Product Testing: Honest Thoughts!

I've been receiving a lot of products to test out in the last few months, so I wanted to give some updates and of course, honest opinions!

I received this USB Blackweb Microphone to try out, which was a nice surprise. I had Bill be the guinea pig first to record a bit with the mic and play around, while giving me some specific feedback that I could share as well on the product.

⭐Honest thoughts?

-Simple to use with just the usb "plug and play" feature. Plug into your device and you're ready to start recording or ready for your next Zoom call.  

-Mic is very lightweight though but sound quality is good

-Decent at blocking wind noise

-Clear recording, but seems to lack a nice bottom end so it is slightly "tinny" sounding.

I'll continue to use and see over a longer period of time how the microphone holds up.

Blackweb USB Microphone #hometesterclub

Microphone with tripod

⭐ Natrel's 2% lactose-free milk. 🥛🐄 

Natrel 2% lactose-free

I honestly cannot remember the last time that we actually purchased any kind of milk, as we have mainly transitioned to plant-based alternatives, like oat milk from my favourite brand Earth's Own. 🌱

-Since it lactose-free, there were no digestive upsets from drinking it though and Bill replaced his coffee creamer with this. 👍

-Smooth texture and light taste which doesn't leave a heavy feeling or weird aftertaste.

-I can't say that I would switch back to milk itself though when when there are clearly more sustainable options.

⭐ Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief 

-It didn't have a strong taste, very mild, but my mouth felt clean afterwards. 

-No gritty feel, very smooth.

-Easy to apply onto the toothbrush. 

-It was also gentle on my already sensitive gums without any irritation and I usually brush my teeth 2x per day.

I'm still hooked on using Crest Gum Detoxify Deep Clean Toothpaste, but this is still a good alternative!

Crafted With Care: Coconut Bowls

Today, I received this beautiful hand-crafted coconut bowl in the mail from Vitamix and Coconut Bowls

DID YOU KNOW? Every year billions of coconuts are harvested for their water and white meat - unfortunately 99% of coconut shells go to waste. 

Coconut Bowls has a great vision and is working towards some amazing goals for the future. I was really impressed to find on the website their commitment to providing ethical wages and working conditions for all artisans. This is so critical and often overlooked by other brands/companies who do not value their workers or put them in unsafe conditions. You can read more on this topic here: https://www.coconutbowls.com/pages/sustainable-production

Another great thing to mention is how conscious they are with shipping practices. All packages are shipped in reusable boxes that can be recyclable and uses compostable paper.

Please always remember that small changes that you make are important. Never doubt that *any* conscious effort you make to help our planet, whether that's replacing ONE item in your home for something more sustainable is a step in the right direction.  No one is perfect though, so anyone who claims to be is selling you something.  We can all just do the best that we can. 

Here are a few pictures of the coconut bowl. I love how my cute little oranges fit in there perfectly. 

A few tips to keep your coconut bowls looking beautiful:

👉Wash by Hand

👉Avoid Extreme Temperatures

👉Rehydrate the bowl with coconut oil

If you'd like to order one, please use my affiliate coupon code F9BA8E03 for 10% off your purchase. 

Visit them at:  https://www.coconutbowls.com/

💜Show them some love at Facebook & Instagram 

💜Sign up for FREE and please use my referral link here to enjoy lots of perks being part of the Vitamix family! 

A Whole Lotta Love For Our Little Planet: Love Beauty & Planet Haircare Review

 Love Beauty and Planet is certainly taking the natural beauty care industry by storm!

As a ChickAdvisor, I received this amazing complimentary package of body wash, shampoo and conditioner that I wanted to share my honest thoughts on.

Body Wash (473 ml)

• Heavenly scent with the combination of shea butter and sandalwood. 
• Love the pump format. 
• silky texture when applying 
• no residue left on the skin after rinsing off
• clean and nourishing
• no irritation (so far!)

Shampoo/Conditioner (400 ml) 

• Again, the scent is wonderful. I never really used anything with sandalwood but you literally feel like you have stepped into a spa when you open up the bottle from this particular line.
• Wish it came in a pump format
• Both products have a nice light texture
• Easy to rinse off
• See ya dry hair - this conditioner leaves your hair touchably soft

For the packaging overall, I like that the bottle is 100% recycled plastic, even though the cap nor the pump are. With the on-going environmental issues with plastic, it would have been better to have it in a glass bottle that could be reusable. Maybe something to think about in the near future.

The sizes of the bottles are great! A lot of other brands have dinky sizes that may be awesome and effective, but only last a very short period of time. They stand by their cruelty-free and plant-based mantra, yet charge way more! Sorry, i'm still a bit of a budget shopper, so if I am going to pay more than usual for a product, I want it to last! These will be used quite a while in my home and so although it runs a bit higher in price, you do get a lot of product and value!

Other great things about the brand that you may resonate with:

Vegan, cruelty-free, ethically-sourced and plant-based ingredients.

