Helping With Hyundai

by with No Comment adventurecharitycommunityfamilyholidaysmom lifephilanthropy

Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” – MLK

Ever since Corrine was little I’d try and do things with her that would teach her to be empathetic. I think one of the greatest things we can do for one another as humans (and to teach our children) is to practice empathy and selflessness. So whether it was donating some of her gifts to children less fortunate than her, serving meals at Thanksgiving, and mentoring children at The Mission together in downtown L.A., it was a way for us to give back to our community and practice gratitude even when we were struggling ourselves and graciousness didn’t come so easily.

I was a single mom, a teen mom… and I remember that even the smallest gestures of kindness made such a huge impact on my life. I worked two jobs when Corrine was little and on the weekends to make ends meet, I’d pull overtime where I’d bring her to work with me and I’d set her up in a sleeping bag near the foot of my desk. She’d watch SpongeBob (the ONE episode she had) on repeat while I’d work from 5am-noon. My manager Karen at the time was so wonderful to let me do that because over time was a privilege and she allowed me to do this for months.

Girlfriends of mine would bring extra lunch to work and share it with me, for Christmas my friends would give me gas gift cards and donate wrapping paper for me to wrap presents with… just a few of the sweetest things that would mean nothing to someone else meant everything to me. So I really try and teach my daughter to give back when and where she can because if we’re in the position to help someone, why wouldn’t we? They say it takes a village to raise a child, well it also takes a village to help keep your head up when you’re down and out. 2020 was a perfect reference point for that and we all came together to help one another. I’d love to keep that theme going.

You’ve seen on my Instagram how proud we are to be a part of the Los Angeles Hyundai fleet. My Kona boo and I bop around town, choosing a different organization to highlight and help each month. For December we partnered with Hyundai to provide infant and toddler essentials to the families in need at the Good Shepherd Shelter (to help end domestic violence and rebuild lives) and donate to the CHLA. For January I picked up your donations from all around the Los Angeles area to donate to the Good Shepherd Shelter (new and unused items) and to the Mission (used items and goods) and I just wanted say thank you for being a part of this with me.

You’ve helped to restore hope for individuals and families, provided essentials that we wouldn’t think twice about not having, and purged your closets for donations … I’m so honored to be a part of this community. Please join me in continuing on with this mission, for the month of February I’d love to pick up where we left off in November with the food drive. There are a lot of non-profit organizations around L.A. as I’m sure there are in your communities, so if you’re local email me or DM me! Let’s try and feed 100+ families together this month <3

Food, water, shelter, and safety … these are the things I believe to be a human right and the fact that so many go without in the world of abundance that we live in is just incomprehensible to me. So I’d love it if you’d help me by A) donating canned goods and non perishable food items for me to pick up B) list some of your favorite organizations that we can all help and highlight in the coming months and C) tell me what you’re doing in your local community that we can support you with.

Helping with Hyundai means helping in our communities, activating our neighborhoods to reach out and give back where we can. I appreciate you, I love that we’ve been doing this together, and I hope I get to see your smiling faces (through masks… smile with those eyes haha!) very soon as we make our way around town this month.

Was philanthropy something you learned as a child or something you got involved with more as an adult?

p.s. my email is [email protected] and my IG handle is here

Local Discoveries – The Who, What, Where #DiscoverTorrance

by with No Comment adventurecommunityentertainmentleisurelifestylereviewsshoppingtravelwellness

Shopping, adventures, and foods oh my!

As you saw from my last article, I visited the neighboring city of Torrance last month and I’m so happy to share my discoveries with you. Where we shopped, our explorations, local eats … all the things! We stayed at the Best Western Plus Avita Suites and they provide a complimentary breakfast buffet so we only had to find lunches and dinners … and saucy sips … oh and desserts 😉 There’s so many options and I got so many of your recommendations from Instagram, thank goodness discovertorrance.com exists which helped me narrow down all my choices! Pssst and thank YOU for your recs <3

So day one was all about settling into our suite and enjoying dinner at our hotel, so the next morning after we enjoyed the buffet we visited the Farmer’s Market for some lunch and local goods.

