More Beauty Products! By Steacy Gryspeerdt

A BIG thank you to Steacy Gryspeerdt, the financial advisor for Project Beauty next semester, for the following fabulous blog post! Here she shares some of her favorite beauty products! Enjoy and thanks again Steacy!

Great Beauty Products

I know it has been a while, but it is the summer now and I have much more free time to write posts when I want to share different things with all of you!

Today I decided to do something a little different and spread the word about a product that I am IN LOVE with. It is by the company L'Occitane and it is their Shea Butter One Minute Hand Scrub. It was given as a gift to my mom by her friend and I found it in her bathroom one day and decided to give it a try. After one use, I was hooked. It left my hands feeling silky smooth and moisturized. I definitely do not rave about a product unless it is completely deserving of it and I promise that this product is absolutely amazing. If you have dry rough hands or want to pamper your hands definitely give this product a try! You will not be disappointed: I swear by it!

After I use the scrub I finish with L'Occitane's Hand Cream that is also amazing. It is thick and rich but not greasy. It will moisturize your hands thoroughly and keep them moisturized throughout the day. I have been using this hand cream for years and will never use anything else. Both of these products combined will leave you with incredibly soft and moisturized hands. Guaranteed! Both of the links to the products are below:

http://usa.loccitane.com/shea-butter-one-minute-hand-scrub,82,1,29193,263807.htm

http://usa.loccitane.com/shea-butter-hand-cream,82,1,29465,261659.htm

The next product I want to rave about is a mascara base by Lancome! It is called the "Cils Booster XL" Conditioning Mascara Base and comes in a white mascara tube. This product is fabulous. You put it on underneath any mascara and I promise it makes your lashes significantly thicker and longer. I originally received it as a sample at Sephora and tried it once and then returned to the store because I had to purchase it!

I have found that it works best underneath a Lancome brand mascara probably because the products were designed to work together, however, I have also used it underneath various drugstore mascaras and you can definitely see a difference with them as well! The product goes on as a white mascara basically and you wait about 30 seconds for it to dry and then layer black or brown mascara on top. I promise that you will see a difference after the first use. Definitely give this a try if you are looking to maximize the results of your mascara! The link is below:

http://www.lancome-usa.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-lancome_us-Site/default/Product-Show?pid=990604&bookmark=144932

Last but not least the final product that I would like to RAVE about is the St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse. Anyone that has used this self tanner before is definitely hooked. Not only is it EXTREMELY naturally looking color but it is easy to apply too! You apply it with the St. Tropez tanning mitt that comes free with the bottle of tanner and you can see exactly where you put it on your body. I usually apply it after I shower in the evening. You then leave the tanner on for at least 8 hours (I find it works better when you leave it on for at least 12 hours) and then shower it off. You are left with a beautiful and natural looking glow that is not streaky or orange looking at all. The only thing that you have to be careful about is not sweating or getting wet at all between the time you apply it and shower it off! 

For me and my friends at Colgate, this is our best friend during the snowy upstate New York winters because sometimes we go months without seeing the sun! I highly recommend this product. They also recently came out with a "Dark" version of this bronzing mousse that is designed for those with naturally darker skin! I have used this shade before and even though I am relatively pale in the winter, I have applied it before formals and vacations and it still looks natural after it is washed off, just a little bit darker than the original mousse! Overall, for anyone who desires a natural looking tan that doesn't want to lay out in the sun or damage their skin at tanning booths, this is the way to go! It is a little pricey but well worth the money, I promise! You won't be disappointed! Below are the links to the Classic Bronzing Mousse and the Dark Bronzing Mousse as well!

https://www.sttropeztan.com/self-tan-bronzing-mousse

https://www.sttropeztan.com/self-tan-dark-mousse

Healthy Desserts!

I have SUCH a sweet tooth! I know I'm not the only one. However, eating too many processed sugars isn't good for anyone! So here is a list that I have come up with that are my favorite healthy desserts. I've divided them into two categories...the first list are healthy desserts you can make at Frank Dining Hall. The second list are my top three for when I am at home with access to more ingredients! Enjoy!

TO MAKE AT FRANK...

