radicals that can cause damage to our skin. Vitamin E can also speed up the healing process for scars and acne.

Hyaluronic Acid: According to Cleveland Clinic (click “Cleveland Clinic” to read more) this is used in Vitamin C Serums to help with effective penetration of the product. It is also used for its ability to “reverse” or stop aging. Our bodies already naturally produce Hyaluronic Acid, but as we age, and also other factors, can cause our bodies to destroy levels of Hyaluronic Acid over time. This product is frequently used to reduce wrinkles.

So what does this all tell me? Well, it tells me that a lot of thought went into putting all of these amazing ingredients into one serum by Nature’s Best!

From my experience so far with Nature's Best Vitamin C Serum, I love the way the serum feels on my skin! When applying this serum to my face I have noticed how silky and smooth it feels. Once the serum dries, my face feels firmer and tighter which makes my fine lines and wrinkles look smoother and less noticeable.

Recommendation: I would have to say based strictly on my experience so far with Nature’s Best Vitamin C Serum that I would recommend it. This recommendation is based off of the ingredients, my experience with the product so far, price, and packaging of the product. 

I will continue to update this post with my experiences, before and after pictures, as well as results, in the next few weeks or as soon as I start to see any changes.

If you would like to view this product on Amazon.com click HERE. 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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NEW: Keurig Rivo Cappuccino & Latte System

I received the Keurig Rivo Cappuccino & Latte System free in exchange for hosting a party and promoting this product as well as writing an honest review of my experience with this product.

WANT 40% OFF?? KEEP READING!!

Promo Code at the bottom of this review!!

First, the unboxing. If you are not familiar with the new Keurig Rivo Cappuccino & Latte System it is set up to not only make you the best cappuccino you’ve had other than may a true coffeehouse but also make several other coffeehouse favorites! The system comes with with it’s very own frothing area that is enabled to not only make you the perfect amount of hot fluffy froth for your cappuccino, but also the perfect amount of hot froth for your latte or if you’re in the mood for a cold latte, well this machine has you covered with the ability to make the perfect amount of cold, yes I said cold froth too! Inside of the box you will find the instruction manual and a recipe guide to easily help you make many delicious coffeehouse drinks right from home, you will have a packet full of all 4 Lavazza Flavors available for the Rivo from Intenso, Classico (my favorite), Delicato, or Decaf. It explains the different aromas and flavors of each choice in your recipe guide. The Keurig Rivo is also set up to catch the old pods of espresso in a secret compartment once you are finished with them as soon as you lift the lever to insert another pod the old pod magically disappears inside of the system which can be accessed by pulling the drip tray forward and away from the machine. After about 15 brews you will want to clean the drip tray as well as empty the pods.
The system has a handy flip down tray for your tiny cups to sit on and receive a shot of fresh espresso at any time!

Next: How the machine compare? Well, this ones pretty darn amazing if you ask me! For one, I’ve had all kinds of espresso makers, from the metal ones that go on your stove top to the little ones that come with a handy steamer for your milk. Let me tell you, none of them even compare even a little to what this machine is able to produce! Now I haven’t had much experience with some of the newer machines out there that are meant to make espresso and coffeehouse drinks. I previously only had the original  Keurig  coffee maker before the Keurig Rivo was introduced to me, but I have had experience with drinking coffeehouse beverages and I know what a top dollar cappuccino taste and looks like, so I can confidently say from my experience, the Keurig Rivo is able to produce some beautiful and delicious coffeehouse beverages, quickly, easily, and at only a small fraction of the cost you would pay to the coffeehouse!

How’s it make that amazing coffeehouse love in a cup?

Ok, so you want to first select which beverage you want to make from your nifty little recipe guide book, this will tell you how much milk to fill the frothing cup to, what buttons to select for your espresso, etc.. Than you will want to choose which flavor out of the 4 Lavazza espresso pods available you are in the mood for. Than select the appropriate glass (you may need an espresso cup and a glass depending on what drink you’re trying to make) and then you’re ready to start brewing! Now I like to brew my espresso first and while that's brewing I fill my frothing cup and get everything else prepared. Once the espresso is done brewing pop the frothing cup into the frothing compartment and select the appropriate button (Cappuccino froth, Latte froth, or Latte cold froth). Once that’s done you pour your froth onto your espresso and pouf you have your amazing coffeehouse beverage! This may have sounded extensive but in reality where talking about only a couple of minutes from start to finish!

Pros and Cons:

Pros:
* The frothing feature is compatible with whatever milk, cream, half and half, etc. you prefer.
* The froth is thick and fluffy like a cloud every time!
* The espresso is always smooth, never bitter, and has an amazing crema on top!
* Easy clean up and frothing cup is dishwasher safe!
* Coffeehouse beverages in home at a fraction of the cost!
* Ability to make hot or cold froth!
* Convenient compartment to store my old pods for shorter, easier, clean up!
* Has a flip down tray for your tiny espresso cup.

