Tag: Lifestyle Blogger

Fitness /

Beauty Essentials For Your Gym Bag

From hot yoga to spin class, it’s important to fill your gym bag with the best beauty essentials to keep you looking and feeling fresh, natural and effortless after a workout. With these beauty essentials, you’ll look like you never worked a sweat and ready to conquer the day.
Goldwell Kerasilk Volume Re-Power Dry Shampoo ($29.99)
Get rid of sweaty hair with Goldwell Kerasilk Repower Volume Dry Shampoo. It instantly revitalizes hair, leaving your locks luxuriously, silky and shiny just in time for your after next appointment.
Where to Buy: www.goldwell.us C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine/Breath Freshener ($7.50)
Add moisture and a touch of shine to your lips after a workout with C.O. Bigelow’s Mentha Lip Shine/Breath Freshener. Its formula is mint-infused to provide a glossy shine with a refreshing cooling sensation. Your lips will stay moist while the peppermint oil gives your breath a dose of long lasting freshness
Where to Buy: www.bigelowchemists.com Molton Brown Comice Pear & Wild Honey Hand Cream ($15.00)
The cold fitness studios can ruin your hands. Condition your hands with Molton Brown’s Comice Pear & Wild Honey Hand Cream, a moisturizing product with fresh notes of honeyed comice pears, gardenia and sweet biscuit. It’s an indulgent addition to your hand care routine this spring.
Where to Buy: www.moltonbrown.com Mally Beauty Perfect Prep Neutralizing Primer ($30)
Take out post-workout redness with Mally Beauty’s Perfect Prep Neutralizing Primer. Its formula works as both a primer and a color-corrector. Not only does it seal in makeup, it is designed to eradicate sun spots, redness and visible veins. You can wear it alone for a flawless fresh face or under make up to lock in your look.
Where to Buy: www.QVC.com
Interior Design /

How To Find Your Dream Home On A Budget

A low budget shouldn’t mean settling for a low-quality property. Your home is your personal space and deserves to meet your requirements. You may have to manage your expectations somewhat – you’re not going to find an eight-bed mansion on a shoestring – but you shouldn’t discount every luxury. Here are just a few ways to help you find your dream home on a budget.

Photo Credit from Architectural Digest

Consider a self-build

Building your own home can often cost a third of the price of buying a home – that’s the cost of land, architects, lawyers, labor and materials all included. Self-build mortgages exist to cover these costs, meaning a deposit could work out much less than buying a regular property. Buying land can be tricky – you may be limited by location and council legislation. However, if you do manage to find suitable land, you have total creative freedom (within reason) of what your property will look like. For building a dream home, this is the way to go.

Consider renovating

Another option to consider is renovating. There may not be a property out there that meets all your specs as it stands, but when you start to consider the small tweaks that can be made, you may be able to turn a dull property into a dream property with time. Colors can often be the most off-putting elements to buyers and yet are the cheapest to fix. It costs very little to repaint pink walls or repaint flaking cabinets. Structural alteration will be the most expensive, such as extensions or removals of walls. So long as a property doesn’t need these alterations, you may be able to fix other faults on a budget.

Don’t let location limit you

Being in a location you love is important. But when you consider you can buy a large house in country for the same price as a flat in most city centers, you need to start weighing up your needs. You may not want to live in an extremely remote location, but you may be able to find a happy medium on the outskirts.

Local moves have their financial advantages. You won’t have to pay for removals, and could rent a van and do it yourself. However, weigh up the added cost of movers and thousands off your mortgage and it may not seem like that much of a sacrifice. Start broadening your search and see what your find.

Don’t rush

When trying to find your perfect property, patience is key. Waiting may allow you more time to save up for something you truly want, as well as giving you more time to scope the market. Try to resist the urge to jump upon the first good property you find, sometimes it can be worth taking the risk and waiting for that ‘great’ property to arise. If you feel you’re being too finicky, discuss what you’re looking for to an agent and see how realistic they think your criteria are. Consider giving such agencies your number and ringing you when they think they’ve found a property you may like.

