Goji Berry Snow Cones – The Cutest Way To Hydrate Ever?

A Snack that multi-tasks is our favorite kind of snack. These herbal snow cones are a triple threat of summer functionality: they hydrate, they nourish and they satisfy our toughest sweet tooth cravings while being nearly sugar-free. 

This playful summer DIY comes from integrative health and food therapy specialist, Christine Dionese, whose healthy recipes are always functional and always this cute.  Make these adorable cones with friends or children on hot days instead of dehydrating cocktails or sugary popsicles!

Most of the year you’ll hear me saying, “Avoid cold foods and drinks to protect digestion.” The exception to this is during the heat waves we know so well here in Southern California. During extended periods of heat, we sweat not only fluids, but nutrients. My herbal snow cones are an easy nutrient-dense treat to stay cool during those hot days! Pick a flavor and functionality that suits you from these three delicious combinations...

Supplies For Making Snow Cones

To Prepare: For best results in making the snow cones themselves, purchase an inexpensive snow-cone maker - they’re available everywhere now. If you don't have time to pick one up, you can put your high-speed blender to work - a Blendtec, Vitamix or Ninja will work - but not your regular blender.

Vitamix: Add several handfuls of ice, think one handful per snow cone, and enough water so you “raise” ice away from the blade. Choose the highest speed pulsing to create crushed, then snow ice.

Blendtec: No water necessary. Add several handfuls of ice, think one handful per snow cone and use the auto-setting (which shuts off after about 35 seconds).

Ninja: Add several handfuls of ice, think one handful per snow cone, and pulse until ice is crushed into snow.

To Assemble: I recommend having these tools on hand: ice cream scoop or rounded spoon, cylindrical cone cups, juicer (for red and blue snow cones) and a squeeze bottle to

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The Natural Brow: Our Guide To Crafting A Perfect Pair

Brows are like jeans - a great pair can make any look seem seem complete. If there is one facial feature that's been talked about more than any other this year it's the eyebrow, and celebrity makeup artist, Katey Denno, is showing us how to keep our brows in shape with tools, techniques and the products she relies on on-set... 

At least 50% of the questions I'm asked about makeup application have to do with eyebrows. How angled should they be? How long should I draw the tail? Should I fill in the inner third? What shade and product type (pencil, gel, powder) should I use?

I totally get it - brows really do frame the face, and can kind of make or break your overall look. I'm here to tell you, despite what countless social media platforms have been showing you, there is not one specific way you should 'make up' your brows. You should not over draw your brows and fill them in thick and dark unless you love how it looks on you. It's a trend, and just like the trend of overly plucked, pencil-thin, rounded brows from my early twenties, it will pass.

If you're still interested in the more-than-just-lightly-filled-in brow, I'd like to show you how it can be done, without being overdone - as illustrated by the brow defining I did on the gorgeous Zaina Gohou.

The Tools

Depending on the look I want, I pick one (or all) of the following:

- a thin brow pencil (more waxy and less pigment-dense than an eyeliner pencil)
- a potted cream/gel that is applied with an angled, stiff, eyebrow brush
- a powder in the same shade as your hair, also applied with a brow brush - but can be applied with either a stiff bristled, angled brow brush, or a soft, larger one

It's always nice to have on hand a spooley brush and something that can make your actual brow hairs cooperate and lay in the direction you want (i.e. a brow gel, pomade or even hairspray). I never do brows without having a cotton swab handy to ensure that I haven't left any harsh, hard edges.

The type of product you choose is based 100% on your personal preference. I like having options, and if this is your first stab at making up your brows, it'd be good for you to explore them all to see what you're most comfortable with. My current favorite brow products are The Honest Company brow pencils, Eco Brow potted gels and Anastasia brow powder (there are countless shades, so you're sure to get a perfect match).

The Technique

If shaping your brows seems like a daunting task, I encourage you to find a professional to do it for you every so often. Ask friends or coworkers whose brows look great if they go somewhere to get them done, or do a Yelp search for the best in your area. Once the hairs start growing back in, you can keep up your new shape yourself by investing in a good tweezer. My favorite has long been the Rubis, slanted tip, perforated handle (prevents finger slipping), called Classic Elegance.

Make sure you only pluck when your face is clean, and keep bacteria at bay by wiping your tweezers down with alcohol every so often. Remember that each hair counts towards the overall shape, so don't pluck willy nilly or in bad lighting!

The Step-By-Step

The following is my process for creating the lightly-more-than-just-filled-in-brow look. Give it a try and remember: if it doesn't look great, just wipe it off!

Step One: Start defining your brow at the arch and move in slow strokes towards the tail. Then go back and work on the inner third.

Step Two: Start applying the product sparsely because it's easy to build to the perfect density - and difficult to scale it back.

Step Three: It's always prettier and more natural looking to leave some skin showing between hairs in the inner third of the brow.

Step Four: Look at the finished product closely in the mirror and then pull away from the mirror and determine if the shape suits your face and if it's the right color and density.

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Nicole Richie on Meditation, Rap Mantras + Other Morning Matters

IF MOTHERHOOD TEACHES anything it's that life needs balance, and our July Guest Editor, Nicole Richie, nails it on her own terms. Making time for her fam and running a fashion brand is no easy feat. But in spite of constantly being in the spotlight and on the go, this mama of two still manages to stay playful, poised and real - and we're all about her approach.

