♡ Spa Night- Dry Skin Savers ♡

Alrighty so once or twice a week I like to have a full out spa night. I'm talking scrubs, masks, oils, EVERYTHING. 
Here is what I used this week...Which all happen to be great winter skin savers. So if you have dull, dry skin you might want to check these things out. Full reviews are coming of most of these so I'll keep it short. ;)

Face:
Andalou Naturals Apricot Cleansing Milk- I've only used this a few times and love it.
DIY Face Scrub- I made this with honey, olive oil, and baking soda. It was pretty gentle and only made my acne slightly red, not much at all. (the scrub is in the green cup)
DIY Face Mask- Made with honey and a bit of lemon juice. I'm starting to use this 1-3 times a week to see if it'll brighten my skin/hyperpigmentation.
Andalou Naturals Toning Refresher(not shown),
Rainwater Botanicals Antioxidant Serum,
Rwainwater Botanicals Skin Repair Serum,
Shea Butter





 
Body:
DIY Scrub- The same one as on my face since I had some left.
Weleda Sea Buckthorn Creamy Body wash,
Acure Lemongrass Lotion

Lips:
Weleda Everon Lip Balm.

The book I was reading was Prodigy by Marie Lu. (But I'm currently reading Hunger Games and Perfect Lies)
I also had a cup of mandarin spice tea.

 
So what are your spa night must haves or winter skin savers?

 

♡ Super Smoothie ♡

A yummy, and filling smoothie.

1 frozen banana
3/4 cup frozen peaches
a couple of frozen strawberries
a small palm full of nuts (I used walnuts)
a splash of non-dairy milk (I used rice milk)
orange juice (however much you want)

I used a Vitamix so the nuts aren't a problem and you can't even feel them. This smoothie has a smooth texture if made in a high speed blender.

♡ Get Ready With Me- For Work ♡

Since I filmed this, I figured I'd put everything I used in a most with pictures in case you can't see it well in the video.

What I Used-
Physicians Formula Shimmer Eyes eye liner trio- nude eyes- I used the lightest on the lid, the middle color in the crease, and the darkest for my actual eyeliner.
Burts Bees tinted lip balms in Red Dahla and Pink Blossom,
Eyelash curler

♡ Skin Update- Sugar and Dairy ♡

I wanted to update you on my skin. Last week one day I had mexican food, the next day I had an icee, and the next day I had some (gluten free) brownie and cheesecake, some sweet green tea, and a protein cookie. And because of those 3 days my skin has been freaking out. So many more breakouts which have been more red, and irritated. I really can't do sugar and dairy, it breaks me out so bad..Plus packaged food also breaks me out some but not as bad as sugar and dairy. I'm trying to focus on eating 80% raw, that helps my skin a lot.

Well that's all for this update but I hope to clear my skin back up soon.

A post on my top 3 acne fighters coming soon. 

♡ What's in my bag? Work Edition ♡

Wondering what I keep in my bag? Here it is...

♡ What I Ate Today ♡

Here's what I ate this day, let me know if you want to see more of these :)

♡ My Natural Morning Skincare Routine ♡

Yay! I love skincare routines! I do plan on simplifying my routine after I use some things up because I do use a lot of products (more so at night), and it's not needed.
I think all you need in the morning for the winter is a...
creamy cleanser,
toner (to balance PH and prep for moisture),
and a moisturizer with SPF (My SPF moisturizer isn't deep enough for me so I have one for moisture, one for SPF)
But here is my current morning skincare routine for the winter time. My skin is always sensitive but this time of year it's more dry.

Cleanse-
Andalou Naturals Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk- (Review here)

Tone-
Andalou Naturals Blossom + Leaf Toner (Review Here)

Treat-
Rainwater Botanicals Spot Treatment (review here), After putting this on I let it soak in for about 10 to 15 minutes before moisturizing.

