My Top 10 - May Edition

all my favorites from May

Hellloooo beautiful people!!!! How was your long-weekend? I hope you took time for yourself and enjoyed that extra day of peace, honor and reflection.

spent the weekend in Oahu

My monthly recaps are one of my favorite newsletters to write because it forces me to reflect on the past month. I started reading over some of my initial May & Spring intentions, and it feels really good connecting those to now memories from the month behind me.

I love a new month for a fresh start and beginning, but I also love the end of the month for a moment of reflection. If you have a little free time this week, I encourage you to take a slow morning, afternoon or evening to yourself without any noise to reflect on the past month. It is a super therapeutic practice and truly helps to ground me so that it doesn’t feel like time is just flying by with no control.

& without further adooooo — here are my favorites from this month!

1. Creamy Roobios Chai Tea

I’ve said it before & I will say it again — I drink herbal tea like it is water throughout the day and it is my favorite little ritual. I think that herbal tea is incredible in so many ways — from calming the nervous system, aiding in digestion, hydrating our bodies & being rich in nutrients and antioxidants.

I got sent a little tea sampler from Heavenly Teas recently and I went through them so fast so when they gave me a code, “glowwithella”, I ordered so much more with my with the discount because I became obsessed.

These are my favorite blends — Creamy Roobios Chai Tea (it’s like a chai latte without the caffeine its so delicious), Ginger Jazz (gingery goodness paired with tons of amazing herbs), Cleanse (love this one for a light detox-support), and ofc I love their non-blends too like Peppermint & Hibiscus.

2. Double Cleansing

My skincare routine has changed a lot and it changes seasonally — but one thing that I have been really liking lately is double cleansing. Now — I didn’t start doing this until I worked on rebuilding my skins natural barrier which took time. But now that my skin is a lot better off than it was 6 months ago, double cleansing has felt really good for me. I really feel like it pulls all the impurities out of my skin for a true deep cleanse. Feels really refreshing. To preface, I do not do this twice a day, I usually only will wash my face in the evening, and I only double cleanse a couple of times a week.

There are two cleansing balms I love and switch off from — this one is super refreshing and leaves my skin with that nice minty feel, and this one is a tried and true.

METHOD: On dry skin I rub in cleansing balm in gentle circular motions on my face for about a minute, then I get my hands wet and repeat — emulsifying it into my skin, then I wash it off and dry with a clean cotton towel. I follow it up with my favorite purity cleansing wash. I also have been loving washing my face with raw honey.

Double cleansing can help remove layers of sunscreen, makeup, excess oil, and pollution that build up throughout the day — allowing our second cleanser to actually cleanse skin rather than just break through surface debris. I feel it has helped me with clearer pores, smoother texture, and better absorption of skincare products.

3. Snack Travel Hacks

Ok this has changed my life, and also made traveling SO MUCH BETTER. I just traveled for 10 days so I have to share four of my favorite hacks with you.

First and foremost — this is one that I have not yet tried but have been dying to, you can bring your own water through security by saying it is “medical-grade-water”. Like I can bring a big thing of my mountain valley ?? I get nervous but I want to do this because I love having my own water.

Secondly — you can bring your own liquids through if you freeze them the night before. I froze a big thing of kefir in the freezer and then brought it through security and by the time it melted I was halfway through my flight and it was the perfect ‘lil snack. You can also do this with smoothies, milk, coconut water, etc…

Third — you can bring a full bag of food/snacks etc., and that will NOT be included as one of your personal items! So you can have 2 bags + a snack bag on the plane!

Lastly — I love bringing my own matcha to make at the airport or wherever I am traveling. I bring a good handheld frother & my favorite matcha. Then I just ask for a cup of hot water anywhere, froth up my matcha, and then pour it over some ice and milk or drink it as is! Also can bring travel sized maple & honey too.

4. Bullet Blender

I use this blender at least once a day & I always get asked where it is from. It’s powerful, and an extra bonus it looks cute on the counter top. I have the mini version and the larger version — but I use the mini much more often.

Now I am trying to move away from plastic kitchenware, but I just have not been able to find a bullet blender comparable in glass/stainless steel — so for now I will keep on using this one because I just love it.

5. The Nightengale

Okay you guys I know this book has been on my favorites list probably too many times now but I just finished it and I have never sobbed so hard. SOBBED. Something about the second half and ending of this book just broke me. I truly do not know if I will read another book as good as this one this year. I really really recommend it. Excited to read more of her books next.

The next book that we read in our book club was The Alice Network which everyone loved, and now we are going to read Project Hail Mary — will let you know how it is!

6. Making Potholders

I feel like we all have a little bit of fidgeting fixation when it comes to having something in our hands — our phones and texting and overstimulation have not made that any easier.

If you are someone who cannot watch TV without scrolling on your phone — this ones for you. No but ACTUALLY this simple hobby has been a real game changer for me. It is so easy to pick up (I want to learn knitting and crochet but this is the beginners first step), you get cute potholders out of it that you will use! AND it is just a wonderful creative outlet! This is the set I use & the I order loops.

