I wonder if she had to address, stamp, and mail all the Christmas cards, do all the gift shopping, the wrapping, the shipping, the meal planning and grocery shopping, the tree decorating, the baking, the party planning, and the cleaning? If so, I'd like to know her secret…

But seriously, let's talk about stress and ways to try to avoid it this holiday season. If I'm not careful and don't make a conscious effort to stay calm during the holiday season, stress can take a serious toll on my body. I end up with stomachaches, headaches, a back full of knots, and sleepless nights. Even though this holiday season has snuck up on me more than ever before, I'm working hard not to let stress get to me this year. One of my friends actually suggested that I look into some of the products that Delta 8 THC has on offer. Apparently, their products promote stress-relief. This would allow me to relax properly, which is what people should be doing over the festive period. Now, I understand a little on cannabis, that there is a difference between THC and CBD and the effects they have on you. I've been told that you need a considerable amount of THC for it to give you that ‘high' feeling that so many people are worried about. However, I've never really experimented with either. So, perhaps before trying the THC products, I should try CBD products to see how I get on with them. In fact, I might very well head on over to somewhere like Thecbdinsider.com or a similar site to find more information on CBD (Cannabidiol) to see if that can have any benefit to my stress levels currently. Perhaps these are both things to look at.

Here are a few things I've found that might help us all create a more stress-free holiday:

• First and most importantly, make time, and even block out time on your planner, to eat right (not fast food on the run), exercise (even if you can only squeeze in 15 or 20 minutes), and get a good night's sleep (I'm know, we've heard it all before!)

• Create or purchase a holiday planner. BigSis has already given us some great resources for Christmas planners.

• Make sure that your planner has a place to keep your Christmas card list. It sure makes the Christmas card giving a lot easier if you keep a list of who you sent cards to and who you received cards from each year. My planner has a section for this and it has really helped me these past three years. (And yes, I think it's okay to omit some from your list if you are cutting back.) We can't send cards to everyone we know! It's just not possible, so don't stress over it.

• I love this 9 Steps to Stress-Free Holiday Giving article from iVillage. Get a pencil and paper out for this one and take just a few minutes to go through these 9 steps. It's some really good advice from a professional organizer. She really simplifies the entire gift buying process.

• The 10 Tips to a Stress-Free Holiday from 1stHolistic has more great advice. Beth Tebak starts off this article with the most important tip of all, RELAX!

• Whole Living has some GREAT articles on stress relief, all in one place!

Being organized and prioritizing all your errands is obviously a major part of not getting stressed out during the holiday season! This time of the year should be for celebrating the true meaning of the season and for enjoying friends and family. So, relax!

~LilSis

Posted under Holidays

Hurray!  I finally found it after almost a year of searching…the perfect eye make-up remover!  It's oil-free, cruelty-free, and super-effective yet extremely gentle thanks to the aloe, chamomile and cucumber.

What is it?  It's Philosophy Just Release Me.

One of the things I love about Philosophy is their sense of humor. Here's the story from the bottle of Just Release Me:

“from caked on to baked on, from lid lock to grid lock, from dressed up to stressed out, from high shoes to win-lose, from run fast to slow down, it's time to release your eye makeup and set your sights free”

Cute, huh?  I like it already!

Just Release Me reminds me a lot of my old long-time favorite eye makeup remover; Lancome Bi-Facil, which I dropped like a hot potato when I banned animal-tested products from my home last summer.

Both of these removers are oil-free, dual-phase and look the same in the bottle: thin blue liquid separated in two layers that need to be shaken before using to blend together.

Both removers quickly remove all traces of makeup – even loads of mascara – without pulling or rubbing delicate under-eye skin, and without losing any eyelashes.

I've used both of these products in the same manner, with great results.  I wet a cotton round with hot water and squeeze out most of the water, then add a dab of remover.  I hold the cotton round over my eye for a few seconds, and then gently wipe away all of the remaining makeup, turning the pad over if necessary to finish up.

