Green Goddess Guide: The Makeup Guru Behind W3LL People

Our handbags and medicine cabinets are never safe from friendly, prying paws. Whether it's a lunch date sorting through Suzanne's makeup bag, an overnight guest rifling through Lauren's medicine cabinet or a fellow yogi digging around in Katie's gym bag, our friends are always wondering which healthy products are on our radar now. We're more than happy to share - we love this stuff! - and we love to give credit where credit is due. One brand that everyone on 'Team Chalkboard' can agree upon is W3LL People, an Austin, Texas-based beauty brand whose green makeup line can be found on at least one of our mugs on any given work day. W3LL's aloe-based foundation is a daily staple, their colorsticks can hang with any conventional makeup brand, and, to add to their appeal, their team, including co-founder Shirley Pinkson, knows how to get to have a good time while getting people glowing! Shirley is the makeup artist guru of the team and obsessed with creating beauty looks that are 100% natural. Here are Shirley's own notes on favorite makeup bag staples and how she likes to get gorgeous on-the-go...



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Inside The Alkaline Pantry: 12 Staples To Stock Up On Now

Pressed Juicery consults a wide range of health experts to help train their team. Everyone from yogis to chefs to nutritionists have made their way through our doors in order to keep our staff up-to-date on the power of juicing and a healthy lifestyle. Chef John Hellmers is one of those experts. With his rare combination of classical training in the kitchen and well-informed views about the health benefits of eating an alkaline diet, John helps folks across L.A. in their quest for vibrant health through meal delivery programs, cooking classes and custom cleanses at Food With A Reason. We love to pick John's brain about how to keep ourselves from becoming overly acidic and we're always impressed with the incredible recipes he uses to get us there! We asked John which staples he keeps stocked to make the alkaline diet easier to adhere to. Here are John's thoughts and his essential picks... An alkaline lifestyle is becoming more and more mainstream as people learn more ways to optimize their body’s performance. When training as an alkaline chef, I learned the importance of starting from the basics and of cooking based on the idea that the foods we eat truly do fuel our mind and body. It is key to realize that becoming more alkaline is a lifestyle, not a diet. Things like stress, lack of sleep, drinking alcohol and what we eat are all major contributors to an acidic lifestyle. It is believed by many holistic experts that acid causes inflammation that can lead to chronic disease. Balancing the body with nourishing alkaline foods can create an internal environment that helps with low energy levels, poor digestion, weight-loss, aches and pains, and even disease. The goal is for our bodies to absorb these densely nutritious foods without adding acid-forming foods as well. Eating the proper foods, then digesting and extracting them quickly, will lead to the least amount of acid build up. Below is a list of products I use nearly every day in both my own and my clients' kitchens to help prepare the very best alkaline meals. Stock up to get on your way to a less acidic lifestyle.



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Train Like an Olympian: What Olympic Athletes Do That We Don’t

Nathan Mellalieu has trained a number of Olympic athletes over the years. He's trained his fair share of movie stars too, and we can only imagine which training sessions are more intense. As that rare season rolls around when we're all thinking of the Games, we knew we had to hear from Nathan about a few of his own experiences. Owner of one of the top performing training centers in the world, Studeo55 in Vancouver B.C., Nathan has now set his sites on LA, where he's quickly built a decathlon-sized client list. Here's Nathan on a few things we could learn from his clients who are going for the gold... The Olympics are here once again and most of us will be inspired by the dedication and determination these athletes show us. Olympians sacrifice so many things to achieve greatness when most others would quit. My company and I have had the privilege of working with lots of Olympians, including a cluster of gold medalists in 2010. If you're one of the rest of us who get inspired and want to act, here's your game plan:



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At Home with Designer Heidi Merrick

We wouldn't really consider ourselves homebodies. But we could aspire to after spending a glorious afternoon tucked inside the home of designer Heidi Merrick. Perched like a Mediterranean hideaway above the Silverlake fray, Heidi's sun-washed home, with gardens on all sides and filled to the brim with every shape and size of fashionable curiosity (including a few from her own home line), is the model Californian abode. Heidi is deeply steeped in Californian style, as her home suggests. Born and raised in the surf (her father is top surfboard designer Al Merrick), everything about Heidi oozes West Coast cool, from her unbearably stylish Spring '14 collection to her warm, relaxed attitude when showing us the new growth in her home garden. We joined Heidi to find out how a successful designer and mom finds time to fit in a juice cleanse and how she makes it all work. What we found is, like most of us, Heidi is obsessed with the green juice flavors, which really helps. She also gives herself a little grace to make it through the work and family schedule and relies on her own herb and vegetable garden to fill in her cleansing needs. Between juices, a fresh mint tea helps to keep her happy (and happens to be incredible for digestion). Greens and edible flowers from the garden make the perfect post-cleanse meal to help her transition back into her normal diet. Take a peek inside Heidi's gorgeous home as she makes her way through a typical cleanse day...



