Picture this: spent Friday night drinking a couple glasses of rosé and then Saturday morning rolls around…and looking in the mirror is not so fun. Maybe you’re puffy, or you have bags under your eyes.

I’ve been there. Even when I’m not drinking the night before!

This is why I use ice on my face every single morning.

Ice facials, cryotherapy, ice rolling, and cold plunges are a total thing but for very good reason. I first discovered the cold trend in 2007 when I read Victoria Beckham’s hot tip in her book, That Extra Half an Inch. She recommended taking an ice cold shower to tighten everything, including the face was when I started flirting with cold therapy.

Now that I’ve been practicing ice rolling and gua sha for a long time, here is my current routine that really works:

Step 1: After getting out of bed, I make my coffee and grab the ice roller and gua sha tool out of my freezer. I bring them into the bathroom with my coffee (love this ritual of drinking my coffee while ice rolling).

Step 2. I dampen my face with Andalou Naturals Floral Spray Toner, then I use Mad Hippie Antioxidant Oil all over my face, including my eye area.

Step 3: Once my face and neck are hydrated and greased up, I use the ice roller starting from the top of my forehead, all the way down my neck, and repeating this all over my face a few times.

Step 4: Next up is the Gua Sha tool. The primary reason I use the Gua Sha tool in addition to the ice roller is because I can be more precise and target certain areas, such as my undereyes. An added bonus is that is feels SO GOOD. It’s like a massage. I usually use the Gua Sha tool cold, taken from the freezer just like the ice roller, but you don’t have to do this. I find that the cold Gua Sha helps a lot more especially under the eyes.

Hot tip: if you have a special event or just want a little extra pampering, apply an eye mask under each of your eyes and then use the ice roller or cold Gua Sha tool on top. You will be SNATCHED. My favorites are the Wander Beauty Baggage Claim masks.

ICE ROLLER BENEFITS

BYE BYE PUFFINESS

This is the biggest thing for me, and it’s why I ice first thing in the morning. Another tip: if you have puffiness elsewhere on your body, use an ice roller there! It works.

SMALLER LOOKING PORES.

Ice therapy shrinks your pores temporarily. If you have larger pores, the difference will be very noticeable.

REDUCES INFLAMMATION.

With everyday use, you will notice that your skin is less red, especially if you have rosacea (which I do). I have seen a huge difference in the redness factor. If you have eczema, acne, or psoriasis, cold therapy helps with this, too.

I hope you love these ice therapy tips and tricks – they really get the job done.

xx, lynn

A couple of months ago I had Brittany Ford on the All Gussied Up podcast and she really rocked my world when she brought it to my attention that everyone should be getting in organic movement daily.

As in, your 30 minute dedicated workout is not enough. When she told me this, I was like…FUUUUUUUUCK. For most of my adult life, I’d gotten my workout in in the early morning for a good 45 minutes and then called it a day. HOWEVER. Recent research has shown that that is simply not enough. And living a mostly sedentary day is as bad for your health as smoking a pack of cigs. SAY WHAT?!

There’s no end to the studies that link the power of regular physical exercise—regular meaning throughout the day—to maintaining health, weight and a general sense of well-being. Conversely, more time spent sitting increases the risk for developing dozens of chronic conditions, from cancer and diabetes to cardiovascular disease, circulation problems, obesity and greater total mortality. {via}

Research Pandey has been involved with at University of Texas suggests people should exercise for closer to two hours per day—or break it up throughout the day—to decrease risk of heart failure. The U.S. minimum recommended levels of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week triggered only mild physical reactions in participants’ bodies. People who did two to four times more exercise lowered their risk of heart failure by 20 percent and 35 percent, respectively, the researchers found. {via}

So, let’s fix this, k? If you’re like me, you probably want to add in more movement throughout your day. Here are my favorite ways to add in movement on top of your ‘regular’ workouts:

♡ Yoga: There are so many kinds of yoga that are easy to incorporate into your daily life. Whether its restorative, HOT, yin, etc. – there is a kind of yoga practice for you. I love restorative and yin yoga because they both preserve joint mobility and center the mind. I now practice either form of yoga at least once per day. All you’ll need is a mat and a tiny bit of space.

♡ Fascial release: Using a foam roller for myofascial release can reduce muscle tension, which can help lengthen a muscle. Fascia is a webby tissue that starts in your skin and wraps around and layers deep into the body, organizing all parts and systems and building your body’s shape and form. But most importantly, fascia is an entire body system unto itself—which is why a daily ritual can be so nourishing. I like to roll once a day using this roller.

