Hello everyone!

Inspired by my efforts to live a more green lifestyle, I have become quite a fan of the beauty and skincare store, LUSH. Today I wanted to talk about my favorite LUSH products and, hopefully, inspire you to try out some of them for yourself!

Cup O' Coffee

When I say this kicked off my obsession, I mean this kicked it off! The smell is amazing and the scrub itself works very well at riding your skin of dirt and grime. I love reaching for this after a long day, applying a thick layer on my face, and just taking in the coffeehouse smell. After each use I can attest that my skin has felt softer and looks more even, which is perhaps why I always try and apply a layer when I can tell I have a break out coming. I purchased my cup in January and there is still half left! I cannot recommend this mask enough. I like to do a mask on Sundays, before the week starts, and again on Wednesdays, when I'm halfway through the workweek. 


Montalbano Shampoo Bar

One word: legendary. The holy grail for girls with oily hair, this shampoo bar exceeded my expectations from the first use. My hair type is thin, flat, and oily, making for one heck of a look after a few days. Because of this I have become accustomed to washing my hair every day! I know, I know, you don't need to lecture me on why that's horrible for my hair, I already know. I just didn't know what else to do. So, in a moment of desperation, I decided to try a shampoo bar at LUSH. Maybe I was intrigued by the lack of packaging, maybe I was curious if the bar would hold up to it's claims. Whatever the reason, I went home with two samples; one of the Montalbano and one of the Honey I Washed My Hair. Simply put, the Montalbano actually did what it is supposed to do, whereas the other bar did what any other drugstore shampoo would do, mask the problem for a day and then require I wash again. If you have overly-oily hair, I cannot stress enough that you should go to the nearest LUSH and, at the very least, ask for a sample. From what I understand, each bar is made with natural, safe ingredients and can last up to 100 washes. That's over three months packed into such a tiny object! All I can say is that I am excited to go back and buy another one. 



Sleepy Lotion

Now that LUSH has successfully converted me into a believer of their shampoo bars and a fanatic of their coffee mask, it's only natural I would move onto my next sought-after item: lotion. You've heard me say time and time again how my skin is sensitive and even the slightest application of a lotion other than Hempz has my skin breaking out into what feels like flames. If you couldn't tell, I am very, very hesitant when it comes to buying lotions. I have heard great things about the Sleepy lotion but, given my skin, was too afraid to take the leap without trying some for myself. I will say that the lotion takes a while to absorb, but for the most part I enjoy putting some on my hands before bed and using it to help me unwind. One thing I do like is that the lotion isn't overtly lavender. Meaning that when you apply it you aren't slapped in the face with the fake lavender that some lotions have. The lavender Sleepy lotion is subtle and makes for a very relaxing, soothing feeling once on the skin. 

What do you think? Have I convinced you to try your hand at any of these products yet? Let me know if you use any of these or if there is a different product that you enjoy. Hope everyone is having a great week!

Hey everyone!

I can't believe I'm saying it but we are only a few short weeks away from ending yet another year of college. I have truly not had a school year go by as fast as this years has gone. With that being said, I have had my fair share of moments these past few weeks where I feel more stressed than usual and itching for some time off. I wanted to come up with a few ways that would help us all destress during those weeks of tension and stress, and I hope you enjoy!

Tip #1: Start a Show

Alright, so I might be a bit subjective here, but I'm not someone who gets addicted to shows easily, so if you're one of those people who finds themselves falling in love with characters after the pilot episode then I might not recommend this to you. However, if you're like me then I highly recommend interrupting your hours of studying with a break spent watching either an episode of TV or youtube. I'm currently watching American Idol and am loving this season so far!

Tip #2: Settle Into Bed and Read

While I'm not an avid reader, I certainly know quite a few people who are and who swear by reading as a way to destress and unwind. I was recently suggested the book, "The Girls" and can easily say this book is going to be my go-to for the next few nights! Reading a book during times of stress, or even before bed, can help your body unwind and allows you to focus on one simple activity rather than have your thoughts racing all over the place. 

Tip #3: Play Around on Pinterest 

Maybe I'm hopping onto the bandwagon a little late here, but I have really been loving Pinterest lately. I find just mindlessly scrolling through the pictures to be relaxing and am confident that you will, too. Shameless plug here. 

Tip #4: Create a Mini-Oasis 

We all have our nightly routines, and if you think you don't then now is the perfect time to start one! For me, I always turn on my salt rock, light a few candles, and go through my skincare steps before bed. Once done, I finish up my homework and proceed to unwinding. I like to spray my room with the Auracacia "Pillow Potion" oil and follow up with wearing my vegan eye mask from La Aquarelle. It sounds extra, but this is another one of those pieces you need if you're seriously considering being sustainable, as it is naturally dyed (meaning your skin isn't going to absorb any nasty chemicals) and is filled with lavender to help you sleep better.  I love ending my days with these pieces because, once I'm laying down, I feel so much better and relaxed.

