Category: Reviews

Reviews

Form Nutrition // Game changer

by madeleineskristensenLeave a Comment on Form Nutrition // Game changer

You know my search for tasty and natural vegan protein powders has been going on for a while. Well okay, not entirely natural as I’ve tried the natural hemp protein powders and I couldn’t stand the taste but as natural as can be considering protein powders aren’t that natural, as in you won’t find them growing on trees exactly and I know when you look at the ingredients on these bags it’s extracts and such but I try to still find things that aren’t filled with crap. I know you guys get what I mean… Okay Maddie, enough blabbering.

I’ve searched far and wide for the perfect one, the one that just takes it to a new level and I think, I think I might’ve found it. Enter Form Nutrition! Form Nutrition has been popping up here and there on social media, lots of fitness influencers have been using this brand and you can tell this company is pushing hard to get the top of the top to use their product. Incredible ladies who I look up to like Zanna van Dijk, Venetia Falconer and Shona Vertue have been singing their praises and if it’s good enough for these ladies, I was pretty sure it would be good enough for me.

Carol at the gym was already trying out the Performance Protein with Chocolate Peanut flavour!!! How good does that sound? It’s like my favourite smoothie but in protein powder form. Talk about meant to be. Anyway, she heard me asking about Form Nutrition and kindly enough brought a sample for me to try and I thought it was really tasty and decided to order it and give it a go.

I was trying Missfits Nutrition as you guys know but I just wasn’t quite convinced. Since I train a lot I thought the Performance Protein sounded something more up my street. Call me a bit superficial but the entire brand appealed to me a lot more than Missfits. It’s funny how branding does that!

I ended up ordering the same protein with same flavour as Carol and am now on my second bag and I love it. In comparison to a lot of other brands, the two recommended scoops they tell you to use for a shake or smoothie contains 30g of protein, that’s a lot! I use protein powders because I’ve become smoothie obsessed and the protein powder helps to bulk it up and make me feel fuller for longer. It makes it easier to maintain a plant based diet whilst still getting that little extra boost of protein. I’m not at all obsessed with protein but I do notice it makes me more full, otherwise I could eat forever hehe.

They claim on the packaging that their protein powder is supposedly helpful for other things such as increased immunity (thanks to probiotics in the powder), aiding recovery (with Curcumin C3, an ingredient in turmeric and BioPerine, which is an extract from black pepper) and muscle growth and repair (with BCAAs, I’ve read and heard very mixed things about the effectiveness of BCAAs). It all sounds well and good but to be honest I don’t know if it actually does this for me. At the end of the day it tastes good, the ingredients are good considering how jam packed the protein powder market is of absolute rubbish. I don’t think this protein powder is a miraculous solution to the world of nutrition but it is a good addition if you’re looking for something to boost your nutrition game with.

Another massive bonus which I really love about this company is their collaboration with Family Feeding Fund at Bansang Hospital in Gambia. This collaboration means that with every product purchased Form donates a meal to a family. How amazing is that? I know a protein company won’t save the world but I love supporting companies who want to make a difference in the world with their business because why not? They have a power to make a massive difference.

I’m quite tempted to try their other protein powders and flavours but at the same time I can’t get myself to give up my chocolate peanut one. It’s sooooo tasty. I really wasn’t a fan of chocolate protein powders a while ago so this is something which still surprises me when I write it. What I would say is that I something miss having a vanilla protein powder as it’s a bit more versatile but I can’t justify stocking up on loads of different flavours so for now the chocolate one will do and I really love it so I’m not complaining!

Have you guys tried Form Nutrition? What do you think of it? x

Reviews, Sustainability

Natural deodorant review: Schmidt’s Bergamot + Lime

by madeleineskristensenLeave a Comment on Natural deodorant review: Schmidt’s Bergamot + Lime

Hi guys! Taking a little break with the Rainhill posts and instead wanted to share a recent find I made when it comes to natural hygiene or what I should call it! A while ago, must be over a year now, I was informed by my friend Kat how bad normal deodorants are for our health. Our pores in our armpits absorb all the scary chemicals in the deodorant so it goes straight into our body. Doesn’t sound that great to me but it was only a couple of months ago I started trying out natural deodorants. I was also looking for something that was vegan and cruelty free. Whilst it also was sustainable and good for the planet.

The first brand I came across and tried was Salt of the Earth. I had no idea what to expect. I tried one of their sprays with an essential oil smell. It smelled lovely but those light sprays in my armpit didn’t feel like it was really going to do anything for someone who trains and sweats a lot. You don’t want to smell and you don’t want the sweat to be pouring either. As charming as it sounds, I’m quite a naturally sweaty person. Something I used to be really embarrassed and self conscious of when I was younger but have just accepted with age. I just need something that’s going to keep me dry.

Salt of the Earth was not something that worked for me at all. I smelt fine most of the time but I sweated loads during workouts. It was bad and I didn’t enjoy it at all. I finished it off and then came across Schmidt’s Bergamot + Lime natural deodorant. I think it might’ve been Sarah’s Day who was talking about it. Instead of it being a spray it was a more solid substance and you rubbed it into your armpit. That sounded more like something that would give more protection against sweatiness and smell so I decided to order it off Amazon and give it a try.