I started out doing it when I was watching TV and it gave my hands something to do, and now I just play music and do it when I am bored. It really is so fun, and nostalgic, like who remembers doing these as a kid, and why did we stop??

There is also something just calming and therapeutic about it. I do it as a low-stimulating evening activity, or even while I am watching a show. It makes for such a great gift for something as well if you end up with a ton of them like me lol.

7. Carrot Ribbon Salad

Eating our skincare is real & so is eating for pleasure which is the true reason I love this salad so much. Something about the ribbons with the olive oil vinegar and salt like it is so absolutely simple but so satisfying and fun to eat and I am just obsessed. My dinners and lunches feel wrong without a carrot salad on the side.

I have always been a carrot obsessed gal, when Cooper and I first started dating he nicknamed me “Bugs” as in bugs bunny because of the amount of carrots and carrot salads I ate, I think I overdid it at the time, but we are so back baby. Definitely overdoing it again but how can I not, I love it so much, and the added benefits of raw carrots are an extra bonus.

Raw carrot salad can help to get rid of excess estrogen in our bodies. It can support gut health and digestion & is rich in beta-carotene (which converts to vitamin A in the body), Vitamin C & antioxidants for beautiful and glowing skin.

My OG is just some evoo, vinegar & flakey salt — but I love mixing and matching toppings depending on my mood.

Carrot Salad Add-Ins (choose your adventure):

• evoo or coconut oil

• vinegar

• flakey salt

• raw honey

• fresh herbs

• fresh lemon or citrus

• cracked black pepper

• parmesan cheese

• fresh ginger

• tahini

• pepperocini juice

• sunflower seeds & pumpkin seeds

• olives & other veggies

8. Pre-Caffeine Protein Adrenal Tonic

I am someone who eaaaassilllyyy can overdo it when it comes to my caffeine intake. And that never goes well because I am also extremely sensitive to caffeine, so queue the nausea and headaches. Caffeine effects me even more when I have it on an empty stomach — it is one of those things I intrinsically know but still test on occasion — no, nothing has changed Ella.

I don’t always wake up starving for a big breakfast, so the days when I don’t I have been absolutely loving making a big protein orange creamsicle tonic.

Our brains and bodies need a mix of healthy fats, protein, minerals, and vitamin C to work their best. This drink has it all, plus it is just incredibly delicious. It is so wonderful for helping to de-stress, nourish and restore balance. Sometimes I find myself feeling so good afterwards that I don’t even crave that cup of caffeine anymore.

Ingredients

• Juice of 2 oranges

• 2/3 cups coconut or whole milk

• 1/4 cup coconut water

• 1 scoop collagen (I use this one)

• 1 scoop protein (I use organised nutrition discount ELLA)

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tsp raw honey

• pinch of mineral salt, mineral drops or shilajit

Recipe

1. Juice oranges

2. Blend together the rest of the ingredients until frothy

3. Pour orange juice over ice and top with creamy milk mixture

4. Enjoy!

9. Linen Sheets

I have been sleeping on linen sheets for a whileeee now and the difference in my sleep quality shows.

The fabric we sleep on is SO IMPORTANT. We spend an average of 8 hours a day in our beds resting, recharging, regenerating and healing, and the fabric we decide to do that on matters. Linen has healing vibrational frequency. I love organic cotton bedding too and it is what I used to sleep on, but last year I switched to linen and I have not looked back.

Its soft and gets softer with every use, and I just sleep so well in it.

10. Traditional Matcha Making

Okay I am all about my super frothy matcha lattes made easily in a blender trust me, but I have really been diving into the tradition and ritual behind matcha and tea ceremonies, and trying to bring more of that into my every day life.

The Japanese matcha tea ceremony is a traditional way of preparing and drinking green tea that’s all about mindfulness, respect, and harmony. It’s not just about the tea, but about creating a calm, beautiful moment. The ritual follows specific steps, like how the tea is whisked and served, and it’s deeply rooted in Japanese culture and Zen philosophy. It’s a way to slow down, connect, and appreciate the present moment.

This practice of slowing down, being present, being intentional with every moment is really something I am trying to weave into all aspects of my life — so my daily ritual of matcha has been a really grounding place to start.

I’ve grown to really appreciate the cultural roots of things like matcha — traditions that are deeply meaningful but often get watered down in the West. For me, it started with learning to prepare matcha the traditional way, using a whisk and taking the time to do it with intention and respect.

My favorite matcha ever is Cosmic Cultures of course (discount is ELLA10), and they also have wonderful high quality matcha materials: whisk, ceramic bowls, etc that I have been using and loving!

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Love you guys!! Hope you had an amazing long weekend and month of May. Excited for this next month (summer…summer…summer…..) with youuu.

XO - Ella