Love, Life & Beauty After Fifty

Back at the beginning of May (May 9th to be exact), I embarked on a "Fit for Disney" journey.  Fast forward just over a month and here are my results: Did I lose any weight? Sadly, no - in fact I actually gained a couple pounds - granted I didn't change my eating at all while using the products. What do I think of the products? First the Women's Lifestyle Capsules This is your standard B-complex vitamin with added Minerals, Plant Extracts, Anti-oxidants, Enzymes, Pro-Biotics, and Amino Acids.  A box of 30 envelopes, each containing 2 capsules is $74 USD.   I had no adverse reactions from these vitamins but didn't feel they did anything special. Next is the Lifestyle DFT-DUO patches.  There are 30 patches in a package and each patch splits into 2 patches - one for your left side, one for your right.  Ingredients are listed below: I honestly didn't see any advantage using these patches, and often found my skin would itch after removing (you are...

It's been a few years since I've traveled to Disney (Disney World in particular) but this July I will be visiting Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure Parks for the first time while I am attending a conference in Anaheim. I have been a little lax in my exercise routine over the past little while (OK, I admit I haven't been exercising all that much) and as such, I have put on a bit of weight.  Ultimately I would like to lose about 20-25 pounds before I leave for Anaheim, however, I have a problem with food. Over the past few months I have been trying to follow the Keto diet, but unfortunately, my love for carbs is something I am finding very hard to give up.  I love my bread, pasta and rice just too much. The other day I got on the scale and was shocked that I gained almost 10 pounds since I jumped on the Keto bandwagon in December 2017.  I admit I haven't followed the Keto diet as closely as I should have (yes those darn carbs get me every time) but I ...

Yes, I admit it ... I snore ... quite loudly for a little person.  I'm not proud of it, but there, I said it. As I'm getting older, it seems my snoring is sadly getting worse.  A lot probably has to do with my overbite, and of course, we snore more as we get older because our muscles become increasingly slack with age. In an effort to combat my snoring and get a better nights sleep (and give my husband a better night sleep) I decided to look into a mandibular advancement device.  I did some research and decided on the VitalSleep Anti-Snoring Mouthguard because of its ability to be adjusted using two screws, plus the option to choose one specifically made for women.  I should also mention that along with my overbite, my teeth are not exactly straight which influenced my choice in deciding what to purchase. The cost of this MAD wasn't cheap - $59.95 US plus shipping - but if it worked, I was willing to shell out the money, so I ordered one directly from their w...

I love my Beauty Blender ... I really do ... It is my preferred method of applying foundation or BB Creams. Enter the L'Oreal Blend Artist Infallible Foundation Blender - which I saw in the beauty section at WalMart.  It was half the price 😮 I was intrigued so I decided to buy it and give it a whirl. The next morning, I excitedly opened the package.  The sponge was, dare I say, even softer than my beloved Beauty Blender.   I ran the sponge under the faucet.  First thing I noticed is that it soaked up a lot more water (and I do mean a lot more) than the Beauty Blender.   After squeezing out as much water as I could, I went to work applying my BB Cream.  I must say, it applied the BB Cream wonderfully - and the sponge felt oh so soft on my skin. For the next week, I put aside my Beauty Blender and used the L'Oreal sponge exclusively.   Pros: - about 1/2 the price of the Beauty Blender - incredibly soft on the...

I admit, am a sucker for a good sale and even more of a sucker for Sephora's bi-annual VIB sale. So what did I purchase from the most recent Sephora VIB sale? This Caudalie Anti-aging trio was one I've had my eye on for some time.  I had been wanting to try these products but couldn't justify paying the expensive prices for each individual product.  This set is perfect.  This set contains: - 0.5 oz/ 15 mL Premier Cru The Eye Cream - 0.33 oz/ 10 mL Premier Cru The Elixir - 0.5 oz/ 15 mL Premier Cru The Cream My second purchase was another gift set I had my eye on - the Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter set. Winter has arrived early here in Western Canada, so am looking forward to trying these. This set contains: - 8 fl. oz/ 240 mL Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter in Vanilla Apricot - 2 fl. oz/ 59 mL Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter in Lavender Citrus - 2 fl. oz/ 59 mL Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter in Vanilla Pine The third set I purchased was t...

