Acai Protein Shake + Smoothie

Hi friends! It's been quiet around here so really pushed myself & my co-blogger Rasmin to get at least two posts up for you guys to enjoy this week. Please make sure to check out her awesome MUST READ post on two of her current favorite make-up products HERE! In the mean time, while you are shopping online for those two products that you just must get right now ;) , why not sip on some shake? That is...a protein shake.

This post is for you if you are like me and don't like the taste of whey protein powders.

What EXACTLY is whey protein? Whey it is basically a mixture of proteins "isolated" from whey. Whey is the liquid part of milk that separates during cheese production and is found in the watery portion of milk.

Due to my hormonal intolerance with dairy, I try not to have too much protein powder in my daily routine (still on the hunt for a perfect non-dairy alternative to regular whey protein...if you know of any that doesn't taste like poop, please share!)....but I have also gone back to putting a little bit of dairy back in my life (and so far I have had no problems doing that) so this works out. I usually drink a glass of the shake after some strength training workouts but many times I used to hate it but also knew that my muscles would love me for it, so I thought, why not jazz it up a little by adding in some berries or ACAI JUICE to it? 

Now, you don't really want to add the juice directly. Instead, what I love to do is freeze Acai juice in ice cube treys (sometimes I also freeze almond milk to throw in my shake/smoothie). Many times, Acai juice comes on sale at local grocery stores, so when that happens, I jump on it. Basically that's it! To make your shake thicker and more into a smoothie, add ice cubes or more acai juice cubes or almond milk cubes. Sometimes I also like to throw in some frozen berries to have the ultimate berry-delicious shake as well as bananas and/or other fruits. If protein powders are not incorporated in your diet/routine, don't fret because you can defiantly skip it and still make a refreshing acai and berry mix shake or smoothie and get all the anti-oxidant benefits.

Ps- I have gotten so many requests on doing a smoothie-prep post so as summer is approaching, I will have a detailed (and easy) DIY smoothie prep post as soon as possible. 

xoxx-

Makeup Rave: Anastasia Beverly Hills

hi guys! i have missed blogging so much, but this semester has been the craziest yet for me and i am so sorry for the lack of posts. i wanted to do a special piece about my two favorite Anastasia Beverly Hills products that are a tad pricey but boy are they worth it. i can't even find dupes because these products are straight quality, worth every penny. when i don't have these products w/ me, my makeup never seems worth putting on, LOL.

THE dip brow pomade, $18 

this product is actually reasonably priced, I've been using mine for the last 6 months and hardly have a dent. if you use instagram, you've seen this product all over the ladies who's brows are on fleek; i love using this to fill in my brows so that they appear thicker. currently, i'm in the process of growing them out, so this helps me cover up the growth in some areas that aren't fully covered. my amazing, coblogger Nilma recommended I use the Sigma E65 brush to apply this product and it works flawlessly. quick tip- a little goes a long way, it is very easy to over-do it. build up the product instead of piling it on and then trying to tone it down. don't forget to finish off with some brow gel!

THE Contour Kit, $40
i'm screaming YES when people ask me if this kit is worth it. the powders are soft, finely milled, and pigmented. i bought this about 3-4 months ago at Sephora.

*sand is slightly shimmery, good for under the
brow highlight

This kit comes in 3 shades: light, medium, dark. I bought the one in light and my MAC shade for reference is NC35-40/NARS (Stromboli), however I have seen this shade look good on women who have deeper skintones than mine (if they use banana as the highlight). Because the kit comes with 3 highlight & contour colors, the tones will range depending on which kit shade you buy.

the top row has 3 highlight colors: vanilla, banana & sand
the bottom row has 3 contour colors: fawn, java & havana

i like to mix java & a little bit of fawn most of the time. i will sometimes use only java. these powders are pigmented, so blend blend blend blend blend- or you're gonna look crazy- the opposite of contoured.


what brush do i use? i use my Nars Ita, $55 brush (i bought 2 of these when they were much cheaper, but after being sold out everywhere for months, they restocked the brushes & hiked the price up). it doesn't shed and maintains its shape, making contouring super easy- so it is worth it.
cheaper alternatives: EM Ihatake Brush | Real Techniques 301 | Hoola Bronzer brush

 is the entire kit needed? no, not necessarily. i don't use any of the other colors besides banana (highlight), java & fawn (contour). however- they didn't sell individual pan refills when i first purchased. lucky for you, if you visit their website here: contour refill pans, $14 you can purchase the colors you need for highlighting/contouring & store them in a magnetic makeup palette, saving you a few bucks. plus, online they have a lot more color ranges to choose from than what's offered in the contour kits; so you'll be able to get shades that complement your skin the best.

happy glamming,
rasmin xo