Review: Life & Food Omega-3 Supreme Fish Oil

*Disclosure* Product provided for review thanks to Tomoson. Any opinions are 100% honest and my own, like always 

Hey everyone! If you read my blog, you know I take vitamins regularly. Fish oil is something I like to take for the health benefits, since my husband hates fish. I had the opportunity to try out the Life & Food fish oil to see what I thought. 

Here is a bit about the product, from Amazon:

Enteric coated with no fish burps, or after taste, our Supreme grade Omega-3 Fish Oil supplement promotes cardiovascular health, joint support, cognitive support, circulation and helps in maintaining cholesterol levels. 

Studies have shown that diets high in Omega-3 fatty acids - EPA and DHA -- may lower a person's health risks. By eating a diet rich in fatty acid containing fish - cold-water swimmers such as pollock, sardines and salmon, can lower your cholesterol and blood pressure. Some studies show there is a proven link that EPA and DHA reduces inflammation from arthritis conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Non-meat sources of Omega-3 include olive oil, walnuts and flaxseed. 

I've mentioned before that I love to eat salmon, which has the health benefits of fish oil, but my husband hates the taste of fish. To get the health benefits I want, I take fish oil supplements. These are pretty good, I must say. I really like them because they're not so large of a gel capsule. Others I have tried are just so big and they're tough to swallow. Not these. You do have to take 2 of these a day, and you get 180 in this bottle. You can find them on the Life & Food site here, but they're also on Amazon as well for a little less money, and they cost about $30 per bottle. Is it any different than other fish oil I've tried? Nah, but it's a good option if you want some of the benefits of eating fish, without actually eating it.

February 2015 Empties

Hi guys! Today I'm going to be showing you all what I used up in February. I know I keep beating a dead horse, but with being so sick last month, I'm really surprised with all the products I have. Some of it is just really old stuff that had to go, but that still counts!

Starting off with vitamins/supplements, I first used up the Life & Food Garcinia Cambogia Supreme supplement, which I did a review on here. This was supposed to be a dietary supplement for weight loss and improving your mood. It didn't help at all with weight, but that was expected, and I did notice a bit of improvement with my mood. I also had a bit more energy but nothing to write home about. I wouldn't buy this for myself.

Next up we have the Nature Made Vitamin D3. I take these supplements because I'm a vampire and hate the sun (not really, but you get the point), and I always hear the sun is a great source of Vitamin D. Since I am super pale and burn very easily, I do try to avoid being outside when it's sunny as much as possible, so that's why I take these vitamins. I currently have a huge bottle of these right now that I probably won't go through for a while. 

Then we have the InstaNatural Phytoceramides Youthful Skin Formula, which I also have a review on here. In all honesty, I did notice a difference in my skin while taking these. It felt softer and more youthful. Even though I'm only 26, I did notice a big difference. This Winter has been horrible to my skin, so I've been doing all I can to it to keep it soft, hydrated and flake free. These really were pretty awesome. Would I buy myself though? Not sure really. The skincare routine I have right now has been working pretty well for me lately. 

The TopCare Gentle Dandruff Shampoo is the Wegmans brand version of Head & Shoulders. It's exactly the same thing! Seriously, it looks the same, smells the same, and feels the same. Plus, it's way cheaper. This bottle is only about $3 but they often have sales and coupons, so I got this bottle for I believe under $1. I only used this occasionally when I had an itchy scalp, and this will be what I purchase for the rest of my life for dandruff. 

I used up the Colgate Sensitive toothpaste, and to me, this was good but it wasn't anything special. It didn't do anything great, but my teeth didn't feel sensitive while using this, so it did its job. I'm currently using a store brand sensitive toothpaste that I think is pretty darn good, and it's cheaper too!

I finally used up the Bausch & Lomb Advanced Eye Relief. I had been using this for ages, but it was great stuff and was super inexpensive too. I have gone back to my trusty Similasan eye drops which are more expensive, but they're just my favorite and it's hard to stray away from them. 

I used up quite a bit of skincare stuff and I used up the Philosophy Spiced Gingerbread Cookie hand cream. Holy crap does this smell just amazing! It literally is a spiced gingerbread cookie in a tube and it was surprisingly really nice. It was hydrating and kept my hands feeling good even after washing them a few times. The scent also lingered, which to me was a big plus. This came in a holiday kit Christmas 2013 I think.

I used up the InstaNatural Moroccan Rose Water, which I did a review of here, along with their Skin Clearing Serum. I'm still using the serum and that's about half way gone. This rose water was amazing. I put some on a cotton pad mixed with my Aloe toner from The Body Shop and it just made my skin feel extra hydrated. I'm kinda sad this is gone, but I may repurchase once I go through my stash a little. 

I used up the Boscia Pore Purifying Black Strip, which is just a strip you put on a wet nose, wait for it to dry, and gently take it off. I have to say, I find these more satisfying to take off than the Biore pore strips I always used. Since this is a dark strip, you can see all the gunk better, and boy was there alot of nastiness that came out of my pores. I loved it, but these are expensive. This particular one came in a 500 point perk from Sephora with a bunch of Boscia products. 

I got a sample of the GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment in a skincare sampler pack, and I truly didn't find this to be as amazing as everyone says. I didn't like the Youthmud mask they have either, and this one is a bit better, but it's not life changing. The hydrating mask they have is phenomenal and I will always repurchase that. I don't know why people love this particular one so much. 

