Loving Naturals

Loving Naturals

 

Hello All!
It's been quite a while since I've posted any updates on here so why don't we jump right back into it.
Recently I was approached by an awesome family owned cosmetic company. I had used their sunscreen chapstick while in Belize and loved it.
Basically their company is founded on the idea that the skin is the largest organ in the body and it absorbs 60% of the product used on it, so why on earth would you cover yourself in harsh chemical!? You wanna know what they put in their products? Well lucky for you they include a list on their website. They let you know the what and the why of each ingredient.

SO after using their products for 2 weeks, here are my reviews on their awesome stuff!

Clear Body SFP30+
I love this stuff! I have super fair skin and enjoy spending a lot of time outside so sun protection matters a lot to me. Not only did this stuff prevent sunburns, but the natural oils left my skin softer than when I started.

Anti Aging Cream
You're only 25, you don't need anti aging cream, blah blah blah. Nonsense. My grandma has only given me 2 pieces of preaching advice and one was to moisturize every night. My skin hasn't been very happy with the seesawing between dry and humid this summer and this has help immensely. I put it on every night after I wash my face and I can definitely tell a difference. I also love that it's not gross and prefumey.

Cappuccino Lip Balm
This is the only thing I'm not totally sold on, and it's only because I'm not a coffee person. But with 12 flavors, you're sure to find one you love. The natural oils are absorbed quickly to combat dryness right now and it isn't slimy. Which means that your hair won't be getting caught in it (if you know anything about my hair, you know that's pretty impressive).

So there you go!
Feel free to use the code LOVEME15 for 15% off any order!!

Cheers!

Whole Apothecary Spa Goods

Mother's Day is coming up! So I figured this would be a good time to tell you about my new favorite spa/skincare company. Whole Apothecary is an awesome brand based on the east coast.
All of their products are:
■      100% natural and plant-based
■      handcrafted in small batches
■      made with organic or wildcrafted ingredients
■      free of genetically modified ingredients
■      shipped in reusable or recyclable glass jars and bottles

So let me tell you about my favorite things!
1. The Hibiscus Clay Mask.
    This mask not only smells so yummy, it makes me skin feel amazing.  Whether I'm feeling a little oily or grimy, this makes me feel buttery soft and refreshed for days after I use it!

 2. The Cleansing Grains Scrub.
     Many exfoliants can be to gritty and harsh and end up stripping away your skins protective oils as well as scratching your face, but this scrub had none of those harmful effects! The oats are soft enough to rub away any built up dirt and sweat, without damaging your face. Plus it smells incredible!!

 3. Lavender Mint Lip Balm.
     Why should you only have a spa day when you're home? Take a little zen on the go with one of their awesome lip balms! I'm a huge fan of lavender and mint, both because of how they smell, and the effect they have on your mood. The lavender is calming, while the mint wakes you up. And it's so hydrating. People forget that southern California is a desert, but dry lips have been a huge problem for me since moving down here. This lip balm has definitely helped out.

 4. Slumber Roll-On Aromatherapy.
     End your day with a little extra self love! This roll on gets its scent from lavender and chamomile essential oils. (If you're noticing a trend here, yes I love lavender!!) Roll it on your temples, wrists, neck and the soles of your feet and you'll feel your muscles start to relax.

 I have loved using products by Whole Apothecary and I can't wait to try all their other scents and spa essentials! Make sure to check out their website for additional spa packages and deals and any last minutes Mother's Day gifts!

Shop Small Lil Gifties

This year I've decided that I'm going to shop small as much as possible, but I always seem to have trouble deciding on little gifts for friends. So I created this little list of gifties that are all under 20$!!
 Socking Stuffer? Boom. Secret Santa? Pow. Friends gifts with low prices limits? Kablow!
There are heaps more small brands out there, but I chose companies that I have a little connection to so I know you'll be getting good stuff! So inject a little local love into your holiday cheer and check out this gems!

