Product Review: Sibu Beauty Sea Buckthorn Nourishing Facial Cream

Not too long ago I was contacted by a company asking if I would like to do a product review.  I am always thrilled to try new things, especially if they are free, so I said "sure, why the hell not?"  The company is Sibu Beauty and they sent me the Sea Buckthorn Nourishing Facial Cream.  I have the driest skin in the universe, seriously if I don't slather myself in lotion and oils after showering I look like I am part reptile.  Scaly, crunchy, flaky, itchy skin...yuck!  Even on my face...DOUBLE YUCK!! I live in the desert and the weather here sucks, it's either hot and windy or cold and windy, so it really does a number on your skin.  I always figured that lotion was lotion, so I didn't think this would do anything special for me either since other moisturizers have failed miserably.  At first site I thought, wow this looks expensive and fancy.  $20.95 for a 1 oz bottle, it seemed pricey to me but after comparing it with other facial creams, it's actually quite reasonable.

I was happy to try this product out, especially after I read the rave reviews  , sea buckthorn and read about the benefits of Omega 7,  which makes your hair, skin and nails look great.  Omega 7 also provides support for weight management, cardiovascular health, and gastro-intestinal health.  Click here to learn all the benefits of  Omega 7.  This company even sites their clinical references they use.  So how did this product work for me?
All  have to say is WOW! I noticed a difference in my skin after just one use. It has a light scent that smells like oranges, goes on smoothly and you only need a little so I can honestly say that it is worth every penny. And it's paraben, cruelty, dairy, wheat, gluten, sodium, yeast, and preservative free!!! And ALL NATURAL!!!! If it worked so wonderfully for my skin I can imagine what it would do for the rest of my body, as I am now eager to try the rest of the Sibu Beauty products.


Disclaimer:  As always, I have not been paid to do this product review, all opinions are my own and I was given this product to try.

When Desert Living Meets Mother Nature Up Close

I will be the first person to tell you that I HATED the desert when I first moved here when I was a kid.  I came from the city and the first thing I did was look around and wonder, "Why in the hell would any one live here?" There was nothing, NOTHING, NOT A DAMN THING for miles around. I immediately hated it.  Flash forward to my adult hood... I had my son and immediately began to see the desert for what it was, a beautiful, quiet place to raise kids.  Then the housing boom came and screwed that up for everyone. McManisons sprung up in every empty lot, crammed together so tightly that you can practically stick your head out of window and end up in your neighbor's house.  With it came graffiti, trash and crime.  No longer the ideal place it used to be.  Then the bubble burst and a lot of the people moved away leaving bunch of empty homes, some parts of the high desert look like ghost towns.
When the hubby and I were ready to buy a house, we wanted out of the city and something more "rural."  We found a quiet place in a decent neighborhood that we liked. Not rural but it will have to do for now.  And we have a great view of the mountains thanks to the riverbed across the street. With all the paved roads and sudden surge of businesses popping up you tend to forget that you live in the middle of no where until you are walking your dog early in the morning and encounter a pack of coyotes. Step on and get stung by an scorpion in your kitchen, or you have to call animal control because there is a snake in your car (or just yesterday in the garden!  Yikes!)   We tend to forget that we are on their turf.

Click! Caught you just hangin' out in the backyard!

As a family, we spend a good amount of time outside, educating or kids about our desert habitat.  We we quietly observe various insects, lizards and birds we find in our yard or when we are out walking the neighborhood.   This is a great learning experience for the entire family and it's free!  The best thing to do is take a digital camera and take pictures of a bug or plant or whatever creature you may see and go home and research it using sites that cater to the identification of wildlife in your local area.  Using this site, we were able to determine that the lizard pictured above was a Granite Spiny Lizard. At least that's what we think, we may be wrong but it was still fun to do the research.  Using this method we have spotted various types of birds, including owls, bats, squirrels and scorpions (from a distance of course).  Next time you are on a walk bring a camera, and take pictures of the unfamiliar, you will be surprised at what you find with a little help from the Internet.

Canning Meat, Venison, Beef, Pork, Elk, Chicken and Fish.

This site is a great resource for learning to can and preserve food for future use. It made me want to run out and buy a pressure canner (meat products and non-acidic food items need to be pressure canned for safety.)  There are also traditional canning recipes for stove top water canners, drying food, and freezing food.  Most home canned food has a shelf life of 1 year, and it’s a great way to preserve all the great produce you grow in your garden.  You do garden don’t you?
Simply Canning
Canning Meat, Venison, Beef, Pork, Elk, Chicken and Fish.

Citronella Candles - Mosquito Repelling - Outdoor Candles Project

Spring and summer will be here before you know it and with it comes mosquitoes.  The area that I live in has water near by so that means extra mosquitoes for me!  Here’s an idea I’d like to try.

 

Citronella Candles - Mosquito Repelling - Outdoor Candles Project

DIY Natural Dishwasher Detergent Recipe

MakeYourCosmetics.com is a great site with lots and lots  of fantastic recipes for DIY beauty, and skin care.  This recipe is from their “Natural Homekeeping” section.  I am sooooo trying this one!
 DIY Green Automatic Dishwasher Detergent Recipe
Beauty Recipes at MakeYourCosmetics.com

TESTED: This recipe did not work well for me.  However, I live in an area with really, REALLY hard water. So all of my dishes came out cloudy and I had to end up going out to buy some Cascade and run the heavy cycle twice.  Glasses still didn't come out clean so I had to take them all out and wash them by hand.

Update: The dishwasher I was using died shortly after this, (it was ancient), and we got a newer model which works a lot more effectively.  I will be trying this recipe again in the new washer.