Egg White Facial

Hello, lovelies!

This is an awesome facial that is fast, cheap, simple, shrinks your pores, leaves your skin silky smooth, and feels like you've had a face lift!

You will need:

-One organic egg
-two small dishes to separate the yolk and the whites.




1) Cleanse your face - remove make-up, pat dry with towel.
2) Crack open your egg! Separate the egg white and the egg yolk into the two separate dishes.
3) Apply the egg-whites generously over your face. It shouldn't take much to coat your whole face - you can save the leftovers!
4) Wait. The egg-whites will dry very quickly and you'll feel your skin tighten. Wait until you can't smile widely - shouldn't be more than a couple of minutes.
5) Gently remove with a wet rag soaked in warm water. It comes right off!
*note: it will take no longer than five minutes for the egg-whites to dry, but you can leave it on for longer if you wish. I like to keep mine on for 10-15 minutes.

THIS PART IS OPTIONAL
6) Use the egg yolk as a natural moisturizer!
7) Apply the egg yolk to your face as you did the egg white. Let sit until dry and then rinse off with warm water. Your skin will feel baby soft - I promise!
8) Save the leftovers! Make yourself an omelet or some scrambled eggs :)

Enjoy!

Today's LHH Tips - Kombucha, Plastic, Food

All right, so I'm sure I'm not the first person to blog about the health benefits of drinking Kombucha, but I don't care. For those of you who don't know, Kombucha is a fermented tea used traditionally for medicinal purposes. It supports, among other health benefits, digestion, metabolism, immune system, appetite control, weight control, liver function, body alkalinity, anti-aging, cell integrity, healthy skin and hair. I started drinking Kombucha about two months ago, and, although I can't tell you any major noticeable improvements in my overall yet, it's one of those drinks that just feels good to drink. And it's actually pretty darn tasty too! The Synergy brand of Kombucha (bottled out of Beverly Hills) comes in several flavors. My favorites so far are Mystic Mango, Trinity and Gingerade. Look for it at your local farmer's market or just go straight to Synergy's website if you're interested. Synergy Kombucha comes in a great 16 oz. glass bottle, I like to save mine and use them as water bottles.

You should drink water out of glass as often as you can, by the way. The plastic of practically every water bottle brand = no bueno for your body!
*SIDEBAR*
 You know the little number inside the triangle on the bottom of plastic bottles? It's not for recycling purposes. That number tells you the chemical make-up of the plastic. Although any kind of plastic is bad for you, the worst numbers for you are 3, 6 and 7. 
1 Polyethylene terephalate (PET)
2 High density polyethylene  (HPDE)
3 Unplasticised polyvinyl chloride (UPVC) or Plasticised polyvinyl chloride (PPVC)
4 Low density polyethylene LDPE
5 Polypropylene (PP)
6 Polystyrene (PS) or Expandable polystyrene (EPS)
7 Other, including nylon and acrylic

So, why are these bad for you? The chemical make-up of these plastics, especially 3, 6 and 7 can break down easily, and leach out of the plastic and into the water. This is also why you should never wash or re-use plastic water bottles. Whenever plastic of any kind is exposed to heat, it changes the chemical make-up, and causes the plastic to break down easily. These chemicals are harmful to your body and can, to be perfectly blunt, royally screw up your system. Besides, everyone knows water tastes better out of glass! :) Ok. Sidebar over.

For all you Phoenicians out there, if you have not yet checked out The Phoenix Local Market, I highly encourage you to do so! Not only does it have an awesome, retro vibe, it's got some of the best tasting food you'll ever find. Living in downtown has really opened up my eyes to the jewel that is local farming and marketing. Buying and selling locally is one of the most important things we can do for our community - and it's one of the most important things we can do for our health! The food you buy locally is guaranteed to be the best for you (unless you grow your own food) because it is fresh, and hasn't been produced in bulk. QUALITY NOT QUANTITY.

Lovely Things.

Although we can't take them with us, there are some lovely things on this planet that really shouldn't go unnoticed. I find that sometimes, it's the simplest things that make me happiest.

I have been lusting after this wardrobe from Anthropologie for years. It makes me think of Jasmine's birdcage in Aladdin. Actually, that's probably a huge part of its appeal for me.

