Earlier this year we took a 30 day Vegan challenge and I say “we” because I basically forced my family to do it with me. Corrine’s been a pescatarian since she was 12 so this is something that was easier for her to manage and she actually loved it.
You’d be surprised by how much animal bi-product is in everything, which made it difficult at times but we did it! We experimented with a whole new way to prepare food in it’s deliciousness, and I think moving forward I’ll stay dairy free . . . just hurts my tummy.
So Corriney made me this delicious vegan milk shake for me the other night because I was craving McDonald’s mcflurry and she advised me against it lol
You’ll need:
Nada Moo dairy free ice cream (we went with my favorite – mint chocolate chip)
Coconut flakes
Almond milk
Blend them all together, measurements depending on how thick or thin you like your milkshakes, garnish with some fresh mint and you’re set!
Have you tried going dairy free, gluten free, or vegan? How did it go?
What fun would a top notch selfie be without the addition of a top shelfie?! Social media has taken the regular ol’ selfie and upgraded it to a product-driven top shelfie! If you haven’t seen this hashtag that’s overthrown the “favorites” product list on your Instagram feed, I’ll share with you my #topshelfie and I hope it inspires you to share yours!
So here it is, my current list of favorites . . . errr top shelfie products, and why I’m so swoon!
Circ- Cell: a) face rejuvenation serum– easily one of my holy grail products of the year, this silky formula is enriched with oxygen and algae complex. It visibly brightens and tones your skin, and contains sea fennel stem extract. My favorite part beyond the benefits, is that the scent is clean and light and Circ-Cell products are paraben free! b) rejuvenating eye serum– your eyes say it all baby. With this light and quickly absorbed serum, the appearance of puffiness and dark circles will be gone! Also enriched with oxygen and algae complex, your friends will wonder how you’re so dewy and glowy! shhhh 😀
Native natural deodorant: as you know I’ve tried many all-natural deodorants and this stood the test of sweat and stank! Coconut Vanilla and Lavender are my all time favorites btw! It won’t chafe you at all and will protect you against funkiness. But remember, your body needs some time to rid itself of those toxins, so be patient lil grasshoppa 😉
IT Cosmetics Confidence In A Compact: +SPF 50! I mean c’mon! So I’m one of those people who live for the “natural- but totally not natural – you can still see my pores” kinda look. This foundation IS that and contains their best selling Confidence In A Cream . . . do it! Buildable, smooth, and anything but cakey – this is one of my favorite products of the summer.
Coola Classic Sport SPF 50: a usual suspect in the line up of my go-to’s, this SPF is light, nourishing, goes well under your makeup, and is full of antioxidants! Coola products make it into my year round must haves.
OSEA Atmosphere Protection Cream: applied before my sunscreen and after my Circ-Cell, this hydrating cream helps to provide a protective barrier between my skin and the environment. Containing Shea Butter and Avocado Oil, it’s moisturizing without being greasy and won’t interfere with the yaaaaas queen of your makeup.
Dove Dry Shampoo: I have my friend Miya to thank for this one! It smells so clean and fresh and doesn’t leave behind any white residue or flakiness. I carry this in the car for after the gym or for before an event when I feel like I smell like scalp . . . you know what I mean 😉
Caudalie Vinosource Overnight Recovery Oil: plant and essential oil based, this product is ONE of the TWO things I will NOT go to sleep without applying to my face . . . the other is my eye serum duh. Although it’s an oil it’s not greasy or sticky, it’s easily absorbed, and you’ll wake up feeling like newness.
Ange Ou Demon Perfume: if you’ve ever hugged me IRL, you know I covet smelling like an angel fallen from heaven fresh out the shower HAHA This perfume right here, it’s my signature scent! It’s sexy, subtle, flirty, and fun! A lil peppery- but I say, if it doesn’t make you sneeze than it’s not spicy enough 😉
Pur-lisse Blue Lotus + White Tea Sheet Mask: if you have skin than you need this! I’m all about preventative measures now so that I don’t have to worry about it later! We’re all gonna age y’all so lets do it gracefully! This is an all-natural fiber mask infused with Blue Lotus and restorative Asian botanicals. It packed full of antioxidants and you’ll go to sleep feeling like a brand new (and more youthful) you!
There you have it! My current favorites, go-to’s, and must have top shelfies! But wait, there’s more! Not only do I enjoy sharing with you what I love in these articles but I also love GIFTING them to you IRL!