Tip #5: Listen to Relaxing Sounds

Kind of arbitrary, but hear me out on this one. If I'm really stressed, the kind of stress where I have an oncoming headache and can feel myself losing motivation, I put in my headphones and listen to sounds. Personally, I'm a fan of the sound of the beach, a thunderstorm, or just plain white noise. These sounds are perfect for creating a soothing ambiance in your environment and easily make me feel like I'm somewhere else. It sounds foolish, but whatever helps you is worth doing, and if you find that listening to the wind and rain helps soothe you, then by all means do it. 

There you have it! Those are my five tips on finding ways to ground yourself and relax. I wanted to give you some options that are less of me telling you to go to the gym and more of me being honest and real. Let me know in the comments if any of these tips helped you or if you unwind by doing something else! Let's all help each other through these last few weeks; you've got this!

Hello everyone!

Now, I understand that I haven't been very diligent in my posting, but I would like to make it known that I am graduating early (this fall!) and have been overcome with a lot of assignments as of late. However, I did want to end March on a good note and publish a few of my thoughts surrounding my upcoming graduation. 

First, I never thought I would be graduating early. In fact, I aimed to do college in the most traditional way as possible: finding out my first two years what I like, spend my third year abroad, graduate the fourth. But, along the way, my plans shifted and I found myself considering a change in direction. There have been a lot of changes, but I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and whatever changes I might go through have led me to ending my college career with two majors and plans to say goodbye to Oahu this December. 

Looking back, nothing at Manoa has really gone the way I had thought it would. But, if there's one thing I don't want to change, it's my graduation date. 

I'll be frank, my biggest motivator to graduating early is the financial gain. Why would I willingly dig myself into a deeper hole of student debt when I could instead graduate early by taking an extra class during my spring semester? Why would I choose to add more to the burden of debt when I could have just taken a summer class and sucked it up? Why would I want to sign away dozens of my future paychecks to pay something off that could have been avoided? Even more, why would I want to drag out my time here when I'm ready to move on? 

You all know I'm not one to shy away from how I'm feeling online. You are all familiar with the uphill battle I've had while attending this university. But I've chosen to allow these years to motivate me to try harder, do better, and get out quicker. And, quite frankly, I don't mind it. Taking 18 credits both semesters this year was rough. It is rough. But I believe that the payoff will be better than the fight, and what better payoff is there than by making the smart financial decision to cut out thousands in loans just by graduating early? It's funny, but one of the quotes I have always liked is: "Our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory at the end,". Most certainly mistranslated, by me, I look at this as a reminder that the hard work I put into my education now will pay off tomorrow. 

Believe me, I understand why students may want to take the full four years to graduate. I understand why some students take even longer than that. But I stand by my decision to graduate early. I am ready to get out of school and be done with classes. I am ready to start my life and see where I'll go next. It is an exciting time and I cannot wait. 

Hi everyone!

For those of you who have not been following me through my social media (ahem, click here) then this is likely coming out of left field for you. This week, rather than highlight a number of ways that you can be sustainable, I wanted to talk more specifically about one method that is an easy switch and is something that almost everyone can do. Yes, you guessed it, I'm talking about period cups. Before I divulge too much, I wanted to give a special thank you to the company who has been working with me over the past few weeks while I prepare this post: Saalt Co. 

Saalt is a company I have been working closely with these last few weeks to bring you this post and I hope that this is a safe enough space for us to talk about them and what they do. All opinions are my own and I was gifted a cup to help aid me in my post. Thank you, Saalt!

I want to start off by telling you guys why I became interested in period cups and why I chose to go with Saalt. For me, in this journey to become more aware of myself and more aware of my impact, I realized there had to be easier alternatives to many of the things I was used to doing. While researching ways to make quick changes, it just so happened that I came across another blogger talking about her work with period cups. This spurred me in the direction to learn more about why cups should be prioritized over other things such as tampons or pads. Now, I won't go into all the crazy reasons on why these things aren't the safest for your body or for the planet, but I will share with you the compelling reasons that made me make the switch immediately. 

