Energy Snack – Bliss Balls (Raw/Vegan)

My clean eating journey shall have no refined sugar, gluten, and vegan for the most part and continue to be organic.  Plus, lower on carbs and higher in protein. Let’s get to it. For this delish anytime-energy-snack you will need (approx. 10+ pieces):

1 Cup Raw Almonds (soaked for min. of 2 hours and skin removed)

1/2 Cup Coconut: Finely Shredded (dehydrated/unsweetened)

4 tbsp. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

4 tbsp. Maple Syrup

4 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract (powder or vanilla bean)

Zest of 1/2 lemon

Coating:

Dark Raw Cocoa powder (unsweetened/vegan) & fluid Coconut Oil (Extra Virgin)

Shredded Coconut(unsweetened/dehydrated)

Put all the ingredients in a blender and try to blend it until the raw ‘dough’ is creamy enough to form into balls. Coat in shredded coconut and drizzle with the chocolate syrup or sauce, or any chocolate of your choice. You may leave out the chocolate, however, you’d be missing out, for sure and don’t forget to refrigerate as these taste best chilled (see photos below).

💞 ENJOY & STAY HEALTHY 💞

 

 

 

 

Soft & Chewy Glutenfree Oatmeal Date Cookies

My love for dates, whether deglet noor or medjool, is beyond words. So I came up with this idea of a gluten-free soft and chewy oatmeal cookie with roasted almonds and hazelnuts. Also, I keep my baking goodies at very low sugar, so you may want to add more to suit your taste. The results astounded me and I thought to share this piece of heaven with the world. Your way to this delicious piece is as follows:

Recipe:

2 cups of gluten-free oatmeal  (I used 4 packs of Nature’s Path’s organic Homestyle hot oatmeal, no sugar, no salt)

1 cups of all-purpose gluten-free flour (I use Trader Joe’s)

1/4 cup of organic cornstarch

1/4 cup of dry roasted & unsalted hazelnuts (ground)

1/4 cup of dry roasted & unsalted almonds (ground)

1/4 tea spoon baking powder

1/4 tea spoon baking soda

2 organic/cagefree brown eggs (medium to large)

4 table spoons of unsalted grass-fed butter

2/3 cups of organic raw turbinado sugar

1 tea spoon of bourbon vanilla extract

8 organic medjool dates (I wish I had used at least 10)

Directions:

Beat the eggs, butter, vanilla and sugar for about 6 minutes. Mix all the dry ingredients together and then add those to the egg batter; mix for another 6 minutes. Lastly, add the diced or small cut dates (I used kitchen scissors) into the dough and incorporate evenly with a large spoon or the electric hand mixer. Once the dough comes together, let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Once they’re cold you can form your desired cookie size into a baking pan and bake at 350 degree Fahrenheit for 9-11 minutes.

I couldn’t wait for them to cool at room temperature, so I put a few in the freezer for 10 minutes and enjoyed it with a cup of organic green-tea and fresh mint. And this doesn’t go without mentioning, that these cookies are very energizing and can last for up to a week if kept sealed and cool. Enjoy!

♥︎♡♥︎

Glamorous Make-up Look using Curelty-Free Products

First, I have to thank master blogger Chloe Morello from Australia for announcing this unique opportunity on her YouTube channel. Viewers may vote starting tomorrow, February 16, on The Brush Contest.

So, my video is up on my channel, I love artistic challenges and the countdown has begun. My color board shows my color clash inspirations for an exotic, elegant, and glamorous makeup look. Black, Gold, Magenta & a bluish intense Red dominate with accents of midnight blue and purple diamond. Mostly importantly, this was achieved by using cruelty-free products.

 

Stay Healthy and support Cruelty-Free Products.

Need Your Support

Dear Blogger Community:

this year is the year in which I have taken serious steps to start my health and beauty blogging. I am very happy that I have taken this long-awaited and wished-for step and am so excited about the future of my blogging path.

We all know how important social media is in the process of reaching out and connecting with like-minded readers, viewers, followers, lovers, and so on. That said, I would like to ask the blogging community to ‘like’ my lonely Facebook page (see the ‘like box’ on the side bar of my home page).

Many thanks in advance in advance for your support and please let me know if I can help support your online presence. When I can help I do not hesitate.

Happy blogging!

