A Peek Inside my Makeup Bag - The Products I Love!

Wearing my favourite eco makeup brands after showering with the best shampoo ever!

It took me a while to transition all of my makeup products to organic + natural, but I'm so glad I did. 

For years I've recognized the importance of what we put into our bodies - chemicals are foreign and extremely harsh to the body, throwing it out of balance, and creating all sorts of disorders, from depression, to acne, to wrinkles and cancer.

However I never realized the incredible absorption qualities that our skin has. I've learned, over the last few years, that what we put ON our bodies, is just as important as what we put IN our bodies. Our skin drinks up the lotions, makeup, and other body products we use, and this has profound effects on our moods, our appearance, and our overall health.

The average brand of makeup, shampoo, etc is LOADED with chemicals - carcinogenic ingredients dyes, and a whole whack of other synthetic shit (pardon my language, but that's what it is - shit) that I don't want in my body.

When this realization set in, I started using natural body care products. 

My rule now? If I wouldn't eat it, I don't put it on my body. Since then, my teeth have become whiter, my skin, clearer, and I get WAY happier when entering the bathroom, because I know I have luxurious organic products to use, from my shampoo, to my soap, to my foundation and mascara. Yay!

I also know that none of the products I buy have been tested on animals - animal testing is rampant in the makeup + body care industry, with brands like Johnson & Johnson being some of the worst offenders. I won't go into too much detail here, the finer points of animal testing are pretty gruesome, but you can learn more about it in a blog post I wrote back in 2011 here.

I challenge you to start transitioning your medicine cabinet + makeup bag to a green, earth loving, soul nurturing, care station. Remember - It's about progress, not perfection!

So this week, choose one, just one product to substitute out for an organic one. Perhaps you'll want to swap your Colgate for a nature loving brand, or maybe even make your own! Maybe your Herbal Essences could do with a boot in favour of my favourite shampoo - Sea Wench Naturals Botanical Shampoo.

To get you inspired, I've taken photos of some of my favourite brands! Have fun treating yourself loves!

xo Beth

100% Pure is pigmented with cacao + coffee beans - how cool is that?

This AMAZING shampoo is made on Vancouver Island

It's important to read the ingredients - remember, the 'natural' label means nothing! If you recognize the ingredients, that's a good start, if they're organic, even better!

I just got this great foundation which is based in organic jojoba oil - previously to that I was using Nvey, which I really liked as well

I love this bronzer - my mom got it for me for Christmas!

How Will You Love Yourself This Week? Part 2 of the Self-Love Challenge

I have to apologize for this post being so late. It was an act of self-love that caused this to be so, so it is all working out very nicely, even if my ego is telling me I should feel guilty for not posting it on the weekend. (When this happens I just acknowledge it and move on to the feelings of goodness inside)

I was selling at Market Collective this past weekend, a really amazing collaboration of artists and food vendors who come together to support each other  and local. It was a wonderful weekend, (which ended with booking a last minute trip to Hawaii!) but it definitely took it out of me. That coupled with my period (Im very open with these things...), my boyfriend's birthday, and parties and dinners, - I chose to spend my free time having baths and reading, instead of hurrying to the computer and my to-do list.

Now that I'm finally feeling my energy creep back, I am back in action for the month of self-love. So here are some more ideas to help you realize that you do love yourself, that you are wonderful, and that you do deserve an abundance of self-care time. Remember, self-love is all about service - to yourself, and to the world.

Part 2 - The Self-Love Challenge Continues

Day 13 - Switch Out The Old For the New - Body Products Style

Your pores, your hair - all the spaces on your body - are sponges. They drink in whatever you put on them. Therefore, if you wouldn't eat it, you shouldn't be putting it on your body. So many of us do the internal work - we buy the books, we spend time meditating, we might even do yoga, juice or pray - HOWEVER -  there is a major deficiency in terms of translating this type of self-care into body products. 

I can't tell you how many times I've gone into a yoga studio, or a conscious friend's house, and seen name brand, chemical filled body products on their shelves. It's something many of us just don't think about. But switching from Herbal Essences or Aveda to an organic product will not only help you to be happier and clearer, but it will also help the planet in a major way (because animals and the ocean don't like chemicals either). Today, go out to your natural health food store and choose an organic product that speaks to you.

Day 14 - Write the Miracles Down

Miracles happen to us so often. Every single day, miraculous things are happening, yet it's up to us to perceive them. The other day, I followed an intuitive hit to go for a walk before getting into my car, and not 2 minutes later did I discover a mass of feathers on the ground (which are very hard to find in winter since birds need them to keep warm!) - I'd been wanting some to create more dreamcatchers with! It was such a miracle that I decided to take a picture. But SO many miraculous things happened to me that day (like sparrows coming close to me, and discounts at stores being had) - it's just a matter of slowing down enough to honour the little things, that honestly, really aren't so little.

