Natural Deodorant Review: Crystal Essence Deodorant Roll-On, and a New Drugstore Fave

I have been on the hunt for a "natural" deodorant for YEARS.  Firstly, I wanted something non-staining (you know those unsightly yellow stains under your arms?  That's not from sweat, that's from the aluminum chlorhydrate) and secondly, the thought of rubbing metals and parabens all over my skin day in and day out where they are surely being absorbed into my lymphatic system gives me the ickies.
So, I have been on the hunt for quite some time for a natural deodorant that would also, I don't know, work?  Call me crazy, but just because it's natural doesn't mean it shouldn't do its job.  And I am not one of those folks to embrace their natural "scent" and eschew deodorant altogether.  I'll leave that to Matthew Mcconaughey.  Throughout my trials, I found quite a few duds, which I won't discuss at this time, but finally, I have hit the nail on the head.  YAY!!!

This stuff is the bomb.com.  For reals!!!  It has a lovely, inoffensive smell, and is totally natural, and YES actually does the job.  Keep in mind it is a DEODORANT not an antiperspirant.  This means it's job is not to keep you from sweating, but to keep you sufficiently deodorized.  I find that this works for me because I don't normally have a huge wetness issue and so far, it has kept me pretty dry and odor-free.  However, you can't expect to not have to reapply it ever.  If you are of the sweatier persuasion, you may need to reapply this throughout the day, which I still find preferable to parabens and carcinogens in your pits alldayerryday.  And it has a pleasant smell and is a nice little compact shape, super easy to throw in your bag and reapply as needed.

Here is detailed product info, in case you're interested.

Mineral Deodorant Body roll-On. Natural deodorant protection. Crystal Essence Lavender & White Tea, made of natural mineral salts and infused with the relaxing aromas of lavender and white tea, leaves an invisible protective barrier against odor-causing bacteria. Lavender, known as anti-inflammatory and white tea, as a natural relaxant, combine to form an essence that pleases rather than overpowers the senses.  Crystal essence is long-lasting, non-sticky, non-staining and leaves no white residue.

• no aluminum chlorhydrate
• hypoallergenic
• paraben free
• safe for the environment
• endorsed by Cancer Treatment Centers

Made in USA.

So,  if you find yourself in the market for a natural, non-shitty deodorant, totally give this one a go.  

Next up, a new love of mine.  Revlon Color Burst Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya.  I own quite a few of these, and love them all, but this color in particular is stellar.  Gorgeous color, moderate staying power, super moisturizing and hydrating, gives a lovely sheen without being frosted or shimmery, and a great drugstore price.  I honestly prefer this to many of my high-end lippies.  If you like a non-shimmery peachy wash of color that has a great sheen without being matte, this is a wonderful product to try.  I would not call this color a coral, there is hardly any pink to it, if any, so it's definitely for the warmer complected folks.  However, there are a ton of more cool toned colors to choose from if that happens to be your jam.  Here is a pic of it on me:

And that's it for me today y'all!  Keep on keeping on GFGs.  XoXo

New Beauty Products to Try!

Hi loves! So I said I was back and then poof! I was gone again.  This summer has been biz-to-the-z and I have just returned from being gone for two straight weeks.  One week we spent in Door County, WI, my happy place and basically favorite place on earth, and then last week I was in Boston for a conference.  These are some new, or newly repurchased products that I am currently loving and so should you!

My undereye situation is no joke peeps.  I have deep purple undereyes and it ain't pretty.  This is not new and they don't actually worsen with lack of sleep- they do get red and puffy however if I haven't slept.  Gorgeous huh?  They are hereditary and the medical term for them is "allergic shiners."  So between that and generally so very thin skin under my eyes, it's the perfect storm for some seriously purple eyes.  And not in a good way.  So I am constantly on the hunt for new products to help me out.

Unfortunately, there is no topical product, at least that I am aware of, that can help with the discoloration.  I have heard that an anti-histamine is actually the best way to tackle the discoloration but I am not about to start taking a bunch of steroids for such a silly reason.  Topical products can help to plump the area though.  I have somewhat sunken, thin undereyes, and this cerave eye repair creme is both plumping, smoothing, and very moisturizing, and a drugstore product to boot!  It has replaced all my other eye creams, even my fancy shmancy ones.

