Pedi Pamper 7 day foot Peel

Pedi Pamper

Being a Yoga teacher and living in southern California, not wearing shoes or socks and wearing flip flops is second nature. I have literally gone thru 2 pairs of flip flops is year so far, and am on my third pair currently.

Sadly, when I go get pedicures at the nail salons, they rarely last 2 days before my calluses appear their ugly head up...I have them really bad on my big toes and my heels (on both feet).

I decided to try the #Pedipamper 7 day foot peel, that I purchased on Amazon..I am currently on day 5 and now my feet are finally fully peeling and really ugly looking. I feel bad for the students in the front row of my yoga classes (I teach) or behind me in the yoga classes I take (as a student). Cause it looks like i got a bad case of ugly, crusty, foot fungus or something.

According to the box, it is normally day 3 or 4 that the feet start to peel. I think due to my feet being so tough, it only happened after I finally let my feet soak 30 minutes (which is 20 minutes more than the recommended 10). 

I also used an additional Item of a double sided Calluses remover to assist with getting the top layer of really tough skin off.

My overall thoughts on this product, is it does work, and it would be better for someone who doesn't have super thick or super tough calluses. If you do, I would suggest using it along with other feet treatments.

I have a charcoal foot mask I plan on using tonight to assist with making the peel continue and to make sure that my feet stay nice.

Recovery is a long progress

It has been 63 days since I first hurt my elbow, I have been randomly doing yoga since day 44, around day 30 is when I started back at Spin class. As my elbow wasnt bothering me as bad as it was. I believe rest, light stretching and acupuncture has helped me out alot. 

I recently just added the Furious Fit Wear Resistance Bands to my routine and doing some pretty basic resistant training to help strength my tricep (which I believe is what I have actually injured). 

I have included some pics of the particular way I was doing the exercise using the  band in order to work the arms, especially the bicep and triceps.

Here I had the band twisted into a figure 8 the top hand is pressing up while the bottom hand presses down. This works the tricep of the arm that is pressing up.

Here is a variation of Fly, starting the arms shoulder width apart, keeping the elbows at a 90 degrees, I press the arms away from each other, stretching the band. Again working the tricep, but also engaging the bicep and the chest. This is great for women who don't want to gain a lot of muscle but want to tone their chest besides their arms.

Again another tricep and bicep, top hand palm faced up and bottom hand palm face down. keeping the shoulders down away from the ears and engaging the core, pressing the top palm up as the bottom presses down. Very slow movement, allowing for full control. Then switch and repeat opposite hands.

Overall, I am very happy with my Furious Fitwear Resistance bands, they are a great tool on my road to recovery. From what I understand with any type of tear or major injury especially in muscles of the arms it's a slow road to recovery. So I am taking each day for what it is and using my bands, and resting when needed.

These of course can be used for all sorts of exercises for legs, glutes, thighs, and more upper body. I am just sharing a bit of what I use mine for. I would highly recommend everyone to have a set to add into their work out routine, especially to change things up.

Get yours here

Changing up the Skincare Game

In the past year of 2017,  I have been on a journey to find the best possible products and accessories to make my now 30 something skin, clean, hydrated and to fight as best I can Father time of using things to boost collagen levels so less wrinkles and more youthful skin.

The biggest thing that recently has changed in the past 3 weeks has been the addition of the Konjac sponge that i have been using to cleanse my face.

here it is what it looks like with my current face wash

I also use the Konjac Sponge to wash off my make up, it is super easy to clean between washing make up off with an actual make up cleanser verses my normal face wash. I just place the sponge between my hands and lightly press my hands together which allows the sponge to wringle all the old wash out. I give it a good rinse before placing different wash on it.

What I think is interesting from this sponge, which I have seen others similar is that as it dries it gets hard and smaller. And as soon as it gets wet becomes soft and fluffy, similar to the make up sponge Beauty Blender.

Here in this picture you can see how large the sponge gets, this was right after a shower. 

