Review: The Balanced Blonde’s Plant Based Recipe Book & 22 Day Detox

Review: The Balanced Blonde’s Plant Based Recipe Book & 22 Day Detox

I’m ever-curious to test out different techniques and tinker with aspects of my lifestyle to improve my health.  Most recently, I’ve been trying to bring inflammation levels down and improve my digestion. I am rather prone to stress and the littlest things raise my cortisol levels.  So, I felt like I needed to take things up a notch and bring a better balance to the way I’ve been eating. Thus, I decided to give The Balanced Blonde’s, aka Jordan Younger’s, Plant Based Recipe Book and 22 Day Detox a try.  

Today’s post is a review of The Balanced Blonde’s Plant Based Recipe E-book and my experience with the 22 Day Detox.

The e-book is a compilation of SOS-free, plant-based, vegan-friendly recipes that have helped her in her healing journey from Lyme Disease and a whole host of various symptoms like: inflammation, eczema, acne, bloating, IBS, and so forth.  The recipes are so simple that it is almost a little silly calling some of the recipes “recipes” but when you’ve over-complicated the way you think you should be eating, recipes for easy meals are very fitting.

Just to give you all a little more information on the e-book, Jordan includes her tips for detoxing from chronic infections both food and non-food related, offers suggestions for dealing with detox symptoms, anecdotes about her experiences with spiritual healing and emotional eating, tips for dining out, and food-combining.  Oh, and of course, explanations on SOS-free which stands for Salt, Oil, and Sugar-Free. So, the recipes in her e-book are all salt-oil-sugar-free and are adaptable for food combining. 

the balanced blonde plant based ebook

All Vegan Mac & Cheese (with chopped broccoli) from Jordan Younger’s Plant Based Ebook.

Disclaimer: I am a huge fan of The Balanced Blonde and her Soul on Fire Podcast.  I adore Jordan and relate to her in many different ways so this post is not a personal attack on her but a review of the plant based e-book and 22 day detox for anyone who may have heard of it or be interested in purchasing it and wants to know a little more.


If this is your first time here on my blog, let me give you a little background info about me: 

It’s important to note that I’ve had disordered eating tendencies in the past so I hesitated before buying her e-book.  I’m already primarily plant-based but do include some processed/packaged food items like protein bars, dairy-free store-bought cheese, tortilla chips, and kombucha.  I knew those items needed to go but what seemed really intense was the thought of cutting out salt and oil.  I have done sugar detoxes in the past and like to do them at least once a year to re-calibrate my taste buds.  I know I have sensitive blood sugar levels and that makes my heart go from calm to racing from one moment to the next. This is just a physical representation of what is happening in my body–i.e. my cortisol levels levels spike.  Basically, sugar is already limited in my diet because it has to be so I can minimize experiences like what I just described.  I do however use a lot of pink Himalayan sea salt and cook with coconut/avocado/olive oil fairly often.  So, I sought out Jordan’s book with optimism that a more plant-centric way of eating would help alleviate my concerns mentioned earlier.  


My experience with the 22 Day Detox program part of the e-book:

I tried to follow Jordan’s advice for 22 days of SOS-free, properly combined, plant-based meals.  During the first few days, I missed the salt for sure! I missed a drizzle of olive oil over my salads, and the taste of roasted vegetables just wasn’t quite the same without either of the two.  By day 4, I’d say the worst was behind me and my taste buds were adapting. I was also committed so I found creative ways to make food tasty for me–usually that involved lots of lemon juice!  

I felt like my digestion improved pretty soon after starting this way of eating.  I liked the way each of her recipes used a LOT of plants so I was really loading up on the good stuff here.  My appetite fluctuated before based on what I’d eat but Jordan’s method of structuring meals light to heavy seemed to work well…for a while.  

the balanced blonde plant based ebook

A swiss chard leaf wrap with tofu, cabbage, romaine, tomato, avocado, cilantro, carrot, and a coconut aminos-lemon dressing. Not in the e-book but very inspired by the plant-forward recipes!

I enjoyed starting my day with fruit or a smoothie, like she does, but I can’t handle the amount of bananas or fruit she eats.  I get brain fog an hour or two after eating too much sugar. Even if it’s natural from fruit, it just feels like too much for my system all at once.  I love fruit but each day I felt like I was riding off of sugar until lunchtime rolled around so that wasn’t fun.  I was also making her SOS-free desserts at first before I realized this was WAY too much sugar for me in a day so I cut those out.

