Afterglow Cosmetics: All Natural Makeup!

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Nature is the newest trend in skin and hair care. For years, we’ve been putting toxic chemicals into our bodies that build up and make us feel tired and sick, regardless of whether we eat them or if they seep though our pores. And people are finally catching on that natural is better.

I have always had skin problems that came from my childhood and the doctors think that it might have been because of some genetic issue or something, however I feel that my environment played a huge part and now it still does from everything that I eat to everything that I put on or inside my body.

I am very, very, very sensitive and very intuitive to. So I always wondered if the two or correlated some how,  but those are just my thoughts.

Even the smallest things like some ice cream depending on what it is made of could cause me to have acne. I don't have serious problems with it since it comes and goes. But the problem though is that it will show when my body is under stress it all comes out in my face.

You should read my post here on why I feel that Parebens are not that great for you.Click here to read it here!

One great all natural mineral based organic makeup company is After Glow Cosmetics which is a all natural and certified makeup company.

I am eager to try out their many natural products, plus I am just plain curious to see what they are working with………….

Afterglow has many products on in their organic makeup line from natural foundation, to mineral makeup and even all natural mascaras.

If you are wondering where you can buy afterglow cosmetics than look no further, they have sell their products through amazon too. With fast and easy shipping if you have amazon prime.

 

Organic Infused Foundation (Porcelain)Organic Infused Foundation (Porcelain)Organic Infused Total Cover Concealer (Silk)Organic Infused Total Cover Concealer (Silk)Organic Infused Lavender Brush CleanserOrganic Infused Lavender Brush Cleanser

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Bright Young Things – Finding Hidden Gems

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I wanted to share with you guys some really cool Eco fashion that is really changing the way that company's and people are thinking about how to shop and when to shop. Bright young things is a new company created by Eliza Starbucks. In a hope to change the way that we as a society shop for our clothing and how we dress.

We live in a world where there is so much stuff, so much everything and with so much recession going on at the moment.  Many are without jobs and looking for different ways to stay fresh and reuse things that they already have. Eliza Starbucks comes in and fills that need by letting us know that we can still look fly by using thing we already have, by shopping at thrift stores and resale shops instead of letting things go to waste. With just a little bit of creativity and some fore thought on sustainability we would be able to conserve not only our things but help the environment at the same time.

Green Fashion is becoming more mainstream with many people wanting a way to save our planet,  fashion is one of the first things that we need to think about. Because we have to have clothes to wear and we all want to look nice. But not everyone can afford high fashion or even afford to shop  all time. That is where Eliza comes in .

She states that Sustainable fashion uses what already exists: Recycled clothing from secondhand stores, vintage collections, or nabbed gems from your mother’s closet. This kind of DIY-treasure hunting isn’t exactly helping to boost our economy, but it is birthing a new fashion scene. ~ youngbrightthings

Eliza Starbucks Is truly one of those ones that is changing things when it comes to fashion by making items out of sustainable fabric, but by re-using what we already have and re-creating it into something new and helping us re-find hidden gems in our own local neighborhood!

Truly helping us re-think how we shop!

Check out this video of one of her fashion Shows at the Recent Nolca Fashion Show! Nolca is a company that presents fashion shows from independent designers, green fashion and those around the world.

Here is another video showing a couple more new collections at Nolcha Fashion Week.

Featuring Vella Mode! – Awesome Custom jewelry that is very Sustainable.

Adha Zelma Jewelry – Featuring A new way to Do Fashion!

photo courtesy adhazelma

Truly these are some awesome hidden Gems!

P.S. What do you think of Eco Fashion and the whole idea of it all, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Amazing Salad Recipes : Which are Hearty and Inexpensive!

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I like to try new recipes out here and there all the time. It helps to keep me from getting bored when I eat food. As a mom of four growing boys and a healthy husband who is on a whole health kick these past couple of weeks. It helps to have new ideas that you can use to incorporate into your afternoon meal and dinner plans.

Ryan my husband has lost a total of 20 pounds in less than 2 1/2 weeks and it all comes from eating clean and working out on a regular basis. But it can get tempting to eat junk if you don't allow yourself to jazz up your eating plans a bit.

I'm a die-hard foodie and hate, hate sticking to or eating the same thing over and over again. Now with the kids, we have our staples like the regulars for any family. But I want my kids to have balanced ideas of all sorts of foods when they get older and love fruits and vegetables. That is why on their plates I have more veggies and healthy carbs than anything else with a nice size portion of protein for them to eat. My family eats meat, and I am not vegetarian although we do eat vegan meals from time to time at least once a week.

I believe that healthy fats that come from good fats like coconut oil and olive oil are great for children and adults. Coconut oil has many healing properties for hair and body and olive oil has tons of its own like reducing cancer, preventing heart attacks, and lowering blood sugar. So just by changing small things in your diet like adding olive oil to your salad dressing and making them your selves for scratch can go a long way.

I will discuss the other benefits of Coconut Oil in another post -stay tuned for that.

 

 

 

 

Here is one great Olive Oil Recipe that you can use to make right away for your family that I am sure you will love!

