au naturale

Some of you out there prefer to use natural scrubs and face masks. Lucky for you, I do too. Don't get me wrong, I'm not gonna give up my Clean and Clear Morning Burst, but I like to do the natural thing, too.

There are tons of ingredients you can use to make cleansers, scrubs, and masks. Here are a few that I have used and that I like.

Milk and honey cleanser. Gently warm 1 teaspoon of honey until it is runny, but not hot. You don't want to burn yourself, after all. Add the honey to 1 tablespoon of milk. Mix well, and apply to face. The milk cleans the skin while the honey helps your skin maintain its natural moisture.

Oatmeal and baking soda scrub. Combine about 2 tablespoons plain oats with 1 teaspoon baking soda. Mix with just enough water to make a paste, and apply to face. This scrub is gentle on the skin. The oatmeal absorbs oil and impurities on the surface of your skin, while the baking soda deep cleans your pores.

Wheat germ and applesauce mask. Combine equal parts wheat germ and natural applesauce (I usually do about 1 tablespoon of each). Gently spread this mixture over your clean face. Wait 15 minutes, then rinse with warm water. The wheat germ gently exfoliates while the apple provides nutrients to your skin.

Avocado face mask. This is the easiest one. Smash up half an avocado and spread over your face. Put some cucumber slices over your eyes while you let all that avocado goodness sink in. Rinse after 10-15 minutes. This treatment is both nourishing and moisturizing, leaving you with soft, healthy skin.

Strawberry face mask. Okay, so this one might be just as easy as the avocado one. Smash up a few strawberries, and apply to the face. Be careful with the juice, though, since you don't want it dripping on your shirt. This one is soothing if you have a bad case of sunburn. Or even a mild case. Even if you don't have sunburn, strawberries help reduce the oil in your face. They are also a great remedy for under eye circles and puffiness.

I like these recipes because they are easy-peasy, and the ingredients aren't hard to come by. Feel free to try your own combinations to see what works best for your skin. You can also try adding other foods to the mix. Lemon juice is a natural astringent, for example.

In any case, you can feel great about using homemade scrubs, cleansers, and masks because they are natural and inexpensive. Give it a whirl!

fun and easy nails :D

So, personally Im sort of addicted and in love with doing my nails. but it gets so boring sometimes!!! sooo. let me tell you what i think is great and super easy.
all you need is clear nail polish, white nail polish, an old newspaper, and rubbing alcohol.
first ofcourse do your base coat and white coat. and for this particular design, its really importanat that you let them dry completely!
next, use a cotton ball (sorry, i forgot to tell you that you need those too!) and cover your dry nail in alcohol. then quickly get a small spot of newspaper and press it against your nail. the alcohol will make the words soak onto the white polish (itll be faded though, more of a gray color letters) but its super fun and easy! i personally love em. and be sure to finish up with another clear coat to help make sure it doesnt chip off, and so that the newpaper ink wont rub off!
<3 enjoyyyy

Beautiful Inside & Out

Healthy hair, skin, and nails all come from within. "You are what you eat"—who knew?

There are many schools of thought as far as what is healthy and ethical to consume.

I don't want to debate the pros and cons of each, but I will give you my two cents:

   1. We absorb nutrients best if we eat the foods in which they naturally occur. This means that while taking supplements certainly helps, eating foods that are naturally high in nutrients are better.

   2. Any sort of processing breaks down nutrients. Any sort of processing—even cooking—breaks down nutrients. What am I saying? Make sure to eat plenty of fresh foods: vegetables, fruits, even nuts. Also, eat plenty of whole foods, especially whole grains.

  3. Keep it balanced. You know what they say about too much of a good thing... Eat a wide variety of foods, and don't feel like you have to completely give up the foods you love in order to stay healthy.

   4. Choose a diet that works for you. Vegetarian, vegan, fruitarian, edenic—what to choose! Make the choice that suits you, but make an informed choice. Make sure you understand exactly what an eating style entails, how you will get your essential nutrients, and how it will affect your life.


Chew on that.

faded hair is the poops.

most women nowadays color their hair, i know i doo. but there are a few little tips n tricks that you can do to help keep your color longer! :]
for one thing, as weird as it may sound, do not use volumizing shampoo!
also, when you're in the shower leave the conditioner in as long as you can.
use shampoos for color treated hair, they're made to help with this kinda stuff after all.
on a lazy day around the house that you're not going to see anyone, cover your head in conditioner and just let it sit while you go about your business.
when you brush your hair, use a wide tooth comb. it helps keep your hair from getting damaged-which helps maintain color.
and fun fact, green and red are the two fastest fading colors you can dye your hair! so take extra care :]

keepin' your face clean

I have really fair, sensitive skin. As such, it is sometimes hard to find face wash and scrubs that aren't too harsh, but still get the job done.

After trying several products, here are a few I like:

Clean and Clear Morning Burst cleansers and scrubs.
My personal favs are the Detoxifying Facial Cleanser and Skin Brightening Facial Scrub. These are the perfect balance for me: they aren't painful or abrasive, but I can feel the clean afterwards.

L'Oreal Go 360 Clean Scrublet.
This is a fairly new product, and I haven't had a chance to try all of the cleansers in the line. I bought the Deep Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin. The cleanser itself is just okay, but what I really like is the scrublet: "This super-soft, flexible cleansing disc applies the cleanser with 500 extra-supple touch points that gently glide across the skin" (L'Oreal Paris, 2011). The scrublet stores easily in your shower, as one end is a suction cup you can stick on your tub surround or shower wall. Plus, it's fun to say "scrublet."

Almay Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover Pads.
Before I discovered baby shampoo, these makeup remover pads were my go-to. Almay also sells makeup remover towelettes for your whole face. These are pretty boss because they are oil-free (so no greasy residue), and they are hypoallergenic, which is perfect for my sensitive complexion. These are also great for traveling: they aren't liquid, so you don't to worry about how many ounces they are at the airport.

What about you? Are there products you swear by? Any I should try?

srunch-a-doodle-doooooo

ohkayy, so scrunching your hair. its not hard, its just a matter of getting the recipe rightt.
start with wet hairr. then you wanna towel dry but scrunch it with the towel.
get some mousse. scrunch.
let it sit for about 10 minutes if you can then get conditioner and scrunch with that.
let it sit for a bit longer, if its not quite curly enough, scrunch in more mousse (but not too much, just one hand full)
and then get a SMALL bit of gel and scrunch in for hold.
:] annnd yer done! <3 enjoyy

deodorant say whaaat?

Do you ever get deodorant on your shirt?  It happens to us all at one time or another.  aaannnnddd....it's super annoying.

I have a trick that works like magic to get rid of those tell-tale white streaks. But alas, I am not Harry Potter, people. I don't have a magic wand, and nothing happens when I say Avada Kedavra! Just kidding. I've never tried that one.

Anyways...grab a pair of pantyhose and we'll be on our way. Just rub the pantyhose on the deodorant spot, and voila! It's gone.

As if by magic.