Winter 2018 Natural & Organic Favourites

Hi Lovelies,



Welcome back! And if you are new here, welcome 💕💕💕

Green Life In Dublin Winter Favourites

How are all of you? Hope you are all well?

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I am technically very late to post my winter favourites, as we are first days into spring already. But as we are into the thick of the snow storm here, aka The Beast From the East (after having no snow not only for this winter, but for the last five years), it seems apt to post this. It is only a week of it, but it I am already fed up with it - schools and most workplaces are closed, so all of us are at home - I am kind of happy about it, except one detail - our living room slash kitchen is facing east, so we had to abandon it due to the icy wind drafting trough the whole room, and we are camping in the bedroom for five days straight. I've seen cold winters, but never before in my life I had to cook the dinner for the family in the bloody COAT AND A HAT! It is max 5*C in the room, and that's with two heaters on! I had to move all my plants from the window to the center of the room, and we nicknamed going to the living room "Expedition to the Arctic". We also doubled & tripled the feed for the birds, because we feed wild birds from our balcony. God help homeless people and animals! I hope this is over soon and we will be able to laugh about it.

The reason I am so late with my favourites is because the winter is the most difficult season for me, I endure it, rather than live and enjoy it. Partly due to my SAD (aka winter depression), which always comes back every year, partly due to Sickness Season, which always knocks me for six, despite my best efforts to prepare for it. If you are interested, I will link my post where I list every natural remedy I stock up on in winters at the end of this post. 
By the way, this post will not be heavy on products, so if that's your thing, you can exit here, no hard feelings, promise!

At first I thought I will have no favourites at all, but when I looked around, I did find a few things that I enjoy indeed, so let's see what those are, shall we?



Reading

I always enjoyed reading, I think you will find this in all the Favourites posts I ever made, and I find myself reading less and less fiction, and more and more Health & Wellness type of books. You will laugh at me so hard, but my life was forever changed, when I joined my library after learning I can request any book I want. Why no one told me that before? I am onto 12 books loan, around 5 more borrowed online, and four more acquired on my own. Erm, I think I've bitten more than I could chew? So far I managed to finish Radical beauty by Deepak Chopra & Kimberly Snyder, Balance Your Hormones by Patrick Holford, Longevity by Cameron Diaz, The Middlepause by Marina Benjamin, Allergy Free Kids by Robin Nixon Pompa; and I just finished Medical Medium by Anthony William and I am currently reading Eat Dirt by Josh Axe, Renegade Beauty by Nadine Artemis, A Life In Healing by Jan De Vries, Good Gut Bugs by Kathryn Marsden, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by Micheal Murray MD, How To Be Alive by Colin Beavan and Pretty Fun by Kate Hudson. Pretty crazy, I know! Is anyone else reading like five different books at the same time?



OreganolP73 
(and other natural winter wellness remedies)

My Holy Grail natural remedy for the last three or four years, and if you follow me for any length of time, I think you know that. Nature's antibiotic and anti-viral, plus anti-fungal remedy that I use in place of antibiotics. Works like a charm every single time and I never want to be without it. Thankfully this is available locally to me, for a change, and I make sure to stock up on it come winter, although I have to have it all year round. In those few years I witness information and articles about it disappearing from the internet fast. I blogged about it the same year when I discovered it, declaring it one of my Top Three Favourite Natural Things Ever (find post here) linking back to the articles where I learned about this from, and all of them were made inactive since then - and I had trouble finding any credible information on it. All that makes me fearful it is only a matter of time it will vanish and get outlawed, like so many wonderful natural remedies before it. Please tell me this won't be the case? 



Aromatherapy

That might sound vain and/or luxurious to some, but all that means in my case, that I made sure to surround myself with lovely smells that remind me of good times. As we know, smell has a power to trigger memories, good or bad. So I figured, if I already have some things at home, why not to use them on everyday basis? The thing is, for so many years I liked "having" beautiful thing rather than using them - this stems from a difficult childhood where treats were modest at the best of times, so I had to work on allowing myself to use "the good stuff" for everyday, rather than saving them for a special occasions.  So I went through scented candles like there's no tomorrow (all natural of course) and ran my Esta Aroma Diffuser when I felt like it, almost daily. I also used my Jo Browne Vanilla perfume every day as well as my beloved Walden A Different Drummer - the mixture of the two is intoxicating! Let's not forget the Sacred Aroma blend, which helps me stay grounded so much. All reviews linked below.


