Happy Thursday!

I hope you’re all having a fantastic day!

I’m so excited to share this incredible hair care line with you today! It was sent to me for review from their salon in London, UK, and I’ve been loving it since it arrived really.

It is the Gielly Green Luxury Natural Hair Care and they’ve sent me their Repair Shampoo and Repair Mask for review. I’ve been using both for a few weeks regularly now and I’m super excited because this line is just amazing!

Repair Shampoo + Complementary Mask

First off, the shampoo and repair mask both smell incredible! 

Not only do they both have this amazing cocoa vanilla type scent to them, which I love, but they also work really well to cleanse and condition the hair without stripping it of valuable natural oils. Instead, their formulas include a variety of natural plant oils and butters to repair damage, strengthen and restore elasticity, and add hydration and shine. The Repair Shampoo that I received really lathers quite nicely and cleanses the hair well without feeling drying at all.  My only complaint is that it doesn’t detangle much, but the repair mask definitely does the rest of the work really well anyway so that’s just nit-picking at this point.

Gielly Green Repair Mask

The Repair Mask is mud based, but also includes a variety of natural oils to refine and soften hair as well as  improve shine, elasticity and, of course, repair damage done. I really like the creaminess of this conditioner. It looks like custard in the jar and smells like dessert as well, but don’t eat it! It conditions, softens and detangles locks really nicely and it’s much much easier to comb through once I’m done showering.

Over these past few weeks, this set from Gielly Green has made my hair much more manageable, softer, shinier (though not oilier, thankfully), added volume, and a lot less dead looking. The winter and too much hair coloring really did a number on my hair and this has made my hair look much more healthy and full of life. I also love that the products are all naturally formulated, sulfate free and include beneficial plant oils and butters for optimal hydration and repair through the use of natural ingredients. I definitely plan on purchasing this set once I run out of the samples that Gielly Green sent me and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has damaged or frequently tangled hair, especially if it’s long, because this does the trick!

You can learn more about the Repair Shampoo & purchase it - here.

You can learn more about the Repair Mask & purchase it – here.

What Hair Care Products Are You Loving Lately?

I’d Love to Know in the Comments!

<3

Anyway, I was super excited to try this out as I’ve been praising Dr. Murad and his skin philosphies on this blog since the early days. If you weren’t with us yet, do check out this post and this post to learn more about Dr. Howard Murad’s awesome views on beauty and health. Otherwise, try out this delicious smoothie recipe from his book.

So, since receiving this from the lovely ladies of The Beauty Box a few weeks ago, I’ve tested it out several times and I am really happy to report back to you that this face peel works really well and surprisingly fast. It comes out of the squeeze tube easily enough and you can control how much comes out given it’s in a tube which I really like as I hate to waste product. It looks pretty much like a face lotion and you apply a thin layer to your face after cleansing. Then, you leave it on for up to 10 minutes and rinse off with a warm wash cloth. The feel of this isn’t nearly as noticeable as the Liquid Gold from Alpha-H which has a noticeable tingle to it. I don’t know if this will offer similar long term results to that, but it’s certainly a more gentle option for those who can’t bear the tingle of Alpha-H’s glycolic acid products. If you prefer a more natural peel option, check here.

This peel, as many of the products in the Intensive-C® line from Murad, utilizes a number of beneficial ingredients for the skin including glycolic acid and vitamin C which work to slough off dead skin cells and fight off free radical damage brought on by stress, pollution and UV rays to reveal a brighter, healthier complexion. They also utilize a variety of natural essential oils, plant extracts, clays and amino acids to help heal and encourage cell turnover and collagen production.

The difference between before and after using this is like night and day for me. I tried it a few weeks ago, for the first time, not thinking it’d be too effective, but I was really surprised that the effects seemed so immediately noticeable on my skin. After I rinsed the peel off, my skin looked instantly brighter, clearer, and felt softer and smoother. I’m not sure how they’re doing it all, but it really does work time and again as I’ve now used it several times and can attest to the consistent results this delivers. Not only that, but I do think it has actually improved my skin for the better and would certainly recommend it to those battling dullness, acne scarring or hyperpigmentation or brown spots, and other discoloration. Although I wish this was a more natural formula, the results are undeniable.

You can check this peel out at The Beauty Box – here.

Have You Ever Tried A Face Peel Before?

What Are Your Thoughts on At=Home Peels Vs. Spa Type Peels?

I’d Love to Know Your Thoughts on this!

<3

Have a Great Week!

Source: Bits of Truth Blog

from Ishvara via Pinterest

Source: Masters Channel via Pinterest

Source: From how-we-and-up-alone.blogspot.com via Pinterest

Source: From kimklassencafe.com via Pinterest

Source: From littlemissmomma.com via Pinterest

What Are Your Favorite Quotes this Week?

I’d Love to Know in the Comments!

<3

I have noticed I’ve developed a kind of routine when it comes to fitness and diet that really depends a lot on my phone. I use 3 apps in particular on a near daily basis because of how handy they are and I thought it would be fun to share them with you and maybe you can get some benefit from these awesome free mobile applications as well so I hope you enjoy!

The first app on the list is absolutely My Fitness Pal. It’s super helpful for tracking everything you eat, the amount of calories you’re consuming ( vs. how many you should be consuming ), the vitamins you’re getting from that food and if it’s in line with your daily recommended intake for them, your water intake, and lastly, the amount of calories you burn in any given workout. I use it every day to log my meals and keep track with my calories and nutrients as well as logging my workouts. It’s really helpful to make sure I’m staying on track with food and fitness and it helps me stay focused because of it. It’s definitely a tool for success if you’re looking to lose weight or just eat better.

The second app I really love and use pretty much on a daily basis is Spotify. My boyfriend introduced me to this amazing music service. If you’re someone who loves listening to different kinds of music, but don’t necessarily want to buy all of it. You can listen to their radio just like Pandora or LastFM, but it’s much better in design and function because I never get weird songs that have nothing to do with the artist I want to listen to. Also, if you get premium ( which I have ), you can create playlists with any songs that they have available. It’s like burning a digital mix CD for myself. As long as you pay the $10/month fee, you have those playlists. In my opinion, it’s totally worth the money because of how much you can do with it. At first I thought it wouldn’t be worth it, but now that I have, I couldn’t be happier! Plus, the playlists are a solid part of my workouts now so I find I do better when I have Spotify. I went 1 week without it while deciding on whether to get premium or not and I just caved because it’s such a fantastic service.

The last app I use a lot is this Calories Burned app for Android. I know there are tons of Calories Burned type apps out there for Iphone and Windows, though, if you don’t have an Android phone so they should be easy to find. This one is free and it works pretty well at calculating calories burned for nearly any exercise or workout, including some DVD workout programs like Insanity, Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred and P90X, so it’s versatile in that. Also, I’ve compared it to online calories burned sites and it’s pretty accurate. I use this to figure out what I’ve burned when the workout I’ve done ( like Ab Ripper X) isn’t available on My Fitness Pal.

So, those are my favorite apps!

What Are Your Favorite Mobile Apps?

I’d Love to Know In the Comments!

<3

I hope you’ve all had a great weekend and enjoyed some down time and laughs.

I’ve just been hanging out, working out and reading the second book in the Beautiful Creatures series, Beautiful Darkness. It’s pretty good if you’re into witchcraft, magic, and the South. I like it, anyway

While you’re lounging about, Here’s some Posts You May Have Missed This Week!

