Fall-Out: Tropical Skin and Hair Savers

Tropical Skin and Hair Savers by elbonner featuring Malie Organics bath & body products

Well, I can safely say that I have had enough of cold weather. I had a cold and windy run this morning, and even though last week I got a teensy bit excited about fall stuff, I have totally gotten that all out of my system. I am now in full-on tropical mode and wishing for warmer weather, big flowers, palm trees, and warm water. No pumpkin spice concotion or Christmas cookie can give me the sort of joy I get when I walk out of my front door without having to wear a goddamn jacket. Layering is the worst; don't deny it! Even though my city is not going to turn into tropical paradise anytime soon (hurry up, global warming), there are still things I can do to make my life a little more "paradise" and a little less "please kill me, it's cold". Tropical ingredients are great for relieveing winter skin woes too; too much sun=dry skin just as too much cold/wind= dry skin. I can at least use some fabulously scented products to keep my skin and hair in tip-top shape so I'll be totally bangin' by summer's arrival!

Body

Organic Fiji Nourishing Lotion- A thick, yet wearable daily lotion that's good when you need moisture, but still need to put skinny jeans/leggings on. This will keep you just a moisturized as a thicker lotion due to the high fat content from organic coconut oil, but sinks in faster so you can get ready faster!

Hei Poa Monoi Oil- I will always sing the praises of monoi. It's great for skin and hair and I always have a bottle of this handy in the winter and summer time. In winter, I put it on under a body butter when my skin is really dry and unhappy and I'm taken away to a tiare-scented, moisturized skin paradise!

Macadamia Nut Oil- Excellent for dry or mature skin; oils are great for your body no matter what season it is. Macadamia oil is rich, but soaks in well to keep your skin flake free even in the coldest of places!

Malie Plumeria Beauty Oil- This really is a beautiful product. Made in Hawaii with native ingredients, Malie Organics makes you feel like you're miles away from dead leaves and dangerously aggressive holiday shoppers. This oil comes in all types of different scents, but plumeria is my favorite!

Saffron James Nani Perfume Oil- Don't spray yourself with alcohol-laden fragrances, use something that benefits your skin and lasts longer! You're going to be power blasted with full, Arctic-force winds until March, so why not use a perfume oil that stays on a smelling great. Saffron James makes the best perfume oils and are all based on famous Hawaiian scents. WIN-WIN!

Pure Fiji Body Butter- For when a lotion isn't enough, this super rich body butter comes in scents like coconut, pineapple, mango, and starfruit to keep you comfortable and smelling nice! Made with Fijian ingredients, it's the ultimate skin-based escapism!

Hair

Macadamia Oil Hair Mask- Rich moisture for wind and cold-damaged hair. Winter really sucks the moisture out of my entire being; my hair included. This masque is great on a cold, rainy Sunday when I can keep it in for a few hours to really let everything soak in.It works great in a pinch, too, and can give you soft, shiny hair after only having it in for a few minutes.

Shea Moisture Coconut Hibiscus Curl & Style Milk- This thick cream is best when left on damp hair to dry naturally. It gives me soft, shiny waves without any gnarly dry ends. I also use this in my hair before and winter surf sessions to keep the cold salt water from double-destroying it. Smells AMAZING!

Alba Hawaiian Hair Products- I basically love the entire Alba Hawaiian line. I haven't tried one product that I wouldn't buy again and again. They're hair care line is great for everyday care; sulfate-free shampoos that don't strip moisture and light-but-moisturizing conditioners that don't weigh your hair down with too much product. Plus, they smell like what I believe heaven smells like. My favorites are the plumeria shampoo and gardenia conditioner. 

Winter can be a tough time for skin and hair, and super tough for those who would rather smell like a tropical flower garden than a cinnamon smothered Christmas tree. So if you're a fellow winter-hater, get some warm, tropical scents in your life and pray for warmth!

Underneathe It All (Not the No Doubt Song!)