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The Chalkboard Q+A with Mindy Kaling

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Spicy Ginger Kelp Noodle Salad

We asked Juli Novotny, the founding mama behind PUREmamas and frequent contributor to the Honest Company blog, to share a healthy recipe idea with us featuring one of her favorite Pressed Juicery flavors. As the mother of two adorable sons, an inspired business woman, and just generally gorgeous human, Juli keeps herself and her family well-fed with her inventive kitchen talents, serving up mainly vegan and gluten-free recipes like nobody's business.

Juli picked our seasonal Apple Cinnamon Persimmon flavor to experiment with and quickly landed on this easy, refreshing kelp noodle salad as her top dish. With a good kick of ginger and jalapeno, this raw, vegan recipe for kelp noodles is completely satisfying, full of vital nutrition and still incredibly light! Here's Juli... Even in the cold weather, I love a good salad. And even better – pasta! So, why not go for a low-cal, super healthy, super fresh and warming pasta dish? Okay, so it's not a warm salad per se but it's warming because of the garlic, hot peppers, shallots and ginger. Those ingredients help give the illusion of being warm without having to cook or use a stove or microwave. This a great cleansing dish as well – when you're eating less dairy and meat and more veggies. I really hope you can find the strength to cut back on dairy this time of year because it only worsens colds and flus. More on that another time. For now, enjoy this nutritious and super easy winter noodle salad. It might seem like a laundry list of ingredients, but after you make it once, you'll be able to whip it up quickly and make it your own – by swapping ingredients and adding fun touches – in no time!

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The Detox Mani: 10 Steps To Super Natural Nails

Everyday our social media feed is awash with nail art. There are Pantone colors, geometric angles, and other spectacles of every imaginable form and fashion happening on nail beds across the country. And while we love the trend, sometimes there is something to be said for a natural nail! Whether your digits just need a break or your hoping to go a little more boho this year, Debbie Leavitt is teaching us a few of her top tips for a green manicure that will get your nails, hands and more in super natural condition. As founder of Sheswai Beauty, Debbie knows what she's talking about. With a passion to help more women find out just how incredible a natural mani can be she launched her line of Sheswai (she-sway) polishes, all of which are 3-free (that's what we're looking for!) and capped with a beautiful sustainable wood cap. We love that Debbie has created so very many versions of pale pink and peach to choose from, along with her more raucous shades in every color of the rainbow. Check out Debbie's simple tips for naturally glowing hands, feet, and nails from the inside out and then enter to win this Sheswai LoveBag: three gorgeous polishes in an eco-chic jute satchel.



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Would You Or Wouldn’t You: Eat Eggless Eggs

There's something a little cathartic about picking up a delicate egg and gently whacking it on the side of a bowl, only to let its runny yellow contents spill out, leaving you with a sticky shell (and slightly higher cholesterol). Eggs have long been a staple in our kitchens, a steadfast recipe requirement and a complete meal on their own — a natural source of protein, choline, lutein and sulfur. But for some, eggs just can't be tolerated, whether it's a finicky stomach, intolerant allergy or desire to lead that vegan life. Just Scrambled is the newest plant-based egg-like product. San Francisco-based food company Hampton Creek screened more than 1,550 plants to discover just elelen types that have the capability to mimic the taste and functionality of eggs. With items like their non-GMO Just Mayo hitting shelves last year, and even an eggless cookie dough debuting this month, the true test hits grocery stores this spring. Resembling egg whites in a clear jar, Just Scrambled is made from a specific variety of the yellow pea plant and carries the same benefits as real eggs, without any of the negative aspects that some of us just can't tolerate. For vegans and other health-conscious folks, the sound of a cholesterol-free, egg-free, dairy-free and lactose-free product that doesn't contain any artificial colors or flavors almost sounds too good to be true — and the fact that Just Scrambled's finished product supposedly looks exactly like its original brown- or white-shelled predecessor in your fridge is a testament to their highly scientific, all-natural creation. Would you or wouldn't you whip up your next all-American breakfast using eggless eggs? Here's a decadent recipe using Just Mayo to give the eggless egg phenomenon a try...



