Restore Natural Cleaning Products

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past year, you know that cleaning, washing your hands and sanitizing has taken on a whole new level of importance in today’s world. It seems everywhere we go hand soaps, cleaning products, and sanitizers are at the forefront of every store display and continuously advertised on media outlets.

Like so many, I have upped my hand washing and sanitizing tenfold since the start of covid. And while I feel good about making the effort to protect myself, my skin has certainly paid the price for my due diligence. So when I got this variation of Restore Naturals cleaning products, I was really excited to give a new brand a try! 

As a person with generally sensitive skin, I found the sanitizers and hand soaps to not burn and dry my hands out like so many other products do. And while we’re all washing our hands often multiple times a day, this is especially important to avoid irritation. Restore Natural also carries  Dish Soap, 3X Laundry Concentrate, and EnzAway Spot Remover that I found to be consistently gentle and almost completely free of fragrance! A way better option to harsh chemical ridden products- especially during this time of increased cleaning protocols.

I try my very best to be all natural when it comes to what I ingest and put in my body. I’m always sure to check ingredient lists, ethics and strive to be as green as possible. This includes what I put on my skin and the cleaning products I use. After deep diving into Restore Naturals practices I found them to meet the three main standards of natural products- simple, safe, and green. They carry all plant-based cleaning products with non-toxic ingredients that are better for you and better for the environment. 

Gentler, eco conscious and effective products you can feel good about. Restore Naturals products definitely check all of these boxes! Happy cleaning and stay safe!

FACTORFIVE REGENERATIVE SERUM

A few weeks ago, my husband walked into the room and handed me a product called FACTORFIVE Regenerative Serum and told me to give it a try. I grabbed the bottle and had never heard of the brand before, and the term “stem cells” if I am being honest made me a little hesitant. After a quick google search however, I was intrigued. In a few weeks, I will turn thirty one (thirty wonderful, as I like to call it), and I have started to notice a few wrinkles here and there to put it modestly. I even had a dear friend of mine ask “have you considered botox for some of those lines?”. She’s like a sister so it didn’t offend me, but it sure did make me start to consider the array of options out there to keep our faces looking fresh and youthful- however artificial they may be.

That night, I washed my face as directed and applied some of the liquid gel-like serum to my face. It felt nice and went on really smooth- did not at all feel goopy, thick or sticky. In fact, I felt like my skin was absorbing it! It stinged the tiniest bit, but nothing more than your typical face mask and just enough to make you feel like something is happening. The glow and evenness it gave my complexion was almost immediate, and even with one application I felt my skin was softer. Now I was REALLY intrigued. 

I have to admit, I am an all natural girl and definitely subscribe to the “clean movement” when it comes to what I ingest and put in my body. I’m always sure to check ingredient lists, ethics and try my very best to be as natural as possible. So when it comes to what I put on my skin and the beauty products I use, I feel no differently. All kidding aside, although the thought of botox admittedly has crossed my mind on occasion, the idea of injecting myself with a foreign substance does not ultimately appeal for these very reasons. After deep diving into FACTORFIVE’s practices-  it appears they’ve nailed the balancing act of  these two demands. 

FACTORFIVE is natural, cruelty-free skincare formulated without parabens, mineral oil, sulfate detergents, phthalates, urea, DEA or TEA. It produces anti-aging results by using ethically derived human stem cells to assist in healthy cell regeneration. I have used this product for about three and half weeks now, and although I know I need more time to truly see the full effects of the product, I already see and feel a huge difference in my skin’s appearance, dryness and elasticity. I cannot wait to continue the use of this product and watch as my skin improves over time. Best part? No injections for me!

Mira Fitness Bracelet Review

So, here’s the deal. It’s been on my to-do list to “get a fitness band” for the past year. Now it’s no secret that I am a chronic procrastinator. Placing a deadline on myself is like trying to put on leather pants in the middle of a New York summer; it’ll be uncomfortable, and it’s not going to happen easily. So purchasing a device forcing you to see how inactive you actually are wasn’t exactly the most exciting charge to put on my credit card. In all honesty, the extent of some of my most strenuous activity consists of jumping up and down repeatedly to force the bit too snug but maybe-they-shrunk–in-the-laundry jeans onto my bottom half.

