Green Lifestyle

3 Ways to get healthy for the New Year

I’m already thinking about how to start living healthier for the 2017. The holidays are always full of temptations aren’t they? Starting with a major sugar rush from Halloween, followed by Thanksgiving feasts (yes, plural) and then ending up with a plethora of Christmas cookies. I’ve been trying to stay on top of things, but clothing is definitely a little tight right now! I haven’t been exercising or eating as healthy has a should be. I’m sure you all have the same problem, am I right? So I decided there had to be some convenient and time-saving options available for the hardworking family like us. After doing some major research and trial and error, I found three GREAT companies that I highly recommend. I’ve tried and vetted all three and am a huge fan. They make it easy to start being healthier right now, no excuses.

Organic Makeup Daytime Look with Juice Beauty

We’re venturing off into something a little different today. If you’ve been a blog follower for long, you’ll know that I like to live consciously, aka eco-friendly, aka green. I’ve talked about my skincare routine before, and today, I thought it would be fun to bring you my easy daytime makeup routine, all organic of course 😉 I’ve just recently started using Juice Beauty’s new makeup line. They released their makeup products less than a year ago actually, and already they’ve become a staple around here. The foundation and concealer products work better than any I’ve tried! Each product is so moisturizing and nourishing for my (naturally dry skin). I’m not usually a big fan of makeup because I can feel it just sitting like a layer of paint on my face; not so with these! I no longer feel like I’m clogging my pores with toxic makeup. So I reached out to Juice Beauty to collaborate on this post (and giveaway) for you guys. I highly recommend, love (and USE) their makeup.

My Bathroom Declutter

In my downtime I’ve been slowly trying to go through and organize our “hidden” storage areas: closets, basement, cabinets, etc. Everything is pretty much unpacked since our move, but lots of things were unpacked and just thrown in closets or shelves. And there they’ve sat…for me to agonize over late at night when I’m trying to go to sleep 😉 SO I’m trying to be proactive about it and to take it one step at a time. Organize, purge and rearrange until I’m happy that we only have what we need and the chaos has been tamed. Then I move on to the next one…it’s a dirty cycle. Literally.

So for today’s post I thought I show you the bathroom linen closet. This is like the bottomless pit of products. It’s a decent size and pretty much our only bathroom storage since we have a pedestal sink. So it’s definitely a catchall…kind of like the kitchen junk drawer (next project maybe???). I thought it would be fun to make a video of the whole process showing you the before and after…and everything in-between. This turned out to be a long post, but as the list of products in the bathroom got smaller, the length of this post got longer 😉 Bear with me!

Back to School Favorites with Bitte

My oldest starts kindergarten next week! And yes, I’m going with the cliche of “Wow, that went by fast!”. Seriously. So I’ve been excited (and bittersweet) all at the same time. I’ve been researching and looking into back-to-school supplies for awhile, wanting to give her the best start possible! Also, keeping in mind, design…because…have you seen the the ridiculousness of those products geared towards kids? I know you have 😉 I just…can’t. So here are my stylish, modern and playful picks for back-to-school this year!

Our New Essentia Organic Memory Foam Mattress

Happy Earth Day! I figured today would be the perfect day to share with you one of my favorite eco-friendly brands, Essentia. In case you haven’t heard of them, they are the only organic and natural memory foam mattress out there. So think Tempurpedic without the chemical fumes and added toxins. They take natural, organic latex to the next level.

A couple of months ago we started our mattress search after my husband started experiencing back pain from our current mattress. He also threw his back out for the first time ever, nothing like that to make you feel old 😉 Anyways, I figured it was time to get rid of our traditional mattress and go with a more eco-friendly option like natural latex. I had already transitioned the whole family to sleeping on organic, natural latex pillows, so it was definitely our next step. By the way, have you ever used a latex foam pillow? They’re a different experience than anything else out there, that’s for sure. You could describe them as almost bouncy, instead of fluffy like a traditional pillow. It takes a little getting used to a first, but after a couple of days you, start to wonder how you ever slept on anything else! Say goodbye to flat, saggy pillows.

