Maybe it was the picklebacks my boyfriend made me drink last night at the Super Bowl party,* or the fact that my horoscope told me it was a good time for a detox,** but I woke up today contemplating cleanses.
Truth be told, I’m not a fan. I’m of the (well-researched) mind that our bodies, properly treated, do a very good job ridding themselves of “toxins,” and that good nutrition means eating three squares and snacking—not starving yourself with expensive juices, raw foods, or packets of mysterious powder.
It’s not to say I don’t like expensive juice and raw food, and back when Alexandra and I lived together in our little bachelorette pad in Montreal, we would occasionally do juice cleanses with our two other roommates. The four of us would loll about reading magazines and talking about how hungry we were, and when the three days were up, we’d feast on vegetarian food. I did it because they were doing it, but I’ve not done one since, and that was more than 10 years ago.
Forgetting for a second that some cleanses are downright dangerous, am I missing something here?
It’s not that I don’t get the impulse. Like finally donating that pile of jeans you don’t wear or deleting exes from your phone, the urge to purge can be a healthy one. It’s a way of saying to yourself I’m done with that, it’s time to start fresh. I’m not really in that headspace right now, but since we’ve been talking a lot about what it takes for us to feel our best, I’m going to start my version of a cleanse: Committing to doing the things that make me feel my best—and actively avoiding the crap that doesn’t.
Because let’s get cheesy for a second: It’s not just about feeling your best, but also acting your best out there in the world. For me to do my best work, to be kind and patient with myself and others, to write blog posts that don’t suck and be present and happy in my day to day life, I need to take care of number one. Probably, I’m thinking, so do you.
So here’s my cleanse idea: A plant-based diet with a little fish (but definitely not this one), lemon water, lots of sleep, consistent meditation (tips, as always, are here), dark chocolate, as well as three whole pieces of fruit, daily—but also I’m going to do things that I find fun—because that’s a big part of it, too. I’m going to do this for a week, maybe two, and see what happens.
See what I did there? I came up with a cleanse where I get to eat a lot and have a ball. What about you? Do you do cleanses?
Do you like them? Tell, tell.
* If you have never had one and you do drink alcohol, do yourself a favor and get on that. Also, he didn’t really make me.
** Obviously this is the real reason.
image via
So here’s what we’re going to do:
We want all of you who comment and the many more of you who lurk (we see you! we love you!) to come out of hiding and name one thing you love about your looks right now, today, this second. Go!
I did this with people I barely even know last week, and then again last night at dinner with our friends Anna and Erika. Groan, groan, groan, I know. It’s super corny! But it also feels nice.
People seem to spend an awful lot of time saying they need to lose weight, or their skin sucks, or how they wish they had curly/straight/blonde/brown/black/red hair, how their smile lines are deepening—you name it. We all do it, and that’s fine. But part of the message of our book, and our message here, is that chasing the beauty dragon makes you feel bad, and we want to find ways to feel good, and embracing your natural beauty is part of that and…
Oh never mind the reason. Just do it! Tell us something you love about you! (We’ll do it too, in the comments.)
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We are certifiably obsessed with astrology, and this week something very important happened in the land of planets: Venus went direct.
Not surprisingly, Venus is the planet that rules aesthetics. When it’s in retrograde, as it has been so stubbornly for the last while, astrologers caution not to do cosmetic procedures or spend big money on anything related to your appearance.
The other thing Venus retrograde can do? Just generally make you feel crappy about the way you look. We were both totally feeling this. Were you?
But now that Venus is in forward swing, we can all rejoice. To celebrate this shift we’re asking you this:
What do you like about yourself physically? So often women are asked what they would change—we’d like to know what you’d keep.
Have a great weekend and yes, go get that pair of jeans.
Hello! I’m Virginia of Beauty Schooled, a blog where I investigate the price of pretty. I’m so excited that Alexandra and Siobhan asked me to guest post, because I am obsessed with their book to the point that I carry it in my purse when I go to the store to stock up on conditioner and face wash (that’s not weird, right?) and also, they are totally awesome people.
