Dr. Teal’s® Soothe & Sleep Lavender Epsom Salt Soaking Solution - Smiley360

I received this sample from Smiley360.com, a user testing website. By filling out surveys, you are matched up with product samples that fit your lifestyle. This sample was given to me for free so that I might review it the opinions I share here are 100% my own.

My Smiley Kit contained:

• One-full-size product (3 LB) of Dr. Teal’s® Soothe & Sleep Lavender Epsom Salt
• Dr. Teal’s® Epsom Salt Fact Sheet
• Smiley360 Sharing Guide

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After a long week of house sitting my parents house and cleaning the whole place to boot my body was just aching! At first, I just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep it off but I knew that I would wake up with the pains amplified, not to mention a bit smelly. I decided to try Dr. Teal’s® Soothe & Sleep Lavender Epsom Salt and lots of hot water. The first thing I noticed was the smell, very pleasant and soft, not overpowering. I just sat and enjoyed the smell for a while, but when I got out I felt wonderful and the soft scent was still relaxing, which meant no problem falling asleep.

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Sweet 'N Low Cook Book Recipe Entry #SweetNLow #Sponsored

As a member of Crowdtap, a user testing, review, and input site, I was given the opportunity to share a recipe that I have been making for a while. I figured since I shared it there, I should share it here too! This recipe is a dessert, strawberries with #SweetNLow. Low calorie and delicious!

Triscuit Fan Recipe Book #TeamTriscuit

As a member of Crowdtap, a user testing, review, and input site, I was given the opportunity to share a recipe that I have been making for a while. I figured since I shared it there, I should share it here too! The challenge requested that you use Triscuits and they sure do add some great crunch to this recipe!

Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge Shampoo, Conditioner, and 1-minute Moisture-plenish Treatment

 I was skeptical about this product because most of the Garnier Fructis products leave my hair feeling and looking icky. For the most part, I have dry hair so I only wash my hair every other day. 

The shampoos consistency is a liquid-gel with blue beads that smells like kiwi. When I first washed my hair with it, I was a little terrified to be honest. It's really thick and it lathers A LOT, which always concerns me because in my experience, a lot of suds = stripped hair. And sure enough, when I rinsed my hair, it did feel squeaky clean. Oh boy! My hair had very little slip, but I detangled it with a comb that I keep in the shower under running water with no incident, and then proceeded to my normal shampoo day routine: protein conditioner and then a moisturizing deep conditioner. As my hair began to airdry, I was shocked how soft, hydrated, and bouncy it was! In the shower, my hair felt like straw but this shampoo made my conditioner "take" better than it ever did with my other shampoos....and I have no idea why! It was weird but it worked.

Since then, I've refined my technique a little bit. I prepoo with coconut oil for a little while, and then before I get in the shower, I carefully and thoroughly detangle my hair. This is important because, as I said before, this shampoo has no slip for me. When I shampoo my hair, I do it in quadrants. I only use about a dime-sized amount of shampoo on each quadrant and I lather it up on my hands before putting it on my hair, focusing on the scalp and then GENTLY working my way to the ends. I rinse it out slowly and run a shower comb gently through it under running water. After that, I apply conditioner and let it work its magic.

Hydra Recharge utilizes goji berry, passion fruit and kiwi to ensure hair is hydrated, weightless, silky and soft for up to 2 days. I did read recently that the beads are a combo of the superfruits and burst on impact. That's kinda cool. I tried to squeeze a bead but didn't notice anything awesome. They're so tiny that I wasn't completely sure that the bead really broke.

 

So to recap, things to keep in mind with this shampoo:

1. It has no slip so detangle beforehand
2. It's really really thick
3. YOU MUST CONDITION YOUR HAIR AFTERWARDS or it will feel like straw 

If you want a shampoo that will leave your hair feeling "juicy" in one shot, this is not the one for you. BUT if you're used to deep conditioning your hair after shampooing, then I recommend giving it a try.

This is Where I Leave You - Movie Screening

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This film opens with the story of Judd Altman (Jason Bateman), we all know his character, the guy who looks and acts like he has it all figured out, but who’s about to find out nothing is actually as it seems. Is there anything new to this particular Judd Altman though?

When we first meet Judd, he’s just about to discover that his wife Quinn (Abigail Spencer) is cheating on him with his sleazeball boss, and has been for quite some time. Wade Beaufort (Dax Shepard) is a shock jock deejay, and is quite easily the worst possible person that Quinn could engage in a little extramarital action with. But things are about to get worse for Judd, even as they get better for the audience.

This film, based on Jonathan Tropper’s novel of the same name, This Is Where I Leave You explores what happens after the rug is pulled out from underneath this particular Judd Altman. The film overall does a horrible job of telling Judds story and rather focuses on telling stories about all the Altmans as they handle tragedy together.

Time passes strangely in This Is Where I Leave You, but Judd’s beard growth and crappy apartment indicate that he and Quinn have been separated for awhile by the time the next upheaval strikes him. Judd’s dad is dead – explained by a wailing Tina Fey: “DAD IS DEAD!” Judd needs to go home to sit shiva with his entire family. This is a great time to keep the secret of his impeding divorce to himself, right?

The Altman clan isn’t a very happy one and slamming all these miserable pieces together for forced family time doesn’t seem like the best way to make anyone feel better. At least the cast exhibits a strong familial chemistry – Bateman and Fey are especially good at occupying the lived in familiarity of people who know each other best but maybe don’t see each other enough – and the Altmans at large are extraordinarily engaging to watch pick and pluck at each other. As Phillip, the youngest Altman and bonafide baby, (Adam Driver) gets the majority of the film’s best lines, and he delivers them with the kind of spark and pop that the actor brings to all his roles
 
I found myself connecting with the Altman family on a different level, remembering the fights I had with my brother growing up, nearly brought to tears throughout the film – happy and sad. And yet This Is Where I Leave You has enough modest charms to keep it chugging right along, including a smattering of genuinely emotional sequences and plenty of jocular jokes and gags.
 
