Vitacost: Natural Products at Discount Prices

In the past I would have gone to Whole Foods or Spouts for my natural and organic needs but now I make sure to check Vitacost and Amazon first. Of course Vitacost can not replace your fresh produce needs but for the non-perishables it's a viable resource. I've heard of Vitacost referred to as the online equivalent of Wal-Mart for the Whole Foods target market and I would have to agree! With an abundance of natural brands, Vitacost has quickly become one of my go to sites when searching for non-perishable ingredients, oils and natural beauty products. I will have to say that if Costco carries a comparable item, they almost always win on price point. But since Costco's target is not as specific as Vitacost you will not find most of the items at Costco.

Current Vitacost Favorites:

Now Solutions Sweet Almond Oil

Thayers Witch Hazel Alcohol Free 

Essential Oils (if you use them this is a great place to pick them up)

Coconut Oil

Chia seeds

Vitamins
Halo Pet Food

Future Vitacost items to try:

Acure Organics Marula Oil
Life-Flo Pure Kukui Oil
Life-Flo Squalane Oil

Everyday Coconut Water Face Toner

Jarrow Formulas Whey Protein Unflavored Powder 

Protein Plus Peanut Flour Gluten Free
Foods Alive Black Sesame Protein Powder Raw

Nutiva Organic Coconut Flour

If you've never shopped at Vitacost before, click my referral link and save $10 on your first purchase of $30 or more!

Vitacost Haul Video

Vitacost Pet Haul

Vitacost Skincare Haul

My Rock Concerts

I've decided to keep a tally of my concerts. Why a post that is not beauty related? Because it's my blog and I can do what I want with it. In all seriousness, concerts are events and moments in time that we can remember and enjoy and I find myself enjoying them thanks to my husband Blaine. I can split my concert going experience by pre-Blaine and the Blaine era. Before meeting him I had only gone to 3 shows and really consider myself a concert virgin.

Yes, I have seen Bryan Adams 4 times, he was my first concert and probably why he's my favorite show. His voice is incredible live and even though I went to see the Bare Bones tour twice it was really special and memorable in San Diego at the Spreckles Theatre. The venue was intimate and we were 3rd or 4th row and I swear he was looking in our direction (okay fine, specifically my direction) and singing to me all night (You can ask Blaine). *sigh*

Duran Duran, yes I have seen them live a few times. I was most impressed the first time I saw them on their Astronaut tour. Since then I've been less impressed and a few times have made Blaine go alone to a few shows. It has been hard for me to get into their albums since Astronaut. Still, I have an appreciation and enjoy some of their songs; Rio, Planet Earth, Girls on Film, Notorious, Wild Boys, Ordinary World, Come Undone, Hungry Like the Wolf, Sunrise, Chains to name a few. Okay fine, I might be a closet fan.

Rollng Stones, I've seen them twice and Mick Jagger has incredible stage presence and I admire the energy. I aspire to be that agile my entire life. Though their music is very melodic and catchy it is not something I find myself listening to outside the shows. Another band I've been guilty of having my hubby see a few shows alone or with other friends.

Coldplay, a band who's music I never tire of listening. Blaine best describes great music as something you don't skip on your playlist. Even though they're a fun show and I've seen them 4 times, they're slightly pricey for the length they play. By the last show we saw in 2009 they already had a pretty decent catalog to play from but the show was only an hour and a half... so slightly disappointing to drive a few hours for such a short experience. Which brings me to Pearl Jam. I never grew up a fan of Pearl Jam or Eddie Vedder. I found his singing expression to come off very angry and frightening. Fast forward to my wonderful husband dragging me to their shows (I'm not being sarcastic). Because I got to experience them live I am now a fan! They have great energy, play for 3 plus hours, sound amazing, look healthy.. I could go on but my husband would ask me to stop or pretend he didn't hear me. I now have a school girl crush and we like to tease each other that in high school I never understood their appeal and as an adult I'm swooning.Their new album Lightning Bolt is a great Rock N Roll record and I highly recommend it.

People I've never seen but would love to experience would be JT (Justin Timberlake) and Beyonce.

