Skin Care with #EclosBeauty

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of éclos Skin Care for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

As most of you know, I do not use much in the way of makeup or skin creams and lotions.

My skin has been so sensitive my entire life, that using products on my face is a recipe for disaster.

What is suppossed to make it look better usually ends up making me break out and needing to pile more on to cover it up.

And ultimately looking worse because of it, not better.

Years ago I ditched all that stuff.

Keeping things as natural as possible is my philosophy - for what goes in my body and what goes on it.

It has been a much better arrangement for all of me.

And the pocketbook is better for it too - hard to believe how much money gets spent on all the stuff that goes on our faces.

So when I heard about the éclos Skin Care products, I had to take a closer look at them.

They are all natural products that use Apple Stem Cells to stimulate the skin cells and make them look younger.

Younger is good, especially when one is reaching middle age.

All natural ingredients such as, vitamins and anti-oxidants, is also a good thing.

So I thought I just might try this new line of skin care for the face.

I was excited to receive a free starter kit in the mail.  It contained several different bottles and a head band to keep my hair out of it all.

First I used the Facial Scrub to get the skin deep down clean.

 

Next came the Skin Prep which is a cleanser also.

The Face Serum is light layer that is a cellular activator.

The Regenerative Cream added the needed moisture and the Eye Cream dabbed around the tender eye skin completed the routine.

There was also a Clay Mask included, that I used a couple of times during the trial.

And the results after two weeks of using the éclos Skin Care system:  I was really impressed with how soft my skin felt.

I didn't break out - which was something new for me.

In fact, the one blemish thtat I did have went away extra quick.

I think these rejuvenation products made it heal much quicker than it would have normally.

Do I look younger than my 47 years?

Well, I didn't see a difference in any of those lines and wrinkles, but my skin did appear "fresher" as it did when I was younger.

I liked the Face Serum the best for it's light feel and application - I think sticking with that product will be the best for me.

And since the folks at Eclos sent me an extra set of these products, I will be giving it away in a contest.

The first one for this blog!

To be entered, leave a comment to let me kow which product you are most excited to try.

The contest will close on June 2 at 11:59pm, and the winner will be chosen at random from all who comment.

In the Lake

It has began again.


Another season for swimming at the lake.


Today was the first day we went in, and it was gorgeous!


The lake temp was 63 degrees, and the air temp was 83 degrees.


A bit warm for this early in the season for both the water and air.


But it only took a couple of minutes to get in it, and we enjoyed it for about 20 minutes.


For the first time ever, I was not winded.


My arms had plenty of strength, and my shoulders had a great range of motion.


In the past they have held me back, and there have been some seasons where the shoulder pain would only allow certain strokes for a short period of time.


No sign of any problems today - I think all the yoga and lifting the weights has paid off.


And it really feels good!!

Pleasant Surprise

I know I have railed against that scale in the past.


Almost to the point of throwing it right out the door.


Well, I will have to say that this week had me singing a different tune.


I got on it, and couldn't believe what it was seeing.


It was telling me I had lost 2 1/2 pounds.


In one week.


That is the biggest loss I have had since I started watching everything more closely.


Down 13 pounds now.


It was a big lift emotionally as well as physically.


Yeah!!

Deal on Speakers

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Lenovo for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love my new smartphone, as you know from how I have been using it to manage my daily calories and exercise routines.

But there is so much more to this little piece of technology.

And another great joy I get from it is the music.

I spent quite some time uploading many songs from my CD collection onto my computer.

From there, all those songs went onto my phone - all 832 of them.

Nothing like having them all organized into one place.

There is only one problem I have with listening to them though.

I really despise those little earbuds.

I use regular headphones - but they are big and bulky, and I really don't like having my hearing completely cut off from the rest of the world - especially when I am outside of the house.

I have a cord in my car that connects to the radio through a USB port.  That works great while driving.

I can always listen to my music through my computer, but the speakers I have hooked up to it are not the best.

