A Latte Lipstick

Archives for September 2014

7 Lessons to Be your Best Self

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Life can be so ridiculously stressful. Everyone agrees. Life can throw a wide array of troubles our way, just because it can. How do you handle it?

Don’t ever judge other people’s stressors, we are all so different. Regardless of what causes it, we all have stress.  Lately, I have been feeling so overwhelmed and have no idea how some people balance it all. How do people do it?! The most important thing is to push past the stress and keep working on yourself, your soul is an unending project.

I think that you have to learn how to balance and reevaluate your priorities, then reevaluate again, see what works for you. You have to keep everything in perspective, try your best, not be perfect, make mistakes, learn, excel, fail, move on, and just keep on moving toward your best self.


Here are some powerful quotes from inspiring women who somehow do it all and stay sane.

The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.
– Anna Quindlen

It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.
– J.K. Rowling

Whenever I feel bad, I use that feeling to motivate me to work harder. I only allow myself one day to feel sorry for myself. People who complain really get on my nerves. When I’m not feeling my best I ask myself, ‘What are you gonna do about it?’ I use the negativity to fuel the transformation into a better me.
– Beyonce

Learn how to take the worst situations and let it be the catalyst for our undoing, which is then our transformation.
– Eve Ensler

When faced with sexism, or ageism, or lookism, or even really aggressive Buddhism, ask yourself the following question: “Is this person in between me and what I want to do?” If the answer is no, ignore it and move on. Your energy is better used doing your work and outpacing people that way. Then, when you’re in charge, don’t hire the people who were jerky to you.
– Tina Fey

Even though I am extremely blessed to have accomplished many of my goals at such a young age, I am still reaching, still striving.
– Jennifer Hudson 

My goal now is to remember every place I’ve been, only do things I love, and not say yes when I don’t mean it.
– Sandra Bullock

Now go out there and reevaluate, appreciate your life, and be awesome.

Healthy Banana Bread Muffins Without Butter

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Banana bread should be made healthy, appreciated immensely, and enjoyed often. The combination of chocolate and banana bread is too delicious!

These Banana Bread muffins, or should I say Banana muffins?, recipe uses no added sugar and no butter! It’s moist, delicious, and great for breakfast! Any excuse to make banana bread regularly, I’ll take.

Creating muffins instead of bread means that it can be done in 20 minutes versus 60 minutes. Quicker baking time means that it is quicker in your tummy…as it should be.

Every morning should be sweet, don’t you think?

Nothing smells better than the small of baking Banana Bread. They are great for bribery too. If anything can get you out of bed in the morning, these muffins can. Banana Bread muffin with a cafe latte…match made in heaven. These are also great to grab running out the door.

Anything that is sweet that I can enjoy without too much guilt is perfect! My sweet tooth is out of control sometimes and these are great to satisfy me.

Banana Bread Muffins Ingredients

2 Eggs
3 Smashed Bananas

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

1/2 Tsp Salt

1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips

3/4 Cup Honey

1/2 Cup Apple Sauce
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (optional)

Banana Bread Muffins Directions

Preheat to 350 degrees.
Stir the wet ingredients together. *eggs, apple sauce, honey,bananas
Stir the dry ingredients together. *flour, salt, baking soda, protein powder
Combine together.
Add in chocolate chips and/or walnuts.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.

What do you like to eat for breakfast, when you want something sweet?

Simple Tip to Protect Your Eyes

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I recently diagnosed myself with Photokeratitis. It’s not as bad as it sounds, yet it can be quite harmful if it’s recurring. Photokeratitis is a temporary sunburn of the cornea.

My eyes have recently been completely blood shot, watery, and just so uncomfortable. This time, for the first time ever, it wasn’t from my contact lenses but because I wasn’t protecting my eyes against the sun. How careless.

Sunglasses are so stylish and such a great statement piece, yet they’re one item I have never really had a thing for. You could say we just didn’t see eye to eye. Cheap joke. As of late though, I have realized how important it is to properly care for your eyes.

Sunglasses aren’t just for looks, not protecting your eyes is quite dangerous! Excessive sun rays, natural or unnatural, can lead to quite terrible eye problems, not just photokeratitis. More serious problems like cataracts, macular degeneration, and many more troubling sounding diseases. When you’re older you will be happy you cared for them!

So do what’s right…purchase some sunglasses that protect against UV rays. Below are some of my favorites that I have my eye on.

Ray Bans, Tory Burch, Prada, Kate Spade, Michael Kors

Benefits of Raw Chocolate

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If you are on a raw food diet, props to you. It makes perfect sense to eat more raw, living food. Raw food advocate’s diet is based on not eating foods that have decreased nutritional value due to overheating. To be considered raw, foods cannot be heated over 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Raw food aids digestion, stimulates the immune system, provides good bacteria, clears skin and is high in nutritional value. Sounds like a smart move to me, but a challenging one to follow 24/7!

The redeeming aspect of this diet is that you can eat chocolate. Yes, really, chocolate. However, it has to be raw chocolate. Raw chocolate has been known as “Food of the Gods.” Raw chocolate has to be made with love and care to taste like the chocolate bars we all know and love, like Hershey, Dove, etc. Raw chocolate makers have to be careful to not make their bars too brittle and tasteless. Without being able to roast them, it’s a challenging process to get all the delicious warm flavors out of the bean. Don’t despair if the raw chocolate bar doesn’t look quite as pretty, they taste good!

Raw chocolate leads in providing the highest antioxidants, even beating red wine out with around 30 times more! Raw chocolate also has a lot of anti depressants. Enjoy whenever you’re feeling a little blue or sick.

Photos via Pacari, Fine and Raw, Raw Chocolate Company

Any Katherine Hepburn fans out there? She apparently ate an entire pound a day and says it’s what kept her ageless beauty!

So this week, buy some raw chocolate to enjoy and consume it without the guilt. Store it in a cool dry place, you can keep it in the refrigerator!

Find Yummy Raw Chocolate:

Raw Chocolate Company
Fine and Raw Chocolate
Pacari Chocolate

Do you have a favorite Raw Chocolate recipe?

How to Style Boyfriend Jeans

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Do you have boyfriend jeans? I have desperately been searching for over a year. None of them had perfectly fit, and you just can’t get boyfriend jeans that don’t fit right. They’ll either look way too big or just like loose holey jeans that you need to retire. Neither look is preferred. But lo and behold, I found the perfect boyfriend jean…FINALLY!

Aren’t we just a world of opposites? We have the options between skinnies and boyfriend jeans. I know which pair I’m picking when I’m feeling on my larger side 🙂

So how should they fit?

Boyfriend jeans should fit loosely around your frame but not swallow you. They are typically straight legs that are cuffed. I like the added wear and tear of rips at the thighs or holes in the knees. Boyfriend jeans should be slightly roughed up. Your boyfriend doesn’t wear pristine jeans does he? Might as well go all in.

When boyfriend jeans are too loose, sophistication is lost and it quickly becomes a disheveled look, in a negative way. It’s important to properly balance the look. You walk a fine line between looking cute and feminine or looking like … well, your boyfriend. I have seen some looks that have simply been stunning or simply horrid. Go with the prior.

Adding a piece of glitzy statement jewelry is a great option to add to the look and feminize it. Love a simple low heel pump with this look too.

Looks to steal::

Boyfriend Jeans with…

Parka & Fedora
Leather Jacket & Tank
Black Blazer & White Tee
Plaid Button Up & Sparkly Necklace