February 8, 2019
Indulge your sweet tooth with CBD-laced Lord Jones gumdrops, yet another dry shampoo to try, required reading for aging well and Kiehl's "cleans" up its act.
A different kind of Valentine's Day candy
Hallmark holiday or not, Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to indulge our sweet tooth, but what if you could get more than a sugar high? Well, now that CBD is EVERYWHERE, you can reap its relaxing, pain-relieving and sleep-enhancing benefits—and Lord Jones’ Limited Edition Valentine’s Day CBD Gumdrops make a great gift for your partner or Gal-entine (and if they’re nice, maybe they’ll share).
With eight perfectly-dosed “Passion Fruit” drops and one “Red Raspberry” (which you two can fight over) in a beautifully packaged box that requires no wrapping, these candies can help you make the most of your Valentine’s Day plans whether you’re planning a Netflix and chill night, a romantic dinner or pretty much anything else for that matter.
But don’t wait too long to snatch these up, because they’re only available through February 14th, and once they’re gone, they’re gone for good. Maybe order two boxes, because you might not be able to resist sampling one for yourself before Valentine’s Day.
This is when you should be using dry shampoo
Dry shampoo is an essential part of my morning routine, and I also use it to touch-up periodically throughout the day, whether after my post-workout shower or before I head out to run errands and pick my son up from school. Sure, it helps refresh my style and hide the fact that it’s been several days since I washed last—but have you ever thought to use dry shampoo before bed when you know you won’t be washing the next day?
This has been a major upgrade for my hair routine for a few reasons. First, it helps minimize the mess I wake up to—and it gives the dry shampoo a chance to soak up oil as I sleep. I’ve found this helps prevent my lack of washing from going too far, and ultimately past the point of no return.
If you’re looking for a new dry shampoo to try, check out ECRU New York’s new dry shampoo. With charcoal to help absorb impurities, aloe to soothe and hydrate the scalp, and chamomile to quell any itching caused by product buildup (because sometimes that happens)—it keeps your hair looking, feeling and smelling fresh while adding a bit of texture without a powdery residue.
Everything you want to know about aging (and how to delay it) in one place
This past weekend was a literal wash… Thanks to basically non-stop rain and frigid-for-Florida temperatures, our jam-packed schedule of lacrosse, football and endurance training was suddenly clear—and too much Fortnite and an outing to The Melting Pot (my stomach still hurts) took their place, and I used this “bonus” time to catch up on This Is Us, magazines and other reading. On my list has been Age Later: Look Seven Years Younger in Just Seven Weeks by Dr. Marc A. Ronert, since I’m never one to turn down some extra knowledge, pointers or just essential reminders about what’s really going on inside my body (in addition to the changes in my skin).
Consider this your manual for fighting the effects of aging—because in addition to what you should and should not be doing to look and feel your best, Dr. Ronert explains how the aging process affects every part of your body (down to the cellular level). From breaking down cellular changes (your cells’ mitochondria need love!) and advice on how to change the habits that accelerate the aging process to specific tips for taking care of your skin as well as optimizing your diet and fitness, this is a must-read for establishing an overall anti-aging lifestyle that can have a major impact on your overall wellness (and appearance, if that’s your main goal).
Seriously, I spend a lot of time on Google Scholar searching for studies that back the info I include in my writing (especially for my corporate clients—although I won’t ever promote anything that isn’t supported by science here), and this book relies on legitimate scientific evidence about the aging process (knowledge is power!), diet and exercise that trumps all of the trending buzz about paleo, keto, intermittent fasting and the like. If you want no-nonsense info about what’s good, what’s bad and how to make changes in your day-to-day life, this book is for you.
Even more, this is not a read-once-and-done situation. In addition to must-know info about the underlying factors that are part of the natural aging process, it’s filled with tips and tricks for tipping the scales to your advantage, whether through skincare, diet, fitness or mindfulness—and you can prioritize the approaches that work best for you (and potentially progress to the areas that might not be front of mind right now).
For me, a major stand-out was the information about stress and the effects it has on both how we feel and how we look. If you feel stressed more often than not, it’s likely affecting your blood pressure and circulation, which can lower the amount of oxygen each and every cell in your body gets. This is no bueno for your muscles, organs, brain, immune system, skin and basically every other part of your body—so it’s no wonder you feel fatigued and irritable.
We all age differently, which means we all have a different experience. They key to fighting aging both inside and out is understanding what’s going on—and actively taking steps to minimize its effects. Not sure where to start? This book can certainly help.
Your favorite Kiehl’s products are getting “cleaner”
Everyone has at least one go-to product from Kiehl’s (or in my case, several) and one of our favorite brands kicked off 2019 with a BIG announcement… [Drumroll, please.] By the end of the year, each and every Kiehl’s product offering will be reformulated to be paraben-free!
The first product to get the paraben-free treatment is the iconic Ultra Facial Cream, which has had a coveted spot in my skincare lineup quite a few times since its debut in 2006. The ideal daily hydrator for virtually everyone, the lightweight cream delivers an instant surge of moisture and helps prevent it from evaporating for up to 24 hours—and apparently you won’t even notice the formula changed other than the fact that the paraben-free version leaves skin more than twice as hydrated. (BTW, 10 jars are sold around the world every minute!)
It took five years and 114 different versions to get Ultra Facial Cream 2.0 just right, and I can’t wait to see which products go paraben-free next!