4/5: Friday Faves
-Heirloom tomatoes. Whenever I make a grocery run, I stop and stare at the tomatoes for a second because they’re so beautiful.To me, heirloom tomatoes are the best with a little sea salt, or in a caprese salad. Anything else just feels like an insult… like that one time I (gasp!) boiled them. The travesty.
-Finally breaking into my LUSH bath bomb stash. I realized that I was starting to hoard them without actually using them, so instead of doing anything productive one night, I prune-ified in the tub and painted my toenails.
I think I’ve officially crossed over to a bath person. (I used to be a shower-only kinda girl.)
As luxurious as the bath was, it bummed me out to check the ingredients on some of the items I’d purchased from LUSH. Quite a few of them contain parabens, other chemical preservatives and artificial ingredients that I wouldn’t ordinarily consume. I kind of felt like a goober being fooled by the “handmade and natural” image they portray, when in reality, you have to check the ingredients just like anything else. I will say that I’m really happy that none of their products are tested on animals, which is close to my heart. The bath bombs and many of the fresh masks are more natural options, but my beloved rose shower conditioner contains some ingredients I’m not so stoked about. This one is my favorite all-natural shower product (and only $10 at Target); the lotion is just as amazing.
-Getting to see Livi with Levi, who is one of her BFFs. Levi’s mama is one of my BFFs, and they’re in Tucson visiting- I’ve missed both of them like crazy. Levi is a little older than Liv, but they get along so well together.
Here are the little friends sharing a cookie and muffin at AJs the other day:
-Leftover egg casserole:
It was not long for this world.
-Blue skies, cacti,
-and a little girl with her daddy.
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Oh my gosh, the picture of Livi and her friend is precious – she looks so grown up! And the last one with the stuffed animal in one hand and the other in her Daddy’s…I die. Have a great weekend!
Livi & Levi – so CUTE! BFFs for life. 😉
I’ve been loving tomatoes too! It’s weird, because I never used to be a fan. But I’m all about them.
I’ve never tried any of Lush’s things, but I’m curious about them. The bed bath and beyond stuff gives me wicked migraines.
The picture of Liv and Tom is priceless! Love when little kids hold hands with their parents. It’s so sweet.
Great post Gina.
Painting my toe nails too right now. 🙂
So sweet! She looks like such a big girl 🙂
I used to be a shower kinda girl too, but after a long, cold winter, I am totally a bath fan now!
OMG I LOVE the brand body wash you mentioned that is all natural. I just recently bought it for my son (in the baby aisle) and am so in love with the scent. Then I went and bought the lotion for myself. I see Target also carries some of their hair products. I am going to have to try that out. Also thought I would mention Target has a coupon on their website for the conditioner.
i’ve tried the conditioner and LOVED the smell, but it wasn’t thick enough for my hair. i’m a huge fan of that line, though!
I too love the Shea Moisture line….Target did start carrying Dermorganics brand of argan oil treatment but at $25 it’s a bit too steep for me. Try Vitacost or Amazon for better deals but Dermorganics argan oil shampoo and conditioner and oil treatment is what i LOVE for my hair but close second is the FC5 line from Arbonne. No parabens, pthalates, mineral oils or other junk –let me know if you want to hear more.
Liv looks so tiny next to the pilot! So sweet.
What a bummer about Lush! It’s so true about the “all natural” advertising. Checking the label yourself is a must.
That body wash looks great! I’ve been needing something for my incredibly dry, ashy skin. And Livi is such a sweetheart. She looks like a little girl now–not a baby! Man they grow fast!
RE9 line for ashy dry skin. there is a serum and a body lotion as well as a wash. I love my Arbonne stuff. check it out at Arbonne.com and please refer to me as your consultant if you order anything –id#13390005 …get 20% off all purchases for a year with a $20 PC fee. I guarantee it will help incredibly dry skin. please get in touch with me for more info
I love the pics of Liv, so cute! I am still a total shower girl, no bathtub for me 🙂 that egg casserole looks delish!!
