The Natural Beauty Life - Pure Anada Review

Inspired by a friend who sent me a message the other night to ask what natural facial cleanser & toner I use; I've decided to share my secrets with the world!

Pure Anada: http://www.pureanada.ca/

A Canadian company out of Manitoba that I first discovered last year while on a trip to visit my sister who was living in Winnipeg at the time. After picking up my first product of theirs; a moisturizer, I was hooked. I did some research and found where I could buy more of their products and I tried some samples. 

I buy my Pure Anada products via the Pure Boutique: http://www.thepureboutique.com/ that sells all sorts of natural, organic, vegan and cruelty-free beauty products. It's a great site because it has a lot of different products that I like using and they ship so fast; I usually receive my products within a few days of ordering. It's also a great site because you can get cheap samples of almost all the products they carry so you can try before you buy. That's what I did with many of the Pure Anada products that I now love. 

My favorite Pure Anada products:

Fruit Enzyme Exfoliating Cleanser:

I love this cleanser because it's a gentle exfoliant that works to clean up my skin without being too harsh. It doesn't lather like a typical cleanser containing SLS does, but it still works great. It's made with basic natural ingredients and biodegradable beads.

Purity Treatment Toner:

This toner is part of a line formulated specifically for acne-prone skin types and it's been great in helping me deal with my most recent breakout. It contains witch hazel, chamomile and willow bark and it smells like a margarita! Along with the toner I also use the Calm Hydrator from the Purity line and these two in combination are great for when I have breakouts.

Scentless Hydra Lotion: 

This product has a special place in my heart because it was my first Pure Anada purchase and I still use this as my daily moisturizer. It's light enough to go on under makeup and sunscreen and its scentless which is great.

Revive Serum:

This is an anti-aging moisturizer that I primarily use at night. 

Awake Eye Gel:

This product is great for those bags under the eyes and I use it in the morning and at night.

This is just the skincare products that I use from Pure Anada and they have many more all natural and cruelty-free products that are great, especially makeup: more on that later. 

What are some of your favourite all-natural, organic, vegan and/or cruelty-free beauty products?

Thanks for reading and as always here's to your uncommonly wealthy life! :)

****Disclaimer: I am NOT receiving any kind of compensation from Pure Anada for writing this post. I will always inform you if such an arrangement is made.****

What I'm Thinking About Today - Health

I started a healthy eating challenge that I talked about earlier this week on the blog. In doing so my primary goal is to lose weight and feel healthy. The problem is that I sometimes make myself feel bad about the fact that I'm not seeing faster weight loss.

This is not cool and I have to remind myself that I've embarked on a lifelong journey of eating healthy and taking care of myself and it's not just about the vanity of losing weight. I try not to get seduced by the media and social messages of skinny is better. I just want to be my best self everyday and if that includes some fat on my body, so be it.

So here are some reminders that help me, and will hopefully help you as well, when I'm feeling discouraged in my health journey:

Fat doesn't automatically equal bad:

I'm on a journey to be healthier and it's an unfair assumption to think that anyone who has fat on their body is somehow out of shape or lazy. I know a lot of fit, athletic and in great shape people who have fat on their bodies. There is nothing wrong with fat; it's a natural part of all bodies.

It's about more than the image in the mirror:

I'm building a strong and healthy body and that's a good thing no matter what it looks like. I'm eating food that will lead to better digestion, skin and a boosted immune system and these are all great things.  My body is beautiful and wonderful just the way it is, even with fat, just like all bodies. Who I am is not my body.

Take stock of how far I've come so far:

There are measurable changes like the fact that I've lost 10 lbs and a full dress size as well as the non-quantifiable changes like how great I feel now compared to when I started. I've gotten stronger, I'm in better shape and my digestion has normalized; all things that help in many different areas of my life. Another huge benefit is that I'm happier than ever before and it feels good to have a goal to work towards.

