Alix: star necklace | pendant | top | jeans | slides Heather: pendant | cardigan | dress | slides
I’m loving the Drunk Elephant products but I’ve been advised by my dermatologist to add retinol into my skincare routine since I have acne prone skin. How do I incorporate it and in what order?
Retinol is the tried and true product for preventing wrinkles and treating acne prone skin but be careful because not all retinoid treatments/serums/creams are created equal. Also, it’s a fairly harsh chemical and something Drunk Elephant will advise against but we totally get it.. retinol does the trick. First and foremost, start small and only apply 2x a week at first (and at night only) because your skin will more than likely peel and get pretty dry. Also, it is recommended that you don’t mix it with other serums (they become less potent this way and basically cancel each other out) so for your nighttime routine (2x/week), wash your face with DE Jelly, (or whatever cleanser you use) skip the TLC, apply a small amount of your retinol serum and finish with moisturizer. Pure retinol serums that I’ve researched and have received outstanding reviews are here | here | here. Start with the less potent formulas like .5%.
Of course, there are others but I have seen those three pop up time and time again and when I am no longer pregnant, I will be investing in one of them. I try to avoid retinol that is combined with a bunch of other products (like retinol with C or E vitamins) because my DE products already have those ingredients in them. I just want pure retinol to incorporate. Now, I am no skin care expert and you should always listen to your dermatologist but this is what I (Heather) have researched and been advised by my own doctor.
Heather- I saw your melanoma scare on Instastories and curious how you discovered it, what the freckle looked like before your biopsy and what the course of action was to remove it?
Let’s just say that my skin scare really shook me and now I am as crazy about sunscreen as ever. I plan to write about my entire experience for Monday’s post so stay tuned for additional details but basically, I went to the dermatologist on a whim.. and because Alix told me to.. and within a couple weeks, I had been diagnosed with early stage melanoma. It typically hits women, in their child-bearing years, on their legs. Check. Check. Check. I have freckles all over my body (no moles) and being a Southern California girl, I grew up in the sun.. and to this day, I am a sun baby. Don’t take me to the snow. Anyways, I didn’t go to the dermatologist because I was suspicious about anything.. nothing on my body looked abnormal to me. The doc surveyed me, saw a weird looking freckle and asked how long I had it. UNSURE, lady. So she took it off and bam, melanoma “in situ” (meaning on site.. contained in one spot, hasn’t spread to the tissue YET). A couple weeks later, they dug it out and now I have gnarly frankenstein stitches on my leg. I am still waiting for the results to ensure they got it all off but from here on out, I have to be seen by the dermatologist every 3 months for the next year, and then every 6 months after that.
I can’t stress enough the importance of getting your skin checked, ladies.. especially those who are pregnant or who have had kids. The extra estrogen in your body makes cancer cells metastasize and if I hadn’t gone to the doctor, I have no clue how long it would have taken to possibly spread to other areas of my body (it first goes to your lymph nodes then to other major organs like your brain). Skin cancer is some scary shit.. so don’t mess around. Just seeing your Primary Care doctor once a year isn’t enough. See a dermatologist.. an MD.. who is specialized in this field and get your body checked from head to toe.
I feel like Costco was never known to carry the more high end, healthy food products but that seems to be changing. Curious what your Costco grocery cart looks like on a monthly basis?
Welcome to the dark side 😉 Kidding…Costco has definitely stepped up their game since we were kids! To be honest my husband works right by Costco so he does the shopping there so I haven’t have a chance to cruise the aisles in a while. They carry a lot of great organic products if that’s your jam. We don’t typically buy any fresh produce there because we won’t go through it fast enough.
Here is a list of items I know they sell and we will often buy: Kombucha (the brands they carry seem to change), coconut water, La Croix or Spindrift (can’t currently find at our Costco though!), Perfect Bars, almond, cashew, and peanut butter, unsweetened almond milk, chia, hemp and flax seeds, organic maple syrup, organic coconut oil, Chosen Foods avocado oil and avocado oil mayo. I also always get a huge bag of almond to make my almond milk. Kid specific items we buy are the organic apple sauce squeeze packs, string cheese, and Annie’s mac & cheese. We tried their fruit snacks and Quinn refuses them soooo if anyone needs like 50 bags of fruit snacks let me know 😉
I know there are A TON more items they carry that are great finds…so I’ll put together a post on this soon! What are you faves?!
