New York Biology: UltraLASH Eyelash Growth Serum #Review #NewYorkBiology #LashesForDays

I have tried many lash serums in the past and it was mostly for enhancement purposes, since thankfully my lashes are still kicking! Before I was a coconut oil user but a few times coconut oil ended up in my eye and especially at night when you are trying to wind down to go to bed, a burning eye is not exactly pleasant. I was then seeing a TV screen or computer one blurry until the next day, so I have opted for serums that condition and nourish my lashes. The great part about these serums, is their dual job duties. You can also use it on your eyebrows in case you over plucked or just have thinning eyebrows. I found myself using them to fix my boo-boos, when I left myself a spot or shortened them a little too much on the edge. These serums came to the rescue but I quickly found out they are not all made equally.

 

 

Retail Price Point: On Amazon, the serum retails for $21.50 and shipping is free for Prime members.

 

 

Ingredients (as listed on website): 
Aqua (Water), Glycerine, Hydrolyed Starch Phosphate, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Pentapeptide-17, Pterocarpus Marsupium Bark Extract, Malus Domestica (Apple) Fruit Cell Culture Extract, Mannitol, Panthenol (D), Glutamic Acid (L), Xanthan Gum, Lecithin 1, 2- Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Chloride Disodium Succinate, Tropolone, Phenoxyethanol, Phytic Acid.

 

 

Verdict:

New York Biology was kind enough to send me a bottle of their UltraLASH growth serum to try. The serum has a nice brush applicator that is easy to control and holds just enough of the solution to apply as needed. A couple strokes is all that I needed to get full coverage. It’s easy to get in areas from the corners to where the eyebrows may be thicker, like the center area of where my brow arches. I tested the product for about two weeks and while the serum conditioned my eye brows nicely, I did find it darkened them a little so I think this came from the hairs getting a little more conditioning. My brows did not over grow but they definitely improved in condition, sort of like when you use a new conditioner on your hair and your hair appears healthier and improving both in texture and looks. That is pretty much the effect I accomplished here. I was happy with the results and because application is a once a day requirement, I just applied the product at night and it never interfered with my make-up, or did it irritate my skin. I know this serum is geared first towards lashes, but I am satisfied so far how my lashes are doing on their own, so I opted to just focus on my eyebrows. That is what is great about the New York Biology UltraLash serum, you can use is both on your upper lashes and/or brows!

 

Connect with New York Biology at:

• Online (Amazon Link) 
• Facebook
• Instagram (@NEWYORKBIOLOGY)
• #NewYorkBiology, #LashSERUM, #UltraLash, #Lashes, #LashesForDays

 

I received the above product(s) free of charge from New York Biology. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. I received no other compensation in exchange for my review. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Advertisement

Influenster: Slim Fast Bar, Crisps, and Shake VoxBox Review #ItsYourThing #Influenster

Being part of the Influenster network, allows members to qualify for VoxBoxes. My latest one arrived in late December, which featured an array of Slim Fast branded products. Being the new year we all want to lose weight or at the very least get rid of that holiday poundage brought on by cookies and treats. I gained 6 pounds in the last week of December because I behaved from Thanksgiving to Christmas but once Santa came, he brought treats, candy, chocolates (I’m surprised I did not consume the stocking) and it seems I ate them all between Christmas and New Year’s Eve!

I’m pretty good at restricting myself and believe with all the advancements in food today, that leaving food as it is, meaning less to zero processing allows us to eat pretty much anything (with portion control) and not suffer the consequences. I eat my weight in salads and I’m not even a fan of most dressings, as I think they tend to drown the freshness out of the produce as it is. I love avocados and find them to be nature’s dressing. They are creamy and never ruin a salad like a fake creamy dressing can. I have those days though where I am in a snacking mood or just running short on time, so I pick the brands I trust carefully. I look for meal replacement or snack products that are not full of fake sweeteners or loaded with sodium. Finding real ingredients is “my thing”, so let’s see how the Slim Fast VoxBox did.

