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....

{ source }

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 ; )

{ source }

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

Love Grace Juice Cleanse ~ A Review

Hi Lovelies! I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday!!! I seriously can't believe how quick it came and went. My Christmas was very nice, but I have to say, with all the running around, and the short time between Thanksgiving and the Holiday, it's all a bit of a blur for me! Which leads me to this review.... I was so very generously gifted a Juice Cleanse by Love Grace right before the Holiday weekend! I was initially not planning on doing the cleanse until this coming weekend. But we had a couple parties last week, and I think I got "gluten'd" and wasn't feeling so hot. I'm not celiac, but I do have an intolerance, so when I eat gluten, I get sort of a gluten induced flu.  It can take me days to recover until I feel like me again! With any parties, they can be quite a mission for me to figure out what I can eat, what I can bring, etc, so after I started not feeling well, I decided to move up my cleanse to try during the Holiday. Brave, yes... I know.... But it was actually kind of nice not to have to worry about what to eat and whether I was going to feel sick after eating it.

So why might one cleanse you might wonder? Well people do it for a lot of reasons. Some like to do it Once a month or so, to kick-start a new month of clean-eating. Others might do it as a way to give a fresh start if they are exploring living a healthier lifestyle. And some like me, might just want to give their systems a break from all the digesting and food after having a reaction to something or to give a body reboot! Since I already eat very healthy and try to live a "cleansing lifestyle" in general, I didn't feel I needed to do much prep-work, so I just jumped right in. A word to the wise, if you are not a regular Holistic-style juice drinker or do not live a Clean lifestyle, you will need to prep for a juice cleanse! You can find more details about preparation on the Love Grace FAQ page!

So I was sent the above 3-Day cleanse! Which means you multiply what you see here 3 times!!! You get a lot of juice! This cleanse retails for $168, which is actually a very reasonable price in comparison to some of the other cleanses out there! So I'll jump right in....

You do the juices in order throughout the day, with about a 2 hour block in between each..... 

1. Purify { coconut water, celery, chard, spinach, & cucumber } - this one was actually one of my favorites! I was surprised , because even though I love greens, I wasn't too sure after my first sip. But as I continued to drink it, I really enjoyed it. I adore coconut water and think that it gives this juice a really fresh & clean taste!

2. Ginger Bomb Elixir { orange, ginger, lemon, oregano extract, & Himalayan sea salt } - this is the one I was most scared of. I think because the ginger settling at the bottom gives it a weird look initially. And because it's smaller than the others, so you know it's potent! But it actually tastes good! There's a lot of orange flavor, a bit sour, but I like sour. And the ginger, oregano and salt are not overwhelming. I credit this little baby with kicking the cold I may or may not have been fighting, to the curb! This would be great to have around when you're fighting some germs, you can order it A La Carte!

3. Super Cider { Apple, Carrot, Ginger, & Lemon } or Longevity Tonic { Lemon, shilajit, cayenne, agave, & Himalayan Sea Salt } - The Super Cider was my favorite juice! This one was tasty and something I would definitely drink everyday! I don't love raw carrots, so obviously I don't typically love carrot juice, but it's just the perfect ratio of ingredients and tastes so so good! I looked forward to drinking the Super Cider for both days I had it. The Longevity Tonic was actually pretty good as well! It tastes just like a semi-spicy lemonade. I don't know if I would want to drink this daily, but it had a good taste.

4. Green Sunshine { chard, kale, spinach, celery, cucumber, apple, & lemon } - I'll be honest when I say that this was not one of my favorites. I do like greens, but it was a little too green for me. I am not really a celery fan and the lemon didn't balance out that taste for me. I tasted a lot of celery and think that's why I did not tolerate this drink too well. But it was ok. I've had worse and with the rest of the juices for the day being so tasty, it was not a problem.

5. Green Protein { banana, flax seed, kale, dates, spirulina, hemp seed, chia seed, coconut oil, lemon, Himalayan sea salt, & wheatgrass powder } or Probiotic Smoothie { banana, flax seed, almond, lemon, dates, vegan probiotic, Himalayan sea salt, and Coconut Oil } or Chocolate Superfood { cacao, dates, banana, goji berry, maca, vanilla bean, coconut oil, flax seeds, & Himalayan sea salt } - Ok, so with your protein type shake, you get a choice of 3. I was sent all 3 flavors (one for each day). I absolutely LOVED the Chocolate Superfood. It didn't really taste a lot like chocolate. It kind of tasted like a more sour, creamy, slightly tart berry smoothie with a hint of cacao. But I liked it and enjoyed every sip! The Probiotic smoothie was ok for me. It reminded me of lemon yogurt and a couple years ago, I probably would have loved this! But I don't really eat dairy anymore (this does not contain dairy, I'm just referencing taste here), so the taste of lemon yogurt isn't as good to me. It wasn't bad! And last, but not least.... Green Protein. Hmmmmmmm. Well.... I have definitely tasted worse! It's hard to describe. Initially, it has a slightly similar taste to the probiotic smoothie. Then I guess you get that hint of greens. I wasn't really a fan of this one. For just 1 juice out of the 3 days though, it was tolerable. 

6. Restore { carrot, beet, celery, cucumber, parsley, spinach, lemon, & orange) - This is the last juice of the day and let's just say it wasn't terrible, but wasn't a favorite either. Again, I think the celery is responsible. I enjoy beets, especially mixed with a citrus, but I can still taste that celery! Celery does have a lot of health benefits though, and since I don't like to eat it, I can certainly drink it!

