Trying to Eat Healthy in An Unhealthy World

The title pretty much sums it all up. I used to be one of those people shopping for food that believed commercials. 

I was so disillusioned. 

So I made a lot of mistakes. I'm going to try and cut out so much processed food out of my diet so I can be healthier....but I will still occasionally treat myself. Because...why not? But I just started reading my food labels and it's appalling how much non-food is in your food. 

I have switched over a couple things recently that I wanted to talk about...just in case it helps someone else.

So first...yoghurt. I love yoghurt. Bonus: It has probiotics so it's healthy for you. Only not the kind I WAS buying. I haven't had it in years because when I lived in Germany I ate German yoghurts. I didn't pay too much to the label but I feel that European countries are more strict about the amount of junk that can be present in the foods. Anyway I used to buy yoplait. Full of fake colors, corn syrup, fake sugars...and half the time they don't contain the fruit flavor they are supposed to be. So now I buy big tubs of plain yoghurt and add honey, fruit (dried or fresh), maple syrup, or something else that's natural and good for you. No little cups for me as those create too much waste.

The next switch I made was to "whole wheat bread". But it wasn't really whole wheat. It was really processed. I bought the Sara Lee Honey Wheat. Then I decided to try the real "wheat breads" after about a year of eating the super processed stuff. Hmm, not bad. Especially when toasted. Eventually I got used to it and now..... I love it. I don't want white bread..EVER. And especially no wonder "bread". I had some of that randomly one day and now can't even stomach it. Yuck!

My favorite brand of wheat bread is Rudi's Bakery. Of course you could bake your own bread...but I haven't even come close to mastering that so for now I'll stick with store-bought. If you can get your hands on sprouted wheat bread that is actually even better for your body. 

Those are two major switches I've made. There are a couple more I want to incorporate. I would like to stop eating eating Miracle Whip. But I love that stuff. Makes the best potato salad and tuna. What's a girl to do? I actually have a recipe for Mayonnaise. Real Mayonnaise. I don't think I've ever made that before.

Oh yes..and Ketchup. If I could find some all natural ketchup or make my own I would be winning! I love ketchup but I would like the avoid the High Fructose Corn Syrup it has in it. 

A switch I made just yesterday was to real maple syrup. Syrup is not really something that should be consumed in excess anyway but Maple Syrup is better for you any day than the Aunt Jemima syrup...which is just High Fructose Corn Syrup with a little artificial flavoring. It tastes so good though!!

And do does sandwich meat. Like Kraft and Oscar Meyer. They preserve it with...Sodium Nitrate. Which probably shouldn't be in your food. And I need to let go of Kraft American Cheese. I would eat that ALL the time. It's not even real cheese!! 

Real cheese and butter= Delicious. Speaking of butter....no margarine, no crisco- just real butter. Which is actually healthy for you. I've been guilty of baking with Crisco every now and again. It said "vegetable oil" on it....so it seemed innocent to me. After researching I found out Crisco has trans-fat. In fact anything hydrogenated does. Bummer.

I almost forgot...no more Ritz crackers! Only whole wheat crackers for me. 

Unfortunately most of these options are a lot more expensive than their cheaper counterparts-BUT I found that beans are cheap. Not canned beans. Beans you cook yourself. No BPA can, high sodium,  and weird preservatives. Cheap and good for you. I'll be on the lookout for some good dinner recipes with good old beans.

Clearly these are a lot of switches I am trying to make...but I'm going to take baby steps. And I can't wait until I get to the point where I actually prefer the healthy stuff. You get used to it, then when you try not so healthy stuff...you hate it. 

Anyway, after telling you all this I'm about to go make a frozen pizza for dinner. Don't judge me. I worked out today and the ingredients in the pizza are very healthy. I said baby steps, didn't I?

Bliss Mammoth Minty Scrub Soap

The Bliss packaging calls out to me. I love the name of the products, the blue packaging- but I have only tried one of their products. They are not cheap. The good news is sometimes you can find them at places like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Ross's for decent prices. I bought this $20 soap for $8. Not a bad deal. And the soap is large weighing in at a little over 11 ounces. (Note: If you like the Body Butters I've seen a ton in multiple TJ Maxx stores lately)

Bliss claims:

Scrub away dry skin with mammoth minty scrub soap®, from blisslabs®. One side of the minty-scented bar has exfoliating feet to wash away dull, dead skin. Key ingredients are 3% pure peppermint oil, exfoliating jojoba beads, and a hard-milled vegetable-oil base. 11.1-ounce bar.