The second new eye product i'm digging is this First Aid Beauty Triple Remedy.  It has a wonderfully cooling metal applicator and leaves a pink shimmery tint on the skin, great for layering over your eye cream and under your concealer.  Not pictured is a similar product but a drugstore buy, the garnier under eye roller ball.  I enjoy both and would recommend them both.

The Originis charcoal face mask is a wonderful new addition to my skincare routine.  I use it mainly just on my nose, skin surrounding the nose, and chin, to help clear out pores and oil.  I really like it and I have not found another charcoal mask that works as well.  While not exfoliating or moisturizing, its great for clearing out your pores so that your other products can really get in there and do their thing.

That tiny little empty pot with the green label is a fabulous new gel product from Ole Henriksen, called Invigorating Night Gel.  Holy moly do I love this stuff.  It is an oil free gel you slather all over your face (at night only as it causes sunburn if applied during the day) and you honest to goodness wake up to more vibrant, prettier, healthier looking skin.  It has anti-aging ingredients and I definitely can say it is slightly exfoliating and plumping.  Loves it!

The next product I have used for years for just recently had to repurchase.  Can't go wrong with some good ol' oil free tinted moisturizer.  A little SPF and a lot of moisturizing without leaving your skin oily or greasy, this stuff is gold.  If you put it on and don't powder, you'll have dewy, moist looking skin for hours.

If a tinted moisturizer isn't doing it for you though, and you want something with more skin benefits, this Dermadoctor DD cream is worth trying out.  I was in the market for a new BB, one with anti-aging, moisturizing, and sun-protective properties.  This product is that and more.  It is a skin perfector, blemish clearing, pore diffusing beast!  And I believe it is a physical sunscreen and not a chemical sunscreen if that matters to you.  It is shade adjusting which I really appreciate because with my face being a tad darker these days, I don't want to have a product just sit in my drawer for 9 months until next summer.  It is not much coverage, but could certainly be layered under foundation if that's what your into.  I wear it alone and apply it with my fingers for the best look.

Lastly is a fun new lipgloss.  It's Sephora, and it's called Hot Coral and is a sheer hot pink/coral tint with beautiful coral sparkles.  Great for summer and looks pretty worn alone and even better layered over a coral lip.

Great summer products I'm totally digging right now.  Tell me what your loves are!! XoXo GFG

Currently Loving

#NotPaleo

Sometimes you find some new products that are not just good but truly amaaaaaazing.  This post is about a few of those items.  I'd like to start featuring some products that get the amaaaaaazing thumbs up from time to time.  These products are not necessarily high or low end, they are truly what I'm Currently Loving.  Let's get started:

Soap and Glory Great Kisser Lip Moisture Balm
Holy cow this stuff is fabulous.  A great peachy flavor, smooth and thick formula but not greasy (which I hate hate hate, nothing worse than oily lips) or waxy, stays on for hours (like, I wake up and still have it on) and a wonderful peachy flavor.  It is pretty much colorless but on me almost dulls my natural lip color which I actually really like because my lips are really pigmented.  It is so velvety and luxurious and I honestly do prefer it to my Dior creme de rose.

Nars Surabaya
This little nars eye duo isn't the easiest to find.  It's not at sephora and you can't always find it at the makeup counter.  But holy cow it is probably one of the best formulations you can find in the eye duo. The shadows are so creamy and pigmented and a total dream to apply and blend.  If you are looking for a super warm and intense brown eye, this is it.  You get a beautiful reddy town, with subtle glitter, and a warm chestnut.  It is GORGEOUS people.  Definitely more of a fall/winter look but it is just beyond.  I have swatched tons of the duos and none of them apply like this.

MAC Peachykeen
Ugh how did I not have this blush until now?  The perfect amount of pink, orange, and coral, this blush has a beautiful sheen and very faint shimmer to it that gives your cheeks a gorgeous glow.  It is very pigmented so a teensy bit goes a long way and has an almost bronzey look to it in the pan.  It is freaking amazing.  It is not golden at all but super glowy.  I can't stop wearing it!

MAC Perfect Topping, LE
Sorry no link on this one, it is LE but the sales gal assured me it comes back fairly regularly.  This is a beautiful subtle highlight that I sort of dot on my forehead in between my eyebrows, and on my cheeks beside my nose.  It gives you a beautiful glow (can you tell I'm all about getting a glow?) and is the last stop on my makeup train everyday.  It would also be lovely to apply on the cheekbones if you like a super subtle cheekbone highlight.

