Wellness

Real Sh*t, Wellness

A few months ago I noticed deeper lines on one side of my face versus the other. Has this ever happened to you? Yeah, they were most likely there before, but one day, while looking in the mirror, I thought “what the fuck has happened to my face?!” …And then it was all I saw when looking in the mirror. And yes, the side with deeper lines and more volume loss was the side I slept on.

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen my stories a couple of weeks ago where I took you with me to get those lines filled in with hyaluronic acid filler by the most incredible Nurse Practitioner, Shahdi at Luna Skincare Aesthetics in Walnut Creek. Side note: she truly is the best and she is an artist. I saved my stories, so you can go ahead and watch them on my BOTOX AND FILLERS Instagram highlight.

Anyway. Back to sleeping on your back. All of this to say that a few months ago, after discovering those lines, I began training myself to sleep on my back instead of on my side. It’s hard. Like really hard.

First, the benefits, aside from not getting wrinkles on your face:

  1. Better alignment of the spine, which reduces pain.
  2. Minimizes acid reflux
  3. Prevents chest and boob wrinkles
  4. Maintains perky boobs

How to do it?

♡ Keep your head in a slightly raised position with the help of a pillow or two. I personally use two pillows. On the bottom, I use a thin-ish pillow, and on top, where my head lays, I use a Z pillow. I have had this pillow for three years and it is the best pillow I’ve ever used. I originally purchased it after researching a pillow to help alleviate neck pain. For extra credit: Add pillows under your arms to help make you feel supported.  

♡ Add a pillow under the backs of your knees. Adding a pillow under your knees will take some pressure off your back and it kind of makes you feel like you’re floating in the best way possible. I find that adding a pillow under my knees really helps me avoid rolling over to my side in the middle of the night too.

♡ Create a barricade with pillows. This is just an extra precaution but I wouldn’t only do this step. The first two are much more effective if you’re trying to train yourself to sleep on your back. But it’s harder to switch to side sleeping if there is a barricade of pillows around you.

♡ Sleep with the bottoms of your feet touching. If you’re having trouble imagining this, spread your legs so that your knees are out, and touch the bottoms of your feet together. This is super comfortable when sleeping on your back, especially when your knees are supported with pillows.

Training myself to sleep on my back took about 3 months to finally do all through the night. And I have to make sure the conditions are just right. If I don’t have my pillows positioned correctly, all bets are off and I’ll be on my side within an hour.

Cheers to no boob and face wrinkles!

xo Lynn

Beauty, Real Sh*t, Wellness

Science says that your willpower is highest in the morning. Running with that theme, I have created a morning routine that takes full advantage of that fact…and I’ve experienced so much more ease with how my entire day goes. No frantic shit in the morning, no “what am I going to eat?”, “what time do I have to be up?”, “OMG. I’m so late”. None of it. My mornings are almost always calm and productive because I’ve built a strong routine.

I was inspired to create a morning routine a little over a year ago by studying up on what some of the most successful people in history do each morning. If you’re curious, you can check out Fast Company’s article on The Morning Routines of the Most Successful people.

In this video, I break down my entire morning, including:

♡ My tongue scraper

♡ Hydroflask

♡ Coffee

♡ Skincare routine

♡ Gym routine

Do you have a morning routine that you love? Share the deets, please!

Beauty, Real Sh*t, Wellness

Confession: I never understood the obsession with Princess Kate. So shoot me. I’ll leave it at that, but I have been reading about Princess Meghan. About what, you ask? Her beauty and wellness routine.

If her routine is good enough for a princess, it must be amazing, right? She has this glow and she just SPARKLES – very fitting for a princess! So I had to know what she’s doing and what she’s using on her skin and what her wellness routine is.

SO, here are specifics on what Meghan Markle’s uses and does to keep herself looking sparkly:

♡ INFRARED SAUNA: Meghan uses an infrared sauna once a week to sweat out toxins. The benefits include glowing skin, stress relief, and weight loss. I have personally been wanting to try one for the longest time – have you guys tried?

♡ LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE FACIALS. Meghan has attributes her sculpted cheekbones and jawline to the hands of London-based facialist, Nichola Joss, known for her transformative pressure-point lymphatic drainage facial massages. These treatments offer an instant de-puff from manually draining the lymphatic system and reducing excess fluids around the eyes. They also improve blood circulation, giving the skin an instant radiance.

Meghan says: “I do facial exercises from one of my favorite aestheticians who basically has you sculpt your face from the inside out. I swear it works, as silly as you may feel. On the days I do it, my cheekbones and jaw line are waaaay more sculpted. There’s a reason this kind of massage is in high demand around awards season when every actress wants to look A-plus.”

So much yes. If you haven’t tried facial massage yet, you must try it — it’s FREE if you do it yourself. LMK if you’d like a tutorial? It’s something I do every single morning.

♡ ACUPUNCTURE + CUPPING. Meghan is a long-time fan of the ancient Chinese practices of both acupuncture and cupping. These traditional holistic treatments are known for deep healing and stress reduction.

♡ DR. BRONNER’S BODY WASH IN LAVENDER. “I love the smell and it lasts for such a long time. ” And it’s true. I picked up this body wash after researching the best vegan and cruelty-free body washes and this was at the top of the list. It smells so good, and it’s affordable.