Moisturize-
Rainwater Botanicals Troubled Skin Serum (review here). 
Sometimes that's not enough moisture so occasionally I have to use a face oil after it (those will be shown in my nighttime routine)

SPF-
Andalou Naturals Daily Defense (review here) 

Lunch and treats!

I have a vlog from the past few days and took a couple of pictures to put on here to go with it.

The other day we went to chili's for lunch, which was WAY overpriced but good.

And yesterday I got to go to WHOOOOLE FOOOOODS ;) I love that place. I had a chicken salad and we got from gluten free treats. A mini cheesecake and AMAZING brownie.

And it was a gorgeous day, so I took this as well.

How do you like this photo diary's to match with my vlogs? Let me know if I should do more!!

Wishlist Wenesday- Andalou Naturals

I haven't done one of these in a while, so here's what I'd like to purchase soon.

Andalou Naturals Hyaluronic DMAE Lift & Film Cream-
Claims- "Fruit Stem Cell Complex, DMAE, and hyaluronic acid join forces for a visible face lift. Together, these age-defying bioactives help diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, fade hyperpigmentation for even skin tone, and improve overall texture for a visibly lifted, firmer, more youthful complexion."

Why I Want It:
I want to try this mainly for the hyaluronic acid. My skin loves that stuff. It draws moisture out of the air to hydrate your skin. The more moisture in the air, the more it gives your skin. I hear Andalou's moisturizers are a gel texture which I really like.
It also claims to improve skin's texture. My skin's texture is a little rough in most places from acne and acne scaring, plus my skin just isn't very smooth. 

 Get Started Brightening Kit:
 Kit Contains:
- .8oz Meyer Lemon Creamy Cleanser
- .5oz Pumpkin Honey Glycolic Mask
- 1oz Clementine + C Illuminating Toner
- .4oz Probiotic + C Renewal Cream
- .4oz Purple Carrot + C Luminous Night Cream

Why I Want It- 
As I have mentioned I have lots of hyperpigmentation. So I feel like this is just what my skin needs for that. It uses Vitamin C (which is naturally brightening) and honey (also naturally brightening). I'm most looking forward to trying the creamy cleanser, toner, probiotic cream, and night cream. The mask would be nice to try too! 

3 Morning Smoothies

Since being more raw I pretty much always start my day with a big smoothie! Yes, I do use mostly frozen fruits... 1. It's cheaper than buying fresh fruits and freezing them yourself and 2. It's fast. If you have the time and money to freeze your own raw fruits, by all means go for it. :)

Smoothie 1: Strawberry "Milkshake"
This ended up being more like a milkshake since I was out of orange juice.
What I used-
Rice milk,
strawberries,
peaches,
half a banana,
vanilla 

#2- Sick Day Smoothie-
I woke up with a cold the other day so I wanted to start out with lots of good fruits and vitamins to kick it in the butt.
What I used-
Strawberries,
blueberries,
banana,
lemon juice,
orange juice,
2 probiotics (I emptied them into my drink and mixed it in)
 

#3 Tropical Smoothie-
Mango,
Pineapple,
peach,
banana,
strawberry,
orange juice,
a splash of almond, coconut or rice milk,
canned coconut milk. 

♡ Andalou Naturals Review- (Age Defying) Skin & Hair ♡

I had been reading about Andalou Naturals from other green beauty bloggers so I started researching. I'm very pleased with their ingredients and think it's great they have different product lines for different things.

Product Lines:
Age Defying- Dry, Sensitive and mature skin
Brightening- Sun damage, hyperpigmentation, and dark spots,
Clearifying- Active & Oily skin.

Andalou products use a fruit stem cell science-
"Our Fruit Stem Cell Science provides 'universal cells' to renew, repair and regenerate healthy skin."

They have so much helpful information on their website and you can email them for specific questions.

I have yet to try anything accept the Age Defying products- Not for anti aging but for my sensitive skin in the dryness of winter.

I'm gonna go over the Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk, Blossom + Leaf Toning Refresher, Daily Defense SPF 18 Lotion, and the Thinning Hair Shampoo.

