My Green Gypsy

Skincare product rave: Acure Organics Seriously Firming Facial Serum

June 17, 2013 by My Green Gypsy | 2 Comments

If you’ve seen my Youtube video about facial oils, you know I love to use these silky, potent elixirs on my skin to keep it moist, supple, and wrinkle free (yes, I’ve been worried about wrinkles ever since I was about 12 years old!). Oils and serums aren’t packed with all the fillers that traditional moisturizers contain…you’re only getting the good stuff here! Even if you have oily skin, a facial oil will keep your skin balanced, moisturized, healthy, and more youthful.

I recently discovered a new one that I just HAD to tell you about. It’s by a lovely company called Acure Organics, and they’re committed to offering skin and hair care products that are free of nasty parabens, animal testing, gluten, silicone, synthetic fragrances, artificial colors, and phthalates. I purchased this product at my go-to online store for all things natural and organic, Vitacost.com. At around $20, I thought it was a very reasonable price for a USDA Organic product.

As you can see, I’ve gotten a lot of use out of it!

I’ve been using this product for several months, and I find it to be outstanding. It has a nice, fresh (somewhat herbal) smell, it absorbs quickly, it leaves my skin feeling uber-smooth, and it’s so pure and natural…which makes me feel great about using it. I love the glass pump bottle because it dispenses the right amount of product and keeps things sanitary, plus I can recycle it or refill it when the bottle is empty. I use it mostly at night when my skin is resting and repairing itself, but I’ve been known to use a few drops in the morning as well. I just give it a few minutes to absorb before putting on my makeup. I put a few drops in the palm of my hand, rub my hands together, and then pat it on my face (while inhaling the relaxing scent). I love it! This is a definite repurchase for me.

Reader feedback: Have you tried using facial oils? Why or why not?

Posted in beauty, organic, product review, skincare, vitacost

Go get your Groupon!

May 2, 2013 by My Green Gypsy | Leave a comment

Oh happy day! One of my favorite deal sites, Groupon, is offering a deal for The Body Shop again. If you watch my Youtube videos, then you know I love the Nutriganics Foaming Face Wash….I’m seriously on my 19th bottle (or something like that!). So it’s time for me to go stock up. With this deal, you spend $10 to get a voucher for $20, which can be combined with sales and the Love Your Body 10% discount if you’re a member.

So here’s what you need to do: If you’re not signed up for Groupon, go do it! You should find The Body Shop deal pretty easily, but hurry, because it only goes for a few more hours. And do you wanna know what else is awesome? You can use Ebates to save an additional 3%. Ebates is a way you can earn money back on all your online purchases. I use it ALL the time to shop at my favorite stores like Nordstrom, Sephora, Amazon, and Vitacost. Might as well get a little something back for all that online shopping! AND, if you use my little linky to sign up for an Ebates account (which is FREE!), we’ll each get a $5 bonus when you make your first purchase.

Ahh, stacking coupons and discounts…one of my favorite simple pleasures!

Posted in deals, products, saving money

Pumpkin seeds pack a powerful nutritional punch

April 26, 2013 by My Green Gypsy | 4 Comments

Whether you call them pumpkin seeds, pepitas, or punkin’ seeds (if you’re my mom), these “little seeds of squash” should be something you consider adding to your diet. I was relatively unfamiliar with pumpkin seeds until I started my nutrition education. In a class I recently completed, we were asked to record a one week food journal in order to perform a diet analysis to assess the nutritional health of our diets. Through this exercise, I learned that my typical diet was sadly lacking in vitamin E, zinc, magnesium, calcium, and several other micronutrients. While researching foods I could add to my diet to address this deficiency, I noticed that pumpkin seeds kept popping up on all the lists. So, I immediately went to the bulk section of my local health food store and filled up a bag. Ever since, I’ve been sprinkling them on salads and snacking on them between meals.

