19Feb

Best Nontoxic Nail polish For Better, Healthier You

Traditional nail polish is one of the most toxic beauty products on the market. It is packed full of chemicals that are harmful to breathe and harmful for fingernails. Chemicals like formaldehyde (a known carcinogen), dibutyl phthalate (known to cause reproductive issues), toluene (known to cause dizziness), and many others. These chemicals are especially harmful to pregnant women and children, and quite frankly I wouldn’t want them on my fingernails either. The EPA actually classifies nail polish as hazardous waste! Thankfully there are a variety of nontoxic options available. I put together a list below of some of the best nontoxic nail polishes available.

Nontoxic nail polish

16Oct

Five Favorites: From Hair Elasticizer Extreme to Organic Bone Broth & More

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Extreme

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Extreme hair treatment is by far the best hair product I’ve ever used. I find myself eager to wash my hair to compare the improvement in texture every time I use this hair product. The instructions say to wet your hair, apply the elasticizer and leave it on for about 10 minutes. It also recommends applying some heat for a better result. I take it a step further and apply it on my damp hair at night and sleep with it on. It’s really amazing to see how the hair gets softer, and more manageable every time I use it. Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Extreme is not for fine hair though. I’ve also noticed that my hair detangles much easier, as a result, there is less hair breakage, my ends are healthy, and I can’t say greater things about this hair product. If your hair can use more moisture, then this is the product you should try.

Vital Proteins Organic Bone Broth Collagen

I’m not a big fan of collagen supplements because I get the weirdest reaction to it, from headaches to little bumps under my backhand skin. Yes, freaky but true. However, this organic bone broth from Vital Proteins has only 9g of natural collagen, and I can tolerate it very well without those strange side effect. If you are not familiar with the benefits of nutrient-rich bone broth, these are only a few: protects joint, good for the gut, maintains healthy skin, support immune system function, boosts detoxification, aids the metabolism and promotes anabolism… (source).

I’ve been wanting to start consuming bone broth, but the idea of having to make it from scratch was very discouraging. Lucky Vital Proteins bone broth powder is easy to use, just add it to boiling water, add lemon and salt and it’s done. You can also add it to tea, soup and sauces. ” Vital Proteins Bone Broth Collagen is the first USDA Organic bone broth powder and is Whole30 Approved, MSG free, and low in sodium. Supplementing our diet to ensure that our bodies are enriched with collagen is an important key to good health and a full life.” VP. I try to drink a cup every week.

Z: The Beginning of Everything

While I’m anxiously waiting on the second season of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, I’ve been watching the witty and glamorous series Z: The Beginning of Everything. If you would like to see the flamboyant Jazz Age of the 20’s, glamorous interiors, period fashion and the smart acting of Christina Ricci, this is a must-see biography show. Christina plays the role of Zelda Sayre, a smart, forward-thinking young woman from the South who was way ahead of her time, who dreamed of leaving her little town. She meets the unpublished writer F. Scott Fitzgerald (David Hoflin), marries him and moves to New York City. “They live through a turbulent love affair, and their marriage-made in heaven, lived out in hell as the celebrity couple of their time. The series travels through the wild parties, the wicked jazz, the dissolute artists of the era, as well as the alcoholism, adultery, and struggle with dashed dreams and mental illness that characterizes their later years.” IMDb.

08Aug

Get Your Skin And Body Ready For Fall: Let’s Talk Beauty

I’ve been trying intermittent fasting for the past three weeks with no avail. My fixed weight loves me so much that it doesn’t matter what I do, it just doesn’t leave me. My weight has officially reached a plateau. Now that I know I can spend hours on only unsweetened tea, Detox doesn’t scare me anymore. A 3-Day Sumer Detox Reset doesn’t sound that bad. An LA-based holistic nutritionist designs the Detox that eliminates sugar, dairy, and other potential food allergens. “This program is simple. We’ve eliminated all the usual suspects (gluten, dairy, corn, sugar, alcohol, and caffeine), and it’s mostly vegetarian, save for some bone broth. Here’s the basic routine: Every morning, start with a probiotic-rich tonic and bone broth.”

31Jul

Five Favorites: From Coffee to Organic Bugs Killer

I’ve been postponing Five Favorites posts for a while, only because there are so many interesting products I’ve discovered and there is only a small amount of time I can invest on each post for the blog every day. I’ve been excessively busy with new clients and exciting new projects. Here are my favorite products this month.

100% Freshwater Diatomaceous Earth: Organic Bugs Killer, Fertilizer, and Food

Please bear with me as I try to explain what this diatomaceous earth is. At the beginning of Summer, we were inundated with little ants. We would find them mostly in the kitchen around our sink, and it was very annoying. One day while browsing through Amazon I came across this organic bug killer powder that promised to be so safe you can even eat it, just don’t inhale it. We bought it, mixed it with a bit of water and applied along the countertop with a syringe. The next morning when we woke up there only about five ants left and by the third day they were all gone.

