Bergamot Essential Oil review

I received this item in exchange for an honest review. 

For Christmas this year I thought it would be nice to make my sister in law some bath salts. I made a bunch and then tested them out myself. They're quite lovely but seem to be lacking something as they didn't foam or fizzle or such. Still I enjoyed them and I know she has as well. I found a few different recipes online. Essentially a simple recipe consists of Epsom salt and either coconut oil or glycerin. You can add in a few drops of food coloring. Also add in a few drops of essential oils of your choice. 

I made three separate kinds. Lavender, which I dyed blue and purple. Peppermint which of course I made for a nice Christmas treat and dyed green and red. I layered it with alternating colors when filling the jars. I added in a little bit of plain white as well just to make it pretty. Speaking of these jars I picked them up at Family Dollar and they were only a dollar a piece. They're only plastic but each jar took about four cups or so which was much more than I expected. Lastly I layered plain white salts with orange which I scented with the bergamot oil I will be reviewing today. 

Blurb

• -Bergamot Essential Oil - 100% Pure - Non-Toxic - No Additives - Unfiltered and Undiluted with No Fillers.
  
  -Botanical Name: Citrus bergamia | Aroma: Citrus, yet fruity and sweet with a warm, spicy, floral quality | Origin: Italy | Plant Part: Fruit Peel
  
  -Packaged in the USA in 15ml amber glass bottles, 50% more than standard 10ml bottles. Euro dropper cap included.
  
  -Simply Earth is a small, eco-friendly, purpose-driven, family company. We donate 13% of the profit from every product purchased to organizations that are rehabilitating trafficking victims because the average age of these beautiful woman is 13 years old.
  
  -100% satisfied or your money back. We stand behind our products.

Review

I received this oil two days after it shipped. I was surprised by how quickly it got to me. It turns out Simply Earth is a Wisconsin company and they are literally only a few hours away from me. I'm happy to be able to review a local product just as I'm always supportive of American businesses. 

I used this oil to make orange dreamcicle inspired bath salts and the result was amazing. This oil smells absolutely wonderful. I made some for my sister in law and she reported back the salts were luxurious. She loved how it smelled like her favorite earl grey tea which I didn't realize is made from bergamot. 

This oil is $7 for a 15mL bottle. More information and purchasing options are available on their web site at http://simplyearth.com/collections/single-oils/products/bergamot-essential-oil

This oil is also available on Amazon for $6.99 plus $2.99 for shipping. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01783QPN2/ref=mp_s_a_1_24?qid=1451593180&sr=8-24&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=bergamot+essential+oil

Here's a little info fact sheet about the benefits of this oil. Credit goes to organicfacts.net

Pure Garcinia/Cleanse ADVANCED Fast Weight Loss Kit and New Year goals

I received this product in exchange for an honest review. 

It's that time of the year where a lot of us are thinking about our goals and for a lot of us that includes losing weight or being healthier. I'm normally not in that club but I have been doing a lot of reflection on my habits over the past few months. For years I exercised and ate healthy and generally followed all of the guidelines the experts tell us to do to be healthy. While I did lose maybe a size or two I was also miserable and I wasn't feeling good. I was fatigued to the point that doing just a few dishes sometimes took hours. I was angry because I wasn't getting anywhere and I looked at everyone else and saw that when they were sick they were allowed to rest but I was expected to keep going. It got to the point that I was barely sleeping at night and I felt like I was going insane. Literally. Something had to change. So I did the unthinkable. I stopped exercising. 

I keep thinking about something from my childhood. My mom explained to me early on that in order to have energy you have to use energy. Common knowledge and yet even at that early age I couldn't wrap my mind around it because for me it simply wasn't true. The more I do the more tired I am plain and simple. I suspect I've been dealing with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome most of my life which makes sense when you add in my chronic pain. To make it worse just about every time I've tried exercising throughout my life I only ended up getting sick. In short as I reflect on how I've felt over the past few years I think I've been dealing with Overtraining Syndrome. This is a nice fancy way of saying I was doing too much for my body. 

