Wednesday Wants ~ My Latest Lust List

Hello Beauties! I hope those of you that live in the Eastern part of the US are keeping warm! It's crazy how much snow we've been getting here in NJ!! It's like Mother Nature is making up for the last couple years with hardly any! It's actually kind of concerning as far as the southern states go, since I heard even as far down as FL was getting snow yesterday. Global warming anyone? But that's another time, another post ; ) Anyway, I've been trying to stay warm and occupy my time with some cozy activities - watching movies, reading, surfing the net for pretties and knitting. I wanted to share a few of my latest finds with you! 

So I have a little confession to make.... I taught myself how to knit many years ago, but I've always had a hard time completing any project. All I really know how to do is knit basic things like scarves, and I can now do some of the different stitches. But I have a slight infatuation.... ok.... obsession with yarn. I don't know what it is. I think it must be the magpie in me that's just attracted to all the gorgeous colors and textures. And I absolutely love that you take this little hank of yarn and create something beautiful. I have a hard time meditating or doing anything that requires me to center myself in the moment. But knitting seems to work to keep me present, so lately it's been my own personal form of meditating. I've pretty much mastered the seed (or moss) stitch and have been working on a cowl. So now that I feel like I can actually start a project and finish it, I've been drooling over these gorgeous yarns.

Right: Malabrigo Mecha Left: Malabrigo Rasta

Aren't they stunning?!?! They are slightly pricey and not something I would recommend for someone that hasn't mastered a stitch yet. Making a lot of mistakes and potentially destroying this yarn trying to fix them, would be such a tragedy. But the colors are unbelievable! I think I might need to splurge at some point and buy myself a skein. I have no idea how I'm going to choose between all the beautiful hand-dyed colors!

L to R: Camellia Lace Bralette, Pins & Needles Chloe Bralette, and Kimchi Blue Lace Traingle Bralette

I've also been loving all the delicate little lace bralettes I keep seeing all over. I've been lusting after the Camellia Lace and the Kimchi Blue beauties for a while now. But they were out of stock! They now have them back in stock in a ton of colors! (the above links are my shopsense affiliate links, please feel free to visit the UO site to buy directly!)

And for the latest product on my Beauty radar....

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I came across Jodie Patterson's website after her "5 Beauty Obsessions" feature on one of my favorite websites, Well + Good. As I have mentioned many times in previous posts, I have a very difficult time finding "Perfume", and I put that in quotes because I don't wear typical perfume. I will not use fragrance (parfum) or anything synthetic. Fragrance alone can contain hundreds and hundreds of chemicals in just that alone, including nasty phthalates! And for me... that's just No Bueno! I prefer natural perfumes that contain essential oils, resins, and waxes. At the very least they need to be derived from a natural source. So when I came across Jodie's Body Perfume, I was smitten. She uses natural ingredients in all of her products and the scent profile for this just sounds amazing. I'm a huge fan of smoky, sweet and incensey scents and just find them so sexy. Not to mention this jar looks like it would last forever. This is most definitely on my list! It may just be my future signature scent ; )

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And last but not least..... Oh the Bonanza Bib, how I need you in my life. I am just in adoration of this necklace. And not just because of it's obvious beauty & unique design. But also because this lovely is handmade by a beautiful woman in Uganda, and I adore the mission the purchase of this necklace supports. Learn more about 31 Bits and their story here!

So that's it for my Wednesday Wants! I have some amazing things coming soon....

~ A Kaeng Raeng Cleanse review

~ A Review of the most gorgeous Leather Satchel I've ever seen

~ Some new Health Posts

~ Posts on my latest Health & Natural Beauty finds

Stay tuned & Stay warm!!!

DISCLAIMER: Other than the affiliate links for the bralettes as stated above, I have received no compensation for this post. I have received no products in exchange for opinions on this post. All thoughts are completely my own.

Brand Spotlight: Shea Terra Organics - Winter Skin Favorites

As I sit here typing this, another storm is rolling in! We're supposed to get anywhere from 6 inches to a foot of snow here in New Jersey. It's been quite a season so far, and my skin is definitely noticing! I actually really enjoy the winter and don't mind the cold/snow at all, as long as I don't have to drive in it! But for the first time in a while, I'm dealing with flaky skin, dry hair, and itchiness. Not a fan!!!

This is where one of my favorite Organic Beauty brands comes in. I've been using Shea Terra Organics for over 5 years now (I've mentioned them here and here) and the products are amazing! They are really my top "go-to" organic brand as far as versatility, and pretty much being able to use the whole range. I especially love the products for the colder months, though they are spring/summer friendly as well!

Recently I had the opportunity to try out a couple of the more recent releases and I was not disappointed!

Shea Terra so generously sent me samples of both the Coffee Bean-illa Lip Butter and the Dark Chocolate Shea/Malawi Sugar Scrub to try out. I really enjoyed both, especially the scents! I won't use any products that contain any synthetic fragrance at all, so I really appreciate when a product I use has a truly amazing (and natural!) smell. The lip butter is not necessarily something I would use as my everyday lip balm because of it's slightly thicker texture, like under gloss or a stick, but it's an AMAZING lip treatment! I've been slathering it on several times a day and love layering it on at night before I go to sleep. I also really love it as a cuticle butter, and because it's a bigger size than your average balm, I could see using it as a frizz tamer on my hair as well. It smells slightly minty to me for some reason, though there's no mint present, but in a really good way. I love the scent and who doesn't want their lips to smell yummy?! This also comes in several other scents as well. I've heard great things about Bananas & Baobabs!!

