App Attack Volume 1

Discovering new apps is one of my favourite things to do.  There are just so many great apps out there for all areas of one’s life! The list of apps that I wanted to share with you guys is so very long, so this will likely be the first part of a series.

Here are some of the apps that I’m loving right now:

Yoga Studio is the best yoga app I have ever tried.  Plus it was runner-up two years in a row for the Best Fitness App Ever for 2012 and 2013.  It comes with 75 different classes ranging from beginner to advanced poses with classes targeted at balance, flexibility, back pain, yoga for runners and even some guided meditation classes.

The pose base is huge and you can easily create your own classes by piecing together these poses or by using pose blocks included in the app such as various warm up blocks, sun salutation blocks, or vinyasa blocks.

It also comes with a calendar that helps you track your practice and, if you enroll (for free), you can earn coupon rewards from various online companies such as amazon.

The actual classes themselves have a woman’s voice talking you through the poses and giving you tips as  soothing soundscapes play in the background.  All of the classes, even the ones you create, come with a video showing how to transition between poses and proper form.  All in all a great app.  Sadly it’s only available for Apple products at this time, but according to their website there are plans to expand to Android platforms as well.  $3.99 at the app store.

Natural Goddess is a great app for any green beauty DIY-er out there.  It comes with a ton of great DIY recipes for common green beauty and home products.  The instructions are easy to follow and use ingredients that are very easy to find.  The pictures are helpful, also, just so you know what you’re aiming for!  The app is easy to navigate, and even better than that – it’s free at the apple app store!

It isn’t available for android yet, but something very similar is called Green Goddess Recipes and it’s ~$2.00

 

 

I Feel Good is a vegan recipe app/magazine in the both the apple newsstand as well as the google play store.  You have so many subscription options, which allows for so much flexibility.  If you go for their full subscription option, you will be sent 5 – 6 recipes every week complete with meal plan and shopping list to make your vegan week as easy as possible.

 

 

Another option is to use the Recipe Index to find a recipe you’d like to try and then just purchase that magazine to get the exact recipe you were looking for.  All of the recipes are super easy to follow, and are totally achievable even for those who are not super confident in the kitchen.  For those looking for new vegan recipes to try, for the busy vegan who needs help meal planning, or for someone new to the diet/lifestyle who would like some help to get started, this app is for you!  Everything I have tried so far has been delicious!!

 

 

 

Conscious Lifestyle is a digital magazine that was started about a year ago.  I signed up for it right away, as I found the premise of its initial issue very intriguing.  I was hooked right away and have been a faithful subscriber ever since.  Each issue is chock full of mindfulness articles, yoga tips, and meditation ideas.  Not sure? You get a free 1 month trial of the current issue to see what you think.  It is available for both apple and android devices.

 

 

 

 

That’s it for now.  Until next time!

September 2014 Favourites

I cannot believe that it is the end of September already!  Fall is finally in full swing where I live – the pre-autumn snow has melted, and now we’re back into some warmer weather with beautiful red, yellow and purple fall leaves.  It is truly a beautiful season – too bad the colours don’t last very long.

Here’s what I have been using a lot of this September:

Changes to my blog coming down the tube

I want to start off by thanking everyone for all of your amazing support and for the time you’ve taken to comment, email, tweet, facebook and message me over the past 16 months.  I started this blog way back when as a way to organize my thoughts as I was exploring the wonderful world of green beauty and sustainability and it has grown into something much more and I absolutely have everyone one of you, my readers, to thank for that.  Your support and constructive criticism has helped me to grow as a blogger and has brought me to a place where I am comfortable sharing more about me with you.

http://www.freeimages.com/photo/1147284

I don’t feel the need to be hidden anymore behind anonymity and various pictures I have taken of nature’s beauty.  I feel like I’m ready to be “me”.  More importantly I want to be more approachable and more accessible – I really do love hearing from you and I care about what you have to say.  Please feel free to share with me too!

So, with that being said, expect some slight changes to my posts – with pictures of me actually wearing/using the products I mention and maybe even some tutorials! (disclaimer – I’m no makeup artist, but I’m no newbie either)

Thank you, again!