I'm impatient and so naturally I just want to see results and feel better NOW. But by taking a step back and stopping my exercise routine I've been able to examine a few things. I have more energy when I don't exercise. When I exercise I might do five or ten minutes of exercise and then I'm too exhausted to do pretty much anything else. By not exercising I have the energy to do the things I need to do around the house and more. So I'm actually more active when I'm not exercising and I feel better because I am getting things done. It seems backwards but you really do have to figure out what works for you and stick with it. 

I'm still not losing weight but I can see positive changes in myself so at this time I'm reevaluating where I'm going from here. I do want to start exercising again but I'll take it much slower and pay more attention to what my body is telling me. I shouldn't be feeling so fatigued after exercising or having panic attacks before even beginning. Nor should I experience a week worth of pain just from fifteen minutes of exercise. Just as a cat sleeps when it needs to I shall rest when needed  and so on. 

I do want to make a few key changes to my diet. I know we don't eat nearly enough vegetables so I want to make a goal of eating salad at least once a week. That doesn't seem like much but I would eat it more often if we could afford to do so. Little things do help so it's a start. I also want to go back to eating fish at least once a week. I received a bunch of fancy coffee for Christmas so I decided I'm going to enjoy a cup of it on the weekends as a special treat. 

I'm going to continue to declutter my home as well because it makes me feel better. I'm one of those people who holds onto old clothes for too long. I think I've finally reached the point of being able to let go of some of my old clothes. It seems silly to keep my clothes from high school in hopes of fitting into them again. I'm sure I'll get there eventually but when I think about it why on earth would I want to wear those clothes. I hated high school and with those clothes comes a ton of memories. It's beyond time to let go. 

I'm also going to worry less and put things where they belong in Gods hands.  I do want to de stress a little so for awhile I think I'll cut back on the reviews a bit. Namely the book reviews. Because although I have reviewed a bunch of books I've really enjoyed I haven't read a book just for the pure enjoyment in awhile. You all don't want to see my Kindle. It's ridiculous how many books I have for reading. I have a few reviews to do then I think I'll take a break for awhile and read Terry Goodkind's Warheart because I got it for Christmas and I've really been looking forward to reading it. 

Well all of this really has very little to do with the product I am reviewing today. But these are all of the thoughts spinning around in my head and sometimes you just really need to write and get them all out. 

In my quest to lose weight and be healthier I thought I'd give it a go with some supplements because I figured perhaps they contained something my body needed. 

Blurb

                                                   *BRAND NEW UPDATED FORMULA!!!

                                
                                               TWO Advanced Blends Working Synergisticallly to...
                                                   ...HELP YOU LOSE THAT HOLIDAY WEIGHT!!!


WHAT IS GARCINIA CAMBOGIA ADVANCED AND SLENDER CLEANSE ADVANCED?
Weight Loss and Fat Burning has Never Been Easier with the Garcinia Cambogia Advanced and Slender Cleanse Advanced Fat Loss System!

This Is The ULTIMATE WEIGHT LOSE SYSTEM!

Your FAVORITE TV Doctor demands
-Where did the Fruit come from?
-Is the extract 100% pure?
-Does it have the right dose per serving?
-Does it contain atleast 60% HCA?
-Is it GUARANTEED?

Garcinia Cambogia Advanced was developed with the TV doctor's strict criteria for the proper Garcinia Supplement.
Here's his recommendation, which is seen on his website... The good TV doctor recommends taking 800mg twice a day, 30 minutes before meals (That's 1600mg a day total). ...He recommends that the product be 100% pure, have absolutely no fillers, no binders, no artificial ingredients and in a pure vegetarian capsule.

And most importantly they must contain at least 60% HCA, which is the key to weight loss. GLUTEN-FREE and Made in the USA in a State of the Art GMP facility.

Slender Cleanse Advanced is a 7 day all natural gentle and controllable method to break up and flush away POUNDS of unwanted toxins and build up from the walls of your colon and intestines.
SKINNY JEANS HERE YOU COME!

WHY YOU NEED TO ENSURE YOU USE GARCINIA CAMBOGIA ADVANCED AND SLENDER CLEANSE?ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM:
-Weight Gain
-Acne
-Sluggishness
-Mood Swings & Irritability
-Gas & Bloating
-Inability to Loss Body Fat
-Sleeping Problems
-Constipation???

