Product Review Wednesday: Alaffia Everyday Coconut Skin Care

I'm a strange banana when comes to beauty products.  I'm a strange banana period, but I digress. I love natural things and try to use them whenever possible, but I also glam it up but good on occasion, so I will try almost everything out there if it's reputable, I like what the company stands for, and it's within my meager budget. My skin is super picky, though.  It's getting a little older, but still breaks out like a teenager once a month. Anything too rich can really send me into an oil spill situation, which is why I wanted to love coconut oil as my only face care item, but couldn't get into it. I'm also kinda sensitive, which is a pain in the neck.

Enter Alaffia Everyday Coconut Skincare. Each step comes in a large bottle for around $8.99 a pop, so it's crazy-affordable. It contains coconut, which will give your skin a creamy glow and neem which is reported to help curb breakouts, especially the hormonal ones I'm still getting. I'm using the cleanser, toner and night lotion from the line. I haven't been able to purchase the day lotion yet, but wow. My skin has the clarity and texture I've tried for years to get with more expensive products. The day lotion does contain a SPF so I will be picking it up soon.

What's really neat about Alaffia as a brand though, is what they stand for. The EveryDay Coconut line specifically was created by Alaffia to increase coconut oil production in Togo, Africa but to stay low on the prices during the tough times we're facing economically. 10% of their sales go to support their many empowerment projects in Togo.

With Bicycles for Education, used bikes donated by people in the US help kids in Togo stay in school. Over 4000 bicycles have been given to over 70 villages to give children the means to travel. Alaffia also helps moms. Over 700 women are given prenatal care each year, which is major considering 1 in 16 will die from pregnancy and complications related to birth. They also plant 8,000 trees a year and provide school supplies and repairs in places that need them.

Alaffia has many other products, including handcrafted shea butter that gets me through super dry winters, but with their major world improvement efforts it seems like a no-brainer.  Look good and feel better about all the good you're facilitating.

You can buy Alaffia products at Whole Foods and Natural Grocers or online, directly from the website.

TV Tuesday

It's TV Tuesday, Ya'll. (That was my Tammy Taylor impression. If you didn't get it, go watch Friday Night Lights now.) I've got some interesting little gems for you this week, so go make a snack and let's curl up on the couch.

Louie is coming back for a fourth season. The trailer is available here.

There is also a new trailer up for Netflix's Orange is the New Black. It's NSFW, due to language. 

Though it's technically a movie, my favorite Television-God, Joss Whedon, has written a new film script called In Your Eyes!   The Mary Sue has the first 3 minutes.

There have been a lot of big time spoilers for Game of Thrones circulating on the internet lately.  If you read the books, you tend to avoid all that.  Just sayin'. 

I still miss Breaking Bad.  Here are 10 things you might not have known about the show.

You can stop biting your nails.  Here are 30 shows getting another year, at least.
To be fair though, I see a few that need to just walk off into the sunset.

Speaking of cancellations, what are your favorites that got the axe before their time?  My top 10, in no particular order, (but Firefly is first), are:

1. Firefly, of course.
2. Veronica Mars
3. Freaks and Geeks
4. Pushing Daisies
5. My So-Called Life
6. Twin Peaks
7. Dollhouse
8. Party Down
9. The Black Donnelys
10. Chicago Code

Send me your selections. I'd love to hear what you think. 

Music Monday: Record Store Day

For Record Store Day this year (which was Saturday, so I apologize for my lateness), R.E.M released two 'Unplugged' performances that were seen on MTV in 1991 and 2001. Included on the 4-LP set are several unaired tracks, including what's being called "a more somber version" of 87's The One I Love. The digital downloads and cd versions will be available on May 20th if you're too cool for vinyl.

There was also a special edition of Nirvana's Pennyroyal Tea from the band's last studio album, In Utero. It was originally scheduled for release this month, 20 years ago, but it was abandoned in the wake of Kurt's death, so this is pretty friggin' historic if you care at all about music.

There was also a re-release of Oasis' Supersonic on 12" and as well as singles and re-releases from The Beach Boys, Chvrches, Joy Division, LCD Soundsystem, and a very rare limited-edition Paul Weller 7". If you manage to get your hands on it, I'd just like to smell it.  I promise to wear gloves.

On a personal note, though due to limited funds I was unable to participate this year, things like Record Store day are a BIG DEAL. If you love music, you should be supporting your local independent music stores. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the convenience of iTunes and digital downloads, but I think it's really preventing the younger generation from being party to the joy of spending an afternoon and really digging into a new album by a band you love. There is just something amazing about looking through the liner notes, reading lyrics, appreciating the art and photography, and just letting the whole thing wash over you. These types of stores aren't just selling you music, they are selling you an experience. Don't let them go the way of the dinosaur.  Art is to be cherished.

I've said my piece, now start listening. 

Damon Albarn, The Beach Boys, Chvrches, Edwyn Collins, Disclosure, Fleetwood Mac, Haim, Joy Division, Kings Of Leon, Metronomy, OutKast, Slipknot and The Rolling Stones,
Read more at http://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/76224#1UXrgszXkWHOYJKr.99

Damon Albarn, The Beach Boys, Chvrches, Edwyn Collins, Disclosure, Fleetwood Mac, Haim, Joy Division, Kings Of Leon, Metronomy, OutKast, Slipknot and The Rolling Stones,
Read more at http://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/76224#1UXrgszXkWHOYJKr.99

Geeky Bunny's Week in Review: Easter Edition

Happy Easter, Everyone.  I'm foregoing my usual weekly roundup to share some of the fun stuff floating around on the internet today.  Grab your baskets and get hopped up on candy. Here's the best of the best for your holiday.

