Mia Mariu Mineral Makeup: Review and GIVEAWAY!

I have been gradually changing over to natural beauty and home products for almost 2 years. We no longer use sulfates in our face washes or shampoos in this household. I wash my face with the oil cleansing method and I use essential oils for everything from cleaning, disinfecting, healing, aromatherapy, insect repellant, baby wipes solution for cloth diapering, etc.

For facial oil cleansing, I use a mixture of caster oil, glycerin, jojoba oil, almond oil, argan oil, and rosehip oil. I massage this mixture all over my face, and make sure to not tug on my delicate eye area. I use the first oil application to remove all my stubborn eye makeup and foundation. I let it soak in for about 2 minutes as I continue the massage. I then turn on the faucet to the hot water only, and when it gets steamy, I run the water over my wash cloth. I wring out the hot wash cloth and place it over my face to steam out my pores. I wipe off the oil and loosened make up, and rinse my wash cloth in the hot water. I then apply the oil mixture to my face again, and run my cloth under the hot steamy water again, wring out, and apply to my face. When the cloth cools, I do the cloth steam once more, and when it cools, I wipe the excess oil away. I rinse my face with cold water to close my pores and then I pat dry. This has made my face feel and look smoother and younger. I always apply Vitamin C serum and Hyaluronic Acid on my face after my oil and steaming. I no longer use traditional foamy soaps on my face. Occasionally I will use castile soap (2 drops or so 1 every 2 weeks as a deep cleanse) for my face. I love washing my makeup brushes with castile soap and water. It is by far the best to completely remove all traces of makeup from my sponges and brushes. I do wash my face occasionally with a natural charcoal soap and use a dead sea mud mask twice a month.

As for makeup, I love cosmetics and although I have not completely switched over to all products that are the most natural, I have tried a couple brands of mineral makeup. I have used Jane Iredale and Bare Minerals. I had the opportunity to trey out a brand I had not heard of before. It is called Mia Mariu. It is a lovely company that believes women are beautiful on the inside and the outside, "beauty and health in harmony." They believe in empowerment for women and even make it possible for women to have the opportunity to share their love of beauty and natural products with other women with company partnership, and become a Mia Advisor.

I was able to have the opportunity to try out 3 products from the Mia Mariu company. I was sent the Perfecting Finish Mineral Primer, the Perfecting Finish Mineral Cream Concealer, and the Perfecting Finish Mineral Foundation. The foundations come in three formulas: Liquid, Cream and Loose Powder. I normally use a BB Cream as my foundation (Skin79 Super Plus Pink) and a Mineral Veil from Bare Minerals as my top finisher. Sometimes I use the matte foundation in fairly medium or fair depending on my skin tone during the season. I have fair to light skin tone, so I chose the Mia Mariu cream concealer in Vanilla – CCC01, Liquid Foundation in Vanilla – CLF01, and the Mineral Primer which is a white lotion like cream.

Here is my bare "BEFORE" face, freshly steamed and oil cleansed, with Vitamin C serum and Hyaluronic Acid. Notice that my under eye area has shadowing. My face is red due to a recent hot shower and facial steaming, my face is not normally so pink.

I applied my Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid serums, waited about 2 minutes to soak in and then put on the Mineral Primer. I then soaked my Beauty Blender sponge with water and squeezed out the excess water. I applied about 2-3 pumps of the Mia liquid mineral foundation to my wet sponge and blotted the product all over my face and neck. I then dotted the cream concealer under my eye area, camouflaging my dark circles. I finished my foundation with a light dusting of my Bare Minerals mineral veil to set the foundation. I applied Benefit Dandelion box blush on my cheeks. On my eyelids, I used Urban Decay Primer Potion, Urban Decay Naked 3 eyeshadows in Burnout and Dust, and Benefit They're Real mascara in black.

The Mia Mariu Perfecting Finish Mineral Primer "perfects" a lightweight base allowing the foundation to apply with ease and gives a pretty and natural look that lasts. The primer is a lotion consistency and is not sticky or greasy. It provides antioxidants and vitamins to skin, while still allowing skin to breathe. Skin looks beautiful, youthful and healthy.

The Perfecting Finish Mineral Cream Concealer is an oil-free, vitamin packed, creamy formula that covers uneven skin tone, dark circles, and blemishes. I love the look of the compact and how it opens and closes. It feels comfortable in my fingers if that even makes sense. I did have some difficulty blending it under my eyes to hide my dark circles, however, I have always had difficulty finding a concealer that completely hides my dark shaded under eye area. I did find that the concealer worked well when lightly blotted on little red patches on my skin, around my nose and a few other areas.

