After stuffing my face like a madwoman this holiday season I totally need to get it together and remind myself of all progress I've made over the last 4 months. My saving grace is that I wasn't and won't be with my family on Thanksgiving and Christmas but it doesn't mean I wasn't out enjoying Thanksgiving dinner at the house of a friend.

With that being said, I really want to spend the rest of the month trying to clean out my system and getting it ready for the madness that January brings when I feel the pressure to focus on my eating habits and working out. So Green Root Wellness Detox Tea is totally what I need right now. It has enough tea for 2 weeks and offers great benefits like eliminating the buildup of toxins and impurities, helping with digestion and of course because it has green tea in it it's a great antioxidant.

 I love tea and I don't drink it with milk, sugar or honey so I always end up tasting it in it's 'natural element' and I have to say that this has a really good taste. Has it been working? Well, I've been doing an hour of cardio 6 times a week since mid-November and I am a little careful with what I eat (Thanksgiving dinners excluded) so I can't know for sure if my stomach is less bloated because of that or the tea but I will say that I do be feeling after I eat. I don't feel weighed down and my insides don't feel wacky everyday after dinner like it has been for the last few months,

It's a win in my book and I'll probably pick up another one of these once I'm done with it.



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Last week I touched on my beauty essentials for the woman that likes to splurge as well as the one that likes to save and today I'm going to write about the little extras we can all use.

I adore cosmetics. I find it very therapeutic to sit in front of a mirror and enhance my features. Primers, tinted moisturizers, eyeshadows and mascaras are all essential for perfectly made face and if anyone takes one thing from what I say it's that all of those items are needed. But once you've mastered the art of showcasing a flawless face you can start playing with some extra colors and enhancements that I'm listing below.


1.Too Faced Lip Injection-$22
 This item is one that you might think is totally unnecessary but it really is for anyone that wants to add a hint of color to their lips, which i highly recommend as well. The best thing about this item is that it dries the lips out while you're wearing it which makes any color applied stick. You should always apply this before your tinted gloss because it expands the lips and lets the color seep into all the natural cracks that you have. After the effete wears off you can apply another coat of said gloss an voila! Color that doesn't come off or gets tacky and stick to everything. The burning sensation is bearable and the plumping is seen right away and lasts a good couple of hours.

2. bareMinerals Blush in Sweetheart Rose-$19
  This blush by bareMinerals is a great item to help the contours of the face stand out. I have naturally high cheekbones but when I wear this it makes me look like I'm showing off! I used to wear this over my mineral foundations but felt that it looked too unnatural. Instead I applied it after my primer but before the foundation to keep it from being so bright and from fading too quickly. Now that I use tinted moisturizer and then a finishing power I just use it right before the powder. I only use it on the highest points of my cheekbones and a bit at the tip of my nose. I wear this during the colder months because I feel it's more suited for that.

3. bareMinerals Prime Time Primer Shadow in Bronzed Twig-$18
 This primer has saved my life! Before brands like Tarte, Sephora and WetnWild changed their formulas to make super high pigmented shadows products like this and Urban Decay's Potion were a godsend. The reason this beats Urban's primer is because it is serious stuff. First, I love that it comes in different shades. This is really great for enhancing the base colors of every eyeshadow possible but even the base one is good enough for all colors. A teeny bit goes a long way and you can cover the area between your lash line up to your brow bone with just a drop. You have to be ready to blend it in quickly though because once it dries it sets and only makeup remover gets rid of it. How amazing is that? My trick is to get my fingers warm by placing them under my thigh for a few minutes because the heat helps to blend it a bit quicker. Another plus of this primer is that it acts like a highlighter and works on every skin tone.

4. Lorac TANtalizer Baked Bronzer-$7/$32
 And then we have my warm wealthier alternative to blush: BRONZER! I always want to look like I just stepped out a private jet from St. Tropez during the spring/summer and this is a massive help. Baking in the sun without proper sunscreen is a no-no but if you want that sun kissed look all you need is this. Unlike blush, whenever I wear this I make it the last thing I put on. I forgo a finishing powder because I don't want anything masking this. I apply it as if I'm writing a rounded W on my face  starting from ear to ear and then do a quick T on my forehead and bridge of my nose. Basically just anywhere that the sun would naturally hit. The light shimmer of this bronzer is perfect for a day time or night time warm weather look and as a bonus it can be worn on the clavicles to enhance another wonderful feature.


These items are all reasonably priced and have earned themselves a permanent spot in my favorite makeup bag. Hopefully it earns one in your as well!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Photo By Theo

Last week I wrote about forcing myself to listen to some of the songs that reminded me of my ex. I had to do this because I couldn't let some of my favorite songs be off limits because of a connection that they had to someone. When I mentioned this to a friend she told me that she couldn't listen to The Beatles for about a year after a breakup and there was no way in hell that I was going to go that long without listening to New Order or Pulp. No way, no how!

So with all that being said, I've been putting my focus on forcing myself to feel better about the whole thing. Break ups are awful, just awful. And they're worse when no one ever officially does it even though there are tons of actions that let to it. Having said that, I've been really focusing on getting through this in a positive way.

I've been listening to some great Podcasts, I follow accounts on Twitter based on the laws of attraction and I start my morning every day in a way that a year ago, I would've laughed at the suggestion. Like I felt too cool for that kind of thing. But now that I'm trying my best to be in a positive light as much as possible I think it's a really cool thing to do. What I do every morning now, before I get out of bed, is list the things in my life that I'm grateful for. I've mentioned my health, my family, being able to buy Starbucks everyday...the works! I've found that it's just a good way to start my day and get myself on a positive mindset. Not to say I'm not getting sad when I see something that I want to share with a specific person but it prevents me from starting my day moping around like my life is over.


