Nutrition Now MultiVites Hair Skin and Nails Gummy Vitamins Mixed Berry

Thanks to Smiley360, I got to try Nutrition Now™ MultiVites Hair, Skin & Nails gummy vitamins for free.

I found some pros and cons.

Pros:

-Easy to take - no glass of water needed

-Nice combination of vitamins - it's more than just biotin

-Flavor is good - nice berry flavor

Cons:

-Not suitable for vegetarians (gelatin) or vegans (gelatin and beeswax)

-High sugar content (6g per serving)

-Excessive amounts of some vitamins, especially the biotin (just because some is good does not mean tons is better - most of this is just getting flushed out of your system)

-Expensive per dose compared to other products (about $.0.85/dose)

-Less than a one-month supply per bottle if taken as directed

The gelatin itself rules out this product for me, along with the cost and sugar content, but it might be okay for some people.

Advil PM

Thanks to Smiley 360, I got the chance to try Advil PM for free.

Advil PM is a combination of Advil (ibuprofen) and diphenhydramine citrate (an antihistamine). Honestly, I probably would not have applied for the mission if I had know the active ingredient ahead of time. I use diphenhydramine occasionally for my allergies, and I can have very different reactions to it. About 80% of the time, it makes me drowsy and sleepy. About 10-15% of the time, it makes me very jittery. Therefore, I don't like to use it for insomnia. Also, very consistently when I take it, I wake up very abruptly about 3-4 hours after taking it. It's like my body just jolts awake once most of the medicine has worked through my system.

As for the Advil PM, I have been fortunate the couple of times I have tried it and it has not made me jittery. However, only one of the two times did it really help me fall asleep, but it did not prevent me from waking up multiple times during the night. It does come in a small package, convenient to keep near your bed. The pills are large, but not enormous. For people who need some pain relief and some help falling asleep, this is likely an okay product, but it is not a product that does anything different for me that one I already have and use. Advil PM

CharcoCaps® from DSE Healthcare

I received a free sample of CharcoCaps from The Upside Community to try and review.

CharcoCaps are from DSE Healthcare and are made from activated charcoal. This is a porous product used to trap toxins. You can find it in all sorts of health and beauty products these days. According to the CharcoCaps website, "Unlike other anti-gas products that use simethicone (an OTC drug ingredient) or enzymes, CharcoCaps® Anti-Gas Formula binds to gas and toxins carrying them safely out of the digestive system. Activated charcoal is naturally gentle on the stomach, and safe with no side effects when used according to label instructions (some users may experience darkening of the stool)."

I've tried CharcoCaps two or three times now, usually after very veggie heavy meals, typically in the early evening. I have to say that I am pretty impressed. They haven't totally gotten rid of my gas, but they have definitely made a huge improvement. I've only done one dose when I've used them, so I imagine if I took a follow-up dose that they would totally relieve the issue, but one dose has been enough to make me pretty comfortable. I can definitely see these being a brand I do to again and again. Even a half dose provided me enough relief on one occasion to be comfortable.

Thanks to my free sample of CharcoCaps, I now have a great way to manage those days when I'm gassy or bloated. The product is easy to use and has no taste. I also had no issues with any side effects. The blister packs that it comes in means that you can just take a dose or two and slip them in your purse or pocket when you are out which is very convenient. I would definitely recommend this product to others.

Please note, due to the way this product works, it can interfere with the effectiveness of other medications you take. Do not take within two hours (either before or after) of any other medications you may take.

Ripple Plant Milk

I got the chance to try Ripple plant-based milk for free thanks to MyMagazine Sharing Network. In the interest of full disclosure, I have purchased the Unsweetened Original flavor in the past on my own and did not like it at all. I typically use this type of product as a drink or over cereal, and I found the taste to be very strong and unpleasant. I drank about half a cup and then gave the rest of the bottle to a friend.

So for this free product trial, I decided to try the Chocolate variety seen here. My usual morning beverage is chocolate soy milk, but I still have mixed opinions about consuming that much soy, so I was hoping this would be a great alternative.

Upon opening and pouring the product, I found it to be very think. Almost the consistency of cream versus milk. I took a small sip and found it to be far too thick, so I added some water. However, even that first sip was not very promising. This does not taste like any chocolate beverage that I have ever had. The chocolate does nothing to mask the underlying flavor of the pea protein. I've been trying to come up with some way to describe the flavor of the pea protein base, but I really just can't. In addition, there is an almost metallic undertone to it and it is very bitter and leaves a very bitter aftertaste in my mouth for a long time. Finally, I found myself to be very upper-GI system gassy after drinking this. I burped regularly for at least an hour after finishing one glass.

I have since had a second glass that I again watered down and this time added ice before drinking. I still don't like the product, but if I drink it quickly, I can get it down so I will not waste the bottle. However, this brand (and I have tried the yogurt as well) is not one I can recommend. I'll stick to soy milk for now.

Ripple Greek Yogurt Alternative

Thanks to MyMagazine Sharing Network, I got the chance to try Ripple Greek Yogurt Alternative for free. As a coincidence, a friend of mine had also given me one of these as she had purchased them but didn't really like them. So I ended up trying both the maple and blueberry flavors.
I tried the maple first. It wasn't horrible, but it also wasn't very good. There wasn't really much actual maple flavor. If you had given it to me and not told me what flavor it was, I would not have been able to tell you. And it contains real maple syrup according to the label. I could definitely taste the pea-protein base (Ripptein is their trademarked name for this). It's a pretty strong, distinctive flavor. I also found the mouth feel to be a bit astringent. After eating it, my mouth felt really dry. Also, the consistency is much closer to regular yogurt, not Greek yogurt. It is pretty thin. And finally, the aftertaste of the product, which was not good, lasted for a long time. I went ahead and tried the blueberry, hoping that the flavor of blueberries would do more to cover up the Ripptein flavor. No. It was actually worse. I took one bite and threw the rest away. I'll stick to soy yogurt for now when I want a non-dairy product, which probably says a lot about how I felt about the Ripple. If you want to find out more about the line, check it out here: Ripple