looking towards summer: how do you protect your skin?

good morning! i was catching up on the interwebs this morning [something i haven't done much of with the new pup!] and i came across this post from sally and molly at a piece of toast about a new brand of swimwear called cover. designed by a couple of skin-conscious ladies who wanted better looking protective swimwear. i think they succeeded! their collection is spf 50+ and still attractive/mature/sexy. 

it got me thinking about summer and what my game plan is for protecting my skin. if you have ever been poolside with me, you have probably witnessed me covering myself in opaque white sunscreen + sitting under an umbrella + covering myself up with a towel. i love feeling the warmth of the sun and being outside, but i do not want to mess with the wrinkles, sunspots and possibility of skin cancer that can come from too much unprotected sun exposure. 

inspired by cover, i started checking around for other cute, long-sleeved swimwear. i found these at j.crew. i love the cute prints and the bright solids. i'm digging the bottom right one. i would pair it with some patterned bottoms and call it a day. i also like the tomboy feel of the swim shirt. it would make me feel like the surfer-girl that i will never be!

what about you guys? how do you protect yourself in the summer? have you ever worn protective swimwear [in your adult life]? do you love to tan despite the health risks?

<3 jojy

[photos from left to right: one//two//three//four// via j.crew]

product review: soapwalla activated charcoal and petitgrain soap bar

it's been a while since i've done a natural beauty post! and i'm excited to review this little guy for you all.

i ordered the soapwalla activated charcoal and petitgrain facial and body bar towards the end of january. i woke up and my skin was just a mess. and i felt frantic and insecure. i opened my computer and saw something on facebook that nubonau had posted about this soap. all i saw was "good for blemish-prone skin" and i stopped reading, signed onto nubonau, put the soap in my cart. as i was clicking the last button to complete my order, i quickly yelled to harrison, "can i order some soap? its only ten dollars!" and, before he answered, i had already ordered it and felt just a little bit calmer.

my first reactions:

• it smells really good. kind of a light, earthy, floral scent. not overwhelming. 
• it's black. that's kind of weird, but i also kinda dig it. 
• it has a suuuuuper silky lather and feels very nice and luxurious on your skin.

after a month's use:

• my skin generally feels smoother [which is saying a lot since its winter and i usually get seriously dry skin]
• it's great for daily use. doesn't over-dry, which most cleansers for acne usually do.
• my break outs are not gone, but they do seem to be healing more quickly. my skin breaks out a lot more during the winter, so the fact that my skin is healing quicker is a sign that the soap is helping, i think. i'll be interested to see how things go in the warmer weather using this soap. 

will i buy this product again? yes. absolutely.

would i recommend this product? yes. absolutely.

is it worth $10? yes. absolutely.

there ya have it!

<3 jojy


[you can buy this product here and here]

clean shampoo and haircare

haircare is probably the hardest thing to switch over when trying to go natural with products. we're addicted to super saturated fragrances in our shampoos as well as the "clean" feel we get after a wash. buuut it turns out that the "clean" feeling we get is part of the problem. pretty much all shampoos that you have heard of and used [regardless of price. i'm talking drugstore quality to high-end salon quality] are made with nasty chemicals that seep into our scalps [your scalp is basically a sponge]. not only do these chemicals strip our hair of its needed, natural oils but they also act as hormone disruptors and skin irritants. these same chemicals can be linked to some cancers and reproductive/developmental toxicity. scary stuff, right?

so. what natural shampoos are the best? i have tried about four different kinds, but there are SO many more than that. it seems like, as the natural thing catches on, there is a new brand out there every day. [all of my shampoo recommendations listed at bottom]

of the natural shampoos that i have tried so far, my favorite is Acure Organics. i have tried all three shampoos+conditioners from their line, and i have enjoyed every single one. i think the green one is my favorite though. here are the things that i love about it:

• it has a strong and delightful scent. it's different, but it's good.
• IT LATHERS. this is particularly hard to find because the lathering agent in regular shampoos is actually one of those not so great chemicals. so finding a natural one that has even the slightest bit of lather is a rarity.


it's only about $10 depending on where you get it. less expensive than salon brands and only slightly more expensive than drugstore shampoos.
it gives more of a "clean" feeling than some other natural brands do.

some of the biggest complaints i've heard about making the switch to natural shampoos are 1) the lack of lather issue and 2) the feeling of not having clean hair. i think this shampoo conquers both of these pretty well. it's true that natural shampoos leave a little oil in your hair, but that's because your hair needs it. all you girls who say "i have such greasy hair that i have to wash it everyday, sometimes even twice a day" - the washing of your hair is causing the problem [and probably the kind of shampoo you are using as well]. when you are constantly stripping your hair of its natural oils, it goes into over-time, producing more and more oil to make up for what you have just washed out. it's a vicious cycle that can't be stopped until you back off a little and let your hair calm down. so, whether you are cutting back on washing as often, or switching to natural shampoos altogether, there is a little bit of time where your hair will feel weird or dirty before it readjusts to the change. PRO TIP: wash your hair backwards! meaning, use conditioner first and shampoo second. this is especially good for us fine-haired ladies who get weighed down and greasy from conditioner.

natural shampoos won't feel exactly like your herbal essence, and you'll have to get used to it for sure. but i think we can all move past that for the sake of health, right? right.

also, if you guys aren't using a dry shampoo, you're doing it wrong. dry shampoo is a great way to deal with having a little more oil, whether from less washing or from changing to a natural shampoo. it's also a fantastic way to gain volume and to cut down on getting ready time if you don't want to wash your hair [all my dry shampoo recommendations listed at the bottom].

so what is my personal hair routine? right now i wash my hair about once a week. [and for all of you thinking that i can get away with that because i have short hair, you're wrong. when my hair was long, i was only washing it twice a week. and i know plenty of ladies with longer hair than i ever had that only wash it once a week.] anyways, i wash it once a week and then, twice each week, i use conditioner only. the rest of the time i just use dry shampoo along with a little texture cream for style. and honestly, that's about the same thing i did with long hair as well.

have you all ventured into natural haircare? have you had trouble switching over? have a favorite brand? think everything i am saying is bull****?

