Luna Bar | Recent Reviews

In my never ending quest to find the perfect protein bar, I happened to stumble across the Luna Bars, made by Clif, and YOU GUYS, not only are they so tasty, but they are cheap!!  The Luna Bars are made specifically with women in mind so there are more nutrients geared towards females but I am sure that men would totally enjoy them as well.  The price of these bars ranged from $1.25 to $1.79, depending on where you buy them... I like to look for the sales and snag as many as I can.  Sadly, here in Canada, we can only buy three of the flavours (at least that is all I have found) and the funny thing is, every bar is stamped with a 'Made in Canada' so WHAT THE HECK?  Made in Canada but I have to get a friend to send me them?  NOT FAIR LUNA BAR... NOT FAIR!

Thankfully, I have an amazing bestie, Kathleen, who was gracious enough to go shopping and snag me a whole bunch of flavours to try before I head to Amazon to grab an entire box.  I thought it might be fun to give you my thoughts on each bar as I eat them.. so this is the past week's thoughts.

First up, Chocolate Dipped Coconut.  You guys... this is basically a dieting gal's version of a Bounty Bar (or Mounds in the US, maybe??) and I absolutely LOOOOVE coconut and chocolate so this one is a major fave.  Will definitely be ordering this one in the future. (190 calories) 

Next up, Chocolate Cupcake.  I had high expectations for this one and sadly, it fell a little flat.  Sure, the chocolatey part was there but it was missing that 'cupcake' aspect.  Maybe it was the texture... cupcakes are usually moist and soft, whereas this was dense and hard so that may have been a little off-putting.  Either way, it was tasty but not a go-to. (190 calories)

Next up, Chocolate Peppermint Stick.  YUM!  If you like the Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks, this one is right up your alley.  Okay, no coffee flavour but the peppermint is nice and subtle and not too strong to make your mouth burn.  I really liked this one and can definitely see myself picking this one up again in the winter months. (190 calories)

Last up for this week, Blueberry Bliss.  WOW... I am shocked by how much this one blew my socks off.  There is not a lick of chocolate in it but I absolutely, 100% love this one.  So much so that I would say it's my favourite one thus far.  The blueberry taste was on point, there was a sweet drizzle of something delicious on top, oats and granola... HEAVEN.  A definite, DEFINITE must buy!! (190 calories)

I have tried all of the flavours that are available here in Canada (Lemon, Chocolate Walnut Brownie & S'Mores) and will review those once I pick them up again.  Hope these help if you are on the search for a new protein bar/snack!

Sometimes You Just Have to Smile

Being someone who has worked in customer service or dealt with the public for my entire 'career', I learned to 'kill em with kindness' and in doing so, I have carried with me the need to smile at all the people.  I smile at people in parking lots, at cashiers, at the dude working the drive through... and I am NOT a people person... but, sometimes, you just have to smile!

There really isn't a point to this post, I saw the meme (above) and it made me giggle so I thought I would challenge everyone reading this to smile a little more.  I promise that just smiling and maybe saying "Good Morning" to a passing stranger will not only make you feel better, but make them feel better too.  Who knows, maybe they were having a bad day and you just gave them a smile and made the day a little brighter.

Empties Update...

Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Gel

Picture Source

Pros:

Availability - You can get this online, through Sephora so it is pretty easily accessible to anyone who normally shops there.

Price - While some may find the $65 Cdn (for 1.69 fl. oz) price steep, compared to most other higher end skincare lines, this falls right in the middle and is definitely a price point that I think would make most people happy

Change to MY Skin - I only had a mini sample of this from Sephora so used it for about 4 or 5 nights and WOW... I was blown away by how smooth my skins texture was.  I have never used a product that provided such immediate results.  My pore were smaller and my overall skin just looked brighter. 

Cruelty Free - Pretty much says it all

Cons:

Price - I know I said the price was reasonable, but I did find that I used up my sample very quickly.  I can't remember, off hand, how big the sample was for comparison and until I use a full size I can't officially say but it did feel like it would be a product that was used up quickly

Overall:

Having only used this product for a handful of days, I can honestly tell you that I loved it.  I will definitely be purchasing a full-size of it, once I run through some other skincare I have because the change in my skin in such a short period of time was insane.  I look forward to trying more items from Drunk Elephant in the future.

Remember to SMILE!!