Reason One: Chemicals

• If you're an avid consumer of all things trendy, then you've likely come across "organic" products now on the shelves for women. When I first saw this I was confused, why would there even be a difference? Isn't it the same product? Naturally, I was wrong. There is a huge difference between regular tampons and regular pads and organic tampons and organic pads. The difference is major, and it all comes down to ingredients (more on that later). With tampons in particular, much of the material used is often farmed using pesticides and other nasty chemicals, like chlorine. Once removed, there is a risk that fibers can be left behind, and that can lead to infections or harmful bacteria growth. (Source: HuffPost "Women Beware: Most Feminine Hygiene Products Contain Toxic Ingredients) 

Reason Two: Limited Regulation

• Did you know that pads are considered a "medical device" by the FDA? I was shocked when I found that out, and even more surprised to learn that because they are considered a medical device that companies are not required to list ingredients on the labels or even so much as disclose information to consumers about what is in the product. Thinking back, I can't tell you with certainty what I was consuming, and that's when I realized that if I don't know what I'm using and what ingredients are being used then it's likely not something worth using. (Source: Bustle "Are Tampons Safe? 7 Reasons We Should Be Concerned")

Reason Three: Environmental Footprint 

• The average woman uses anywhere from 11,000 to 16,000 tampons in her lifetime. Once used, those tampons have nowhere to go but in landfills, where they sit and take a very long time to biodegrade and break down. Even worse, the plastic in them does not break down. Furthermore, one of the "regular" (ie: not organic) pads contains an equivalent to four plastic bags.  (Source: HuffPost "Women Beware: Most Feminine Hygiene Products Contain Toxic Ingredients) 

Now that I know all of this, I began to look at my products in a different way. I gathered up all of my products and took a tally of how much I had. Truthfully, I didn't want to use any of them after learning about the risks. With that, my story with Saalt begins. Remember how I said I saw another blogger talk about her work with Saalt? This was my first time hearing about them and, overwhelmed by all of the options out there, I decided to look more into their cups. Sure, I could have started with organic substitutes, but organic doesn't mean environmentally safe. For me to still use those products defeated the whole purpose of being sustainable, in my humble opinion. So I looked into the ingredients of cups, I watched videos on experiences, I learned about the benefits of using cups, and I reached out to Saalt. 

Short time later I had received a box from Saalt with information on their brand, statistics about periods around the world, information on how cups can benefit me, and more. I'm not going to lie, I was intimidated. Even after all of my research I was suddenly face-to-face with something that made me nervous all over again. But I thought about the bigger picture, and I knew that the least I could do was try it. 

The reason I have stuck with Saalt, rather than bounce from brand to brand, comes down to their customer service. Many women, like myself, are afraid to talk about these things with other people, but why is that? Half of the world goes through this natural cycle, so why am I so afraid to be open about it? This fear made me feel constrained, almost like if I had a problem I couldn't tell anyone about it, much less message them on instagram and vent. It just wouldn't work. But that's where I was wrong, and this is where Saalt did right. Saalt has created a cup group on Facebook for all of its users (or those interested) to congregate and ask questions, seek information, and learn. Having a brand be so in-tune with their audience, reach out to me when I've shared my highs and lows of the cup, has been such a warm experience and is a major part of why I recommend Saalt. 





Period care, especially care that is better for the body, is something that needs to be discussed more. I hope to be able to bring this conversation to light and that, by publishing this one post, you have been inspired to reevaluate what is in your cabinet and make the sustainable switch. 

If you are interested in learning more about Saalt, click HERE to be directed to their website. 

If you want to learn more about period cups, and find which one is fit for you, click HERE to take a survey on PutACupInIt.com. 

If you're still a little intimidated and unsure if you are ready to make the switch, don't feel bad!  Here are three brands that make natural products you can use in the meantime and not feel as guilty about using. I recommend Cora, but there is also L. Organic, and Rael. 


Lastly, if you are curious to learn more and hear about my experience I encourage you to reach out in the comment section below. We're all here to support one another, so even a simple word of encouragement is helpful. 

I hope you're all enjoying this series; happy Friday!

Hey everyone,

I hope you all have a great holiday this past week. On my end, I was able to get caught up on some homework and, since watching Marie Kondo's "Tidying Up", I was even inspired to organize up bits of my dorm room. 

In doing all of this, I realized that I tend to place emphasis on things that either don't matter or are simply bad for the environment. I've shared a few of my goals for the new year on here before, but this time around I really want to take charge with controlling more of the things I carry with me and want to strive to be more sustainable. I have teamed up with some amazing companies and hope that you will be inspired by each of the brands I work with and aren't as afraid to be more sustainable in your own life! 

Sustainable Option #1: A (Cute) Reusable Cup

This was the first major change I made in my day-to-day life, and I honestly don't regret it at all. I am a huge fan of hydro flasks and when I saw the tumblr that Angie, shop owner of "Simply JLynn", made I knew I had to have it in my life. What I love about reusable cups is that they are portable, easy to customize, and, in some ways, more versatile than traditional cups. In some instances, stores will even give you a discount for using your own mug. For those times when you want to grab a quick cup of coffee but don't want to lug your heavy water bottle, I highly suggest buying a tumblr. The one I have is the personalized tumblr cup, viewable HERE, with initials in the rose gold color with the interlocking script. I can't stress enough how much I love this cup and how many compliments I have gotten with it around campus. For those of you more interested in hot drinks, HERE is a link to one of her mugs I am obsessed with!   