L'oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Lights 
Have you tried these yet?  They are basically pressed pigments, they even have these cute little plastic pressy things to keep all the pigment in place when the lid is on.  I had been on the hunt for the perfect rose gold that wasn't too pink or too copper and this is it.  It is gorgeous all over the lid and is surprisingly versatile with a range of different looks.  And it's drugstore!  yay!

Sephora #56 Pro Flawless Airbrush
For such a small brush-head, this brush packs a lot of punch.  Densely packed, it is fabulous for cream or liquid foundations and blends to a dream.  If you fancy synthetic bristles and a flawless finish, this is your brush.

Sigma F80
The end all, be all of foundation brushes.  The brush to which all others are measured.  This flat synthetic kabuki will buff your skin to perfection.  The thick and sturdy handle is the perfect weight and length.  What else can you say about this brush that hasn't been said a million times.  If you only have one foundation brush, let it be this one!

Soap and Glory Butter Yourself
This is a gorgeous smelling body butter that is super moisturizing, just the tiniest bit greasy, but it does dry down fairly quickly, and supposedly packed with antioxidants (?) but honestly, who cares when it smells this damn good.  Check out the description: Get velvety with the formula's resurfacing properties, skin-perfecting fruits, and shea butter. This creamy hydrator features the exotic citrus Fruitigo™ fragrance, so skin lingers with delicious notes of frozen yuzu, orange oil, and jungle pomelo all-day long. 

Product Review: Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation

#NotPaleo people.  This is a product review for Revlon Colorstay Whipped foundation.  I have worn the regular colorstay foundation in the bottle for quite some time- I like that they have two formulations, one for normal skin and one for combination, and I had tried the whipped version once before but in the wrong shade, so couldn't really make a clear decision on it.  As summer approaches I am rethinking my foundation collection- to include more BB creams and tinted moisturizers.  No one likes cake face in 80% humidity.  Ick.  So I have repurchased an old fave, Laura Mercier oil-free tinted moisturizer, and will also be using a lot of my IT Cosmetics CC cream and Benefit Better than BB.  But there will still be days when I want something a bit more full coverage and for those days, I picked Revlon Colorstay Whipped.  I find it is just as long-wearing as the regular colorstay foundation, and quite full coverage, but the formulation is totally different.  It is creamy, somewhat mousse-y and very thick, and a little goes a long way.  As you can see from the picture, it comes in a glass jar, so you have to scoop out product with your finger or brush or some other delivery system, which is not very sanitary and totally gross in my opinion, but whatevs.  The big difference for me is that this formulation contains salicylic  acid, which is a pore-clearing agent and sloughs off dead skin cells and generally works to clear skin.  For my skin, salicylic acid in the summer is a must.  Humidity tends to melt makeup and when combined with sweat, you have a recipe for clogged pores within five minutes of being outdoors.  Uh, no thanks.  So a foundation with some SA is going to help your makeup go the distance in the heat.

So for the review- here is what I like.  I like that is medium to full coverage.  When using a flat kabuki or dense buffing brush, it gives a flawless satiny finish, not crazy matte so you look dead.  I like that I have to do minimal concealing (well, I never conceal anything except undereyes so I guess that is stupid to say) and I like that it actually starts to look better at about hour 2 of wear.  It lasts an incredibly long time before it starts breaking up, on me.  I went about 10 hours before I needed a touch up, but by hour 14 it was looking seriously rough.  Normally I do not wear makeup for 14 hours straight but it was a very long day.  I think a solid 10 hours of wear is pretty great.  That is still quite a bit longer than I would normally have on a full face.  Mind you, most of the 14 hours were spent inside.  Would it hold up if I were outside all day? Hells no.  Coming in and out a few times during a hot summer day?  Maybe.  Probably.  More so than any of my other full coverage foundations.

All in all, definitely a thumbs up.  I would say this is a must-purchase drugstore product if you are like me and want a fuller coverage, long-wearing foundation and have combi skin.  In fact, drugstore or not, both the colorstay foundations are great purchases.

I wear Sand Beige, and am NC20 for reference.