It's Time to Cleanse Your way to a NEW YOU with Slender Cleanse and Garcinia Cambogia Advanced!


NOTE: This product is specifically designed for men and women that NEED TO LOSE MORE THAN 10 LBS

*If you LOSE MORE THAN 10 POUNDS your first week please discontinue use*

Review
I was really hoping to use this and lose a few extra pounds by Christmas. Unfortunately that didn't happen and I actually gained weight while using this. No I can't even blame the Christmas cookies because I didn't eat any for the first week of trying this yet still had gains. I had not been gaining any weight nor did I change anything in regards to my diet or exercise. 

Regardless I did notice a few improvements. My skin seems to be clearing up and I did seem to have a little more energy. I definitely noticed I wasn't as hungry. Even though I gained some weight I think my clothes are fitting a little better as well so I guess I did get rid of some bloating. 

I did experience some really nasty stomache cramps during the night after I stopped this but I'm not sure if it's related or not. 

 

This product is available on Amazon for $35.95 and free shipping. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CH3OMPC

The HASEA Chronicles: ebook review

I received an Advanced Readers Copy version of this book when I reviewed book 1 in the series. I am not required to review this book, I am doing so because I enjoyed it.

Hello readers. So unfortunately I am sick yet again. It seems I've been getting sick every month this year or had some other issue. Anyway today I have two reviews for you and with my illness in mind hopefully I've managed to string together some semblance of sense. Enjoy. 

Blurb:
(The Corruption was previously titled The Veil: Corruption).


Book 2 in the bestselling Hasea Chronicles series. A thrilling mix of Urban Fantasy/SCI-FI and action.

It’s been six months since Alex and Gabriella stood against The Sorrow and won. The Veil still stands uncrossed, and with every passing day the possibility of finding the person stolen from Alex alive diminishes. But after an influx of new Awakenings, the Alliance is being stretched to breaking point. A melancholic Sophia is acting mysteriously and Sage Faru has set the formidable task of gathering a team of Guardians willing to enter Pandemonia. Meanwhile the looming threat of a new, stronger SOS hides in the shadows.

But that is the least of Alex’s worries.

Something is growing inside of him. Something dark and vengeful that whispers in the silence. Something that plagues his dreams with visions of a horrifying apocalypse.

An apocalypse he will start.

As Gabriella struggles to hold everything together and Alex struggles not to fall apart, one thing becomes clear. Before they can cross the Veil and stand against Hades, Alex must first defeat his greatest enemy. Himself.

DILECTI SURGEMUS - SOCII POLLEMUS
(Chosen we rise - Allied we prevail)

 Review:

I really enjoyed this book and I think it's my favorite in the series so far. Reading the scene in Brazil was probably my favorite part as I thought to myself, "this is the book I wish I could write." There was something magical and otherworldly about this scene I just loved and got lost in. Once again I could see parallels between this and the Harry Potter stories while at the same time there was something very comic book about the story but in a good way. I could easily see this being made into a movie at some point and in truth it would be fun to see it done. While an old favorite was killed off we are introduced to what has become a new personal favorite character.  I very much enjoyed The Corruption and would recommend it. 

Amazon: free for Kindle Unlimited or $4.99 for ebook; $15.75 for paperback
 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FAY7YK0


I received this item in exchange for an honest review.

So one thing and another and I'm not quite done reading this but my review is due today so I'll update when I finish if needed. 

Blurb:
The Veil has finally been crossed.

Alex, Gabriella and the Guardians of Orion have arrived in Fenodara, a beautiful Luminar city that acts as the last beacon of hope for a dying civilisation - but also a place that hides a dark secret. Never before have they been so close to the Ageless War and witnessed the way it corrupts not only the fading world, but also those who live there.

Soon afterwards, a devastating attack on the city rips Orion apart. Broken and defeated, the Guardians are forced to separate and travel through the dark underbelly of Pandemonia in a desperate attempt to save those they love, and stop the forces of Hades before it is too late. However, the longer Alex spends in the dark and hostile world, the more a single fact becomes clear to him.