Dry Brushing

I think we all know what the dry brushing is, but if you don't, here is a short explanation of it - you brush your entire body starting with the soles of your feet in long upward strokes towards your heart with a natural fibers dense brush. Look up Youtube videos for it if you don't have a clue what I am talking about. Benefits include removing dead skin cells, boosting circulation and moving lymph system around, which is body's way of taking toxins out. It can only be a good thing. If only you can brave cold(ish) bathroom for a few minutes.


Abhiyanga (aka body oiling)

I have heard a bit about it here and there during the years, but it went into one ear and out the other if I am honest with you. That until Radical Beauty book fell into my hands - it made so much sense that I started practicing straight away. I also realized I have been doing it all wrong during the years - I only used coconut oil for body oil at all times, when in reality it has cooling properties to it - not ideal during the winter! Hey, that's why I love reading books so much - you learn all kinds of useful things! 
For winter, sesame oil is recommended, but I have to be honest I am yet to implement it in practice. The smell of organic and cold pressed sesame oil acquired in the supermarket makes me gag, and the one I have ordered via Love Lula didn't arrive. (unfortunately the order went missing for the first time in history of me being their customer since 2014. They replaced everything without any questions, but the sesame oil was out of stock at the time, meaning I got a replacement of something else). I have been using good quality olive oil with some essential oils pre-shower (you are supposed to step into the hot shower or go exercise to increase the body's temperature and thus make the oil absorb and work better) and Awakening Meditative oil by Inner Senses post shower. That one smells divine! Blog review will be published around the same time, so keep your eyes peeled for it. 
By the way, please let me know good quality cold pressed oils with warming properties to them in the comments. Organic and fair trade if possible?


Thermos mug

Umm, is it lame to admit a thermos mug is one of the best presents you ever got? Whatever, I never aimed to be KEWL, so let's just roll with it! I received it for Christmas last year and I am yet to stop using it daily. Along with implementing abhiyanga, I also introduced some changes in my daily routine, like stopping consuming cold water and foods, and it made so much difference in how I feel overall. Anyone who is familiar with Ayurveda will know about dosha balancing, but it's baby steps for me. Cold does not suit me at all, and warming my body in all the ways possible made an enormous difference in how I function and even feel. So it is fair to list a thermos as a favourite, isn't it?


Indoor plants

Despite my mom being a florist and being quite good at landscaping too, I am the total opposite. Need your plant killed? I am the one for the job! Despite spending my teen years working part time alongside my mom, I wasted no time forgetting everything I was taught once I moved out. For so many years I could only grow cactuses, and even those were given away when my second baby arrived. Long story short, I am finding myself drawn to potted plants everywhere I go, and have nearly ten of them after having none for years. I am not as successful in growing them as I would like, but I am trying my best. Next time we speak, I might be living in an indoor jungle for all I know - I come back with a new plant even if I pop out for groceries, and if I find myself in TKMaxx, I get more joy in finding a beautiful plant pot than a top or shoes! I am now eyeing macrame plant hangings and brainstorming ways to realize them. Middle age crisis or something??



Herbal Teas

I made no secret of the fact that winter and I don't get along very well, so given half a chance, I would go on to Winter Sleep and only wake up in Spring - if only I could! Since I have some inconveniences in a way - like you know, kids and life responsibilities, the next best thing is blanket, hot tea and a book. Those moments are far in between as well, but thinking of things I enjoyed for the last three - four months, this was came to mind first, so I can't just leave it out, can I? After buying only the cheapest teas for years, I decided to invest more into this little life luxury, but at the same time I watch deals like a hawk, and make sure to stock up on them when the time is right. One of my staples is plain old camomile tea, then it's rooibos (drunk with ginger, lemon, turmeric and honey) - aka The Drink That Keeps Me Well In Winters, and I like Yogi and Heath & Heather Organic ones too that I get in my local health shops. As I am so sensitive to caffeine, most of my teas tend to be caffeine free. I can only drink green tea in the morning until around 2pm.


Matcha Latte

See above. Insert matcha latte as my a.m. drink of choice post school run. 


Hosting An Awesome Giveaway

Telling this not to brag, but to share my joy with you - I genuinely love hosting giveaways, as this gives you, my readers, the chance to try the products I genuinely love. I collaborated with Pure Anada for my latest giveaway (now closed) and it brought so much joy to my heart, because isn't it lovely when a brand you love and support for a good few years comes to you with a giveaway offer? I was like "Yes and thanks for making me a happy girl!" If you missed that post of mine, I will link it below, as well as favourites for the past two years, where Pure Anada products are featured along my other Holy Grails.