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Lifestyle Tips /

Classic White Wines and Seafood Pairings

Warm weather will be here before we know it! With this in mind, we thought we would whet your appetite with some classic white wines and delicious seafood dishes to match.

Featured Photo from Tripadvisor.com

  • Don Olegario Albariño 2015 (SRP $19.99) pronounced “Alvarinho,”  is 100 percent Albariño grapes, a light, elegant varietal with great acidity. The grapes are beautifully aromatic, with white pear, apple and floral undertones. It is late ripening grape that grows in moderately cool to warm climates.  The Bodega Don Olegario Albariño is medium-bodied that shows opulent, powerful aromas and flavors of citrus and flowers, with tropical notes.

o   With the versatility to pair with a wide range of dishes, Albariño is the perfect match. The classic pairing is with various seafood (due to its origin), Albariño’s crisp, clean flavors compliment sushi perfectly, which is commonly known to be difficult to pair with wine.

  • Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc 2016 (SRP $21.99) is produced in Martinborough Zealand, the higher-elevation of Te Muna Road Vineyard is harvested about a week later than other sites, resulting in grapes with terrific freshness and acidity. The vineyard’s lower terrace has stony soils with limestone, excellent for Sauvignon Blanc. White wines from this vineyard show a distinctive fine, subtle and elegant texture. This pale lemon straw colored wine has complex aromatics of white peach, lime, lemon blossom and Thai basil. The palate is refreshing with nectarine and citrus notes that carry long across the palate to a refined, chalky-dry finish.

o   This New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc would pair nicely with citrus dressing or garlic marinated oysters, scallops, crab, clams, or lobster. The flavors will be a crowd pleaser as well as make the flavors of the wine stand out.

  • Fernando Pighin & Figli Pinot Grigio Friuli Grave 2016 (SRP $17.99) is produced in the Friuli region of Italy. Known for its advanced technology in wine making Fernando Pighin Pinot Grigio Friuli Grave shows slightly candied aromas with notes of banana and pear on the nose and palate, with bright acidity and medium body. It is crafted without oak contact or malolactic fermentation in order to retain the grape’s freshness, minerality and bright acidity.

o   This is considered to be the classic “fish” wine. It pairs well with fried or grilled fish, crab or shrimp salads along with light pasta dishes.

  • Maison Louis Jadot Mâcon-Villages 2015 (SRP $14.99) is the classic expression of a Chardonnay from Burgundy. Produced from the famous Maison Louis Jadot, this wine embodies traditional style and quality. The wine shows bright white flower, apple and citrus aromas and bracing, fresh, clean fruit on the palate, with mineral notes.

o   It pairs well with shellfish, grilled firm-fleshed fish such as swordfish accompanied by luscious salads.

Lifestyle Tips /

Lifestyle Makeover from Tenley Molzahn and Emily Potter

Meet Tenley Molzahn and Emily Potter the “IT” girls who created the DIY Cleanse. Does the word cleanse conjure up a week of fasting, hangry, deprivation and lusting for real food only to come off the cleanse and gorge your way back to a full stomach? These are the exact reason Moshahn and Potter created their famous DIY Cleanse to help people “cleanse” not only bad food habits but to disrupt unhealthy lifestyle choices to deliver a lifestyle makeover that anybody, in any phase of life can incorporate into their daily lives.

Join Tenley Molzahn, who you may recognize from The Bachelor, and her partner Emily Potter beachside, at the casually elegant AAA Five Diamond, Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point California. Wellness retreat participants will come-away with a personalized lifestyle blueprint with insight as to what foods are right for them, how to design a more balanced life and create the energy you need to power through the days when you need it most. Plus, Molzahn and Potter will freely share their DIY Cleanse program, including recipes and follow-up menus that make this cleanse one of the most popular in the U.S. and beyond. One of the most important aspects of the retreat is the one-on-one time guests will have with Molzahn and Potter – priceless!

