DIY Natural Beauty as conscious Holiday Gifts!/ Regalos conscientes de navidad que puedes hacer en casa!

In case you guys are looking for conscious gift ideas for the Holidays, here’s one I’ve been dying to share with you! A DIY (Do-it-yourself) organic and nontoxic body butter you can create at home, pour into cool jars and gift to those you love! At least, that’s exactly what I did! :)

The brand I used to source all the vegan, organic and natural ingredients is Sky Organics! They sell products in big containers you can order and use at home to create your own beauty products, over and over again, without producing too much waste! From body butters to lip balms and facial oils. They have all the ingredients you need to become your own beauty chef at home! The DIY recipe I did was their mango body butter. Prep time was around 10 minutes, and then I just placed my creation in the fridge for 2 hours, and later added a few drops of essential oils (Peppermint and Lavender) to it and voila! Non-toxic, affordable, natural and organic body butter with ingredients we can all pronounce and understand. Making it was also really easy and fun! The great thing about using coconut oil, almond oil, mango butter, and shea butter as ingredients is that if you spill/drop them, you can immediately wipe them with your hand, rub your hands together and apply them on your skin and hair! And when it comes to the essential oils, get creative! Instead of using 10 drops of one scent, I chose to use two oils (Peppermint and lavender) and 5 drops of each. The combination created a delicious and powerful aroma!

In case you guys are ready to give SkyOrganics a try, I’ll leave you with the recipe and a video tutorial I shared on instagram last week. I hope you enjoy making this as much as I did! DIY is all about letting go of expectations and perfection, and flowing with your creativity! Use code WTS20 for a 20% discount, and head to SkyOrganics’ Blog for the detailed recipe.

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(ESPAÑOL)

En caso de que estén buscando ideas de regalos conscientes para esta Navidad, aquí les dejo una que muero por compartir con ustedes! Una crema de cuerpo orgánica y no tóxica pueden crear en casa, vaciar en frascos bonitos y regalar a quienes quieren! Al menos, eso es exactamente lo que hice yo! :) La marca que utilicé para los ingredientes veganos, orgánicos y naturales es Sky Organics! Venden productos en envases grandes que pueden usar en casa una y otra vez para crear sus propios productos de belleza sin producir basura! Desde cremas hasta bálsamos labiales y aceites faciales. SkyOrganics tiene todos los ingredientes que necesitan para convertirse en chefs de belleza natural! La receta que hice fue la de manteca de mango. El tiempo de preparación fue de alrededor de 10 minutos, y luego coloqué mi creación en la nevera durante 2 horas. Después agregué unas gotas de aceites esenciales (menta y lavanda) y listo! Crema corporal no tóxica, accesible, natural y orgánica con ingredientes que todos podemos pronunciar y entender. Fue super fácil y divertido! Lo mejor de usar aceite de coco, aceite de almendra, manteca de mango y manteca de shea como ingredientes es que si los derraman / dejan caer, pueden limpiarlos inmediatamente con la mano, frotarse las manos y aplicarlos sobre la piel y el cabello! Y cuando se trata de los aceites esenciales, sean creativos! En lugar de usar 10 gotas de un aceite, yo elegí usar dos aceites (menta y lavanda) y 5 gotas de cada uno. La combinación creó un aroma delicioso y poderoso! En caso de que estén listos para probar SkyOrganics, les dejo con la receta y un video que compartí en Instagram la semana pasada. Espero que disfruten haciendo esto tanto como yo lo hice! Todos los DIY (do it yourself) consisten en dejar ir las expectativas y la perfección, y fluir con tu creatividad! Usen el código WTS20 para obtener un descuento del 20% y vayan al Blog de SkyOrganics para obtener la receta detallada.

Sponsored by SkyOrganics.

Cruelty-free & Natural Beauty Products with a Delicious Scent!

A topic I want to cover today is beauty.  I know I’ve talked about this before but every time I find new vegan and natural products, I feel I must share them with you. Specially since the beauty industry is estimated to have reached $63Billion in revenues last year with most of us contributing to it. It all sounds great but here’s the downfall. Most beauty products do not only test on animals (all animals!) but they are also extremely toxic and can increase our risks of developing cancer cells since there is a direct connection between our skin and our bloodstream. Yes, ladies and gents! This means that whatever you put on your face and skin travels directly through your pores to your bloodstream. If you are using products with chemicals, the odds are those chemicals are floating in your blood right now. Don’t blame yourselves, I didn’t know about this either until I researched it two years ago. The articles I found were beyond disturbing and I decided to immediately make the switch and choose brands that were not only kind to this planet and its earthlings but also kind to my health. And it obviously did not make much sense to be following a plant-based diet but keep using toxic beauty products! 

So, with that being said, here is a brand I have been using for a while now and have become addicted to! From their nail polishes to the dry body oil to the body butter, I use these products on a daily basis. 

