NeoCell Biotin Bursts

Biotin Bursts are biotin and antioxidant-packed soft chews in the flavor of acai. These tiny, yet powerful and perfectly tart and delicious chews are the best way to consume biotin, in my opinion as they really do the trick on my candy cravin' sweet tooth. Not only that, but I'm pretty sure with each bite-sized chew, my hair, nails and skin will be improving. Talk about a tasty treat that really doesn't come with any guilt!

I was given the awesome opportunity to try the Biotin Bursts by Neocell earlier this week. Each small, individually wrapped "burst" contains a whopping 25 milligrams of acai fruit powder, which delivers a beautiful supply of antioxidants to the body, and a huge 10,000 micrograms of readily absorbable biotin. Note: Some online sources claim that we should "aim" for 30 micrograms of biotin in our daily diet, so consuming 10,000 micrograms in these chews tells me I'm going to be plenty sufficient in this beautifying vitamin.

What is Biotin?

Biotin is called "Vitamin H" by most, but is actually considered a B-Vitamin, strangely enough.

Why I Like The Biotin Bursts
Aside from getting to indulge daily in a tasty little chew, similar to a Starburst as my nephew put it (but way easier on the teeth, and even more flavorful) the biotin supplement is actually highly beneficial in the beauty department -- particularly skin, hair and nails.

The effect biotin has on hair is described as "luxurious hair and vibrant skin." It's also been touted for its ability to strengthen brittle nails, which is something I've had for years. 

Neocell's Biotin Bursts are "scientifically formulated to support metabolism of proteins in the body, promoting natural energy," too. It also has a positive effect on the nervous system.

I've even heard of biotin being helpful in weight loss, in some cases.

Consuming biotin can be useful in conditions such as eczema, thinning hair, seborrheic dermatitis, and it may help promote hair growth. Biotin is said to be useful even in cases of depression! This is another reason I was highly intrigued by this H-Vitamin once I learned about it from Neocell.

*Biotin for yeast infections?

I wanted to update this article as I just read something very interesting in a Live Strong article regarding another possible benefit of using biotin -- yeast infections!  An overgrowth of candida albicans is the cause of a yeast infection, and also the cause of candidiasis, sometimes IBS too (which was my case.) 

Interestingly, I was checking more into biotin just now when I read the following excerpt:

"There are certain situations when very high dosages of biotin can aid in medical treatment. For example, biotin 5000 mg can aid in treating yeast infections such as Candida albicans, so that it does not develop from its yeast-like state into a fungal form, as discussed by FungusFocus and altMD's Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine."

Before I go on, let me just say, my understanding of the above statement is that biotin can keep the candida albicans from continuing to "grow" until they get out of control. When they say "so it doesn't develop from its yeast-like state into a fungal form," I am taking that to mean simply they remain under control and do not "over-grow" leaving the body with an "infection." 


So, it turns out, that my taking this high dose of biotin in the Biotin Bursts happens to possibly come with an incredible added benefit that I didn't even know about! Most of you know that I suffered severely with IBS-Candidiasis for the majority of my late-teen/early-adult years. I won't go into that story again, but I find it really awesome that there are more things we can do to keep this sometimes debilitating problem under control. I know some of my readers were told by their doctors the same things I was told -- that the pain was "in your head" and that you'd never again live without it. There's no cure, so all you can do is continue taking prescribed medications. This was my "fate" according to my own doctor after having surgery for part of my problem -- endometriosis. My fate included a prescription of drugs that further debilitated me really because at the recommended dosing, I would've only had 2 hours maximum out of my bed every single day of my life! Zombie drugs. I never did take the recommended amount as 2 alone kicked my butt for a full 24 hours.


Anyways, I promised I wouldn't get into that story again. Why do you guys let me do this?

So, I wanted to put this information about biotin at higher doses possibly being helpful for candida issues out there for my fellow sufferers. Whether it's your gut that's being tormented by candida albicans or your genitals or elsewhere, I think biotin could be something to keep in mind.

That also brings me to the fact that last month I was dealing with one of those pesky female yeast infections myself! It was one of the worst I've ever suffered from, and kind of came out of nowhere. I of course used the natural, home remedy to take care of it (the same ones I've published here and elsewhere), but how awesome it is to know that using this biotin supplement may provide some added help in that area.

