Hurrrrr !!!

Here it is! I decided to change things up a bit and blog about hair! I used to completely neglect my hair pretty much 100%. I wash it everyday and would use either Pantene, Herbal Essences, or whatever shampoo that looked pretty and smelled good to be honest. I knew washing my hair everyday was already bad and then on top of that I wasn't getting a high quality shampoo either. My hair looked okay to me, so it never bothered me enough to make the effort to enhance and improve my hair routine.


All About Sulfates........!
I then started hearing so much talk about how sulfates and parabens are bad for your hair, yet I had no idea as to what those where. Soooooo.... as a curious person would do, I googled it! According to my research, I found out that sulfates are actually short for sulfuric acid!!!! eeeeeekk. We all know acid is terrible for your hair! (never try the lemon trick!). That alone made me cringe at the fact that I have been supposedly "washing" my hair every day of my life for 16 years with ACID. Sulfates is what helps your shampoo to lather so nicely. According to Buzzle.com, "This compound tends to make hair dry very quickly. It strips your hair off its moisture and other essential oils. It also damages your hair follicles and results in hair loss. It is extremely dangerous to hair follicles that are exposed. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is also harmful to color treated hair as it tends to fade the color with every wash. As a result, you might have to color your hair very frequently, which in turn leads to more damage to your hair". 


All About Parabens........!
Chemically, parabens are esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid. Oy, another acid. Like I said above, acid is a big "no no". Parabens are preservatives that may be found in food and cosmetics. 


Okay, now that's out of the way let's continue! Additionally, I would BARELY EVER use a heat protectant and when I did (which was less than one time per month) It would be the CHI 44 Iron Guard. I always had split ends and areas that were dry.


Recently, I decided to branch out and really change the way I was treating my hair. It was definitely time! I purchased the L'Oreal's Ever Sleek Sulfate and Silicone-Free Intense Smoothing Shampoo (48 Hour Frizz Control). The other sulfate-free shampoo I bought is the Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo. I abosoluetly LOVE both and have found my hair to be less frizzy, softer, shinier, and healthier looking. 


Also, after I was my hair and let it sit for around 5 minutes I go ahead and apply about 2 pea-sized amounts of any leave-in conditioner I have at the moment to my ends. If you have oily hair you never want to apply a leave-in conditioner to the upper part of your hair/scalp. 


Because it's summer I've rarely been using heat on my hair but if I do, I'll make sure to use a heat protectant which is highly imperative to maintaining healthy hair! 


That's it! I hope you find this blog post helpful and I encourage all of you to do the same! If you have ANY questions please please ask me!
XOXO


P.S. I just remembered that I should tell you guys that I used Nexxus conditioner which isn't sulfate-free. I'm just taking things one step at a time!

Color Pop!!

For those of you who are a bit too scared to wear colorful eyeshadows or blushes and such this blog post is for you! Using a colored eyeliner on your waterline (on the bottom) adds excitement without going too overboard and also brings out your eye color depending what color you choose to use. Purple is a universal color that looks good with pretty much all eye colors especially hazel eyes. Here are a few examples I found. Click the image to enlarge it.

Bold Eyes/Lips 101

Bold eyes and lips are very fashion forward and exhibit ones true confidence to try something a bit more risky. There's one rule you must follow in order to pull off either one. If thou wishes to wear statement lips, thou shall wear neutral eyes. This also goes to say that if thou wishes to wear a statement eye look, thou shall wear neutral lips. Here are a few examples that I gathered. I dare YOU to try something different!

How To- Brighten Eyes

Ever feel like you've been deprived of sleep so you find yourself downing coffee in hopes that it makes up for the lack of Zzz's you've been getting? Here's a quick fix! Apply/dab any sort of white eyeshadow, shadestick, or eyeliner to the inner corners of your eyes for a brightening effect. This gives the allusion that you are more awake. It also adds for a glowy touch which is perfect for summer!

Look at this fabbb example worn by Blake Lively!! She wears this look daily.

Current Makeup Collection!

As promised months back, here is my current makeup collection! There are a few other products that couldn't fit into that drawer but these are pretty much my essentials. I'm still in the works of getting more! This in no way is intended for me to brag about what I have. I have payed for almost all of it myself.

This is temporary storage for my makeup because I'm still seeking a more efficient and organized way to keep it all. I used to store everything makeup-wise in my bathroom drawers however, the humidity from the shower isn't good as far as preserving makeup goes. Note to self: NEVER STORE MAKEUP IN YOUR BATHROOM!!

Tinted Moisturizers 101! Laura Mercier vs. Clinique

As requested by a viewer, I will be laying out all the facts you need to know when it comes to tinted moisturizers. I used to simply use bare mineral's loose powder foundation, however I now use a concealer then a tinted moisturizer, then a pressed powder to set the tinted moisturizer. I highly suggest applying your foundation this way because it looks much more natural and the products last longer!

So for those of you who are new to the world of tinted moisturizers like I was around 5 months ago, you are probably wondering what exactly a tinted moisturizer is. Think of a tinted moisturizer as a "low-fat version of foundation". It's like a foundation that provides less coverage. Some tinted moisturizers contain an SPF, which is definitely a pro. You always want to apply some sort of SPF to your face before leaving your house at all times and I find it brilliant that you can knock off this step by just applying your daily foundation. I also use aveeno's positively radiant moisturizer before applying anything to my skin which contains an SPF of 15. It's like double protection!

I do have oily skin so the very first tinted moisturizer that I purchased was the Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer. It's $42, very pricey. Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizer is very lightweight and not greasy. After making use of this product for around 2-3 months (AN EXTREMELY LONG TIME!!) I decided to not repurchase it. I figured there had to be something better and less expensive. I then bought Clinique's Even Better Makeup SPF 15. This product is categorized as a foundation but I feel that it is more of a tinted moisturizer. It costs $24.50. I love it even better than the Laura Mercier one!! (LOL, did you notice the play on words....get it? the name of the product..) The Clinique moisturizer, or foundation as they call it, had a bit more coverage and a cleaner pay off. One of the reasons I never settle for a product that is just "okay" is for this exact reason. I always seek products that are of higher quality and less costly.

Lastly, I just wanted to add in the fact that my skin runs on the sensitive side and neither one of these tinted moisturizers broke my skin out or irritated it so that's always something to keep in mind. And to sum things up......If you have oily skin DO use an oil-free tinted moisturizer.

If any of you have any questions that you would like to ask me privately, don't hesitate to email me at this address: beautyblog101@hotmail.com

May Favsss

Before I get started with my favorites for this month, I want to share with you guys this really helpful trick that I've been doing quite often. Halfway through the day my face starts to get a bit oily so here's what you need to do if you don't have oil blotting sheets! (which are a good investment btw)

*Tear a square of toilet paper in half and take the thinner part and use that to blot oil. This actually works amazingly!

Now... onto the products!!

-Sephora Collection Flashy Waterproof Eyeliner (Deep Black) $8
Doesn't smudge. Easy to take off at night. Vivid color. Well priced for a department store quality eyeliner.

-Lush Rock Star Soap (Price will vary depending on what size you purchase)
Lingering smell. Leaves your skin feeling silky and moisturized.

-R&B Hair Treatment $18.95
Great for protecting hair before using heat. Eliminates frizz. Camouflages and prevents split ends. Leaves hair feeling smooth and detangles.

-Buxom Lash: Mascara $18
Gives the appearances of false eyelashes. Doesn't clump or flake. Amazing color pay-off.

-OPI "I Pink I Love You" $8.50
Sleek classy everyday color. Very feminine.

Enjoy! <3