So there are your juices for the day... And here are my thoughts overall, along with any additional info throughout my cleanse process....

• The price:  the three-day cleanse (6 juices per day) retails for $168, plus shipping if you don't live in an area where you can pick up. This varies depending on your zone. I thought this was a very reasonable price! I have seen juice cleanses out there retailing for a heck of a lot more and the flavors in those cleanses did not get great reviews. Overall with the cost compared to the taste and convenience, I think this is a great price and worth every penny!
• The prep:  As I had said, I didn't feel I needed much prep, but there's a bit of guidance mentioned on the Love Grace site and to me, it's pretty simple and straightforward. The type of lifestyle you lead will determine the amount of prep you will need! Def take this into consideration when ordering your cleanse and prepare accordingly!
• Meals/Snacking: Other than having an organic salad with lettuce, tomato, avocado and a raw honey/acv/dijon dressing on Christmas Eve, I chose not to eat any snacks or meals. However, there are several snack/meal recommendations mentioned here!
• The juices:  Overall I really enjoyed the juices and was so excited to try all the flavors! Yes, there were a couple that I didn't love, but they weren't horrible tasting and were not difficult to drink. My favorites were the Super Cider and Chocolate Superfood for sure! Delicious!!!
• Hunger:  I was very pleasantly surprised that I was not hungry at all! These juices are potent and are not meant to be guzzled down at all. I found that with the length of time it took me to drink them, along with that 2 hour window in between, that I did felt very nourished. It might possibly have something to do with the fact that it was a Holiday and I didn't have time to think to much about it, but I also had A LOT of food eaten in front of my face and it didn't bother me in the slightest.
• Energy:  This is hard to gauge since I was truly exhausted from running around for Christmas!
• The side effects: No side effects for me!
• The experience:  I thought overall it was a really good experience! I think next time around I would do it on a weekend, since I feel like it might be tough to do during a workweek. I would definitely do this cleanse again and highly recommend it to anyone! If you are looking for a great way to reset your body after the New Year, def do this cleanse!!!

In addition, Love Grace offers A La Carte options and they also have this AMAZING Special Edition Beautiful Skin Cleanse - partnering with Tay Organics! (shown above) For $198 ( only $30 more than the reg cleanse) I would very highly recommend this cleanse while it's being offered!

I hope you enjoyed my review and found it helpful!!! Make sure to check out Love Grace on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram!!!

Christy
xoxo
 

{{ Lessons from Felicity }}

So depending on how old you are.... you may or may not be familiar with Felicity. This show was a major part of my teen years and was one of my all-time favorites. The cool thing about it was that the characters in the show were the same age as me. So they graduated in 1998, the same year I did. Anyway.... A week or so ago I was a bit under the weather and we had a couple snow days here, so I started re-watching the show. Being that there has been nothing on with all the finales, I had a major bingefest and sad to say, I finished the entire series pretty quickly. With the upcoming Holidays, my continuous & stressful job search, researching degree programs etc - I needed a major escape and this was definitely it! So here are a few things I learned from watching the series again.....

1.) It really sinks in exactly how old I am when I realize that not only has it been many years since it first aired, but that I didn't remember a lot of what happened.

2.) They just don't make shows like this anymore. Don't get me wrong.... I love me some Vampire Diaries, and loved the new 90210 for the first couple seasons, but Felicity was just such a great teen show! When I watched it as a 17 year old, there was just so much I missed, so much I wasn't mature enough to pay attention to. But this time around, there were so many lessons to be learned. I actually found myself pondering quite a bit, which was a very unexpected side effect!

3.) Pardon my language, but Felicity was kind of an asshole the first couple of seasons. I know it must have been hard to be in her situation with these 2 great guys, but damn.....

4.) The first time I watched the show, though I thought Noel was adorable, I was "Team Ben". This time I found myself getting so pissed at Felicity for being such a moron and missing what was right in front of her! My heart just broke for Noel. "Team Noel" all the way!!!!

5.) I can definitely understand why there was such an uproar over Kerri Russell chopping her hair! I don't remember how I felt years ago, but I had very strong feelings about the cut. I mean, to the point that watching the rest of that season was almost unbearable. Kerri Russell is gorgeous, whether her hair is short, or even if she didn't have any..... But gorgeous curls and short hair do not mix!

6.)I kind of wish I would have went away to college. I chose to go right in to the workforce since I couldn't decide what I wanted to do. I still have no concrete idea what I want to do (that's another post). But this show really captured what the average college experience should be like. You know... If you choose not to spend it binge drinking and sleeping through most of your classes. It really showed me that life away at college can really teach you a lot about being an adult, if you choose to take the opportunity to learn! Pretty interesting to think about so many things I hadn't thought about in a very long time.

So that's really it. If you loved the show as much as I did, I definitely recommend watching it all over again! I think I definitely enjoyed it even more watching as an adult than I did as a teen!!

Aside from that, I can't believe the Holiday is almost here!!! I plan to spend the weekend going to parties, watching movies and baking! Also wrapping up the last bit of loose ends since it will be here in the blink of an eye! Enjoy your pre-holiday weekend!!!!

COMING SOON: I'll be doing a "cleanse diary" review with Love Grace! Pretty exciting stuff!!! If you're a cleanse fan, or someone that's curious about juice cleanses, you'll def want to stop back and check this out!


Christy
xoxo