Okay starting with the Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk- $10
Claims-
"Fruit Stem Cell Complex and probiotic microflora calm irritation and stimulate cell turnover for improved dermal immunity. Nourishing aloe vera, apricot and borage oils gently loosen and remove make-up and impurities, while restoring intracellular moisture and a healthy glow."

Alright now you know how much I love the Bissoma cleanser...I gotta say...This might be better! Yep, I said it. I haven't even had this long and I already love it. The great thing about this is that it's so creamy! It's fairly moisturizing. Lately the sides of my cheek/jaw area has been very prone to dryness, so even water dries that part of my skin out. I think even the Blissoma cleanser would make my cheeks a little dry if even water does. But nothing a little serum can't help.
 The scent is wonderful as well, it smells like fresh apricot that is so energizing to use. It doesn't irritate my sensitive skin (or acne). I think it actually does calm skin irritation, but maybe I just think so cause I'm looking for it. I don't know how this does for removing makeup.
At only $10, you gotta try this. (I got mine at the vitamin shoppe but you can also get it on LuckyVitamin.com, Vitacost.com, or at Whole Foods. 

The texture is thick at first but thins out with water. It leaves your skin smelling amazing, but not overpowering.
I tried using this as a mask but it made my dryness worse. Using as directed works best for me.

Blossom + Leaf Toning Refresher- $10
Claims-
"Fruit Stem Cell Complex, superfruit antioxidants, and aloe vera polysaccharides protect, hydrate, and replenish essential nutrients, soothing irritation and balancing skin’s delicate pH, as uplifting notes of geranium and orange leaf refresh for a healthy glow."

This is a great toner. The scent is pretty floral, not really in the best way, but it's bearable.
I actually used this for a while as a cleanser and toner together, just by using it on a cotton round. It cleanses my face without being drying at all. It is to balance skin's PH and prep skin for moisture. 
It doesn't irritate my skin at all and helps calm redness a little bit. It does hydrate as well.
I really like it, sad to say it's already over half way gone now.

Andalou Naturals Ultra Sheer Daily Defense Facial Lotion- with SPF 18- $10
Claims-
"Perfect for sensitive skin, this ultra-sheer SPF facial lotion provides essential moisture with proven broad spectrum protection. Fruit Stem Cells and BioActive 8 Berry Complex help defend against UV and environmental damage, while stimulating healthy cell renewal for optimum age-defying benefits."

The texture is great! It's creamy and very spreadable! It blends in well without a white cast!

Andalou Naturals Argan Stem Cell Shampoo- $10
Claims-
"Best prepares hair and scalp, washing away toxins, debris, and excess sebum that can block follicles.
-Fortifies Hair Fibers against Split Ends  
-Amplifies Hair Texture and Body 
 -Strengthens Strands to Reduce Breaks 
 -Cleanses and Stimulates for Growth 
 -Actively Nourishes for Healthy Shine"

This is a good shampoo! I'm not saying it's the best shampoo I've ever used or anything. But it's nice! It's moisturizing to my hair and actually does give it some more volume. I'm not crazy about the scent of this though...it's kind of manly an I just prefer more girly, sweet scents.

So there is everything! Have you tried anything from Andalou? If so, what? Any favorites? I can't wait to try more from them!!

♡ Skincare Saturday #7- Avalon Organics Ultimate Night Cream ♡

Time for another Skincare Saturday! Here's my thoughts on the Avalon Organics Ultimate Night Cream...

I have a love/hate relationship with this cream..
I hate:
The scent. It's a nice lavender scent but it's SO strong, I can't help but think it's irritating my skin even just a little. Also, there is a very long ingredient list and there's a few preservatives in it I try to not use to much.

I love:
The way it makes my skin feel IF I apply it right. If I just use a thin layer it makes my skin SO SOFT! I like that there's hyaluronic acid in it, which is probably why it makes my skin so soft. Since hyaluronic acid draws moisture from the air into your skin to hydrate it, it works all night to keep your skin hydrated. I do use this as a hand cream sometimes and it works great.