Self-love and acceptance is much more powerful than criticism:

I've never had success in making life changes by being highly critical of myself and berating myself with negative self-talk. On the contrary, when I finally accepted my life and body just as it was and decided to love myself for the imperfect person that I am, is when I finally changed. I started making healthy life changes as an act of self-love because I now know that I deserve it, no matter what my current circumstances.

Reminder to be thankful:

As human beings we have a natural tendency to focus on the negative and this can lead to some negative views on ourselves and our lives. I must remind myself that I already have so much to be thankful for. I'm thankful that I have the ability and access to a gym and food on the regular basis. These may seem like basics but they are huge privileges that a large proportion of the world does not have. I'm thankful everyday that I'm alive, healthy and free. What else could one ask for?

I'm enjoying the journey of eating well, working out, loving my life, doing what I love and spreading my message. I can't wait to see what life has in store for me in the future but life is real only happening right now and that is the part that I'm enjoying right now in this very moment. Life is grand. What is one small thing you can be thankful for right now?

Remember you are uncommonly beautiful no matter what the scale or media or society says. Spread the love and share your unique and truly wonderful self with the world.

As always here's to your uncommonly wealthy life! <3 :)

Green Smoothie Health Challenge

Monday June 1, 2015 marks the first day of my 30 day Green Smoothie Challenge. 

Inspired by the Simple Green Smoothies gals: http://simplegreensmoothies.com and their 30 day green smoothie challenge that they hold a couple times a year I've decided to do my own. They have a challenge coming up in July but I didn't want to wait that long so I'm going to start my own for June. 

Here's the challenge: 1 green smoothie a day for 30 days. This smoothie will be a meal replacement for any meal of the day, I personally love to have them for breakfast, or as a snack. I'll be scouring the web for recipes of green smoothies that don't taste like grass and I'll share them with you as you follow along on this journey. 

Starting with my day 1 smoothie which is based on the Beginner's Luck smoothie from the simple green smoothies website. I halved their recipe for an individual serving and I added some extra nutrition and protein. 

I used my magic bullet and this how I made it: 1 cup greens; I used mixed kale plus 1 cup almond milk, which was pulsed until smooth. Then I added 1/2 cup frozen mango, 1/2 cup frozen pineapple and half a banana with 1 tsp each of flax seeds, ground chia seeds and brown rice based protein powder. I pulsed it all together and then we have deliciousness. 

This challenge is not just about the smoothies, it's a general challenge to myself to start eating clean. My diet will still be mainly fruit and veggie based with lean protein, seeds, nuts, lentils and pulses rich. I'm swearing off sugar except for a piece of quality dark chocolate once a day. I'm also going to minimize my dairy, caffeine and alcohol consumption. 

During this challenge I'll also continue my workout regime of weight lifting 3 days a week and cardio 3 days a week. I'm also going to concentrate on increasing my activity level in general by doing lots of active things with my free time. 

Follow along in my challenge here on the blog and on social media: Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.

Let me know about your own health & fitness goals, struggles and any challenges who've undertaken. As always here's to your uncommonly wealthy life! :)

Event - Health Hut Official Opening Party

On Thursday May 28, I ventured out to the official launch party of the Health Hut in Harbord Village at 171 Harbord St. http://healthhutboutique.com/

This is a modest little shop in the main floor of one of those cute converted Victorian houses. The interior of the shop is brightly light with small sections of various natural beauty brands; including standards like Tata Harper and many Toronto-based brands like Sudsatorium. 

The event itself was held mostly outside the shop in an alcove beside the building. It was setup with a table of products and testers, a DJ, snacks table and an open bar. I had myself some Beau's beer; an Ontario brand that prides itself on being organic, Eco-friendly and delicious. 

It was a pleasure to speak with the owner herself; Tara Miller, a holistic nutritionist, and get recommendations on products. I was eyeing a tinted facial SPF and she pointed out another less-expensive facial SPF product that she also carried. That was so awesome and very much appreciated. 

So what did I pick up, you may ask?

