Staying Healthy for the Holidays

Wearing:
Zara fit and flare dress
Black knit tights (no label)
BCBGirls suede and leather pumps
Burberry scarf
Vintage bag
Vintage red suede belt
Estee Lauder "Stay Scarlett" lipstick

I thought I would write about vitamins today, since I've been wanting to do so for a while.  This may be a bit boring for some but bear with me.  These vitamins that I'm about to share with you have completely changed my life.  I used to get sick 1-2 times a year (or more).  Even if I'd take a daily multi vitamin or vitamin C, I would get sick anyway.  Throughout my life I took many different types of vitamins and none of them seemed to actually benefit me in any way.  Until I found these, I never thought that a vitamin could actually prevent me from getting a cold or flu.

So allow me to introduce to you guys the best vitamins I have ever had.  Because of these, I have not gotten sick in about 2 years!  Isn't that amazing?  It feels good knowing that I will not miss out on life because of a stupid cold.  My boyfriend, mom, and one of my brothers have also taken these supplements and they haven't gotten sick during the 1-2 years that they've taken these products.

These are the vitamins I take every single day:

Astaxanthin (from Dr. Mercola): This is an amazing antioxiant.  Astaxanthin is 65 times more powerful than vitamin C, 54 times more powerful than beta-carotene, and 14 times more powerful than vitamin E.  Pretty cool, huh?  There are so many benefits to taking astaxanthin that I don't have time to list them all.  Read more about astaxanthin here.  You won't regret it :)

CalMax:  CalMax is a powder vitamin I take before I go to bed.  It's a blend of vitamin C, Calcium and magnesium.  I have trouble sleeping and this helps to relax me, thus giving me a great night's sleep. Buy it here.

Krill Oil (Dr. Mercola):  Krill oil is extremely good for you.  It promotes a healthy mood, a healthy heart, helps fight signs of aging, helps with memory and concentration, and even helps relieve symptoms of PMS.  I love Krill oil.  The best part is that it's full of Omega-3s.  Buy it here (but scroll all the way down if you don't want to read everything.  There is also a very informative video at the top page).

Daily Multi vitamin from Purity Products:  This is the most effective multi vitamin I have ever used. You feel better within 30-40 minutes of taking this.  Buy it here.

Kefir & Apple Cider Vinegar:  These aren't really vitamins, but they are fermented foods I take as health supplements.  Apple cider vinegar helps with bloating.  I take it before or during each meal.  The brand I use is Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar because it's GMO free and organic.
I take my dairy kefir once a day.  Kefir is a live culture probiotic.  It helps keep you regular.  Kefir is used to cleanse your body of toxic chemicals, pollution, and radiation.  I either drink it raw or make a fruit smoothie out of it.  The kind I use is a dairy kefir, but there are also nondairy versions.

These are vitamins/ health supplements I take every now and then:

Echinacea:  When I feel a cold coming or people around me are getting sick, I boost my immune system with Echinacea.  I usually alternate this with Astaxanthin.  The best time to take Echinacea is as soon as you feel a cold coming.

Whey Protein "Miracle Whey" (Dr. Mercola):  This particular type of whey protein is better for you than any other whey.  It comes from grass fed cows.  I take this when I work out more than usual, or need an extra energy boost.  I have one serving of this in a smoothie that consists of raw eggs, raw milk, and coconut shreds.  The banana flavor is my absolute favorite!  It's great for breakfast or as a post workout drink.  When I have this, I run further and faster and have more energy throughout the day.  Buy it here.

Beyond Tangy Tangerine:  This is the best multi vitamin ever.  The only reason why I don't have it every day is because it's expensive lol.  It's fast acting and you could actually feel it working.  It gives you an energy boost without the crash.  This is especially good for those who are overweight or obese because it gives you the minerals your body craves.  Weight gain and obesity are caused by mineral dificiencies (as are many diseases and chronic illnesses).  So Beyond Tangy Tangerine could actually be sold as a weight loss supplement.  Google "Beyond Tangy Tangerine weight loss" to see people's before and after pictures.  I would recommend taking either this or the multi vitamin from purity products.  I don't think you need both :)  One or the other will do.  Buy it here.


