Skincare Routine

We would like to thank all of our readers for all of the encouragement, sweet comments, and positive feedback. All of the kindness really means a lot! We are thrilled to share so much more with you in upcoming posts! A lot of you requested a post on my skincare routine. Today I will be sharing a few of my favorites. Everybody has different types of skin, so it's not necessary that what works best for me will work good for your skin. I have a combination of dry/oily skin and at times it's just in it's extremes. However, the following products have helped maintain my extremes to normal and they leave my skin feeling so fresh and smooth.

A lot of the products that I use are vegan, contain naturally derived ingredients, and are cruelty-free. As important it is to use natural products instead of chemically harsh products for clear and healthy skin, it's also very crucial to drink LOTS of water and develop healthier eating habits. You have to cleanse the inside in order to bring out the glow on the outside. So here are the products that I've been using. You can click on the name of the products which will direct you to the links where you can find them for purchase. The oils can be found at any local grocery store or a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's near you. Hope you try them out and let us know. We would love to hear from you!

Exfoliate

Cleanse

Tone

Moisturize

Prime

Exfoliants

• Burt's Bees Deep Pore Scrub

I use this at least once a week. It cleans out the pores and leaves my skin feeling so soft.

• Angels on Bare Skin

I use this in the shower mainly for my face and neck. Love the way it smells. The lavender is so soothing. It is a cleanser, but the ground almonds give it an exfoliant effect.

Cleanser

• 1000 Roses Cleansing Foam

I use this every morning and after removing makeup. 

Toner

• Rose Petal Witch Hazel (alcohol-free)

I use this every time I exfoliate or come out of the shower to tighten the pores and also moisturize my face.

Moisturizers

• Coconut Oil

I use this all over my body and sometimes my hands if I forget to wear my dishwashing gloves.

• Vitamin E Oil

I use this after a facial or just a cleanse on my face.

• Beautiful Day Cream

I use this every morning after washing my face with the 1000 Roses Cleansing Foam.

Primers

• Instant Pore Eraser

Non-comedogenic, smooth and flawless makeup look with this little tube and very inexpensive.

• Fix+

Can be used before or after applying makeup. I usually use this when I'm going for a heavy makeup look. Keeps skin hydrated.

• Mattifying Primer

My absolute favorite! Gives you a matte finish, non-comedogenic, and minimizes the appearance of pores. A bit more pricy than the others, but totally worth it for that flawless airbrushed look!

eats & pearls team

Summer Drink: Mango Lassi

Ingredients:

1 cup *fresh mangoes (cubed)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup plain yogurt

2 cups milk

1/2 cup ice cubes

Directions:

Add all the ingredients in a blender and blend until ice is completely crushed. Yields 2-4 servings. Enjoy!

*You can substitute the fresh mangos with canned mango pulp when the mangos are not in season. Canned mango pulp is usually sweet, so you may have to add the sugar accordingly. Don't forget to taste the lassi for sweetness before serving! 

eats & pearls team

Rose Flavored Macarons

Hope you all are having a fantastic week! I've been MIA lately due to traveling, classes, and just trying to catch up with the back to school routine. My two year old has been keeping me super busy so I just haven't had the time to sit down and write anything for a while. A few months ago I posted a picture on IG of macarons that I whipped up and received a lot of requests for the recipe. I apologize for keeping you all waiting, but I have finally put the recipe together so you all can try it and enjoy them like I did!

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup powdered sugar

4 tbsp granulated sugar

1 cup almond flour

2 egg whites

Buttercream:

6 tbsp room temperature butter

1 cup powdered sugar

6 tbsp melted white chocolate

1 tbsp rose water

Pink food color

Recipe:

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the butter and powdered sugar until creamy.

2. Add rose water and melted white chocolate and whisk everything together.

3. Fill buttercream in a piping bag and make a small cut on the tip. 

4. Sift the dry ingredients and place them aside.

5. In another mixing bowl, whisk your egg whites with a hand mixer until a foam forms then add sugar and continue whisking until you have stiff peaks. 

6. Add food color and whisk until the color is combined. 

7. Fold the dry ingredients in the egg whites using a spatula one third at a time making sure you scrape the sides of the bowl.

8. Once the ingredients are well combined, fill them in another piping bag with a round tip and pipe even circles on a lined baking tray. I used a Silpat to line my tray. If you have the macaron mat it would give you perfectly even and spaced out circles. I just got mine from amazon.