Overall, I am very happy with the way my skin is looking using the Konjac Sponge, I feel like my pores are getting cleaner and I have noticed less break outs (which is great especially with this heat San Diego has been having).

If you use a regular wash cloth, I would definitely recommend trying this out and seeing if it works for you.

Get your Own HERE

What do you take Traveling?

One of my least favorite things to do when getting ready for a trip is to pack for the trip...especially when it comes to beauty products, make up and toiletries. 

Ideally I try to take travel size items, anywhere from 1 oz up to 3 oz pending on what the item is and how long I am gone for. Most of the time it is my skincare products that I like to take the larger oz products as I use it both AM and PM. 

Here is what I am currently toting around in my Gym Bag of products, as I recently got a new Tolietry bag in the color blue which is fun. Normally I stick the regular standard black bag, tho this particular style was available in black (I just thought it would be good to try something different)

Why I enjoy this new bag is all the space and addition closed pockets and slots you can put your products into. I could geniuely take fuller size products and still have the ability to store smaller things (ie q tips, lip balm, cotton pads, etc).

The last point I want to mention is the fact it has a small hook, so I can actually hang this bag up and keep it more of eye level (access level) verses having to place it on a counter or on a bench. So there is a less likelyhood I will leave a product out of the bag ( I have lost or forgotten body washes and haircare because I placed it down out of my toiletry bag and didnt put it away).

I mean no matter what I am not a big fan of having to pack...but when you have something new and its fancy (ie you can store things the way you want and more space to take more). It makes the whole idea of packing and traveling a little more fun!

If you are interested in purchasing your own

Click Here

Dead Sea Mud Mask from Shiny Leaf USA

Shiny Lead Dead Sea Mud Mask is a US made product, coming from Las Vegas, Nevada..and the Dea Sea mud itself comes from Israel.

This brand is 100% natural, Vegan and Cruelty free

There is a total of 8.8 fl ozs of product and it costs $12.47 a jar

The jar is plastic, so it is reusable if you like to repurpose items

This also comes with a spatula (mini) that allows easy stirring, as the mask does seperate the water will be floating at the time. You can also use the spatula to apply the mask, I tried it the first time using the product but it was a bit hard to have a smooth application in all areas (especially around my nose and lips). 

I applied this the other night with a stippling brush verses the tool they supply because I wanted an even application. I think this is the best way to do so, as then you have more control of how much of the product you put over the skin. I decided to make my mask this evening, a medium thickness.

I left the mask on for 20 minutes, as it was thicker so it required a bit more drying time compared to a thinner layer across the skin. Something to keep in mind if you talk or wiggle your face alot, as the mask dries it will flake and leave little mud particles everywhere. So BEWARE

After Mask rinsed off (no addition products)

I made sure to include an After pic because I want you to notice the shiny of my skin. After I took this pic then I applied the rest of my skincare routine for the evening. My skin felt tight and my pores appeared smaller. However my skin also felt dry at the same time, putting my serum and lotion on afterwards felt really nice!!

 I would say that if you have dry skin, I wouldnt remind this mask that often. And if you do, make sure to follow up with a good moisturizer. 

If you have Combo (like me) to Oily skin, I would definately recommend this as it will make your oils stay at bay. Though it is still important to moisturize, I think 2 times a week would be the most I would recommend using it. Anything more and then you might start to dry out the skin.

Do you love the Moon?

I am very particular when it comes to pieces of jewelry and even more so pieces that I want to use on my table. Sometimes particular pieces will call out to me that I have to have them, and others like this Dark Moon Love necklace, I happen to fall upon. And in all honesty, I am quite glad to have done so.

To me it means I was meant to have it in my collection, which is why I have it placed at my table.

This necklace is a unique piece in my collection, and for my table, as the stone in the inside of the heart glows in the dark when charged by the sun. I tried artificial light and it doesn't work...only sunlight. I find this a bit ironic considering the name of the jewelry piece is Dark Moon Love.