1) CREDIT to Emma McCune for inventing this! Take about 1/2-3/4 of a cup of chocolate frozen yogurt, put a small scoop of peanut butter on the edge of the cup and (if they have it) grab a banana to slice and put on top! If they don't have bananas, don't worry... the chocolate and peanut butter is still a delicious combination! The chocolate froyo is light but sweet and the peanut butter has healthy fats in it that will satisfy you and keep you full.

2) One of my favorites is a cup of tea with a little cream and sweetener. This is if you aren't really hungry but are in the mood for something sweet! It is satisfying but not heavy by any means.

3) As mentioned in a previous post by Carly Citron...granola and vanilla soy milk is DELICIOUS! I promise you will like it. And if you want a little chocolate...at Frank they have chocolate soy milk too! The soy milk is so creamy and sweet, it is a perfect pair with granola.

4) Banana drizzled with honey is also a healthy and delicious option for dessert. Pair with a little skim milk and a handful of cheerios for a little crunch.

5) Last but not least, another personal favorite is a nice cup of hot cocoa! The coffee machine at Frank is great. Hot cocoa is very satisfying on a chilly winter night (which we have a lot of those here at Colgate). And if you're heading to the library for a long night of studying...add a shot of espresso! It's delicious and will give you a little caffeine boost before you hit the books.

TO MAKE AT HOME...

1) Fresh bowl of berries with whipped cream. This is my favorite. Especially if you can make the whipped cream from scratch. Nothing better in my opinion :)

2) Chobani Flips. These are the best. They are little trays with yogurt and various mix ins that you can add! My favorite is the key lime crumble. It tastes like Key Lime Pie! It even has graham crackers and white chocolate chips you can mix in. And this flavor is only 180 calories...so awesome. They come in so many other delicious ones too. Some you can even buy at the C-Store! Check them out!

3) A square of dark chocolate. I am such a fan of dark chocolate. Not only is it rich and satisfying but it is filled with healthy antioxidants. My favorite brand that my friend Ali Rakow introduced me to is Trader Joes Dark Chocolate with Almonds from Belgium. So delicious and definitely healthy!

Chia Seeds: What are they?

One of the interesting things that I like to incorporate into my diet are Chia Seeds. My friend Alyssa every time she looks at my yogurt asks...what is that? They certainly look odd but there are a lot of health benefits that they offer. 

1. They have FIBER! Fiber is a very important part of your diet that aids digestion.

2. They have healthy Omega-3 fatty acids in them. These are so good for your hair, nails, skin and brain health.

3. They help keep you full! I put them in my greek yogurt in the morning and it helps keep me full through my morning classes until lunch time!

4. They contain NO GLUTEN or grains! So they are safe for those with dietary restrictions or those following a gluten free diet.

5. Chia seeds can play an important role in regulating insulin levels. They can reduce insulin resistance and decrease abnormally high levels of insulin in the blood. This also helps fight belly fat and can help keep you toned!

They are also so easy to incorporate into your diet. You can mix them into yogurt, oatmeal, a smoothie, cereal or even over a salad! The taste is pretty mild. Also to make it even easier... I buy DOLE Nutrition Plus milled seeds. They are individually portioned in little sticks that look like what Crystal Light Drink mix comes in! All you do is pour the serving into whatever you are eating. It is so easy. They are also NON-GMO if you buy this brand :)

And now a few fun facts that are on the back of the box...

OUNCE for OUNCE, Chia seeds provide...
2X more omega-3s than walnuts
3X more fiber than oatmeal
5X more calcium than WHOLE milk
39% more fiber than FLAX

go out and buy them! 

What is "Healthy"?

If there is one thing that has really stuck with me throughout my recovery from anorexia, it is my redefined version of the word "healthy". A lot of people claim that they eat "healthy" but what does that really entail? 

In the midst of my eating disorder I thought that I was the healthiest person out there. I thought being healthy meant only eating certain foods that I labeled as "good" foods and avoiding entire food groups like complex carbohydrates, starches and sweets. I would never touch anything that was not organic and was very picky about the things that I felt comfortable with. Anything that I ate that was outside of my comfort zone i compensated for by working out at the gym.

As I recovered I began to redefine my version of healthy. And the following list of actions are very HEALTHY habits that everyone should aim to fulfill.