It was such a beautiful day in Torrance that it was easy to walk around for three hours before I decided I wanted a mid-day pick me up. We headed to the best boba in town… 7 leaves cafe

That would be my macarons and cafe over there chillin’ next to the Moana tree haha. Sooo good, please go there and get the Taro milk tea boba! The Depot was high on your recommendation list as it was on the discovertorrance.com site so that’s exactly what we did for dinner and let me tell ya… I’m a martini kinda lady and their martini’s cannot be matched! So perfectly paired with a filet and mashed potatoes dinner. Umm and that would be pistachio butter you see next to that fresh baked bread *drool*

P.S. that’s the Chef! Of course I asked to take a photo with him, it was one of the best meals evaaaar! And what better way to wrap up day one than a night cap?! We walked over to a neighboring hotel bar and enjoyed one more saucy sip… can you guess what I got? And of course- a bar pretzel is the best choice duh.

Perfection ah. With time in the books I was already fully enjoying my time in this city. Day two began the same as the previous morning but we switched up routine by having some Hawaiian lunch for the first time. I learned that Hawaiian food and Chamorro food (it me!) are very similar! Think spam and rice haha This was The Loft in Torrance and they did not disappoint.

Musubi and Hawaiian fried chicken for the win! Since I’m the type of person who plots my next food venture WHILE still having the current meal (ha!) I decided we’d go to Brio for dinner AND dessert and enjoy some home made donuts… they had me at donuts let’s be real.

We wrapped up the day by finishing our holiday shopping at Del Amo Fashion Center, which by the way is just a hop and a skip away from our hotel… winning! It was such a perk considering I shopped ’til I dropped.

Why yes, I did purchase this camo cropped pull-over *hail hands* I ended up completing all of my holiday shopping AND shopped for myself so… treat yo self. Day two was a smashing success and when I tell you I slept like a baby, trust.

Before leaving on our final day in Torrance, I ran one last time at our hotel gym, enjoyed a homemade waffle and took time with every bite, and just had to make one last stop before checking out of my staycation dream. Enter Strand Brewing for some FUNS!


Ending my staycation in Torrance could not have been any more fun than enjoying a flight of local beers, playing some games, and sports!

I had the best time and feel so lucky to have partnered with such a welcoming and hospitable community to showcase some of the best places in Torrance to eat, visit, explore, and shop <3 I hope you get a chance to visit our new home away from home and I’ll link you to all the places that helped make our stay so memorable and easy to navigate!

Have you added ‘more adventure’ to your New Year goals yet? Let’s do this! 

https://discovertorrance.com/stay/

https://discovertorrance.com/hotels/best-western-avita-suites/

www.discovertorrance.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discovering Torrance – Best Western Plus Avita Suites- Cheers to venturing more in 2020!

by with No Comment adventurefitnessfoodholidayholidaysleisurelifestylemom lifereviewsself care sundaytips and trickstravelwellness

It’s a new decade darlings, can you believe it?! Welcome to 2020… we’re in it and we’re also just coming off of a two week break where we didn’t know what day it was, what time it was, and if we were ever going to change out of footed pj’s. So now that we’re back into the full swing of things I want to share a few of my personal goals with you. I think it’s so wonderful when we can get real with each other and spark creativity in one another. I read a great quote the other day that had so many meanings to me, “one year closes so another can open”. 

So good right? So one of my goals this year is to travel more, to hit reset on my mind and my heart when I need it, and to not feel guilty about it. Even if it’s just jumping in my car and visiting a neighboring city, I’ve got to do it in the name of adventure. I was inspired to take more time to explore my own city when Discover Torrance reached out to me for a staycation. ‘Ummm yes please’, is what I think I responded with. 

