Le-Vel THRIVE Experience - Day 7

9 AM - Typical start, having our capsules with water. Erinn put her patch on the front of her thigh, and I put mine on my bicep.

9:30 AM - Since we aren't doing much today, and we want to conserve the THRIVE shakes, we have decided to go with other routes for breakfast this morning. I decided to have a Breakfast Essentials chocolate shake, and Erinn decided to start with a banana. We also had fresh croissants. 

I had a lot of energy throughout the morning. I was productive (which rarely happens on a day off), and build some side tables for my bedroom and the guest room. I expected to be really tired today since I drove to Phoenix yesterday and we didn't get home until midnight. I was very surprised by my own productivity. 

1 PM - We had chicken patties for lunch. We were a little hungry around 12, but weren't ready to eat until around 1 PM.

We went to a baby shower, and had some snacks that we not entirely healthy. 

7:30 PM - Everything we thought we had for dinner was spoiled, so we made tacos on a whim.

So here's my thoughts on THRIVE after the first week. While I'm not sure the patch does much, I think the capsules and shakes definitely do. We are getting a lot of vitamins and minerals into our systems. I definitely feel more energized since starting THRIVE. I am also getting used to the new morning routine that includes THRIVE. Erinn agrees. She also thinks that while she is unsure of what the patch is doing, it does remind her throughout the day to make healthier choices, such as eating fruits/veggies and drinking more water. 

I am excited to continue on with the program and see what other changes come from THRIVE.

Younique Makeup - Sample Swatches

So recently I have become a Makeup Consultant for Younique Makeup! I love the products, and with each purchase a donation is make to the Younique Foundation. This Foundation supports women who were sexually abused and educates people on sexual abuse. I have named my business Les Belles Femme which is french and translates to The Beautiful Women.

Erinn and I did some swatches of samples that I received in my Younique Presenter Kit. To get even more information on these product or to place an order, her over to BellesFemmesMakeup.com!

With each swatch that we tried, we used the Shine Eye Makeup Removed Cloths to remove the various makeups. We liked the makeup remover cloths. They removed the makeup with ease for the most part. They left the skin feeling soft, and had a nice scent to them as well.

The first product we tried was the Stiff Upper Lip lip stain. We liked the colors a lot. The lip stains were vibrant. Most of them came off with a little scrubbing, as a lip stain should. 

The second product we tried was the Lucrative lip gloss. This product had a wider variety of colors. Some were shimmery, and some were not. It was easy to apply, and easy to remove. 

The third product we tried was the Addiction Eye Shadow Palette. The palette I have is Palette 1. We used a spare eye shadow primer that I had on half of Erinn's arm to see if there was a difference in the color when a primer is used. There wasn't a change in the color for the most part. When we removed the eye shadow, we found that it stayed a little longer on top of the primer.

Le-Vel THRIVE Experience - Day 6

9 AM- Erinn and I take our pills.

9:30 AM - This morning we got to use our new 28 oz Blender Bottles, which we really liked (we've been using 20 oz bottles). They gave enough room to add everything in and still be able to shake enough for everything to mix. We experimented with our shakes this morning. Unfortunately, the box we get only comes with 16 shakes, even though it has a month worth of pills and patches. This means we have to be a little creative with our shakes. This morning we split a Vanilla THRIVE shake mix and a Chocolate Breakfast Essentials shake. I mixed half of each package with about 10 oz of Chocolate Almond Milk. Erinn mixed half of each shake with about 10oz of a mixture of chocolate and regular almond milk. We both liked this mixture and see this as a great alternative to using a full THRIVE shake packet EVERY day, in order to conserve them.

10:30 AM - We had croissants as a second breakfast. They were so fluffy and wonderful.

We traveled to Phoenix for the day, so our day was a little unusual. We had a wonderful day.

5 PM - We had dinner at Olive Garden. We were able to wait until 5 to eat, but got hungry around 4 PM.

Since we don't have a lot to share today, I've decided to share random info on the products. 

The pills are fairly small, and easy to take. We usually both feel awake within a few moments of taking the pills. This may be because of the water, but we still are enjoying the effects.

The patches sometimes leave a residue when we remove them. It is fine if you leave the residue. However, we usually like to take it off. We have been told a few ways to remove the residue. We typically use nail polish remover, but have been told coconut oil also takes it off easily.

