Favorite Organic and Natural Beauty Products ▷▷

Hello there lovely people! I hope you had a beautiful Easter with your loved ones. Spring is here, and we can finally think of bright colors and beautiful flowers! I have been wanting an organic lavender plant for such a long time, and am wondering where to find one. Growing herbs and flowers is so rewarding and delicious if you use them in your cooking. Yummy, yummy! 

Spring can be the time to "clean" out rooms in your home, but can also be a time to dispose some of those yucky products that have been making you sick or breaking out your skin! I always try to emphasize how important it is to check ingredients in products (I'm sure my friends and family are sick of me by now) especially if it is going on your delicate skin! I totally understand that we may be in a hurry to grab something at the store, and we don't get time to check the ingredients on the back. Some brands will even make their labels look "green" and "healthy." At times, they will even use wording such as "natural" or "organic" and not even include anything organic or natural in them! Yikes! Taking that extra 1-2 minutes to evaluate will make all the difference, and your skin and health will thank you too! 

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Do any of your beauty/body products have any of these in them? Check out this list if you are interested in learning more about these toxic ingredients. I was shocked at how many of these are in our basic necessities! WHAT! I have thrown out a lot since this list. 

Toxic Ingredients to Avoid

:: Here are some of my favorite beauty products and ingredients that will condition your skin to feel beautifully nourished and fresh. :: 

1). Organic Scrub Me (nice and gritty) Body Scrub. I am in love with this jar of goodness. It smells amazing and works like a charm. The ingredients are delicious: raw sugar, organic coffee, organic coconut oil, and cocoa butter. It's USDA organic and cruelty free. You can use this on your face and body... I use this in the shower to exfoliate, and it makes my skin feel so soft! Buy it here... Scrub Me Body Scrub

2). Simplers Botanicals Argan Oil (organic). This healing oil originates in Morocco and is often referred to as "liquid gold," with its beautiful color and nourishing properties. It's very high in vitamin E and has 80% fatty acids. In other words, it repairs and rejuvenates the skin, along with preventing wrinkles. We can all use this, right?! Other uses with argan oil: hair repair, skin moisturizer, leave in conditioner, cuticle softener, body and bath oil... just to name a few. I mainly use this lovely oil to moisturize in the a.m. after I cleanse my face (you only need 1-2 pumps, very concentrated). At times, I will take a few drops and add them to the ends of my hair for extra repair when I sleep. Winning! It's a little spendy, but it's worth every cent, I promise! I purchased this at my local Whole Foods, but if you are not able to find it... here you go. 

Argan Oil

3). Favorite soaps and cleansing bar. Shaklee and Shugar Soapworks. Shaklee can be found in every corner of my home... it's the only brand I trust for my nutrition and healthy home needs. This soap has yummy ingredients such as: oatmeal, wheat germ, and vitamin E. Actually, this Shaklee cleansing bar is soap-free, and is PH balanced to nourish and cleanse your skin. Shugar Soapworks smells amazing as well, oatmeal and verbena to be exact! They are free of animal fat, animal byproducts, harmful chemicals and artificial fragrances. These soaps are created with pure essential oils, plant based ingredients and natural fragrances without harming the skin. I love that they are dedicated (just like Shaklee) to keeping the environment clean and green)! 

You can purchase Shaklee bar here... Shaklee Bar and Shugar Soapworks

4). Dream Nuage Organic Adzuki Facial Scrub. This is one of my own products that I threw in here for its simple ingredients (skin food). Only THREE to be exact! I start out by grinding organic adzuki beans for great exfoliation, adding organic rice flour to absorb excess oil in our skin, and organic lavender powder to soothe and heal. That's it! It really is my favorite... not only because I have created it. It really helps to polish and keep my skin in check! Actually, adzuki beans are highly traditional in the Asian communities... can be eaten and placed on the skin. You probably could "eat" this facial scrub if you were really hungry, but it wouldn't taste the best. :) Purchase here... Adzuki Scrub