From healthy breakfast smoothies to heavy metal music, Nicole's daily wellness and sanity-strategies are uniquely her own - and we love her for it. We spent a morning at casa del Richie to see how things flow; scroll on to learn what Nicole eats to start her day, how she finds time for herself and what she thinks about "the universe"...

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Be sure to keep your suits bright with Soak lingerie soap. ALSO...

Be sure to keep your suits bright with Soak lingerie soap. ALSO Frankies is on sale! ✨#bestswimwear #frankiesbikinis http://ift.tt/29Jow7n

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A Stunning IKEA Tray + Why We’re Sprouting At Home

Leave it to the Sweds to finally kick our interest in sprouting to life! We could hardly believe it when we found this beautiful ceramic sprouting tray in the IKEA catalog online. The Anvandbar Sprouter is designed by Studio Ganszyniec and so beautiful we expect it to become a staple on hippie-chic countertops across LA.

Sprouting is one of the simplest, cheapest ways to provide yourself with incredible home-grown nutrition in your own kitchen - maybe even easier than fermenting. We're calling out sprouting as the wellness hobby of 2017, so we advise you to get in on it now! Of course, if the nutritional perks are more of a priority than a pretty countertop, all you really need is a simple glass jar and some cheesecloth. Get our instructions for it below, or swipe up this tiered chic ceramic tray set and alter the instructions slightly for the same results.

Most seeds, grains and beans can be sprouted in just a few days, start to finish. What you'll end up with are nutritionally evolved versions of each, brimming with plant-protein and essential vitamins. Toss them into a sandwich, salad or straight into a bowl - the options are endless and the pay-off is major!

We're refreshing our knowledge on sprouts and sprouting with integrative medicine practitioner, Dr. Elson Haas, who wrote the book on the healing powers of natural food (really, it's called Staying Healthy With Nutrition). Keep scrolling for four reasons why sprouts should be a diet staple if they're not already, plus three simple steps to start sprouting at home...

Sprouting at home + why bother

What to sprout: Any seed, grain or bean that has the potential to be a plant is sprout-able. This includes: lentils, soybeans, mung beans, garbanzo beans, alfalfa, oats, barley, and peas - just to name a few of many! As most of these ingredients are sold dried, they're readily available and generally inexpensive to buy in bulk. They can also be sprouted at any time of the year, offering a massive variety of powerful plant-based nutrition, regardless of the season.

Plant protein: When a seed is sprouted, most of the would-be-adult-plant's nutrients transfer to the shoots, one of which is protein. While seeds, grains and beans are inherently high in protein, sprouting increases their content between 15% and 30%, depending on the plant. The nutritional qualities of sprouted grains are highly bioavailable to the body.

Belly Benefits: Sprouts are living foods and - as with others like kombucha and kimchi - they're great for our guts. The sprouting process increases certain naturally-occurring active enzymes, which helps improve digestion. These enzymes also assist in assimilating vitamins and minerals into our systems.

Vitamins + Minerals Galore: Sprouts offer a dense nutrition boost without much bulk. According to Dr. Haas, "with sprouting, most of the B vitamins are greatly increased, some more than tenfold. Niacin and riboflavin are in particularly good amounts. The vitamin C level is greatly enhanced in sprouts compared with the dry seeds. Beta-carotene, the vitamin A precursor increases with sprouting, as do vitamins E and K, calcium, phosphorus and iron, though mineral content is not as greatly affected as that of the vitamins. "

How to Sprout At Home:

Soak: Select a seed, grain or bean to sprout. Place them in a glass jar and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for 24 hours (out of direct sunlight), rinsing once or twice between.

Rinse: Rinse and drain 2 or 3 times a day, everyday, until they sprout. Be sure to keep them out of direct sunlight.

Repeat: Once they have sprouted, move the jar to a place with more light. Continue rinsing and draining 2 to 3 times a day for the next few days. The sprouts are ready to eat when the tail is about the same length as the original seed, grain or bean.

*Note: Sprouting can be a delicate process. It's important to rinse, store and check your sprouts properly to avoid them spoiling! 

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Superfood Vegan Cookie Dough. Because Friday.

A vegan cookie dough recipe that's healthy enough to eat by the spoonful? Yes please, and thank you. Packed with superfoods galore, this hot mess of a raw recipe has us fantasizing about an afternoon or evening-in this weekend.

We found this recipe in our Insta-feed after wellness pal, Dr. Zelana Montminy, whipped it up in her kitchen. Before we could add a second row of Emojis, Zelana had texted us the recipe.

Give this recipe a whirl, let us know what you think, and be sure to check out Zelana's inspiring new book 21 Days to Resilience too! Our story on the book can be read here while you "bake"...

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5 Avocado Themed Menus At Top L.A. Restaurants

Top chefs across L.A. this month are going overboard with avocado dishes and we couldn't be happier about it. Gather a girlfriend and starting checking off our hitlist of best avocado eats to try as part of DineLA's partnership with the California Avocado Association (can we join this association?).

This summer's Restaurant Week is July 18th - July 31 this year and these five local mainstays will be serving up culinary creations worthy of their "avocado ambassador" titles. We're talking avocado ice cream, avocado cocktails, and avocado push-up pops. Dozens of other top restaurants across the city will be offering exclusive prix fixe lunch and dinner menus as part of the special week, offering Angelenos the chance to sample the best of LA's food scene (and an excuse to break away from our usual restaurant rotation).

Read on for our personal picks from those glorious avocado-themed menus and where you can find them... and us.

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