That’s why, when I started researching mattresses, I knew I wanted a latex one. Well, when you narrow the field down to organic, natural latex there are really only a few frontrunners. Essentia, of course is one of them. But, Essentia stood out from the pack because they’re the only natural latex MEMORY foam mattress. Intriguing. My familiarity with memory foam is having a Temperpedic pillow I received as a gift. That one pillow stunk up my house for weeks. Seriously. If it stinks so badly that it can permeate your house, it can’t be good to sleep on every night. But after all that, I really did love it (minus the stench). Nothing else conforms to your body and cradles it like good ole’ memory foam.

So after checking out Essentia’s mattresses in person at their Berkeley store (heavenly btw) I decided I muuuust have one. The Mr and I love a firm mattress. Tummy sleeper over here! So we ordered the Beausommet. Our Cal King mattress arrived in a surprising small (and surprisingly heavy) box. We dragged it into the bedroom where it we unrolled it and watched it expand. It’s amazing how tiny they can pack mattresses these days!

I wanted to wait until we’ve lived with the mattress for a while before I wrote about it, so I could share my honest opinion. We’ve had the mattress for a few months now. And LOVE it. My husband no longer has back pain and we both sleep amazingly well (and deep). When the mattress arrived we slept on it that first night and there was no off-gassing. Yay for no VOCs! In fact, it’s a little sad, because I’ve started to not like traveling as much. Why? Because I miss my mattress! So much for loving those hotel mattresses 😉 I’ll take my Essentia any day.

Nothing but positives over here you guys for Essentia. We are now Essentia converts for life. Now…if you go take a look at Essentia’s website, you might do a double-take on their prices. And you guys know how I am: why pay more if you can pay less, right? But you also know that I know when to splurge and when to save. And this right here folks? This is definitely a splurge moment. And it’s worth every, little penny. Believe me. And the mattress has a 20 year warranty. There are not many mattress out there that could last 20 years, but I really could see this one standing strong. If you’re in the market for a new mattress, you really should take a look. So worth it. Oh and Essentia is offering 10% off for Copy Cat Chic readers, just use the code: CHIC10! The code is good until the end of the year.

*Mattress c/o of Essentia. I was not paid to write this post, but was given a mattress to provide my honest review. Thank you for supporting Copy Cat Chic and our generous sponsors!

Parent Props | Hospital Bag Packing List- Part 2

Do you remember my last hospital bag packing post? It’s one of my most popular posts…of all time. And since it’s been over two years since I wrote that one, I figured it was about time I updated it! So here it is, my latest (and greatest) rendition of everything you need and nothing you don’t for your hospital bag packing list when it’s time to give birth.

Hospital Bag Packing List | Everything you need and nothing you don't when packing your bag for the hospital for giving birth.

FOR MAMA

1. organic rOBE | good for slipping over the hospital gown

2. NURSING PJS | CUTE PJS WITH A HIGHER NECK TO KEEP YOUR CHEST WARM

3. CARDIGAN OR THIS | A COMFY CARDIGAN FOR HEADING HOME

4. NURSING SWEATER OR THIS ONE | cute and functional

5. NURSING BRAS | I STILL WEAR MINE AND NO, I’M NOT NURSING ANYMORE 😉

6. PANTIES | PERIOD PANTIES TO INSTEAD OF PADS. GENIUS. love ’em.
7. SCARF | A WARM SCARF TO DOUBLE AS A NURSING COVER

8. COMFY PANTS | loose and comfy boyfriend jeans.

9. SOCKS | TO KEEP TOES WARM, HOSPITALS ARE COLD
10. FLIP FLOPS | SHOWER SHOES ’cause those showers are yuck
11. SLIPPERS | WASHABLE AND MORE COMFY THAN THE PAIR IN MY OLD POST
12.SLIP ON SHOES | NO NEED TO TIE THOSE SNEAKS!