I have been through several sets of them - one pair just got tired and gave out, and of course they were really good ones.

The sound that came out of the next pair I hooked up was just way too bad - I got rid of them in a hurry.

I picked up an older set with a big bass speaker and speaker bar, but the sound from them still isn't as good as the original ones, and it takes up a lot of room.

I have been giving some thought to these new Lenovo speaker.

These  guys are little, but they produce a big, bold sound with built in amplifiers and a sub-speaker all in one.

They can be used with the computer and the smartphones.

They get their power form the USB computer connection, and the speaker wires spool for less wire-mess around the desktop.

Four watts of power come out of these little speakers - should make the music sound really good.

And until 5/21, these speakers are on sale for only $11.99 - that's a savings of $18.00 off the original price.

If you have tried them, let me know what you think of their sound.

 

Adjusting the Weights

There has been an increase in the weights that I lift in the mornings.


Previously, the sets were done with 5, 8, and 10 pound weights.


The fives were way too easy and the tens were doable without overdoing it.


I have some adjustable ones, and I fixed them up with what I had available.


The sets are now done with 8, 11, and 14 pounders.


The first two are not much of a change and I can handle the whole sets of reps.


But the last set of reps with the 14 pounders are going to take some building up too.


Some of the lifts I can do the whole set of eight.


But some of them, especially the ones extended from the body, I am lucky to get even five or six reps before I have to move on to different lifts.


From what I have been reading though, if it is too easy to do them, then they need to be increased.


Well, it should burn more calories when I use those heavy one, bu it is going to take some time to get to where i need to bee.


But that is a good thing - it's making the muscles work and I haven't felt any soreness from the increase.

Time for Gardening

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Whitney Farms for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have been spending some time in an uncultivated area of the yard.

I want to put in a few few flower patches this year - something I don't usually spend too much time doing.

The time that I have for gardening, I usually spend putting in and tending to vegetables.

I have raised beds for the veggies, and I think the soil is getting tired, so I am moving that dirt out to the flower areas.

I will be using organic soil  by Whitney Farms® in the veggie gardens.  

Growing and consuming the foods that are the best for us is something I have been moving towards over the last few years.

The most natural, out of the ground veggies, without all the added chemicals is the way of the future for the health of our bodies.

The plants can still grow big and beautiful with organic plant food too.

The Whitney Farms® products have beneficial microbes and they provide the plants with the needed macro and micronutrients that make the plants thrive and produce beautiful, healthy results.

 

Of course, the flower gardens will appreciate the plant food too - the less chemicals going in the ground tthat end up in our well water,  the better for us.

Whitney Farms® is also offering a $3 coupon and that is always a welcome savings.

Oh Those Messy Clothes

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Triad Retail Media for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

There is a lot of this work going on by the boys.

Cars, engines, and all their parts are mighty messy.

You would not believe the dirt and grime and grease that these guys collect - on their hands, tools, and worst of all - their clothes.

The tools and boys are easy to clean - nothing a little soap and water won't take care of.

But those clothes are something else.

They get their own cycle in the washer - nothing else goes in with them, not even a pair of jeans that are dirty  from just regular wearing.

Powerful laundry detergent isn't enough for this washoad.

These clothes need the power of Shout® Trigger.

They get sprayed as they come in the house - it gives the cleaner a chance to soak into the cloth and work on those messy, stained clothes before they get thrown into the washer.

The triple action in this cleaner helps lift away the stains, and the trigger on the spray bottle gets the aim right everytime.

And another good thing about it - the colors are not faded or washed out on the clothes by this cleaner.

I can just imagine the condition of these work clothes if we didn't have these spray cleaners to help us with the stains.

Trying to get them out by hand would be impossible.

Granted, work clothes will always be work clothes, there is no changing them.

But having clean work clothes makes them look less like the grease monkeys they can be at times.

Check out Shout® Trigger at Walmart - save some time on cleaning the clothes, and save some money in your pocket too!