 I have never been a big fan of mint scented things in the bath/shower. I want to like them, but I just prefer other scents more.

That said, this scent is pretty nice. Definitely one of the better scented mint things I have tried. While I'm not a big fan of the mint scent, I do appreciate it's ability to make you feel extra clean especially in the summer or after working out. This particular soap has menthol in it so you will feel a nice tingle and super refreshed once you are out the shower. I can dig it.

I knew this soap was large when I bought it, but I didn't realize just how large until I went to shower with it. It's definitely harder to hold but I made sure to be extra careful so as not to drop it. I find it melts down pretty quickly though so the size won't be an issue for too long (even though they claim it was "hard-milled). 

The design of the soap has massaging nubs on it....but I find that those wore down after three showers. 

Not very helpful.

This soap is a two in one. It has little nubs in it that turn it into an exfoliating soap. I like a good scrub every now and then but I was not impressed with this one. My skin doesn't feel any smoother and it can be a little scratchy if you're skin is sensitive.

As for the lather...it's very nice. Bubbles up quickly and rinses clean. But after a shower my skin is dry, dry, dry and I found dry patches in places I've never had dry patches before. Lotion was a must but even after applying I could tell my skin was much drier than usual. 

Ingredients:

Sodium Palmitate, Sodium Palm Kernelate (Palm Kernel Oil), Water (aqua), Glycerin, Fragrance (parfum), Sodium Chloride, Menthol, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) (jojoba seed wax), Pentasodium Pentetate, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Citral, Tetrasodium EDTA, Limonene, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Ultramarine Blue Violet (CI 77007)

Overall, I wasn't very impressed. Not something I would go out of my way to purchase. I liked the Big Blue bar better. But if you love mint scents in the shower and have oily skin, this may be perfect for you. 

Random: Since I'm on a mint kick I finally opened up my Teavana White Chocolate Peppermint Roobios tea. I thought it would be amazing since I had read a lot of positive reviews. I'm not a big fan. Oh well, least I tried it. 

Anyway, I'm minted out.

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist Deep Conditioner

I have officially relocated to Maryland. And it's a little bit early-but I think I love it here. I mean,  I miss Germany, but is there anything better than having a new place to explore? Nope. Anyway, as previously mentioned my hair has been going through it. Usually I would use my ORS Hair Mayonnaise but that's all packed up...

Aussie claims:

Deeeeep Conditioning for Damaged 'Do's

Super deep conditioning for a seriously simple fix to dry, damaged hair.  It's your own little wonder for any wrongdoing done to your 'do.

Say Goodbye to Dry

The Moist collection gives dry hair much-needed moisture so you'll say hello to a silky soft, manageable mane.

What We do for Your 'Do

Make naturally beautiful hair simply happen.  We believe in the quality of our ingredients - they treat your tresses right and make it easy for you to get what you've always wanted:  clean, simple, beautiful hair.

Please recycle where facilities exist.  Biodegradable formula.  Contains Natural Australian Ingredients

I remember seeing the commercials for this way back. The girl in the commercial had long, flowing, vibrantly colored hair. Of course, I'm not the hair type this product is marketed towards but it was cheap and at the time I didn't have a lot of options. 

The 3 Minute Miracle comes in about five varieties. The Moist was the only one I saw in the store.

The packaging is cute. Purple and a squeeze top that doesn't have a proper lid on it. I was very worried when traveling with it as I didn't want it to accidentally dispense into my luggage. I packed it safely and it didn't but I still wouldn't call it travel friendly.

As for scent- it smells fruity and bubble-gummy (that's not a word-I know!). It lingers but isn't very noticeable. The scent is just OK for me. I don't love it, I don't hate it. 

It's a pretty thick cream and spreading it is pretty easy. You leave it in three minutes (although I will sometimes leave it on much longer in hopes of "deeper" conditioning) then rinse out. 

I was expecting rejuvenated hair but my hair felt like I had used just any old conditioner. My hair literally said " That's it?" 

And it was. 

I honestly wasn't very impressed. I could detangle but then again I can buy cheapy V05 to detangle with. Even though this is cheap, I wouldn't buy it again because I didn't see any benefit to using it. It was just slightly better than using nothing. 