I sing this on most days, but it seems most appropriate today, so enjoy:



Even though I totally disagree with Reese's Eggs landing in the #9 slot, Buzzfeed has the Ultimate Ranking of Easter Candy.

You can make beautiful silk dyed Easter eggs, with my homegirl, Martha. Not sure I'd want to cut up Hermes scarves for this, though.

According to Gawker, maybe you should think about going to church, today.  I gotta say, it kinda leaves a bad taste in my mouth, though. 

Want to be festive, but not too festive? Here are a few songs to put on your Easter playlist that are accidentally appropriate. Well, okay.  Maybe they're more 4/20 appropriate.

Magnetic Fields - Let's Pretend We're Bunny Rabbits
Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit
Bright Eyes - Down in a Rabbit Hole
Kimya Dawson - Velvet Rabbit
Tom Waits - Chocolate Jesus
UNKLE (featuring Thom Yorke) – Rabbit In Your Headlights.  
Beastie Boys – Egg Man. 
Wolfmother - Cosmic Egg
Mr. Bungle - Egg
Candy - Iggy Pop and Kate Pierson

Have I forgotten any?  Send me your selections and I'm serious about that ham. 

Lazy Saturday Edition

I've been away for a couple of days, but I'm back now.  I helped my Mom move last weekend and have realized that I'm not so much a spring chicken anymore, whatever that means.  I'd made big plans to go through all of my closets, drawers and cabinets and do a super purge of stuff I no longer need but can donate, sell or trash.  It's after 1 pm and I'm still in my jammies, though.  I'm pretty sure this will be a next weekend kind of project.  Instead, here are some things I found while screwing around on the internet and not cleaning.

The Body Shop is having a huge sale this weekend. It's in-store and online, so none of that pesky leaving the house business.  Peruse in your yoga pants and Star Wars t-shirt. (It's the official uniform of online shopping.)

Want to work on that screenplay, but don't feel like getting in the car and driving to Starbucks? Bring the noise to your living room.  This may also prove useful when your friends call and accuse you of being antisocial.  "No way.  I'm totally out getting a latte and definitely not sitting on the couch with Netflix muted."

This is an awesome playlist called Let's Snuggle.  Perfect for naps and nuzzling.

I have no idea what the hell this thing is, but I made some dope beats with it. Look out, David Guetta.

Lifehack wants to remove your shame about taking it easy, you guys.  Read this because science.

Off to doze and marathon some Parks and Rec.  Hope you're all enjoying your downtime!

Product Review Wednesday: Natural Calm

I have been under a remarkable amount of stress, lately. I'm looking for a better job, trimming costs from an already tight budget, and trying to keep some semblance of a social life at the same time. This wreaks havoc on my neck and shoulders.  Tension forms there until I'm so tense I can hardly move.

I've also been putting some stress on my body in good ways, by working out.  I'm trying to slim down and tone up, which is going well. It also creates some soreness and stiffness in areas that haven't seen much action in a while. This also comes out as debilitating leg cramps at night. They have woken me up screaming in the past because they were so painful. 

The best product I used the entire time I worked around vitamins and supplements was Natural Calm by Natural Vitality. The magic comes in the form of powdered magnesium citrate, a mineral we don't get enough of in the average American diet. When our bodies are deficient in magnesium we can have trouble getting to sleep, store tension in our muscles, and experience anxiety, salt cravings and even depression.

I put two teaspoons in a mug, add hot water to the powder, let it fizz, stir and sip the stuff like tea. What follows is the slow release of daily tensions until I am simply ready for natural, restful sleep. It was a godsend this weekend after helping my mom move.  I think it saved me from being confined to bed all day Sunday with terrible muscle cramps.It comes in Lemon, Orange, Cherry, Raspberry Lemon and Unflavored. They all taste a little like Alka-Seltzer to me, but I found the Orange one to be the most pleasing.

The only bit of warning I will give is to start out small when you first start taking magnesium. Too much too fast relaxes everything, if you catch my drift.  If you don't catch my drift, I'm talking about your bowels.  Sweet Jesus, just watch yourself, okay?

That said, I don't know how I would get by without this stuff. I can't stop tension from creeping up on me during the day. I can be a blissful, happy girl at bedtime, though. Sound lovely? Get the stuff cheaply here or look for single packets at Whole Foods and Natural Grocers to test them out first.

TV Workouts: Wait, What?

I'm trying to be better to my body. I'm getting to be an age where weight doesn't just fall off if I lay off the soda and chips for a week.  It takes real effort to get that scale to budge. This is heartbreaking for a girl who loves watching television and movies, and sold her Gazelle a couple of years to make ends meet.

Turns out there are actually quite a few workouts created to go along with your favorite movies and shows. Game of Thrones has one, Harry Potter (well, Sorcerer's Stone, anyway), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, even New Girl. The idea is to treat it like a drinking game, only instead of taking shots when something happens on your screen you do lunges, squats or chest flys.  If you want to play True American when you're done, that's totally up to you.



This Tumblr has several that geeks like me can appreciate, but there are tons out there. Just looking for something active to do during commercial breaks? Fitness Magazine put this easy peasy workout together for you.  All you need is a couch, throw pillow and a remote! 

I guess there will be no more snuggling in while I continue to marathon House, M.D., but I sure will look cute in my vintage surf bikini!