Pink & Gold – Glamorous And Cruelty-Free

Walking down the Sephora aisle translates into lived happily ever after. Especially when I get the products that I have been reading about, watching, and waiting for. Now the damage is done and let’s get straight to my created glamorous makeup look with cruelty-free products. Before I start, let me tell you that pinky and rosy looks have been my go to shades this season, and am loving it. So here they are:

Eye makeup products:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion in Greed (gold)
• Tarte: Tartelette Matte Palette. base: Caregiver; crease/socket: Natural Beauty and Dreamer.
• Pacifica Brightening Shadow Palette in Enlighten: using both pink shades and gold.
• Hourglass 1.5 mm Mechanical Gel Liner in Obsidian
• Tarte: Lights, Camera, Lashes Precision Longwear Eyeliner in Black.
• Anastasia Beverly Hills: Brow Wiz in Ebony.
• Milani: Brow and Eye Highlighter in 02 Matte Cream/Luminous.
• Urban Deday: Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer in Light Neutral.

Lips:

• Tarte: Amazonian Butter Lipstick in Coral Blossom.]
• Hourglass: Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in Metallic Peachy Pink.

The highlights of the above products were the Naked Skin Weightless concealer, which I used as an under eye highlighter to cover darker areas and lift the appearance of my eyes. It performed absolutely flawlessly, did not crease, and provided very lightweight coverage. Truly happy about this pick. The other highlight is the Tarte’s longwear eyeliner and the gel liner by Hourglass. There will be a thorough review of these new favorites, so stay tuned.

pink and gold eyes

Do-It-Yourself Exfoliating and Detoxifying Facial Mask

Home-made skincare masks are a must for me and quite the routine. For one, it is affordable and the other reason is that it feels very natural. My skin type is a combination of normal, oily and dry areas. However, it is more on the oilier side as I have a notorious T-Zone that needs constant blotting when I apply makeup. And so, I need to exfoliate, scrub, and detox on a weekly basis.

Here’s one of my all-time favorite facial masks, that can be scrubby if you add brown sugar or other grainy natural elements:

• Organic Papaya
• Organic Pineapple
• Organic Active Raw Manuka Honey
• Organic Coconut Sugar (or brown sugar)
• Organic Coconut Oil

Use whatever portions work best for your intended use. Usually, I make enough for three masks that I use up in one week. You may freeze it in between application. Remember to be generous in applying the mask and include your entire neck. When I have more time I apply the mask on my decoltier area and leave it for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Health benefits for the skin from the above ingredients are:

Papaya: One does not know where to begin with the benefits for the skin this super fruit has. It is rich in beta-carotene, which is vitamin A, and its butter-like consistency helps in the hydration of the skin, leaving the skin smooth and soft. It is a natural exfoliator, it removes skin discoloration, it helps reduce skin inflammation, and so much more.

Pineapple: This is another antioxidant-rich super fruit that helps the skin against free radicals. It is rich with the mineral manganese, it has amino acids, also known as Proline to help with collagen formation in skin cells – ladies, we’re talking fine lines and such! It is rich in vitamin C and will make your skin glow and looking energized.

Active Manuka Honey: It has been used for its medicinal properties and it is scientifically proven to provide nutrients that rapidly repair skin tissue. Amongst those nutrients, active manuka honey is rich in vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that clear dead skin cells and its main antimicrobial properties are so strong that they can eliminate dangerous decease-causing bacteria, e.g. e. coli, etc. Just FYI, this cost me about $24, but so worth it, you will feel the difference.

Coconut Sugar: This sugar is minimally processed and made in two steps: coconut palm is cut, the sap or the sugary liquid that is in the coconut plant gets boiled until it dehydrates. What is left is dried and it becomes the sugar. It looks like brown sugar, but it is softer. It retains health benefits from the coconut palm such as iron, zinc, potassium along with antioxidants to help improve the skin.

My skin has been feeling smoother, brighter, hydrated, and clearer from clogged pores. And of course, this does not go without mentioning that those same nutrients must be consumed through a healthier lifestyle.

Healthy Is Not Boring

My transition to healthier makeup products started about three years ago when I took an environmental science course in college. One of the assignments for the class was to write a research paper on coral reef endangered species. My findings astonished me and scared me to find out how sick our ocean has become and that humans have been contributing in a major way to devastating the oceanic ecosystem. Worse yet, were the information I found on the Deep Skin Database. Essentially, almost all the makeup products I frequent cause a health risk. Some worse than others. And, my transition to healthier personal care products is still in the making.