This is claimed to " illuminate" skin, but I don't really notice anything like that at all. The best I can say for this is it smooths my skin and softens it.

♡ Natural Haul- Rainwater Botanicals, Vitamin Shoppe & More ♡

Another Haul? YEP! :)

From Lucky Vitamin- I finally got my Weleda Sea Buckthorn Creamy Body Wash. I love it already! (just posted a Weleda review here)

The Vitamin Shoppe- 
Badger Cuticle Care,
Out of Africa Vanilla Shea Butter,
Andalou Naturals Apricot Probiotic Cleansing Milk,
Vitacare Pomegranate Toothpaste,
Weleda Calendula Toothpaste- This is terrible, I'm returning it.

 Rainwater Botanicals-
Natural Deoderant- Madagastar,
Troubled Skin Serum- Biggest size (2. oz), This works great for my skin and it feels so nice on my skin and works for acne.
Skin Repair Serum- (1. oz) Works for acne and scarring. And everything from Rainwater Botanicals smells amazing!
Pimple Potion,
Perfume samples- Autumn and Woodland Berry.

Here is my Rainwater Botanicals review with the Troubled Skin Serum, Skin Repair, and Pimple Potion. 

♡ Weleda 3 in 1 Review ♡

I've been trying a couple things from Weleda lately, so I wanted to do some quick reviews of them for you.

Okay here I have the Weleda Sea Buckthorn Creamy Body Wash, the Everon Lip Balm, and Calendula Toothpaste.

Sea Buckthorn Creamy Body Wash-
Claims-
 WeledaSea Buckthorn Creamy Body Wash revitalizes and nourishes the skin Parched, tired skin gets replenishing moisture and revitalizing energy with this invigorating body wash. It’s a creamy cleanser that’s ideal for skin that needs nourishing care and a boost from the antioxidant power of our vibrant orange sea buckthorn berries.

This might be the best body wash I have used! It really is creamy as you can see in the picture! It smells like oranges and smells up my whole bathroom (in a good way). It cleans well and leaves my skin moisturized.  And it's only about $8 on luckyvitamin.com

Everon Lip Balm- 
Claims-
 Weleda Everon Lip Balm protects delicate lips from dryness. Weleda Everon Lip Balm contains gentle, natural ingredients, including organic Jojoba Oil, organic Shea Butter and precious Rose Wax provide long-lasting nourishment. Weleda Everon Lip Balm contains organic Rose and Vanilla extracts leaving a light, refreshing fragrance. Weleda Everon Lip Balm is ideal for use alone, for a soft shine, or as a base for lipstick.

This is a great thick lip balm. It's a perfect night time moisturizer or just a great winter lip saver in general. It totally saves my dry lips. There isn't much of a scent, but it's still a great balm. $6 is a little much for a lip balm but on lucky vitamin it's only $4.

Calendula Toothpaste- 
Claims-
Weleda Calendula Toothpaste provides natural oral protection. Teeth and gums are thoroughly cleaned and cared for with the gentle power of minerals and pure organic and natural plant extracts in this toothpaste. It’s a peppermint-free oral treatment that keeps your mouth fresh and helps prevent the buildup of plaque with regular use.

Okay...unlike the body wash and lip balm I wasn't impressed with this. It's been so hard to find a good natural toothpaste that doesn't taste terrible. Now the taste of this isn't that bad...it's the texture. It's chunky and chalky.. Like to the point that it leaves little chunks of toothpaste in your mouth. It doesn't foam with a don't mind, and it cleans fine, if you can get past the chunks. I can't. (update: I just used it again and it wasn't as chunky but I still wasn't fond of the texture.

