A Trusted Friend in Donuts

Quest for the Best: Mission:: Vegan Donuts

Okay, so a lot of dairy consuming, flesh eating, silly people will often claim that sticking to a Vegan lifestyle requires one to sacrifice too many favorites and is just less delicious in general, therefore they could never. Ignoring the fact that 98.44% of the time they are speaking off pure speculation, I'm here to tell you...ANYTHING YOU CAN EAT, I CAN EAT BETTER. You know facts? Yeah, this is one.

The prize perfect example can be found in a trusted friend...Donut Friend to be exact. These are donuts done differently and by differently, we mean Vegan. Free from all animal products including their tears. These donuts are softer, fluffier, sweeter and more melt in your mouth than any donut I've ever loved. Flat out, double blind taste test or whatever, its just a fantastic donut.

 

(From L to R, Top Row to Bottom: Polar Berry Club, Bacon 182, Fudgegazi, Strawberrylab

)

It's true there are a lot of vegan products out there that don't taste great, but I want to help guide you in the right direction. Unfortunately, Erin McKenna’s Bakery in Larchmont does not represent in the donut department. Cute shop and stuff, but they just don't get it like "Friends" do. So take my advice, make the trek to Donut Friend in Silverlake and experience bliss. Oh! And, they also offer an assortment of fillings and toppings for DIY donuts. Genius.

My intention is to seek out the best of the best of all Vegan everything so that when those sillies try to stump me with some food that can't be made amazingly vegan, I will have the rebuttal lined up and ready to be devoured.  

Nothing Short of Epic (Mineral Beauty)

Hey Internet-Land, I'm back with another make-up review! So, in this second edition of The Quest for the Best: Mission Make-Up, I'm breaking down my experience and impressions of Epic Mineral Beauty. Fact of the matter is, "Epic" is an accurate characterization. This make-up is a winner!

This company made my short list of brands to try, boasting minimal ingredients, no chemicals, and vegan options. Automatically, I appreciated their beautiful, easy to use website and variety of color options. Plus, they offer a quiz to help you determine the right colors for your skin tone! I ordered some samples of the powder foundation and the under eye concealer, which has actually become my go-to for all over coverage and the powder foundations feel lightweight and fresh.

I was so pleased with these testers that I went back for more and when I did their website was re-vamped with more new products and colors! I ordered the Pink Coral Pure Mineral Blush or Lip Butter, with Shea and Jojoba, and the Browns Trio Pressed Eyeshadow and with those two additions, I have almost replaced all my old toxic favorites.

 

Blush, Eyeshadhow Trio, Under Eye Concealer & Adaptive concealing Cream

In addition to great products, they also have beautiful packaging and great customer service. I look forward to testing out more of their creations and I'm thankful for the uprising of responsible brands offering safe and cruelty-free products. Keep up the Epic work!

          

         My Epic Mineral Beauty Face             

Yoga Mat Misty Eyes

It's the first day of my new blogging schedule, from now on every Wednesday is my day to write a little something. Cruising around social media for inspiration, I found it from my favorite online yoga teacher, Maris Alyward and Yoga Upload. She shared a post from Yoganonymous about crying on your yoga mat. I didn't even read the article, Maris' brief narrative and pressing of question "Have YOU cried in yoga?" was all  I needed to get my fingers moving.

Short answer, yes. I have cried on my mat many times. Usually its a song that gets me. Specifically a song the brings me back to my yoga home of Pavones Yoga Center in Pavones, Costa Rica. My time practicing, learning, teaching and growing in that studio along side trusted friends, inspiring spirits and like minded individuals are some of my most cherished memories. My experiences at PYC are filled with so much love and personal transformation that each time I am transported back there through song, scent, thought or image its as if my body relives each moment in a condensed flash of gratitude. And the waterworks flood in.

(me, not even close to crying at my first PYC teacher training in 2012) 

Other times mat tears result from a personal situation that resolves itself as I weep through a pose or two. To experience emotional pain in conjunction with a challenging pose creates a channel for that pain to escape from your physical body. A release of unprocessed emotions. Deep hip openers like Pigeon or Frog pose are usually a culprit for this kind of clearance.

As a teacher, only a few misty-eyed students have graced my classes, but each time I've felt a deep sense of connection and compassion for their process. I feel honored that they have chosen to allow themselves to be so deeply personal in the yoga space that I helped to create for them. Not to say that sobs are required by any means, but crying on your mat brings you closer to yourself and opens the way for you to experience the spiritual essence of yoga which can often be omitted from our Western mind and practice. So maybe? Next time? just let it flow.