These are a few of my favorite things...

*This is an old post that I never published. I thought I'd go ahead and post it. 

 

I went back to school last year and I am really enjoying studying and learning new things. With that being said going back to school can be stressful. Something that seems to help me is planning. I plan my meals, errands and when to do my homework, etc... I bought a planner at school but it fell apart too quickly. I wanted something small so I could carry it with me to school and I ended up finding this great Create 365 planner from Michael's. It's a great quality planner.


You know I love Red Apple Lipstick and Brija Cosmetics. I'm so in love with both of these lip products. Berrycuda by Red Apple Lipstick is such a fun beautiful color and Talent Wand Lipstick from Brija is perfect for everyday wear.

Berrycuda on Left and Talent on Right

Schmidt's Naturals now makes toothpaste. They do not have a gluten free statement so I emailed the company and they let me know all of their products are gluten-free. They have many flavors and I found a three pack for 9.99 at Costco. Such a great deal. I believe I have seen them in other stores for around 5.99 for a tube. They have a lot of flavors and I chose their activated charcoal toothpaste. The toothpaste itself is grey so I'm not sure how much-activated charcoal is actually in the product compared to other brands but it was a good starting point for me. It tastes minty and it leaves my mouth feeling clean. https://schmidts.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiApvbhBRDXARIsALnNoK0e110gnCPG0NsXLJ0CCEAxivCGCp2WYNUqBnhIj0txFd4DCPn5ZfsaAtPjEALw_wcB

Re: Fresh organic Toning Face mist is great for setting your make-up or misting yourself in hot weather. The one I have is in the scent in cucumber and rosewater. It's organic, gluten-free, organic, GMO-free and vegan. Find more about it at plantapothecary.com 

What I eat

Some of the meals that helped me lose over 40lbs. You do not have to starve or sacrifice to lose weight. I originally posted this on my facebook page but I thought I'd share them with you.

 

Huge Gluten Free Giveaway Hosted Canyon Bake House and Love with Food

I have an exciting giveaway to share with you all. Canyon Bakehouse and Love With Food are giving away an amazing prize. Three people will win one of every product that Canyon Bakehouse makes. So, enter down below and good luck.

Link to the Giveaway

If you are curious about Love With Food feel free to click on my link and save.
Save on your first box!

BRIJ'ADORE (Brija Sub Box)

If you have been reading my blog for awhile you know I love Brija Cosmetics. Brija Cosmetics is not only gluten free, vegan, cruelty-free and natural it has amazing customer service. Every product I have used has been amazing. When they announced they were coming out with a subscription service I could not have been more pleased. It's a quarterly subscription and is 35.00 a box plus shipping. I feel is a great price. Each box contains full limited edition products. To find out when you can buy the next box check out the Brija Cosmetics Chat group https://www.facebook.com/groups/brijacosmeticschat/ (it's a great group where you can make new friends and post looks) or sign up for the newsletter on the Brija Cosmetic Website http://www.brijacosmetics.com/ Here is a quick look at the two last boxes.

Each Subscription comes with a leaflet that lists all the ingredients and details of each product. I fell in love with the packaging. I mean look at the artwork.

 The first box theme was Alice in Wonderland. It came with one lipstick, four full-size eyeshadows, a full-size blush and a sample of the brand new Tumeric Primer Serum. I thought it was so cool that we got to sample a new product before it was available to anyone else (now available). Every product was just gorgeous! It even contained an organic tea bag which just shows how much thought was put into this box.


I just got June's sub box and it is hilarious! It is a Meme Theme. It contained four full-size eyeshadows, one cream blush and a sample of the new Whisper Setting Powder. Again the eyeshadows are gorgeous. I never tried a cream blush and I fell in love with this one. It gives you a nice subtle flush of color. It's perfect and I love the packaging. Since I did just get this box I have not tried the setting powder but again it's awesome that we get to try a new product before anyone else.

Overall, I love this subscription service and I will be buying more. *I purchased all products on my own.*



Have you tried Brija? What is your favorite subscription box? Feel free to leave comments and questions below. If you haven't already you can always subscribe to my blog to get the  latest updates on gluten free food and beauty.