Keep in mind, it's been said that people with kidney problems should not use biotin supplements. I have no idea why that is or if there's anything to it, but I thought I might should point that out since I know at least one of my heavy readers do suffer with kidney issues.

In the image above, you can see the individually wrapped chews.

 

Why I Adore Neocell:
"NeoCell has been developing and manufacturing all natural, premium anti-aging formulas for over 20 years and is the leading Collagen brand in the world. Our products are naturally based, not synthetic, and are designed to promote youthful health, beauty and total body wellness. We manufacture our own products using carefully sourced food-grade raw materials and our facility exceeds all GMP standards. We strive to continuously bring the best to our customers– products that we and our own families are proud to use, made with Nutrients You Can Trust®."

As you can see on the packaging of the Biotin Bursts, Neocell products do not contain Soy, GMO's Palm oil or gluten! Let's hear it for all healthy ingredients!

Results of taking Biotin Bursts:

Since I'm only about a week into taking the 30-day supply of these Biotin chews from NeoCell, I can't attest entirely to the results. I'd like to give the product enough time to really do its job (30 days), so I will update periodically as I see results, including after the 30 days. I almost waited to even do a review until 30 days had passed with me taking the supplement, but I was too excited to hurry and get the exciting word out about them, so I hope you'll check back for any results I end up seeing while using them!

At the moment, my nails are somewhat brittle, with vertical lines galore! They're easily bent, not thick. After 30 days of using the Biotin Bursts, I'll take a look and see if they have changed, which would be really exciting to see!

So far though, my hair very possibly could be showing signs of becoming shinier! Hopefully, I see a big change within my skin, too. I have had the best skin I've seen in years this week, which is overly exciting considering I've only been taking the Biotin Bursts this week! My skin literally looks great to me, and that's something I haven't felt in ages. In fact, before the past week, I hated what was going on with my skin. It looked awful with breakouts and dry flakes no matter what I done to fix them. I've actually had very little reason to even put on moisturizer the last few days! So, if this sudden clearing of my skin problems is in fact due to the Biotin Bursts, you can bet your sweet behind I will continue using them for the long term! 

Check back to see my progress!

Disclaimer: I am not a specialist, expert, professional or doctor of any kind. Content on this blog is not intended to be taken as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment or advice of any sort. I'm simply sharing information about my own experiences and results from use of a product or activity in hopes of providing useful information to readers, not to be taken as a patient/medical adviser relationship. I am not responsible for what readers choose to do after viewing the content here. Furthermore, I do not hold an "exceptional" or other special relationship with any company mentioned on this site. I'm simply a consumer who worked with the company on a review that is in compliance with FTC's guidelines. That means, everything you read here is my own words, not anything of the company's. I was not provided with monetary compensation for my review. All information posted has been done so with complete honesty. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication ( I'm not responsible.) Readers who rely on the information in this blog to replace the advise of an appropriate health care provider assume all risks of such behavior.

Lady Soma Skin and Nail Treatment

  As the picture suggests, the product is Lady Soma's Skin and Nail Treatment, also known in my words as a jar of wonderful!

Quick Overview

"The Skin and Nail Treatment is a deep moisturizer that repairs dry and cracked skin. Specifically formulated for skin and nails, it promotes a soft supple cuticle, while repairing existing damage. Enhances nails for a shiny appearance and healthy looking cuticles. Treatment  helps heal dry skin."

Strengthens nails, soft supple cuticles, heals dry cracked skin and restores, penetrates, relieves, soothes!

Lady Soma has designed a  full line of products for women all which are manufactured under Good Manufacturing Standards.

  Lady Soma products are always free of sulfates, parabens, propylene, glycol, mineral oils, silicone, and sunthetic fragrance and dyes! How amazing is that?

Skin and Nail Treatment review

I know a lot of you lovely ladies, like myself, have a real passion for decorating nails. As someone who works a little in the nail biz, I was immediately interested when I saw the Lady Soma Skin and Nail Treatment. I have used a bazillion nail treatments, cuticle creams and oils, but Lady Soma's treatment stood out to me in a big way because of it being free of all the nasties (harmful ingredients). Since I'm not only caring for my own nails, I have to think about my customers any time I purchase a nail product of any kind. Everybody has different likes and dislikes, but nobody prefers a drug-store quality product that's full of nasties over the good stuff! 

