Combatting Fine Lines And Aging: Skincare for the 35+

Growing old gracefully is really a thing that’s easily attainable and accessible to each and everyone of us if we take care of ourselves and our skin along the way. Here are a few of my tried and true tips that have been working magic in my life, and I hope they’ll be helpful to you too.  

Sleep with a bolster neck pillow.
Sleeping on your stomach or on your side is a recipe for a smooshed face, which equals wrinkles. At least if your head and neck is supported by a bolster roll pillow, you’re not putting as much pressure on that precious little face while you sleep.

Always use a satin pillowcase.
This is not only good for retaining the moisture on your face, but it’s good for your hair as well for those nights when your head scarf refuses to stay on. You’ll also notice far fewer sleep creases than if you use a regular, boring cotton pillow case.

Never, ever sleep with your makeup on.
I can’t even believe that this is something that still needs to be explained. Sleeping with your makeup on, or not washing your face before bed is the equivalent of trying to breathe while sleeping with a pillowcase, or worse a dirty plastic bag over your head. It’s gross and germy and your skin will hate you for it. Don’t be lazy. Give your face the TLC it deserves before tucking yourself in at night.

Establish an ultra hydrating night time skincare routine.
These days I’ve been using my standard Yes to Tomatoes, deep cleansing activated charcoal soap, followed by my old faithful Thayers rose witch hazel and a newcomer, but fast favorite, vitamin c serum to the mix, with my tried and true Trader Joes coconut oil.

Wear sunscreen everyday.
I swear by the sunscreen bible this is the holy grail of products that you should have in your arsenal. Many friends my age who don’t wear it, well… you can definitely tell. A couple of my faves include La Roche Posay Mineral and Super Goop Setting Mist. Plus, I’m hearing ah-mazing things about Black Girl Sunscreen, which I’ll be sure to report back on once my order arrives.

Protect your eyes from sun exposure (and crow's feet) with some dope sunshades.
Did you know that glasses are known to block harmful UVA & UVB rays from damaging not only your eye sight, but the skin around your eyes as well? So pull those stunna shade out and block the haters & the sun.

Stay hydrated with coco water & some high-quality h2o
Hydration is your frieeeend to the end, shawty! It’s the one thing that you can do that will not only brighten your complexion, but your insides will thank you as well. If you start the day with a glass of water in the morning when you wake, it really sets the tone for the rest of your day. Your body will literally crave water so getting your recommended 8-10  glasses won’t seem so daunting.

If you want to jazz up your water, check out my IG post here for a few ideas on how to give your water a boost.

Eat your fruit & veggies
Foods that are alive translate into radiant, glowing skin as well. Our skin needs nutrients to rebuild each day and night. Consuming high-vibe foods is a smart way to help your body do it’s work to rejuvenate itself day in and day out.

How do you preserve your sexy? Leave a comment here or on social.

My Morning Routine for Alignment, Motivation and Success

Want to to have maximum impact in your life? Cultivating mindful morning rituals is one of the best ways to help you develop laser like focus to conquer the day's tasks ahead of you.

My mornings typically go something like this:

Wake up
1st Breakfast (light snack of fruit, water, smoothie)
Reading
Getting some sunlight & fresh air
Journaling
Shower
Meditation
Tea
2nd Breakfast (typically something savory)
Work

Most days jumping online and answering phone calls or texts is the last thing on my list, because I want to give myself the time I need to focus in on what's important to me for the day. I run my day. I tell it what I want and need.

However, if we immediately check email or social, we are letting the world in to impact our first thoughts and feelings of the day. When we put the world on pause and say, no, ME first. We are taking a position of power by getting grounded, and equipping ourselves to decide how we will best approach whatever is on the other side of the power button when we switch on for the day.

If you want to take back your mornings, check out my FREE 3-day mini-course The Sacred Art of Being the F*ck Quiet. It's all about creating space and pockets of quiet in your life, starting in the morning-- or wherever you can grab it.

Solitude in our day is powerful. It's a space we can retreat to anytime we need to. And it's especially impactful in the mornings to give us the boost we need to create next level transformations in our life.

