Things I’m Lovin’

Beauty, Flatlay, Fruits, Lifestyle, Things I'm Loving, Uncategorized58 Comments
 This post contains a few affiliate links, which means I will earn a small commission if you happen to make a purchase through the link. Thank you for supporting Dream of Adventures, as always all opinions are my own. 

I want to start by saying thank you to everyone who left such thoughtful and sweet messages on my Hiatus post. Each comment put a smile on my face and it was fun to read what you would like to see more of on my blog, which was mostly my travel posts. I would love to constantly be sharing my travels but as you know I have a job and so I can’t jet around the world all the time. But I do have some trips coming up in the next two months and I can’t wait to share those adventures with you. In the meantime I’ve thought of a few things I am loving right now =o)

| Books |

Who doesn’t love finding a good book to curl with up with at the end of a long day. These are the latest books I’ve read and both of them were so good I couldn’t put them down. If you have any recommendations of books let me know =o)

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If you are feeling like you need some inspiration and motivation in your professional life than be sure to pick up How to Be an Overnight Success: Making It in Business . I bought this book after reading about it on Career Girl Daily and thought I’d give it a quick read. Written by Maria Hatzistefanis, the founder of the skin care company Rodial, this book is a must for anyone who is in need of motivation. My favorite quote is “success is about the relentless pursuit of what you want and hard work is an essential ingredient”  – Maria H.

I could not stop reading Crazy Rich Asians and the moment I finished the book I went to download the sequel onto my kindle.  Crazy Rich Asians is the first book of the Kevin Kwan trilogy and follows the story of a young Singapore guy, Nick Young, who brings his American girlfriend to Singapore to meet his family for the first time. But the Young family isn’t like any other family, they are one of the wealthiest and most influential families in all of Singapore. The events that begin to unravel as you met each character while make you laugh, cringe and not want to put the book down, I am almost done with the final book of the series. The trilogy has been such a hit that a movie is being made and premieres this summer!

   

| Food |

I love food which if you have been following my blog for a while now you know =o)

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Papaya – this has been one of my favorite fruits for a while but lately I have been reading more about the benefits of eating papaya daily. Now I make sure to have a few servings of papaya with my breakfast or throw it into my morning smoothie. Eating papaya every day is great for digestion, helps improve your hearth health, can promote weight loss and can help regulate your menstrual cycle. I prefer buying the big papayas from Mexico since they don’t have any GMOs.

Aloe Vera –  I didn’t know you could eat aloe vera until a few weeks ago. I had thought it was for your skin when you have a sunburn but there are actually a lot of great benefits to eating aloe vera. Containing more than 20 amino acids that are an essential part of muscle tissue production, aloe vera also helps with boosting the oxygenation of your blood, can function as a sports drink for electrolyte balance and boosts cardiovascular performance. Not bad for a plant leaf. You can get an aloe vera leaf at WholeFoods and cut it up and freeze it. Next time you make a smoothie just add in a few slices of aloe vera.

| Beauty |

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It’s almost summer and that means we will all be out in the sun more often. Having sunscreen is essential and I’ve been looking for one with strong protection. In the past I didn’t mind what sunscreen I used but now that I’ve become more aware of the effects it can have on my skin and the environment (did you know legislators in Hawaii have succeeded in banning the sale of sunscreens that contain UV-filtering chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate that are harmful to coral reefs). I’ve found the perfect sunscreen that doesn’t contain either of the UV filtering chemicals, is paraben free, oil/PABA free, vegan, cruelty free, gluten free, non-comedogenic and retinyl palmitate free – Sun Bum. Not only is it good for your skin but also the environment and it smells like bananas!

| Anything Kiehl’s |

When I first started blogging I would read about Kiehl’s products and hope that one day I could afford to buy one of their face care products. Today I can and I have begun to prioritized skin care into my budget. The first Kiehl’s product I bought was the Midnight Recovery Concentrate last summer. Since then I have been using it every night and love how my skin feels the next morning. From there I became addicted to their products, here is a quick review of their products I own –

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Midnight Recovery Concentrate – love it, wear it every night and can see how refreshed my skin looks in the morning. Just ordered a new 1 oz bottle which lasted me almost a year.

Ultra Facial Cream Moisturizer – perfect for the dry California heat and was especially nice to have in Whistler with me.

Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado – I put it under my eyes every morning to reduce puffiness, works like magic.

Pineapple Papaya Facial Scrub – not only do I love to eat papaya but I love the benefits of it in this scrub. It’s gentle and refreshing on the skin.

Super Fluid UV Mineral Defense – I only wear this when I am outside for a large part of the day. There is a tint to it which is perfect for when you don’t want to wear makeup. Also bonus, doesn’t contain oxybenzone and octinoxate

Calendula Herbal Extract toner –I’ve never used toner and had to google how to apply it =o) It has a soft smell and seems to make my skin smooth in the morning.

Cilantro and Orange Extract Pollutant Defending Masque – Tried this for the first time since it was a sample I received during my last purchase. I wish I had known about this mask when I lived in Chicago and had to deal with pollutants every day.

| Yoga |

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Yoga by Candace – I like to mix up my yoga practice with classes at my studio but also enjoy a few sessions on my mat at home. When I’m not feeling creative enough to come up with my own flow I like to watch one of Candace’s videos. I found her channel a few years ago and even attended one of her workshops in Chicago where she signed her book Namaslay for me. Over the years I have found several yoga youtube channels but Candace’s has become my go to. Not only does she offer vinyasa style videos but she also has HIIT workouts and guided meditation. I love the variety of classes and also the level adjustment she offers so anyone can do her videos. One of my favorite videos of hers lately is her 30 minute hip opening 

Meditating – my morning meditation has become my favorite ritual to start the day. It’s been a few months now that I’ve started to meditate daily and I can see the effects it has had. My mind feels less chaotic and there is something so nice about having five minutes to myself with no distractions. Rarely do we find time now to just sit still.

There you have a few of the things I’m lovin’ right now. I had fun putting this post together and sharing with my favorite things with you. Let me know in the comments below if you liked this post and what you are loving right now =o)

x the Adventurer

Copyright © Dream of Adventures 2018. All rights reserved

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Travel, food and wellness blog written by a twenty something year old girl always dreaming of adventures with a cup of coffee in hand.

58 thoughts on “Things I’m Lovin’”

  2. I’ve been looking at Kiehl so it’s nice to hear you’re loving it! I’ve been wanting to try out yoga and meditation too – my work just relocated and there’s a yoga place two doors down, I’ve just been too busy with the whole move to check it out yet!

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  5. I am obsessed with Papayas as well! I just tried yoga and I think I am going to implement it in my daily life routine haha
    I also need to check out these books you recommended!!! Thank you for sharing them ❤
    xx
    Selina | Selina’s Inspiration

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  6. It’s always understandable when you have to take some time off. Life first! I can’t believe Crazy Rich Asians is becoming a movie. I need to get on board with Kwan’s books because it looks like something I would appreciate. Love how you’re enjoying some good food. I never figured out a way to make aloe vera taste good from the plant itself. Now I know!

    Love how you’re getting some exercise in. Thanks for sharing your faves!

    exquisitely.me

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  17. How lovely you’ve got into yoga and meditating lately! I started practicing mindfulness at the beginning of this year and found any of the stretches to be most helpful and so I think I will also take up yoga soon! 🙂 Have a lovely week babe…

    aglassofice.com x

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  21. Such a wonderful idea to add aloe vera to a smoothie! We don´t have Whole Foods here in Spain, so I order from Iherb or Vitacost, and they have aloe in juice form, but it´s so heavy that you can´t add to the box anything else (they limit weight for packages to Europe!) – your post gave me some motivation to finally buy one!

    And I will definitely get Crazy Rich Asians cause I lived in Hong Kong (never been to Singapore) and I really wanted to read something like this lately! Thanks for the inspiration

    Have a wonderful week!
    Anna
    http://atlifestylecrossroads.com

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    1. I’m so happy I’ve inspired you to get aloe =o) Also if you’ve lived in Hong Kong then you will also find this book good, they mention the city a few times and parts of the books are also there =o)

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  22. Ok I need a baby bump retreat at your place! Everything looks so calm and peaceful, where you are…. And sunny!
    Enjoy, my darling

    X Louise

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  27. Nice of you to be back with these things that you’re into. I’ve been wanting to read Kevin Kwan’s book even the first one only and your post has reminded me. I love papaya for breakfast and there’s this Aloe Vera drink in Asian shops that I’m hooked at the moment.

    http://www.busyandfab.com

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