♡ Natural Favorites of 2013! ♡

It's time everyone! I'm so excited to share my 2013 favorites with you! I found a few really amazing skincare things this year. This being the first full year of me going natural there isn't a ton I found, but the things I do have are really special! 

(I'm putting "emptied" by the things I have used all up.)

First I want to talk about this wonderful cleanser! It cleans your face, leaving it fresh and MOISTURIZED! I have a full review of it here

 Rainwater Botanicals Skin Repair Serum- As you can tell this was well loved! I emptied it a while ago but it's still a favorite. This is a great serum! It's more of a skin oil but soaks right in! It smells great and I feel like it helps even out my skintone and it does help with scarring. I only wish they had a bigger size in this! I plan on getting it again though. A great moisturizer! (I wear this in the day as well as the night) (Emptied)

 Rainwater Botanicals Troubled Skin Serum- This isn't a oil like the Skin Repair. It's more of a thin, light serum. Great for summer! In the winter I need a extra step for moisture but it does give some. This does help with acne (though it doesn't clear everything) but I feel like it helps heal up acne faster. It smells again...amazing! It feels so nice and smooth on the skin. (This is also for scarring and wrinkles I believe) (Emptied)

 Rainwater Botanicals Pimple Potion- This is the only spot treatment I have used that works for me! It's not over night or anything but it really helps heal up my acne faster! It smells great too! I'll be getting this again for sure! I love me some Rainwater Botanicals! (Emptied)

 Devita Hyaluronic Acid SPF 30 Moisturizer- This is probably no surprise but this IS amazing! It goes on clear, moisturizes (although I like it best with a oil or serum under it) and I feel like it really improves my skin quality! I think it's the hyaluronic acid that helps smooth my skin and make it soft and supple, which I love!

 Briar Mnt Farms Bath Fizzie- (Not the lip balm)
These are great!! I put a little chunk in my bath water and it makes it so creamy and moisturizing! It smells great! I only wish there were more scents you could order online, for those of you who don't live in Va!

Shea Moisture Coconut Hibiscus Body Wash-
This is a great body wash! It's fairly natural as well.
It smells like coconut and is VERY moisturizing! I love this stuff. (Emptied)

 Acure Body Lotion- 
This is a great lotion! It smells like fresh oranges and moisturizes very well. It's a thinner lotion which is great for all over! I would get this again for sure, maybe a different scent though, kinda want a new scent after using the whole thing of this. (Emptied)

Acure Shampoo-
Great natural shampoo! I love the way this smells...like pure almond and I really like that scent! I've also tried the mint shampoo but I think I like this one a little more. It lathers well and moisturizes! (Emptied)


So there it is! My 2013 Natural Beauty Favorites! I'm looking forward to trying TONS of more natural products in 2014! Please leave your 2013 natural favorites below! :D 

Help me get 100 followers this year? <3

XX -Taylor

♡ Vlogmas Day 22 3013- Whole Foods and Acid Relief

CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY!

Hi guys, my mom is having a christmas giveaway over on her blog! It's totally free and easy to enter!!

You will win-
A "love" mug,
salted caramel hot chocolate,
$10 starbucks giftcard,
peppermint cocoa stirrers,
For King and Country DC,
(EITHER) Breaking Dawn Pt. 2 OR Chonda Pierce- This Ain't Prettyvlle.
And a homemade peppermint sugar scrub (all natural)

Click HERE to enter!

♡ Vlogmas Day 21- Unhealthy and Light Looking! ♡

Hey everyone! I wanted to post my vlogmas for the day on here because there may be some people who don't watch my youtube!

My last blog post- Skincare Saturday #1 Blissoma Mild Rice Cleanser

Please follow this blog for post on natural living and some fun random things as well, it means a lot to me!

