Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Pinterest Project - Bohemian Updo

So today I decided to try an updo that I found on pinterest.  The bohemian style is definitely quite a trend right now and this step by step tutorial they posted seemed easy enough.  Even if you are not a cosmetologist like myself, I think this one is easy peasy!  On a scale of 1-5 (one being super simple and 5 being extremely hard) this one rates a 1 or 2 in my book (if you know how to make a simple braid that is).  Here are the photos... 


I like this because, although it is called an updo, it is really something that one could wear on a day to day basis, OR dress up and it still looks appropriate.

What do you think?  Will you give it a try and share your photo with me?

XOXO - B 

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Pinterest Project - Pretty Toes!

Hi everyone!! This is my FIRST pinterest project blog!  I hope you like it!  

So as you can see by the top of the photo I posted below, this was what I found on pinterest that someone very talented did to her nails.  I decided because it is summer though, to do a nice bright pink with the black (plus pink and black look hot together!!).  

I tried doing the design on both of my big toenails, however, I did my left foot first and liked how it came out better than the right foot, so I just removed the polish and started from scratch and decided to have only one accent nail.  Also, I know my nails are not perfect... I had an ingrown toenail that I had to have removed on my left foot, and it left it to grow in funny.  OH WELL! 

I would say on a scale of 1-5 (1 being easy and 5 being extremely difficult)... this design is probably about a 3, depending on how close you want to get it to the original.  Mine looks more of an ink splatter, but I actually really like it.  You also have to have a pretty steady hand to get the black lines on each one of the nails.

If you try it, take a picture and show me!  I'd love to see!! 


Below i snapped a few photos of me giving myself a pedicure today before doing the polish.  I wanted to share a couple tips I have learned.... 

1.  For discolored toe nails soak your feet in baking soda (and hydrogen peroxide if you want), or rub either lemon or lime over your nail. The acidity of the fruit will help eliminate the discoloration.  I used the baking soda more than fruit because the baking soda does not sting if I happen to have a cut or something.


2. Make sure to file your nails really well and even use a buffer to smooth it out... this will help you have perfect polish! 

3. Also, whether it is your hands or your feet ... use an exfoliating scrub.  This particular one I used is cranberry orange from Pink Papaya and is oil based so it moisturizes at the same time it is exfoliating!  I highly recommend it! Not to mention, it smells soooo good, it will make you want to eat it! 

4. Lastly, make sure to use a base coat and two layers of top coat for a long lasting finish.  Covering the tips of your nails too with top coat will help seal in the polish and prevent chipping as well.


XOXO - B

Monday, July 22, 2013

PINTEREST PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEE

Good evening my loves!

For those of you who are interested I am going to start doing one or two beauty pinterest projects a week and I will try and document and let you know how it turns out as well as .  

If you have any requests for me to try (within reason), please post below so I can search it, or copy and paste the link and I will do my best to try!  

If you have done any and have photos and want to share, I would love to see !! 

XOXO - B

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Essential Oils and other Natural Remedies

I have to start off by saying, I am not normally the type of person to share my feelings or beliefs to people, especially those I do not know... to be completely honest, I probably do not share as much as I should. However, today I had an encounter with an amazing woman and she really got me thinking and I just really feel the need to share with anyone who reads this blog.  I hope it gets you thinking! xo

Today I had a beautiful opportunity to do makeup for a wedding that was getting ready in Springfield, MA @ Naomi's Inn (http://www.naomisinn.net or Facebook page).  It was quite a long day but I met so many wonderful people!  One person in particular... her name is Sera (pronounced Sara).  

It all started when I was talking to the Maid of Honor (brides sister), and we started chatting about health and I was telling her I wanted to try doing oil pulling.  
                                                                     Here is what it is if you are interested in check it out.
Well, she then brought up that she uses Essential Oils.  The testimonial I received from this woman  was incredible... she had some serious back problems due to a couple car accidents and was having trouble conceiving... her sister (the bride) also had back issues too. She started using these oils and literally after years of trying to conceive, two weeks after using the oils, she found out she was pregnant and while her back is not yet 100%, she has come so incredibly far from where she started.

Then I shared with her what I had been dealing with throughout my life, my auto-immune diseases and my surgeries, my anti-inflammatory diet, the works.   She told me to talk to Sera, one of her family members who came up for the wedding, because she is the one who first got her started on the essential oils.

Sera's daughter came in to get her makeup done and that is when I had the pleasure of meeting her.  Let me tell you, she radiates beauty!   You can see her love and passion and concern for people and their health. She gave me a bit of her testimony and others as well.  She also gave me a couple free samples to try out (which I cannot wait to use this week when I get some time to sit down and pamper myself).  


