I was grateful to be selected as a participant in the Eimele Meal Replacement Shake Trial Team. I received an Eimele shaker together with boxes of both the chocolate and the vanilla meal replacement shakes. Each Eimele shake contains the equivalent of 49% of the recommended daily fibre intake plus 25% of the recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals. The shakes are plant based and use a blend of pea and brown rice proteins to help you feel full. The shakes are 205 calories per shake, containing 14.8g dietary fibre, 19.5g of vegan protein blend and no refined sugar. The shakes come in individual sachets so there is no need for any measuring of the shake powder. It is recommended to blend the powder with ice and water however I used refrigerated water which worked well and was more convenient for me. The shaker comes with a metallic coil inside to help ensure the shake powder is mixed well with the water. The shake container also has a screw on storage unit underneath it which I didn't use. Over all the shaker was easy to use with its screw on lid and flip top opening to drink straight out of if you didn't want to use a glass. It was also perfect for using out and about on the go. I took it to work on my night shifts, together with a sachet to use in my meal break and it was so convenient. One improvement I would suggest to the shaker would be to make the volume measurements on the side easier to read however. You need to add 250ml of water/liquid to the powder. Volume measurements are embossed on the side of the shaker but I found them hard to read. I would have preferred the measurements to be marked in a different colour. I found the chocolate shake to be delicious but the vanilla one tasted sweeter than I would prefer. There was the option of taking one shake a day or consuming two shakes a day and also fasting for 12 hours per day overnight. Increased daily exercise of 3 times a week was also recommended. I used a mixture of the above approaches. At the start of the trial I also started a new very physically active job working night shifts three days a week which more than met the required exercise criteria. On the days I worked I had a shake for breakfast and dinner plus a plant based meal for lunch and I fasted for 12 hours per day. This resulted in me having my meals closer together, staying fuller for longer and snacking less. I also appreciated the convenience factor of having a shake for dinner. On the days I didn't work I would have the shake for breakfast and eat two other meals during the day. My dinner on these other days did usually include some meat or seafood protein. I found the shakes surprisingly did keep me feeling full until my next meal. They also motivated me to not snack on any sugar laden treats in between meals as I had been inclined to do prior to the trial. Now I'm sure if you've read this far you are wanting to know how much weight I lost. Over the period of approximately four weeks I lost just over 5 kgs which I was very happy with. I still have more to lose but these Eimele meal replacement shakes were an excellent and effective way to kickstart my weight loss journey. I would happily continue using them for another month but would not use them long term once my weight loss goals had been met. I would then want to transition back to eating normal food but possibly more plant based food than I ate in the past. Overall I found these shakes to be convenient and effective and the chocolate ones were delicious. I took one star off as the vanilla flavour wasn't my favourite. If you are struggling with your weight I highly recommend them.

I received a jar of these Nature's Way Beauty Collagen Gummies at the recent BeautyHeaven Best In Beauty marketplace event. I am a huge fan of taking beauty vitamins and supplements and have been taking various different ones for at least the past three years. Thus I'm not expecting to see any additional benefit from taking these ones but they have maintained my current skin, hair and nail condition. Due to my mature skin, hair and nails and my body's reduced rate of producing collagen I incorporate some form of beauty vitamins/supplements into my routine daily. These chewable Beauty Collagen Gummies are great for people who don't like swallowing tablets and capsules. It feels like you are just eating a lolly not a taking a supplement. The serving suggestion for these gummies is three a day and they are easy to take. They are soft and chewy with a fruity flavour. They taste sweet but not too sweet. I'm happy that they are also 99.8% sugar free. I highly recommend these Beauty Collagen Gummies.

