Love, Life & Beauty After Fifty

In my blog of May 8th comparing two different DNA sample tests, I mentioned I mailed off the two samples - one to Ancestry and one to MyHeritage on May 8, 2017.  Today I will update you on the results so far. Ancestry DNA I received notification that the Ancestry DNA test was received on May 16th, which surprised me as this was the test that was sent to Ireland. Ancestry says that the sample will take 6-8 weeks for processing, which would mean the results should be available to me sometime between Jun 27, 2017 and July 11, 2017. MyHeritage DNA The sample sent to MyHeritage wasn't received until May 25th - this also surprised me as this was the test that was sent to Texas (I thought it would be received first). MyHeritage indicates that the estimated time for online results will be available sometime between Jun 22, 2017 and July 6, 2017. You can check out my first impression on both of these DNA tests here * This is not a sponsored blog. All opinions are genuinely

I am a huge sucker for subscription boxes and just recently finally signed up for FabFitFun in April. What is it? FabFitFun is a seasonal lifestyle, wellness, fitness and fashion subscription box. 4x a year you will be sent a seasonal box. Each box is limited edition and contains $200+ (US) in retail value. Boxes are shipped in March, June, September, and December. What is included? All of the boxes contain 7-10 full sized items worth $200+,  Members are able to choose add-ons from some of the most-loved products from past boxes and some new things that can be included with your box order (discounted up to 70% off!). You have to be a FabFitFun member in order to select add-ons, and they are only available for a limited time prior to billing. As an annual subscriber you will have the opportunity to customize your FabFitFun box before it ships. You will be able to personalize certain items in the box such as what color of a certain item you'd like to receive based on the opt

I was just talking to a friend (whose background happens to be in nutrition) about my dog's recent tummy issues, and she asked how I was feeling as I looked especially tired.  I mentioned that I hadn't been sleeping well since before my mom passed almost two years ago, and as well I had been suffering from tummy issues myself that I thought was just my IBS flaring up. We went on to discuss my other "old lady" ailments - headaches, gas and bloating (again something I attributed to my IBS), and of course my aches and pains then asked me if I was also suffering from other "ailments" like strong cravings for processed foods and sugary foods, teeth grinding and drooling during sleep or memory problems. What she told me next, maybe shocked me, just a little.  She asked if I had ever done a parasite cleanse myself - I joked that was I human not one of the dogs.  She was serious and went on to tell me that everyone has parasites, including humans. We all have pa

In my search for wonderful products to help me look and feel my best, I came across another Canadian company - Sudsy Bar Soap Co. based out of Mission, BC. What is it: A monthly subscription box, carefully curated with four artisan soaps from Canada's finest soap makers to bring you a lovingly curated selection of handcrafted soaps What is included: Four fabulous soap bars shipped to your door - you can choose to receive your box every one, two, or three months. How much is it: $24/month + shipping ( shipping ranges anywhere from $3.95 - $9.95 depending on where you are in Canada) This subscription box is available to those in the US with shipping being $9.95. You also have the option of purchasing single bars or boxes specific to a certain brand (including those from previous months if still available). You can even purchase or a gift certificate for a one or three-month subscription Dana (the Chief Sudsy Officer) was kind enough to send me one of their boxes fo

What is it:   CallaLife Box is a monthly lifestyle subscription box.  Their mission is to provide their customers with an array of useful products to make the month a little more beautiful. The items will be quite different from month to month - it could be a bag of calming tea, some eye serum to rid you of tired eyes, a small fitness device to get you working on your health goals or a super cute soap dish so you have something pretty to look at while washing your hands. What is included: 5-8 carefully selected items each month, most products are sourced from local Canadian artisans.  The items will be quite different from month to month so you'll always have some nice gifts to look forward to. The founder Whitney does her best to search out products that she feels confident using and that they do not contain many or any harmful chemicals. How much is it: Only $38+$10 S/H   *At this time CallaLife only ships within CANADA* What makes it different: Unlike some other su

This foundation has gotten a lot of buzz on social media and I finally broke down to try it out to see what the hype was all about, and see if it truly is a very natural medium to full coverage foundation. The idea behind this foundation is your skin is supposed to look perfect, like you were born that way. I picked this up in Ivory which online was indicated as fair with neutral-to-golden undertones.  This is an oil free foundation infused with coconut water and there are 18 shades to choose from. After prepping and priming my face as usual, I dotted the foundation on my face and used my beauty blender sponge to blend the foundation onto my skin.  The first thing I noticed was that the Ivory (which is my normal color) was a bit too yellow for my skin tone and a little of this foundation goes a long way.  It was easy to blend and did look more natural than other foundations I have tried. I did have to powder the foundation (I used my Two Faced Primed and Poreless) and used a

As an only child, I've always been curious about my genetic genealogy and ethnicity, especially on my mother's side of the family.  I am very lucky as my father had meticulously researched the genealogy for his side of the family (before the internet no less) and because of his efforts, I can trace our roots back to Alsace, Germany. Unfortunately family on my mother's side never really discussed their ethnicity or genealogy and I just assumed that they were either Ukrainian or Romanian.  Sadly there are no longer any living relatives on my mother's side that I can ask, so I decided to do the next best thing and do one of those fancy DNA tests they advertise.  But which one? As with any industry that has become popular, especially quickly, there are the front runner companies you always hear about - Ancestry, 23andMe and another I recently came across MyHeritage. Pricewise, MyHeritage is the cheapest at $99, Ancestry is next at $129 and then 23andMe at $249 (prices q

In January of this year (2017), Chick Advisor launched a new premium membership which offered some additional perks for members who subscribed over the free Chick Advisor membership. For a one-time fee ($60 CDN), Premium members receive over $190 worth of beauty products plus a cute custom ChickAdvisor makeup bag, exclusive perks and from time to time, online offers from Canadian e-retailers. I subscribed on the 17th of March and waited patiently for my welcome bag to ship at the end of March.  Sadly by the end of April I still had not received it so sent off a quick message to Chick Advisor support.  Within a few days I received a reply from Jennifer Andrews who is the campaign manager for Chick Advisor, to let me know the packages were late going out but I should receive it soon as they were waiting for extra goodies to be included in the boxes. I was so very excited when I went to the mailbox on Wednesdat (May 3) and discovered my Welcome package/bag had arrived.  I hurried ho

From the minute we are born, we grow older. And yet, many people only think about aging on their birthdays, especially milestone birthdays. Somewhere around 30 or 35 many women really feel the clock ticking and start thinking about ways to fight aging. With the advances in medicine and technology, it’s easy to run for a little Botox here or a little laser zap there. But these are temporary and from what I hear, often don’t bring the results people want because the unhappiness with outer appearances stems from the inside. Changing your focus to being a happier person mentally, spiritually , emotionally and physically can help us actually embrace aging a little more and live a life without making the battle against aging such a stressful and negative focus. So how can we grow older gracefully? Let’s start by remembering a few simple tips; Stay Active It’s easy to make excuses as to why we don’t have time for exercise. When kids get older and we aren’t chasing them around anymore, or