The Slim Fast VoxBox included:

• SlimFast® Advanced Ready to Drink Shake in Vanilla flavor
• SlimFast® Advanced Nutrition 100 Calorie Snacks in Sour Cream & Onion Baked Crisps flavor
• SlimFast® Advanced Nutrition Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Meal Replacement Bars
• SlimFast® Advanced Nutrition 100 Calorie Snacks Drizzled Crisps in Cinnamon Bun Swirl flavor

 

First, I tried the items that were easy to munch on and that was the Sour Cream and Onion Baked Crisps to satisfy the salty urges and for the sweet cravings, I tried the Drizzled Crisps in Cinnamon Bun Swirl. First thing I noticed with both bagged products, was the large amount of “dustings” in the bag. I call that the powdery and broken up bits in a bag that barely resemble the whole product you see pictured in the front of the bag. Like the posters for drive-thru burgers, my product did not resemble the picture on the bag. The Sour Cream and Onion crisps had the higher amount of “dustings” that I wondered if I should just use the contents as a batter coating! I taste a pinch-full of what these crisps use to be and the flavor and texture resemble closely to those chips that come in a canister….but more broken up. The odd part was when you ate the product, it tasted good enough to satisfy a chip craving but when you drank water, you had an odd aftertaste that lingered. The taste was not like potato or the sour cream and onion coating, think more milk solids or dry milk and it was what it tasted closely too. Each bag is 100 calories and states it comes with 18 to 20 crisps. I am not kidding when if I say I got 4 whole ones and that is counting the ones that were 3/4 whole. The breakage takes away from the enjoyment and if you get past that, the aftertaste did me in. I did not finish the bag but I figured that means I consumed less calories!

 

Next, came the Cinnamon Bun Swirl crisps. These were a little more in one piece but the drizzle on top was mostly on the bottom of the bag. The sweetness is not overwhelming and the cinnamon had a nice balance to it. Again, the odd aftertaste was present but you could overlook this one more. The crisps had a pleasant crunch and like some products on the market, these did not leave you with a cotton mouth after you ate them. I could actually see myself picking up a bag if a sweet craving hits me that is overwhelming because a bag is just 100 calories for 20 to 22 crisps. These were also 30% whole in the bag!

 

SlimFast’s Ready to drink shake that comes in an easy to go bottle. The bottle idea I like because sometimes messing with powder and a scoop can be a pain, but I usually take a bottle water (or almond milk) and just scoop into a shaker bottle when I am on the go. I then combine the ingredients (wet/dry) when I am ready to consume them, so this way I don’t end up with chocolate powder that found it’s way out of a plastic baggy and went poof in my purse! I made sure to try the drink cold from the fridge and upon opening the bottle, the Vanilla scent is not very Vanilla like. I take a sip and the drink is about 4 out of ten when it comes to overall taste and flavor. I have had much better and this drink had an odd thickness to it. I made sure to shake it just in case and the thickness left a film in my mouth that was not very vanilla or real milk tasting, or even a nut milk flavor! It took away from the enjoyment and even with time, I could not get use to it. Being able to get 20 grams of protein on the go is a plus, but when I priced it out, weighed in the flavor/texture and the ingredients, I would still opt for a premium powder mix that is usually higher in protein. I did fix the flavor by adding part of a scoop of powdered Peanut Butter and Chocolate, and that is when I noticed that my PB and Chocolate powder had a better quality of chocolate and real flavor than what the Slim Fast drink.  I then felt I wasted a scoop of the “good stuff” on trying to make the not so good stuff better! I also noticed there is natural and artificial flavors but no where but the title of the drink says Vanilla.  It’s called Vanilla Creme but nowhere is Vanilla listed! I then stopped looking at the ingredients because they made my tummy rumble more.  😦

 

Last but not least, the bar in Dark Chocolate and Sea salt. This is a meal replacement bar and has 10 grams of protein and 200 calories.  Ninety of those calories come from fat and the protein derives from Soy, not Whey. I look at the list and there are so many other bars on the market with better core ingredients and even protein impact, and with less fat! This bar is super sweet and off in taste, plus costs more than the better bars. The Dark Chocolate has a waxy texture and is of poor quality. I did not go past the one bite because my calories and fat matters. The bar is filled with syrups derived from everything from brown rice, tapioca and simple cane. They added Inulin as a source of fiber, plus Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil to hold it all together. Let me add the above comes before the Cocoa itself and Oats was still listed before the chocolate! They might as well called the flavored Sweet Oats-y. The only positive is that it has Almonds as a first ingredients but I felt they were ruined by the rest!

