Clearista Retexturing Gel Review

*This is a sponsored post, I will be providing my honest evaluation of this product.  These are my opinions.*

I have been a long time proponent of microdermabrasion and exfoliation for skin, especially for the face. Skin can become dull and prone to blemishes and premature aging when it is not properly cleansed and exfoliated. I do not recommend just one method of exfoliation, but find that a variety of methods can provide excellent results when used together.  I like using a facial brush (either manual or battery sonic powered) and a skin resurfacing cream or gel.  I was sent a product for review from Clearista and would like to give my evaluation of it for you.  Please note that not everyone may have the same results and everyone's skin is different.

Clearista Gel is an effective skin-resurfacing solution that can be beneficial for smoothing and brightening skin.  I find that it is gentle and did not give me any irritation or ill effects.  It is gentle enough to use daily, and I have found it to soften my facial skin and provide a nice canvas for applying my serums and moisturizers.  I personally only use it about 3 times per week.

When my skin is smooth and clean, my foundation and makeup powders look nicer and more natural.  When makeup is applied unevenly and on skin that is dull, dry and uneven, makeup can look cakey, thick, and unnatural.  The point of foundation is to enhance skin and make it look beautiful and glowing, not to weigh down your skin and cover everything up.  You want people to notice your skin, not your makeup.  It is important to nourish your skin, cleanse it gentle and not strip it.  It is important to exfoliate it and remove the dead skin cells and by doing this, your skin can readily accept and absorb serums and moisturizers than can improve your skin and prevent premature aging.  

Don't worry, I am wearing a tank top in this picture :)

Here is how I used Clearista:

Cleanse normally and apply to skin.  I wash my face with a sulfate free, oil based cleanser.  I like to simply use non fragranced castile soap and water.  I sometimes will use a sulfate free, coconut oil / shea butter / cocobutter and essential oil based facial soap bar.  When my face is clean, I then leave my face a bit damp and apply some of the Clearista gel to my face.  I massage gently using a circular motion for 30-60s (using fingers or a facial brush).  I then rinse with warm water or you can wipe off excess exfoliants with a wet facial wash cloth. I then follow with my normal skincare routine which is a Hyaluronic acid and Vitamin C serum.  This gel can be used up to twice daily, but I just use this once per day.  At night, after a regular cleansing (with my castle soap) I apply my serums as well as either Argan Oil, Jojoba Oil, or Emu Oil on my face, around my eye area, and my neck.

I have only used this for a month, so my evaluation of this product is not long enough to see drastic results.  I do find that it is a wonderful product and my face is soft and smooth after using it.  I tried using it in the shower and find that it works best (for me) to use at the sink.  Using too much water with it makes the microdermabrasion part of it not work so well.  I and that I need to have my face lightly moist, but not wet.  I like a scrubby texture when smoothing my skin.  

The product comes in an attractive bright blue tube and is comfortable to hold.  The gel is a translucent clear milky gel with finely textured granules.  The gel does come out quickly so you need to be careful not to waste it.  The first 2 times I used it, some spilled on the counter immediately after opening the tube as it came out fast without squeezing.  The lid is a screw on lid and although it works just fine, I would have liked a flip top lid.  That is just my personal opinion and really it is not a negative on the product or a deal breaker.  

I like this gel and how it does not have a chemical fragrance, but rather it is almost unscented.  It feels quite clean and my face looks fresh and smooth.  My serums and moisturizers seem to absorb better into my skin and my makeup is a lighter application.  It is been a few years since I have needed a heavy foundation product, and so I normally use a tinted bb cream and mineral foundation (even before using this product) but can get by with just the tinted bb cream and a translucent powder if I want to.  I do think this product can assist many users to prettier and healthier skin.  I love how it is manufactured in the USA and how it is free of synthetic dyes or fragrances.  It is paraben free and hypoallergenic.    

The only thing I am unsure about is the entire list of ingredients.  I try to stay away from sulfates and detergents of any kind.  I have not had any issues when using this 3 times per week,  however I would have liked this to be a little more botanical based.  The Clearista website has the full list of ingredients here.  To learn more about Clearista and read updates on their product, you can find them on Facebook and Twitter.  