Today, write down everything wonderful that happens to you. As you honour the miracles, watch how many more come into your life, simply because you took the time to say thank you. 

Day 15 - Spend Time in Nature

Most of us realize that nature has an undeniable calming effect on us. The fresh air and open skies help us to feel reinvigorated and renewed, while helping us to feel grounded and alive. The thing is, a lot of us aren't actually getting out there. We might take walks around the neighbourhood, or go for quick runs, but when was the last time you took a solid chunk of time just to explore? To go to a space that felt sacred, and to do nothing other than feel, listen, and breathe?

Today, plan a day that you can take off and head to the mountains, a lake, a beach, a desert - whatever nature paradise is around you that you need to take more advantage of. And just be :) Enjoy, and let Nature do her thang.

Day 16 - Experience a Green Juice

I am obsessed with green juice. It is literally a very potent drug that gives you instant energy, and a fresher perspective on life. Juicing gets rid of the fibrous pulp, so your body doesn't have to anything but absorb the easily digestible minerals + vitamins that it otherwise would have to work much harder for. The green colour also corresponds to the heart chakra, waking it up to the potential of love everywhere it looks. 

If you don't have a juicer, head to the closest juice bars - if you don't know where to find them - ask! Green Juice is becoming very popular these days :)

Day 17 - Write Down Your Core Desired Feelings

Manifesting your dreams starts with manifesting the feelings you'd like to cultivate in your life. And taking some time to get clear on what you really desire in your life is a complete action of self-love. 

Danielle LaPorte calls this process of getting clear: identifying your "Core Desired Feelings" - ask yourself "How do I want to feel?" - Grab your journal, a cup of steaming tea, and get brainstorming!

Day 18 - Get a House Plant

House plants are wonderful - not just because they are pretty to look at, but because they cycle air the way nature intended for us to breathe it. Being inside often, especially if you're in the city, means we're not breathing air that's truly alive. This can be remedied by getting a house plant (or a few!), and keeping them in your kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, etc. Our house is very fond of houseplants - we have more than a dozen!

Day 19 - Buy Yourself Something You Feel Delicious In

There's mindless shopping that you do because you're trying to distract yourself. And then there's self-love shopping that you do because you want to treat yourself to something fun. This day's task is all about the latter. 

I've been wanting a comfy, warm sweater in a great colour for a while now, and I found this chunky red knit at a vintage store down the street from my home recently! Going into the shop and trying on all the different options, touching fabrics, and having fun with options was fun - as was scoring the perfect find. Today, treat yourself to a certain something that you've been putting off, but you really want from a place of truth. 

Happy Self-Loving Friends! Make sure to comment below or on the facebook page with any more ideas you may have on how to love yourself more :)

DIY Face & Body Scrubs: Rose & Peppermint, and More!

I'm a big fan of making my own body products. a) It's just so fun and b) You can quality control and make sure only the best of the best gets into your potions! This Christmas, I decided to transform my love of homemade goodies into presents for my friends and fam.

In this post, I'm showing you how to put together your own face & body scrubs for your beloveds.

I like this gift because not only is it beautiful, but practical as well. I exfoliate my face every week or two, usually just with raw sugar. But I decided to spice it up for my gifts, and throw in a juicy medley of oatmeal, raw sugar, herbs, and essential oils.

From the ingredients above, with the addition of essential oils, I crafted the following mixes for my friends and family:

• White Pine & Thistle
• Rose & Peppermint
• Oatmeal & Rose

I didn't end up using the lavender, as I saved that for my bath salts. (Watch for the upcoming DIY post on those)

Here are the ingredients I used, feel free to substitute different herbs and essential oils:

Raw Organic Cane Sugar

Wild White Pine Essential Oil, Organic Peppermint Essential Oil

Organic Thistle

Organic Rose Petals

Organic, Gluten-Free Oats

And for the method:

1) Grind up the oats in a blender or food processor (I used the flat blades in a magic bullet) to create a soft, powdery consistency.

2) Grind up the rose petals, thistle, or any of the other herbs you are using if you'd like it to be a face AND body scrub. You don't want any harsh edges if you are going to be using this on your face. If you decide not to grind the herbs, make sure to label the concoction as just a body scrub.

3) In a mason jar, or other glass jar, combine any herbs or essential oils of your choosing with the raw sugar and ground up oats. It really doesn't matter how much of each herb or essential oil you use, as long as the bulk of the product is sugar & oats. You can layer them neatly, or mix them all up. This is where you get to be totally creative.

And that's it! I labelled my final product with some shipping tags and coloured hemp string.