And one NOT Favourite

As you know me, I am the least bitchy person around, and it takes me a lot to say something - I only have one thing as Not Favourite so far - not much since 2009, no? So brace yourselves for my second ever Not Favourite Thing - please step forward Instagram! It used to be my favourite social media platform for years, but with all these new algorithms (don't get me started on those) came some other not pleasant changes too - as in censoring! Let me explain myself - I found myself censored twice in one week - I was going into great depth answering someone's query on how I healed my dermatitis - it's been two years and I get a lot of questions about it - and to my surprise my comment didn't post, I got "Review Your Content. We restrict certain content and actions to protect our community" type of message that simply dumbfounded me, and then this nasty surprise repeated itself when I was discussing natural beauty line with someone. Umm, I mean, Instagram - really? Thanks for protecting your community from me! I mean it is quite understandable, the people need to be protected from me talking that you can heal your own a-u-t-o i-m-m-u-n-e  d-i-s-e-a-s-e. I am whispering this really quietly, so no IG or Google would hear it, ok? I posted quite a few Instagram stories about it, and I was on the verge of leaving, as quite frankly I was fed up with it - not only all I see is ads and random people I didn't even followed in my feed, now I will be censored for talking about all things natural?? I got a ton of all kinds of messages from people and natural brands owners telling me similar stories they experienced. One blogger friend had her account suspended when she tried posting truth about her son's autism - and she didn't get to use her account at all until she deleted every single post related to her son. So I came to the conclusion to that IG now censors some kind of key words that are heath and natural remedies related. But what exactly are those key words? No one knows! That was what pissed me off most of all - they think it is ok to censor people without issuing any kind of statement or list of words or hashtags that are not allowed? So the users are kind of left to stumble in the dark here - and in danger of being ghosted, or worse, if they will use the banned word(s) without even knowing what they are! 
Guess what, IG - I won't take this lying down, and I am in the process of blogging about all-the-things I did or used to heal myself. And if you will try to silence me about it, I will only shout louder! Take that!

Related posts You might be interested in: 

My Natural Arsenal Against Cold & Flu 

my two cents on OreganolP73:

My Top Three Natural Products

Book Corner: Radical Beauty review

by Deepak Chopra and Kimberly Snyder 

Jo Browne Natural Perfumes Review

Walden Natural Perfumes Review

Isun Sacred Aroma Blend Review

The Drink That Keeps Me Well In Winters

Dermatitis be gone!

Pure Anada Review 

2017 Best Natural & Organic Products

2016 Best Natural & Organic Products

So that's all for today, see you here very shortly. Let me know your favourites too, I would love to know!

P.s. Please make my day and subscribe & share this or any of my blog posts on social media - it helps to get the green beauty word out and for that I Thank You!
Follow me on my new blog Greenlifeindublin.com, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube. 

Lots of Love,

Renata.

Disclaimer I: you can't use my content, be it text or pictures, without my permission.

Disclaimer II: this post features some affiliate links and I thank you very much if you will use them - this is at no additional cost to you. 

 

Things I am loving Fall 2017

Hello Lovelies,

Welcome back! And if you are new here, welcome 💕💕💕

I have to be honest here and say this post almost didn't happen. Some of you might be aware I went through some terrible times recently, for the second time this year (seriously, I can't wait for this year to be over!) so I I feel down in the dumps, fighting really had not to spiral down the depression route and going through the whole spectrum of emotions. Needles to say I didn't think I am enjoying ANYTHING at the moment, but having looked around I saw there are some things that bring me joy, so I thought I'd share it with you. FIY, this post isn't product heavy, so if you want, you can exit it now, no hard feelings, promise.

In no particular order, here are a few of the things I enjoyed recently. And there will be one thing I didn't enjoy, to put it mildly, but I will leave it to the end. It takes a lot for me to bitch, most of the time I let things wash over me, but I have to say something here.

Being By The Sea

I don't know how to explain it, but it brings me healing and the peace of mind like nothing else. So I am drawn to it like a moth to the flame, and I am sure I am not alone. I once read sea vibrates at the same frequency as a human in a deeply relaxed state, so there is something behind it. It just brings peace and calmness to my soul, and I really wish I could live by the sea, that is my ultimate dream.