5). Plain ol' organic coconut oil. That's right! Coconut oil! It's been a staple in the house for many years now. Not only do I use it externally, it's used to bake and cook with as well. For starters, I use this luxurious gem to make a kick-butt hair mask (heat it up on low heat and place all over the scalp and hair, rinse very, very, well). It will make your hair baby soft and so healthy looking. This is also used after the shower if my skin is extremely crocodile skin dry... it doesn't take much coconut oil to saturate and nourish. If your face feels a tad dry, you can add a little to the skin for a moisturizer (can clog skin if you overdo it). Coconut oil is also added to my organic lotion bars and some organic lip butters. I also add a tablespoon to my shakes and oatmeal in the morning... it's extremely healthy and adds a touch of yumminess to your meals. The possibilities are endless, really... and it's cheap! If I had a choice of only TWO products with me on a deserted island... yup, you guessed it, coconut oil! Grab yours at your local grocery store or Whole Foods. 

I hope you enjoyed this post about products that you can buy to create a nourishing and healing experience for you skin. You don't have to spend a lot of money to have beautiful and healthy skin. 

Have a fabulous week!

Jennifer ♡

DIY Organic Diffuser ▷

Hello, hello, hello!  Hope you are doing amazing and feeling wonderful this week! It was my Dad's birthday today, and we had a little birthday party for him. Oh, I forgot to tell you that I am on day 4 of a detox cleanse... so, as everyone else had yummy coffee and delicious cake, I had a nutrition bar and water. Needless to say, I am feeling better each day of this cleanse, and I am hoping to write a blog post on my experience with this. I will survive. 

Trying to keep my mind off of food this week, I relied on a bunch of DIY's. Of course, they all can't turn out ALL the time, but when they do, I am sure to share them with you. And, I really think you will like this one... it's very easy and in my opinion... a necessity in every home. 

I won't even get into what I think about all the chemicals that are in some of the commercial brand aerosol sprays that smell amazing of cookies and chocolate. I believe I had mentioned this in a previous blog on how the chemicals in these sprays can cause so many problems, and bigger problems for people with lung diseases... ugh. No one should have to worry about that! Right?

So... here I am trying out this organic diffuser, and it's actually going well so far.  The first evening that I made it... I have some "organic" rosy + minty scent flowing in the office. How lovely! It's not going to be a "strong" scent, but it creates a nice subtle aroma. 

These fun diffusers can be placed in the bathroom, living room, office, etc... you can also create some fun combos with essential oils. For example, the bathroom diffuser could be lemon and orange oils, and you could get creative and tie twine around the container or paint it a color to go with your decor. So many ideas. So little time. 

Here is the yummy recipe I created for my office: 

❤︎ 1/4 cup tap water (warm, not hot)

❤︎ 1/4 cup vodka (I prefer organic)

❤︎ 20 drops of organic essential oil (15 geranium rose + 5 peppermint) (Whole Foods) 

❤︎ a gorgeous glass container with narrow opening 

❤︎ 4-5 bamboo sticks (can be found at grocery store) 

we are recycling these cute mini wine bottles 

1. Heat the tap water on stove until it's warm.

2. Measure vodka and essential oils and pour into container. My container is actually one of those small wine bottles that come in those 4-packs. Great way to recycle them, huh. Winning. 

The essential oils that I used are geranium rose and peppermint oil (organic, of course). I used 15 drops geranium and 5 peppermint. 

3. Pour warm water into container and shake it up without spilling. 

4. Place your bamboo sticks in the container. Awwwww... isn't it gorgeous!? 

I hope that these little diffusers smell lovely and look gorgeous in your homes. Take a pic and show me your creations in the comments... I would LOVE to see what you come up with. 

Take care, 

Jennifer 

February Favorites ▷

Hi there! Hope you are doing well! So we are headed into the first week of March. February was here and has almost left us now. It was a nice month, and our weather was very mild compared to some winters we have had up north. 

Since February is my birthday month, I will be sharing some things I received as gifts and some new items that I am loving, and can't live without. There will be some food items, books and some music. If you would like to see them, just scroll on down... (I will try to include links where you can get these items if you are interested). 