March Goals

Gold Sakura Moist Hinoki Deitanseki Hot Cleansing Oil Review 

Acure Organics Deep Conditioning Hair Mask

Kanti Organics Body Oil Review

Blogger Link Love Friday #4

TGIF!

Man, today felt ridiculous, what with the “Spring Forward” time change. It really murdered any attempts I made at getting up at 4 AM this week, but at least I still made it to the gym a few times anyway and I’ll go on the weekend as well. My eating was spot on this week, though, so that makes me happy! Tomorrow is my blog birthday – can you believe it?! Anyone have any ideas how that should be celebrated? I’d love to hear your ideas!

Anyway, onto today which is Blogger Link Love Friday! I hope you enjoy all the featured bloggers and discover some new bloggers to love <3

Romantic Thoughts – Little Fashionista on the Prairie

I love this awesome outfit collage from Little Fashionista on the Prairie, especially the skirt and those earrings! It’s really spot-on romantic and lovely. There are always fantastic fashion posts going on this blog so I highly recommend checking it out for great style inspiration!

Roman Holiday – Audrey Hepburn – I’m Cool Ok

I really enjoyed this Style Icon post from I’m Cool Ok because I love Audrey Hepburn! She has so many great quotes {and outfits!} and her philosophy on life is really admirable. This was a fun post on her film, Roman Holiday, and why Audrey is awesome. Which she is. This blog is always featuring fun fashion posts, often inspired by celebrities and things, which I think is a lot of fun to follow.

March Popsugar Must Have Box – Adventures In Polishland

This fun post from Adventures In Polishland features what’s in the March Popsugar Must Have Box. It looks like a fun box to receive, peeps and all so definitely check out her post to see what she got! She also does frequent nail art posts and they are amazing!

How to Wear Polka Dots – Fancy Francy

I love this fashion blog, Fancy Francy, because the fashion is really wearable and always looks effortless. They also feature style and beauty posts and I find them to be really fun to read. I love this one on how to wear polka dots fashionably!

Grocery Shopping in Japan – Mrs Gaeul

This post that Mrs. Gaeul did on her grocery shopping experience in Japan was SO COOL to see! I’ve never been to Japan so I find it really interesting what with my being a huge foodie and all. I think this blog is really fun and humorous to read as Autumn, the blogger behind this brilliance takes us on all of her life’s adventures in beauty, fashion, fitness, and travel! Plus, I think she’s really unique in that she’s a Muslim American woman and I really haven’t seen many women like her in the blogosphere, but I am loving it!

Closet Staple: Black Skinny Jean – With Love, Shmon

I really enjoyed this post With Love, Shmon did on black skinny jeans. I totally agree with her that they’re a total closet staple and super easy to style. She always has awesome style posts and blogs a lot on fashion and beauty. I find her blog to be really simple, cute and fun!

Sugarpill Cosmetics – La Belle Dame Sans Merci

I absolutely love La Belle Dame Sans Merci blog! She always has awesome beauty, fashion and lifestyle posts that feature awesome products and honest reviews. This post on Sugarpill Cosmetics was a fun read and the colors look fantastic! Definitely check out some of her great posts.

What Are Some Of Your Favorite Posts From This Week?

Have a Great Weekend Lovelies!

<3

Kanti Organics Body Oil

One of the great things about being a smaller beauty blogger such as myself is that I get to review more small business beauty brands and, often times, find out that I can get a great product for much less than higher end designer brands would offer it for.

Kanti Organics is one such small, but nonetheless awesome beauty brand!

They offer a small range of natural and organic skincare products for face, body and even babies. Their Restoring Body Oil is the second product I’ve tried from their lovely range of products and it’s been just as lovely as the first! I had first tried their Rejuvenating Facial Serum which I highly recommend. Both smell similar and AMAZING as well as being effective in hydrating, softening, and brightening skin.

The scent of this body oil is similar, as I said, to their Rejuvenating Facial Serum, but it’s a bit more subtle. It includes tons of natural and organic plant oils such as grape seed, coconut, apricot, and olive as well as other healing essential oils which give this oil it’s relaxing, intoxicating scent. It’s super hydrating and softening and works well straight out of the shower when skin is still damp. It also works fantastic when you add a few pumps to your bath to soften and moisturize skin, especially if you’re the type of person who hates applying and massaging in body oil – you will get similar benefits from the oil using it this way.

Really, I can’t recommend this enough as a body oil for anyone and everyone. It’s really lovely in scent without being overpowering so you can wear it with perfume or body spray and it’s super effective at hydrating and softening skin without too much fuss. It’s a solid body oil at a very affordable price so do check it out!

You can learn more about the Kanti Organics Restoring Body Oil – here.

What’s Your Favorite Body Oil?

Do You Prefer Body Oils or Creams?

I’d Love to Hear Your Thoughts in the Comments!

<3

Related Articles:

Kanti Organics Rejuvenating Face Serum Review 

I’ve been meaning to review this cleansing oil for some time as I’ve had it and been testing it in various ways, on and off, since December. I know, I know, that’s a crazy long time, but I’ve just had so much stuff to review, it’s been overwhelming to test everything properly and review them in good time so I hope you’ll forgive me

Anyway, this cleansing oil was sent to me for review from the lovely people over at Gold Sakura, a beauty shop which exclusively offers natural Japanese beauty products, and I was thrilled because I love Asian beauty products! If you haven’t experienced Asian beauty products yet, you really ought to. This particular cleansing oil is the Moist Hinoki Deitanseki Hot Cleansing Oil which is a naturally formulated cleanser from Japan that utilizes honey, yogurt filtrate, castor oil and Japanese cypress oil also known in Japanese as Hinoki.

This cleansing oil is perfect for all skin types, especially acne prone, because it really heats up when you use it and clears out pores, unlike some cleansing oils which can feel leave a heavy oily residue, this one feels heavy while you cleanse your skin, but it deep cleans and rinses completely off so there’s no film left on the skin when you’re done and your skin still gets completely clean. Another thing I really love about this cleansing oil is the hinoki ( Japanese cypress oil ) in it because it makes the oil feel almost cooling to the skin while you massage it in and leaves the skin feeling really fresh and clean like a more stripping cleanser would, only without the stripping or the harsh ingredients.

This is great for removing makeup and its super gentle, yet effective. I highly recommend this for those struggling with acne who also battle dryness because this hydrates without irritating or clogging pores. All other skin types could probably benefit from using this as well, though I think it’d be most beneficial for dry acne prone skin types. The cooling, refreshing effect of it really does feel like a Japanese hot spring or something and I’ve quite enjoyed trying it out!

You can learn more about and purchase this cleansing oil from Gold Sakura – here.

What’s Your Favorite Cleansing Oil?

Have You Ever Tried Japanese Beauty Products? 

I’d Love to Hear Your Thoughts & Recommendations in the Comments!

<3

Related Articles:

My Top 10 Favorite Asian Beauty Products

A Closer Look At My Favorite Taiwanese Beauty Brand – Naruko 

Get Naturally Clear Skin with Naruko’s Apple Seed & Tranexamic Acid Line

I’ve recently been trying out this deep conditioning hair mask from Acure Organics as my hair has felt seriously damaged these days and I’ve been needing conditioners almost every time I shower given how tangled it becomes. This conditioning hair mask smells really pleasantly of minty freshness without being overpowering. The scent seems more like a subtle afterthought than anything so it can be used with other products without scents clashing much.

To apply this, you simply take a small amount (depending on hair length; mine is long and I use about 1-2 quarter sizes) and massage it into your hair, concentrating on the ends. Then, relax and let it do it’s thing for 5 minutes, comb through and rinse. The formula includes argan oil and CoQ10 for their nourishing properties as well as argan stem cells which are said to penetrate the follicle while locking in color and hydration.

