Healthy Eating

I just read a great article in Glamour about a healthy 1 week detox plan. If you've every thought about detoxing your body you probably came across crazy plans that promise a lot but leave you eating very little, often times things that are gross and hard to get down.

This 1 week plan was created by Ashley Koff, R.D. a Los Angeles dietician with a long list of celeb clients. Koff says "Many detoxes and cleanses don't give your body the nutrients or calories t needs, which slows metabolism and encourages post diet binges."

This article was full of great eating tips and meal ideas. They have a step by step 7 day healthy detox plan with breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack suggestions. Food choice makes such a difference in how your body stores and breaks down fat. You'll be amazed at how much weight you can loose just by eating a little healthier or in some cases a lot healthier.

And it's definitely an easy plan to follow, but even if you don't do the step by step plan, I got great options to incorporate into my meal plans. You can sign up for free at glamour.com/bbg to get the full 12 week plan with tons of easy, healthy recipe ideas.

Letita

Dont' wash away your FACE

Have you ever washed your hands and they felt really dry? How about your face? Many facial cleansers contain sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate (SLS and SLES) causing a sudsy sensation that many people find necessary and even comforting in a cleanser, but these ingredients can strip away your essential moisture while cleansing your skin. Our skin naturally produces oil because we need it, it protects us from daily external factors, don’t wash it away.

I’ve been using non-foaming cleansers since I was a teenager. I used to have very bad acne and most cleansers stripped and irritated my skin. It would get soo dry, and then I started using non-foaming cleansers. I wish I had So Universally Clean You Can Eat Off My Face back then. I understand the whole suds phenomenon when I first started using non-foaming cleansers I was like “Is this going to work?” or “It feels weird.” But you can get a deep down clean without the “squeaky clean” irritated feeling. And best of all it not only cleanses but also treats your skin with natural botanicals.

So Universally Clean You Can Eat Off My Face is a non-foaming botanical antioxidant wash that is extremely gentle and highly effective for removing impurities without stripping skin of its moisture. While your skin is being cleansed it is also being bathed with nourishing aloe that soothes and calms skin inflammation and redness, a wonderful treat for acne or rosacea prone skin. It’s full of vitamin e, an antioxidant vital in protecting skin cells from UV rays, pollution and other cell damaging elements. Lavender essential oil has tremendous antiseptic and natural antibiotic skin benefits. It tones and revitalizes skin and helps clear breakouts and inflammation.

So Universally Clean You Can Eat Off My Face will cleanse, protect and balance your skin, perfect for ANY skin type. Can your cleanser say the same?

Letita

Two Packages with new fun stuff

Yea, packages. I received two packages today and I am very excited for both!

One is from Moon's Harvest an online bath and body store. I've never used their products before but they make every product to order and they have a millions scents to choose from. They have everything from body wash to bath bombs. What's a bath bomb? I know everyone has asked me that. It's bath fizzies, they have regular ball shaped ones and festive cupcake ones. Drop it in bath water and it dissolves to release wonderful moisturizing properties. Soo Cute! And the staff is really helpful if you have any questions about their products. Check it out

The second package was from Sweet Spot Labs, it's um for "intimate grooming" not really grooming, but washing. I love their tag line "You use WHAT? On your Where?". Or "You don't wash your hair with toothpaste?" I thought well no I wouldn't. I remember those summer's eve commercials where the girl asks her mom if she ever gets that not so fresh feeling. Being a kid at the time I thought what the heck does that mean? Well I've had that feeling and thus bought some summers eve. Sweet Spot takes it one step further developing products that are designed to work in closer harmony with the special requirements of your sweet spot. They are full of essential oils that naturally detoxify, soothe and balance our sweet spots. Plus I love saying sweet spot. I've never used these before either. Check it out.

I'll let you know what I think.

Letita

Brazilian Blowout

Letita, what do u know about the brazilian blowout hair treatment? -Lore

Hi Lore,

Brazilian blowout is a hair treatment that creates a protective protein layer around the hair shaft to eliminate frizz and smooth the cuticle.The hair is washed with a clarifying shampoo, solution is applied, the hair is dried and then flat ironed to seal in the solution, the solution is rinsed out, a conditioning mask is applied and then blow dried. The entire treatment takes 1 to 1 1/2 hours depending on your hair, according to Andy LeCompe owner of Andy LeCompe Salon where many celebrities get their hair treatment including Nicole Ritchie.

