Get your motor runnin...

LEAN GREEN COCOA MACHINE

As someone who eschews vegetables on a typical basis, I'm chuffed to say that I've found a way to sneak it in to my morning smoothie without my mouth noticing.  Here's a quick rundown of the recipe:

• 1/2 banana
• 1/4 cup non fat plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, vanilla flavor
• 1 scoop protein powder (I'm currently using Raw Protein from Garden of Life)
• 1 teaspoon green powder
• 1 heaping teaspoon raw organic cacao
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds
• frozen blueberries
• small handful fresh baby spinach leaves
• tablespoon honey (*optional if you like things sweeter)

I SWEAR you cannot taste the spinach and the above combination gives you a super filling, high protein, tasty and fiber rich breakfast.  Bon apetit!

P.S. The trick to a perfectly blended smoothie is to put all the liquid ingredients in the bottom and the frozen items last.

Essential oils for sensitive skin/rosacea

Let's cut to the chase, my face is a super diva. She doesn't like extreme heat or cold, if you piss her off she turns beet red, and just to show me who's boss to top it off she'll throw in a break out or two every few weeks. That said, she's been on good behavior recently and I largely credit it to avoiding anything harsh/chemically or otherwise irritating, and keeping her constantly moisturized using oils. I think that seabuckthorn oil has been a game changer with my rosacea (read my review here).  However, given my love for (okay fine, obsession with) essential oils, I'm also determined to find an essential oil that will further reduce redness, hydrate and calm.

After spending a considerable amount of time researching, here's a shortlist of the most recommended EOs for rosacea due to their anti-inflammatory benefits:

• Helichrysum (aka Immortelle) - this is perhaps the most raved about for rosacea. It's quite expensive so I haven't made the investment yet, but it's #1 on my list to try. My plan once I do purchase is to add a few drops to my rose petal hydrosol (rose and rosewood oils are helpful for rosacea) and spray on my face prior to applying my seabuckthorn oil.
• Lavender 
• Sandalwood 
• German chamomile
• Geranium

Honorable mentions: neroli, patchouli, frankincense and myrrh.

I recommend diluting the above with a carrier oil like sesame, rosehip or seabuckthorn. As always, please patch test before applying any of the above "neat" (i.e. without a carrier oil). Oils are also best absorbed into slightly damp skin. I like to spray my face beforehand with a hydrosol or with Avene thermal water.

Taking my bear for a walk..

Feeling stressed? Just roll with it..

I stumbled across these cuties from Golden Earth recently and had to share them in a post, as I'll admit I'm a sucker for an essential oil rollerball. Inside the fun little package is a single note rollerball, each infused with the healing properties of certain crystals that harmonize with the specific intention (energy, happy, wellness, peace, etc). [Sidebar, I'm ready to come clean..."Hi, I'm Shana. I'm from California and I like crystals."]

Started by aromatherapist Elizabeth Golden, Golden Earth uses organic essential oils and wild crafted essential oils. Elizabeth infuses each product with 100% pure therapeutic grade essential oils in addition to other high quality natural and botanical ingredients.  All of those ingredients are nourishing to the body, sustainable and promote overall wellness.  

One of these days I'll get off my hiney, make my own EO rollerball (heck, maybe throw in a crystal and chant on it for good measure) and you'll be the first to know!  In the meantime, I'm sure I'll continue to hoard accumulate the ones that I come across in shops galore..

This one's for you Mom - anti-aging essential oils

Charles Dana Gibson

I'd recently given my mother some of Narayan's No Tox Botox to try (read review), but as she's not a superfan of the smell of clove (I love it, especially around the colder weather months, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside) she asked me to list some other essential oils she can check out that help with skin firming/anti-aging.  Here's the list I gave her:

Anti-aging essential oils

1. Geranium - skin regenerative and boosts circulation
2. Frankincense - skin regenerative, tightening and healing
3. Myrrh - toning/firming
4. Cypress - firms and boosts circulation
5. Neroli - improves elasticity, stimulates new cell growth
6. Fennel - stimulates skin and helps firm; contains vitamin C

You'll want to pair the above with your favorite carrier oil (and the combination is best applied to slightly damp skin for better absorption). Carrot seed oil, avocado and argan are particularly good for aging skin. If you want to apply "neat" please make sure to patch test on a place like your inner arm before applying to your face. Have fun mixing and matching, and if you're creating your own blends please let me know how it turns out!

