Skincare Favourites: Cactus Skincare

My philosophy when it comes to skincare: KEEP IT SIMPLE!!

My bathroom set up - this is all I use!

I see all these people online using 20+ skin care items. To be honest, I don't have the time to spend 30 minutes on my skincare morning and night, but ingredients and quality are very important to me. Last year, I stumbled on Cactus Skincare through a youtube video. I checked out the brand and saw that they have an amazing sample service! I wish every brand offered this!! On www.cactusskincare.com/samples you can get a week's worth of samples for only $5 (AUD). That's a joke. Seriously!! So, I went ahead and tried the samples and I absolutely LOVED them! Everything smells amazing, is very gentle and made my skin glow. 

Since then I have purchased the combination skin bundle (http://cactusskincare.com/collections/bundle-packs/products/combination-skin-bundle-pack) and the Gentle Exfoliant (http://cactusskincare.com/collections/products/products/gentle-exfoliant). 

On to the products: 

cactuskincare.com

The combination skin bundle includes

1x Lemon Myrtle Cleanser

1x Light Balancing Creme

1x White Clay Mask

1x Nature's Anti-Oxidant Creme

Let's break it down:

Lemon Myrtle Cleanser - This cleanser, while great, is my least favourite product of my Cactus Skincare range. It doesn't remove make up, not even slightly, and it leaves a bit of a film on my skin. That said, it is gentle and great for sensitive skin. It doesn't strip my combination skin, but doesn't clog my pores either. While I do like it, it's not worth ordering all the way from Australia for me. I've tried cleansers that have worked just as well and are easier to get a hold of. 

Light Balancing Creme - First of all, I am in love with the citrusy scent of this creme, but I particularly enjoy that it is light and hydrating at the same time. I have used all of the products for almost two months now and this creme has balanced my skin out from combination to normal. I don't get any dry patches but not oily in my t-zone throughout the day, either!

White Clay Mask - This is a great purifying mask for all skin types. It is gentle but efficient and leaves my skin feeling silky and smooth. Before I tried the samples, I was doubtful that this mask would be for me, as I find clay masks usually very drying. This does not dry me out at all, but it cleans my skin thoroughly!

Nature's Anti-Oxidant Creme - The Nature's Anti-Oxidant Creme is my hero product of this whole range. It is literaly magic in a pot. I apply this at night, or when I need an extra kick of moisture during the day. It sinks in right away but is extremely moisturizing. Best of all, it acts as a skin healer. Whenever I have a break out, I apply this creme and it calms it down instantly! Applying this at night, I wake up in the morning with even, smooth and calm skin. This deserves my holy-grail award of skin care!!

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Apart from this combination skin bundle, I also purchased the Gentle Exfoliant. As the name suggests, it is extremely gentle and I prefer to use it before applying the White Clay Mask. It preps my skin for perfect absorption of the mask, but doesn't irritate it at all. Depending on how abrasive you like your scrub, you might not be a fan of this. It is extremely gentle, and almost acts more as a face massage than a scrub. I am a huge fan! I do not believe in scrubbing away at my skin layers, but I also have pores that clog easily. This gives me enough of a scrub to clean our my pores (gross!) but is still gentle enough not to irritate my skin.

Gentle Exfoliant - cactusskincare.com

If you have a look at the ingredient list of every product in the Cactus Skincare range, you will notice that they only use natural and high quality ingredients. These products are worth every penny, and on top of that, you get amazing customer service as well. No automated or mass emails, you can talk directly to Ryan and Deborah and ask them questions, approach them with your concerns and get their help and support in everything to do with skin. They give you instructions on how to use the products and depending on your skin type, you get a personalized skincare schedule as well. Every time I have ordered from their website or been in contact with them, I have received immediate replies and have always felt very well taken care of. 

If you are still looking for good, high-quality, natural skincare products that actually work, check out cactuskincare.com!

Cookbook Spotlight: Vegan For Fun by Attila Hildmann

"Attila Hildmann is the star of vegan cuisine and the most well-known vegan cook in Europe. The aspiring physicist and fitness fan has demonstrated to millions of people on numerous TV shows that cooking without animal products is not only healthy, but most importantly, also really delicious. His cookbooks have consistently been Number 1 on the bestseller lists in Germany, which is the second largest book market in the world. They have sparked a megatrend that led to many of the products that are called for in the book being sold out for weeks. Attila is even able to easily conjure up hearty flavors like those you are familiar with from meat. And his recipes are often incredibly simple.

Many of the recipes work well as snacks or for the office, and they'll add healthy variety to your diet. After trying recipes like vegan burgers, spaghetti carbonara, cashew ice cream, pralines, and tasty smoothies, people with a normal diet will soon become fans of healthy foods that don't contain cholesterol, hormones, antibiotics, flavor enhancers, or other additives. With his non-dogmatic views, Attila Hildmann represents a new generation of people who want to eat healthy foods that are free of factory farming and products manipulated by the food industry. He believes that everyone who eats vegan one or two days a week or has one vegan meal a day will experience significant health benefits and a greater quality of life.The best example of the healthy benefits of a vegan diet is Attila Hildmann himself. He went from being a significantly overweight young man, who as he today says lacked motivation, to a model athlete full of energy within just a few years."

