L'Oréal Hydra Total-5 Ultra Even - Product Review

I was fortunate enough to have been selected to try L'Oréal's Hydra Total-5 Ultra Even products as part of Influenster.  I received the products free to try.  The opinions are all my own.

I'm going to start by saying, I came in to this with no skin care regimen.  I mean, none.  I very rarely wear makeup, but when I do, I typically take it off with soap and water (gasp).  The only products I really use on my face are sunscreen, and the odd moisturizer if I notice my skin is looking dry.   I'm what you call low maintenance.... probably too low, but I digress.

L'Oréal's Hydra Total-5 Ultra Even products offer a 3 step skin care regimen: 1 - cleanse; 2 - tone; 3 - care.   I received 4 products in my box: scrub/exfoliant, toner, ultra-even lotion and ultra-even moisturizer.

You can check out my "unboxing" here:

Here is my "before" picture.  No make-up, and right before I used the scrub, toner and moisturizer for the first time:

So I started the regimen right away.  Beginning with the scrub.  There are small little "beads" within the scrub, which you feel as you massage it over your face.  The smell of this scrub is very enjoyable, a citrus scent.  You can feel the scrub working as there is a tingle as you massage.

Once finished with the scrub I moved on the toner.  A little bit on a cotton ball, and dabbed around your face.  No real scent to this product, and didn't feel too much when I was putting it on, it was like dabbing water on my face.

Finally, the Ultra-Even moisturizer.  I took a little too much my first time around, you only need a little to cover your whole face, so don't go crazy.  Again, no real scent, nice cool and smooth. 

Almost immediately I could notice a difference in my face.  This picture was taken right after the first use:

I continued to use these products for 3 weeks.  I will admit that I was not always vigilant to use it twice a day, every day - sometimes it was once a day, and I did miss a day here and there.  But generally I did the routine in the morning when I woke up, and before bed at night.  I usually used the lotion in the morning, and moisturizer at night.

My skin looks and feels noticeably different.  In my opinion, my skin looks more radiant.  My skin was typically prone to dry patches - patches of skin that were dry and flaky, very noticeable when wearing any kind of foundation.  With these products that has been reduced drastically.

I went back to my original photo location so you could see the difference in my skin - again, no makeup in this picture, this is a photo taken at the end of the day:

Overall, I love these products.  I have to say that my favourite products of the 4 were the scrub and the lotion.  The best part - a little bit of each product goes a long way, so you don't go through them very quickly!

Thank you to Influenster and L'Oréal for the opportunity to try these products out!  #5Works #BeyondHydration

Disney on a Budget 2016 - Part 3

Welcome back to my tips for traveling to Disney on a Budget.  Just a quick mention once again that my tips from my previous two posts can also help with travel to other areas as well, but given that these are the tips I've used myself when booking Disney, I've kept to that theme.  

Missed the first two installments?  Check them out here:  Part 1 - Click here; Part 2 - Click here.

Today's post will be more specific to Disney/Orlando Parks.  We're going chat today about park tickets.

When looking for deals on park tickets, there are some discounts to be had, but beware of "deep discounts".  If you've ever driven around Orlando, you may have seen a number of places that offer tickets for ridiculously low prices.  These places are "buyer beware" - my recommendation is to always buy from an authorized ticket vendor.  Some examples of authorized vendors include Undercover Tourist, Kissimmee Guest Services and even WalMart.   There are a number of hotels that are authorized dealers too, but always watch for that claim, if they aren't authorized, you're taking a big risk.

Tickets are a often a significant financial investment in your trip, so make sure you take steps to ensure you aren't getting scammed.

No matter which parks you're considering going to, the multi-day tickets offer the better deals, however, if you are considering more than one park, it can get costly.  I recommend having an honest discussion with your family about what your "must dos" are.

Also keep an eye on price increases.  Disney has periodic price increases, and there is often a little bit of warning prior to the price increase.  If you know you're going, it's common sense, buy before the increase.  Once the increase happens, sometimes websites from authorized dealers will continue to sell at the previous prices until their stock is sold.  

Also watch for deals on authorized seller sites.  We've been able to purchase tickets to Universal that gave us 3 days for the price of two, and I've also seen Disney tickets selling 5 days for the price of 4.

One tip we came across - 1 and 2 day Disney tickets tend to be cheaper at the gate, but depending on the time of year and the time of day, the lines can be long.

All of this to say, we've found some good deals on Undercover Tourist and Kissimmee Guest Services.  They both also offer some additional tips and information on their websites, so they are very useful tools!

Good luck with your planning!

Have your own tips?  Share in the comments!