If you're going to choose just one of these, I'd say either take Astaxanthin or the Krill oil.  You could actually take both like I do but either one is fine.  Krill oil has astaxanthin in it.  Plus, a bottle of astaxanthin itself is expensive.  It really depends on what you need as an individual.  Everybody is different.   Be sure you read the directions on all of these and take as directed.

All of these products I've listed are completely 100% natural.  I am not getting paid nor compensated to tell you any of this.  These are products I personally use and believe in.

If you try some of these, let me know how it works out!

xoxo

Azu

Mellow Yellow

Wearing:
Vintage yellow wool sweater
Vintage oversized pearl necklace
Joe's Jeans roll up shorts
White polka dot tights
White leather Keds
Clinique lipgloss & lipstick duo (Mystique & Shy)

If my knees look puffier and pinker than usual, it's because they are.  I fell and scraped both knees, which is totally annoying.  It makes getting dressed a lot harder because I have to dodge my puffy bloody knees.  Ugh...

Speaking of dodging disgusting things...this week is National TSA Opt Out and Film week.  If you're traveling this week and you happen to be picked by some TSA agent to be radiated or "patted down," you  should know that you actually have the right to refuse.  You can opt out and participate in this event by recording and uploading the video to youtube.  I won't be flying this week, but if I were flying...you can bet your stilettos I would be opting out and recording it.  I don't know about you guys, but being felt up by a stranger doesn't sound fun AT ALL.  Especially when they don't change their gloves...after they touch people's underwear...and beyond.  Yes...they even touch crotches!  Sometimes they go inside people's underwear.  Look it up if you don't believe me.  There is a picture floating around the internet where TSA agents even looked inside a baby's diaper.  Google it.  And poor Miss America claimed that they went inside her when they searched her.  You can google that too.



This is the kind of thing that can get worse if we let it.  We shouldn't have to choose between the lesser of two evils (naked body scanner vs. public grope down).  That isn't freedom.

"Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security." - Benjamin Franklin

xoxo and Happy grope-free Thanksgiving!

Azu

A Touch of Leopard

Wearing:

Topshop velvet bow cloche hat (buy it HERE)
BCBGeneration leopard print blouse
Vintage burgundy leather jacket
Joe's Jeans black skinny pants
Vintage Italian leather boots
Vintage quilted purse
Vintage/gifted jewelry
Estee Lauder "Stay Scarlet" lipstick

Hi everyone!  I meant to post yesterday but I ran out of time.  I've been working on some new illustrations.  I love drawing but...time sure flies when you're drawing.

This is the outfit I wore on Sunday.  It was sunny but still chilly.  Most of what I'm wearing in these photos is either old or gifted.  The only two new things are my lipstick and hat.  My boyfriend has been spoiling me a lot lately (can't complain) and one of the things he bought me was this adorable hat from Topshop.  It's wool with a velvet bow.  I think it adds the perfect touch to this outfit and it goes well with leopard print.

I was also excited about wearing red lipstick.  Prior to purchasing this one, I didn't own a red lipstick.  I do have a red lipgloss I'd always wear, but it's not the same.  I'm more of a lipstick girl.

I hope you're all having a great week so far!

xoxo

Azu

Birds

Wearing:

H&M bird print top
Bebe gray leggings
Zara pink boyfriend blazer
Steve Madden "Graanie" boot in Stone
Vintage purse
Vintage jewelry
Mac "Girl About Town" lipstick
Essie "Master Plan" nail polish

These pictures were taken this past weekend in Nevada.  The first picture was a complete accident!  I'm glad I got some pretty Canadian Geese in the background.  In the second picture, you can actually see who was scaring these birds: a little girl and her dog.  It was kind of mean because these birds migrate, so it's not like they're just hanging out and playing on the grass like everyone else.   But maybe I'm just a little sensitive about it because I'm a bird lady ;)

Anyway, I've been a bit bummed out because of Prop 37 not passing.  On Tuesday night I kept checking the live results.  I was amazed at how close it was to passing.  Every county in California was almost 50/50 on prop 37 (check it out here).  My county voted "yes" overall by a mere 3%!  It was also interesting to note that the majority of counties who voted "no" were in the Central Valley...where most of our fruits and vegetables come from.  It's unfortunate how corrupt some of our growers are.  But it shouldn't come as to any surprise to me.  Especially when I know that there are people making a profit out of selling you cancer-causing GMOs.

