Healing, moving forward and savouring my freedom with style

Happy August Everyone!

The past two months have zipped by, and it’s hard to believe that we are already halfway through the summer! I realize that we are already a week into August but I was having a difficult time putting together my mood board for the month as I entered August under a bit of a dark cloud.  I had finally decided to re-evaluate a toxic relationship in my life that I had let fester for far to long. I took it upon myself to reach out and be completely honest about how I was feeling.  I thought that I was heard, and I was hopeful that things would change for the better.  I gave the person some space to think about our conversation, quietly hopeful to enter a new chapter in our relationship. Unfortunately despite trying to reach out to this person I was met with resounding silence.  Rather then being treated with respect, I was ignored and put off as if my concerns and issues were not valid.  While I am generally a pretty easy going person who hates confrontation, I was left with no choice – either I could accept being treated as an after thought who’s feelings didn’t matter, or I could cut the cord.  That’s when, while scrolling through Instagram I saw the words of wisdom that I posted above “do not look for healing at the feet of those who broke you – Rupi Kuar”.  And I knew what I had to do.  So while I am sad that things didn’t work out, I am grateful for the opportunity to move forward without any regrets. I can honestly say that I tried my best to salvage what could have been, but I couldn’t do it alone. And now I have to move on.  So for the month of August, I will be enjoying my freedom from finally being out from under a dark cloud.  I will be healing any residual wounds I may still carry and taking some time to live in the moment and breathe, all the while rocking some of my favourite warm weather fashion.  My mood board for August reflects all of these goals – enjoy!

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Images from Instagram (@thegoodquote, @wellnesswithkenzie) and Pinterest

I hope that you have a beautiful and sunny day! XXS❤️

Inspiring Interior

When I first saw pictures of today’s Inspiring Interior I was speechless.  It checked off all of the boxes of things that I love in interiors.  Lots of natural light? ✔️ Raw textures? ✔️ Minimalist and sophisticated? ✔️

IMG_6786IMG_6788Located in Antwerp Belgium, this renovated listed home was originally built in the 1800’s.  The designer Nicolas Schuybroek and his team were given the task of turning  this home into a modern oasis and they did a phenomenal job! Raw textures such as wood beams, marble and chevron floors perfectly compliment and balance the mid century furniture throughout the home.  IMG_6787IMG_6785Keeping things simple yet sophisticated, Mr. Schuybroek and his team successfully created a light filled and timeless home from a space that had previously been dark, dreary and dated.  Love it! I will be keeping pictures of this home on my vision board for years to come!IMG_6791IMG_6784

All images from http://www.ns-architects.com

I hope that you have a beautiful day! XXS❤️

Holistic Beauty Review – The Best At Home Chemical Peel I have Ever Tried

There seems to be a myth that clean beauty is not as effective or as powerful as regular (read: Toxin filled) beauty products.  While that may be true with some products, the Juice Beauty Green Apple Full Strength Peel is not one of them.  This is the the best clean beauty product that I have ever tried.IMG_0409Peels and sheet masks are two of my favourite skin care products, so my expectations are quite high when I am trying a new product.  I first discovered the Green Apple Peel during a routine visit to Sephora last year.  I was not familiar with the product and hadn’t read any of the reviews, but I was swayed by the information on the box and decided to give it a try.  That night after washing my face, I carefully applied the peel according to the directions on the box and waited for it to work it’s magic.  There was a bit of tingling but nothing crazy, then nothing.  10 minutes later, I washed off the peel to reveal fresh, soft glowing skin – I was hooked.  There was a bit of redness which disappeared by the next morning, but the glow remained.  I am a beauty junkie and it is rare for me to repurchase a product but, I am currently on my third jar of this stuff and I see no reason to switch it out of my weekly skin care regimen.  It is fabulous!

So here are the details:

This peel is designed for all skin types (with the exception of people with sensitive skin or rosacea).  It helps to even out skin tone by fading dark spots, uneven skin tone and it also helps to refine the texture of the skin.  This peel also helps to blur the appearance of fine line and fights free radical damage on the skin.  The superstar ingredients in this peel include apple juice and resveratrol both of which are rich in vitamins and contain powerful antioxidants, lemon to help to clarify and improve the skin tone and aloe leaf juice to improve the hydration and the natural moisture content within the skin.

As with all Juice Beauty product, every effort has been made to keep this product as clean as possible.  This peel is free of parabans, petroleum, propylene, butylene glycol, sodium lauryl, sulfates, pesticides, phthalates, artificial dyes or synthetic fragrances.  It has also not been tested on animals.

