Hello my loves! I know it’s been almost a full week since my last blog post (or maybe a full week exactly?) and even though I like to post way more often usually, I have a few thoughts about this:
One, I interviewed the amazing How You Glow girls for TBB Podcast a couple of days ago (their episode will be out in 2 weeks!), and they inspired me with their words about creating content for their site. Mainly, they said they never wanted to be the types to “pump out content” — and they’d rather remain authentic to themselves and their audience, stay relaxed and not force content when it wasn’t going to happen.
I loved that! As someone with a very Type A personality, I feel like I can take a page out of their book with that one. I don’t think I necessarily ever “pump out content,” but I do feel the pressure from time to time to carve out extra hours to get content out even when I am swamped with other awesome things!
(Cant wait for you to hear their whole episode BTW. I interviewed Lauryn & Michael of The Skinny Confidential the next day, so there is a lot of fun stuff coming in podcast-land. Also a FITBIT GIVEAWAY for people who subscription, rate + review my podcast and screenshot me their review!! Open until Sunday.)
And…
The second thing I have to say about the weeklong hiatus is… there is so much going on in the TBB world right now, and it’s all so positive. Between the podcast, teaching yoga, working on my second book proposal, ANNDD finishing up my 500-hours at YogaWorks (literally two days away from being done), I haven’t had a lot of time for the last few weeks to sit down and blog.
The podcast is the most exciting part of that to me, because I’ve been told it helps bring my blog to life. Now you guys can read the blog and literally HEAR MY VOICE writing these words, which is exceptionally special to me because all I’ve ever wanted is for this blog to feel like a conversation.
I get excited just thinking about it.
All of that being said, I am headed to Bora Bora this Sunday with the fam and I CANNOT WAIT. I will have a lot of down time to write, write, and write some more while I am there. So expect a lot of blog posts, and please do share ideas if you have any topic requests. I am more than open. 😉
Which brings me to today’s topic… natural beauty obsessions + real food thaaaangs that I’m really into right now //
Aight! So I’ve been getting a lot of questions about my skin lately. I will be the FIRST to admit that my skin is far from perfect… I literally have a clump of cystic acne on the far left side of my face right now, because #stress, but for the most part my skin is feelin; glowy these days + I’ve found a routine that really, really works for me.
That routine is a combo of skincare products, supplements, hydration, and real food that I think has 1,000% all contributed to the glowiness of my skin.
None of this is sponsored, I am just sharing the utmost realness with y’all because I love you and I think these tips (other than the skincare products) are more than good for JUST skincare. Most of the below will enhance you’re overall lives, which is what I am most passionate about by far…
↠ ↠ So let’s get started!
SKINCARE + BEAUTY PRODUCTS //
↠ ↠ Rodan + Fields Unblemish & Soothe products: If you have listened to my podcast episode 8 with the fabulous skincare guru Lisa Hyde, then you know about my undying love for R+F. Lisa is a family friend, and when I was suffering from the worst parts of my post-eating disorder hormonal imbalance… my cystic acne and sensitive skin was out of control. Lisa recommended R+F Unblemish and Soothe, and the rest was history. I use a combo of the Unblemish #1 (sulfur wash), Unblemish #4 (daytime moisturizer), the toner (when I need an extra boost), and Soothe #2 and #3 for nighttime moisturizer and extra hydration. This combo helps keep the blackheads at bay and also keeps my skin nice, clean and moisturized.
↠ ↠ MUN Argan Oil: To be honest, I just discovered this product a few days ago. MUN is represented by a fab PR firm who I have done a lot of work with (Hi Kelly! Hi Dakota! Hi Gwyneth ;)) and I had the opportunity to try out their products in a gifting suite in WeHo a few days ago. Well, I freaking fell in love with the argan oil. You guys know I am not big into beauty products or makeup, but DAMN this stuff is working wonders on my skin. I have been looking for a good argan oil to mix with my foundation for quite some time, because my skin gets dry easily, and I feel like this has been a GAME CHANGER for me. I can’t wait to keep using it!! Obvi brand new in my life, but wanted to share how awesome I think this is — especially for those of us who like to go barefaced but also want to keep our skin supple, hydrated and glowy.
↠ ↠ Juice Beauty Foundation: As far as makeup goes, you guys know I don’t wear a lot of it. At all. I do like to wear a bit of light, my-skin-colored foundation to keep my complexion looking even because I do have sensitive skin that can breakout and get splotchy. I LOOOOVE this Juice Beauty foundation and simply cannot wait for you guys to see my video with Gwyneth where she picks out my makeup and walks me through which tones to use with my skin!! So soon!
