Sunday, February 23, 2014

What I'm Loving Lately: Green Beauty - Tata Harper and Other Favorites!

UPDATE 2/13/2016: 
Since writing this post, cleaning up my beauty regime really became a priority when I discovered I was pregnant and that eventually lead me to become a Beauty Counter Consultant!  This line of products is quickly gaining in popularity especially after being featured by Lauren Conrad and on Goop in recent months.  I adore their products and what they stand for and was so pleased to see how well they compared with non-eco brand offerings.   In addition to their makeup and their skin care and makeup line, they also have products for the whole family!

If you are interested in trying Beauty Counter or even becoming a consultant yourself, please shoot me an email at megan.omera@gmail.com and be sure to check out my Beauty Counter store  




I would be remiss if I did not include Tata Harper in my line up.  I've tried 3 of her products and loved them all.   Like the La Bella Figura and May Lindstrom lines, Tata's Harper's prices reflect the quality of  ingredients used.  If you are lucky, you can sometimes score a discount.  For instance, I got two of the below products from - of all places - Anthropologie during their "additional 25% off"  sale over the holidays.   I had previously tried them via Spirit Beauty Lounge samples so knew they were way undervalued.   And again - these brands really have the whole, "lets put them in incredibly pretty bottles" thing down.  They are the kind of items that you don't mind leaving out on your bathroom counter.  It almost seems a shame to keep them in a drawer.




The Resurfacing Mask is one of my favorites masks ever because it's so unique.  It contains pink french clay, fruit enzymes, white willow bark, and aloe.  It calms your skin and helps fight acne.  It also leaves your face firmer and with less visible pores.   I love it.  Its unique in that it goes on clear and when it dries you almost feel as though you could peel it off.  It has the consistency of jelly out of the jar and it definitely makes my skin feel better.  Its something I will buy again and again.

The Hydrating Floral Spray is full of hydrating botanicals.  It smells amazing and I use this to set my make up or whenever I walk by my dresser (which is where I keep it). Its like a toner and moisturizer in one and has been great during this dry Winter.  I have two bottles:  one to travel with and one to keep at home (thank you Anthro clearance sale for giving me that luxury!)

The Regenerating Cleanser was another Anthro sale find and one I'm glad I sprung for.  It smells like orange cream and reminds me of St. Ives Apricot Scrub but with better ingredients and less irritating particles.  It contains Willow Bark extract and pomegranate and I love to use this in the shower.  It leaves my skin incredibly smooth.  Its super creamy so I doubt I will use this much in the Summer, but for now, it's just right.



A couple of my other favorites are below and I wanted to be sure to mention them. I actually use both of these products every day.



 Juice Beauty's Blemish Clearing Serum contains a slew of antioxidants like A, E, C, Co-enzyme Q10 and naturally occurring salicylic acid in the form of White Willow Bark. It took about a month to notice, but I can absolutely say that it has helped to make my thyroid med induced acne calm down considerably. I'm  not 100% thrilled with the other questionable ingredients included, but it's still free of parabens, propylene or butylene glycols, petroluem, sulphates, PEGs, TEA, DEA, phthalates, GMO, silicones, pesticides, artificial dyes and fragrances.  I'm am going to try Eminences' Willow Bark Serum soon which seems to include all of the great things about Juice's serum - plus the addition of antibacterial tea tree essential oil - without the questionable ingredients.

Evan Healy Immortelle Facial Tonic is another great find and I love to spritz it on my face after a shower or first thing in the morning. It smells a bit like maple syrup which takes some getting used to. It's main ingredient is the Immortelle Flower which grows in the South of France and the Mediterranean and is known as the "Everlasting Flower" because it continues to bloom even after it is picked.  Hopefully this speaks to it's anti-aging powers!  I've noticed this flower even has it's own line at L'OCCITANE so I'm hoping there is something to it.  Hydrosols are great at - you guessed it - hydrating the skin.   Evan Healy can also be found at Whole Foods so if you spy this Hydrosol or any others pick one up!

