A Skin Care Must Have

I’m always looking for good skincare, I might have an actual problem lol. Finding the right skincare is definitely satisfying and probably makes me the happiest. Right now my obsession with face masks is a little compulsive. As soon as I read the benefits of the mask, I’m completely sold.

Ole Henriksen Clay Face Mask

Ole Henriksen has been my go to for a smooth base and clean pores.

Benefits: Clay Aids in purifying pores.
Rich in antioxidants to help nourish and condition skin. Irish moss extracts with natural antiseptic properties to absorb excess oil and refine pores. Lactic Acid (AHA) and Salicylic Acid BHA: Help lift and loosen dead skin cells that clog pores.

Ole Henriksen

Favorite Editing Apps of 2024

We love natural unique photos, well I do. Some editing apps that have me in a chokehold are some of the most easy and accessible right at your fingertips software.

Top Apps for Videos:

• CapCut 

• Mojo 

• Canva

• Splice

Top Apps for Photos:

• Lightroom

• VSCO

• A color story 

• PicsArt

No gate keeping!

Wellness Journey

Whew! It’s been a long but short year. Everyone is starting their new year in March I heard. Sticking to routines and accomplishing goals can be tough. That’s why it’s so important to do a monthly check up, not just with your doctor but with your internal self. Super important to stay in tune with yourself, your body always tells you when something is wrong or something is good. 

I struggled with my weight, skin and hair. I was always feeling drained and tired. I was overeating, consuming the wrong foods, staying up late, not staying consistent with my vitamins and not exercising enough. 

One thing that helped was creating a routine that I could stick to. Most days you won’t feel motivated but you have to stay disciplined. I learned that during Covid with so many different wellness influencers. Our bodies thrive with discipline!

Dis·ci·pline

the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior.

Wellness includes:

• Sleep

• Nutrition 

• Mindfulness 

• Exercise

Each one of these can help with physical and mental well being.

A few ways to start your wellness journey:

• Act of kindness- try giving back to your community (I usually donate to the church or less fortunate)

• Practicing gratitude- always be thankful in a good or bad situation. (someone might be experiencing worst situations.)

• Stay active- try going to the gym or 30 mins home workouts (our bodies are craving to be mobile)

• Rest- don’t overload your mind with too much (try reading a few books/ articles for active rest days)

• Limit your social media - time yourself on each app, sometimes scrolling can send you down a rabbit hole (I have a time limit on Instagram, you can set it up in your phone settings)

• Set that routine- whether it’s waking up early, going to bed early or taking your vitamins etc.

Healthy Habits = Healthy Hair

Feeling down? You might just need to do your hair. A new hairdo always makes me feel better but healthy hair is top tier. 

Hair supplements are great but what about actually getting the direct source of nutrients from your food for your hair. Changing your diet may help your hair journey. I currently don’t take any hair supplements just my daily vitamins and lots of water. And yes water will make your hair grow strong. Healthy hair grows from nourished oiled roots.

Main Keys To Healthy Hair:

• Monthly hair trims 

• Wash routine 

• Deep condition/ co wash

• Lots of water   

  Foods For Healthy Hair:

• Eggs 

• Spinach 

• Fish

• Berries

• Avocado

• Nuts

• Sweet potatoes 

• Beans
  

Top Vitamins For Hair:

• B-12

• Vitamin D

• Vitamin E

• Zinc

Winter In New York

During this time of year it can be brutal, the sun goes down early, the cold weather and the less you desire to be outside. My out-of-town friends always ask me what is there to do during the winter in New York City. Besides the infamous tree lighting at Rockefeller Center. There are a few things I like to indulge in during this time of year!

A few things that made living in NYC in the winter worth it:

• Glace - hot chocolate with ice cream

• Dumbo - skating rink

• Balloon Museum (picture worthy) 

• Graziella’s Wood Burning Pizza - really good pasta. (comfort food)

• Aires ancient baths -Massages (pricey but very good service)

• Paint and pour 

• Van Leeuwen (Yes! Ice cream in the winter) - the brownie cookie dough flavor is top tier.