What's different between the two?  Just Release Me is $18 for 6 ounces ($3 per ounce), and Bi-Facil is $26 for 4.2 ounces ($6.19 per ounce).  That's more than double the price!

And the biggie that I already mentioned is that Lancome animal tests and Philosophy does not.  That's more than big…it's huge.

Just Release Me is currently sold out on the Philosophy web site, but it's in stock at Drugstore.com, Sephora and at Ulta, which is where I got mine.

Philosophy does not animal test, but they are not a vegan company.  If you're ok with that, then Just Release Me may be the eye makeup remover for you!

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

Where in the fudge have I been?  I hadn't heard a peep about this award-winning documentary called “The Cove” until last week, even though it won the Sundance Film Festival and a bunch of other awards, nor did I know anything about the atrocities revealed in the movie.  Since it's not my style to stick my head in the sand, I went to see the “The Cove” last night, although I knew it would be emotional.

Now I know a bunch of things that are horrifying and haunting me…things that I wish were not true.  To say that I am outraged and disgusted is an understatement.

Here is what I learned:

• There is a tiny fishing village in Japan called Taiji.  Every year from September to March, dolphins migrate through this area, and the “fishermen” of Taiji herd them into a cove, using the dolphins' sensitivity to sound against them.

• In this cove, the prime dolphins – usually young females – are selected to be sold for up to $150,000 each.  Taiji is the world's largest supplier of dolphins to water parks like Sea World.  A live dolphin show can bring $1 million per year to the attraction, so there is continuous demand from these parks for dolphins.

• The dolphins who are not chosen for sale are slaughtered by these “fishermen” who stab at them repeatedly from boats with long harpoon-like poles, until the cove is literally filled with blood.  Then the dead dolphins are fished out of the water with hooks and hauled off to be cut up.

• Taiji is alone responsible for the annual slaughter of 23,000 dolphins.

• The *meat* from these dolphins is then sold, often being passed off as whale meat. The acceptable level of mercury for human consumption is .4 ppm (parts per million), however, because dolphins are so high up the food chain, their tissues can contain 2000 ppm.  The risk of mercury poisoning is therefore very high for any one who eats dolphin.

• Until “The Cove” team broke this story, the dolphin meat masquerading as whale meat was being given to schools for free, so the contamination was being delivered directly to Japan's school children.  It is still sold as whale meat to unsuspecting consumers.

• One dead dolphin may bring $600, but the “fishermen” say they are slaughtering the dolphins for pest control, more than for the money, because dolphins eat so much fish that the supply of fish is diminishing at alarming rates.  They apply this same ridiculous rationale to whales.  Never mind the fact that humans deplete the seas of fish to the extent that some people think the oceans will be void of any fish within 40 years at the current fishing rate.

• Half of the dolphins in captivity only live 2 years.  They suffer from depression, which is understandable since in the ocean they swim 40 miles a day.  They also suffer from ulcers, to the extent that the water parks stock Tagamet and Maalox to treat them.

• Dolphins can commit suicide.  They choose to deliberately breathe when they are out of the water, unlike humans who breathe automatically without ever giving it a thought.  So they can choose NOT to breathe.

Now that I know about all this, I can't forget that I know it and I want you to know it too.  Here's the trailer for “The Cove“.

What you first need to know is that Ric O'Barry trained the dolphins for “Flipper” in the 60s.  He had an epiphany after one of the dolphin stars of the show – Cathy – died in his arms.  He says that she was so depressed that she chose to stop breathing and die, rather than continue her so-called life in captivity.

Since then, Ric has spent 35 years trying to end dolphin abuses and captivity.  In the documentary, at great risk to his personal safety, he sets out to reveal the atrocities that are being committed in Taiji.  He and an incredible team plan to film what happens in the cove, since it is highly protected, for reasons you will see.  They succeed, and we see the actual footage of the slaughter.

So now that we have seen this footage with our own eyes, and it has been brought out of the dark veil of secrecy into the light, what are we going to do about it?  It has to stop.  WE have to stop it.  Here's what you can do:

• Go see “The Cove” and encourage others to see it.  Check thecovemovie.com for viewing locations in your area.