Ingredients:

Water, Stearyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Dimethicone, Ecklonia Radiata Extract (Australian Sea Kelp), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Glutamic Acid, Fragrance, Benzyl Alcohol, EDTA, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone

I wouldn't buy it again nor would I recommend. At least not for my hair type.

Sorry Aussie.

Random: I've been drinking Teavana Spiced Apple Cider Tea. I think it should be called Cinnamon "Tea". It had no apple taste whatsoever. I miss the Pumpkin Spice Brûlée- now that was amazing except it didn't contain much oolong like it was supposed to!! I'm slowly getting thorough my Teavana teas. Next- White Chocolate Peppermint...

TJ Maxx Soap Haul

I have always been intrigued by the soap aisle in discount stores but never bought anything. I love sniffing them all and always wanted to try them-but they were just never brands that I recognized. I started thinking about how I love bar soaps (more than gels/creams) and how I wanted to try more of them. Especially fancy ones.

So a couple weeks ago I found a Bliss Mint one for about eight dollars. I HAD to get it. I've had one other Bliss soap and really enjoyed using it so I figured I can't really go wrong with this one.

That had me thinking more and more about all the fancy (but reasonably priced) soaps. I started googling and apparently some people have found some really nice soaps in those stores. So I figured I would try my luck.

I heard the best soaps are made in France but I didn't find many that intrigued me so I'll search again on another trip to see what I come up with.

I did find this one that was made in Scotland. It comes in a little tin which is super nice and it smells pretty good. I can't wait to use it!!

Next is a Pistachio and Goats Milk soap. I have no idea what brand it is because I don't see it listed on the box. I've never had a soap with pistachio nor goat's milk so I figured I'd better try it. It reminds me of a Lush soap I had before. Maybe Lush Sultana-just a little.

The next one is an almond soap by Alchimia that was handmade in Italy (supposedly). I love Almond scented things and just couldn't resist this. The packaging is super cute. I can't wait to open it and see what it looks like.

And last but not least a Plantlike soap. It looks so nice. Like the soaps off Etsy. Which I plan on trying someday! This particular one is Orange and Vanilla and smells heavenly. I can't wait to use it!

And that's it!! I paid around four bucks for each. 

Not bad. I can't wait to go back and see what else I can find.

The Body Shop Glazed Apple Body Butter

I woke up this morning with a pimple on my face. After my skin has been doing so well. Drinking at least a half gallon of water a day has really been great for my skin...I swear my face is glowing. Well at least I hope it is and it's not just my imagination. 

Anyway, it's been forever since I've used a body butter. When I noticed the holiday butters on sale for five dollars, I had to snap it up. You cannot beat five dollars with a stick, especially when the retail price is $20. If your patient you can often catch a sale. 

The Body Shop claims:

This mouth-watering Body Butter is a rich and delicious-smelling festive treat for softly-sweet skin. It contains Community Fair Trade shea butter. 

• Leaves skin feeling softer and smoother
• Buttery texture
• Seasonal Glazed Apple scent
• Enriched with Community Fair Trade Shea Butter

So I'll start with the scent. To be honest, it doesn't smell very wintery to me. It smells like tart green apples, sweet apples, and candy apples all at the same time. More of a summer scent and also not the most sophisticated scent of all time, but if you enjoy sugary candy apple scents- you would probably like it. I like the scent just fine, but it's probably not something I would buy again. There are other scents by The Body Shop that I like more.

It scents the rooms when you use it. You can smell it on yourself for a little while after-maybe one to three hours.  Most body butter's aren't going to last any longer than that. 

The packaging is the standard for a Body Shop butter. It's a pretty green tub (the most Christmas-y thing about it). Some people don't like dipping their hands in it....I don't mind. I only stick clean hands in it anyway. And it goes on my body anyway-not my eyes or my mouth. 

It says it's best for normal skin. At the moment I would classify my skin as normal. It's a nice thick texture-from what I remember it kind of reminds me of the Blueberry one. It works decently to moisturize my skin everywhere except for my legs. They just don't feel as moisturized/soft as they can be. I'm not sure why but that has happened to me with a couple body butters.