Mandalas

These have drawn me in big time, I can't even explain why. I have a lot saved in my Pinterest board, as well as my Instagram, and what can I say, all the adult colouring books with mandalas, come this way please!

Reading 

This is a all the time favourite activity, and although I am falling way behind 10-books-a-month habit, the best book I've read recently is Self Heal by Jill Rosemarie Davies. Unfortunately it is out of print for some time, so I am searching high and low to buy it second hand. The one I've read came from the library. It is a complete home guide to natural healing, herbs and nutrition. All the things I am interested in!

Vegan foods

Let's just say the eating/food situation is kinda difficult in our house - I often find myself cooking four different dinners! You see, I spoilt my family too much by cooking everything from scratch for years, and with four different eating plans, it takes it's toll sometimes. My husband is meat-is-the-best-vegetable kind of guy, my elder daughter is vegetarian who won't eat fish either, I myself have to be GF (gluten free) DF (dairy free) and sugar free as much as possible to stay dermatitis free; and my youngest is the fussiest eater you can find. So in order to simplify my life I now cook vegan meals most of the time, and let my hubby add meat to it should he fancy it, but I am pleased to say we buy less and less meat, which I am thrilled about. I am yet to make my hubs to watch Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, Cowspiracy, Forks Over Knives or any other similar movie - he refuses full stop. I asked nicely, left loaded movies on his laptop, sent him links and so on an forth, all I have left is bully option; but then again, if he chooses to buy next to no meat, maybe I don't have to?

Love Lula Natural Beauty Club (Facebook Group)

It is a forum on Facebook, where users of natural beauty products can get advice from knowledgeable writers, from their peers and from the brand owners and formulators. More and more of you joining in the conversations, as well as the founders such as Kimberly Sayer, Dee Stein from ESSE and Ben Lyons from Lyonsleaf to the club, to name just a few. I am certainly enjoying every minute of it! Not just giving advice or sharing my reviews, but also seeing what other people (not necessarily bloggers) are buying, using and enjoying. I've been chosen the most helpful member twice, once by Love Lula, and then by members of the group, the one time they were given the chance to vote. That has definitely warmed up my heart I have to say!

Lip Balms That Would Stay On The Lips

One of them is Hurraw Moon Balm, aka their night balm. I should class this is really an All The Time Fave, and it deserves a place in the Holy Grail Products category! It's replaced before it runs out, and l freak out if I can't find it. Different texture than the rest of the Hurraw balms, with slight vanilla scent. Surely a sign of love? 
Then there's also a lip balm from my favourite Irish company that is Bees Flying Wild, their Rosemary and Honey lip balm is my saviour in winter. Must stock up soon, because I am running out of them. 
And then there's my newest discovery, Fruu balms. Not as good as the first two imo, but they stay on pretty well too.

Crocheting

As soon as the temperatures drop, I get the urge to knit or crochet something, aka create things with my hands. I love creating full stop, and this time I am continuing to make these cupcakes crocheted decorations for the Christmas tree. I will show them later on. Don't hate me for dropping C word :) 

Wool slippers

I got them for incredibly cheap last year in Lithuania in second hand store (see my thrift haul post here if you want to). 1.5€ for brand new felted wool slippers, you can't beat that, can you? Long story short, I started wearing them just now, and can't be happier about it! So warm and cosy, and who does not like feeling warm and cosy? 

Elderberry 

I managed to forage quite a bit of it this fall,  so I made tinctures and syrup. Feeling prepared for sickness season!

Hempture products

A little correction - my mum, who is battling breast cancer, enjoyed the products, not me. Hempture is an Irish company who do hemp extracts and so much more - and I am really glad about it. The more I research about cancer and the enforcement of highly expensive but very ineffective treatments of chemo and radiation when there are natural and much more effective treatments available makes my blood boil. I won't go into the details of heartbreaking journey we had this far, but I want to include this product and Irish company who do this in order to spread the message of natural cures, because a lot of people are simply not aware of it. I thought of doing a review post on Hempture, but as I am not a doctor and don't have a training in the medical field whatsoever, I don't feel I have a leg to stand on to talk about it. I am simply someone who did a bit of digging and found natural cancer treatments available and wanted to give my mom what’s best. Please visit Hempture.ie to find out more about hemp products and uses. And no, this isn't weed, it won't make you high, and it is legal within EU! 


