Green Smoothie Recipe

In the mornings I am always in a rush to get out the door and never have time to make breakfast, so,  I love to make these smoothies the night before and refrigerate so that I can quickly grab and go in the AM. The best thing about making these smoothies is that it's easy peezy and it yields at least 4 servings (that's 4 meals!) I normally make my smoothies with apples and pears because they are always in season but my cousin recently brought me some mangoes and pineapple so I swapped out the pears and apples for these fresh fruits all the way from Hawaii. Try my recipe out and feel free to use fruits and greens that you like/are in season.

Recipe: 

- 1.5 cups water
- 1/2 cup ice
- 3 cups Dino kale
- 3 cups spinach
- 2 celery stalks, halved
- 1 cup pineapple cubed
- 1 cup 
- 1 banana, peeled
- 1 lemon juice only
- bunch cilantro with stems (optional)
- bunch parsley with stems (optional)

In your blender, blend all of your veggies first. Next, add in your fruits then blend until completely dissolved and voila your smoothie is ready to pour and drink!

 If you have a smoothie recipe that you like, please comment and share. I'm always looking for new smoothie recipe's. Have a Happy Tuesday my love's! 

Pimples? Zits? I've got that good stuff...

image source: GlamGlow.com

The body has the amazing ability to tell you when something just isn't right. Your face is no exception. Most of the time, when you are stressed, or there is a hormonal imbalance, your skin is the first to show off all of those lovely imperfections and my skin is definitely no exception to this.

For me, it has been a stressful couple of weeks lately with everything on my plate both at work and at home, and my skin has been paying the price for it. Pimples, zits, whatever you want to call them, they all decided to gather and throw a party; location: my forehead. Yay me! While they were partying it up on my forehead, I was agonizing on how I was going to get rid of these new and very much unwanted friends. 

I immediately found myself driving to my local Sephora to find a miracle treatment and was introduced to this amazing mud mask by Glam Glow. What was once Hollywood's Best Kept Secret is now available to all of us. This product was developed for celebrities who wanted a miracle in a bottle that could fix their skin instantly and have them camera ready in an instant. You know when I heard this, I had to try it out! I wanted fast results too! You know, to get myself selfie ready ;)

Alright, let me just tell you how amazing this stuff is!!! As soon as I got home, I cleansed my skin, put on the mask and timed it for 15mins. In the first 30 seconds after putting it on, I could feel this stuff working! (If you are trying this out for the first time, don't get nervous, it will tingle for a little bit but will subside after a few minutes.) The crazy part of this was seeing the dirt from my skin being pulled out to the surface. Gross right?  Gross but cool in knowing that all of that gunk was being cleared from my skin. The proprietary blend of clay, charcoal, AHA and BHA acids worked together like a magnet to absorb all of those toxins, bacteria, and excess oil from my skin. The combination of these ingredients also helped to declog and minimize my pores. It's in a cinch, amazing!

So if you like me, have some uninvited friends that are visiting on your forehead or wherever else on your face, try the Glam Glow Super Mud Mask and kick them out! Don't just take my word for it, go on and try it out for yourself. 

P.S. I do advise that if you do use this mask to have a hydrating moisturizer on hand. Your skin will feel tight and dry after rinsing off the mask, so make sure that you've got a heavy duty moisturizer on deck to slather on after your treatment mask.

Burpees are your friend

Happy Post Easter! I hope that everyone had a wonderful time with their families on Easter Sunday. It's a new season, and it's time to get up and get ready for summer! Summer is my favorite season of the year, it might be the islander in me, but I love the warmth of the sun, and being able to go to the beach and lounge. Anyway, I wanted to tell you all about, the not so secret workout to get you beach body ready for summer. 

BURPEES!

We all hate them but learn to love them!

How many of you have heard the phrase " I hate burpees!"? Well, they weren't made to be loved but here's 3short and to the point reasons why you SHOULD learn to love them:

1. No weights required: This very effective exercise requires absolutely no weights at all except your own body weight and it is a straight forward movement that can be modified depending on how fit a person is. 

2. No gym required: Because all you need is yourself to perform this workout, you can do this workout anywhere, and you don't need much space either. This workout is perfect for anyone who is always on the road. So if you don't have a gym, you literally have no excuse. 

