March 2022 – Cocokind Chia Face Oil
This month I chose to test another beauty product. You guys really seem to love when I do these reviews so I’m sticking with what makes you happy! I’ve seen so many types of face oils and frankly, have always been curious if they work. I came across Cocokind and not only was it moderately priced, but it also seemed to be available at several stores.
Let’s jump right into it. I did give this product 2 stars. I did a lot of research to see when and how often I should use the product. I read some articles that show people use it as part of their morning and night skincare routines. I chose not to test it with my skincare routine. I, instead, used it like I would a face mask and used it 1-2 times per week and let the oil absorb into my skin. Part of the reason I gave this product 2 stars is because I felt this product errored on the oily side. My skin type is relatively normal but it is more dry than oily. So for me, the oiliness of this product did not affect my skin in any bad way. However, I fear that for anyone who does have oilier skin, this could really have a negative impact on their skin. I did find that my skin was too oily after using the product to leave on. I still washed my face and then proceeded to do my night care routine.
This is the first face oil I have ever used so I’m not sure if this is how all face oils are or if it’s specifically Cocokind. However, this was not my favorite and I didn’t like the oily consistency it left my face. It reminded me of olive oil and how my skin would feel if I put olive oil on it. I may do another face oil in the future, but for this one, this is where it’s landing. If you want to see more about my experience with the product, check out my YouTube channel at the link at the top of the page.
*Disclaimer – I do not have any partnership or affiliation with any product/service/location/etc.. I test.
January 2022 – Thrive Market
Happy New Year! I wanted to start the year off with another type of service and I decided to try Thrive Market. If you are not familiar, Thrive Market is an online grocery delivery service that prides itself on offering whole foods that are healthy for you. They offer several varieties like gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, etc.. I had seen a number of commercials for this product and figured, why not? I am giving this service 3 stars. Similar to October’s Schu’s Review, which was the Terra Core Balance Trainer, this product also has a lot of gray areas so your personal preferences and lifestyle will reflect if you think this is a good service or not.
As for the pros, this service really did have a lot of pros. There was a very wide variety of items that they sold. I went into this thinking they only had pantry items, but they have alcohol, proteins, and even daily use items like soaps and lotions. The delivery was very fast. I received my goods in roughly 2 days. After doing some price comparisons, I didn’t find that the products on Thrive Market were very high. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to see that a large majority of the products were about the same price as grocery stores and department stores. Another thing I liked is that Thrive Market had a number of products that are produced and sold only on Thrive Market’s website. We purchased Thrive Market Plantain Chips and they were delicious! You can only purchase them on Thrive Market’s website and so we’ll be buying those again. The food options are moderately portioned and the nutritional benefits are definitely there.
One of the things I didn’t like about this service was that you had to purchase a yearly membership to be able to use the website. It was advertised that there was a free trial period but when I clicked on it, I had to subscribe to the membership and did not receive any free period. That very easily could have been a user error but I went back and looked and never saw the free trial. The free trial is $60/year but you don’t get anything free with that. I will say that I do think you can only get free shipping (if you spend over a certain amount) if you have a membership so I suspect that’s what part of your membership is applied to. Also, there were different “boxes” depending on what you ordered and was calculated differently for the shipping. For example, if I wanted to order wine then it would be added to my “wine box” and any dry goods I got would be my standard box. Each has it’s own shipping so you’d have to pay for each shipping separately. This also applies to the proteins as well. I didn’t end up purchasing any of the meats and proteins because I found them outrageously expensive and they were all frozen, not fresh. It didn’t seem worth it to me. The meats and proteins are also a separate box and would be shipped separately with separate shipping costs. They do give some discounts but the biggest one is if you set up items on auto-ship and the savings was minimal, maybe $1-$2.
All in all, this is another item that will really depend on the individual user as to how beneficial you find this to be. If you value your time, this may be a great alternative for you. As I mentioned, the cost is not much different than a regular grocery store and with free shipping, you are saving tons of time. If you are a stickler with price, you would need to go line item by line item as each one can vary and some are cheaper in a grocery store and some are cheaper on the website. If you want to see more about what I purchased and the cost comparisons, check out the videos on my Youtube channel.
*Disclaimer – I do not have any partnership or affiliation with any product/service/location/etc.. I test.