The idea of a staycation always encourages me to relax without worrying about taking a flight out or being too far away from family and financial responsibilities. So I packed my bags and headed to the Best Western Plus Avita Suites in Torrance. Sweet Suites, it’s an award-winning-all-suite boutique hotel and was so close to everything I wanted to do during my stay I couldn’t wait to get there. So with my itinerary in hand I checked into my suite and found it very difficult to peel myself from the cozy bed to hit the town on our night one haha. 

My next article will share in detail all of my recommendations for where to go, what to do, things to eat, best desserts to find, and local favorites in Torrance. Today I want to share my experience at this beautiful hotel and share that you can book with them here! 

I wouldn’t usually describe lobbies as inviting and beautiful but let me tell you, this lobby was inviting, comfortable, and beautiful. I actually blurted out at the front desk, “how pretty is this?! I have to take some photos before I check in”. 

It was bright and festive, the staff was so welcoming… and so was this cushy bed! Every room is a suite so they each have a seating area, office area, and kitchenette. Here’s a fun walk through…more like dance through of my room! Imagine Mariah Carey’s voice singing as I dance you about the suite.

Once I settled in and unpacked… P.S. am I the only one who get SO excited about hotels that I have to unpack all of my belongings before doing anything else? AKA I hang my clothes in the closet, utilize the robe, put my keys in the safe, and place all of my toiletries out ha! I’m saving the rest of my excitement to share all of the things we did, the foods we ate, the drinks we drank, the desserts we hunted, ALL the things that we took in during our time in Torrance.

For today you get to hear me dish all about these digs and the hospitality and generosity we were shown while on our staycation at the Best Western Plus Avita Suites in Torrance. Can we just talk about how much joy complimentary breakfasts bring us all? Haha talk about breakfast, this was a full blown buffet with options like home-made waffles, a yogurt and bagel station, fresh fruit, and every cereal and topping you can imagine. 

I indulged and had a little bit of everything Cafe Avita had to offer, here’s a peek above. After all that yummy food I had to get some cardio in and build energy for the day’s events to eat our way through the town! It’s so nice when the place you’re staying at has a gym, it encourages you to stick with your goals, and it completely helps that they have weights and not just a standard treadmill…yayy options! 

It was truly so relaxing to stay at this destination for two nights and made coming back after a fun filled day of adventures and foodie times just all the more spectacular. I do hope you get a chance to visit our home away from home, Torrance which is just a town over from us. The staff, the amenities, the views, the food, all of it … I’m so grateful to have been able to relax for a few days before heading back to reality of the grind and hustle. 

This was just before the holidays and could not have come at a more necessary time. Please scroll back through and enjoy the images, I hope you loved my dancing walk through of our suite, and come back on Monday for my complete guide to Torrance <3

Staycations… you ever been on one? What is a destination close to home that you’ve been dreaming of visiting? I hope Los Angeles is on your list and I hope you check out Torrance and where I stayed while you’re here! 

I’m including links for you here because that’s love haha xx 
https://discovertorrance.com/stay/
https://discovertorrance.com/hotels/best-western-avita-suites/

 

 

 

TECHNOLOGY AND STORY TELLING

by with One Comment adventurecharitycommunityinspirationmommy diariestechnologytravel

I launched my brand back in 2009 and have developed an affinity of sharing my message through story telling. For me, it includes a side of comedy, always.

Being a creative in new media today means being able to do it all. To wear all the hats. Technology has been an especially vital tool in growing and conducting my business .. after all, it is entirely based online. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to engage with you all, across the globe, like we are now, time and space not stopping us! *says this while holding radio above head outside your window*

Celebrating technology and humanity came together this weekend when I was invited out to the Santa Monica Pier for the AT&T and TOMS #CelebrateGood event. To commemorate a decade of partnership between the two companies, I got to step inside a huge shoebox, and this is what they shared with us.

AT&T has helped TOMS grow their business since they began, 10 years ago, by powering their network and spreading their mission of one for one giving. Now, AT&T is giving fans a virtual reality experience that takes you on, “A Walk In Their Shoes.” I got to enjoy this incredible advance in technology that transported me to Colombia on an actual giving trip!