Tea

If I had my way, I could drink it non stop, at least five cups a day! Unfortunately life gets in a way, so I make sure to drink at least one cup of green tea in the morning, and some herbals teas in the afternoon. As I am really sensitive to caffeine, I make sure to drink caffeine free versions post 2pm. One of my favourites is still the rooibos tea with turmeric, ginger and honey, aka the Drink That Helps Me Stay Well In Winter (post here) and I keep trying to add new dimensions to it all the time too, like adding some cinnamon for speeding up metabolism and adding that festive touch to it. Hey, it is my tea, and there are no rules! Another tea I love of late is camomile tea with a bit of saffron, I read some reports on it being a natural anti-depressant, so of course I have to try it! I will keep you posted on whether it works or not. 

.

And for the one thing I am NOT loving, is.. Is.. the greed of one Youtuber and blogger. I have followed her for a couple of years now, and at first I loved her - she invited me to check out her channel via comment on someone else's page, and I watched all 15 videos she had at a time in one go. Everything she was talking about resonated with me, so I sort of had a fan girl moment, leaving gushing comments on her videos. Fast forward a couple of years ago, I couldn't ignore her arrogance anymore that was grating on me for some time - and the last straw that broke the deal for me was when I found out she does skincare consultations at 50$ a pop despite having no qualifications in the field whatsoever. I unsubscribed there and then. Fast forward a couple of years to bring us back to speed - last month bored out of my mind I wandered to her Youtube channel and clicked on her favourites video - and what do I hear? She has set up Patreon account so her followers could support her! Now, let's see - she works full time and thus is well able to buy her own products. Plus she is an ambassador to a well known subscription box, meaning she gets free boxes, has a endless supply of PR samples, has affiliate links all over her YT channel and website, meaning she is making extra money on the side, AND she sets up a Patreon account ON  TOP OF ALL THIS? You might know her as the "one who loves music". Correct me if I am wrong, but when enough is enough?

P.s. I am the least bitchy person, and all my friends would confirm it, so it is isn't a moan out of jealousy or something. It takes me a lot to bitch, and I simply couldn't leave this unsaid. 

So that is it for today. What are you loving this fall? Pumpkin spice lattes? Crisp fall weather? Leave a comment down below.

Kind Regards,

Renata.

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Spring 2017 Natural Beauty and Lifestyle Favourites

Hi Lovelies,

Welcome back! And welcome, if you are new here 💕💕💕

With summer right around the corner, it is about time I posted my spring favourite things, don't you think? At first I didn't think I would have any favourites, because this year so far has been the most difficult in my life, and until very recently I was crying non stop - it was one bad thing after another, and I do hope to God that will be the end of my bad luck. But as I am slowly getting back to normal life as we know it, I noticed there are a few things I enjoy, so let's get into this post and see what they are, shall we? In no particular order:

💕 Crystals

I have to admit I don't know much about them or their powers, but I recently started collecting them, and here's my current collection:

💕 Walden perfume in A Different Drummer

A rather recent addition to my collection, but I can't put it down ever since. I don't know about you, but perfume is highly personal for me, and I am so picky when it comes to it, I can easily reject 95 out of 100. I don't like "girly" smells, anything floral, citrusy or powdery is a definite no from me, and this is none of those things, it has sandalwood, amber, and pepper with cedarwood. I have a review of it here if you want to see?

Walden natural perfume in A Different Drummer

💕 Lotus Wei Infinite Love mist and anointing oil and Joy Juice elixir

Lots to do with healing, I do enjoy using those little rituals, if I can remember them, that's it. You are supposed to use them five times a day, and I don't know about you, but I constantly forget about them. That probably means I don't experience their healing abilities to the full potential, but what I can do about it, set an alarm clock 5x daily? I do what I can with these. If you want to see my review on them, you can click here.

Lotus Wei Infinite Love

💕 Nude By Nature mascara

This mascara was a surprise favourite from the bunch of Nude by Nature goodies I got, and for one simple reason - it does not FLAKE!! A first for green beauty mascara for me. I am on a last leg of it, and will definitely repurchase, and once I do, I will probably do a separate post of it, as my tube somehow got a dent in it, and it wouldn't look good in the pictures. For the most part I don't wear mascara on my lower lashes, but for testing purposes I did, and I had no problems with flaking or smudging. Flaking is a big pet peeve of mine, and this one does not, it did not flake from the beginning, and it still does not do that now, 3-4months later. Admittedly it is drying up and getting a bit clumpy now, but still, no flaking! Impressed! (find review of Nude by Nature here).