If you're wondering, I went to see Katy Perry and Britney with girlfriends as I wouldn't dream of dragging Blaine to see them although one of these days I should for all the shows he's taken me to see.

Blaine concert going era:

November 21st 2013 - Pearl Jam Lightning Bolt tour 2013 @ Viejas (SDSU)
May 11th 2013 - Rolling Stones @ MGM Las Vegas
August 9th 2011 - Katy Perry California Dreams Tour @ San Diego Sports Arena
April 14th 2011 - Duran Duran @ Pomona Theatre

April 9th 2011 - Bryan Adams Bare Bones Tour @ LA Royce Hall
September 27th 2010 - Bryan Adams Bare Bones Tour @ San Diego Spreckles
August 21st 2010 - Summer Pops w/Jodi Benson @ San Diego Embarcadero
November 11th 2009 - Lady Gaga & Kayne @ San Diego Sports Arena <CANCELLED DUE TO KAYNE LOSING HIS MIND>
September 24th 2009 - Britney @ San Diego Sports Arena
July 18th 2009 - Coldplay @ LA Home Depot Center
November 25th 2008 - Coldplay @ Anaheim Honda Center
August 27th 2008 - Radiohead @ San Diego Cricket Wireless Amp
May 8th 2008 - Duran Duran @ Valley View Casino San Diego
June 23rd 2007 - Foo Fighters and The Police @ LA Dodgers Stadium
August 15th 2006 - Death Cab for Cutie @ San Diego Bayside Embarcadero
July 7th 2006 - Pearl Jam @ San Diego Cox Arena (SDSU)
June 27th 2006 - Radiohead @ San Diego Embarcadero
June 15th 2006 - Hall & Oates @ Del Mar Fair
Feb 4th 2006 - Coldplay @ LA Forum
Nov 11th 2005 - The Rolling Stones @ San Diego Petco Park
Nov 4th 2005 - Def Leppard/Bryan Adams @ San Diego IPAY1 Center
Oct 22nd 2005 - Queen + Paul Rodgers @ LA Hollywood Bowl
Sept 27th 2005 - Foo Fighters & Weezer @ San Diego Cox Arena
Aug 26th 2005 - Coldplay @ San Diego Coors Amp
March 30 2005 - U2 @ San Diego Sports Arena
Feb 25 2005 - Duran Duran Astronaut tour @ San Diego Sports Arena
June 6 2004 - Dashboard Confessional @ San Diego Cox Arena (SDSU)

Pre-Blaine: -

Sept 21 2003 - Dashboard Confessional @ SDSU's open-air
Jan 5 1994 - Bryan Adams @ Hong Kong Coliseum
Feb 10th 1993 - Bryan Adams @ Hong Kong Convention Centre
Feb 3rd 1993 - Chicago @ Hong Kong Convention Centre

My Current Skincare Update

I have been getting requests on my skincare update on YouTube. So I decided to put together a few tips on how I rehabilitated my skin.

This time last year I was constantly breaking out on my forehead for a few months. I was getting really large cystic acne which I would refer to as unicorn horns (that's how large they felt to me). They were very painful and took a long time to go away. I would cover them with my bangs and a lot of makeup. This lead to a desire to figure out the root of the problem and make some changes. Over time I have discovered that the combination of these have vastly improved my skin.

Before I get started I will describe my skin's natural inclination. I have combination skin where my t-zone has a tendency to get oily by the evening and the skin around my eyes and cheeks are drier. I can honestly say that I love my skin this year and hope I can keep feeling this way!

1.) Don't let stress bog you down. When you are stressed out your body releases hormones that affect your skin. We all get stressed out for various reasons, it's part of life. The key is to recognize it and try to mitigate it as much as you can. Sometimes things are out of our control. Sometimes it's that moody time of the month. I try to realize it and minimize the impacts when I can.

2.) Get enough sleep. This tip is linked directly to the one above. When I was incredibly stressed out last year (with my dog having surgery and other personal issues) I was severely lacking in the sleep department and my skin was most definitely paying the price. For lack of sleep the skin around my eyes suffered the most. I started noticing a correlation to lack of sleep and bags/dark circles under my eyes.