The Perfecting Finish Mineral Foundation is oil-free and provides lasting coverage, and contains minerals and vitamins. I wore this make up look from about noon until 2 am, and my make up looked pretty good for being worn so many hours. I like how the makeup does not have any strong fragrances and is infused with natural botanicals, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and peptides. The liquid foundation makeup seemed to apply smoothly and did not settle into my fine lines around my eyes.

The picture of the makeup laid out on the scarf was my thrift shop find this week! I love a pretty vintage necklace and scarf. I must admit I am proud of myself, $2.50 for the necklace and $1.50 for the scarf, and absolutely no signs of wear on the scarf. The pink floral curtains are hanging in my kitchen and another awesome sweet 60's vintage find from last summer. I heart vintage!

For more information or to purchase your own, please check out their website: Mia Mariu Website

The company is so generously offering one of my readers their own makeup sample in their desired shade.

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The company is so generously offering one of my readers their own makeup sample in their desired shade. Check back in a few days for the giveaway to be posted on this page. USA only please.

If you found this review or any of my other reviews interesting or helpful, please rate is as "helpful" and or leave a comment. I enjoy writing reviews and hearing feedback about what I have written as I feel reviews help those interested make an informed decision before purchasing. I also feel that honest and informative reviews improve a product by providing insight to the company. I believe reviews should be honest no matter whether an item was free, at a discount, or purchased. I am not connected to this company or any of the companies of products that I review. I am not paid for my opinions.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Matcha DNA (black and green blend): Reviewed

I have always been a smoothie drinker. I never add sugar to my drinks as I do not feel it necessary and do not need the excess sugar. I have always been a tea drinker. My favorite being a nice tall glass of lightly sweetened ice tea with LOTS of ice and lots of fresh lemon slices. Give me about 6-8 slices of lemon and I am set. Whenever I go to a restaurant, that is what I order.

In cooler weather, or in the evenings when I want to relax, I like to drink hot tea. I usually like a nice mint or herbal tea with a spoonful of real honey (amazing health benefits) and sometimes a bit of milk. Just recently I learned about Matcha tea and how wonderful it is for health. Matcha is stone-ground and you are consuming the whole tea leaf, therefore getting all the benefits of tea but with a boost. Matcha is a fantastic type of tea that can calm stress, boost weight loss or maintain a healthy weight, give clearer skin, provide a healthy energy boost, and so much more. Matcha is full of catechins, flavonoids, and polyphenols. It is a highly antioxidant tea, and high in ECGC.

I was happy to test out a Matcha tea from the company Matcha DNA. "All Matcha DNA tea is 100% Chinese tea. Only the finest tea leaves are used in its preparation and production." This tea is organically grown and picked lovingly by hand. Here is the website for you to take a look at MatchaTeaGreen.com. The bag I received was their black tea and I will be reviewing their green tea in the next few weeks. The black tea (blend of black and green) arrived in a generous sized 10 oz. bag with a resealable closure at the top. On the website the bags have 34 single use packets in them, but I was happy that mine was loose so I could use more or less powder to my liking. The tea has a nice fresh herbal fragrance. I have been using it each morning in a smoothie. Here is how I prepare it:

I use 1/2 teaspoon of the black matcha, 2 bananas, 1 scoop of my Rainbow Light Spirulina Vanilla Energizer / Protein Powder, 1 tablespoon of organic unsweetened/pure Cacao powder, 4-6 ice cubes (made with filtered water), and about 8 oz. of 2 %milk. (you could use skin or 1%, but I like the 2 %) I mix this up in my blender, and enjoy. It really helps me in the mornings as I am a stay at home momma to a 11 week old and a 3 year old. I seriously can tell a difference when I do not have my morning Energizing Shake as I call it.

I also drink my Matcha hot in the evenings (in my lemon tree and bees patterned tea cup) when I want to unwind and relax. I make it quickly in my Keurig machine. I realize the experience of the traditional Matcha brewing style is much more desirable, however, I am constantly chasing after a little one, changing a diaper, washing something or cuddling a baby. I need things to be prepared fast if I am going to be able to enjoy consuming it. I do not always have time for drinking a hot drink as I usually drink it much cooler than most people, which means I have to wait for it to cool, and often that means setting it down on the counter somewhere and often forgetting about it until it is cold and needs to be reheated. (Which I know defeats the whole purchase of the Matcha calming, relaxing experience.)

