Something a little different.. (Part 1)

I know this blog is called "Makeup by Lara Lee" But thats not all Im about. If you know me, you might know that Ive been a vegetarian for over 5 years.

I try to eat organic as much as I can. And, especially lately, Ive been eating healthier.
I know a lot of people would like to eat healthier, but they just cant give up soda and junk food.
Or have children that love soda and unhealthy snack, but want them to drink, and eat better things.
Recently I tried a couple things that are perfect for those people.
So Im here to try to help you out with a few healthy alternatives!

The first thing I wanna talk about is soda.
The average can of soda sweetened with sugar contains 150 calories.
Soda has many negative health effects, such as: increased risk of osteoporosis and kidney stones, addictive properties, potential for tooth decay, high phosphorus intake, possible link to cancer, and much more.
With the average american consuming around 56 gallons of soda a year, and many consuming much more, soft drink consumption has become the leading cause of obesity in the US.

The average person is supposed to drink eight 8 oz. glasses of water a day. But a lot of people find it hard to drink that much. A lot of people cant even drink water at all.
I personally love ice water, but I know a lot of people hate it, because its "tasteless"

Ive found an amazing alternative to those horrible drinks, and an easier way to get your 64 oz. of water a day.

Sparkling ICE. Naturally flavored sparkling water. Enhanced with essential vitamins and antioxidants.
Sparkling Ice contains:
0 Calories, yes ZERO.
Natural Flavors.
Vitamins & Antioxidants.
Light Carbonation.
Sweetened with Splenda.

This stuff tastes so good, its like soda, but so much better for you! And in my opinion, it tastes better.
So far, Ive tried the Pink Grapefruit, and the Orange Mango.
But it also comes in flavors: Black Raspberry, Kiwi Strawberry, Lemon Lime, and Pomegranate Berry.
They taste so fresh and knowing theyre zero calories you just feel so much better drinking them.
And its an easy way to help get your 64 oz. of water a day.
You can buy them at: Kroger, King Soopers, Ralphs, Frys, Dillons, Smith's, Costco, Sam's Club, Fred Meyer, GFC, Haggen,Top Foods, Winco, Jewel, Walgreens, and online at Amazon.com and SparklingIce.com, where you can also find a store near you that sells it.

Another great substitute for soda, or plain water is this.

Twist Essence Water, A great tasting premium flavored water - lightly sweetened with a blend of Agave Nectar and Stevia extract. 100% Natural. No artificial flavors, ingredients or preservatives.
Twist contains:
0 Calories, again, yes ZERO.
100% Natural.
No Artificial Sweeteners
Antioxidants.

This tastes less like soda, its not carbonated, and doesnt has as strong of a fruit flavor as the Sparkling Ice. But its equally as good, and good for you.
Ive only tried the Pomegranate Blueberry.
But it also comes in: Lemon, Mandarin White Tea, Mango Acai, West Indies Lime, and Wild Strawberry.
Again, its another great way to get the water you need, and keep away from the things you dont, like soft drinks and sugary juices.
Twist is available nationwide and on Amazon.com and DrinkTwist.com.

And lastly, there is..

Hint premium essence water. Hint is pure healthy water lightly infused with natural flavors.
Hint contains:
0 sweeteners.
0 calories.
0 preservatives.

This stuff is so refreshing. It tastes like water, but has a subtle hint of fresh fruit flavors.
I have tried the Mango-Grapefruit, and Lime.
But it comes in 8 more delicious, refreshing flavors.You can buy it nationally at Whole Foods, Starbucks, Wegmans, Fresh Direct, most local grocery stores, or online at Amazon.com or DrinkHint.com, where you can also find stores near you who sell it.
For more information on the above drinks, and other TalkingRain and Hint products visit TalkingRain.com and DrinkHint.com.

Look forward to part 2 - snacks/junk food.
The product in this review was provided to me for the purpose of writing a review. This in no way effects the quality of the review provided. No monetary exchange occurred in exchange for the writing of the review. The views expressed in this review are strictly my own opinions. All reviews provided here are the work of myself and remain completely unbiased.

Skin Care Routine

Ive been wanting to do a skin care routine blog for a while now. and im finally gonna do it :) yay

ive struggled with bad skin basically my whole life. ive gone to dermatologists, tried like everything out there. some things helped a little. some not at all.
my skin is oily, acne prone, and i have large pores. so i go through products like crazy trying new things hoping something will work!
and thankfully, ive found something that actually does work really well for me.

i hate products like proactive, that say it will work for you, because everyone is different, so what works for you, isnt always gonna work for me.
i havent tried skin id, but i think they deff have the right idea about things.

but as for me, ive found the (almost) perfect formula for my skin using these products..

before you wash your face, you should use a makeup remover, because if you just wash your face, youre basically just removing the makeup, and not actually cleansing the skin, so if you just wash it, youd have to do it twice to remove and cleanse the skin. so i like to use a makeup remover wipe, i havent found a problem with any ive tried, right now i have the cheap walmart brand which was more than twice as many for like $1 cheaper than every other brand. but i love the nutrogena ones too. just check the package to see if it removes waterproof mascara. thats a must!

as you probably know, im a HUGE fan of Murad.
every product ive tried, ive loved!
so of course, my favorite face wash is:

Murad Clarifying Cleanser

(which, btw, right now if you order any acne products on Murad.com you get a free travel bonus)
I absolutely LOVE this stuff! if works amazingly on my skin. and right now im out of it and so upset, but its $23, which is a bit pricey, so ive been trying cheaper products like nutrogena
but anyway, it:
*eliminates 99.9% of surface bacteria, in 60 seconds.
*clears blemishes and prevents breakouts.

to wash my face, i use the
Clarisonic Classic.