I’m attending a wedding in Napa at the end of the month and need an outfit for wine tasting during the day and a dress for the reception. Any cute finds?
From what I recall, Napa is still pretty warm at the end of September so I’d go romper, jumpsuit or wrap dress for wine tasting. Loving this (yes you can wear white after Labor Day)| this (finally on sale!) | this (Express has some super cute options and loving the pink) | this.
For the reception, I am obsessed with this | this | this
Alix help-I have a flight at 8:00am to Vegas and headed straight to a pool party. What can I quickly grab at the airport to eat that won’t bloat me in a bathing suit?
Fun! If you’re looking to grab something at the airport I would opt for the Starbucks oatmeal (sans the dried fruit and brown sugar) and add nuts or nut butter for protein and fats. I would probably even add an extra hard boiled egg if that location sells them individually for extra protein to hold you over. Boring option I know, but most of the Starbucks hot breakfast items are LOADED with sodium. The sous vide bites and reduced-fat turkey bacon sandwich are the lowest in sodium and just drink a bunch of water and you’ll be fine. Can’t go wrong with some oatmeal and a side of protein though! I’ve also seen some of the shops at the airport carry bars like Perfect and Rx (or you can bring your own). Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated 😉
For my smoothies should I use both a protein powder (Vega vanilla) and collagen peptides (vital proteins) or one or the other?!
Good question! You could definitely do one scoop of each in your smoothie as they both offer different benefits. What I like to do is use a protein powder like Vega, Garden of Life, or Aloha in my smoothies which will also add some flavor (choc or vanilla) and I do Vital Proteins daily in my coffee. I don’t have a smoothie daily, so I want to make sure I’m getting in collagen everyday in my coffee.
Heather- which breast pump do you use and do you think it’s worth getting a hospital grade pump and/or something battery operated?
As someone who used to work in the healthcare/insurance industry, the first thing you should do is contact your insurance carrier and ask if they cover a breast pump because most do. I got a Medela pump through my employer for free and never had to return it. I quit working and still have the pump to this day. However, it does need to be plugged in to an outlet to work, which is not always the most convenient way to express milk. Luckily, I am able to pump in the comfort in my own home but some women aren’t that lucky and may have to pump in a bathroom or even in their car (which is so awful but it’s the truth) and in that case, you’d need a pump that is battery operated. This adapter works for the same pump I have.
I have never had the greatest supply of milk and have to supplement with formula but after I had Cam, I rented a hospital grade pump from my doctor’s office and honestly, I didn’t notice a huge difference in the amount of milk I produced. Some women are just blessed in that department and I’m not one of them. So this time around, I’ll stick with the Medela I received through insurance and supplement when needed. Hope this helps!
Alix – Thank you for the helpful information on calcium/magnesium ratios, and how this affects our bodies. Would magnesium supplements in pill form be just as helpful? Would you recommend taking at night, as with the “tea?”
Thanks for this question because it made me do a little more research on magnesium which seems to be a supper hot topic right now especially in relation to how it can improve sleep. Magnesium is an essential mineral and plays a significant role in our body’s overall health status. One of the big role’s of magnesium is its ability to affect our sleep.
Here is a little clip from Psychology Today on magnesium and sleep: “…Insomnia is a common symptom of magnesium deficiency. People with low magnesium often experience restless sleep, waking frequently during the night. Maintaining healthy magnesium levels often leads to deeper, more sound sleep. Magnesium plays a role in supporting deep, restorative sleep by maintaining healthy levels of GABA, a neurotransmitter that promotes sleep. Research indicates supplemental magnesium can improve sleep quality, especially in people with poor sleep. Magnesium can also help insomnia that’s linked to the sleep disorder restless-leg syndrome.” Read more here.
So to answer your question it appears that whether it is in supplement and/or food form the RDA is around 350 mg/day and that is a conservative number. Absorption is dependent on an individual’s magnesium status…so if you’re low in mag you’ll absorb more and vice versa. …so taking in the CALM tea, pill form, or even a magnesium rich snack before bed could improve sleep quality. You can also take an Epson salt bath and your body will absorb magnesium that way as well. So much to learn about this powerful “relation” mineral!
Thanks for sending us your questions! Have a great weekend xx