Celiac Awareness Month Giveaway from Love With Food Gluten Free

I have an exciting giveaway to share with you. It is Celiac Disease Awareness Month and Love with Food Gluten free wants to celebrate by giving one winner a Year subscription of the Celiac-safe Love With Food Gluten-Free Box curated by KC the G-Free Foodie and a bag full of delish Allergen-Free Swag from Enjoy Life Foods! Two other winners will win a 3 Month Love With Food Membership! Just click on the link below and follow the steps. Good luck!
Giveaway:
celiac-awareness-month-giveaway

Save money on your first box:
Everyone is a winner because when you use this link you can get 50% off your first Love With Food Gluten Free Box! 
 50% off your first box!

Simple Mills Baking Mixes Review

Chocolate Muffins

I was lucky enough to win a Simple Mills prize pack from Gluten Free Frenzy and I am so grateful that I did. I was not sure what to expect because as you know gluten free baking mixes are usually a hit or a big miss. After trying all the mixes Simple Mills was definitely a huge hit at our home. All the mixes were delicious and moist and I loved that they are not crumbly like some gluten free products are.

Pumpkin Muffin

One thing that impressed me was that they were low in sugar and Paleo friendly. They are a great option if your trying to avoid sugar or grains but still want a sweet treat. Just like their name their ingredients are simple as you can see in the picture. To top it off they include some organic ingredients and they are also Non-GMO. I will definitely continue to purchase these mixes.


You can find the mixes at http://www.simplemills.com/ and I believe Whole Foods. The mixes are around 7.99 a box. They are made in a dedicated bakery and certified gluten free.

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New Gluten free Beauty Haul and Review

I picked up a couple of things to start the new year and I'm excited to share them with you. I will also link all the products websites for you if you would like to get more info on any of the products. 

I had been wanting to try the Acure Organics brand and I'm happy to say I love them. I picked up the Acure Organics Sensitive Face Wash and the Acure Coconut plus Argan Oil Cleansing Towelettes. Usually most face washes are too harsh for me since I have very sensitive skin but this face wash is perfect. It not only made my face cleaner it was very gentle and did not irritate my skin one bit. I'm also in love with the face wipes. I love the smell coconut and the wipes are so soft yet does it's job. It also did not irritate my eyes or skin. I highly recommend them. They are gluten free, cruelty free and have pretty good ingredients.
Acure Organics

While I was ordering the Acure Organic products on Iherb I went ahead and picked up my favorite mouthwash since I did need some. I have talked about my favorite mouthwash by Desert Essence in the past but if you need a mouthwash that keeps your breath fresh and helps your gums you might want to try it. I will warn you because it's tea tree oil based it tastes horrible. I mean it's pretty bad and took me awhile to get used to but it really does it's job and after awhile I could not even taste the tea tree. I since tried another brand and it just did not live up so I switched back. I also saw that they are having a sale on the Desert Essence website. Of course they are also gluten and cruelty free. Desert Essence


I wanted to treat myself and since Red Apple Lipstick is my favorite lipstick brand of all time I decided to try some new lipsticks. I chose Wine and Dandy and After Hours. Wine and Dandy came out awhile ago but it looked gorgeous and After Hours is from their newest winter collection. The colors are amazing and the formulations are so pigmented and moisturizing. Wine and Dandy is on top and left. After Hours is on the bottom and right. I'm in love with both of them but After Hours has to be one of my new favorite lipsticks. It's a very wearable purple. Red Apple did it again. Red Apple Lipstick is an amazing gluten free, cruelty free and vegan company. I do have a review that I will link if you want to know more about this brand. Red Apple Lipstick Website
My Review on Red Apple Lipstick

Next I picked up a sugar paper planner from Target. I'm pretty sure it's only available online. I really wanted to get a nice planner but I really could not justify spending 50 dollars for one. Although those planners are beautiful they are just not in my budget. So I started looking for more affordable options and that's when I found Sugar Paper. It was only 9.99 and there was decent variety. I feel like they are pretty comparable to the big brand planners as well. It does not have a removable cover or any customization options but it's still a great planner. It's cover and design is sleek and so pretty. I really like the horizontal layout because you have much more space to write on versus the square layouts. It has pages for contacts (because who hasn't lost or broken their phone and lost their contacts), a year calendar page, monthly calendars, a page with holiday dates and one note page. I will say I wish they would add more note pages. All in all I am very impressed with my planner especially for the price. Target(sugarpaper)