This is a journey they might never return from.

DILECTI SURGEMUS - SOCII POLLEMUS
(Chosen we rise - Allied we prevail)

(Previously titled The Veil: Redemption)

Review:

It's been really interesting reading this series and seeing how Alex in particular has grown. I found it very eerie reading about the Guardians journey into Pandemonia and their experiences with such Communistic situations out of necessity. I was looking forward to seeing what this other world would be like and I wasn't disappointed. I was somewhat reminded of Richard's travels in Terry Goodkind's Faith of the Fallen but also of what I've seen of Frodo's LotR travels. The struggles the author captured are timeless and well written full of imagery. 

Amazon: free for Kindle Unlimited or $4.99
 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011ZYQ74M

Audiobook: The Watchers: Knight of Light

I received this item in exchange for an honest review.

One more book review for today as I finished this one ahead of schedule. 

Blurb:

All the training in Heaven couldn't prepare me for the war on earth, nor for the love, loss, or loneliness humans feel. There are things worse than death, and every last one of them is hunting people like us. Even though we all feel human at times, we must remember, we are not them, we are their watchers.

In England, 1270 A.D., Auriella flees her village after being accused of witchcraft. Pursued by nightmarish creatures, she struggles to accept the truth about her humanity. Filled with fairies, dwarves, pixies, dragons, demons, and monsters, Knight of Light is an enthralling tale that will capture the imaginations of readers young and old.

Review:
I absolutely loved this story. As a child of the eighties this book falls into the category I like to think of as books I wish had existed when I was a kid. I love elements of this book are so familiar to traditional fairy tales yet at the same time could fit in with more modern classics. I think the evil witch was among my favorite characters because in the beginning I couldn't tell if she were really bad or not. I found her to be realistic in some ways and amusing. My husband listened in from time to time and felt this to be cheesy but I feel it's a good entertaining story for all ages. As the main character grows and becomes more comfortable with who she is and learns from her life the story teaches many important lessons about personal strength and endurance. I would recommend this to any one who loves fantasy. I'm looking forward to the other books in the series. 

Audible: $19.95
http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/The-Watchers-Knight-of-Light-Audiobook/B017T291U6

Amazon $2.99 Kindle, $12.95 paperback, $17.46 audible
http://amzn.com/B017T295JS
 
Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23161867-knight-of-light

Ebook - The Mendelssohnian Theory review

I received this item in exchange for an honest review. 

I'm back with another book review today. I have a bunch of book reviews coming up in the next few weeks - time has gotten away from me a bit so I'm hoping I can get to them all in time :P Anyway, today I am reviewing the Mendelssohnian Theory by Dor Toker.

Blurb

The Mendelssohnian Theory: A Path through Destiny
A tale of a boy who grew up as a hunted man then became a hunter.
In the future, Adam, 16, a Jewish resident of the Jewish Reserve, which is covered as the last step in the chain to make mankind become a new higher sophisticated being, chased by powers and corporations, wishing to put their hands on him and use his special skills for the realization of their own personality. The boy escapes from them across the solar system. They killed his parents, hurt his friends and now they try to prevent him from working alone. Adam fight for his life and for the right of controlling his fate.
Even in a world as complex as Earth, a single person has the power to change his destiny and by doing so he'll change the future determination of all mankind.
Imagine a world made by unknown creators, a world that makes sense only by assembling a puzzle, a part of a larger enigmatic operation. This world tangled up in probabilistic chains that lead to human and technological progress. Knowing that completing this puzzle will lead to a quantum leap in human progression. This is the essence of the official religion on that planet.
The Mendelssohnism is based on the theory of one great man: Moshe Mendelssohn.

Review

I really like the plot of this story. However the book itself I found difficult to read at times. There often is no real sense of the passage of time and some events seem rather random. Giving the subject of the book I think that may have partly been done on purpose but it doesn't make for an easy read. The author also uses improper tenses throughout the book which made it difficult to want to read. The author includes copyrights on certain phrases throughout the story which wouldn't be terrible if there were more of a point to it and if done less frequently perhaps. His writing style is also very wordy at times adding to the level of difficulty.  

