Okay so I stumbled across GOLD the other day. There is no way that I was not going to share this with you guys. I may or may not have been Googling natural wrinkle prevention solutions. (It happened, just accept it.) I am all about prevention of wrinkles and am always looking for way to keep my skin wrinkle free. On this particular day, I was feeling like I needed to amp up my regular beauty routine a little bit.

What did I find?! GELATIN. I literally have no idea how I did not think of this before. Gelatin is basically a way to reduce (yes, REDUCE) the look of wrinkles. Kind of like botox… but no needles here. I am definitely not a medical expert, so I did my research and from what I can see gelatin really does reduce the look of wrinkles!! And obviously I just had to share the love with you. Want to know what other amazing things gelatin can do for you?

Well, here’s the skinny:

• First and foremost… reduce the look of wrinkles!! Even with sun exposure!!! **Happy dance**
• Supports hair and nail growth! Again… amazing! If you have weak hair or nails, gelatin could be the fix.
• Gelatin is also known to improve your digestion.
• A minimal source of protein (protein is still protein so yay!)
• It is great for bone strength, and can help improve joint pains. I often get sore hips from running, so this is perfect for me!
• Gelatin can help detox your liver!

Okay so how does all this business work?

Gelatin is basically a colorless, tasteless, and water-soluble protein prepared from collagen! You know, that stuff that is put in skin creams and costs the price of a brick of gold? Ya, collagen skin cream. That’s a big no-no. And here’s a little fun fact… collagen can’t even be absorbed through the skin! So hah! No more expensive creams for us.

Okay so, what is collagen? Collagen is the main structural protein found in grass-fed animal connective tissue. According to this study, “collagen is one of the primary structural elements of your skin, and providing the building blocks for this important protein can ensure that your body is able to create enough of it.”

After reading a lots of studies just like the once I referenced above, and I basically whipped out my credit card right there and ordered some gelatin pills online. Click here to see which gelatin capsules I ordered (5 bottles, to be precise haha.)

What other ways can you make gelatin a part of your diet? You can order the powder straight up and just mix a tablespoon or so into your tea at night! And the last (and best option in my opinion) are the gummy jellys!!! Adult gelatin gummy bears? Yes. Please. (I may or may not already take an adult gummy bear multi-vitamin every day… they are awesome, just saying.)

I have been taking my little gelatin capsules religiously for about two weeks now and have already started to notice a bit of a difference!! Literally can’t believe it took me this long to discover this secret.

Be sure to do your own research and see if taking gelatin is right for you! This is just what I have found works best for me 🙂 ***Also: if you haven’t noticed yet, this is NOT a vegetarian product!

x,

I think I just might be the last person on the planet to have discovered Etsy. How have I been lurking the internet all this time and never stumbled across this gem of a website?! Honestly, who knows. Etsy is a site that sells all handmade products, and people can make their own little “shops!”

I wanted to share with you guys what I ordered from the cutest little shop called Primlark! I found the necklace I am wearing in the photo above, and couldn’t not have it!! Seriously so freaking beautiful! I love how delicate the jewelry is; it makes it feel so luxurious.

I also got this super simple bracelet that totally fits my style. If you haven’t noticed, I liked to keep it pretty simple with my jewelry most of the time. So when I saw this beautiful little piece, I knew we were meant to be together. For ever and ever and ever <3 I am talking about jewelry here… is this weird? Do I care? 

The prices are also super reasonable in the Primlark shop. This made me the mosttt happy, because you guys know I love a good deal! If you want to check out the Primlark site, click here. They also do completely custom orders on request!! So bomb. Love it.

Have a great day!

x,

Today I had the most beautiful and relaxing breakfast. I mean, would you look at this food?! It looked so good I almost couldn’t eat it. KIDDING, that’s just not humanly possible.