When summer starts to wind down, all I want to do is be in the water. Unfortunately, this time of year is prime time for jellyfish spawn which makes the water around my area feel like you're swimming through partially-formed Jell-O that can hurt you.  Hooray! I wish I had better access to a pool without having to bother other people to use it, but I can't complain! I was spoiled last year going somewhere with beautiful, warm, clear water that had a bunch of cool creatures swimming around in it that was calm enough for me to see further underwater than I ever had before! Here are a bunch of beautiful photos that I find myself constantly looking at, wishing I was there floating around. All are care of Pinterest, my ultimate daydream machine that's chock-full of awesome underwater photography. Enjoy!

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Well, that's enough for now. If you don't already want to dive into a clear body of water, then you certainly do now. Have a good weekend everyone!

WTF, Emily: Where The Hell I've Been

I think it's safe to say that sometimes you just don't have the umph to go the extra mile. Sometimes you just want to be a lazy lump. That is where I've been the past few weeks (oops!). I had a week off from work, and even though I didn't go away on vacation, I spent my time doing stuff that I like to do. I stayed busy without having to worry about running myself ragged. At work, the week before my vacation was a scene straight out of Satan's butthole and all I wanted to do that first day off was crash and relax. I wanted my week off to be low-key and low-stress and it was! I took a few pictures so let's force you to look at those now!

We went on a ton of walks around our neighborhood.There are a bunch of hibiscus flowers blooming at the moment and I always take the time to stop in appreciate them. They make me feel like I'm some place tropical! The pink ones were in a small park on one of our walking routes and the flowers, I swear, were almost as big as my head. Hooray for freakishly big flowers!

I like that my city is old (too bad it's sinking). There's a lot of cool architecture and neat little places tucked into neighborhoods that you wouldn't see from the main roads. 

I went thrifting and found some cool records! This one is a compilation of all those songs that remind you of vintage Hawaiian news-reels and movies. I was worried that it wouldn't play, but I figured even if it didn't I could frame the cover. I got the soundtrack to South Pacific too which has a big ol' picture of Tahiti on it which is always a plus.

I ordered this book almost two months ago and Amazon finally got it in stock. It's a the "sequel" to the Surf Cafe Cookbook which is awesome. This one is more about the whole beachy lifestyle and includes ideas on decorating your house, creating a useable garden, and it also has a bunch of really good-looking recipes. Click HERE to get yours!

It was wonderful waking up later than 6:30in the morning, eating a good breakfast, getting some exercise and sunshine, and having a no-stress time with the BF. We even saw a sweet zipline park not far from us that we will probably frequent once the tourists get the heck out of here. I hope you all are enjoying your summer and denying that it will ever end. I watched The Endless Summer whilst doing my laundry and wished I lived in a place or had the ability to go to a warmer place in the colder months because last winter was the winter from Hell, but it just gives me something to look forward to in the future! Have a good week everyone!

Oh, and here's a picture of a praying mantis that landing on my windscreen and looks like a space monster attacking the city:

 All hail the Mantis!

Mini Photo-Diary: Lazy Life

I'm not that lazy. I did wash and vacuum my car (half-assedly) and I grilled up a really awesome lunch of salmon and veggies, but I did spend the majority of my day laying in the backyard. I wasn't really feeling up to doing a lot today, so I did one thing for an hour and let is count for the other 23! Being lazy for a day is fine as long as that day doesn't extend into like 8; but summer is made for lazing!

I started my morning off with a Pitaya (dragon fruit) smoothie with some granola for added crunchiness. I like Pitaya (available here) because it tastes like a strawberry mixed with a pineapple and it makes everything freakishly hot pink; just how I like it!

I loaded up my cooler bag with all sorts of drinks, fruits, snacks, and even my thermal water spray. I love this Foodland bag. My mom and I were kicking ourselves for not bringing some back when we went on our trip because they were all over the place and so cute. I actually found this one and another one at an Asian grocery store here in VA. Don't know how they got there, but thanks anyways! And no, I didn't steal them from under someone's shopping cart!  I'm also obsessed with Vita Coco's Coconut Water Lemonade. It's coconut water and lemon puree and it is sooo good. I've been on a huge lemonade kick lately and this made my summer even better.

Speaking of thermal water, a friend told me this La Roche Posay thermal water was available at Target ($12), so I hauled ass over there and got the biggest can I could find. Thermal water may just be mineral water in a can, but the mister on these things are stuff of legends. I stick this in the fridge, transfer to the cooler, and mist myself like some sort of Beverly Hills trophy wife whenever I get a little parched. I love it, darling!