Jordan says that once you get into a flow with SOS-free food, you’re not driven by cravings and it is easy to make no-fuss simple meals to eat for nourishment.  I can see that but I also started to dread meal times. I felt bored with steamed broccoli and sweet potato over salad and just wanted to eat to fuel myself and be over with it.  In some ways, this was great because it was breaking my emotional attachment to food.  

What threw a wrench in my plans was the salt cravings that stirred up around Day 13.  I got serious cravings for some salty tortilla chips and I tried to just eat my regular SOS-free meal but the craving would not go away.  The next day, the craving for something salty persisted: chips, crackers, even some carbonated water would have been great at this time! On Day 15 I woke up feeling dehydrated and not even wanting to eat breakfast because of how drying food would feel in my mouth.  It is on this same day that I write this review, after having enjoyed some Simple Mills sea salt crackers (PRAISE up that I had these in my pantry)! Now that I think of it, I was also feeling incredibly lethargic on the 13th and had trouble concentrating and that just continued all these days.  I felt weak and super deprived and, knowing my past, I didn’t want to force myself to stick with something and disregard my best interest.  In case you’re thinking something else could’ve been to blame for my low energy, that is possible but the dehydration was a dead giveaway that I needed something more so I decided to honor my body.


I’ll describe my takeaways at the end of this post but now I’ll review the e-book itself:

The anecdotal part of her e-book is very nice to read and her stories shine right off the pages.  But this is a recipe book, so that’s what everyone is curious about, right? From the get-go, Jordan advocates for SOS-free, plant-based, and food combining as much as possible.  I won’t dive into the details about what each of those terms means in this post, but I found some of the recipes conflicting in the food-combining aspect and deceiving in the SOS-free aspect.  

the balanced blonde plant based ebook

TBB Go-To Everyday Salad, followed by her All Vegan Mac & Cheese.

From a purely critical standpoint, she uses a lot of nuts/seeds (cashews and tahini in particular) in almost every recipe.  The nut-based dressings and dips technically do not combine with starches yet she pairs them with potatoes, legumes, or gluten-free pastas.  There are also some smoothies that call for coconut milk in combination with fruit (which is meant to be eaten alone per food combining principles).  You can be as strict with this as you want, of course, but I think this should be more consistent.  

The SOS-free aspect also surprised me because a recipe or two calls for some special Bio-Salt and ingredients like salt-free mustard.  Sorry, but these aren’t really accessible for the average person. (I tried searching online and couldn’t even find a salt-free mustard anywhere).  For anyone who thinks oil and fat are the same thing, they are not. The recipes in the e-book do involve nuts, seeds, and avocado which are all delicious, and whole food forms of plant-based fats.  I think they are used a little excessively, as I mentioned earlier. Lastly, the sugar-free aspect. Jordan explains that sugar-free does not mean no sugar at all. She believes natural sweetness from fruit is perfectly fine.  Though, she makes a number of recipes that call for the addition of maple syrup and, to me, that’s an added sweetener.

The desserts are meant to be sweet, but they are mostly raw and very date and nut-heavy.  I did forget to mention that aspect earlier–many of the recipes are raw. I’d say over half of the recipes in the cookbook are raw or involve raw, uncooked ingredients. This isn’t bad but it might take some getting used to if you are used to cooked foods.  I feel like I haven’t shown the most positive experience but I do want to mention some recipes that I think are pretty stellar in her cookbook!

Iconic Green Warrior Smoothie

The Balanced Blonde Go-To Everyday Salad

Buddha Bowl

SOS-Free Pad Thai

I can recognize that all of the recipes in her book are ones she has felt good eating but they don’t always align with the food combining principles that she touts in the guidelines.  The same with the SOS-free guidelines. I think my needs are specific and did not align quite as well with the recipes Jordan enjoys but for someone who is coming off of a Standard American Diet, transitioning off of processed food, or simply looking to eat more whole, plant-based foods, this recipe book would be great for you. 

the balanced blonde plant based ebook

Jordans SOS-free Pad Thai with tofu on top.