XX -Taylor

♡ Intro to Skincare Saturday ♡

Hey everyone! This is just a little intro to Skincare Saturday's! It may not be every Saturday. It will be everything from reviews, skin tips, acne updates, DIY's and more. Since I already did a post for the Blissoma Cleanser and it's my video for today, I'll just send you to the blog post and my video. :) 

My review-

 

♡ Wishlist Wednesday! Moisture, Moisture, Moisture! ♡

It's been a while but here are some more things I want to try! Let me know if you've tried any of these :)

 Deep Steep- Brown Sugar body butter

I've been hearing great things about this lately and since it's winter I just want as much moisture as I can get. Plus it's totally natural! :)

 Andalou Naturals Cleansing Milk- 
I love creamy cleansers and this looks lovely!
And once again it seems very moisturizing! 

Rainwater Botanicals Antioxidant Serum-
From the 2 I've tried, I love RB serums! And I can't wait to smell it, everything I've had from RB smells AMAZING!

 Desert Essence Pure Jojoba Oil-
I really like skin oils an mixing them with moisturizers to give them a little boost so I want to get me some of this to do that with.

Weleda Almond Skin Oil-
I want to try anything from Weleda really, I just picked this. But I'd like to try anything from them, oils, lotion, body wash, you name it.

 Micheal Todd True Organics Citrus Cream Moisturizer-
I have a honey cleanser from MT that I like and I'd love to try more stuff from them! Their products are pretty well priced for how much you get in my opinion.

Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter-
Or body wash! I love this scent and I'd love to try more forms of it! And I know Pacifica isn't the most natural but it's better than some!
 

So there you have it. What is on your wishlist?

♡ Natural Spa Night Favorites

Hey guys! I'm in such a blogging mood today! I wanted to share my spa night favorites. On those days when I need a relaxing night this is what I do.

Pre bath-

I make a cup of tea, normally some kind of detox tea, vanilla hazelnut or mint, Then i put on a wax melt- My favorite right now is Christmas Memories from Soy Candles and Things

Bath time!

I like using some lavender epsom salt- which helps sore muscles and is great to help you relax.

When I don't have lavender ES I use a few drops of lavender oil. And I almost always use 10 to 15 drops of tea tree oil, which also helps sore muscles.

I like to have a rich lip balm- this one is the Honey House Naturals lip butter, it's really thick and moisturizes very well!

Even though I've finished it up I really liked this Briar Mtn Farm Bath Fizzie-
the scent is Almond and not only smells amazing but I would use a small chunk of this in my bath water and it made it so moisturizing and almost creamy! Gotta get some more of these.

 I recently made a body scrub with sugar, coconut oil, tea tree, lavender, and lemon oils. It's so moisturizing and feels lovely!

After my bath it's time to moisturize! My current lotion is the Burts Bees Milk and Honey lotion and though it isn't the most natural you can get, It's natural enough for me. There's a couple ingredients I'm not totally happy with but since they aren't in many of my other things, it's fine for me.
I like to mix some coconut oil in with this to give it a little extra boost. This is only about $7. (From Target,Walmart, Kroger, and Rite Aid

  My current face moisturizer is the Avolon Organics Lavender Night Cream. I haven't been using it enough yet to know if I really LOVE it but any cream that is very moisturizing is good, I again like to add some kind of oil to it.
The past couple time I've been using some evening primrose oil to it, hoping it'll help my acne.

 

♡ Life Update- Let's be real

Okay guys so... I know I'm back now but there are some things going on in my life lately that I wanted to share with you.

#1 
A little over a month ago we had a house fire.. I have a whole vlog story on it here .
We're all okay and our house is fine and still standing! 
So with all of that craziness things were busy and all over the place for a while. Things are just starting to get back to normal.

#2
I got a job!
That's right! My first (non youtube) job! I just had my first day on Friday! I'm working at a movie theater! I'm not working everyday but I'm gonna try my best to keep with my channel and blog! Cause I miss blogging really. 

Plus I'm trying to stay active and fit with working out more. And since my boyfriend (Micah) lives so far away I talk with him on the phone and skype a lot. 
And with it being the Christmas season everyone is busier.

Just know that if I'm gone for a couple of weeks then I'm just busy and I'll try my best to balance everything :) 
Thank you for your understanding and patience!

