Today marks my favourite holiday, Halloween! Although I love everything spooky, it’s hard to resist all the candy and chocolate that comes with this ghoulish day. Nevermind ghoulish day, how about ghoulish month?
The party usually starts early with Halloween and it’s hard to resist those fun-size chocolates throughout the month. I don’t usually eat chocolate bars much any more since they’re so bad for you, but it’s hard to resist those little ones, and let’s be honest, you can’t eat just one. What’s one more? Okay, this is it, last one. Well one quickly turns into five and you’re consuming more calories that just eating a full-size of Oh Henry.. or Aero.. or Coffee Crisp.. you get the picture.
After Halloween comes the holiday season (and before that, Thanksgiving if you’re American), which means even more food, and before you know it, our summer bods are soon looking a little more flabby. Since I’m going to southeast Asia right at the beginning of next year, where I plan on donning shorts and bikinis, it’s important I keep my waistline in check.
This is where healthy snacks come in. I’m saying no to Halloween candy November 1 and trading in anything chocolate for more green. Genuine Health reached out and asked me to share some of their favourite recipes using Greens+, Canada’s first and only research-proven superfood formula, which provides a synergistic blend of over 23 plant-based essential nutrients. This high-alkaline-forming and rich in antioxidants formula nourishes and protects your body, increases energy, promotes healthier bones, and more.
Available in four different flavours (original, mixed berry, tangerine, and watermelon), you can add this stuff to your smoothies, in recipes, or in smoothie bowls for a healthy snack. They gave me some inspo on some good-for-you alternatives to chocolate, which is so needed at this time of the year.
Berry Green Bites
Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews
½ cup dried blueberries
½ cup shredded unsweetened dried coconut
6 soft medjool dates, pitted
2 scoops greens+ mixed berry
Juice from 1 lemon
Zest from 1 lemon
Directions:
Combine all ingredients into a food processor. Blend until combined. Roll into 1 inch balls. Refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for one month.
Green Goddess Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients:
1 cup kale
1 cup chopped mango (reserve some for smoothie bowl topping)
1 tbsp chia seeds
½ avocado
1 scoop vegan greens+ O natural acai mango
1 scoop fermented vegan proteins+, vanilla
1 cup coconut milk
Garnish (Optional):
Handful blueberries and sliced strawberries
Chopped macadamia nuts
Coconut flakes
Chopped mango
Directions:
Toss all ingredients into a blender. Blitz until creamy. Pour into a bowl and top with remaining ingredients.
You can also add Greens+ to any smoothie to make it a little more healthier. Just toss a ton of fruit in a blender, some kale, skim or almond milk, and a scoop of this green goodness and you’ll get so many nutrients (something totally missing from chocolate).
Genuine Health was so kind and gave me a tub of Greens+ to give away to one lucky reader! Fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter. Contest closes November 18, 2016; open internationally!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
** Photos courtesy of Genuine Health
Don’t be a ten.. be an eleven!
In case you haven’t seen the runaway hit of the summer Stranger Things, this Netflix original show is a throwback to the sci-fi shows and movies of the ’80s. Think Fire Starter, ET, anything Stephen King, John Carpenter, etc. I blasted through the eight episodes super fast, and although I’m not a sci-fi kinda person, I really appreciated the nostalgia of when Winona Ryder was in her heyday (she also stars in the show).
If you’re stuck on what to be for Halloween this year, take some inspiration from Stranger Things and dress up as Eleven, a young girl with psychokinetic abilities. She’s literally one of the easiest Halloween costumes you can be this year, as you need a few key elements to pull her off. Best part is if you’re shy or don’t know a lot of people at a Halloween party, she hardly talks, so you can totally blame it on being in character!
Kiss was super cool and sent me all the key elements to pull her off. She’s actually bald in the show (and occasionally sports a blonde wig to make her look “like a normal girl”), but if you don’t want to shave your head, pick up a blonde wig from the Halloween store (mine was from Spirit Halloween); the more obvious the wig is, the better.
Next, since bomber jackets are so on trend right now, get a navy one from any fast-fashion store (this one was from men’s Forever 21) and pair it with a pink dress. I didn’t have a little girl dress like the one that Eleven wears in the show, but really any pink dress will work. It’s Halloween, so really the more skin you show, the better ;).
To complete the outfit, wear some tube socks that go below your knees (mine are from American Apparel), and some white Converse. I don’t have Converse, so I wore my glittery sneakers from Keds x Kate Spade.
Eleven is so easy to pull off makeup wise, since she’s a gal on the run from the government (AKA she doesn’t have time to slay her face in the morning like the rest of us). I just applied some foundation, bronzer for contouring (she’s really skinny), blush, and a pink lip.
For the eyes, I used a black liner (Kiss Intensify-Eye Liner in black) and some subtle false lashes (Kiss Blooming Lash in Jasmine, applied with the Kiss Strip Lash Adhesive with Aloe in black). Oh, and don’t forget the most important part, apply some fake blood in coming out of your nostril to show how strong your powers are.
For the nails, since Eleven isn’t a glam gal, I chose to just do some Halloween-themed nails. I painted my nails black with a silver ring finger. Then I applied some Kiss Art Stickers Halloween Edition over the polish to embrace the spirit of Halloween.
Now just team up with your boy gang (bikes included), grab your box of waffles, and show off those superpowers this Halloween!
What are you dressing up as for Halloween this year?
Please note, this post contains products sent by PR. All opinions are my own.
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Last week I talked about lipsticks from Mary Kay that I mentioned totally blew me out of the water. Prior to trying those suckers out I always associated the brand with, for lack of better words, mom makeup. Well, today I have another line that I also passed the same judgement on too fast.
London Drugs was super kind and gifted me all 10 shades from Elizabeth Arden’s new Beautiful Color Bold Liquid Lipstick collection. Although I have a ton of lipsticks in my collection, the thing that stuck out to me the most with these were the packaging. The tube is long and skinny, and feature a flocked-tip applicator that dispenses product with the push of a lever on the click pen. The formula is creamy, high-impact colour that has the coverage of a lipstick with the finish of the gloss. Colour is long lasting and comfortable, it also doesn’t bleed or feather on the lips.
These retail for $28 each at London Drugs and include an assortment of different colours, everything from bright pink to coral to nude. The colour is very saturated and applied nicely. Some of the colours I actually liked better applied than how they looked in the tube.
Liquid lipsticks are all the rage right now, and I love how Elizabeth Arden is getting into the game and appealing to a younger generation (I feel like Estee Lauder started the trend when they signed up Kendall Jenner to be their spokesperson). Although the formula is nice, it isn’t really anything I haven’t tried before. For me, this product is all about the packaging. Whether it’s the box that has kiss marks all over it, or the really cool clicky thing that dispenses the product, the beauty giant went above and beyond in creating a product that stands out in the market.
Colour selection is also amazing, as they have tons of bright colours to choose from that apply and wear amazing. If you like these, you may want to also take a look at the liquid liners, which are also part of the Beautiful Color Bold collection.
Have you tried any of the Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Bold Liquid Lipsticks?
Please note, I was sent this product from PR. All opinions are my own.
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