November 2021 – Nourishmax Instant Lip Plumper
This product threw me for a total loop. I have been very honest that I am not a beauty blogger and I don’t have a lot of knowledge on the different makeup and cosmetic products out there. When I decided to test this product, I thought this product was more a maintenance product than a makeup product. By that I mean, I thought this was something that you would add to your nighttime routine and it was an option to avoid getting filler in your lips. I was very wrong haha! But that is a-okay, I am still going to give you all my full review on what this product ended up being and if I think it’s worth the purchase.
So like I mentioned, I thought this was a maintenance product that you would use nightly and over time it would gradually increase the fullness of your lips making them appear plumper. For that, I am giving this 1 star because it doesn’t do that at all. However, for what this is, which I believe is more on the makeup end and you would apply this prior to putting your lip gloss or lipstick on, I’m still giving it 1 star.
I just didn’t like this product. When I put it on my lips, it looks exactly like lip gloss. It has a top that twists off with a little brush at the end and the product itself is a gel-like consistency which is similar to lip gloss. I will say that when I applied it, I quickly felt a tingling sensation on my lips and they did appear fuller for a mere moment. Almost as if they were swollen but again, just for a moment. It did not last long, maybe 5-10 minutes. I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around what anyone would purchase this product for. The instant plumpness doesn’t last and it isn’t used as a night-time application like I originally thought. The product is a bit expensive and costs $29 for .25 fl ounces and you can only get it from Nourishmax’s website. It did offer free shipping so that would be a bonus. If you have experience with using this type of product, please let me know how and when you use it and if you think it’s a good product. I’m curious what others think of this type of product. Check out my Youtube channel to see more details.
*Disclaimer – I do not have any partnership or affiliation with any product/service/location/etc.. I test.
October 2021 – Terra-Core Balance Trainer
For October Schu’s Reviews, I wanted to do another fitness-related item. As usual, I had first seen it on Instagram being used by one of the influencers I follow. I really enjoy working out but I get bored doing the same workout over and over and so I am always on the lookout for a new workout or program. When I saw the influencer using it, I immediately knew I wanted to work it into one of my monthly reviews.
I ended up giving this product 3 stars but this one was not so black and white. There are a lot of gray areas. Let’s start with some of the pros. This is a well-made product. When I say that, one of the biggest reservations I had is if the product could hold my weight. I’m over 200lbs and very tall and all I was thinking is if this construction is poor, I’m going to get seriously injured. When you first open the product and read the instructions, it tells you that it can hold 4,000lbs! It also is made with a good, solid, plastic material and is not flimsy at all. I was immediately relieved. It also is a good piece of equipment to work out with. One of the things that comes with the equipment is a poster that gives several upper, lower, and full-body workouts you can do. I still have it hung up in my gym. You also get a free trial to use their app. The app is similar to the Peleton app (but frankly, not as good) where there are several videos with different instructors and you can filter and choose what workout you want to do. Obviously, all of the workouts are geared around using the balance trainer. I liked that they provide an opportunity to do the free trial before purchasing it.
When I said that this product had a lot of gray areas, I am mostly talking about the cons. Again, this is based off my personal experience with using the product so I know not everyone is going to agree that these items I’m about to list are necessarily cons. So humor me! One of the biggest downsides of this product is the actual size and weight of it. This thing is HEAVY and bulky! It’s not easy to store. You can’t travel with it and if you did, it would take up your entire trunk in your car. Also, if you are just beginning your fitness journey, I think this product would be difficult to use. As I mentioned, the product itself is heavy so any upper body workouts with this may not be possible until you build up some muscle mass. Another thing to mention is the top of this product is blown up like a bosu ball which is great for balance. However, I’m a collegiate athlete so I like to think I’m somewhat athletic and I found it extremely difficult to balance on. I didn’t even attempt to jump onto it like some of the videos showed. I was too afraid I would twist my ankle or fall. Now, this could easily just be me trying to relive my glory days and in complete denial that I’m not the same athlete I once was, but it’s worth mentioning because I really do think there could be some serious injuries while using this. Another thing I didn’t like was the app. To me, it seemed messy and unorganized. It is nowhere near the same caliber as the Peleton app, to give a comparison. It didn’t have a lot of variety with the workout categories, it was a bit chaotic and unorganized, and I found some mistakes. For example, I filtered to do an upper body workout and about 3/4 of the way through, I realized it was a HIIT workout. The only “upper body” was the pushups I did so it was clearly mislabeled. It’s also a bit pricey. You have 2 payment options which are $19.99/month or $149.99/year. I didn’t even make it through the full 30 day trial before unsubscribing. Lastly, and this is related to my last statement about the app subscription in that this product is expensive. This is the most expensive product I have purchased year to date for a review. When I purchased this, I bought it off their website at http://www.terracorefitness.com. The cost was $279 plus shipping. Seriously not cheap at all! In my personal experience, I would buy a standard bosu ball in order to get that same workout when I wanted to work on balance and use other inexpensive pieces of equipment to get the same workout for the other areas. Having said that, I think Terra Core is 100% justified in charging this much for the product. It’s well made and very durable. You do receive a warranty when you order it and if I remember correctly, it shipped rather quickly.