My healthier eating lifestyle started in 2009 during my first semester at the Monterey Institute of International Studies’ course in International Environmental Law and Politics. This graduate school has a wonderful graduate program in International Environmental Policy and that’s how it all began. Since then I have been yearning for a plant-based and wholefoods diet, and 2015 is finally year in which I have taken some serious steps in that direction since day one.

Fast-forward more than half a decade, I find myself looking for cruelty-free and natural personal care products that are ideally organic and plant-based. While that is not always possible, as we all know the healthiest products can be very expensive, again I make sure that my products are always bunny-approved and some cosmetic giants like L’Oreal are making some serious ethical decisions in regard to 100% vegan products, thankfully.

Here’s my glamorous everyday-look using cruelty-free, organic, and/or all natural makeup products:

List of the products used:

Eye Cream: 29 by Lydia Mondavi

Laneige – SunScreen Triple SPF 40

Clinique: Pore Perfector in invisible bright.

Foundation: mixed Boots Botanics Shine Away Foundation (color: Cumin) with 100% Pure tinted moisturize (color: Peach Bisque).

Eye Brows: eye shadow ‘Power Player’ from the Tartelette matte palette by Tarte, applied with Anastasia Beverly Hills #12 large synthetic duo brow brush.

Lancome: waterproof eye shadow base Aquatique in nude.

Eye shadows from the Tartelette palette: super mom, wanderer, power player. Pacifica Enlighted Eye Brightening Shadow palette (lightest shimmer).

Eye liner from the Tartelette palette: fashionista, and Natural Eye Pencil (waterproof) in jet by Pacifica

Concealer: Mineral Fusion in neutral.

Mascara: Lengthening mascara in black by SheaMoisture.

Blush: bareMinerals in The One

Setting Powder from Mineral Fusion.

Lipstick: mixed two from Tarte (that’s where I got it), first layer in nude mocha, second layer in soft pink.

Highlighter: Light Bronze Pearl from Physicians Formula.

Bronzer: Cocoa Glow from 100% Pure (only used lightly on forehead and temples.

Lastly, I would like to say that healthier makeup products are not just about the ingredients but to me it is also a philosophical and ethical matter. It has become a culture, I dare to say, and I hope that more and more women and men will become more educated about the products they buy so that we, as consumers, will be able to demand from companies to eliminate dangerous ingredients and stop testing on animals. So please, at least support companies that do not test on animals.

First YouTube Video Published

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and whether or not you celebrate that day, everyone likes chocolate and a glamorous makeup and style. At least, you would want to feel good on the day that celebrates love.

My first makeup tutorial shows how to achieve a classy and elegant look in a short matter of time. Most of us are busy and if we can look and feel fabulous while saving time, we would want to find out how.

Here is how, please watch and if you like it give it a thumbs up and you may also subscribe to my channel for future videos on health and beauty.

Looking forward to your feedback. Enjoy and happy valentine’s day.

Launching My Youtube Channel

A big part of my 2015 resolutions was and is to start my YouTube channel as part of my blog. And so today, January 29, before the first month of this year ends I have recorded my first video tutorial on a classic and elegant makeup look for Valentine’s Day for busy people. It is super friendly, simple, and most importantly quick but it will look and feel super sexy, classy, and elegant. As a busy mom, I find myself constantly looking for time-savers. However, when it comes to putting on make-up and styling for a date with my husband, or a formal get-together with family and friends, I do not like to compromise that opportunity to look my best. Simply, because I love to look glamorous and chic and those moments do not come around that often as a new stay-at-home-mom.

Products used and featured in my video tutorial are healthier and the intention, or mission rather, is to always use at least cruelty-free products and ideally vegan and free of all harming chemicals. One of my favorite natural beauty brands used in this tutorial is 100% Pure and Dermablend.

Super excited to have my first video up and already getting ready for my next recording. It brings tremendous pleasure to research different topics related to health and beauty, write, and share with readers and viewers all that knowledge to help them make better-informed decisions and learn new tricks, tips, and techniques on how to look better and feel best. There are so many awesome people out there that I am going to meet, share knowledge with and learn from. The sky is not always the limit on social media platforms.