"Bounce back, you'll go higher."

Frizzy hair, do care - Acure Argan Oil Conditioner review

The battle against frizz has been an ongoing one for me, and more particularly so after getting highlights.  I have a dream in which, with the right products, I can let my hair air dry and it will transform into glossy, smooth waves...

The Acure Moroccan Argan Stem Cell Shampoo and Conditioner have been heavily blogged about and as I'm currently on the hunt for a new conditioner that will make the above dream come true (hey, a girl can dream!), I decided to give the Argan conditioner* a shot.

First impression - texture is very liquidy, which initially gave me pause as I worried it wouldn't be moisturizing enough (it was, and it has nice slip although I did use quite a bit of it).  It is also heavily fragranced. It's not a smell I particularly care for (it's a sweet, cherry like smell), but it doesn't seem to stick around so I can handle it.  If you have dry/color treated hair as I do, while it is moisturizing, you definitely still need to apply a leave-in after towel-drying. Overall I think this will be a good everyday conditioner - and probably excellent for those with normal/not color treated hair. It's not a miracle product for me so my search continues, but good for the fact that it's natural and not expensive (it's about $8 and change on sale at Whole Foods).  Once I use this up, I'll think about splurging on the Rahua conditioner - it's gotten a lot of buzz online and it's fragranced with palo santo oil, one of my very favorite oils evah.

Acure Argan Stem Cell Conditioner ingredients: Organic Euterpe oleracea (Acai) Berry, Organic Rubus fruticosus (Blackberry), Organic Rosa canina (Rosehips), Organic Punica granatum (Pomegranate), Organic Fair Trade Certified™ Rooibos, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Stearylkonium Chloride, Vegetable Glycerin, Glucono Delta Lactone (fermented sugar), Organic Argania Spinosa (Argan) Oil, Cetearyl Glucoside (from corn and glucose), Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride (guar gum conditioner), Glyceryl Stearate (vegetable-derived), L-Arginine (amino acid), Organic Fair Trade Certified™ Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Sorbitan Olivate (from olives + sugar), Panthenol (Pro-vitamin B5), Cellulose (plant derived), D-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (vitamin. E), Lactic Acid (vegetable derived),  Hippophae rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) seed oil, Organic Curcubita pepo (Pumpkin) seed oil, Ubiquinone (CoQ10), Argania spinosa (Argan) Stem Cells,  glycerophosphoinositol lysine (from sunflower), Prunus dulcis (Almond) Extract, Cinnamomum aromaticum (Cassia Bark) Oil

*I used this in conjunction with my regular shampoo, Theorie Argan oil repair shampoo, which I picked up in TJ Maxx and am really liking so far.

**All products are purchased by me unless otherwise stated, and as always my opinions are my own

Evan Healy hydrosols

In my very first post I mentioned Evan Healy's argan oil serum, which I'm obsessed with due to the inclusion of powerhouse essential oils frankincense and sandalwood (not to mention the smell is absolutely one of my favorites of any product I've put on my face to date). It had been on my wishlist for a few months and I finally just splurged and picked it up recently at Whole Foods as it was 20% off.  While there and browsing Evan's line, I was reminded of how impressed I am with her hydrosol range. Standouts are the Immortelle (otherwise known as helichrysum and excellent for irritated and sensitive skin), the Frankincense (so healing, and particularly good for sun damaged/aging skin) , the Sandalwood (I discussed the benefits of this in my first post), and the Myrtle (an uplifting scent, its antibacterial qualities are great for acne and it is also an effective skin tightener).

I truly love Evan Healy's holistic and plant-based approach to skincare and can't wait to try more of her line.

Narayan Beauty - an ATGB Exclusive

I was fortunate enough to meet the lovely Narayan while in Ojai, CA recently. The founder of Narayan Beauty, I found her and her eponymous line of skincare truly inspirational.

From the packaging to the carefully curated ingredients, to the mantra contained in each bottle, you can clearly see that this line is a true labor of love. And to boot, very few skincare lines can lay claim to adding no water or fillers whatsoever into their products.  Each item is all about its organic and therapeutic ingredients.