So I mainly drink my Matcha as my daily morning smoothie. I will often have another later in the day as a pick me up. This is a much healthier option than coffee. It has less caffeine than coffee and does not have the energy lows that come after a spike in caffeine and does not cause any jitters. Often the high levels of acid in coffee bother my stomach. When I add my herbs (in my Spirulina Vanilla Protein Powder, milk, pure unsweetened cacao, and 2 bananas, I am adding even more nutrients to my drink and also it tastes amazing!

I am really enjoying this Matcha tea, it has so many uses. Try adding matcha powder to your pancake batter, or cake batter. This provides a boost of antioxidants to foods that normally may not have much nutritional value. You can always play around with the amount of powder you use. I typically use 1/2 teaspoon for a one serving smoothie. For pancake or cake batter, I might suggest a full teaspoon.

Would you like a chance to win a bag of Matcha DNA powder? The company has graciously offered one of my readers a bag!

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Find Matcha DNA on Amazon: MatchaDNA Black Matcha, 10 Ounce


If you found this review or any of my other reviews interesting or helpful, please rate is as "helpful" and or leave a comment. I enjoy writing reviews and hearing feedback about what I have written as I feel reviews help those interested make an informed decision before purchasing. I also feel that honest and informative reviews improve a product by providing insight to the company. I believe reviews should be honest no matter whether an item was free, at a discount, or purchased. I am not connected to this company or any of the companies of products that I review.

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Grazia Silicone 24 Cup MINI Muffin Pan: Reviewed

I like baking sweet treats. I bake things even when it is hot outside and the heat from the oven will make the house super uncomfortably hot on a summer day. Normally I save baking for evenings as it tends to be a bit cooler than during the day. What I don't like it is cleaning up a big mess, specifically when the cookies or cupcakes stick to the pans and I have to spent more time scraping and soaking than I do tasting, sharing, and enjoying. Growing up, my mom had the metal baking tins and we would need to use paper cupcake wrappers if we wanted to try to avoid a big stuck on mess. Even then, the wrappers would sometimes stick and often the muffins or cupcakes would also cook unevenly.

I was given the opportunity to review the Grazia Silicone 24 Cup Mini Muffin Pan in a pretty bright red color. I would describe it as a pretty cherry red, it looks great in our pink, bright red, green and white kitchen with vintage strawberry theme. It is not a dark deep (ugly toned) red, it is super cherry and I like it a lot. This baking pan is a non-stick, food grade silicone muffin / cupcake baking pan that is safe to use in the oven, microwave, dishwasher, or freezer. Why would you use it in the freezer? How about using it to put in homemade cheese cakes that you want to freeze for a few hours for an even tastier way to enjoy them? Another freezer use would be to put a mixture of nuts mixed with butter and melted chocolate (semi-sweet is my favorite as it is not bitter and not too sweet, and has the deep rich flavor of dark chocolate.) for an indulgent, but simple treat. I would love to to use this for freezing homemade baby food when my infant starts solids in a few months. I would love for this to have had a freezer top (clear toned for easy viewing) to cover it for temporary freezer use (such as over night or a few days at a time). I think these are 1 oz. each cup size.

This 100% food grade silicone muffin pan is durable and heat resistant for up to 450°F. It is suggested to add a little oil into the cups before you start baking, and when everything is done, the food pops out with ease. It bakes evenly and there is look to no mess. I was able to wipe most of the muffin crumbs out before putting this in the dishwasher. I made spice muffins in this pan the first time I used this, and then more recently, I made some easy (but delicious) Snickerdoodle cookies from Krusteaz brand. If you have ever had these you know they are a sweet, moist, chewy and puffy cookie. I decided to put a rounded drop of the cookie mixture in each cup and they made a flat non chocolate brownie (called a blondie) - cookie consistency cupcake. WONDERFUL! I use this to make brownies so that the brownies all have edges, we loved "end / edge pieces" on our brownies.

I definitely recommend this pan! It looks nice in the kitchen, works well, and is easy on cleanup. This is also a great size for using for toddlers and small children to sort no food items in for fine motor skills play.

If you found this review or any of my other reviews interesting or helpful, please rate is as "helpful" and or leave a comment. I enjoy writing reviews and hearing feedback about what I have written as I feel reviews help those interested make an informed decision before purchasing. I also feel that honest and informative reviews improve a product by providing insight to the company. I believe reviews should be honest no matter whether an item was free, at a discount, or purchased. I am not connected to this company or any of the companies of products that I review.