 Last but not least while browsing Marshall's I found Gabriel Cosmetics Hydrating Mask. It's says it's great for sunburns and irritated skin but I figured it wold be good to revive my dry skin this winter. It definitely worked. My skin feels hydrated, soft and smooth. You can see what it looks like in the picture. It is very lightweight and soothing. Plus the ingredients are great. I believe it said the regular price is about 24.00. If you can find it at Marshall's like I did for five bucks you can save some money. I do not think I would have purchased this at full price just because I could probably find something similar for a lot less. Gabriel Cosmetics

Have you tried any of these products? Feel free to leave comments or questions. To get updates on my blog you can subscribe by email. 

               
*All products were purchased with my own money and all opinions are my own*

Lipstick Haul and Review-Silk Naturals-

I finally picked up Silk Naturals Lipsticks. If your new to gluten free and green makeup Silk Naturals might be a great option for you. They are inexpensive and there are so many choices to chose from. The formulations that I tried were perfect. They were very creamy and pigmented. They are such a great value for the price. They start at $4.50! They had a pretty good lasting power but I would not say they last all day. None of the formulations dried out my lips and I will definitely be repurchasing.

Pretty Please is a peachy pink and is just perfect for an everyday look. It's part of their lip glazers line and it has a a bit of menthol so if you are sensitive to that you might not like this line. I loved it personally. It's supposed to naturally plump your lips but I do have fuller lips so I am not sure if it made a difference.






Eternal is the perfect nude for me. It's a neutral pinkish nude and I am in love. This is the first nude that did not wash me out. I love it and I have used this one the most so far. It's a dupe for Mac's Twig Lipstick

 Marsala is gorgeous! I would say Marsala is a plum brown color and would probably look much darker on fairer skin tones. It's part of their velvet matte line. On me it's a lot more subtle but it's still a perfect everyday color for me.

This a perfect day time red lip color. Unfortunately,  I did not notice this particular color has dyes. Not all colors have dyes so be careful if you do not use dyes. It is supposed be a dupe for Revlon's Wine with Everything.

*All of my opinions are my own and all products were purchased by myself*
Have you tried Silk Naturals? Do you like them? What's your favorite? Are there any other gluten free make up brands you would like me to try? Let me know in the comments below. Oh and do not
 forget to subscribe through email (on the right side of the blog) so you can get all my latest updates.

Gluten Free Gift Ideas

I have always liked to give a bag or basket with some items that I know the person I am gifting loves or some things I think they would love. Plus it's fun to create. Here are some ideas for your special gluten free someone.


For make up I would recommend Red Apple Lipstick. Red Apple Lipstick have some of the best lipsticks  I have ever used. All their lipsticks are high quality, pigmented and have great staying power. They also have eyeshadows, lip liners, mascara, and eyeliners. They also just released their 2015 winter collection. They are a little pricey but (so worth it) if you sign up for their v.i.p. program you can get a special discount every month. You can even get a discount if you send in your old toxic lipstick to them. They are also cruelty free, vegan and use natural ingredients. They also have samples so you can get them a few samples so they can try out a few different things.  You can find them at http://www.redapplelipstick.com/

Another green company I would recommend is Brija Cosmetics. Not only are they gluten free they are also vegan and cruelty free. I'm pretty much obsessed with this company. All the products are affordable and amazing. You can find eye products, lip products, blushes, bronzers and more. The cool thing about this company is that the collections are themed. From Mean Girls to Harry Potter there is something for everyone. You can find Brija Cosmetics here http://www.brijacosmetics.com/

For bath products I love Andalou Naturals. They have amazing products. They have hand creams, lotions, shower gels, face masks, and much more. They also test for gluten, use clean ingredients and are cruelty free. https://andalou.com/

Baking mixes! It's winter so why not gift some gluten free baking mixes. I recommend Pamela Products. There mixes are easy to make and taste great. Find them at your local health store or at their website http://www.pamelasproducts.com/

When I first was diagnosed I had a friend who already had Celiac Disease. She taught me a lot and I was blessed to have her support. For my first Christmas as a Celiac one of my gifts she gave me was a recipe box full her gluten free and delicious recipes. It helped so much. It made me feel more at ease and confident that my gluten free food could taste great and wouldn't be a headache to make. You can get some recipes online or even get a gluten free recipe book. I would recommend http://kcstartedthefire.blogspot.com/ for recipes and
http://www.imaceliac.com/store if you want a good recipe book.