I always try and eat lots of grapefruit because of the seriously awesome health benefits you get. Grapefruit is low in calories (!!!) and super high in nutrients. There is tons of Vitamin C in grapefruit, so I always chow down on one of these if I am feeling a cold coming on. In addition to boosting your immune system, grapefruit will: increase your metabolism (sign me up!!), prevent wrinkles, brighten your complexion, decrease junk food cravings, and increase energy. Any natural food that increases my energy is basically a done deal for me. I don’t know about you guys, but I swear there are never enough hours in the day! I like being busy, so it is nice to feel alert and energized all day long.

Okay so to the muffin. Let’s be clear here, I rarely eat muffins… if ever. They are usually just (as my Dad likes to call them) “lard pucks.” Hahaha. But really, they are just filled with straight up butter (not a healthy amount, a stupid amount) and tons of refined sugar and other nasty stuff we don’t even need to talk about.

This muffin though? 110% yes, yes, and yes again. All honesty here: I definitely did not make this one. The convenience of popping into Whole Foods and picking this precious little baby up was too real. Anyyyyways, this muffin is perfectly Skinny Belle because it is completely vegan, made with squash, has very little oil (often sneaks in as the first ingredient in “healthy vegan recipes,”) and barely any sugar. Winning! Where is the fail? I totally forgot to get the name for you guys! Even though I buy this all the time I have a tendency to just point at it and say “that one.” (Oops) I will get back to you on this, promise! 🙂

Check out some of my other favourite breakfasts… here, here, here, and here!

x,

Happy Wednesday everyone! Hope you guys are all having a great week so far. I am just loving furry vests these days, and I picked this one up the other week from Club Monaco. IT’S SO FLUFFY!!! Haha seriously though. So. Fluffy. If I am being totally honest here I have no idea where my dress is from. Why? Because I temporarily stole it from my friend Elisha. Not going to lie I was the most sad to give it back. Kind of like a kid who took some candy that they probably shouldn’t have taken, but just went ahead and did it anyways. Except I am a big kid so I was responsible and got her permission. 🙂 hehe

My shoes, well, I do know where those are from! They are the pair that I can’t get enough of right now, and they are made by the wonderful Michael Kors.

Hope you like this look. 🙂 Lots of love,

x,

Smoked salmon is always such a yummy treat, and there are so many different ways you can eat it! I seriously can’t get enough of this stuff.

These little Smoked Salmon Bites are a great appy if you are having friends over, or just a nice afternoon snack. My self-control seriously diminishes when I have these babies around, I just can’t help myself!! But it doesn’t even matter because they are amazing and I love them.

What’s in it?

• Smoked salmon
• Cream cheese (don’t get the low fat kind it’s just nasty, buy the regular one)
• Purple onion
• Crackers
• Capers (I fully crushed a whole jar while making these haha! Love capers)
• Lemon

**AMAZE TIP YOU NEED TO KNOW: go to the seafood section at whole foods and buy the smoked salmon ends! These are like half the price of regular smoked salmon. They are just the bits that get cut off when they cut the salmon into those pretty shapes that they sell for the price of a brick of gold. SO, smoked salmon ends for the win! You’re welcome.

So this recipe is superrr simple. If you can’t cook at all and want to seem impressive in the kitchen, throw my little Smoked Salmon Bites together. Everyone will be all “oh my godddd these are amazing” and you will be all “ya I totally spent hours slaving in the kitchen.” LIES!! But nobody has to know. I won’t tell, promise. 😉

Okay back to the recipe. Just take your cracker and put some cream cheese on it. (SO complex, I know.) Then add your smoked salmon on top, and some thin sliced purple onion and capers on top of that! Finish these beautiful little morsels of joy by squeezing some lemon juice on top. Voila!!

There really is no actual “cooking” involved in these, but that is the beauty of them. If you are having people over, nobody wants to be all sweaty and disheveled from actually slaving away in the kitchen all day. Simple recipe = more time to spend getting dressed up. 😀

Try these Smoked Salmon Bites for an easy appy! Let me know what you guys think. <3

x,