It’s pretty unbelievable how real it felt to be there along the giving trip. Being able to see the activities the kids were doing, and to look up, down, and around at everything they were seeing was unreal! I’m glad I was sitting down!

P7730271
I was immersed in experiences, after stepping aside from the VR station, I learned about the AT&T and TOMS partnership through this interactive 10 year timeline. Talk about being in awe of technology, I was using my feet to scroll through the years!

P7730301

Above is Blake Mycoskie, the Founder and Chief Shoe Giver of the company, who was on site walking around each station explaining the impact technology has had in sharing his company’s mission with the world.


I’m so happy to have shared this moment with you all, activating a shoe give, and being a part of this momentous occasion where technology and philanthropy came together. Fun fact, when you purchase a pair of TOMS, an additional pair is given to a child in need and the type of shoe gifted to them is dependent on where in the country they live!

I hope this inspires you to inspire and to view the 360 video and more, just click HERE for your VR tour!

If you could use your voice to spread a message, what would you say? We’re listening <33

 

 

 

 

 

This post is proudly brought to you in partnership with AT&T

For My Misfits – Welcome to One Month Mission!

by with No Comment adventurecommunityfitnesshealthlifestylemental healthmotivationpersonalsportswellness

This past Saturday wrapped up my first ever Reset Camp. I had the honor of being head coach alongside my friend and fitness Jesus Lacey Stone. If you follow me on Instagram you’ve seen me post a bunch about Lacey, The Wall, these Comeback Camps, and my excitement over coaching. So I wanted to take a moment to tell you why you’ve seen this flux in fitness posts and what it means to me to be a coach. 

this is not dejavu, this is a separate post on why I love coaching you

Lacey’s camps are so special because it’s more than just a bootcamp, these camps are about so much more than just the workouts. I really do believe that you can get a good workout anywhere, it’s all about how much effort you put into it or if you’re just phoning that session in. I’ve gotten the same results from hot yoga as I have from a bootcamp style workout because I hulk out no matter what I do … granted, I need to learn to chill TF out, but it really comes down to how present you are in that room right?

… we’re resetting our energy, not just refocusing on our goals

During my Reset camp I really tried to convey the message that we were resetting our energy, not just refocusing on our goals. Though it may be easier to remember why you started, I’ve realized that it’s more difficult for us to reset our energy because we’re so used to giving it away to everyone else. Our time together is more about: refill our energy, and then refocus and reset. That’s what we do in these camps. As time goes on and we evolve as people we change, so it’s completely normal that our goals do too. Here are some excerpts from my emails that I sent out to our squad last week and I want you to read them so that if you need to hear it, it’s here. Or maybe you know someone else who needs to hear it. Where ever you’re at and what ever your goal, it’s our mission as a team to help you get there. Here’s a little love letter from me to you about my Reset camp, what we did, and what you can expect during One Month Mission (1MM).

These camps aren’t for the faint of heart, they’re not easy, and there’s nothing soft or gentle about them

As a coach, I’ve observed your courage and how you move with intensity. These camps aren’t for the faint of heart, they’re not easy, and there’s nothing soft or gentle about them. I mean, these workouts have roughed us up and here we are still standing! That’s how we do. 

Lacey asked me what my favorite part of camp was and there were SO many memorable moments. And I’ll tell you, RESET was intense. Yesterday alone, you switched sides four times, you went TEN timed rounds, and you pushed more weight on the benches than in the entire camp combined. I left little room for you to catch your breath and onto the next move we went, performing combinations I’d never thrown at you before. Throughout all the madness, you showed no weakness or hesitation in your bodies…even after the 799 sprints. I want you to remember that the next time in life you want to tap TF out—you did all that! Memorable. 

These workouts are absolutely designed to make you stronger physically, challenge your stamina, and push you past your limits. But it is more about pushing so hard that you’re forced to tap into the place you pull from when you physically have nothing left to give, that place deep within our bellies where we’re confronted with our inner dialogue. That is when one of two things happens: You either doubt your abilities and let your minds wander, or you do what you did this week and step into your power. That’s true grit.

