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Too Blessed To Be Stressed – RESCUE Pastilles Natural Stress Reliever

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While I’m a stay at home mom, I’ll be the first to admit that it’s a job that most people underestimate.  It’s a job I love and I take pride in but it’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with no days off.  You’re on call all hours of the day and night and as much as the job is rewarding, it can be trying and stressful.  But, I love being a mom!  Come on now, look at those three adorable faces… they keep me busy, they keep me on my toes, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the whole world.  Because I’m constantly on the go and busy being a mom, I am always looking for ways to help with the stress.  Here are a few steps and tips I can give busy moms like me going through the same.

the boys

1.  Positive Affirmation – First of all, know that you are just too blessed to be stressed!  I know, I know – this is easier said then done… but if you take a few seconds and actually say it out loud… “I’m too blessed to be stressed” you’ll be amazed at how good it will make you feel.  Saying positive affirmations out loud is a great way to empower yourself.  When I’m feeling stressed out and overwhelmed, this helps me in a pinch and works quickly.

2.  Breathe – As simple as this one may seem… no one really stops to think about it.  When a person is under stress or feeling stressed, their breathing pattern changes and they can often start taking on small, shallow breaths – which in turn can add to the symptoms of stress and make it worst.  This is otherwise known as a form of hyperventilation.  By controlling your breathing you can help to improve the symptoms.  Slow, controlled breathing can help to relax your body, muscles and can also lower your blood pressure giving you increased energy as well as the feeling of calm and well being.

3.  Exercise or Stretching – I find that sometimes just a long, good stretch will get the blood flowing in my body, give me a boost of energy and help me to get focused.  It’s a proven fact that when you exercise, your body releases natural endorphins in your body giving you a boost of self confidence and even happiness.  I will be honest, this is the one thing I need to incorporate more into my stressful days, but when I do – I have the feeling like I’m “unstoppable” and I can concentrate better for a solution to help with the cause of stress.  Overall – I’m much more relaxed and feel less stressed.

4.  Jam out to your favorite music while driving – This may not be a stress reliever if you live where there is heavy traffic, however – I find jumping into my car, opening the windows and sun roof and just listening to my favorite music helps to relieve a lot of stress.  Sometimes we underestimate how helpful belting out our favorite music makes us feel.  I love driving down a country road, easy listening songs on the radio and clear my mind.  It works, try it.  If you find yourself in heavy traffic – try putting on your favorite music and just sing along – you’ll be amazed at how fast you’ll calm down and how quick your drive will be.

5.  The last tip for conquering or relieving stress comes in homeopathic form.  RESCUE Pastilles is a natural stress reliever in a chewy pastille lozenge.  I especially love that these are available when I need them and are non-habit forming.  Just simply chew on one when you feel stressed or could use some relief.  They are travel friendly and I have one in my purse at any time to help when needed.  Active ingredients help you to focus, have patience and give you a balanced mind when losing control.

Rescue Pastilles

Keep a canister of RESCUE Pastilles in your purse in case you need it while on the go… and get natural relief in the form of a lozenge.  I find that while I’m out and about, I experience a lot of anxiety if I’m rushed or have to deal with large crowds when I was not expecting to.  Having RESCUE Pastilles in my purse has been a lifesaver.  I have the one flavored like Black Currant and it tastes pretty good.  Keep one around the house if you are looking for a quick way to provide stress relief.

Rescue Pastilles

RESCUE Pastilles has been trusted for generations and comes in a variety of forms to fit your busy (and sometimes stressful) lifestyle:

    • RESCUE Pastilles
    • RESCUE Sleep Liquid Melts
    • RESCUE Pearls
    • and more

RESCUE stress relief products are available now at CVS, Walgreens, Whole Foods and Sprouts (in the U.S.) or where ever you find natural products.  RESCUE is developed by a doctor and since it is non-habit forming, it allows you to help keep stress at bay without side effects.  RESCUE products are affordable and can be found for under $10.  I especially enjoy taking one of the lozenges pre-workout to help me relax and just buckle down in the grind.

Rescue Pastilles

Want to try RESCUE?  Click on the Printable Coupon and Buy 1 Get 1.  Try RESCUE for yourself and see how it will fit in your every day life.