I’m happy to announce that I’ll be doing a Circ-Cell giveaway where two of you will receive a travel sized skin care kit FULL of their best sellers! I hope you know that I would not promote anything I don’t already use myself and adore, so believe me when I say that I’m JEALOUS to mail these out haha
The giveaway will be done over on my Instagram page so please follow me over there, follow Circ-Cell, and comment on my last post ONE thing about your skin that you’d love to improve and ONE thing that you LOVE about yourself!
I’ll choose two winners and announce them this Saturday! Good luck and I love thee and yo beautiful self!
Have you tried any of the products I listed here today? What products made it into your #topshelfie list this month?
I felt so inspired booking our Bali honeymoon that I created a lil vacation in a blender for you! This cocktail IS A VACATION for your senses! Yes all of them because it smells like an island, it’s so pretty to look at, and it tastes tropical and mangoey! I love mango and coconut anything so here’s this #SaturdaySip just for you!
In a blender add an entire can of your chosen Malibu flavored canned beverage, 2 oz of Malibu Coconut Rum, and 1/4 of the frozen blended juice. Toss in sliced mango, lime juice, ice, and blend. E N J O Y!
I made two ninja blenders worth of this magical drink and Joe and I had a tropical dance party in our living room. Beachy music and all!
Please sip responsibly and let me know what summer flavors you’d like to see in this week’s #WineNotWednesday!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Ben Bridge Jeweler. All opinions are 100% mine.
I’ll be the first to admit that casual and comfortable are my go-to when it comes to personal style. Who doesn’t live for versatility and practicality! Well I’m happy to report that I’ve met my match in the accessory world. Ben Bridge bridges the gap between informal and ceremonial, pun intended!
I took two of my favorite pieces from the Ben Bridge Jeweler collection and styled them with my favorite ensembles to approach every occasion you’ll ever encounter.
For that work flow business meeting, brunch with your babes, or a casual day at the beach, this Disc Choker Necklace is the perfect accessory! The streamlined and classic design make it a stand alone piece that will absolutely make it a staple in your jewelry box. For moments when you’re feeling spontaneous, you can stack it for a trendy look which is my personal favorite. I love pairing a dainty detail like this choker with other pieces that give it an especially feminine feel. It’s a 14K yellow gold dangle disc and the slide closure allows for it to be worn as a choker like I wear it, or up to 16 inches long.
Here we are, my all time favorite earring . . . not gonna lie, I feel like a rock star with these cuffs! These are the Ben Bridge Black Diamond Ear Cuff, oh la la. They’ve got the perfect amount of attitude to take any outfit and spice it up! Whether you’re leaving school or work to run some errands, or you’re headed out to a summer festival, this cuff puts an edgy spin on the traditional stud. I paired mine with a brass pair that complimented the cuff and it’s black diamonds nicely. These earrings make for an eye catching conversation starter so be prepared to share where you got them. Pssst, they’re set in 14K white gold with a curved tear drop design and adjust to THREE different sizes, but you didn’t hear it from me!
Don’t take my word for it though, accessorize all the things, stack all the pieces, and fall in love with them yourself. These Ben Bridge designs provide versatility and practicality to your wardrobe when accessorizing can feel overwhelming. This coming from queen of casual. I mean, who doesn’t live for comfort and simplicity!
These pieces allow me to dress for the occasion but still feel confident that they meet my mood, and elevate it! They’re timeless, minimalistic, and classic . . . just like me! Badadum ching 😉
The art of being a woman, I mean damn, it’s an art. We navigate through life with tenacity and tact, grace and gratitude. So the story goes like this – my insanely talented and driven friend Alexandra wrote a book called The Art Of Being A Woman and I went to her launch party last night, which inspired this post. I was honored to have been on a panel with some pretty incredible talent where we discussed women’s issues, finding balance in life as a woman, and what we believe the art of being a woman means. My quote at the end of the panel was short and sweet, “we’re sexy, we smell good, we’re powerful, and we birth life”.
Among many things I also think ladies can be pretty bad ass when it comes to being savvy with our money and smart about our finances. Bargain shopping, that’s what I’m getting at here folks. You foxy babes will patiently sift and search, until you find the perfect piece . . . just like we find our husbands! KIDDING! In all seriousness though, the money I save bargain shopping is money I save for my kiddo. This write up is really to encourage you to pick up and read Alex’s book for insight and inspiration, AND to entice you with frugality. Because you can’t feel guilty when you shop and saving your hard earned money for a life you deserve is a very real thing. Yes, I am the queen of segues.