To paraphrase something from the film Game Changers, “It’s not about how strong you are or how much power you have, it’s what you do with that strength and power.” You sharpened your edges this Reset, you made one another better, and you spread that energy around like peanut buttah. Lacey and I were literally speechless after class and that says a lot about two people who always have something to say.

Something I’ve asked of you is to be willing to give your all, to be coachable, and to trust the process … we’re going to enter that room with purpose and we’ll leave it all on the floor. Get good sleep tonight, because…“There’s just one thing: we never, ever do nothing nice and easy, we always do it nice and rough.” – Tina Turner, Proud Mary. I am so proud of YOU.

that you’ll only find here at #TeamLSF

Those were just some pieces from our team emails that I wrote to our campers that I wanted to share with you because I do believe there is something we do in that room together that you can’t just recreate. Like I said, you can get a good workout anywhere. There are some FAN-FUGGEN-TASTIC trainers/coaches/teachers out there. But to have a team of badass, strong, warrior-women by your side doing it with you and 3 coaches to guide you, support you, and protect you along the way … that you’ll only find here at #TeamLSF. I do hope I get the chance to help coach you this month during 1MM, click here to claim your spot if you’re local to Los Angeles and if you’d like to join us virtually, you can do that HERE! You can’t escape me, I’m all over the VP and so is Kristin so go rep the virtual squad baby! Hop on the forums and say hello! <333

That was a lot of gushing on how special I believe our team to be, but honestly I think anyone would say that about a group of people they have infinite love for. I felt so sad driving away from the studio on our last day, like I truly wanted to write one last email and then spend every day with everyone haha But I hold that squad near to my heart and now on to 1MM we go! So LET’S GO!

Where will I see you? In person for camp and workouts? On the virtual platform??? Let’s just spend every day together! 

 

“Let’s push through the rough stuff and eat the good stuff”- Coach Jess

Vacation body care and hair care product hacks!

by with No Comment adventurebeautybridalget the lookhoneymoonlifestylemom lifereviewsskin caretips and trickstravel

I say hacks because with these products you won’t have to do much to look done up. So here we are, midway through our nearly 24 hour travel day to get to Bali and I’m happy to report that all things considered, my skin is looking refreshed and pretty normal … can’t say the same for my sleep schedule though! Here’s to hoping jet lag doesn’t kick my butt when we settle in. I had all the time in the world to draft this post for you where I share my top body care and hair care products for your next vacation! I’m all about convenience and versatility, the less I have to do with my appearance, the better. Oh and the smell, you know I’m all about how products smell 😉

  • Nelson’s Beverly Hills surf spray– free of parabens and alcohol, this beach spray smells fresh and gives your locks some body and texture. The less I have to do with my hair on vacation the better, and this spray gives you that undone tousled beachy look without having to curl, set, toss, spray.
  • Oribe dry texturing spray– for those days that I don’t feel like washing my hair (most days) but want it to feel and smell clean I use this spray. The surf spray I use as almost a spray on mousse after I’ve washed my hair, replacing styling. This Oribe is more for in between washes to refresh and give your hair tons of volume and tons of vavavoom smell goodness!
  • Coola SPF 50 sport– light and silky smooth, this spf is my go-to! It’s absorbed quickly but still gives you that dewy youthful glow. And like everything else I listed here, smells so good! I don’t like fragrant skincare and this Coola is light and clean smelling like fresh cucumber water.
  • Brazillian Crush body mist– I 100% care about how I smell 100% of the time and this body mist is so sultry and sexy- it’s vanilla but not too vanilla-y if you know what I’m saying. It smells like hot Havana nights I swear! I love this scent so much and it’s light enough to wear daily. And how do I pack it you may ask? In this awesome and super cute Scentbird atomizer! It’s sleek and just the right size to slip into your clutch and in this case, your carry on.
  • Coola Body SPF 50– it’s all about the mango guava baby! My all time favorite scent, this spf is light and never gives your skin that heavy, greasy feeling a lot of SPFs do. Trust me, you’ll love this!
  • Native all natural deodorant–  my favorite scents are coconut vanilla and lavender rose! I never thought I’d be the person to say that going all natural with a deodorant was the way to go, but it is and here I am telling you to switch! It’s free of all the icky things you don’t want going into your body and won’t stop your body from doing the natural thing- which is to sweat and rid your body of toxins. You’ll sweat with this deodorant but you won’t smell. If you perspire heavily, you may want to apply a few times throughout the day but I stand behind this product and all it’s naturalness.
  • Proplenish collagen powder– call me crazy but if I’m gonna age I’m gonna age at the slowest rate possibly and graceful as hell haha. So this is me ingesting collagen, straight up putting collagen powder in my tea every morning. I’ve been doing this on and off for the past few years- when I remember to purchase the to go sachets (I like the lemon flavored ones and I mix it into an early grey and chai tea) and I they make my skin look all plump and rejuvenated!
  • Bliss hand cream: for all the times you’ll wash your hands at the airport and during flight (because germy) your hands will be thank you for the quench of hydration. It also smells citrusy which is refreshing for any long haul and isn’t thick and greasy. Do you see the trend here? lol