This product can also be used to eliminate cockroaches, and it has 100 different uses from helping purify water to detoxifying the body. I have not used it for more than just killing my summer ants but if you want to read more about its many uses, visit 6 Proven Diatomaceous Earth Uses and Benefits. “Diatomaceous earth (DE) is essential for anyone looking for natural remedies in their home, yard, garden or homestead. This amazing product is made of tiny, fossilized diatoms (plankton) that accumulated over millennia in freshwater lakes.” Amazon

17Apr

Five Favorites: A Brain-Boosting Oil & A Paris-Based Amazon Show

I feel I haven’t posted about my favorite things for a while. As of lately, I’ve been enjoying these five great finds…

brain-busting oil, MCT Oil

MCT Oil

I’ve been taking MCT oil in my morning espresso for over two months and I have to say that I feel super energetic and alert. I rarely get tired. I’ve been experiencing many of the benefits that have so many people swearing by it. MCT oil is Medium-chain triglycerides that are extracted from coconut pulp. This type of saturated fat is sometimes referred to as brain-boosting oil for its cognitive benefits. Among other important benefits of MCT oil is the ability to help maintain your weight as well as helping fight bacteria and viruses. Medium-chain triglycerides behave differently than other fats once consumed: rather than being broken down like regular saturated fats, they produce ketone, a source of greater fat burning potential. It’s recommended to start with a small tablespoon a day to avoid unpleasant side effects. I use this one.

The Collection, An Amazon-Original Drama

If you like Paris, haute couture, beautiful classic interiors, you have to watch The Collection on Amazon. The Collection is a post-war drama based in Paris during the immediate aftermath of post-war Europe. At the center of the drama is a family of a Fashion House who is presented with the extraordinary role of rebuilding high fashion after the war. All sounds good until secrets of possible Nazi collaboration involving the head of the fashion house come quickly to hunt the brand. The drama also gives us a hint of the beginning of street photography, and the somber condition of Paris’s immediate aftermath of World War II. My favorite episode was “The Weekend” in which the family behind the Mansion and close friends go to spend the weekend at Trouvier’s Chateau outside of Paris. Every single space of the chateau is breathtaking. This is such a beautiful production that will take your breath away. I can’t say much about the acting because I think I watched the entire season just for the magical feel of the show than anything else. One of the main characters is played by Mamie Gummer, Meryl Streep’s daughter.

The Collection, an Amazon-Original drama

Jack Black Industrial Strength Hand Healer

I know that men and women are supposed to use different products. Different skin types, different hormones… so on. However, when I got this hand cream for my husband for Christmas and then I tried it, I kind of had to share it with him. It’s beyond hydrating and the minty smell makes me feel energized every time I put it on. My son used to get very dry hands because he keeps reapplying hand sanitizer at school, I know this germ averting society, right… I’m putting this cream on his beautiful hands and after a couple of times of reapplying it, his hands are back to normal.

peter thomas roth

Peter Thomas Roth Hungarian Thermal Water Mineral-Rich Moisturizer

Whenever I get an episode of rosacea, my cheeks get very dry. The lady at the store recommended me this cream for being super hydrating and I had to try it. I love how moisturizing it really is, but what I love the most about it is how cool and smooth it is once I start applying it on my skin. It glides on the skin so refreshingly smooth.

La Roche-Posay anthelios 60 tinted mineral ultra light sunscreen

LA ROCHE-POSAY Tinted Mineral sunscreen

Another late addition to my skin products is La Roche-Posay tinted mineral sunscreen. It’s a mineral-based sunscreen that is good for your skin. I read somewhere that mineral products don’t get absorbed by the skin so they don’t get into your bloodstream. This latter helps to avoid skin breakouts. It has a subtle tint to it so I apply it on top of the facial cream and it covers while protects against the sun just right.

11Apr

Injectable Skincare, A New Director at the MET and more Fun Links

Did you ever hear of injectable skincare? Neither did I, until I read this article that indicates that the next great thing would be just that. Apparently, with this very new way of using skin care, injectable skincare, the usual skin glow from topical serum appears to come from within the skin. Read more about it here.

injectable skincare, new director at the MET

The Metropolitan Museum has gone through a few changes this year. First the $25 admission fee to out-of-towners… now it’s the rename of its new director. Get to know the Austrian born new director at the MET.

guide-to-sleuthing-antiques-in-paris-elsie-green-shop-bottles-on-dresser

I can always go to Paris and I can also always go to an antique market wherever that is. Last year I enjoyed many a flea market in the South of France. I’m ready to do the same next time in Paris. This Guide to Sleuthing Antiques and Housewares in a Paris has very great recommendations. Who doesn’t love to get to know the off-the-beaten-path special, places?

And if you thought that you loved Apple for its well-designed products, you’ll love it even more when you know that all Apple’s facilities are now using 100% renewable energy. That includes all of its retail stores, offices, data centers and partner data centers, as well as its new headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., Apple Park.