Rhubarb Muffins

I adapted this recipe to use rhubarb which has been growing in our garden.  These muffins have a cake like texture and taste great!  As a side note, they come off the paper liners really easily.  I hate when muffins leave half the muffin behind on the liner!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup chopped rhubarb

Topping:
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:
1.  Cream shortening, sugar and egg.
2.  Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture alternatively with milk.  Stir until just combined.
3.  Mix in rhubarb.
4.  Fill paper liners.
5.  Mix topping ingredients of sugar and cinnamon.  Spoon desired amount on top of muffin.
6.  Bake at 325F for 20-25 minutes.

Yield: 9 muffins

Vichy Idealia Life Serum Review

I have been using the Vichy Idealia Life Serum for a week now. Initially when I saw this product labelled as a "serum" I wasn't impressed as I was expecting a clear, oily like product that I thought would exacerbate my acne prone skin.

This product however was nothing like I expected. It was white with a lotion like consistency. It absorbed quickly into the skin and did not leave a sticky or oily residue. My skin tolerated this lotion very well as it didn't aggravate my acne prone skin or make my skin any oilier than usual. 

The lotion is fragranced and reminds me of a green tea scent. It is pleasant and not overpowering. 

I was using this serum daily after cleansing my face. I found that the product moisturized so well that I didn't need to apply a separate moisturizer. In fact I had been dealing with some dry patches on my skin due to the harsh acne products I use and found that the dry patches were well taken care of with this product.

I have noticed that my skin is softer and smoother with daily use but haven't yet noticed any further improvements to my skin at this point. Perhaps with continued use that will change.

Overall, I really liked this product but cannot justify the price tag for the softer, smoother and moisturized skin that I saw. This product retails for $59 for a 30 ml pump bottle.  I feel there are other products on the market with a lower price tag that would be just as effective. However, I would recommend this product to anyone to try as it really is a lovely product.

I received this product free of charge from ChickAdvisor for review purposes.