Cool Deal: 3 Conscious Boxes for $29.95 via Pure Citizen

Hi all! I wanted to share a very cool deal which comes via Pure Citizen (a site that offers deals from companies that do good). The deal is  for 3 Conscious Boxes at only half the price-$29.95. And if you haven't heard of Conscious Box, it's a monthly subscription service that offers 10-12 products that are vegan, fair trade, certified organic, cruelty free, and more. Although Conscious Box is a monthly subscription, this deal is not for that service but for 3 boxes that will arrive all at once-no subscription necessary. All for $29.95!  And please note that the monthly subscription sells for $19.95/month ($12 + $7.95 shipping). So this is a deal that I cannot pass up. And when I get my boxes, I'll definitely share what I got with you.

This deal ends on 10/21. You must buy your voucher and use it before midnite 10/21.

Check out the deal HERE
Learn more about Pure Citizen HERE
Learn more about Conscious box HERE

New Fave: Cleo's Peanut Butter Cups

Move over Justin's! I've found a new favorite peanut butter cup. And they're  called Cleo's! I picked these up at my local Whole Foods and I wanted to try them because I'm looking to switch up some of my fave foods/snacks with vegan versions. No, I'm not vegan but I do eat vegan/vegetarian often.

I tried these peanut butter cups and  they tasted great. They were quite soft,smooth, creamy, and not overly sweet. They're definitely a new fave of mine.

Cleo's were created by Go Max Go Foods which makes vegan versions of some of our favorite childhood candy bars. You can purchase Cleo's at Naturalcandystore.com and/or several other online stores. Also try your local Whole Foods and other health food stores.

Check Out NaturalCandyStore.com!

Naturalcandystore.com sells all types of candies (chocolate, hard candies, lollipops, caramels, gummies, etc..) that are all or either organic, vegan, gluten-free, kosher, allergen-free, fair trade and corn-syrup free. Natural Candy Store also has pre-made mixes and goody bags for holidays and parties. They have a wide variety or brands that kids and adults alike can enjoy. And yes it's still candy and eating too much of it isn't that great for your health but you can feel a little better about eating candies that aren't full of dyes, chemicals, and other 
additives.








source: naturalcandystore.com

Karyn Calabrese of Karyn's Raw Talks Health, Cleansing, and Detox!

Karyn Calabrese, who is raw vegan and has several restaurants and an inner beauty center in Chicago, talks about health, nutrition, raw veganism, and cleansing. And I am sharing this video because I found her and her  straight talk, and information the she gave very interesting. Take a look and let me know what you think. Also, please note that this video is over 13 minutes so watch it when you have some time. Also, this is part 1 of 8 videos if you want to see more.



















In the raw: Karyn Calabrese brings healthy dining to a new sophisticated level.(THE ENTHUSIAST): An article from: Black Enterprise

Yummy Raw Vegan White Chocolate From Gnosis and Organic Nectars

I've never really been a big fan of white chocolate but when a got an email from Gnosis, introducing its EnWhitement Bar, (which is raw and vegan) I knew I had to give it a try. So I ordered one and when it arrived I tore right into it. And you know what? I really, really liked it a lot. It was smooth, creamy, and just sweet enough. The cost is $10.25 for a 2 ounce bar, and yes that seems a bit pricey but this bar is made with good ingredients and superfoods like Maca and Lucuma so I'd say it's worth the price and I'd also buy it again.

After trying the Enwhitement bar, and enjoying it so much, I wondered if there were any other companies making raw, vegan white chocolate so did a search on Amazon. One of the results I g ot was for the Golden White Raw Cacao Chocolate Bar by Organic Nectars and I thought they sounded pretty good so I went ahead and ordered them. I received them (there were 3 bars) a few days later and I gave the bar a try. And I liked this bar almost as much as the one from Gnosis although it was a little less creamy and a little sweeter. On the other hand, the Organic Nectars bar is approx. $4.99 per bar so it is a little more economical..

Overall, I really thought both bars were very good and I would definitely repurchase them. And each company also has other chocolate bars and many other products that I want to try. So, I will definitely be revisiting their websites soon.