So – while keeping stress at a minimum is not an exact science, sometimes it’s the little things that help make it all better.  Let’s face it, we live in a complicated world filled with stressors that can often damper any positive thought or situation, but learning to deal with stress and help relieve it, helps not only in our day to day – but in life.  What do you use to relieve stress?  Is RESCUE Pastilles something you may try?

Signature Honey

 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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Don’t Hide Your Curls Away – Love Your Curls With Dove Quench

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This post was sponsored by Lunchbox.

When I was a little girl, I had really long curly hair.  Since I got my curly hair from my dad, I remember thinking that I was so out of place since my mom’s hair was straighter than mine and I had this misconception that I was supposed to look like my mommy.  My mom wasn’t quite sure how to take care of curls and my dad, well – he thought pulling it back would be the best option to keep it tame and out of my face.  It tangled all the time because no one in my family really knew how to care for them and detangling was something I dreaded.  I cried sometimes, hating the hair I had and praying that God would make my hair straight overnight.  For years I struggled with this head of curly hair, so much so that if you look at some of my childhood photos, my hair is pulled back and out of the way.

Love Your Curls

It was a rare occasion that I left my hair down and flowing and that routine followed me well into high school and years after graduation.  I always looked at all the girls who had straight hair and thought to myself that their hair was so pretty straight and so easy to take care of.  Dancing Hula was the only time you would catch me with my hair down and out and I hated every minute of it and couldn’t wait till my performance was over so I could pull it back. When taking my high school senior portraits, my mom wanted me to wear my hair down since she thought it was beautiful, I did so – but hated every minute of it.  After graduation I discovered a flat iron and really put stress on my locks by straightening my hair constantly.  My husband always encouraged me to leave my hair down and love my curls, but it was such a struggle. About 4 years ago, I finally decided that… it’s time to stop hiding my curls away.

Love Your Curls

Now that I’m well into my thirties, I have realized that I need to love my curls and embrace them.  It’s taken me most of my life to figure this out and I encourage everyone to not only love their curls, but love the skin you’re in.  Part of the reason I wasn’t too happy with my curls is that they became frizzy quickly and I had no idea how to care for them.  After years of trying a plethora of hair care products, I finally found some that are made specifically for curly hair.

Dove Quench

I have used Dove beauty products for years and the Sensitive Skin body wash is a holy grail in my household.  Having tried Dove hair products before, I knew I would enjoy this line, but didn’t realize how much exactly.  Dove Quench Absolute is a new hair care line for the curly haired gals.  Dove Quench is a part of Dove Advanced Hair Series and is great for perfectly nourished hair plus 4x more defined and natural curls.  The product line is affordable for anyone to buy and provides your hair with the moisture needed to pamper and quench your curls.  After the first use, I noticed my curls were much more defined and held their curl through the heat and wind that Hawaii has been experiencing lately.  After using this product line the last couple of weeks, I am proud to say it will become a household favorite.  My hair smells so nice and looks beautiful.

  • Dove Quench Absolute Ultra Nourishing Shampoo – I was a bit apprehensive in using this product at first since seeing that one of the main ingredients in this product is SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulfate).  I’ve done my best the last few years to eliminate sulfates from my hair care routine because it had dried my hair so badly but was VERY impressed with how my hair felt with this product.  My hair felt really soft and moisturized and though I do not shampoo my hair every day – with consistent use I noticed it still had not dried my hair as other products with SLS have done.
  • Dove Quench Absolute Ultra Nourishing Conditioner – This product had a different consistency then what I had been using when it comes to conditioners.  It doesn’t have as much slip to it as other products I have used but isn’t overly thick like a masque either.  I use conditioners to detangle my hair while in the shower, so I was impressed with how easily this product moved through my hair and allowed my hair to move easily through my fingers.  After rinsing and drying my hair was soft and left silky like I had used a mask.
  • Dove Quench Absolute Intensive Restoration Mask – My hair is absolutely in love with this stuff that I’m finding it hard not to want to use it every time I wash my hair.  My hair is soft, manageable without needing to detangle.  It seems like my tangles almost fall out of my hair when I apply this and run my fingers through my locks.
  • Dove Quench Absolute Supreme Creme Serum – This pump is nice, but it can be a pain when your hands are slippery since you need a little more pressure to get the product out.  However, the product itself is thick and since my hair is so long, it took a lot of product to work through my entire head of hair.  Having used other types of curly hair products in the past, I was worried that my hair would feel crunchy, sticky or weighed down but none of that happened.  I love to apply this to my hair when it is damp and then leave in my pineapple bun overnight to release beautiful, smooth curls in the morning.  If you are someone who uses gel or mousse to hold your curls, this is not it… but will work well together to keep your curls nicely formed.