Lil' Gifties

1. Balm Bay: Awesome sugar scrubs and bath bombs! (Use code BECKA15 for 15% off your order!)
2. Richer Poorer: I love socks, so you know I've got a discerning sock palate. I especially love their active wear socks, but check them out and I bet you'll find a perfect pair for everyone on your list! (50% Off with the code "VMFF50" on full-priced goods)
3. Pricklie Pear: I was fortunate enough to win a necklace from this designer, and I love it! She stamps her own metal shapes down in SLO!
4. Meraki: These gorgeous earrings are from the east coast, but I love them dearly! They're made by a college friend of my sister. They're better than most similar earrings I've seen, and they're less expensive!
5. Onyx Exchange: I am not a perfume girl, but I'm madly in love with Onyx's solid perfumes. They're so natural and subtle, so you won't get an Axe style cloud. 
6. Whole Apothecary: My favorite item is their roll-on slumber stick! It's like falling asleep in a lavender meadow.
7. Narts and Crafts : We all have that friend that "just wants a card" or a nephew that wants a gift card, but you wanna wrap it in something special. Natalie makes incredible handmade cards for any occasion, or any food pun. (spoiler alert, yes she's my sister, and her cards are great!)
8.  Often Wander : I am super picky on candles, most are too fake smelling or burn out too quick. These are (dare I say it) perfect. Sarah uses essential oils so all the scents are real and fresh. The soy candle burns slow so you get max amount of hours with your yummy candle. Extra bonus? They're made right here in San Diego!
9. Rebecca Eichten : I love these prints! They're a perfect blend of old school botanical prints with a little whimsy. No matter what type of quintessential plant you want in your life, Rebecca has a gorgeous watercolor of it: cactus, fern, staghorn, they're all gorgeous!

In addition to ordering on their websites, there are heaps of holiday markets happening where these vendors will be out and about! Check out their social media pages for updates on where they'll be and where you can meet a real life artisan!

Roy Swim

 Living in San Diego I always have a need for a great bathing suit, but I don't want to just settle for one at Target. So when royswim approached me I was pretty excited. Not just because her suits are custom made in the USA (She just moved from NY to Santa Cruz), or because they fit perfectly, but because in her plethora of colors and patterns, she has one that is all cats! Now I can be a beachy cat lady!

 Her fabrics are buttery soft and completely customizable and most designs are 2 sided! You want floral? tribal? stripes? gold? pink? BOOM! She can do it and it'll look gorgeous! I chose Kitten and Shiny Rust. I honestly can't rave about these enough. The suit fits perfect! I can't wait to rock my crazy cat lady beach getup all year long!!

Stunna Shades fit for a SPY

       A few months ago I went to a little shin dig put on by Spy Optic at their Happy Camp in Solana Beach. A little while after they sent me these beauteous glasses to try out on my adventures! But I figured I'd get them a real audition before telling you how much I like them.
     So I put these guys through their paces and here's what I think: they are awesome!!
     The Mulholland is part of Spy's new "Crosstown Collection". Spy has made lots of awesome performance glasses but the guys are street wear. But that doesn't mean that all these glasses have going for them is their looks, they're still just as hard core as their performance buddies!
     They all have Spy's signature Happy Lens! This means that they cut down on glare so you can see real colors of what's out there on our adventures. I took these bad boys kayaking and got zero glare off the water! Plus I looked super cool.
     I had always thought of Spy as a brand for super active water fueled kids, but with the addition of these awesome shades, we can all look cool while making sure things look good!

California Scrub Company

 Skin: We've all got it, so let's treat it right! I got an offer from California Scrub Company to try out their product, and since I like it so much, I'm gonna tell you about it!
So here's little Q&A with myself for you.

What's with all the hype about coffee scrubs?
     We all love to exfoliate, it makes our skin soft and gets rid of black heads. But until recently the main exfoliating agents were salt, ground nuts and evil microbeads. Salt is not great if you have a grey water system because it may kill your plants. Ground nuts are often too rough and large and can actually leave small cuts on your skin and cause further damage (warning to St. Ives Almond and Apricot scrub users: STOP NOW). And lastly micro beads...They are covering our oceans soil, filling up the gills and bellys of creatures and take a whole lotta time to break down. So this leaves coffee grounds: You'd already put them in compost, so we know they break down fast, the pieces are small and soft so no damage to your skin, and they're basically considered trash, so you're not creating a new product. So all around, pretty great!
     The caffeine also does other things like tighten your skin and reduce stretch marks, but that's all individual preference.

 What's so special about Cali Scrub Co?
 1. Upcycled coffee grounds. They get the already used grounds from Rawvelution in Santa Monica (down the road from them) and make this "garbage" into an awesome product for us to use.
2. Zero Plastic. I'm not sure if you can tell in the picture, but their packaging is a mason jar. Recycle it, reuse it, whatever, it probably won't go in a landfill for a billion years.
3. Ingredients you can understand. I've baked with vanilla, cinnamon AND cloves! I've gotten that on my skin and know it causes no damage or extra sensitivity to sunlight (I'm looking at you Salicylic Acid).
4. It makes your skin feel and smell great, and who doesn't love that!?