Laugh At Yourself

Learning to laugh at yourself is definitely a lesson that is learned through time.  In my family, you have to be able to laugh at yourself because if you don't, chances are, you will be only one not laughing.  We are a sarcastic group of people who look for any chance to laugh at one another... sad, but true.

This past weekend, on Father's Day, we had a BBQ and because the weather was so wonderful (read hot and sweaty), my parents set up a two-lane Slip 'n Slide in the backyard and while the assumption is that it was for the kids, the adults needed to give it a whirl too.

Here's the line-up:

Dad - total champion.  Great form, slid the full length and had a great dismount at the end... I sort of hate him right now

Steven (my son) - Decent form... he's 8 so very gangly and awkward, slid almost the full length and had a bunch of fun

Murray (husband) - Moderate form, slid the full length and had a slightly less than stellar dismount but I give him full credit, I didn't think he would have any form or style

Mom - Great run up but came to a full-stop at the start of the slide and basically just fell on to it and slid about 2 feet... needless to say, bad form, bad distance and no dismount to be seen

Me - Well... I personally thought I had the whole thing down pat however, it didn't go exactly as I planned or envisioned in my mind.  I took the standard 10 foot run-up and then (all this is according to the many witnesses) I swan dove about 6-feet into the air and belly flopped on to the slide.  Yep... landed flat out and had zero slide.  Zero form, no distance and horrifying dismount.

Needless to say, we have renamed the Slip 'n Slide to the Run 'n Thud.

Empties Update...

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny

Pros:
Availability - I purchase these in packs of three through Amazon because my local drugstores no longer carry this version but I have heard that they are still found throughout the US so they are very easy to get your hands on
Price - As I said, I buy mine is a three-pack for $13 (including shipping) but if you can find this in store, they generally run around $3 each
Colour - This is the perfect colour for an all over face bronzer... at least for my pale as white paint skin.  I absolutely love it!

Cons:
Not Cruelty Free - According to Cruelty Free Kitty, NYC has no clear stance on animal testing but are owned by Coty who does test on animals.

Overall:
I am so sad that NYC is not a cruelty free company because this bronzer is, by far, my favourite bronzer in my collection... and that I have tried.  I do have two more to use up before I can move on to a CF brand but I will no longer be purchasing this product.  If you aren't concerned about CF then I can 100% recommend it!

Why do so many companies still find it necessary to test on animals?

Declutter Series | Candles

Time to start the next area of my declutter and no, it's not makeup because I am not ready for that... yes, I will get there but right now, I want to tackle the closet in my makeup room and to do that, I am starting with the insane hoard for Bath & Body Works candles that I have.

The problem that I have with the BBW candles are that they smell amazing but I only burn them in the fall and sometimes the winter.  This year I have burned them a little in the spring, if the weather is nice and cool (fall-esque) but I don't burn all year long.  Also, I am super sensitive to certain scents and order most of my candles online so there are candles that I have lite once and gotten an instant headache.  Instead of passing it along, or returning it, I just stash it back in the closet to never use again.  Total FAIL!

Currently, I have candles in my collection.  I hate to even say collection because THEY ARE CANDLES!  My goal isn't to just get rid of them because I would like to use the ones that I know I enjoy and even try the ones that I haven't ever used.  My plan is to figure out which candles I know I will never use and set those aside for the community yard sale this weekend.  Bath & Body Works candles are insanely expensive ($24 USD each, although I always buy when they are buy one get one free) so I know that they will get snapped up quickly.

The Plan:

1. Organize by Size and then Scent - I have multiple sizes of candles, from the mini's to the 3-wicks and really only like the 3-wicks so can just declutter any of the smaller ones.  As for scent, I love anything bakery, food scented so will likely keep anything in that range but cannot stand the more floral, summery scents.  For some reason they give me an instant headache and that's just not worth dealing with, even if the smell is amazing.
2. Set Aside Untried Scents - After combing through and removing any scents I know trigger headaches, I want to set aside the remaining candle scents that I have never tried so I can test each one and see if they are a trigger.  If they aren't, I will keep them but if they are, they can be added to the discard pile.

The plan here is pretty basic, if I like it and don't get a headache from it, it will stay... as long as it's a 3-wick.  Otherwise, it's out!