The retreat is scheduled for April 29 – May 2 starting at $2,845 for single occupancy or $2,445 for shared occupancy, airfare is a separate charge and is easily managed by the concierge team at Retreats Unlimited. Guests may also appreciate the sumptuous onsite resort amenities to include Aveo Table + Bar, a culinary triumph of Mediterranean cuisine wrapped in a beachfront ambiance. Indulge in the renowned Miraval Life in Balance Spa, or a quick trip to the Drybar for a perfect blowout, after all, you’ll be feeling better so why not look your very best?                         

Retreats Unlimited is happy to make both airfare and guest reservations via their one-stop shopping concierge who will have you looking forward to your wellness experience as not a detail is overlooked. Visit Retreats Unlimited or join their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds.

About The Girls:

Tenley Molzhan: I thought The Bachelor was the highlight of my career, only to discover the one-on-one coaching I provide for clients as a health coach that bring them to life and delivers an enjoyment beyond their wildest dreams is a passion that surpasses all else. Molzahn is also the founder of Sweet and Free Life and co-founder of the DIY Cleanse.

Emily Potter: 2005 graduated from the University of Idaho with a B.S in Psychology and then went on to study nutrition through the Natural Healing Institute and the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Emily has experience in running wellness retreats and has created various programs in the health and wellness field, specializing in detoxification.  Emily has a B.S. in Psychology, Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner and is passionate about holistic wellness.  She is a mom of two and lives with her  husband in Idaho.

Lifestyle Tips /

Revitalize & Refresh – Cascade Ice Water

The best way to stay on track with a diet plan is to find healthy food & beverages that also taste great. And that’s where Cascade Ice Water comes in! It’s a ZERO-calorie beverage that’s also free of sugar, gluten, sodium and carbohydrates – and quite delicious too! With 21 different flavors to choose from, you can enjoy a new one each day and never get bored.

Energize your family with our Grapefruit Sparkler! Per serving, mix 6oz of Cascade Ice zero-calorie Pink Grapefruit with 3oz of club soda. Squeeze in some lime wedges for a zesty twist! Garnish with small grapefruit wedges and you’re ready to serve!

To incorporate more fruit into your diet, try a Berry Pomegranate Cooler. Start with a cup of fresh strawberries, 1/2 cup of ice cubes and 5oz of Cascade Ice zero-calorie Cranberry Pomegranate. Blend all the ingredients together and garnish with a couple of pomegranate seeds.

Fitness /

Wellness Retreats and Celebrity Fitness Trainer Tosco Reno – Eat Clean Diet

Tosca Reno founder of the revolutionary Eat-Clean Diet® series and a New York Times best-selling author of the Your Best Body Now has partnered with Retreats Unlimited, a global wellness firm that provides turnkey wellness retreats set in luxury resorts from around the world. Reno well known amongst celebrities has worked with Angelina Jolie, Bobbi Brown and Paula Abdul. These celebrities are huge fans, and Tosca’s proven techniques have also captured the attention of Dr. Oz, Good Morning America, and The Doctors. “We are excited to welcome Tosca to our growing family of esteemed wellness and fitness experts,” states Tammy Petersen, President of Retreats Unlimited. Below are Tosca top five health hacks to help shed winter weight gain:

1.   Change your beliefs – Your body goes where your mind goes. Changing your beliefs about what is possible is transformative. If you believe you are not genetically blessed to be lean or healthy, changing the language to, “I know I can change my weight and I will!” makes all the difference.

2.   Drink more water – Start every morning by drinking 2 liters or 8 cups of water before eating or drinking anything else.  This tip is so effective and inexpensive, it’s easy to overlook as not cool or trendy enough. But it is one of the best ways to melt stubborn fat.

3.  Don’t have 30 minutes on a treadmill, no worries; jump on a rebounder; a small tightly strung trampoline, for 15 minutes. It burns the more calories in less time, tones and conditions, all while being easier on the knees and back.

4.  Join a challenge – It’s scientifically proven that when we work out with like-minded people, trying to achieve like-minded goals, success increases by as much as 50%.  Adding that 50% advantage by working in a group or community makes transformation easier, fun and more focused.

