Liv's Radiant Rawnola Recipe

This Rawnola is the perfect snack when you have a sweet craving, a yummy dessert and perfect topping for smoothie bowls!
Best of all it's packed with vital nutrients for radiant skin and overall health.
Oh, and did I mention that it's super quick and easy to make?

If you haven't heard of Rawnola before: It's a cereal substitute for baked crunchy granola.
While it does get crumbly it stays chewy and tastes more like cookie dough. Yummmmmm!
If you prefer more crunch add some "Buckinis" which is Activated raw Buckwheat to the final mixture. As always use certified organic ingredients of the best quality and without any additives or preservatives.

Equipment:
You can use a food processor or high-speed blender. I used my Vitamix. It's important to only use the lowest setting and not to overdo it with the blending! And a jar for storage. That's it!

Ingredients:
1 Cup of Organic Oats
1 Cup of Organic Dried Mulberries
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
2 Tbsp Chia Seeds
1/2 a Cup Coconut Flakes or Shredded Coconut (organic and preservative free)
10 Dates (in the pictures I ran out of enough Dates and added some mixed dried berries instead, you can also use just Mulberries and other dried berries, but Dates are stickier and have the perfect sweetness)

How To:
Basically, you just chuck it all in and switch that thing on. I like to add two dates at a time and blend, add another two and so forth until you have the right sticky/crumbly texture.
Start with the Oats and add Mulberries then add all the other ingredients and 2 dates.
Blend. Add another two dates.... Until done! You might have to give the jug a shake ever so often.

I hope you enjoy! And don't eat it all at once ;)

New Vegan Arnica Concealer By Ere Perez

The other day I received a beautiful package with the latest Natural Concealers by Ere Perez.
I had a chance to play with them and really like the colour selection.

The timing was great too, as I just got a pimple (the first one in over one year! I have been blessed with great skin during pregnancy and so far during breastfeeding) This little Arnica Concealer was hiding my spot very well and it healed very quickly.

Coverage:
These little pots are packed with pigment and cover blemishes with ease. I was impressed.
Full scores for coverage!

Texture:
The texture is creamy but quite dry, perfect if you need your concealer to stay put or for combination/oily skin. I mixed some with my moisturiser for other areas of redness, around my nose etc and it worked well and gave me a very nice finish.

Ingredients:
These concealers are vegan and full of great, natural ingredients, like Arnica that actually help to reduce inflamation and redness. Again, another plus when using this to cover Acne, pimples and similar skin conditions. No nasties in here either.

Use:
Best to be used with a synthetic concealer brush.
When used for the under eye area, hydrate and prep skin well beforehand with a good eye cream. Then gently pat the concealer into the skin. Same goes for dry areas.
I also find this works well mixed with a little moisturizer for a medium all over coverage to even out the skin tone.

The packaging:
Little Glass Jars look and feel luxe while being easy to recycle.

The Verdict:
I really like it. I think every concealer has a strength.
They are either perfect under eye or blemish concealers. And while this one is a multi tasker I feel it's strength lies in covering blemishes, uneven skintone, pigmentation etc.
This one is a full coverage concealer. And it's amazing for all the above.
I personally prefer lightweight, liquidy and lightreflecting concealers for the under eye area, but keep in mind that you can achieve great results with this if you hydrate well with eye cream and prefer a full coverage.

Beauty Hacks For New Mums - MASKS

Masks are like a mini facial at home. They are so fun and give your skin a boost.
While finding time to mess with a traditional clay or creme mask can be tough, I have found some clever next generation masks that are perfect for new Mums. Or at least they work for me :)
I have been drafting on this Beauty Hacks post for a while and I always end up adding more and more tips and content...
This is not just for Mum's but for everyone that is time poor but feels in need for some special treats and boosters :)
I am in no way suggesting that Mum's need to look good at all times. I personally love to pamper myself a little bit and do something healthy for myself. Nutrition, rest, movement and meditation are most important as self care! But there is nothing wrong with Masking either :)

So: I was deciding to turn this into a little series instead!

1. Overnight Masks - Think Sleeping Beauty
While we miss out on a little bit of our beauty sleep we can help our skin by using night time masks. The next generation of these combines cleansing actions of clay masks with hydrating and regenerating oils for the perfect balance. Of course, you can use them during the day too.
I put mine on the evening when we sometimes get to watch a movie (or Star Trek Episode... we are totally addicted guys! How good are all these old Star Trek Episodes?) or read or chat. By the time we go to bed it has absorbed enough so I can leave it on over night without making a mess. It actually happens pretty quickly but I don't want to risk smothering my pillow cases.
If you want to apply it right before bed, use a thin layer instead.
The next morning my skin glows! I then wash my face as usual and am fresh for the day.

There are two new masks that I like:

Divine Ultra Perfecting Mask
Ultra Perfecting is a pretty high claim. What is perfect anyways? I surrender to the imperfect beauty of things these days...
But: This mask does really balance the skin. It's a clever combination of White Clay (cleansing), Hyaluronic Acid (hydrating) & a combination of nourishing oils. It's certified organic and without nasties.
 