↠ ↠ LONG BATHS! Seriously, the longer the better. Bubbles or not. I soak in the bath every single night and I swear it has helped nourish and hydrate my skin from the inside out.
SKIN-NOURISHING OBSESSIONS //
↠ ↠ Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides: Well, if you don’t already know my obsession with collagen… you can read all about it here. Collagen is amazing for our skin, hair, nails, hormones, and so much more. Ultimately, I firmly believe that taking collagen peptides every day has changed my skin by nourishing it from the deepest layer — so literally from the inside out. I LOVE their vanilla flavor and add it into my coffee every morning. Sometimes I even mix it into yogurt. It’s also rocked my world with the strength of my nails, and my hair has never been thicker, shinier or faster growing.
↠ ↠ Vital Proteins Beef Liver: AND if you don’t know my beef liver obsession, you can read here. Beef liver is also super good for our hormones, skin, hair and nails. It is chock full of vitamins, nutrients, and minerals and is organically and naturally sourced. That last part is key. Putting whole, real, nourishing supplements into our body is just as important as putting whole, real, nourishing food into our body. Our skin will show the difference.
↠ ↠ Keto OS: You also probably know about my Keto OS obsession. I tried it for the first time about a month ago when I was in Santa Barbara with the fab Kelly Leveque. She had one of her clients on a keto cleanse (they were drinking bone broth too) and she gave me a packet to try. My brain alertness went through the roof, my body felt like I was walking on air, and the rest was history. I’ve since been taking it twice a day and have noticed a great amount of alertness, fat burning properties (not major weight loss but that’s not what I was looking for), daily motivation and mood enhancement, and it gives me the kickstart each morning to choose healthy, high fat, choices and be active.
If you order from their website, use ‘thebalancedblonde’ referral code. Yes, it is expensive… this formula is beyond cutting edge and hardly available elsewhere. You can also listen to podcast episode 14 to learn more, straight from the experts!
↠ ↠ Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil: Bulletproof products have been my jam for quite some time. In fact, I am trying my best to get Dave Asprey, the founder of the Bulletproof lifestyle, on my podcast ASAP! One of my fave Bulletproof products is Brain Octane Oil (aka MCT oil) which is a medium chain triglyceride oil that is full of healthy fats and fat burning properties. Clearly it fits with my keto lifestyle too. 😉 I am not labeling my diet as keto or bulletproof, but I do feel best when I stick roughly to those guidelines.
↠ ↠ Mag O7: This is another product that my fab nutritionist and dear friend Kelly introduced me to. I think I must have been deficient in magnesium before I started taking this, because my digestion has never been totally regular without this. It’s not to be taken every day, but can be taken up to 10 days in a row. It releases oxygen into the digestive system, which gets things moving in a healthy and natural way. Also, the influx of magnesium in my system I believe has also been good for my skin. When our digestion isn’t flowing properly, it shows in our skin. I have been glowing ever since beginning to use it!
REAL FOOD FOR SKIN //
↠ ↠ High quality FATS: Don’t fear the fat, my loves. Wild caught salmon, avocado, coconut butter and oil, olive oil, organic sprouted nuts, bone broth, organic chicken with the skin on it, ghee and MCT oil are all fabulous sources of fat. Same with the Keto OS powder! I swear by these high quality fats in my diet. It feels like I am rubbing their moisture directly onto my skin (LOL — weird thing to say? Probably, but true) because my skin radiates the benefits so much when I eat a high fat diet!
↠ ↠ Bulletproof Chocolate: YEP, I’m telling you that you can legit eat chocolate every day and it will be great for your skin. I eat this bulletproof chocolate like it’s my job, and basically any brand that doesn’t use refined sugar or sweetener. Dark cacao is where it’s at. Chocolate is FOOD, people! It’s amazing!
↠ ↠ Ghee, ghee & more ghee: I mentioned it above, but its amazing. I discovered how well my body responds to ghee when I did my Panchakarma, and I am so thrilled that it’s now a huge staple in my diet. I put it on eggs, in my coffee, mix it in with quinoa and sweet potato, and so much more! I like Fourth & Heart ghee a lot and all of their fab flavors. 🙂
↠ ↠ WATER! Without hydration, you’ve got nothin’! I am all about the water, all day every day. I drink more than 8 glasses a day. It’s nothing to go overboard with, but make sure you’re staying hydrated. Your skin WILL show a huge difference if you’re not!
I have so many more tips & tricks up my sleeve, but for the sake of keeping this post under 2,000 words (lol) — we will get to those another day!!
Let me know below if you have any Q’s! I want to do a giveaway of some of the above stuff soon. And make sure you enter my FITBIT giveaway by subscribing, rating and reviewing the podcast!!! Hope everyone has the best weekend! XX