The One Key to Speeding Your Manifestations That No One Is Talking About

You meditate regularily. You're keeping your thoughts positive. You go to yoga, are a devotee of Gabrielle Bernstein, and drink the odd green juice.

You're doing everything "right", but you seem to be blocked in some way. Things aren't happening as fast as you'd like them to. You feel a bit scattered, as if all of your energy isn't in one place.

And that's because it isn't.

There's something that most speakers, authors, and motivational peeps aren't talking about. (With the exception of a few, namely Doreen Virtue and Kris Carr)

Our daily choices dictate whether our energy is aligned or scattered.

This something is key to aligning your energy, so you have more power, more authenticity behind every move. It is the secret to actual real and tangible change on this planet. It is where positive intention meets guided action.

And it all has to do with the daily choices we make. The places we choose to spend our dollars. I'm going to get right to the point:

Most if not all big box, brand name cleaning supplies, body products, clothing, and food products are ravaging the planet, as well as it's people, and animals. 

Many toxins are found in shampoos, all purpose cleaners, etc that cannot be filtered out by our city's water system. They inevitably leach into our waterways - streams, rivers, and oceans, killing ecosystems, and affecting the quality of our air, our food, and our planet.

Companies like Johnson & Johnson, who own Band-Aid and Aveeno, and Procter & Gamble test on animals. They try out cleaning supplies and pesticides in alarming ways (like feeding dogs pesticides), corroding their bodies, and more.

Most clothing made in China (and beyond) comes from sweatshops, where workers are beyond inhumanely treated, forced to work insane hours to make yet another low quality sweater which may be thrown out in months.

From toothpaste to all purpose cleaner, the more natural & plant based, the better.

I could go on and on, but I'll stop here. I'm already feeling a little bit sick. I spent the better part of a year researching the systems which provide us most of the products on the market today, and in a word - they're disgusting. They're not only toxic for the planet, but for our bodies and minds as well. They're making us sick.

On a manifestation level, when we say one thing and do differently, it's out of alignment with our truths. 

When we feel love for the ocean, for animals, and for fair trade practices, yet we consistently put our money towards systems that are killing them, we aren't walking our talk. And as such, we don't take advantage of what happens when our actions reflect our beliefs - groundedness, authenticity, honesty. The very vibrations that help us to manifest quickly, and live joyously.

Please keep in mind, this is not about guilt. Previously, when you've purchased brands like Herbal Essences, Tide, and American Eagle, you didn't know what systems were behind them. You didn't know the backstory to each of those products.

This isn't about perfection either. It's about progress. One step at a time we can live more authentically. And while most of us aren't able to 100% get off these systems just yet (I'm still reliant on the oil & gas industry myself) it's important that we take the first step. That is the most important one.

So now you know the real story, it's time to empower yourself by changing these actions. Making over your entire product list may seem daunting, so start small. Change out one shiesty product for one ethical one every week, and watch your life change.

I promise. Your life will change.  

Here's what I'd recommend:

Cleaning Supplies
Substitute with a brand like Seventh Generation, or make your own.

Body Products
Check out Sea Wench Naturals, Aubrey Organics, Jason, or support a local business.

Clothes
Try Ethical Ocean, Riva's Eco Store, or shop at trendy thrift stores!

Food 
Shop Organic & Local whenever possible and always avoid GMOs (think non-organic corn, soy, and canola to start with)

A Moment of Triumph - I Can Eat French Toast

I recently discovered I could eat spelt. Seriously the best discovery ever. Like... ever. "What the heck?" you say, and I say back "I CAN EAT GLUTEN!"

Ok... let me explain. I haven't been eating gluten since I got back from a diarrhoea filled trip to Central American (TMI?) and although I have savoured the gluten-free breads I've been eating, it's just not the same. So the other day I challenged myself. Upon learning that a gluten intolerance is correlated to an energetic imbalance caused by not feeling safe, I knew that it wouldn't be long before I could indulge in the odd glutenous treat. (I'm always working on feeling safe and taken care of by the Universe, you see)

So recently, during a brave moment, I tried some gluten. It was organic spelt bread, and has a very low gluten content, and guess what, I was fine! Totally fine! My thoughts quickly went to French Toast, one of my favourite meals of all time.

So I made some bread in the breadmaker with organic, sprouted spelt flour, and got crafting. I used a very simple recipe, but I'll include for you all since it's always nice to have a frame of reference.

Ingredients

• 1-2 slices of homemade bread
• 1 organic, free range egg
• 1-2 Tbsp of vanilla rice milk
• Cinnamon*
• Maple Syrup*
• Coconut Oil*

      *To Taste

Directions

1. Turn on the pan to low/med and throw in some coconut oil
2. Combine the egg and rice milk
3. Soak the bread in the egg mixture, and place in the pan
4. Flip when golden brown
5. Serve with coconut oil, sprinkled cinnamon and maple syrup

Gluten Free Garlic Onion Bread

Yesterday I felt crafty. And I felt hungry. For bread.

