I have joined this Julep Swap group, which I love because they talk about the latest discounts and news that resides in Julep. Not only do they talk about Julep, they talk about all the other Subscriptions they do. One is called Ipsy. Michelle Phan created Ipsy to show the many beauty items that can be used so that consumers may buy them. Pretty neat. The best part? Only $10 a month. For this price, you get 5-6 products and a cute cosmetic bag. They organize the products based on a quiz that you take. Then, when you get your first bag, you review the items based on how you like them or not, and they take that information and try to base it on your next bag! My suggestion? Find a few friends who may want to do this with you...when you get your bags, get together, share your bag, and have some wine, and swap out the items you don't want, or whatever. Are you intrigued?
My July Ipsy Glam Bag
Inside my super pink cute cosmetic bag, I received: the new bareMinerals 5 in 1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow Broad Spectrum 15 SPF, Hang Ten Dark Tanning Oil SPF 8, Pixy Beauty Mini Tinted Brilliance Balm, POP Beauty Sunkissed Bronzer, Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Beach Spray Conditioning and Texturizing Spray.
The bareMinerals Cream Eyeshadow was a mini version, but I really LOVE this. The color I got was Divine Wine, which was a little like a dark brown. This eyeshadow definitely stays on and does not melt in the crease of your eyelid. I know it's $18, but I totally think the price is worth it. You can get it at the bareMinerals boutique store, Ulta, and I think Sephora!
The Hang Ten Dark Tanning Oil has a great smell to it, and it's not greasy. If you are outside at all, and put this on, you will definitely get something. It is naturally made, and I really like this.
Pixy Beauty Mini Tinted Brilliance Balm is seriously the perfect pink for going out. It twists so that you do not have to sharpen it and it definitely moisturizes your lips. I definitely want to buy the non mini version! ;-)
I have not been a huge bronzer person, but I really like the POP Beauty Sunkissed Bronzer. It is the just amount of Bronze that is slightly darker than my skin, so I don't look weird with it on. It's the perfect glow for the summer. I saw some of the POP Beauty Products at TJ Maxx....so really interested in checking that out!
The Sexy Hair Beach Spray has an awesome smell to it. It definitely adds texture to your hair to give it that Salty Beachy feel. I think the texture was a little too much for me, but if you have curly hair (I don't), then you may enjoy this.
The Pink bag is super cute, and I am currently using it to hold lip sticks and glosses :-)
If you like to try out things and get a better idea of what's out there in the beauty market, I definitely think this is worth it. If you are interested in trying Ipsy, here's a link: http://www.ipsy.com/r/ceg5
Anyone who wants to do any type of diet will need to do research. Questions are the first start to research. Is it right for you? Will your doctor approve? Can you afford it? Biggest question: Do you know what is in it?
A LOT of people LOVE Shakeology. It tastes great, has superfoods, a lot of fiber to fill you, and protein, along with vitamins. I actually had samples of it years ago. I really liked it. It kept me full from breakfast all the way to lunch, and not all shakes do that. So basically, Shakeology is good for you. Yes, this one is right for me! But look at the price: $130 for 30 servings. WHAT?! So basically people have been paying $130 for shakeology for a month, and some do not do it just for one month. THAT IS CRAZY! There is NO way I can afford that.
So, new research. What is comparable? I have seen a lot of people say that if you want a MEAL REPLACEMENT shake, it needs to have a decent about of protein, a lot of fiber, and the calories have to be at least 200 calories. Makes sense, right? I mean this is supposed to replace a meal. I tried researching online. All I saw were people's opinions left and right. Most of all, I saw those that favored Shakeology. That's great, but seriously...can't afford it. I am not making this up. My friend mentioned that her coach said to try to find a shake that's vegan. Hmmmmm. So I took a trip to Wegmans. Not everyone may know what Wegmans is, but it truly is one of the greatest grocery stores there is. They have a section that is organic. I was seeing a lot of raw shakes, but not enough to replace a meal, if you know what I mean. However, there were some hiding behind some beams, and I saw something called "PHOOD- the everything shake," by PlantFusion. It says on the label that it has "more than a meal in every scoop". This is what I was looking for. I look at the ingredients and they are readable. It is Gluten Free, has no dairy, soy, animal, and it is hypoallergenic. There are a lot of vegetables in this, not to mention 6 grams of Fiber per serving. So this is very digestible. It has 18 grams of plant based protein, 21 whole food vitamins, 17 Grams of Organic Superfoods, 6 Grams of Probiotics and Greens, and it even has 4.4 Grams of Omega 3-6-9. I'm pretty impressed. I was still concerned with if this is filling . The best part? It is $36 for 31.8 oz. WAYYYY cheaper than that Shakeology. I bought it and tried it for dinner last night. I was impressed! I mixed two scoops of this with Coconut Milk (for added flavor). It really wasn't bad. The taste is chocolate caramel. Sometimes when you get to healthy chocolate flavors, it doesn't taste so yummy. But this is pretty good. I would say a negative to this is it really needs to be shaken or blended. For more information on this product, you can go to this website.
Now I have chosen to do T25 on top of this shake. I am only doing this to help me from snacking, which is my problem.
So what do you think? If you have any input as to how to find the best meal replacement plan there is, then let me know. Or rather what shake works for you? Give as much information as you can to help me and others out there. No criticism please. We don't want to be criticized because we want a stepping stone to losing weight.