FOR BABY

13. BABY HAT | KEEP YOUR BABY’S HEAD COZY

14. BABY OUTFIT | AN OUTFIT WITH BOOTIES AND MITTENS (SO KEY!)

15. SWADDLE | A CUTE BLANKET FOR PICS + TO KEEP BABY WARM

16. CAR SEAT | REASONABLY PRICED AND OEKO-TEX 100 CERTIFIED

MUST-HAVES

17. HEADPHONES | ONE WORD. WIRELESS.

18. HOSPITAL BAG | A GREAT VERSATILE BAG

19. camera | high quality pics of this once in a lifetime event

20. BLUETOOTH SPEAKER | WATERPROOF AND HOSPITAL PROOF 😉

21. DRY SHAMPOO | LOOK PRESENTABLE EVEN IF YOU CAN’T SHOWER YET

22. MAMA BOTTOM BALM | SWEET RELIEF FOR THE HURT DOWN UNDER

23. NIPPLE BUTTER | A NATURAL WAY OF TREATING THOSE SORE NIPPLES
24. BOTTOM SPRAY | COOLING SPRAY FOR FAST RELIEF
25. TOILETRY CASE | A functional case for all of your goodies
26. TOILETRIES | THE USUAL IN TRAVEL SIZE
27. FLUSHABLE WIPES | EASY ON YOUR BUM…AND FACE 😉
28. FACIAL ROUTINE | TRAVEL SIZES OF YOUR USUAL REGIME

DON’T FORGET

standard toiletries
iphone
chargers
playlists set up for labor
driver’s license
insurance card
cash for parking (just in case)
snacks for daddy & anyone laboring with you
treats for nurses as a thank you
birth plan if you have one

View the rest of my parent props series here! Also be sure to check out my favorite (green) toiletries and bathroom essentials.

This post may contain affiliate links. Thanks for supporting Copy Cat Chic.

Brand Spotlight | Juice Beauty and Giveaway

Today I’m walking you through my latest and greatest skincare regime. My last post on it was pretty popular, but I’ve found a new brand of skincare products since then that I’ve fallen hard for 🙂 Have you guys heard of Juice Beauty?

I first discovered their CC cream that has gotten rave reviews. I’m not a huge make-up wearing person, so I thought this product sounded genius. It combines moisturizer, sunblock and color correction…all in one. and it works WELL. At the same time I ordered their CC cream I decided to order their Green Apple travel sized kit to sample more of their products. They’re organic and rated super well on the EWG skindeep website. I figured it couldn’t hurt to try it out. I have some freckling and sun marks on my face that I’ve been trying to get rid of. And you know what? I noticed a huge difference! My skin looks so much brighter and the sunspots aren’t as noticeable. It was a huge improvement.

read more

I couldn’t help but reach out to them to see if they’d offer a giveaway on my blog. I only like to parter with companies that I believe in and Juice Beauty completely won me over. I know you’ll love them too!

Juice Beauty is also celebrating their 10th Anniversary this year and they have some amazing deals going on until December 19th. You’ll have to check out their 10 days of beauty discounts!

Copy Cat Chic Green Eco-Friendly Skincare Regime with Juice Beauty

step 1
GREEN APPLE Brightening Gel Cleanser
GREEN APPLE Age Defy Serum
STEM CELLULAR Anti-Wrinkle Moisturizer
I start with this gentle cleanser, pat dry then use 1 or 2 pumps of serum. After waiting a couple of minutes for the serum to absorb I use a dab of moisturizer.

step 2
SPF 30 Oil-Free Moisturizer or STEM CELLULAR CC Cream
Once the moisturizer has absorbed I either use the sp30 moisturizer or the cc cream. If it’s a casual day where I’m running errands or staying at home I’ll use the non-tinted spf 30 moisturizer. Or if I’ll be going to a meet up or mixer I’ll need more coverage so I’ll opt for the cc cream. I’ve even started dropping the cover up and powder when using make-up because the cc cream works wonders!

STEP 3
GREEN APPLE BRIGHTENING GEL CLEANSER
STEM CELLULAR Anti-Wrinkle Overnight Cream
STEM CELLULAR Eye Treatment
At night I’ll use the cleanser again and pat dry. Then I’ll use the heavier overnight moisturizer and eye cream.

I was able to ask Karen Behnke, the creator of Juice Beauty a few questions to help us get to know more about the brand and their beliefs:

REICHEL

What recently released product are you most excited about and why?