Indie Find: The All Natural Face Cosmetics

I have been wearing mineral foundation for at least five years (various brands) and I usually wear the loose powder versions because my skin has always been bit on the oily side. However, my skin has been a little dry lately and powders seem to only make my face look drier and they also accentuate pores and other blemishes. So, I decided to look for a mineral foundation stick (sticks tend to be more moisturizing and have more coverage) and my search brought me to The All Natural Face Cosmetics which offers a wide variety of very affordable natural mineral based cosmetics including foundation/concealer sticks.

As I read the description of the foundation stick I thought it sounded it great.  It's vegan and contains argan oil and jojoba oil which are great for the skin.  I definitely wanted to try it and at that particular time there was  a huge sale so the sticks were only $3.50 each (regularly $5). I ordered 3 in three different potentially matching shades of which there is a wide selection (check photo below).  Along with the foundation I also bought a brow powder.

I got my order a few days later,  tried everything out and I was very pleased. The foundation felt creamy, not oily and dried to a nice barely there finish. The coverage was really great, a little bit goes a long way,  and one of the shades was an absolute perfect match for my skin tone. The brow powder is nice too-it makes my brows look very natural as oppose to a brow pencil.  I must also mention that I received samples of  eyeshadow and gel eyeliner which I really liked so I went back and placed another order for the liner, some shadows, and I got mascara. I should be getting this order soon and I can't wait.

Bath and Body on Etsy!

I found some cool bath and body products on etsy and tres inexpensive too! I really like the Gudonyatoo shop especially for their Smoochy Bars and solid perfumes.

Healthier Treats!!! My Top Candy and Snack Picks!!!

When is comes to passing out candy or snacks (for Halloween, or parties or just for a treat) there is always the dilemma of should I go for healthy or fun. If you are a parent or concerned adult you usually want to pass out treats that kids (or adults) will love. However, many "fun" candies and snack contain high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), dyes, chemicals, and preservatives that are not so healthy. And nowadays more people are becoming concerned with what they and their children eat - am one these people. I do not have children but I have plenty of nieces, nephews, and cousins. Plus, I have always been a sweets lover and in recent years have been looking for better sweet snacks and candies. When I look for sweet I usually want them to be either natural, or organic, or vegan. I would also like them to not contain artificial flavors, unnatural dyes, HFCS, preservatives and chemicals. On my search I found a few websites and companies that have these healthier choices. Here they are:

Yummy Earth (yummyearth.com), which was invented by two dads who wanted organic candy for their children. Yummy Earth sells organic lollipops and candy drops which are also kosher parve, nut-free, and gluten-free. These lollipops and drops come great natural flavors (pomegranate, watermelon, grape, etc...). Plus Yummy Earth uses veggies, fruits and juices to create colors for their candies. I and my kid relatives had tried these candies and we all think they taste great. I would recommend lollipops for the younger children as the drops may be too small for them. Yummy Earth candies can also be found at amazon.com and Whole Food Stores.

Yummy Earth

Naturalcandystore.com is a website I linked to from artisansweets.com. Naturalcandystore.com sell all types of candies (chocolate, hard candies, lollipops, caramels, gummies, etc..) that are all or either organic, vegan, gluten-free, kosher, allergen-free, fair trade and corn-syrup free. Naturalcandystore also has pre-made mixes and goody bags for halloween and parties. They have a wide variety or brands that kids and adults alike can enjoy!!! Artisansweets.com have candies and sweets that cater to more of an adult palate such as salted butter caramels, nougats, fig confections, and more .

VeganSweets

Vegan Gummies

Veganstore.com is a website I found when I was searching for healthier baked goods. Veganstore offers a few different brands of baked goods including Alternative Baking Co., Late July, and Enjoy Life. However, the Vegansweets brand has been my favorite. The item I have ordered the most are the plain VeganSweets donuts w/carob frosting. These donuts come two in a pack for $2.99 or you can buy a bakers dozen for $32.28. VeganSweets also offer cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, truffles, jelly beans, caramels and more. Veganstore also carries and assortment of hard candies, gum, lollipops and gummies. Plus there are also non-food items you can shop for such as clothes, bodycare, petcare, etc.