Ingredients:

Aqua/Water/Eau (Solvent), Butyrospermum Parkii Butter/Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter (Emollient), Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil/Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil (Emollient), Glycerin (Humectant), Cetearyl Alcohol (Emulsifying Agent), Glyceryl Stearate (Emulsifying Agent), PEG-100 Stearate (Emulsifying Agent), C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate (Emollient), Ethylhexyl Palmitate (Emollient), Glycine Soja Oil/Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil (Emollient), Cera Alba/Beeswax/Cire d’abeille (Emulsifier), Dimethicone (Emollient), Pyrus Malus Seed Oil/Pyrus Malus (Apple) Seed Oil (Emollient), Sucrose (Humectant), Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter/Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter (Emollient), Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil (Emollient), Parfum/Fragrance (Fragrance), Caprylyl Glycol (Skin Conditioning Agent), Phenoxyethanol (Preservative), Xanthan Gum (Viscosity Modifier), Tocopherol (Antioxidant), Disodium EDTA (Chelating Agent), Limonene (Fragrance Ingredient), Sodium Hydroxide (pH Adjuster), Linalool (Fragrance Ingredient), Citral (Fragrance Ingredient), Citric Acid (pH Adjuster), CI 19140/Yellow 5 (Colorant), CI 42090/Blue 1 (Colorant).

The ingredients are not all natural- but it does have some pretty good stuff in it. I love that some of the ingredients are fair trade. Makes it something you feel a little bit better about buying.

Overall, it's decent. But it's not something I would buy again because it didn't work that well with my skin and the apple scent didn't rock my socks. But if you like tart/sweet apple scents (and you find it on sale) it might be worth trying.

Dennis Edwards-Don't Look Any Further

You know how some artists come out and they are truly a one hit wonder? That would be Dennis Edwards. But to his credit his one hit is amazing. The beat is sick. I could listen to this song on repeat for hours on end. 

I don't know what some of the words are-if they are even words but I love this song.

And I love those red gloves with that blue shirt.

I need an outfit like that.

Enjoy!!!

Makeup Memory Lane

I thought it would be fun to talk about how my makeup/nail/everything beauty obsession started. So I figured I would go ahead a do it.

But first...let me just mention I made my first tea latte today. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Why have I never had one of these? I'm not into Starbucks. I've had like two drinks from them...and they were both meh. The Caramel Macchiato and the Strawberries and Cream Frappaccino (tastes like Nestle Strawberry Milk..yuck). This beats both of those. It's a Pumpkin Spice Brûlée Latte made with Teavana Tea. Heaven. So I'll be blissfully sipping this...writing this post.

My earliest memory of nail polish has to be when I was around four years old. Somehow I had gotten my hands on a bottle of pink nail polish. But I didn't use it to paint my nails. Nope, not me. I used it to paint my bed pink. I had always wanted a pink bed...and in my four year old mind, that was how I was going to get one. I didn't get very far (but far enough), when I had gotten caught. Boy, was I in trouble. Wish I had pictures. I was a little go getter. 

The next memory I have was when I was around six. I used to go to JC Penny with my mom. They had this little tinker belle set that I remember begging for. And my mom got it! I was sooo happy. I don't remember much about the set, except the perfume. I don't remember what I thought at the time, but I kept that bottle for years and years and still remember the scent. It stank! It was horrible. But it was my first perfume!

My first bottle of nail polish that I bought was from a Beauty Supply Store in Jersey when I was around the fourth grade. I chose...white. And I used to hate wearing it because I could never get it smooth. So it just sat there. 

I had various kids press on nails. Waste of time and money. They never stayed on more than ten minutes, if that. I learned my lesson quickly with those. I soon graduated to various bottle of Wet N Wild Nail polishes. I always seemed to have the blue shade for some reason. And lots of glitter top coats which I didn't know was used as a TOP coat. So I always used them alone and wondered why they looked so sheer and ugly. Haha.

I almost completely forgot about my obsession with Lip Smackers. That started...maybe around kindergarten or first grade? I wanted them all. I had a couple different ones which I always piled on my lips every two minutes. Most of them would end up lost in my toy box. Poor lip Smackers. I eventually graduated to the Lip Smacker lipsticks. And I had a lip smacker scented nail polish too- I still remember what it smelled like!

My first brand of makeup was Jane. I had a dark blue polish, a frosty lilac eyeshadow (had no idea how to use it), and the berry lipstick that smelled like grapes. 

I owned body glitter, a crimper, and scrunchies too! Every now and then I was lucky to get some Bath and Body Works products. The packaging was so different to what it was now and I wish they would go back to it for old times sake. Just on a couple products.

What do you remember using? What were your favorite products? 

Now it's about time for me to go make another latte. I'm looking sadly at the bottom of my glass. 

