Natural Beauty

I normally spend my Saturdays in Tallahassee taking dance classes at Art of the Catwalk, but today after my classes I drove up Apalachee Parkway to a whole foods co-op that I had heard about.

Wow, I had forgotten how wonderful a real organic food store could be. We have farmer's markets in Valdosta, but for anything even remotely organic, you have to drive into North Florida. Last summer I spent weekends picking my own organic vegetables, but this year I decided just to pay the difference and let someone else pick them. At least at the co-op I won't run into any large reptiles sunning themselves between rows. You will never convince me that snakes are more afraid of me until I see one run like hell from me first while peeing itself at the same time.

I wandered happily through the aisles of New Leaf Market picking out goodies for dinner tonight. As I am the only healthy eater in my home this was easy. I got some gorgeous yellow heirloom tomatoes, a huge bag of basil, and some truffle infused oil. I'm going to slice them, julienne the basil to sprinkle on them, give them a little of the oil and a generous dusting of fresh pepper. Sadly I've ended my life long relationship with cheese and dairy products, but I may toss in a few cubes of tofu. I found some big, juicy mangoes for dessert.

I also went to the skin and beauty aisle where I found a product line that was new to me, Evan Healy. She's an esthetician that has developed a holistic skin and body care line heavily influenced by the work of Dr. Hauschka, another organically based skin care company. She also uses organically pure essential oils to nourish and balance the skin, and the products smell like heaven. Despite being a faithful Obagi user, I'm not immune to the inherent promise of new skincare products. I bought the "Sea Algae Serum", which is a firming antioxidant treatment for skin that has signs of UVA/UVB abuse. I used it tonight after my Retin-A to help the glow factor in my skin as I still have dreams of that perfect Jennifer Lopez like complexion. It smells wonderful, I don't actually care if it works or not as long as I smell nice.

I also found a pretty mineral eye shadow in a color I've been after for a while, the perfect pale plum. The company is called Larenim and they have the usual line up of mineral make up, however the eye shadow colors were exceptional and didn't seem to go all over my cheekbone as I applied them. I grabbed the "Northern Lights" color, I already have a deeper purple from MAC that I'm saving for fall, so this will be sheer and sparkly for summer.

Then it was time for nutritional beauty. I swear by Udo's Choice Perfected 3, 6, 9 Oil Blend for keeping my hair and skin soft. I find that two tablespoons a day do it for me. I love the taste, so I take it straight from a spoon, but I gave it to my husband once and he made a really bad face. So don't listen to me, I'm a weirdo that likes gross supplements. Listen to Mr. Cult Diva on this one and use it for salad dressing base or something. Just don't heat it, it kills all the good stuff.

I also bought some Green Magma (I told you I was a weirdo). Yes, I actually like the taste of this stuff. I find if I mix it with purified water and a little Goji juice it tastes pretty good. Show me a highly touted antioxidant, and I probably have it or have at least tried it.

Here's the part I don't get though. Scientists keep finding all these healthy things in the Amazon rain forests and the snow covered mountains of Tibet. But why are natives of those areas so unhealthy looking??? The average lifespan of an Amazonian tribes person is about 59 to 61 years of age and truthfully they look like ass by the time they are 35. WTF??

I guess this is where my cosmetic procedures come in to play. And good dentistry.

Anyway, tell me about some of your favorite health goodies. I've finished my wonderful dinner and now am recovering from all those dance classes with a good glass of wine to finish the evening.

Love and (healthy) kisses,

Cult Diva