I am doing Vlogmas on my youtube channel

♡ Blissoma Mild Rice Cleanser

Hi everyone! It's been a while! Long story shot we had a fire at our house... here is the vlog with that story- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NysGWznO89U&feature=c4-overview&list=UUNw1BShtVq4SmmXGkWEMbSg

This is a little review for the Blissoma cleanser! 

I think this is my favorite natural cleanser I have used so far. It smells amazing! Very strongly of essential oils (pretty lemony but I love it)
and has tiny bits of rice in it (so small you can barely feel it on your skin).

This doesn't foam at all (which I don't mind), and it a little thin so I use about 1 and a half pumps and sometimes 2. The longer I massage it into my skin, the better my skin looks and feels. 
I love that it cleans my face without drying it out at all! In the summer I might not even need moisturizer.
I also think it helps with my acne some too!

The only thing I don't like about this is the price.. It's about $27. But to me it's worth it and I would totally get it again if I can't find something that I like as much but for cheaper.

Tea Tree Oil for Acne (and more)

Today I wanted to talk about one of my FAVORITE oils! Tea tree oil! It is gold nectar from the skincare heavens for acne! It doesn't ALWAYS work fast, and you HAVE to be consistent with it. Tea tree oil is anti-bacterial and is great for oily or troubled skin.

How I use tea tree oil-

NOTE- Do NOT just apply straight up tea tree oil to your skin. It is very potent and can burn your skin.

Use 1- Toner.
This is my favorite way to use tea tree! Just get a small glass bottle, fill it up with water and had 2 to 4 drops of tea tree oil (no more than 5). Shake it up and spray onto face and neck after cleansing or gently rub over skin with a cotton pad. (I also use this throughout the day to freshen my skin a gt rid of bacteria.)

Use 2- With cleanser.

Sometimes if my acne is really bad I'll add 1 drop of tea tree oil to whatever cleanser I'm using, rub it around in my hands and cleanse my face. 

Use 3- Mix with moisturizer.
Pretty simple. Just mix 1 drop of oil with your moisturizer.

Use 4- Muscle relief bath.
Tea tree oil actually relieves muscle pains, so sometimes I add about 6 drops to my bath water, get a good book, and soak!

Use 5- Muscle relief lotion.
ANNNND if my muscles need even more love I add 2 or 3 drops to my lotion (or coconut oil) and moisturize my body.

How do you like to use tea tree oil?

What to write about?

Well.. I've kind of hit a bump in the blogger road. I don't have too much to write about. Here is when I have to get creative. In November I'm gonna be doing my best to post once a week (at least), even if it's just me writing about my thought or feelings about different topics, which I think would be fun! Be sure to leave any ideas for me in the comments or tweet me @xxholdmyheartxx on Twitter. 

Possibly Coming in November-
October/September Favorites,
Tea Tree Oil for Acne,
What I'm listening to,
Some of my favorite pictures,
And My Current Favorite Teas.

What do you think? Be sure to give me ideas to write about! :)
 

Paleo Pumpkin "Oatmeal"

Since going mostly paleo I have missed my oatmeal. So of course I had to seach paleo oatmeal on pinterest and found a basic recipe. I tweeked it a little to make it more "Fall-y" :)

basic recipe- http://fastpaleo.com/recipe/paleo-oatmealporridge/

1/2 banana
1 heaping tablespoon canned pumpkin
4 tablespoons almond flour
1 teaspoon flax seed meal (or just ground flax seed, it's about the same)
2 teaspoons coconut sugar
1 heaping tablespoon chopped pecans (or almonds or walnuts)
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:
chopped pecans
a dash or two cinnamon
chocolate chips

I mashed the banana in a bowl and then added everything else and put it in the microwave for about 40 sec. then stirred it and put it back in for about 25 sec.
Then I just put my toppings on. 
I love this because it taste a lot like normal oatmeal! I find the texture that the almond meal, flax and nuts make is very close to actual oatmeal. I hope you give it a try. 

Paleo Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!

I know it's not technically Fall yet, but it is to me. So it's time for pumpkin recipes here on Simply Joy! 