A little while ago, I bullied these ladies into guest posting on my blog, and we started talking about how cleaning up your beauty routine can lead to you also feeling maybe a little bit free from all those “you MUST look like [insert-whomever-in-Hollywood-here]” beauty standards that we all hold ourselves to, often to a pretty major degree.
And it was a little bit of a light bulb moment for me.
Well hello, sleepyheads, I have just finished tabulating responses to our sleep survey. Here’s what we found:
—On average you are sleeping 7 hours a night. Not too shabby! Though studies have shown that people tend to overestimate how much they sleep…
—About 40% of you go to bed between 10pm and midnight. The exact same number go to bed after midnight. Only 10% go to bed before 10pm (so much for Ayurveda!). The rest of you have more complicated patterns that could not be measured. Many reported a lot of time in bed, with not so much time asleep.
—Congrats to the 54% of you that have zero, zip, no trouble sleeping. Unfortunately that leaves 46% who do. Stress was a big factor in falling asleep, and many of you reported waking up frequently in the night. There were a few nods to dogs, babies, and men (the last both helping and hindering).
A lot of you report waking up to pee as well. If that’s a big problem, try avoiding liquids after 8pm. For other tips on how to get a better night’s sleep check out our recent post about it here.
Overall these results seem okay, though many of us could stand to improve our sleep life a bit, no? One last question then for the poll: Do you feel rested with the hours you get? (A simple yes or no in the comments section would be great!)
Image of beautiful waking woman via
Now there’s a face you can trust, are we right? Josie Maran, the foxy model and makeup maven behind Josie Maran cosmetics answered a few of our burning questions about beauty and products. We’re going to run it in two parts. Here’s the first chunk where she tells us about a—gasp—waterproof mascara, and some insider beauty tips. Next up? More modelly secrets, her favorite other natural lines and more.
What are some common booboos you see in makeup application—and how can we fix them?
One thing I see a lot of is eyeshadow mistakes. Blend, baby, blend! Apply your colors and then take a clean eyeshadow brush and go over what you’ve done until it blends together beautifully. Also, curl your lashes. This is such a small step that so many women skip but it makes a huge difference. Curling your lashes really opens up your eyes and pulls a whole look together. I’m actually totally addicted to curling my lashes.
Do lots of models use natural products?
As a model, it’s hard to use natural products because, unless you’re carrying your own kit around, you’re at the mercy of the makeup artist who is doing you for the job. On top of that, there haven’t really been [many] high performance natural makeup products that hold up for photo shoots or runway. However, I do think that models (like everyone else) are becoming more conscious about what they put on their bodies—especially in terms of skin care. In fact, the gorgeous supermodel Brooklyn Decker just gave a shout out to my argan oil saying she can’t live without it! Every day makeup artists have been asking me to help them clean out the toxins from their kits, and we send them healthy high-performing cosmetics from my line to use on their clients.
We bend on waterproof mascara and antiperspirant on occasion. You told us in the past that creating a good mascara was crucial to you—and yours is great—but could natural ever replace truly waterproof?
It is true that a good mascara is like the holy grail. And guess what? My new mascara is natural and water resistant! You can have both! Two ingredients—the organic cerifera wax and the organic beeswax—help keep the mascara on your lashes, while the argan oil conditions and volumizes at the same time. I’m also so proud of the GOGO mascara because of the cause behind it. GOGO stands for Get One, Give One. We’ve teamed up with City of Hope, a cancer research and treatment center, and for every GOGO we sell we are donating one to a patient or survivor of cancer.
If you could offer women one beautifying tip, what would it be?
Use your fingers when applying makeup. Don’t be afraid—the result is natural and clean. And, of course: Smile!
What is your number-one favorite natural ingredient to use in products—other than argan?
Argan Oil IS my favorite natural ingredient! I use Argan Oil in almost all of my products for it’s moisturizing, anti-aging, and nourishing properties.
Stay tuned for part two!
We have a little secret. Maybe not something to bring up at a dinner party or in mixed company, but here among friends? Why not.
Alexandra and I both hate soap.
Aside from certain obvious body parts (the sexytime ones, and our pits), we don’t use the stuff. Basic hygiene, yes? Soaping up our…calves? And elbows? And the small of our backs? Why on earth!