This was an interesting challenge for myself and made me conscious of how much salt and oil, in particular, I use on a daily basis in my food.  I feel I can eat many of the same planty meals salt-free and oil-free with ease. Yet, the inflammation aspect that I sought to alleviate with this way of eating did not change.  Understandably, I only went 2 weeks instead of the full 22 days but I already ate a very plant-filled diet so I don’t think that changed much. What I do notice a difference in is how I don’t need as much oil as I thought I did.  My body feels lighter and less congested without the oil so, moving forward, I’ll seek to keep oil to a minimum. When I did follow food combining principles, that also helped my digestion out so much. It’s hard to stick with (I’ve tried it before) but this detox reminded me how good my stomach feels when I don’t bombard it with tons of food groups.

Major praise to Jordan for putting out the e-book to do her part in helping people align them with their healthiest selves in the best way she knows how.  I believe in the power of plants but there are also different ways to incorporate them for everybody so I hope this post proves informative and encourages you to find what works for you.  If you want to share your thoughts, feel free to sound off in the comments below!

 

Lessons in Giving Less F*cks from Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck

Lessons in Giving Less F*cks from Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck

Today I’m sharing my biggest takeaways from blogger and self-help extraordinaire Mark Manson’s ground-breaking novel The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck.

I’ve been on a mission of self-improvement and, in doing so, slowly funding the self-help genre of books.  I’ve been avidly seeking out this genre of nonfiction for new perspectives.  You guys know I love finding new ways to look at a situation and I think doing so also helps make me more creative.

One of my biggest struggles of daily life is caring too much.  That might sound like a petty problem on the surface but I’ve felt it hinder me all throughout my life.  After discovering I was an empath and highly sensitive person a few years ago, I had an explanation for my overly-caring tendencies but not a solution.  I would still struggle in my abilities to understand myself and come to terms with situations that I need to move on from. 

Enter: The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson.

I remember hearing people buzz about the book when it was first released a few years back but I was on a YA-genre diet of books exclusively.  It wasn’t until this past December when I came across Mark Manson’s blog that I became hooked on his words.  Not to be dramatic but he is basically all that I aspire to be as a writer.  His material is thoughtful and relatable, as it touches on areas of life that we are always (whether knowingly or not) trying to improve in.  So, after burning through many of his articles, I knew I wanted to pick up his book.

One additional thing that I want to mention is that his writing takes a very real approach to overcoming ruts and obstacles.  Some self-help gurus out there will hit you with tough love to push you to change.  Others are too gentle—almost using too much of a self-love approach—so that you become comfortable with accepting things as they are.  Manson meets us right in the middle so that everyone can work on themselves and on giving less fucks where fucks don’t belong.

I won’t dive too deep into the details of the book because I want you guys to all go out there and read it.  It helped me out so much and, if you’re a regular reader around here, it could probably help you out, too.

Eight of the Most Important Takeaways from The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (i.e. the ones that resonated with me the most!)

Reserve your fucks for what matters

Not giving fucks is not about not caring.  (That’s a lot of negatives in that sentence so I’ll repeat it.)  Not giving fucks is not about not caring.  Instead, it is about understanding that we don’t need to give a fuck about everything.  We just need to give a fuck about something meaningful and important to us.

“Don’t hope for a life without problems.  There is no such thing.  Instead, hope for a life full of good problems.”

We are often of the belief that we need to rid ourselves of problems and then we will be happy.  On the contrary, we need to have problems to make us feel like we are succeeding.  Plus, overcoming those problems brings us self-improvement and, by consequence, happiness with ourselves.

Choose good values and metrics

According to Manson, we place value in an area and develop metrics, or a system of judgment, to assess whether or not our values are met.  Rather than value things that you have no control over, the best values are of the following nature: reality-based, socially constructive, and immediate and controllable.  He also addresses how to change your values and the very uncomfortable feelings that accompany such a decision. 

Certainty is the enemy of growth

One of my favorite ideas is Manson’s Law of Avoidance which implies that the more something threatens your identity, the more you will avoid it.  He advocates for embracing uncertainty and the discomfort that holds.  It sounds counterproductive but the more you try to be certain about something the more uncertain and insecure you will feel. 

