Category Archives: Beauty

Some of my favorite products for glowing skin you can find at the grocery store!

I personally live alone and I am able to get to the store if I need to for my essentials (and while I am there I do pick up some self care items). However, I understand not everyone has the luxury of being able to leave their residence. So here is what I have been loving for my self care days (some may have been featured before) with actual links to them.

ACURE Radically Rejuvenating Rose Argan Oil | 100% Vegan | Provides Anti-Aging Support | Pure, Cold Pressed & Rich in Vitamin E – Hydrates & Restores | 1 Fl Oz

My favorite face oil yet that I actually picked up from Whole Foods and never looked back.

Dry Brushing Body Brush – Round Exfoliating Brush, Body Brush, Dry Brush for Cellulite and Lymphatic Drainage Massager, Body Scrubber Brush for Skin & Body Exfoliator, Skin Brush

I looked up online how to properly dry brush and I love the exfoliation it does to my skin. Make sure to use before the shower and moisturize afterwards!

Thayers Alcohol-Free Rose Petal Witch Hazel Facial Toner with Aloe Vera Formula – 12 oz

I love using this after I wash my face.

World’s First Apple Cider Vinegar Gummy Vitamins by Goli Nutrition – Immunity, Detox & Weight – (1 Pack, 60 Count, with The Mother, Gluten-Free, Organic, Vegan, Vitamin B9, B12, Beetroot, Pomegranate)

I feel like apple cider vinegar really improves my skin health and I am so happy to have found it in a gummy form to easily take in the morning with my other vitamins.

Thoughts on Online Thrifting During Pandemic

I love thrifting. Whether it is in person or online, I used to spend a lot of my time at my local Goodwill and on Depop prior to the pandemic. In fact, I remember the last thing I bought before everything shut down was a long mint green blazer I could wear to work in the springtime weather.

However, as I am searching on Depop, I was wondering how safe is it to online shop or more specifically online thrift shop during these times. As a scientist, I had to research how long the virus can live on surfaces (which was considerably long amount of time for a virus) and looked up various other articles about risk of contamination during shipping.

And according to the CDC, “[T]here is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures.” That is good news for me and online store businesses. However, when buying online I still pondered the thought Is it ethical?

When I buy from Depop for example, I think about the one person I am buying from and that’s it usually. But since the pandemic, I think about every person that has to put themselves at risk to deliver my product to my door and if it is worth it. I think them having jobs during this time is a necessity but besides the fact that there is no where to go, my online shopping urge has abruptly stopped as I am still thinking about these questions. I have still ordered some necessities online but I can’t get myself to shop for other things anymore..

What are your thoughts?

My Morning Routine

I have been so mentally drained these past few weeks and have been trying my best to have a morning routine that keeps me sane and grounded. Here is what I have been doing that has been working best for me.

I get up and still make a coffee every morning. I do make sure I drink water first thing in the morning as I keep a water bottle by my bed but I still force myself out of bed at around the same time every day to make myself coffee.

Then, I fight the urge to back into the bed and go right outside. I try to get outside and soak up some sunlight first thing in the morning for a walk and listen to music or a podcast. This always calms my nerves and anxiety just getting the fresh air and some very light exercise as I don’t have the motivation to go on a hard run just yet.

I typically try to walk for about 30 minutes which is usually how long my podcasts last for and then I head back inside to try and make some breakfast.

I eat whatever I am feeling like as I don’t have to rush to get into the office, and as I am eating I usually check my work emails and such.

After I eat is when I usually stretch, do yoga, and meditate. Usually I do yoga for over an hour but lately I have been doing about 20 minutes of a yoga sequence and meditating for about 5 minutes at the end of the session.

Then to wrap up my morning I usually do a fun activity which can be anything from painting, dancing around to my favorite music, or having a bath… yes I said what I said. I got a Japanese soaking tub and it has been working wonders for my mood to soak in some salts. It has been a pretty fun activity for me to do in the middle of the day and boosts my mood to begin the second leg of the day.

And that’s it! What have your mornings been looking like lately?

Black Sustainable Beauty Gurus To Follow Right Now

With most sustainable beauty bloggers and gurus being white women, it is refreshing to see black sustainable beauty gurus out here making a difference. Here are my top picks for blogs and accounts to follow to get more ideas about promoting your own wellness while incorporating sustainability into your life.

Juices + Berries

Juices + Berries is an amazing blog by Jordan focusing around natural hair and self care. She has everything from a sustainable natural hair mask to self care tips for black women. I love this blog and her Instagram as she always encouraging others to live their best life. I really love how she is not shy talking about any topic in wellness including sexual health and wellness and gut health.

Carron Coleman

Taken from Instagram

Carron Coleman‘s blog is about her natural living lifestyle while promoting a non-toxic approach to your products. She is an amazing advocate for “clean beauty” and creates content specifically for black women. She also doesn’t shy away from difficult topics such as her fibroids, found commonly among black women.

Kaya Journey

Kaya Journey’s YouTube channel is full of green beauty tutorials. She is an avid plant lover as she has videos on repotting houseplants and how to grow your houseplants. She has beauty tutorials and unboxings as well on her channel. She hasn’t posted in a bit but I am hoping she will get the much needed boost soon to keep creating amazing content!

My Grocery Store Skin Care Routine

With all the malls being closed and me running out of skincare products, I had to learn what products worked for me at my local grocery store. Here is what I have been lovinggg from my local Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s:

First, I use Trader Joe’s All in One Cleanser in the shower to thoroughly clean my face. It is light and gets foamy to clean my pores. Then, I use Pacifica’s Super Green Detox Sheet Mask while I am drying my body and applying the Trader Joe’s Body Oil. This sheet mask really feels like it does work and leaves my face noticeably glowing afterwards. The body oil is also light weight and leaves me feeling soft.

After I am done moisturizing my body and let the sheet mask sit for at least 15 minutes, I rub in the excess product into my face and apply Acure’s Rose Argan Oil. This has been my favorite product during the quarantine thus far and I am able to use it as a stand alone moisturizer for my eczema prone skin. It really is a high performing moisturizer.

And that’s it, a very simple skincare routine for the quarantine days. What has been your favorite products?