This post is sponsored by Bing.

Last year around the holidays, my friend Tony and I made a pact to turn 2013 into "The Year of DIY." He threw a bean-themed party with goody bags and a table full of awesome bean dishes and even made the cutest bunting for the dining room wall. I showed up with a round vanilla candle that I surrounded with cinnamon sticks and tied with a white ribbon, and then we didn't make any more crafts for the rest of the year.

This holiday season, I'm determined to make at least one or two gifts for people. I've always have a plethora of jars that has continued to grow over the years (I'm not sure if I'm actually a horder or just very environmentally concious), and I've always been a fan of a good body scrub--so I thought that I'd honor my oath to DIY and give a homemade body scrub recipe or two a try. (And, apparently, do a bit of rhyming.)

Image via Whole Living

I was really excited when Bing asked me to use their new Smart Search to navigate my next online searching experience, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Have you used it? I was so pleased with how it was not only easy, but helpful.

We passed by the Windows store in the mall the other day and stopped in to do a quick Bing search on one of their new tablets. I simply typed in "DIY body scrub" and was met with a really aesthetically pleasing page of results. A row of photos in the middle of the page were helpful and expanded with a quick hover of my mouse. Bing Smart Search truly does provide a smart summary of results. You get a rich, visual summary of the most relevant information from across the web, and I'm totally going to make that Spicy Sugar Scrub (pictured above) from Whole Living. It looks like it'll be perfect for the holidays.

Have you made any great body scrubs or other homemade bath/beauty products lately?

And what are you waiting for? Give Bing Smart Search a go!

As always, I deeply appreciate your support as I continue to work with sponsors.

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At 25 years old, I can't say I have a whole bunch of fine lines or even any wrinkles, but there are definitely some little bitty lines around my eyes that I'm not the biggest fan of. And ever since our wedding planning began six months ago, I've been thinking a lot about my face, so I was really excited to try out

Resvology

's Youth-Activating Skincare.

They sent me a bottle of their age corrective eye cream, and I've really enjoyed using it. It's supposed to reduce wrinkles, puffiness, and dark circles. It's been great on the fine lines around my eyes, and I've seen a really nice reduction to the puffiness and dark circles I sometimes have.

It's lightweight and doesn't make my eyes sting or water, which is something I've found in other eye creams. And all

Resvology

products are free of parabens, sulfates, synthetic dyes, triclosan, phthalates, and GMOs. So all in all, I don't have anything negative to say about it! I'm really glad to have incorporated it into my skincare routine and I recommend it to anyone looking to try out a new eye cream.

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own. 

As always, I only work with brands that I love and think that you will love, as well. 

Thank you for your support as I continue to work with sponsors.

The following post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Grain Brain.

My experience with the Paleo diet for the past two years has been nothing but amazingly positive, so I practically jumped at the opportunity to work with Grain Brain, Dr. David Perlmutter's eye-opening book and diet program. I feel so much better when I stay away from gluten, sugar, and carbs in general, so I've been finding myself shaking my head with every turn of every page of this book.

Grain Brain is about lifestyle changes you can make today to keep your brain healthy, vibrant, and sharp. Gone are the days when smart, aware, and healthy people just died of old age when it was their time, Perlmutter says; now we're falling prey to all sorts of diseases. He explains that the fate of our health and brain is not solely in our genes, but in the food that we eat. According to him, the cornerstone of many brain conditions is inflammation, which can be triggered by carbs, especially those containing gluten and are high in sugar.

He goes on to illustrate how fat is and always has been a fundamental part of our nutrition. Did you know that the human brain consists of more than 70% fat? I had no idea. And it contains more connections than there are stars in the Milky Way! I mean, we all know that our brain is powerful and important, but that's pretty awesome. Good fats, like coconut oil or DHA omega-3 found in fatty fish and algae help reduce inflammation and cretain vitamins, mostly A, D, E, and K, require fat to get absorbed properly in the body. I always kind of naively hoped that the food I ate would just sort of cover me as far as vitamins go, but now I know that as I get older I'm going to have to take supplements. Might as well start today!

I'm really enjoying the book because Perlmutter gives me enough scientific background to really understand what's going on when I eat excess carbs, but his writing style is conversational, and his technical details are accessible to my generally science-less background. He also has a chapter of awesome recipes, so that's an added bonus. I'm excited to finish it and begin the Grain Brain Challenge.

The Grain Brain Challenge includes the following:

+ Shifting away from carbs and adding brain health supplements

(Grain Brain sent me coupons for Gold Circle Farms DHA Omega-3 Cage-Free Eggs, as well as a bottle each of GNC Preventive Nutrition® resVida®, Spring Valley Omega-3 Fish Oil Soft Gels, and BrainStrong Adult DHA Supplements)

+Incorporating/sticking to a regular fitness routine

+ Getting restful, routine sleep seven days a week

+Establishing a new rhythm to make these healthy habits really stick

Not so bad, right? I do most of these things already, and I'm sure you do, too.

Has anyone else read this book? I highly recommend it! I'll be back with another post in three or four weeks to let you know how the challenge went. I'm not the best with big vitamins, so that's my biggest concern so far. I take a little vitamin D capsule every night and I used to take some fish oil in liquid form, but some of the supplements they sent me are big! 

So wish me luck, and let me know if you're interested! I'd love to swap stories and experiences along the way. Until then, I'll be finishing up the book and getting my good fats in!