Love Your Curls

Do you have a curl story?  Head on over to Dove’s Website and share your Curly Hair Story.  You could be included in their e-book of Curly goodness, so be sure to check it out.  Everyone who submits a story will get a copy of the e-book.  Also 5 lucky winners will receive a Dove Prize Pack that includes hair products and other awesome goodies.

If there is one thing I wanted to get across with this post, it is that I want women and girls around the World to love themselves, love who they are and love their curls – no matter the size, the length or the type of curls, they are a part of you and YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!

Signature Honey

This post was sponsored by Lunchbox.  All content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Love Your Curls

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Honey’s Winter Beauty Staples – The Beauty Council

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Winter in Hawaii this year has been pretty interesting and offering a cold front that Hawaii islanders are not quite used to.  With weather at it’s all time coldest… we’ve been experiencing low 50s most evenings and during the day we don’t get above 75 degrees.  I know for my buds on the East Coast or Canada, this is nothing, but considering we have warmth here year long, this has been quite interesting on my body and my skin.  That’s one of the reasons why I’m so excited to be bringing to you another post along with my girlfriends from The Beauty Council.  Each of us live all over the United States and some from other parts of the World, so it’s interesting to see what our winter beauty staples and favorites are for this year.

THE BEAUTY COUNCIL POST HEADER

Winter does both positive and negative things to my skin but who’s really counting, right? lol I have super sensitive skin and it really forces me to concentrate my winter beauty products around moisturizing and keeping my skin supple.  As most know about me already, I have severe Eczema and it takes a lot from me to keep it all at bay.  While I love makeup – my essential staples for Winter… are all skin care type products.

Winter Staples

My entire beauty regime now revolves around Coconut Oil.  About two years ago (maybe a little longer), I decided I would eliminate foundation from my beauty routine and focus on trying to keep my skin flare ups and sensitivities controlled.  The creams that my Dermatologist gave me were honestly… quite horrible.  My dad reminded me how important coconut oil was and my husband and I did a lot of research.  It is now an essential part of my skin care from my overall skin, face, lips and even hair.  I even do oil pulling and consume coconut oil to help me with my overall health.  So – you will see that it is mentioned consistently.  I make many of my own masks, lip scrubs, body scrubs and moisturizer… but wanted to include products I know I pull for quite frequently during the winter.  These are my Quint-essentials.

winter hair care staples

Besides Coconut Oil, Argan Oil and Macadamia Oil are important in my hair care.  Having very curly and long hair means that I need to pamper my tresses as much as possible, especially since I am pretty brutal on them already.  While I am not really selective when it comes to Argan Oil, I do love Josie Maran, Voila Ve and BebeLush.  I purchase from these brands consistently.  Macadamia Hair and Moroccan Oil, DermOrganic and Briogeo also offer some of my favorite hair care products which I use consistently and most recently, Dove’s Pure Care Dry Oil line.

Facial Winter staples

Again – Coconut Oil is essential.  See the large bottle in my photo… I buy those in the double pack from Costco because we use it for many things… one bottle for beauty, one for kitchen and consumption.  I use this as a daily/nightly moisturizer for my body but most importantly my face.  Mixed with Argan Oil I use Coconut oil to remove my makeup as well as to moisturize.  While I do also have an Facial Oil Cleanser, I find that by using the coconut oil it will remove all of my makeup thoroughly without drying out my face.  I also apply Vitamin E from moisture cream from The Body Shop.  I apply this as a heavy moisturizer, but do not use it daily and when needed to protect my skin if I have an eczema flare up – Cheryl Lee MD’s True Lipids Relieve & Protect Ointment.  This skin protectant is my absolute favorite and I recommend it to anyone who has eczema.  When I need a little exfoliating… I will either make my own Honey, Coconut Oil and Sugar scrub (I will do a post on that later) or I’ll use any one of my favorite Freeman Beauty Masks.  Freeman Beauty masks are not only affordable, but they have different types which offer you a wide range of pampering at your finger tips.