I really enjoy the scent of this conditioner and it does add a fair amount of shine and volume to my hair. The only thing is that my hair was still pretty tangled after using this, though less so than before, and I actually find the name a bit confusing ( …Root Repair) because it sounds like you’re meant to use it on the roots of hair even though it’s meant to be used on your ends. Other than that, I really enjoyed using this hair mask. It works fairly well and it doesn’t leave a residue or film behind on the hair which I like a lot. I just wished it had been a bit more detangling than it was, but if you’re more concerned with volume and shine, this is a really natural and effective hair mask option for those needs.

You can check this conditioning hair mask out – here.

Have You Tried Any of Acure Organics’ products?

What’s Your Favorite?

Let Me Know in the Comments!

<3

Happy Tuesday! 

I hope you’re all having a fantastic day so far and enjoying the week. I’ve been kind of scatter brained lately and fell off a bit on my early morning workouts, but I’ll jump right back on tomorrow morning with that so, it happens. I’ve been pretty on with my eating, except for this past weekend which was pretty off all weekend. Thank goodness I was able to just maintain my weight instead of gain so I’m grateful for that. I’m kicking it into high gear this week and really buckling down with my diet and fitness plans so I can keep on the right track. So with all that on my mind, I thought I’d better update with my goals for this month while it’s still semi-early in the month, though I’m a bit late in posting. 

Here’s Last Month’s Goals & How I Did: 

1. Make More Money AND Save More Money. I actually got a raise in the new year (yay!!) and I am still working on saving a bit. I am on the right track, though, so I just need to stay on it. 
2. Organize My Closet, Room & Bathroom Areas! I haven’t done this AT ALL. It so needs to get done, but I’d really like to purchase some organizers for this project and I haven’t been able to do that yet so when I do, it’s more likely to happen. 
3. Stay Consistent With the Gym & Working Out 5-6 Times Per Week. I’ve been really consistent on going to the gym and working out if I wasn’t able to go so I’m happy about that!
4. Stay Consistent With Healthy Eating. With my diet, I’ve been really on or just okay and rarely have I been just completely off. This weekend I did slip up a bit, but I was back on track by Sunday so I’m glad I have been okay with that. I’d like to keep on with this and be more consistent with making my lunch for the week.
5. Lose 10-15 pounds. I actually did lose 8 pounds in the past month or so since January so yay! I know it’s not the 15 pounds I wanted, but it’s a start. 
6. Be A More Romantic Girlfriend. I think I’ve been doing okay at this. We’ve been taking time to go watch films together and hang out a bit, but I would like to plan more things to do on the weekend as well.

My Goals for this Month:

• Make My Lunches for the Week More Consistently. I have been pretty consistent where healthy eating is concerned, but I admit I’ve been eating out way too much this past week and it’s mostly due to my being too tired or too lazy to prepare my lunches for the week so starting clean this week with my lunches all prepared, I’d really like to keep on with making my lunches each week because it does keep my healthy eating on track.
• Go to the Gym 5-6 Times Per Week ( 4 Times At 5 AM During Week ). I’ve been really good with this, but I just like a nice reminder. The only thing I really fell off with was my morning workouts. With daylight savings “Spring Forward” with the clock going forward an hour, it’s been tough.
• Do More Fun & New Things With My Boyfriend. As I said, we’ve been going to see films together and hanging out, but I’d like to plan more things for us to do and I’d like us to go on a mini vacation sometime this Summer or something. Anyone have any ideas to recommend?
• Organize My Bathroom & Closet. This just NEEDS to get done. I will be picking up the organizing boxes, dividers and shelving sometime this month and it WILL happen. 
• Save Money. It’s still on my list and it will happen soon. 
• Lose 10-15 Pounds. I know it’s ambitious, but I’m keeping this on my list because I really need to motivate myself with weight loss so I’m keeping it on here so it stays on my mind. 
• Get Up At 4 AM Tues-Friday for My Morning Workouts. As I said above, my morning workout has fallen off and I’d like to get back to that so I’ll be going back to my 4AM wake up times this week and going on through this month. I really enjoyed the improved energy and focus I got from getting up earlier and getting my workout done first thing.
• Spring Clean. This is just a general note to clean out my closet, clean out my bathroom and get rid of junk and clutter that’s been sitting around catching dust. 

What are your goals for March?

Let me know in the comments below!

<3

Related Articles:

My Goals for February

11 Tips to Help Your Weight Loss & Fitness Goals

My Goals for 2013

I hope you’re all having a fantastic weekend and enjoying your time off ( if you have it ). 

I’ve had a busy week and I’m enjoying getting back on track with my workouts, healthy eating and all that jazz. I had quite a difficult time this past week waking up at my usual 4 AM to work out at the gym for some reason so I took it pretty easy and only worked out 3 times at the gym during the week and once at home doing a bit of strength training (squats, lunges, etc.). I’ll be going all weekend to get my workouts in and make up for the times I missed during the week and try to get back on track with that by Monday.

As for healthy eating, I’ve done pretty well except for a few days this week where I had 2 cheat meals and caved and bought some white bread ( had 1 slice ) and peanut M&Ms (why are they SO delicious?!). Other than that, I’ve been on a good track with eating.

That aside, I’ve received some beauty stuff this week for review and I’ve been doing a lot of reading. I just finished reading the Host by Stephenie Meyer which is surprisingly really good – highly recommend it if you like Sci-fi! Now I’m onto Beautiful Creatures since I recently saw the film (based on the book) and loved it so much I felt the need to read the novel it’s been adapted from. Highly recommend the film Beautiful Creatures, if you haven’t seen it yet, and also Warm Bodies (a Zombie love story?) – both were really entertaining! If you haven’t heard of any of these, I’ll give you quick rundowns below:

Beautiful Creatures: It’s basically about witches, only they refer to themselves as Casters and it takes place in the South USA. Lena Duchannes is the new girl in Gatlin while Ethan Wates has lived there his entire life. Ethan longs to escape from Gatlin when he meets mysterious Lena. Together, they discover much about their ancestors, their history, and the seemingly normal Southern town of Gatlin. 

Warm Bodies: Essentially, Warm Bodies is about a boy zombie who falls in love with a human girl. I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s really funny and cute!

The Host ( book not film ) : The film looks pretty accurate to the book, but it’s not out yet so I can’t say for sure. The book by itself is really good! The plot is that earth has been overtaken by aliens who are basically parasites because they inhabit our human bodies and erase our minds. Wanderer inhabits Melanie, a young human female, but finds that Melanie is still there in her mind when she does and she can’t get her to go away. It’s such a fascinating story about humanity, the nature of kindness, battle for species’ survival and the goodness of souls universally. 

I received this line of Less Is More Organic Hair Care as well which I’m excited to try out soon!  They included Lindengloss Shampoo & Conditioner, Flower Whip Curl and Frizz Lotion & LimeSouffle Styling Cream. Everything smells lovely!

Lastly, I picked up some new running shoes because my Nike shoes were getting a bit worn down and starting to feel off which was making my knees hurt. These are Reebok Realflex Scream 2.0 running shoes and they are SUPER comfortable! I love how they fit my feet like a glove and the cushioning feels like I’m walking on a firm mattress. They’re super supportive of my arches and I can’t wait to run in them! I can do a full review of these, if you like, so let me know if you want one in the comments!

How Was Your Week?