You can get your special gluten free someone a Love With Food Box Gluten Free Box Subscription. They will get a box every month full of gluten free snacks. All of the items are safe for people with Celiac Disease. What I love is that for every box purchased they donate a meal to a hungry child. Now that is awesome. There is an annual plan but there also is a three or six month subscription plan and even a month to month plan so you have a few options. Feel free to use my link here for 50% off your first box. Love With Food Gluten Free Box

Tea is a great gift. You have to be careful because some tea brands might use share equipment that processes wheat and you want to make sure your not getting tea that is contaminated. Some I know and use are Bigelow, Zhenas and Raizana.

•  You can find Bigelow Teas https://www.bigelowtea.com/ here and I have found them at regular grocery stores. You can put them in a mason jar or a cute tea cup.

•  Zhenas teas are delicious and amazing. They are certified gluten free, free trade, organic, certified vegan, kosher and more. They have tea bags and lose leaf teas. Plus they come in really cute containers so they are perfect for a gift. Find them here https://www.zhenas.com/

•  Raizana Tea Co. come in many flavors and are lose leaf. They taste great and are also gluten free and vegan. They also sell tea infusers so you can pair them with some tea samples and a mug. You can save with my link here Raizana Tea

If your friend prefers coffee I recommend Lanna Coffee.  This an amazing company. They actually help Thailand Villages become self-sustainable. Additionally,  Twenty five percent of profits goes back to the village to help with health care, get clean water and more. Not to mention their coffee is delicous! http://www.lannacoffeeco.com/

A Planner is perfect for someone with Celiac Disease. You can use it to plan out recipes and menus. It can really help out when they are busy and do not have much time. Most Celaics do not have safe places to go eat whenever they feel like so most likely they are making all their food at home. You can get one at a store and there are tons of cute ones on etsy.com if you want it personalized.

So I hoped I helped you get some ideas. If you have any of your own ideas leave a comment down below. The more ideas the better. Happy Holidays and thank you for a wonderful year. 

A Quick Update

Hey everyone. So, I wanted to let you know what has been going on with me lately. So, my Husband and I just bought our first home. Let me tell you it was not easy. I thought getting a mortgage approval was going to be the hard part and boy was I wrong. That was by far the easiest. Finding a home, waiting to see if your offer gets accepted and then having to go through the inspections was very stressful and time consuming. Now that we are settled in and everything is getting back to normal I am excited to get back to blogging and sharing all the fun gluten free and green finds. I'm putting some blogs together right now. I also will be starting a YouTube Channel. I'm not sure if i'm going to like do them or where that will take me but I have been wanting to do it for awhile now. I'm not sure when I will start them but I know it will be pretty soon. This blog is still very important to me and a big part of my life. I have met so much wonderful people in our gluten free and green community and I am so thankful for that. Hope you all enjoy your holidays. Have a wonderful week, Sylvia

Nomsy

Hi, everyone. Today I wanted to share with you a new up and coming app that aims to help people with food allergies, food intolerances, special diets and Celiac Disease. It is called Nomsy. Nomsy will be a community based platform that can be customized to your food needs. That means you can open your app and find recipes and safe places to eat that fit your diet. You will be able to read articles and even be able to catch up with trending topics that you care about and all in one place. Plus it's always great to connect with others who know what your going through and support you. Did I mention it will be free? How amazing is that? When I learned about Nomsy I knew I had to share it with you all! Check out these videos to learn more.
Move Forward in the Fight Against Dietary Restrictions from Robert Greenfield on Vimeo.

A sneak peak of what Nomsy will look like Be sure to check out their website at http://www.nomsy.co/ or check out their Instagram at @nutfreenoms .