The good thing about the results is that more people are becoming aware of GMOs. So even though prop 37 didn't pass...we still won.  Now there are more people than ever who are aware of the negative effects of genetically modified foods.  And that's a win in my book!  :)

Have a good week, dolls!  Thank you so much for reading.

xoxo

Azu

Layering With Peplum

Wearing:
INC top (old)
H&M leather peplum top in black (It's about one size too big.  But as it turns out, it's much easier to layer with the extra room.)
Citizens of Humanity jeans
BCBGirls leather and suede pumps
Kate Spade necklace
Quilted leather bag
MAC lipstick "Girl About Town"

One of my favorite buys of this year is my H&M peplum leather top.  I love anything that's leather, so I felt as though I "needed" this top.  It's also peplum, which I also really like.  Peplum has to be one of my favorite trends of the year.  Although I don't like to strictly follow the trends, it's hard not to get pulled in by such an adorably feminine silhouette.  I thought I should also point out that peplum and leather will never go out of style.  They may have their moments of fashion "don'ts" but don't be afraid to splurge in a leather or peplum piece (or both!) this year.  I happen to have a few vintage peplum dresses.  And I also have a vintage peplum leather dress.  So that goes to show you that in fashion, what goes around most certainly comes around...again and again.  I love that fashion always "recycles" its trends.

Anyway, I thought I'd show you guys a fun way to wear this peplum top.  You may not have this exact top, but there are many like this available in pretty much any clothing store.  If you're not okay with wearing leather, there are other alternatives like faux leather or maybe even sequin and jersey.  You can wear your peplum top year round!  All you have to do is treat it like a vest when it starts to get cooler. It was raining for most of the day and it was a bit chilly.  It was around 55 degrees F when these pictures where taken.  And as you can see, I'm not wearing a sweater.  The leather kept me nice and warm :)

Hope you guys had a great weekend!  I can't wait to share my weekend photos with you all.

xoxo

Azu

Luck Be a Lady

Wearing:
 Modcloth "Luck Be a Lady" dress (sold out in green, but available in other pretty colors like powder blue here.  Also seen on Taylor Swift here for a Macy's commercial.)
Quilted leather purse
Dollhouse bow heels
Vintage bracelets
Mac "Girl About Town" lipstick

 The pictures above were taken this weekend. The one below was taken a few weeks ago when I'd first worn this dress.   Except for the necklace and make up, everything is the same.  That was literally the ONLY good picture that came out lol.

I wore this dress twice in one month because it's comfortable and easy to wear.  The first time I wore it, I had the same problem as the second time I wore it: the wind wouldn't let me get good pictures of it!  It's a very flattering dress in person.  I'd say it looks better in person than in these photographs.   It's becoming increasingly difficult to take good pictures now that the sun is setting earlier.

Anyway, I thought of adding something new to my blog.  What do you guys think if I started posting "Day to Night" looks?  I think it would be fun.  I also think I'm going to start doing a "More ways to wear it" post every once in a while.  I've never been the type to wear a new outfit every single day of the year because...not only is it impractical, but it lacks creativity.  So I'm going to wear outfits that incorporate certain pieces you've already seen.  I remix outfits regularly, but I don't always get pictures of them.
     

Ok, I've got to go now.  I hope you enjoyed this post.  Let me know what you think of my new ideas.  Have a great Thursday, dolls!

PS.  If you live in California, don't forget to vote YES on Prop 37!  Check out their facebook page here: facebook.com/carighttoknow

xoxo

Azu