Archives for March 2015

Over the last week, I have allowed my mind to enter a state of overwhelm. With 2 big moves coming up, a sporadic travel schedule, entertaining a 15 month old (safely), a boyfriend returning from deployment, and new work opportunities coming my way (the emails that need replies are endless), the hours in my day fly by! Needless to say, my thoughts are scattered. By the end of the day, I’ve spent more time staring at my to-do list than actually taking steps to attack it.

There are people (and I am one of them) that recoil during overwhelm and seek out mindless activities to put them at ease, like, oh I don’t know, watching reality TV (Keeping Up With the Kardashians, anyone?). Does it work? Nope. Do I feel more productive or ready to work? Inspired? Motivated? Rested? Nope, nope, nope, and absolutely not.   This just adds chaos to our already over-stimulated “ADD” brain. Sometimes I feel like there is a ping-pong game going on inside my head, and my attention span is the ball.

I have a couple tips (and a SUPER simple recipe) that will put you back on the productive track and allow you to feel rewarded as you cross out those to-do lists items at lightning speed.

1. Find 15 minutes. As someone who used to track their time in 6-minute increments (thanks to public accounting time sheets), I’m aware of just how much one can complete in just 15 minutes. Set the timer on your phone and tackle the first item on your list. Only commit to 15 minutes, a manageable chunk of time. You’d be surprised at how much you’ll accomplish.
2. Shut it down. Turn off distractions; too much multi-tasking actually makes tasks take longer. If it’s cleaning or organizing on your list, go ahead and turn on your favorite TV show, podcast or Ted Talk. If you have to use your brain in any way, like writing an email or having a phone conversation, limit the distractions to music.
3. Think Simple. When I have a s@#$-ton to do, I often get caught up in the details, missing the big picture. I’ve noticed that there is usually an obvious way to simplify the situation, that I don’t see until I think “out of the box.” Up-level your approach, choose the most important thing on your to-do list and begin!
4. Honor your bed. Staying up late to get ahead is soooooo appealing. Once you hit the midnight mark, it’s no turning back and you enter this zone beyond tired, like zombie zone. I admit to employing this practice about once a week, but no more than that. It’s a tricky situation that creates a domino effect and can mess up your entire week! Don’t waste your weekends playing catch up to your weekday, sleep-deprived self! Instead, set a reasonable time to get to sleep (7-8 hours before you want to wake up) and be in the bathroom 30 minutes before! No excuses! Brush your teeth, wash your face, floss, cut your nails, whatever ritual you have before bed. Restrict “in bed” activities to reading (no TV, no games, no iPhone).
5. Stay Balanced. In your blood sugar that is! Cravings for sweet comfort food occur full throttle when we are overwhelmed and/or sleep-deprived.   Our body releases cortisol, which increases appetite and makes that Starbucks Mocha Mint Chocolate Chip Frappuccino seem oh so alluring. Instead of boarding the blood sugar rollercoaster, opt for a homemade “pick me up” like the Peppermint Green Tea Frappuccino below. Your body will thank you!

SIMPLE PEPPERMINT GREEN TEA FRAPPUCCINO (made with REAL food ingredients)

Ingredients:

½ banana, frozen

1 peppermint green tea bag

½ cup shaved or crushed ice

½ cup canned coconut milk

½ cup warm water

*Option to add natural sweetener, cacao powder or fresh peppermint leaves

Directions:

1. Place peppermint green tea bag in ½ cup warm water and let steep for 5 minutes.
2. Add peppermint tea water with remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
3. Serve over ice, relax, and enjoy!

Don’t forget to maintain perspective! It will be easier to find your center when you remember there are a lot of people around the world dealing with injustices and stress levels much higher than yours. Practice gratitude and outsmart your overwhelm!

 

Live your WHOLE life,

Shannon + Meg

As a “new” Mom, I’ve come to realize that I am spread REALLY REALLY thin. When I’m being pulled in several different directions, quite often, the things I cherish most (including my hubs) get taken for granted. It’s not that they aren’t a priority, but I know that they will “cut me some slack” and ALWAYS forgive.

That being said this post is dedicated to my husband and although we have a little one that needs our attention, you can use any of these tips (where there’s kiddos in the picture or not) to make your sweetie feel sweet!

 

STAYING PRESENT WITH EACH OTHER

It’s so easy to become unintentionally distracted by escaping into the digital world.   Limit your use of electronic and phones while you are with your family (and especially in the evening).

SAY “I LOVE YOU”

So simple yet so meaningful. Say “I love you” before you leave. We never know what life will throw at us. Although you may be rushing out the door, take a moment to acknowledge your life partner.

LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN

There are so many times when I am doing all of the talking – sharing how parts of my day didn’t go according to plan. Instead, ask you spouse about his day and actually LISTEN to the answer.

CELEBRATE NOW

Make a special meal, head out to a restaurant, pop some champagne, or grab a small gift. Don’t wait to celebrate even the small events. Cherish and honor those “moments” as well as the “milestones.”

Need more inspiration to “celebrate now and collect bad wines”  check out Rick Elia’s 5 Minute TED talk here.