The Original Beauty Blender

I'm finally ready to review one of the most talked about sponges in the beauty world. Honestly, youtube is the only reason I even looked twice at this little sponge. When I first started using foundation in high school I definitely just used my fingers. Eventually I bought a pack of those little cosmetic wedges they sell at all drugstores. I wouldn't use those very often because I didn't like how my product got soaked up by the brush before it made it to my face. Plus, always having to purchase more (even though they last while) was not very enticing to me. Eventually I graduated to brushes (ecotools) and then more fancy ones (MAC). So using a sponge to apply my makeup seemed to be a backwards step. But I bought it anyway just to see what all the hype was about.

Beauty Blender claims:

Now you can look like a movie star without the pricey services of a major make up artist. Introducing Beautyblender, the ultimate make up sponge applicator. Invented by top Hollywood make up artist Rea Ann Silva, Beautyblender has been created to leave you with a professional finish and a flawless complexion. Silva knows that the key to a perfect face is simple: a perfect blend. So forget your fingers or sharp-edged triangular sponges, these application methods waste make up and can leave visible streaks. 

Beautyblender’s patent-pending elliptical shape makes application foolproof by allowing you to access hard-to-reach areas with stunning ease. Its suede texture is sensual to the touch and its unique curves fit the contours of your face, leaving your make up dazzling and undetectable. Beautyblender is latex free, non-allergenic and odor free.

So I ordered it for $20 from Sephora. 

And when it came I was mighty disappointed. Did I really just plunk down $20 for a SPONGE? Someone smack me. I just kept getting a sinking feeling everytime I looked at it. Honestly, I wanted to return it unused. But I decided to persevere.

So the first time, I followed the directions to a T. It almost doubles in size. I learned very quickly to dot the foundation on my face instead of picking it up off the side of my hand to apply with the sponge. I feel like it wastes a lot of product using it the other way. 

Here's what I noticed: I'm currently using Smashbox Studio Skin which can look a bit cakey. I noticed it cut down on the cakiness slightly when first applied but dried down almost identical to when I use it with a brush. Even so...it still did look slightly better.  I think this is because of the extra water in the sponge. I think this would benefit dry skin the most since water is hydrating.  I also noticed it blends in cream products like concealer and cream contour really nicely. 

I mean it's cool.

But would I use it on a daily basis? Nah. My every day makeup needs to be quick. Like five minutes or under quick. Getting the sponge, wetting it, wringing it, bouncing it, then cleaning it...extra time I don't want to spend. When I'm taking my time and if I'm using a cream contour, I really enjoy using it. But does it do anything my fingers can't? Not really.

I didn't buy the cleaner because I was already pretty upset at the markup this product has and I can think of better things to spend my money on. But I do clean it regularly. And unfortunately mine stained. I'm pretty disappointed given this sponge is $20. It should return to just as pink as the day I bought it. I'm sure it depends on the products you use though because I have seen youtube vids where women were able to clean it and it looked just like new. I do notice a lot of pink dye coming out when I wash it...which was another thing that bothered me. 

One thing I do want to talk about in this review...you really must take care of it. If you don't clean it properly it can be a breeding ground for bacteria and mold. Make sure you clean it and let it dry where it will get a lot of air. You don't want to be using a moldy sponge on your face. And I have read about it happening. I do want to mention it comes in black which I don't recommend for the simple fact that if it does mold you won't be able to see it. 

As for the lifespan...they recommend three months before you replace it. I absolutely do NOT have the money to replace a $20 sponge every three months. I have read of someone that had hers for two years though. The bacteria thing concerns me so I will just make sure to monitor my skin when I use it and if I notice any breakouts from it I will throw it out.  I probably will have this for more than three months though because I only use it once a week..if that.

When checking out the sight they do ask consumer's to recycle it. Which I wouldn't mind doing if they would do their part and pay the postage. Since they don't, I will probably be a horrible person and chuck it in the garbage. 

Overall, it's OK to me. I won't be running out to repurchase it and I do need to purchase some of the disposable ones to compare them to. I would probably have more enthusiasm for the product if it were cheaper. $20 is just plain excessive. I may be willing to pay around $8-12....but no more than that.

And beware of fakes. There seem to be a ton of fakes floating around eBay and amazon. So if you really want to try it I recommend buying it from a reputable source.

I think that about covers it. 

Thanks for reading! What's your opinion? Like it? Love it? Can't live without it? 