<3

]]> http://storybookapothecary.com/2013/03/09/o-n-e-skincare-giveaway-winner/ Sat, 09 Mar 2013 06:00:22 +0000 storybookapothecary http://storybookapothecary.com/2013/03/09/o-n-e-skincare-giveaway-winner/

Hi All!

I hope you’re all enjoying the weekend!

Thanks so much to all of you who signed up for the O.N.E. Skincare Giveaway – I really appreciate all of the liking, following and tweeting everyone did so thank you so much!!

Congratulations to our winner who was randomly selected, Sharon David!

Please email me ASAP with your mailing information so I can get your prize out to you!

If you didn’t win, fret not, I have more giveaways in the works soon so stay tuned!

Have a Great Day!

<3

Happy Friday!

I’m so happy it’s almost the weekend!

For some reason, this week was so difficult to get through. I don’t know if it’s just me or not, but the week felt like it just dragged on forever. I couldn’t summon the willpower to get up at my usual 4 AM at all this week so I guess my body is in need of down time and just forgot to tell me. Or this is her way of telling me haha. So, instead, I’ve gone a few times less than usual this week in the evenings, but I’ll likely go all weekend to make up for it!

Anyway, back to the post! Today is Blogger Link Love Friday! If you don’t know already ( you probably do ), every Friday I’ve begun a feature where I do a post on my favorite bloggers’ posts that I’ve seen and loved this past week so I can share the love and pass on the goodness to all of you so I hope you enjoy!

DIY : Michael Kors Leather Nugget Pendant necklace – Cinnamon Spring

First up is this brilliant DIY post from Cinnamon Spring where she teaches you how to make your own version of the Michael Kors Leather Nugget Pendant Necklace and it’s a brilliant tutorial! I absolutely love her blog because she’s always featuring amazing DIY fashion tutorial posts that are super easy to follow and do yourself at home. I highly recommend her blog as one to follow!

Dreamcatcher Nails – RaRa Reid

I absolutely love RaRa Reid‘s blog for all things nail design because she has the most creative, artistic and lovely nail designs I’ve seen! I mean, Look at that feather! I just think it looks like actually painting and it’s really inspiring to someone as nail art inferior as me!

DIY Image to Canvas Tutorial – Confessions of a Small Town Girl

This awesome DIY tutorial from Confessions of a Small Town Girl is really easy to follow and what a great end result! I had no idea you could DIY this, but it’s definitely on my list of things to try now! She mostly does fashion and beauty type posts, but I really enjoyed this one.

How to Customize Your Facebook Page – Sweet Jelly Bean

D @ SweetJellyBean is mostly a beauty and lifestyle lovely mommy blogger, but she does the most amazing tutorials! They’re always easy to follow and understand and very helpful if you’re new to blogging, social media, and the like. I highly recommend hers as one to follow – her posts are always a fun read and I’m always learning new things from her!

Amarya Beauty Box – Juicy Satsuma

I love the Juicy Satsuma blog! She’s a lovely cruelty free fashion and beauty blogger who always has fun posts on both which are entertaining, helpful, thorough and great to read. I always see cool new products I’d love to try or fun fashions that intrigue me!

Almond Breeze Tropical Sunshine Smoothie Recipe – Baked Bree

 For some reason, it’s beginning to seem like it’s mandatory for me to feature some kind of food post in these link love posts. Maybe it’s because I am such a foodie I can’t resist or maybe it just shows the ridiculous amount of fitness and food blogs I follow. Anyway, Baked Bree is up there with the best of them! Her photos are incredible and her recipes are even better! She always features delicious looking food and drink and I am constantly drooling as I trawl through her blog – it’s ridiculous. This smoothie recipe looks SO GOOD! I will be trying this as soon as the weather warms up a bit – maybe sooner.

So, that’s all for this week’s Blogger Link Love Friday – I hope you enjoyed and found some new blogs to follow and love as much as I do!

What Are Some of Your Favorite Posts from the Week?

Link Me to Them in the Comments!

<3

Related Articles:

Blogger Link Love Friday #1

Blogger Link Love Friday #2 

Lina Hanson Global Face Serum

Hi Lovelies!

I hope you’re all doing well today :-]

I’m super excited today to share another fantastic serum with you and it’s especially great not only because of it’s ingredients, but also because the ideals and integrity behind them.

I’ve been using this serum for about a good month now and I’m really impressed, but before I get into that, I wanted to talk about Lina Hanson – the woman behind this lovely serum.

Lina Hanson is a celebrity makeup artist who is originally from Sweden and began her brand as a way to offer the best ingredients for your skin to all ages, with any skin type, of any ethnic background, anywhere in the world.

With that philosophy in mind, Lina set about formulating a simple, yet effective serum with carrier and essential oils from all over the world in it’s formula. From Morocco, South Africa, and India to Tunisia, Peru and Japan, she’s utilized potent anti-aging oils that have been used and loved in various cultures around the globe for centuries in order to offer these beauty benefits to anyone, anywhere, anytime.

I was so thrilled to receive a bottle of this lovely oil!  It comes in a lovely dark glass bottle that feels really high quality and luxe.

First off, it has kind of peculiar scent that was hard to ignore. It’s not that it’s particularly strong, but it just smelled odd to me. I know that it’s my own personal preference because when I asked my boyfriend, he looked at me like I was trippin’ and said it just smells like flowers. So, there you have it. It smells of flowers.

Aside from the odd scent, this serum is super nourishing, but surprisingly not heavy on the skin at all. It absorbs into the skin almost instantly and leaves no residue behind.

It is quite expensive at $85, but it includes a high concentration of top quality oils such as argan oil, baobab oil, and marula oil for their hydrating and healing properties.

After using this for nearly a month, I can attest to this serum’s effectiveness as I’ve seen a higher clarity in my skin, minimal breakouts, faster healing in spots, and a more even toned complexion.

Although this serum seems high priced, it’s for a great cause. With it’s use of sustainable, eco friendly, and naturally effective ingredients, this is a serum that is quite effective without harming the environment or your body. At the same time, it’s made in the USA so it helps support our economic growth. Lastly, as if that’s not enough, the Lina Hanson brand donates a portion of their profits to a different charity every 3 months as a way of giving back.

To learn more about this Global Face Serum or purchase a bottle for yourself, check here.

Have You Ever Heard of the Lina Hanson Global Face Serum?

I’d Love to Know Your Thoughts in the Comments!

<3

 We’ve all had different experiences when it comes to working with Media & PR in different ways; some good, some just okay, and some not so pleasant. That being said, this is all from my own personal experience. I don’t claim to be an expert on this at all. I am simply sharing my own thoughts on the topic. That being said, I am not writing this to attack media and PR people. I have worked with a lot of people from various small and larger brands and companies and they’ve been good and bad across the board, despite where that company may have stood in the hierarchy of things. I’m writing this in the hopes that media and PR might view bloggers a little more like people and personalities that can really help them out if they are treated properly rather than a high ( or low ) stat website or page rank.

Past that disclaimer, I’ve wanted to do a much requested post on how bloggers can go about working with brands and PR and tips for the bloggers (which I have in progress for future!) , but then I started thinking about all the tips you could give to media & PR which not too many people seem to talk about. It actually seems like it’s more important how bloggers act toward media and PR than it is how media and PR act towards bloggers, but I think it’s a 2 way street. I understand that media and PR are the ones holding the pocket book or samples or exposure or whatever it is, as it were, but I also feel that bloggers often get snubbed, taken advantage of, and really treated a bit less than, especially for the amount of work they put in. So, with that, here are my tips for media and PR when working with bloggers and I hope it’s of help to some.