I ordered this online from Sephora and when the package arrived, I was a bit shocked at the small size of the packaging. For $10 CDN I was expecting something larger - the package was smaller than my hand 😕 Saying that, I do like how the mask is packaged. It was very easy to open and squeeze out, and because of the screw on cap, it seals back up nicely. I love masks, but hate having to dig into a jar to get out the mask.  The resealable packaging is really smart and the nozzle makes it perfect to get out the right amount As for the mask itself, it had a nice, pleasant scent, was non-irritating and didn't dry my skin out. The one I chose was the detoxifying and oxygenating as my skin had been a bit congested over the last couple of weeks. I applied the mask by squeezing a bit onto a flat foundation brush which worked well to spread the mask on my face. I let it sit for 15 minutes, then removed it with warm water. It removed quite easily and my skin felt great after. It doesn...

Save your money ... I purchased the new Veet Sensitive Precision Styler in hopes of taming my unruly brows.  I first tried trimming my brows and while it did do a good job of trimming them, when it came time to shape the brows, it really was useless as the blade (even as small as it is) doesn't work well on curved areas.  Major fail ... Sadly I ended up just plucking as I usually do. I did try the larger blade side on my baby fine facial hairs, as well as my upper lip and it did work well for those areas, but you can easily shave your face with a plain razor, so save your money. Would I recommend the Veet Sensitive Precision Styler? If all you are looking for is something to shave your face - minus shaping your brows - then it does well for that task, but as I said earlier, save your money and just use a regular razor.  It definitely does not work for shaping your brows, but does work for trimming - something else you can do with an eyebrow comb and a pair of s...

A few months ago, I looked in the mirror and saw some grandmotherly-looking woman looking back at me. Yikes! Where did she come from? I realized that it was probably too late, but I decided I wouldn't go down without a fight. I wanted a good Retinol Serum for my sensitive, post-menopausal skin that is also prone to breakouts and after doing much research online, I came across Paula's Choice Resist Intensive Wrinkle Repair Retinol Serum and thought I'd give it a try. The serum feels greasy going on, but when combined with a good moisturizer, it does eventually soak into the skin.  Because I have sensitive skin, I have only been using this once a week at night.   And because I've only been using it once a week, I haven't really noticed my dark spots or wrinkles disappearing, but my skin does seem to feel and look better a few days after using the serum.   I will be increasing my use of this serum to every other evening to see if more frequent use will help...

I have been using the Arbonne RE9 line for a while now and absolutely love this cleanser. It is on the pricey side, but you only use a pea size amount to clean your entire face. I should mention that I rarely wear a full face of make-up so a bottle lasts me a couple months using just at night. According to the Arbonne website, youthful-looking skin starts with clean skin. This pearlescent crème formula creates a light foam to gently wash away makeup and impurities. With an added plant-derived moisturizer, you can bet on starting your day with a refreshed, hydrated canvas. The formula contains a few interesting ingredients, such as plant extracts and vitamins that can be beneficial as anti-irritants for the skin. The scent of this cleanser is a lovely citrus and it cleanses my skin nicely and leaves my skin feeling so soft and hydrated after use. Would I recommend Arbonne's RE9 Advanced Regenerating Toner? I really like this cleanser.  Yes it is a bit on...

