40 Days of Decrease review

I kept seeing this book, 40 Days of Decrease by Alicia Britt Chole, pop up on my Instagram and decided that maybe I should try it out (I’m a sucker for book recommendations!) It was on my Book Look bloggers book eligibility so I went for it. Plus, it was an excellent resource for Lent!

I used it as a devotional, which is how it is designed but without dates so you don’t feel like you have to read it on certain dates. I mostly read it for the first half of Lent but tapered off when life got so hectic I didn’t get a chance to read much (for me, this was a disaster but hey). I still feel like I got a pretty good idea of the book overall and even if it seems more geared toward the Lenten season, I think it would also be great during any big change, or a fast.

Each day usually has a bit of religious history, a quote or Bible verse, a personal story, reflection, a small section relating to Lent, and a fasting idea. Not a fast in the traditional sense, though one day does have that. More like try not to use your phone, reflect on a certain topic, don’t be a hermit and go out to see a friend, prayers and questions to ask God.

Like I mentioned above, it is a great book for the Lenten season, but I think it would do anyone good to read it during a transition period, spiritual fast, or just as a devotional.

I received this book from BookLook bloggers in exchange for my opinion, which are my own.

Oz Naturals Eye gel-review

I said I was on a mission to find a good eye cream and I was not kidding! Next up is Oz Naturals Super Youth Eye Gel. One of the first things that drew me in was “100% natural & 75% organic.” So many products have names and chemicals, that even when I research them, I have no idea what they are or where they came from! It’s also in a gel formula, which is different than the one I previously tried, and the one I tried after it.

OZ Naturals was founded by an esthetician, and is supposed to help with dark circles, wrinkles, and puffiness. I only really have constant issues with the dark circles but have some wrinkling mixed in with them that popped up recently (I’m assuming it’s due to lack of sleep.) Puffiness occurred for a few days but it’s not a daily concern.

So I used this product for approximately two weeks. Which probably isn’t fair to it to be honest, but I did see results during that time! The little wrinkles under my eyes went away and the circles diminished a bit as well. Love it! The only reason I stopped using it is because prior to receiving this, I had purchased another expensive cream to try so I felt I needed to use it as some reviews mentioned it starting to go bad after a short time.

It does have a slight smell, but it’s more like aloe than anything weird or chemical. I would absolutely recommend this to someone, especially if they have eye puffiness issues as it helped a great deal with that the one or two days I had that occur. My dad happened to be visiting and tried it one day (he has constant puffiness) and was impressed as well! Normally, I’d share pictures but I somehow managed to lose them…oops!

I was given this product free in exchange for my opinion. I’ll be doing an eye care round up post soon as well!

 

Yoga!

I really enjoy doing yoga, and I know millions of other people flood yoga studios every day. However, I haven’t ever actively attended yoga classes. I prefer yoga on my own time at home. So, YouTube has become one of my best friends! There are many other sites to find great yoga videos and I’ll list some ones I’ve found useful.

Yoga With Adriene is one that I have followed for quite a while. I love her kind of spazzy personality, her Texanness, and general quirks. She takes yoga seriously, but not herself and it shows on the videos (in a good way!) She doesn’t expect everyone to be able to do all of it and speaks about her process and how far she’s come in certain poses. Below is the link to her 30 Days of Yoga which is a great starting place, and I loved it. I still use some of the videos in my daily practice. (And she’s the only one on this list I’ve had the pleasure of taking a real class with since she’s here in Austin!)

 

The next couple are from Do You Yoga, which is a more recent site for me but I have learned a lot through their videos and teachers.

14 Day Yoga Body Challenge is an unusual yoga challenge in that each day focuses bringing awareness on a different body part. It has helped my yoga practice immensely.

These yoga people like their challenges! This one is another 30 days with Erin Motz on Do You Yoga and is on YouTube as well.

YouTube, of course, has a ton more yogis to learn from, these just happen to be my personal favorites and the ones I feel have helped me improve my practice the most. There styles are fairly different but all seem inviting, unimposing, and loving to me and I enjoy my practices with each one.

Tara Stiles is a really popular yogi (she works with Deepak Chopra and other famous people often it seems like). Her videos can be a lot faster paced than any of the above, but some might like that. I throw some of hers in occasionally, especially when I have a specific need such as core work, or flexibility. I’m linking to playlists of several series she has with Livestrong woman, as they are a great starting place!

Livestrong Woman Yoga series!

 

I hope someone found something useful in this list! I really enjoy these ladies (sorry, haven’t found any men yogis that I have practiced regularly with yet!) I might do a round up of some of my favorite yoga, or at home work out products if anyone is interested.

Header image from Yoga With Adriene.