I picked up a Ilia lipstick in 'Wild Child' for my sistafriend, which I'm sure will be reviewed over at Sense of Aesthetic. I also picked up Graydon Products 'Sun Cream'; samples available from their website for $2 each: http://clinicalluxurybynature.com/products/sun-cream-nourish-your-face

I've been looking for a lightweight and natural facial SPF that I can wear on a regular basis and underneath makeup. As per Tara's recommendation and the little bit I tried on my hand, this product seems promising.

And lastly I got a sample of Aromaflage which is marketed as a 'botanical fragrance and insect repellent'. Sounds interesting. Again you can pick up a sample from their website for $3.50 each: http://www.aromaflage.com/products/aromaflage-sample

I'll do an in depth review of these products once I've tried them and made a decision on their efficiency. Stay tuned for that!

Overall I think the event was a success and I enjoyed it very much. My favourite part was watching the owner's mother run around making sure everyone was taken care of. Oh moms. :)

Thanks for reading and please comment, like and share. As always, here's to your uncommonly wealthy life. 

7 Ways to Heal when Times are Tough

In follow up to my last post in which I talked about emotional seasons and my most recent angry season; I'd now like to talk about what has helped me move on from the anger and into a fresh and beautiful new season of renewal and happiness.

In that last post I figured out what was causing me so much anger and I talked a bit about what I was doing to move through it but now I'd like to present you with some specific strategies that worked for me and I believe can help anyone going through tough times. 

Concentrate on the things I love:

What do I love to do and what makes me happy and how can I make time for these things? 

For me these things include: baking, cooking, gardening, reading, writing, weight-lifting, running, rollarblading, swimming, yoga, time with loved ones, time in nature and with animals, dancing, music and spending time for myself and allowing myself time to be creative.

Now ask yourself: what are the things that make me happy, the things that make time fly when I'm doing them?

Think about it, write it down, carve out time for them and get busy doing them and being happy. 

Talk it out with a close friend, family member and/or professional:

Who in my life is the person or people that I feel comfortable talking with?

I find it's best to talk to someone that will be a good listener because sometime you just need to vent it out without comments or advice. Find someone who you trust and who you feel can be an unbiased third party observer. 

I find talking with someone who is intimately connected is not always the best route because their emotions will be running high as well.

If you don't feel like talking about it then write it down. Journaling can be a very useful and therapeutic way to heal as well. 

Warning with this however: talk or write it out once and then leave it, because rehashing it over and over again doesn't change anything and it doesn't make you feel any better, trust me. If you find yourself obsessively thinking about it then it's time to consider talking to a professional. 

Channel my emotions into something positive:

What lessons have I learned, what difference can I make in other peoples lives that'll prevent myself and others from feeling this way in the future?

This means finding a positive from the negative by putting myself to work in a meaningful way that'll hopefully make a difference in other peoples lives. Not only does this help someone else but it also makes me feel better and distracts me from my thoughts. 

Writing this blog is a great way for me to do just that. What is one positive action you can take today to make yourself and others feel better?

Work it out through healthy outlets:

Do I have a regular healthy practice that I can throw myself and my emotions into? 

I have a regular exercise routine that I find is the best way for me to work through some of the anger and negative emotions that sometimes come up as a consequence of being human and living on this planet. 

I lift weights, run, swim, do yoga and meditate. What are your healthy outlets for anger and frustration?

Focus on yourself and take a break:

In what ways can I give myself a break and show myself self-care and love?

Sometimes it's just a matter of giving myself time and space off and away from regular life in order to heal and work through my emotions. 

I take time for myself by saying no to others and many of the outside demands on my time. I also make time for self-care rituals such as taking a bath, getting a massage, getting a facial, getting my nails done or going on vacation. 

What is one small act of self-care you can do today?

Remember that life is a gift and every day is precious:

How can I live my life to the fullest every day in order to celebrate this gift of life I've been given?

I think this one is pretty self-explanatory and a very personal question. The answer will change throughout life but as long as it's asked and answered regularly is the important part. 

Time to accept your fate and give yourself time to heal:

How long will it take me to heal?

The answer to that one is unknowable. Therefore I must accept that it'll take time to heal and the length of time it takes will be different every time. 

