It’s Labor Day Weekend! I stayed home – had the chance to head down to the beach, but it was kind of nice to get some forced time to sit around and do… nothing. I grocery shopped, lifted weights at the gym, spent time at the pool getting some sun, and spent too much money at Ulta with their 21 days of deals. I got some amazing deals on cool stuff so far! While these deals are no longer, I highly recommend these things (not sponsored, just a fan):

• Osea Undaria Algae Body Butter – 6.7oz, $56. Big fan of this product – natural ingredients, mild smell, not greasy at all, absorbs quickly.
• r.e.m. beauty Lustrous Liquid Eyeshadow – $8 (normally $16!) – this is currently on sale until tonight at midnight – I bought 2 colors, and I love them. Just enough shimmer to be fancy, but not too hoochie.
• Urban Decay All NIghter Waterproof Setting Powder – $35 – I have the setting spray by this brand, but sometimes I find that it’s a bit heavy. I only put it on briefly (bought it yesterday), but I think this might be a nice solution to it being super hot out and not wanting heavy layers on my face to keep my eye make-up nice.
• Ulta Brand Juice Infused Lip Oil – $10 – I bought the Berry flavor, and it’s got a hint of color but mostly clear, and not sticky at all. It was the deal on Saturday, so I grabbed two of them to shove into my purses for a surprise in 6 months when I come across them.
• Nars Light Reflecting Eye Brightener – $34 – for summer, I got the shade Goldeneye, which is a light to medium color. I can layer it in the winter when I am pale with my favorite Kosas concealer. It’s creamy, not too heavy, and doesn’t crease.
• Lolavie Restorative Shampoo – 8.5oz, $29 – I am a sucker for new shampoos. I am also a sucker for anything Jennifer Aniston does, because she’s perfection. I got this shampoo to see if it made my hair soft without making it greasy… I have what an old hairstylist called “silky” textured hair – a nice way to say I have very straight, untextured wispy white-girl superfine hair. I’ll accept that, but I at least want to feel fresh and clean. I love this stuff, I combine it with my K18 Leave-in Mask once a month (warning – that stuff is not from Ulta and is NOT wallet friendly L but boy, does it work)

Outside of spending frivolously, a few key things  outside of my own stuff has happened. Venus went direct today after a month and a half in retrograde, and Jupiter went retrograde today as well. A little about Venus – it’s the planet for relationships, both romantic and platonic. Things may have seemed intense late this summer, but it’ll start to course-correct today. Lots more clarity, more harmony with dealing with others, less conflict. Similarly – we get another boost with Jupiter as of today until December 31^st. While retrogrades are often thought of as negative, Jupiter is a bit different. Abundance and prosperity are on the up and up, and with Jupiter in retrograde, it’s just a wise caution to move slowly, but intentionally on any major chances and leaps forward. However, it’s thought that any big opportunities and chances should be carefully considered and taken (at your own risk!).

Though it’s going to be in the 90’s this week, this recipe uses the oven but I promise it’s worth it – these cookies are delicious. It’s like a reverse chocolate chip cookie, but healthy – paleo, so gluten free, dairy free, grain free.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with White Chocolate (Paleo!)

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 10 min

Makes 12 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 heaping tbsp cocoa powder
• 3 oz vegan white chocolate chips, I use these
• Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together your wet ingredients – your egg, coconut oil, coconut sugar and vanilla extract.
3. Next, stir together the dry ingredients in a bowl –  almond flour, coconut flour and baking soda, mixing well to combine. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well combined.
4. Lastly, gently fold in in the white chocolate chips. If need be, use clean hands to mix the chips in thoroughly.
5. Scoop golf-ball sized balls of dough onto ungreased baking sheet. With a greased mug of cup, flatten the dough to about 2/3 of an inch. The flatter you make the cookies, the flatter and wider they’ll bake. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges appear crisp.
6. Once cooked, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and allow to cool on cookie sheet for 10 to 15 minutes before removing.

Enjoy!

-S