My lunch today: organic mixed baby greens, avocado, goat cheese, roasted vegetables, hard-boiled egg, pumpkin seeds

In addition to being a great source of protein and healthy fats, here’s what these little seeds can add to your diet:

Minerals. Pumpkin seeds contain the minerals phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, zinc, iron, and copper. Minerals are important because they help regulate your metabolism, support heart function, produce energy, maintain acid-base balance, and boost your immune system. Many people are mineral deficient because of the ways our crops are raised nowadays, so ensuring that you’re getting enough minerals is uber-imporant.
Tryptophan. We’ve all heard about turkey containing this lovely sleep-enhancing, mood-elevating ingredient, but pumpkin seeds are a great source too.
Phytonutrients. These little guys contain potent compounds that can repair cell damage, build strong immune systems, and act as antioxidants (which are cancer’s enemy).

Here are some great ways you can incorporate pumpkin seeds into your diet:

Sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top of mixed green salads.
Roast them with spices like curry for a tasty snack.
Roast them with cinnamon and a bit of raw unfiltered honey to top yogurt or oatmeal.
Add pumpkin seeds to your oatmeal raisin cookie or granola recipe.
Eat ‘em by the handful!

I recently found a bag of them at Marshall’s (is it just me, or have them been carrying lots of interesting food items lately?). I like mine unsalted and shelled, but they’re even healthier if you eat them with the shell on because that’s where most of the fiber and zinc are.

Let me know how you end up incorporating these beauties into your diet. They are so good for you!

Posted in health, Nutrition

5 things you didn’t know about me

March 7, 2013 by My Green Gypsy | Leave a comment

It’s time for “get to know the blogger!” here at My Green Gypsy. I know that when I read blogs, I love getting a peek into what the blogger is all about. So here are a few random facts about me.

1. I love Michael Jackson. In particular, this Michael Jackson. What can I say? I am a child of the 80s! I remember listening to the song “Thriller” on a tape player with my sisters while we hid under a blanket because we were scared of the creepy voice and laugh at the end! I think MJ was an amazingly talented singer, dancer, and performer, and I can’t help but get up and dance every time I hear one of his songs.

Michael Jackson cute

2. I want to raise chickens. Yes, indeed. I’m obsessed with the idea of raising backyard chickens, and this WILL happen. I already have the feeder and waterer! Just need to get a coop, and of course, some baby chicks! I just love the idea of having my own farm-fresh eggs just like Martha Stewart does. Plus, they’re healthier, tastier, and I think having chickens will be really fun. I will let you know how this goes.

3. I love to sing. I grew up singing with my mom and sisters, was always in school choir, and even got accepted into All-State Choir when I was in high school. Now it’s just something I do for fun around the house and in the car, but singing will always be a passion of mine. The video below is over 3 years old and I just learned the song minutes before we started recording, but here’s a sample!

4. Sushi is my favorite food. I’m pretty sure I could eat it every day for the rest of my life. So good!

5. I had back surgery last year. I’ll go into more detail about this in a future post. I’ve never broken any bones or really had any medical procedure to speak of, so this was a scary experience. But after dealing with months of excruciating sciatica (that feels like someone is stabbing you in the butt with a knife), this surgery was a lifesaver for me. Here I am before going into the operating room.

Well, there you have it. A few random tidbits. Now, tell me something about yourself. The weirder, funnier, and more random the better!

Posted in About me, favorite things

Halloweens of the past

November 1, 2012 by My Green Gypsy | Leave a comment

Well, Halloween is over! Did you get a lot of trick-or treaters where you live? We had quite a few, and had a jolly time trying to scare them! I wore a scary mad scientist mask and my boyfriend was in a gorilla suit. I pretended like my pet gorilla had escaped and gone crazy stealing candy. It was hilarious watching the look on some of the kids’ faces!

For fun, I thought I’d share some photos of some of my Halloween costumes from the past few years.

Ahh, the old flapper costume. I bought the dress and accessories from Walmart, styled my hair (which was pretty easy since it’s already cut in a similar style that they wore in the 20s), and watched the Youtube video below several times to figure out the best way to do my makeup. This one was really fun!