1. Making sure all bases are covered during meals. Protein, carbohydrate/starch and a vegetable of some sort. Avoiding food groups deprives your body of essential nutrients.

2. Allowing yourself to indulge. Whether that is eating dessert a few nights a week. Or pigging out on Slices when you are out with your friends on the weekends. Or drinking a warm cup of hot chocolate on a snowy afternoon. Or over-eating on a holiday. These things are NORMAL and HEALTHY for everyone to engage in every once in a while.

3. Taking a day or two or three off from working out. Intense cardio every day of the week is not good for your body. When I told my doctor that I ran 3-4 miles a day every day...she looked at me as if I had just punched her in the stomach. It is important to switch up your workouts and realize that it is okay to have rest days to relax and lay in bed and watch movies. Guilt for not going to the gym or feeling compelled to go to the gym is NOT normal and NOT healthy.

4. Nurturing your body. If you're hungry...eat. If you have an injury...don't workout. If you feel sick...take a nap and rest. If your craving chocolate...have a little piece. Treat your body with care. It is the only one you have. The way your treat it now will affect your health 20 years from now. 

5. Don't let others dictate your actions. Comparing yourself to others almost always results in feeling not so great about yourself. Feeling content with who you are and where you stand in your life is something that will always make you happy. Realize the wonderful things you have in your life. Make a list if that helps. I promise you are beautiful. 


The above actions are healthy to me. Some may disagree but I believe that in order to be truly healthy you must feel okay with indulging, nurturing your body, taking a day off from the gym etc... The people that look perfectly thin and eat perfectly at every meal are usually not as "perfect" on the inside as one might think. Be proud of who you are and content with who you are on the inside. That is what makes you....you. <3 

Lots of love XO

Monologue

Hi everyone! To kick off the spring semester I thought I would post a BEAUTIFULLY written monologue by Haley Del Plato. She presented it at freshman orientation this year. She is a senior here at Colgate and I think she did such a wonderful job communicating what it really is like to have an eating disorder. Thank you so much for sharing this Haley. Enjoy everyone! And happy first day of classes!

(Yelled at me, as the “voice” in my head):

You are a stupid, ugly fatass.

You will never be good enough.

You will never be worth anything.

 Haley, your thighs are massive.

You have no self-control.

You don’t deserve to be loved, especially not by yourself.

You don’t even deserve to live.

Put the food down.

You can’t eat that.

Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.

 Maybe if you lost some weight, people would like you.

You’re an idiot. You always say and do the wrong things.

 You’re the dumbest one here. And the ugliest.

No breakfast today. And no milk in your coffee.

You’re unworthy, unintelligent, undesirable and unfixable.

You will never succeed, nor do you deserve to succeed.

You will always be like this—a stupid, ugly, fatass.

These thoughts all started infiltrating my mind because of her. She hides in a corner of my brain, pretending to be me, blurring the lines between what I really am and who I should be. She speaks to me; she’s the voice in my head, like when you think to yourself. She screams at me, she taunts me, she criticizes my every move. She fights with the girl who has always been Haley. She argues with logic. She skews the rational until I can’t tell which is right, until I can’t feel which way is up and which way is down. She is my eating disorder.

For years, her words were the soundtrack to my life. It wasn’t just the occasionally heard theme song, though. It was the alarm that woke me up in the morning, and the lullaby that put me to sleep. It was the song I heard on my way to class, and the melody that echoed in empty buildings. This was the song I listened to while I ran on the treadmill, and every tune that came on the radio. Her soundtrack became everything to me—before long, it was all that was familiar to me—all that I knew. Everything in my life revolved around these songs…the scathing lyrics forced me into patterns of calorie restriction, over-exercise, and prayer to a porcelain god after each meal. My thoughts were all replaced by comparison, nutrition labels, thinspiration, and secrecy. This voice was my best friend, husband, abusive lover, evil twin—all rolled into one somehow.

I don’t know how to explain to you what life with an eating disorder is like, except to tell you that I wouldn’t wish it upon even my worst enemy. It’s like living with a vicious watchdog chained to your body. It’s terrifying…to walk around in constant fear of yourself. It was a life with blinders. When I was at my sickest, hair falling out, crying over 3 calories too many—that’s when she was the meanest. That’s when, according to her, I weighed 700 pounds and needed to regain control of myself. It was, and still can be, a very twisted world.