Overall just doing that one thing has made me feel better throughout the day. I know some people reading this will be like yea right, that doesn't work, it's all mental. But that's actually the point of it all. I'm forcing myself to push the sadness aside and by doing that it's not consuming my every thought. There is that sadness that isn't going away anytime soon and if I want to cry, like if the urge comes, I'm going to let it happen. But I'm trying to not let this get me down too much and I'm doing everything that I can to enjoy my time here in NYC with my family and friends and not let the sadness consume me.

It's been working great for me so far and think it can benefit anyone, especially those who have a crazy schedule that live in super fast paced city (ahem all my NYC friends). I'm constantly doing research on ways I can expand on this to change my way of thinking 100% and this is just the beginning. I'd love to hear about some of the ways that you guys implement the law of attraction and just overall positive thinking into your lives, so share away!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of UPS for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.


We are well into the holiday spirit and for most people, myself included, this is a time where moods are elevated, people have bigger smiles on their faces and everyone wants to just enjoy themselves, their family and their friends. And of course, most people want to do something good--for their community and themselves.


I know a lot of people that base their lives on that lately and not just during the holidays. Like myself, I know a lot of people that not only want to do things for themselves but for others as well throughout the year because we see that it’s one thing that really brings a sense of joy and comfort that material things can’t buy. I have a friend who encouraged me to work on my blog hardcore. She always pushed me, praised me and told me how proud she was of my success so I gifted her a few blog related things for the holidays. I bought her domain name as well as a year of hosting because just like she believed in me, I believe in her as well.


It’s hard to speak about just one person that I see doing good for others during the holidays (or any other time of the year) but I feel that this is the time where it’s more apparent. People come together, people are in good spirits and gifts are given. And speaking about gifts, UPS, one of the best ways to ship packages during the holiday season, is celebrating the great people across America this month with their  UPS #WishesDeliveredcampaign.


UPS's #WishesDelivered Site is focused on spreading holiday cheer and raising money from charity via their campaign. Their campaign is focused on celebrating and speaking about people and organizations in communities that help make their surrounds better by their actions in their own way by “delivering wishes”! So tell me- What’s your wish?


As someone that grew up in a very tight knit community with relatives that started businesses in the area focused on creating after school and summer programs for kids in our area I know first hand how great something like that can be. It’s rare that people in some areas use their success to build up their community and I’m so proud to have been a part of something that gives the younger generation an outlet for their athletic talents as well as motivating them academically in order to move their neighborhood into a more modern level. My cousins business, Uptown Sports Complex, in the Bronx just had their seven year anniversary as an outlet for kids to hone their talents in gymnastics, baseball or ballet as well as a place that parents felt comfortable leaving their children in because they know that their focus is on building up the community.
 

With that being said, UPS is donating $1 for every wish made using their #WishesDelivered story to the Boys & Girls Club of America, World Food Programme, Toys for Tots Literacy Program, The Salvation Army and the UN Refugee Agency. Their pledging up to $150K for every wish made.


So let us know who is your community is doing good for more than just themselves. I know we should always ry to do well for others but the holiday season always makes it a bit more special!

I have a friend that is super green. She only eats organic food, her household products are all natural and recently she trashed hundreds of dollars with of skincare and makeup products because of all the chemicals in them. And yes, I almost cried when she did that. She's the reason I eat organic produce and try to be consistent with taking care of my body and even though I'm a huge believer in science, love hardcore skincare products, little by little I'm changing the way I do certain things because she is one to do her research and doesn't have her head in the clouds.

Having said all that, even though I have tons of skincare products that have unpronounceable words I am going to try to change things up so that eventually all of my products are as natural as can be and Purxury's Organic Hydrating Serum and Cleanser is the first item on my list. When I received the package I loved the way the bottle and label looked. Simple, looked like something that could be found in an apothecary shop and with all the ingredients listed on the back. And to my joy the word organic is on 10 of the 15 ingredients in it. With Vitamin E, A and Carrot seed oil, as well as steam-distilled rosewater not needed it.

I used this as a cleanser in the morning and then at night to wash away residue from makeup, sweat from the gym and just being outdoors in general. I followed their directions which is to rub 3 drops to the face and eye area in a circular motion and then using a sot washcloth with warm water and press it into your skin and then wipe off. Pretty simple. The second time I used it though I rubbed it into my skin and then used my Soniclear brush to let it penetrate a bit deeper into my skin and so far I'm loving it.

While I was only sent the serum and cleanser to review the company also let me try some of their handmade soaps which were also a hit! I'm obsessed with the scent of roses lately and to my surprise I was sent a sample of their rose, honey, and detox charcoal which I've been hearing nothing but good things about so that was pretty cool. Oh, and the serum has an expiration date and comes in a dark bottle. These are key because sometimes light can ruin the effects of a lot of vitamins and because they contain no preservatives they still last about a year but no longer than that. However, I'm sure the serum will be used up a lot quicker than that.

Now I know that most of my readers are avid Sephora shoppers and are pro chemicals but I urge you to give this product a try. I'll be writing a lot about natural skin care products and hopefully makeup once I find the right ones for me so this is a great way to start. And because my readers are super awesome, Purxury is letting you guys get 20% off using the discount code: Fascination20.

Try this and their their soaps out and let me know what you think!

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am an avid wine drinker so when Sonoma-Cutrer Wines offered me the chance to try a few of their wines out I was more than happy to comply.