The necklace chain itself is 18 inches long and 2 inches thick, so it rests nicely on the chest..not too low nor too high to where I feel like it is choking me (when I decide to wear it). 

I actually considered using it as a decoration to hang from my mirror in my car..but I feel that it has a place on my table. As you see in the picture above, I charged the necklace and it hangs around another decor that I have just above my table. (I forgot to take a picture of what is looks like when the bedroom light is on...whoops).

the other Night I wore the necklace to class, which was an Lunar Eclipse. I felt it was appropriate for the time, as I taught the class, the Moon and Heart lightly tapped against my chest. At the end of class I pulled from my deck of Power Thought cards at random and this was the card I pulled.

This is the second time I pulled this card, leading this class...and I have only pulled from the deck twice. So I believe it was the universe way of telling me or reminding me of something of importance. 

I thought I would share..and the Dark Moon Love necklace just wrapped up the entire evening perfectly. 

Tactical LED Pen – Full Review

If you read often, you know that I don’t post a whole lot of manly-man products round these parts… but because the mister loves multi purpose tools, I just had to review this super cool gadget that I picked up for him because I knew it would make him happy and be useful for when he is out and about.

Let’s dive right in:

Right from the beginning ordering and shipping was super easy.

I got this item on Amazon so, as usual, the shipping was lightening fast and hassle-free. It can be found here.

When It arrived, it came in this sleek, matte black box. The pen inside sits in foam bed to prevent damage and  mine arrived totally flawless.

The packaging reads:

The Tactical LED pen by Survival Hax is half Beauty and half beast.

The pen has some weight to it and is for sure a tad larger and heavier than your average ball point pen … but I would say that this is totally forgivable considering that it is not your average ball point pen!

For starters, this pen is extremely solid and well-made.

The end is interchangeable and functions as both a ballpoint pen and a self-defense kubotan or glass breaker. Inside the pen is a fire starter and the end is an LED flashlight. The top has a solid metal clip to hang the pen on a shirt, back pack, or brief case storage pocket.

All of the features the pen offers are fully functional making this Tactical LED Pen both  multipurpose and practical in one compact package.

I would say these are the perfect gadget for Father’s Day or for anyone interested in self-defense, the  great outdoors, or for your favorite dooms day prepper.

If you loved this item or items like this then you can check out more products at SurvivalHax.com. They have a really super cool website! They can also be found on Facebook by following Survival Hax.

I love HomeMade Accessories!

Me wearing my new necklace from Kimberly Love's Storenvy

If you haven't noticed, I love to share a little love with the smaller homemade accessories, as I feel the pieces are unique and beautiful. I recently placed an order at Kimberly Love's Storenvy accessory store. 

How I originally heard about Kimberly Love is when I was originally living in Germany. A photographer that I worked on several projects with had found Kimberly's page (originally on Facebook) as she is also a model. He brought her accessories to my attention, as he knew that I loved jewerly, to add to my kit for photoshoots (and within my own personal collection).

I was sad that I personally never got to work with Kimberly, but we remained friends on facebook, so when she put up a link to her store. I knew I had to check out what she had available to purchase, as I loved the various pictures of jewelry she had posted (jewelry pieces that she made for herself). 

What caught my attention and had to be the piece that I purchased first from her line was 

My new accessory is described as "Black and silver spike necklace 18" in length with extended chain to fit your desired length. Spikes are lightweight." 

Overall, I'm very pleased with the necklace, it's light weight around the neck so I don't feel like i'm choking. The actual look of the necklace is fun, it's edgy and very PUNK ROCK! 

I wore it to work today (which dress code is business casual) and it was still within dress code. I wore it this past weekend with a plain black t shirt and it just gave that extra little paspazz to a kinda plain outfit (especially if it's paired up with a smokey look). 

I think it will be one of my new favorite pieces, which I can easily the necklace with black stud earrings or some silver simple hoops. Since this piece is attention grabbing, if it were paired up with earrings that had too much going on, I think it would take away from the awesomeness of the necklace.

