Wellness

Beauty, Real Talk, 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 Talk, 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.

Wellness

Breast Implant Illness.

I’m sure you’ve heard about it on social media. It’s becoming such a huge phenomenon.

So many women are speaking up about their experience with BII, which is a term used by women who have breast implants and who self- identify and describe a variety of horrifying symptoms.

I met Tawna on Instagram years ago, and we instantly clicked when we met. Her fitness journey is so inspiring – if you don’t follow her yet, go check her out. She offers so much value and realness when it comes to fitness. She shares her routines, her experience competing, and is just such a badass.

When I saw that she had her breast implants removed recently, I knew I had to talk to her to hear her story. In our podcast episode, Tawna shares her journey from experiencing very scary symptoms to having her breast implants removed and how she’s feeling now. Hint: she’s feeling A LOT better. I mean, just look at this before and after photo she posted on Instagram:

She’s also sharing bikini competition tips and fitness motivation tips.

Take a listen HERE.

Hope this one brings you a lot of value.

xoxo, Lynn


Wellness

‘What’s in my bag’ videos were super popular back a few years ago, and they were some of my favorite videos to watch…so I thought I’d do my own spin and show you all what’s in my gym bag.

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