I was most excited to receive the Nude By Nature Satin Liquid Lipstick in the shade of Wisteria as part of a BeautyHeaven Trial Team. I absolutely love this shade! It's the perfect my lips but better pigmented shade for me. There is a vanilla-like scent to this liquid lipstick. This liquid lipstick is packaged in a slightly frosted tube with a rose gold lid. You can easily see the shade of the lipstick through the tube. The brand lettering is in beige lettering on the tube. There is a perfectly sized, slightly slanted, doe foot lip applicator sponge attached to the lid. This made application of this liquid lipstick easy. I found the formula creamy, nourishing and moisturising yet still lightweight on my lips. The consistency was perfect, not runny and not too thick. This liquid lipstick created a beautiful velvety satin finish with great pigmentation. My lips felt soft all day. This is now my favourite every day go-to lipstick and I highly recommend it. I will definitely be buying more shades from this collection.

I was most excited to receive the Nude By Nature Satin Liquid Lipstick in the shade of Wisteria as part of a BeautyHeaven Trial Team. I absolutely love this shade! It's the perfect my lips but better pigmented shade for me. There is a vanilla-like scent to this liquid lipstick. This liquid lipstick is packaged in a slightly frosted tube with a rose gold lid. You can easily see the shade of the lipstick through the tube. The brand lettering is in beige lettering on the tube. There is a perfectly sized, slightly slanted, doe foot lip applicator sponge attached to the lid. This made application of this liquid lipstick easy. I found the formula creamy, nourishing and moisturising yet still lightweight on my lips. The consistency was perfect, not runny and not too thick. This liquid lipstick created a beautiful velvety satin finish with great pigmentation. My lips felt soft all day. This is now my favourite every day go-to lipstick and I highly recommend it. I will definitely be buying more shades from this collection.

I was excited to receive this Nude By Nature Perfecting Lip Primer as part of a BeautyHeaven Trial Team. My lips get dry especially in winter so this was the perfect time to test out this product. I found this primer to glide on easily. It had a creamy, slightly waxy texture and gave my lips a bit of an initial mint like tingle. The packaging is sleek white with a thin rose gold band where it opens. The brand lettering is also in rose gold on the tube. The tip of this lip primer is angled and easy to apply without a mirror. I found this product to be effective in creating a smoother base for my lipstick, keeping my lips hydrated and nourished, and also in ensuring my lipstick stayed intact for longer and without feathering. I have been using this lip primer regularly since receiving it and highly recommend it.

I was excited to receive the Nude By Nature Sheer Glow Colour Balm in the shade of pink as part of a BeautyHeaven Trial Team. I found this balm to be a more coloured lip product than I expected from the "Sheer Glow" name of this product. I also found the colour looked slightly coral on my lips as opposed to the more pinky shade I was expecting. Coral is a less flattering colour on me than pink or berry so I will be buying the berry shade next as I think that will suit my colouring better. The formula is amazing however! This balm slides on effortlessly and smoothly, and is creamy in texture. There is absolutely no stickyness. On my lips it felt wonderfully nourishing and moisturising and was fairly long lasting although as expected I did reapply it after eating. I love the sleek rose gold packaging of this lip product. It is totally swoonworthy and gorgeous. The lid is clear enabling the colour of the product to be easily seen without having to open the product. This is handy if you have more than one shade of this balm in your handbag or makeup bag. The lid clicks into place firmly so I don't have to worry about it accidentally falling off in my bag. The tip of the balm is angled making it easy to apply when out and about without a mirror. Overall I love the formula and am happy to purchase the berry shade that I think will suit me better than this pink shade did.