Things to note:

The necklace cost a total of $20.00 which I think is a fairly decent price for a nicer necklace. And  the total I was charged for shipping and handling was $2.97, which left me overall paying a total of $22.97 for my item.

Kim is very through in regards to communication with my purchase, she messaged me on Storenvy as well as my personal email to let me know of my shipping tracking number. **Which I was her store's first official customer on her site, thus she was kinda enough to offer me a discount on my next purchase (which I'm thinking I will be doing after my first paycheck from my new job). 

I paid for my item on February 16th, it was put out in the mail on the 17th (keep in mind it was being sent from Germany to the US via first class shipping) and was delivered to my home on the 25th. 

Overall taking 7 business to arrive at my home, as the post office was closed on Sunday and then again on Monday (for holiday). 

What I want to draw attention to is the actual packaging of the item I purchased.

My necklace was packaged as so inside a padded envelope.

Even more care as within the cute package is more packaging..my necklace was definitely safe! 

Under the bubblewrap, even more packaging!

Now I'm not at all complaining, the fact that Kim is taking such great care to make sure her creation and my item gets safely to me is fantastic! 

My first Piece from Kimberly Love

Overall, I'm very very pleased with my purchase. I think the price of the item was fair, shipping was fast (as well as very good price). And the fact that the item was so cute and awesomely wrapped that I can't wait to see what else she places on her site...as I want another piece for myself (and one to share!!!).

Check out Kimberly Love's Storenvy Accessory shop!!! 

Do you know about Royal Jelly

Joyal Beauty 

Timeless Skin Renewal Serum with Royal Jelly

I have become quite obsessed with serums as of recent, they are a great addition to ones skincare routine. 

Originally when I started to use serums, I thought they were meant for PM use only before your moisturizer but as the year has gone on. I have done a little more research as well as I have been using more products and noticing the difference in my skin. I have realized serums are good to use both in the AM and PM beauty skincare routine. 

Sometimes it's hard to decide which serum is best for your skin, and brands will make some pretty wild claims of what their product can do. I have been using Joyal Beauty sincer earlier this month, a different serum. however I saw this and was intrigued.

So I decided to look up the benefits of Royal Jelly, as I knew that came from Bees and this is what claims are made of using facial products with it as an ingredient. 

Royal Jelly Skin Benefits

While royal jelly has many benefits for general health of the body, today I decided to focus on the skin; here is an overview of benefits of royal jelly on skin

• It is rich in nutrients: vitamin B complex, amino acids and enzymes
• Has natural antibacterial and antibiotic properties
• It is an anti-inflammatory
• Has skin and wound healing properties
• Anti-aging, anti-wrinkle
• Sunscreen
• Antioxidant
• Improves immunity

Royal Jelly Anti-Aging

Tissue regeneration and repair and very essential for healthy, taut, young-looking skin. With age, the ability of the skin to renew cells becomes a little inefficient due to less production of collagen. This makes the skin appear loose, thin and saggy which to most people is unappealing.

To maintain the skin elasticity, all you need to do is boost the production of collagen. Studies done on royal jelly and skin show that it contains nutrients, minerals and antioxidants which support skin renewal and boost the production of collagen.

more info here

Decided to give it awhirl and have been using this particular serum. What's interesting about it, is the serum itself has a light yellow color to it compared to the others I have used, the color reminds me of honey (imagine that).

No scent, and it is easy to apply on the skin, absorbs quickly and I am very much looking forward to seeing the longer term results from constant usage. In the meantime, so far so good 

Below are some of the products I used most recently for a spanight in...gotta love spaing it at home using products that you already own and making it yummy and relaxing

https://www.amazon.com/Joyal-Timeless-Enriched-Propolis-Beauty/dp/B00L5R6DVM/ref=sr_1_53_a_it?ie=&sr=8-53&keywords=royal+jelly