Hair Care (and my hair phases)

     

     Soft, shiny, silky hair. I think this is what practically every girl craves. We spend so much money each year trying to find that holy grail product, while wasting money on flops along the way. We put so much time and money into styling our hair, while damaging it in the process. Why do girls do this? A person's hair can say a lot about them. Not to mention, for the sake of beauty.

some of my many hair phases:      

     
    I think I'm a valid candidate to be talking about hair. My hair has been every length possible. From short to waist length. It's been a variety of textures. It's been straightened, curled, permed, crimped, etc. Not to mention, it's been several different colors of browns and reds in my high school days. Once  it was temporarily blonde for a whole 5 minutes due to a hair accident. What can I say? I love to experiment. These days I've beens  going  the natural route. No heat appliances (which means no straightening, no curling, no blow drying). No more dye on these follicles of mine. Color is fun, but au naturale was always the best look for me anyways. With all the experimenting I put my hair through, it became damaged  over time. The result was I had to cut most of it off, now I'm growing it out the right way. I've had to learn how to properly take good care of my hair. Some tips now, before I banter even more:

1. Treat it like lace. By the time hair reaches your shoulder, it is two years old. Gross right? 

2. Don't wash it everyday. Your hair needs the natural oil to condition it. Stripping your hair of the oil will only leave it coarse and dry. BUT if you're like me, and you MUST wash your hair everyday...wash it with conditioner. I'm serious. I shampoo and condition every other day. In between, I wash with conditioner. Take the conditioner and massage it on your scalp as if it were shampoo. Then wash all of it out. Afterwards, condition the ends only and leave it in for a few minutes as you usually would. This cleans my hair without drying it out. 

3. Don't ever brush your hair when its wet. This will break your ends. Use a wide tooth comb. 

4. Leave in conditioners. I love these. They make your hair feel soft and smelling good. 

5. Hair masks/deep conditioners. Use these once a week. It's a deep conditioner that will penetrate your strands.

6. Hair buildup: use vinegar or clarifying shampoo. Use this about once a week or so. With time, oil, hairspray,and hair products build up on you scalp, and regular shampoos may not be able to get rid of all traces. A clarifying shampoo will rid your hair of these substances and make it feel fresh and clean. 

7. Try to stay away from blow drying. I like to let my hair air dry most of the time. If you do blow dry, try to purchase a dryer with a cool shot option. I like to dry my hair with this, as it is not damaging. Try to get the ones where you don't have to hold down the button the whole time, this is killer on the thumb after awhile. 

8. Don't cheat the length. I hate seeing girls with long hair which are obviously damaged. Trim that sucker every two months or so. There's no point in having long strands if they are full of split ends and feel coarse to the touch. 

9. Try to avoid using to much hairspray. The alcohol will dry out those follicles. 

10. A good diet. You are what you eat. Try cutting back on fats and cholesterols. The bonus is that's also good for you health. 


I hope this article was of some use! Have a nice week =) 

Photo Shoot

Photography is a favorite hobby of mine. This past week my best friend and I did a shoot. Here are a few of the pictures if you are interested. Please please please do not take them, these pictures are mine and taking them will be considered stealing. 

Dress from Forever 21. 

Necklace and sandals from Walmart. 

Have a good week everyone! 

OOTD: Marvel Heroes

Men's Shirt: Target

Shorts: Forever 21

Leggings: Charlotte's

                                             

A Little Peak of Summer

Summer clothes make me very excited. No doubt summer is the best season of the year. Its the time where I can dig out my floral, lace, chiffon, flowy dresses, romantic tops, and summer flip flops. Here are some recent purchases, and a peek into my wardrobe. Hopefully it will inspire someone out there. Questions? =)

Charlotte Russe (clearance)

Charlott Russe

Charlotte Russe (clearance)

Wet Seal (clearance)

Wet Seal (clearance)

Target

Cheating Tips to Losing Weight =D

1. Drink cold water. This makes your body work harder to stay warm, thus burning calories.

2. Instead of junk food, eat celery as a snack. Not only is it healthy, but this is a negative calorie snack. More calories are burned in consuming it then the calories it contains.

3. Snack on pickles? its a zero calorie food. I love pickles, so you don't have to tell me twice.

3. I recommend this one for decent weather only: park your car in the farthest parking spot. Every single time. It may get annoying, but at least you're not fighting for a parking spot every time (fighting for the furthest space isn't exactly popular), and you're getting in your extra steps. IF you're like me, and you never work out, this would be a good thing.

4. Do crunches in between commercials

5. Blare up the music, and DANCE like there's no tomorrow. this is fun and also gets your heart pumpin. clothes are optional. just kidding

6. Wear lip gloss after you're done eating. The thought of ruining your makeup lowers some women's chance of going back for seconds or snacks.

7. Hang up pictures for thinspiration.

8. Eat slowly, it takes time for your brain to register when you are full.

9. Get a hula hoop. Its fun, doesn't feel like exercise and it works the waist line.

10. Laugh. =D

Valentines Day

Valentines day is around the corner, and guys never seem to know what to get girls. this is a list for guys. List of things I've composed that i think all girls would like to receive or do:

1. mixed CD: make a CD of all the songs that makes you think of her. It's romantic, thoughtful, and cheap. Though this idea is not the most innovative, no two CDs are alike, just like no two love stories are alike, despite the universal concept of love. =)

2. A necklace: A necklace with YOUR initial, not hers. (eg: Lance-L initial necklace) I heard this idea from somewhere else and i thought it was adorable. This says, hey, we're together, and I'm not ashamed to let you proudly show if off. Girls would love this.