These cookies are great! Just don't eat five at 10pm like I did... 

Here is the recipe I followed. (The picture is of my cookies though) http://lexiscleankitchen.com/2013/08/29/chocolate-chip-pumpkin-cookies/

 

Paleo Pecan Pie Bars

Hey everyone! I made this pecan pie bars for my boyfriends (very late) birthday treat while he was here. They were so good I had to share them with you all! 

Here is the recipe I followed. http://www.paleogirlskitchen.com/2013/06/pecan-pie-bars.html

These are also great for breakfast with a cup of tea like I did here :)

 

Where did I go?

Hey guys! It's been a long time hasn't it? I'm sorry about that. I graduate in the fall so I've been focusing on school a lot more. I've also been keeping up with my youtube channel and reading as much as I can like always. What kind of posts o you want to see? Skincare? Health? Beauty? What is it that I write that you like best?

If it's beauty you like best I won't have those posts up as often because I've kind of slowed down trying new products.

Skincare and Health posts will be more often. I am always making new paleo/gluten free recipes and trying out things I see on Pinterest. With skincare I try lots of new things and natural skin remedies.

I just wanted you all to know why I haven't been posting. I hope to talk to you much more often now.

P.S How would you feel about little book reviews or book favorites?

21 Day Sugar Detox.

3rd times the charm right? I hope so. 
Here is my third attempt at a sugar detox. Once again I am still eating fruit since there isn't a lot of veggies I can eat due to digestive issues. 

Day 1:
I started eating a Kind fruit and nut bar, took two bites, looked and the ingredients and saw there was honey. So I gave it to mom. 

Day 2:
No sugar.

Day 3:
No sugar. Definitely feeling the sugar cravings though! Thankfully I have prunes which taste sweet to me and are amazing with almond milk!

Day 4:
No sugar.
When I wanted something sweet I made a green smoothie

Day 5:
No sugar!

Day 6:
No sugar once again.

Day 7:
No sugar! YAY! 

Day 8:
No sugar

Day 9:
No sugar

Day 10: 
No sugar

Day 11:
No sugar

Day 12:
No sugar

Day 13:
No sugar

Day 14:
No sugar

Day 15:
No sugar

Day 16:
No sugar.

UPDATE- So far my acne seems to be getting better and better. I am still getting some due to very sensitive skin that breaks out just by me touching my face or laying on the side of my face. So I'm still trying to get control of that. 
My stomach is perfectly fine if I stay away from all that I need to. Last night I had some squash with onions and had the worst indigestion I have ever had, no onions for me from now on.

Foods that are weird for me.
Here is a list of foods that I can't digest well. (thanks leaky gut (pretty sure I have that))

Banana (I can have a little, but very ripe and not too much)
Peppers
Onions
Squash (once again can have very little)
Broccoli
Cauliflower 
Sweet potatoes/any potatoes (can have very few sweet potatoes)
Corn

Day 17-
I'm not sure if I had sugar or not. We went to the Noodles & Company for our anniversary date (followed by going to see City of Bones) and I got the Pad Thai and I don't know if it had sugar or not.

Day 18 and 19 were again no sugar.
But day 20 and 21 I messed up and had a lot that had sugar :P So I'll have a extra 2 days sometime soon to make up for it. But since going off this I have been having a lot of sugar :P I need to do this again sometime! I am just so hardheaded. While on my detox I got really good at turning sugar down and even having to make different things for dinner than my family was having if it mad the smallest amount of sugar. I would do this again in a heartbeat!

♡ My Favorite Green Smoothie ♡

Here's my favorite green smoothie/juice! It doesn't taste very "green", which is the best part.

1 cup baby spinach (or 1/2 to 3/4 cup of baby kale, I like doing half and half.)
1 cup frozen peaches
3 ice cubes
1 and 1/2 cup orange juice
a splash of plain kefir
1 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Put it all in the blender and you have a green smoothie! 

 

Kohls Clothing Haul- For Graduation Pictures

Hey everyone, my mom was nice enough to get me a few clothing items from Kohls for taking my graduation pictures next month.