everyday allegra » Allegra - Portland lifestyle blogger with a love for travel, vegan food, houseplants and the perfect cup of tea.

Winter Skin | 100% Pure

Hi loves! I wanted to share some amazing skincare products for winter, and spotlight one of my favorite natural brands: 100% Pure. Having acne-prone AND dry skin can be a real challenge. Products made for acne-prone skin are often drying, and products made for dry skin can be way too heavy and pore-clogging. However, all of these products from 100% Pure have left my skin really happy and hydrated! They contain no harsh chemicals, dyes, sulfates, or artificial fragrances.

A lot of face cleansers can really strip the skin. However, I’ve been LOVING this Argan Oil Creamy Cleanser. It has a lovely orange scent and leaves my skin so fresh and soft! Since it’s very mild, I like to use this after I’ve removed my makeup, or in the morning. It’s definitely suitable for sensitive skin, and I love that the main ingredient is aloe.

100% pure The Aqua Boost Hydrating Mask is my #1-holy-grail-can’t-live-without-it product. It’s a super moisturizing face mask, but during the winter months I actually use it twice-daily like a face moisturizer. It is one of the only products I’ve found that keeps my skin super hydrated without being heavy or clogging my pores. I used to load up on lotion at night, only to wake up with a greasy breakout. Now that I’ve found this product, I’m never going back!
13722195_1211681355531764_2055235580_n(1) My favorite way to keep my eye area moisturized is the Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream. It reduces puffiness, brightens dark circles & smells like a vanilla latte! It really wakes up the eye area, which is perfect after an all-nighter, an ugly cry session, or just a Tuesday morning.

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The last product I’m loving is more of a splurge for me: the Vanilla Bean Whipped Body Butter. I normally go for basic unscented body lotions, but I really couldn’t resist this one. It smells like vanilla frosting and is just so buttery and creamy and decadent!

I honestly haven’t tried a product from 100% Pure that I didn’t love. They have a ton of skincare products and a great line of fruit-pigmented makeup (which I might just need to do another blog post on). Really my only complaint is that the packaging contains plastic, but at least it’s post-recycled plastic.

Right now they’re having a fun promo where you get gifts with your purchases! You can either get a set of skincare minis and cruelty-free makeup brushes, or a mascara and lipstick (depending on how much you spend). Definitely go check those deals out here.

Here’s to surviving the winter…Stay hydrated, snow bunnies! xoxo

*this post does contain affiliate links, but all opinions are my own. I don’t share any products on my blog that I don’t believe in.

Tips for a Greener Kitchen

At the start of 2017, I took a peek into my kitchen and decided to make some changes toward a more eco-friendly existence. It’s still a work in progress, but here are my tips for creating a greener kitchen:
Replace plastic. Plastic puts a huge strain on our environment, especially marine life. When you can, choose materials like wood, steel, aluminum, or glass. These materials are more durable and easier to recycle or dispose of later. If possible, replace your current plastic items before they break. That way you can donate them instead of putting them in a landfill. Some easy options pictured above: stainless steel measuring cups and spoons, a wooden dish brush, and bamboo utensils. All under $10.

Eliminate single-use paper products. Paper napkins, paper towels, paper cups, paper plates. They’re convenient, but they’re not necessary. Recycling centers won’t accept paper products if there’s food stuck to it, so it’s a huge waste. I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve only recently quit my paper towel addiction. I purchased some cute cloth napkins to ease the transition, and I love them!

Invest in high-quality cookware. Stainless steel or cast iron are great options. If you care for them properly, they can last you a lifetime. Plus, they won’t release toxins into your food like teflon or other non-stick coatings. My personal favorite is cast iron!

Reduce food waste. Plan out your meals in advanced, and take inventory of your fridge/cupboards regularly. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve purchased the same thing twice or let things go bad because I was too lazy to look through the fridge. It’s something I’m really trying to work on!

Compost food waste. I wish I’d started this years ago! It’s really not that difficult, especially in Portland with curbside compost pick-up. We keep our compost in the freezer so there’s no issue with smell, and take it out every two weeks. I’m amazed at how much less goes in the trash now! Coffee grounds, tea leaves, veggie peels/scraps, etc. It all adds up! Another benefit is not having a smelly trash. If you don’t have curbside pick-up, you can also find a community compost, or take scraps to the Farmer’s Market compost.

Consider your food choices. The way food is grown, transported, and packaged impacts the environment. Consider purchasing local, organic, and fresh food. Reducing the amount of animal products in your diet is the number one thing you can do to reduce climate change, which is part of why I love eating vegan! If going vegan sounds daunting, try a “meatless monday” — any bit counts!