Sorry for my nasty feet, but I love my new polish (which you can't see very well) from Sally Hansen called Make Waves. I think it's from their triple shine line and it's a rich turquoise with a lime green shimmer. Soooooo beautiful; it reminds me of the color of the water in Hawaii. I also like my hot pink, plastic Adirondack chairs. They're all over the place here in the southeast and I think they're great!

It was pretty warm today, and I'm also forcing myself to drink more during the day so I invested in a really nice water bottle.My boyfriend actually got one of these first and it has been a lifesaver on our backpacking and beach trips. This bottle from Klean Kanteen in insulated and can keep drinks cold for up to 24 HOURS. There's nothing better than taking a icy-cold sip of water after a long day backpacking when your Camel Back water is like drinking water that's been sitting in your car all afternoon. I highly recommend this bottle for anyone who like things to stay cold. It keeps warm drink warm for up to 6 hours. It says you can even keep soup and spaghetti in it. Hell yeah, spaghetti on the go! Today, I filled my bottle with ice cubes and some pink grapefruit flavored Perrier. Mineral water is good when you're out in the sun, because it helps replace any minerals you sweat out throughout the day. Plus, it's almost like a soda due to the fizz, but no calories!

And finally, you can't have an outside day without a good magazine. This one was all about moving to tropical island and was basically written for me. 

I hope you all enjoy your weekend and get some time outside! Bon weekend!

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Summer Trend: Palm Fun-Day

Palm Fun-Day by elbonner featuring H&M

A new summer trend is afoot and I couldn't be anymore excited about it! Palm trees are all over everything this summer and it's about damn time! The most majestic and tropicool of all trees are everywhere and they make me want nothing more than to be lounged under one, drinking too many rum punches, probably super close to total dehydration. If that happened and I had a coconut palm nearby, I could just drunkenly crack open a coconut (probably with my phone or a stray snorkel) and rehydrate with some life-giving coconut water! God bless the humble palm tree! I have collected some of my favorite palm-themed items to make your home and wardrobe a little slice of paradise!

For The Home

Beach Towel- H&M

Throw Pillow- Williams Sonoma

Duvet Cover- H&M

Men's Clothing

Balki Shirt- Rip Curl

Sundays Boardshort- Billabong

C&F Era 59 Shoe- Vans

Ladies Clothing & Accessories

Maili Clutch- Samudra

Grey Palms Classics Shoes- Toms

August Salt Palm Tank - Piperlime

Playa De Palm Sock- Stance Socks

Knee-Length Print Dress- H&M

So if you're hankering for a tropical vacation every day of the week, plaster yourself in palm trees and consider yourself on permanent island time. Palm it up!!

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Totally Selfish Birthday Wants!

Birthday Wants! by elbonner featuring a black nail polish

I don't care if it's childish or even a bit selfish: I love my birthday! It is the one day out of the year that I try to have some real balls-to-the-wall fun that is centered around the joyous fact that I was born. I find a lot of joy in celebrating other people's birthday too; getting them gifts, going out on the town, acting like a kid again, and just being around the people that you love. That and the cake, always the cake. I hadn't really thought about what I really wanted for my birthday, and even if I don't get one thing that's on this list, I don't care because I still had fun making it. I just like making collages, okay! This might even be a good idea-collective for someone else's special day, you know, for the beach-lover in your life! I may be getting closer to my thirties, but I still have a good time on my birthday! Come on, April 19th!

L-R
 Shibori Designs and Techniques by Mandy Southan
Surf Photography of the 1960s and 1970s by LeRoy Grannis
The Bobber for GoPro Hero 3
Cleobella Mexicana Wallet 
The New Black Ombre Nail Polish Set in Wave
RockaBella Jewels Shark Tooth Earrings 
Free People "Knobbly Minimal Ear Cuff"
Goldfish Kiss "Aloha Print Life" Mug- Society6
Ecote Orange Mochila Bag- Urban Outfitters
Raen Optics "Lenox" Glasses in Matte Brindle

Birthdays are important days. Not just for partying down and eating whatever you want, but for appreciating yourself. Even if you don't do a lot of celebrating, give yourself one special day out of the other 364 to celebrate you! Birthdays Rule!!

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