 Cons:
* Only has 4 different flavor espresso available.
*Although the foam is a beautiful, fluffy cloud of froth, it is not micro-foam so you can’t do foam art with your espresso beverages.
* The frothing cup is plastic, this can be a pros for some, however plastic can wear down over time and the system must have it’s own frothing cup.
* The espresso pods are a bit difficult to find currently, may be because it’s a new system, best pricing I found (hands down) was on the Keurig.com site.
* The Rivo System, unlike the original Keurig Coffee System, doesn’t have the feature to remove the drip tray to fit taller glasses or cups under the brewer.
* Unlike the original Keurig Coffee System, the Rivo doesn’t have the optional pod you can buy to fill with your own coffee/espresso. The pods aren’t refillable either.

All in all, I would recommend this system to anyone! It has made me so addicted to cappuccino’s it’s unreal! I loved espresso and coffee beverages before, but now I am infatuated! Everyone that has seen this machine in progress and has had the pleasure of trying its amazing beverages, have given nothing but wonderful feedback!

The Keurig Rivo Cappuccino and Latte System retail for $229.99, but wouldn’t you love to have one for $137.99?? For a limited time you can!!
Go to http://www.keurig.com
Promo Code: H4642G3
(40% until 5/24/14 then 20% after that until 7/24/14)

New Durex RealFeel Condoms

I received two boxes of the new Durex RealFeel Condoms (one for myself and one to give to someone else) in return for my honest feedback.

My husband and I will at times use condoms for the convenience in situations with time limits or when using one would help us be more spontaneous of where, when, or even how, we get to be intimate. Being that I have a latex allergy, it’s very difficult to find a variety of non-latex condoms available or any other non-latex intimate items. The only two condoms we have found at this point are polyurethane or lambskin. The good news is that we don’t use condoms for birth control purposes, so having limited options doesn’t affect us as much as it may others since we don’t “NEED” to use them. However, we love being spontaneous no matter where we are, we love taking advantage of a few extra minutes or even when we’re just tired and using a condom would give us the ability to still be intimate without having to worry about all that follows; these are all reasons why using condoms, even if we don’t “NEED” to, comes in very handy in situations where being spontaneous may mean having to delay the clean-up process temporarily.

Now, let’s get down to the nitty gritty, let me answer the real question here, the question you all want to know, how are the new Durex RealFeel Condoms? Well, compared to the other two options I spoke about above, they’re AMAZING!!

Here are some pros and cons I found with my experience with this condom:

Pros:

• Super thin, feels like nothing is on at all!
• No, or very little, scent.
• Non-irritating and very gentle!
• The name “RealFeel” does this product justice, so thin and perfectly shaped so that you feel nothing but the good stuff!

Cons:

• Seems very small, however, although it is small, once it’s on, the only tightness that is felt is at the shaft. (Comparable to the feeling of a C*** Ring).
• The box isn’t well thought out, it’s a picture of two hands together, supposed to be a male/female couple I assume, but both hands used in the picture look very masculine. Men may be turned off by this when considering the purchase of this product.
• Not well lubricated! Women look forward to this feature when using condoms, at least I do!

My final thoughts, I would definitely continue using this condom, especially since there aren’t a lot of options out there for people that have latex allergies. I would also recommend this condom to people that don’t suffer from latex allergies as well, anyone would enjoy the “RealFeel” of this condom! It is very difficult to find condoms that don’t ruin the mood by not feeling natural; this condom definitely has that “RealFeel” feature they advertise. Hopefully Durex decides to make a few tweaks to this product; first by making it better lubricated and then by putting some consideration into producing one for more “well endowed” men, making it more comfortable for them; I have not seen a non-latex condom that is available in a large size. I hope that more companies start to think about the amount of limitations available for people that have latex allergies; I would love more available options, not only for condom variety, but for anything a couple may want to explore using while being intimate. All in all, this one is my new go-to for condoms!

Taco Bell’s Tiny Packets get Bottled!!

I received each one of Taco Bell’s new bottle sauce packets for free in return for my honest feedback.

What family doesn’t have “Taco Night”? My kids couldn’t live without it and neither could I. Who doesn’t LOVE Mexican food and what better to pair it with than sauces, to be more specific Taco Bell’s sauces! How many of you are guilty of stocking up on Taco Bell’s little tiny packets of sauces to make sure you never have to go without? I know I am and I have always been a huge fan. Then their Verde sauce was introduced and it was love at first try.

