I'm not usually one for sports drinks, seeing as they usually have a high sugar content and full of other bad stuff. But in the world of CrossFit, it's all about balancing hard work with a healthy lifestyle and there are lots of products around to support that. FitAid is one of the most well-known brands and I've been dying to try it for quite some time now. Thankfully my awesome coach decided to stock a mini-fridge at our box for us, so why not tell you guys what I think! 

(I mean, for my coach to stock these drinks at our gym and encourage us to grab a can after class, they must be good for us.)

The idea behind FitAid is all about recovery; it's similar to drinking BCAAs (amino) after a workout. They have created blends for whatever your body needs: immunity, focus, performance and they've even brought out fuel protein pouches. The best part is, you just feel like you're drinking something fizzy!

FitAid

This citrus flavored drink is super-refreshing after a sweaty workout, or a tough strength session. It usually gets to Friday when I grab one of these for myself. My body is feeling the week of training hard and I know that it need something extra to help it heal. I love that it's a natural drink, filled with lots of vitamins and supplements you would normally reach for (glutamine, electrolytes, turmeric.) On the days that I have a can of FitAid, my body definitely feels the difference. 

Life Aid: Thrive

This can is PACKED with nutrients to aid in recovery. Magnesium, turmeric, rosemary, Vitamin C, ginger, and even cayenne pepper to give it an extra spice kick. On the day that I reached for this one I was very run down and had caught a bug from my Mum. I was craving a Sprite (as you do when you're sick) but I opened one of these instead, knowing it would do me some good. And I was totally right! Talk about blasting your system. I could definitely feel myself recovering and loved it from the very first sip. It's probably not for everyone, but if you love your spices then you need this in your life.

This post isn't sponsored by FitAid, I'm just very satisfied with their products!
If you ever come across this brand I highly recommend you treat yourself to a can of goodness. It goes perfectly with an active lifestyle and can give you a much needed pick-me-up.

What products help you recover from a sore body?
Steph x.

Blog Collab: Protein Bar Swap With The Blossom Twins!

If there's one thing I love talking about, it's food. You all know it by now, and I doubt it will ever stop being a passion of mine. My long-distance gym buddy came up with the brilliant idea of doing a comparison of American and New Zealand protein bars! Both Lucy and I share a love of food and many other things (Chuck, Chris Evans, & Harry Potter.) Also, we are both addicted to trying protein bars of all different brands and flavors. It's almost a hobby that comes with an active lifestyle and we love it!

Here are all the amazing protein bars I got to try and what I thought of them.

Make sure you go and check out Lucy's post to see what bars I sent her, it also includes some of my favorite protein cookies!

Pro Bar Base "Coffee Crunch" 

This brand was one that I tried on our trip to Seattle and I became a fan very quickly. There's 20grams of plant protein in these babies and other great ingredients to keep you going. Because of the caffeine in this one, it makes the perfect pre-workout snack. Or even as a pick-me-up after a long and tiring workout. Really excited to try more flavors on my next travels!

Taste: 4/5

Texture: 5/5

Power Crunch "Salted Caramel"

OMG Lucy how did you know this was my all-time favorite flavor!? Salted caramel protein bars are a dream come true. It's slightly lower in protein (13grams) which I like because this would make a perfect afternoon snack. I love that it's low in sugar too, so I don't have to feel bad for having a sweet treat. The smell of this one when I opened it was to die for and I really enjoyed the waffer part of the bar.

Taste: 4/5

Texture: 4/5

Robert Irvine's Fit Crunch "Cookies and Cream"

This one called to me as soon as I saw it in the box! And not just because it's one of my favorite flavors, but since it makes me feel like I'm about to eat a healthy candy bar. I can dig in without the guilt! It's super-high in protein (30grams) and I love that they used whey as the source. It tasted more like chocolate caramel than cookies & cream, but that's beyond okay with me!

Taste: 4/5

Texture:5/5

Lenny & Larry's The Complete Cookie "Double Chocolate"

Oh my, these cookies have stolen my heart. On our recent trip to the States I picked one of these up at a cafe in Santa Monica after I saw Lucy raving about them. Everything about these cookies are superb and they have that freshly baked texture. Apart from being a little high in sugar, these are the perfect treat for an active lifestyle. Even better when heated in the microwave and eaten as dessrt!