At first I thought it was very odd standing and rubbing stuff into your armpit. It does look and feel weird but you get used to it quickly and now I don’t mind it at all. You get a little spatula with the glass pot that you get the deodorant out with. You really don’t need a lot. I love that it’s a glass jar as it’s easier to recycle and better for the planet! If only the lid was metallic, unfortunately it’s plastic.

The deodorant smells nice and fresh. Once you rub it in you can’t really smell it at all. I have to say I absolutely love this deodorant. I feel like I don’t smell at all when I use it and the sweat is minimal. I didn’t really expect a natural deodorant to work so well for me but I really think it’s the best deodorant I’ve used so far ever, including non-natural ones. It is a bit faffy with the rubbing but all the positives outweigh this one negative.

I really think you guys should give it a go! Obviously we’re all different but it’s worth testing. Please let me know of any natural and cruelty free deodorants you’ve tried that you think are good. I’d love to hear xx

Reviews

Biccy Boms // Livia’s Kitchen

by madeleineskristensenLeave a Comment on Biccy Boms // Livia’s Kitchen

Jamie and I went to see The Post at the cinema the other day. I thought it was quite boring! Jamie absolutely loved it but I just never got into it and thought it was slow. I  had rather high expectations and was really looking forward to see it but I don’t know, it just wasn’t what I expected it to be. It’s a shame but we still had a good time and I’m glad Jamie liked it. I guess I was expecting something more like Spotlight, a film which we both absolutely loved. I don’t think I blinked the entire time we watched that film when we saw it in the cinema.

When I’m at the cinema I sometimes like having a little treat with me and since Livia’s Kitchen recently launched in Boots we swung by before the film started so I could try their latest release, the Biccy Boms. If you haven’t heard of Livia’s Kitchen before, they specialise in creating all natural sweet treats and their website is full of tasty recipes. They also sell a healthier and natural version of Millionaires Shortbread. I’ve read loads about their newbies, Biccy Boms, and seen people raving about them so of course I was tempted to try them. It’s nice to have a treat when you have a cinema date night so this was the perfect opportunity to try them out.

They come in bigger packs or small packs of two. I went for the chocolate and salted maca in the small packs. As soon as the lights faded out in the cinema I went for it and tried the salted maca. Unfortunately I thought the chocolate on the outside was far too sweet. It also says on the packet there should be a soft date centre, I was expecting gooeyness but it was all a bit dry. I didn’t really like. I was wondering if it could’ve just been the flavours or maybe it was a bad batch. I wasn’t sure so then decided to try the chocolate flavour, again it was far too sweet and it all felt really dry and uninspired on the inside.

I really thought it was a a shame because I follow Livia’s Kitchen on social media and always drool over their healthy but indulgent sweet treats. I was really hoping these Biccy Boms would be good but no I wouldn’t buy them again. Have you tried Biccy Boms? What were your thoughts? I’d love to hear!

Reviews, Snacks

Missfits Nutrition review

by madeleineskristensenLeave a Comment on Missfits Nutrition review

Good morning lovelies! Protein powder has become sort of a staple ingredient in my diet, because I eat plant-based at home I find it an easy way to make sure I get a filling snack in between lunch and dinner in a smoothie. I’ve gone from not understanding the point of smoothies to absolutely loving them! Especially smoothie bowls, eating them with a small spoon and with toppings on makes me chew them slowly. This in turn starts up the digestion and makes sure you feel full rather than when you drink it. It feels like it just runs through me then. Plus I get a sore stomach from drinking smoothies, so give it a try if get bloated after drinking smoothies.

It’s been a while since I said in this blog post I was going to let you know what I thought on Missfits Nutrition so I thought better late than never! At least I’ve had a chance to properly try it before letting you guys know what I think…

When I started my venture out into the world of protein I was using Neat Nutrition’s vegan vanilla protein. Since I really didn’t have much experience with how any other brands tasted I thought it was alright. It didn’t taste great but then I had also heard that protein powder doesn’t really taste great anyway.

Then at the SFN Expo I came across Missfits Nutrition. I don’t why but something about it caught my eye when we were browsing about that made me stop and what to try their protein samples. I really liked the taste of the powder even though it was only mixed with an water or almond milk I think. That was a game changer for me because I disliked Neat Nutrition’s protein on it’s own with just water or a plant-based milk.

They had a very generous deal on during the Expo so I ended up leaving with two packets of their vegan vanilla protein. I was convinced at that point that chocolate was just not for me, however the guy at the stall handed me some samples of their vegan chocolate so I thought it would be rude not to try! I did eventually dare to try it in one of my smoothies and I can say that I’m now a chocolate protein kind of girl as well. LOVE it! My most recent order was actually just the chocolate, didn’t think that would ever happen.

My favourite way of eating my smoothie bowls is when they’re blended with frozen banana and loads of ice to make it like an ice cream. It’s DELICIOUS. Since I’ve started using Missfits I have a couple of times had to go back to my old bag of Neat Nutrition lying in the back of my drawer because I’ve run out and was waiting for a new delivery. Going back and having Neat again after trying something else you can really taste the difference. I much prefer Missfits I have to say.

I know now I’m being very much a creature of habit and just continuing to use Missfits when I perhaps should try other brands too. I’m quite tempted to try Form Nutrition and Sun Warrior. If you guys have tried them let me know what you think, or if you have any other recommendations send them my way.