Ok, you've convinced me, now what?
Go check out their awesome website, learn more and maybe even buy one of their 3 awesome scents!

If you want to live somewhere where things are made, you need to buy things that are made in that country. Shop Small. Shop Local.

Hither Hill Bags

 Hey ladies and gents! Welcome to my first "Trendy Tuesday"!
I'm gonna tell you about an awesome brand coming out of Montauk , NY' Hither Hill. I luckily won one of their giveaways a while ago, so I got to try out a few of their products and I have been so pleased!
PS- This is Scout the Dingo. I'm sure she'll pop up in more of my posts because she hates to be left out of anything.

The first is their travel bag, which I think occasionally listed in their "men's" sections, but I travel too so whatever.  This little bag is perfect. It fits everything I need, but it isn't too big.  A lot of overnight bags have tons of pockets and compartments, but personally I already have my makeup and jewelery in their own little bags, but I'd like to just keep it all together. This bag is great for that.  In the past months I've had it, I've taken it across the country a few times, camping, weekend trips up the coast, and if shows no sign of wear.  It's even pretty easy to get any toothpaste spittle off!
The sleek, classic design makes it an easy choice for yourself, or as a gift. Their items last, so even if style changes you'll still love this.

 

The other gem I got was this great tote. Personally I'm somebody that likes to bring basically my entire house with me to the beach, so I appreciate a bag that can handle that. Even with packing this bag to the brim with a beach mat, towel, water bottle, tons of sunblock, a book, hat and snacks, it shows no wear.  I love that I can change the height of the straps. Because we've all those bags that are all up in our armpits, or somehow hitting our knees. It's got a nice snap so all your stuff doesn't fall out and a zipper pocket so you don't have to rummage through your entire bag just to find your keys (detail shots below). But my favorite thing? It's super easy to get sand out. There are no extra large seams hiding it away until you put it down in your house or when it tips over in your closet. Basically, it's the perfect summer bag.

 So what makes them special? Well, like most small companies, the people who work at Hither Hill are passionate about what they do.  These products are designed to do exactly what you want them to do, they're designed to look good, and mostly, they're designed to last. And they're made in America. This means that designers can work hand in hand with manufacturers to make sure that you get the best possible result.You won't be buying another Hither Hill product because it broke, you'll be buying one because you loved your last one so much that you want another or you want someone else to experience it.   So if you've ever wanted a super sweet bag, go check them out!

Your friendly neighborhood Food, Health, Style Blogger

     For a while people have been asking me to create a blog but I never got started because I couldn't decide how to narrow down a topic to write about.  But then I realized, I don't have to.  I've never tied myself to a stereotype, and because of that I have a lot of diverse interests. 

     A bit about me: I'm originally from the San Francisco Bay Area.  I graduated with my BA in Psychology with an emphasis in Neuroscience in 2013 from an awesome little university in Tacoma.  And I now live in San Diego.  I work part time at a large children's hospital, volunteer with a cat rescue, model and wander around with my camera. Through modeling I have met some amazing artists and gotten to explore some great places in and around San Diego.  "The Industry" is not always the most welcoming place, but if you search a bit and are choosey about who you work with, you can find some real gems.

     Over the last 5 years I have done a bunch of medical tests to try to figure out why I have had tummy trouble my whole life, and eventually got diagnosed with a functional intestinal disorder (basically things don't work quite the way they should but we don't know why).  So as a result I also spend quite a bit of time coming up with creative food that doesn't hurt my stomach, but still tastes good.

     So here you go, what this blog will be about:

• Shopping small.  I love connecting with people that truly believe in the product they create, and one of the best ways to do this is by shopping small.
• How to make your digestive track healthy.  Whether it's a yummy recipe or other ways to keep yourself balanced, I'm all about it. I have yet to find a place where young women talk openly about their digestive difficulties and I would like to give us a voice.
• Exploring.  Every corner of this world is incredible, I'll share the places I find, what I do, and other things I love.

     I'm not going to tell you how to "get a bikini bod" or  "trends from the latest magazines", but I will share a bit of my world with you.  If you have any questions you'd like me to address in a post, or want to collaborate with me, feel free to contact me!


Well, here goes nothing.