• Stop patronizing parks that feature live dolphin shows.  They aren't having fun, and they aren't smiling!

• Support the filmmaker – Ocean Conservation Society – with your financial donations.

• If you must eat fish, find out which fish has the safest levels of mercury.

• Contact our leaders and help get the word out in Japan.  This link will allow you to sign a petition letter online and share the opportunity with other people who care.  It couldn't be easier.

• Donate to SaveJapanDolphins.

• Learn more about dolphins in captivity.

• Tell everyone you know about the cove and what happens there.  There are people just like me who had no clue about this, and who need to know.

I'll leave you with one personal experience.  When LilSis and her family and I went to Maui in 2000, the highlight of the trip for me was the snorkeling day trip we took to Kauai.  As our boat cut through the water, we had several different varieties of dolphins swimming along the front of our boat, escorting us.  We had pods of bottlenose dolphins, spotted dolphins and spinner dolphins, and maybe others.  It was thrilling to watch them, and the emotion they exuded was just joy joy joy.  They seemed to be having the time of their lives, swimming and spinning, swimming and spinning.

To think that anyone could slaughter these incredible creatures for any reason is incomprehensible to me.  I'm not going to stop talking about it until the hell in Taji is stopped.

Check out these links for more information:

http://thecovemovie.com/

http://www.takepart.com/thecove/

http://savejapandolphins.com/

http://www.surfersforcetaceans.com/

Sarah Newman's Huffington Post Article “Japans Dirty Little Secret is Out”

Jennifer Grayson's Huffington Post Article “Why is the Japanese Government Hell-Bent on Killing Dolphins?”

Tara Lohan's Huffington Post Article “The Cove: Japan Has a Dark Secret It Hopes the World Will Never See“

~BigSis

Posted under Animals

Do I want to be responsible for hurting this littl bun bun? Oh, hell, no!

A little over a month ago, I made a commitment to purge my household – and my life – of products that are tested on animals.  I heard about the 120 beagles who were rescued on July 4th from a bankrupt testing lab in New York, and was absolutely heartbroken to think that they had never been outdoors, chased a ball or run with other dogs.  They had never been allowed to be dogs; they were just test subjects.

I've been vegetarian for 16 years, and 99% vegan for the last 8 months, so it seemed inconsistent that I avoid eating meat, dairy and eggs because I don't want to be a party to an animal's suffering, but I'm doing exactly that when I buy my favorite Loreal mascara.  Or Charmin toilet paper.  Or Garnier hair color.

So I decided to get with the program and clean out my house.  Care to know how it's going?  I'm not gonna lie; it's a bit tough here and there.  I have these random conflicted conversations with myself…

Maybe I'll just buy the Charmin toilet paper one more time, then I'll buy Seventh Generation.

No, you're a hypocrite. You said you were committed.

I am, but it's TOILET PAPER for cryin out loud!  I can't buy crappy TOILET PAPER!  No one will know if I buy it just once more.

You'll know.  You'll make one exception, then it'll be two, then fourteen.  Do it 100% or don't do it all.

Yeah, but I can't find a new mascara that I like.  I have to have a good mascara!  You can't expect me to sacrifice everything!

If you buy that mascara, you're responsible for poking the wand into a bunny's eye!  Don't do it!  Don't do it!  There are plenty of other mascaras out there that you haven't tried yet.  Don't be a quitter.

Well, what about my Clorox Toilet Wand?  Do I have to go back to having a drippy germy toilet brush in my bathroom?

Stop being a baby!  Are you committed to living without contributing to animal suffering, or are you committed to whining?

And so it goes.

To be completely honest, it's easier to replace some products than others.

• Method and quite a few other companies make cleaning products that are cruelty-free.

• The Seventh Generation laundry detergent that I bought is happily cheaper than Tide!

• I've tried 3 mascaras already, and am not in love with any of them, but I have others to try and am confident there is a great mascara out there that is not animal-tested.

• I found a shaving cream that smells heavenly, like coconuts, and feels like buttah!