So I decided to create my very own recipes for gluten free bread, using coconut flour - an ingredient I've never worked with before. I tried out two loaves - one in the bread maker, and the other in the oven. While one was a ginormous flop (literally, after I took it out of the bread maker it lost all shape and melted) - the other was DELICIOUS, and my roommates and I devoured most of it within hours.

It turned out more as a loaf, than a bread though, which makes it totally serve-able for lunch or dinner (with a side of raw soup or a salad maybe? - how delish!)

So here it is - Garlic Onion Bread - in all it's gluten free glory:

3 Free Range Eggs
3 Tbsp Ground Chia
9 Tbsp Water
1 Onion - Pureed or Finely Chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic, Shredded
1/3 Cup Coconut Oil
1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
2 Tbsp of Blackstrap Molasses
3/4 Cup Coconut Flour

*Note - I used all organic ingredients, which makes a big difference both for taste and energetics

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Whip eggs with a fork.
3.  Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Add more water or flour as needed to get your desired    consistency.
4.  Grease a small baking dish with coconut oil, add the dough.
5.  Bake for 40 minutes.

www.wavesoffire.ca

Eat Your Way to a Divine Life

I've always known that exercise and eating right were a guide to physical health. Still, I resisted physical movement for much of my life. It wasn't until recently that this all changed, as I began to understand the real effects of taking care of my body.

Green Smoothies are easy, incredibly energizing, and super customizable!

Organic Coconut Milk, Water, and Chia Seeds with Watermelon - A fantastic way to start the day!

The truth is, movement and healthy eating aren't just keys to physical health, but to emotional, mental, and spiritual health as well. Here's why:

• Exercise releases stored stress in the body. Worrying, guilt, and fear based thinking often work their way into our muscles. Once this happens, the only way to release the stored toxins is through movement. When we exercise, we're literally releasing negativity - and unblocking energetic pathways in the body. 
• Healthy eating keeps our bodies clear, light, and happy. Healthy eating doesn't mean looking at nutritional charts, and adopting a one size fits all plan - it means listening intuitively to your body - what does it want to eat? (Hint: It's probably not ice cream, that's your mind at play) If you can't quite hear it yet, that's ok! Start with fresh organic veggies and fruit, and light sources of protein, such as nuts, chia seeds, tempeh, mung beans, and sustainably sourced fish. Eat raw meals as much as possible. When you need a sweet treat, try dates, coconut 'milk'shakes, or raw macaroons.

When we keep our physical channels clear, magical things happen. Our subconscious is no longer tied up paying attention to the discomfort in our bodies. It can now hear the subtle vibrations of our intuitive guidance, and our angels. We can clearly receive divine communication that will lead us to our ultimate lives. 

Gratitude for All Places

{ The garden and view from my friends' land }

On this last trip out to British Columbia, I felt my desire to live in nature reach epic heights. The idea of waking up to the sounds of the river and birds, spending my days surrounded by greenery and vegetation, and welcoming nights with a fire at sunset, makes my heart happy.

Though I really do want to live outside of the city, my time away has also encouraged me to be incredibly grateful for the aspects of urban life that I love. Coffee shops a short walk away, friends and family all around me, and a super cute neighbourhood to call home. When it comes to where you live, what are you grateful for?

{ A picturesque garden gate }

{ I could see this from the sink while washing dishes }

{ Gigantic butterflies were everywhere }

{ I love chickens... }

{ Fresh eggs everyday, delicious! }

{ Sun sets over the greenhouse }

Organic Eats & Delicious Treats

{ The delicious salad we made with freshly picked organic veggies and edible flowers! }

I absolutely adore the feeling of picking fresh organic food from the garden, and making a meal from it. I’d never had the experience until last summer, when my partner and I grew our first garden, and now I’m hooked! There’s something incredibly magical about being so connected to what’s on your plate.

While our plants this year are still in their infancy, the sunny valleys of British Columbia are already bursting with ready-to-eat veggies. I took advantage of this while staying with friends last week, and made an epic meal with edibles I’d never heard of. I looked into a few of the plants in our meal, and found that they're surprisingly nutritious.  

{ My friends' incredibly beautiful garden. }

{ Mallow - Mallow is great for inflammation, and when made into tea,
it is very soothing for sore throats and coughs. }

{ Chickweed - Chickweed is high in iron, chlorophyll, calcium, manganese, and a host of other minerals. When applied as a poultice, it’s great for bacterial infections. }

{ Viola - High in vitamin C and antioxidants,
viola contains a substance that neutralizes free radicals. }