Living Simply | Fasting from Social Media

Social media can be a great thing. It's a way to keep in contact with others, to know what's going on in their lives and to share updates in our own. But it can also be a bad thing. Social media acts as a tool for comparison and comparison is a thief of joy. Social media can also remind you of the constant bad things going on the world and can be really depressing. Taking time to "detox" from social media can offer some great benefits.

Signs you spend too much time on social media:

• You feel anxious when you're away from your phone or computer
• You only do things so you can share about them (this is a real thing)
• You feel stressed out by a lack of response to something you post
• You fail to get things done because you spend so much time scrolling

Things you can do instead of social media:

• Spend time with God in His word or in His creation, or both
• Get to know yourself better and discover new hobbies
• Go for a walk or just be outside
• Rest
• Read
• Write
• Be creative: paint, draw, take photos
• Spend time with other people, away from the internet!

How to detox from social media:

• Use the "do not disturb" feature on your cell phone
• Turn off all push notifications on your cell phone
• Sign out of your accounts on your phone, computers, tablets, etc.
• Charge your phone outside of your bedroom and use an actual alarm clock in place of your phone
• If you find certain apps excessively addicting, just delete them. Such as games, facebook, instagram, or snapchat (gasp)

If you return to social media:
Be intentional with your posts
Set a limit to how long you will spend online
Let go of the apps and/or accounts you don't miss during the detox

I suggest you start slowly. Commit to one day of social media fasting. Then move onto a week. You will find that you rely on it less and less over time.

And now, enjoy all your free time. 

Purging My Makeup Bag | Beauty

I've been doing some reading online (always good, right?) and did you know Europe has banned over 1,000 cosmetic ingredients while America has banned only 10? Something about this equation isn't right. Have you ever actually read the ingredient list on your cosmetics? Some of them have TONS of crazy named chemicals in them and we are putting them on our face!!!! No thank you. I'm over it.

I got out all my cosmetics and asked myself three questions about each individual item:

1) What's in this?  
2) Do I use this daily? 
3) Does this feel good on my face?

I threw away most of my old stuff. I purchased some CC cream and eye shadow a little over a month ago and I don't want to waste it, so I will continue to use it until it's gone. I was holding onto some mascara that I've had for over a year...gross. But from now on, I am making a much more conscious effort to know what I'm putting on my face. I also only want to use cruelty-free beauty products. I recently discovered Maybelline is still testing on animals. In 2015. Really?

See the little crueltyfree logo? Yep, that's what I'm looking for when it comes to my next beauty product purchases.

So how can we determine which products are bad and which ones aren't? Because honestly, even the 100% organic products have ingredients I can't pronounce in them too. The EWG Cosmetic Database is an extremely helpful resource.  They rate cosmetics on their toxicity and give them a nice little hazard rating. If it's red, you should probably look for an alternative. They have most products I use or have used in the database and it's really interesting (and somewhat terrifying) to discover what is inside this stuff. There is an even an EWG app available now, so you can research while you are actually in the store! Love it.

I don't want to get crazy into how consumerism is taking over the world, I'll save that for another day. But I believe that we, as the consumers, have the right to know what is in our products. We've been buying stuff just because the marketing is good. If Jessica Alba is promoting it, it couldn't possibly harm me, right? We can't believe that these corporate brands have our best interest at heart, because at the end of the day, they are selling THEIR product. And we have been flocking to buy them like lost sheep with no guidance.

Scientific resources are now available for everyone's use. Please utilize them and know what you are putting on and in your body. Stepping off the soapbox for now...

Anyways, here is what I'm left with:
1 BB Cream
1 Foundation (liquid)
2 Foundations (powder)
1 Blush
1 Eyeliner Pencil
1 Eyeshadow palette 
1 Mascara
1 Lipstick

Now I realize that very few of these items actually represent the organic and eco friendly transition I'm attempting to make but I gotta say, I'm against being wasteful too. These items were very recently purchased. The Clinique foundation was a splurge for my birthday...It was close to $100 (gasp, I know. Kicking myself for that purchase now.) and I'm not going to let it go to complete waste.

I do plan to purchase some better options for everyday use foundation though, so be on the lookout for some product reviews coming up soon.

Do you guys know any organic beauty products I need to try?