Since we both stopped using soap, we find our skin much softer and naturally balanced, which obviates the need for body lotion. We like this, because it supports one of the central tenets in the book, which is that the fewer products you use, the fewer products you need. And when you’re buying less stuff, you can afford to get things you absolutely love when you do go shopping.
Back to faces for a second. We won’t use soap or anything foaming on our mugs. Our skin needs the natural oils that live on its surface and below. When we strip that with harsh, carcinogen-contaminated chemicals, our skin acts like a moody teenager.
Still, if you wear sunscreen and makeup, and who doesn’t, you obviously have to wash at the end of the day. I use a new Tata Harper cleanser some days, and an Evan Healy milk on others (reviews to come!). In the morning, I gently wipe my face with a clean wash cloth and water. That’s it.
Alexandra has lately been experimenting with honey. When she bothers to wash her face at all, she skews more DYI: a little honey as a cleanser here, coconut oil to remove makeup there. The point for both of us: Our bodies are marvellous! They do all kinds of magic tricks on their own. Let them be, and they work juuuust fine. And no, you won’t stink, we promise.
What about you? Do you use soap?
We, like most people, looooove French women. They’re polished but slightly undone, sexy but sophisticated, they like to eat cheese and drink wine, and they don’t use soap. Needless to say we were excited to read this link-baity New York Times piece about French women’s secrets to aging well. From the Times:
Even the average Frenchwoman … seems to defy the notion that, as one grows older, you either have to disguise that process with Botox, eye-lifts, [and] lip plumpers … or else just give up altogether and let the ravages of time take their toll.
The article has some “secrets” I wholeheartedly endorse. In addition to said soap abstention, I also like the idea of less-is-more makeup, ritualizing self-care, and not underestimating the mood-boosting power of a really hot bra. Which is kind of an awesome message, because it’s something most of us can do without shooting stuff into our foreheads.
I love massaging with lotions and oils, dabbing on special eye creams, doing weekly green tea face masks, preparing home-made scrubs that smell like cookies (mmmm vanilla) and then using them to diligently soften skin in the shower. I doubt I’ll age better than anyone else, but I’ll feel better doing it that way—and I think that’s the point.
What are your rituals?
Omegas omegas omegas. We’ve all heard a zillion times that we should take our omegas every single day, because they’ll make us live forever without cancer and wrinkles and bad moods.
But then we’ll also see attention-grabby headline claiming it’s snake (er, fish) oil, or that it’s too often contaminated with mercury to be safe for daily use. Well, here’s our take:
High-quality omegas are just possibly the single most amazing supplement in the entire world, for a number of reasons.
Bam! They’re an anti-inflammatory superstar, and inflammation, as we explain in the book, is health and beauty enemy number one. Yes, it’s our body’s natural response to bad things—it’s how we fight off infection—but study after study has shown that often, when there’s no infection at all, inflammation is triggered and the body kind of attacks itself.
The result of that ain’t pretty. We’re talking acne and rosacea on the relatively benign end of the spectrum, and rheumatoid arthritis and worse on the other.
That’s the bad news. The good news is, there are tons of delicious ways to get your omegas through your diet—salmon, walnuts, egg yolks, etc.—and you will be rewarded with glowy hydrated skin. As for supplements, we’re partial to fish oil from Nordic Naturals, but if you’re a flax seed kind of gal, that’s cool too. Just make sure they’re freshly ground and organic (duh).
The awesome Jody Villecco from Whole Foods has written another really instructive piece over at GOOD for our No More Dirty Looks series. This one offers a primer on how to read labels, and some advice as to why that’s important.
Get out your loupe, because it’s time to read some labels.
This is by far the hardest thing to do when it comes to choosing personal care products, but it’s also the most instructive, and the most important.
Because of lax cosmetics laws, it can be very hard to know if a product you’re using is as clean and safe as you want it to be. There are laws about ingredient disclosure, however, which means that the list of things listed in your product have to be true. To help you on your way, here are some tips.
Photo (cc) by Flickr user Alternativemeans