1) Amethyst. We happened to be staying on the North Shore (refer to last blog post) and went shopping in Grand Marais. Did I mention how much I adore Grand Marais (yes Jenn, we all know this by now). Anyways, I picked this little gem up at their local Trading Post. They usually have a ton of rocks and stones to chose from... but since it was my birthday month, and this is my birthday stone... it went home with me! Now it is sitting nicely on my desk in the office. So beautiful and organic. It really shines pretty when the sun hits it. 

Awe, so pretty!

If you would like your own little piece of amethyst or any other gems... I found a few at Amazon. Amethyst

2) Books. Audrey. As you all may know my love for Audrey Hepburn, I received this amazing book for my birthday! I was SOOOO excited, as I really love anything with her in it. This book is told from her son's perspective, as he tells stories about his famous Mother and how she was so down to earth, and her humanitarian work is legend. There is some amazing pictures of Audrey's life and even recipes within the pages... from chocolate cake to peach bellinis. I will be experimenting with this soon. Yum! 

Audrey at Home... 

If you would like to purchase this book... Audrey at Home

The next book I wanted to share is actually on my Nook right now. I have already read two chapters, and it's pretty intense but fascinating. This book is called Cured by Nature, by Tara Mackey. I have wanted to read it for a few months now. It was just released in February, and it's becoming high on the charts. Tara actually did a blog post reviewing a product of mine... I was lucky and happy to be a part of this... she reviewed my Organic Adzuki Scrub. I was so excited! Anyways, this book reveals how Tara has conquered many obstacles in her life, and she shares how she healed herself through natures amazing gifts. A must read!

Cured by Nature - Tara Mackey

To purchase, click here... Cured by Nature

Okay... I must share one more piece of literature with you... can you tell where my spare time goes? This is a magazine subscription, and I would rather have the physical magazine to read, always. It's called Organic Life. This amazing magazine features wholesome organic recipes, gardening, travel, and how to incorporate organic and sustainability into your lifestyle. 

Organic Life 

If you would like to subscribe to this magazine... click here! Organic Life Magazine

3) MUSIC! I have been loving two new songs that I just downloaded, and they have been on repeat now for days (don't we always do this). Her name is Yuna. Many of you have probably heard of her music, but I basically just re-discovered her again. She has a very unique voice and uplifting messages in her songs. When I'm having a not-so-great day, I put her music on, and it just instantly gives a feeling of pure bliss. You will start to love these songs too. They can be found on iTunes or Spotify. Here is a few links if you want to take a listen.

YUNA -- Falling

YUNA -- Live Your Life

4) Food. I wanted to share a few of my new favorite healthy and organic snacks. We may understand the importance of healthy snacking and how it impacts our energy levels, which in turn, affects our productivity. There is no way that I could survive anymore on pure sugary snacks or highly salted chips, like I did at the mall, ages ago. They may taste good (sometimes, not) and fill you up at the time, but that's only temporary. 

Try this out. All natural Holy Land hummus with roasted red pepper. Try this natural snack/dip with organic crackers or blue tortilla chips. Made with only natural ingredients; no cholesterol, no trans fat, no msg, and gluten free. It's a great alternative to sour cream, mayonnaise, or cream cheese, and it's vegan friendly.  You can purchase this at your local grocery store or Whole Foods. 

Yummy, yummy

TAZO chai (organic latte) Because you need that at times to keep your sanity and energy. But this... is certified organic and has a blend of black tea, cinnamon, ginger, cardamon and vanilla. It's very versatile in that you can blend in milk hot or cold with the season. Now this does contain caffeine, a good amount, so if you need caffeine-free, this is not your cup of tea or latte (no pun intended). I wouldn't recommend this every day, but some days, you may need an extra kick to start that productivity. 

If you can't find it at your grocery store or Whole Foods, click here. Tazo Organic Latte 

Caffeine to the rescue. 

Well... I think that wraps things up. I hope you enjoyed this months favorites of a little bit of everything! Please let me know what you loved last month, and we can all check out some new and lovely things.

Take care, 

Jennifer