Check out their other product lines: https://www.lovebeautyandplanet.com/ca/en/collections.html

#tryLoveBeautyPlanet #gotitfree

Contigo: The Perfect Travel Companion

My new Contigo travel mug
All photos by: Melissa Arditti

I admit, I usually take bottled water with me when I am travelling. Whether it’s for work or leisure, I like the convenience of a disposable plastic bottle, instead of carrying something around with me. However, it’s become a double whammy with the negative environmental impact and cost per bottle that adds up. Another nuisance, despite how many ice cubes I put in, it never stays cold for longer than an hour, especially in the summer time. I don’t really drink the sugary sweet beverages or even pop, I like pure H20 (water) to quench my thirst, so I was looking for something to take with me while I went vacationing with my parents because we would be doing a lot of sight seeing and there was no way I was going to continually buy bottled water everywhere we went….it was like a sign from heaven when I came across the Contigo – 16 oz. West Loop Stainless Travel Mug!

As you can see, I have the stylish blue one. There are many colours to choose from, so you can take your pick.

Contigo’s patented AUTOSEAL lid is designed to automatically seal between sips and to prevent leaks and spills.

The new lid-lock button prevents the AUTOSEAL button from mistakenly being pushed open while out and about. With the double-wall vacuum-insulated travel mug, drinks can stay cold for up to 12 hours, or they will stay hot for up to 5 hours long. It is also BPA-free, if that is an important choice for you.

So did it live up to all the hype? YES!

I was really impressed with how crisp and cold my water stayed all day and night. It was fantastic! There were times where I realized that more than 12 hours passed and the water was still refreshing and not a luke warm temperature. It was easy to carry around too, and the one time I accidentally had the bottle on its side, not a drop of water came out.

For the hot beverage claims, I tried a variety of teas, as I sometimes like to enjoy a nice cup throughout the day. From my experiences, 3-4 hours was the time when it started to cool off, but it was still warm, just not piping hot.

Cleaning is a snap, just rinse the lid under the water and air dry. I would suggest using a bit of soap for the actual container, especially if you are using various drinks. If you have a dishwasher, place the lid on the top rack. Here’s a quick video from Contigo's website.

I am really happy with this particular Contigo product. They have a full line of mugs, so this was the most recent innovation from the company. It does take a bit of time to get into the rhythm of using it, especially if you are used to just opening up plastic bottle caps all the time. I also like how it fits under our Keurig coffee maker. I can brew a cup of tea and be set for hours.

You might get a little sticker shock with the price ($20.99) but let me say that the saying is true, you get what you pay for. A quality product fit for a variety of lifestyles, that is durable, sleek and made to last.

With the holidays coming up (I cannot believe I just said that, where did summer go?!) this makes a wonderful gift for that person who is working hard at home, at the office, or is always on the road. Heck, even treat yourself to one. You deserve it!

For more information and to order yours, visit their website: http://www.gocontigo.com/

Documentary Review: Addicted to Energy

I was able to watch an interesting award-winning documentary called Peace Out (written by Charles Wilkinson, produced by Tina Schliessler ) before the premiere launch to the public.

So obviously I’m not an environmental expert. However, I do care about our environment and how it affects not only my daily living, but also the impact it has worldwide. This film had a variety of perspectives about the vast consumption of energy that has now become a great concern from a social, economic and health standpoint. Since it is a documentary, no one was left out to discuss the problems that we’re facing in our society. There were concerned citizens, advocates, activists, academic professors, energy executives and more.

The main focus of the documentary revolved around The Peace River Valley, which is a historic piece of land that is filled with agriculture and beauty. Residents want to preserve this area but a battle is currently going on because whispers have turned into real plans to turn the grounds into a nuclear power plant facility as well as a hydro-electric producing dam. Some believe that destroying these grounds will have a domino effect and create a number of different problems that are somehow being cast aside, including health implications. From the emotional interviews, you could definitely tell that people who live around the Peace River share a deep passion and commitment for keeping industry out of this area and will not go down without a fight.

Aside from that, everyone had something to say about energy. The emissions of transportation for food are a real concern for many, as well as what resources will replace oil. Will it be natural gas? What about coal or nuclear? People are afraid and rightfully so. We’re consumed with so much information, and let me say misinformation as well, so it’s a tough choice without knowing specifics about which is the better choice to use globally. I personally think that all fuels have both positives and negatives, so it will be a question of what is the lesser of all the evils to try to obtain. There will always be problems with any kind of energy that we produce, and I think it is very unrealistic to believe that in our technological world that the amounts we use will decrease in significant ways. As an example given, 2 Google searches can consume the same amount of electricity as a boiling cup of water for tea. Now that’s pretty shocking!

For the proponents of wind, it stated that wind turbines and solar cells are not as “green” as people may think and they do not produce enough wattage to work as effectively as hydro, coal or nuclear power. The facts seem to back up the claims, so it might be good to take this option off the table as a main source of energy.

A couple other things that I thought were food for thought in the documentary:
- 80% of Vancouver Island’s own food supply is down to 7%
-the projected use of increased energy from the IEA is 40% in 20-40 years.
-our addiction to energy is like a heroin addict looking for his/her last hit.

Overall, the documentary was pretty good. It was a little slow-paced but visually quite stunning with a great deal of information to digest. Obviously our society has an insatiable appetite for energy and that’s not really going away any time soon. I don’t feel the documentary was too biased, as they did show perspectives from a wide range of people and experts.

So what’s going to happen? I don’t really know at this point and it doesn’t seem like anyone else does either. Together we need to work on initiatives that will ultimately provide a higher quality of life for all. Until that time comes, we’ll continue to chant NIMBY…not in my backyard!