Tea Time: Teavana CocoCaramel Sea Salt

Not so long ago I posted a huge haul with all the stuff I got from Teavana.

I finished up the Slimful Chocolate Decadence Oolong Tea (it was ok with milk and sugar) and was very eager to open up another.

Teavana says:

This chocolatier-inspired infusion combines the distinct tastes of sweet and salty. Buttery caramel, decadent chocolate, a hint of cream and a light sprinkling of sea salt satisfies any craving. 

A lusciously creamy blend of caramel and chocolate with a hint of sea salt

Somehow I chose another Chocolate one. In fact they look pretty similar. The Coconut piece look very similar and when I first opened them they smelled very similar. I really didn't like the smell...but as it mellowed out it smells a lot better now. Kinda like dark chocolate.

I was disappointed to find that the ingredients from last year differed a lot from the ingredients last year. I saw someone had pistachios in it before. Bummer!

So brewed it according to instructions and got prepared to taste melty chocolate, with ooey gooey caramel, and just when you fall in love with the sweet, a bit of salty hits you. At least that's what it would taste like in my mind. 

First thing thing I noticed was the murky brown oily water. Not very appetizing but I could forgive if it tasted good. 

Which it didn't. It's tastes like licorice...with some faint chocolate. I hate licorice. So I really didn't like this. In fact, I brewed up a lot for my mom-who did like it. I still have a little bit left. The only think I like about it is the fact that it makes me not want to eat anything. It kills my appetite because of the licorice.

I find sometimes I can salvage a tea by adding sweetener  but it doesn't really help.

In case you do like it, it's not a tea that goes far. It loses flavor quickly so you won't be rebreeding the tea and since it's quite heavy you don't get as much as you would a lighter tea so it disappears quickly.

The ingredients are..interesting. It has red pepper and when it brews you actually see rehydrated red peppers in it. Theres no actual tea in it, which I miss because I like the taste of tea plus all the supposed benefits that go along with drinking it.

Ingredients:

Cocoa kernels, carob pieces, chocolate flakes (sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa powder), coconut chips, liquorice root, anise seeds, artificial flavoring, marigold petals, red bell pepper, sea salt CONTAINS COCONUT AND MILK

Overall, not for me. I'll be opening up the Pumpkin Spice Brûlée Next! Hopefully that doesn't disappoint. 

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Soap

I talk about Shea Butter a lot on this blog, but Cocoa Butter was my first love. Palmer's Cocoa Butter....mmmm. Which is why it's a shame I've never reviewed anything from them before!

Palmer's Cocoa Butter claims:

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Soap, a richly lathering cream soap, softens and moisturizes as it cleans without leaving a dry, tight feeling.  Enriched with pure Cocoa Butter and Vitamin E, this cream soap is excellent for use on face, hands and body.  The ultimate bar soap for moisturizing the skin.  Use daily for a smooth, clear, radiant complexion.

 I originally bought this to use on my face but decided to use it on my body instead. I will probably buy another somewhere down the line for facial use. In the meantime..here's this review.

I've never tried anything in the Palmer's line except for the Cocoa Butter lotion. That smells...divine. So I was hoping this would smell the same. No luck. It smells like generic hotel soap with a hint of Cocoa. Not the same yummy cocoa as the lotion. Just a very faint...real cocoa scent.

Even though I use mostly liquid body wash I like bar soaps much better. I think it's the lather. For some reason I think they lather better. A little rub on a washcloth goes a long way. 

The best thing about this soap is how soft it makes my skin. My left elbow for some reason is super dry. No matter how much lotion I put on it, it refused to soften up. It's been like that for a little while now. 

The first day I used this soap I was wearing shorts and I touched my leg and was wowed by how soft it was. I didn't think to check my evil elbow until about three days later. Somehow, that was as soft as the other. 

It's seriously softening. In fact, I could get away with skipping lotion on areas that I normally wouldn't even think about skipping lotion on.

One thing I was concerned about was if the Cocoa Butter was fair trade. They don't say anything about it on the box so a little digging on the website  which shows they are members of the World Cocoa Foundation which sources Cocoa responsibly. Yay!

I really do like this soap. Only gripe I have is I wish the ingredients were more natural. 

