January Reviews and GIVEAWAY No 5!

I thought that it might be a good idea to do a bumper monthly product review post. As well as occasionally being sent new products to try out, I also love to share my thoughts and opinions on items I have purchased myself. Instead of filling the blog with review posts I thought that rounding it all up in one go was something to try, so here it goes! I’ve kept the reviews fairly short and snappy, and don’t forget about January GIVEAWAY No 5 at the end of the post!

Aduna Baobab ‘Feel Good Fruit’

Baobab is a tree growing in Africa that produces the Baobab fruit. It is being hailed as the next big ‘super food’ as it contains a high amount of antioxidants, fibre, vitamin C, calcium, potassium and a good source of vitamin B6.  I received samples in the form of powder, powder in sachets and capsule form.

Having been a big fan of raw super food powders I was looking forward to trying this. I have been adding the powder to some of my smoothies. It has a very pleasant sweet, almost sherberty taste which has been useful for adding sweetness to smoothies while I have been staying clear of stevia this month. I loved the pretty patterned packaging, and as the trade of the powder is entirely community owned and wild harvested, it has some ethical positives too. I think this is similar to other ‘superfoods’ like maca, lumuca and mesquite. I think if you are into your raw foods this would be a great addition to your diet – I would love to try using this as a sweetener in raw chocolate. I think this could be a fun product to experiment with, simply based on its pleasant taste. I would not pay for it in supplement form, and at £17.99 for the plain powder it is rather pricey. I would have to think hard about whether I would buy this again – if it works well in raw chocolate I may consider it! Aduna Baobab products are available from Planet Organic, The Nutri Centre and Revital Stores.

Ryvita

I was very lucky to be able to taste these Ryvita crackers over the Christmas period:

I’ve always quite liked Ryvita, although they can sometimes be a bit dry. What I really like about them is their simple wholefoods ingredients list. I was not so crazy about the crackerbread (I used to binge on the plain version topped with butter in my past!) and they taste a little sweet for me. However the Mediterranean Herbs, Hint of Chilli and Multi Seed Thins all taste really good – and go with a variety of meals and snacks. I loved them with cream cheese and hummus and I keep a packet of these in my office drawers for emergency snacks! Ryvita crackers are available in supermarkets throughout the country.

Dandy Blend

This is a product that I purchased myself via iHerb after seeing it on Carrots and Cake. I LOVE coffee but I do try and keep my coffee intake to 1 – 2 cups a day. I know that you can buy coffee replacements in the UK but I was sold by Tina’s description of the coffee.

This is just fabulous, I can drink this without any sweetener and it makes a nice alternative to the usual green tea I drink all day. I’m already looking forward to drinking this iced in the summer. Definitely a new regular iHerb purchase for me. This costs the equivalent of £7, so it certainly isn’t cheap, however if you are looking to completely kick a coffee habit this would be really good. Don’t forget that you can get $5 off your first iHerb order with code AGA105.

The White Company – Winter Candle

I was sent this candle from The White Company to review, along with two stunning star Christmas decorations. However I did not receive the package until after Christmas, so the pretty stars have taken residence as decorative features on my office pin board until next Christmas! I have been using the candle though:

As I’m sure you can imagine, the Winter scent of this candle includes cinnamon and cloves. It really is Christmas in a candle! However it is still pleasant to have around for its warming scent over the colder months. I have this on my desk at home and I find the scent is calming. When burned it produces a light scent that fills the room. I can’t see this exact candle on the candles page, but it looks like this size is sold for £20, and if this one is anything to go by I’m confident the other fragrances will be just as good quality.

MiDailyDiet

MiDailyDiet has been called the ‘Twitter and Facebook for Health and Fitness’. It is an app and website which allows you to share meals, exercise, photos and general status updates with the MiDailyDiet Community.

 

 

I think this is an awesome idea! I know that some of us already share our health and fitness passions on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, so this might end up being a repetitive thing for some people. However I think that this site will have a more focused community that could be useful if you are trying to lose weight for example. The app is free to download.

Zumba Fitness Dance Party CD

I was given the opportunity to take a listen to the new Zumba Fitness Dance Party album. Now I have to admit that I have tried a Zumba DVD at home before and it really wasn’t my thing, so I didn’t think I would like this. However, alongside ‘regular Zumba music’ are some more well known chart hits, and it was these that I enjoyed the most.

