Marmoreal Monday: My Favorite Products

What do you know, it's Monday! That means another post of random ramblings from yours truly!

I don't know what to talk about, and I've rewritten this sentence a dozen times.

I have a kind of peculiar beauty regimen, as I refuse to put any kind of chemicals on my body, i.e. no shampoo, toothpaste, etc. I also really love alternative, natural approaches to health. So, I'm going to share with you my can't live without products/supplements etc.

Disclaimer: I'm some random person on the internet. Don't take my life advice. This is the stuff I do, and that does not mean you should do it. If something here piques your interest, research it on your own or talk to a professional before you do anything. Once again, I have no qualifications to be giving out advice to anybody about anything. I also have no affiliation with any of the following companies/brand names.

Beauty/Personal Care Products without which I Cannot Function:

1. Organic, All-Natural Honey. Preferably clover honey. It tastes really good, and it's also got all sorts of anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory properties, so I use it on any cuts I may have. It also draws out infection, which is great as well. Additionally, honey is incredibly moisturizing as well as cleansing. I put it on my face when I first go into the bathroom to shower, so it sets while I'm gathering my things, turning on the water, etc., and use it to wash as well as moisturize my face. I do the same for my hair; honey basically replaces shampoo for me. 
2. Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. I use this for everything. It replaces lotion, conditioner. etc. etc. for me. I put it on my hair for moisture as well as to protect my hair in the event I want to lighten a lock or two (I have dirty blonde hair, so I can use lemon or other natural substances to lighten a few shades). I use it on my entire body instead of a chemical-laden lotion, and I shave my legs with it (though I don't do it right, apparently, as it hurts quite a lot). I also use it for the practice of oil pulling, which involves swirling a teaspoon to a tablespoon of oil around in my mouth for twenty minutes. This detoxifies the body, and I've noticed my teeth are whiter. My favorite brand is Tropical Traditions, as I find that they are simply the best I've ever used.
3. Turmeric. I use this to brush my teeth with after oil pulling, as it also whitens the teeth and is good for the gums. I also mix it with milk and put it on my skin, as it lightens skin a bit to get rid of dark spots, and generally brightens my complexion. 
4. Sea Buckthorn Oil. This stuff is the best. It's bright orange and I get it imported from Siberia. It fixes all my skin problems, from acne to redness to stretch marks. It is a miracle in a bottle for me. 
5. Boar Bristle Brush. It distributes the natural oils from my scalp to my ends and is the best brush I've ever had. 
6. Horn comb. (Yes, animal horn. Usually ox, sheep or yak.) It's made of keratin, which is the same substance from which hair is made. The first time I used one of these I did not lose a single hair on my head. 

Supplements without which I cannot Function:

1. Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Purified Fish Oil. Yes, there are cheaper brands out there, but I use this brand because it's just so pure, and you don't get any nasty environmental toxins like mercury with it. Plus, it has EPA and DHA, which is what I want, instead of the cheaper ALA type Omega-3 I don't really want. I get the 180 count and take two a day (the recommend amount).
2. Nature's Way Alive! Max Potency MultiVitamin. This stuff is great because it has so many herbs in it, as well as food-based sources of all the good vitamins that I want. It's phenomenal, really, and it's so natural and chemical-free and I love it! I buy the 180 count, and usually only take one or two a day (less than the recommended amount), as I feel I get a lot of nutrients from my food. 

There you have it! I'm still reading Origin, by the way, so look forward to a review of that! 

Marmoreal Mondays!

I've decided to do a new thing where I talk about something that isn't solely a book review every Monday. It's called "Marmoreal Monday" for no reason other than a) I couldn't find a synonym for "personal" that started with an "M" and b) I really, really like that word and would like to see it used more widely.

Ahem. Moving on.

I mentioned in a recent post that my favorite author was Maggie Stiefvater. I dislike the idea of having one author that is your "favorite" per se. However, in terms of YA Lit, Maggie Stiefvater is an author whose books I have had really, really strong feelings about pretty much since the I started reading her.

Basically, her Shiver Trilogy (Shiver, Linger, and Forever) is such a unique interpretation of werewolves and the romance so real and so ideal and so ... so ... I'm having a hard time articulating this, but it's one of those romances where I get that feeling of my heart being squeezed from all the emotion, and it gets difficult to speak. The feeling that is the origin of the phrase "your heart's in your throat," basically.

I also absolutely drool over her Books of Faerie (Ballad and Lament). First off, anything for folklore, particularly British or Irish folklore just gets me. (Seriously, I bought everything Amazon had from Katherine Briggs, who is pretty much the biggest name in that area). Second, I LOVE the whole "faerie" concept. (NOT Tinker Bell, like, traditional faeries. The next series I'm delving into is by Nancy Werlin and includes Extraordinary, Impossible, and Unthinkable. It involves, you guessed it, the world of the fae. So you can see, I'm really into it.) Finally, she just makes everything real, you know? Like, I believe because Maggie Stiefvater wrote about it. She just makes her writing so alive.

My favorite book from her is The Scorpio Races. One, Sean is the kind of man one can only dream about. I mean, of course, a relationship with him wouldn't really work in real life (at least for me, anyway), but it's liked he walked out of a legend. The whole book is, really. Everything is ancient and full of myth and time and meaning AND I LOVE IT! The way she writes the world is the way I wish I could see it all the time.

Her Raven Cycle (The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves, and two more, I believe, yet to be released) is also one of my favorites. First off, ley lines? Glendower? I am all over that. One, it made my British history class actually relevant to my actual life for the first, last, and only time, but, damn, was it worth it. Two, no one handles legends as well as Maggie Stiefvater. The way she described Cabeswater and nature and the connection the characters' feel towards it is just so... stirring.

Also, I highly recommend you check out her website or something, because she is also awesome as a person! (She has tons of pets and plays the bagpipes. Really. Now, go research her, I promise you will not be disappointed with the way in which she embodies awesome.)

In short, Maggie Stiefvater is my favorite author because her books are just that good. The characters, the plot, everything is awesome. However, what really does it for me is a little more intangible than that. I want to throw around the phrase "speaks to my soul" ... however, I don't want you to think I'm off my rocker and leave. Oh, hell, it's not like anyone's really reading this. The novels of Maggie Stiefvater speak to my soul. Just the way she describes magic and legends and things ancient and eternal just gets me the way nothing else ever has. Seriously, I believe in the world because Maggie Stiefvater wrote about it.

I'll freely admit, I've always been a bit weird...i.e. attributing odd little things to elements of supernatural/folkloric natures is something I've always done, and I've always been obsessed with the past and the fae and magic and such. HOWEVER, my love for Maggie Stiefvater is completely independent of that aspect of my interests and if you have never read anything by her, I HIGHLY recommend you do so right now. Seriously, you don't know what you're missing.