Lets be real, you’ll never find me in a high-end department store purchasing shoes that cost more than $50, or having the latest and greatest hand bag, or even knowing what those brands are- that’s just not me (that Tom Ford lippy there, on sale!). I have nothing but love for those of you who splurge on the finer things in life, I’d just rather find them on sale! So I’m gonna share with you my number one secret for this summer . . . having this season’s hottest accessories for literally 95% off. Crazy talk I know.
I fell deep into an Instagram hole, as we all do at 3am … and found so many adorably cute jewelry companies. I wanted these earrings so badly until I found out they were $96 and wanted to chuck my phone at the wall before I remembered that Joe was asleep next to me and refrained. Needn’t worry though, your girl found these (just as beautiful) dupes for $5.90! Forever 21 y’all. Also this is not an ad #ipaidforthis. I swooned and maybe even squeaked a lil over these Circle Cutout Ear Jackets because they’re very similar to their $84 step sisters but for a ridiculously lower price point.
And check it, these Filigree Drop Earrings are only $4.90 compared to the $95 earrings that I was side eyeing because classic, and for less than 6 bucks you can have this summer’s hottest trend- the tasseled duster earrings, which I found for $75+ on other sites. You may think quality above all else but if you’re like me and you lose earrings like you lose socks (where do those lone socks even go?!) than this is just fine for you *snap snap
Insane right?! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE beautiful things and sometimes we just get what we pay for and we wanna splurge on whatever the hell we want. DO IT! But also sometimes not. I’d personally rather invest my money in experiences and traveling with my family. I also want to be out of college student loan debt, I want a house, and I don’t want to worry about my daughter struggling in her future, I want all of that. So I save and I save and this is one of the many ways that I do that. Also, no one will even know that you’re not on brand and if they do they’re standing too close.
So that’s the lesson for today, my Mama Lizama Moment if you will- to run, not walk on over to snag a book from my girl Alex, and to save where you can by indulging on some thangs and not on others. The art of being a woman to me also includes being financially free and dammit if that means I shop sales for the rest of my life so I can have that big ol’ house than I’ll do it! This was a simple trick that I wanted to share with you, a quirky way to be all trendy but not break the bank and I hope some of my ways help you too!
What does the art of being a woman mean to you? If you could describe it in one word what would it be? I should’ve added “financially savvy” to my last quote 😉
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?
There’s so much about weddings and getting married that no one tells you about. Sounds like some crazy wedding planner scheme BS but it’s true! I’ve explained a bit of it in previous posts, and now, after having planned and experienced the most perfect wedding day of my life- I’m on to the changing my name part of it all. Oh, change your name they said, it’ll be easy they said. Well they lied dammit.
Let me tell you a story. So like many unknowing and slightly lazy people, I went with an assisted name change service and purchased the Platinum package from Hitch Switch. It’s a service that (I was hoping) helps you change your name by providing you with all of the paperwork and forms needed and removing the fuss from the entire process. Depending on the level of service you purchase (from $29-$89) they will send you the paperwork and even fill it out for you if you pay for it. The Platinum package gives you all of the forms automatically filled out, provides you with pre addressed envelopes, and a passport service. However, NONE of this is impossible for you to do on your own. So save your money and let me tell you how to change your name. For free. And PS you have to go into certain government offices in person, and no name change service can save you from having to do that, so . . .
YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY CARD Social Security office: do this FIRST. Go to your local social security office and if you go early you’ll be in and out of there pretty painlessly. You have to take care of your social security card first because this particular process will need to be completed 48 hours before any other documentation is submitted to any other government office. Bring to your local Social Security office:
a) a completed SS-5 Form (don’t forget to sign your new married name)
b) provide the original or certified copy of your Marriage Certificate
c) proof of identity (your driver’s license, state issued ID card, or US Passport)
They’ll give you a receipt (mine cost me $0.00) and notice that you’ll receive your new social security card within 2 weeks. Mine came in after 2 business days.