Glace

Aires Ancient Baths

Gut Health

How Gut Health Affects Your Whole Body

The gastrointestinal system is the main “portal” for taking in and processing nutrients, but it also serves a communication center and disease fighter. If the bad bacteria outweighs the good bacteria the immune system weakens. There are close links between poor gut health and anxiety, as well as poor gut health and depression. For those struggling with mental health issues, working to restore gut health may help.

Tip: Weight loss is 80% diet and 20% Workout

Ways To Improve Your Gut Health

Foods good for gut health include high-fiber foods like onions, artichokes, and pulses. The worst foods for gut health are processed foods with white flour and added sugar. A gut health diet could also include foods with probiotics for gut health, such as live yogurt and kefir. Replace sugary drinks with water and starve your sugar cravings. You might also try probiotic gut health supplements to improve your microbiome. (A microbiome protects us against germs, breaks down food to release energy, and produces vitamins)

6 Top Foods For Gut Health

• Oats

• Asparagus

• Greek Yogurt

• Kombucha

• Nuts

• Flaxseeds

Vitamins That Support Gut Health

• Vitamin C & D

• Probiotics

• Zinc

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is “that girl” honey! I had an amazing time in costa rica. As soon as we landed we went to eat eat where the locals eat and they did not disappoint. The food portions were so generous and taste was outstanding. The food in costa rica was a 10/10. At the villa that was a whole different story unfortunately but if someone would ask me if I would go back to Costa Rica then the answer is yes!

Where do I start, the flight was 4 hours and we had a layover in Miami. The flight went pretty quick in my opinion. When we landed we had already had our private driver waiting for us, who was amazing as well. He spoke very little English and we spoke very little Spanish so we went together well lol. From the airport to our villa was a 3 hour ride alone. We basically traveled the entire day. We did stop to eat at a local stop and headed up the mountains to our rainforest villa. The view was beautiful all throughout our drive.

The Villa we stayed at was Golden Pineapple Villas. Literally chef’s kiss! The villa was breath taking and we definitely enjoyed our stay. There were some interesting bugs that came to visit us daily (rolls eyes) and a whole bat family right out side our door. We might of even took a shower with a bat due to the shower being completely outside. Chile! But we definitely wanted those nature vibes just to feel more relaxed and free. 

More about the Villa:

The Villa was $580 a night 

The Villa was small and intimate 

The staff was great and very attentive 

The common area had the best pool view 

Room Service is free of charge 

iPads and WhatsApp were what staff and guest used to communicate

Massages take place inside of guests room

Overall everyone was very friendly and we took advantage of all the amenities. 

I highly recommend bug spray and sunscreen! The heat is crucial out there. We went in the dry season the ending of January.

Some Products I used out there:

Winter Skin Care

Cozy, Warm + Moisturized

First blog post of the year! It’s cold outside and we need to stay warm but not just warm but moisturized to the fullest. During the wintertime the cold can tend to dry out our skin.

Here are some of my faves that keep me moisturized all throughout the coldest days:

Laneige - (A Lip Sleeping Mask)

I don’t know about ya’ll but my lips are the first thing to get dry when it gets cold outside. I usually have on any type of lip balm throughout the day but overnight I do love the extra TLC for the lips. This is probably my first lip mask that I’ve tried and I would definitely rate it a generous 8/10. As soon as I wake up in the morning I can still feel the moisture on my lips from the night before which compliments the whole morning look. You know the look you first have when you wake and everyone can tell that you just woke up! That look! There are different flavors not a wide selection and I got mine in the berry flavor. So the real question is.. Is it worth the hype? And so far I believe so, It’s part of my night routine at the moment.

Fenty Beauty Butta Drop - (Shimmering Whipped Oil Body Cream)

Let’s talk about it! I got my hands on this particular body butter as soon as it dropped. The smell is like a Cinnamon pastry fresh out the oven and who wouldn’t want to smell like that for the holidays! I quickly got my hands on this body butter due to the orignal body butter (butta drop) smelling so good. This body is very moisturizing (thick/rich) as a body butter should be and the smell lasts a long time as well with amazing tropical oils. The only thing I could of done without is the shimmer that’s in the body butter itself. For the summer, yes, I’ll do shimmer, but not necessarily do I want to put on shimmer on in the winter. If you did get your hands on it, I know you loved it. This was a limited edition body butter, so basically first come first served. I would give this body a solid 9/10 I honestly love it.