SCHEDULE A DATE NIGHT (and keep it!)

I have to admit that I need a lot of work on this one. I am a huge planner so you’d think that this one wouldn’t be a problem for me. The one constant is that our lives will always be in flux. Don’t use lack of time as an excuse. Find a time, even if its just 60 minutes, to have a “date” with your spouse and do your best to focus on each other and not have the conversation consumed with the kids. If you’re always rescheduling your date night, you may need to re-evaluate your priorities and elevate time with your spouse.

HEALTHY INDIVIDUAL INTERESTS

Its ok to have your own interests. Your individuality is what made your partner fall in love with you. Make the time to do things that you enjoy and that fill you up and support your spouse when he’s doing the same.

In my “life before a kid” I attended several Pilates Conferences, which were usually held at golf resorts during the off-season. We would travel there together and while I was in trainings all day, the hubs would have free reign to golf ALL DAY LONG. These trips renewed our connection because we were both so incredibly fulfilled at the end of the day from doing things that we LOVED.

START DATING AGAIN

Do you remember that feeling when you were first dating? The excitement you’d feel when you knew you were going to see each other? See your partner through this same lens again and let him know it. When he’s looking good – TELL HIM! Share you admiration.

APOLOGIZE

No explanation needed – its that simple. When you’re wrong…apologize.

What are some other ways that you reconnect? How long have you been together and what’s your biggest word of advice. Share this in the comment section!

Live your WHOLE life,

Meg + Shannon

My mom and youngest sister visited SoCal this past week and brought back a lot of memories from my childhood back in Chicago. The month of March has special meaning to the Irish Americans in Chicago; it is the month of St. Patrick’s Day! Many people can attest that March can be divided into 2 parts. 1) The build up to St. Patrick’s Day and 2) The recovery from celebrating the holiday.

As someone who has participated in the parade marching, green beer drinking, corned beef & cabbage eating, shamrock sprinkled cookies tasting, and even McDonald’s Shamrock Shakes celebrations I was looking for a healthier way to get in the spirit this year.

So about that McDonald’s Shamrock Shake….let’s just say there are (more than) a few ingredients you should avoid. The kind of ingredients that are linked to health issues ranging from annoying (acne & allergies) to disastrous (leaky gut & fertility issues). I’m not referring to the ice cream, mint extract or even whipped cream. I’m talking about the synthetic chemicals used as food dyes, additives and preservatives. Here’s a full list of ingredients from the McDonald’s website. Don’t feel like reading? See Huffington Post’s infographic:

Ready for the REAL FOOD FIX for your Shamrock Shake Craving? Below is a Whole Food Love approved shake with ONLY 6 ingredients. So Sláinte!

Sláinte Shamrock Shake

Serves 1

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 small ripe avocado, peeled and pitted

¼ cup fresh mint leaves, rinsed

2 Tbsp. raw honey

1 frozen banana

½ tsp. vanilla extract

handful ice cubes (optional)

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth!

 

Live your WHOLE  life,

Shannon + Meg

 

Like what you see? Follow us on Instagram and Facebook and check out the #31ShadesofGreen, a go-green daily inspiration this March 2015.

We are so excited to introduce you to our featured guest blogger! Meet Katie Mundo, Birchbox bride and our go-to expert for natural beauty! Katie’s motto is that you can look and feel beautiful without it being overcomplicated and expensive. Want to learn how? Read on!

Live your WHOLE life!

Shannon + Meg

 

I’ve spent years trying to achieve that natural, ‘no-makeup’ makeup look and effortless appearing hairstyle. As a beauty enthusiast, I’ve tried hundreds of products from all different brands, but many have pretty terrible ingredients. With my overall health in mind, I started to narrow my focus to find products with more natural and organic ingredients. Playing with makeup and hair products is something I do enjoy, but most often don’t have the time for a hair routine that calls for eight products and a makeup look that calls for twenty. With both these things in mind, I turned to more naturally derived products with high efficacy and performance, and finally found what I had been looking for!

Everyday, simple style is what it’s all about on Blush and Champagne, and my mission is to show that fashion and beauty do not have to be expensive or over complicated. In today’s post, I’m going to share natural product recommendations for my favorite makeup and hair look above. I also have some tricks for ways you can incorporate more natural or basic ingredient products into your routine to serve multiple purposes!

HAIRCARE

I’ll be honest; I care a lot about my hair, but don’t like spending an hour on it every morning. I have thick, naturally wavy hair so I’m lucky enough to not have to wash it everyday. Shampooing less frequently has actually been proven to be good for our hair, as it allows the natural oils in our scalp to nourish and strengthen our strands. However, if I need a wet refresher in between shampoo and conditioner washes, I really like to use Briogeo’s Avocado + Quinoa Co-wash. Cleansing conditioners have become extremely popular over the years for a few reasons: (1) they serve as both a shampoo and conditioner (2) they don’t strip our hair of natural oils and (3) they don’t contain nasty ingredients like sulfates or parabens. Briogeo’s Co-wash is 91% naturally derived, contains organic ingredients, and works for all hair types! It will leave your hair feeling soft, silky and clean!