I first used the Lady Soma Skin and Nail Treatment on my own hands and skin while doing a manicure for myself. One use and I was sure I didn't want to share the Treatment! It didn't take long before I became as impressed with the Nail Treatment as I was with the other 2 Lady Soma products I had. 

If you are one of my ladies who keep your hands regularly "manicured" you know the basics and that keeping your cuticles under control is necessary. I'll be the first to admit, that alone is a hard job! My cuticles seem to grow abnormally fast and take up my whole nail. Then I have to push them down and cut them. You can't do that without some kind of treatment. I had been using oil treatment which made the nails and hands shiny and pretty, but it wasn't making things as easy as it could've been. Using a good, rich lotion/cream can be useful and some customers have their very own that they prefer to be used, but no matter how well it may work for moisturizing, it doesn't always do well for the nails. 

When you're cutting cuticles off with a cuticle cutter or in desperate times, a scalpel, putting something on the cuticles is necessary! Lotions don't quite do it. Most creams won't soften the cuticle enough to prevent hang nails, bleeding and inflamed nail beds.  So, what I'm trying to say here is cuticles are a pain! Secondly, I am so happy to report that Lady Soma's Nail and Skin Treatment is awesome for this! After cutting away and experiencing no bleeding or hang nails, I was beginning to like this stuff. There were still a few things I had to be sure of with the product though...

For one, with a Skin and Nail Treatment, it should soften the tissue, strengthen nails and if you happen to be lucky enough to have Lady Soma's treatment on hand, leave hands looking brand new! My hands look so pretty when I use it that I even tried taking a photo of before and after just to show the difference in my skin there, but unfortunately, I had no luck getting a picture that showed anything. I'm still working on it though, I just need the right lighting and... possibly a new camera? I'm determined to show you guys photos of my hands before using the Lady Soma Treatment and after using it. It's that good! While I won't be sharing my own tub of this nail treatment, I will certainly be purchasing an extra for customers. 

If you've stayed with me so far, you've read some pretty awesome things about Lady Soma and this Skin and Nail Treatment. I do however have to add a bit more about it. It has all the important parts needed in a skin and nail treatment. Here's a brief few points of what it does really well:

• Softens and moisturizes intensively!
• Has a rich, creamy texture
• No greasy residue
• Leaves skin and hands looking so pretty and brand new
• Smells nice
• Allows for easier, painless and proper cuticle cutting (or should I say mutilation! LOL)

• Strengthens nails.   

 Those are really awesome things, but what really makes me love the Lady Soma Skin and Nail Treatment above all others (well, one of the things) is that when you wash your hands they're left with a soft, youthful feeling and it lasts for a long time. Most lotions for the hands and cuticles rinses right away and that means it's doing no good for your nails, but I can still feel the softness on my hands and while there's no thick residue left behind, it penetrates skin and continues working after being washed! 

Also, this stuff isn't only for the manicurists, it's really a staple for anyone who works towards keeping healthy hands. If you don't chop away at your cuticles and paint your nails, you'll still benefit just as much with the Skin and Nail Treatment. If you want to strengthen brittle nails or if you are forever soaking your hands with thick creams, this stuff is great. Even If only for a hand cream, I'm positive that it's a product you will want to keep on hand. On my own nails, I use a scalpel for polish removal instead of polish remover because I can hardly handle the smell (migraine city!). It's an awful thing to do, chopping at your nails, but it's what I've resorted to and it has left me with some awful looking nails. I'm always cutting into my actual nail leaving them really sore and terribly brittle and thin. In just days of using the Skin and Nail Treatment, my nails have improved! 

Be sure to check out the full Lady Soma product line as well as the Skin and Nail Treatment. Lady Soma offers a beautiful selection of products for women and I'm too excited to try them all. I've talked about the Skin and Nail Treatment here as well as the Berry Face Masque previously. That one, I cannot get enough of! Soon I'll be talking about the Photo Aging Face Serum, but for now I'm still learning about it as I use it. I will give you a hint about it though: I do love what I've seen so far and Lady Soma has not disappointed! One thing about the facial products is that they don't just randomly stop working. I've experienced the facial products that suddenly stop working for my skin so often and have ended up with one brand that I can really rely on and Lady Soma has quickly became another reliable product line for me. It's almost heart warming! I do hope you guys take the time to check them out. 