For more information about this product, you can find it on Amazon: Grazia Silicone Muffin Pan


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Youth Express Age-Defying Moisturizer by Insta Natural: Reviewed

I have been loving my Insta Natural Products. It is definitely up there on my list of favorite brands for natural beauty products. They are always generous in product size, and their ingredients as always top notch. This product that I tested this month was Youth Express Age-Defying Moisturizer. I had also reviewed their Youth Express Eye Gel and it came out favorable as well. This cream is a generous 3.4 oz and comes in a pump bottle. The product is lightly scented, and applies easily to my skin. It is not sticky or heavy, and I am able to apply my makeup over it with no issues. I have not had any redness or irritation while using this product. I apply it all over my face and neck, and sometimes use some in between my cleavage area as I am a side sleeper and get creases easily. I am hoping to iron those side sleeping chest creases with daily use of this cream.

Youth Express Moisturizer contains Botanical Hyaluronic acid. This nourishes, pampers and protects skin while boosting the production of collagen and Elastin. It also contains Vitamin C, which when applied topically, also assists with collagen production. Vitamin C is an antioxidant and prevents free radicals from destroying our cells. It contains such skin loving ingredients such as Cocoa Butter, Green Tea, Cucumber, Aloe Vera, Coconut oil, Jojoba oil, Sunflower oil, Rosehip oil, Flaxseed oil, Avocado oil, Lemongrass, Evening Primrose, Castor Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Green Tea, Lavender, Calendula, and other wonderful essential oils, herbs, and botanical ingredients.

One word of caution is that since this contains alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) you should know that this raises skin sensitivity to the sun. However, everyone should wear sunscreen daily anyway even it this did not contain AHA. Harmful sun rays can cause dry skin, wrinkles and age spots, all of which make you appear older than you are. I also want to plead to you to not smoke, it blackens your lungs, makes you and everything you own smell terrible, ages your skin and body, and shortens your life.

I have been using this and loving it. It feels nice on my skin and I feel good knowing that it is safe for me to use. I love how it has Calendula in it. Calendula is a miracle product in our household. We use it for cuts, rashes, irritations, diaper rash, etc. It reduces skin inflammation and promotes healing. I also like all to oils in this cream. I oil cleanse my face each night and use a mixture of jojoba, argan, rose hip, grape seed, castor oil. I am sulfate free and so am always looking for natural products that won't dry out my skin and will nourish it.

I like using this with the matching eye gel. If you are interested, here is my review on the Youth Express Eye Gel.


For more information, you can find this product on the Insta Natural Website and it is available to purchase on Amazon: Anti-Aging Facial Moisturizer Cream


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Pure Peppermint Essential Oil by Elite Gold Solutions: Reviewed

I recently told you about my essential oils and apothecary items. I mentioned Eucalyptus Oil from the Elite Gold company. I was also able to test out their Peppermint Oil this past month as well. It came in handy for so many uses, and like the Eucalyptus Oil, this Peppermint Oil was used almost daily as well. We do not use traditional home cleaning products anymore. In fact it has probably been almost 2 years since giving up regular surface cleaner and disinfectant. We always use a mixture of about 5-7 drops of Eucalyptus oil, 5-7 drops of Peppermint oil, 5-7 drops of Tea Tree oil, 5-7 drops of Lavender oil, 2 table spoons of white vinegar and hot water in a spray bottle. I use this to wipe our kitchen counters and table. This leaves a fresh and clean fragrance in our home. We use this in the kitchen for our counters, stove, kitchen table, microwave, and anything that needs a good spritzing down. We use this spray in the bathroom as well. This disinfects our toilet seat, bathroom counters, and our little one's potty chair.

We also use peppermint oil in our fragrance diffuser. We used to buy expensive fragrance oils (that were heavy with chemicals) from the specialty bath shop in the mall (you know the one). But now we will use peppermint oil in our warmers and it makes the house smell clean and sweet. We often will add lemon essential oil or another nice oil scent to give an interesting boost and spa like fragrance to our home.

This peppermint oil keeps pests away as they do not like the fragrance. We live out in the country so we often put a few drops on cotton balls and stuff the cotton in cabinets and behind furniture to prevent mice. I have used this peppermint oil spray (the exact mixture we clean with) to rid the house of insects and spiders. I may have used this as an insecticide as few times....I am all about loving and protecting animals, but spiders, insects, and mice, that is another story, I freak out and want them gone.