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Pros:

  • It is a very effective exfoliator
  • The texture is smooth and not so sticky
  • It has a fresh lemon scent
  • Washes off easily with a wash cloth

Cons:

  • Price – the first jar of this that I purchased was $45 but it now retails for $60 at Sephora.  I love this product which is why I continue to repurchase it, but the price increase does bother me
  • The package design is kind of boring.  Superficial I know but the former fashion girl in me wishes that it had a sleeker look.
  • It is a strong exfoliator (which is what I love about it) so if you have sensitive skin this is not the right product for you

Overall I would rate this product a 4.7/5

I love the Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel and it is hands down one of my favourite skincare products. I have been using it for nearly a year and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in trying an effective clean beauty product.

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I hope that you have a beautiful day!  XXS

Watermelon, Cucumber and Halloumi Salad

As a holistic nutritionist, it would be easy to assume that I eat a lot of salads.  But the reality is, that it depends on the time of the year and the weather outside.  While I eat a ton of vegetables year round, the idea of digging into a crisp cold salad when it is -40 outside doesn’t seem remotely appealing to me. It is during the warmer months that salads become a staple in my diet, and it would seem that I am not the only one that hones their salad making skills during the warmer months.  If your Instagram feed looks anything like mine, then you are probably being inundated with tons of pictures of salads on a daily basis, the most popular being watermelon and feta cheese salad.  While I consider watermelon and feta to be a delicious combination, lately have I wanted to kick things up a notch.  Enter Halloumi cheese.  For those of you that are not familiar with Halloumi, allow me to introduce you.  Halloumi is a Cypriot unripened brined cheese that is normally made from goat or sheep’s milk.  More recently, it is also made with cow’s milk so be sure to check the ingredients list if you have any difficulties with digesting cow’s milk.  Halloumi is often used as a protein replacement by vegetarians in a variety of dishes, but it’s salty delicious flavour makes it a popular cheese among many, regardless of whether they eat meat or follow a vegetarian diet.  Halloumi cheese with watermelon just makes sense to me – the salty and sweet flavours pair perfectly together in my opinion.  Adding cucumbers to the mix elevates the water content of the dish and helps to meld the stronger flavours of both the watermelon and the cheese together.

Watermelon and cucumbers are both hydrating nutritional powerhouses in their own rights.  Watermelon is a good source of Vitamin A, B6 and C, lycopene, antioxidants and minerals and is helpful in neutralizing cellular damage and cancer prevention.  Cucumbers are high in enzymes, B vitamins, nutrients and electrolytes along with minerals such as magnesium, potassium and calcium.  The skin of a cucumber contains silica which is helpful in boosting your skin from within to help you achieve a glowing complexion.  When purchasing cucumbers, I strongly encourage you to purchase organic ones (if your budget allows) so that you can eat the skin without having to worry about any pesticide residue that may be left on the skin after cleaning it.

To call this a recipe would be comical.  Consider them loose guidelines on how to assemble a delicious, refreshing and simple summer salad.  Both cucumber and watermelon are great to eat when you are feeling a little bloated.  Skip the cheese if you want to up the anti-bloat factor of this meal.

Ingredients:

1 organic baby cucumber, chopped

1 cup of watermelon, chopped

2 thick slices of Halloumi cheese

1 tsp fresh mint, chopped

Extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Cracked black pepper

Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan over medium heat.  Fry the halloumi cheese until it is golden brown on both sides.  Remove from heat.

In a bowl, combine the watermelon, cucumber and mint

Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with black pepper

Top with Halloumi cheese

Enjoy!

IMG_0366The information provided in this blog post is solely for information purposes and not as a substitute for medical advice.

I hope that you have a beautiful day! XXS❤️

Inspiring Interior

Hi Everyone!

My love for designer Katty Schiebeck’s work knows no bounds.  As I have mentioned before, she is one of my favourite designers.  Her work is filled with clean lines and natural light, along with sophisticated colour palettes and beautiful, unexpected details.  Today’s Inspiring Interior is no exception.  This penthouse in the Sant Gervasi neighbourhood in Barcelona is perfection.  It is a small space, but by keeping the space predominately white it feels larger and more open.  The apartment overlooks the beautiful city of Barcelona including a direct view of La Sagrada Familia in the distance.  The terrace is the perfect place to enjoy the gorgeous Spanish weather, and the large windows throughout generously permits natural light into the space.  I am obsessed with the minimally decorated living room where the decorative touches in wood and brown creates a beautiful palate against the white background.  Katty’s design talent is showcased beautifully within this apartment and I can’t wait to see what she designs next!

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All images from http://www.kattyschiebeck.com

I hope that you have a beautiful day! XXS❤️