Well, that's it for now!  I will have more of these posts in the future mixed in with life updates!  If you have any suggestions or recommendations for beauty products, let me know!  

xoxo,
Meg


Monday, February 17, 2014

Skiing and Other Updates

I hope everyone is surviving this terrible Winter!  Even our family in Florida has not escaped it!  Tom and I have been trying to make the most of this horrible polar vortex.  We have really made an effort to have fun in the snow and what better way than skiing?   I guess we should be grateful.  Last year, around my birthday, I wanted to go cross-country skiing and there wasn't enough snow to do it on.  Guess it won't be a problem this year!  Lucky for us, our good friends April and Calem are almost always down to travel to Alpine Valley.  It works out well, because April is new-ish to snowboarding, I'm new to skiing and Tom and Calem are both pros (Calem is especially good - he was cutting through the trees, doing jumps, and going backwards downhill when he broke away from the snowboard after lunch).

We've gone about 3 times this Winter and I'm learning a ton.  Tom "gently" broke the news to me that it isn't acceptable to "scooch" down the hill on your behind when you fall and get scared...sigh.  With all of the practice, I am slowly getting better at this down-hill thing...








...Which is a good thing as we are actively planning a quick ski-get-away.  I'm so excited that we made Companion pass status at Southwest, because that means we have until 12/31/2015 - almost 2 full years! - to take advantage of free flights.   First up, is a weekend trip to either Park City or Tahoe.  I am expecting to be in California for one more training, so our thought is to do it the following weekend.  Hopefully we can get things nailed down this week.

Other updates:

  • We had a wonderfully low-key Valentines day.  Champagne and Chocolates.  We decided that next year in lieu of candy, he will get me a super fancy bottle of Champs, and I will get him a nice bottle of bourbon. I call that a win-win. Goodness knows, my diet is not lacking in chocolate as it is. Our Valentine's Day tradition is usually cooking a fancy meal at home (to avoid the crowds and to try something new together), but as it fell on the last day of a 3 week training, nothing sounded better than champagne and Netflix.
  • We are stoked about a friends get-away to Napa in June!  The B&B is booked and we are in the process of nailing down the details. Tom and I loved it so much when we first went there years ago and always said we needed to come back with friends.  The 8 of us are gonna have a blast!  Tom and I will be staying in the Mansion Room called "Angel's Share" and the others chose Mansion rooms as well which makes me happy :)
  • Tom and I are excited for a trip to Italy.  Due to my training, we had to push it out from our original timeline of July, so it is looking like September will be it!  Just have to finalize some projects and we can start booking.
  • I passed my certification with flying colors!  It was definitely an intense few weeks but I actually really enjoyed most of it. I will take that as a good sign for what is to come. I'm really excited!
  • I've finally gotten around to trying Shred 415 and love it!  Its an intense boot-camp like treadmill class where you do approximately 4 sets of 15 minute workouts (sometimes its 6, 10 minute sets) alternating between the treadmill and floor weight exercises (think squats, kettle bells, box jumps, burp-ees, etc).  It has really pushed me as there is no way I would ever go that fast on a treadmill or think to do those exercises on my own.   The weather and training have really gotten in my way (I've eaten way too many classes due to last minute cancellations and not being able to dig my car out in time) but I look forward to getting back into this now that my schedule has opened up. It's very intense so I do have to be mindful not to overdo it (I sometimes still get very lightheaded and weak out of the blue) but I am excited to add this to the mix. I'm hoping I can fit in about 2 a week plus a Flywheel class, and focus on other less intense forms of exercising like yoga, Bar Method, and walking to balance it out. That's the plan anyway...
  • I want to give a shout-out to CJK foods which saved my rear during training.  We were so sick of take-out and delivery (which really adds up) and this was like having someone go to Whole Foods for me, chop and prepare a weeks worth of meals, and all we had to do was heat it up. They include instructions on the best way to heat up each item (microwave, oven, stove) and you can choose if you'd like to pick up your meals (Shred415 is one of the location hubs) or have it delivered for $10. It was all gluten-free, mostly-grain free (depending on what we selected), paleo, organic, free-range, grass-fed, blah blah blah. But the important thing was that it was really flavorful and tasty.  At $12-$15 a meal, it was extremely reasonable for the quality of food and convenience. I will definitely do it again for the weeks that we know we won't make it to the grocery store or just need a break.  Tom gave it a big thumbs up as well.  For the record, whatever they put into their sauces is like crack. So good.  I also really liked their snack options. I ordered the sweet potato waffle bites as quick out-the-door breakfasts and they were so delicious on their own - no added maple syrup needed.  It's handy services like this that make me extremely grateful to live in Chicago.  I started to take pictures so I could document the week's worth of meals, but got too busy. Next time, I'll do a better job for those interested.  Here's a peek of what it looks like (note: Bourbon not included)