I was never one to use toners in my daily skincare routine, however, when I started using the Arbonne RE9 line, I thought I'd give it a try. According to the Arbonne website, a quick misting of this antioxidant-rich, pH-balanced toner refreshes skin and prepares it for the next step — firming and lifting skin’s appearance. Arbonne's instructions say to spray directly on the face, but to me, this seems a bit odd as with most toners you are to pour them onto a cotton pad and wipe your face. After trying the spray thing (which didn't work for me), I started spraying it onto a cotton pad and wiping my face which seemed to go much better. The toner has a fruity, but also slightly chemical scent, but it is still quite pleasant and does disappear almost instantly once absorbed into the skin. It removes any leftover make-up that the Arbonne cleanser didn't. Would I recommend Arbonne's RE9 Advanced Regenerating Toner? Overall I think it isn't hurting my skin....

I have been eyeing the Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics palette for some time and finally decided to bite the bullet and pick one up. The palette contains 12 matte eyeshadows in a variety of cool and warm neutral shades. I've always liked Urban Decay eyeshadows and I did like the color range provided in this palette. Upon application, they are well pigmented, however I found the lighter shades to be a bit chalky while the other shades didn’t give me that problem.  As for longevity,I found the shadows lasted all day and didn't seem to fade or turn muddy (yay).   Would I recommend the UD Naked Ultimate Basics Palette? Overall I think this is a pretty good matte palette for those of us who either don't want to, or can't wear shimmery eyeshadow shades.  While the majority of the shades have great pigment, my only wish is for the lighter shades to be a bit less chalky. My rating :  3.5 out of 5 * This is not a sponsored blog. All opinions are genuine...

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 options that season. Annual Members also enjoy early shipping. This means boxes are shipped within 7-10 bu...

I posted an update on my Ancestry DNA vs MyHeritage DNA kits on May 28th, however, feel I need to post another update as an issue has come up with the MyHeritage kit. My test was sent back to MyHeritage on May 8th, and since I had not heard from them that they received my test, I sent a message to MyHeritage on May 23rd to get an update as to the status of my test.  This was the test that was sent from Canada to Texas so it should have been received within a week (give or take a day) - the test sent from Canada to Ireland arrived within a week. Sadly I never received any reply, however, noticed when I logged into the MyHeritage website on May 26th, my test had been marked as received on May 25th.  I found this very interesting. Fast forward to a few days ago to when I received an email from Paypal indicating that a refund had been completed by MyHeritage on June 5th.  What the heck??? Sure enough, I logged into the MyHeritage website and all signs of my DNA test ...

At the advice of a friend, I started my parasite cleanse on May 23rd and this is my experience When I started this blog, I advised I would post all about my experiences - nothing was off limits and we would discuss it all.  This is one of those TMI posts 😊 What exactly is ParaGONE? ParaGONE is a patented broad spectrum antiparasitic, antimicrobial, and antifungal herbal cleansing program. It contains herbs and extracts that are widely used as antiparasitics to remove both visual (nematode) and microscopic (bacterial) parasites from the body. It also contains antifungal herbs and extracts that are known to eliminate yeast/fungal organisms from the body. How does ParaGONE work? Antiparasitic herbs rid the body of parasites in 2 different ways; One group of herbs works by paralyzing the organism directly, allowing the body to remove it through the regular channels of elimination. Another group of herbs works by directly destroying the organism. ParaGONE is a formulation for...

What is it? According to the Boomerluxe website, the Boomerluxe monthly subscription is a phenomenal monthly box of beauty and lifestyle products for women 50+ by women 50+ What is included? There are two different subscription options: 1 - Boomerluxe Mini (which is what I received) which includes 5 specially sourced, age enhancing beauty, fashion and wellness items each month - 4 travel size + 1 full size treats 2 - Boomerluxe Deluxe which includes 5 fun, unique & useful full-size items with your mid-life interests and preferences in mind How much is it? Boomerluxe Mini is $19.99 CDN + shipping per month and Boomerluxe Deluxe is $34.99 CDN + shipping per month. There are three month and annual subscription options as well. What was included in my Boomerluxe Mini box? Would I recommend Boomerluxe? Yes and no. I do like the idea of a subscription box tailored to those of us over 50, however, I think the Boomerluxe Mini subscription is a...

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...