You can help them get started by visiting their go fund me page at this link: http://gofundme.com/nomsy Even if your not able to donate consider sharing their campaign on your social media to spread the word around. What I love about this campaign is that some of the proceeds will even go towards food allergy and Celiac Disease research (they are partnering with the Celiac Disease Foundation and End Allergies Together Organization). Be sure to check them out.

Thank you all for reading and be sure to check out Nomsy.

*I was not paid in anyway for this blog post.

 

Summer Favorites

It has been awhile since I have been able to blog. It has been a busy and crazy summer but I'm back and I can't with to share some of the fun gluten free make up and food that I have found this summer

This summer So Delicious released their Cashew Milk Dairy Free Ice Cream. It is creamy and tastes amazing. My Husband was surprised that it was dairy free. Their salted caramel cluster flavor is perfection. I love ice cream and this is now my favorite ice cream flavor of all time. P.S. if you haven't already check out their Coco Whip Whipped Cream.

 If you follow my Instagram or twitter you know I love Justin's Peanut Butter Cups so when they came out with gluten free pretzel snacks I had to try them. They are perfect for an afternoon snack or when your own the go. I love their almond butter flavor.

Although I have mentioned this in a previous favorites I decided to talk about it again because it is so hard to find a good dairy and gluten free ice coffee. Califia Iced Coffee is wonderful. They have many flavors and come in a single serving size and quart size. I will add all the websites at the bottom so you can check out their ingredients and where you can find them.

Now to make up. This summer I have been keeping it simple especially because of the crazy heat where I live. I been loving my Honeybee Garden's Pressed Mineral Powder in Montego. As, you can see in the picture below I have already hit pan. It is light to medium coverage and slides on your skin smoothly and does not look cakey. It is natural, cruelty free, and of course gluten free. I also been loving Brija's new 90's eye shadow collection and Brija's amazing new Mean Girls Collection blushes. Just look at those swatches. Besides being cruelty free, vegan and gluten free the ingredients are natural and never break me out. Lastly, I wanted to find a good waterproof mascara. I have read good things about Pacifica's Aquarian Gaze Mineral Mascara. One day while at target I spotted it on sale and I had a coupon on cartwheel for it so I decided it was a good time to try it. I loved it. It didn't smudge, it made my eyelashes pop and didn't make them feel crunchy or clumpy. They are also cruelty free and do not use gluten in their formulas (they do not test for gluten).

If you have any questions or comments leave them down below and have an amazing day.

Websites:

http://sodeliciousdairyfree.com/products/coconut-milk-beverages/original

http://justins.com/products

http://www.califiafarms.com/

http://www.brijacosmetics.com/

http://www.pacificabeauty.com/

http://honeybeegardens.com/pressed-mineral-powder-foundation/

March and April Gluten Free Favorites

 

 



 

I have heard great things about North Coast Organics Deodorant so when I saw it at T J Maxx for five dollars I had to grab it. Good natural deodorants are so hard to find. After using it for a good amount of time I feel that it works great and I would repurchase. I still prefer Primal Pit Paste in jar form but North Coast Organics comes very close. It is more convenient because it's in stick form. A lot of natural stick form deodorants (including primal pit paste stick) has a dry hard texture and has to be warmed up which is annoying. What's the point of getting a deodorant in stick form if it is not going to be convenient? Luckily the North Coast Organics Deodorant texture is soft and there is no need to warm it up. Plus it non irritating and their ingredients are simple and clean. They only had their naked deodorant which is scentless so I will probably look into getting their sample pack because I do prefer something scented. http://www.northcoastorganics.net/#!/Organic-Deodorants/c/7094980/offset=0&sort=normal




 I found another Deep Steep product and I love it. The Deep Steep moisture spray is perfect for dry skin. If you have dry skin like I do then I recommend this product. It's light refreshing and smells great. http://www.deepsteep.com/






I love peanut butter and chocolate. Not only are Justin's Peanut Butter Cups gluten free, organic, vegan and free trade they are delicious! So much better for you than a recess peanut butter cup and it tastes better too. They also carry almond butter jars and packs.  http://justins.com/







If you haven't already you should check out my Love with Food Box review. The giveaway contest is over but if your looking for a gluten free subscription that is also healthy then this one might be right for you. Plus for every box purchased they donate two meals to food banks. http://letusreview101.blogspot.com/2015/04/love-with-food-box-by-gfree-foodie.html