Ingredients:

Sodium Tallowate, Sodium Cocoate, Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Tocopheryl Acetate, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Pentasodium Pentetate, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Iron Oxide (CI 77489), Allantoin, Fragrance, Benzyl Alcohol, Chromium Hydroxide Green (CI 77289)

I would definitely reccomend this one if you are looking for something to soften your skin. However, if your looking for something similar but all natural ingredients I would reccomend the Nubian Heritage Ivorian Cocoa Butter Soap with Milk Chocolate and Hazelnuts. It will run you the same at just over two dollars if you buy it in a beauty supply store. 

I'll probably pick up the liquid version next just to try it. 

Happy Friday!

Homemade Crunchy Granola

When I was on my health kick, one thing I bought was couple bags of was granola. My goal was to kick the sugary cereal habit I have. I love Special K with the vanilla, almonds, pecans, and all their additives, I'm addicted to Raisin Bran Crunch and so on and so forth.But...all that stuff is really not that good for you. Especially when trying to cut out more processed foods. 

I like to eat oatmeal in the morning. The old-fashioned kind. And I like to mix in my own flavors. None of that premade stuff. But sometimes you need a little variety. 

I started to buy the Bear Naked granola which is pretty good. But expensive. And usually making your own is a lot cheaper. Plus I like knowing exactly what's going in my food.

So I was thrilled to find this recipe for granola. 

Sometimes I eat it as cereal, other times I throw it in some plain greek yoghurt with some honey drizzled on top. Mmmmm. I'm sure there are more ways to use it but I was in a creative rut. 

It happens

I was surprised at how easy it is to make. And I got to add in some foods in my diet that I never eat. Pumpkin seeds, Coconut, dried cherries (yum), and golden raisins. 

It was pretty good...I made it twice and would make it again in a heart beat.

 I loved the addition of flax seeds and I have so much leftover that are perfect for adding to smoothies. Everything thing else is great for snacking straight from the bag.

I got the recipe from a blog called A Spicy Perspective and you can click here for the recipe.

Definitely one to check out if you want to make your own granola. 

Tag: What's in Your Purse?

I saw this tag make its way around youtube a couple years ago and thought it might be a fun blog post.

I don't often wonder what's in other people's purses- but just for fun I did watch a few. Mostly for ideas. I rarely carry a purse, I'm making more of an effort now but theres just not much I need to carry with me at ALL times. I put my phone in my pocket and some cash and cards in my  other pocket and I'm good to go.  Or if I do have a purse it lives in the trunk of the car and only see's the light of day when I have groceries or something that go in the trunk. 

I've been making more of an effort lately. 

I was searching for the perfect huge purse....and found it. I bought it off my mom. It's my favorite color...orange. Well, more of a burnt orange.

So I have the purse but have no idea what to carry in it. A lot of the time it's completely empty. Haha. If anyone stole my purse they would be very disappointed. 

I have managed to find a few things to chuck in it. But it's really a work in progress. 

So let's get started.

Meet my purse. Cute, huh?

So I try to carry water. I hate buying water when I'm out and thirsty. A case of water in the grocery store is cheap. Buying water on the go is expensive.  There are better things for me to waste my money on. Prior to the purse I kept the water in the car.

Snacks- I try to carry a snack too. Being hungry when your out can often lead to unhealthy fast food eating. So having a snack is often helpful. Maybe I should carry a meal, then I would really be ahead the game!

Body Spray- I like to smell good. It's either this or the perfume I'm currently using that I'll throw in the purse.

Lip Balm/Gloss- Something easy for on the go and that I'm trying to get rid of. In this case both of these products I don't like and reapply constantly in an effort to use them up already!

Hand Cream- I hate having dry hands in public.

Sanitizing Wipes- They were on sale and I thought it would be a good idea to carry them. 

Tissue- Gotta have tissue....

Blotting Papers- I'm an oily beast and these come in handy!

Hand Sanitizer- I can't not carry this.

And that's it. My bag looks painfully empty. Maybe I just need a smaller bag.

Random:

I've been drinking Twinings French Vanilla Chai. I love buying Chai for some reason. I think the spices really appeal to me. But I find is just tastes...OK. This particular one has nice spices but the french vanilla tastes pretty artificial. Maybe I should have just bought regular? Or...I should try to make authentic chai....hmmm

Direct Sales Companies

I was very happily playing the Sims-when it crashed...so I decided to do another blog post. I didn't save my game and can't be bothered playing an hour and a half all over again. So....lately I've been interested in researching Direct Sales companies. Not because I want to become a consultant. Just because for some reason it has sparked an interest and I'm a nerd (really).