 

Final Verdict:

I love the VoxBoxes and Influenster!  I am not so in love with Slim Fast.  I think back and they are a company that his been around a long time but I feel they are always playing catch up and still stuck in the motto of “portion control baggies”.  Most people that are serious about losing weight and/or managing their weight, can portion out an individual serving.  They sell containers to baggies to help you out that serve as a carrying vessel and probably keep the products in more decent shape.  You can use a scale or like I do, I still use a scale but I test myself first to see if I can visually guess-estimate on my own and then verify with the scale.  I notice I usually serve myself a little under the 1 serving a packaging lists.  I can do math, so I don’t need someone doing it for me.  Next, the ingredients used are “old school” but not in a good way.  Cheap sugars, bad oils, artificial flavors and dyes, and poor protein sources is not what I call healthy eating.  Yes, you get less calories but that is barely the entire picture when eating well.  You need good fats, a good source of protein and more to stay energized.  Yes, the Slim Fast products come with vitamins and minerals but again a multi-vitamin can do that for you if that is what you desire!  I looked at the products as a whole and asked myself is this a balanced diet?  Slim Fast does not state just eat our food solely but the 1 meal or 2 real meals you add in a day should not make-up for everything you did not get.  I want energy and I’m not even asking for a boost of it from products, just keep me going in the day.  If I started with a shake, ate a bar for lunch (maybe 1 or 2 crisp snacks) and then ate dinner…..well, when my body is suppose to be winding down is when my body got the better fuel.  Yeah, that did not sit well with me!  Then I saw the price points because convenience comes at a price and Slim Fast was more expensive than the “golden dietary products” on the market.  Um, I’m paying more to eat less better is what entered my head.  Yeah, I prefer paying the bills Santa brought and managing my weight with other products than paying for products that are sub-par both in how they were made and how they came out of a bag!

 

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Slim Fast and Influenster.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

 

VIDI Skincare: IncreduLASH Enhancer Serum for Eyelashes and Eyebrows ‪#Giveaway ‪#‎IncreduLASH‬

*********GIVEAWAY********

Get your own IncreduLASH Enhancer Serum for Eyelashes and Eyebrows bottle by entering today!  The product will be provided by the manufacture, VIDI Skincare and they will ship the winner one bottle (a $39 value) and all you have to do is:

1. Like VIDI Skincare’s Facebook page
2. Follow VIDI Skincare via Twitter
3. Leave a comment on the Review page for IncreduLASH‬: http://wp.me/p2B5Rd-1oW ‪

and that is all!  Winner will be notified on May 25th.  I will then forward the information to VIDI Skincare, which will send the winner a free bottle!  Good Luck!

VIDI Skincare: IncreduLASH Enhancer Serum for Eyelashes and Eyebrows #Review and Giveaway #IncreduLASH

We have all seen the commercials for the product that increases eyelash growth and it’s something that we all want and/or need. Well, more like want! I’m not going to see my doctor to discuss my healthy lashes and then pay for a prescribed product. That is just not happening here! I can see though, like purchasing a mascara doing the same when it comes to using a serum. I buy serums for my skin, so why not buy something for my lashes too?

VIDI is a skincare company that offers an eyelash/eyebrow serum as part of their beauty line. This is my first time working with VIDI and they were kind enough to send me the product to give it a 4-week try, plus a GIVEAWAY*