3.) Consider your diet. Each person's body reacts differently so this is really a personal experiment for you to take on. You must be in tune with your body and how it reacts to what you consume. It took a while for me to figure this one out (and still learning). What have I discovered about myself?

The first (and most impactful) was to avoid fried food (as much as I can). I love my fries but I found a direct correlation to fry consumption and getting a new pimple. I still have my cravings but try to satisfy them a lot less (my forehead thanks me for it).

The second was to avoid caffeine in my diet. I am so sensitive to caffeine that if I drink/consume just a little bit in the morning, it will cause me to have a terrible night of sleep. Not only does this go back to tip number 2 but caffeine is a diuretic which connects to tip 4.

The next was to reduce the amount of artificial sugar. Again I want to be realistic, I don't completely avoid avoid sugar.

I wondered if my diet was lacking the building blocks I needed for healthy skin. I've always heard that prenatal supplements were helpful. Though not a prenatal supplement, I decided to take a hair, skin & nails supplement. I feel like this helped give my face a glowy complexion, make my hair thicker and shinier and my nails stronger. If you're interested, I take one that can be found at Costco and is called Nature's Bounty. The suggested serving is 3 pills a day but I only take 1.

4.) Drink enough water. One thing I notice is that when my skin is tight and dry it is more sensitive.

5.) Figure out what products irritate your skin and avoid them. Personally, I try to avoid using products that dry out my skin. For me that means products that contain alcohol and benzyl peroxide. When I get a pimple I prefer to use a salicylic acid product but of those some products still irritate my skin. At first I thought it was the concentration of the active ingredient but after trying a few with 2% salicycle acid and having different skin reactions I believe it must be the other ingredients that I could possibly be causing and allergic reaction. The Alba Bontanica AcneDote Oil Control Lotion works on me for those breakout days to calm my skin.

disclaimer: I am aware that everyone's skin is different and my tips are what worked for me and my experience. I'm not a healthcare professional and I am only sharing what helped me out. This post is not sponsored and all these opinions are my own.

Natural No Makeup Look

The weather is changing, the air is dryer in San Diego in the fall and the day light hours are shorter. Therefore, I find myself trying to get ready for work as quick as I can. Check out my no makeup look using minimal makeup.

Products mentioned:

LORAC Behind the Scenes Eye Primer
Ben Nye Luxury Banana Powder
ELF Tone Correcting Powder in Cool
Sarah McNarama Miracle Skin in Medium
Too Faced Primed and Poreless SPF 20 Bronze Tint
Physican's Formula Happy Booster Bronzer
Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Excite
Napoleon Perdis lip gloss
Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Medium
Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour blush in Exposed

Halloween 2013

I decided to put on a simple skeleton baseball jersey found at the clothing store "Q" in San Diego's Mission Valley Mall. On my lips I wore MAC's Russian Red.

If you didn't know, I love to take OOTD photos from this point of view. I wore my red leather flats from Me Too.

When I got home Ralph sported a little hat and I called him Pupseinburg ;) He is the one who barks!























We had a fun time checking out the house decorations around. Check out what this house did! I found it very creepy!

Manila Philippines Haul

Thought I would share the goodies I picked up from my trip to Manila, Philippines with you all. It was my first time visiting the area. We stayed at the Peninsula hotel.

Facebook Launch of gymba24

I finally started my facebook page, please like my page to connect with me and other makeup enthusiasts!

https://www.facebook.com/Gymba24

Review: Quaker Soft Baked Banana Nut Bar

I received this bar for testing and review purposes for free from Influenster.com. 

Here is my review of it. This is perfect for a snack or something to keep with you in the office. I used it to hold me over between meals. I try not to skip meals to keep my metabolism high. There are a lot of almonds and the bar is soft and chewy. The packaging says to try it heated up. I have not yet but plan to try it like this. The picture below is from the day I took it to work with me!

Product Information:

Quaker Soft Baked Bar - Banana Nut Bread

Made with real bananas and almonds, Quaker Soft Baked Bars Banana Nut Bread flavor has tasty ingredients and key nutrients to help provide fuel to start your day.