Also, if there are any specific posts of products I’ve already reviewed but you’d like to see the products in action please comment below.  I already had some requests for the All Natural Face lipsticks so I might start updating my posts there.

Ananda Soul Creations

I stumbled across Ananda Soul Creations through another blog and was immediately taken by their values, practices, and jewellery. The pieces are not only stunning but are ethically and sustainably created all the while helping the Bali community and empowering women.

The necklace that I purchased has been my favourite piece to wear since the day it arrived.

Thanks for a great first year!

EcoDivaBlog officially turns one today! Thank you everyone for your support, comments, emails and tweets. It’s been a lot of fun, and I hope to continue blogging and to keep spreading the word about beautiful, luxurious and effective green beauty products for a long time to come!

March 2014 Favourites

March was a crazy busy month for me.  I just completed a lot of classroom training which meant I was sitting down at a table being lectured for 8 hours a day 5 days a week.  Ya, I know, cry me a river right?  I don’t know how your 9-to-5-ers do it.  I would like my 12 hour shift work back, please!

Most of the products I picked this month were to help combat the drying air and the resulting dull, dry skin that comes from a sedentary lifestyle.  I am so happy to have that done and over with and get back to moving again for the majority of my time at work!

But enough about me, let’s get on to the products I was constantly reaching for this month:

January Favourites

I can’t believe it’s the end of the month already!  Time for another favourites post!

Skin Care – The Damascus Rose Antioxidant Face Oil (review) has offered the perfect balance for my skin in this dry weather.  Not only that it has done great things for the fine lines on my fore head.  It just has too many excellent, anti-oxidant rich ingredients to pass up! $15 at local natural beauty stores and online

Makeup – My go-to eye makeup duo for this month has been the All Natural Face Vegan Eyeliner in Caramel Brownie and Alima Pure’s Mascara in Brown (review).  After the holidays my eczema really flared up (all that unbalanced eating, I think combined with the stress of the season) and my eyelids were so dry, flaky, and painful that even the thought of putting eye shadow on them was laughable.  I switched up the eyeliners throughout the month, but I kept coming back to this one. With how well it applies and how long it lasts you’d never know that the formula was 100% vegan and natural.  $6 at theallnaturalface.com

Body – All of these years of washing my hands so much at work has finally caught up to me; specifically, it has caught up to my nails.  They are brittle, peeling, and so very dry.  I’ve tried so many different strategies and nothing has worked.  My nails are even breaking underneath Shellac or OPI gel polish now.  I was browsing my local natural beauty store and found this little gem by Spa Ritual and the Protein Boost Strengthening Nail Treatment has absolutely turned things around for me.  Sure, it’s a bit inconvenient to have to apply it every three days, but that gives this diva the excuse to change up my nail polish often!  Strong nails and frequent home-manicures: win-win! $12 at local natural beauty and spa ritual stores.

Hair Care – The John Masters Organics Detangler (review) has been a part of my regular hair care regime for months now, but I’ve only used it as a detangler in the shower, not as a leave in conditioner.  Once I switched to using it as a leave in conditioner my dry hair was now lustrous and manageable like it was before old man winter arrived.  Even my fine hair can tolerate this product as a leave-in conditioner without getting too weighed down.  I have long hair, so the general weight of my hair pulls it down a lot, so this doesn’t really add to that.  But, if my hair was shorter I feel like I’d have to be more careful.  For now, though, this product is making me and my hair very happy. $22 at local natural beauty stores and online at johnmastersorganics.ca

December 2013 Eco-Emi Unboxing and First Impressions

Given that the postal system becomes swamped during the Christmas season I was surprised that I even received this box in December.  The great re-usable Christmas bag and fun coloured Christmas tinsel made this box especially fun!

November Favourites

Well, it’s winter here.  We have a ton of the lovely white snow and, to be honest, I couldn’t be happier.  Winter is so beautiful! It would be nice if it warmed up a little, though.  It’s well below freezing outside…

Here’s what I’ve been using a lot of in November.

Wishlist Wednesday – Multi-Sticks

The idea of multi-sticks are very appealing to me for every day use as well as for travel.  Limiting my makeup when I go travelling is always a bit of a challenge.  To have a product that multi-tasks would be ideal!

Pictures taken from ecodivabeauty.ca and freshfaced.ca