I don't know what it is, but there's something about a wardrobe that makes me feel so girly. Then there's the wooden hangers:

I don't know what it is, but I love having wooden hangers. There's something about seeing my clothes all on the same type of hanger that just makes my heart happy. I can't explain it. Maybe it just makes me feel civilized. Also, I think it provides motivation for me to not throw my clothes on the floor. They look so pretty hanging on the wooden hangers, why would I ever want them to be on the floor?

Speaking of clothes...you know, there's a lot to be said for having nice things to wear. I'm really not the materialistic type, but I think dressing well is one of the biggest self-esteem boosts you can give yourself. Since I got a killer tax return this past month I took myself shopping...Anthropologie is so hard to resist. I daydream about hanging all my Anthropologie items on wooden hangers in that wardrobe..Hey. I'm a girl. A really girly one too.

I love this blouse. I wore it today when I went to the old bookstore in Tempe. There was a playful breeze that made the folds ripple so delightfully! I love spring. I love wearing materials that make me feel like a girl. Ya know?

Skirts are kind of a new thing for me. I've pretty much worn jeans every day for the past..oh..four years...I guess you could say I'm finally embracing femininity. It's a big step for me! This skirt looks super cute with the above blouse, by the way.

I also bought another skirt and a pair of navy, sailor style pants but I couldn't find pictures of them.

Oh, Anthropologie..I'm so glad I can only visit you once a month...otherwise my financial soul would be sucked dry.

Reasons to be Lovely, Happy and Healthy.

Well, hi there!

Ok, so what's this blog all about?

I'm a 20 year-old journalism student and I'm in a rut. I have learned a lot in the past couple of years about health, happiness, and loveliness (both on the inside and superficially.) Seriously, for a 20 year old, I'm kind of impressed about how much I know...ha! Talk about a Ron Burgundy-ism...

But you know, as much as I know and preach about it, I have a little tiny problem....it's called lack of self-discipline.

This blog is for me just as much as it is for you. It is here that I will record my personal journey into health, happiness and loveliness. Don't get me wrong, I'm a pretty happy person, a relatively healthy person, and I'm (finally) more secure about my physical appearance. But this journey is going deeper. I genuinely believe in everything I'm about to write about.

Our bodies are gifts. And they are gorgeous. It is capable of incredible feats of flexibility, strength, fluidity and mobility. Seriously, just look at yourself - not your face though. Look at your arms, your knees, your wrists, your shoulders, your belly button, your hips, your toes, your ankles. You're gorgeous. Your body was built for function, for movement, for life.

And as obvious as this may sound, I feel like it needs to be said.

Our bodies are living things. Treat it like it's alive. Run it, jump it, dance it, stomp it, scream it, pamper it, love it, take it on top of a mountain, let it breathe the air, let it grow, and feed it well.

So, there's your reason to be healthy. A bit out of order, but there you go.

Lovely.

What does it mean to be lovely? How many women do you know that you could truly call 'lovely'?

I don't care what you say, women and men are different. There are some things that men are better at than women, and vice versa. I honestly think feminism played a huge part in the death of chivalry. It frustrates me how so many women blindly accept the popular colloquialism that: 'anything men can do, we can do too.' Don't get me wrong, I'm as independent and strong-willed as the next woman, and I'm certainly not putting down our sex; if anything, I am passionately trying to preserve its dignity. I am a woman. I've got breasts, hips, thighs and soft skin. And there's something marvelous about that, isn't there?

Here's what I'm getting at: all women are lovely. I just wish we all believed it.

I have spent way too much time criticizing my body, my hair, my teeth and my freckles and not nearly enough time truly embracing the marvel that I really am.

"Vanity, thy name is woman" someone once wrote. But you know, vanity isn't always a bad thing. What's wrong with admiring your own beauty? In this humble blogger's opinion, it seems to me most women aren't vain enough. We're much quicker to moan, mourn and criticize our appearance than we are to praise it.

Loveliness, I think, comes from a place of security. I have just recently really become secure about myself - and I've found that I am no longer concerned with how I look from every different angle - rather, I have found myself engaging my focus towards other people's needs.

Being lovely means being loving. 

And when you're healthy and lovely, it follows that you'll truly be happy.

That's my theory anyway. We'll see if it works.


Until tomorrow!