Peppermint oil is soothing and relaxing when used in the bath. It is very cooling and smells lovely. I add a few drops to my Dr. Bronners Castile soap and make a cooling and cleansing body wash for hot summer months. Peppermint oil when added to a foot soak eases tired, itchy feet. It is also soothing and cooling to sunburned skin when mixed in a spray bottle with pure aloe gel and water.

Joint pain can be soothed when peppermint oil is mixed with a carrier oil such as jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, olive oil, argan oil, (or whatever oil you choose to use) and massaged into skin and muscles. I like to use Emu oil (made from the fat of the Emu) mixed with peppermint oil as it penetrates deep into muscle tissue and helps dull the pain. Emu oil helps reduce inflammation and swelling, and works fast.

I have had migraines most my life, and used to spend money on a tiny 0.5 oz headache and stress soother from a high end organic spa brand for years. It cost about $12-15 or so for the tiny 0.5 oz. It worked well, and smelled amazing, but really was basically peppermint oil and lotion. I can now make my own headache soother and use the lotion of my choice. I can even add lavender with the peppermint oil and make the headache/stress soother exactly the way I want it. The mixture can then be used as a chest rub for colds and coughs, as the vapors can help clear nasal passages and promote a restful and relaxing sleep. Our family does not use VIC's vapor rub any more as it has many chemicals in it. We make our own with lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus, Rosemary oil, and peppermint oil, mixed with coconut oil. To make this we mix about 20 drops of each oil, 1/2 cup of coconut oil, and 2 tablespoons beeswax. This stores well in a small mason jar or a baby food jar.

The Elite Gold brand Peppermint Oil is a great company, they take the utmost care in creating their products. Their oils are steam extracted for the highest potency and purest form. They are a family run business, dedicated to providing excellent customer service and top quality health and nutritional products. I love how this oil is USA made.

For more information on this oil and the Flite Gold company, check out their website. Elite Gold Solutions The products are available to purchase on Amazon as well: Peppermint Essential Oil


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Lambie and Me Organic Muslin Cotton Swaddle Blankets: Review and GIVEAWAY!

I love natural products. I always choose cotton when at all possible as it is durable, breathable, easy care, and super comfortable to wear. I recently had a baby boy, he is now 11 weeks old and has been swaddled since his first night in the hotel. We used those rather unattractive striped blankets they wrap little ones in while in the hospital, we have about 2 or 3 of them here at home. They are comfortable and lightweight, however they are as I said, unattractive. I usually use the SwaddleMe brand wraps that have velcro tabs to close.

I had always been interested in using an Organic Muslin Cotton swaddle blanket, but never had tried one. I was recently contacted by the Lambie and Me company and asked to review a set of their muslin swaddle blankets.

Muslin cotton swaddle blankets are a 100% natural cotton mesh. I was sent their "Just Dots" which is a white blanket with red and grey polka dots on them. When you look closely, some of the dots have smaller dots on them. It is a very classy and unisex pattern. I have a baby boy and see so many blankets that have either trucks, trains, or some sports theme on it. It is nice to have a neutral pattern in a nice color scheme. I always have loved polka dots, so of course I liked this right away. Opening these out of the box, they are already super soft, however, I decided to wash these in the washer on delicate (with only these 2 blankets in the washer for the first wash, so as not to have any color bleed of the red) with baby soap. I put them in the dryer on low heat and they came out really fluffy and even softer than before.

The muslin is a mesh or gauze-type open weave, and this material allows for your baby to move naturally with the security of being swaddled and it is lightweight and will not make the baby too warm. It is summer weather here, and this can be used at night or during the day. If it is overly warm, I put baby in his cloth diaper and wrap him in just the diaper and this wrap.

These receiving blankets can also be used as a Nursing Cover if you accidentally leave your cover in the car (this happened to me when we were at PF Changs restaurant a few weeks ago), stroller blanket, play mat, travel blanket, and so much more. They are a nice generous size at 47 inches x 47 inches. They are great for wrapping a newborn or infant. When I use it as a nursing cover, I use a mitten clip (one with plastic teeth) to clip the blanket around me so it does not fall off.

My little fella likes being swaddled and this is very comfortable for him. He sleeps better while swaddled. He has had acid reflux since about 3 weeks go and this would keep him (and us) awake through the night with screaming and squirming. Swaddling has definitely calmed him and also keeps his hands and fingers out of his mouth as he has lately been showing early signs of teething. He is now able to sleep normally at 3 hour stretches between feedings.