I love all things that smell like an island vacation, that’s hydrating without the heaviness, and all mostly natural.

I hope this list helps you pack for your next vacation or trip and up next I’ll be sharing how I packed 2 weeks into a carry-on and backpack, AND how you can travel comfortably and still be cute!

What are your go-to body care/ hair styling tricks for travel? 

 

 

 

 

 

Travel Skincare Routine – For The Long Haul

by with No Comment adventurebeautyhoneymoonlifestylereviewsskin caretips and trickstravelwellness

Bali bound baby!!! In just a few hours we’ll be boarding a two part, nearly 24 hour long flight to Bali in celebration of our honeymoon! Two weeks of blissfulness and my face may just fall off from all the excessive smiling, also my hair may just fall out from all the stress. You know the drill, with packing and preparing to leave your home for a few weeks- the laundry, the cleaning, and did I mention the packing?

As you know, the air on an airplane is not the best for your skin and as you also know I really really care about skin care lol So I’ve packed some of my all time favorite skin soothing, healing, and hydrating products so that when we land, I may be tired but my skin will look rested, refreshed, and ready to party! I wanted to share with you here my travel skin care routine – for the long haul. It’s a long one so jot these down and lets do this!


Body care: first, I showered like it would be my last shower for a few days because it would be, and I splurged on the Laura Mercier Almond Coconut Milk Scrub. It’s super luxurious and will make your skin feel like silk. Just put it on your Christmas wish list 😀  Then I moisturized by mixing a bit of Shea Moisture Argan Oil with shea butter body lotion and guys my skin was pure satin I tell you.

Skincare: I can’t express enough how important clean, hydrated skin is for your every day routine yet alone your travel routine. The air at 30K+ feet is cold and doesn’t hold moisture so here’s to making sure that your skin does <3