5.  Carbohydrates – Stop believing the hype that carbohydrates are bad. Instead think of carbs as, either grain, fruit or green carbohydrates.  Adding more green carbohydrates to your diet boosts your ability to manage your weight and achieve long-term weight loss success, while providing the critical nutrients necessary for optimal wellness.

The above tips are just a few of the insights retreat guests will experience when booking a wellness getaway with Tosca Reno and the Retreats Unlimited team. Reno will be hosting five transformational wellness escapes at the following properties:

April 6–10, 2017 – The Hacienda Altagracia in Costa Rica brings the comforts of soulful living in the untamed natural setting of Costa Rica’s mountain tops. The perfect backdrop to reflect, rejuvenate and teaches participants the do’s and don’ts of a Clean Living® lifestyle while transforming your body and your health.

April 20-24, 2017 – This five-star property, Ocala Ranch located in the Horse Capital of the World™ provides towering oak trees, the sites and scenes of thoroughbred horses as the graze emerald green grasses. The location was not chosen by chance; the surrounding encourages glowing wellness, gorgeous skin and a healthy, positive life-affirming attitude.

May 6-10, 2017 – Villa Estrella, on the Gulf of Popayaso and the South Pacific Ocean is the backdrop for a life changing experience to inner confidence, power and balance.  Guests will enjoy the charming village of Coco and opportunities for swimming in the pristine water of the Gulf.

June 1-4, 2017 — The villas at Round Hill, Jamaica project timeless elegance steeped in history and wrapped in nature with views of the sand and sea.  The setting inspires guests to integrate Tosca’s proven tips — that will disrupt your life for the better.

October 14-17, 2017 – Wind down before the holiday season hustle begins at the renowned Beach House in Turks and Caicos, which provides windswept beach views of seagrass and white sand dunes, the idea setting to reset your state-of-mind. Tosca’s delicious and nutritious Eat Clean® menus advocate eliminating anxiety while producing a calm mind. This retreat will have you looking great and feeling relaxed for the upcoming holiday season.

Retreat Rates start at $2,808 for double occupancy and $2,775 for single occupancy — airfare is additional. Retreat Unlimited makes it easy to book both airfare and a retreat as their one-stop shopping experience will have you looking forward to your wellness experience as not a detail is overlooked. Visit Retreats Unlimited or join their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds.

About: Tosca Reno is a New York Times bestselling author who has written Your Best Body Now and the Eat-Clean Diet ® series. She is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, a fitness model and columnist. She has written the monthly “Raise the Bar” column for Oxygen and contributed to numerous publications in the health and wellness field.  She gives motivational seminars across North America and is on a mission to change the way the world eats, one clean meal at a time.

About: Retreats Unlimited offers unparalleled luxury wellness getaways in the most sought after resorts in the world.  The resort environments are often matched to the instructor to provide a true organic experience from the inside out. The company offers wellness-seekers seamless, life changing getaways with acclaimed wellness and fitness experts from around the world.

 

Lifestyle Tips /

Bring More Fun In Your Life – Flamenco Getaway In Seville

If you feel overworked and you are struggling with too much pressure in your everyday life, it’s time for a holiday. Take a break from your life and experience something new and different, something that will give you a new perception on life, on fun and on style. Seville, or Sevilla in Spanish, is the capital of the Andalusia region and it is famous for its fierce and free temperament. That sounds like the kind of place that could take your stress and tear it away in oblivion.  

Getting There Easily

If you are flying to Seville from the USA, you will probably need to find a connection in London, Paris or in Berlin, as there is no direct flight to Sevilla for long-distance travelers. Seville is in Spain, and you don’t need any visa authorization for visits that last less than 90 days, so this is an easy holiday to arrange. The best advice that one could give you is to choose a hotel in the town center, which you could reach with a taxi such as booktaxisevilla from the airport. This will allow you to pack your bag with all the essentials for a sunny holiday without having to carry it in the midst of public transport. If you are adventurous, remember to pack a pair of medium heels to have a go at flamenco moves in style.