Le-Vel THRIVE Experience - Day 5

6 AM - Erinn woke up. She took her pills but was running late today and decided not to make a shake. She grabbed a banana to eat on her way to school.

7:40 AM - I took my pills with 8 ounces of water.

8 AM - Erinn's first class is underway. She regretted not having a shake because she felt tired, unfocused, and mainly, hungry. At the beginning of her class it had been about 12 hours since her last meal, besides the banana. She really felt that throughout her day, until she was able to come home around 12:30 for lunch. 

8:10 AM - I have 10 ounces of Chocolate Almond Milk with Chocolate shake mix. And then spilt some of it in my bathroom trying to open my shaker bottle.

I felt good through the morning. I was not as sleepy as I was yesterday, and did not feel sick.

2 PM - I had snacks for lunch. I was not super hungry today. 

I was a little unfocused in the afternoon at work. This could also be because I have the next two days off, which I was excited about.

6 PM - I get off of work, and Erinn and I have some errands to run. We didn't get home until 8:45 PM, and were fine waiting until we were home to eat. We were both getting hungry around 8 PM.

I am excited to continue THRIVE next week. This week was a little off for me schedule wise, so I'm excited to get back into the usual swing of things with THRIVE by my side. I am also excited to see how well THRIVE works while mini-traveling this weekend.

Erinn learned today how reliant she is becoming on having breakfast. Most of our lives we haven't been big on eating breakfast, but now that we have gotten in the habit of it, we feel it when we don't. The THRIVE shakes are a great way for us to start our days off since they have such great amounts of vitamins and minerals to kick start our mornings in a positive way.

Le-Vel THRIVE Experience - Day 4

7 AM - No issues taking my capsules this morning. I am getting used to the new routine of taking the pills and drinking 8 ounces of water in the morning. 

7:30 AM - I had 4 ounces of regular Almond Milk and 6 ounces of Chocolate Almond Milk, with chocolate shake mix. I placed my patch on the front of my thigh. Erinn woke up and yelled across the apartment that she didn't want to get up for class. But once she finally got herself up she took her pills and within 10-15 minutes she was awake and perky. She went with a chocolate shake with chocolate milk. She put her patch on her thigh again today (the opposite leg though). She ate a banana once she got to school today.

11 AM - I had a hard time through the morning. I was sleepy this morning at work, nauseous, and had a headache. A coworker brought in donuts, and I fell to temptation and had one. I try to avoid sweet treats lately, so I think the sugar threw my body for a loop.

2 PM - I had a 6 inch sub from Subway for lunch, with no sides (which is an achievement for me!). I usually am not even close to full after a 6 inch sub, but today this filled me up. 

4 PM- Erinn had eaten a small lunch earlier in the day and was craving a snack. She brought a new snack with her to school today that she was excited to try. She had the Graze brand Whole Grain Banana Carmel Dippers. The Graze brand has great snacks that are low in fat and sugar and are made with minimal ingredients. We have both previously tried the chocolate pretzel dippers. I liked the pretzels, but am not a big fan of hazelnut, which is in the chocolate dip, so I didn't have the chocolate. Erinn really liked the chocolate pretzel dippers and said the chocolate tasted like nutella. Today though, she had the banana caramel dippers. She says they're really tasty. The banana shortbread cookies by themselves do not have a ton of flavor, but with the caramel are amazing! Even with caramel, the entire snack has only 10g of sugar, which is less than many other snack options.

Throughout the afternoon, I had a lot of energy and was focused at work. Erinn felt like she was very snacky today, but thinks this is likely because she ate a very tiny lunch (half a PB&J), a cheese stick, and a couple carrots. 

7 PM - I am just getting home from work, and again am not as hungry as usual. We are delaying dinner a little, as neither of us are really hungry yet. 

I've noticed that I don't snack as much, and am eating smaller portions than usual. My sleep patterns are a little off this week, which is probably just my body adjusting. However, my work schedule is weird this week due to the holiday which also be affecting my sleep schedule. Today is the first day that I have felt tired after taking my pills and shake.

Erinn has noted she has been sleeping very soundly this week. She wears a fitbit while she sleeps to track her sleeping habits and has had a lot less restlessness during the night. After 4 days she feels like she is starting to fully get the effects of Thrive. She says she is feeling very alert in her classes and having a much easier time paying attention. Taking everything in the mornings is starting to become a morning habit for both of us.