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Living Well with Health Coach Linda Wagner

Living well is her motto, and she does it with such passion. Linda Wagner is a nutrition coach who has crafted a clear concept of the healthy lifestyle and made it her own. Through her own challenges and obstacles, Linda has learned that mainstream diets miss the mark. Words like suffering, deprivation, and elimination are not included in her ideas about what it takes to look and feel best. Why not nurture your body and feel fabulous while doing it? It boils down to living your life, not obsessing over it. We caught up with Linda for a look at how she manages to exude radiant health while also enjoying life, so that we too can obtain this sought-after balance! [olists num=1] [olists num=2]



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Superfood Spotlight: Tibetan Rhodiola

What you need to know: Superfood Tibetan rhodiola is a rare herb that grows in one of the harshest environments in the world. It has been prized by the Chinese for over two thousand years, and Tibetans still believe it to be sacred and valuing its life-prolonging, wisdom-enhancing abilities. Being an adaptogenic herb, it promotes optimal energy production and blood circulation, while reducing the body's stress reactions. Why you should try it:Tibetan rhodiola is so rare that, up until now, it has rarely been used outside of Asia. However, news of its health benefits are quickly spreading across the globe! Just a small amount of rhodiola extract can significantly improve your capacity to absorb and utilize oxygen...it's even believed to provide benefits similar to inhaling a literal breath of fresh air! As a result, rhodiola can help improve memory, concentration and efficiency. Fun fact: Tibetan monks use rhodiola to enhance their spiritual powers, making it the herb of choice for deep and powerful meditation. Let's get together: Depending on your preference, Tibetan rhodiola can be taken as a tonic, in supplement form, or even as an energy-enhancing elixir. Thanks to Ron Teeguarden of Dragon Herbs, these options are all accessible and all have their own separate benefits, depending on the herbal blend. Tibetan rhodiola is typically mixed with other herbs to concentrate its effectiveness, allowing you to target a specific health goal and reap max results. To boost your energy, try Adaptogen Energizer; to relieve stress and anxiety, try Tao in a Bottle; and to increase the concentration and work efficiency, try Diamond Mind Drops. Each formula is both unique and effective - a credit to this rare herb's remarkable ability to affect the mind, body and spirit all at once!



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The Every Day Cleanse: 3 Ways to Detox Daily

NOW THAT IT'S A new year, we're ready to implement our list of resolutions, most of which have to do with refocusing our health - and with that comes the practice of detoxification. Detoxifying the body has become as essential to health as brushing our teeth, since our exposure to toxins has become unavoidable. From the air we breathe, to to the water we drink and bathe in, a small amount of toxic build-up is inevitable. Even the cleanest diet and health-conscious lifestyle practices cannot prevent the build up of toxins, which is why detoxifying the body is necessary. Toxins of all sorts are damaging to our cells, reducing the function of our organ and gland systems, and interrupting normal physiological processes. The good news is that by implementing simple detoxification practices into your daily routine, you can expedite the clearance of toxins, and prevent their build up. As a result, you can minimize cell damage, while also reducing the risk for disease and symptom occurrence. Therefore, we recommend incorporating these three simple detoxification practices into your daily regimen to ensure optimal health in 2014.



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Superfood Spotlight: Persimmon

What you need to know: If you haven't tried this seasonal winter fruit, then put it on your shopping list. Persimmons are not only sweet like a pear and versatile like an apple, but they are an easy way to improve your health. Rich in vitamin A, persimmons are instrumental in maintaining vision, tissue turnover, healthy skin, and strong teeth and bones. Persimmons are also loaded with vitamin C and trace minerals, making their addition to the diet beneficial for boosting the immune system and for cancer prevention. Why you should try it: Hailed as the official fruit of Japan, persimmons may do more for heart health than apples. The persimmon contains significantly higher concentrations of dietary fiber, minerals and phenolic compounds than an apple, all of which are instrumental in fighting atherosclerosis, a leading cause of heart disease, heart attacks and stroke. Therefore, experts suggest that the simple act of eating one medium-sized persimmon a day is enough to help fight atherosclerosis, reducing the chance of cardiovascular complications. Let's get together: Not familiar with how to eat this small orange fruit? Take a few tips from us, because we're huge fans over here. Try adding persimmon to your salad, like this super cleansing raw pistachio and arugula salad by chef Matthew Kenney, or try replacing the apple in your morning smoothie with a persimmon, like our alkalizing almond smoothie.