On the other hand, I'm having some big challenges.

• The biggest is with paper products.  I'm pretty picky about the brands of TP, paper towels and napkins I buy; not to mention those, you know – feminine products – and I haven't found any good replacements for them yet.  There don't seem to be many options at all to choose from.  Surely, there has to be a solution!  The search continues…

• I'm also wondering what to do about my Swiffer Wet Jet that I dearly love.  Could there be a way to still make use of it since I already have it, without buying any more liquid or pad refills?  Those things were darn expensive anyway.

As I test more products and find excellent cruelty-free products, I'm going to assemble a list that will hopefully help someone else in my position.  I don't want to blow smoke at you and tell you this process is a piece of cake, but it's worthwhile and I'm committed.  Still whining a little now and then, because apparently I'm a much bigger brand-ho than I realized, and I like things the way I like them.  But I'm still committed!  😀

I'm really hoping that some of you will have some suggestions for me!  If you do, PLEASE send them my way and I'll pay it forward!

Lil Bunny image from KevenLaws Flickr photostream.

~BigSis

Posted under Animals

Here’s a quick alert for the MAC fans out there.  I just got an email for FREE SHIPPING today and tomorrow only.  This offer ends January 19.  Use promo code 2DAY.  There is another promotion currently running for free shipping with any $60 purchase; it doesn’t require a code.

If you’ve been eying the new MAC Brunette Blonde Redhead Collection but haven’t made it to the mall yet, here’s your chance to grab some of those limited edition products with free shipping.

MAC Brunette Blonde Redhead Collection

Get shopping, girls!

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

Colour Craft Collection Look

I really don't know many people that could pull this ‘Look' off without ending up looking like a clown, but when you go to the MAC website, you can see what it actually looks like on their model. It must have been a very creative makeup artist that came up with this idea.  The ‘Look' is showcasing some of their summer Colour Craft Collection, which has some awesome new shadow and lip colors.  I'm sure there are more subtle ways that you can wear these same colors!

While I was on their site, I discovered their adorable new Summer Trend Bags! I love animal prints and I've never had an animal print make-up bag so I might have to buy myself a little treat.  And guess what? MAC happens to be offering free standard shipping right now! Score!

To make sure you don't miss out on this offer, you have to make your purchases online by 11:59 p.m. EST on July 24th!  There is no minimum purchase and no offer code required.

And if you have a hard time waiting days to receive your order, like I do, you can upgrade to 2nd Day Shipping for $5.00 or Overnight Shipping for $10.00!

~LilSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

This offer starts today and lasts through October 3rd, but if you LOVE Origins like I do, you don't want to wait! Take advantage of this offer NOW!  Origins says quantities are limited so you don't want to miss out on this deal!

All you have to do is purchase any Origins moisturizer and you get one of these skincare sets for FREE! Each set includes your perfect cleanser, a clinically proven serum, and Origins best selling Modern Friction gentle dermabrasion.

I've used almost every one of these products and I love them all. Modern Friction is the only scrub that I use now and Checks and Balances and Never a Dull Moment are also a couple of my favorites. Each of these sets contain the “best of the best.”

I did call Origins Customer Service to verify that this offer is only good at the Origins stores and not applicable for online purchases. If you happen to have an Origins store nearby, I still think it's worth a quick trip to get these awesome products for free.

I'm not going to miss out on this offer!

~LilSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

HOT OFF THE PRESS!! I just got the email yesterday about this offer and didn't want to waste any time passing it on to those of you that don't receive the emails from Relastin.

From now until October 2nd, you can buy one Relastin product and get the second for equal or lesser value for FREE! Or stock up on your favorite Relastin product by taking advantage of the two for one offer! I'll be stocking up on the Eye Silk, for sure.  The Eye Silk normally sells for $69.00 each, so I can't pass up buying it when I get two for the price of one.

Relastin Anti-Aging Eye Silk

I know, I know, we both talk a lot about Relastin Eye Silk! But, what can I say? We love it! BigSis first mentioned it here in November of last year when we were having a Sister Showdown on Eye Creams. Then, I talked about my results here in January and again in July.