Taste: 5/5
Texture: 5/5 

Oh Yeah Nutrition "Pumpkin Pie"

There's no better flavor to have at this time of year! I have to say that the macros in these bars are pretty impressive. Any bar that's high protein and low in sugar is a winner in my books! Once I opened this one I fell in love and even more when I finally ate it. It was like biting straight into a pumpkin pie! The texture is quite smooth and soft, but there's a little crunch in there too and it made this bar perfect for me. I tried this bar last, but now I wish I had eaten it sooner!

Taste: 5/5

Texture: 5/5

The US definitely has a better range of bars and flavors than here in New Zealand, I've very jealous of all the treats available! I will definitely try and pick some of these up when I can.

A big thank you to Lucy for sending these delicious bars my way and for collaborating with me once again. It's always a delight to work with you! Make sure you go and check out her blog that she shares with her awesome sister Kelly. It really is one of my favorites to read. You can check out her post of all the New Zealand bars and how she liked them while you're there!

What are your favorite kind of protein bars?
Steph x.


 

Review: Chi Chi Creamy Matte Liquid Lipsticks

Hello Everyone!

I'm not lying when I say that I might have just found my favorite lip product of all time. I was out trying to find some new lip glosses (any recommendations?) when I found these gems. It's my dream to have a lipstick that's also a stain, a gloss, it doesn't dry your lips out, AND the color stays on all day. Turns out dreams do come true! OK, that was cheesy...

Long lasting? This stuff will leave you with amazing color, even after eating! I tried and tested this. I only have to reapply this a couple of times during the day and it still looks amazing.

Non-drying and Moisturizing? Yup! I keep waiting for it to dry out within ten minutes like a lot of products, but it doesn't. Maybe after a few hours yes, but considering this is basically a lip stain and lipstick, that's still impressive. I found that since it's quite moisturizing it's super easy to reapply and you won't even need a mirror.

Vivid Colors? Chi Chi are pretty great when it comes to colors. These lipsticks in particular are amazingly pigmented and have a matte finish (while still being moisturizing). I went for quite bold shades when I bought these and they give such an amazing pop of color.

If you didn't need another reason to buy these, they also smell amazing! Kinda like the LipSmacker Sours you used to get as a kid? I love a bit of nostalgia. They're also very affordable ($22 NZD) which is something I love about Chi Chi as a brand. You get great quality without having to spend all your money on one product.

 I think this is the first beauty product that I have bought, and then gone back to buy more colors. My first purchase was Show Stopper (pink/berry), then I went for Sexy Lady (berry/red) and Crazy in Love (pink/nude). Here's their website if you're interested in checking out more colors. I think I might go for Drama Queen next!

If you can't find Chi Chi in your country I would honestly be happy to ship them for anyone wanting to try them. I have a feeling I will be using these as my go-to lip colors for quite a while! 

What's your current favorite lip product?  

Let me know in the comments!

'Til next time x.

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Twitter - @MarvelSteph91

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Review: Covergirl Full Lash Bloom Mascara

Hello, Everyone!

Is anyone else always hesitant to try new mascaras? I don't know why I find it such a big commitment! This one, however, got my attention and I just had to try it.

Now, Covergirl promises something that I have never been able to find in any other mascara: lashes that never go brittle or stiff, and are soft to the touch. And did they fulfill that promise? Yes! Even after several coats this mascara stays soft, yet still holds your lashes all day.

 I could easily wear this mascara on its own and still feel confident. I absolutely love the formula, which builds easily and doesn't clump at all. Unlike a lot of mascaras that cause your lashes to stick together, this one separates them really well for a much more natural look.

 I was pretty quick to love this product and have even been reaching for it over my Benefit They're Real mascara. I know, it's that good. It might not be for everyone, but I personally enjoy using this product and would definitely recommend it.

Lengthen or volume: Lengthen

Everyday or Night out: Everyday

Price: $23 (NZ)

Repurchase: Yes!