Mira Fitness bracelet

Fast forward to last week; when my boyfriend, asked me if I wanted A Mira Bracelet. Immediately I said yes, believing he was offering a piece of jewelry as a token of his undying love for me. Then google hit me with the reality that he wanted to give me a fitness band. He was then met with many “do you think I’m fat?” interrogations, persistent whines mixed with a tear or two and a request to take me for ice cream to make me feel better. It was an emotional roller coaster to say the least.

My Mira arrived in the mail and the first thing I noticed was how divinely stunning it was! I proceeded to put it on and wear it just as a pretty bracelet for a good two days because it was literally THAT cute. When I did turn it on however, I was surprised at how instantly competitive I became with myself and other fitness band users. “How many steps did you take so far” became a great icebreaker for every conversation. To my surprise, I clocked in at about 12,000 steps daily and burned about 1,700 calories by simply walking around. I felt very confident and obviously needed to reward myself with some more ice cream and skip the Zumba class for the evening.

I will say however, when I finally did take said Zumba class, My Mira reported that I burned a whopping 70 calories from an hour of dancing. I know this to be inaccurate for three reasons, 1) whenever I spin I turn a lovely shade of cherry tomato red and have a difficult time getting a single sip of air into my lungs 2) I always leave sweating my figurative balls off and 3) I almost die EVERY. TIME.

Basically, this is how Mira works. The App shows all of your stats including the amount of miles you walked, steps and calories burned. You also can keep track via journal entries. Meaning you can ditch apps like “myfitnesspal” or any food journals stored on your phone. Your fitness activity, steps and food can all be stored in one place! My favorite part of the app is how it keeps track of what time and days you are most active. I am sure it can do way more, but I barely know how to turn on my iPhone so if I can do it, so can you!

Final thoughts: you will constantly receive compliments on how adorable it is and feel super cool when people are amazed when you nonchalantly say, “Oh it’s a fitness band”. (You could proceed with a light chuckle for effect if you wish). I warn you though, DO NOT expect it to accurately portray how many excruciating calories you’ve burnt at your Jiu-Jitsu class because it will NOT accurately tell you. However, you will feel like a giant rock star when you see how many steps you take or how many friends you are making because you, my dear, have the prettiest and coolest fitness band around.

Sponsored Video: The Evil Within

If you like a game that leaves your knuckles white, your palms sweating, sitting on the edge of your seat, The Evil Within is a game you will surely enjoy. This is a video game that completely embodies the meaning of pure horror and ignites the survival instinct in everyone that will bring you to the height of tension.

Highly crafted environments combined with its intricate story telling and interactive situations, this is a completely immersive experience that really brings the players into this world. The game is played from a third-person point of view in which scavenging for supplies and learning when to fight or run are key factors to his survival. Sebastian will need to make use of the environment if he wants to live and navigate whatever is thrown his way.

How terrifying is The Evil Within? See actual play test reactions in this new trailer. It’s terrifying… and funny. Sorry, it makes me laugh to see people scared. Is that wrong? Maybe? Okay, well here it is….

The story line of the game is based around Detective Sebastian Castellanos. When his partners encounter a mysterious and powerful force while investigating the scene of a gruesome mass murder, his fellow officers are slaughtered, leaving Sebastian unconscious after being violently ambushed. When he awakens, he finds himself in a deranged world where hideous creatures wander among the dead. Facing unimaginable terror, and fighting for survival, Sebastian embarks on a frightening journey to unravel what’s behind this evil force.
Spooky.

Speaking of spooky, The Evil Within is in development for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PC and is slated for release in 2014 around, you guessed it, Halloween. Forget the haunted houses, corn mazes and bucket loads of candy! Buy The Evil Within and you will be terrified right in the thick of a foggy Halloween night.

This post has been sponsored by Bethesda Softworks.

9 Minute Sneak Preview of Star Trek Into Darkness

A 9 minute preview of Star Trek Into Darkness is coming December 14 with The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey.

Thankfully this will be way longer than the 3 frames that we have previously been released.

In theory a good portion of the preview will be the beginning of the film and then snippets of later portions. Of course this is finally our definite answer to what Star Trek Into Darkness is actually about.

It will be shown exclusively in 500 digital IMAX 3D theaters. Some scenes were shot on the IMAX Camera.