1. Be Straight With Us. It really annoys me when PR people from a company write me back about how great my blog is and then tell me they can’t send anything for review because of whatever reason, but are vague on the reason itself. I don’t mind rejection, believe me, but what annoys me is that I’m left wondering the reason and lost on what it was. I really only write to people whose brands I really want to try, but I do understand if my numbers aren’t up to your standards or you don’t have anymore samples in your budget to give out and that’s fine. I would feel a lot better about the situation if people were more honest with me about why I’m being rejected, so to speak, because 1. I appreciate the honesty and 2. it will help me as a blogger in the long run if I know the reason. If it’s my numbers, okay, that will come in time. If it’s your budget, that’s understandable. If it’s that you hate my blog, I would still like to know your thoughts. This will actually help me improve over time. I feel like PR reps often neglect this like they think I’m made of glass. I know you’re all very busy and you have very little time, but a small bit of effort to push me in the right direction would always be much appreciated, if you can hack it.
2. Have Some Humility. I’m not saying that all PR people are cocky bastards so don’t bite my head off before reading! What I mean is that, some PR people have a tendency to talk up their brand and then ask me to blog about their company just because “We’re that awesome.” And you know, that’s great. Maybe you are and maybe I will or won’t, but your attitude pretty much ensures that I definitely will NOT. There is such a fine line between confidence and cocky and I know it must be hard to fly right, but it can be so annoying and a bit insulting when PR’s write me talking up my blog in the efforts of trying to get me to write about their brand for no reason at all, even if I’ve never heard of them. Believe me, if you’re a great brand, I’ll likely hear about it in the “blog-o-sphere” and end up writing about it, but I’ll do it in my time. The amazing thing about being a “lowly” blogger like myself means that I work on my time. Not yours. On the other hand, I’ve worked with LOADS of amazing PR reps who are humble, amazing, generous, and very helpful. They are not pushy or rude or overbearing and they are the kind of people I’m willing to help out and they are usually on board with brands that really ARE great, but coincidentally don’t feel the need to tell me so. 
3. Know That Blogger Does Not Equal Free Work Horse. I feel like a lot of PR people have it in their mind that bloggers are sad little desperate and homeless writers, looking for any penny they can spare, and that any little sample they throw our way will be met with hours of free work to promote their brand. Nothing is more annoying or insulting than this and believe me, bloggers are not stupid. We will certainly pick up on your less-than-honorable motives. If I really love your brand or product, it’s likely I will share it with the world, but don’t expect an essay or novel. If it ends out that I’ve written a more detailed post, then that’s great, but if not, don’t expect more. You’re not paying me to write about said product or brand so how I do so is my choice. You don’t pay my bills so please don’t act like it. You wouldn’t like it if I did that to you. 
4. Be Nice To Us and We’ll Be Nice To You. I’m not saying I’m willing to lie about a product or brand if they’re kind to me because I’d never do that anyway, but I will certainly go the extra mile in how I go about posting if they are nice. I love beauty products and I love when a company is kind enough to send me samples (what blogger doesn’t?), but that doesn’t mean I’ll be lying about my experiences any day soon. I pride myself on honest reviews, irregardless, but I will certainly put my best foot forward for a brand if they treat me well and I think how they treat bloggers says a lot about them as a company on the whole that will definitely trickle down to consumers. 
5. Bloggers Are Not Stupid – Act Accordingly. For some reason, and this only seems to happen when I’ve been approached for writing sponsored posts, I really get treated like I am an absolute moron by companies. They aren’t polite and they don’t even really describe what they want. I’m not against writing sponsored posts if the company is in line with my blog and if I like the company, but if your company is so out of left field, please don’t act like I won’t notice. It seems like some companies think bloggers are just idiotically posting whatever about whatever for money and in that, I think they need to really read up on who we are as bloggers because it’s coming off as a bit out of touch. 
6. Please Don’t Assume I Can Be Bought Off for $5. I understand that what you get paid should equate what you’re delivering to a certain company and, by that, I mean, I know if I am a smaller blog with less than a million readers, the payment that I get offered ( if there even is one being offered ) will be much less than a bigger blog and that’s fine. I mostly avoid paid offers because I’m not willing to work on their time for such a low price, but to each his/her own. Anyway, I’ve been getting this a lot lately where people write me wanting to guest post on my blog about [insert generic topic here] and link back to their spammy looking website and they’ve even offered to paypal me some money in return. ( Oh snap! ) The problem with that is what they are usually offering to give me is pennies on the dollar and it’s almost laughable to think I’d sell my blog out for $5, but people have the audacity to approach me like I’m a beggar. Please don’t make the same mistake. I’m not saying this because I think I’m better than that, but I am and I hope all bloggers are. I want the bar for bloggers to be set high, but I think a lot of bloggers maybe don’t know how much they should get paid for their work and at the same time it seems like a lot of companies don’t really know how much they should get paid either.
7. Please Don’t Approach Me If Your Brand Doesn’t Fit My Blog. This sort of goes back onto what I was saying about bloggers not being stupid. It’s such an annoying waste of my time ( and yours ) to email me about doing a sponsored post on your brand when your brand is home appliances and that’s obviously not what this blog is about. It doesn’t make sense for either of us. 

So, I know that was kind of long winded, but I hope you got something from it or enjoyed reading it anyway. If you’re a blogger, I don’t want you to think that working with brands and companies will be horrible because that’s mostly not the case. I have had nearly all good experiences with most of the people I’ve collaborated with. For media and PR people, please don’t hate me for posting on this. It’s not all of you – it’s only a few that have really made you look less than stellar. And for everyone, whoever you are, I am not targeting you so please try not to take the post personally and rather, I hope we can all learn from our experiences and grow together.

What Has Been Your Experience Working with Brands or Bloggers (if you’re part of a brand)?

If You’re a Reader, What Are Your Thoughts on the Brand/ Blogger Relationship?

I’d Love to Hear Your Thoughts on this!

<3

I’ve gone through a bit when it comes to the whole Beauty Box subscription service thing.

I really love the idea of it, but I feel like, most of the time, the value just isn’t there.

I realize the price is quite low, but I’m a thrifty gal who wants her money’s worth and if the product is good, I’ll buy a full size.

Also, I’ve often times found myself subscribed to services which I mostly like, but which mostly seem to offer samples of products I’m not that interested in.

Aside from that, I’ve been wanting to subscribe to a new beauty box subscription service which offers natural products that are also appealing and fun to try.

The Conscious Box seems to be a really great deal, though it is slightly more expensive than others I’ve tried ( $20 / month , and it seems to have more value to it.

That being said, I’d love your feedback on this if any of you currently subscribe or have subscribed to the Conscious Box in the past – I’d love to know your thoughts and experiences with the service!

Learn more about the Conscious Box Mission & How it Works.

Otherwise, you can Subscribe to the Box – here.

If you’ve never tried Conscious Box, I’d love to know what your favorite subscription box service is, whether beauty or otherwise, and why in the comments!

Thanks for your help!

<3

I hope your week is going well so far and has been reasonably exciting! 

As for me, I’m currently obsessing over a few things (as per usual), but most of them have nothing to do with beauty for once, except maybe a few things so I thought I’d share them with you and see what your thoughts are! 

Wall Planter Frame – Fab.com

I saw this particular wall planter on Fab, but I feel like I’m seeing them everywhere and I love the idea of them for both design and environment. Growing up, my mom has always had a million and one plants in the house so now that I don’t live at home anymore, I find myself more drawn to house plants and this is such a lovely way to display them no?