9. Tap the tray a few times to release air bubbles from the macarons. Then turn your tray and tap a few more times and let your tray rest on the countertop for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 300 degrees while you're waiting then put them in the oven for 15 min. (Rotate the tray in 7.5 minutes)

10. Once you take them out of the oven let them cool for 30 minutes. 

11. Turn half of the macarons over and pipe the buttercream and top it off with the other half.

12. Enjoy! Leave a comment and let us know if you tried them and how they turned out! 

eats & pearls team

Choco-Nut Banana Bread

Hey y'all!

I had some super ripe bananas sitting on my counter top waiting for me to make something delicious out of them. In about an hour and 15 minutes I whipped up this warm and scrumptious bread. My whole house smelled so heavenly! My hubby is super picky about fruits and especially bananas. He said the only way he would eat the bread is if it had some chocolate incorporated within. So I tossed in a few dark chocolate chips. I wanted something crunchy so I also added some chopped walnuts. And guess what? The dude who doesn't even like to think about bananas actually approved this bread. He's been eating it everyday!! 

Choco-Nut Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

1½ cup all-purpose flour ( I personally prefer Bob's Red Mill brand, unbleached)

½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1½ tsp baking powder
¾ cups sugar
¾ stick of butter (unsalted, room temp)
1 tsp vanilla (I used imitation vanilla flavor)
2 large eggs (I used brown and organic)
3 large bananas (ripened and mashed)
1 cup dark chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli's bittersweet chocolate)
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a loaf pan. (I used a 8.5" pan)
3. Combine the dry ingredients: flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder; mix the ingredients together.
4. In a mixing bowl, beat together sugar and butter. Then add the vanilla, eggs, and mashed bananas. Mix until everything is smooth and creamy.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl until everything is well incorporated followed by folding in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.
6. Pour batter in loaf pan and pop the pan in the oven for an hour or until the top of the bread is as brown as you prefer.
7. Let the bread cool or eat it warm.
8. Enjoy! :)
optional: serve with a scoop of coconut ice cream or an ice cream of your choice.

Hope you try the recipe and enjoy it just as much as we did! Let us know if you have any questions/comments. We would love to hear from you!

eats & pearls team 

Earring Holder

Hey lovelies! I was at HomeGoods the other day and came across a memo board and immediately decided to do something fun with it to brighten up it's dullness. I've been thinking of ways to store my earrings for a while, so I thought this would be a perfect holder for my earrings. If you're like me and you always manage to get them tangled together, then this is a perfect way to hold your earrings and keep them separate from one another!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

This was a fun and quick project and I'm glad I finally figured out how to keep my long earrings from tangling. You can customize it anyway you like and even find more ways to use the memo board. We would love to hear from you on more ideas and ways we can put this memo board to use besides using it as an earring holder. Thanks! :)

eats & pearls team

Review: EZ FoodStorage Silicone Lids

Hey everyone! Hope you all are having a great week! Today, I am going to share the amazing products that I received in the mail by EZ FoodStorage. They sent me a set of silicone suction lids and a set of silicone stretch lids. The products are sold on http://www.amazon.com/ and they are currently marked at discounted prices. Here are the links:

Silicone Stretch Lids: http://www.amazon.com/Silicone-Stretch-Lids-Set-Containers/dp/B01D3OIJ0W?ie=UTF8&keywords=ez%20foodstorage&qid=1465315787&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2

Silicone Suction Lids: http://www.amazon.com/Silicone-Suction-Durable-Approved-Warranty/dp/B01D3RKDAS?ie=UTF8&keywords=ez%20foodstorage&qid=1465315787&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

3 reasons why I love using these lids:

1. Reusable

2. A variety in sizes

3. Airtight seal- keeps food fresh

Thank you EZ FoodStorage!

eats & pearls team

Poem time!

Hey you all! I've got a bunch of posts lined up for you all. Can't wait to share them soon! For now, here is a short poem that pretty much sums up my day. I'm sure most mothers can relate! Enjoy :)

Sweet Child,

Our day begins at eight in the morning

You jump on my bed

Then begins the whining

I want milk! I want French toast!

The day continues as I fulfill your demands

We take a stroll while holding hands

As you nap I finally sit down

And my mind spins all around

Lunch time has approached and you seem ready

But once you start eating you get grouchy

It's time for a much needed shower

Then a massage and a wrap with a towel

It is finally six o clock

And you jump to the door as you hear a knock

Daddy is back home after work! Yippeee!

Time for mommy to reheat and finally sip on that morning tea....

❤

-Saira Jafari