Stay warm!
xo,
Meg


What I'm Loving Lately: Green Beauty - May Lindstrom

UPDATE 2/13/2016: 
Since writing this post, cleaning up my beauty regime really became a priority when I discovered I was pregnant and that eventually lead me to become a Beauty Counter Consultant!  This line of products is quickly gaining in popularity especially after being featured by Lauren Conrad and on Goop in recent months.  I adore their products and what they stand for and was so pleased to see how well they compared with non-eco brand offerings.   In addition to their makeup and their skin care and makeup line, they also have products for the whole family!

If you are interested in trying Beauty Counter or even becoming a consultant yourself, please shoot me an email at megan.omera@gmail.com and be sure to check out my Beauty Counter store  



Now, that I'm finally done with training, I am hoping I can get back to the life-updates posts!  They are, after all, kind of the point of keeping a blog.  Maybe I'll be able to make this a regular thing.  Fingers crossed...

On to my next favorite Green Beauty Brand:  May Lindstrom!

Like La Bella Figura's products, there doesn't seem to be a bad egg in her entire line.  Over the course of the last year or so, I've tried several and have fallen in love with every single one.  I'm highlighting my three favorites below but rest assured, everything in her line is fabulous. The 3 products I'm pointing out are the ones that I consider "can't be withouts" as I try to keep them in stock at all time.  And can we just take a moment to admire her beautiful packaging?  I love that it's made out of a deep violet Miron Glass to protect the active ingredients.  Plus, they just look so pretty!


The Clean Dirt is a great exfoliating cleanser.  I tend to use this a few times a week rather than daily but I never feel that it is too harsh.  It contains Moroccan clays, salts, cinnamon and turmeric in addition to water-activated Vitamin-C.  It's tricky to use at first - you pour maybe a teaspoon or so into your palm and slowly add water until you can form a paste.   I use my Clarisonic with it as well, which may be overdoing it, but I'm always pleased with how smooth my face feels and looks after.  Be warned, they don't call it " the dirt"  for nothing.  I stick to using this in the shower as it can be a bit messy!  A little goes a long way and  I have been impressed with how long the bottle lasts. I have yet to replace it (although I do have a back-up at the ready). One of my favorites ways of using this is adding a bit of Manuka Honey (or any raw honey) to the mixture. I recommend saving a jar of honey and using it exclusively for beauty product applications (hopefully this goes without saying, but it would be unsanitary to use one jar for both eating and face products).

The Problem Solver is like the Clean Dirt on acid.   It's a souped up "dirt" that you use once a week as a mask. In addition to the ingredients like Vitamin C and the clays that you find in the cleanser, it contains cayenne pepper, frankincense, and charcoal (among many other ingredients) to draw out impurities.  You definitely feel it working.  I have a small bowl and brush that I use to whip up this mask and it makes it feel a bit more like a beauty ritual. I love throwing it on during a lazy Sunday.

Finally, my new favorite, The Honey Mud is a dessert like cleanser that smells like chocolate pudding. Seriously. It actually looks more like a chocolate mousse dessert than a face wash. It contains Honey which promotes healing and which some say is a natural antibiotic, Colloidal Silver which is anti-fungal and antibacterial, and more of those fabulous clays.  In addition, it also contains myrr, cocoa, and witch hazel which are great for hormonal skin.  I wish I could use this everyday, but the price warrants saving this for once a day or so.  I was lucky enough to be able to try this before it hit the public and immediately purchased the full-size jar.  I have definitely noticed an improvement in my skin since using this. It is such a unique product and one really worth trying.

I also cannot say enough good things about May Lindstrom herself!  She very sweetly responds to most any email and is full of great beauty advice. Plus, she is her own best advertisement - she's gorgeous!