All in all, this one is really going to be up to you and what your personal preferences are. For me, this got 3 stars because even though I do think it’s well made and effective, I can get the same workout with other products that are more user-friendly, easier to travel with and store, and are much cheaper. I did post a few videos of my workouts with using the product so check out my Youtube channel to see those and all my commentary!
*Disclaimer – I do not have any partnership or affiliation with any product/service/location/etc.. I test.
August 2021 – Modere CellProof Body Firming Foam
I know this is VERY late but if you watched the last video I posted for this month’s Schu’s Reviews, you know that my family got hit with COVID and so we were down close to 3 weeks. We are all fully recovered, healthy, and have since tested negative. However, we were sickkkkk so we took the time to rest and heal up. As such, this final review is a wee bit late so sincerest apologies!
So for August, I went back to a beauty product and I was excited to try something I’ve never tried before. This cellproof body firming foam that I decided to try by Modere is supposed to be help tighten your skin and eliminate fine lines, wrinkles, and cellulite. When I got the bottle, I was impressed by the packaging and the sleek look of the bottle. The actual product was foam and reminded me a lot of antibacterial foam soap. It had the same pump and the same consistency. It wasn’t greasy and had no smell. It also blended well into my skin and dried quickly. However, I only gave this product 1 star.
There are several things I didn’t like about this product. The main thing is that IT DIDN’T WORK! Not only did it not work, I didn’t get the slightest inkling that it was working or will ever work. You could use the product on one of three locations; stomach, legs and arms. I chose to focus primarily on my legs, specifically the back of my quads. This is where I have some cellulite and with all the running I’m doing, I thought it would have the biggest results. I didn’t see anything! It says you can use the product up to twice per day, in the morning and at night. I constantly forgot to use it in the AM and stopped trying after awhile. However, I did apply it every night. I think what should have been my first clue is that the directions didn’t say anything about how much time it would take before you start to see results.
Now I’m not one of those people that expects to get amazing results in little to no time. I understand that things like wrinkles and lines take time to blend away and disappear. However, I firmly believe this product just doesn’t work. Even if it does, I think you would have to diligently use this product everyday over a very long period of time and even then, the results wouldn’t be noticable to the naked eye. Over the month, I used just less than half of the bottle. The bottle is 6.8oz and costs $51. Pretty pricey if you ask me, especially for a product that doesn’t work!
Overall, just not impressed. I think there are better products out there that will give you better results over a shorter amount of time. I have since stopped using the product and don’t have any plans to start using it again. Now, if you have used this product or another product by Modere and you like it, please comment and let me know your experience. As I explained in my last video, I am fully open to hearing other peoples’ experiences with this product if it worked for them. I did leave the link for the product below if you’d like to try it for yourself. If you want to see more commentary on this product, check out my YOUTUBE channel.
*Disclaimer – I do not have any partnership or affiliation with any product/service/location/etc.. I test.
July 2021 – Home Chef
For this month, I decided to try something I have NEVER ever tried before. This essentially wasn’t even a product that I tested but more a service. I decided to do a review on a home delivery service. I chose Home Chef among all the options mainly because some bloggers I follow have affiliations with it and I wanted to utilize their discount code.