Olive Parmesan Salad

Ingredients:

1 large bulb fennel, core and stems removed, fronds reserved

3 navel oranges, peeled

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons minced shallots

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups baby spinach, stems removed, rinsed well, and patted dry

20 oil-cured black olives

2 ounces Parmesan, thinly shaved with a vegetable peeler

Instructions:

Remove the core and stems from the fennel bulb. Keep fronds. Cut fennel into halves and slice. Next, slice oranges over a cup or bowl to preserve the juice. Using the bowl with the orange juice, add shallots, oil, salt, and pepper and whisk together. Add in orange segments, spinach, and fennel, tossing to coat well. Divide salad and top with olives, cheese, and fennel fronds. Serve immediately.

Garden Greens and Bacon Salad

Ingredients:

2 tsp. grated yellow onion

1 tsp. sea salt

½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

½ C. extra virgin oil

½ tsp. freshly ground lemon juice

10 oz. spinach or greens of choice

6 slices nitrite-free natural bacon, cut crosswise into ½-inch strips

6 to 8 button mushrooms, sliced

½ red onion, thinly sliced

3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

Directions:

Combine the yellow onion, salt, pepper, mustard, and vinegar in a food processor or blender. Process the items for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth. With the motor running slowly, add the oil to create an emulsion. Pour the dressing into a small bowl and stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside. To prepare the salad immerse the spinach in a large amount of water, swish the leaves to rinse well, and drain. Repeat until no grit or dirt is visible in the bottom of the sink. Pick off any large parts or stems and tear them into bite-size pieces. Dry in a lettuce spinner and transfer to a large salad bowl. Place in refrigerator and cover with a paper towel until time to serve.

20 minutes before serving in a small saucepan over medium heat, sauté the bacon for 5 to 6 minutes, until crisp. Remove the spinach from the refrigerator, add the mushrooms, onions, and eggs to the bowl, and toss again. Remove the bacon, drain the grease and add to the salad, tossing well. Serve immediately.

 

Simple Natural Black Hair Styles – Invoking Passion!

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You know sometimes when the going gets tough the tough gets going, that is how some people feel when it comes to dealing with certain situations. However that situation when it comes to hair can cause many to give up easy and not stick through the full course of growing their hair out in its natural state. I admit for  many years off and on I did the same thing, and when you are able to come to a point and realize how beautiful your hair is. And the many textures out their that make our hair so unique, so powerful, so glorious. You will be able to see the true crown of glory that god has surely given us, and that will allow you to fully embrace who you are to the fullest.

So why not on your journey take some time to see great hair shots of women that are doing this well and embracing the kinks to fullest. Many think that our hair if it is kinky that it can only do a limited amount of things, but that can only be further from the truth because our hair can do a great  many things and than some.

Check out these beauties!

These two looks invoke a feeling of coolness, sensuality and confidence in themselves not to mention the old school flash dance look with the shirt coming down on the shoulder. If you ever seen flash dance the movie you will know what I am talking about. The first one with the hair swept to the side and that cream jacket is just lovely.

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4c hair flash

So much fun, I can not wait until my hair gets that long for some awesome blowouts!

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You know natural hair is so cool and funky it gives so much more personality to the individual and invokes a sense of sensuality at least in my opinion it does.  I am learning as I go in the process and being able to see beautiful pics of women rocking it lets you know just how cool rocking natural black hair can really be.


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Motivations For Getting In Shape: Part Two

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In part one of motivations to get in shape we discussed some of the root issues around trying to lose weight and why many fail. I urge you to look with in yourself first to see if you are really ready to get healthy because trust me if you are not ready if wont work. Look around your self externally to see if the circumstances around you are causing you to have stress which can lead to many bad habits like not working out and poor eating habits.

What I mean by externally is your job, things going on in life with your family, financial issues all these things can cause us to eat in a manner that is not beneficial for our bodies.  That way you can begin to take steps to try to ease some of the stress so that you can live a more fulfilling life.

According to fitness statistics more than 60% of Americans are not getting the basic exercise that they need to stay healthy and more than 25% are not even doing anything at all. Webmed.com says that exercising not only boosts your brain power (thinking ability), it increases your ability to melt away fat and gives you long hours of increased energy for a small amount of work

Did you know that for every 1lb of muscle that you gain it burns off an extra 50 calories a day so if you gain one pound of muscle a week for a month your body will have a higher metabolism and burn up to an extra 200 calories a month just by doing nothing.  Who wouldn't want to do that right, imagine adding on more tone and defined muscle a week how much you could be burning in resting state.

Cool Huh!

Well enough of my rambling, you are probably wondering what steps you should take to get you on the road to better health so that you can start adding on some toned defined muscles.

  • The first thing as I said before is to do some internal looking to see if you are really ready because if you are not it just wont work.
  • Second you need to realize that fitness and getting in shape is a lifestyle change.
  • Third not everyone body is built up same, you have to make your body the best that it can be and not the best it could be to look like someone else. Remember your motives when getting healthy its about you and your health not for some short term fantasy.
  • Take small steps and don't try to  change everything at once or else you will just beat your self and think that you have failed. Small steps are big steps in the right direction!!!
  • Begin to fill your environment that is your home with fitness DVDs, workout equipment and even workout clothes. When y0u have these things in your environment it will inspire your to work out at home when you don't have time to get out.

These are  some quick steps that you can begin to take to get you in the right direction of having the mental mindset it takes to change your health for the better.

If you think this post interests you stay tuned of Part three: Things I use to Get and Stay Healthy!

P.S. Would love to hear your thoughts and Comments on your Challenges when it comes to fitness!