Elle Is For Living!

Use your sunscreen!

For anyone who doesn't believe that sun exposure causes premature aging, take a look at this picture.

This 69-year-old man spent 28 years at the wheel of a truck, resulting in the left side of his facing absorbing a lot more sun than the right side. While the skin on right half of his face is relatively smooth and free of wrinkles the left side clearly shows thickening and wrinkling of the skin.

Please use sunscreen.

A post from my sister

My 14 yo niece gets treated for leukemia in Vancouver, B.C. They live on Vancouver Island so, since she was diagnosed in December 2013, have had to make frequent trips/stays to the mainland. Here is a recent list that my sister sent me of what she has gone through in the last 7 1/2 months:

99 days in Vancouver. 1 surgery. 2 bone marrow biopsies. 11 lumbar punctures. 26 nights in the hospital. 60 visits at the oncology clinic. 97 needles. 3 rushes to the ER. 5 blood transfusions. 71 doses of chemo. 14 weeks of oral chemo. 4 physiotherapist appointments, and 3 heart tests has brought me up to my 7 1/2 mark today. Can't believe how much has happened in such little time!

Elle's Easy Thai Quinoa

Elle's Easy Thai Quinoa

1/2 cup quinoa, cook according to directions

1/3 cup julienned carrots

1/3 cup shelled edamame

1/3 cup chopped green onions

Optional: chicken, chopped (I use Trader Joe’s Just Chicken)

Sauce

2 Tbsp sweet chili sauce

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp canned coconut milk

1/2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp peanut butter

1 garlic clove

1 Tbsp reallime juice

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Topping

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro

Combine sauce ingredients together in a bowl.

Add in chicken, carrots, edamame and green onions, stirring to combine. Taste and season with a little salt and pepper if needed. Top with peanuts and cilantro.

Use Up Back-Up Stash (B.U.S.) for Make-Up

I realized that I was using a bit of everything and not using up anything. I decided to start this Use Up Back-up Stash (B.U.S.) for 2 reasons:

1) to make me organize/inventory what I have
2) to make me aware of how much I have

This is not a no-buy as I can buy whatever I want but, it has to go into the Back-Up Stash. I have to use something up before I can bring something out of the B.U.S.

These products do NOT include what is in my regular stash and current rotation and I have kept out a lot! That means I have to use up at least 1 item in order to pull out an equivalent item from the B.U.S.

B.U.S. Inventory for Make-Up Products as of July 2014 (with 4 pictures/videos to hold me accountable!)

Foundations
NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat Powder Foundation
Milani Cream to Powder Make-U Warm Beige
Neutrogena Healthy Skin in Nude
Bourjois Healthy Mix in Light Beige
Revlon Colorstay Combination Oily Skin 250 Fresh Beige
Revlon Age Defying 30 Spice Beige
Revlon Age Defying 20 Soft Beige
E.L.F. Foundation in Porcelain
E.L.F. Foundation in Porcelain
NYX Invincible in Porcelain
Cover Girl + Olay 225
Rimmel Lasting Finish 100 Ivory
Rimmel Lasting Finish 200 Soft Beige
CoverGirl Smoothers Buff Beige
CoverGirl Smoothers Creamy Beige
CoverGirl 3-in-1 Buff Beige
Palladio Wet & Dry Foundation Cypress Beige
Hard Candy Glow All The Way Glamazon Bronze

Bronzers, Powders & Highlighters
E.L.F. Bronzer St Lucia
E.L.F. Bronzer Turks & Caicos
E.L.F. Bronzer Warm
Wet N Wild Starlight Bronzer
Rimmel Bronzer Sunlight
Physician's Formula Youth Wear Powder Beige
Jordana Forever Flawless Powder Creamy Beige
Milani Multitasking Powder Tan
Wet N Wild Reserve Your Cabana

Face Primers & Concealers
2 x Monistat Chafing Powder Gel
E.L.F. Mineral Face Primer
Garnier Anti Dark Circle Concealer
E.L.F. Corrector in Yellow
2 x NYC Coverstick in Light
Maybelline Age Rewind in Fair
NYC Concealer in Light
Maybelline FitMe Concealer
Essence Cream Concealer

Mascara Brows & Liners
25 Eyeliner Pencils
4 Liquid Eyeliners
3 Eye Primers
8 Mascaras
4 Gel Eyeliners
5 Eyebrow Pencils
2 x Milani Brow Powders
2 Jordana Eye Shadows
NYX Blush in Taupe
Maybelline Shadow in Linen
Maybelline Shadow in Champagne Fizz
2 x Wet N Wild Shadows in Nutty
Wet N Wild Egyptian Sands Eyeshadow
Wet N Wild Cool As A Cucumber Eyeshadow
Jordana Eye Pencil in Eternal White
NYX Eye Pencil in Milk
2 x E.L.F. Under Eye Primer
Maybelline Eyeshadow Primer
Essence I♥Stage Eyeshadow Primer
Jordana Eyeshadow Primer

Use Up Back-Up Stash (B.U.S.) for Face & Hair Products

I realized that I was using a bit of everything and not using up much of anything. I decided to start this Use Up Back-up Stash (B.U.S.) for 2 reasons:

1) to make me organize/inventory what I have
2) to make me aware of how much I have

This is not a no-buy as I can buy whatever I want but, it has to go into the Back-Up Stash. I have to use something up before I can bring something out of the B.U.S.