Do something and the answers will follow

Even when we feel we have no direction, the moment we start doing anything, it will propel us towards figuring out what we actually want and, thus, bring us closer to what can actually benefit us. 

You can’t solve other people’s problems

Likewise, other people can’t solve your problems.  Neither situation leads to happiness.  What we need to do is take responsibility for our own problems.  For others, what we can do is support them in their journey to solve a problem but not take on the responsibility of solving their problems.

Commit to something and reject the alternative

This idea in particular really resonates with me, as someone who has a lot of trouble with making choices.  I fear making the “wrong” choice but an even worse situation would be not making a choice.  If we don’t make a choice, we miss out on the depth of beauty and level of content that exists only when you can commit to something aligning with your most important values.

Care about something greater than yourself

We have full control of our values and the greatest sense of happiness can be achieved when we place our fucks in worthwhile values.  In the long-run, the most beneficial places to place our fucks will be in causes that help others. 

  lessons in not giving a fuck

When this book came into my hands, I was working through stagnation that derived from indecision.  Manson’s book encouraged me to recognize that I am not wrong to feel uncertain about the choices I want to make.  It provided me the outlook that having uncertainty means I’m growing.  And as I grow, I meet people and opportunities that demand I make a choice.  The more I make choices, the more I learn what is and what is not right for me, and the closer I am to bringing in people and opportunities that are a little more right for me.  That’s all I can ask for.

What do you think?  These are just super brief bullet points as to what stood out to me in The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck that personally resonated with me.  I’m sure there is a topic in here that will hit home for everyone no matter where you are in your life.  Have you read this book?  Do any of the points I mentioned resonate with you?  I’d love to hear what you think. 

Aaaand if you have read it, are you as siked as I am that Mark Manson has a follow-up novel about what’s fucked up with our ideas of hope?  You can view it here on Amazon!  Not sponsored, just super excited!

Xoxo,

Melanie

 

FRÉ Skincare Products Review

FRÉ Skincare Products Review

I don’t know why it has taken me so long to write a review for a set of products that I use every day.  You guys might know that last year I became an ambassador for the brand FRÉ Skincare.  FRÉ makes products to meet the needs of active women or women who sweat.  Let’s all put our hands up, shall we?

I’m getting sweaty on a daily basis; if not through exercise, than through the hot climate that I reside in.  We’re talking So Cal summers here!  So, I’ve really put these products to the test and can feel confident in saying these are top-notch.  I largely attribute the luxurious feel of the products to their Argania Active Complex derived from antioxidant-rich Argan oil.  It’s an integral aspect of their brand so the Argan used is high in quality and sourced carefully.  I won’t go into their full story here but you can read more about it on their website!   

What I will share with you here is my experience with the products!  Before we dive into the review, I want to be transparent and say that FRÉ did send the products to me but I am not obligated to write a review here on my blog.  Actually, nor was I obligated to use the products EVERY DAY for the past 6 months.  That’s all on me!  It just goes to show that when you find products that work, you stick with them.

Despite that, I will admit to having a few issues/concerns about the products and I will definitely be sharing that below.  They might not be a big deal for you but I want to clearly outline anything and everything that I can so that if you are considering shopping FRÉ, you’ll know what to expect.

Without further ado, here is my breakdown of how the FRÉ Skincare line of products have performed, what I like, and what I’m not that into.

FRÉ 123 Set

Protect Me- Defense Facial Moisturizer with SPF30

protect me fre skincare

Protect Me via FRÉ Skincare

Sunscreen is a love it or hate it type of products.  We all know we should be applying sunscreen anytime we may be exposed to the sun for any amount of time.  Yet, how many times have you tried to be a good citizen and applied your sunscreen, only to feel a THICK, sometimes WHITE, layer on your face and have it clog up your pores?? Ugh, nothing is worse. 

Enter Protect Me which is specifically designed with non-comedogenic Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane and Octocrylene as sunscreen ingredients.  These have been studied and tested to provide UVA and UVB protection together and do not leave that thick sunscreen layer on your face.  It is also worth mentioning that I’ve had zero breakouts and no issues with having a whitecast in photos because of the product.

