As I juggled to figure out what to do with my time in blogging, I finally realized to take a chance and try a self-hosted blog! I want to continue to share a little piece of my life with you over at cupofsusan.com. Come say hi and stay for a little while!                                                         -Susan

(via Pinterest)

2015 - January Favourites

I don't know why, but as I get older, I just feel like time flies by A LOT faster. Another year and another month has just come and past.This month is full of new discoveries, re-discoveries, and things I never fell out of love with (full on commitments!). 

1. Cupcakes - I recently moved back home and my parents don't have any baking supplies around the house! And of course, I haven't had the motivation to go grocery shopping (let alone, I haven't had the motivation to unpack my things yet either). So before I get back into my baking kick, I've been indulging and satisfying my sweet tooth with all the amazing bakeries around the city! Who takes the cake this month? Desmond & Beatrice! I visited the east-end a few weekends ago and fell in-love with the little bright shop. I'm hoping to head back again soon and I have my fingers crossed that their Earl Grey Cupcake is there again! 

2. Matcha - always loved it and always will. My daily ritual the last few months consisted of Matcha Lattes! So simple to make and takes amazing. Here's my simple recipe that I shared before. And I've been loving the DoMatcha organic ceremonial grade matcha - the bright green colour ensures me that I'm getting a good quality tea! 

3. Water - so strange to be putting this as a month's favourite...but, really - I've been in love with drinking water. I was on some medication earlier this month and it made me so dehydrated that water seriously was my lifeline. Absolutely love my new camelbak water bottle to go along with this new love. 

4. Oil, oil, FACIAL OILS - I think I'm always complaining about my naturally dry skin all year round. But, the harsh changing winter in Canada ALWAYS takes a toll on my skin and I can't thank facial oils enough to keep it happy and hydrated. A MUST for the winter for me. 

A month full of getting back up and running! Tons of food and self-care - but, slowly getting back into cleaner eating (guilty for having a diet of 60% take out...). 

love & light,

Susan

No more hay straws - Rahua Hair Review

What can I say...time doesn't stop for anybody.

Been a while since I re-found the motivation and push to write another blog post. A pile of priorities and stress kept building up caused Cup of Susan to be tucked at the bottom of that pile; but, I promise - the blog was not forgotten and my fingers are dancing again on the keyboard!

With the hectic last season/semester, my life unfortunately had more lows than highs. We all know - stress doesn't do anyone good and not sticking to a consistent routine also doesn't do anyone good either. After trying a countless number of natural hair products that didn't do my hair any change, I finally decided to fork out my textbook money and invest in what everyone claims to be the best of the best. And let me tell you friends...people aren't lying - Rahua hair is the best all-natural hair shampoo and conditioner that I ever used so far!

I must be honest, my first impression wasn't too good. I brought the original Ruhua shampoo and really, there's absolutely no lather. I stood in the shower and took a while to think about whether or not I'm using this product properly. After several of uses, I found that it made my thick hair look a little greasy since the product wasn't evenly spreading around - I came to realize that it's not the product, I'm just using too much. Eventually, I thought, maybe I should give the Rahua Voluminious Shampoo a try to compare - picked up a small travel size and this shampoo is what my hair needed. The voluminous one has a lather and works so much easier into my thick Asian hair. Combining it with the original Ruhua conditioner - let me tell you, after several of uses, the combination re-birthed my hair...literally. My hair is no longer crying for hydration.

This product is definitely on the high-end of products. But, you really don't need a lot - a quarter size amount is MORE than enough; and we're talking about using this amount for my thick Asian hair. I've been using this power couple for the past month and I still have 3/4 of each bottle left. Only having to buy new bottles for each season change is a change from going to the drugstore/health food store for a refill each month.

If your hair is in need of some deep hydration, I highly recommend finishing up your current shampoo and conditioner and making a huge commitment and vow to give Ruhua a try. And I know, you'll thank the Amazon rainforests forever. (If you're unsure the hefty price tag will be a match for you, the company does sell travel sizes.)

I'm hoping with more use, my hair will be silk soon...I can keep dreaming, but I think my dream will come true in the next month.

Let me know if you tried Rahua products before. I'll love to hear your experience!

love & light,
Susan


Disclaimer: I bought these oils myself. Of course, always genuine and would only share products I believe in!

Goodbye Summer with BlueBerry Lagoon

I'm looking at my agenda...and I'm crying. How did 4-months of summer just fly by?! The weather was so crummy and wet for the most part and I just don't have the motivation to go back to school. 

My schedule have been packed the last few weeks since everyone is leaving - just cramming a little bit of everyone in my life before we all go our separate ways for the next 8-months. 

With that being said...I neglected tea for some time. I never found the time to brew myself a cup and just sit down to enjoy it. So, today - I chose Blueberry Lagoon by Tealish Tea to let the last taste of summer sink in. 

Just as the name suggest, this tea has a very sweet scent to it. It smells amazing and the taste is very light and subtle. To make the tea stand out, I added a hint of honey to it. And it was a perfect cup of tea. Unfortunately, my boyfriend's house didn't have any ice - otherwise I would have made an iced tea for summer. 

Hot or Cold, this tea is perfect to remind me of the summer months. 

love & light,
Susan

Rehydrate with Vanilla Coconut Water

The cold weather in Canada ruins all the good stuff we have in the world. I always wish I could grow coconuts in my backyard! You'll see tons of coconuts on your grocery store's shelf during the summer months to quench your thirst, but how about the winter months? Well, good thing they make packaged coconut water - not as good and beneficial as the fresh coconuts themselves, but what else can we do? 

Coconut water is so hydrating - it's literally super water; perfect for an after workout drink. It has full of potassium and natural sugars (none of that processed stuff in sport drinks!) to reboot you after an intensive workout. Along with this, it has great electrolytes that your body needs - calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium. 