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The Detox Prescription: One Doctor’s 8 Reasons To Juice Cleanse

We can tell you stories of amazing health transformations, details about what the body is doing when it's on a cleanse and all about how great we feel after five days of green juice, but at the end of the day, most of you want to hear it from an MD. So, here it is, in granular detail, the benefits of detoxification and juice cleansing from a doctor we trust. In his new book, The Detox Prescription, Dr. Merrell is breaking down the juice cleanse, one of the most accessible detoxification methods out there, and how engaging in a cleanse can transform your life. A few of our top health heros, from Kris Carr to Dr. Oz are weighing in on this new manual, Dr. Mark Hyman calls it a "roadmap for breakthrough well-being". We're ready and willing to get on that path and hope more than a few of you will discover it for yourselves as well. Read Dr. Merrell's well-researched notes below and being making detoxification - whether through yoga, stress-reduction, meditation or a good juice cleanse - a part of your on-going lifestyle.



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20 Things Mindy Kaling Thought You Should Know

There are certain things you can expect to find on The Chalkboard: advice from top doctors (Dr. Fuhrman says to eat more nutrient dense foods), tips from fitness pros (Mandy Ingber says to detox with yoga) and recipes from healthy chefs. But, if you hang around here long enough you also know to expect the unexpected: marriage advice from surfer Laird Hamilton, green architecture tips from Lisa Ling, or Instagram insights from a supermodel. Needless to say, we like to keep our readers on their toes and to offer up perspectives from people and places you may never expect to find. With comedienne Mindy Kaling at the helm this month, we hope to give you just that: an unexpected perspective on the mad stir of healthy activity that January often brings - juice cleanses, new resolutions, altered workouts and all. The lovely Mindy K is having one of those well-deserved Hollywood moments we love to see: she's making us laugh more than ever, in more places than ever (on the shelf, on the screen) and seems to grow more gorgeous doing it every time we see her! We asked Mindy to let us in on a few of her own healthful habits. From medicine cabinet must-haves to her daily on-the-go staples find out just what she's been up to lately to stay in such glowingly good health...



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Yoga Matters With Author Kyle Miller Of Yoga Dream

Santa Monica native Kyle Miller stumbled into her first yoga class looking for a killer workout, and what she got surpassed expectations: a new found passion. After years of immersing herself in the mental, spiritual and emotional aspects of all varieties of yoga practice, she now views yoga as a means of rejuvination for her entire spirit. Trained in Jivamukti yoga in NYC and Ayurveda in India, Kyle's teaching has taken her all over the world. Her newest endeavor is Yoga Dream , a collaborative book with illustrator Mike Gigliotti that speaks to anyone who has ever held back giggle fits in the middle of a Sun Salutation. This whimsical yet unconventional book reinterprets what it means to be a yogi in the 21st century: no one rigid idea is right for everyone! Read on about Kyle's inspirations, tips and must-haves, then enter to win a copy of Yoga Dream for yourself...



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The 3 Friend Cleanse: Win Our Huge Pressed Juicery Cleanse Giveaway!

When it comes to getting healthy, there's nothing like the buddy system. Whether you're challenging yourself to quit a bad habit or start a new routine, we all get by with a little help from our friends. There's one thing we know for certain: there is no better time to enlist your own personal cheering squad than when embarking on a juice cleanse. It can take a team effort to avoid the lingering edible stocking-stuffers and, the truth is, the buddy system makes the entire experience a whole lot more fun. Whether it's your first or fiftieth cleanse, everyone can use the support of a friend - or two! In our biggest giveaway of the year (up to a $600 value!), we'll be providing you and two of your favorite juice-crazy pals with 3 days of Pressed Juicery's most popular cleanse, filled with nourishing Greens, grounding Roots, detoxifying Citrus, and the often-imitated, never-duplicated Almond Milk, to start your year off like never before! Mouth watering yet? Ours, too. We only give away this much juice once a year, so start rounding up your cleansing crew ASAP! Here’s how to enter...



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