Well 2 out of 3 ain't bad right? And most natural toothpastes suck so my opinion of Weleda was not compromised because of it. Check out the body wash and lip balm, they're great. I can wait to try more things from Weleda :) 

♡ Raw Butter Pecan Icecream ♡

With trying to eat more raw I wanted to try "icecream" in the vitamix. As you can see in the video it went a little crazy. Just don't add the dates, or if you do don't add a lot. And keep the vitamix stopper away from the bottom sides, where it could hit the blade.

What You Need:
4 to 7 frozen bananas- make sure you freeze them when they are as ripe as you can get them without them being black.
a cup of chopped pecans
vanilla
dates (optional. The bananas are so sweet you probably don't need them)

Feel free to add whatever extras you like. I wanted butter pecan so I aded pecans. I'd love to try adding mangos, berries, or even pineapple. You can really add anything.

NOTE: Only attempt this in a HIGH powered blender.


Put your bananas, vanilla, and a few pecans in your blender.
Blend- be patient, start off slow. The bananas cream up pretty easily.
Once it's done just put it into the container of your choice.
Fold in pecans

This is great! It's sweet and creamy. What more could you want in a icecream? And it's raw? Even better!

BRIGHTWORK - "Difference" - Official Lyric Video

This song means so much to me! Thank you to Micah, Caleb, and the other BrightBoys ;)

♡ My Long Distance Relationship Tips! ♡

Hello there everyone! The 2nd part of my article on Rebecca's website went up last week so I wanted to let you know. This one is on my tips for a long distance relationship. 

Part 2-  http://elephantsrememberlove.com/taylors-long-distance-relationship-tips/

♡ Skincare Saturday #6- Rainwater Botanicals Antioxidant Serum ♡

I love face oils, and I love the Skin Repair Serum so I was excited to try this.

Claims- 
 Formulated to battle the effects of time using natural ingredients rich in antioxidants. This serum smell like a blueberry picking adventure in the summer and goes on lightly and easily. Perfect to go under makeup, soaks in quickly delivering rich emollients deep into skin.. No pore clogging waxes or toxic fragrances. Only the finest quality vegetable oils and ingredients for a fresh, clean complexion. Natural plant oils, extracts and essential oils lend their heavenly summer time fragrance as well as healthy skin benefits.

The Rainwater Botanicals Antioxidant Woodland Blueberry Serum is a great face oil. For one...It smells like those Jimmy Dean sausage/blueberry pancake bites (anyone remember those?), it smells soo good. I actually just ordered the Woodland Blueberry perfume sample.. Yes I want to smell like a blueberry pancake sausage bite. No shame.
It is very moisturizing and actually soaks in well without looking "oily" and it doesn't leave a residue. It gives a nice glow to my skin and makes my skin look healthier. 
It doesn't do anything for my acne/hyperpigmentation but that's not what it's for. It's actually for anti aging- But prevention is just as good as treatment I hear. ;)

Overall this is a great skin oil! I can (and do) use it morning and night and it's not overly moisturizing. It makes me skin look soft and healthy.

Will I buy this again?
Probably!! 

Price?
You get 1oz for $10.85. Not bad at all. I've had mine for over a month and have a little less than half left.

♡ Raw Challenge ♡

You may know I've been doing a few 'raw' themed posts and videos lately. So I wanted to just share how I'm trying to eat more raw.
I can't afford to eat fully raw, although I would like to try it sometime. So I'm trying to eat 70 to 80% raw. It's actually going pretty well.
In the morning I normally have a breakfast like this- My go to raw breakfast.
For lunch I sometimes have a salad.
And even for dinner I'll sometimes have a smoothie or a fruit bowl.

Go to snacks are fruits and salads, those are the easiest for me. I love bananas, apples, oranges, and berries.

I'm manly just trying my best to stay away from packaged things and sugars. I still have a few cheat things but I'm trying to decrease them more.
The more raw I eat and the more water I drink, the better I feel and the better my skin looks as well. 
Already I have seen changes in my skin. It's more even, more glowy, less red and irritated and less breakouts. 