The first company I remember hearing of was Avon. Mostly I would hear about that when I would visit my grandma in South Carolina. Seems she always knew someone that was selling it and always had a little catalogue. Plus the bath oil was popular as a repellent against the evil mosquitos of the south. I don't know that it worked as I always had a ton of mosquito bites...Hmm...

Then when we went to my other grandma's house in New Jersey I would hear about Mary Kay and the pink car that you can win if you work hard enough. 

Now it seems there are a couple of new kids on the block competing for a piece of the pie that has been dominated by Mary Kay and Avon for years. 

The first one I remember seeing all the time was Jamberry. I saw a couple of people on Facebook selling them and got invited to a couple parties which I never attend. But I did see the pics pretty often. They looked sort of decent. I mean some of the designs are just plain tacky. Still never clicked on them or did further research. 

Until I saw them on the news. The ladies on the news gave them two thumbs up, citing them for lasting for two weeks. Which it seems a lot of people want. Me? I just want to rock a color chip free for around three to five days. I like a cute little accent nail though. Which is why I googled them. And saw that $15 price tag. No thanks. I'd rather buy nail polish and get a manicure for some change rather than a couple dollars. Plus the extra time it takes to put them on....erm...I'm lazy. 

One I've actually had experience with is Avon. The quality of the shadow isn't that great from the stuff I've used. I had a really nice brush though for a good price. And I had a ton of deodorants from them back when I was in high school. I hated them. They never dried. Having wet armpits all day is not very much fun. I honestly don't get the hype. You can buy better stuff in the drugstore. Maybe it was the exclusivity of it. Now you can just order it online though. 

As for Mary Kay I haven't had too much experience with them. I do have a Mary Kay body wash in the cabinet that smells really horrible. I would probably have been more interested in it except I know someone who sells it and I've seen her makeovers. Her skill level seems to be stuck at what I saw most girls doing in middle school. It doesn't make me want to buy the brand. Not even a little bit.

And last but not least...Younique. I had seen this literally everywhere. Most pictures the lashes looked horrendous to me. Like uneven fury spiders for lashes. And I've seen a video of a girl where the fibers ended up in her eyes. Blech. A part of me was almost curious to try it but at $29 you can just wear falsies, which are a lot cheaper. And on top of it you need to buy a mascara to go with it. Then the process...mascara, gel, fibers, gel. Ain't nobody got time for dat. But some people seem to love it...so maybe it's worth trying. 

Of course there are many more companies than these but those are the only ones I know a little something about.

One thing I often wonder is....is it worth selling?

In my opinion, NO. I was reading about Jamberry and apparently there was a point in the beginning (I don't know if it's resolved) where the customer service sucked. And as a representative you will be in the middle of it. And I know I couldn't sell any of the brands I talked about because most people I know aren't that into makeup....so I would be stuck selling stuff to people I KNOW wouldn't use it. I would feel kinda bad doing that. 

And I would be ready to tell a person every single con of the product so I don't think I would even be a good saleswoman. Not everyone is so forthcoming when it comes to selling a product. And you have to watch out for people telling you how much they make because a lot of times that person makes money from getting you to sign up to sell to! I encourage you to do your own research. Never take the word of one person.

As far as parties, I think they could potentially be fun....except I would feel pressured to purchase. I don't even like asking salesmen questions because I feel bad taking up their time and not buying anything. So I probably wouldn't attend. 

Except I did attend one. Or two. And I didn't buy anything. But to my defense we were all broke college kids. And no one else bought anything either. I can't even remember the brands of the parties I attended. I'm terrible. 

To be honest, I would encourage one to come up with their own business. That way you aren't making someone else rich. All your hard work will benefit YOU. Don't do all the hard work to make someone else rich!

I feel like I've been overly negative. I don't mean to be. There are a couple benefits to them.

I guess.

Playtime: Seafoam Green Eyeshadow

Green eyeshadow is one of the most intimidating colors to wear. Especially matte. So I was happy to find a shimmery sea foam green in my Smashbox on the Rocks palette.

I find it surprisingly easy to wear and teamed it up with a deep purple also in the palette. 

I also experimented by pairing a a pink brown lip liner with a red lip gloss. I had no idea what would happen. It just the made the red gloss more muted and natural looking. Think I might continue doing that. 

Don't mind that awful crease in my shadow. My paint pot was not working for me...

The shadow almost looks gray in the pics....Weird.