Once I have burned through the remaining candles in my collection, I will have to take a better look at Bath & Body Works cruelty free policy as some have said that they are not a CF company.  Bath & Body Works is owned by L'Oreal, who does test on animals, but I am not basing my decisions on the parent company, only the actual company I am purchasing from.  In this blog post (more so the comments section) you can see that as of late May 2016, BBW still was not selling in China and are currently listed on PETA's website as cruelty free.  However, they are not listed on the Cruelty Free Kitty website which is the holy grail of websites for CF information.  Let's get to the end of the stash and then see what the opinion is and maybe look at other companies for different options.

UPDATE:

Forgot to take a picture of the stash I got rid of and all of them sold at the yard sale this past weekend... who wouldn't buy a BBW candle for $1?  Ugh... so much waste.

Anyways, I now have just a handful (8) 3-wick candles left to burn and then I am going to see what I want to do.  While I love burning candles, there may be a more household appropriate option out there.  

Empties Update...

Sephora Collection Instant Moisturizer and Age Defy Night Moisture Cream

*Just a note that these products are no longer available as is and have been reformulated.  I can't say that the formula is the same on the new ones so this review is only for the creams in the jars shown above*

Pros:
Cost ($29 Cdn for 1.69 oz of the Instant Moisturizer & $42 Cdn for 1.69 oz of the night)
Instant Moisturizer is a great weight for a day cream
Easily available at Sephora stores and online (assuming the formula hasn't changed)

Cons:
Possible formula change and no longer available on Sephora in these jars
Instant Moisturizer does not contain an SPF
Night Cream is a little light weight for aging skin
The Sephora line is not cruelty free

Overall:
While I found that both pots of moisturizer lasted a long time, making the money well spent, each of the products seemed to be missing a little something for me.

The Instant Moisturizer, which I used as my everyday cream, doesn't contain a sunscreen which I did not appreciate.  Even though I know that I can add the extra step of putting on an actual face sunscreen, I am lazy and prefer to have it in my face cream and makeup so I don't have to worry about it.

The Age Defy Night Cream was my everyday night cream and I just found that it was a little slippery and didn't sink into my skin the way that I would want a night cream to do.  Having the aging skin that I do, that is extremely important to me so I was disappointed by this.

If you have younger skin and don't mind the extra step of adding an SPF, these might work great for you.  However, for me, both weren't great and because they aren't CF, I will not repurchase.

I'm still mildly shocked that I finished these at the same time... that never happens!

Spotlight | Christine Kobzeff (PinkSoFoxy)

How do I help myself get through a no-buy or how am I okay with letting go of my 'stuff'?  Well, to be honest, I watch a lot of Christine Kobzeff's (formerly PinkSoFoxy) declutter series videos... on repeat.

I started watching Christine about 5 years ago when I first got into YouTube and at the time, she was an avid collector of makeup, nail polish and all sorts of bits and pieces.  Since that time, she has completely done a 180 turnaround and is now working her way towards becoming a minimalist.  No, I don't feel that is my exact path but her declutter series has given me life.

Just a couple of weeks ago, she posted a couple of videos that she titled her 'Minimalist Series' where she went through her nail polish collection and when she was done, she had FOUR polishes left... FOUR!  I was blown away by how happy she was with so little and to be 100% honest, that video is what gave me the courage to sit down and declutter my polish collection.  Okay, so I still have 300 polishes but I was able to destash over 500 and, to me, that is an amazing first step.  Hey... Rome wasn't built in a day.

By constantly staying on top of her collection, Christine has been able to keep her collection from growing and taking over her life.  It is something that I am working towards.  When I feel like I need a refresher, I am so happy to know that I can pop up her series and watch a couple of videos and by the end, the need to buy ALL THE THINGS is gone and I actually want to get rid of things.... clean up the clutter in my life.

So, thank you Christine... you have been an inspiration to so many and just watching you go from needing all the things to barely needing anything has been so amazing.  I look forward to following along on more of your journey!

Empties Update... 