♡ Dance: Dancing is SUCH a powerful way to tap in to your physical and emotional well-being. It can be so therapeutic. I have always felt like such an awkward dancer but when there is no pressure put on you in a social situation, dance is so powerful. I personally love free-form dance and how it brings us to our fullest expression.

♡ Hourly jumping jacks: I saw an Instagram challenge recently where you do 10 jumping jacks every hour during every waking hour of the day and I have adopted this method of ongoing movement throughout the day. If you have a trampoline, you could do this instead. It’s really mood-boosting, too.

Off to do some twerking!

xx,

Lynn

Exhausted and defeated are two (dramatic) words that could be used to describe how I felt about natural and non-toxic deodorants AKA those without aluminum and harmful chemicals. I had tried 20+ different deodorants that sold me on the promise to keep my pits B.O.-free BUT that was absolutely NOT the case. At least none that were actually non-toxic (I had tried some that had clever marketing to green wash their product).

So I gave up on using an all natural deodorant and stuck to a men’s deodorant UNTIL…

I read this article on Into The Gloss about using an acid toner as deodorant. WHAT THE WHAT?! I had never heard of this and started to dig a little more. What I found is that there are some deodorants very new to the market that are marketed as “acid deodorant”.

This was literally the best news I’d read that week, and I learned that they’re highly effective because acid kills bacteria which causes odor in the first place. As this study found, “by changing the pH of the [underarm], the bacteria are unable to act.”

So the grand reveal of the acid deodorant I’ve been using for the last 2 weeks with ZERO B.O. is…

NECESSAIRE LE DÉODORANT IN EUCALYPTUS ($20)

Necessaire is one of my most favorite brands. I love all of the products I’ve used of theirs and their packaging is just a cherry on top. It’s so Instagram-worthy and CHIC. When I saw that they came out with an acid deodorant, it was the only one I wanted to try out and I don’t plan on trying others. It smells so good. Not overpowering, just light and fresh. This deodorant contains mandelic and lactic acids and I haven’t noticed much more sweating than usual and I still smell fresh at the end of the day.

Off to do my pilates workout tonight – no stink included.

xo, Lynn

WAIT. HAVE YOU HEARD? YOU NEED A WEIGHTED BLANKET.

They’re all the rage right now, and I’m not surprised at all that weighted blankets are totally a thing.

I’d heard that weighted blankets are amazing for several different reasons, which I will get into in a bit, but I didn’t really give purchasing one much thought until I went over to my parent’s house and tried the one draped over their couch. I laid across the chaise and draped the blanket over myself, and it was like a big, tight hug.

AKA so soothing.

Some people use a weighted blanket while they’re relaxing to calm anxiety or just to feel more calm overall, and some like to sleep with a weighted blanket. I knew I wanted one to sleep with. And so the research began. I did so much reading about materials, what kinds of weighted blankets are best, how much weight you should be looking at, just all the details.

Here’s the deal: if you want a weighted blanket to drape over yourself while you sleep, make sure it’s a cooling blanket. I got this one from YNM and I’ve been using it for 3 months…it’s pure bliss. It’s satin, so the material will not make you hot and sweaty making it perfect for summer (or winter nights). I use another, warmer comforter on top.

Weighted blankets are designed to provide gentle pressure that mimics the feeling of being held (known as Deep Touch Pressure). This type of pressure has been shown to increase serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in the regulation of sleep that has a calming effect. {via}

And the blanket truly does allow me to get the best sleep ever. I have not woken up once in the middle of the night since using this blanket. It’s quite magical, really. Jeff saw how much I was loving mine, so he got his own and absolutely loves it. He’s not as sound of a sleeper as I am and it usually takes him awhile to fall asleep, but now with the blanket, the sleep issues are gone.

Let’s talk weight and size. Weighted blankets range in weight and size, but after all of the research that I did, I recommend getting a 60×80″ blanket, especially if you’re tall. And avoid buying a queen or king size weighted blanket, because the weight distribution can get confusing. The general wisdom for weight is to pick a blanket that’s 10 percent of your bodyweight. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you’d get a 15-pound blanket. If you are closer to 200 pounds, a 20-pound blanket is a good fit, and so on. Most adult weighted blankets are 10, 15, 20 or 25 pounds — kids blankets are lighter, starting around 5 pounds.

Let’s get into the specific benefits of using a weighted blanket:

♡ Eases Insomnia

♡ Reduces anxiety

♡ Fights stress

♡ Improves focus

♡ Eases restless leg syndrome

♡ Improves sleep quality

Like once you get one, you’re screwed. You’ll never go back to sleeping without one.

Currently laying under mine, about to finish Jessica Simpson’s book, Open Book.

Sweet dreams! Lynn xo