Kitchen Hack - How to Make Your Own Whipped Cream in Under 1 Minute

I wanted to try my hand at making my own whipped cream due to all the chemicals and junk that can come in the premade stuff in the store.  I picked up some organic whipping cream at my local Whole Foods.  Since it's only me, I made half a cup with sugar to taste (a little over a tablespoon).  I didn't want to deal with lugging out and cleaning up the hand mixer so I whipped by hand....  Yeah, that turned out a little more intense than I thought.

So I posted my 10 minute experience on Facebook and the FB world answered: someone said their daughter used her Nutribullet to make whipped cream.  GENIUS.  So yesterday, I tried it in my Magic Bullet.  BAM!  I got whipped cream in less than 1 minute!  Perfection!  I gave it a good shake to make sure all the liquid settled to the blade, whipped it another few seconds, and I was good to go.

To sum up: use a super high speed personal blender system to get your own whipped cream in no time!

Sephora Beauty Classes

Today I adulted at 9 am and attended my first ever Sephora University Beauty Class.  More specifically, the Correct and Conceal class.  I was expecting a bunch of us to be sitting in front of a presenter who would show us several different techniques and tricks.  Instead, I was blown away by the personalized aspect of it.

For starters, I must admit I was late.  Hey, sometimes it's hard to get out of bed! :)  In my defense, I was only five minutes late so I can only assume I didn't miss anything because the other attendees were only getting their Color IQ done.  (For the record, that is an AWESOME tool!)  I was a dunce and had already done a full face of make-up, but luckily I only had to remove my foundation routine.  I wish that was spelled out more clearly in the confirmation e-mail or something. :/  Could've saved me ten minutes (*cough* I would not have been late!).

I was shocked to find there were only 5 of us attending (and I think max attendance is 6!).  There were six employees to assist us.  Crazy intimate!  Super awesome!  One of the employees was the model, someone whose skin concerns were addressed by the techniques of the class.  Legitsies right there, people.  Step by step demonstrations were shown, and we even had a fancy instruction paper to write it all down.  Totally appreciate that.  We were allowed to ask questions, and were given individualized attention.  Products that they thought suited us best were brought to us, and we had full pro brush sets and other tools in front of us to do it ourselves.

Wish I had taken (or known) about these classes sooner because they were even better than I expected.  The associates also spent time with me about skincare because I'm still struggling with my routine.  They also gave me products from a line that I suspected wasn't a good fit for my skin... which I confirmed today. :/  So that gave us more insight, and I was given samples of their suggestions.  I'm hoping their skincare class is soon because sign. me. up!!!

P.S.  It's true what they say, proper high quality brushes are everythinggggg.  Wish they had supplied us with cruelty free ones to use... then again, maybe it's a good thing my wallet isn't crying after the class. ;)  Black Friday is coming, though!!!

Journey To Live Wellness

In Summer of 2013 - July, to be exact - I began the 21 Day Sugar Detox because I was, frankly, sick and tired of feeling sick and tired.  I didn't feel myself anymore... and I didn't like it.  Since then, I've been on a journey of healing for my gut, pains, and inflammations.  My invisible illnesses.  I've been on a journey to live wellness and find my center again.

Support has been mixed, but I've persevered anyways.  I've discovered Paleo and clean eating.  For the first time in my life, I truly understand the meaning of "lifestyle change," something I heard multiple times in my Weight Watchers days in high school, thought I understood, but, really, I didn't... until now.

I've been on a journey of eliminating chemicals, preservatives, and artificial-ness from my foods to better my gut and reduce inflammation.  I'm going greener with my products (although I already did that on some level as it was) and ramping up my eco-friendliness even more.  Since starting my handmade business over 6.5 years ago, I've continued to ramp up my support of handmade and local in as many areas of life as I can.  Recently, I discovered my naivete in assuming all products are cruelty free so Sephora, Etsy, and I are having an extreme love affair right now to slowly switch me to cruelty free, high quality products as I run out of the old stuff.

My most recent venture?  Le-vel Thrive.  Despite my efforts, I have a LOT of hurdles to overcome to heal my body.  Genetics, meds, environment.  It's all taken its toll.  And while I've come a long way over 2 years, I still need more to plug in those nutritional gaps.  Because, really, who can realistically eat everything in a day that they "recommend" for health?!  I felt the difference right away because, YES, nutrition MAKES A DIFFERENCE in the way we feel.  And it saddens me that is not common knowledge.

So this is my journey to live wellness.  Documented in a blog so you can learn right along with me.  I'm excited to start this venture, another outlet for another passion of mine.  You get to learn with me, be educated with me, and make a difference in the world with me.

And I couldn't be happier about that.

So

thank you

for coming along.

I'm excited to see what happens!