 I’ve been lusting after these particular cameras for ages now and I can’t seem to get over it! 

They’re super cute and portable and they allow you to take mini polaroids which I really love. It must be because when I was younger, my step dad had this old polaroid camera he used for his work and I loved playing with it. The idea of instant pictures like that is really fun to me.

You can get these in a number of colors, but the Pink, Black & Blue are my favorites!

Antonia Burrell Supreme Moisturizer

I’ve been pining after this particular moisturizer ever since I reviewed a mini sample of the Antonia Burrell Natural Glow Cleansing Oil. This isn’t just any moisturizer, either. It claims to clear acne, moisturize skin, diminish pigmentation and scarring, get rid of blackheads and redness, and basically solve every skin problem you ever had. I would think they were full of it, but I had such a good experience with their cleansing oil, I’m willing to spend the massive cost to try this moisturizer sometime in the future.

Tangle Teezer – BeautyBay.com

I keep seeing people raving about these everywhere and claiming that they’re amazing for people with tangled hair. Since I’m someone who has to battle my own hair, even after a shower, just to de-knot it, this really piqued my interest and I was surprised at how inexpensive they are!

Liquid Gold Radiance – Alpha-H.com

You all know about my love for Alpha-H and, if not, check here. I have been wanting to try this for awhile now, but haven’t had the chance yet. It’s meant to help with pigmentation and to brighten the skin, similar to their Liquid Gold, only in serum form. I’ve seen some reviews praising this one so I definitely want to try this out in the future!

ILIA Beauty Mascara in Macao – BeautyHabit.com

For some reason, I’m super obsessed with colored mascaras right now. I am on the lookout for a nice one in blue, purple, green and copper. This one by ILIA Beauty looks amazing as it’s a really unique copper color which I think would highlight my hazel eye color nicely. I’ll probably buy this soon anyway, but if you all have any nice colored mascaras to recommend, I’d appreciate your thoughts in the comments!

I first posted on these in the My Velvet Obsession post I did awhile ago, but I still haven’t picked these up. I’ve been trying to completely pay off debt ( not much left, but I’d like a clean slate before I go on any shopping spree which is why I’ve abstained ) so that’s why I haven’t purchased these yet, but I definitely plan to get them in this color and the black. So adorable. I need them! Lol.

So, is there anything you’re fixating on or obsessed with currently?

I’d love to know about it in the comments!

Related Articles:

My Velvet Obsession

Beauty Lust List 

Happy Tuesday All!

I hope you’re all having a fantastic week so far!

I just wanted to take a moment to announce the winner for my Eco Logical Sunscreen Giveaway so Congrats to Nizy!

I’ve contacted you through email already so enjoy your prize!

Thanks so much to everyone who signed up and commented and I will try to do more giveaways in the next few months – feel free to let me know if you have any items you’d like to be up for grabs in the future!

Also, you all have 1 more chance to win currently so be sure to sign up for the O.N.E. Skincare Giveaway!

As for my other O.N.E. Skincare giveaway, you’ve all got less than 2 days to sign up and enter to win a full sized Olive Oil All in One Nourishing Treatment from O.N.E. Skincare and you can Sign Up Here! 

Good Luck & Have a Great Day!

Anyone doing any awesome giveaways currently or sign up for a great one recently?

I’d love if you shared the links in the comments!

<3

I just saw that Too Faced Cosmetics is currently having a sale and yes, I had to blog it!

Anyway, they’re discounting things up to 70% Off, which is insane and awesome all at once!

To Get You All in the Shopping Mood, Here’s a Few of My Favorites from Too Faced! 

Lip Injection Duo; $26 $10

I tried Too Faced Lip Injection wayyy before I started this blog which is likely why I never thought to review it. It totally burn-tingles going on, but I’m the kind of girl who wants plump lips so bad that I’m sitting there like ” Oo It burns so good! “  Just kidding. It does plump lips, though temporarily, and it smells like cinnamon which I love! Up to you whether you like the tingly feeling or not.

Luggage Tag $10 $5

I have been wanting a Luggage Tag for ages so I might actually pick this one up. I just think they’re cute ways of accessorizing luggage and also a great way to figure out which non-descript suitcase is yours at the baggage claim. Just saying!

Natural Beauty Kit $29 $14

I really loved their eye shadow primer, Shadow Insurance, but that was a few years ago so no idea if they’ve changed the formula or not. If not, this is awesome! If yes, I am lost. I’ve never tried the face primer because, as you might know, I’m really paranoid when it comes to using face primers that have silicone. If you are too, feel free to check out this one or this one, both of which I love and one of which has silicone! I like this kit in spite of the face primer, though, because it’s a fantastic value and that’s really what a cheap girl like me wants – a fantastic deal. Yep. Thrifty is IN people!

Little Black Book of Beauty Kit $36 $18

Lastly, they have this kit which I saw for $36 around this past December and have really loved the design of it, but was too cheap to spring for it at the time. Now that it’s literally half the price, I just might pick it up!

What do you think of Too Faced Cosmetics?

Anyone have a favorite product to recommend?

<3

Last week, I did my first ever Blogger Link Love Friday and featured articles I’d recently seen from some fellow bloggers that I loved and wanted to share with you all. I decided to make this a permanent feature on Storybook Apothecary so I hope you enjoy these link love posts and check out all the lovely blogs!

Basic Outfit of the Day – The Urban Umbrella

I love this super simple outfit from The Urban Umbrella, a lovely UK fashion blog! She kind of looks somewhere between a sailor and a school girl, only more modern. I love the look and she has tons of other fun fashion posts. You can see this post – here.

February Favorites – Lauraxamy

This fun February Favorites post from Lauraxamy was a great read! I definitely want the Embroyolisse cream now! She always has fun fashion and beauty posts to check out so I highly recommend her blog as one to follow!

Pineapple Mango Vitamin C Booster Smoothie (vegan, GF) – averiecooks.com

This Pineapple Mango Smoothie Recipe from Averie Cooks looks amazing! I follow tons of food blogs as I’m a big foodie, healthy food nut at heart and this one sounds lovely! There are always great recipes popping up on this blog as well as other healthy living and wellness tips, but this post is current and looks amazing. Trying it ASAP as it’s high in vitamin C which actually helps encourage collagen production (wrinkle fighter – yes!).

Spring Fashion – The Crown Wings

The Crown Wings is a lovely fashion and beauty blog hailing from UK and she’s always featuring beautiful collages on the latest trends like this one, shown above, where she discusses upcoming trends for Spring & Summer. I am loving these colors!

Fashion Fun – Dreaming of A Little Sunshine – Travel Lady with a Baby

I love Travel Lady with a Baby, not because I have a baby ( because I don’t haha ), but because she gives great tips on how to be stylish while traveling and she highlights some of the coolest things to do in various places around the world that she’s traveled to. She gives great travel advice, especially to moms traveling with young ones, and is always a great read! This post is a fashion related one on sunshine fashion – loved it!

Influenster Sweetheart VoxBox – The Crystal Chronicles

I loved this post that Crystal of The Crystal Chronicles did recently on her Influenster Sweetheart VoxBox. It always interests me to see what different themed boxes Influenster comes out with and this one looked like a lot of fun with cool items in it, especially the Not Your Mother’s Volumizing Hair Spray. Crystal always does fun posts on beauty, health and the life of a mom and makeup artist.