& Sleeping Beauty Purifying Mousse
This has made me waking up radiant, which is pretty amazing. It's a real treat to use in the evening especially since this has the most luxurious natural scent of Rose Otto! But besides that it feels good for the soul the ingredients are top notch.
 Australian Pink Clay and the volcanic mineral Zeolite purify the skin, removing impurities to prevent breakouts whilst at the same time support skin cell renewal and rejuvenation. Avocado Oil (5 Alpha Avocuta) reduces excess oil production and soothes whilst Acai and Snowflower Seed Oil hydrate and nourish the skin, promoting flawless radiance.

2. Sheet Masks

I can't get enough of sheet masks. Easy-Peasy, rinse free and immediate results. Can be used any time of day! These are best for an immediate glow effect.
My favourite is this one, which I have already told you about.
Make sure not to use Sheet Masks on very dry skin though, you want to moisturize and treat your skin first. Sheet masks are hydrating boosters but they don't offer the richness or comfort of a cream mask. That's why I love them most in warmer weather! Also perfect for holidays, for plane travel and to bring to little getaways.
If your skin is dry/flakey you want to use a balm or right night cream as a treatment instead and use the sheet mask when your skin is back to normal.

I hope you got inspired! Mask On Mamas!

Jane Irdeale's All New Gloss & Spring Collection

The look above can be achieved with Jane Iredale "Rose" Lip Pencil and "Pink Lady" PureGloss on the lips and new PurePressed Eyeshadow Kit "Naturally Glam" and "Clearly Pink" blush!
Editorial for Hello May Magazine photographed by Steve Baccon

One more month of Winter left, it's time to get ready for Spring! Whooop!
I just received the brand new stunning Jane Iredale Spring collection with newly formulated vegan Lip Gloss and beautiful new shades.

As always, everything is very wearable, beautifully soft and neutral colours, classic red lips "Gwen" and three beautiful glosses. To be honest, I was worried when I heard they changed their gloss, as it's a real favourite product of mine and I thought it was perfect. Well, turns out there was room for minimal improvement and I still love the new PureGloss. Even a tiny bit more.
They have more of a lemony scent but nothing overwhelming or artificial and the texture feels even lighter and less sticky. Other than that they are just as great as usual: Hydrating, super-glossy and very well lasting for a gloss! It comes in three colours which are all great.

I already loved using the new colours and can't wait to play some more with them.
Jane Iredale, you are just sooooo good in making cruelty-free, toxin-free makeup that is professional quality! Thank you!

Most Jane Iredale Products are vegan, even the lip gloss and lipsticks!
(With very few exceptions The Crayons and Lip Plumpers sadly do contain beeswax/lanolin, some products contain Royal Jelly or Carmine. They have a great website though, which clearly states vegan or non-vegan products, so there is no confusion! Again: All products are certified cruelty-free though)

Also: did you ever check out all the One Minute Makeup Looks, I created for them last year?
It was just a great and fun experience, yet bad timing. I just found out I was pregnant and the morning/all day sickness was in full swing. Yet it was still a secret, so I flew over to Noosa, all green in the face filming all these videos. Super long days on my feet and I was feeling soooo squeezy guys. It's funny when I think about it now. I am still wondering if people thought I was a bit weird on set...
Anyhow, there is your fun fact and check out some of the videos for quick makeup inspiration!

The Beauty Archive- Scandinavian Vegan Lipsticks

More More More great vegan lipsticks!!!
You have been warned I wanted to step by step give all my favourite vegan lipsticks their very own blog post.

Today I am telling you all about The Beauty Archive, a Scandinavian organic & vegan lipstick brand.
Those Swedes are known for their great minimal design, so it's no surprise that these little lipstick pots look all kinds of contemporary and perfected this whole simplicity theme. A square little white box, black typography and a cute little glass jar filled with high-quality lip colour. They are certified cruelty-free too: YAY!!!! The glass jar can be reused or recycled!
I will certainly keep mine, they are a handy little size.

These are perfect for all brides to be, professional makeup artists and the every day green beauty goddess alike. There is the Wedding Collection: The lip balm is called Wedding Cake! There is also a shade named "I DO" as well as "Bridesmaids Blush" which are very pretty pink hues.
The colours are all spot on, very wearable and just beautiful!

For me as a pro artist, the packaging is fantastic, as I apply lipstick always with a brush and have to scoop or scrape the colour, so there is no point in having a beautiful bullet lipstick...
For personal use, I love that a jar encourages people to apply lipstick with fingers, which always gives such a beautiful finish!

What else can I tell you about these beauties? They tick all the boxes: Great quality pigment, soft and creamy to apply, hydrating and have a good staying power.
There are a few different finishes and types:

The Lip Balm
Called Wedding Cake is a sweet little thing. Does what you want it to do makes your lips look luscious and hydrated.

The Lip Tints
When pressed into the lips and used and blotted correctly these cutie pies have a good staying power. All shades are real winners! Leaving a very contemporary stained finish on the lips they are amazing for every day or if you love that more effortless look.

The Lip Creams
Come in two shades: A classic Red and a perfect nude. They are called Timeless and Effortless and that says it all really. They are creamy and have a really nice lipstick texture, not sticky or gooey. Just a really good lipstick.