  • Ocean Cleansing Milk-Travel Size + Ocean Cleanser-Travel Size: one of my all time favorite brands, OSEA Malibu was the only skin care I packed because it’s organic, pure, and hydrating at its ultimate. They both cleanse your skin and leave it feeling hydrated without leaving behind any kind of residue. I couldn’t choose between the two so I packed them both! Pro-tip: you don’t need water with these, I simply rub a few pumps in between my fingertips and onto my face and then remove with a cotton round- super helpful when you don’t want to wash your face in the lavatory.
  • Sea Vitamin Boost-Travel Size: the perfect toner after cleansing it’s full of antioxidants, refreshing and hydrating. I just spritz my face 3-5 times in a clockwise kind of motion and boom you’re misty.
  • Hyaluronic Sea Serum: remember how I said you should move through your products from thinnest to thickest in formula … here we are 😀 This serum is everything, it protects and strengthens your skin’s moisture barrier for that dewy youthful glow! I pat a few pumps around my face and move on to my moisturizer.
  • Atmosphere Protection Cream + Undaria Argan Oil: a staple in my skin care routine, I roll the argan oil around my palm and then mix in a few pumps of the cream for legit deep moisture. The upside to mixing these two products (and using any product from this line for that matter) is that your skin won’t feel greasy or heavy afterwards. They absorb into your skin quickly leaving only behind that velvety feeling.
  • Undaria Algae Oil: I love to use this oil as an eye cream, lip moisturizer, and overall hydrating oil for any dryness I have i.e. cuticles and elbows! It’s smooth and full of antioxidants- also in my makeup bag at all times.
  • Red Algae Mask: I packed this baby right here because my skin is prone to breakouts during travel and also gets finicky, so this mask is perfect. It’s purifying and non-drying yet perfect for blemishes and the tea tree oil smells refreshing and kicks up the cleansing properties.
  • Lumion oxygen mist + Nano atomization facial mister: game changer! I’m such drama and if I can kick hydration up from a 10 to a 12 – you know I will! I fill the facial mister with the Lumion oxygen mist and use it throughout the day. The BEST for travel because it’s super refreshing and cooling. Also a must have for post workouts as it kills bacteria, hydrates, and illuminates! You’ll thank me for this one.
  • Oil free protein remover and primer: for all my eyelash extension babes this one’s for you, with lash extensions you have to avoid oil based products. The way you care for them and also environmental elements (aka Bali humidity) have an effect on the lifetime of our expensive habit. This primer is awesome to remove oil throughout the day and cleanse your lashes of any makeup residue. I just dip a qtip into the primer and allow the opening to remove excess product and then swipe it along my lash line. I got my lashes done for the wedding … on through the honeymoon … and honestly I don’t know that I can live without them now!

I think it goes without saying that I will be packing snacks, lots and lots of snacks! For me, raw almonds, toasted coconut chips, chocolate, and oats-to- go are my favorites! They’re protein packed (chocolate is like a veggie in my book) and satiating enough to tie you over until the food cart comes around haha.

Ok babes, now that your skin is all silky, smooth, clean, and most importantly- hydrated, you’re ready for the long haul! Oh yes and drink water, lots and lots of water <333

What’s your go-to for travel skin care routine? Do you up the hydration? The exfoliation? 

Coming up- packing body care products,  my honeymoon hair care routine, and how to travel comfortably and cute-ly! 😀

 

 

 

Aura Photography – What Your Colors Say About You

by with One Comment adventureartinspirationlifestylewellness

I wouldn’t necessarily consider myself the most spiritual person. I mean, for the life of me I can’t sit still during yoga, I’ve tried and failed many times at meditation, and I can’t tell when any planet is in retrograde, ever. Also, I know that I’m an Aries but I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean, except that I’m spontaneous and apparently talk too much lolz true.

My daughter Corrine however, is so in tune with herself and her energy and all the things I find mysterious that it honestly inspires me to be all in tune too. Even if I don’t know what the hell that looks like or what I’m doing. Lucky for me though she keeps me all cool and informed by sharing with me the things that bring her balance, and they in turn help me to feel more balanced also. After all, don’t we just want to find the balance in life? One glass of wine, one lunge, repeat. Nailed it.

So a few days ago Corrine came over and sat next to me while I was figuring out what stickers I wanted to use in my planner (yes this is her life y’all) and told me that Junior High was holding aura photography sessions and that we should do it together. Okay, first I thought we’d be going to a school in the valley and then I thought, “well what do I wear to have my aura photographed”? Real priorities over here.

Come to find out, Junior High is actually a really awesome space in Hollywood that communally promotes art and education. And really, any place that has any Bob Ross anything, I fully support. Also, it didn’t matter what we wore for the aura photography because it had nothing to do with our clothes and everything to do with what was going on internally.

This is a photograph of Corrine and my combined energies- the colors of our auras. How freaking cool is that?! So Halo Auragraphic are the wonderful folks that came out and set up their rad looking space tent to photograph people for the day. After a long exposure (about 5-8 seconds), no blinking, and a quick minute of developing, we had this gem right here.

