Positive Product Changes

I have been feeling discouraged lately at my lack of improvement in having a more simple and natural lifestyle. There are so many more changes I would like to make! Instead of dwelling on the long list of things I would like to change, I'm going write about a few product changes I have made this year.

• All Natural Makeup: In January, my mom took me to an all-natural cosmetic store to get some new makeup (as an early birthday gift). This is a store that my cousin, Simply Authentic, went to for her makeup when she still lived here. I had a wonderful experience picking out two eyeshadow colors, an eyeliner pencil, concealer, foundation and mascara. It is now the beginning of December and I am no where near running out of any of these products. I don't wear makeup on a regular basis, but when I do it is nice to have natural products. They're easy to put on, look much better than the non-natural brands, and are so easy to take off (water is all you need!). The only downside of natural products like this is that they are pretty expensive. But I figure, the expense of having natural products is much better than putting my health at risk and paying a much larger expense later on. If you're interested, most of my makeup is from a brand called Alima Pure.

• Burt's Bees Shampoo, Conditioner & Body Wash: Starting earlier this year, I also switched over to natural bathing products. For years I have used Bath and Body Works products and Pantene Pro-V for my hair. This year I decided that enough was enough-- so I gave these natural products a try and loved them! These are also fairly spendy too but from time to time I find coupons in the ads. As a matter of fact I have a coupon tacked to my bulletin board. I go through conditioner fast and will be needing some soon!

• Larabars: I also discovered a better snack choice this year! These types of bars replace the chemical-loaded protein bars I used to eat. These natural bars are a great replacement and have few ingredients, which you will see in the picture on the very bottom. The Cherry Pie flavor is good, but my favorite one is Apple Pie. :)

Now that I am writing about some of my changes, I am starting to remember a few more that I have made. I'll just write another blog in the next day or so! I have to get ready now for a football game, our home-team made it to the semi-final games of the playoffs. Pretty exciting!