And then, I couldn’t hide it anymore. People began to realize that I was hurting. You can only cry yourself to sleep so many times before your roommate begins to worry. And that was when it all crashed down at once: My parents found my calorie log. I was ashamed and embarrassed. What normal human being spends hours each week squeezing her fat, buying double-zero pants meant for prepubescent girls as motivation to lose more weight? How do you explain to your loving family how they can start a simple diet and go off it after our trip to the beach, but if I begin to cut back, I’ll be addicted to the emptiness, and ice water will become my meal of choice within a matter of days? How do you tell the two people who created and raised you that your favorite pastime has become destroying every fiber of your being? Pieces fell into place and my webs of lies unraveled. I was not given an option. I had to take a semester off of Colgate for treatment of mental illness.

Having to willingly let go of my eating disorder has been painful—the most difficult task I’veever had to accomplish. It’s hard to want to recover, even if I have every reason to need to get better. You see, although my relationship with food has been beyond abusive, it’s also been the only thing I’ve relied on to feel okay about myself. It’s my coping mechanism and a way to distance myself from true feelings. Leaving that security blanket behind is terrifying. It’s like standing at the edge of a cliff, surrounded by your family and friends, even impartial strangers. Everyone is encouraging you to jump off, cornering you towards the ledge. You don’t have a parachute, and every logical rational thought in your mind tells you to back away, don’t jump—this will kill you. How do you ever believe that they’re right—that you’d be better off jumping, falling, and seeing what’s at the bottom of the cliff? That’s what recovery feels like. Each bite of food is a step towards that same threatening cliff, and I’ve learned to trust that maybe they’re all right—that somehow I’ll grow wings on the way down. I had to tear down my old identity—everything I was familiar with—and build a completely new one. Eating again for me was like starting to write with your non-dominant hand…a task so incredibly frustrating because you have to focus on the art of each individual letter rather than letting your muscle memory take over what used to be a “simple” action.

It’s terrifying and confusing and pulls the ground out from beneath you when you are told by professionals that you are no longer in a place where you can trust your own mind. The brain that has led me to consistent academic success, landed me at Colgate, and won countless arguments against my sisters…I can no longer trust it to tell me what is right orrational or accurate. I can learn countless new theories and formulas and verb conjugations, but I somehow can’t look in the mirror and see what I really look like. I can ace a job interview, but somewhere along the way convinced myself that an apple is all I need for lunch, that my hipbones are more important than my happiness, and that I’d rather DIE than live at a healthy weight. It’s confusing to come to realization of your distorted thoughts and perceptions, but to not be able to believe otherwise.

In recovery, life sometimes seems to be an endless battle. It’s hard to wake up, looking in the mirror, wanting to starve myself for the day or week, yet know that I have to go eat breakfast because I decided that living life was more significant than the proportion of my thighs to my stomach.

What complicates recovery is the fact that not many people understand eating disorders, a diagnosis plagued by social stigma and ignorant assumptions. It’s not about the food. There is not one image of an eating disorder. They come in all shapes and sizes and weights and habits. To understand eating disorders, you have to understand that it’s not a conscious choice. It’s a secret addiction, with silence being the deadliest symptom. You can’t just “start eating normal” again to recover, either. There are rules and punishment, “good” foods and “bad” foods that become as memorable as one’s own birth date. You don’t always know who might have an eating disorder. You wouldn’t have guessed that I did. An eating disorder is not just the pictures you’re shown in 7th grade health class. Is it never eating anything? Is it the latest fad diet? No. But society’s obsession with thinness and perfection certainly doesn’t do anything to prevent the onset of eating disorders. Stop glorifying restrictive eating patterns and disordered exercise regimes. Put an end to the satisfaction that comes from eating less than the girl next to you. Stop acting like it’s “cool” or “attention-seeking” to have an eating disorder or any other mental illness…it’s not a class you can take for a semester and then drop. It’s not a trend or something you can just pick up until you fit in your prom dress. Let me be the one to tell you, the individuals with eating disorders who succeed? They’re dead, six feet under, having never lived.  It’s not helpless vanity, either. It’s a voice in your head telling you that you are NOTHING on your own. It’s an addiction and a way to numb the pain. It sucks the living out of life, it takes your dreams and turns them into pictures of thigh gaps and ribcages. It tells you that this image is the one and only definition of beauty.