Lush Mask of Magnaminty Review – Keeping Up With Kelly Amanda

Keeping Up with Kelly Amanda is a fantastic blog which mostly features beauty and style type posts and very thorough and fun reviews. I love this recent one she did on Lush’s Mask of Magnaminty which is one of my favorites! I highly recommend checking out her review if you haven’t tried Lush face masks out. This is one of their best ones, in my opinion! She also has other equally awesome reviews for beauty so definitely have a look.

American Apparel Nail Polish in Mannequin Review – All in the Blush

All in the Blush is a fantastic beauty blog which does tons of great reviews and the photos are also really amazing. I really loved this AA nail polish review  she did recently! The pink nude tint is lovely and her nails look amazing!

What Blogs Are You Loving Lately?

I’d love to know in the comments!

Have a Great Weekend! 

<3

 The following are a general list of skin types:
Dry skin
Oily skin
Combination skin
Sensitive skin
Problematic or acne skin

Your skin type can change overtime. For example, younger people are more likely to have more normal skin than older people. This is due to the fact that the older you get, the drier your skin becomes. Therefore, it is extremely important that as we age, we pay more attention to our skin type and the proper regimen.

Skin types vary, depending on factors such as water content, which directly affects your skin’s comfort and elasticity. Oil ( lipid ) content, affects your skin’s softness and sensitivity level. Genes, diet, stress level, hormonal fluctuations, medication and even your skin regimen all affect the oil production of the skin.

Take the time to analyze your skin type and start the proper steps towards making your skin look and feel its best. My next few posts will take a deeper look into the various skin types and how to effectively care for each. Until next time!

YI

Annie Tevelin – the Skin Owl

I recently discovered a new beauty brand called SkinOwl - a beauty brand created by the Skin Owl herself, Annie Tevelin. After years of working in the beauty industry and experiencing the empty promises of many over priced and often ineffective cosmetic brands, the Skin Owl (Annie’s alter ego)  was created as a way to fight off Annie’s skin problems in a natural, yet effective way that was affordable, honest and simple. The goal is for SkinOwl to be a voice of truth in the beauty industry. I was very lucky to be able to pick the Skin Owl’s brain and share a bit of her brilliance and philosophy on beauty – Read on for my interview with her!

Argan Infusion: Lavender

How did you first get into beauty?

 I was so enthralled with skincare and makeup as a child. Every time I went shopping with my mother I would wander off to the cosmetics department. The women were so pretty, so put together. They were my first beauty mentors. I would go from counter to counter asking for tips and tricks and I was no more than 10! I was a sponge, taking everything in at such a young age. All the colors and textures. I was enamored. I’m convinced makeup taught me what color was way before Crayola. It wasn’t until I turned 25 that I decided to change careers and take a risk on a long-lost dream.

When did you create your alter ego, the Skin Owl, and what is the meaning behind the name itself?

SkinOwl was created in 2011 and was born to fill a void in the cosmetics industry. Like many of my clients, I spent a lot of money on products and treatments that didn’t work. Dermatologists cost me a lot of money and most of what they prescribed irritated my skin in the long run. When I thought about all of the women who might feel overwhelmed or lost when shopping for products, and with so many products available to them, I knew I had something to offer them with my experience. It just made sense for me to help people the best I could to look and feel their most beautiful. SkinOwl defines beautiful skin, wisdom, and truth as one entity.

Argan Infusion: Clary Sage

I’ve done a bit of reading about your products and I know that they include what you call the Argan Infusion. What exactly is the Argan Infusion and why is it so beneficial to skin?

Argan Infusion is a luxurious facial oil that can be used as a treatment or moisturizer on the face, nails and body. It comes in three infusions, Lavender, Geranium, and Clary Sage, each of which cater to different skin concerns. I’m not interested in creating “fluffy” products. I only want to offer healthy ingredients in products that work & Argan Infusion is a prime example of that. The anti-inflammatory properties are noticed after one day. The skin’s luminosity and radiance is restored in less than a week. And within a month, most people claim that they’ve never seen their skin look so youthful and balanced. It’s exciting to watch!

Argan Infusion: Geranium

Thanks so much to the Skin Owl for her lovely and honest interview!

Stay Tuned for My Review of SkinOwl Argan Infusions Coming Soon!

To find out which Argan Infusion is right for your skin, check here.

Have You Ever Heard of the Skin Owl or Her Products?

What Do You Think of the Skin Owl’s Beauty Philosophy?

Let Me Know in the Comments!

<3

Happy Wednesday! 

So I recently received this lovely travel kit of all of the Me & the Girls skincare products for review and they’ve truly been lovely to experience. 

If you are unfamiliar with the luxury organic skincare brand, Me & the Girls is an organic beauty brand which aims to better the lives of girls and women here in the United States and abroad by donating a portion of their proceeds to various womens’ charities including the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, Women for Women Intl., and G.E.M.S. (Girls Educational Mentoring Service). They also seek to aid local organic farms and the economy by purchasing locally and organically whenever possible. Their products include a high volume of organic ingredients, including certified organic Cupuaçu seed butter which possesses a high capacity for water absorption and aids in restoring elasticity and hydration to the skin.

In my mini kit, I received the following: Limonum Body Scrub, Lavandula Revive Softening Creme, Moon™ Anti-Aging Night Facial Moisturizer, Moon™ Serum, Lavandula Revive Foot Scrub, Bamboo spoon and the Me & the Girls Signature logo travel bag.

My Thoughts:

• Limonum Body Scrub: This body scrub smells very citrus-y, just as the name implies. It’s made on a base of fine grain raw organic cane sugar, coconut oil, cupuaçu seed butter, lemon creme and avocado butter. I really enjoyed using this scrub as it was both exfoliating and hydrating at the same time. It really helps to soften the skin and hydrate all at once to reveal glowing skin. 
  
• Lavandula Revive Foot Softening Creme: I love the texture of this. It smells just like lavender and melts on contact with skin. It acts more like a balm than a creme, in my opinion, but works excellently nonetheless. It softens dry skin and calluses on the feet and really hydrates overall. Plus the scent is very relaxing!
• Moon™ Anti-Aging Night Facial Moisturizer: This is a fantastic facial moisturizer for dry skin or combination skin that is feeling dry ( especially in winter! ). My skin has been super dry with this extremely windy, cold weather we’ve been having and since I ran out of my beloved Suti Cleanse Balm, this has been just the thing to keep my skin in good shape! It melts on contact with skin, rather similar to the Foot Softening Creme, but the scent smells more like subtle scented baked goods than lavender and gently hydrates and softens the skin. I was near peeling and super flaky on my chin area and this really helped moisturize that entire area overnight. I would not recommend this for breakout prone or oily skin, though, as it might be a bit too nourishing for some.
• Moon™ Facial Serum: This is a really nice serum which includes various plant oils to heal and rejuvenate dry, sensitive, mature and sun damaged skin types. I think it’s a nice serum for any skin type as it doesn’t have much scent and doesn’t feel too heavy on the skin, though acne prone and oily skin types should be wary of the amount they use as too much can be a bit too much. It’s certainly very hydrating, but I enjoyed using the moisturizer more than this one, surprisingly.
• Lavandula Revive Foot Scrub: With the same scent as the Foot Softening Creme, this sugar scrub includes lavender and a spearmint butter creme base which feels a bit cooling and very similar to the body scrub only with a more relaxing scent and cooling sensation that is absent in the body scrub. Perfect for feet! 
• Bar Beleza Multi-Use Beauty Bar: This all-over beauty bar comes in a stick balm form and can be applied anywhere you might need it. I used on dry areas of my face, under my eyes, and on lips with much success, but it’s up to you how you use it. I love that it comes in stick form because it’s great for traveling and super convenient to use. It’s super multi-tasking and very hydrating and since it’s in stick form, you’ll use just the right amount every time. My favorite way of using this was as a lip balm!