Spa Ritual: This brand is meant to nourish your body, soul and mind, guys! The products are formulated with vegan ingredients and selected plant essences that are Certified Organic and Fair Trade. Their nail lacquers and nail care essentials are vegan as well and do not contain DBP, toulene, formaldehyde and formaldehyde resin. None of their products are tested on animals nor do they contain synthetic dyes, parabens or petrochemicals. As if that were not enough, SpaRitual products are also packaged with the planet in mind using soy ink and recycled paper! On every box, you’ll also find the cruelty-free bunny logo proving that SpaRitual cares about our animals and does not test its products on them.

My favorite SpaRitual products so far are:

Nail polishes!!! I carry them in my purse, specially when I go get my nails done at salons that do not carry a vegan or organic line. I am head over heels over these colors: black (Bravery), white (Clearly), and Turquoise (Caring). How about those spiritual and uplifting names?! Another plus! PS: I also like SpaRitual's fast drying nail polish oil. A must!

In case you are wondering about cruelty-free and organic nail salons in Miami, I adore The Palms Hotel’s spa. They carry SpaRitual and Aveda ONLY! You will want to spend the entire day there!

Yuzu Rose Dry Body Oil, Body Scrub and Butter. These are to die for! I’ve been looking for natural, vegan and organic body products that leave my skin soft and moist while also carrying a nice scent for months now and Spa Ritual’s Yuzu Rose combo gives me all that! The oil is made with Green Tea Extract, Vitamin E and Grapefruit Peel Essential Oil. The body butter with Aloe Vera, Yuzu Oil and Shea Butter. The scrub with Yuzu Oil and organic sugar crystals. And don’t even get me started on the aroma of these products, guys! It’s beyond delicious! A sugary lemon scent that lasts for hours! Give these natural beauties a try and let me know your thoughts.

xx

Natural & Organic Beauty Rituals!

You must be wondering what's up with all the fuzz about natural skin care. Every day more consumers are talking about it and more companies are coming up with products to match that demand. Here's the deal and it's very simple. There are 3 main topics you should consider when shopping for beauty products:

1) Health reasons: Everything you put on your skin goes directly into your blood stream. If you use beauty products with chemicals and toxic ingredients, odds are those ingredients will end up in your blood and might cause health issues in the long run. There is nothing healthier and kinder to yourself than natural and ORGANIC (please!) beauty products. 

2) Animal testing: Unfortunately, we live in a world where most beauty and cleaning products are tested on animals before they can hit shops' shelves. As if testing on animals were not horrible enough, the practices companies use take cruelty to a different level and most animals (monkeys, bunnies, dogs, cats, mice...) become blind, sick, incapacitated or even die. Luckily, there are brands that have become the voice for the voiceless and have made it their mission to avoid animal testing. Tip: ALWAYS read labels and look for words like cruelty-free, no animal testing, not tested on animals, Peta certified, vegan. Most of these products also show the pink bunny (represents vegan and cruelty-free product) on their packaging. 

3) Planet as a whole: Natural and organic products are not only kind to your skin and animals but also to the planet as a whole. Most natural and organic beauty products are handmade, fair-trade, sustainable, and eco-friendly and come in recycled packaging. Nonetheless, please, always read labels and perform your research. You will not regret it, guys! In the end, every dollar we spend is our vote on how we want our world to be. Think about it. 

With that being said, here's my beauty ritual from morning till dawn! xx

BEFORE BEDTIME:

-Teeth whitening: take 1/2 TSP of banking soda with 1 TBSP lemon juice. Wash your teeth with the bubbles created by that combination. Repeat every night for 1 week and see the results. 

-Dark under-eye circles: mix 1/2 TSP turmeric powder with 1/2 TSP olive oil. Make a paste and place under your eyes for 10 minutes every night. BE CAREFUL because turmeric stains everything yellow so make sure you don't touch anything while applying the paste. 

-Face Cleaning, Hydrating & Anti-aging: I'm totally obsessed with Baiser Beauty. I've been using their natural and organic face cleansing oil, cucumber spritz and anti-aging serum before bedtime every night. 

MORNINGS:

-Face Hydration: I use Aveda's botanical skincare for my morning rituals. Aveda's mission is beautiful, guys. From not testing on animals, to taking mother earth into consideration, to creating products with only natural ingredients.

-Body Hydration:  Baiser Beauty Body Oil with 35+ SPF is THE product! Natural, organic, cruelty-free and yummy smelling. It will leave your skin soft and moist while protecting it from the sun. 

-Makeup/Blush: Another product of Basier Beauty I adore! Their natural and organic Cream Blush. It's made from beetroot powder... Do I need to say more?  

-Makeup/Bronzer: Who doesn't like a natural suntan? I highly recommend this Bronzer made from Cacao Powder and cinnamon!! 

-Makeup/Mascara: I've tried several natural mascaras but it wasn't until I discovered Tarte's Amazonian Clay Mascara that my lashes began to look beautiful naturally. Tarte does not test on animals and you can find its products at any Sephora store or online. 

-Makeup/Concealer: We've all dealt with dark circles under our eyes, haven't we? Well... Tarte's Concealer has become my soulmate! Creamy, natural, and cruelty-free. 

-Makeup/Lips: Love this brand and product. One of the only natural Lip Balms that leaves my lips smooth and moist without chapping them or becoming addictive. (Please note that this product has beeswax)