This is a little thing, but the title also gave me problems because it's kind of unusual I have difficulty remembering it, let alone pronouncing it. Anyway, the Medelssohnian Theory was longer than what I'm used to with ebooks so it took quite awhile to read through as well. As I mentioned, I did enjoy the plot and yet I found the end a bit predictable and kind of lacking. I'm unsure if there will be a sequel to this or not - it seems like there could be so that might be why.

I don't know if there's a problem with the Ebook format or how Kindle reads this book but there are numerous functionality issues. Many sentences are formatted with a large space followed by a period in the middle of the sentence. Additionally the remaining time for reading estimation is very much off. I kept reading and reading and it would tell me I had four hours remaining then the next minute it would tell me I had five hours. I would read for an hour and the time remaining would increase instead of decrease. This seems like a problem with Kindle itself but I haven't had any problems with other ebooks recently so I did want to mention it because it was frustrating. 

The Medelssohnian Theory is available on Amazon for $5.99 for Kindle or free with Kindle Unlimited. It is also available in paperback for $14.45.

Christmas nails

I received one item in exchange for an honest review. 

I'm going to a Christmas party today so of course I had to deck out my nails. I was short on time but I painted them last night. Unfortunately some of the peel off stuff messed up my nails when I was cleaning it up. I snagged a few just in case pictures before bed anyway. Fortunately my nails weren't too bad this morning. I just had to do a few minor touch ups. I also had to do a second layer of top coat. My nails obviously weren't dry last night because they had that matted look you sometimes get when you sleep with not quite dry nails. I'm not really sure why that happens. Whatever the reason at least now I have a second level of top coat on my nails for extra protection. Hopefully they dry soon. I really need to invest in a good fast drying top coat. Anyway I'm rambling. 

For the manicure I used two coats of Zoya Logan and Blaze on every other nail. I let them set up a bit then applied these snowflake water decals I got from Born Pretty Store. 

These decals were very easy to apply and so much fun. There are different size snowflakes plus some like little twinkles and little snowballs. The little designs are nice for filling in gaps and just adding some nice little detail. 

I was worried about these melting with topcoat as I've frequently had that problem with other water decals. These must be better quality because I had zero melting. None. It can't get better than that. I love these because they're perfect for when you want to do something special but you don't necessarily have the time or talent. I had planned on trying to draw some snowflakes on my nails to go along with these decals but I just ran out of time. So I'm just happy I was able to do something so simple yet festive and fun.

These decals are $1.65 for one sheet. There are a few different designs, all with snowflakes but one sheet has reindeer and another has mistletoe. Fun designs for this time of year :)  You can find these decals and the others described on Born Pretty's Web site.

Use coupon code QTX31 and get 10% off. Shipping worldwide is always free, no minimum purchase necessary.

Color change nail polish from Born Pretty Store

I received these items in exchange for an honest review. 

My Born Pretty Store giveaway ended today and I just happen to have a few of the winning items up for review today. These are my own items not the winners of course. Haha. 

I started this manicure by applying base coat and BPS latex peel off liquid tape. 

This liquid tape is pretty good stuff. You just paint it on your fingers to mask off your nails. Then you don't have to worry so much about cleanup. This worked really well for me. I did have trouble removing it from my cuticles but I found it came off pretty easily in the shower. My manicure still didn't come out picture perfect but at least I don't have polish residue staining my fingers like I usually do. Much nicer looking. I definitely recommend this product. 

Next I applied two coats of my BPS color change nail polish. I probably could have just used one coat as this applies really nicely but there were a few thin spots so I did a second coat just to make it more even. This polish is a pretty peachy orange when cold and turns yellow when warm. 

Pardon my blue bandaid. I cut my thumb really bad the other morning. Owie. Important lesson there: don't use a bread knife when you're just waking up :P

Next I applied some of my Christmas glitters and I decided to seal them on with a matte top coat. 

I found these glitters to be just too big for my nails. The snowflakes and stockings in particular snagged on everything. After just a few minutes of wearing them I found the snowflakes snagged on things and started breaking off. The smaller shapes aren't so bad and I don't mind them so much. But I woke up this morning missing one of the stocking glitters so now I have a big hole in my manicure I'll have to fix. 