3. Heart necklace: You have my heart? Hahaha. valentines day is the time to be cliche.

4. Flowers: how many girls can say they've received a bouquet of a dozen long stemmed roses? Or get her favorite flowers. You should know her best.

5. say i love you.

6. bake cookies with her.

7. take a couple's picture together.

8. write her a love letter. you can't go wrong with old school. (check yes, check no?)

9. drink hot chocolate, watch a home movie, and cuddle.

10. Light a dark room by filling it with candles everywhere! (maybe this is just me. i've always thought that would look cool) Be careful....

Happy Valentines Day everyone =)

Skincare basics

Some don't realize that good skincare is the key essential in aesthetics beauty. A pretty face isn't based upon how much foundation or makeup is slathered on it, but how well one can maintain skin's natural beauty. Babies have that flawless, smooth, "soft as a baby's butt" skin, because they have not yet dealt with the toll of school, work, hormones, and everyday stress. As we get older, these factors in life reflect in the appearance of our skin. This is why it is important to have a good skin routine to combat impurities and to keep that fresh, clear looking skin we all want. Unless, you’re going for that pimply or fatigue look.

Basic tips:

1. Most cliché advice, but its cliché because it works: drink lots of water. Water flushes out the toxins in your body, which is great for not only your skin but your overall health.

2. If you wear makeup, make sure it’s non-comedogenic, and non hypoallergenic. Basically, non acne producing and non allergy inducing makeup. Most makeup should have this information on the labels. It’s also best to use oil free makeup. The best skin beneficial drugstore makeup would have to be Neutrogena, in my opinion. They have a wide range of skincare products, and also create skin improving cosmetics, all at affordable prices.

3. Change your pillowcases often. Oil from your hair transfers to the fabric, when you lay your face on that pilow, it will clog your pores.

4. Have a small cactus in your bedroom. They draw out toxins in the air. Weird, I know. I actually don’t have a cactus myself…yet.



My morning routine: (combination skin)

Shiseido pureness cleanser- best cleanser I’ve ever used by far. It gives a good wash, makes my face feel really refreshed, while also evening out my skin tone. The cleanser gets rid of sebum (oil excreted by sebacious glands), dirt, and makeup. The micro exfoliating beads don’t irritate the skin, and I think they’re what makes my skin feel so soft. At around 20 USD it is a bit pricy, but well worth the money. All you need is a pea size amount, and it will foam up like crazy. One of these tube will last me almost a year. You can find these at any Macy’s store or online.


Olay Complete daily moisturizer for sensitive skin, SPF30: MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE. Retaining moisture in skin is important in maintaining its elasticity and firmness. And make SURE your day moisturizer has SPF. Skins exposure to UVA and UVB rays accounts for 90 PERCENT of premature wrinkling. Not to mention, sun damage leads to skin cancer.

Even after this moisturizer, I make sure to apply Neutrogena Age Shield Face Sunblock with SPF55. Prevention is the secret. Once wrinkles set in, you can’t reverse aging without using extreme measures. What you can do, is prevent. Moisturizing and putting on sunscreen are both effective preventive methods. Moisturizers with anti aging agents are worthwhile investments. Don’t think you’re too young to use them now. If you want healthy skin, you can forget about it if you go tanning. The mere idea of tanning beds make me cringe.


The most sensitive skin on your face is around the eye area. This area requires extra attention. Since the skin around the eye is so delicate, you want to use a cream formulated especially for the eyes. I moisturize daily and nightly with my Olay Complete Ageless, eye brightening cream. Also, on sunny days, make sure to wear sunglasses. Crows feet, know where they come from? Exactly.


Lips: my favorite chapstick is by soft lips. So smooth and yummy, with an spf20. This can easily be found at walmart.



Night Routine:


Shiseido cleanser, followed by my Dickinson’s witch hazel toner. Toners remove any excess dirt that your cleanser may have missed, removes the last traces of your cleanser, and also returns your skin to its normal PH balance. This toner claims to: tighten and refine pores, removes and controls oil, soothes irritation, and locks in moisture. I love this toner since its 100% natural, cheap, and effective. Mine was bought at Walgreens.

Toner has alcohol in it, which can make skin feel tight. Following the toner I moisturize my skin, avoiding my tzone area since that is already on the oily side. My favorite moisturizer is also by Olay (complete night fortifying). This products has aloe, vitamins E, B3, and pro-vitamin B5. It does its job without feeling greasy.

Benzyl Peroxide is an acne fighting agent found in a lot of treatments and cleansers. My favorite treatment is by Clean and Clear, called PersaGel -10. I apply this to my tzone every night to prevent and fight those blemishes. My tzone is the only area where I break out, since that area can’t seem to stop producing excess sebum no matter what I do.

I think one of the most important thing, is to let your skin breathe. If you wear makeup, its crucial to wash all that makeup off every night. Your pores need to be able to breathe.

So that was my basic tips and routines. More treatments and advice to come in the future. =)