2. Perfect for Weight Loss: I know, what you are thinking..."any kind of workout, will promote weight loss." True, however, burpees, are a FULL BODY workout that activates essentially every part of the body, from arms, to abs, legs, and so many other muscle groups. Burpees help rapidly increase your heart rate, resulting in a massive expenditure of calories. In other words, burpees can burn up to 50% of fat, more so, than any other workout! Need I say more? 

Don't know how to do a burpee? Here's how:

• Stand straight, then lower into a squat position with your hands on the floor in front of you.

• Kick your feet back into a push-up position and drop your chest to the floor. (For beginners, you can remain in the push up position, without dropping your chest to the floor.)

•  Return your feet back to the squat position as fast as possible.

• Jump up into the air as high as you can and add a clap as you jump up.

Take it from me, someone who personally hates burpees, that while they literally suck the life out of you, they burn FAT and in a short amount of time!

I love workouts, that are short, sweet, and to the point, and burpees are just that! Learn to love 'em ladies! My challenge to you is to do 4 sets of 15 burpees. You can do them as fast or as slow as you want but keep a steady pace and TRY to do each set consecutively without stopping. Good luck! Let me know how it goes :) 

Ofas,

Marie 

Kindness...it's free.

Review: Ole Henriksen Melting Cleanser

Last month, while traveling to Rome, I brought with me the new Ole Henriksen Pure Truth Melting Cleanser.  With limited space in my suitcase, I was stuck between choosing whether I can fit an extra pair of shoes OR taking my full size makeup remover + full size cleanser. Obviously, the shoes won out...I'm a girl after all and an extra pair of shoes trumps everything (who cares that I didn’t end up wearing those extra pair of shoes? lol #storyofmylife) Anyway, I had heard so much about this new, melting cleanser and wanted to know what all of the hype was. I am typically not a fan of oil based cleansers, because of the messy consistency and because it requires more steps than I normally care for in my skincare regimen, but, I took a leap of faith and tried it out. 

To start, this cleanser is not like any other -- it is gel formulated and is oil based. Applied directly to dry skin, the gel breaks down into an oil like consistency and emulsifies into a milky liquid once water is added. Melting away all makeup and impurities the cleanser leaves the skin hydrated and brightened with key ingredients: rose hip oil (hydrates) , virgin cherry oil (cuts down redness) , and vitamin c (brightens). 

Overall, I was happy that I took this cleanser on my trip and would recommend this product for anyone who wants to kill two birds with one stone.  Remove your makeup and cleanse your skin at the same time, it’s pretty genius! 

Pros: 

• Gel based consistency keeps the cleanser in tact unlike most oil cleansers - duh it’s a gel ;)
• Removes any type of makeup including waterproof makeup
• Leaves the skin feeling hydrated+ radiant.

Cons:

• Not for anyone who likes the squeaky clean, “dry” feeling after cleansing. This cleanser hydrates and will not give you that feel. 
• If you’re not into using a wash cloth - this cleanser is not for you. Although the cleanser melts off all of the makeup and impurities, you MUST use a wash cloth to wipe off all of that melted matter from your face. 

If this is your first time trying out an oil cleanser, buy the travel size. It’s $12 and you get so much product for what you are spending. Try it out and let me know your thoughts! Happy Cleansing :)

Beauty: Peachy Cheeks + Pink Lips

I  like to wear bold lip colors but there are times that I like more of a simple and natural look too. 

I received a sample of Make Up For Ever's Rouge Artist Natural Lipstick, Shade N9 as one of my Beauty Insider perks at Sephora and I actually like it. The lipstick is very hydrating and glides on the lips easily with it's creamy texture and satin finish. I paired this together with my favorite Buxom lipgloss, Sandy. 

 For my cheeks, I am wearing Sephora Collection's Blush in Orange Punch it is a nice matte blush which since I am getting older :( I lean towards wearing more matte blushes. Glitter settles into pores and it is never a good look. Just saying ;) And to be honest, I never was a fan of Sephora Collection but they have reformulated so many of their products that I am slowly converting into becoming a fan of many of their products. Definitely give these blushes a try, you will not be disappointed with the color payoff and you get your bang for your buck.