It’s not that I wouldn’t have purchased these delicious bottles of goodness but they weren’t available in bottle form so I had to get my Taco Bell fix only by going to Taco Bell, so you could only imagine how ecstatic I was to find out that they bottled them!! So here are some pros and cons to give you the 411 on these bottled sauces.

Pros:
You know longer have to go to Taco Bell to get the sauces you love, they’re now available to you at your local supermarket.
The bottles are stylish looking for decorating your dinner for “Mexican Night”.
They come in all 4 flavors: Fire, Hot, Verde, and Mild.
Convenience of always having your favorite sauces close by for every occasion.

Cons:
The bottle, although stylish, is glass which isn’t very child friendly.
The glass bottle also has a regular pour spout and I believe a squirt top would be better, especially when trying to squeeze this in between a taco shell.
The flavors, in my opinion, aren’t spot on to what the little packets are. They tasted a bit more bland with not as much seasoning.

As you can see there are a lot of pros and cons. You will have to try it for yourself to really see how you like to and make your decision from you experience. In my experience, being a mother of two boys, I would’ve preferred a plastic squeeze bottle since its safer and more convenient, however I love being able to have my favorite flavors whenever I want (even when Taco Bell is closed)! Everyone has different taste buds so as far as the flavors go, again you will have your own opinion on if they’re exactly alike or not.

In closing I would have to say that they are still delicious and a must try in my opinion. I could see these “Taco Bell Favorites” being a “Family Favorite” for years to come!

Hersey’s Chocolate with Hazelnut Spread

I received a free jar of the New Hersey’s Chocolate Spread with Hazelnut in return for my honest review.

First, I must say that I have never tried Nutella but both my boys have and love it. Although I never tried Nutella I love Hersey products and I was very excited to try it right away. As soon as it came in the mail it didn’t take much time for me to rip the package open, grab the bread, bananas, honey, and start my concoction. My kids have always had Nutella with bread and honey but I thought adding bananas would top it off just right. At first the boys wanted to stick to what they knew until they tried a bite of mine and then they were hooked

How to make the best Hersey’s Chocolate with Hazelnut spread sandwich in 7 easy steps!

1. Get your ingredients as I stated above (sliced bread, bananas, honey, and Hersey’s spread)
2. Toast your bread
3. Put your Hersey’s spread on both sides
4. Slice bananas on top on one side until you cant see the spread anymore
5. Drizzle honey on the bananas
6. Put the other bread slice on top and slice in half
7. Eat it while it is still hot!

When I tell you this is the most amazing sandwich ever I am not exaggerating! This stuff is amazing!! I compared the ingredients to the back of Nutella and again Hersey’s seems to win as far as what I would consider better ingredients used. Also, my boys that use to love Nutella have now replaced it with Hersey’s Spread! It’s officially on the shopping list. One con, the jar was empty within the first 4 days!! Lol.. If you want to consider that a con? So, do you like chocolate spreads, than what are you waiting for? Put it on pretzels, graham crackers, fruit, anything your heart desires, just watch out cause it will go fast!!

Pond’s Luminous Finish BB+ Cream

I received the Pond’s Luminous Finish BB+ Cream in both light and medium shade for free in exchange for my honest feedback.

Pond’s Luminous Finish BB+ Cream is available in both light and medium shades. The medium shade of Pond’s Luminous Finish BB+ Cream was a perfect match for my olive/tan skin tone. Pond’s Luminous Finish BB+ Cream is exactly as it says, luminous! It goes on silky smooth, smells amazing (as all Pond’s products do), gives you a glowing look and gives you long term benefits of even toned skin! It delivers a pigment system designed to blend into your skin flawlessly and conceals pretty well for minor blemishes. It helps target dark spots and helps them fade over time, which is great for women like myself that have blemish prone skin and need a product that will help with the dark spots!

Here are some pros about Pond’s Luminous Finish BB+ Cream:

• It smells wonderful
• It blends into your skin tone easily and beautifully.
• Gives light to medium coverage.
• Targets dark spots and helps them fade over time.
• Long term benefits of even toned skin.
• Bottle design is awesome and eliminates the risk of contaminating the product.
• A little goes a long way!
• Leaves you with a glowing appearance.

Some cons of the Pond’s Luminous Finish BB+ Cream:

• Some people are very sensitive to ANY scent a product could have (even small amounts).
• Product doesn’t come in a dark shade.
• Product may be too moisturizing for women with extremely oily skin.

As you can see there are many more pros than there were cons with Pond’s Luminous Finish BB+ Cream, however to some women the cons listed may be a deal breaker and are must be considered before purchasing this product. Outweighing the pros and cons and looking at the long term benefits, as well as the products performance, I would have to say I believe that Pond’s Luminous Finish BB+ Cream is one of the better ones on the market today!

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