Tropical Stay-cation in a Glass

Hello friends!! Long time no read! It's been a few months since my last blog entry... Okay, half a year. Despite the time gap and the absence of my digital, health-conscious, advice-giving presence, I am back, with every intention of continuing the original spirit of this Blonde Smoothie campaign. I write this as I walk my dog up our neighborhood street. My mid June day has been filled with sunshine and its hugging heat. Summers in Oklahoma sure do take it out of ya. By five o'clock in the afternoon, I'm exhausted and hungry, craving a refreshing pick-me-up to help me get through what's left of the day. 

I've recently been exposed to the cosmetic and healthy living brand Arbonne. Arbonne is an organic, vegan friendly, gluten-free, harmful chemical-free Sweedish born, Californian raised company that promotes beauty through health. Last week I was invited to a party where we tried on moisturizer and blush, drank smoothies and green tea, and pondered the significance of toxins in our diets. (It got very deep.) One of the several items I purchased at this party was the Arbonne protein powder in vanilla. The shipment just came in yesterday, and to celebrate its arrival and to quench my summer cravings, I threw together a green smoothie -- Arbonne style. 

Tropical Vanilla Protien Smoothie

Ingredients

-1 cup almond milk

-6 handfuls Super Greens

-1/2 cup broccoli 

-1 frozen banana

-large handful of frozen pineapple

-large handful of frozen strawberries 

-two scoops of Arbonne Protien powder in Vanilla 

As usual, I start only with the milk and greens, blending them alone to pulverize the most amount of greens possible, thickening the almond milk base for the rest of the smoothie. I then added the rest of the ingredients into my VitaMix and blended until smooth. Serves two. 

The pineapple taste takes you straight to California coast. Or the Gulf of Mexico. Or Hawaii. The taste reminds you a beach. Whatever destination floats your boat. Let your mind relax as you sip this smoothie. I've realized this is the Arbonne way. This is the California way. A way to relax, appreciate, and love. It's a vacation in a glass. Enjoy (:

Product Review: Lush Cosmetics

Hey guys! Welcome to my first beauty product review! 

With the summer sun fading away, our skin grows less dependent on the depth of a glowing tan, but more so on the quality of our daily routines. With that in mind, I've recently integrated into my routine products from the trendy LUSH Cosmetics brand. 

 

While I've long been familiar with the store's delicious, fizzing bath bombs (omg j'adore) and signature Dream Cream (holy cow, the silkiest moisturizer ever), I have since kept a safe distance from those smell-good body treats upon learning of their high synthetic ingredient content. 

You can imagine the weird emotional conflict I felt when the brand opened a location in my town's local mall. The products I used to live for, were finally so close, but I knew better than to waste money on harmful products. 

LUSH, however, has reinvented itself. A quick view on their website will prove they've removed the synthetic preservatives and left only their yummy handmade body blessings. 

On our recent trip abroad, my bestie let me borrow her stash of LUSH's Dark Angels skin rub (starting at $12.95). I quickly fell in love with the massaging sensation. Made of a combination of black sugar and charcoal, the rich scrub is lusciously thick but pleasantly smooth. Immediately, you will feel cleansed and exfoliated, but your skin will NOT look red and will NOT be damaged. The best part is probably the fact that you can buy it in large quantities! (This made me feel considerably less guilty about using it all over my body, not just exclusively in little portions on my face.) I ended up loving this scrub so much, I went to that local store and bought myself a container as soon as I got home. 

While there, I was recommended by the store clerk to purchase a small container of a signature moisturizer called Imperialis ($24.95). After doing some research, I realize that this moisturizer is sort of the beginning stage for LUSH newbies. If you are unsure of your specific skin needs, a clerk will direct you to this product. "It's light and guaranteed not to flog pores," she told me with a smile. "Sweet!" I thought. Just what I've been needing. A miracle moisturizer that will give me perfect skin. I bought my products and, for the next few days used them both day and night. 

While I continued to love the Dark Angels sensational scrubbing, I hated everything about Imperialis. The smell was awful, the texture greasy, and the container made it difficult to get the appropriate single serving. Not only that, but after three days of using the moisturizer, I noticed several new breakouts! Everyone's skin is different but I would NOT recommend Imperialis to someone with semi-acne prone skin--it will only make things much much worse. Though it's listed as the last ingredients, Imperialis also contains parabens, which  is a type of preservative linked to causing cancer. So this is obviously NOT something you want sitting on your skin all day and night! 

Still, I'm glad I went back to LUSH. its second chance was way over due! I love what the brand stands for--wholesome, reliable quality and a candidness between maker and client--but I will still continue to be cautious while shopping there. 

I encourage all my readers to CHECK LABELS! Just because something says "Handmade" that doesn't mean it is 100% organic or good for you. Also, just because something works well on one person, it does not mean that it will work well on you. So be like me and use discretion by borrowing the thing from your friends before you go out and buy it yourself (;