B.U.S. Inventory for Face & Hair Products as of July 2014 (with 2 videos to hold me accountable!)

Shower Body Products

2 x Caress Passionate Spell Body Wash

Bliss Blood Orange Body Wash

Philosophy Hazelnut Espesso Body Wash

Bliss Blood Orange Sugar Scrub

Trader Joe's Lavender Salt Scrub

Yardley Oatmeal & Almond Soap

Hair Shower Products

Vatika Olive Hair Oil

Suave Almond & Shea Butter Shampoo and Infusion Conditioner

2 x Shimmering Lights Brunette & Red Shampoo 16 oz

Suave Almond & Shea Butter Condition

Loreal Triple Resist Shampoo

Loreal Triple Resist Conditioner 1.7 fl oz

Giovannie Brazilian Keratin & Argan Oil shampoo

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner

Coconut Oil Deep Repair Masque

Hair Chemist Macadamia Oil Deep Repair Masque

Garnier Fructis Triple Nurtition 3 minute Conditioner

After Shower Hair Products
Paul Mitchell Leave In Conditioner 33.8 oz

5 x Paul Mitchell Freeze & Shine Super Spray 33.5 oz

Perfect Purity Extra Hold Volumizing Mousse

April Hair Mousse

Motions Foaming Wrap Lotion

Tresemme #4 Mousse

2 x Loreal Boost It High Life Creation Spray

2 x Loreal Boost It Blow Out Heatspray

Garnier Fructis Style Putty

Beyond The Zone Wax It Up

Garnier Fructis Marvelous Oil Deep Nourish

Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Dry Shampoo

Face Products

2 x ROC Retinol Deep Wrinkle Night Cream

Roc MAX Resurfacing Facial Cleanser

ROC Daily Resurfacing Disks Cleansing Pads

2 x Aloe Vera & Vitamin E Baby Oil

2 x Loreal Go 360 Clean Deep Cleanser

St Ives Apricot Scrub

Garnier Smoothing Cream Cleanser

Olay Regenerist Night Resurfacing Elixer

Olay Regenerist Micro Sculpting Serum

Loreal Youth Code Texture Perfector

Moisturizers

St Ives Skin Renewing Collagen Body Lotion

St Ives Coconut Milk & Orchid Extract Moisturizing Spray

Vaseline Cocoa Radiant Lotion

Bliss Blood Orange Body Butter Moisture Cream

St Ives Timelss Skin Collagen Moisturizer

Neutrogena Make Up Cleanser

CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizer

YES to Carrots Moisturizer

YES to Cucumbers soothing Moisturizer

YES to Cucumbers Soothing Eye Gel

Eucerin Q10 Anti Wrinkle Cream

2 x Trader Joe's Moisturizing Cream

July Ipsy Bag

This month’s Ipsy Bag came in an adorable pink faux leather bag with scalloped edges.

I got a Pur-Lisse Sunscreen. I prefer my spray sunscreens so will be giving this to a friend.

Faith Aeromatherapy Citrus Ginger Body Lotion this smells really nice (although the ginger sort of smells like a household cleaning product lol!)

A Bare Minerals 5-in-1 Cream Eyeshadow this is an interesting product that I was interested to try. It goes on very nicely

Pop Beauty Sunkissed Bronzer I love bronzers so am very excited about this product! I immediately tried this on and it is very pigmented and with a big fluffy brush makes a beautiful bronze color. I think I will really enjoy this product.

Tints & Sass Lip & Cheek Stain - I have never tried a stain product so was super happy to get this. I tried it on my lips and my cheeks. It stained very nicely but, personally I would still layer blush or lipstick over top. I won't use it on my lips as it is quite drying but, I will use it up on my cheeks. Still, fun to try something new.

Overall, I was super happy with what I got and thought it was more than worth the $10. It is always fun to try new products and this definitely gets me doing that :-)

Grieving

Grieving is such a difficult uncomfortable emotion. We just want it done! Unfortunately, there is no quick way through it but, it does help to understand what to expect and some coping mechanisms.