Please follow me on: Facebook for updates to this blog, reviews, and giveaways.  For updates on new posts, you can subscribe to me on bloglovin.  I would love it if you would visit me (subscribing makes me so happy) on Instagram and Twitter.

DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation for a product review and/or link to any products or services from this blog.  I am always honest in my opinions and never promise a positive review.  I only recommend products or services that I feel are beneficial to my family and my lovely readers.  I enjoy testing out items and giving my readers an honest and descriptive account of how a product functions.  My personal experience or view of an item may differ than yours. 

Tiny Drops of Honey is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. You pay the exact same price for any and all products you order through my links, but I receive a small commission.  I am a stay at home mommy and any commissions I receive help support my little ones. 

*This is a sponsored post, I will be providing my honest evaluation of this product. These are my opinions.*

All-Purpose Cleaner TriNova Castile Soap Review

We have been using natural cleaners for our home and body for the last 4 years or so.  I find that cleaning is better when natural ingredients are used, and it is so much healthier for our skin, our breathing, and the environment.  I like to use essential oils, vinegar, baking soda, and castile soap for most everything.  I had been using Dr. Bronner's Castile soap as it is the most widely available and well known, but recently was introduced to another brand that gives similar results.  TriNova  is a non-toxic and environmentally friendly company providing excellent products for a variety of household needs.  I was given the opportunity to sample and evaluate their castile soap complimentary for my honest opinion.  I was not  compensated for this review other than a free bottle of castile soap for review.  

This arrived promptly in a box and was sealed without any spillage.  The bottle originally came with a screw on lid, however I found a pump bottle lid in my supply cabinet and it fit perfectly.  I would recommend the company include a complimentary pump with future orders for customers as it make things simpler for daily use.  

If you have never tried castile soap of any brand, you should know that it is a wonderful product.  I find it to be a gentle, yet highly effective all-purpose cleaner.  While Dr. Bronner's Castile does come in various fragrances (essential oil infused) you can get unscented, which is what we mainly use.  TriNova only comes in unscented as far as I know.  It is great because you cold actually add any essential oil to it if you desired.  TriNova's Castile Soap comes in a convenient liquid form and can easily be diluted to serve almost any cleaning purpose that may arise.  The bottle is already generous in size (32 oz), but since this can be diluted, this bottle will last a long while.  

This product can be used most anywhere in your home from kitchen countertops to your bathroom, making it the perfect solution for all of your home cleaning needs.  I use castile soap in my mop bucket with a few drops of pine, lemon, lavender, or peppermint essential oil (tea tree works wonderful as well, it just is a bit on the strong scent for me to use.)

It is said that castile soap can clean glass to give a streak-free shine to your glass windows or doors, although I have yet to try it for that purpose.  I generally use rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle.  Some people have fantastic results with its use as a natural laundry detergent, but again, I have not tried that as we use soap nuts (I have tried several ones and like this brand for its freshness and quality.  They use the Sapindus Mukorossi species which contain higher amount of saponin.) and Nellies Laundry Soda Powder.  We blend water with soap nuts in our blender and this creates a crazy good foam.  We find it works well for our cloth diapers too.   

TriNova's Castile Soap contains natural ingredients that make it safe for use on any surface in and around your home.   I keep it by the sink in the kitchen and use it on our hands as well.  It does not cause irritation or dryness.  I use castile soap as a body wash as well.  It is strong enough for use in household tasks such as your toilet, but gentle enough to be used as a body wash or even as a pet shampoo.  Some people have great results using it as a hair shampoo, but we have extremely hard water and I get a film on my hair when I use soap based products in my hair.  If you do try it as a shampoo, I suggest you rinse with apple cider vinegar and water after wards to balance PH and assist with detangling.  I find that 2 tablespoons per 8 ounces of water works best.  Too much acv and hair can get overly conditioned and leans towards a oilier or heavier appearance.  