Back to the polish. I ran my nails under water because I figured I would have to in order to see them change color. Not so. I was sitting around after supper watching some YouTube videos with my husband and I noticed my nails had changed color. So I snagged a fast shot. Sorry about the poor lighting. 

I am really impressed with this nail polish and now I kind of want all of the other colors. It applies smoothly with near full opacity with one coat. It dries pretty quickly. Best of all it changes color so easily. I keep looking at my nails throughout the day because it's just so neat. Sometimes they will be a gradient of color or all one color. Sometimes just one nail will be orange while the others will be yellow. So much fun. I think I'll even use this to paint my toenails just so I can enjoy this polish longer. 

I will have more reviews for BPS in the next few weeks so please check back soon and thanks for reading.

The thermal nail polish is available for $3.80 and comes in 5 colors in 6 mL bottles.

The peel off liquid tape is $2.99 for a 15mL bottle.

The glitters are $1.99 for 120 pc count.

Use coupon code QTX31 and get 10% off. Shipping worldwide is always free, no minimum purchase necessary.

Nail mail

I bought this. 

I got my Del Sol cyber Monday order in the mail today so of course I had to blog about it. I'm really excited as these are going to be so much fun to try. 

I got: Twice as Ice and Bling it on

Present-able and Birthday Cake

Color changing nail decals

All for only a dollar and fifty cents

I need to get back to doing my nails on a more regular basis instead of like once a month. I have so many new fun products to try out with more on the way. I guess I'll just have to make a New Years resolution to do my nails more often. 

So that's my stuff. Hopefully I'll be back soon with another manicure post but in the meantime I'll definitely have a book review coming up. Thanks for reading. 

Target beauty box

I bought this. 

Several months ago I found out about the Target beauty boxes and I've been waiting to snag one. Fortunately with this last one I was able to snag one of each. I got the women's one for myself and the men's one as a Christmas present for my husband. But shhhhhh because he doesn't know. LOL 

I just got mine in the mail so let's take a look at what I got. 

Hair Food dry shampoo and I'm sad to say this is the reason I bought this box. I've been wanting to try dry shampoo for awhile. 

CoverGirl Star Wars lipstick. I'm not a fan of lipstick but they at least gave me a color I will wear. This is number thirty which is a nice sparkly red. 

It's actually a lot darker than it looks in my picture and for whatever reason it looks matte here. I swatched it on my hand so you can see the sparkle. 

Maybelline push up drama mascara. I don't really need another mascara but it's fun to play. 

CeraVe eye repair cream. I don't really care about this but I guess I'll use it to try. 

Goody ouch less elasticity sweat stretch. I can always use new hair elastics but I wish I had gotten some better colors. 

Pacifica Love eye shadow trio. I can always use more eyeshadow colors to play with so I was excited about this. 

Laneige water bank moisture cream. Again I don't really care but I will use it to try. 

Olay regenerate microsculpting cream. More cream geez. 

So there are a few products I don't really care about but this box was only ten dollars so it's definitely worth it. 

I find it odd that this box cost more than the men's yet it's a much smaller box. I did get more items in mine but half of them seem like trial size. Still it's fun just to splurge on something like this once in awhile. I forget how often Target releases their boxes. I want to say once every few months. They go fast though and so you want to jump on them. 

Shipping was free and I also got a coupon for three dollars of a purchase of fifteen dollars or more of beauty products at Target. This coupon can be used online so I may actually use it. It expires January tenth so they don't give you much time to use it. 

Anyway looks like I'll be having fun playing with some new products. 

Clear Mind Migraine Relief

I received this item in exchange for an honest review.

  
Blurb:
CLEAR MIND MIGRAINE RELIEF:

We guarantee your results with Clear Mind will be nothing short of spectacular!
Packed with Feverfew Extract, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Magnesium, and PA Free Butterbur Root, you'll finally be able to THINK CLEARLY without the pulsating headaches

Ingredients are endorsed by the American Academy of Neurology and the American Headache Society

PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCE THE FOLLOWING WILL BENEFIT FROM CLEAR MIND
- Migraines
- Headaches
- Addiction to Aspirin or Acetaminophen
- Difficulty concentrating on cognitively demanding tasks
- Always worrying about different 'triggers'

WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT FROM CLEAR MIND?
- Decrease in frequency of Migraines and Headaches
- Improved focus and performance, especially on cognitively demanding tasks
- Mental clarity
- Better mood and improved ability to handle stressful situations
- Decreased duration of crippling Migraines and Headaches

GET CLEAR MIND NOW AND BECOME A BETTER YOU TODAY!

