Last night, after spending a lovely Valentines Day with friends and neighbors, I snuggled up on the couch to watch me some Housewives of OC. But something kept beckoning me to the kitchen. It wasn’t my 3 year old asking for yet another cupcake. It wasn’t Mr. Sonny begging for more food. It was my brand new shiny bag of Skinny Pop Popcorn calling to me from the snack cabinet.  Needless to say, the aftermath had to be vacuumed up this morning.

I am completely obsessed with this popcorn which is bizarre because I have never considered myself much of a popcorn fan. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll eat it but if given a choice I am more potato than popcorn. Since we have taken up the tradition of Friday night family movie night, popcorn has become a staple in our house. We have microwaved and burned too many bags to count. No more. There will never be another brand of popcorn in our house other than Skinny Pop. Here’s why:

1. It is ALL NATURAL everything!

2. It has the word Skinny in it’s name. Sorry, I am a sucker for marketing.

3. It is only 39 calories per cup (I think I had 42 cups last night but who’s counting?)

4. It doesn’t taste like cardboard. Seriously. It is super delicious.

I have only seen it at our local Fresh Market but click here to find it near you. I want to hear what you have to say after you try it!

Written by Lea Barlow • 1 Comment

Cream? Milk? How about something a little more interesting.

Here are a few healthier alternatives to your standard creamer…

My personal favorite is SO DELICIOUS COCONUT MILK. It has a very creamy taste without the dairy. Great option for kiddos with dairy and nut allergies. Yay!

Added Bonus: Organic and made with non-GMO coconuts.

Price: $4.50 for 64 oz

COFFEE -MATE NATURAL BLISS SWEET CREAM is dairy based but has only a teaspoon of sugar per serving.

Added Bonus: No artificial ingredients or additives. Not bad for Coffee-Mate.

Price: $2.70 for 16 oz

SILK PURE ALMOND ALMONDMILK is 100% free of lactose-dairy and is an excellent source of Vitamin E.

Added Bonus: Mega calcium boost with 77% more calcium than half and half.

Price: $3.30 for 64 oz

Written by Lea Barlow • Leave a comment

Admittedly, I spend a significant amount of time looking at myself in the mirror. Always have, always will. What can I say? I’m vain. Lately, I have been obsessed with lip plumpers and watching them work their magic in real time. I’ll pout, smile and bite my new swollen lips while gazing affectionately at my reflection.  While I am no Adriana Lima and never will be, lip plumpers do make you feel sexier. My first lip plumper was Buxom Lips by Bare Escentuals. It gives your lips a tingling sensation that I suppose signals that it is working. I didn’t like the tackiness or shine of the gloss which for me doesn’t equate to everyday wear.  I wanted big, full lips all day without the sticky gloss effect. I moved on to Vivite Defining Lip Plumper. I love this plumper so much that I keep one in my make-up drawer and my purse. Unlike Buxom Lips, you do not get a tingling sensation but you do see plumper lips instantly.

Over the weekend, though, I was watching a news segment on natural beauty fixes. It listed cinnamon leaf oil as a way to plump your lips. The only caveat – use sparingly as it is very potent. I thought to myself ‘potent schmotent’ and drove over to the health food store where the news lady said I could find it. As my purchase was being rung up, I excitedly told the clerk I was going to use it as a lip plumper. She warned me to ‘use sparingly’ and sort of bulged her eyes out at me. Oh, whatever. I rushed home and brushed my lips with a toothbrush to help make them more susceptible to the cinnamon leaf oil. I then dabbed the oil on a q-tip and eagerly lathered all over my lips.  I immediately got the ‘oh shit, I did something really bad’ feeling when my lips started burning and wouldn’t stop. The lady at the health food store had also said to use it in conjunction with lip balm so I ran to my purse and generously applied my Chapstick. The burning sensation quickly calmed down as did my heart rate. When I finally had the courage to look in the mirror ( I thought my lips would be savagely burned and hanging off my face), I was delighted to see that my lips were huge and swollen in a Adriana Lima way. Unfortunately the swollen look doesn’t last that long. I think I will be sticking to my soft Vivite plumper for everyday use and only save the cinnamon oil trick for when I want to look like a porn star. If you decide to go this route, remember – USE SPARINGLY.

*For other uses of cinnamon leaf oil click here.

Written by Lea Barlow • Leave a comment

I could wear this ensemble designed on PiperLime by Rachel Bilson every. single. day. The first reason I love this look so much is that you do not have to wait until it is 40 degrees outside to wear booties like you do with the higher, more traditional boot. The second reason this look rocks is because you more than likely have 75% of this ensemble in your closet already. The only two items needed are the hiker booties and a new bag!

My first pick is the Bright Actress Bootie by Kenneth Cole. Unfortunately, these seem to be largely out of stock (at least right now) in the sand color so here is my second choice…

This Kelsi Dagger bootie is almost just as cute. It is going to have to do. Besides, the $110 price point is reasonable.

Complete the look with this beautiful tote. I just can’t decide if I like it is the ‘desert’ color or ‘forest’…

With my birthday coming up I will need to make this decision soon.

Which one do you like better?

Written by Lea Barlow • Leave a comment