New Challenge for myself: Eating vegetarian for a month.

Hey lovelies, long time no post.

So I have decided to take December to become "vegetarian." Or at least challenge myself to eat like a vegetarian. Here are the rules

1. I cannot eat meat. This includes pork, beef, chicken, and any meat coming from a mammal or bird. I am not including fish because I feel that would be too drastic. I don't want to set myself up for failure.

2. I have to do this for a month. So up till January 6th. Starting this friday, Dec 7, 2012.

3. I have to eat as healthy as possible. NO soda.

4. No milk. Eggs are ok for now.
So those are the main rules. Here is some background information.

I am not a veggie lover by any means, in fact, I still don't plan to eat much, if any, veggies at all. I will update my blog daily about my progress and what I am eating. If you guys have any suggestions, please let me know.

Check back on Friday for my first day eating no meat :)
Check back soon for more info about why I am doing this :)
Hugs <3
Mellie

Eco- Friendly Period: Jade and Pearl Sea Pearls Sea Sponge Tampons Review

Hey everyone!

So I have been wanting to do this for awhile and am finally getting around to it. I found these about a year ago. I don't remember how exactly but I purchased a teeny and a regular size to try out. If you guys do not know what sea sponge tampons are, they are sea sponges that are harvested, SUSTAINABLY by the jade and pearl company. You wet them with water, squeeze the water out, and insert them as you would a regular tampon.

The bottom right is the regular size, the top is the teeny size, and the left is a teeny size that I trimmed the first time I tried them.

The sponges can be trimmed although I have found it unnecessary. They are very soft once dampened and inserted quite easily. I must say the first few times I inserted them were a bit tricky but You'll definitely figure it out. The sponges are very absorbent and can be left in overnight although I would definitely recommend removing it, rinsing it, and reinserting at least once every 4 - 6 hours during the day. I have only ever found 1 case of TSS (toxic shock syndrome) related to the use of sponges while tampons have so much more.

WHY use eco friendly products?

Because - It is better not only for the environment, but also for you! Pads and tampons are NOT sterile, even though their wrapped in plastic. Also, cotton tampons dry out your **** walls and are painful to remove. Also, tampons and pads (disposables) are bleached cotton and also contain dioxins. Some people have allergic reactions to disposables such as rashes, etc. Sea sponge tampons are soft, they don'r dry you out so they don't hurt to insert or remove. They are SOOO comfortable, I literally forget I'm on my period, and as a pad type of girl (I could never insert a tampon before trying these out) the dry feeling is much welcome. 

Disposable products are also extremely wasteful. Thousands upon thousands of pads and tampons, not to mention the packaging, gets thrown into landfills each year. A lot of thee products don't disappear, plastics can stay in the environments for years and years. Using reusables helps lesson the amount of trash we create. Sea sponges can also be composted and will not last in the environment or harm it. Sea sponges are natural, not man made.

The sea sponge tampons I have purchased and reviewed above can be purchased through the companies website here:

http://www.jadeandpearl.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=18

I also only have GREAT things to say about the customer service. I ordered and left for vacation, when i returned, it still had not arrived. I immediately e-mailed them to let them know. They apologized and sent me not only what I had ordered, but a second pair too! They also paid for faster shipping!

Cleaning the sponges are also really easy, you can use baking soda and this works well. I have also used tea tree oil which also works really well. DO NOT BOIL THE SPONGES. This will make them harder and more likely to deteriorate.

Sponges can last up to a year or longer depending on how frequent you use them, my periods are extremely irregular and so I have had mine for more than a year and their still going great!

I will be doing more Eco - friendly Menstrual Products Reviews and I will probably do videos to go along with them too.

If there are any questions, feel free to leave a comment!

Disclaimer: Products were purchased by me, all opinions are my own, i am not affiliated with any companies mentioned.

Thanks for reading, Have a great Day!

Mellie

Soaking up the sun on SUNDAY :)

Hey everyone!
So I know I've been a bit MIA lately but i promise more posts with more tips and ideas soon :) For now, lets just enjoy the beautiful day :)

Tip: open your windows instead of using the air conditioning will help save electricity and therefor reduce CO2 emmisions.

Have a great day!

Mellie

Tuesday Shower Tips :)

So today's post is not going to be as interesting as the last few - no pictures this time :( Although, I could try to figure out some pictures for tips next tuesday...hmmmmm.

Anyways today I was gonna give you guys some ideas about how to save and conserve water in the shower while also helping yourself :)

1. Try to take shorter showers. While this may seem very basic, a lot of people actually take very long showers. I standardly take 10 minute showers and rarely make it shorter than that. However, I know many people who take longer showers. Try to cut it down. Every minute you are in the shower, you are using up a precious resource: water. 

