k, byeee! – Beauty. Wellness. Inspiration.

Insta-Famous Brands That are Worth the Hype

Instagram can suck you into a never-ending spiral of companies and products that sound too good to be true. Every now and then, though, some sparkly gems emerge that really ARE worth the hype they get. I like things that are organic, efficient, and add value to my life in some way. These are my favorite insta-worthy brands/products that I keep coming back to all the time.

Daily Harvest – This is honestly one of the best things I’ve done for myself this year. I mean, does it get any better than someone delivering organic food to your door? No. I don’t like to cook, but I also want to eat healthy, which is why the entire concept of frozen, healthy meals that you can just dump into a skillet/blender is PERFECT. It’s as close to no effort as you can get. Do yourself a favor and try the mint & cacao smoothie and the chaga lattes. They literally taste like ice cream and hot chocolate. For $25 off, use code RE-AHKY4YY.

Rothy’s – I LOVE THESE. First of all, they’re the comfiest shoes ever. I have two pairs right now, and I’ll probably never buy another brand of shoes again. They’re that good. Plus they’re made out of recycled water bottles, and are machine washable. DO IT. For $20 off, click here.

JaxKelly – JaxKelly makes the cutest nontoxic candles ever. They each have a crystal inside too! You know I can’t resist a good crystal/candle combo. My favorite scents are rose quartz, blue chalcedony, and citrine. They also have super cute earrings that I love. My ears are really sensitive and their earrings don’t make me itchy or sore, which is saying a lot.

Lola Tampons – By now you’ve probably heard about Lola. They’re everywhere and helping change the world of feminine care. Traditional tampons are nasty AF (see my previous post here) so it’s important that you’re buying organic tampons/pads. No one wants sketchy chemicals up there! I love that I don’t ever have to think about going to the store since they come straight to your house. The only downside is the shipping is pretty slow (NY to OK takes about 10 days, which seems excessive).

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Green Beauty vs Conventional Beauty: Why You Should Practice Balance

I’m not an all-or-nothing kind of girl. I want a little bit of this and a little bit of that, especially when it comes to beauty. Let’s face it: organic isn’t always better.

There, I said it.

It doesn’t always perform, and it isn’t always accessible. If I’m being honest, a lot of the natural products I try, I end up hating and selling on Poshmark later. It got me thinking – is going fully organic with your beauty routine really worth being only semi-satisfied with how you look? Both sides can be argued and both present valid points. Organic is, overall, better for your health in the long run. Conventional, however, usually performs way better and is better for your wallet. So where do you draw the line?

Like anything in life, it’s important to practice balance for both your sanity and your financial health. It isn’t feasible for most of the population to ditch all the products they’ve ever known and get entirely new organic ones. And that’s okay. I’m pretty sure my NARS concealer isn’t going to kill me and believe me, I’ve tried to replace it with everything under the sun. Nothing compares. Frankly, I’m tired of throwing money out the window in hopes of a miracle product that’s clean and won’t break me out.

In fact, I refuse to keep doing it.

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My Favorite Vegan Leather Brand: Angela Roi

I love animals. All of them! Not just my pets. I wave at cows when I drive by them, say hello to the frogs in our backyard, and am obsessed with basically any animal I lay eyes on. I mean, who isn’t?

No, I’m not fully vegetarian, but I hardly ever eat meat. Not only do I just not really like meat that much, but I start overthinking it and get sad. One time I tried to cook bacon and started crying before I could even open the package. I realize there are people who need to eat meat sometimes for health reasons, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still help in other ways. One aspect of saving animals that we don’t always think about is the use of leather in fashion.

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Summer Beauty Faves: 2019 Edition

Happy almost August/end of eclipse season!! I know summer is technically close to being over, but let’s be real – in Oklahoma, we have summer weather well into October. I don’t have a ton of new faves to share with you, but the ones I do have are legit. You won’t be disappointed!

Pacifica Salty Waves Hair Balm – Lots of people rave about Pacifica’s Salty Waves Conditioner, but did you know they have a hair balm now too? It pretty much does everything – reduces frizz, softens hair, adds a little texture, and gives you that effortless beach vibe. This is saying a lot coming from someone with naturally curly and crazy hair. I haven’t been this impressed with a hair product in years, plus the pineapple scent is delish!

French Girl Organics Charcoal Cleanser – You guys may have heard of French Girl Organics from their days on Etsy. I was always intrigued by the name. Who doesn’t admire the effortless chicness that is French beauty, after all? I finally bought a few of their products this summer and this cleanser has impressed me the most. It’s nothing too fussy, but the packaging is beautiful. Think of it as an elevated organic version of your old school Cetaphil cleanser. It’s a staple and cleanses your skin without stripping it of its summer glow.

Trader Joe’s Ultra Hydrating Gel Moisturizer – The hype around this product is legitimate. THIS MIGHT BE THE BEST MOISTURIZER I’VE EVER USED. Yes – I’m that impressed! This $9 gem has been called poor man’s La Mer on basically every blog reviewing it. I’ve never used La Mer, but I have no desire to after trying this. It’s cooling; it’s good under makeup; and it DOESN’T BREAK ME OUT!!! This is a gift from baby Jesus himself.

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I Tried to Cut Frivolous Spending for a Month: Here’s What I Learned

I have a question for you: Do your spending habits spark joy?

Last month Marie Kondo’s simple philosophy had me thinking about more than just my clothes. I love a good closet purge, but what about the thing that gets us in the predicament of needing to purge in the first place? Shopping. My spending habits are far from out of control, but I’ve started becoming aware of how many things I buy that I either regret or feel meh about later. Think of all the money I could save for travel!

I decided to challenge myself to only spend money on necessities for the month of May, which mainly meant food, gas, savings, and money for my joint account with Worsham. I wanted to see if I could actually stick to my ideal spending (see my Money Edit post here).

Let’s cut to the chase: I didn’t end up sticking to it, but I’m happy about it (keep reading to see why). Here’s what I learned during my May Money Challenge!

I Spend When I’m Bored – This isn’t totally shocking, but I was surprised at how many times my brain thought about buying things on a hourly (maybe even more) basis. It was ridiculous! Sometimes I just like the thrill of having something new on its way to my mailbox, ya know. Instead of giving in to my every purchase whim – even the ones that seemed semi legit – I wrote down a few things in my phone that I might actually want later like a new glass water bottle and Louis Vuitton key pouch (my potential birthday present from me to me). I even had things in my cart online multiple times and was like, why am I even doing this? I felt like an addict waiting for my next high.

“According to Ruth Engs from Indiana University, some people develop shopping addictions because they essentially get addicted to how their brain feels while shopping. As they shop, their brain releases endorphins and dopamine, and over time, these feelings become addictive. A professor in applied health sciences, Engs claims that 10 to 15 percent of the population may be predisposed to these feelings.” – PsychGuides.com

It Got Easier After Week Two (for a while) – Once I got past the first two weeks, not spending wasn’t such of a struggle. My brain wasn’t racing with a million things I “needed” or wanted. It was calm. I felt lighter and less anxious. It was a nice change of pace.

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