Natural make up by Nude by Nature, Axiology and Eco Minerals

💕 Bolder and brighter lipsticks

If you know me for any length of time, you know I am not a lipstick person at all, but this spring I wanted a few bolder/ brighter lip products for some reason, and that's exactly what I got. I haven't shared it on my social media much if at all, I did a Insta Story, but they disappear quickly, and I think I forgot to post them anywhere else? Whoops! But here you go, my new fave lip products!

My new "fashion" sunglasses and pink & red lipsticks

💕 New "fashion" sunglasses

I don't know about you, but my new purchases are always my favourite purchases, and I tend to wear things to death once I get them, until the novelty wears off and they become "normal things". Mr Anti Social Media Green Life In Dublin dislikes them with passion, but hey, what do men know about fashion, right? Nothing like new things for a new look (I also cut off about half of my hair recently) to make woman feel well..like a new woman.

💕 Fresh flowers

I always deemed fresh flowers an expensive habit, but you can get roses and gerberas for as little as 2€ and 4€ in Aldi, so I started having them on a weekly basis, and they do bring joy to my heart. Simple pleasures in life, you know?

💕 Teas

Speaking of simple pleasures, here's one more - I love having a few cups of tea a day! I choose green tea or matcha when I can afford it for the mornings, but as I am really sensitive to caffeine, I can't have any caffeinated beverages (I am talking about teas here, I gave up coffee a while ago, and "sports" drinks or sodas I waved goodbye to long time ago) past 2pm, so I started looking for my next favourite caffeine free tea - Pukka is one of my faves now, especially three tulsi one, and I still really enjoy red bush tea (post here) with ginger, lemon and honey, to which I started adding fresh turmeric now, it brings another depth of flavour, not to mention healing turmeric properties. Camomile tea is a firm fave for years, but I do get bored with it rather quickly, so I always rotate my teas. Mint tea is also something I really like (and it is good for digestion) but only from my mother's garden - if you ever had fresh mint tea, you will get me - it is next level tasty, and nothing found in the shops compares to it. I always ask my mom to grow and dry LOADS for me, and every year without fail she hands me two handfuls of mint. And always surprised expression when I ask for more next year. Err, thanks mum?

💕 Mists and toners

After ignoring them for the last hundred of years, I now have to have every single one there is in green beauty, and I am constantly on the lookout for more. I was pretty upset when Ormus Myst from ISUN Skincare ran out (review here btw) and Josh Rosebrook Hydrating Accelerator, I am coming for you!

💕 Wooden shelfie for my skincare 

I have a confession to make - I looove TKMaxx! Some people hate it, some love it - I happen to love it, as I love hunting for my treasures. I go in with an open (but a strict budget, mind you) and recently I find trading the clothes for homewares and the like. I found this awesome handmade two tiered shelf with metail details for mere 22€ and I couldn't be chuffed with it more. Skincare pots found home.

💕 Reading

 I always enjoyed reading, but leading a busy lifestyle (that's like all of us!) I am way past my 10 books per month I used to have, it is more like 1 per month these days, but I still want/need to read. I find myself reading more and more non fiction these days as I constantly want to educate myself on one topic or another. See my current reading list here, and I also added three more to the list too. Oh, and I am in the middle of Keith Richards autobiography too - for some reason bad boys of rock fascinate me. Some of them I find even more cool/alluring after reading their bios (step forward Slash) and some lose their idol crowns in my eyes (Anthony Kiedis). I want to read all rock and roll autobiographies there is, so if you have a copy you no longer want, send them my way! Just kidding! Not really :)

My current reading list

 💕 Marie from And The Color Green

Last but not least, it's this awesome fellow green beauty blogger and Youtuber, and I have to say I love her Youtube videos more and more! Her natural sense of humor shows through in every single videos of hers, and even though she talks serious stuff most of the time, I can guarantee I will be in better mood by the end of her video, and I have to love her for it. Don't get me wrong, I don't watch her videos for comedy value, far from it - she does green beauty videos, exact stuff that I like to watch, reviews, hauls, Mask It Mondays and more - I find a lot of value in her videos on specific ingredients, because it is clear she puts a lot of work into them - when was the last time you read a scientific study about ingredients? Yeah, I know! I will leave a link to her Instagram and Youtube below, and if you don't follow her already, you know what to do. 

