beauty boosters – Stylishly Zen

Beautifully Zen -Volition Tumeric Brightening Polish Review

Published on January 31, 2019January 31, 2019 by soreiyaLeave a comment

There are a few things in life that I could honestly say that I am obsessed with:

Travel? Check!

Food? Double Check!

Interior Design and Architecture? Absolutely!

Turmeric? Without a doubt!

Now obviously my turmeric obsession is completely different then all of the others, and I realize that it is a bit of an odd one to have. But the truth is that I have been interested in the benefits of turmeric since I was a child. When I was younger, my mum and grandmother introduced me to the idea of exfoliating with a paste that had turmeric in it to help to achieve beautiful, glowing skin. Frankly, I would do it everyday if it didn’t leave my hands and nails a bright yellow hue. Even before I started studying nutrition, I was aware of the benefits of including turmeric in my diet, needless to say turmeric has been a staple in my pantry and on my plate for many years. (You can read about the benefits of turmeric here)

A few months ago, I was wandering the aisles of Sephora when I came across Voliton’s Turmeric Brightening Polish. Despite the fact that I has never heard of the brand or this scrub, I immediately grabbed a bottle and headed to the cashier to pay for my new found discovery.

Having used this scrub periodically over the past few months are here is my honest review:

Volition is a cool beauty company that make products thought up and created by real people just like you and me. If you go to their website, you can vote on beauty ideas suggested by regular people and they develop the product. In my opinion, the idea of creating a turmeric exfoliant is brilliant and had I been aware of such a company, I would have voted for this product myself.

The packaging, like all of Volition’s packaging includes a little introduction and picture of the person that came up with the idea for this product – I love that they get credit for their great ideas! Other then that, the packaging is nothing out of the ordinary but I will say that the rose gold coloured cap on the bottle is pretty.

Fragrance – there is no scent making this product idea for people with sensitivities with highly fragranced products

Texture – this is where I was disappointed. The bottle states that this product is for face and body but the texture is quite grainy. The exfoliants are quite large which I find are better suited to use on the body as it would be too harsh to use as a facial scrub. I like to use it as an extra scrub step when my skin needs a little extra attention and follow it with a good moisturizer.

I really wanted to love this product especially since it contains my favourite all star miracle spice, but unfortunately I can’t honestly say that I do. It is effective as a body scrub but there are many others on the market that work just as well and are less expensive.

Stylishly Zen rating – 2.5/5

I hope that you have a beautiful day! XXS

3 Beautiful Reasons To Eat Pine Nuts

Published on November 2, 2017November 1, 2017 by soreiyaLeave a comment

My love affair with pine nuts is fairly recent. Although this beloved seed has been eaten since the ancient times for their nutritional benefits, I only tried it for the first time four years ago. But since then, pine nuts have become my go to addition when I want to take a simple dish to the next level. Aside from its delicious nutty taste, pine nuts are a great beauty boosting food. Here are my top three reasons to reach for the pine nuts:

The majority of the fat in pine nuts is made up of monounsaturated fats, which is the primary fat in the Mediterranean diet. Monounsaturated fats are helps to keep the cardiovascular system healthy making pine nuts great for heart health. It is also great for skin health as it keeps the skin healthy and hydrated from the inside out.
Pine nuts are packed with antioxidants such as selenium, Vitamins A, B, C, E & K and lutein. These antioxidants help the body to combat the signs of aging by fighting free radicals. They also help to keep the skin supple and young looking with good elasticity
Pine nuts also contain many anti-inflammatory properties which help with a myriad of skin conditions including eczema, psoriasis, acne and itching.

And there you have it – 3 beautiful reasons to complement your dishes with pine nuts. What is your favourite way to include pine nuts in your cooking – let me know in the comments below.

I hope that you have a beautiful day! XXS

Please Note: This blog post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. It is not intended to serve as a substitute for a consultation or medical treatment from a qualified physician or healthcare practitioner.

3 Reasons To Start Adding Cardamom to Your Diet

Published on September 21, 2017September 20, 2017 by soreiya1 Comment

I use to hate cardamom. Growing up it was sporadically used in certain dishes, and for some reason I would always end up biting into a cardamom pod while enjoying my food. The bold flavour of this pod always turned such a minor incident into a traumatizing experience and would always ruin the entire meal for me. While calling this experience with cardamom pods traumatic may be considered an overreaction for some, when you enjoy food as much as I do anything that ruins a meal gains an automatic spot on my hate list.

For many years I avoided cardamom determined to not experience the trauma I had offered suffered while I was younger. Then a few years ago, I was trying out a new cake recipe that required ground cardamom and I decided to give this exotic spice a second chance. Thankfully, the cake turned out delicious and the cardamom enhanced both the flavour and the fragrance of the cake. This led me to start adding ground cardamom to other dishes, my favourites being my golden milk recipe and warm chia pudding. The spice that I had hated for so long was suddenly a spice rack staple that I couldn’t live without.

For those of you that are not familiar with cardamom, it is a member of the ginger family and is well known spice from India. It is often considered a warming spice with a beautiful fragrance making it an ideal spice to use in desserts, tea and coffee. There are two types of cardamom – green cardamom and brown cardamom. Green cardamom is the more superior form of cardamom, is available in both pod or powder form and can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. Brown cardamom is only used in savoury dishes, it is an essential ingredient in Garam Masala which is a popular Indian spice mix and it is also known for its medicinal properties. There are many reasons to include cardamom into your diet but I have narrowed it down to my top three:

It is filled with antioxidants. Many of the vitamins and minerals in cardamom act as antioxidants within the body. These antioxidants help to clean up any free radicals and helps to prevent cellular aging.
Bad breath – a great and natural way to freshen your breath is to chew on a couple of pods. The antibacterial properties in cardomom help to fight germs and may also be helpful when dealing with mouth ulcers and infections.
Alleviates digestive issues – many people reach for cardamom to help with any digestive issues that they may be struggling with. Used in a warm tonic, cardamom can help when you have over eaten, or are dealing with indigestion and flatulence issues.

Try using cardamom in desserts, tea or coffee to add flavour and to reap the benefits of this wonderful spice. What’s your favourite way to use cardamom? Let me know in the comments below👇🏼

I hope that you have a beautiful day! XXS

Please Note: This blog post is for informational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. It is not intended to serve as a substitute for a consultation or medical treatment from a qualified physician or healthcare practitioner.