Thank you so much beautyheaven and Elizabeth Arden for inviting me to your beautyheaven x Elizabeth Arden Skincare Masterclass event and for the opportunity to participate in this trial team. As a result of trialing this product I have discovered a new holy grail skincare product! Yes this product is that effective and amazing! Elizabeth Arden Retinol Ceramide Capsules are a line erasing night serum. The serum comes encapsulated in a dusty pink mono dose capsule. I love the mono dose packaging which keeps the serum protected from light and air, ensuring it remains pure, potent and precise. You receive the exact amount of serum required every single dose. I also love that the capsule itself is made from biodegradable vegetable gum that fully breaks down. The capsules are easy to open by gently twisting the tab around twice and then you can simply squeeze the serum onto your fingertips. I found the amount of serum in each capsule to be the perfect amount for massaging into my face, neck and decolletage. I used the face massage and "face yoga" techniques taught to us in the masterclass. It's basically a technique ensuring you apply the serum from the middle of your face outwards in long gentle strokes upwards against gravity. This technique is such a relaxing nightly part of my skincare routine now. The serum is fragrance free and it absorbs into my skin quickly and easily. Despite the fact that I was using good quality skincare products prior to this trial my skin has improved significantly since I started this trial. My skin now looks more radiant, plumper and hence more youthful and healthier. The texture has also improved with my skin feeling softer and smoother than before. My lines have softened in appearance and are less noticeable. My skin pigmentation is also lighter in appearance. I haven't experienced any dryness or irritation, probably thanks to the inclusion of the ceramide with the retinol in this serum formula. This formula keeps my skin hydrated even before I apply my nightly moisturiser and prevents that harshness that you sometimes get from other retinol products. I will happily continue using this product and I fully intend to purchase it after I finish my trial products. It's not a cheap product to buy but the improvement I've seen in my skin are definitely worth the expense to me.

I received a tube of the Handsome Men's Skincare Facial Moisturiser at the recent Beautyheaven Glosscars Marketplace event. I have been trying to get my teenage sons into skincare for a while now so I passed this tube along to them. They like that the packaging of the black tube with it's white writing is suitably masculine. They also appreciate the masculine woody scent of this product. I must admit the scent appeals to me too! The moisturiser is white but fairly lightweight absorbing in very quickly. My younger teenage son was a little bit hesitant in using this moisturiser at first but when I told him that Tim Robards was the ambassador for this brand and used it on his skin my son's hesitation dissipated. Both my boys have been using it for several weeks now and are loving it. Their skin feels soft after use probably due to the included shea butter, rosehip & vitamin E. I plan to buy them a new tube of this when this one is finished.

I received this Blessed By Nature Foaming Facial Cleanser in my goodie bag at the recent beautyheaven Glosscars Marketplace event. It comes in a 200ml amber coloured pump action bottle which I found particularly handy to use in the shower. It's so much easier to use than fussing with a screw top or flip top lid. Although I have mature dry skin I have an oily T-zone so I found this normal to oily skin formula good for me. It was effective in cleaning away the impurities & oil on my skin but not stripping it completely. I use 3-4 pumps of this product and love that it is self foaming as it comes out of the pump. It is quite strongly scented with lavender, aloe vera, calendula and chamomile and I found this scent especially calming and soothing to use in the shower before bed. I think this is partly the reason why I've been sleeping better lately. I love that this product does not contain any hidden 'nasty' ingredients but only natural and organic ingredients. I also like that it is 100% Australian owned, does no animal testing and is 100% vegan. I will very happily continue using this product.

I received my Bodecare Organic Egyptian Loofah at the recent 2019 beautyheaven Glosscars Marketplace event and I've been using it ever since as I've found it so effective and easy to use. It measures approximately 17 cms long with a 12 cm diameter and comes with a 100% cotton rope attached which is perfect for hanging the loofah in the shower after use to dry it out to reduce the risk of mildew forming. The loofah together with the rope is fully compostable at the end of its recommended 2 month life span. To use the loofah I've been saturating it under the warm shower water before use and then lathering my shower gel onto my body with it. I've found this loofah to be the perfect size and texture for my legs, butt and arms. It is especially effective in exfoliating away the rough patches around my ankles, knees and elbows and increases the blood circulation to these areas. I don't use it on my face. I'm impressed that it is sustainably sourced and reportedly uses the highest quality of natural and organic raw material. I'm happy with the performance of this loofah and love using it. I will most probably purchase another of these loofahs after this trial one needs replacing in two months time.