Review:
Having a headache 100% of the time for over 25 years, of course I am constantly looking for new things to try to find relief. Anyone with migraines can back me up when I say it can be incredibly difficult to determine our triggers. I was really looking forward to trying this supplement, because it seemed promising. Unfortunately or maybe I want to say fortunately, with testing out this product I seem to have isolated one of my triggers. I took this for a few weeks. The first time I took it I noticed a spike in pain, followed by relief. I didn't think anything of it but I continued to take it and I was rewarded with a migraine for almost a week straight. I stopped taking this and the migraines stopped. After discussing it with my mom, I discovered she had the exact same result when trying a supplement which contained riboflavin. This is particularly odd because she and I react very differently when it comes to supplements. It doesn't take much for me to see results, but for her she just doesn't respond well to them. So I found it very interesting we both had similar responses when using riboflavin. Google search didn't bring me much luck when I was trying to figure out what was going on. Riboflavin allergies are rare and it doesn't seem like that's what was going on. Riboflavin toxicity doesn't seem to be an issue because our bodies just flush it out. Everything I found revels that riboflavin helps migraines. Nothing talked about it being a trigger. I can only make assumptions at this point.

I'm assuming it has something to do with how our bodies absorb riboflavin, and process it. Upon further research, riboflavin is responsible for creating niacin. Now, too much niacin CAN cause a ruthless headache. I supplement with niacin, so in addition to that and what I get from my food, I am going to guess that the spike in riboflavin increased my niacin to a point that I was just getting too much. I could be completely wrong in this, but it seems logical to me.

So because of all of this, I was told I didn't need to feel like I had to write a review on this product. However, I feel like it's important to get this information out there because honestly, there is always a risk with anything you put in your mouth. I'm actually very grateful for this experience because now I know to avoid riboflavin supplements. I've even pondered whether I might be eating too much riboflavin in my diet, and that might be why my head hurts all the time. I just don't know, but it's something else to consider and think about.

Despite all of this, I will recommend this product to any one with migraines because I do feel like it's a good quality product.

I like this product because it is all natural. The dosages, from my research, are the proper amounts to be taken daily. I love the inclusion of magnesium in this product because magnesium is so important yet so many people are deficient in it. This is made in the United States and distributed by Natures Nectar who are based in my home state of Ohio so of course I love that.

Even with my poor reaction to this product, I do want to say I did experience some positive things with it. I did have some moments when I felt my brain was more clear even than normal. I've been dealing with a lot of stress and I do feel like I handled it more rationally than normal. I have been able to function fairly well despite the pain. I even worked my regular volunteer day last week despite the pain, and the kind of work I do volunteering increases the pain. So I think to be able to handle all of that, this complex did help with some of my problems.

Please don't let my experience with this product discourage you from trying it. I do feel like if it weren't for my issue with riboflavin, it might help. That's just the problem with migraines - every one of us is different and so what triggers mine very well could provide relief for you. You just don't know unless you try.

This product is available from Amazon.com for $29.95 and is eligible for free shipping on orders of $35 or more.

Color-Changing Nail Polish by Del Sol Giveaway

I received these items in exchange for an honest review.

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I had a migraine for almost a week straight and just wasn't up to posting at all. Not to mention all of the real life stuff I've been busy with - we got our first real Christmas tree this year so I'm super excited about that! I've really been trying to go all out for Christmas this year, or at least as much as we're able to.

But anyway, today I am finally back with some nail polish reviews, woohoo!!


Blurb:
Color-changing Nail Polish by Del Sol is the wonder of the sun at your finger tips! Indoors, the nail polish is one fun color. But outside, Del Sol's exquisite, color change nail polish turns a dramatically different hue with exposure to sunlight. Some styles feature glitter, too. From indoors to outside, and back to indoors, Del Sol Nail Polish gets attention as it changes.