Le-Vel THRIVE Experience - Day 3

Erinn has class at 8 AM on Wednesdays, so she was up around 6 AM. Her timeframe was a little different than mine, but it followed the same general pattern. To make things easier, I have included her info with mine. She had her pills around 6 AM and her shake around 6:30 AM.

7:40 AM - Today is the first day that we both take 2 pills. Erinn and I both had a hard time getting out of bed this morning, and we don't think the dreary weather helped. We both felt more awake after having our capsules, and drinking water. I again had a 8 ounce glass of water to jump start my body.

8:10 AM - I had 10 ounces of Chocolate Almond Milk with Chocolate shake mix again. Erinn tried her Vanilla Shake Mix with Orange Juice. We both assumed that would taste like a creamsicle. Erinn liked the taste but really struggled with the texture. She said it was really grainy this morning with just the orange juice. She plans on trying different mixtures, like adding a banana, because she liked the taste, but just could not get past the texture. Erinn placed her patch on the front of her thigh today, and I placed mine on my forearm.

9 AM - Erinn had a bagel at school with some orange juice. 

Throughout the morning, I tried to steadily drink water. I have a water bottle that has a Brita filter in it, which makes it easier for me while working. Erinn said she felt very attentive during her classes today and wasn't sleepy during her 8am like she usually is. 

1 PM - I took my lunch break at work, and came home and made some food. I started feeling hungry around 12:30.

2 PM- Erinn ate a california roll and some watermelon for lunch.

Throughout the afternoon at work, I felt more focused than usual. I didn't crash mid-afternoon like I usually do. 

7 PM - We have already started making dinner, but I am just now starting to get hungry.

We were supposed to make it to the gym tonight, but Erinn's homework load is more than expected. We hope to start going back to working out regularly tomorrow. We both tried to drink more water than usual, as this has been something we have struggled with.

I had a hard time going to sleep again last night. I stared at my ceiling for about an hour before finally falling asleep after 11 PM. I think doing nothing all day adversely affected my body. On days off from now on, I will be attempting to do more throughout the day, even if it is just going to the gym or pool for a little while. 

Le-Vel THRIVE Experience - Day 2

One day down, many more to go! When Erinn and I took our patches off, we both had a little residue from the edges of the patch. Erinn used some nail polish remover/acetone, and the residue came off easily. 

8 AM - I took my pill with 8 ounces of water. Erinn was up and going before me this morning, but she said that she had hers with about 4 ounces of water. We both feel more awake after this. However, this may be due to the water that we drank. 

8:30 AM - I had the chocolate shake mix again, with 10 ounces of Chocolate Almond Milk. Erinn used half of a packet of chocolate shake mix, with around 10 ounces of regular Almond Milk. Erinn said that with half of the powder, the shake was thinner, and she thought it was easier to drink. We only have 20 ounce Blender Bottles right now. We are buying bigger ones, so we can put more liquid in the drink. I think this will make it less grainy. Erinn has placed her patch on her forearm today, and I put mine on my bicep. I didn't have any strange feeling in my head like yesterday and Erinn did not have the sensation in her muscle that she did yesterday.

10 AM - I am starting to want food, but I am not hungry. I think this is more out of boredom than being hungry.

1 PM - I am just now starting to get hungry. This is surprising because usually I am starving around 12. 

2:30 PM - Erinn ate lunch after her class. She says that she got hungry around 1 PM. She's not sure if she was hungry or bored of her class when she started getting hungry. She reports that she ate less than she typically would for lunch- less snacks on the side of her sandwich. 

5 PM - I am feeling a little tired. I slept 2 hours less than I usually do last night. I am not nap-level tired, but I am not as energetic as I was yesterday. I also have been sitting on the couch for most of the day instead of being active. Erinn is in her last class of the day and is having a much easier time paying attention in it. She says its a very dry class and by this point in the day its nearly impossible to pay attention to the professor, but she was actually able to maintain her attention span for most of the lecture.

6 PM - We are making dinner. We are hungry, but not famished.

Overall a weird day for both of us. We both felt really awake this morning after having our pills and shakes. Throughout the day, Erinn felt more energetic than usual, while I did not. Tomorrow will be my first day at work while using the product, so we will see how it goes! We are both enjoying the products, and think they are offering benefits for us.