A GOOD stain...

I love blush. With my pale skin, I NEED blush. Without it, I look tired and pale and blah. It's one of my "must-haves" for my makeup routine. (The other must-haves are powder and mascara.) I like having a natural glow and some natural looking color.

One thing I've always struggled with is finding a blush that stays on me all day; or at least the majority of the day. When I say I've tried just about every brand/style of blush, I'm not kidding. From "long-lasting" to "12 hour wear", powder and cream formulas, I've experimented with them all throughout the years.

I've tried primers, putting powder under then over it, applying in layers, etc.  I've settled with finding a color and formula I like and reapplying as needed throughout the day. No joke- blush wears off of me super duper fast.

Imagine my excitement to have finally found a blush that STAYS! WOO HOO! I am a member of Birchbox, which is a monthly beauty box subscription service. In a nutshell, you pay $10 a month and receive a box each month in the mail filled with beauty care samples, like perfume, makeup, skincare, etc. I love it! Last month, I received "theBalm Stainiac Hint of Tint lip and cheek stain" in the"Beauty Queen" shade.

Official link here: http://www.birchbox.com/shop/the-balm-stainiac

 I was skeptical, as my past experiences with stains have left me unsatisfied. They either dry too fast, so you can't blend well, dry out the lips and skin, or look unflattering and "crease-y" when applied.

This stain goes on so easily and blends wonderfully! It looked natural and stayed on for most of the day!

theBlam Stainiac Hint of Tint lip and cheek stain in "Beauty Queen"

Pros:
*Lovely build-able color; goes on sheer and can be layered to achieve desired degree of color
*Easy to blend
*Flattering to most skin types
*Formula isn't too dry
*STAYS ON my cheeks for most of the day! Victory!


Cons:
*I didn't get the same awesome results when I used it as a lip stain. But you must understand that I'm a lip-licking, wear my lip gloss and chapstick off in about 30 seconds kinda gal. So this would probably work wonders for those of you who don't have this problem!


What blush or beauty product do you love due to it's long-lasting/wearing power?

A GREEN Smoothie?

Gasp! I am drinking green veggie/fruit smoothies every morning...sound appetizing? Let me confess...I do not love the taste. They are not that bad, but they aren't super delicious either. I am definitely enjoying the difference they are making though!
*More energy
*Lost a bit of weight
*Helping me make healthier eating choices the rest of the day
*A huge portion of daily greens and fruit
*Great for my digestive system


I recently read this book by celeb nutritionist Kimberly Snyder entitled "The Beauty Detox Solution". I really enjoyed the book and continue to read and enjoy her blog.

One of the things she recommends is drinking a GGS each morning. GGS stands for "Glowing Green Smoothie" due to the awesome benefits it provides for your energy, digestive system, skin, etc. I was a bit skeptical at first, as I'm more of a "see it to believe it" kind of gal, so I tried it out. Within just a couple of days after I started drinking it, I was in love! Such an easy way to get a LOAD of nutrients into your system so quickly in the morning and a healthy kick-start to your day!

Want to try it? Here's what I do:
*Add 1 1/2 cups cold water to your blender
*Add some spinach leaves (I fill the blender about 1/2 way up with them; not sure of the exact measurements)
*Blend
*Add in about 2 cups (?? somewhere close to that) of another green, such as Romaine, Kale, etc (NOT iceberg, as it doesn't contain that many nutrients)
*Blend
*Chop 3 stalks of celery up and add to blender
*Blend
*Cut up 1 apple and blend in
*Cut up 1 pear and blend in
*Cut up 1 banana and blend in
*Add 1-2 TBS of fresh lemon juice and blend

Tips:
1. You want to use organic fruit and veggies as much as you can for this. If you don't use organic, make sure to thoroughly soak and wash your produce and greens!
2. You want to start with a slower speed and work up to a high speed on your blender as you go through the steps of adding the produce in.
3. You can mix and match different greens and fruits! (Kimberly adds that you should not use melon, as it doesn't combine well with other produce.)
4. This should be the FIRST thing you eat/drink in the morning. After drinking it, wait at least 30 minutes if possible, and if you are hungry for breakfast, eat something healthy.

Pour into a tall glass and enjoy! I find it much easier to drink with a straw, as I have an inexpensive blender and mine turns out a bit thick to just sip on.

Here's the official recipe from Kimberly's blog: http://www.kimberlysnyder.net/blog/2009/07/11/green-smoothie-recipe/

Try it out! Let me know what you think and what combos you tried and enjoyed!

Vapour Beauty Review

I've been on the look out for some new makeup products that are more earth-friendly, organic, and contain more natural ingredients. My latest find I want to share with you is a foundation from "Vapour Organic Beauty". I read a beauty article that mentioned this product and raved about the company in general. After some Google time and reading more articles and reviews, I was convinced this was a product I needed to try.
I ordered two products to try out and review from Vapour Organic Beauty, and I wanted to share my thoughts on the first one. "Atmosphere Soft Focus Foundation". My shade is S120.