While I've mentioned the skin and facial products, that's not all you can get from Lady Soma. They also offer a selection of supplement such as the Probiotic Cleanse, Lady Soma Detox, Candida Cleanse Advanced, and Cranberry Concentrate with Vitamin C. I can't help but add a tiny bit of info about these supplements, don't worry it'll be short. First off, I have not tried any of them, but certainly will starting with the Candida Cleanse. Since I used to suffer severely from abdominal problems (that's what we'll call it) the Candida Cleanse is something that could provide a lot of relief for those who suffer from things like Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I know exactly how agonizing and even debilitating it is to go through it. You've read a little about my past issues with endometriosis and IBS and from reading up on Lady Soma's Candida Cleanse, I would certainly recommend looking into it. Again, I've not tried it, but would definitely do so although I'm no longer going through the debilitating problems caused from IBS. It could be very helpful for other things as well. 

The Cranberry Concentrate would be relieving for someone who frequently suffers from UTI's and the like. My sister happens to be one of those and we're working on getting her the Cranberry Concentrate now. She suffered from UTI's and kidney infections since we were kids so it would be awesome to find something that would provide real relief. 

If any of you have tried any of the products from the Lady Soma line please feel free to let me know your results! I'd love to hear what you've tried and how your experience was. If you haven't tried them, I highly recommend checking them out! 

Yes, Lady Soma forever has a spot all to its self in my vanity!

 

Just a few of the nails we sold this week!

SPARKLES - A GIRL'S NEVER TOO OLD TO SPARKLE & A MARIO BADESCU REVIEW

These are my new facial products by Mario Badescu.

There's a Healing and Soothing mask which I've got smeared all over my face at this very moment. This week has been so rough & my Dr. appointment was today which always has me a nervous wreck. So I decided since I'm finally out of the Dr. & most all the stressful situations I've finally accomplished today, I can now do something for me. Kinda. So I've got the mask on now while my purple, oh so sparkly nail polish dries. I just love sparkles, I'm telling ya. They really make me excited. I've always had an abnormal love for sparkles. My dad's been freaked out since I was a little girl over this sparkle fetish lol. Seriously he FREAKS! Even still. See he's kinda paranoid when it comes to things so years ago when he first noticed my sparkle fetish he begged me to not wear it.

  "It could fall off in your eye balls and scratch em'." He says. I always say this "a girl is never too old to sparkle." I really believe that too. I hate to say it, but when I'm 40 years old, you bet your sweet ass these eyelids will still be rocking the pink & purple sparkles!

Back to the topic. So, I'm wearing the mask now. I really like the thick consistency, makes it easier to cover. It feels kinda cool. Not sure if it'll make my skin great & wonderful after using the other products. We'll see when I go shower in a few then I'll update ya tomorrow. (If you even care.)

 I also have Glycolic Foaming cleanser & the Special Cucumber Lotion. I haven't used either yet so I can't really say. I guess I should've waited until I'd used them. Sorry. The Special Cucumber lotion is the one in above pic that has a yellow color to it. I've felt it on my fingers and it's like vegetable oil! That worries me.

I have used the Oil Free Moisturizer with SPF 30. It wasn't something I'd go out and pay the price for again. The prices are WHOA! So this moisturizer was like a little yellow piece of wax or gum looking thingy. In the container there was oily stuff around it. I poked it. More oil ran out. I was really weird about putting something like that on my face, but I assumed it was just something to do with the natural -organic -whatever- botanical-vegetables-herbal thing. lol So I put it on my face only a small amount. When I woke up the next morning my face didn't have any dry spots and didn't look oily like I expected since it looked like oil. It seemed ok, kinda normal, had some glow, but my face often does from other products I use.

The next night, I used a little more. The next morning I had some freak breakouts. I don't really get random breakouts. I usually get no more than 4 around that time of the month & they're little bitty. I usually don't even see them without using my magnifying mirror & light. Well it was not a time of the month where I should be expecting a breakout and there were a few. Some on my chin & I never have them there!

I used it again to be sure the next night. Woke up with twice as many break outs! I can't say for sure, but I think it was the moisturizer. Maybe it's just me though.