Winter Lip Staples

My lips get very chapped and dry during the winter months and to keep them looking luscious I make sure they are consistently hydrated and moisturized.  EOS (Evolution of Smooth) lip spheres are my favorite for on the go moisturizing.  My favorite flavor is Passion Fruit which is a limited edition scent that only releases a few times a year, I love the flavor and of course, the sphere is purple which is my favorite color.  I have a recipe for a lip scrub that I love to use as well, which includes coconut oil, honey and sugar to exfoliate my lips and keep them soft and supple.  On days when my eczema has a flare up I use Cheryl Lee MD Skin Protectant and each night before bed I apply one of my favorite lip butters from The Body Shop to keep my lips soft and moisturized through the night.

Body Winter Staples

Overall, anything and everything I use in my skin offers a variety of benefits as well as a lot of moisture.  Besides Coconut Oil, Argan Oil and Vitamin E, I also love lathering The Body Shop’s Body butter over my skin, especially in the evening to keep my skin well moisturized.

Like I mentioned previously, while I love makeup – taking care of my skin is very important during the winter months and skin care products are my number one winter beauty staples.  I would love to know what Winter staples make your must have list.  Leave a comment below and tell me what important beauty essentials make your staple list.  Don’t forget to visit some of the lovely ladies linked below and show them some love… see what kind of winter beauty staples they selected.

Signature Honey


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Thicker, Longer, Silkier Hair with Hair La Vie

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I have been told before that I am often at the end of hair envy from friends and family members, but like I’ve said in previous posts – I really did not embrace my crazy curly and long hair until a few short years ago.  Gone are the days of continuous heat to keep my hair straight in order to keep it down and now while I still love wearing my hair in a bun, I try to keep it down and long as much as possible.  But the upkeep of long hair is difficult and sometimes takes a toll on me and my ever evolving hair regimen.  Recently I dove into the hair supplement trend, testing out different products to see if they would meet my expectations.  Over the last year I have tried several different hair growth and rejuvenating supplements and I’m not gonna lie, they all have definitely improved the texture and overall appearance of my hair.  Over the last month my most recent test has been with the Hair La Vie Revitalizing Hair Blend and I’ve been pretty impressed so far with the results.

Hair La Vie Supplements

PRESS SAMPLE

Formulated with all-natural ingredients to help repair and stimulate your hair’s growth from the inside out, Hair La Vie retails for $39 for a 30 day supply.  If you are looking to purchase more at any given time, they do offer discounted rates for more bottles.  La Muse’s Hair La Vie encourages hair repair and growth with it’s 16 all natural clinically proven ingredients that helps damaged, thinning and balding of your natural hair.  Suggested use is to take 2 capsules daily with meals – one in the morning and one in the evening.  The pills are a little larger than I like, so splitting them up and taking one capsule at a time really does make a difference.

Hair La Vie

Each capsule or the bottle when you open it up does have a scent to it (like that of vitamins) so if you are a bit sensitive to smell, you definitely want to keep that in mind.  They are easy to swallow which makes it easy to take and I like that they are made in the USA.

How Hair La Vie Works

Our special blend of antioxidants starts nourishing and cleansing your scalp by combining our vitamins B2, B3 and B6 with Pantothenic acid. Next, we repair damaged follicles and roots with B1,  folic acid, organic kelp powder and Saw Palmetto berry powder. Our MSM, vitamin A, horsetail herb powder and hydrolyzed collagen work together to help strengthen your hair and protect the cortex.

Hair La Vie includes key ingredients:  Vitamin A, Biotin, Folic Acid, Hydrolyzed Collagen, B Complex Vitamins, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3 and B6, Pantothenic Acid, MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane), Kelp (Organic Kelp Extract), Saw Palmetto Berries, Horsetail (Equisetum Arvense) Herb, Bamboo Stem & Leaf Extract, Flax Seed Oil Powder and Borage Oil Powder.

