SABA 60

Monday, I began a journey to find my skinny self.

Recently, I was sent several products from a friend who is a distributor for the company Saba.  They sell beauty and wellness products, as well as weight loss/management products.  After reviewing the beauty items, she offered to send me the Saba 60 program to use and review.

Lucky for me, I had decided it was time to get my butt in gear and start preparing for swimsuit season.  So I jumped at the opportunity to try it!

(There are a few varieties in the product selection where you can choose what will work best for you, but here's what I chose...)

It is a 60-day program that contains:
ToppFast meal replacement shakes, A.C.E. (Appetite Control & Energy), and Co-Clenz.

The program begins with a 5-day cleanse to flush your body of toxins and fat.  I have finally reached the final day, and BOY am I glad!!  Just gonna be honest... this was a tough week.  The program comes with a strict diet of NO fats or sugars for 5 days.  The first day was horrible.  I was hungry all day long, craved everything I shouldn't eat, and honestly I didn't think I'd make it through the rest of the week.  However, the second day was much easier.  And today, the last day, I've been perfectly fine.  No cravings.  No rumbling belly.

One of the best parts of the cleanse phase has been the Co-Clenz.  You take 2 capsules at night before bed with lots of water.  This helps to, obviously, cleanse your colon and body of unwanted fat and toxins.  However, it's not scary.  There's no running to the bathroom.  It just makes your body work properly and regularly.  This was something I needed, seeing that I had been bloated and "stopped up" for a week or so before beginning this process.

Today was the first time I've stepped on the scale since Monday.  Unfortunately, I haven't lost any weight this week, but I can tell a difference in my body.  My waist feels smaller than it did Monday, mainly because all of the bloating has been eliminated.  Also, I can tell a difference in the overall appearance of my skin and my energy level has increased.  So overall, the cleanse phase was a good start.

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow when I can begin the A.C.E. and Toppfast meal replacement shakes.

I took measurements and pictures at the start of my journey, but I'm going to wait to share my results at the end of the 60-day program.  I will also be posting updates along the way!  To add to my weight loss, I also started the T25 exercise program this week, so I'm hoping to see great results!

Stay tuned!

Below are some pictures of what's included in the 60-day kit:

Co-Clenz, A.C.E. and ToppFast meal replacement shakes.  Also included is a pamphlet with the 5-day cleanse meal plan, a sample meal plan for the remaining days, meal ideas, success stories, and charts to fill out your goals and progress along the way.


Here's hoping for great results and a great swimsuit season!!! :)

Product Review - SABA

Several weeks back, I was sent some products from a friend who is a SABA Representative.  She asked me to try them out and review them here on my blog.  I'm finally getting a chance to sit down and share my thoughts.  

Here we go...

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SABA Fresh Shampoo

16 oz.

retail: $9.10    

preferred customers: $6.50 + shipping & handling

"Enriched with adaptogens and body-boosting protein for all hair types. Contains mango, carrot, pumpkin cells and pomegranate antioxidants for gentle super-hydrating cleansing.*

SABA Fresh Conditioner

16 oz.

retail $8.40     

preferred customer: $6.00 + shipping & handling

"Replaces lost keratin protein, as it helps restore the essential moisture balance of your hair.  Fortified with adaptogens and pomegranate antioxidants for strengthening and hydrating."

Review:  I enjoyed using these products.  I am particularly picky when it comes to hair products, especially what I use to cleanse and condition my hair.  I have long, straight, and texturally fine hair.  I also tend to be more on the oily side.  I prefer shampoos that deep cleanse.  I don't like something harsh that will strip my color, but I do like to remove all traces of oil and residue from styling products.  SABA Fresh Shampoo did a good job of cleansing my hair and leaving it completely clean.  I also really enjoyed the fruity smell of these products.

The SABA Fresh Conditioner was nice, also, however I don't feel that it did the best job of leaving my hair soft and smooth.  My hair tends to tangle very easily and I have an extremely tender scalp.  I prefer conditioners that leave my hair feeling completely smooth and silky without being weighed down.  After using this conditioner, I found myself having to use a leave-in conditioning treatment before detangling, which is something I don't want to be a requirement every day.  I feel that if your conditioner is doing what it's supposed to, you shouldn't have to use a detangler every day.  Also, after a few weeks of using these products, I did notice my hair to be on the dry, frizzy side, which could mean that the product was a tad too harsh or stripping.

So while I enjoyed the smell and cleansing capability of the shampoo and I do think the price is relatively comparable to a higher-end drugstore product, I would recommend this product to someone who has extremely healthy hair.  If you are someone who has color-treated, dry or damaged hair, I'd recommend something with a tad more moisturization.  