For more information visit the Lambie and Me Website These retail on the website for $26.99. You can also find them on Amazon: 2 Pack Organic Muslin Baby Swaddle Blankets


Would you like to win a Lambie and Me Swaddle Blanket?

One of my readers will get to try this lovely blanket for their little one. USA applicants only please.

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Adovia Dead Sea Salt Soap: Reviewed

I am trying another Adovia product. I have enjoyed many of their products, and this dead sea salt soap is no exception. It is a pleasantly scented white soap that is very gentle on my skin. It contains over 26 Dead Sea minerals and trace elements derived from Dead Sea salt that cleanse and lightly exfoliate skin. I use this on my face and on my body and have not had any irritation or dryness. My face feels soft and clean.

I love using this under my arms. It is very gentle and soothing and cleans me well. I am sulfate free and always looking for a nice alternative to chemical based soaps. After my shower,I apply organic coconut oil (small amount) under my dry under arms to prevent bacteria (bacteria is what causes odor (not sweat)). When the coconut oil dries, I put on my LaVanila lemon vanilla natural deodorant or I use my homemade mixture of tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, lavender oil, coconut oil, coco butter, arrow root and baking soda (works amazing with no odor, lasts until the next day for me). This Adovia soap cleanses my skin well and makes a great preparation for my armpits before I apply my deodorant.

I like how this has natural ingredients and there is not a long list of unfamiliar sounding chemical ingredients. I have used this soap EVERY DAY for the last month and it has lasted me well. I still have half a bar left. It does not leave a film or sticky residue and it does not have a strong fragrance. It smells clean and fresh. I think it would be excellent for those with acne or problematic skin.

Key Ingredients:

Dead Sea Minerals - Over 26 minerals essential for skin health including:

Zinc: An antioxidant that facilitates skin cell renewal, helps repair damaged tissues,
and heal wounds. Zinc is beneficial in stimulating Collagen and Elastin production.

Bromide: Relaxing and soothing effect on the skin cells.

Sodium: Improves the skin's ability to fight the free radicals that speed the aging process.
Sodium in skin care can promote youthful and healthy skin with gentle skin softening and exfoliation.

Calcium: An important ingredient in skin cell protection.

Magnesium: Stimulates protein synthesis.

Palm Oil - Natural oil forms the base of this soap. Allows for gentle cleansing and moisturizing without over drying.

(Adovia product website)


Full Ingredients: 80% Palm/ 20% Palm Kernel oil, Dead Sea Salts, Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, Deionized Water

For more information, you can find this soap on Amazon: Dead Sea Salt Soap
and Adovia Sea Salt Soap on Cleopatras Choice.

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Treasure Trax The All-In-One Scavenger Hunt Game: Reviewed

My little girl is going to be 3 1/2 in August. It is truly hard to fathom. She is improving in her language skills and knows her colors, her ABC'S and can count to 14. I realize there are many other children her age that maybe can count higher and can speak in clearer sentences, but she has made so much progress from where she was 6 months ago. We were worried about her speak progression last summer as she was not saying as many words and sometimes would make up her own little language for things. We of course knew what she was saying, but we worried once she was around others, such as family members or her Sunday school class, she would be having some difficulty. She has never had a baby sitter or been in any day care or preschool so her social skills could have been what was causing her some difficulty. We were able to get assistance from a speech therapist for about 3 months, coming twice a week for 45 minutes at a time. In all honesty, I am not sure how much it really helped as most of the time was spent playing, blowing bubbles, and going over ABC'S. Our daughter loved playing with her speech therapist and the few moments of learning were great, but I had liked for our daughter to have had perhaps 1 and half hours 3 days a week for it really to work best. The 45 minute time period mainly was 30 minutes of playing and distraction (my little one was 2 1/2 then and loved bouncing, jumping, twirling, showing her toys, and doing things OTHER than learning her short lessons. Our pediatrician had told us not to worry, than soon she would be talking non stop and he was completely right! She loves to sing in the car, talk to her babies, talk to us, and still is twirling, bouncing and jumping. I think that she is learning best from us talking to her and making her use words to describe out she is feeling or what she wants and not giving it to her until she says it. (She used to point and whine---wanting her sippy cup, but now will tell us she wants a drink of milk or water.)

We had not really used traditional flash cards until we found some that actually were meant as a game. This is great as she is learning and playing a fun activity. We had the opportunity to test out a new game called "Treasure Trax" it is a scavenger hunt game for preschoolers, ages 3-5 years of age. We have found so many uses for this clever and fun game.

