Daily, FitFluential, Health, Photos, Reviews

My first thoughts on Vega’s Protein Powders

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Two posts. One day. On another roll. Let me tell you!

I skipped CrossFit again tonight, to attend Muscle Pump with my co-worker L McMomsie (She’s the one in the middle). She’s basically my new workout buddy and I love that she’s showing me the ropes. We’ve been going on runs together on trails I’ve never heard of, and now Yoga and Muscle Pump!

I literally just got back from doing it from the local YMCA. I spotted some baby triceps while I was in the elevator. I’m not vain at all ;)

I rarely ever publish blog posts in the evening. But this blog post had to be up before the end of July, because the product I’m talking about below is on a campaign deadline for the end of this month. I was sent some samples from Vega and received their Vega Energizing Smoothies.

You may have seen a few weeks ago that I ended up purchasing some Savi Seeds from Vega not too long ago from a local health food store, on my adventure with my friend Steph! So I’m a wee bit familiar with their products.

Brendan Brazier is a Canadian Ironman Triathlete (much like my Boyfriend — going for his 4th Ironman this August), he happens to be a Vegan professional athlete, meaning his diet is 100% plant based! Brendan is also the author of The Thrive Diet book which came out in 2007. When Brendan was training for his races he found it difficult to fuel, as a lot of the protein powders were made of Whey, which was a no-no for a vegan. He of course found some soy based protein powders but he was trying to cut back on that ingredient. (Read more about the Vega story here).

So, I busted out the first Vega smoothie I’ve ever had, after my workout tonight. I don’t know how much to measure out for a protein shake for myself, so I’m glad that they come in these one drink packets.

Save the best for last? No way folks. Have the best, first. Who doesn’t love a chocolate drink? I’ve been itching to try out Choc-a-lot ever since I received it.

The Vega smoothies comes in a variety of 5 different flavors: Choc-a-lot, Tropical Tango, Vanilla Almondilla, Oh Natural and Bodacious Berry. They are alkaline-forming, free from dairy, gluten and soy, and contains no added sugar, artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners. The smoothies contain:

  • 10g of Protein
  • 5g fiber
  • 1g omega 3
  • 2 servings of veggies per serving.

Two servings of veggies and all I have to do is add water and drink it? Sounds easy enough!

I actually didn’t mind the taste of it. It was strange – not the usual protein drink taste. Hard to believe since it’s plant based but the darn tootin’ smoothie really did taste plant-y! It was interesting. The consistency was too liquid-like for me. I ended up throwing about half of my drink out. I think next time I’ll make it with milk, or milk and ice cubes to thicken it up a bit.

Unfortunately since I do not wish to drink two protein powders in a row, I cannot review all of the flavors and the different ways to drink the Vega smoothies. I’ve heard that if you add water to the smoothies/protein powders that it will taste chalk, but I wanted to test it out to give it the full effect. Since it would defeat the purpose of being a completely vegan (even though I am not one) product.

So stay tuned for the following taste tests and final thoughts of these Vega products! I plan on putting some of the next one’s to the test and mixing them with milk for a different taste than adding water to the smoothie, and I have a great plan on adding another one to a bowl of greek yogurt!

Off I go to eat my dinner. Looks good right? Actually come to think of it, it wasn’t that colorful. Tasted some good though. First time making sweet potato fries. Thanks to my besties Boyfriend on making it while I was in Ottawa over the weekend, I’m now a huge fan! (Mine aren’t as crispy though!? Anyone know why? lol)

I cannot believe that one (small) sweet potato creates this many fries!

Are you a smoothie/protein powder drinker after a workout?

If so, what flavors of protein powders do you normally buy?

How do you cook your sweet potatoes?  I pan fried mine with a bit of oil…I can’t get over how much they taste like freaking potato french fries! YUM!