I told her how refreshing it is to hear someone who has had experience with more natural products.  You meet so many people who are against it and I have grown up around holistic and natural remedies and have seen first hand how they can heal.  A lot of medications only masks symptoms, or you trade one bad symptom for another... however, with a diet change, supplements, essential oils, and other natural remedies, you can not only heal the problem but you can hopefully get to the root of what is causing it and then prevent it from coming back in the future. 

Have you ever read the side effects of medications??  You may be taking something for the common cold, but the side effects could include nausea, constipation, vertigo... (you get the idea).  Yeah it is not 100% guaranteed that you will have the side effects but there is a chance and I do not want to give up one pain for another... I want to get to the root of the pain and get rid of it all together and make sure it does not come back.  

She also shared with me how Essential Oils are directly or indirectly mentioned in the Bible many many times.   I am looking at her business card and it says more than 400 times.  

"Essential oils were a part of daily living among the Hebrew, Jews, early Christians and their Gentile neighbors throughout the Biblical age.  Thirty-six of the 39 books of the Old Testament and 10 of the 27 books of the New Testament mention essential oils or the plants that produce them."

To list all of the references would take me forever but some of the oils referred to include Sandalwood, Frankinsense, Myrrh, Onycha, and Rose of Sharon, just to name a few.

A lot of people see the Bible as old and outdated and oh it is the 21st century, times have changed and our lives do not relate to the Bible anymore... but the problem with that mentality is that they are wrong... God created us a certain way and created plants and animals for certain reasons. While we may not take the time to sit down and really truly think about it (which I did not really think about it until after my encounter with Sera), everything was made for a reason and until the end of time, we can always use the Bible as a guide and see that even though it was written a long time ago, God, just as He was then, he is now working in and through all of us.  

These following verses I took from Sera's website because they go to show God's plan in everything he created for healing.

“Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees… their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.” Ezekiel 47:12
“The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:2
“So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.” Mark 6:12-13
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” James 5:14
“There is desirable treasure, and oil in the dwelling of the wise,” Proverbs 21:20
I guess this really hits home for me just because of all I have been through the past years. I have been on a dozen + medications for everything I dealt with nothing worked... I really feel that not enough people are open to alternative medicine, and if you are reading this and feeling skeptical, or think I sound crazy, well, I want to say... try to be open minded and try it for yourself.  If you are really truly struggling, it is worth a shot. 
I will be thirty-years old in December and basically after spending at least a century of my life being sick and battling,  I want to be able to live the next thirty+ years of my life feeling happy and healthy and full of energy.  
Sera said she is called to help other people in her life, and I feel as if that is all of our callings.  I want to help myself but I also want to help others and we can do that by sharing our stories... So that is why I am sharing with you.  I plan to try these oils out at some point and then share with you my testimony.  I want to hear yours too! Have you tried any oils? Herbs? Supplements? Cleanses? 
So whether you try the essential oils or another remedy, help yourself!  God only gives you one body here on earth, take care of it and use it to glorify Him.
XOXO- B
Choosing Healthy Life  This is a link to Sera's website if you are interested in finding out more! 
NutriWest This is a website to where I primarily get most of my supplements, with the exception of some. 

Talia Castellano

When I was in the hospital last year, I started to read more blogs and check out youtube and follow hair stylists/makeup artist and health and beauty guru's...

I stumbled upon this one girl Talia Castellano. 

She was 13 aspiring makeup artist and had been battling cancer for 6 years. 

Sounds cheesy but in watching her for so long, I kind of feel like I started to get to know her... she recently lost her battle to cancer. 

She was a child of Faith and inspired a lot of people with her talent and her strength. 

This beautiful song was written about her, if anyone is interested in hearing it and seeing some photos of her. 

All her videos are still up too if you are interested in watching her and seeing why I watched her. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyO27jIaW0U&feature=share&list=UUQ_aa1q_dpqRc5uATuslRzg

Summer Must-Haves Part 4 - CLOTHES AND ACCESSORIES!!!

Okay, or originally I was going to go through what I own, take some selfies, and post them on the blog showing you what I currently own and would suggest looking into... however, our apartment is so hot and miserable (yes complain, complain, I'm sorry)... I have not done anything... the apartment is a mess so I have no where to take these pics to post.  So google... here I go finding random photos for suggestions.

Let's go...............

1.  A sun hat and sunglasses.  

Okay, I lied, I did find one picture I had already from a few weeks ago on my phone!
This hat I got from TJ Maxx in the beginning of the summer for $14.99 I believe.  The aviator style glasses were, I believe around $12.  I try to wear a hat in the sun as much as possible because it protects my hair (color and texture) as well as my face.  I was at a pool one day this summer and forgot my hat... guess what! Sun burned scalp!  OUCH! And of course you want to protect your eyes... and honestly, there have been studies done that you can buy glasses that are $8 or $80 and most likely (there is always an exception) they will protect you all the same.  So anyone on any budget should be investing in both these items.

