Warning: You WILL sweat!

As I've mentioned before I am obsessed with Yoga and lately that obsession is on a whole new level. It seems to be my go to work out and there is a certain video I just can't get enough of. I literally saw results after practicing for 3 days; my arms were toner and stronger and my legs looked a lot leaner. If your in the market for a new Yoga workout I highly suggest checking out the video below, you won't regret it!

This yoga workout is so good, but be warned, it is intense! Use it on days you want a total body workout.

Let me know what workouts you've been loving lately!

Pink is the new Nude

You know how forever people would say "pink is the new black"? Well I feel like pink is really the new neutral. As in, if I want to throw in a nude shade, I go for a pink.
As most of you can tell, I LOVE pink. Yes, I went through that angsty phase that every girl goes through where I despised pink; But, as I've gotten older, I've come to realize that being girly doesn't mean you can't be tough as well. And with being girly comes a lot of...PINK. For me, pink is that perfect base that works as a basic neutral that I can build around.
As far as makeup goes, when I used to reach for a neutral eye palette I would tend to always go for browns and golds. Then I purchased the palette that completely changed my life. Okay, maybe that's a little too drastic, considering what I'm talking about here, but it really did change my mind on what a neutral eye can be. That palette is the Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Palette.

Can we just talk about how gorgeous this palette is? I first received a sample of it in a subscription box and after swatching the 4 sample colors I knew I HAD to get my hands on it. It is buttery, pigmented and the perfect neutral palette with just a punch of something unexpected. I love love love pink as a subtle neutral and since getting the palette, I've worn a pink eye look almost every day! With all the different pink tones you can do something super understated, something romantic, or something completely dramatic, all while keeping it very wearable.
Since I can't get enough of pink as a neutral, I also picked up these two eye shadows from e.l.f. They are more on the affordable side and the two are so perfect together, it's been my go to makeup combination.

I can't even handle the metallic sheen of the right shadow, so amazing! All these colors work so beautifully on any skin tone and are a fun update for Spring.

Tell me what do you use as a neutral shadow color?

Revealed 2 Palette
e.l.f. Baked Eyeshadow in Pixie
e.l.f. Long-Lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow in Soiree

The FODMAP Journey : Day 7

So we are a week into our low FODMAP eating and I've had some real high's and low's.
Firstly, I want to say that I'm not going to call this a "diet" because really it is a lifestyle change. Just researching and learning about all the things we were putting into our bodies before was a real eye-opener. I mean, I knew we weren't healthy eaters in any sense of the word, and obviously after the elimination phase I will be putting certain fruits, vegetables and grains back into my diet, but now I can do it with a lot more knowledge about how everything affects my body. I can decide what's just not worth having ever again (high fructose corn syrup anyone?) and decide what things I feel should be a treat as opposed to what I am okay with eating on a daily basis.
It is amazing to see just how much the things I was consuming was affecting my body. Pre low FODMAP eating, I often felt sluggish, bloated and "weighed down," suffering from constant acid or indigestion. Initially in the week, I felt really tired, I was craving caffeine so much I was considering buying the entire inventory of the vending machine at work and having a free for all and I noticed I was having a really hard time focusing. By the end of the week though, I was feeling energetic, my mood had increased significantly and I hadn't felt so good in my body in a really long time. As with any change in diet, it took my body a little while to adjust but it is so worth it to feel as good as I do right now.
My husband, who has most likely been suffering from IBS since he was 16, is a completely new person. Aside from having to put up with bread and muffins that don't quite taste the same without wheat, all his IBS related symptoms have disappeared. Within 48 hours it was as if he'd never had stomach issues, and within a few days he could eat without worrying about getting sick. He's sleeping a lot better and even able to enjoy spicy foods again!
Aside from the initial shock to our bodies, the biggest struggle has been having to make the time to cook all our meals. This not only includes meals as a whole, but also things like Ketchup and salad dressings have to be made from scratch. Yesterday alone, I made 4 meals and had to go to the grocery store 3 times. Today we had a really busy day and the only place we know for sure to be FODMAP friendly happened to be closed. It is very difficult in the beginning, because there is a lot of research that has to go into it. BUT, today I made an enchilada sauce from scratch and I have to say I was pretty damn proud. It feels good to know exactly what you are putting into your body and if you can't make the time to make sure your taking care of your well-being, then nothing else really matters anyway. 