 

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Daily, Hair, Photos, Reviews

At home waxing

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This $5 coupon came to my apartment a few weeks ago and I decided to put it to use. I’m trying to save myself a bit of money by doing underarm self-waxing at home*. Let me just start this whole blog post by saying that some things should really be left up to the professionals. You’d think I would’ve learned my lesson the first time.

I also decided to pick up the Nair at home waxing roll-on kit. Days after I picked it up, I received a generic e-mail from Nair mentioning that the “Brazilian Spa Clay” hair removal was a new product. Huh! Look at me. Picking up newly launched items.

First up, I tried Nair’s Spa Clay roll-on wax.

What you get:

  • The Nair self roll-on wax device with a base  (basically the packaging it came in)
  • 10 Washable strips

How to use:

  • Heat the device in the microwave for 20 seconds
  • Apply the roll-on wax directly onto your desired area
  • Use supplied strips to pull the hair in the direction of growth

Sounds promising, right? Wrong. I wasted a full 45 minutes one Saturday afternoon trying to get each individual strand of hair off my underarms. You’re not supposed to go over the same section twice. I broke the rules. What was I even expecting? For it all to be so easy, quick, painless and have silky smooth pits for the rest of my entire life without hardship? Nuh uh friends.

My left underarm hair grows in all sorts of annoying directions. I don’t know why I even started with that side, I felt like wimping out half way through. I went over each patch of skin so often that I decided to stop otherwise I’d be taking off layers of skin, and not hair. The Nair wax wasn’t sticky enough. I must note, it wasn’t painful ripping the wax off. The muslin paper supplied kept sliding around on the wax.  To put it simply, it just didn’t work on my underarms. The instructions were quite clear. My arms were tired by the end of it, holding them above my head, glancing in the 10x zoomed mirror. It definitely was not worth $14.99. I do not recommend anyone else to go out and buy it. At least the muslin strips supplied could be rinsed off, and reused.

Final thoughts: Was it worth the hassle of $15 to do it at home? Absolutely not. This Nair product gets two thumbs down.

Next up to the podium? Veet EasyWax Electrical Roll-On Kit. Thank heavens my Shoppers Optimum points were put to use because this kit was pricy. I forget what it retails at but it was between $20-$30. The Veet EasyWax kit comes in a fancier package than Nair’s.

What you get:

  • Veet’s self-heating device with electrical cable and base
  • 1 Wax refill
  • (Notice how they did not supply any strips to remove the wax?)

How to use:

  • Plug in the device and wait for 30 minutes for it to heat
  • Apply the roll-on wax directly on your desired area
  • Use YOUR OWN strips to pull the hair in the direction of growth

I ended up having to wait 30+ minutes for the device to get to a liquid consistency as it was pretty solid when I opened the package. I expected that, however. I’d rank this pretty in the middle of line. Nothing to write home about, but it did work better than the Nair product. Since I have the wax warmer (shown below) I will not be repurchasing this item. Plus, it was super expensive!

NEXT UP:

Third time’s a charm. What I say in that scenario is third time’s a charm or three strikes and you’re out. Finally, the third product up to review is a Satin Smooth Professional Single Wax Warmer from the British Columbia based Flat Iron Experts. That was a mouthful.

This wax pot takes a long time to heat up, so be ready to do some chores around your house while waiting for the wax warmer to do its thing. The instructions said you should set it at high for 30 minutes as the wax melts. Then turn it down to “ready” for another 30 minutes and then it’s good to go.

You are supposed to stir the pot of wax, to heat evenly.

The first weekend I tried out this kit, I went to Sally’s Beauty Supply to pick up the supplies listed below, they also had the same wax cans as Flat Iron Experts. Then again Flat Iron Experts has free shipping to CAN/USA if you spend over $50 if there isn’t a Sally’s around you. Very convenient.

You also get these expensive Satin Smooth Protective Collars for the wax warmer, but they didn’t fit over top of the wax warmer at all. So when I run out of these collars, I’ll be using masking tape or something to cover up the sides of the warmer so it doesn’t get all sticky.