The film received mix reviews from top critics, but perhaps they all agree with one thing – it was funny.

Lipton® Tea K-Cups®

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I used to do the whole tea ritual before I bought a Keurig®, you know the one: boiling water, tea pot, loose tea, strainer, cup and saucer, milk pitcher, extra hot water, sugar bowl. It was a ceremony as much as a process. The final collapse of civilization arrived with the Keurig® coffeemaker. Pour in cold water, press a button, shove in a K-Cup®. Greet Satan.  After all, the road to hell is paved with convenience.

Anyway, the arrival of the  Lipton® Tea K-Cups® made me realize how horribly overworked I had become, having to dip the teabag into the mug, take it out, find a place to put it...why labor endlessly when self-indulgence summons? I figured it was going to taste lousy but so what..? It will be easy! I popped one of the Lipton K-Cups in, pressed the button and... out came great tea! It must be the water temperature and the amount of time the water stays on the tea, or maybe it's the work of some old voodoo. It doesn't matter, I don't care. This tea is comparable to what you get when you do the whole teapot nonsense. It's full tilt boogie brewed tea and if any less effort was required, the K-Cups would come with a warning that you were about to sacrifice your immortal soul. 

If you like really good tea and have better things to do with your time, Lipton® Tea K-Cups® are worth the extra expense and the extra lap around Purgatory.  

Indulge Black Tea

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I thought this black tes was going to be just like the Lipton® Tea bags, since this said unsweetened black tea and I know their unsweetened black tea already. There are some teas that I don't like to be sweetened and black tea is one of them. My first sip of this black tea was disappointing as it was not what I was expecting. This tea was more like a chi tea without so much of the delicious chi tea flavoring, just heavy on the vanilla. Vanilla but not sweet, chai but not all like "BAM! Chai here!" Again, this is not what I was expecting. Once I regained my composure and drank more, I realized I didn't actually dislike the taste, it just wasn't what I was expecting.

Refresh Iced Sweet Tea

I can't get enough of this stuff. I love sweet tea and this one is just like some of my favorites! Having it in K-Cup® form is nice because if you brew it hot it's prefect, if you brew it over ice it's perfect. You will not need to add sweeteners because this tea is, as I said already, perfect. It is just sweet enough without being too sweet or needing more sweetener. I've tried lots of brew of ice K-Cups® in a variety of flavors and this one beats them all. I will continue to buy it.

 

As always, these items were samples that I received in the mail. I have not been asked to endorse them but do so by my own choice. 

Immune Support Supplement Reviews

Emergen-C Immune + Citrus

First off, I enjoy Emergen-C and have used it in the past. I have at least tried every flavor and I tend to use it to prevent illness. At the onset of any kind of sickness, I drink 2-4 packets a day.

I almost never get sick; I am a healthy, active 23-year-old. Whenever I'm feeling slightly under the weather, I take one pack in the morning, one in the evening, and by the next day, I feel much better. I may not be back to 100% functionality but it's much better! I recommend you try the Emergen-C! It tastes good and it's fizzy too (my personal preference in drink).  

Emergen-C 1,000 MG Vitiman C

I hate having a cold, and when I get one, I need to get over it. At the first sign of a cold, or anything really, I start taking Emergen-C and can usually shorten the length

of the cold, get better quick, plus I know it's a great source of vitamin c. Emergen-C is a simple and cheap way to keep myself in good health. I take at the first onset so I won't get sicker during those cold and flu seasons of year.

On top of helping recover from any illness, Emergen-C is also great for everyday use. It gives me energy and boosts my immunity so I don't get sick. I don't always have time for healthy eating, so with this supplement I feel like I'm giving my body the necessary vitamins to function properly, without feeling fatigued a couple hours later like with coffee. When on the go, I stick a few packets in my purse whenever I need an extra boost. On the plus side, this tastes amazing.

Airborne Everyday Chewable Tablets

I also love Airborne. It has saved me from catching a nasty stomach flu and stopped several illnesses in its tracks before it got worse. There is no scientific proof that it works, but for me, I take it the minute I start feeling ill.

This product, however, is meant to be taken every day. I'm not sure if taking an excessive amount of Vitamin C is such a great idea, though I know lots of people do. But we're talking eight times the recommended daily dosage and though it passes out of the body, I don't feel entirely comfortable taking it every day when I'm feeling healthy. 

Because its main ingredient is Vitamin C, Airborne Everyday cuts back on other vitamins. It has only 40% of your daily recommended Vitamin A; Vitamin B6 is 65%; Biotin is 10%; Pantothenic acid (as calcium pantothenate) is 50%. On the plus side, it does have vitamins that others may not, for example Magnesium (5%), more of zinc (53%), selenium and Managanese. How will this affect your health? I'm not a doctor, so I can't say for sure. But I felt this difference was important to point out.

Secondly, the two chewable tablets did leave some trace of chalkiness, which sent me into a coughing fit when I drank something afterward. Also, the berry flavor was too sweet. If I were to buy this again, I'd get the orange flavor. But this a personal preference.

In sum, I like Airborne and will continue taking it before going on a trip or whenever I feel an illness coming on, but it won’t be an everyday staple for me.

All in all, taking immune support supplements can be helpful in preventing illness and helping you recover from one. In my opinion, you need to find what works for you and be sure to try each flavor before making your mind up on a specific supplement. I don't have a personal favorite and I tend to have a lot of theses types of supplements in my apartment, but don't take my word on it, try them yourself!