Let me know what you eat that makes your body feel the best!

Stress Less Sunday : Baking Cookies, the low FODMAP way

Although it might not be for everyone, I've always felt relaxed while baking. It's something I truly enjoy and wish I could find the time to do more often. Since we started eating low FODMAPs, I've had to cook a lot more this week and find new recipes to try that we could eat. Today's recipe comes from the blog A Beautiful Mess, you can find it here. I tweaked it a little bit to make sure it met the low FODMAP requirements. If you are eating low FODMAP, make sure you use an almond and peanut butter that has no molasses in it. Otherwise, this recipe needed no other tweaks making it a really simple, delicious treat to try. The recipe has the cookies baking for 10-12 minutes; for me, my cookies only needed about 7-8 minutes. Make sure you watch the cookies and don't burn them like I did with the first batch!

My husband, who has been struggling with this diet, said these are by far the best low FODMAP treat he's had.

Let me know if you give them a try, and tell me what you did for your stress free day this week!

Sensationail Gel Nail Update

As promised, here is the update on the Sensationail Gel Nail Kit. Overall, I'm impressed. I'm at 7 days, which is usually when I like to change up my nail polish. Although there are a couple chips, they are so small they are almost unnoticeable. They are mostly around the tips. The instructions do suggest capping the polish, but because I had cut my nails super short right before trying the polish, I wasn't able to do that, which I think would have helped the tip chips. The nail polish is still super shiny and shows little signs of wear. I would say this kit is definitely worth the money! The next experiment will be trying the base and top coat with regular polish.

The polish after 7 days, still looking pretty darn good!

Have you guys tried any at home gel kits?

Fashion Friday : Favorite Coat

My favorite coat at the moment is a Plaid Flannel Overcoat I recently purchased at Forever 21. The weather has been strange this year. Really strange. So this coat was perfect. I found my normal Winter coat waaaaaayyyyy too warm this year so I needed something that would still be warm enough for the occasional snowstorm, but wouldn't leave me completely sweating on a day to day basis. This coat should still be available and was on sale, so that was major bonus points in my book.

I wanted to snap a few pics in it but ended up not having anyone who could take photos for me, so I've posted a few snapshots below of the model wearing the jacket on Forever's website. Since she does a much better job than I would have modeling the coat, I suppose things worked for the best!

The jacket has a moto-cut feel to it which is one of my favorite details!

The sleeves are a bit longer on me, but all the better to keep me warm.

The fit is true to size and the material and cut make the jacket look much more expensive then it really was! You can find the jacket here.

Let me know what you've been wearing out this Winter.

Angela & Roi

As I've gotten older, I've started buying more "investment" pieces, which means I shop less often but I'm getting more quality products. Angela & Roi is a company I recently discovered that make beautiful handbags. The company is owned by a couple, Angela & Roi, as the name suggests, who design classic style handbags that are Vegan leather. They are also all about philanthropy, so each color of bag is designed to help a specific cause. I purchased the red bag, part of whose proceeds go towards the fight against AIDs/HIV. The styles are beautiful and all bags are embossed with a Ribbon Logo as well as the name of the company. All around I feel like I am getting a quality product while also giving back to the community, and what's better than that?

Each bag comes in it's own duster bag for protection

I can't say enough about the quality of this bag!

I purchased the December clutch in Wine. I already have a wish list that's a mile long, these bags are soooo beautiful!

You can learn more and purchase from Angela & Roi here. 

Tell me what you've been purchasing lately.