I’m proud to say, I returned to Colgate. After intensive treatment and now weight-restored and in a stable place, I’ve realized that I cannot and will not let myself be defined by something so arbitrary as a number on the scale. I began to refuse the idea that the size printed in my jeans is the determining factor of my self-worth. I started fueling my body, my mind, and my spirit. I am no longer defined by a measurement or simple number, nor is the essence of my identity captured in the black and white print of a résumé. I am not a cookie-cutter 21 year old girl, nor do I need to be.

Look at the people around you. Can you find someone that looks normal? Or a group of people, maybe. Now I want to ask you another question…what the HELL is normal? Am I normal because I wear Sperry’s and straighten my hair? I don’t know. But here I am, on stage, in the Colgate chapel, in front of hundreds of strangers, speaking these words publicly for the first time: I AM IMPERFECT, I AM FLAWED, I AM HUMAN. The student who lived in a Spanish household in the center of Madrid for a semester? That’s me, the same girl finally learning how to use the English word “NO”. The girl you see mixing up left from right in zumba class? I’ll admit, that’s also me. What you don’t know? How many weeks of hospitalization it took for me to reach the point where I was allowed to exercise again. Look around you…and rethink your original judgments. You don’t know anyone’s story or anyone’s struggle or the dream they fall asleep thinking about. So how can you define them in one word? How would you define me? Anorexic?

My name is Haley DelPlato. I am actively participating in the daily struggle of recovery from anorexia and bulimia. I have also been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, Social phobia, Obsessive Compulsive tendencies, General Anxiety Disorder, and Body Dysmorphic Disorder. I’ve struggled with self-harm, self-hatred, and a vicious addiction to self-destruction. But I am so much more than these labels and diagnoses and categories. My name is Haley DelPlato. I’m a Colgate student from the class of 2014. I’m a Spanish speaker with blue eyes, a country music fan, and a child at heart. I’m a story-teller, a musician, and I don’t own a single pair of white socks…I’m a daughter, a sister, and a friend. I’m a girl who is finally realizing the vast possibilities of life that exist outside of our struggles. My name is Haley DelPlato, I’m a warrior, and I am in your company.

BANANA ICE CREAM

Since I've been home from school for winter break, I've been trying to eat very healthfully since sometimes doing so at college is tough! One of my FAVORITE recent discoveries has been a healthy banana ice cream. You only need 2 simple ingredients:

1) Frozen Bananas (2-3)
2) Skim Milk (3/4- 1 cup)

I personally own a Vitamix blender that I use to make juices and smoothies. It is basically a very powerful blender. If you do not have a Vitamix, don't worry! You can absolutely still use a regular blender to make this ice cream. All you do is cut up the frozen bananas into small pieces and place in the blender. Then pour the skim milk in and blend the two ingredients until it turns smooth and creamy! It might get a little stuck at first since the bananas are thick and frozen...you might have to stop and scrape down the sides every 10 seconds or so. If it is still really thick, add a little more milk! It will make the consistency thinner and easier to blend. If it is too soupy by the end...just stick it in the freezer for an hour or two and it will freeze up! 

OPTIONAL- I like to add stevia powder to my ice cream sometimes. It makes it sweeter and is zero calories :) However, I recently made a batch without the stevia and it was still delicious! It is all about personal preference. This is my favorite stevia powder to use! You can buy it at wegmans or the Vitamin Shoppe.

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/p/nunaturals-white-stevia-packets-100-packets/nun1002?sourceType=sc&source=FG&adGroup=40-60&keyword=NUN1002&cm_mmc=Google+Shopping-_-Product+Listing+Ads-_-40-60-_-NUN1002&gclid=CNik_uyO-rsCFSLxOgodUnsAQw&gclsrc=aw.ds

Anyway, this is my new favorite dessert that is SO delicious and SO healthy at the same time! You have to try it out! I promise you won't be disappointed! :) xx