Marie from And The Color Green

Marie's Instagram

Marie's Youtube

So that's it for today. What have you enjoyed recently? Please share, I would love to know!

Lots of Love,

Renata.

Winter 2017 Favourites

Hi Lovelies!


Welcome back! And if you are new here, welcome 💕💕💕

So it is about time I shared my winter faves with you, isn't it? I don't know how about you, but I really struggle in winters, cold, freezing winds, lack of sunshine really gets me down, and things that would normaly bring me joy don't cheer me up much.. All I seem to be wanting in winter is to go to sleep and wake up three months later! Wish I could do that. Unfortunately responsibilities and hungry family won't let me :) Add sickness on a constant rotation and you got a pretty bleak picture. My kids are getting over eye infections on top of other things, and just last week we all had flu, so it is safe to say I am just muddling through at the moment, February feels like a constant stuggle. Oh Spring, where are you??
Ok, all this aside, let's see some things that I enjoyed? I enjoyed all the products in my skincare regime, you can read it here, I won't go into many detais about each product, but let’s just say I enjoy products from Mahalo tremendously! I also intend to keep my masking game strong as I can really tell a difference in my skin for a couple of days. I am really loving a couple of good masks I have going on, Mahalo, ISUN Skincare, 100%Pure Caffeine sheet masks (review here) are high on my list right now, although I own a couple more and a small Everest in samples.
One more favourite I have every day is my trusty drink That Keeps Me Well in Winters, it really makes a difference if I get a cold of feeling under weather, it sorts it out so much faster! (blog post on it here)
In a bid to curb my SAD (have it for many years, was never officially diagnosed with depression, as the only time I tried to talk with my GP about it I was laughed at and told I have too much time on my hands and I should look at the people “with real problems” so naturally, I clammed up) I am religious about taking my vitD plus Rhodiola supplement (mine is from Solgar) and I can pretty much feel like a human again. I also got Louise Hay “You Can Do This” callendar, my first.  Also I dusted down my Happiness Planner, something I got a couple of years previously and filled in like twice? Whoops! I have read a couple of good books including Louise Hay’s but sometimes you need those little positive reminders in your day to day life too, so I consider it money well spent. Do these SAD managing tools count as Winter Faves? I don't know? Well, this is real life, and hopefully you will see me as real person, rather than those cookie cutter bloggers and youtubers with perfect life and ever permanent cheery exteriors... I am real person with real problems just like you and I, and all those daily problems you are experiencing, I have too, and hopefully we can all relate to this? This post was written-and-deleted-and-rewritten quite a few times, I didn't like what I wrote as it didn't reflect me as a person, or how I feel. Yes I feel excited about new clean beauty goodies, but that is not all there's to me, and I want my blog to reflect all of me, not just one positive product review after another. Does anyone else feel this way?
Speaking of reading, I picked up reading again, even though I have less and less time to do it, I try to read even a couple of pages per day. I am nowhere near 10 books per month habit I used to going on, but little is better than nothing, isn't it? I just finished “Fast Food for your soul”, currently into Dan Brown “Inferno” and I just got a couple of good books too (see my last post, Bloggers Haul) so it looks like I will have something to do for a little while. I don't watch TV, but I just finished the last season of Vikings and currently have withdrawal symptoms, haha!
When it comes to fashion, I am really enjoying Lewis denim shirt I trifted for just one euro, pretty much my only clothes purchase this year so far! I am really itching to go shopping, I might be late to the sales, but then again, some best bargains are to be had at the very end of them, where stock is heavily discounted to be cleared. Hopefully I can go this weekend. I don't know how about you, but from time to time I take a day off from everything and from everyone (including my family) and go shopping on my own, and I really recommend that to everyone! Spending a day by yourself, browsing shop after shop and then choosing a nice little hidden cafe or little restaurant for your lunch - sounds perfect to me! (Don't get me wrong, I love shopping with friends and family too, but those are different kind of experiences, and sometimes I need that getaway kind of day just to clear the head and get out of the funk).
Instagram remains a firm favourite, I just love beeing a part of the green beauty community, all the interaction with you guys is bringing me so much joy!


So that is it, my winter favourites, hopefully you enjoyed reading about them. Sorry if this post wasn't all light white and fluffy, I hope that upcoming spring will bring more sunshine into mine and your lives!


Lots of love,
Renata.