Love Flamenco Until Dawn

You will find that Seville has a lot of entertainments to offer, especially if you love the idea of a Flamenco show at La Carboneria, a local favorite that offers rustic and authentic food with authentic dance show. La Carboneria offers free shows, but you will have to pay for your drinks and food, though. If you fall in love with Flamenco, try to find a Flamenco social club, which are called peñas in Spanish, where you can meet the dancers and maybe learn some moves! You will soon feel your worries melting away as you start tapping your feet to the music.

Find A Designer Boutique

While there are plenty of shopping options in Sevilla, and you will probably find your favorite Spanish brands Zara and Mango, try to avoid the known brand names. Go straight to local individual designers instead. You can find a former theater costume designer who has created a collection of women and kids exquisite clothes, for example. There’s even an ex-architect who has moved to fashion. Some designers even have open workshops, where you can assist with the creation of a dress or maybe even decide to upcycle an old number with the help of the professionals.

Eat Like The Locals

Finally, in Spain eat like the locals and look for the best tapas in town. While most tapas bars, when they are not overly touristy, are great, you will need to look hard to find this little jewel of organic cooking, Estraperlo. It’s a little organic shop hidden in the Alameda de Hercules district. They sell organic and locally produced foods and they also make their own daily tapas menu to enjoy in the restaurant, or to take away to eat in the sun.  

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Lifestyle Tips /

Try These Oscar-Worthy Low Calorie Cocktails

What’s more relaxing than an evening with the Oscars and a drink in hand?

A guilt-free way to enjoy those cocktails! Cozy up in front of the TV on Feb. 26 with a low-calorie cocktail inspired by some of the Oscar nominees. Take a look at our themed recipes below.

La La Lemon-berry Drop

Introducing your new favorite cocktail, the La La Lemon-Berry Drop! Start with 3 muddled raspberries at the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add a handful of ice, 1 oz of vodka and 4 oz of Cascade Ice Lemonade. Swirl the mixture around and strain into a sugar-rimmed glass. Garnish with a lemon slice or a couple raspberries if desired!

Featured Photo

Octavia’s Orangesicle Float

This simple, kid-friendly drink is sure to be a crowd pleaser! In a tall glass, put two scoops of your favorite vanilla ice cream.  Next, pour Cascade Ice Orange Mango over the ice cream until the glass if full. Garnish with an orange slice if desired and serve with a spoon and a straw!

The Mathmaticians Moonshine

This bourbon berry cocktail will get an Oscar in your heart. Start with 3 muddle blackberries in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and then combine 1 oz of Bourbon, 6 oz of Huckleberry Blackberry Cascade Ice into the shaker. Squeeze one lemon slice into the mixture and then give it a nice stir. Strain the blackberry goodness into a sugar-rimmed glass. Garnish with blackberries and a mint leaf and enjoy!

Entertainment /

Watch The Good Fight – Tonight on CBS All Access

CBS All Access’ first original drama series, The Good Fight, premieres tonight, Sunday, February 19 – and we’re excited to share a special teaser about what’s to come on the new series in 2017.

It ended with a slap, and it will begin with a fight…

The highly anticipated spin-off picks up one year after the events of the final broadcast episode of The Good Wife, when an enormous financial scam has destroyed the reputation of a young lawyer, Maia Rindell, while simultaneously wiping out her mentor and godmother Diane Lockhart’s savings. Forced out of Lockhart & Lee, they join Lucca Quinn at one of Chicago’s preeminent law firms.

The series, from The Good Wife creators Robert and Michelle King, stars Christine Baranski, Cush Jumbo, Rose Leslie, Delroy Lindo, Sarah Steele, Paul Guilfoyle, Bernadette Peters, Justin Bartha and Erica Tazel.

 

The teaser for the highly anticipated CBS All Access Original series, The Good Fight, is here! Watch now & try 1 week FREE!