Already, coconut water is literally perfect hydrator on its own - let's make this even better! 

Raw Cacao Powder - we all love chocolate and this is the rawest form. It's full of great antioxidants and is a girl's best friend during PMS week! 

Chia Seeds - packed full of omega-3s!!! 

Protein Powder - I usually use Vega One, but in this photo, I used Raw Meal by Garden of Life. They both are packed full of other great nutrients that is similar to if you had a complete meal - especially being a student, sometimes we forget to feed ourselves all the nutrients we need. This is perfect for an after workout drink! 

Vanilla Coconut Water 

1-2 cups of coconut water

1 banana (to thicken the drink a bit)

1 scoop of your favourite vanilla protein powder 

1 tablespoon of raw cacao powder

1 tablespoon of chia seeds (optional)

Put all your ingredients into your blender and blend! 

It's really that easy - a quick drink to rehydrate and refuel for the rest of your day after your workout! 

love and light,
Susan

Your Feel Good Soap Bath Soak

Have you been to this hidden gem? Your Feel Good Soap is a little soap shop located in Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood of Toronto - tucked away from the busy Queen St. W. What makes them so unique? Everything is customizable!!! You put your creative and personality in your body products. Anything that is liquid/creamy can be customized - body wash, body lotion, body balm, and shampoo. And that's not all - they are 100% natural! Just the way body care should be. 

When I popped in the store a few weeks ago, they have just launched their create your own bath soaks! 

So, how does this work?

1. Begin with an empty mason jar! 

2. You begin with choosing the bath salt you want - Epsom, Pink Himalayan, and Dead Sea. You can even choose all three if you want! 

3. Choose your flowers and herbs (this was my favourite part!) - Chamomile, Rose Buds, Lavender, Rosemary, Spearmint, and Oats. All have different benefits - don't be afraid to ask Karina, the owner, to let you know what each is good for. She has little pouches to put all the little flowers/herbs in. You can either choose to throw the whole pouch in your bath and it's reusable. Or you can straight up just throw them in your bath and let it float around you. 

4. Injecting the essential oils. They have a handy guide for scent blends depending on what you are looking for in a perfect bath soak blend. She'll put the perfect amount in the mason jar with your bath salts and mix it up for you; you'll get a perfect consistent bath each time!

5. She'll assemble the pouch and mason jar together - and there it is...a personalized bath soak for your beautiful body! 

It was such a fun process to go through. If you're indecisive like me, she's prepared. There's a station set up for you to smell all the essential oils she has in the store...at your own pace! She even has stools set up in front of the station if you are like me. 

I ended up getting:

• All three salts
• Flowers and Herbs: chamomile, rose buds, lavender, and oats
• Essential Oils: Lavender and Ylang Ylang (such a strong and relaxing combination!)

I told Karina about my extremely dry skin and she even put coconut oil and almond oil to the blend to make it extra moisturizing! 

The experience itself is so relaxing and fun. Definitely a de-stressing activity and with your new personalized bath salts, you can take the same feeling home!!

So, if you're in Toronto, take a trip down and give them a smell. They do have an online store that sells most of their homemade products. However, they have yet to add the bath soak to the website - it's the experience of customizing your own that makes it so special! 

love and light,

Susan 

Disclaimer - I have purchased this bath soak and wanted to share my fun experience. As always, these opinions are my own and always genuine.

Non-caffeinated good - ROOIBOS TEA

My name is Susan and I am addicted to tea. 

ROOIBOS. The word that gets everyone going like "what is it? say that word again". This cup of tea is not your typical one. 

So...what is rooibos? 

Rooibos is a plant from South Africa that is also referred to as "red bush". If you search photos up on Google, you'll see that it looks like needle-leaves - definitely not like any of your everyday teas. But, don't be fooled by its' difference. It makes a perfect cup of herbal tea! 

Why is it so good for you?

• Antioxidant - just like the other types of tea, rooiboos has antioxidants that helps keep your cells strong! In particular, rooibos contains high concentration of aspalathin and nothofagin, which fight against free radicals to protect your healthy cells. 

• Caffeine free! - so drink up! The rooibos plant grows naturally with no caffeine, so it's a perfect choice for everyone...even for children. 

• Minerals - this plant is packed full of good minerals to fuel your body. Calcium, Manganese, Iron, Zinc...it's all there to assist with building strong teeth, bones, support for immune system, and distributing oxygen around your body. Rooibos increases iron absorption in our bodies...a definitely plus for females!

• Happy tummy and gut - another high concentration of flavonoids helps with relieving any upset stomach, indigestion, and cramps. 

• Post-workout drink - a great drink to enjoy after a workout that is different than the good old water. The minerals will help bring your body back to equilibrium. 

• Golden sleep - with absolutely no caffeine and high mineral content, it's found to be a very relaxing tea for night time! 

This is just a mini list of the great benefits of rooibos tea! There are tons more out there for this powerful plant. 

Even with the great benefits tea offers, we tend to overlook that tea leaves/plants are big targets for pesticides and herbicides. Especially for someone like me, who consumes large amounts of it on a daily basis, it does add up. It's very important to really consider switching to organic tea if you are a frequent drinker! Another important factor to look into is the tea bag - many companies may be using organic tea leaves, but the tea bag may not be organic! All the chemicals that you are trying to avoid is seeking in your cup of tea. That's why I love Numi Organic Tea - they use organic tea to protect farmers, the planet, and the consumers. They even go as far as making sure their tea bags were not produced with any GMOs or plastic. Double bonus.

I hope you enjoy this cup of tea!

love and light,

Susan

Disclaimer - I have purchased this tea (and highly recommend it to all my friends and family!). As always, these opinions are my own and are always genuine!