Sustainable Switch #2: Aromatherapy Candles

Believe it or not, many scented candles contain ingredients that release tons of harmful chemicals into our air; some of which end up ingested into our bodies. To name a few, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and lead are all popular chemicals that have harmful side effects (Source: Molekule Blog) to our environment. In my search for new ways to care for myself, I wanted to find more natural, safer ways to clean the air around me and through this found that candles with a soy wax are healthier for the air and your body (because, hello, you're not inhaling those gross toxins!). Even more, companies are beginning to employ essential oils and even crystals into their candles. Using essential oils, rather than unnatural scents, are overall safer for you and also help to create a more enjoyable experience. Now when it comes to crystal candles, I'm no expert by any means, but I do know that many people believe in the power of crystals and their properties. Whether you do or don't, the nice thing is that companies like The Divine Femme include an informational sheet on the crystals and oils in their candles, ensuring you learn a little something with each purchase. Even better, companies like The Divine Femme are entirely self-supported, meaning each purchase goes directly into helping support a small business. What's better than supporting small businesses rather than large corporations? 

Sustainable Switch #3: Laundry Dryer Balls

Now, in the spirit of sustainability I wanted to share with you my new holy-grail: dryer balls. Rather than spend my money on dryer sheets that I'm likely going to use once and just toss, I have decided to invest into dryer balls. They come in various forms, ranging from wool to plastic, and can be reused for years. Depending on which you try, you might find that they reduce static, help speed up drying time, and are safer for your clothes. I personally use two dryer balls from target, but have not used them enough to say if I've noticed a difference. HERE is a link to view the most popular one on Amazon, where you can learn more about the benefits to switching to dryer balls. 

How are you making strides to being more sustainable? While only three, I hope this post inspired you to make switches to the things you drink out of, wash your clothes with, and even decorate your space with. Next week I hope to tackle clothing, and how I am choosing to be more sustainable in my fashion choices! This hasn't been easy, but it has certainly been eye opening! 

Until next time, 

Hey everyone,

I am so excited for Valentine's Day this year because, unlike last year, Daniel will be on island and we will likely be able to see each other! With this in mind, I realized how little I had prepared on what we should do or where we should go. I know I can't be the only one overwhelmed here, so I decided to bite the bullet and come up with 5 creative date ideas for those looking for ways to enjoy the holiday with their S.O. 

1. See a Movie

• The Prodigy: A horror movie starring Taylor Schilling
• Isn’t it Romantic: A comedy starring Rebel Wilson and Liam Hemsworth
• Cold Pursuit: A drama starring Liam Neeson

2. Spend the evening indoors (thanks, polar vortex!)

3. Dinner and a museum

4. Go ice skating

5. Play hookie and explore your city

What do you think of these ideas? Let me know if you and your S.O end up doing these dates, or if you decided to do something different entirely!

Hello everyone!

It's no secret that I have been obsessed with going to the gym lately and I knew I wanted to touch base and update you guys on my routine, what's working, what's not working, and what I'm doing differently! I hope you enjoy!

I try and set aside approximately one hour every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for the gym. Last year I was very much dedicated to my lower body, but this time around I have tried to expand my reach and have been doing workouts more targeted to my upper body. From when I first started things were hard, but even in the few weeks that I've been going I have already noticed myself building strength and stamina. So first, what do I do? 

I always start my workouts with a quick warm-up set. I start on the machines and stick to my traditional lower body regime. The biggest difference in my lower body workout now is the weight I use, but I know that I'll soon catch up to what I used to press, curl, and push. 

If you're curious about my lower body workouts click HERE!

This part of my workout typically takes me anywhere from half an hour to 45 minutes, and after I'm done I head to the yoga room and begin my upper body workout. 

Now, I'm not going to front. It's a very simple, no equipment necessary, kind of workout. In fact, I actually found it on Pintrest, so that should tell you how informed I was about this kind of thing. For my upper body workout I grab two 5 pound dumbbells and do 5 sets of 15: bicep curls, tricep curls, front raises, and occasionally the push press. This doesn't sound like a lot, but I have definitely been feeling the burn. Plus, I'm starting to love the little muscle bump I get on my upper arm when I flex. Is that weird? Probably. 

After it's all said and done my workouts can typically be done in 45 minutes to an hour. I try and walk to and from classes everyday, and this allows me to cool down after a tough gym session. This is also where I switch from my pop playlists and play more low-key, relaxing podcasts.  

And that's it! I am so excited to be going back to the gym again and have so many great things coming both in the gym and here on the blog.

Let me know down below if you like upper body workouts or lower body-- I'd love to get more information and inspiration from all of you guys!