Hurricane Florence definitely put a kink in my work agenda this month, but everything here in Charleston is fine, for which I am grateful.  Unfortunately, the people of upstate South Carolina and North Carolina did not fare so well.  NPR published a great article recently on the best charities you can donate to; you can check it out here.  Okay, let’s get down to business.  I want to talk plant-based milk, nontoxic insect repellant, etc. etc.

Have you heard of Almond Cow yet?  I talked about it recently on Instagram.  I’m not a kitchen gadget collector, but I am so happy to have an Almond Cow.  Our whole family is dairy-sensitive, and this machine has made life so much easier.  It makes plant-based milk in about 5 minutes – no straining, no mess.  You can use nuts, seeds, oats, coconut, you name it.  The machine is easy to use and clean, and it comes with a ton of yummy recipes.  Not to mention that store bought nut milks usually contain nast additives and preservatives, and not much nutritional value.  And, don’t get me started on how wasteful the containers are!  Use my coupon code, BAREBEAUTY for $15 off your purchase.  Oh, and these are the glass bottles we use to store our plant-based milks.

In other foodie news, Le Creuset is having their annual Factory to Table Sale in Charleston September 27-30 where attendees can access exclusive product discounts on a vast selection of Le Creuset cookware.  (I have friends who’ve outfitted most of their kitchen with the steals from this sale; the deals are that good.)  Tickets are on sale now, and 100% of the proceeds go to scholarship funding at the Culinary Institute of Charleston.  My favorite products from Le Creuset are their cast iron cookware.  It conducts heat evenly, it cleans up easily, and it’s a nontoxic cooking surface, unlike teflon products.

Summer is almost over, but the bugs are still out here in Charleston.  We’ve tried a lot of natural insect repellants over the years, and I’m really liking Erbaviva’s Buzz Spray right now.  Our new house has a big yard, and we are on the marsh, so I think our testing of an insect repellant is as good as any!  This one isn’t greasy like some of the others we’ve used.  Woody is walking better and better each week, but he still knee-walks and crawls sometimes, and his poor knees take a beating.  I’ve been using Erbaviva’s Organic Lip and Cheek Balm on them a few times a day, which seems to be helping.  I actually love the entire Erbaviva baby & child line – you can find it at Aillea Beauty.

True Botanicals Sun & Moon Box always comes with a free gift, and this month it was Ritual’s Essential Daily Multivitamin for Women, which is one of the very best on the market. (Most multivitamins are a total scam, in my opinion.)  I’ve talked about this before, but True Botanicals’ Sun & Moon Box makes a lot of sense if you are a true devotee, like myself.  You get to choose which products you want on repeat, and how often you receive them.  This gives you 10% off, and a surprise gift (that you’d actually want) every time you receive a box.  It’s kind of a no-brainer.

I didn’t get a chance to talk about the Beauty Heroes discovery this month, which was a trio of lovely products from Josh Rosebrook. (I’m going to blame the hurricane.)  You can purchase them individually at their shop.  Josh makes some of the most thoughtful, well-researched, unique nontoxic skincare and haircare products out there.  Everything he produces is just stellar, and he is a total sweetheart.

Ok, that’s all for this week!  Can someone please tell me what happened to September?!

…..