I accept that my emotions are valid and that what has happened has happened. I also accept that I can't force myself to feel better, sometimes it just takes time and that's ok.

If you are going through a hard time in your life or you are supporting someone else going through something then I hope this helps. I know that writing this has already helped me so thank you for reading and sharing. 

Leave a comment: what are some ways that work for you in helping you heal from hard times? 

I'm looking forward to the sunrise on a beautiful new uncommonly wealthy day!

 

The Natural Beauty Life

Here on the blog, I talk a lot about my inner world and how I keep it healthy. I'm going to start talking more about my outer world and how I also keep it healthy and uncommonly wealthy.

Aside from my personal musings that I occasionally share on this blog I want to also share some specific ways I live in an uncommonly wealthy way. 

I break down what my uncommonly wealthy life looks like on the 'New? Start Here!' page and the 'About' page. But for today I'm going to start off by talking about better beauty. 

In my younger years I simply dabbled in the realm of natural, healthy and Eco-friendly beauty. Due in large part to the fact that at the time there wasn't much on the market other than Burt's Bees, Kiss My Face and Live Clean. For this reason I found it hard to really get into it and never fully committed to the cause. 

In the last year or so that has all changed. With the help of bloggers like Sense of Aesthetic and Beauty Lies Truth, who actually have the patience to do the research needed as well as the availability of great resources like the Environmental Working Group (EWG); things are looking up. 

Consumers are more informed that ever, thanks in large part to the Internet, and we're pissed. We're starting to realize that there's harmful junk in our beauty products that has no place being there and we're not gonna take it. 

There are so many healthy and natural options on the market today, and usually available all over the world, that there's no reason for shit to end up in our beauty products. There are even recipes all over the internet for making your own products. 

This is an exciting time and I'm really happy to be in it. In the spirit of this blog and living a healthy life I'm going to start a regular posting where I highlight some of the great products and brands that I use. I'll highlight brands and products that I truly believe in and that have got it together in the natural beauty area of things. 

This will include all-natural, organic, cruelty-free and when possible fair trade beauty products. Things like makeup, lotions, shampoos, conditioners, soap, nail polish, lip balm, sunscreen and so on. 

This is going to be a really new and fun feature and will only be the beginning of posts having to do with how I aim to live life in an uncommonly wealthy and healthy way. 

Stay tuned and let me know what you'd like to see featured. Cheers! :)

Hello Life! Here I Come!

I woke up the other day with a very strange feeling as I remembered the succession of strange dreams I had had that night. As the details of the dreams fade I still recount the common theme among all of them.  

I remember that each dream involved a situation in which I was called upon to step up, be brave and save the day. And each time I hesitated, I hesitated and in that second of hesitation and non-action, someone else stepped up to the plate and saved the day. The thing that gets me the most is that I was left with this feeling of regret because I wanted to be brave, I wanted to be courageous and I wanted to save the day. 

I've always been the type of person to step up and help when people are in need and usually without hesitation. And I think that's way these dreams bothered me so much. But then it hit me: I've been living my whole life lately in this state of fear, in a state of hesitation. 

In the past I've always done the things that needed to be done in order to help others, in order to get myself out of bad situations and in order to create a life I love. But lately I have been hesitating, I've been living in my comfort zone because of my fear and resistance and you know what: it's making me miserable. 

I'm the type of person who helps without hesitation, I'm the type of person who acts in spite of my fear and I am a brave and courageous person. So now it's time to start acting this way. I've been putting off too much and avoiding possibly scary but possibly amazing situations for too long. It's time for a change. 

So with the help of a Mark & Angel Hack Life article: '7 Reasons it's Time to Move On and Embrace Change'; I happened to read that same morning, I've made a commitment to myself to stop with the hesitation and to start living my life.

I've been in this new city for about a year and a half now and I haven't done a quarter of the things I wanted to do and simply because I've been scared. No more resistance, I'm going to do it all and it's going to be amazing. 

Time for my uncommonly wealthy life to take shape! Stay tuned! 😊