IncreduLASH is a product that nourishes your own natural eyelashes and promotes growth, plus it comes with 0% of the risks and side effects, which are associated with other products on the market, including the prescribed brands. Permanent darkening of my eye’s skin is not something I am willing to risk when the dark circles look is not my cup of tea! It’s a serum that can be applied to encourage growth to your eyebrows in case you plucked one too many in your lifetime or with age, we tend to start getting growth that is no longer fuller or longer in length. I’m so far so good when it comes to my lashes and thankfully I was blessed with both eyebrows that are as full as my lashes. I just wanted to enhance the look and also test how effective and how quick it worked. It took me 3 months to get Coconut oil to show it’s effects on my eyebrows when I read they need to be moisturized too. Eyebrow gels, cosmetics, and anything you use to temporarily darken or make your eyebrows look fuller and thicker……well, they tend to stress them out too. Yup, that means you get thinning and just loss of hairs and lashes, which then means you need more cosmetics to get the look you want that is being compromised by the product(s) you use (the never ending cycle).  I use a clear eyebrow gel and I noticed that my skin, plus the hairs get dehydrated over time. I then started to apply oils to my eyebrows but this is only something I can do at night, as oily eyebrows is not something I have heard is the “gotta have it” look at the moment :).

Ingredients (as listed on the website): Aqua (Water), Glycerine, Hydrolyed Starch Phosphate, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Myristoyl Pentapeptide-17, Pterocarpus Marsupium Bark Extract, Malus Domestica (Apple) Fruit Cell Culture Extract, Mannitol, Panthenol (D), Glutamic Acid (L), Xanthan Gum, Lecithin 1, 2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Chloride Disodium Succinate, Tropolone, Phenoxyethanol, and Phytic Acid.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Application:
Simple to apply and like anything you use in that area, just watch it when it comes to getting it in your eye. Hey, even Coconut oil hurts when it starts travelling into my eye! You simply take the wand and brush along the eye’s skin where your lashes start (the root, per say). One continuous stroke on each eye and done. You also apply the serum after freshly washing your face because the surface must be clean and free of anything else, like with most serums should be applied to any skin area (i.e. thinner product in texture gets applied first). You only use it once a day too, so it really is easy to work into any beauty regimen. For eyebrow use, the same application principle as your eyes applies and make sure the product dries and absorbs before applying anything else.

Retail Price Point: $39.75 via Amazon and one bottle lasts up to 6 months.

Verdict:
I added IncreduLASH to my nightly beauty routine and used it only once a day on my lashes. I use the product as a “spot corrector” on one eyebrow because I had an “oops” while plucking and created a spot that was missing 2 to 3 hairs. Yes, my spot would eventually yield hairs again but I’m a girl that has little patience when it comes to my boo-boos being corrected. The serum by VIDI states most start seeing results within 2 weeks. I can say by 2.5 weeks, my lashes felt and looked nicer. I had zero stragglers like when you have those mini lashes that began to grow and they are too short to notice before you apply mascara, but then obstruct your vision once you do! Those mini lashes drive me crazy and I then have to use the mascara wand’s tip to make them stick to a lash-buddy that is of normal length……I have also plucked them when they don’t play nice. Yes, it starts the process of growing again but I then hope the new lash heard the screams of the last lash being plucked and will behave :). It was nice not having to deal with shorties, so that was a definite positive that I saw from IncreduLASH’s results. I also found the texture of the hairs were enhanced I lost less when I curled my lashes and/or washed the mascara off. Sometimes I even lost none! Next, the spot on my eyebrow. What spot? By week three the spot was a thing of the pass and from my experience, it would take me a month and a half to see those mistakes show any hairs that are long enough and I did not need to blot some eyebrow pencil to cover it up. IncreduLASH does work and because you use so little product upon application, it makes the investment sting less when it comes to sticker price. I use less mascara and like this natural fuller lash look that did not need a doctor’s visit to get. I’m a DIY gal and especially when it comes to beauty solutions and IncreduLASH is a soultion that works, plus VIDI guarantees it!

Start your Summer with lashes that flutter and brows that WOW at:

• On-line
• Amazon
• Save today and use promo code: TOMO2115 via Amazon and you get the tube for just $19.95! A $20 savings!! Code expires June 30th
• FaceBook
• Twitter
• Google+
• YouTube
• #IncreduLASH
• #EyeLashes

****GIVEAWAY***** Details:

I will posting a giveaway soon, so stay posted but start by liking VIDI’s Facebook page and Twitter page, and leaving a comment on this review.  That means you have a head start on entering!!! 

I received the above product(s) free of charge from VIDI (IncreduLASH).  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.