Rating: 3 of 5 stars  * * * 

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SABA Lustre 3D Fiber Lash

retail: $26.00  

   

preferred customer: $16.00 + shipping & handling

"Revolutionizing your own natural eyelashes with Saba Lustre 3D Fiber Lashes.  Each application will provide you with the full and luscious-looking lashes you have always dreamed of, simply by accenting the allure of your own natural eyelashes."

Review:  Let me begin by saying this was my first time trying a fiber lash mascara, except for Maybelline's The Falsies mascara, which is not the same kind of product.  So I have nothing to compare this product to;  I can only give you my honest opinion of how this particular mascara worked for me.

Unfortunately, I was not impressed.  I wanted to like this, I really did.  But there were just too many things wrong.  First, I will begin by saying the price is comparable to its competition and the concept is the same.  

Let's walk through the steps of application.  

You begin with a coat of mascara of your choice.  Next, you apply a coat of the transplanting gel.  If this were the end of the process, I might have been okay.  But the next step is where it went terribly wrong.  After the transplanting gel, you quickly apply a coat of the fibers.  (I do recommend working with one eye at a time.  If the transplanting gel dries before you apply the fibers, they won't stick.)  Even applying correctly, the fibers didn't stick.  On my first attempt, I think there were too many fibers on the wand.  So on my second attempt, I watched a tutorial and followed her instructions by wiggling the wand at the rim of the tube to "rake off" the excess fibers.  

After applying the fibers, you apply another coat of transplanting gel to set the fibers.  You can add more layers, following the exact same steps as above, if you want more volume and length.

The reasons I was disappointed:

1. Most importantly, I'm not going to pay nearly 30 dollars for mascara.  I go through a lot of mascara.  I tend to replace mine once a month.  So it would just be unreasonable for me to spend that much money on mascara.

2. There are too many steps to achieve the completed look.  At the minimum, you are looking at 4 coats per eye.  That's 8 steps in total.  WAY too much time for me.

3. I wasn't happy with the results.  During one of my attempts, I applied the Fiber Lash to one eye and my Covergirl LashBlast Volume to the other (2 coats).  My Covergirl mascara gave a much greater impact.  I have naturally long lashes, but they are blonde.  I prefer my Covergirl LashBlast Volume over any other mascara, drugstore or high end.

4. The worst part, the fibers got in my eyes.  After my first attempt, I had no choice but to wash it off after just a few hours.  And even then, my eyes were irritated for a few days after.  I don't have terribly sensitive eyes, but this definitely didn't work for me.  It was like there were shards of glass under my eyelids every time I blinked.  ouch.

Needless to say, I didn't enjoy this product. 

Rating: 1 of 5 stars  *

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SABA Fresh Reparative Skin Therapy

(image: Rucker ACE)

0.5 ounces

retail: $65.00     

preferred customer: $45.00 + shipping & handling

"Ultra rich reparative skin therapy cream that hydrates with superior moisture across all layers of skin. It softens, nurtures and repairs dry, damaged and dehydrated skin, leaving it feeling soft, supple, smooth and moist.  This luxurious formula contains 100% natural rose water distilled with roses from Bulgaria, Tissue Respiratory Factor, Argireline and other essential ingredients."

Review:  This was the one product I was most excited about trying... and the product I was most pleased with!  Skin therapy and treatment is such an important part of skin care.  I get asked all of the time what makeup I use, but I believe that it starts with what's UNDER your makeup.  Your foundation can only do so much.  It's important to cleanse, moisturize, and treat your skin first, and then your foundation doesn't have to work as hard to appear smooth and flawless.

I started by just using this cream as a nighttime treatment, just to see how I'd like it.  After the first application, I could tell a difference in the smoothness and level of moisture in my skin.  After a night of use, my skin felt refreshed, smooth and hydrated.  So, then I began using it twice a day, morning and night.  I was also pleasantly surprised at how it performed under my foundation.  It has such a smooth appearance and effect on the skin, it actually worked as a great primer for foundation.  While it has great moisturization, it didn't leave my skin feeling or appearing oily.  I would say after a week of using this, I was quite pleased with the texture and appearance of my skin.

There were 2 downfalls.  
One will not apply to everyone.  I did notice after about a week, I began to develop little tiny whiteheads around my nose and chin.  Now, my skin is on the sensitive side and my skin tends to protest when I change up my normal routine and regimen.  So while I experienced this problem, you may not.  I'd say it's still worth trying.
The other downfall is the price.  $65.00 is quite steep, even higher than most products I use (or previously sold) from Merle Norman.  And with that price, you only get 0.5 ounce.  
It's tiny, especially if you're going to use it twice a day.
While I do feel like it's a great product, I do feel there are others that can be used to achieve the same results while costing much less.  But if you have the money to spend, give it a try.  
I think you'll like the results!

Rating: 4 of 5 stars * * * *

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I hope you found this post helpful and informative!
Thanks for reading!

When reviewing products, I always give my 100% honest opinion.
This is not a sponsored post.  All products were sent to me for review.