I have tried many different gluten free pizza crusts good and bad. Glutino pizza crust is my favorite  by far. I feel like a lot of crusts are either gooey or hard and this was crust was not. It has a great texture and a perfect taste. This crust is also perfect for making some garlic bread. Just add some Italian seasoning and garlic. http://www.glutino.com/









*taken from website

It can be tough finding truly gluten free coffee. The problem with coffee is that it is often contaminated with wheat. There are truly only a handful of coffees I trust. So, when I found Califia Farms Iced Coffee I was excited. Not only are they gluten free but they are made with almond milk which is perfect for those who avoid dairy or are lactose intolerant. When browsing on their website I found out they also make almond milk, coffee creamer, aqua frescas and even horchata! Also, most of their products are carrageenan free and they currently removing carrageenan as an ingredient. Their products are also GMO free.
http://www.califiafarms.com/learn-more

Izzy's Organic Blue Agave is perfect for substituting table sugar for foods and drinks. It is only 11 grams of sugar per tablespoon. I love to use it instead of maple syrup and since I don't use that much on my pancakes it really cuts down my sugar. It's organic and gluten free. I found it at a discount store but you can find it on amazon.






http://www.amazon.com/Organic-Agave-Sweetener-11-5-ounce-Bottles/dp/B00KPN8L08/ref=sr_1_1s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1430858957&sr=1-1&keywords=izzy%27s+organic


I usually pick a classic movie but I thought I would talk about one of my favorite movie series of all time. Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea by Kevin Sullivan. Sadly Jonathan Crombie who plays Gilbert Blythe past away recently. I know he was apart of my childhood and so many others. This was the first movie I can remember my Aunt (we loved watching period movies and reading period books together) showed me. I instantly fell in love with the series and read all the books. Although Anne Of Avonlea is different than the books it's still a great movie. I hope you check it out or revisit the series because they are truly wonderful. http://anne.sullivanmovies.com/


I hoped you enjoyed this post. Have you tried any of these products? Did you like them? Feel free to comment and don't forget to subscribe for more.

Love With Food Box by Gfree Foodie Review and giveaway!

I am so excited to be reviewing the March Love with Food Box Curated by GF-Foodie!
There are a few gluten free subscription boxes out there but what caught my eye about the Love with Food Box is that everything in the box is natural or organic. Just because something is gluten free does not mean that it is healthy so it's really nice finding snacks that are gluten free, taste good and that are good for you. With the Love with Food Gluten Free Box you receive one box every month with 8-12 gluten free snacks. Boxes are $24.50 a month if you subscribe for a year. They also have six month subscriptions or you can just buy month to month. Everything in the box is safe for people with Celiac which is great because you don't have to worry if what your eating might get you sick. They let me know they are very careful when picking out the snacks for the box and work with the companies to ensure that all the items are truly gluten free. Another thing that separates this box from the rest is for every box sold Love with Food donates two meals to a food bank! Isn't that amazing?

So right away I notice my box is jammed packed with yummy treats. It came with a notecard that lists every treat and all their facts and allergen information which was incredibly helpful. It also came with recipes and coupons. So you get even more savings. I even got a full size Bob Red Mills Pie Crust Mix! I fell in love with the turbana plantain chips so I'm definitely going to have to find them. I also got to try a few things I have never tried like chickpeas and kale chips (which were perfect to top on nachos). I was also excited for the morning tea because I love tea. They also had an orange fruit drink, Mexican seasoning, Bops chips and granola. All tasted delicious. My Son even loved them. Overall, I loved this box and it's definitely going on my Christmas list.

*Giveaway Closed* They also want to giveaway a box to two of my readers! You definitely want to enter for your chance to win. Just comment on why you would like to try a Love With Food Gluten Free Box and follow the steps on the rafflecopter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway



*Note: I was sent this box to review for free but was not paid or told what to write. All opinions are my own. Contains affiliated links. Congratulations Ashley and Tracey! You should have received an email from me today. Please respond within in 48hours. Thank you all for entering and I hope to have more giveaways in the future so keep an eye out. ***Giveway Now Closed***