You can check out this luxury travel kit - here.

What lovely natural products are you loving right now?

Let Me Know in the Comments! 

<3

Happy Sunday All!

I hope you’ve all had a nice weekend!

I spent this past weekend with my boyfriend just hanging out.

We got some Lush items over this weekend as we hadn’t been there in what felt like ages!

Here’s what we picked up:

Alkmaar Soap, Ice Blue Soap, Seanik Shampoo Bar, Yuzu & Cocoa Bubble Bar, and the BB Seaweed Face Mask.

The Alkmaar, Ice Blue and Seanik have all been longtime favorites for us, but the other 2 are new buys. Alkmaar smells SO amazing. It’s one of those scents I’ve been obsessed with because it’s that lovely and everyone I share it with seems to feel the same about it so highly recommend it on scent alone. It’s also a really creamy soap for a bar which I like given my dry skin. My boyfriend favors the Ice Blue soap because it smells really minty and more masculine than Alkmaar and he claims it makes his skin softer, but who knows? The Seanik shampoo bar is something I’ve tried in the past and really liked because it’s great for softening and giving volume to hair, but this time I picked it up for the boyfriend to try. It smells lovely as well and is probably my favorite shampoo bar.  I tried a bit of the bubble bar last night and it doesn’t really bubble up that much which kind of  disappointed, but might be because I was trying to be a bit of a miser about it and use only a 1/4 of the bar (Lol). You may have better results if you use the whole thing. That being said, it smells amazing - just like the chocolate orange they describe it as.

I also tried the BB Seaweed face mask which, surprisingly, doesn’t smell fishy or salty at all. It just smells fresh, if that makes sense. As far as effectiveness – it’s a type of face mask that feels like it’s not doing much, but when you wash it off, your skin just looks better. The smell is nice and I enjoy it’s refreshing scent, but it really does work well without you doing much at all. I’ve tried a number of their face masks in the past and generally like all of them. Catastrophe Cosmetic is best for breakouts and oily skin, though it can be a little drying if you have combination skin. Mask of Magnaminty is a great one for anyone and it smells lovely. Brazened Honey smells delicious and works great, though just as well as Mask of Magnaminty so go with the cheaper one haha.

So, that was my weekend.

During the week, I’ve been doing much of the same thing. Trying to stay on track with my workouts and healthy eating. It’s been more difficult than usual to get up at 4AM and go because it’s been so damn cold out. I literally had to scrape ice off the windshield this past Friday because it was so cold out. It might seem normal if you live in a state where it gets cold, but I’m in Southern California. When things like that happen, we just lose our minds and forget how to drive. Exhibit A – look at Californians when it rains. They literally drive like too fast or too slow and so many accidents happen, even if it’s just slightly drizzling. It’s ridiculous.

Anyway, once I’ve got to the gym (which has been 5 times this week), I’ve done really well at my running workouts. I’ve changed up from just running to a HIIT workout for the entire time I’m on the treadmill. They have loads of different types of HIIT for the treadmill, but mine is something like 5 minute walking warm up (after stretching out) and then alternatively running for 1 minute and speed walking for 1 minute. I do this on the Hill workout option so that the incline is always changing and it helps me burn more calories. I really like this style of workout out a lot and I think it will help my distance running over time and stamina. Love it.

I had these the other day and they were SO good. Organic kiwi from USA. I’ve been trying to avoid buying produce from other countries to keep it as local as possible and not buying out of season as well. These are proof that this is a better way to shop given that they 1.) tasted amazing – so sweet, soft and flavorful and 2.) were pretty cheap at 70 cents!

I also picked up a magazine and saw these awesome beauty products in! Love the cupcake perfume! It’s available on Beauty Habit and I’ve been lusting after them for some time. New discoveries are the Lush FUN Bars which I found out from a Lush rep that they can be used for body soap, bubble bath, shampoo and even to create fun clay creations. Aside from functional use, they go toward helping Japanese children living in areas affected by radiation by offering alternative ways to have fun and socialize with other kids in their area so that’s really cool. Lastly, I discovered the Physician’s Formula Loose Bronzer Hearts which look like little candy hearts, but are bronzer capsules. I just think they’re so adorable!

Lastly, I discovered this really awesome looking online grocery shop called Shop Organic which sells tons of organic pantry (and some personal body care stuff too) products and what I’m really excited about is the fact that all products on their site are (not only organic) also GMO free! Will definitely be shopping on this site soon!

So, How Was Your Week?

Do Anything Fun?

Let Me Know in the Comments!

<3

When it’s so cloudy and cold out, we often times think that we don’t really need to apply sunscreen, but that couldn’t be further from the truth because, in fact, most sun damage and cancer causing rays penetrate through clouds and will still do a number on your skin if you don’t take the necessary steps to protect your skin from aging and pigmentation as well as skin cancer. So, with that being said, protect your skin and do it daily, not just at the beach, and onto my review!

I’ve recently been testing out this new 100% natural sunscreen for the past month or so and I really like it thus far.

Previously, I had been using Vive Sana (for that review, check here), but I ran out of it and haven’t really had the time or money to re-purchase it. To be honest, I really like both of them and they both have their pros and cons.

First of all, the Eco Logical Skin Sunscreens are really lovely. Unlike most natural sunscreens, these aren’t overwhelmingly thick and actually spread really well. They take a minute or so to set into the skin and the white cast is not so glaringly obvious, but there’s none of the struggle I usually experience when using most naturally sunscreens. This one actually fades a bit once it’s massaged into the skin. As I said, you do have to let it sit for a minute and then the white cast fades out, but be careful not to over apply because then you will have a white cast. I did that the other day and it left too much white sunscreen cast in my brows. Ew. My B.

Anyway, the formula has little to no scent and none of the chemically sunscreen smell I remember from my childhood (which I am hopelessly fond of due to nostalgia LOL). It’s really inoffensive and I think, for this reason, it would be fantastic for sensitive skin and babies. It also hasn’t made me break out at all which some sunscreens have done to me in the past and that’s certainly something I can appreciate.

Where this line of sunscreens really shine is in the hydration and spread-ability department because nearly all natural sunscreens I’ve tried have been seriously difficult to spread onto skin and even harder to blend. This one is really not at all difficult to apply. It spreads really easily onto skin and soaks in reasonably quickly, though the minimal white cast takes a minute or so to go away as long as you don’t over apply.

Also, these sunscreens are super hydrating to the skin because they include lots of beneficial plant oils including avocado and jojoba oil. The only thing I consider a somewhat con to these sunscreens is that they are not organic or GMO free and that’s kind of an important factor to some. If you want an organic sunscreen, check the link above to my Vive Sana review. If you just want the sunscreen to be 100% natural and made from beneficial ingredients, then this is a fantastic, solid line of sustainable and eco friendly sunscreens. They don’t include chemical sunscreens like conventional sun protection products, only a high concentration of zinc oxide (22%) . They are broad spectrum ( UVA / UVB ), water resistant, and are fragrance free and non-comedogenic ( will not clog pores ).

Learn more about Eco Logical Skin as a company – here.

You can check out their line of natural sunscreens – here.

If you wish to purchase these, they are carried in a number of retail locations around the world. You can locate a store near you with their locator – here.