I generally stay away from scrubs because they typically contain a lot of oil and that's not really my preference, but this Shea Sugar Scrub is absolutely lovely!!! I was super excited to try it, as I knew that it has a solid texture. It did not disappoint! I love that it doesn't drip all over the place in the shower. Anytime I have used the more oily scrubs in the past, my shower floor ends up using more of it than me! So I was already a fan of the texture. This scrub was unlike anything I've used before. Kind of like a body butter mixed with a sugar scrub. And my skin felt so so soft after using it, which is a huge benefit of the shea base vs the oil. My most fav way to multi-task with this scrub, is on my hands. It gets rid of those scraggly cuticles and makes my hands look younger! Great for my reg home manicures. And the smell...... Well this one smells like you're slathering yourself with chocolate brownie batter. So so SO good!!!! So I was very much a fan of both products and would highly recommend them!

Some of my other favorites that I've personally purchased over the years include:

1. Moroccan Lava Clay : this clay comes in chip form, so I love that I can take the amount I need. I do find that grinding with my mortar & pestle works best, so you might want to take that into account if you purchase. I also love that I can mix this powder with different things according to my skins needs!

2. Pink Guava Body Nectar Shea Spray Oil: this smells fruity and is amazing for stretch marks

3. Menthe African Black Soap Body Wash: I used this on both my face & body. I have a thing for mint shower products. They just make me feel fresh. It can be a bit drying for the face, but it's great for anyone that struggles with clogged pores and/or acne prone skin

4. Desert Date Oil: this did not work for my face at all, but I ADORE it for my hair and use it as both a smoothing serum and hair treatment 

5. Pink Guava Pomegranate Double Shea Butter Smooth-EE: this smells so fruity! It's a bit solid, so it would work great for hands, elbows, and any other chapped areas.

There's also a slew of products I really really want to try right now, that based on the ingredients, are not only fantastic in general, but would be AMAZING during these colder months ahead! The Moroccan Lava & Camel's Milk Softening Nomad's Secret Facial Masque sounds fantastic. I think it would do wonders for my dry and slightly acne-prone skin. I've also been looking for a great facial spray that I could use year-round. I think the Cape Chamomile Hydrating Facial Spritz would be calming and cooling and great when I want my moisturizer to soak in. And last, but not least.... The Shea Butter Intensive lotion just sounds delicious in pretty much any scent! I'm thinking the Coffee Bean-illa would even offer some possible firming effects due to the caffeine in the coffee extract. And I've heard that Bananas & Baobabs smells like banana pudding! Yum!!! I think I'll be placing another order soon for sure!

I honestly can't say enough about Shea Terra. They are my longest reigning organic beauty crush and a staple in my regimen. I love that the line is fair-trade and Tammie is always coming out with new products! In addition, if you sign up for the newsletter, she regularly sends out very generous discounts. In fact, there's currently a code that can save you a HUGE discount of 30% off, good until 1/31. I def suggest you take advantage if you want to try Shea Terra! This is a great deal! Just use code JAN2014 at checkout (I'm not compensated for this in any way, I'm just passing along my own newsletter savings code)

If you end up trying Shea Terra, make sure to stop back and tell me what you think! I truly hope you love the line as much as I do!!!

Christy
xoxo



DISCLAIMER: Lip Butter & Scrub samples were generously provided to me for review. All other products mentioned are from personal purchases. All opinions are my own. No compensation was given for this post.

Golden Globes 2014

I have to say,  I honestly had no idea the Globes were even on last night! My Husband & I were looking for something to watch and saw the E! Red Carpet pop up, so we turned it on. I'm so glad I did because live tweeting during the carpet and awards makes it so much more entertaining! I was actually quite shocked last night. There seemed to be a running theme of ugly gowns & messy hair (both the women and men on that one). Despite the trains wrecks of the night - Paula, Drew, and Zoe, I'm looking at you! There were quite a few stunners. So many of the ladies looked gorgeous, even some of the gowns that weren't my fav. But I have to say the top 3 of the night for me were.....

I know a lot of people weren't fans of Elizabeth Moss's gown, but I have to say that I really liked the interesting pattern and the cut of the gown is very flattering on her. I thought she looked beautiful! And Kate Beckinsale's gown was beautiful as well. I mean, this woman can really do no wrong in my book, she's so gorgeous. And does she age?!?! But my absolute favorite of the night, hands down, was Olivia Wilde! The color, the cut, her hair and makeup..... Just PERFECTION! Love love love her!

Aside from that, the awards themselves were quite enjoyable as well! It seems that there was a ton of liquor supplied and many of the celebs were pretty inebriated by the time they got up on stage. This made for a much more entertaining show! Though I think that they may curb the amount served next season! lol. It was also really nice seeing so many comedic actors winning awards! This was the first show I've enjoyed that much in a while.

Aside from that, I still have to watch last weeks Bachelor before tonight's show and decide whether I'll be recapping this season or not! Do you all watch it? What do you think so far???

Beyond the typical TV highlights, I have some things in the works and the job search continues! Please please please send me all the positive vibes you can! I could really use them =)

Christy
xoxo