health Archives - Page 2 of 2

It’s been awhile since I talked about skincare and I’ve updated my routine and found new products so wanted to share!

1. Earth Science Eye Makeup Remover Chamomile and Green Tea – I’m a pretty heavy eyeliner user and I am crazy about getting every last bit off. I’ve been using Neutrogena Eye Makeup Remover
for years but in the past few months, it’s been irritating my eyes and not getting the makeup off as much as I’d like. I went searching for a more gentle, non-irritating product and came upon this one in the beauty section at Whole Foods. It’s more of a gel but I like it because I feel like it does a better job of taking of the makeup in one clean sweep rather than having to go back and remove some more. (Just a tip, it’s cheaper at Amazon than it is at Whole Foods so don’t get it there.)
2. Xen-Tan Face Tanner – I don’t mind getting my body tan through the sun but I’m so paranoid of freckles and wrinkles that I use pretty strong SPF on my face and when I go on vacation, I always bring hats to wear in the sun. To offset the weird pale face/tan body I use a face tanner. I got this one as a sample but I ended up liking it so much I bought it and have been using it all summer. Granted, I haven’t gotten much sun this summer so I’m not that much tanner but still it gives my face a slight tan and it’s a very subtle difference which is what I’m looking for. Many formulas are for face and body which I don’t believe in as what you put on your body should not be the same formula as your face so I like that this one is specifically for your face.

3. DDF Glycolic 10% Exfoliating Moisturizer – I get breakouts occasionally, especially on my forehead and hair line and my first defense against breakouts is glycolic acid. It’s been pretty effective for me and I really like having something a bit stronger like this when it’s needed.
4. Alba Facial Scrub, Sea Algae Enzyme – I love exfoliating. It’s so soothing and I love the feeling of getting all those dead skin cells off. I spend a lot of time testing exfoliators and I finally found one that I love! This one has the perfect size of granules where it’s not to harsh but also not too soft. It just feels like it’s getting it’s job done, know what I mean?
5. Glytone Mini Peel Gel – I was looking for something to make my skin glowy and “fresh” (which is a funny word for skin but I don’t know how else to explain it. I caution if you have sensitive skin from using this. It doesn’t irritate my skin or anything but it certainly reacts to it. You put on a thin layer and leave it on for 10 minutes. The whole time it’s on, your skin tingles like crazy. You can really tell it’s doing something! It’s not the most comfortable feeling but I do feel like it helps my skin as every time I do it my skin gets super glowy afterwards. My husband even remarked on the glowineess of my skin! I’ve used quite a few Glytone products and really like everything I’ve used from them.

One last thing worth mentioning that you guys may think I’m crazy for…

Wedderspoon Raw Organic Manuka Honey Active 16+

Yes, honey for skincare. Specifically Manuka Honey. So the story is, I have stomach/digestion issues and have had it for about a year now. Doctors can’t tell me what’s wrong and no treatments have worked. You don’t even want to know how much time and money I’ve spent on tests, labs, xrays, etc… to find out absolutely nothing. Just guesses which leads to more tests which leads to more guesses and yeah, not fun. I spend a lot of my days not being able to function because of my stomach. ANYWAY, not trying to share my health problems but I was doing research on stomach problems and remedies when I came across Manuka Honey which is supposed to be this kind of “miracle” product that can heal a lot of things including stomach/digestion issues. It’s also been found to be great for skin healing and acne treatments. (There’s a ton more benefits but I don’t want to list it out so google it if you are interested in finding out more) I figured, with everything I’ve been going through why not give it a shot. It hasn’t cleared my stomach problems but my skin loves it! Everytime I get a big ol zit that I have to get rid of, I just dab a little bit of honey on it and overnight it shrinks a ton and then disappears a lot faster than if I had used any other treatment. The trick is DON’T SQUEEZE IT! I know it’s so tempting with zits especially those massive ones that you want to kill, but leave it alone, put some honey on it and before you know it, it’ll be gone and you aren’t left with any ugly dark marks or scars. I don’t know if this will work on everyone and obviously, proceed with caution if you have sensitive skin but it worked for me so wanted to share.

I love to cook but now that my schedule has been so busy, the last thing I want to do after working 16 hours a day is to get in the kitchen and cook. This has led us to eating out more than we like and I was feeling a bit lethargic and not so healthy in general. I recently subscribed to Whole Living magazine and I’m obsessed with it. I read every single article and have really changed our food and eating habits because of it. I came across this “detox” that sounded perfect for me. From the magazine:
“New Year’s resolutions a distant memory? Whether you want to recommit to
a healthier eating regimen or simply treat your body to some R&R,
our three-day reboot is a delicious way to do it.”

Last week, I did the 3 day reboot and the rest of the week I stuck to a generally healthy diet. I ended up losing 3 pounds during the week (which to be honest, was probably just water weight) but not only that, I just feel a lot more “cleaner”, healthier and energized.

Read more for my thoughts and tips on the detox…

I wanted to share with you guys because I often get questions about my diet and exercise which I’m hesitant to post about only because everyone’s bodies are different and I’m certainly no expert. For me, I generally like to cook/eat healthy for 4-5 days out of the week and the rest of the days we eat out. Of course this varies and some weeks we eat out more but in general this what we like to stick to.

I’m a huge fan of detoxes every once in awhile and I’ve done them before but I highly recommend this “reboot” because the food is actually tasty! Also, I know that juice cleanses are pretty big now and I’ve considered them but knowing that I like to eat actual food, I think juice cleanses would just make me feel stabby and probably not fun to be around 🙂

Go to the Whole Living site for more details on the 3 day reboot and the recipes, which are very easy to follow and the best part is, that the first day you prep almost all of the food so that it makes it very easy to stick to the diet for the next two days. One tip: in the beet salad, they have you put the scallions in the first day which was delicious but I ended up hating it the 2nd and 3rd day because all I tasted were the scallions which as you know, is a very strong flavor. Next time I will only add them on the day that I eat the salad.

I loved the breakfast smoothie so much that I made it this week too! I just made a batch on Monday and then filled the rest into mason jars for the next few days. It’s so easy to grab and go in the morning! I also add in chia seeds which is an amazing little “superfood” that doesn’t add flavor to your food but it add tons of nutrients. Read here for the benefits of chia seeds. I started adding them into my foods for the fiber but I’ve noticed all the other benefits including more energy and help keeping me feel full between meals. I recommend making a chia gel to keep in your fridge which makes it easier to add to your drinks. They become softer as I don’t love the crunchiness of the raw seeds but I really like the texture of the chia gel in my drink, it’s like a healthy version of bubble tea!

I order Chia Seeds from Amazon, mainly because I’m an Amazon Prime member and I love the free 2 day shipping so I haven’t really shopped around but I think the price on Amazon is pretty good.

And because if you know me, I can’t not have baked goods in my life. These are for after the detox obviously but when I need something relatively healthy to munch on with my coffee or tea, I make these raisin bran muffins that are low fat! They are just as good as any of those muffins you can get at coffee shops but you won’t feel as guilty after eating them.

It uses raisin bran cereal (I get mine at Trader Joe’s), whole wheat flour, only a 1/4 cup of brown sugar for 6 muffins
and no butter at all! I do suggest to add about a 1/2 cup (or more) of raisins to the batter if the cereal you use is skimpy on the raisins. I love these muffins and they are really easy to make. Side note: I make them a little less healthy by adding
turbinado sugar on top but the crunchy topping completes it. Trust me
on this. 🙂

Anyway, if you were thinking of doing something like this, I highly recommend the 3 day reboot. 3 days is nothing and is so worth how your body feels after you are done!