KAREN

Juice Beauty is celebrating our 10th Anniversary this year! The concept for Juice Beauty was born when I became pregnant with my first baby at the age of 40. Although the skin can absorb more than 60% of what is placed on it, I couldn’t find any healthy personal care products available that delivered visible results, so I started rubbing organic olive oil on my skin and all sorts of “home” remedies!! Years later, well 10 years ago actually, I then became serious and set out to radically transform the chemistry of beauty. In 2005, I bought the name “Juice Beauty” and started the Company from scratch with a mission to do the impossible: create organic and natural formulations that perform as well as conventional chemical beauty products. The heritage of Juice Beauty is why I am so excited that we recently released our Green Apple Pregnancy Peel in a formula that is for women who are pregnant, nursing or looking to have a baby soon as it is our peel that is formulated without Vitamin A. I truly love that this product that gains it’s power from malic acid from organic green apples, and it brings us back to our original inspiration and how Juice Beauty got its start.

REICHEL

Do you have any new products or partnerships coming soon that we should look forward to?

KAREN

Yes!! It is such an exciting time at Juice Beauty. Gwyneth Paltrow, Academy Award winning actor and founder of goop, joined Juice Beauty as a shareholder and Creative Director, Makeup, to launch a new Phyto-Pigments vibrant color make up collection. This collection will launch in January under Gywneth’s creative leadership. We can’t wait to share all the gorgeous colors with everyone. We’ve been teasing some of the new products on Instagram! (@juicebeauty)

reichel

What’s your most popular product of all time?

KAREN

The Juice Beauty STEM CELLULAR™ Moisturizer continues to be a best seller year after year. What our fans love most about this product is the performance. Clinically validated to enhance the appearance of wrinkles, it also has a luxurious aroma and texture. Unlike conventional skin care products that use water as the main ingredient, all Juice Beauty formulas actually start with an organic botanical juice base which helps to increase the antioxidant levels of our products so our customers can fight those free radicals! Our STEM CELLULAR™ Moisturizer features a proprietary blend of fruit stem cells and Vitamin C that we infuse into a resveratrol-rich grape formula to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It’s a great formula with great results, which is why it continues to be our most popular product.

And now let’s talk about the amazing giveaway we have lined up for you! One lucky reader is going to win a complete set up ($250 value) of their most popular line:

stem cellular cleanser
stem cellular serum
stem cellular moisturizer
STEM CELLULAR eye algae mask

You can enter below using the rafflecopter widget!
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This post may contain affiliate links. Thanks for supporting Copy Cat Chic and our generous sponsor Juice Beauty!

Easter Basket Time

Remember last year when I did all organic Easter baskets? Well, this year I decided to step it up a notch and go completely candy-less. Here they are!

What do you guys think? Will they love it? I think Arden and Conrad will be pretty happy 😉 And don’t worry we’re still doing an Easter egg hunt. Just instead of candy filled eggs, I’ll use hard-boiled eggs and plastic eggs filled with bunny tails.

Check out the World Market blog to learn more and see more pics and details of all of the goodies I used.

Now for their Easter outfits, I bought this adorable dress for $22. I’ll probably find a cute hat and maybe some gloves to go with it.

I found this fun sweater for Conrad, isn’t the bunny just too cute? And the jeans and suspender set is from H&M, I couldn’t resist 🙂

This post my contain affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Copy Cat Chic!

How to Decorate a Party for $50

THIS POST is sponsored by target

With March madness upon us, I thought it would be fun to share my five steps for throwing a easy and fun party for around $50. I focus on ways to make my life, as the hostess, a little easier! That means, no DIY 😉 I don’t think entertaining should hurt the pocketbook either. I also believe in as little food-prep and store shopping as possible. One thing I never look forward to is having to go to five different stores to find everything you need. That’s why I partnered with Target for today’s post. They’re pretty much a one-stop shop – I have to hand it to them.

read on…

one | decorations
First things first, good decorations are a key. You want your space to look a little more special than just your average day. I like to invest in a lots of neutral and versatile serving pieces that will work for any occasion. That way you don’t have to go out and buy a bunch of expensive specially-themed items just for one event. Then I buy smaller inexpensive decor items to pair with it, like fun napkins, straws and paper products. That way you have a festive set-up without spending an arm and a leg. I went with a natural and neutral theme for the decor. It all started with this great garland.

two | food
I like to serve finger food at most of my parties. If it’s a daytime party I go with easy to make sandwiches. Morning? Bagels. Dinner = fancy appetizers and small plates. Silverware is one less thing you have to worry about. And if you use disposable plates, you have barely any clean-up! For this party, I went with easy to make sandwiches, fresh berries, veggies, chips and my favorite dill dip. I found all the groceries I needed at Target, which really made my day 😉

I used a wood platter that I already had to display the sandwiches. This one would work nicely too!