Out of 10: 8

What's your favorite mascara? x.

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Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials Review

I should probably start by saying that I am a huge Maze Runner fan. I read the first book before I had even heard that they were turning it into a movie. It's also one of the only book trilogies where I enjoyed each one as much as the original. I absolutely loved the first movie and completely understood the changes that had to be made. I will forever thank Wes Ball for making Gally a much more likable character!

After enjoying the book and getting really hyped by the trailer I had high hopes for the second film. I was absolutely NOT disappointed at all! This new movie raised the bar high from the first one, and even my entire family walked away saying "Yeah, that was better than the first!."

It's action-packed and suspenseful from the very first minute of the film, which for me just added to the whole experience. I felt just as anxious to get across the scorch as the characters were! This reflects the book perfectly too, as each chapter would end on some sort of cliff hanger so you had no choice but to keep reading (well played, James Dashner!).

I won't bore you with the plot line, but basically this film sets the characters against the world outside of the maze. They're running from bad guys, battling the elements, and facing their own zombie apocalypse. I usually don't like it when movies get really gritty, but I found that this one was perfectly balanced. The environment of the scorch sets such an epic and dangerous scene, without overwhelming you. Just as a warning, the cranks (zombies) made for quite a few jump scares, which I personally love.

If you have read the book as well, just be warned that they did make some plot changes. Nothing too bad, but I feel safe to say that you can put your trust in director Wes Ball. This guy knows how to perfectly adapt a book to a movie in a way that it will make sense whether you have read the books or not. For me, the changes were so well thought out, and I think if some scenes had been kept in the movie it would have dragged too much or made things complicated. The guy is a genius.

Reasons you should go see the Scorch Trials:

• It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time
• Jorge was MVP and all kinds of awesome 
• Epic setting and action scenes to match
• Great character moments to make you all kinds of emotional
• If you enjoy zombies movies, this one's for you!  
• Newt finally calls him Tommy

Watch the trailer here!

Photo Credit: EW

Until next time x.

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Lush Review: Cupcake Fresh Face Mask

 

This is definitely a Friday night-in product; a little treat after a hard week. For all of us with a sweet tooth this is probably the most appealing Lush face mask and so I was quite excited to try it. I've used several other Lush face masks prior to this one and I personally love how fresh all of the ingredients are. I tend to shy away from anything with too many chemicals, hence why Lush is my go-to brand for everything skincare. Here are all the important bits:

Key Ingredients: Rhassoul mud, cocoa powder and butter, fresh mint, vanilla, linseed, peppermint oil.
Description: "Chocolate heaven for oily and teenage skin. Helps absorb excess oil and calm breakouts."
Price: $18.99 (NZ)

This face mask had quite the job ahead of it as my skin can be very spot-prone (especially at the time I went to try this), and I also work in a bakery, so it can be quite difficult keeping my skin clean and clear with all the steam coming from ovens. My first reaction was how lovely and cooling the peppermint oil is. It makes it surprisingly refreshing and takes away from the heaviness of the cocoa butter. Speaking of, after my ten minutes were up, I noticed how significantly smoother my skin felt, as well as feeling lovely and clean. I didn't, however, notice a great difference to my spots, even after time had passed and I used it several times over the course of a week. The peppermint only calmed the redness for so long and it didn't seem to take away any excess oils, as promised in the description.

I wish I could rave about this product, but it just didn't work on my skin how I hoped it would. Despite this, it was nice and cool on the skin and it felt a lot smoother afterwards. It's a great product for cleansing and the ingredients make you feel like you're treating your skin to a more luxurious face mask. You can also trust that the ingredients are fresh and aren't going to do any damage to your skin. Of course, this mask will work differently on everyone, depending on your skin type. I wouldn't recommend it as a heavy-duty mask, however, it was still very pleasant and a great treat for your skin.

Purchase again? No, however, I would buy it for a friend as a present.

Let me know in the comments if you have tried this or any other Lush fresh face masks, and what you thought of them. Would love to hear how you enjoyed them!

Until next time x.