Product Features:

• 5-Free: No harmful toxins added
• Never tested on animals
• Square cap, round base
• Bottom label is in three languages (English, French, Spanish)
• Lifetime Color Change Guarantee

New nail art videos every month: https://www.youtube.com/user/ColorChangeNailArt

Month nail polish subscription box available: http://www.delsol.com/nail-polish-subscription 

 Review:

It seems like it's been about five years since I first saw Del Sol polishes and I've been wanting to work with them for so long. I was very excited to be given the chance to. I have to say, I am extremely impressed with this company so far. I took advantage of their Cyber Monday deal which offered everything at 50% off and because I had a gift card with them, I was able to get $43 worth of products for just $1.50. Can't beat savings like that. That's not what really impressed me, though. My order wasn't showing up on their Web site so I contacted them just to make certain it had gone through. I heard back from customer support in just five minutes. They were very helpful, friendly and polite. I even wrote them back just to let them know how impressed I was, and again, I heard back within minutes.

Anyway, I received two polishes for review, from their Fall collection. I got Barely There and Trippin' Out, as pictured below with my nail swatches.

I had every intention of doing some nail art with Barely There, but unfortunately it just never happened because life got in the way. My husband wasn't fond of this color but I liked it. As the name implies, it is a very sheer polish full of pretty silver glitter. This would be a great polish to use if you wanted to do a fancier french manicure.

This one turns a very pretty berry color in the sun. This didn't get quite as dark as I had expected, but it's still very noticeable as you can tell. I really love the colors and it dried very quickly.

Trippin' Out is a pretty crazy looking bar glitter polish, full of pink, silver and greenish yellow glitter. I thought it made for an interesting not quite Christmas color themed manicure. This polish would be absolutely perfect when layered.

I wasn't crazy about how this one looks in the sun. It's a bit different than I expected, and the polish itself darkens to sort of a pinkish orange color. It's not terrible, but I definitely prefer this polish in the shade.

This polish kept reminding me of fuzzy sweaters, so I decided to get out my flocking powder. The colors didn't match perfectly, and of course flocking powder never lasts long for me but I was pretty happy with the overall look.

I'm definitely excited to get my Cyber Monday order. These polishes were a lot of fun to play with and, given more time, I can see a lot of possibilities for some really fun manicures.

Have you tried Del Sol? Now's your chance! Giveaway details coming up soon :)

Coupon Code: ColorChange6781
Discount: 30% Off
Expiration Date: 12/31/15

Giveaway: has ended. I chose to end it early because Rafflecopter was broken.

US only
Ends December 15, 2015
One winner will be selected.

I will notify the winner and they MUST get back to me within 24 hours or I will have to pick a new winner. I will need email address, phone number, mailing address for validation purposes so if you're not comfortable giving away that information please do not enter.

I am not responsible for shipping / damaged products, etc.

Color options can be found here. Winner will receive two polishes.

Note: some people seem to be having issues with rafflecopter. If it doesn't work for you just drop me a comment with your name, email address and which options you completed. I will manually enter you. All comments must be approved by me first so I won't publish your comment so your email will be kept private. :)

Dima Zales - The Elders (Mind Dimensions Book 4) review

I received this item in exchange for an honest opinion.

Blurb:
Going to Level 2 gives me unimaginable power. So naturally, now that everyone I care about is in trouble, I can't do it anymore.

The Elders can, but will they teach me, and if so, at what price?

Ultimately, it comes down to a choice.

What am I willing to sacrifice for those I love?

Review:

While I enjoyed this book I didn't find it quite as good as some of the others in this series. At times The Elders did have me laughing out loud but I think some of the themes have grown kind of stale. Again I saw some similarities between this and the Matrix so I wasn't too surprised by the ending. The identity of the Super Pusher did surprise me. I have a guess as to where Zales is going with the storyline but I am looking forward to reading the next book. 

The Elders is available from Amazon.com and is currently $3.99 for Kindle, $16.99 for paperback or free with Audible trial.