Although, I wouldn’t be an honest blogger if I didn’t also admit that, while those above mentioned sunscreen ingredients serve to prevent clogged pores, they are also potential endocrine disruptors.  Yeah, there is some light research suggesting Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane can mimic estrogen in the body and it’s friend Octocrylene  causes cell die-off as the ingredient is exposed to UV rays.  A little fishy considering these are ingredients that will be absorbed into our skin.  Yet, if the alternative is not wearing sunscreen or wearing one that your skin hates, then I think this might not be a big deal.  I just wanted to point this out so you guys can make an informed decision.

Purify Me- Hydrating Facial Cleanser

purify me fre skincare

Purify Me via FRÉ Skincare

Maybe you’ve heard oil is the best thing to use to remove eye make-up because they work together?  If not, here I am to inform you that oil is the best to use for eye make-up removal.  Similarly, we need an ingredient that works with what we have on our facial skin to remove dirt and impurities.  That might be an oil-based moisturizer like Purify Me!  Most of my makeup is actually water-based so I have an easier time using a makeup-removing face wash or micellar water before Purify Me. 

On days when I just got sweaty sans makeup, Purify Me works well alone!  It is a creamy face cleanser with gentle microbeads (and not the synthetic kind that hurt the environment).  The cleanser is amazing to clean and lock in moisture at the same time.  I’ve mentioned how the products were designed for active/sweaty skin but I find the Argan oil ingredients are also extremely beneficial for dry skin!  My skin certainly feels supple and soft after using this cleanser.

Revive Me- Deep Replenishing Serum

revive me fre skincare

Revive Me via FRÉ Skincare

The serum is by far my favorite product right here!  I can’t tell you how many facial moisturizers I’ve tried and they’re often too thick or too thin or just don’t get the job done.  My skin looks and feels so much better since I started using Revive Me.

When I started using the serum, my skin broke out—not to blame the Revive Me but my skin was simply adjusting to a new and non-comedogenic product.  After about a week, I notice my skin was not dry, irritated, or nearly as red as it used to be.  My face was so sensitive but the serum really helped to eliminate irritation and promote my own skin’s cellular turnover.  I rarely get breakouts now!

If you can only get one product to try, I would say get this serum!

Glow Me

glow me fre skincare

Glow Me via FRÉ Skincare

This product is FRÉ Skincare’s answer to the beloved tinted moisturizer.  It does not have the coverage you can achieve with a foundation or concealer but that is not expected.  Similar to Protect Me, Glow Me won’t clog your pores and it is easy enough to layer with the other FRÉ products without experiencing layers and layers of heaviness.  On the other hand, the tinted moisturizer has a thicker feeling than any of the other products.  The tackiness goes away after a few minutes of air-drying or with a follow-up touch of powder.

Surprisingly, Glow Me does not utilize the same sunscreen ingredients as Protect Me.  Instead, it uses Cyclopentasiloxane and the well-studied titanium dioxide combined with Trimethoxycaprylylsilane.  I couldn’t find too much on the latter ingredient as far as testing or safety, at the moment. Cyclopentasiloxane, although it does not have the hormone disruptive effects as Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, can however become toxic to organs with continued use because of the bioaccumulative nature of the chemical.  Again, these are not necessarily reasons to deter anyone from trying the products but points I feel particularly inclined to research for sunscreen-containing products.  

Detox Me

detox me fre skincare

Detox Me via FRÉ Skincare

Face masks are notoriously drying or breakout-causing, for me.  Yet, Detox Me utilizes the same argan oil base as all of the other products which keeps it from being drying.  Of course, it serves its purpose as a mask to dislodge skin impurities and unclog pores with the help of kaolin clay and dead sea salt. 

I love the way the mask feels exfoliating as you rub it on but it feels like it balances my skin’s pH as I’m wearing it.  FRÉ recommends using it after working out, one to three times per week.  I personally enjoy using the mask after taking a shower twice a week, ideally.

There you have it, folks!  Those are the key things I would want you to know if you’re thinking of buying any of the FRÉ products.  I do believe the ingredients are very skin-friendly and seem to be agreeable with all skin types—oily, dry, and everything in between. 

The best way to get a feel for the products is to try them out!  I am particularly drawn to the Detox Set but you can also purchase the products individually.  If you are interested, be sure to use my code: MELANIEM or this link https://www.freskincare.com/MELANIEM so that you can snag a discount at checkout!