Okay, now this one we thought was pretty clever. My sister and I dressed up as the girls from Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love” music video. My brother-in-law was Robert, and he had the song playing from mini speakers in his pocket, and carried around a microphone while he lip synched the lyrics. We bought these goofy toy guitars and pretended to be playing them. The hardest part was keeping a straight face!

Here’s what I modeled the makeup after:

If you haven’t seen the video, watch it now! It’s hilarious.

Lastly, here’s my witch costume. I covered my face with concealer to even my skin tone and provide a sticky base for the green eyeshadow. I used a Revlon ColorStay green eyeshadow quad to create the green face, and used Urban Decay’s 24/7 lip liner in Gash for my lips. I topped it all off with a wig and hat, and a black dress. And of course I carried a broom!

Reader feedback: What is the best Halloween costume you’ve worn?

Posted in beauty, friends and family

Wet sock treatment

October 26, 2012 by My Green Gypsy | 2 Comments

I did something weird last night: I slept in cold, wet socks. Why on earth would I do that? Well, I had never heard of such a thing until the past week. In the class I’m taking, we were discussing methods of hydrotherapy (mineral baths, neti pots, etc.), and the topic of the wet sock therapy came up. I was intrigued and decided to do a bit more research.

This holistic and naturopathic treatment is intended to boost the immune system and fight off the onset of flu or colds and other infections. By putting icy cold, wet socks on your feet, your body reacts by increasing circulation to warm your feet, which stimulates the immune system and can help relieve congestion in the upper respiratory system. It also has a sedating affect and helps you to sleep, believe it or not! If you start to feel sick, worn out, or you can’t seem to get a good night’s sleep, this treatment might be worth trying. I’m pretty anti-medicine and like to treat myself holistically whenever possible, so I thought I’d give it a go. I’ve been feeling a bit worn out lately, and thought a little immune system boost couldn’t hurt.

Here’s the protocol I followed:

1) I took a hot bath with Epsom salts and eucalyptus herbal bath oil from Kneipp (so soothing!).

2) After drying off, I soaked a pair of thin cotton socks in ice water and wrung them out until they were just damp.

3) I put them on my warm feet. Eeek!

4) I covered my feet with thick wool socks. Ahh, that felt better.

5) I immediately went to bed.

The results? Well, first off, I slept like a baby. I’m a pretty good sleeper, but last night was pretty epic. I turned in early, so I got a full 8 hours of sleep. But more than that, I had a deeply restful, rejuvenating, crazy-dream-inducing sleep. I normally hate sleeping with socks on, but for some reason, I felt extra cozy and warm last night. My feet weren’t cold at all. The amazing thing is, when I woke up, my feet and the socks were bone dry. How could that be?

I don’t have a cold, so I can’t say whether this reduced congestion, but I’d certainly try it again. It’s so easy and harmless, and I have to say, I feel pretty fantastic today.

DISCLAIMER:

I am not a physician, and this is only my account of trying a natural remedy. If this is something you want to try, do your own research and consult with your physician if necessary. Certain people may not want to try this treatment, such as those with circulatory disorders, diabetes, or those with certain types of cancer or HIV.

Reader feedback: What are your favorite home remedies?

Posted in health

10 things I’m loving: Autumn edition

October 25, 2012 by My Green Gypsy | 2 Comments

Awhile back a posted about my favorite things about summer, so now that autumn (or fall, depending on what you like to call it) is in full swing, I thought it was time to delight in all of the glorious simple pleasures of the new season.

1. The color of the leaves right now. Of course this has to be #1. Autumn brings vibrant hues everywhere you look, and it makes me so happy.

2. Burning candles. I stocked up on some new scents of the season at Bath and Body Works when they were on sale. I’ve been loving Cider Lane and Cinnamon Sugared Donut.