Shea Moisture is amazing! And I, too, was disappointed with Lush products containing icky ingredients. Such a bummer cause I LOVE baths and frou frou products. Thankfully there are many safe alternatives!
Aww baby bffs. Too adorable. Happy Friday!
I agree with you about all the LUSH products. I only have a few because the closest LUSH is 2 hours away. Honestly, they are not a “holy grail” product for me AND just like you, I felt super duped after I found out they had parabens and other nasty stuff. Their stuff is too expensive to get not what you THINK you’re paying for.
I agree: there’s no greater travesty than a boiled tomato.
Heirloom tomatoes = veggie crack. Agreed it’s best in caprese, or with a little evoo and balsamic. Holy yum.
Aww, Livi and Levi look so grown-up. *sniff*
Aw the babies are so cute together!
I’m surprised about that with LUSH too, I always thought their products were free of everything. I agree with you though, I am SUCH a bath girl. They are so relaxing! And I have that exact scented candle that you have by your bath – I think I do anyway…kinda a vanilla caramel scent? From Bed Bath and Beyond?
I wish that sunshine would come here! So glad you’ve been having such a great day!
I could eat caprese salad every. single. day.
And I really wish I could wear flipflops and blog while sitting outside! Jealous.
ahh her little ponytail!! soo precious!
I just had a Pinterest Ladies’ Night at my house the other night and for my craft I made some homemade bath bombs. I love the bombs from Lush but we don’t have one near and they cost a pretty penny and add to that the shipping it’s just a little too much for my penny pinching heart. I found this recipe and made my own! I haven’t used one yet but they held together just fine and smell great. I left out the dye and the borax. http://essentialoilblogging.com/2013/03/15/bath-fizzies/
I’ve recently become a bath person myself. I’ve been missing out! I love adding a cup or so of epsom salt after a tough workout. My muscles love it!!
I’m so jealous of all your pictures of the sun shining, and grass! I woke up this morning to more snow on the ground 🙁
That picture of Liv and her dad are adorable
Did you see the animal testing protest that lush did this past week in the UK ….? I feel like you would have some thoughts on this… I didn’t really know what to think!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2134555/Lush-animal-testing-protest-Woman-subjected-experiments-horrified-shoppers.html
i’m stunned! but as the article states, it was kind of a poor choice to do this in britain, where animal testing has been banned. i can only hope that it’s banned in the united states as well. some consumers respond well to shock factors, while for others, it scares them away and isolates them from the cause. either way, i’m glad that lush is attracting attention to the horrors of animal testing, and that those who feel strongly enough about it to take a stand will help eliminate it.
That’s exactly what I was thinking. And ‘stunned’ is the perfect word to describe how I felt after reading that article.
This is off the topic but I feel like I have to say it. I came across your website by pure accident – searching for appropriate outfits for a military ball (my fiance is an AF pilot too) and Google directed me to one of your pages. Right then and there I knew I hit a jackpot and my life will never be the same.
The words like kale and quinoia that didn’t even exist in my vocabulary before are now permanent members of a grocery list. Reading your posts I realized I’ve been doing it all wrong: eating some veggies, little protein, staying hungry then craving (and giving in to cravings) for carbs. Introducing more protein and diversity of veggies to the diet resulted in an effortless loss of 3 pounds in a month. I was like “Wow!..”
Funny thing is that now my boss, who is a convinced burger and fries lover, started packing our tiny fridge at work with veggies and fruit. Your enthusiasm for healthy clean life style is contagious and goes beyond your blog readers. So THANK YOU for that!
this warms my heart so much. thank you so much for letting me know, for checking out the blog, and i’m so happy to hear you’ve found some new things that you love! thank you also to you and your fiancé for your service to our country. sending lots of love to you <3
Livi & Levi together makes my heart happy! So happy we have you guys here! If only we could actually live in the same city! Maybe one day! <3 you!
right?! it’s gotta happen again someday!
love you!
How funny – I have been looking just this week for an all-natural lotion & body wash that is affordable & I can buy in store! Thanks for the recommendation!