I would say that even if you aren’t a Zumba fan and if you are looking to refresh your normal workout playlist you might like this album. For some reason my workout music taste is completely different  to my normal music taste, so this works! Stockists include all major supermarkets, www.amazon.co.uk, www.play.com and digitally via iTunes and Spotify. RRP: £9.99

Pukka Organic Ghee

This is another product that I purchased myself and wanted to share. I’m a really big fan of the Pukka brand as all the products I have tried from them are very high quality. I decided to try some ghee as I have been doing quite a lot of research on higher fat diets and ancestral diets and ghee is often talked about as being a good source of nutrients.

I have been using the ghee in cooking – particularly when I scramble my eggs as it gives them a delicious buttery taste. Its traditionally used in Indian cooking and Ayurveda. If you are not a fan of the taste of butter you will not like this, however if you are (like me) then give it a try!

Urban Fruit

I received a really fun pack of Urban Fruit dried fruits to review along with a bowler hat! How fun :-) I tried the pineapple, mango, cherries and superberry:

For me, Urban Fruit is the absolute best dried fruit I have ever tasted (except perhaps some of the fruit I have dehydrated at home myself). The fruit is free from nasty additives like sulphites, oils and added sugar which is often found in cheaper dried fruit. Seriously this stuff is good, the dried pineapple as a particular favourite, it reminded me of sweeties! I also really loved the superberry mix. The dried golden berries were sweet but very tart and I was a real fan. You can purchase Urban Fruit products at most supermarkets, keep an eye out for them on special offer too. Love these!

Forest Secret Skincare – iRejuvenate Hand and Body Lotion

This iRejuvenate lotion from Forest Secret Skincare is free from Parabens, Silicones, PEGs, petrochemicals, Hydrogenated ingredients, Synthetic fragrances and colours and GMO and is approved by the Vegan Society. It is an antiaging Body cream expertly crafted from botanical actives that are clinically proven to promote skin elasticity and regenerate collagen.

I have been using it throughout January to keep my skin moisturised. It has a really lovely fragrance, just like fresh lilies and a great, light non greasy texture. It does take a while to be absorbed into the skin, some times I found myself having to massage it in for a while before it disappeared completely. It did leave my skin very soft and hydrated. This is £25 for 125ml but KHGS readers can get 10% off with code keepinghealthygettingstylishFS12. It really is an excellent quality natural skin care product, I’ll be so disappointed when it runs out!

Andrex Washlets

I was sent some Andrex Washlets to try out. These are pre moistened flushable wipes that I have been using to just generally freshen up, for example when I have been at work all day then have been going out that night, and also before and after the gym. They have been perfect for when I haven’t had the chance to shower or for when I have just done a light workout and need to freshen up a bit.

 

I’m a pretty big fan of these! They are so convenient and unlike some other wipes I have tried these are quite mild and gentle on your skin whilst still being effective! These will be an essential come festival season.

GIVEAWAY!

‘KHGS teamed up with from Andrex® Washlets, a pre-moistened flushable toilet tissue wipe, to help you feel fresh, energised and prepared for any occasion this January. As well as a hairbrush and shower gel, Andrex® Washlets are an essential for any gym, helping you to feel fresh and energised before and after you work up a sweat.

Andrex® Washlets is working with TV presenter, documentary maker and writer Dawn O’Porter, on the Clean Campaign that aims to inspire people up and down the country to try Andrex® Washlets and incorporate them into their daily bathroom regime.’

To celebrate the Clean Campaign and to help you feel fresh this winter, Andrex® Washlets is offering one lucky reader the chance to win a fabulous fitness gift set, complete with pedometer, headphones, water bottle, sweat bands, gym towel and Andrex® Washlets.

To enter (each counts as a separate entry so make sure you leave separate comments for each one for more chances to win!)

• Leave a comment below telling me why you would like to try the washlets
• Like Keeping Healthy Getting Stylish on Facebook and leave a comment below stating you have done so
• Tweet this – ‘Check out @lauraagarwilson GIVEAWAY for the chance to a win a fitness giftset from Andrex Washlets bit.ly/YfACYO’- and leave a comment below stating that you have done so.
• Blog about this giveaway with a link to back to this post and leave a comment below stating you have done so.

Giveaway open to UK residents only and closes at 12am GMT Sunday 27th January good luck!

To monitor how Dawn is getting on, visit https://www.facebook.com/cleancampaign and sign up to the Clean Campaign yourself!