I had to start by signing up. That was super easy and very standard for any new program you sign up for. You had to use an email address, create a password, and input a payment method. From there, you answer some questions that include how many meals you want to recieve per week and how many servings per meal, as well as some of your preferences in food. The reason they ask for your individual preferences with food is because the meals are pre-selected for you based on the preferences you set.
Once you get everything set up, the rest is SIMPLE. One of the best things about Home Chef is they have an app. What’s easier than picking your meals on your desktop? Picking them on your phone! When you log into your account, you can see the preselected meals that are chosen for you several weeks out. There are 2 buttons listed next to each week that say “edit” or “skip”. If any of the meals are not to your liking or you want to change it, you click “edit” and you can change up the meals at anytime. You can even select extra meals for a given week or even less. So even though I signed up for 3 meals per week, I can choose 2 or even 1 meal per week if I wanted to. The preselected meals will always be what I initially signed up for which is 3. You can also “skip” weeks. If you don’t want any meals that week, you simply click “skip” and you aren’t charged. SOOOO EASY!!
In all, I gave Home Chef 4 stars. The biggest reason I gave it 4 stars is because of the flexibility. As I mentioned, you can skip weeks at anytime, you can choose different meal options, you can choose more/less any given week, the possibilities are endless. This is easily my favorite part of Home chef. I also don’t think it’s badly priced. Most of the options average at around $8/serving. You can choose what I call the “high-end” option which would be something like salmon or scallops and those end up being around $14/serving. I thought the meals I tested were tasty, healthy, and easy to make. They couldn’t make the instructions easier to follow. I also like that they are already hole punched so you can keep them in a binder for future use. I would highly recommend this product, especially if you are really busy or have a hectic schedule. Check out the full videos for this month on my YOUTUBE channel.
*Disclaimer – I do not have any partnership or affiliation with any product/service/location/etc.. I test.
June 2021 – Tarte Braziliance Overnight Mask
You just couldn’t keep me away from the sunless tanner! I have made no attempts to hide the fact that sunless tanner, specifically for your face, terrifies me! In my opinion, if you use a bad product just one time on your face, you will be spending the next several days applying TONS of makeup to try and hide the epic failure. So it may have come to a shock to some that I decided to do another sunless tanner product for this month’s reviews, but I was ready to take on the challenge!
I first saw this product when a blogger I follow was using it. She has a much darker complexion than me, but I figured since there was only one shade you can get, it would work fine for me. I have really just started using Tarte products over the past couple months. Specifically, I have used some of their cosmetics and I don’t have a ton of personal experience with any of their other products. I took this as another opportunity to get more experience with more of their products.
After using this product throughout the month, I am giving it 3.5 stars. Some of the main reasons this product gets that many stars is because, go figure, IT WORKS! I had used the product 2 nights in a row to see what would happen and was nearly taken aback when I woke up the next morning and saw how dark my face was. To be honest, it was borderline too dark. The point being that it worked so any product that does what it says it’ll do is a winner in my book. I thought it was a well-made product, the packaging was sleek, and it was easy enough to use.
So why only 3.5 stars you may ask? My biggest complaint about this product is the lack of instructions on how to use it. The back of the bottle only said to apply to clean, dry skin and to wash your hands once finished. THAT’S IT! It didn’t say how often to use it, how much to use, if you should put it on your neck as well, if you should avoid any areas, NOTHING. It was incredibly frustrating, especially for someone who doesn’t have a lot of experience using a sunless tanner on my face. The other thing I wasn’t crazy about is how small the product is. It’s only 1oz and it cost $29. Now to be fair, when you compare that to other face products, it’s actually quite inexpensive. However, this isn’t helping my collagen buildup or fighting my fine lines and wrinkles. It’s a tanner that lasts a couple days. For the size of the bottle, it’s a bit overpriced. One other thing worth noting but not exactly a negative is that each time I used the product I had a slight reaction to it. By that I mean by face turned red and I felt a slight warming sensation. I didn’t run to the hospital or have any serious allergic reaction, but I do have sensitive skin and had that reaction. If you have sensitive skin or a skin condition, I highly encourage you to speak with your dermatologist before using. Another thing worth noting but, again, not a negative in my opinion was that when I applied the cream, there was a strong smell similar to tanning bed lotion. The smell didn’t last. As it dried and soaked into my skin, the smell went away. However, if you are very sensitive to smell and you don’t like any smell with your creams, you will likely not like this product.