I guess we got the attention of Relastin because our reviews on the Relastin Eye Silk are actually on the In the Press section on the Relastin site.

Just in case you missed it, the Relastin Eye Silk was just awarded the Allure Magazine Editors' Choice Best of Beauty Award for the third year in a row! It's the third year for the product to be on the market and the third consecutive Allure Award. If any product wins an award for being a great anti-aging product, I'm buyin' it!! 🙂

Just so you know, we don't get paid to promote this product, nor do we receive any free products from Relastin for doing these reviews!  (hint, hint, if anyone from Relastin is reading…)

~LilSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

This December 13th will be our 4th charity bake sale, and the 3rd one we've done at Christmas for the SPCA of Texas.  Since I stopped eating and using eggs and dairy products this last January, I needed to find some great new recipes for this year's sale.  We've been blessed with great success and happy customers that return year after year, so scrapping all of my old recipes and starting over was a daunting proposition!  I was especially motivated to find some fabulous goodies after a hater told me I'd be disappointed because no one would buy “that vaygan stuff”!

I bought several vegan baking cookbooks and did a lot of online research, and finally swooped into the kitchen to get my hands dirty.  I've been baking up a storm in my lab (aka kitchen) for the last several weeks, trying out new recipes.  The latest test: Oatmeal Dried Cherry Cookies adapted from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook.

These cookies had a great flavor, and would have been excellent if I hadn't over-baked them by a couple of minutes.  That's why I test though.  I have a rule that I never make a recipe for the bake sale without taking it for a test drive first.

I'm pretty excited with the successes I've had.  I actually have well over a dozen things to choose from.  These are my favorite options.

• Cranberry Lemon Zing Oat Bars – The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes: Amazing Cookies, Cakes, Muffins, Pies, Brownies and Breads

• Super Moist Pumpkin Bread from Allrecipes

• Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Coconut Cookies adapted from Epicurious

• Spicy Peanut Brittle –  My Sweet Vegan: passionate about dessert

• Coconut Fudge – My Sweet Vegan: passionate about dessert

• Crumb Topped Brownies –  My Sweet Vegan: passionate about dessert

• Rice Krispie Treats with Almond Butter –  The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet

• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie with Peanuts and Almond Meal adapted from Cookie Madness

• Giant Wheat-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies from Cookie Madness

• Almond Toffee adapted from Cookie Madness

• Soft Peanut Brittle from Cookie Madness

• Gluten-Free Banana Chocolate Chip Bread from Babycakes NYC

• Gluten-Free Brownies from Babycakes NYC

• Mexican Chocolate Snickerdoodles –  Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Treats

• Gingerbread Biscotti – Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Treats

• Cranberry Orange Macadamia Biscotti –  Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Treats

• Kitchen Sink Biscotti with Peppermint and Chocolate Chips –  Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Treats

There's much more baking to be done so I'm dashing back to the kitchen for more baking frenzy.  I'll be back next week with photos from the sale, and hopefully a big donation to the SPCA to report!

~BigSis

Posted under Animals

Good morning, everyone!  We hope you had a most egg-cellent Easter, as we did!  It seems like it is officially spring now, since Easter is behind us, and kids are on spring break or just finished their break.

There's something about spring and vacation time that makes me want new makeup.  I don't know why, it just does.  Maybe it's that spring is like a fresh start or a new day.  At any rate, it can be really helpful for me to see a visual tutorial of new makeup, rather than just trying to wing it myself, which sometimes ends badly!

I found this cool video tutorial on MAC's sculpted eye on their web site.  There are 4 other tutorial videos you can view, all from MAC Makeup Artists.  There's one on a smoky eye, a perfect red lip, a sculpted lip, and classic eyeliner.  The tutorials are very easy to follow, and they provide a list of the products and tools that you need to recreate the look.

I also found a great tutorial on a spring eye from Miss Chevious. You might remember that we featured some of her videos on fun eye looks a while back.

Check out these videos and get some new spring ideas!

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care