2. A sun dress/maxi dress, long skirt  (okay, two pictures!) 

Women of all ages, shapes and sizes can wear maxi dresses (for the most part).  Here you have three different maxi dresses, on three different age women, with three different shaped bodies (turquois, black and striped) and I think we all look pretty good! Mine I got at Marshalls for $30.  They are loose and comfortable, yet modest and classy looking.

3.  A comfortable swimsuit in a fun color!

Whether it is a one piece, two piece or tankini... find something that fits and flatters your body, is comfortable and cute (don't forget sunscreen).  This particular bikini is from Victoria Secret.  I bought my first ever bikini from there last year for my honeymoon (I bough two but really only like one).  I hear they have good sales too... so maybe wait till mid-end summer to buy for next year?

That is it for now... let me know what your summer clothing and accessory essentials are! 

xoxo- B





Sunday, July 7, 2013

Summer Must-Haves Part 3- Skin care

Happy    SundaY!   
Here are the products I feel are great for summer and really all year round for your skin care routine...


                                    Sorry this image is sideways... I was having an issue with this one photo for some reason.  
A good skin care routine is a must!  Since I have been slowly trying to change how I buy products and find things that have good ingredients in them... this is one particular brand I found at Whole Foods that seems to work well and is affordable.  

Giovanni Detox System is a 3 step system.  I only have 1 and 3 due to the fact that I am still trying to use up my current facial exfoliate scrub (which would be #2 in this system).  The smell is not anything to write home about, however, I do like that the cleanser removes my makeup and the moisturizer seems to be doing its job.  The only negative I think I could say about this is that when I use the cleanser, even though I have my eyes shut, sometimes it stings my eyes.  Besides that though, works great and it is free of harsh chemicals that other skin care products have.  


These next two products to me go hand in hand.... 



For my wedding I got an airbrush tan and to help the color last longer they suggested I buy this Amber Sun pro-long color extending moisturizer.  Normally I would not care to spend money on this from a salon when I can buy it in the beauty supply store, but it was convenient and I really needed this to look good (obviously)!

Now I no longer have that airbrush tan but I am using this gradual tanner this summer.  The issue I have always had with gradual tanners though is that my elbows and knees and ankles would look streaky.  Also, everyone knows you should shave and exfoliate before applying tanner to your legs... well, I always hated how it looks afterwards.  I found that the tanner would get collected into my pores and you could see small dots of tanner from where I shaved.  Anyone else know what I am talking about?  At first I thought it was just the product, but I have tried soooo many and it always does that.

So I did some experimenting and long story long... I mix it with a little bit of coconut oil.  It gives extra moisture and goes on more evenly without the spotting in the pores!  I am in love with this technique.  And for those self tanners that have a bit of an offensive odor, well the coconut oil helps counteract that smell.

Note: Check out of one my first blogs about all the uses for coconut oil.  I also use this on my face for extra moisture, my lips, my hair, etc.


Lastly....

I follow a lot of beauty "guru's" on youtube.com and in watching their videos, many of them talk about the Clarasonic.  Sounds like a great product to me, however, I cannot afford to spend around $150 for one.  So I figured I would start off small.  

I purchased this ($19.99) and a teeth whitening system ($10), used CVS bucks and ending up only spending $9.00 on both!  Sweet deal!  I do not have anything to compare this too but I do notice a huge difference in my complexion as well as I can tell that it truly removes all the dirt and makeup off my skin.  There are two speeds and the brush turns clockwise with a click and then counterclockwise with another click of the button.  It also comes with two brush heads.  So, I would say that I have found a pretty good product in my budget!  You should check it out! 

Once again, let me know if you have any recommendations for summer must-haves! 

XOXO - B

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Summer Must-Haves Part 2: Makeup

So this one is going to be short and to the point... 

The one thing I have been LOVING this summer is BB Cream!  My first time ever using it and I got the generic brand from CVS (compared to Garnier Fructis).  It was $10 and I am in love!  I have naturally dry skin so this help immensely.  I only have to use a pea size amount and I use a brush and buff it in my face.  I love it because it has SPF, moisturizer and foundation.  I tried a couple others but the coverage was not as good.  Down the road I would like to try more and do comparisons for you all.    

This next item I found is perfect for on the go.  L'Oreal Paris OneSweep.  This is a blush/bronzer in one.  It comes with a brush but it is awkward and I do not use it (personal preference).  Pack this in your makeup bag with BB Cream, mascara and lip balm and you are good to go! 


Lastly, my all time favorite lip product...  BURTS BEES.  The pink grapefruit is my favorite.  I keep it on my night stand and use it every night before bed and keeps my lips super hydrated.  I have the honey one as well.  And my honey cannot stand the smell of it, so I have to use it when I am not around him.  And then the pomegranate one jumps from purse to purse with me so I always have one on me.  

What are your summer must-haves?  I'd love to hear! 

XOXO- B