What's different about this hair treatment is that it doesn't completely straighten the hair compared to other straightening methods. It can be worn wavy or completely straight cutting down your blow drying time and eliminating frizz, while still maintaining your hair's body and volume.

A big difference is there is no line of demarcation, this treatment washes away as new hair grows, with other straightening treatments new hair grows in wavy or curly while the treated hair is still bone straight. That would be awkward! There should be no noticeable difference between new hair and treated hair.

This sounds great doesn't it? Treatments start at about $350 and can last up to 3 months. The Brazilian Blowout is a brand name and can be misused, make sure you are actually getting a certified Brazilian blowout and not another type of hair straightening treatment. Go to www.brazilianblowout.com

Hope this helps!

Letita

I have CRAZY hair!

I was born with crazy hair. It's a well know fact about me. I actually didn't even know that I had wavy hair until I was about 22.

For my 22nd bday I asked for a gift certificate to a high end salon I came across one day. I was fortunate enough to get the owner of the salon as my stylist and let her cut my hair as she thought best. It was a great cut that came with a sleek blow out. Everyone knows your hair never looks as good when you do it at home so I didn't even attempt to emulate the styling job. What I did do was allow it to air dry and low and behold when it dried it was naturally and stylishly wavy. My hair has never been the same since.

When I was in high school I would fight with curling irons, trying to get my hair to lay just right but it never did and I never knew I needed special products for my crazy hair. My dad's hair is straight my mom's hair is curly my hair was frizzy. I has happy to blame all my hair issues on genetics and just leave it at that, that was until my 22nd bday of course.

Armed with my new epiphany about my hair I have since set out, like most of you I'm sure to find the perfect products for my hair.

So it's really important to get a good cut to suit your hair style, that's the first step. I don't know how many times I asked for a cut like a picture in a magazine never to be told my hair would not lay that way without tons of styling and products-not for me. I had the same stylist for about 3 years and decided I wanted something new. With each new stylist I was very honest and up front.
"I want a cut that will enhance my wave and make my hair look fabulous, but with minimal effort on my part. I'm really low maintenance when it comes to my hair. I don't like to comb it, blow dry it, style it."

Fortunately, I've found someone I really like.

Most important for me is taming frizz.
Shine, Shine, Shine.
Now I'm trying curl enhancing products.

There will be a slew of product reviews about hair from shampoos to serums, drugstore to salon products.

As far as products go I don't even know where to begin, but you will soon learn about some good, great and not worth it products.

Letita

It's Snowing!

It snowed 4 inches yesterday.

Here is a link to photos of our snow filled day.

Here are a few videos documenting our snowman making skills and my dog playing in the snow.

So it seems there is a prob with uploading more videos at the moment.

Check back and they might be up.

Letita

Pretty Petals for my Wrist

This will be the first of many reviews for sewcranberry!!

I have always loved to accessorize. I think accessories though small, make a big statement and really show off your personality.

Today we have a few bracelets from sewcranberry. I really like the fact that they have interchangeable bands and flowers. In the picture there is a leather like black band with grommets for when you're feeling kinda edgy or wider black fabric "cuff" with a beautiful design.

Pictured are just a few of the flower color/pattern options that you can easily pop and change to fit your outfit or mood. They can easily be changed but I never have to worry about them falling off, they securely snap into place.

Another cool and innovative idea from sewcranberry is the flower pin. Again you can easily change colors and they snap securely into place every time. Pins add personality to any outfit but I like to add them to jackets. I'm wearing a jean jacket in the pic and like to wear it on the pocket because I use the button hole to secure the pin and I don't have to make hole.

I always get comments and questions every time I wear these little beauties and I'm sure you will too! I've seen flowers for your hair on headbands and as clips (I'll review those later) and the quality of these are so much better and really affordable. Plus you can request custom colors or patterns making your item truely one of a kind.

Where can you buy these? Well on Etsy of course. Remember, "Support your local crafter, buy handmade." Click here to be taken to sewcranberry store.

Learn more about sewcranberry

I'm a Kindergarten teacher who is relatively new to sewing and the crafting community and I am loving it! I remember knitting and crafting with my grandma growing up in the 70's and am glad to have gotten back to it. I am also an auntie and most, if not all, of the items I put in my shop I've first made for my nephew and niece. I also don't put anything in my shop that I wouldn't give myself as a gift. I like working with my hands and take the time and effort to do quality work using the best materials I can find. All my work is done in a smoke and pet free studio.,As well as selling on etsy I enjoy shopping here. And as I like to tell my family and friends: "Support your local crafter, buy handmade." ;^)

Letita