3. Facial oils. Due to the cooler weather and less humidity in the hair, my skin is already starting to feel dry. I love this balancing facial oil from Suki because it smells awesome and nourishes my skin beautifully.

pure facial moisture - balancing

4. Downton Abbey. OMG. I’m late to the party on this one, but I recently discovered this show (thanks to Megan from The Detoxinista) and I’m utterly obsessed. How could a show about rich aristocrats and their servants be entertaining, you ask? For me, I love the history, the gorgeous period costumes, the love stories, and the fact that it’s relatively “clean.” And the granny’s witty comments crack me up! I finished watching the first two seasons, and now I’m re-watching them because I love it so much. Yeah, it’s that good.

5. Meyer lemons. These babies are back in stores, and the flavor is amazing. It’s like a slightly sweeter lemon, and just thinking about it makes my mouth water! I’m looking for more ways to use these in my cooking because I love them so much.

[Photo from BunkyCooks]

6. Being a student again. As I mentioned in this post, I’m going back to school for holistic nutrition. It’s been tough juggling reading and homework with a full-time job, but I enjoy the subject matter so much, it doesn’t feel like work!

7. Colorful pea coats. If I could, I would have a pea coat in every color. I especially love these from Lands End. When it’s cold outside and you wear a coat everywhere, you have to have cute coats, because people can’t see what you’re wearing anyway! I already have red, bright pink, charcoal grey, and chocolate brown, but this baby blue one is calling my name.

8. Eating healthy. I’ve really been working on my diet lately. I’ve almost completely cut out dairy, and I’m eating tons more fruits and vegetables and less processed foods. I’m even down to only 1-2 cups of coffee a week! I’ve been doing a lot more juicing, and I love the way it makes me feel. It can be expensive stocking up on organic produce, but I’d rather cut back in other areas of my life (buh-bye impulsive nail polish purchases!) and feed my body the best possible nutrients. Health is everything!

9. Darker nail polish. Speaking of nail polish, I’ve been digging through my stash and pulling out colors I haven’t worn since the beginning of summer. Dark burgundy, navy blue, and grey have been on my tips lately.

10. Flannel pj pants. When I’m at home, I pretty much live in flannel pajama bottoms. Last Christmas I got some from Old Navy and Victoria’s Secret (they come in long lengths, so I don’t end up with capris after I’ve washed them a few times) and I can’t get them on fast enough when I get home in the evenings. They feel so soft, comfy, and warm. They make me happy!

Reader feedback: What are you loving your life right now? What simple pleasures are bringing you joy? I’d love to hear!

Posted in favorite things, happiness, home, simple pleasures

Tiffany box pillows

October 17, 2012 by My Green Gypsy | 2 Comments

I know I’m not alone when I say that I love the color of Tiffany and Co. boxes. That sweet mix of blue and green just makes me happy. So happy, in fact, that I dedicated an entire Pinterest board to it!

So, when I saw these pillows in Target a few weeks ago, bells went off in my head. Since they came in a set of two with a white ribbon tied around them, it was like, “Ding, ding, ding!”– these will be Tiffany box pillows! The pillows are a nice, soft, faux suede, and they do come in other colors as well. I snatched them up for $16.99 (as of this posting, they are now on sale online for $15.30). The ribbon that they’re tied with is a grosgrain ribbon (you know, the kind with the ridges on it) and it isn’t long enough for both pillows, so I ran over to Joann Fabrics and picked up a spool of white satin ribbon (with a coupon, of course!).

I watched a Youtube video on how to tie the bow just like they do at the Tiffany stores, and voila! I’m currently redecorating the room where I record my Youtube videos, and I think I know just where these will go!

Do you like?