I have been using this castile soap for a week and find it works just as well as our usual brand.  I love the addition of the pump that I added.  To learn more about this brand, you can visit their website.   This is available on Amazon.  







You can also learn more about TriNova by visiting them on Facebook and Twitter.

I liked this castile soap and have been using it mainly in our kitchen, but have tested it for our hands and body with no issues.  I find it works comparably to Dr. Bronner's.

DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation for a product review and/or link to any products or services from this blog.  I am always honest in my opinions and never promise a positive review.  I only recommend products or services that I feel are beneficial to my family and my lovely readers.  I enjoy testing out items and giving my readers an honest and descriptive account of how a product functions.  My personal experience or view of an item may differ than yours. 

Tiny Drops of Honey is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. You pay the exact same price for any and all products you order through my links, but I receive a small commission.  I am a stay at home mommy and any commissions I receive help support my little ones. 

Please follow me on:

Facebook for updates to this blog, reviews, and giveaways.  For updates on new posts, you can subscribe to me on bloglovin.  I would love it if you would visit me (subscribing makes me so happy) on Instagram and Twitter.

Way Better Snacks Sweet Chili Tortilla Chips (Review)

I was sent a free sample (single serving bag) of Way Better Snacks Sweet Chili Tortilla Chips through Influenster.

I really was impressed that it had radishes and broccoli as that was unexpected for a tortilla chip.  I like that these chips are high in Omega-3 essential fatty acids and antioxidants.  I find them similar (in texture, appearance and ingredients) to the Food Should Taste Good chips (however we prefer those as a simple multigrain tortilla chip over the Way Better Snacks based on the flavor of the sent sample).

The Food Should Taste Good has several other flavor varieties, but we only have tried the regular multigrain ones.  The ingredients: Stone Ground Corn, High Oleic Sunflower Oil and/or Safflower Oil and/or Canola Oil, Brown Rice Flour, Flax Seeds, Evaporated Cane Juice, Oat Fiber, Sesame Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Quinoa, Soy Flour, Sea Salt.

I love that the Way Better chips have sprouted flax seed, sprouted quinoa, sprouted chia seed, all of which I often add to my daily fruit and protein smoothies.  The ingredients of this brand seem a bit more impressive: stone-ground non-GMO corn, sunflower and/or safflower oil, sprouted seed and grain blend (sprouted flax seed, sprouted quinoa, sprouted chia seed, sprouted broccoli seed, sprouted daikon radish seed), seasoning (raw cane sugar, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, native potato starch, onion, garlic, cayenne pepper).  

I like how they are crunchy and I think go well with a sandwich (I had them with a pulled pork bbq sandwich).  

What I do not like: As I was sent a sample bag for free, I was not given a choice of flavor variety.  I was sent the Sweet Chili and would had preferred the Black Bean, Multigrain, Unsalted Blue, or Sweet Potato.  The Sweet Chili was not terrible, (my husband loved it) it just reminded me of the Red Chili infused hummus my husband always buys and (I prefer the plain hummus as it goes with more options for food) it gets tiring after a few bites (for me at least).  This is just my opinion of it and I am sure others will thoroughly enjoy the Red Chili flavor.  

5 stars for the ingredients, appearance and type of chip.  3 1/2 stars for the flavor of the Red Chili. 

I got a free sample single serving bag from influenster, however this is my honest evaluation.

DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation for a product review and/or link to any products or services from this blog.  I am always honest in my opinions and never promise a positive review.  I only recommend products or services that I feel are beneficial to my family and my lovely readers.  I enjoy testing out items and giving my readers an honest and descriptive account of how a product functions.  My personal experience or view of an item may differ than yours. 

Tiny Drops of Honey is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. You pay the exact same price for any and all products you order through my links, but I receive a small commission.  I am a stay at home mommy and any commissions I receive help support my little ones. 

Please follow me on:

Facebook for updates to this blog, reviews, and giveaways.  For updates on new posts, you can subscribe to me on bloglovin.  I would love it if you would visit me (subscribing makes me so happy) on Instagram and Twitter.