Don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions about the products.  I’m happy to provide you with answers to help you decide if FRÉ is right for you.

Thank you for reading and being here.

Xoxo,

Melanie

 

Oral Health Care Routine & Oral Essentials Oral Care Products Review

Oral Health Care Routine & Oral Essentials Oral Care Products Review

All day long I’m either eating or snacking—and in between those moments I’m brushing my teeth.  The last thing I want is to stack food smells and flavors in my mouth.  As much as the food I eat is important to me, so is clean, fresh breath.  I brush my teeth three times a day so I realized that the oral care products I’m using so frequently should be chemical-free and as natural as possible.  For this reason, I’ve been on the hunt for toothpaste that meets those standards and aligns with my values.

Why Brush Your Teeth? 

I carry around a toothbrush and mini toothpaste in my purse that way I never miss an opportunity to brush!  It’s so important to me but I know not everyone makes it a priority.  Here are a couple of incentives that make me motivated to brush my teeth:

Clean Mouth Feeling

Oral Hygiene

Fresh Breath

Bonus: It curbs the desire to snack or graze needlessly.

oral health care routine and products

My Background in Oral Care

The first time I ever went to the dentist in my life was at age 12.  Prior to that, my family didn’t have dental insurance and felt we would be fine without the annual dentist check-ups.  Despite that, my mom instilled the importance of teeth-brushing from the very beginning.

As a kid, I’d hate to eat something after I had just brushed my teeth.  It distressed me to ruin the clean, minty fresh feeling that brushing my teeth achieved.  Flash forward to my first dentist visit and I was cavity-free.  Yes, CAVITY-FREE after 12 years of never seeing a dentist.  Young Melanie sure ate a lot of sweets daily so I can’t attribute my results to an impeccable diet.  I say it came from a great oral health care routine: brushing my teeth after any meal.

I’m not a dentist or registered anything but, from personal experience, I know teeth-brushing is important for cavity prevention and oral health overall.  That is, the action of effectively cleaning debris off teeth helps prevent build up that can lead to tooth decay.  Unfortunately, oral care products often have fluoride and other elements that I don’t want to ingest or have in my mouth, even in small amounts.

oral health care routine and products

Fluoride and What Else to Avoid in Oral Health Care Products

Perhaps you might remember being a child in elementary school and being provided a cup of fluoride to swoosh around in your mouth during recess.  Or was that just at my school?  Maybe your city or state utilizes water-fluoridization.  The idea behind both is that fluoride is helpful to clean teeth and people, children especially, need more help in that department.  Though, recent research, which collated the use of fluoride in water across multiple countries, demonstrated miniscule decreases from its use.  If anything, a scientific review of fluoride in drinking water is shown to be a potential endocrine disruptor and that is the last thing I personally want in my body.  Particularly when hormonal balance is a major concern of mine.

Thus, I am happy to bring to light a company that produces oral health care products free of fluoride.  Oral Essentials toothpaste and mouthwash range are completely chemical-free and non-toxic. In addition, the products are made without dyes, preservatives, alcohol, glycerin, or SLS (a shady ingredient even found in household cleaners)!

Why I Like Oral Essentials

What is in Oral Essentials products, then?  Their brand utliizes the natural exfoliating power of Dead Sea salt.  Other ingredients worth mentioning are coconut oil, aloe vera, non-GMO xylitol, and essential oils.  All of these ingredients are familiar, safe, and allow me to continue my oral care routine without worry.

I tried out the Whitening toothpaste and mouthwash, Sensitivity toothpaste and mouthwash, Dry Mouth mouthwash, and Original formula toothpaste.  I honestly cannot differentiate between the products as far as effectiveness goes.  Though, I can feel a difference in the cleanliness of my mouth in comparison to my old toothpaste.  It wasn’t until I started using Oral Essentials that I realized how traditional toothpaste leaves a slippery film on my teeth.  I would sometimes double brush my teeth because I just didn’t feel like my mouth was clean enough after the first brushing.  Not anymore.