♡ ADD SHIMMER TO INNER CORNERS OF THE EYES: “I learned to add the smallest touch of shimmer to the inner corner of the eye after they’re lined. A touch of shimmer powder adds a brightness and sparkle. Even if I have no makeup on, I am likely to apply concealer and a bit of shimmer to the corners of my eye.” If you watched my video on how to make your eyes look bigger and whiter, you saw my absolute FAVORITE shimmer for this purpose: NYX Platinum.

Lastly, on her favorite “grooming look” on a man: “Oh I love a scruffy face. Gets me every time.”

Me too, Meghan, me too. LOVE a beard.

So many good beauty tips and tricks, right? Meghan is ON IT when it comes to beauty and wellness, and I’ll continue to follow along to see what she’s doing.

See ya tomorrow, xx Lynn

Beauty, Real Sh*t, Wellness

Let’s just cut to the chase: we all want to look good nude. Amiright?

It’s so cliché, but when you look good, you feel good. I didn’t make it up, but it’s just true. And yeah, working out and eating clean are huge parts of feeling and looking your best, but today I’m talking about specific things that I do to look and feel smoother, tanner, tighter…you get the drift.

Keep scrolling to check out what my tips to look better naked are:

Dry Brush

I’ve been dry brushing for years and it has done amazing things for my skin (and my lymphatic system). When you dry brush, make sure you use long strokes and direct the brush towards your heart, not away. It hurts in the best way possible, and it will leave your skin feeling incredibly smooth because it is quite literally the best exfoliating method there is. Hot tip: you can add oil to the brush (love this one from Diptyque) and then shower immediately after so that your skin can absorb the oil in the steamy shower.

So, do you have any tips for looking better naked you want to share with me? Leave your tips in the comments down below and let me know!

Wear your sunscreen!

Am I telling you to wear sunscreen again? Yep! It doesn’t matter if it’s raining, cloudy, or sunny and hot, you MUST wear sunscreen everywhere, everyday. My absolute favorite is Elta MD’s line. I use the UV Facial Broad Spectrum Sunscreen on my face and the UV Shield Broad Spectrum Sunscreen on my body. I love Elta MD’s sunscreens because they are not chemical sunscreens – meaning shitty chemicals are not going to be absorbed into your bloodstream. Instead, Zinc Oxide sits on the skin to protect it from harmful rays. I love this stuff because it’s not only good for you, but it’s easy to apply makeup on top of and it does not ever break me out. Hot tip: don’t forget your eyelids, under your eyes, and ears!

Niacinamide Serum

Niacinamide is insane for combating BACNE and BUTTNE AKA back acne and butt acne. If you have ANY acne, anywhere on your body. Niacinamide is your secret weapon. I am really shocked that this is really never talked about. I use Niacinamide on my arms to help smooth my keratosis pilaris and on my butt to smooth it out. A little more info on the magical potion: Niacinamide’s anti-inflammatory properties make it an attractive treatment for skin conditions marked by inflammation, like acne. In fact, in two double-blind studies—one published in 2013 and the other published in 1995, both in the International Journal of Dermatology—a topical preparation of 4 percent niacinamide treated moderate acne just as well as 1 percent clindamycin (a topical antibiotic commonly prescribed to acne patients) when applied twice daily for eight weeks. {source}

I love The Ordinary’s Niacinamide.

Ok, those are my tips for looking your best in your birthday suit (or in a bathing suit!). Do you have tips? Please share!

xo,

Wellness

Yep, we’re going there.

Let’s talk about periods.

Periods can cause horrible cramping, bloating, irritability, and the list goes on.

For a varying amount of days every month, these symptoms occur…at least some of them, and we’d rather not deal with them, right?

I have a few tricks up my sleeve for surviving my period each month (yeah, I’m being a little dramatic)….so here’s how I deal with the cramps, bloating, and breakouts.

1. DEALING WITH CRAMPS

I’m personally not a fan of drugs, like Midol or Tylenol. Since I know how helpful CBD can be for pain relief, I tried CBD Lotion from Lord Jones on my lower back and on my stomach for the first time a few months ago and it has been life-changing when it comes to pain relief! I deal with lower back achy-ness when I’m starting my period especially, and this lotion kills it. An added bonus: it smells so good!

Another tip: use it on your temples if you suffer from migraines or headaches.

2. PREVENT BREAKOUTS

Ya know those zits you get around your chin area during that time of the month? Those are hormonal breakouts. I nip these ASAP by using Dr. Dennis Gross Peel Pads, which have alpha beta acids to keep the skin in the best possible shape when it comes to zits.

ALSO: butt zits. A whole other story. Want to prevent breaking out on your butt, or really anywhere else on your body? Use a Niacinamide serum or lotion. Also known as vitamin B3 and nicotinamide, niacinamide is a water-soluble vitamin that works with the natural substances in your skin to help visibly improve enlarged pores, uneven skin tone, fine lines and wrinkles, dullness, and a weakened surface. My favorite is from The Ordinary. I keep it in the shower and I apply it right after I’ve towel-dried my body.

3. ORGANIC TAMPONS

Why organic? Because putting something up where the sun don’t shine, it’d better not be riddled with bad chemicals.

Most non-organic tampons are made using pesticides, which I don’t think anyone wants in their vag. Am I right?

I discovered Cora Tampons one day while shopping at Target, and have been using them for a year now. Cora carries a few different sizes so that you can use a tampon for a heavy flow, light flow, etc. I keep them in my bathroom in an old candle votive.

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