Like most vitamin supplements, there is a slight after taste if you take too long to swallow the pill – though since I take vitamins on a daily basis – this did not affect me much.  I definitely suggest swallowing quickly and make sure you take this pill with a good amount of water.

Hair La Vie

The photos above are provided to show the progress of this product over the last month.  The one on the left was taken a few years ago, the one in the middle take about two weeks ago and the one on the right taken about two weeks ago as well.  A few years ago after the birth of my twins, while I always have had thinner hair near the temples of my hair line, it was quite noticeable.  Two weeks ago I took the other two photos and loved that I could see in the photos that my hair was thickening in that area as well as not looking so sparse.  While I do attribute to the fact that I have been keeping up with my hair regimens and supplements over the last year – I wanted to note that these products have all contributed to my hair being thicker in those areas.  I also love that I can see little hair in the hair line growing which makes it exciting to watch as it fills in.

Hair La Vie

Heredity, age, environment, hormones and even environment are contributors to thinning hair, lack of hair growth or even lack luster hair and sometimes everyone needs a little boost.  Hair La Vie products help your hair from inside your body – but I also find that the vitamins help your body as well.  My hair receives damage from being dyed and colored often but also because of my environment, past pregnancies and the fact that I can be a little more brutal on my hair than I should be.  These supplements have helped to strengthen my hair, minimize breakage and while I haven’t noticed much length, it definitely has helped in regrowth of hair in areas where I had been thinning.  What I love is that I haven’t noticed ANY additional or rapid growth in other areas of my body… i.e. Legs, underarms, facial hair or brows.  All of those areas that would normally start growing faster with supplements actually didn’t grow any faster than its normal growth rate – MAJOR PLUS.

Every La Muse product comes with a 90 day money back guarantee.  Also available to you for purchase from La Muse besides Hair La Vie is their Phyto Cera Cermide Capsules for skin and Certified Organic Moroccan Oil.

Have you tried a hair supplement before?  What are you thoughts on using supplements in the process to hair growth or making your hair healthier?

Signature Honey

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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Petunia Skincare Professional Hyaluronic Acid Serum

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petunia skincare hyaluronic acid serum

 PRESS SAMPLE

Skin care products are very important in my skin care regimen and that goes for serums.  I never personally paid much attention to my skin growing up – mainly because the beach and surfing was so important to me, I really didn’t have many break outs or issues with my skin – even through puberty.  After graduating from high school, I realized my skin started to freak out… but the adult life had taken over my hobbies and I wasn’t spending as much time in the ocean as I would have liked.  Of course, makeup and lack of taking care of my skin definitely took its toll until I started experiencing with different skin care products which of course, included serums.

petunia skincare hyaluronic acid serum

 

Hyaluronic Acid Serums are essential in my skin care regimen and I use it two times a day.  Since I have severe eczema flare ups, I’m always in need of a product that works well in combination with my moisturizers to keep my skin supple and hydrated.  If my skin becomes too dry, I have a flare up which can take days to a month to clear up once it begins.  I have tried over 10 different brands of Hyaluronic Serum and while all of them have worked well for me, I am proud to say I found a favorite.

Petunia Skincare is becoming one of my favorite skin care brands offering products for my skin regimen that are gentle and easy to use.  You get 1 fl oz (30ml) bottle for about $23.00 and the packaging is easy to use.

petunia skincare hyaluronic acid serum

 

I’m not fond of sticky serums or those that are so thick or liquidy that it can take a while for the product to soak into my skin.  Since I use several serums both morning and night, I need a product that will allow me to apply the rest of my products quickly so I’m ready to go and can be on my way.  Petunia’s Hyaluronic acid comes in a pump style bottle that allows you to use one to two pumps to cover your whole face.  It smooths into the skin quickly and is not sticky at all.  The serum has a light citrus scent – very light and is clear.  While it has a gel like appearance and texture, it is not thick but feels more like a liquid which I like.

Overall – I’m impressed with this product, the amount you receive and the price tag.  I have used a few products from Petunia and I’m very impressed with the skin care line altogether.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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