(The Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System works with your skin’s natural elasticity to gently remove the impurities that traditional methods leave behind — giving you softer, smoother and more beautiful skin.)
I have a pink one and a white one. and i looooveee these things! they get your face so much cleaner than using just your hands, or anything else ive tried.
it has two speeds, and 5 different brush heads for your specific needs.
(normal, sensitive, delicate, deep pore, and body)
it uses a patented sonic frequency of more than 300 movements per second to clean, soften and smooth skin. in just 60 seconds, the micro-massage action removes 6X more makeup and 2X more dirt and oil than cleansing with your hands alone. removing more dirt and oil from your pores also helps products work more effectively.

Clarisonic has 4 different cleansers (which ive tried, but didnt love) you can use with the brush, but i like to use the murad one, because it works better on my skin.

after i cleanse, i always use a toner. i use the
Murad Clarifying Toner

it basically goes hand-in-hand with the cleanser, it:
*eliminates oil and impurities from acne-prone skin.
*controls surface shine.
*clears and tightens pores

then i like to follow with a spot treatment, or Murads Exfoliating Acne Treatment Gel.
then of course a moisturizer.
and my all time favorite isss..
Korres YOGHURT Velvety Moisturising Cream.

its made for oily, yet dehydrated, skin.
which is something a lot of moisturizers are not. most have oils in them, and even if they say "oil free" they still make my skin feel oily shortly after applying. but this stuff, the first time i tried it i was amazed, my skin didnt feel oily at all, and it did exactly what i needed.

and lastly, theres weekly treatments like masks, ive been using the
Murad Pomegranate Exfoliating Mask.

you can find a dull review part one here and part two here. :)

i love to hear about what other people are using for their skin, so please share your favorite products. let us know your skin type, and what products you use that work for your skin type, and products youve tried that didnt work for your skin type. :)

Shower Favorites

*None of the companies mentioned are paying me and all opinions are my own.*
Hay guys!
First I wanna say, Im sooo sorry its been so long since Ive blogged!
I tweeted last night that Ive been slacking and Im gonna do two this weekend! And am getting back to my blog (almost) every day!
Okay now to the actual blogging. Ive been planning on doing a shower favs for a while now. Ive done other favorites, and now i wanna do one for the things i use in the shower (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, etc.)

Firsttt, this is something Ive talked about before, and if you follow my twitter (@MakeupByLaraLee) youll already know this, but..
My ALL TIME favorite shampoo/conditioner is:

Redken Extreme Shampoo and Conditioner.
it seriously made my hair amazing..i went through a huge hair abuse phase..(bleaching basically every few weeks, dying it random colors like blue, green, pink, purple..blow drying it on high and straightening it without using a heat protectant, teasing out the wazoo. (which btw i have no idea what that means, i just heard it on tv haha :) So my hair was seriously damaged. its been probably a year and a half - two years, since ive stopped doing that stuff to my hair, trying to take better care of it..and it was slowly getting there. but recently i got the new redken 'extreme' hair care collection. and this stuff really worked so well!! my hair feels and looks like i never did any damage. :)

Body Wash-
i am a huge body wash fan. i cant use bar soap..i have to use body wash. and im picky about it..it has to smell good, lather good, and leave its scent for longer than it takes to rinse..i wanna smell like my body wash after i get out of the shower. i hate when the scent rinses away with the suds. so im always trying new body washes..looking for the perfect one. and i think i found it! :) the body wash i am currently in love with is..
SoftSoap Ultra Rich Shea Butter Creme
(moisturizing body wash with moisture beads)
omgshh it smells so good :) and like i said it needs a good lather, or i dont feel like it get clean, so it lathers good..and the scent stays on your body for a decent amount of time. and the scent just smells so clean and fresh it reminds me of a baby :)

Since im on the topic of body wash, im gonna let you in on a little known fact about me. i have a sort of "fear" or shower loofahs. its not that im afraid to touch them or be near them or anything. they just sort of gross me out, and i cant use them. i dont think anyones gross for using them or anything like that. i just get creeped out by them. they sit in the shower..they hold the moisture. i always think that because theyre in the wet shower all the time they get moldy and germy and stinky. even if they dont i just get that vibe from them haha. i absolutely can not use them. i have to use a fresh wash cloth every day.

the face wash i use, im actually not going to talk about, because tomorows bloggy is going to be about my skin care routine, where ill talk about everythingg.

lets see, what else. the shaving cream im in love with right now is Skintimate, the only kind i really like. and the scent which is AMAZING i want to eat it. is Raspberry Rain.
The razor I have right now is Gilette Fusion ProGlide.
I always feel like mens razors get such a closer better shave..so i prefer mens to womens haha.

i dont know is this is weird, or if a lot of people do it. but i always brush my teeth in the shower. i also whiten my teeth in the shower.
so the tooth paste i use is- Crest 3D White. and the whitener i use is the Plus White 5 Minute Speed Whitening System. It comes with the tray and a pre rinse thing. then i just buy the paste when im out and when i feel like i need a new tray ill probably just buy the kit again. its super cheap and works really well.

things i use after the shower are
Redken Extreme Anti Snap and Redken Align 12 Protective Straightening Lotion.
Then I blow dry on cool/high. and straighten to smooth it out.

And I think thats about it!
Comment below with your favorite shower items and must haves :)
I love to try new things and would love to know what you guys think i should try!