Shift Happens!

Bombshells, I'm headed to Los Angeles!

Wait, I already live there.

Okay, well anyway, I'm headed to Shiftcon!

What is Shiftcon? It's a super awesome convention for green living bloggers like yours truly. I'll have the opportunity to meet and learn about companies that are invested in bringing us products for a greener, cleaner, healthier life. I'll have the opportunity to learn from experts in many different fields about many different topics to bring YOU more information and knowledge. I also have 6:30 AM yoga, which I'm slightly less enthusiastic about since I'm not a morning person.

But regardless, this is going to be amazing and I can't wait to share all of my newfound knowledge with you all.

Here's an excerpt from the official press release:

Taking place in the heart of Los Angeles at the Crown Plaza, ShiftCon is the three day catalyst that will help further empower those who shape the conversations filling our social media news feeds and status updates. Many of the attendees have already done that, being featured in stories on Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, USA Today, Babble as well as broadcast television (Dr. Oz, CNN, CBS, ABC, The Talk and more). Three days of panels, parties, Farm to Table food trucks, keynotes from some heavy hitters and the opportunity to connect with non-profits working to change laws and get new ones on the books will have a lasting effect well beyond those 72 hours and we’d love for your reporters to come see what it’s all about.

If you want to learn more you can visit the Shiftcon website, but I promise to bring you back the most important information about products, brands, and lifestyle practices to enhance our Chemical-Free, Eco-concious, Organic lives. 

Honeybee Gardens *Queen Bee* Truly Natural Lip Stick REVIEW

I've been a fan of Honeybee Gardens Truly Natural lipstick for quite some time. So when the opportunity arose to review their newest shade, Queen Bee, I jumped at it!

Honeybee Gardens lipstick is the best natural lipstick I have found. They are made without FD&C colors, without mineral oil, without any chemicals or artificial preservatives, and are never tested on animals. NEVER.

Here's what they say about their Truly Natural lipstick:

You need the protection only a lip balm can provide. But you want the full color coverage of a lipstick. Why compromise? Our lipstick combines lip-quenching botanicals with natural mineral pigments to give you all the benefits of both! Goes on smooth for long-lasting color. PARABEN-FREE!! No mineral oil, no FD&C colors. Only natural beneficial ingredients like coconut oil which penetrates and moisturizes lips, shea butter which protects your lips, sesame seed oil to heal and soften, vitamin E as an antioxidant, and pure botanical extracts which act as a 100% natural preservative.  


This is completely true. I know, you're saying, "Shut the front door!" As an admitted lip balm lover, this lipstick does exactly what they say it will.  Every time I wear it my lips are soft, smooth, and hydrated. Plus, those safe and chemical-free ingredients means you don't have to worry about what is ending up in your body when you eat, drink, or give your honey a smooch. 

Their colors range from neutral to vibrant and never disappoint. Being a true red lover, I was very excited when they announced Queen Bee. As with most reds, always remember that your particular pH levels will effect how the color comes out. For me, Queen Bee is a gorgeous bright red with pink undertones. Perfect for day wear AND evening. The first day I received my Queen Bee I wore it to the zoo with the family. If that's not a test of lipstick, then I don't know what is. 

Queen Bee stayed true to its color the entire time. The creamy texture did not become gummy or dry, but remained smooth which meant the color stayed even as well. Here's what's most exciting about Queen Bee – if any of you have ever worn red lipstick before, you know "feathering" is a huge problem. Feathering is when the lipstick color bleeds or fans out from your natural lip line into the creases around your mouth. On this day at the zoo, as every single time I have worn Queen Bee since, there has been no feathering. Zero. Zilch. Nada. 

Because it's a natural lipstick, you do need to reapply more often, about every 1.5-2 hours, but it's a worthwhile trade off. I suspect if I had used one of their lip liners, like Fantasy, the color would have lasted even longer. And because of the soft nature of the natural ingredients, please be very careful not to twist the lipstick too high in the tube, as it will break at the base. (But that's just good lipstick care, in general). 

This lipstick is a winner in my book. I highly recommend Queen Bee and all of the other Truly Natural Lipstick colors from Honeybee Gardens.






**This product was received for review. This is not a paid review or a sponsored post. 

When I'm in Vegas, I bet on…GREEN!

Okay, not really. I don't even bet on colors when I play roulette. But that's not the point.

This year, our annual Vegas anniversary trip was moved to the weekend following our anniversary, making it a Vegas BIRTHDAY trip. My birthday, to be exact. I know you're thinking there's no way this is in line with my values of living an eco-friendly life. Vegas is blinking lights and ringing bells and thousands of cubic feet of pool water that needs to be heated and buffets full of wasted food… and yes, there is plenty of that.

Where does a Green Living Bombshell stay in Vegas that will allow her to enjoy the decadence that IS Vegas while remaining true to her eco-consious principles, you ask?

THE VENETIAN!

The Venetian, in all of its Italian Renaissance glory, is LEED Gold Certified. In fact, they have an entire TV channel dedicated to walking you through exactly how they've made huge strides in the hotel industry. From over 18,000 square feet of solar panels to reclaimed water practices to recycling not just consumer waste but even up-cycling their old towels and sheets as well as turning the unused soap left behind by hotel guests into fresh bars of soap that is then sent to African villages that are in need of hygiene supplies, The Venetian is paving the way for luxury hotels into sustainability practices.

Even the eggs on their room service menu were organic, cage-free eggs! I had an amazing breakfast IN MY ROBE while overlooking the gorgeous pools and gardens. Do you hear that, Bombshells? They set up this whole beautiful spread for me in my room and I stayed IN MY ROBE. Now that is a vacation.

And speaking of the pools, they have a specially designed water heating system that uses the natural heat of the desert along with sunlight to heat the water for the all four pools.

My room was so beautiful, and since every room is a suite, we had plenty of space to make ourselves at home. My favorite little touch was the velvet covered chair in front of the vanity mirror-the perfect place to take my time doing my make up before a night on the town. And in keeping with their sustainability practices, the sinks had low flow faucets and every single lightbulb was a long-lasting, low energy usage fluorescent bulb. Even the carpet in each and every hotel suite meets LEED Certification standards. 

All of this is due to the Sands Eco 360º Global Sustainability strategy. You can even read their environmental report  here (when the heck have you ever seen a hotel release an environmental report?)

So, not only did I get to have a beautiful, romantic, luxury-filled vacation, but I could do it with a clear conscious!

If you're planning a trip to Vegas, please consider The Venetian|Palazzo for your stay. Let the hotel industry know that these guys are doing it right.




(This is NOT a paid/sponsored post. This is my own opinion and experience at The Venetian and I have not received any compensation from The Sands Corporation in exchange for this endorsement.)