Erica’s Top 10 Favorite Products For a THRIVING Lifestyle

Happy September! I CANNOT believe Labour Day weekend has already passed. For me, this time of year symbolizes the end of summer. I welcome Fall… I love brisk walks in the park, the colorful trees, a great big cozy sweater, a pair of skinnies and a good pair of leather boots. But fall signifies the calm before the Montreal winter storm, which = INSANITY.

Oh, never mind, it’s still warm and beautiful outside so let’s all live in the summer moment, shall we?! OHM. ZEN.

Today, I’m spilling the beans. Many of you have asked me over the years about my favorite things– about the products I often talk about on TV or in social media. The products I love, the things I do, what I can’t live without, and the stuff that has kept me healthy and sane (on most days). Today, I compiled a list of my favorite products I can’t live without, that keep me off the fence and thriving. These are not paid endorsement, nor am I spokesperson for any of these products, they just WORK for me. And from one girl to another, I thought I’d share.

So, today I give you, 10 things I simply cannot live without:

1. Spotify

I play music when I wake up, when I work, when I cook, when I drive, when I…. never mind. 😉 You have asked me countless times to share my playlist. So, after lots of Googling to figure out how to export my playlist and upload it in the correct format, here you are. This is my work, play and everything in between music.

My newest favorite app bringing me all my favorite music is Spotify. Props to my cousin in NYC who shared it with me two weeks ago. My favorite part? The PLAYLISTS! Whatever you are in the mood for… cocktail music, girls night out music, R&B, rock, easy listening, top hits… the playlists are worth the download. Which is FREE by the way!

2. My Keurig

I simply LOVE coffee (and my new Keurig 2.0), and for all those trying to cut it out of their diets, you may as well SHOOT me if I do. I don’t have many vices, and my limit is two cups a day: one cup while I’m feeding the kids breakfast, and the other cup after the gym, or while I’m writing, also in the morning. My favorite flavor K-Cup is Green Mountain‘s Nantucket Blend. I can’t always find it in the grocery store, but when I do, I stock up. My ultimate favorite coffee is Douwe Egberts (which is very difficult to find and which I have discovered out only tastes good if you actually OWN the Douwe Ebgerts $5,000 percolator from England), followed by Illy.

3. Darphin Microdermabrasion

This is my Sunday night beauty ritual. This is like my little youth secret in a bottle. I discovered it a few years ago during a facial when the beautician recommended it. After I use it, my face is as soft and supple as a baby’s bottom. This is the description: Institute-inspired, ANTI-AGING DERMABRASION rejuvenates as it polishes skin to perfection. Natural exfoliants (Silica, Pearl, Lava) make this delectable, creamy complexion-slougher gentle enough for sensitive skin; powerful enough to help reduce the look of pores, age spots, discolorations and to visibly smooth lines and wrinkles. 

Pretty darn good, right?

4. Sleepytime Tea

Maybe it’s for real, maybe it’s a load of BS. I love this tea on evenings my body is overtired, and I just want to spoil myself. A nice hot lavender bath, my cozy bed, a great episode of Scandal, and my Sleeptime Tea, baby!

5. Yves Saint Laurent – TOUCHE ÉCLAT – Radiant Touch

Thank you to the amazing team at L’Oreal who turned me onto this beauty secret. Got tired eyes that need brightening? Yes, this little miracle worker in a tube is the answer. I love this before I go on Global TV to brighten my eyes, or simply if I have a work meeting and want to “freshen up my face.” It’s one of the best beauty secrets. It even can act as an under eye concealer on its own.

6. Oscillococcinum and Oregano Oil When I’m Sick

Feeling run down and like you’re about the get sick? I buy the children’s version for my kids, and the adult version for my husband and I. This dynamic duo, for my own family at least, kills whatever viruses about brewing in our house. LIKE!

7. The CALM App

Meditation – don’t laugh girls, it’s my drug of choice. I used to quietly sit and meditate using breath-work only, but since the Oprah and Deepak Chopra 21 Day Meditation challenge started last year, I now enjoy guided meditation. I love this FREE app in iTunes. Get it, lie down, breathe, close your eyes, and meditate. Meditation will change your life. It has changed mine – read more about how I found meditation. I also bought this from Deepak Chopra on iTunes, which I enjoy very much as well.

8. Moroccanoil

Moroccanoil, man! So good! My mom turned me onto the original Moroccanoil years ago. I rub a little bit into damp hair after I wash my hair (or even onto dry hair to keep it moisturized), and it keeps my hair in excellent condition. I also use their shampoo, conditioner, and hair spray when I need it. Don’t ask me how or why… if you want luscious hair in great condition, use this product. I am also blown away by the founder, Carmel Tal. Please watch this.

9. The Period Tracker App

Oh my goodness, ladies, this one is a must! I won’t give you all the intricacies of the app, but whether you’re trying to get pregnant (mazel tov by the way), or trying to avoid getting pregnant (like me), this is every girlfriend’s best friend! I learned about this app on a girl’s night out. A must. And it’s FREE.

10. Cindy Crawford’s Meaningful Beauty

Again, no one is paying me to say this. And don’t laugh at me. I was the loser sitting EVERY SATURDAY MORNING mesmerized by those Cindy Crawford Meaningful Beauty infomercials. The way Dr. Sebagh opened those canteloupe’s from France and claimed to have found the fountain of youth in his serum? I watched for 6 months and then got suckered in one day. I know there’s a sucker born every day, but along with my Lancome products I’ve been using for a decade, I love me some Dr. Sebagh cantaloups!

So there you have it! There are about 10 more things I can’t live without (example, my green juice), but maybe one day I’ll write part 2. Once we’re on the topic of thriving, I want to also leave you with my favorite quote on this Tuesday (which totally feels like a Monday, right?) It’s by a wise man, actor Alan Alda.

“Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You cannot get there by bus, only by hard work, risking and by not quite knowing what you are doing. What you will discover will be wonderful: Yourself.” ~Alan Alda

Beautifully said.

I’d LOVE to know, what are some of the things YOU cannot live without? Share your best secrets with our community!