How do you start your day, chaos or calm? Leave a comment here or on social!

Keeping Your Natural Hair Moisturized When Travel-Sized Products Aren't Enough: Plus Other Carry-On Hacks

TSA rules are especially pesky when you have a head full of curls that demand to be well kept by an entourage of hair products, or vacation photos be damned. However, I’ll let you in on a little travel secret. If you pack one carry-on and one personal item, you’re almost guaranteed to scoot through TSA with 2 separate toiletry bags, as long as they are with their respective bag.

Now don't go stashing your expensive perfume or anything else that's super valuable to you that you'd be devastated to put in the trash at security. Be reasonable. Sephora perfume sample bottles are clearly the better choice in that case. They work well for toner as well.

Also, I never pull out my makeup bag, which is guaranteed to have additional liquid-y stuff from toner, to nail polish to face serum. Not to mention the random lotion or hand sanitizer floating around anywhere in my purse or backpack. It’s literally never been a problem, except for that one time I tried to be a do-gooder and properly package everything in those clear baggies into one carry-on. BIG MISTAKE. Ended up having to check my bag that day.

Smuggling enough hair products to go the distance is typically my struggle. Three out of my allotted carry-on toiletry items are guaranteed to be shampoo, conditioner and a small amount of gel (which I regularly get away with in a ziplock plastic baggie), and MAYBE a cream styler. Ok, so sometimes it’s 4. Typically, this is enough for 2-3 wash n gos. But more often than not I try to stick to a simple paired down routine when I can.

In any case, for trips longer than a week or if I’ll be swimming regularly, I’ll often buy some cheap conditioner that doubles as a co-wash & leave-in when I touchdown wherever. If you’re gonna spend $2 for a travel size conditioner you mine as well put another $.50 with it and get some cheap, but effective regular-sized product to co-wash & moisturize your heart out. IJS.

That way, if your don’t use it all you won’t be extra hurt about it and can probably even refill your travel size to take back home and save for the next jaunt.

While on location, here’s how I hydrate and protect my curls:

1. Dampen hair

2. Add a moisturizing conditioner, and really work it in

3. Add oil to ends and crown and work it in some more. P.S. Trader joes sells coconut oil packets, in case you need a portable travel oil solution. Freezing your oil before departing also works. It’s a solid, so it’s a go. The same for your coconut water, juice or whatever. *Remember who told you!

4. Brush hair into a ponytail and secure with a hair clip

5. Twist, braid or let your curls hang free

6. Bun the ends, if you like

7. Add a little gel to the crown, if you’re feeling slick

8. Tie a silk or satin scarf to lay down edges & voila, your hair is moisturized af!

How do you maintain your natural hair on-the-go? Leave a comment here or on social.

Best Housesitting Sites for Jetsetters Like You

So, you wanna travel and stay someplace cute while saving a coin? If you don’t mind AirBNB like accommodations, then housesitting might be for you. I’ve house sat for friends, of course, but more recently scored my first international house sit in a beautiful, spacious two bedroom, 3 bathroom home with a pool and 2 super-chill fur babies in Colima, Mexico.

I mean check it out for yourself...

So, HOW did stumble upon this good fortune, you ask? Well, I’ve been clicking around on house sitting sites for a couple of years now, but would never commit to paying the typical membership fee, no matter how small it was. After this experience, I’ll be honest— I’m definitely gonna pay up.

I happened upon this particular listing on Nomador, but because I love Mexico, and really want to move around to explore different parts, I’m going to be giving Housesit Mexico a fair shot as well.

The dope part about most sitting sites is that it’s usually free to browse. Nomador, the site where I found my current sit, offers 3 free applications after you confirm a few details, like your ID, address, and proof of an income. It’s not at all necessary, but I think it proves you are serious and not an obscure drifter just looking for a place to crash. Plus, don't you want the people you're sitting for to be vetted?? Exactly.

Anyhoo, I didn’t find the process intrusive at all. I just uploaded a few docs and they confirmed me. Easy-peasy, lemon squeezy. I mean, you’ve seen the place. TOTALLY worth it! And now that I have a reference on the site I’ve got a little cred. to refer to for future inquiries.