When I first started adding more plant-based foods to my diet, I explored the world of vegan cuisine with my first vegan cookbook, Attila Hildmann's Vegan For Fun. I received this as a birthday present and while I probably never would have picked it up myself, I'm really happy I received it as a gift. It can be inspiring, especially if you are struggling to make a change and need to feel connected through personal stories to find the motivation. 

Vegan For Fun starts out with the author's health journey, how he discovered veganism and the tips and tricks he picked up along the way. I almost want to say that this was the most informative and helpful part of this book for me. It brings home the point that food is fun and experimenting can be a very rewarding experience. 

The recipes in this cookbook are all fairly easy to accomplish. You should have a basic understanding of cooking, but there is no advanced knowledge necessary. Attila Hildmann also gives tips and ideas to substitute certain ingredients in every recipe. 

In my opinion, Vegan For Fun is great if you are looking for recipes to entertain friends and family, especially if they are not vegan/vegetarian. Dishes like Tofubolognese, Tex-Mex Burger, Baked Potatoes, Pizza, Crêpes or Tofunuggets are great if you have friends over or are cooking for a crowd or dinner party. They all mimic dishes that normally include animal based products or ingredients and taste very similar to the original. This is great if you have a favourite dish you really miss on your vegan diet and want to find a vegan alternative without giving up flavour and texture. One of my all-time favourite dishes is spaghetti bolognese. The tofu version in this cookbook is just as good, if not better, than the original, and I've made it numerous times!

One thing I was not happy about is that many of the recipes have tofu or are tofu based. I, personally, don't digest tofu very well and only have it in small quantities and very rarely. Most of the recipes are not something I would cook on a regular basis. However, if you are looking for original recipes and want to convince a non-vegan crowd that plant-based food can be really delicious, you should give Vegan For Fun a try!

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Favourite recipe: Spaghetti Tofubolognese, p.36
Price: $9.99 (9.99€) for the ebook, $25.82 (24.95€) for the hardcover
available at: AMAZON  B&N (only hardcover version)

Cheat Day?!

If you have a healthy, varied and nutritious diet, cheat days are unnecessary. Your diet shouldn't be so restricted that you need a cheat day at all!

I'm 3 weeks into my health journey and I'm feeling great. I shouldn't really say 3 weeks because I started making changes to my diet months ago, but nothing has been as effective as my current diet...and I use 'diet' very loosely because I'm not dieting. I eat a mostly vegan diet and only have fish or meat occasionally. My dairy intake is very low to non-existent, simply because it doesn't become me and I don't digest it very well. Especially milk makes my skin break out and causes bloating. (TMI??)

Anyway, I'm rambling again, one of my very favorite things to do in the world!

I read an article on popsugar.com today about the benefits of 'Cheat Days' to achieve a certain body goal, be it weight or health, or athletic ability. Having a cheat day can help you stay on track and stay focused in the long run. For some people that might work....for me, it never ever would.

Evidence #1

Last week, I bought a pack of Oreo cookies which are now vegan. I feel amazing with my new 'diet' and workout routine and thought I'd be able to have two cookies as a snack and leave it at that. My biggest problem is regulating my intake of sweets which is why I never have them in the house. Problem solved!

Let's just say, I wasn't strong enough to withstand the call of the Oreo. They are just too delicious, and even though I don't want to eat them, I've never been someone to stop at one cookie, that's why I'm here in the first place. Cookies are my kryptonyte, they get me every time which is why I never ever have them. Ever!! Back to the Oreos, well, there weren't any left after only 2 days. 'Nuff said!

I have gotten to know myself better these last few months and I know that I can't do Cheat Days. I go overboard and it is incredibly hard for me to get back to that focused and disciplined stage where I easily regulate what I eat without having to count calories or starving myself, but still being healthy and energetic. If you can't live without your favorite 'unhealthy' dish or snack, here is what I recommend:

1.) Keep it to one meal only - don't make a full day of it, but restrict yourself to one meal and have that meal outside of your house! Do not make the unhealthy snack or dish readily available in your home so you can go back for seconds. Go out to a restaurant and treat yourself with your favorite food, but don't have an unlimited amount lying around to binge on!

2.) Find an alternative! Since I can't do the cheat days because they'd turn into a cheat week, I try to find healthy alternatives for my favorite foods. I switched to dark chocolate for example. I know, it'll never taste as good as milk chocolate, be as creamy or sweet. It takes some getting used to, but I've really come to like it and it hits the spot when I really need it. I went from eating a piece every day, to a few times a week. Instead of ice cream, I blend together frozen banana and berries to make a home made fruit-based but very delicious and creamy ice cream alternative. It satisfies me and my craving without going for the real thing. 

My favorite brand of dark chocolate is actually from Aldi (plain 70% on the left, dark chocolate with almonds on the right)

Let me know your thoughts on Cheat Days, whether they are part of your routine or a no go. I'd love to know!