<3 jojy


natural shampoos i have tried and liked:

• Rahua
• Acure Organics
• evo [this is the brand they use at the salon i go to]

the one that i have not liked:

• John Masters

brands that i want to try that have gotten great reviews:

• Yarok
• Intelligent Nutrients [made by the founder of aveda]

dry shampoos:

• Lulu organics [you can also find it in travel size for cheaper]
• The All-Nighter [comes in different colors to suit your hair color so as not to leave a white residue. GREAT for  some serious volume]
• Acure Organics [haven't tried this one but i'm sure its great.]
• or just use regular ol' organic corn starch. i have the lulu and the all-nighter but i typically just reach for a little corn starch and rub it in real good on my roots.

all of the links lead to where you can buy each product. if you don't do online shopping, i reccomend checking your local whole foods and vitamin shoppe. 

[images from spiritbeautylounge.com]

spring time beauty wish list

juice beauty SPF 30 tinted mineral moisturizer: i'm thinking this would be a great makeup for summer. it has SPF which is a must [all day every day, you guys!] and its lightly tinted. assuming my skin is clear enough, i would probably just wear this with a little blush and mascara and be done.

ilia beauty lipstick in "neon angel": i want this stuff so bad. ilia has been my go to lipstick for about a year now but usually only in the red category. i don't know what has come over me, but for the past couple weeks i find myself looking at this lipstick several times a week thinking over when i can buy it. the colors of clothes i wear tend to be more neutral so i feel like i could do this neon lip no problem. i can't stop imaging an all black outfit with a neon pink smile. do you have the image in your head? i'm rocking it, right?

clarisonic mia sonic skin cleansing system: i have been hearing about these forever but never paid them any mind. maybe it's cause my winter skin in freaking out a lot lately, i don't know. but all of a sudden i feel like i need this. has anyone out there ever used one? i think the idea is that it just cleans your skin way better than you clean can it with your hands. apparently it really helps with acne. i'll take it. bonus, they come in fun colors!

soapwalla luxurious moisturizing body oil: i don't know why but i hate lotioning my body. i guess i just feel like it takes too long, and i get lotion everywhere, and it never dries fast enough, etc. but i have never tried a body oil. i love my face oils, so i feel like a body oil could be really great. i also have a weird red itchy rash all over my stomach sometimes [no doc has ever successfully diagnosed it] and i bet it would go away if i was consistently putting a quality body oil on.

have any of you used these products? i'm hoping to get some of these for valentine's day, in my easter basket and/or for my birthday. [hint hint, husband...]

<3 jojy

get physical

i've been exploring different types of exercise over the past week or so because i've been having some knee trouble. i'm usually somewhat of a runner because it's the quickest, easiest, cheapest and most instantly satisfying kind of workout for me personally. but sometime around thanksgiving my right knee started hurting about a mile into a run. i got harrison's aunt ellen, who is a physical therapist, to check it out for me and she told me it's because i'm weak! ha! apparently i have very weak legs and very weak hips. because of the lack of muscle, my knees kind of go loosey goosey and turn in when i run instead of staying straight. thus causing the pain. thus making it so i cannot run. she gave me some strengthening exercises to do [probably for the rest of my life] and after a couple of weeks, i can try to run again, hopefully without knee pain! aunt ellen said this is a common problem with people who are "slight of frame" like me and it's just a weakness issue. it kind of makes me laugh though cause my legs can take me so far! how can they be so weak?!

i am someone who really needs some sort of physical activity at least 4 days a week. i love my running endorphins. especially in the winter months and especially around the holidays. so, in order to stay stress-free, happy, fit and healthy, i've been forced to branch out and try different kinds of exercising during my running hiatus.

this week i have been doing a quick morning yoga sequence for about 25 minutes every morning. then when harrison gets home from work we go for a brisk 20 min walk followed by an intense 10 minute workout video, followed by some ab exercise [bicycles, planks etc]. harrison's knees are fine by the way, but since exercising is something that we do together so that we can spend time together after he has been at work, he's been sweet enough to put his running on hold in order to do these more girly exercises with me. which i really appreciate!

doing these different workouts has been good and i've been super sore all week. i'm definitely working muscles that i wouldn't normally, but it's a little hard because i don't get that immediate "YES I LOVE LIFE AND EXERCISE!!!" feeling like i would after a run.

the 10 minute videos we are doing are from fitsugar which is a great site dedicated to health and fitness. they have tons of workout videos that are all very short and do-able. we have been doing the crossfit video and this "fat-blasting" video. it's crazy how much you can do in 10 minutes.

if anyone has any suggestions for other [cheap or free] ways to exercise while i can't run, i would love to hear them!!


<3 jojy