-5g Fiber*
-20% daily value of 5 B Vitamins
-6g of Protein
*Contains 3.5g of total fat per serving

Where to Buy

You can find Quaker Soft Baked Bars at most major retailers.

Suggested retail price: $3.29 for a box of 5 bars

My Furry Friend Tag

I decided for 1 post that I would go off the path of my usual Haul or review and participate in the Furry Friend Tag going around YouTube.

This video is dedicated to my Furry Friend Ralph and my Family.

Please watch this movie with volume =)

Lori Greiner 2 pc Cosmetic Bags

My makeup bags have finally arrived! I do quite a bit of traveling and I've been wanting a new makeup bag for a while now. I first saw this bag featured on YouTube guru emilynoel83's channel. The thing I loved so much about this system was the different pages with velcro and zippered pockets to put various pieces of one's travel beauty products! I was so excited after watching the video I went straight to QVC to order myself one. But then I read a bunch of mixed and negative reviews. So I held off on the purchase. Then I caught on YouTube shadesofkassie's channel her video featuring the same bag. I then left a comment asking her how her bag held up. She replied saying her bags held up and worked for her trip. I immediately went to QVC to buy it! A big thank you to my husband as he actually ended up buying it for me.

If you want to see my first impression of this bag I filmed a video called My first impression: 2 Quilted Cosmetic Cases by Lori Greiner:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWjdI46JNO0

First video I saw by emilynoel83:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5icbOb2i6YI
Second video by shadesofkassie:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G80KUmwFCPc

Where I bought this Lori Greiner 2pc Cosmetic Cases $29.16 + $6.44 shipping 

Though having to pay shipping bugged me, the bag in my opinion was not overly cheap. I mean, hello it's not a Marc Jacobs bag so of course I didn't expect the quality to be to that level. Overall, it only cost a bit less then $40 so I can't complain.

Small bag

Large bag open.

Food: Flourless Chocolate Cake (made from black beans!)

Adapted from recipes found on the following blogs: Initially found on Healthy Indulgences blog which sites LowCarbsFriends.com as their inspiration.

Ingredients:
1-15 ounce can of unseasoned black beans
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup honey plus 1/3 cup apple sauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar

6 tablespoons cocoa powder, I used Serendity3 Frrrozen Hot Chocolate Mix
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Chopped Nut topping

Equipment
Blender
Oven
8x8 baking pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 40 mins

Drain and rinse beans. Shake off excess water. Place beans, 3 of the eggs, vanilla, apple sauce and salt into blender. Blend on high until beans are completely liquefied. 

Whisk together cocoa powder, baking soda, brown sugar and baking powder. Add remaining two eggs, beating for a minute after each addition. 

Pour bean batter into egg mixture and mix. Finally, stir in cocoa powder and water (if using), and beat the batter on high for one minute, until smooth. 

First attempt at Gluten Free Banana Nut Bread

I used to bake a delicious home made wheat flour banana nut bread that was awesome! In my attempt to be gluten free I am on my path to discover new ways I can eat things that I love. 

Ingredients: 

1 cup Bob Mills Gluten Free Oats blended into flour using the Bella Cucina (Magic Bullet type of apparatus)

3/4 cup rice flour from Ranch 99 (check out photo below)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon tapioca starch from Ranch 99 (check out photo below)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon cinnamon

4 small ripe bananas

chopped almonds 

1/3 cup apple sauce 

and canola oil to grease the container.

350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes.  

Cooking: Home Made Granola

It's been about a month since I've started my granola experimenting endeavors. Last night I made 3 new batches. I decided to start blogging my trials so I can remember what it is I need to tweak to get my consistency and flavor just right.

Gluten Free Oat: Cinnamon Almond Cherry w/flax

Next time I need to add a little more honey or maple and bake for about 1 minute longer in the first bake phase.

 Regular oats: Sweet peanut

This could use about a 1 more of bake time for each bake phase.

Regular oats: Savory peanut with flax

 Same critique as above.