You’ve got a beautiful house! (at least from what I see) I would love to just relax in the yard and soak up the sun! I love all the friday faves you’ve mentioned! I’m definitely a bath person! Well when I actually have the time to take one! I can be in there for hours! It’s so nice and relaxing! Take advantage of that time! haha
I’m pretty much a shower only kind of person. I’ve only used LUSH products once, about six years ago. There was this terrible wind storm and we were without power for a week. By the end of the week we found a hotel, and since no one had showered we all took long baths with these bath bombs someone had given us as a gift from LUSH. Some of them had leaves in it which just felt counter productive.
that last picture is beyond precious.
I have always been obsessed with baths even as a little kid! Something about them just puts me in that calm mood, state of peace + quiet! I LOVE lush, I used to think it was overpriced crap but my girlfriend got me addicted and now I can’t get enough of the bath bombs and eyeshadows! Have a great weekend 🙂 LOve + Shine CourtStar
Awww that picture of Liv and her daddy! Too cute 😀
I am watching Wheel of Fortune while reading your post and the answer was “Priceless Heirloom Tomatoes”! What a coincidence! The contestant had never heard of them. He doesn’t know what he’s been missing!
Great back yard and the egg dish looks so yummy. the pictures of Livi and her friend, and with her Dad are precious!
I had no idea that Lush products contained parabens too. I haven’t purchased anything at Lush yet but a new one opened in the mall by my house recently…I have been on a quest lately to eliminate all products containing parabens and other harmful ingredients – amazing what happens when one looks at the ingredients label in our personal hygiene products. Shocking.
i agree with lush. i hate that they use parabens… and they are suppose to be all natural/homemade, also mad expensive!!! so i’ve sorta stopped going there… i go to whole foods to get my bath and body stuff..
I had been using Whole Foods brand shampoo conditioner, til I actually got a job at LUSH lol. I switched, mostly for convenience and to see if I really liked the products, and it’s actually made a difference for my hair. I’m surprised, not gonna lie, because I was never a “Lushie” until I got hired. I still haven’t tried a bath bomb yet, because my tub is totally not bath suitable!
Because I try to stay away from parabens in my more personal products (ladies watching parabens – check out Sliquid for personal lubricants, as they’re 100% natural and cruelty free!), I do hope the company moves towards paraben-free. They’re really a great company on many other fronts: they don’t do business with companies or countries that require animal testing, they pay every worker a fair wage and offer benefits, and their owners are accessible and involved.
Of course, I’m not trying to be like, “I work for LUSH, they’re perfect!” Everyone has different requirements from beauty products, and I’m happy they fit mine. I’m also happy to be employed, because it was hella hard to find a second job hahaha.
I have heard such AMAZING things about Lush! I am totally a bath person- I will have to try going there!
Love that last pic of your little girl with her Daddy – so sweet! I’ve been using the Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style milk on my curly hair and I love it. Will have to try their shower gels too. One of the employees at Whole Foods introduced me to the Acure Organics skincare products yesterday – I bought this lotion (http://www.acureorganics.com/cocoa-butter-CoQ10-unscented-lotion-p/004.htm) and it is AMAZING! My hands have been so dry and chapped due to the weather and this has honestly fixed them in a day. Can’t wait to try their other products too. Happy weekend, everyone! 🙂
LOVE LUSH – but their products are almost TOOOOO tasty smelling! I want to EAT them! 😉
This might interest you. It’s regarding Lush. http://meghantelpner.com/blog/friendly-correspondence-lush-cosmetics-and-sulfate-use/
What is your recipe for the egg dish? Thanks!
Love Shea moisture too!! There is a local gal here in dallas whose companies makes the yummiest bath and body stuff with raw Shea butter. Savvy boheme is her company. Her sugar scrubs and moisturizers have transformed my face!
Hi, I really enjoy reading your blog and you have definitely inspired me to be more active and also have a positive attitude even on days when life gets in the way of my plans for exercise or eating healthy. The information about Lush’s products was a good reminder for me to always pay attention to the ingredients in products I purchase and I wanted to ask if you have found a paraben and alumininum free deodarant that you could recommend. Thanks!