Remember, you don’t have to do everything all at once. Implementing just one of these things can make an impact, and it might even save you some money in the long run. Do you have any tips for a more eco-friendly kitchen?

Acne & Self-Confidence

Let’s talk about acne and self-confidence. I was just looking through some old photos for a throwback shot, when I stumbled across a few images of myself. It kind of took me back to the whole experience, and I wanted to share it with you. One year ago, I went on a little photo adventure to Joshua Tree. I had the best time exploring, meeting some other photographers and models, and taking tons of photos. I shared those images on my photo blog last year, which you can check out here.
I remember how crappy I was feeling about myself at this time. My skin was so broken out from stress and I’d never dealt with so much cystic acne before. I kept caking makeup on, which only made things look worse, and the thought of meeting new people was seriously intimidating. When another photographer asked me model for a few shots, I was hesitant. My first question was, “can you photoshop out my acne?” She pointed to her own face and said, “only if you photoshop out mine!” The weird thing was that I literally hadn’t noticed her acne until she pointed it out.
They threw a giant mustard sweater on me, I got in front of the camera, and for just a few minutes I completely forgot about my acne. It was a really freeing experience, and left me feeling amazing for the rest of the day. I often find myself not wanting to leave the house when my skin is bad. When I do go out, I worry that my acne is all people notice – I’m hesitant to introduce myself to new people, or get chatty with baristas/cashiers/etc. But thinking back, if I could model for strangers when my skin was at its worst, I think I can do anything. Besides, most people are too busy thinking about their own flaws to notice everyone else’s.
So here’s a little encouragement to not let your insecurities stop you. Keep trying new things and meeting new people. Jump in front of a camera even when you feel crappy. Yes, the magic of photoshop is real (as you can see by my “flawless” face in these pics), but the magic of self-confidence is even better. When you carry yourself with confidence, people get the chance to see your best self. You might even get a chance to see it too. xoxo
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Portland Snow Day ❄

Portland had a record snow fall this week, with up to 15 inches in some areas. It felt like a completely different world. We were without power the first day, so we adventured out to stock up on food.
Everything looked so magical, and everyone was so friendly. We were SO excited to see that Rae’s was open so we could warm up with a hot meal. It was hard to resist taking a million photos, with all the new textures and tones outside. While I snapped pictures, Zachary turned into a child and made snow angels, snow balls and snow animals for most of the afternoon. It was definitely cold and cozy without power. We pulled out all the blankets and candles in the house and hoped for the best. We were about the eat cereal for dinner, but I had a major craving for Thai food. Zach jokingly checked to see if anywhere was delivering , and Postmates was! It took two hours, but it was totally worth it. For dessert we had candle s’mores, which might just be my new favorite thing. Just as we were crawling into bed with our hats and gloves on, the power came back on! It made me sooo grateful for a hot shower and a functioning heater. What’s your favorite thing to do on a snow day? xoxo

Travel Highlights Part 3 : Reykjavík

The last part of our trip was a quick stopover in Iceland. We landed in Keflavík and were greeted with crazy gusts of wind and snow. It was a dark hour-long bus ride into Reykjavík, and the anticipation was killing us! We finally arrived at the CenterHotel Midgardur, which had a lovely minimalist vibe.

Our main plan for the night was a northern lights tour by boat. Sadly the weather was too extreme, and our tour was canceled. I was totally heartbroken! But on the bright side, it gave us some extra time to relax from our flight and explore the town. Even though it was dark for most of our time there, everything was so festive and cozy!We braved the weather and walked to Vínyl, a record shop and vegan restaurant. We warmed up with tea, veggie stew, and some other little snacks that I forgot to take pictures of. We ended up going back for breakfast since it was so good!For our breakfast here, we had toast (sourdough for me, gluten-free for Zachary) with all the toppings. The meal also came with any coffee drink and juice, so I went for a coconut latte and goji berry juice. Ugh, it was so delicious! The vegan cheese (Violife) was amazing — I’ve been searching for a way to ship some to the States ever since. Once we had a few hours of daylight, we finally got to see how cute and colorful everything was. We made our way to Hallgrímskirkja, which is supposed to have an amazing view of the city. I was dying to get a cool shot from above! Sadly, the church tower was closed from the storm. Noooo.With the few hours we had left, we checked out some little shops and found some snacks for the plane ride home.By the time we were done shopping, we were drenched! We stopped back at our hotel to warm up with some tea, and then it was back to the airport.
It was a very cold, very short stopover, and definitely left me wanting more. Icelandair has amazing travel deals, so I definitely think we’ll be back…only we’ll make it a much longer trip next time!