Howdy y’all! I wanted to bring you something fun in the spirit of the holidays this week! Since everyone is sharing their favorite products/gift guides, I figured I would join the bandwagon and share some of my favorite products, items, and maybe give you some last-minute Holiday gift ideas. The goal of these products is to help you start off your, or someone you love’s, new year right and/or just share some healthy products to use for holidays and beyond!
So here we go!!
1. STAY ORGANIZED
The first product I would like to put the spotlight on is…. an Erin Condren Planner. Now I know this is probably pretty basic but, I have been using this same planner (with a different cover each year) for over 8 years now and it’s an absolute must. You can customize it to your liking and it is something I literally have to have! Seriously! I understand the new age thing is to enter everything on your Apple Calendar (or the equivalent), but science says that when you write things down you actually remember them better. Yes, I know, your mother told you that, but seriously, she was right.
Anyway, back to what I was saying… Not only does writing things down help you, but you can’t list your daily, weekly, or monthly goals on your virtual calendar. And maybe you have an app for that, but come on, how often do you check those nagging things? Especially if you have more one app? So, what do I do? Well, I do both! For important events, I will put the event, time, date, travel time, etc. on my virtual calendar and then on my paper calendar I add that, too, but I also include things like my food journal/log, weekly countdown/countup, daily, monthly, yearly goals, and then I will also include menstrual cycles, workouts, weight log, to-do list, and lastly, I use it almost like a diary in a sense, marking dates for when I start a new diet, workout routine, eating plan, etc. and track how I felt and what I experienced.
I find it’s a lot better to use my virtual calendar for meetings and important events and keep all the other smaller, yet still important, details on paper in one place (I do include the big events on my paper calendar, too, just a brief version of it). There is an app for everything, but keeping it all in one place, as in a planner, will help your mind focus on your tasks, goals, and keep track of your feelings and other important things your apps don’t include. So, let’s get organized!
Get your planner here: https://www.erincondren.com
Also, if you’re a big picture person, get a desk calendar. This isn’t a “must”, but for someone like me who is very visual, it comes in handy. I like seeing the overall monthly picture and being able to quickly write on it (I use this for workouts, big events, countdown, and seeing how I can spread my tasks out through my month better). I also buy this, too, every year and have for at least 8+ years now. I like the AT-A-GLANCE one the best because it’s very plain and can go on any desk, nothing fancy, and allows you to really visualize your month without any distraction. The last benefit to this is the small dates at the bottom. I circle or highlight important dates on this so I can have an idea of my entire year!
Desk calendar: https://www.amazon.com/AT-GLANCE-Calendar-Standard-Blocks/dp/B07QXT4M8F/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=desk+calendar&qid=1576637060&sr=8-5
2. STAY HYDRATED
Now that we are organized, let’s move on to hydration. I know I talked about water in pretty much all of my posts but I will show you my two favorite products just in case you need them. In the mornings I get my 1 Liter BKR and my 30 oz Yeti and fill them both to take with me to work. I begin by squeezing a fresh lemon in each of them and then adding purified water. I only add ice to my Yeti and use a special reusable plastic straw (made for Yeti’s – see below) and then I put my BKR in the office fridge when I get to work to keep it cold until I need it. I normally drink all my Yeti water by lunch time and refill it with water from the BKR for the rest of the day. This way I know I’m getting at least 65oz of water every day, which is a little over 8 cups of water!
BKR: https://mybkr.com/collections/bottle (only get the 1 Liter bottles – you’ll thank me later)
Yeti: https://www.yeti.com/en_US/drinkware/rambler-30-oz-tumbler/21070070030.html (I love my water really cold so I try to drink 1 of these a day in addition to the water in my BKR)
Lid & reusable straw: https://www.yeti.com/en_US/accessories/rambler-tumbler-straw-lid/YRAMBSTL.html?cgid=accessories#start=1
3. SPICE UP YOUR LIPS
Now let’s get into some fun stuff! 100% Pure is my favorite makeup/skincare line ever!!!! My girl, Bridget, and her mama, Miss Linda, introduced it to me and it’s amazing. I LOVE everything they make, like the lotion, body wash, scrubs, etc. and many of their products have won awards for being a great makeup/cosmetic product in addition to being chemically & basically everything clean. One of my FAVORITE products is the Fruit Pigmented Pomegranate Oil Anti-Aging Lipstick! I have one in the CALENDULA color and it’s so pretty! It’s a light coral nude just like in the description but what I love most about this product is that is feels like a lip balm, it’s that smooth. It also was the Elite Magazine Beauty Award Winner for 2019! Please try it, I promise you won’t regret it! (Next up: I want to try their mascara!)
Speaking of smooth, here is my favorite normal lip balm. And this stuff is WAY better than Carm*x (which actually has chemicals in it that makes your lips dry out – so that you have to continue using it, yeah I know, pretty sneaky).