Vapour Organic Beauty Atmosphere Soft Focus foundation
There is a heftier price tag on this one than I'm used to paying for foundation. It's $48 for a full size pump bottle of foundation. However, our skin is our body's largest organ and it absorbs almost everything that we slather, spray, rub and apply on it. I believe that the product(s) we put on our skin first (moisturizer, foundation, whatever it may be) should be non-irritating and as natural as possible. So the price for me is worth it now that I've tried this product. Plus, all natural products contain ingredients that are more expensive, and not all the inexpensive chemically "fillers" that most cosmetic companies stuff their products with.

One really nice thing about their site is you can ask them what colors they'd recommend. You fill out a shade consultation and upload a picture (optional, but encouraged!) and they will email you back with the shades they feel would best work with your skin type and tone.

There is another foundation called "Atmosphere Luminous" foundation, but the soft focus is recommended for oilier skin types. There is a lovely little chart to help you decide which foundation would work best for you:

I've been using this foundation for about 2 1/2 weeks now.

Here's what I love about it:

*Ingredients- One of the most all natural foundations I found that actually works! It's good for your skin and doesn't contain harsh or irritating chemicals like most brands.

*Application- this product goes on and blends in easily. It feels so soft and silky on my skin. I usually apply and blend with my fingertips, but it works really well with a beauty sponge too.

*Staying power- I don't feel the need to do a ton of touch-ups throughout the day, as with some of my old foundation products. It stays on and wears well.

*Doesn't clog my pores- even products labeled "non-comedogenic" can irritate my skin and cause more blemishes. This makeup makes me feel as though my skin can still breathe!

*A little goes a long way. It's not a super heavy coverage, but you don't need a lot of product either. I am used to a medium coverage, and on me, this foundation provides a nice light/medium coverage.

I have not been asked to review this product. I am sharing my personal opinion about a product I purchased and LOVE!

Let me know if you try it out. Here is their website: http://www.vapourbeauty.com/

Question: What natural products have you tried and enjoyed?

Zevia Free 6 pack WINNER

I'm quite certain the winner of the "Free 6 pack of Zevia" coupon really wanted to win! 

Congratulations Jenna Martin! She left several comments on multiple posts to earn extra entries which paid off for this giveaway!

:) Enjoy your free 6 pack of Stevia! 

Giveaway: A healthier alternative to soda

I have not had a soda in over 5 weeks. Correction: I did have about 1/2 of a diet coke at Chick-Fil-A two weeks ago. But other than that, no soda for 35 days! WOO HOO!

I honestly feel much better without my daily Diet Coke. I realized one day that I was getting nothing beneficial or nutritional out of my daily habit and that it was actually harming me in the long run. Along with my morning cup or two of coffee, I was loading up on so much caffeine daily that I was actually crashing toward the evening and feeling jittery/nauseated off and on throughout the day. This has improved DRASTICALLY since cutting out all of the sodas and cutting way back on caffeine in general.

I was introduced to "Zevia", an all-natural soda, a few weeks ago. A friend of mine drinks them and enjoys them. I tried Zevia for the first time several days ago. I really enjoyed it! I purchased a 6 pack of the Cream Soda flavor and it's been my daily treat this week.



What I personally enjoy about Zevia:
*No calories
*No or low-sodium
*Gluten-free
*No artificial sweeteners or MSG
*It uses Stevia, which is from an herb in the chrysanthemum family, as it's sweetener. Stevia is all natural and is considered SAFE, unlike artificial sweeteners.
*There are caffeinated and non-caffeinated flavors


(I am not being paid or sponsored for posting this. This is just me posting about a product that is a healthier alternative that I discovered and LOVE!)

With all that being said, I'm giving away a coupon for a FREE 6 pack of any flavor of Zevia! 
A 6 pack retails for $4.99-$5.99 at the grocery or specialty store. **You can find it at Kroger and Super Target for sure!
This coupon expires 7/31/12.

To enter this giveaway:
1. Follow my blog. Leave me a comment to let me know you have joined my blog and are following me!

2. For extra entries, leave comments on any of my postings. 1 extra entry for each comment you post!

3. Comment on this post and tell me if you've tried Zevia before. If so, which flavors? Did you enjoy it?

This giveaway ends at midnight on Saturday, July 21st. Winner will be announced and contacted on Sunday, July 22nd. Coupon will be mailed immediately!

Simple DIY foaming hand soap

If you're anything like me, you probably wash your hands a lot. (Just me then? Ok, I'm cool with that.) I work with children all day long, and also have a child of my own. Oh yeah, and a husband who without loving reminders and a teeny bit of nagging ;) could very possibly be even more messy than my toddler. I admit to having some slight germaphobic tendencies, and having clean hands is part of it! I'm by no means a Mysophobia, such as Mr. Monk, but I do enjoy and insist on having clean hands.

If you haven't noticed, hand soap is pretty expensive! At the rate our family of 3 goes through it, it's a costly item in this home. (I can imagine even more so for larger families!)

I used to splurge on those antibacterial soaps from places such as Bath & Body Works, the Body Shop, etc. They come in such pretty bottles and smell so great! But it's recommended that people actually NOT use so many antibacterial soap and products, as it increases our chances of getting "superbugs". YIKES!