What's Up Whole30? Plus- DIY blush, and an Emi-Jay Headband Review

I am four days in on my Whole30.  Piece of cake, haha.  No really, it is no big deal.  I find myself wanting to snack on nuts all the time, except, we don't have any, so I don't.  Which can be annoying because when you're on Whole30 there isn't a whole lot to snack on that is acceptable if you want your blood sugars to also be super tight.  Certain "treats" like green apples are allowed on Whole30, which would be a great snack for someone else.  So, that is really the only complaint I have.  My best suggestion for how to overcome a Whole30-induced snack attack would be to make sure you always make more than you need for your meals so you have leftovers to munch on.  Every single blog says that, I know.  And every time I read it I roll my eyes a little because honestly, if you just ate a chicken thigh, or a pork chop, or whatever, do you really want to eat it again cold in a few hours?  Maybe you do. If so, I'm jealous.  But I am really digging no legumes and no sweeteners.  My blood sugars have stayed consistently lower, and I lost 2 lbs, which was not my intention, but I think speaks volumes about how our brains perceive sweeteners and how we metabolize them.  This also coincides with me going to Chicago for 5 days for a funeral, Thanksgiving, and a bachelorette party, all instances where I can assure you I overindulged as much as the next paleo T1D.

Speaking of pork chops, I made them last week.  Can someone tell me why people eat these things?  I guess I probably got the wrong kind.  I don't remember what cut they were.  They tasted like chicken, only even less flavorful.  Like tougher chicken breast, that forgot to be tasty.  It was fine, I marinated it for a whole day in a mixture of dijon, red wine vinegar, and herbs, but geez, definitely not a fun meal by any stretch.  I even seared them on the cooktop first and then stuck them in the broiler.

On this week's menu is a shrimp/sausage bake with peppers, chicken thighs with cauli puree and salad, and slow-cooker ribs.  I'm also going to attempt some yummy GF sweet potato latkes for my angelface for Chanukah, and some GFG snickerdoodles to take to a party.

In other news- how many times have you been using one of your favorite blushes, and used up just about all of it so that you no longer use it, but there's just enough left that you feel bad throwing it out?  I think I had about three different blushes in this same stage.  Plus a little bit of sad bronzer languishing in my makeup drawer.  So I decided to DIY a customized shade of blush.  It was super easy.

Customized DIY Blush
1.  Assemble your (powder) blushes you'll be combining.
2.  Get an empty blush container.  (If there's a little bit still left, don't worry about it)
3.  In a small bowl, combine all your leftover blush.  Feel free to add a pretty shade of eye shadow, or some shimmer dust if you like.  I had a tiny bit of MAC ricepaper and also added some Bare Minerals shimmer mineral veil to lighten up the shades.  I used some bronzer too, so didn't want it to be too dark. (did you know you could use cocoa powder as bronzer?)
4.  With a small spoon or cap, crush all the powder and mash it around, stirring occasionally.  Once the colors are evenly distributed, you are ready for the final step.
5.  Get some rubbing alcohol.  If you have an eye dropper, even better, but I just poured a little bit in the cap from the bottle.  Transfer your powder to your blush container, and then either drip your alcohol in with your eye dropper, or pour in slowly.  You only want to pour enough to cover the powder, you don't want to overfill it.  Swirl your container a bit to even it out, and then let it sit on your counter top until dry, probably overnight.  If you did overfill your container with alcohol, it will simply take longer to evaporate.
6.  You're done!  Now you have customized blush, and don't have to feel bad about throwing away 12 almost used up blushes.  This also allows you to create that perfect color you can never find.  Like a pinky brown.  Why can I never find a pinky brown?  Not red, not orange, not purple.  A nice brown with pink undertones.  Geez.

Lastly- I'm sure you have all seen Emi-Jay headbands by now.  I have avoided them thus far because I felt stupid paying $5 for a piece of ribbon.  But, you can adjust them to your head and they do stay put during my grueling hour long workouts at Fusion.  Pick one up!  They are cute to wear even if you're not working out, and they come in a thousand colors.  It's hard for me to find headbands that actually stay put, because I have a pin-head, just like my daughter does, and headbands are always flopping around and I spend more time readjusting them than wearing them.  These ones you can just retie to fit your needs. Score!

Is anyone out there dumb enough to be doing a Whole30 right now too?  How's it going?  Let me know in the comments!  I'd love to hear about your experiences!