YOUR DRIVER’S LICENSE DMV: this is next in the process, go early! If you don’t have an appointment I suggest you go at least 30 minutes before your local DMV office opens and wait in line. I got to ours at 7am and by 8am when the doors opened I was 17th in line! You’ll need to bring:
a) the original or a certified copy of your marriage certificate
b) your old driver’s license (you’ll be taking a new photo so come camera ready 😉
c) 2 proof of residency documents (CA doesn’t need this verification)
d) a completed DL 44 form which they’ll provide for you at the DMV as original signatures are required on the form.
* on the DL 44 form: don’t forget to sign your married name at the bottom, check mark the “have you ever applied for a DL under a different name”, and list your maiden name next to it.
YOUR PASSPORT
We’re going to Bali for two weeks for our honeymoon and I learned that if you’re traveling abroad you’ve got to give yourself plenty of time to have your Passport sent in and your new one sent back to you. Expedited processing may be your best bet if you have less than a month before you depart. Pro tip: when you change your name your Passport number changes. So when you book your flight either use your new married name with your old Passport number and then call the airline to correct it once your new one arrives, OR wait to change your name until after you’ve traveled as it becomes a headache to correct once you’ve entered in all of the information.
a) complete the DS 82 Form *sign your new married name
b) attach a Passport photo to the left of Section 10 in the designated box. Hitch Switch’s provided photo service took longer than expected so I personally suggest going to Costco, Walgreens, or another retailer that is in compliance with government Passport photo requirements.
c) submit the DS 82 form with your new photo attached along with your current Passport, the original or certified copy of your marriage certificate, and a check or money order made out to ‘US Department of State’. For $110 if you’re going with standard processing (4-6 weeks) or for $170 for expedited processing (3 weeks).
d) you’ll want to get tracking on this just because it holds your original passport and marriage certificate. In most cases it’ll be free or there may be a $5.95 fee – totes worth it.
For Standard Processing:
National Passport Processing Center
P.O. BOX 640155
Irving, TX 75064-0155
For Expedited Processing:
National Passport Processing Center
P.O. BOX 90955
Philadelphia, PA 19190-0955
The rest of it like your banking, credit cards, businesses, work stuff etc will work themselves out. Honestly, I haven’t even gotten to that part yet BUT these initial steps will help you get your name changed and save you some money. I’m so upset with myself for paying for a service that I could have easily done myself had I just done a lil research. You’ll be paying for them to print up the paperwork, fill it out for you, and send you a few pre paid envelopes. Save yo money honey.
Are you changing your name? Have you looked into name changing services or the paperwork needed to do so?
I’ve forever been a lover of the traditional moscow mule, so throwing in some pineapple wedges and kiwi slices make this drink a straight up rager! Here’s how you make my new favorite drink, the Pineapple Mint Mule! Happy #winenotwednesday babies!
Stir it up baby! You’ll need:
ginger beer (I’m using Cock n’ Bull’s brand – hilarious and delicious) that’s what she said
lime (wedges and juice)
pineapple slices
kiwi for extra fun
vodka
fresh mint
ice
Place 3 parts ginger beer to 1 part vodka (or stronger if you’re feeling feisty) in a moscow mule cup with ice, add in fresh mint, kiwi, pineapple slices, and a few squirts of lime juice and crush. Trying crushing the mint with the alcohols before placing in the cup – pro tip learned afterwards. Stir and enjoy responsibly!
See you Saturday for your #SaturdaySip Game Of Thrones edition!
Have you been following along this series? Do you like it and what kind of drink/food pairing would you like to see?
In honor of Game Of Thrones season 7, I have a special series of #winenotwednesday for you! Each week I’ll share with you a yummy, happily evil lil drink but it’ll be more happy than evil 😉
Today’s stir up is the Mother Of Dragons potion featuring some fresh cracked black pepper because, black hearts and a swift kick to the throat. Easy on the salt bae sprinkle or you’ll prolly gag on this delicious ‘dragon blood’. Okay before I get any more obnoxious, here tis.
Stir it up baby! You’ll need:
rose champagne
dragon fruit
black pepper
kiwano fruit (aka dragon spikes)
Drop cubed pieces of dragon fruit into your flute, sprinkle with some black pepper for fun, and garnish with your ‘dragon spikes’. Yup, I’m doing this every week sooo. Enjoy 😉
What potent lil potion do you wanna try next week? PS who’s your least favorite GOT character . . . I could name a few!
