Things I’ve tried recently

Remember when you could trust the recommendations you saw online? Before the term influencer had ever been uttered? Yeah, I miss those days. It was my favorite part of blogging. There were certain bloggers who I trusted wholeheartedly. If they told me a shampoo changed their hair, I bought (and loved) it. If another blogger gave a book 5 stars, I read it immediately.

These recommendations had weight behind them. There really wasn’t anything in it for the blogger except the promise of community and building your reputation. These days, influencers ruin everything. (Or maybe I’m just being dramatic.) I feel like I can’t trust anything anyone says about a product anymore. Everyone is so sneaky with disclaimers. And the word amazing can only be used so many times before it loses all meaning.

So in the spirit of honesty, I thought I’d share a few things I’ve tried recently.

Billie Razor. I won’t lie, I fell victim to all the influencers. I usually stand pretty strong against those types of campaigns, but someone said something that made my ears perk up. They said, and I quote, now that I use the Billie razor, I don’t have to shave nearly as often. I shave my legs every single day (yes, even in the winter), so that claim got me. It’s a lie, folks. At least, it didn’t ring true for me. The razor is actually quite good, I like the magnetic holder, and it’s pretty inexpensive. The subscription replacement head delivery will come in clutch, I’m sure. It’s a close shave, and I could definitely go a day or two without shaving if I needed to, but I wouldn’t. Maybe I’m just hairy. Ultimately, I guess I recommend it. But only if you’re like me and loathe going into an actual store these days.

Mary Kay Microdermabrasion & Pore Refine. A colleague started selling MK and asked me to help her test out her virtual pamper session system when we all went on lockdown. She mailed me some samples and walked me through everything on a Zoom call. Now, I used to sell MK back in the day (like waaaaaay back in the day, we’re talking 2005), so I didn’t think anything would really stand out for me. But holy crap. This stuff literally changed my skin in just a few uses. Now that I’m getting old(er), skincare is priority #1 for me always. And this stuff is primo. Recommend.

Herbal life loaded teas. The same colleague I mentioned above (she’s such an unintentional, genuine influencer!) got me hooked on this place called Wake Up Nutrition. They make these Herbal life loaded teas that have the base HL tea, aloe, Liftoff (which is basically like an energy boost), and sugar-free drink flavoring. Sure, they’re tasty (which is a plus), but holy energy batman. I’ve been sort of losing my taste for coffee lately. Most of you already know that I suffer from pretty bad IBS, so coffee just destroys me. I have my one cup when I wake up (at 5AM), but then I typically just stick with water. I have been crashing hard by like noon. But these teas keep me going and they don’t mess with my stomach at all. I went ahead and bought the herbal life tea from Amazon, snagged some aloe from Target and replaced the lift off (which is expensive) with 4C Energy Rush (found at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Walmart, Amazon, etc). And it’s literally my favorite part of my morning these days. Definitely recommend. (Now, disclaimer: Herbal life has weight loss claims, etc. I’m literally just in it for the caffeine and flavors.)

Crockpot chicken tacos. These aren’t new for me. But the way we serve them now is definitely new. I learned this recipe from the last family I nannied. But these days, I take chicken breasts (usually just two), 1 packet of taco seasoning, 1 packet of ranch seasoning and a little chicken broth (usually just to the top of the chicken, sometimes a bit less). I let them cook all day then serve them on a toasted tortilla with Ortega taco sauce, sour cream & cheese. They’re freaking delicious and the leftovers are even better. You’re welcome.

Okay, I think that’s about all I have for now. Let me know if you use and love any of these things. If you try them, you gotta let me know what you think!