4. FEMININE PRODUCTS
♫ Okay now ladies, “yeahhhh”, you know you bad? “yeahhh?” ♫ Well YOU NEED THIS PRODUCT. I repeat, you want it, you need it, oh baby, oh baby. (Too many references, but oh well). Anyway, back to what I was saying… if you haven’t tried MEGABABE you really need to. These products are a game changer. My favorite product is the Daily Deodorant (Rosy Pits), it’s all natural, free of aluminum, parabens, phthalates, sulfates and more. I’ve tried every product on the market, seriously since 2012, and I finally found the perfect deodorant that you can still feel fresh after a long day. Thigh Rescue and Bust Dust are also notable products in this line for all my girls who have a little “junk in the truck” or “extra love”, this stuff really comes in handy when it’s hot and humid! Those are the 3 products I have personally tried that I am absolutely in love with!!! I’m posting the set because, honestly, you need to try them all (just add the Bust Dust to the cart, too), you can thank me later. ;)
Set - Deoderant & Thigh Rescue: https://megababebeauty.com/collections/sets/products/bestsellers-set
5. HAIR
So, I really like this product but you have to keep in mind that I have fine blonde hair, but a lot of chemically treated hair, so for me this product works really well. It’s the only natural shampoo and conditioner that I have tried and liked. I don’t use it for every single wash but I do use it for every other wash and I think that’s good progress. It has ZERO: sulfates, parabens, dyes, phosphates, phthalates, and gluten. This is important because you want to reduce the amount of chemicals you are putting on your head and since I do color my hair I want to be good to myself as much as I can for everything else. The cleaner the better, in my opinion, but you have to make decisions that seem right for you. Maybe you don’t color your hair, but you do use normal shampoos, conditioners, etc. Do what works for you. But also, please know that the stuff at the store (most of it, anyway) has laundry detergent-like harsh ingredients in it that dry out your hair and can actually cause your hair to produce MORE oil, which is why you have to wash your hair more often. Arm yourself with the facts and then do whatever feels right to you! But if you are curious about using some natural products, try these out (remember you might have to go through a scalp detox period – if you have been using products with sulfates and other strong chemicals in it).
This is the BEST leave in conditioner EVER. I use it every time I wash my hair. It is literally “heart eyes”. REVERIE products are always formulated WITHOUT: sulfates, silicones, phthalates, parabens, glycols, petrochemicals, artificial fragrance, dyes, animal derivatives, T.E.A, D.E.A They are vegan, cruelty-free, and gluten-free, too.
6. MAKEUP BRUSH CLEANING & DRYING MACHINE
I love/hate cleaning my makeup brushes and this system helps make the process go so much easier and faster. Check this out. You will LOVE it! And you will actually start cleaning your brushes more often and getting all that oil, dirt, makeup, and germies out of your brushes!
7. MY FAVORITE TOOTHPASTE
Again, I have tried every Tom’s toothpaste on the market, and this one is my favorite. I have also tried the charcoal and all the other brands and this is by far the best and keeps my teeth super bright!!! It has no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives, its fluoride free and SLS-free!
8. FACE & BODY MIST
This is Rose-Cucumber face and body mist and it is wildcrafted, organic, natural, and has only 3 ingredients. This is what it says on the website, “Skin-cooling and refreshing cucumber distillate is blended with soothing, hydrating and nutrient-rich aloe vera gel and infused with rose oil to help cool, calm and soothe the appearance of sensitive or over-heated skin after exercise or in summer heat”. It’s all of that and more, I have ordered this many, many times! I LOVE IT!
9. MUSCLE & JOINT PAIN RELIEVER
Guys, this Deep Blue Line by doTERRA is my absolute favorite muscle relaxer/soother. Lately, I have been really sore in my neck and lower back and I have been applying this and massaging it into (or having it massaged into) my sore spots and let me tell you… this stuff is pure gold… if gold is icy cold. I really like this brand because it’s made with essential oils and no harsh chemicals, so it relieves your muscles without polluting your skin, always a bonus. They say the largest organ on your body is your skin, and whatever you put on your skin sinks right into your blood system. I think this product is truly better than beng*y and icyh*t. Again, the cleaner the better, in my opinion. I will link the sample packets and the smaller lotion size as well. Use this AFTER a hot bath and apply to sore areas, it will feel very cold but will bring a lot of relief. I love the smell of it, too!
10. ESSENTIAL OILS
Like I said above, my absolute favorite essential oils are doTERRA. I think they are the best type of essentials oils you can buy. So, if you are into essential oils they are the top of the line and made in the purest way. My very close second is Young Living essential oils, they are a little more affordable, better for diffusing, and they have a product that I personally find to be wonderful - their “Thieves” line. Thieves is very good for your immune system, to use during any sick season, and helps kill germs and bacteria. I love both brands for different reasons and they each carry some different products. I like the smell of most doTERRA products a bit better, minus their version of Thieves, called “On Guard”, which has orange peel in it (which I’m not a big fan of). There are thousands of benefits to using essential oils, but I’ll spare you now and do another post on that later. Just trust me, you need these oils.
And since we’re on the subject of essential oils, my last gift idea is to get your gift recipient a diffuser!
Well that’s it, folks!10 categories and 21 products later, I hope you found something new that you would like to gift, give, receive, or try out! I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and for my non-Christmas celebrating friends, a very Happy Holidays!
xx, Kimberly Ann