It also kills off most of our important good bacteria, which can actually make us more susceptible to getting sick. (Good article about that here.) They say good old normal soap or a bar of soap is best.

I found several DIY recipes for making your own hand soap at home. I tried several out, and I'm going to share my favorite with you. For me it was the cheapest and easiest to make, plus I had the ingredients on hand. I wanted a nice foamy soap, and this does the trick.

Here's what you will need:

*Empty foaming soap bottle (I used an old B & B Works one)

*Johnson's Head to Toe Baby Wash (or off-brand of this product)

1. Add about 1 inch of the baby wash to the empty soap bottle.

2. Fill the rest of the bottle up SLOWLY (otherwise it's bubble city!) with tap water.

3. Tilt the bottle from side to side to mix up; don't shake!

4. Try it out and enjoy your new hand soap!

I found this idea on Pinterest. Link to original website here. It was marketed as "Make your own foaming baby wash", but this stuff works great for hand soap in my opinion!

Let me know what you think!

Safer Sunscreen

If you know me, you probably know I'm not summer's biggest fan. I don't enjoy the heat once the days start reaching 80 degrees or higher. I'd rather by cool and throw on a sweater than be hot and not able to take anything off. Being chilly and warming yourself by the fireplace is relaxing and romantic, while being drenched in sweat and fanning yourself while hovering over the cold air vent paints a slightly different picture! :)

And one of my least favorite things about summer is wearing loads of sunscreen. I'm blue-eyed, fair skinned, and have red undertones in my hair. In other words, the sun loves to burn my delicate skin. I have had to wear sunscreen my whole life, which is a good thing, don't get me wrong. I just don't like how it feels on my face and skin sometimes. Capiche?

But I like skin cancer even less. So I slather it on like a good soldier pretty much every day of the year, but especially on hot, sunny summer days! You can imagine my anxiety level rising after reading up on the new studies about the potentially harmful ingredients in over half of all sun protection products; seeing as how I've probably used over 200 bottles in my lifetime. (Link to news report below)


http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/16/health/sunscreen-report/index.html


 There is still a lot of research to be done, but several ingredients are considered likely to be toxic to our systems. Think about it...our skin is the largest organ on our body. It has pores and soaks things in. Your sunscreen (and every other product you rub, spray, scrub or smear on your body) doesn't just sit on top of your skin like oil on top of water. It soaks in and absorbs into your body. 


I am not writing this to scare you and I am certainly not an expert on these ingredients. I just personally have taken notice and made the switch to sunscreens with what are considered "safe" (or more safe than the others) ingredients. I am aware that research may find that these ingredients are also unsafe in the next year or two! Thus is the nature of the world of science and research.

Ingredients to avoid:

*Oxybenzone- thought to cause hormone disruption and could lead to cell damage which causes skin cancer. (Yep, you read that right! You may be protecting yourself with sunscreen from skin cancer and GET skin cancer...from the "good guy"? That's what the big shots are saying.) Oxybenzone is present in over 50% of our sun protection products.

*Retinal palmitate- this form of Vitamin A is thought to potentially be able to increase your risk of skin cancer when being used on your skin. (Studies have not yet been done on humans.) This ingredient is only in around 25-30% of sun protection products in comparison to oxybenzone, which is in over 50% of sunscreen products on the market.

*Parabens- thought to mimic the effects of estrogen on your body. Found in many sunscreens and other personal care products. Look for words with "yl" at the end...they are probably parabens. Example: methyl, propyl, etc

*Titanium Dioxide- this is a toss up right now, as some studies are showing it's possibly carcinogenic while others claim it's safe.



The good news is that there are plenty of sun protection products on the market without these ingredients.

What to look for:

*Look for sun protection products with "Zinc Oxide" as the main ingredient. It's considered one of the safer ingredients.

*Don't choose a sunscreen with an SPF of over 50. A sunscreen with an SPF above 50 doesn't protect much better, and often gives people a false sense of increased protection.

*UVA and UVB protection levels


I've been using Banana Boat's Natural Reflect Baby Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 on both Erik and myself. I really like it! It works well and hasn't caused my face to break out as of yet. (We've been using it for a couple of months.) Here are some bullet points for this product I found on the Banana Boat website to share with you:

NEW! Banana Boat® Natural Reflect Baby Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50+

Proven effective, natural sun protection! Banana Boat® Natural Reflect sunscreen lotion uses naturally sourced sunscreen actives that deflect UVA and UVB rays.

• 100% Naturally Sourced Mineral Sunscreen Actives, Zinc Oxide • Oxybenzone and Paraben-Free • Tear-Free, Sting-Free Lotion • Mild on Baby's Delicate, Sensitive Skin • Proven Effective Against Sunburn; Helps Prevent Long-Term Skin Damage • Broad Spectrum UVA and UVB Protection • Water Resistant (80 Minutes) • Recommended by The Skin Cancer Foundation • Fragrance-Free • Pediatrician Tested • Hypoallergenic

What sunscreen products do you use? Are you concerned about the potentially harmful ingredients?
Has anyone found a product with more natural ingredients that provides good sun protection?