These are sturdy cardboard squares that have either an animal, alphabet letter, color, or an object in the home such as a chair or table. I love how colorful these are and my daughter loves the animals on them.

Here is how to play: set up the game in advance for your little one.

Select a card to hide, perhaps hide it on the kitchen table. The card on the table shows a bed. Little one runs to her bedroom, and on her bed is a picture of a lamp, so she runs to the lamp in her room and next to the lamp is a couch, and so she runs into the living room and sees that the couch has a card and the card is a telephone. She then runs to where we keep the cell phone (we do not use landlines--but luckily she knows what a regular phone looks like). The game can last 5 minutes, 10 minutes or until all the cards are used up and found.

My 3 year old loves this game. She gets so excited finding new clues and going to the next area. When the game is over, you can put the purple storage bag at the end and either hide a small prize such as a few stickers or gold fish crackers or in my little ones case, her 3 sweet gummy bear daily vitamins (in a little plastic baggy)that she loves. (These gummy vitamins are a close tie in affinity to her Whole Foods brand cheddar ducks that are similar to Goldfish crackers.)

These cards are great for her developing language and learning. We like to use them as a flash card game. We hold up a card (of an animal, object, color, or alphabet letter) and she tells us what it is. She does not yet know what letters go with the corresponding object such as D for Desk or L for Lamp, but when she does, this will be excellent for that. I really like how it is easy to travel with. This is something she can play with in a hotel room or even

This is also a great matching game for matching animals to their color. She can match a Kangaroo to the Brown color, etc. We have gotten so much use out of these cards. She carries the purple bag of cards around from room to room almost daily. Sometimes she just takes them out and sorts them or lays them out on the floor.

The suggested retail value on the website is $19.95 and Treasure Trax comes with 60 Adventure Cards: 30 Location Cards, 18 Clue Cards, and 12 Jungle Animal Cards. It also comes with a purple "Personal Explorer Scavenger Bag" that closes with a small spot of velco material to seal the prize inside. The bag does not close when cards are inside. We would have preferred the cards came in a drawstring type bag so that these could be kept safer from becoming lost or damaged.

This game is made by USAopoly, the same company that makes Monopoly, Scrabble, Candy Land, Risk, Operation, the Game of Life and more!

For more infomation check out their website Treasure Trax and USAopoly This game is also available on Amazon: Treasure Trax Scavenger Hunt Game


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I love comments! Let me know if you have tried Treasure Trax or what your favorite USAopoly game is.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Mineral Lift Serum: Adovia: Reviewed

I had the opportunity to review another Adovia product. I really like this company and their products are formulated with minerals from the Dead Sea. along with botanical ingredients. This month I have been testing their Dead Sea Salt Soap as well as their Mineral Lift Serum. I will review the soap in another posting, so for now will speak on the mineral serum.

First Thoughts:

The serum comes in an attractive glass bottle with a pump and lid. I always am slightly disappointed when a cosmetic is in a plastic container as I feel it does not look as nice and also I just feel that the ingredient purity is protected better in a glass container. It also seems to be a more luxurious experience when applied from a glass container. I had read some previous reviews on this product stating some problems with the pump. I have not had any problems with extracting the product, so perhaps not all bottles are defective. I noticed the bottle itself does not have the ingredients listed on it. I think it would have been a good idea to print these on the bottle, I would have preferred it. I looked at the ingredients on the website and some of them I am really happy with and some I am unsure about as many appear to be chemical based. I would have liked less chemical sounding ingredients, and more essential oils and botanical or herbal extracts.

Here is the Ingredient list:

Demineralised Water (Aqua) & Dead Sea Water, Butylene Glycol,Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Propylene Glycol & Chamomile (Anthemis Nobilis) Extract & Algae Extract & Papaya (Carica Papaya) Extract & Camellia Oleifera Extract (Green Tea) & Aloe Vera (Barbadensis) Gel, Glycerin, Sodium Lactate, Lactic Acid, C 13-14 Isoparaffin, Polysorbate 20, Polyacrylamide, Urea, Peg-12 Glyceryl Laurate, Peg-36 Castor Oil, Farnesyl Acetate, Silk Amino Acids, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) Farnesol, Ethyl Linoleate, Laureth-7, Phenonip, Pvm/Ma Copolymer, Panthenol, Benzophenone-3, Saccharide Hydrolysate, Evening Primrose (Oenothera Biennis) Oil, Magnesium Aspartate, Glycine, Fragrance (Supplement), Sorbitol, Tea-Lactate, Serine, Creatine, Alanine, Orange (Citrus Aurantium Dulcis) Extract, Triethanolamine, Allantoin, Dead Sea Salt, Lauryl Diethylenediaminoglycine, Lauryl Aminopropylglycine, Benzoic Acid, Chlorphenesin, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzalkonium Chloride, Hyaluronic Acid.