♡ My Go-To Raw Breakfast ♡

(I know I've been posting mostly everyday lately, if it's too much or too overwhelming to try and read everything I'll cut back. Let me know what you think in the comments.)

You might know that I'm working on having more raw foods lately (there's gonna be a whole post and video coming later this week on that), so here is what I typically have for breakfast. 

Water-
Yes I have a cup or 2 of warm water when I first get up to get everything going and get re-hydrated from the night.

Next I normally have a smoothie and a whole fruit(s).
My favorite ingredients for smoothies are frozen mangos, peaches, pineapple, coconut milk, banana, raspberries, spinach and orange juice (no sugar added of course). (note: i don't use all of those things together in one smoothie haha)

Sometimes I'll make a fruit salad with orange, apple, banana (sometimes), and berries. 
This normally keeps me full till about 11:30 or so.

 (for this smoothie I had banana, mango, peach, pineapple and spinach. Plus my juice.)

What are some raw things you like for breakfast? 

♡ January Empties (And lots of them) ♡

I've been collecting up my empties for a couple of months, so I'd say it's time to share them.

 Time to toss the rest of my non natural makeup.

Revlon eyeshadows,
Wet n Wild eyeshadows,
Covergirl eyeshaow,
Maybelline cream eyeshadow,
Covergirl Powder,
NYC Lip gloss,
Revlon lip butter,
ELF Lip gloss,
Rimmel concealer,
Revlon Balm stain-
Not buying any of these again, I'm glad to see them all go- Goodbye chemicals and toxins...

 Derma E Fruit Scrub- This was way too harsh for my sensitive and made my acne more red and irritated.
Blissoma Mild Rice Cleanser- I love this stuff! It's pricey but it's worth it. It's so gentle and leaves my skin clean, fresh and moisturized- I would repurchase. (review here)

Always Native Tea Tree & Calendula Soap- This was very nice. It had a good scent to it and cleaned well without being too drying. My skin was soft after using this. I would repurchase.
Canus Goat Milk Soap-
Pear (I think it was pear, my mom got it for me and doesn't really remember haha)- This had a nice light scent, cleansed well and was fairly moisturizing.
Original- I didn't like the scent of this too much but it was VERY moisturizing. Great for winter skin.

 Acure Mint Shampoo- This was great...for the first half. It cleansed my hair well and volumized some. But about half way through that stopped...It still washed my hair perfectly fine and smelled great (like mint and rosemary) but not as much volume. I might repurchase but not soon.

Burts Bees Milk & Honey Lotion-
I loved this! It smelled so sweet and warm. The ingredients aren't the best but I'm okay haing it once in a while. It moisturizes very well and soaks in quickly.

 Dr. Teals Epsom Salt-
This smells great and is very relaxing for a warm bath. It has perfumes in it and it doesn't say it's a natural fragrance so I don't know about that. Might repurchase but would get unscented.


Sepia Homeopathic Remedy-
Love this little guy. You can use it for nausea, and car sickness. Maybe even more uses than that. It works great and I'll be getting it again.
Evening Primrose Oil-
Great for any female... I take it a week before my period and it helps A LOT!! It helps with PMS, breakouts, and more. Already repurchased.

 Pumpkin Pie Wax Melt (Soy Candles and Things)- 
This had a nice scent to it but it wasn't very strong. Won't repurchase.

Zhena's Gypsy Tea- Acai Berry-
This was a great fruit tea. I'd repurchase.

Yogi Berry Detox-
Great detoxing tea. I don't like this as much as the Skin Detox but I would repurchase.

Tazo Refresh Mint Tea-
It was okay but I wasn't crazy about it. It was a little bitter. Probably won't repurchase.

Stretch Island Fruit Chews-
These were okay but not that great. Probably won't repurcase.

Cliff Kids Fruit Ropes-
I love these! They are like fruit candy! Will repurchase.

Simply Balance Fruit Snacks-
These are great! They are perfect for sticking in my pocket for a pick me up snack to hold my over till my lunch. Very tasty and I've already repurchased.