So, with that I give you the 5 resources that I regularly check, along with their pros and cons:

Housesittingmagazine.com

This is just an all around good resource to keep up with what’s going on in the house sitting community. The pros are it’s free. The cons, I really couldn’t find one.

Nomador.com

This site is at the top of my list because of its ease of use. I scored my first sit on my second (free) application. The pro is that the first 3 applications are FREE. The con is that many of the listings are actually in Europe. Which is great for the summer months, if you ask me. Other locations are available, but not plentiful.

Housesit Mexico

I’ve been stalking this site since I found out about it last year. Pros: They often have discount codes that you can message them on FB to ask for. The cons is that it’s limited to house sits in Mexico. Which is more of a pro, from where I sit.

Housesitting World

In the past I feel like this service was not free initially, but I guess that changed at some point. So, there’s the pro. You’ve got 9 days, so make the most of it. The big con is that some of the listings are cross-posts from other sites, like Nomador and Housesit Mexico. They are partners, apparently, so... I’m not sure why I’d pay twice for 2-3 separate sites with the same results.

House Carers (no typo)

It’s been awhile since I clicked around in this site. The pro is that their FB page is very active with listings. The con is that on the back end, the interface is not very user friendly. Plus, you’ll have to pay to play right from the beginning. Looking at the situation objectively, they do seem to have a lot of social proof with followers and engagement on posts… so the $50 fee could potentially be worth a roll of the dice.

Trusted HouseSitters

The big pro is that the site looks as though they have a wide array of sitting options as far as I can tell. Whether you prefer the mountains, the ocean or city destination, they’ve got it. Plus, this site has been featured on a number of mainstream media sites. A couple of cons, in my opinion, are that due to apparent popularity, the competition to land a great sit might be on the high side. And, at $119 per year, I’d like some kind of guarantee of at least one sit in order for it to be worth the investment risk. IJS.

Have you done any housesitting in the past on your travels? What resources did you use? How did the sit go? Leave a comment below or on social.

Got #BodyGoals? Here's 12 Sources of Plant Protein for You to Love

Confession: I haven’t hardcore worked out in a gym in at least 🙈🤔 5 good years. 

This body is fully sustained from walking & biking + eating a predominantly plant-based diet with occasional fish and seafood. And I’m getting ready to cut out the latter. 

Of course people are always super-concerned about protein intake as a vegetarian. So, I made a quick video to talk about what I typically eat to make sure I'm getting my share. 

Typical Stuff I Like & Eat
Edamame
Lentils
Black beans
Nuts (particularly peanuts and cashews)
Steel Cut Oats
Spinach
Avocado toast

Supplements
Bee Pollen

Meat Substitutes
Gimme Lean Veggie Sausage
Field Harvest
Morning Star Veggie Bacon

Bonus sources that I haven’t tried
Spirulina
Beyond Meat

Additionally, there are about 10 things that I consistently buy or have on hand that are the fundamentals in my diet.

Dark leafy greens
Water/Coconut water
Manazana bananas
Avocado
Brown rice
Egg whites
Green smoothies/juice
Tomatoes
Mangoes
Whole grain breads

I usually have fruit, tea & water soon after waking. Then I’ll have my heaviest meal around lunch, or as I like to call it, 2nd breakfast. Dinner is typically light— salad or rice & veggies. Sounds boring, but I just have a rotation of foods that I like and work for me. 

Of course I like to mix in some fish tacos, enchiladas, or a platter of crab and garlic noodles, baked mac & cheese, grits, bbq salmon, yams, veggie burger with fries & a milkshake, shrimp Alfredo, pizza & michelada, margaritas, yellow cake with chocolate icing, peach cobbler, red wine, VODKA, all the good sh*t. But that’s not functional for everyday consumption.

My regular days consist primarily of avocado toast with eggs, a green juice or smoothie, Yerba mate, stir fry with rice, and salad. Rinse & repeat some variation.

What are your go-to healthy faves? Leave a comment!