Trick #1: Since I don’t wash my hair often during the week, dry shampoo is my absolute best friend as a daily hair refresher. If you’re skeptical of dry shampoo and don’t want to invest in one right away, you can turn to the baby powder sitting in the back of your medicine cabinet! The cornstarch in the powder will lightly soak up oil near your roots, adding volume to your hair and getting rid of any odors. To use, lightly shake the powder on your roots, section by section, wait 2 minutes, then shake out. If you’re afraid to shake it directly on your roots from the bottle, dust the powder on a clean, fluffy makeup brush and brush onto your roots.

High performance, natural hair styling products can be hard to come by. We all will always have our favorite non-natural styling products (mine’s Oribe’s Dry Texturizing Spray), but we can do our best to incorporate more of the good products into our routine – you just have to find the right ones! My favorite is Captain Blankenship’s Mermaid Mane Sea Salt Spray (I mean, who doesn’t want a mermaid mane?). The product is handmade in small batches, and only contains a handful of natural and organic ingredients including organic aloe vera and essential rose oil. Spritz the product on clean, towel-dried hair, tousle a bit and let your hair air-dry – and you’re ready to go! The result will be perfectly effortless wavy, textured, beachy hair.

SKINCARE

Skin is the largest organ of our body, which makes it the most important part of our beauty routine! With this in mind, my skincare regimen is where I try to most often incorporate natural and organic products that don’t take a lot of effort. I use a variety of natural and organic products from cleansers to exfoliators to moisturizers. However, my ultimate favorite product is Josie Maran’s 100% Pure Argan Oil Light. Argan oil has become increasingly popular in the skincare industry over the years for its nourishing, healing and anti-aging benefits. Josie Maran’s organic oil is perfectly light and moisturizing enough to wear day and night, year-round. No greasy feeling, no breakouts. All you need is a few drops to apply all over your face, neck and décolleté. Believe me, it’s worth the splurge!

TRICK #2: Use whatever oil that’s left on your hands, after applying to your face, for the ends of your hair or to tame fly-aways! The argan oil will act as a serum treating split ends and smoothing those pesky fly-aways without leaving your hair greasy.

MAKEUP

Moving onto the last step in everyday naturally glam – makeup! You absolutely do not have to be a beauty expert to achieve this look, nor do you have to use the exact products I do. For a ‘natural’ look, I think of clean, even skin, flushed cheeks and lips, and an all over glow. The look I’m showing you today is quick, simple and naturally gorgeous.

First, let’s talk a little bit about the brands – my favorites are W3LL PEOPLE and Tata Harper. W3LL PEOPLE is an all-natural beauty brand, born out of Austin, TX that contains a variety of high-performance mineral and stick based products. Each formula melts perfectly into your skin, and you don’t have to worry about any of those nasty ingredients. Tata Harper is a high-end, natural and organic skincare line that has very gracefully stepped into the cosmetics field. Tata’s makeup products are luxuriously creamy in texture and deliver strong, gorgeous pigment.

The products I use for this look are W3LL PEOPLE’s Narcissit Stick Foundation + Bio Brightener Powder + Bio Brightener Stick + Expressionist Mascara and Tata Harper’s Volumizing Lip and Cheek Tint. Now, here are 5 quick steps to get the look!

1. Apply the Narcissit foundation stick to your entire face and under eyes
2. Lightly tap and blend the Volumizing Tint onto the apples of your cheeks and lips
3. Gently dab the Bio Brightener onto your cheekbones and brow bones for some highlight
4. Set your makeup and add some glow by lightly sweeping the Bio Brightener Powder all over your face
5. Lastly, curl your lashes and apply the Expressionist Mascara

TRICK #3: Don’t have an all-natural eyeliner? Use your mascara! All you need is a thin eyeliner brush and you can apply the product in short brush strokes across your upper and lower lash line. Applying mascara as eyeliner achieves a much more subtle look and is quicker than pulling out another product!

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope that my tips, tricks and product recommendations help you on your mission to achieve everyday natural glam. Remember, beauty is not just about what we put on our body, but also what we put in it; so taking tips from the ladies at Whole Food Love will also help you achieve your own everyday natural glam. Also, if you’re reading this saying ‘I don’t use any natural and organic products’, that’s OK! Start slow – try to find 4-5 that you really love and work for you and incorporate those into your everyday routine. It takes time to find the perfect products!

Do you have any products you love or tips you want to share? Let me know in the comments below! Also, head on over to www.blushandchampagne.com for more beauty, fashion and lifestyle tips for the everyday girl.

 

 

 

Katie is the founder of beauty, fashion and lifestyle blog Blush and Champagne. Inspired by the color scheme of her wedding, and her love of beauty and fashion Katie started this blog to share beauty and fashion tips for the everyday girl. After many years of experimenting with product, and working directly in the beauty industry at Birchbox, Katie wants readers out there to know that they can have great beauty and style without it being overcomplicated and expensive! 

Katie currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and Havanese puppy, and believes that every day should include laughter, pizza and wine. Follow Katie on Instagram and Twitter!