For the veggies and dip I had to get this great piece. I’ll definitely get a lot of use out of it, since I do veggies and dip at every party!

My local Target has the best price on organic berries too. I’ve price-checked. You should check your’s. Seriously. I bought strawberries and black berries and put them in this ceramic colander.

three | fresh greens
A party isn’t a party at my house without fresh flowers or greenery around. It elevates any setup. period. I also like to have fresh flowers in the bathroom – it really adds to your guests’ impression of your hostess capabilities 😉 *random tip* If you’re having a lot of guests over, opt for paper guest towels in the bathroom – hand towels get grimy and damp.

For today’s party I wanted to add some texture and green, so I used a pot of succulents (you could easily use these faux succulents) and put it in this copper pot. What’s even better? It’s not going to die like cut flowers will. The fun lives on 😉

four | signature drink
Okay this is a fun one. Having a unique drink option makes a party stand out. It’s something to talk about and it’s an easy way to take a little risk. Go all out with a crazy concoction or just take it easy with an old favorite. We decided to bring back an oldie but a goodie, the Moscow Mule. We already had copper mugs, but these ones would work just as well. I also had to get these fun straws to go with them.

five | something sweet
Let’s face it, cakes are messy and cupcakes are expensive, so when I spotted these adorable cheesecake bites in the freezer section at Target, I was sold. They met my criteria: easy with no fork required and I don’t have to bake or pay like each bite is made of gold 😉 They’re fun and unique and look great displayed on a wood and marble cutting board (this one would look great too). Other desserts I’ve used in the past are mini-doughnuts and mini-pies and of course cupcakes (better for the bottom-line when they’re made by a friend!).

So all together I spent around $50 for the all of the party decor (not including pieces I already had). Which is the way I like it 😉 and if you order online you can use the coupon code SHAMROCK for an extra 10% off (valid until 3/21), which definitely helps with that $50 price tag.

What are some of your easy entertaining tips? Any tricks on saving money? We’d love to hear them! Leave us a comment 🙂

Find your style @targetstyle

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Copy Cat Chic Giveaway | Zabada Clean

It’s Monday and you all know what that means 🙂 It’s giveaway time! And today I’m revisiting one of my favorite brands, Zabada Clean.

I posted about Zabada last year and talked about how their unique microfiber cloths and mits were able to replace all of my cleaning products, remember? I figured I’d check back in with you guys and let you know if I’m still using my Zabada products or if it was just all talk 😉 Well, I’m happy to tell you that I use them everyday. Yep! Everyday. The Kitchen Glove makes cleaning Conrad’s high chair a breeze. I wet it and then wipe and that’s it. The floor cleaner cleans so well too! I’m super happy with all of my Zabada products.

In fact, I love them so much that I wanted to work with Zabada again. Let’s talk about the bathroom.. There’s no way you’d want to use your kitchen cloths to clean the bathroom and vice versa – no matter that they clean up 100% of the bacteria. It’s just not going to happen. That’s why you need the separate cleaning clothes for the bathroom. Zabada makes it easy for you to remember which is which too – the bathroom products are a fun light aqua-blue color. Yay!

Now for dusting…We get so much dust around this house! I like to keep the windows open as much as possible, which means lots of dust : So my dust glove and marvel really make it easy to wipe down any dusty spots. It’s super fast and clings to the dust. I used to use disposable Swiffer dusting wands, which were okay, but so wasteful. I now have my washable Zabada dust glove and haven’t looked back.

Here’s a look at what my bathroom cleaning caddy used to look like…

And here’s what is looks like now 🙂

I keep my dusting products and my bathroom products together in the same caddy because it’s so empty 😉 I no longer need a single bottle of cleaner! That makes me happy 🙂

And one of you will be just as happy because you’ll get to win a Zabada Dust Glove, Dust Marvel, Bathroom Glove and Bathroom Marvel of your very own – a $140 value. You can enter to win below using the rafflecopter widget!

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