So our combined energies look like this: indigo, blue, crystal, lavender, and magenta. They explain to you what this all means but we were also given an auragraphic color wheel, if you will, and the corresponding meanings to those colors were this:

Indigo- wise, intuitive, belief in higher ideals + principles, peaceful, creative, non judgmental, spiritually gifted (that’s the Corriney part), sensitive, enlightened consciousness
Blue- loving, nurturing, compassionate, sensitive, forgiving, loyal, spiritual, emotional depth, teaching, caretakers of people + the planet
Crystal- gifted healer, highly spiritual, quiet, sensitive, one with nature, adaptable, highly intuitive, loves simplicity, meditative, calming
Lavender- enchanting, daydreamer, fragile, sensitive, imaginative, creative, intelligent, gentle, intuitive, loves to change directions
Magenta- non-conformist, creative, intelligent, free spirited, eccentric, original, likes to be the center of attention (M E), strong willed, unique, innovative

Freaking. Cool! After having experienced this and being told what your energy is, I swear I was like yup that’s totally me and that’s absolutely Corrine! It was so fun to see what our energies, our auras looked like in color. It was even more fun to do it with Corrine, my flower child, my center, because she’s my true balance tbh.

Whatever your beliefs and practices are though, I personally think you’d love having your aura photographed. Check Halo Auragraphic out to see where they’ll be poppin up next and go get in on that. I’m interested to see what colors you are!

Have you ever heard of aura photography? Are you a spiritual like Corrine or do you kind of just go with the flow like me? 

 

 

 

 

MUST HAVE SUMMER HAIR AND SKINCARE PRODUCTS!

by with No Comment adventurebeautyfestivalsleisurereviewsskin caretravelwellness

With all of the pool side bronzing you’ll be doing, the ocean dips you’ll be taking, and the festivals you’ll be prancing around, today I’m sharing with you my must have summer hair and skincare products!

After a week in Palm Springs for my friend Miya’s annual birthday tradition at the Avalon Hotel and Bungalows, I really know what it feels like to crave hydration and replenishment. It was 110 degrees on our first pool side bronzing day ONE HUNDRED AND TEN DEGREES lol. One of the most relaxing and beautiful places to visit, here’s what I toted along with me so that I would remain dewy and moisturized.

  • suncare protection – Coola is hands down one of my all time favorite sunscreens, for both my face and my body. It’s a mineral sun protectant and smells like damn heaven
  • sweat and odor protection – I don’t know about you but even poolside I still swipe some odor protection under my arms because, 110 degree weather and bronzing . . . and sweating. I’ve raved about Native before but if you haven’t jumped on the natural deoderant band wagon, their Coconut Vanilla scent will make you take the leap, trust
  • lip moisture – lets not forget about our pouts while we’re out there surfing the waves and sipping down those pina coladas. This Hanalei lip treatment is so rich and I love the light vanilla smell it has. It also doubles as a lip gloss because it’s so moisturizing that your lips will shine baby
  • body butter – this Island Elixir by Farm House Fresh Organics is a shea body butter that smells like an island and feels like a vat of pure luxury
  • hair leave in and smell goods – this Sea Salt spray by my girls over at Tone It Up is making a come back with this post becuase it’s THAT versitile. Create to foster body and movement in your hair, I also use it as a leave in for the pool/beach because it’s also hydrating to my hair. And if you haven’t guessed already, yup it smells just like a coconut
  • hair leave in and wash outs – after a long day under the sun I condition my hair with this coconut oil deep conditioning protein pack. About once a week I’ll leave this treatment in my hair while I shave my legs in the shower and then rinse it out for the softest hair you’ve ever seen. Keepin’ that coconut theme going, this too smells like the ripest coconut in the middle of an island

I can’t get enough of these summer time hair and skincare products so I hope you try them out and let me know what you think. Also, I hope you like COCONUT! haha You can take the girl off the island but you can’t take the island out of the girl.

What are your favorite summer time hair and skincare products?!