Simply one brushing with Oral Essentials toothpaste leaves my teeth feeling residue-free and clean.  While there are a few choices, the toothpastes are all quite similar.  They each feel slightly dry from the sea salt but there is no gritty feeling.  Unlike the typical store-bought brand, Oral Essentials toothpaste is not thick and goopy, and it dissolves quickly.  At first, I found myself using a little bit more toothpaste than I would normally use.  The light-mouth feel and thinner consistency of the toothpastes are different than what I am used to.  I now use a small amount and that serves to efficiently remove any bit of gunk I may have on my teeth.  I pair it with the mouthwash for an even fresher, sting-free clean feeling!

oral health care routine and products

My Oral Essentials Product Variety of Choice

When it comes to the product line varieties, I enjoy the original and sensitivity formulas the most.  I do not have a tooth sensitivity issue but the flavor and feel of the original and sensitivity line are most similar to what I previously had in toothpaste.  The whitening variety made with lemon peel is a bit zingy for me, though it is not harsh!  I should mention that each Oral Essentials product is designed to be suitable for sensitive mouths.  Therefore, each product is non-irritating and safe for frequent, daily use.

I could definitely see myself continuing use of Oral Essentials toothpaste and mouthwash.  Any of the varieties are great and I’m proud to recommend these non-toxic products.  I hope my review is helpful if you are also interested in natural products. 🙂

oral health care routine and products

DISCLAIMER: The Oral Essentials product review is completely my own opinion.  I am not under any obligation to promote or endorse their products.  I truly enjoyed them so I just want to share my review.

Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me by Lily Collins Book Review

Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me by Lily Collins Book Review

Earlier this year, in March, Lily Collins published an autobiographical book on what she calls her deepest unshared secrets.  Collins presents a number of both unique and relatable experiences from her childhood in Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me.  She encourages readers to follow in suit and open up about their own struggles, quirks, and stories.  The sooner we can do that, the sooner we can live life with a better, more loving version of ourselves.

unfiltered lily collins quote

What I Knew Before Reading Unfiltered:

I have always viewed Lily Collins as the epitome of elegance, class, and free-spirited perfection.  While she certainly is, there is much more about her life and story that I didn’t know.  Just like Anna Kendrick, whose self-written book Scrappy Little Nobody I also reviewed here, Collins is a young Hollywood actress who has made a mark on the millennial generation, to say the least.  Collins’ list of acting gigs is short but I knew she would have something meaningful to say beyond actor life.

I remember first seeing Lily Collins on Nickelodeon (back when Nickelodeon and Disney Channel were the only channels I would watch) reporting on the presidential election of 2008.  From Unfiltered, I’ve learned her journalism interests go much further than that.  As a young girl, she wanted to see others her own age represented in media and writing.  During teen years, she used her skills to report live on TV for Nickeloden and in writing for magazines like Elle Girl UK.  With this in mind, Unfiltered targets an audience of similar age to her.  More on this later.

unfiltered lily collins quote

What I Like About Unfiltered

Unfiltered is inspirational as it starts each chapter with a quote pulled from the chapter’s content.  Each chapter takes on a different topic or lesson.  Put together, they have helped shape Lily Collins into who she is today.  It is not the most original concept for a celebrity-written book but it is full of fun facts about Collins.  She touches on her childhood, life in the UK and LA, and reveals details about the eating disorder that she kept well-hidden all these years.  It means so much to read her thoughts on surviving her most challenging times growing up.

Collins’ book reads like a girl friend or older sister comfortably talking about obstacles that teens and young adults face.  She takes on a mentor-like role to explain the lessons she has learned and the advice she wishes to provide.  She genuinely hopes to touch others with what she has gone through and offer helpful suggestions as well as a glimmer of hope that things get better.  Such moments are conveyed in chapters like My Battle For Perfection or Food As Fuel, Not Punishment.

Who Should Read Unfiltered:

While her book seems most appropriate for teens to young adults, adults beyond her age could still enjoy it.  It is fascinating to read Collins’ stories and recollections about notable moments in her young life–including an “unfiltered” look at her relationship with her dad.  I’m only a few years her junior, so I could relate to some experiences she had growing up.  The ones that I couldn’t relate to still shed light on a new perspective for me.

Celebrity news junkies, movie buffs, fans, or casual observers of Lily Collins could enjoy this book.  I think Unfiltered offers a valuable perspective about someone’s life that may appear picture perfect but isn’t.  Though, there is no pity involved, only empowerment.  A glimpse into Lily Collins’ reality is one worth checking out.

unfiltered lily collins quote