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Make Up For Ever Sens'Eyes Waterproof Sensitive Eye Cleanser

Pros:
Removes stubborn mascara
Cream cleanser makes it easier to control amount used
Easily available at Sephora (in store and online)

Cons:
Cost ($13 Cdn for 1 oz at Sephora/$30 Cdn for 3.38 oz)
Not Cruelty Free
Slight sting

Overall:
This is my first experience with a cream cleanser for the eyes and I actually found it very soothing.  While there was a slight sting on the initial use, I have since learned that you need to really ensure your eyes are fully closed and then it doesn't seem to cause any issues.  Even though the cost is higher than I would like for an eye makeup remover, the cream formula makes it much easier to control than a liquid so it actually felt like it lasted longer than my normal removers.  Although there may be some left in the container so that wasn't ideal.  However, my biggest issue with this product is that it isn't CF so I wouldn't purchase it again.  If that isn't a factor for you, I think you may enjoy it.

Phew... guilt gone ;)

Empties... Did I Actually Finish It?

It's been four years since I started my YouTube journey and as part of my monthly routine, I would film a video showing all of the things I used up.  Whether it's makeup, nail polish, bath products or candles, I didn't throw a single thing out without sharing it with the world.

Now that my YouTube journey has come to a close, I am not sure what to do with things I finish... sounds weird, right?

I had a giant basket of 'trash' sitting in my makeup room, awaiting a video that was never going to happen, and this weekend, I tossed it all.  It felt like the strangest thing I have done in a really long time.  It's sort of like when a tree falls in the woods... if no one is around, does it make a sound?  If I use up a product and don't show the world, did I actually finish it?

To be honest, I am not 100% sure how to tackle this moving forward because reviewing the crap that I used up was one of my favourite videos to film.  Seeing the basket fill up made me feel better about the things that were coming into the house because at least it seemed like I was using things up... right?  What people don't tell you about empties is that the vast majority of the things are bath and body products... maybe candles and then the odd makeup or nail polish goodie tossed in for good measure.  To finish a makeup product takes some serious dedication and with the abundance of makeup in my collection, unless it's mascara or chap stick, it just doesn't happen... like ever.  As for polish, you get to see top coat, base coat and cuticle oil.  Fun, right?!

Today I finished a conditioner that's been doing time in my bathroom and I am going to share my thoughts here because, well, it just feels right!

Picture Source

Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Sulfate Free Conditioner (mouthful much?!)

Pros:
Drugstore Price (approx $11 Cdn for 8.4 fl oz)
Smells great
Washes out clean
Cruelty Free

Cons:
Hair is still tangled (at least my longer hair)
Need a lot to condition hair, so go through it faster

Overall:
I would definitely check out more items in the Marc Anthony line now that I have chopped my hair because the cons aren't as important to me.  I like that they are cruelty free and available at my local drugstore because most of the CF items I have been looking at are only available at stores in the US or online which means added cost for shipping... BOOOO!

Okay, that's all... I can now throw this baby out without the guilty feeling!  LOL

*Update: I will be adding a little 'Empties Update' to the end of each post, if I've finished anything and that will keep you in the loop and make me feel less guilty about just trashing the item*

Another Year Older...

Welp... the day has come and gone and I am now officially another year older.  Doesn't really feel any different and I spent most of last year not really knowing if I was 37 or 38 so it wasn't a huge shock to the system turning the big 3-8.

It was the Victoria Day long weekend here in Canada so I was able to chill out and relax for an extra day... and that is exactly what I did.  I finished my book, I had been reading the infamous "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins and... nope... wasn't what I was hoping!  Not really that gripping, edge of your seat thriller that I was anticipating but isn't that always the way?  You read and hear the hype of a book/movie for so long that by the time you get to actually reading it, it doesn't quite measure up?  Other than that, we had a family dinner for my birthday... mmmmm, steak,  spent hours on the ball field and, yes, I even painted my nails... many MANY times.

Let's talk nails for a second... you will recall from my last post (and only post) that I am falling off the YouTube bandwagon.  I actually started spreading the word to some of my YouTube friends, those that I have made connections with outside of the comments section and those that are now legitimate friends and while most think I should just take a break for the summer and then come back strong, they all understand the need to back away.  YouTube can be a hard place and having that in common, we can all see the struggle of constantly staying on top of the trends and the need to be current.  I still haven't uploaded a video but do have one that needs to be filmed to fulfill a commitment made prior to my decision to leave... hence the swatching this weekend... ugh!  If anything, sitting at my kitchen table in 20 degree gorgeous weather just solidified my desire to NOT do that anymore!!

I actually feel so much more free just admitting that... knowing that the decision I have made is the right one for me.

Now, what's coming next... we shall be talking about my journey towards a cruelty free nail polish collection... YIKES!