Valentia Even Glow Serum Review!

I was given the opportunity to try out Valentia Even Glow Serum and here is my review! The product comes in a copper color, glass bottle with a dropper lid. It's 20% Vitamin C and due to this, is a great antioxidant driven treatment for skin.

I used it primarily on my neck, and décolletage area. My face is sensitive to Vitamin C apparently (though I had never tried it previously on my face, I found out the hard way...should have known better since I have problems drinking orange juice as well). It did however do great on the areas I did continue use on. The skin on my neck lost some of the visible lines, and my décolletage area lost some of the remnants of being out in the sun too much as a kid without sunscreen. The skin also feels tighter and less rough which is an A+ in my book!

Though I have only used this product for a month, I would highly recommend this to other people who want to get rid of signs of aging. It does smell a bit like orange juice, which I didn't mind and my boyfriend actually thought it smelled amazing (go figure).

For more information, go to the Valentia website here! When you purchase it, they also include some great "recipes" for skincare that I really liked.

All opinions are my own though I was given the product for free in exchange for my review.

MealEnders Review and giveaway

My habit is not gum, or smoking, it's my addiction to Lifesavers mints and Dr Pepper. I normally keep a ready stock of the mints with me everywhere. It's a bad habit to keep me from drinking soft drinks that doesn't always work.

So when Fit Approach gave some of us the opportunity to try MealEnders,  an appetite curbing lozenge, I was skeptical but definitely intrigued! I'm a snacker and if something could help me stop, then I was all for it. (Plus, it's slightly embarrassing having a 3 pound bag of Lifesavers mints around...)

The flavors for these are Citrus, Mocha, Chocolate Mint, and Cinnamon. What makes these different than the other products I've seen to curb cravings is that these are actually really satisfying! The outer layer is one of the above mentioned flavors (and even though I don't like citrus flavored things normally, this one is pretty good!) and the inside layer is more of a cooling mint flavor that makes your mouth just feel done with your meal, and diminishes the craving in almost the way toothpaste does.

Each packet contains 25 lozenges. The image below is of the cinnamon one, which I think tastes kinda like a snickerdoodle. I'm really sensitives to artificial sweeteners and was pleased to see none in these! Each piece is 15 calories, with 2 grams of sugar. I keep a handful in my purse for when I'm on the go and a Sonic milkshake is calling my name.

They have definitely helped me curbing my appetite. Instead of reaching for cookies, or stealing my son's granola bars when a chocolate craving hits, I grab one of these and it's gone. I also like these for after dinner to keep me from eating a second helping of something I really don't even want. 

Leave a comment below telling me why you'd like to try this out and one winner will get a chance to try out all 4 flavors! Or, tell me what flavor you think sounds the best. 

Soul Food Love cookbook

I'm learning to cook. I know how weird that sounds when I'm in my 30's but...yeah. I'm learning! Ha ha. So I've been eating up cookbooks to review when I can. First was SkinnyTaste, which was great and we found a few regulars in the book.

My boyfriend and I both grew up in the South; he in Kentucky, me primarily Texas and a few years in Georgia, so our food tastes are very random. He does love Soul Food though so when this book came up, I had to snatch it up!

The recipes are beautiful, easy to do, and don't require weird ingredients that I've never heard of and can't find in a regular grocery store. Though living in the hometown of Whole Foods, it's pretty easy to find special ingredients.

But what is most amazing about this book, is the long family history in the beginning of this family of women, their cooking, their impacts on their culture, their lives. The beautiful family pictures and stories of four generations of Black women were amazing.

The recipes, their whole purpose is to be a healthier version of Soul Food that are organized into the following categories:

Sips and Bites
Soups
Main Dishes
Sides and Salads
Desserts
Crowns
For a Crowd

For dinner, we decided to make the spicy hot chicken. I had never, ever, ever made a whole chicken before this. My version of a whole chicken was an already seasoned, and cooked, whole chicken from the grocery store deli. (We did add red pepper flakes because we are insane, and we cooked two chickens for this instance).

Super yummy with tons of flavor and perfectly crispy skin. All of us loved it, even the 12 year old. 

Granted, there were some that seemed repetitive, especially in the sips but the entrees and veggies were great! I have a few I plan on making, especially the broccoli with peanuts and raisins, and fiery green beans. Those are on the menu for this week.

hyperbiotics probiotic review

As promised, here is the hyperbiotics probiotic review. I take a few medications, vitamins, and supplements to deal with my weird knee issue. So a probiotic becomes necessary for me so that my stomach doesn't hate me!

Per the Mayo Clinic:

Although more research is needed, there's encouraging evidence that probiotics may help:

• Treat diarrhea, especially following treatment with certain antibiotics
• Prevent and treat vaginal yeast infections and urinary tract infections
• Treat irritable bowel syndrome
• Speed treatment of certain intestinal infections
• Prevent or reduce the severity of colds and flu

My doctor did see this supplement and even agreed that it looked great and would be beneficial in taking in conjunction with my medication for my knee. A lot of medications do cause stomach irritation because they throw healthy bacteria out of whack. And if you are lactose intolerant, which is typically where you would get the healthy bacteria from, a probiotic is definitely beneficial! 

I haven't had any side effects when taking it. I did introduce both hyperbiotics products about two weeks apart so that I could see how they did separately and make sure one wasn't impacting the other. I now take them together without any ill effects. No weird after taste either!

It is one tablet a day, and below is a picture showing the size. I know a lot of people don't like to take huge vitamins, and this one isn't that large. They are also vegetarian, and gluten and lactose free, both pluses for people with food sensitivities. For more information, go to the hyperbiotics website for the probiotic here.  

Like the hyperbiotics immune formula, I was given this to try in exchange for my honest opinion per Brand Backer.

hyperbiotics immune review

I was given the opportunity to try two products by hyperbiotics, the immune formula, and the probiotics. I'm going to start off with the immune formula. 

My immune system isn't great, due to my chronic pain issues, which leads to not sleeping much, which leads to getting sick easily. It's not fun. So I was really excited to try the immune formula. 

I normally get insane colds over the winter that last for weeks and so far this winter (knock on wood) I haven't been knocked down.

I definitely attribute that to this product. I was even in an office full of people with colds, hacking, coughing, fever. I was out one day with the cold and was fine. Normally when I get sick, the people around me are sick for a day or two and I'll be sick for a week or more. 

Size for one dosage compared to a quarter

This formula doesn't have a weird taste. It just has to be stored in a cool, dry place (I keep mine in the freezer). The recommended dosage is two pills once a day, or if you need intense support in the immune area (ahem), twice a day. It also didn't upset my stomach, or give me a headache like some others. 

I would definitely recommend this product, especially for those who are semi-immune compromised, or who are trying to avoid colds in sickness filled offices. For more information, visit their website here. 

This post was sponsored thanks to Brand Backer. I was given the product to try for a period of time and all opinions are my own.