Good things come to those who wait. Right? Why didn’t I just use this wax warmer all along? Why did I go out and try two other products that I simply did not need to do? Probably to save money and do it inexpensively. Girls (guys?) trust me on this when I say you shouldn’t cheap out on hair removal.

My first go at the hot wax took about an hour for my underarms. First, I had no idea how much wax to scoop up with the stick, then I put on too much and some of it got on my bra. Panic attack set in, the wax was drying on my underarm, it needed the muslin cloth strip to be applied, but at the same time — wax was on my pretty bra!!! Dilemma. I got the hang of it all after I switched arms. I also recommend not going over the same area twice with the wax, or it’ll feel as if you got a burn. I’ve since used it three times there after, and each time I get better and quicker at it. Pro. Who wants me to wax them!?

I feel like the wax warmer is in a completely different league of its own, compared to the two other products up above. I’m all “hey girl hey” showing my underarms to the world, now that I have a profesh warmer. I have no shame.

 * I like having my underarms waxed as with a razor I feel like I get a  5 o’clock shadow, plus if I shave the next day I get razor burn! Thus: waxing = way better.

Have you ever waxed anything? Are you more of a fan of razors? Oooh, or have you ever gotten laser hair removal?

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Photos, Reviews

July’s TopBox

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I’ll try my best to update you guys on how I’m liking my monthly boxes, if I used the products and what I think of it. Sometimes I’m lazy and just flick the samples that I receive, in a pile and let them accumulate until I get sick of seeing them and either try them out, or give them away. I know… isn’t that completely pointless?

Perhaps doing these recaps will help me actually try out more products, instead of just subscribing and hoarding all these samples.

Each month when I get either my TopBox, GlossyBox, or (my favorite) Glymm box, I do an unveiling video. You get to see my true reaction to the products. I’ve been subscribed to these boxes for over a year now. July marks the 1 year mark for me subscribing to Glymm!

So first up to the plate is my July Topbox.

Here is July’s TopBox shown above.

(click to enlarge)

China Glaze nail polish: I’m not one to go for bright colors, especially for my finger nails. I usually reserve the bold brights for my toes in the summer. I couldn’t resist trying this neon pink polish on my fingers for the summer. Neon polish tends to dry to a matte finish, but that is easily fixable with a high gloss top coat. The only issue I have with China Glaze nail polish is that it seems to chip much quicker than any other nail polish I’ve tried. But they have the most beautiful array of colors to choose from. Right now on my toes I have a peachy neon color that is just so darling, especially with a tan.

Nu·Me Hydrating Shampoo: I’m never one to turn away from shampoos, especially hydrating one’s. I love to rotate shampoos in the shower, so my hair doesn’t get used to one particular kind. This one is great, since my hair is quite dry at the ends, and always have been. Love giving it an extra little oomf with some products like this. I will not be purchasing the full sized version of this, because I do have a lot of samples to go through.

Pure + Simple Calming Cucumber Mask: I’m still not sure whether or not I am supposed to apply this mask and wash it off, or leave it on as if it were like a serum on my face. This clean, sleek packaging is great — plus it’s a nice sized sample and will definitely have 2 or 3 uses when I do use this product. It has a light green look to it, and feels like silk when rubbed on my skin. The scent of cucumber is so strong, but it’s such a fresh scent that I don’t mind it at all. It’s great!

Sampar Hydrating Moisturizer: This is a pretty high end moisturizer which I’ve yet to use. I’m planning on going to Ottawa within the next few weeks so I’m saving these samples until then. I know for sure that Glymm has Sampar in their shop. I’m excited to try this out.

Here is a video I did about the July’s TopBox:

 

See my comparison of the four Canadian subscription boxes; TopBox, Luxe Box, GlossyBox & Glymm Girl, and which box do I think is the best.

Sign up for Glymm ($10/month for re-occurring members, $12/month for new members)
Sign up for Luxe Box ($12/month)
Sign up for TopBox ($10/month)
Sign up for GlossyBox ($15/month)

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