How does one take shorter showers? simple doing things like washing your hair every other day instead of everyday can help save water. Also, washing your hair every other day is also better for your hair as it does not strip your hair of all its natural oils as often. Another thing you can do is not rinsing and repeating. Your hair does not need to be rinsed and repeated.

2. Rinse your hair in cold water.

This helps make your hair shinier while also saving the energy it takes to warm up the water.

3. Stop the water when your soaping/shampooing. Even if it is for a minute or two, this saves a lot of water. Most showers use about 7 gallons of water a minute. Stopping the shower for a bit can help save quite a bit of water.

4. Take Showers instead of bath.

This one is self explanatory. showers use less water than baths. A bath once in a while is still okay, just try not to do it everyday :)

Okay, this is all :)

Thanks for reading and Happy Tuesday!

xoxo

Mellie

Simple Changes: Korres Wild Rose Moisturizing and Brightening Cream

After I ran out of my Nivea moisturizer, I decided to go to Sephora to find a new, better moisturizer. After telling the saleslady that I had dry skin, she recommended a few different things but I liked the feeling of this the best. Korres is also known to use natural products and is animal friendly, meaning they do not use animal testing. This led me to purchase this product. This product is not tested on animals nor does it contain any animal byproduct, making it vegan.

Their packaging is also recyclable, this particular container is made of glass and the lid is plastic. According to the website, all packaging is recyclable (where facilities exist)

The difference this moisturizer has made is apparent. Skin is smoother and softer afterwards although I can't speak for its "brightening" qualities, I can say it does what a moisturizer is supposed to do.

This is what the product looks like after a little rubbing.

After more rubbing....The product is absorbed fairly quickly. It does not feel oily. It also does not feel like it "sits" on top of the skin.

Onto the Review - This moisturizer is recommended more toward normal to dry skin. It is immediately noticeable why. While it is not oily, it is thicker than a lot of other moisturizers. I like the consistency of this. The scent is of a mild rose scent. It is very pleasant to me, however, if you strongly dislike the scent of rose, I would not recommend this product. I've been using it for around 2 or 3 months and have not had any adverse reaction to it. I really like it and will likely be repurchasing. I have also recommended it to friends who have also purchased and enjoy this product.

This can be purchased at sephora for around $35 US. It should last around 3 months depending if you use it as a day cream, or a day and night cream. Please do not hesitate to comment is you have any questions and have a great day!

Disclaimer: All opinions are 100% my own. I am not affiliated with any company mentioned.

Simple Changes: Face Cleanser Review

Origins "A Perfect World" Cleanser Review

So, after I ran out of my previous cleanser from the drugstore, it was a clean and clear one I believe, I decided to try something new. I wanted to try something that would be better for my skin, but also the environment. Origins is known as an earth and nature friendly company so I decided to try it. I went to the Origins store and asked for a recommendation for a facial cleanser that is good for dry and combination skin. The lady recommended this one and I decided to try it. 

It is great! It foams up nicely and does not dry or "tighten" up my skin at all. This product is supposed to help balance your skin and I truly believes that it does. I have never had a cleanser where i truly can feel the difference and this is the first cleanser I have ever used that has not made my skin feel "tight."I have been using this product for probably a little over a month and I still feel like I have hardly made a dent in it. It is priced around $20 US but will last you at least 3 months. 

The scent is very mild and pleasant. If you have used an Origins product before, I feel most of the Origins  products have a similar smell. It mades a face feel clean, but not tight, not oily, and not dry. 

This is what the product looks like.

After a little bit of warm water

Lathers up and foams really nicely.

Overall, I highly recommend this product. It is gentle and cleans makeup off really nicely. It is formulated without parabens, pthalates, etc. Origins is also known to use earth friendly practices and renewable energy. Please feel free to comment if there are any questions and have a great day! :)

Disclaimer: All opinons are 100% my own. I am not affiliated with any companies mentioned. 

Why be Eco - Friendly?

Becoming Eco Friendly isn't just good for the environment, it's good for you too! Okay, that sounded super cheesy, but it's true! It's good for me, you, and everyone else! Including animals. Ok so maybe you don't care about the animals, but I do... :) Anyways, being eco friendly means eating healthy, eating well, being kind to yourself, and the world. Human beings are helping to create such disastrous events, and even if we are not, shouldn't we at least try to stop or slow it down?

So... Who am I and What is this?

Well, I am Mellie. I am a college student with a goal to become more environmentally friendly. This is my blog to share with the world ideas of how to go about this :)

Stay tuned :)