In my experience using the product, if you want your face to have a slight “kiss by the sun” glow, you only need to use the product 1-2 times per week. If you have a darker complexion, you may need/want to use it more. Again, if you have sensitive skin, definitely check with your dermatologist or doctor before use. There is a chance you will have some kind of reaction to it. In terms of quantity, I used about a nickle size dollop and used it all over my face and spread it onto my neck. It’s the same amount I use when applying my night creams.
I really did ultimately enjoy the product and will continue to use it. I would recommend it if you are looking for a good product to help darken your complexion in your face. You can get this product on Tarte’s website, but I’ve also seen it on QVC and Sephora. If you want to see more, check out my YOUTUBE channel for all the videos for this month.
Sunless Face Tanner – https://rstyle.me/cz-n/fak7b6dap27
*Disclaimer – I do not have any partnership or affiliation with any product/service/location/etc.. I test.
May 2021 – Vanity Planet Microdermabrasion Wand
This was a fun and interesting product for me to test this month. This was easily the most expensive product I have tested year to date. I was glad to be able to test out a more expensive item because how often do we find ourselves spending more money on a product because we automatically think the more expensive the product, the better it is? This was a perfect example to put that thought process to the test.
Vanity Planet has a number of products that they sell on their website, but also in other major stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond, etc… I have found that the majority of those products are beauty products. This is the first product I have ever purchased from Vanity Planet. I ordered it directly on their website and it came in the mail in about a week. This specific product has multiple purposes, but all are to decrease fine lines and wrinkles and increase the blood flow in your face.
As you will see on my YOUTUBE channel, the product comes with 4 different ‘heads’ for the wand and I tested 1 head per week. 3 of the 4 heads are only recommended to use once per week. The other head can be used as often as you like. I found after testing all the heads that I saw the most immediate results from the ‘fine head’ which is the one you use for blackheads. I could see the blackheads in the filter and noticed them removed from my face. I did come to the conclusion that the product works. I believe with a consistent regiment, you will see results. However, I don’t think this product should be used in place of an esthetician. I think regular facials with a professional esthetician is going to give you the best results and this product should only be used as an additional maintenance tool.
I would give this product 3 stars. Overall, I do think it works. It is not an immediate result. Consistency is key with this product and will help with the overall goal of reducing the fine lines and wrinkles in your face. I think the product is made well and I like having the option of different heads to use on specific target areas. It is a bit expensive. This product is normally $200. However, it is often on sale. Not to mention, many bloggers have an affiliation with Vanity Planet and you can use their discount code as well. I would not pay full price for this product. Currently, if you go to Vanity Planet’s website, it is showing on sale for $83. NEVER PAY FULL PRICE! If you want to see me test each head, click the link at the top of the page.
Vanity Planet Microdermabrasion Wand – https://rstyle.me/cz-n/fa6f4xdap27
*Disclaimer – I do not have any partnership or affiliation with any product/service/location/etc.. I test.
March 2021 – Sweet Sweat Waistband Trimmer
For this month’s Schue’s Reviews, I wanted to shift gears and focus on a fitness product since I had done a beauty product last month. I first saw this product being used by a blogger I follow. I have seen these types of products before but I don’t have any experience using them.
The Sweet Sweat Waistband Trimmer is a product that you wear around your waist while working out and it’s supposed to cause sweat buildup which, therefore, makes you lose inches. Along with the waistband, I purchased the Sweet Sweat Workout Enhancer which is a gel you use to prevent any kind of rubbing or chafing between the band and your stomach.
As you will see by watching my YOUTUBE channel, I tried to keep my workouts and my eating habits the same as I had done prior to using the waistband trimmer. I didn’t want any additional factors to contribute to me losing inches other than the waistband. I worked out a minimum of 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes. All of my workouts were medium to high-endurance. I also used the waistband with and without the workout enhancer.
