My Favorite Things: Olive Oil

This may seem like the strangest blog post ever, but I love Olive oil. Maybe it's because my last name comes from the Italian meaning someone who grows olives.

Olive oil has many important uses. It has many health benefits including preventing colon cancer and heart disease and lowering the incidence of gallstones. Extra Virgin olive oil, which comes from the first round of pressing also has high levels of antioxidants, Vitamin E, and fatty acids which are extremely important for healthy skin, hair and nails.

My List of Uses for Olive Oil

1. Salad dressing (with a little bit of balsamic vinegar YUM!)

2. Moisturizer

Pour some into your hands and massage onto your face and body. Let it soak in for about 5-

10 minutes and then wipe excess off with a napkin or rag.

3. Hair Treatment

When my hair gets dry and damaged I massage some into my hair and scalp. Let sit for

about 30 minutes, then shampoo and condition.

4. Eye Makeup Remover

Soak a q-tip or a cotton ball in olive oil and gently rub to remove any remaining eye

makeup.

5. Cooking

So many uses for it in cooking! Use as a substitute for butter when cooking eggs or sauteing vegetables. Drizzle on pasta for a quick and easy sauce. The possibilities are endless.

Follow in the path of the Ancient Greeks and Romans and utilize olive oil!

Love, Anna

My Favorite Things: e.l.f Makeup

About three years ago I made a discovery. While I was in the pharmacy I saw a rack of makeup with items costing only one dollar. That is right, ONE DOLLAR.

dolla dolla bill ya'll

I thought to myself, "this has to be too good to be true, or some kind of sick joke". But oh no, I was completely wrong. This was the start of a beautiful romance between e.l.f and me. One of the things I really like is that they have three product lines so you can shop according to your budget.

First there is the e.l.f. Mineral Makeup with prices starting at $5 for both makeup and brushes. The pigments are beautiful and very long lasting. I especially like the lipsticks.

Next, there is the Studio Makeup with prices starting at only $3! Last week I bought the most amazing color palette. For $15 I purchased 100 eyeshadow colors, which comes down to $0.15 per eyeshadow!

Finally, there is the Essential Makeup like for all you girls on a tight budget with products starting at $1!

The best part about e.l.f. is that there are always send me coupons. Free shipping, buy one get one free, 50% off my purchase, free eyeshadow with the purchase of a brush... yay for deals!

I bought ALL of this for only about $25! 100 eyeshadows, mineral mascara, mineral lipstick in Nicely Nude, and lip and eyeliner brushes. Seriously, such a deal. I really cannot stress how much I love this company.

Have a lovely day and shop smartly!

Anna