I am not going to go into detail of all the chemical sounding ingredients, but there are several that I was unsure about their purpose. I will just go over the good ingredients that I am familiar with. It is possible that the chemical sounding ingredients are not all that bad, as most products have some sort of binder or thickening agent or a preservative type ingredient in them. I try to stay away from products that are full of chemicals, but sadly even a lot of natural products have chemicals in them.

This serum contains minerals from the Dead Sea. The waters of the Dead Sea have been treasured for their therapeutic effects, and many skin problems such as acne, psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema, dandruff and other conditions can be improved through soaking with this water or mud or using products containing the mud or salts. Adovia is a company that "combines the healing power of Minerals from the Dead Sea with natural botanical ingredients from the Earth." (Cleopatra's Choice website) They make products that have dead sea water, mud, and salts in them.

This white creamy serum applied nicely to my skin. It seemed more of a light lotion consistency than a serum, but was not heavy or sticky in any way. It did not make my skin pores feel clogged and there was no residue on my skin when it dried. I was able to put my regular skincare and makeup on almost immediately following application. Some facial products that I have tried in the past made my makeup appear cakey. This Adovia Mineral Lift applied like a dream and felt weightless. My fingers and hands never felt sticky or slick after applying this to my face.

The fragrance is very light and smells fresh. It quickly dissipates from my skin within a few minutes. My skin did not have any irritation or break outs after extended use of this serum. I have not tested this long enough to see drastic results, however I do think that this could assist with smoother, brighter skin and complexion with daily use. I am focusing this serum on my eye area as I do have fine lines and dark shadows. I am also using it on my forehead near my brow area.

I do like the following ingredients that this serum has:

Anti-oxident rich algae extract assists in restoring the luminosity found in youthful skin. It seems to be beneficial in slowing the effects of aging as it hydrates, softens and detoxifies the skin.

Papaya Extract is also full of antioxidants and contains powerful enzymes. Papaya extract is anti-inflammitory and contains Vitamin C (Livestrong website). Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) boosts collagen production, and accelerates skin plumpness and elastin. Vitamin C protects against UV-induced cell damage and free radicals from the environment.

Camellia Oleifera Extract is green tea and is an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory and astringent properties. Green tea is beneficial for anti-aging, and also helps protect against free radicals.

Aloe Vera is excellent at soothing, moisturizing and healing skin. Aloe works wonders for burned, aged or damaged skin.

Glycerin is known as a humectant, and helps skin attract and retain moisture. Skin problems such as acne, skin irritation, dryness, wrinkles and fine lines can benefit from Glycerin. I use vegetable glycerin in my oil cleansing mixture each night, and my skin always feels amazing when I use glycerin. It does need to be mixed with something when used.

Castor Oil (one of my most versatile ingredients that I use daily in my own beauty regimes) stimulates the production of collagen and elastin. This oil contains fatty acids with antimicrobial properties that protect the skin. Castor oil contains Vitamin E. I add castor oil to my oil cleansing mixture because it is highly effective at drawing out dirt and impurities from skin. I find that castor oil clears up my blackheads on my cheeks and nose when I use it often.

Orange (Citrus Aurantium Dulcis) Extract is often used in skin care. It is capable of stimulating new cell growth. It contains alpha hydroxy acids and is anti-inflammatory and antiseptic. Skin is soothed and moisturized as well. It would have been nice for the serum to smell like oranges as I feel that would have been a refreshing and soothing scent, especially when used in the morning.

Hyaluronic Acid is also a powerful humectant (draws moisture to skin) that keeps skin plump and hydrated. Skin looks more youthful when it is fuller, more supple and moisturized. Skin that is dry, becomes dull and loses elastin.

I like this serum and will continue using it. I do think it has too many chemical sounding ingredients in it. I like the bottle and the pump worked just fine for me. I like how this was a smooth consistency and immediately soaked into my skin. I think this would work well for use in the morning or at night before sleep.

For more information on this serum, check it out on Amazon: Adovia Facial Serum
or Cleopatra's Choice Website.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.