Healthy Handfuls (healthyhandfuls.com) offers organic baked snacks ( cookies, pretzels, and crackers). These snacks are free from hydrogenated oils, HFCS, gmos and preservatives. Many of these snacks are a great alternative to the over processed cookies and crackers (which are marketed to kids) on the market. I especially like the Lucky Duckies which can be an alternative to Goldfish. Healthy Handfuls snacks come in a variety of sizes including convenient single serve pouches which are great for halloween, lunch boxes, and parties. Healthy Handfuls are available at Whole Foods stores, Jamba Juice, worldpanty.com and amazon.com.

Healthy Handfuls

Snikiddy (snikiddy.com), like Healthy Handfuls, offers baked snacks such as cookies, cheese puffs, and other flavors of puffs. Their products are organic and they taste pretty good too. Their products can be found at Whole Food Stores and amazon.com.

Snikiddy

When it comes to chocolate I have to mention Endangered Species Chocolate (thechocolatebar.com). Endangered Species Chocolates offers dark and milk chocolate bars and 10% of their net profits go to help animals on endangered species list and they support other causes. They offer a few bite size choices of their dark and milk chocolate which includes their Halloween bites that are wrapped in brown and orange wrappers (seasonal), Bug Bites which have little trading cards with info about all types of insects, and Chimp Mints which have info about chimps in each wrapper. Bugs Bites and Chimp Mints sell for $32 for about 64 .35oz pieces.The Halloween chocolates sell for $6.72 for a 24 piece bag (.35 oz). Endangered Species Chocolates are also available on amazon.com and at Whole Food Stores and most health food stores.

Endangered Species Chocolate

I know there are many other companies that sell organic and natural candies and snacks, but these are my picks for now. Especially when it comes to party favors, goody bags, lunch time treats, etc...

My Fave Solid Perfumes

Many years ago my mom worked for Avon so there were always perfume and body products around. There were especially lots of perfumes that were packaged in collectible or keepsake bottles and containers. I was especially fond of a locket that had solid perfume in it-I thought it was so cool.


Now, I have recently been seeing solid perfumes popping up again, so of course I had to check them out. So far I have bought solid perfumes from Pacifica- pacificaperfume.com and Lush Cosmetics- lush.com. I went totally wild and bought way too many perfumes from both places. For instance, I bought about five perfumes from Pacifica. They were $8.95 each and %15 percent off-so I just went for it. The scents I bought were Tuscan Blood Orange, Brazilian Mango Grapefruit, Hawaiian Ruby Guava, Bali Lime Papaya, and Malibu Lemon Blossom. I like them all especially the Blood Orange. Plus Pacifica also has spicy and woodsy scents like sandalwood and amber-If u don't like the fruity stuff.


When I bought the Lush perfumes I got about four at $12 and some change. The scents I got were American Cream, Silky Underwear, Champagne Snow Showers (seasonal), and Honey I washed the Kids. These fragrances come from other popular Lush products that have been around for years (conditioners, powders, soaps). I then returned to Lush and bought Go Green and Fever. I like the Champagne Snow Showers the most-too bad it is only around during Christmas.


Now, that may seem like way to many fragrances for one girl to have, but I'm obsessed. Plus, I love to layer scents and solid perfume are perfect because they are usually pretty subtle. And they last a long time. I also like the idea of not smelling like everyone else- so I mix and match scents all the time. Even if I have a fragrance that smells just ok- I can add something and make it great. Yay me!!!

Both Pacifica and Lush use organic ingredients in their solid perfumes . The perfumes are also vegan. Yay them!!!!

Artisana Amazon Bliss!!! Yummy!!!

One of my favorite new treats is the Raw Organic Amazon Bliss Coconut Butter Spread by Artisana. I picked up a jar at Whole Foods and read the ingredients which included many superfoods such as acai, maca, goji berries, and cacao nibs. These superfoods are suppose to be extremely healthy and contain protective antioxidants. Amazon Bliss is also raw, organic, and vegan-so figured I would give it a try.

I bought the jar for about $9.99, took it home, and tried it on a cracker. I was completely surprised at how great it tasted. I can't quite describe the taste but it is delicious. I have used it on toast, crackers, plain yogurt, smoothies, and hot cocoa. Artisana also has a few other products like this that I want to try (Goji Bliss and Cacao Bliss). I will definitely buy these on my next shopping trip.