 On to the next one. Ceramide Herbal Eye Cream. Used it the first night & woke up with awful eye problems. I thought it was from my contacts. Then when I looked in the mirror the next day, I had a scary rash type thing. I've never in my life had an allergic reaction to any product except febreze because I'm allergic to it, but it only messes with my respiratory system, not skin. All around my eye was itchy & very red & inflamed. My eye balls were really itchy too. Once again, maybe it's just me.

And now I'll go shower & see how this mask works out. Hopefully better than the others. The prices are so high for a product that doesn't do anything but cause a freak reaction. Not saying this would happen to everyone. I mean it's like $20 just for a few ounces of these products!

To wrap it up, I would not buy any of the products again. I was really disappointed because I was so excited about these products. I hate being let down. lol :)

*Let me know if any of you have ever tried these products. I want to know what others thought & I don't know anybody who uses them except me this one time. And my sweeties, do be sure to check my side bar thingy because I usually post new freebies & giveaways that are awesome! The freebies are %100 real. I always check for myself before handing them over to you. Have any of you checked them out yet? Let me know if you would like me to keep posting freebies I find & I'll be sure to do it at least 2-3 times a week. If you don't care about it, you can tell me that too. :)

Now it's time for me to try & recover from the awful Dr. visit today, & not to mention the horrible arm pain from my shot. I know shots ain't bad, but this one has tiny little crystals in it so it really does hurt!

Well, I hope you sweetie pies have a very ~sparkly~ day! :)

So much love and then some,

Kendra

Before I go, I just have to add this little cutie! Sorry about all these crazy, un-organized posts. I'll get back to normal... maybe! lol

-This is Fuzz inside the storage box. She's been so crazy during the remodelling!-

My PeArL of the day - for a cleaner pedicure

 I've been sick lately and under a lot of stress so today, I decided to give myself a much needed pedicure. While I was mixing my own nail polish to create a new color, I thought of my PeArL of the day...

 Before you paint your nails, use olive oil, vegetable oil, or a great foot lotion (I use Gold Bond's ultimate healing, as I posted on previously) Use the oil or lotion thickly all over toes or nails, then you paint them. When you are finished painting nails, use your fingers to clean the polish up. The greasy texture of the oil or lotion will make it wipe right off instead of sticking and staining skin.

 This keeps the polish from staining your skin around your nails and nail beds. You can spend hours on a pedicure only to have it ruined by polish that gets on the skin around your nails. And with the unsteady-ness of my hands, I had to find a fix for this!

 I've used this solution for years and swear by it! Nothing cleans up a pedi better.

Big IS beautiful too!

As you know, I dedicated a whole month to the bigger & beautiful women. It's taken me a while to get my posts going because I spent most of the month talking, interviewing, and finding out what these women had to say.

My interview with Kathy M. went deeper than I had expected. When I asked Miss Kathy how she felt about her self and her body she said "I could sit here & say that I am proud of who I am no matter how society looks at me but, that wouldn't be true." She told me that she didn't feel beautiful or happy. "I just don't know why bigger always has to mean less pretty." Kathy said. She also told me that most of the bigger women she associates with also are not happy with themselves often.

I asked Kathy what she thinks would make her feel happier & better about herself. I also asked her what she thought would make other women like her feel better about themselves.

She told me that she thinks that her being big means she can't dress stylish. "Big girls just can't do it." It really made me sad to hear that she truly felt this way. We talked about what kind of things Kathy wished she could wear. She said she just wanted to be able to wear things like a "belted tops, leggings and skirts."

I told Kathy that she CAN wear those things and look & feel good. She just has to find the right fit. "I want to shop at places like wet seal & rue 21." She told me. I replied with "Then do it." I told her that she is the only person that matters when it comes to what people think and I also told her that if she took the step to do these things then, maybe she could inspire others like her to do the same and allow themselves to feel happy & better about themselves.

A few days after talking with Kathy, I got a call from her. "I made my first purchase at rue 21!" She screamed. She was so excited. She finally had the courage to wear something that she wanted and she done it for herself. I was so proud of her. She told me that she hasn't yet got the nerve to try a skirt yet but she did go for the belted top & she loved the way it fit!

I hope that Kathy's courage will give other women the courage to do things like this & feel good about themselves too.

Kathy has plans this weekend to have her hair and nails done with a friend. I'm waiting to hear back from her & find out if she followed through with those plans. I really hope she did. After all she does deserve it. Every woman does.

What do you think would make you feel better about yourself? And what advice would you have for Kathy?