I recommend purchasing the products directly from her website (I adore the way she boxes and wraps them - it feels like Christmas when they arrive) or from my favorite online beauty store, Spirit Beauty Lounge It was started by another beautiful women, named Spirit, hence it's name. This is my new go-to for beauty products, make-up, even nail polish.  The money I used to pour into Sephora almost all goes here.  I love that they give you generous samples with every purchase.  Like Sephora,  they also feature product reviews.  It's a great natural beauty resource and I really trust the products they sell.  If you are new to the site and brands, I recommend paying the $25 for their sample program.  I believe $25 gets you 9 generously sized samples of products you are interested in.  Its nice not having to worry about going through extensive ingredient lists and knowing you are getting quality non-toxic items.  And what can I say?  I'm a sucker for pretty packaging.

I have a few other products and brands that I will share down the line, but I can't think of a better way to start off my Green Beauty Favorites than with LBF and May Lindstrom (and Spirit Beauty Lounge!).  If there are any products you are loving, I'd love to hear about them!

xo,
Meg

Monday, February 10, 2014

What I'm Loving Lately: Green Beauty - La Bella Figura

UPDATE 2/13/2016: 
Since writing this post, cleaning up my beauty regime really became a priority when I discovered I was pregnant and that eventually lead me to become a Beauty Counter Consultant!  This line of products is quickly gaining in popularity especially after being featured by Lauren Conrad and on Goop in recent months.  I adore their products and what they stand for and was so pleased to see how well they compared with non-eco brand offerings.   In addition to their makeup and their skin care and makeup line, they also have products for the whole family!

If you are interested in trying Beauty Counter or even becoming a consultant yourself, please shoot me an email at megan.omera@gmail.com and be sure to check out my Beauty Counter store  


As promised, here are some of my absolute favorite skin care products.  I couldn't decide how I wanted to group them, so figured going brand by brand might be best.

Up first: La Bella Figura!




I'm officially obsessed.  La Bella Figura (LBF) is based in Chicago and I have been smitten with everything I have tried.  They are committed to searching the world for the next big breakthrough in natural ingredients which they then incorporate into their formulas.  Everything is organic and GMO free.  Read more about them here.  If you are patient, you can oftentimes score a 15% off deal from them and that is usually when I strike :)  

The power player is the Modern Radiance Concentrate Gel which derives it's main ingredient from the Kakadu Plum - the highest source of vitamin C you can find in nature.  It smells fresh and a little goes a long way (I've been sticking to once a day per their recommendation). Because it is very high in antioxidants, it's best to apply during the day.   I have been relying on this to help fight the dark spots that remain after a bad pimple rears it's ugly head.  I have the unfortunate luck of being someone who sometimes looks worse after a zit goes away and this has really helped to lighten them. I swear my face looks brighter since using it.  I'm still working on the whole "radiance" thing but hopefully this will get me there ;)  If you aren't ready to spend that much money trying out Vitamin C, another alternative might be Mad Hippie's Vitamin C Serum.  I haven't personally used it, but have heard really good things.  

Their Decouverte Under Eye Repair Serum  is amazing. I am still on my first bottle, but was able to score a buy 1- get 1 free deal over Black Friday.  That was a smart move considering that I apply it religiously every day and night. It's extremely travel friendly (about the size of a tube of lipstick) and I  love the roller ball application. It contains Barbary Fig Seed oil known for its high abundance of Vitamin E, Rosehip Seed Oil which contains Vitamin A (a natural retinol), and coffee bean which fights under eye circles.  There's a lot more to it, but in a nutshell, I love it.

Last but not least, I've been loving their Barbary Fig Seed Oil.  Believe it or not, it contains more Vitamin E than Argon Oil which seems to be everywhere these days. I love it for it's simplicity. It makes my skin feel soft and if I feel like my skin just needs a break from trying out too many ingredients, I still turn to this.  I do have to point out that the cactus plant's smell is a bit off-putting at first.  The good thing about green beauty is that there are no questionable fragrances added, however, sometimes that means products will smell a bit different than what you are used to! Now I've gotten to the point where I think it smells a bit like burnt sugar. Go figure.

Well, I thought I was going to cram all of my favorite skin stuff into one post, but that's just silly.  I will be back with another brand I am equally in love with next!