Posted in decorating, home, saving money, simple pleasures

My bob haircut from Vidal Sassoon

October 10, 2012 by My Green Gypsy | Leave a comment

One of the most frequent questions I receive on Youtube is about my haircut. I have to admit, I LOVE my haircut. When I was a little kid, I had boyish short hair and in middle school and high school I had long hair and bangs/fringe. After high school, I had enough of the bangs and went through the grueling and awkward process of growing out my bangs. Because I have fine hair (and lots of it) that’s absolutely stick straight, I don’t think this was the most flattering look for me. It just looked limp, flat, and boring. And since I’m the kind of girl that likes to spend more time on my makeup and no more than 5 minutes on my hair, I never did anything with it.

In 2006 I decided to take the plunge and chop my hair off into something that would look sophisticated, polished, and stylish. But most importantly, I had to be able to style it quickly and easily. Knowing that they have an excellent reputation for cutting very precise bob haircuts, I booked an appointment at Vidal Sassoon. I remember my palms were sweating as the stylist made the first cuts, as I was chopping off about 8 inches of hair! Afterwards, I felt like a new woman. If you’ve ever cut off a significant length of hair, you know how great it feels. Your hair feels thicker, healthier, and bouncier than ever before. It’s amazing!

Long story short, I was thrilled with the results, and it’s sort of become my “signature” cut. I even had my blog logo girl designed with the same cut. Isn’t that cute?!

If you’re looking to get a similar haircut, my best suggestion is to bring pictures of what you’re looking for. For some inspiration, check out my Pinterest board. Ask the receptionist if there is someone at the salon who specializes in this type of cut, because not every stylist likes doing it or is patient enough to do it right. My bob is a-line, meaning it’s longer in the front and shorter in the back (so short in the back that they actually shave the back of my neck!). It blows dry in just a few minutes, and with a few swipes of a flat iron afterward, I’m ready to walk out the door!

Posted in beauty

My Travel Essentials

October 4, 2012 by My Green Gypsy | 2 Comments

I adore traveling. Road trips, weekend getaways, backpacking through Italy, cruises, you name it…I’m there!

I do have a confession: I’m the world’s WORST packer! I don’t know why, but I always wait until the last minute to start packing, and it turns into a major event of cleaning out my closet and cleaning under the bathroom sink. It’s like I have to tear my whole house apart before I can decide what to pack!

When I travel, even if just for one night, I like to come home to a clean and organized house. I like to change the sheets on my bed, clean out the litter box, have all my laundry and dishes done and put away, and clean my kitchen and bathrooms. Something about coming home from a trip, opening my front door, and saying “Ahhhh, I’m home” just feels good to me. So inevitably, I end up spending my time cleaning instead of packing, and I stay up all night packing before I leave. Probably not the best habit to have!

Here are some of the travel essentials I always try to remember when I go on a trip.

1 and 2. These two palettes come from the LORAC Bejeweled Day & Night Jewelry Box that came out last winter. They are super slim and don’t take up much room in my makeup bag, yet give me tons of neutrals and fun shades to choose from when I’m doing my makeup. They’re really great quality, too!

3. My pink Tweezerman tweezers. Because you never know when a stray eyebrow hair will decide to grow!

4. A stretch jersey robe. It’s light, doesn’t take up much room in a suitcase, and I like wearing a robe when I’m getting ready– it sure beats trying to make a wrap out of those tiny hotel towels!

5. Evolu Travel Tower. This thing is genius. It’s made by Evolu, an all-natural skin care company out of New Zealand. The little jars stack on top of each other and it comes with a creme cleanser, day cream, night cream, exfoliator, eye gel, and cuticle cream. You can refill it with your own products when it runs out, and it’s super convenient!

6. Q-tips. I love using these travel containers so my Q-tips don’t get dirty and/or all fluffed up in my makeup bag.

7. Slippers. I never travel without slippers. The idea of walking barefoot in a hotel room is just disgusting to me. My bare feet never touch anything on the hotel floor. These slippers are the from Bath and Body Works, but I don’t think they carry them anymore.

8. Boscia Clarifying Detox mask. This mask is amazing at calming redness and making breakouts go away. I bring it when I travel so I can give myself a nice facial in my room at night. Pretty skin is always a must!

Off we go!