All in all, I would give this product 3 stars. First and foremost, I didn’t lose any inches. One thing to note is that I only used the product for 1 month. It is very likely that 1 month is just not enough time to lose inches. However, the fact remains that I didn’t lose any inches. There were a few things I did like about the product. The #1 thing I liked the most about this product is that it is a well-made product. It did not fall apart, it did not slide all over, and I didn’t have any issues keeping the product on. It had a strong velcro material that kept it securely on my stomach, which I really liked. I found this product great for running. If anything else, I felt it forced me to have good posture when I ran, which is very import. The product also did what it said it was going to do. Every single time I worked out and took the band off, there was a pool of sweat that came from my stomach. I did not like the workout enhancer gel. It had a good smell and it was easy to apply. However, I do think it was “messy”. I left it in the garage and it leaked from the heat. Aside from that, I just didn’t find any value to it. It didn’t do anything for me.
This is one of those difficult products because I truly did like the product. I think it was made well and I think there are a lot of positives to using it. However, it’s unclear if the product actually works and helps you lose inches in your stomach. If you want to see more, check out my YOUTUBE channel with all the videos from this month’s review. Click the link at the top of the page.
Sweet Sweat Waistband Trimmer: $21.95-$26.95 –> https://amzn.to/3qy3udr
Sweet Sweat Enhancer Gel: $29.95 –> https://amzn.to/3qHH9dD
*Disclaimer – I do not have any partnership or affiliation with any product/service/location/etc.. I test.
February 2021 – Pink Lily Sunless Tanning Foam
For my first Schu’s Reviews I wanted to test a product I have never used. I have gotten a spray tan once in the past (about 10 years ago) and when I was in high school I used to go to the tanning bed all the time. I’ve seen so many catastrophic results with people who have used sunless tanner. Mostly you see them on reality T.V like the Housewives and they are bright orange, get tanner on everything they touch, or are so spotty that it’s hard not to stare. I wanted to take a chance and see if I could find a product that would give you that kissed by the sun glow without any repercussions.
I had heard about Pink Lily through a few bloggers I follow and shortly after purchased my first order. I purchased a pair of cheetah sneakers and a gray “mama” sweater. I was pleasantly surprised with both the quality and fit of both. Shortly after, I saw that they had their own sunless tanner product. Perfect! I had a good experience with my first purchase from them and figured they’d be the perfect product to do my first monthly review on.
Pink Lily sunless tanner comes in 3 shades, light, medium, and dark. I am fair skinned and didn’t have a base so I chose the light shade. I also purchased the tanning mitt which you use to apply the tanner. One thing I liked off the bat is the back of the bottle has very clear instructions on how to use the product. For someone like me, who has never used a sunless tanner, I found this incredibly helpful! There are a few different options you have depending on the results you want. You can apply 1, 2, or 3 layers and leave it on for 1, 2, or 3 hours before rinsing. As you will see on my YOUTUBE channel, I started off slowly with 1 layer and left it on for 1 hour. I then progressed to do 2 layers and left it on for 1 hour for all remaining times.
All in all, I found this to be a great product. I would give it 4 stars. It was easy to apply, it was not sticky or gunky, it did not have a harsh “tanning” smell that you find with so many tanning products, and it didn’t turn me orange at all. One thing I did notice is that I did get some tanner on my bedsheets when I slept. The first time I thought I didn’t rinse thoroughly, but I even showered before bed the last time and I still got some on my sheets. I do have white sheets which makes it easier to see and it did come right out in the wash, but something worth mentioning. I also found that the tan didn’t last very long. It does recommend you moisturize daily to make the tan last longer, but even with daily moisturizing, I did find it faded quickly. I would continue to use this product one time per week to maintain my current tan. Aside from that, if you are looking for a product that will give you that natural looking tan, this is the product for you. If you get the tanner, I highly recommend you buy the mitt with it. It’s inexpensive, keeps your hands from getting covered in the foam, and can be washed in the washing machine. If you want to see more, check out my YOUTUBE channel with all the videos from this month’s review. Click the link at the top of the page.
Pink Lily Sunless Tanning Foam: $34.99 –> https://rstyle.me/+22HdQYEbCXW-6irDWcmSXw
Pink Lily Tanning Mitt: $6 –> https://rstyle.me/+BIT_9V0uMZGtBGuRUvDDcg
*Disclaimer – I do not have any partnership or affiliation with any product/service/location/etc.. I test.
Jessie Schu 