Xoxo,
Meg


Saturday, February 8, 2014

What I'm Loving Lately: Green Beauty - Introduction

UPDATE 2/13/2016: 
Since writing this post, cleaning up my beauty regime really became a priority when I discovered I was pregnant and that eventually lead me to become a Beauty Counter Consultant!  This line of products is quickly gaining in popularity especially after being featured by Lauren Conrad and on Goop in recent months.  I adore their products and what they stand for and was so pleased to see how well they compared with non-eco brand offerings.   In addition to their makeup and their skin care and makeup line, they also have products for the whole family!

If you are interested in trying Beauty Counter or even becoming a consultant yourself, please shoot me an email at megan.omera@gmail.com and be sure to check out my Beauty Counter store  
"Natural" Products That Still Contain Harmful Ingredients
Source: Buzzfeed

When I was catching up with one of my besties, Karly, we got to talking about how much we miss being around each other because, among other things, we miss being able to easily discuss great beauty finds and tricks!   She recently did a Christmas Gift post (which I loved) as a way to connect because she found herself wondering what we got for Christmas.  Putting up posts like that is a great way to keep everyone in the loop, so I figured I'd do the same with some of my skin care and make up finds.

The funny thing is, even though we don't connect regularly about this stuff we have both somehow evolved into crunchy, granola hippies :). I suspect her evolution was/is a result of mommyhood. Mine was due to my health (so annoying).

When I became sick, I initially got nowhere with my doctors.  Frustrated, I started to research on my own (thank you Dr. Google!).  For example, whenever I put in my symptoms, I kept getting Celiac/gluten allergy results as well as Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.  I started to experiment with a gluten free lifestyle (and eventually convinced my Docs to test for both the thyroid and gluten sensitivity) and it kicked off a major health overall.  Being right about those major issues definitely empowered me to continue to tinker with other things related to my health.

Around 2011, I started to think more about what I put into my body and focused on nutrient dense, whole foods ( a la the Paleo Diet and WAP).  The changes I've made over the years have really done a lot to make me feel better.  At some point, over a year ago, it occurred to me that maybe I should take a closer look at what I was putting ON my skin.  I mean, your skin is a living breathing organ and they don't make birth control patches for nothing. The fact that you can apply medication topically and it eventually makes it's way into your bloodstream really made me stop and think what crazy ingredients were in my skin care, body lotions, make up, even perfume.  For instance, Karly told me she had to give up Retin A when she became pregnant - another topical medication - because concentrated doses of Vitamin A are harmful to growing babies. So while I'm not sure to what extent we absorb the extraneous chemicals we put on ourselves (60% has been thrown around but I have yet to see any real research to back that stat up), the fact that you have to stop applying certain products during pregnancy is a red flag and indicates that we do in fact, absorb some of the things we apply.

I started slowly and over the last year or so have swapped out nearly all of my skin care products and make up for more "green" brands.  It's been expensive because I have tried more than a few duds and these products are generally not cheap to begin with.  However,  I have found some really great brands and products that I turn to day in and day out.  l have a lot of great finds, so will break this up over several posts.  What I will not discuss is green hair care. I.just.cant.do.it.  I love my keratin treatments and aerosol hairspray too much, ha!

Side note: When I first made the changes to oil based Skincare, I had the best skin I've ever had. Hardly any breakouts, smooth & clear...it was amazing.  However due to a recent thyroid med change, my skin seems to be going through puberty...again...(ugh)....so please do not let any zits you may or may not see on my face sway you from my recommendations. Oil in skin care and make up do not necessarily = zits.  You just have to find what works for you!

Here's an interesting pic from Makeupandbeauty.com outlining several types of beauty products and their potential to do harm (I  think it's interesting that they use the word "chemical" like it's a bad thing, because honestly EVERYTHING is a chemical but I believe they are trying to point out "harmful" chemicals in common beauty products.  I take all of this stuff with a grain of salt, because I haven't really dug up the "evidence".  However, keeping it simple and going green just makes sense to me.


To wrap up this massive post, I also want to say that obviously, I don't believe that if it isn't "natural" it isn't good for you.   Poison Ivy is 100% natural but I certainly wouldn't want to touch it let alone ingest it.  Additionally, Ingredients absolutely can be made in a lab and do excellent things for you (I am extremely thankful for my thyroid med!). I am just focused on doing the best I can to avoid ingesting toxic substances whenever possible.