I also used up the Korres Wild Rose Moisturizer. I used up another baby sample I had and didn't like it. I still don't like it, but used it up because I hate wasting product unless I have a bad reaction. This just wasn't my cup of tea. It doesn't really sink into the skin well, and the rose scent is a bit overpowering. 

Finishing up a makeup product is really hard, but I'm pleased to be able to get rid of a few things! I first used up the Korres Vitamin E Face Primer. I loved this because it felt more like a moisturizer than a silicone based primer, which I desperately needed. I feel like it did make concealer/foundation go on better, but it didn't really do much for longevity. 

I had to throw out the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in the Eden version. I'm not sure where this sample came from, probably with a palette, but this stuff is just not good at all! I was shocked because I love the original Primer Potion, but this made my shadows crease within just a few hours. I even tried to keep using it by setting it with powder, using the tiniest amount possible and everything I could think of. Nothing worked, and my shadows still creased. After about 10 uses, I decided I had to just get rid of it. 

I also had to get rid of the Covergirl & Olay Simply Ageless Eye Concealer. This was discontinued, but I loved how it had an eye cream type product mixed into the concealer shade. When I first used it, it was great. As time went on, it wasn't applying evenly and it would eventually make my under eyes look dry and cake-y. I hadn't even made a good dent in this, but it has to go.

I'm also so sad to be getting rid of the Urban Decay Sustainable Shadow Box Palette. I had mentioned in a post over a year ago that I think this was my first ever Urban Decay palette, so there is a bit of nostalgia associated with this. I used it a ton back in the day, but the screw on the side broke off on the bottom, so the lid comes off, and the palette itself has been unglued so it's just falling apart. Part of me wants to keep it for the nostalgia reason, but the logical part of my brain says throw it away. I haven't even used it in I don't know how long. If you could let me know in the comments what you think I should do with this, please do as I really am on the fence with throwing it out :/

Now I bought this Profusion Sultry & Neutrals palette over 2 years ago and only used it maybe twice. I was going through my palettes, pulled this one out, swatched it and was immediately horrified at how bad the quality is. Seriously, this stuff is not pigmented at all! It was only $5, which is a great price, but with Wet n' Wild being around the same price but better quality, it's just sad. In the trash it goes! I wouldn't even give this to a friend it's so bad.

What did you use up in February?

Review: Life & Food Garcinia Cambogia Supreme

*Disclosure* This product was sent to me complimentary for review purposes. All opinions are still 100% honest and my own!

Hey everyone! Today's post is a little different. I was contacted for a promotion to be sent a dietary supplement type product called Garcinia Cambogia Supreme by the brand Life & Food. I'm always wary about products like this, but I wanted to try it out as it did seem to be a little better for you. Lets see what I thought!

First of all, it comes in this giant bottle of 180 capsules. There are different directions on how to take them. You can take 2 capsules once a day, 2 capsules twice a day for maximum strength, and for best results take the capsules 20-30 minutes before a meal with 8 ounces of water. I've just been choosing to take 2 capsules once a day, usually after I eat breakfast. 

For me personally, the capsules are kinda big. I tend to have issues if I take vitamins that are larger. I have to put them on my tongue just right and take them with coffee, not water, just so they go down normal. Otherwise, they get stuck in my throat and I have coughing fits. Anyway, the ingredients in these are pretty good if you ask me.

-Garcinia Cambogia Extract that contains 80% hydroxycitric acid. That's supposed to be the ingredient that helps with weight management. Taken from the Amazon website, "studies show HCA in Garcinia can help inhibit glucose absorption as well as promote a balanced, lighter mood by boosting Serotonin levels without the jitters." I found this important because in all honesty, when I was a bit younger, I did take take some weight loss pills. All in all, they didn't work and they made me feel so jittery, like I had drank a whole pot of coffee in 10 minutes. Not a good feeling, plus they didn't work at all with weight. 

-Potassium is a natural diuretic, which helps to eliminate water weight.

-Calcium is said to increase the body's natural fat burning metabolism

-There is also come Chromium in it which is said to help metabolize carbohydrates and regulate blood sugar levels

There are no fillers, binders or artificial ingredients and there is no milk, egg, shellfish, peanuts, wheat, soy, sugar, lactose, fat or cholesterol in these capsules. 

So now I guess the big question is, does this thing really work?! (Grav3yardgirl reference anyone? ;))

In all honesty, I do feel like it has improved my mood a little bit and at times after I take the capsules, I do feel slightly more energized. The effects seems to last a few hours for me, but then I go back to my normal, tired self (working retail does that to you!). With weight loss, I don't think it's done a thing. I don't own a scale, so I only weigh myself whenever I go to my mother-in-law's house, which is every few weeks. I've been taking these for almost a month now, so I thought I would see some improvement in that area, but nope. Now granted, I'm not a beacon of health and the last thing I want to do after working for 8 hours is exercise, but my diet isn't terrible either. I very rarely have fast food, don't drink much soda and I cook dinners at home regularly. These "diet pill" things shouldn't be taken as the main way to lose weight. Obviously I'm not a doctor, so if you do want to try something like this, definitely talk yours and see if this is right for you. The main key is to have a balanced diet and exercise.

If you do feel like this product could be beneficial to you, you can find it here on Amazon for just over $20 and it is Prime eligible! There is also a 90 day guarantee where they will either refund or replace the product if you're not happy with the results. 

What do you think of a product like this? Would you try out dietary supplements?

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.