Washing Your Makeup Brushes :)

Hi everyone. I have been meaning to do this blog post for the longest time but this semester has been really crazy and I haven’t blogged since the summer. Anyway… here it is!

I learned this cleaning method from Michelle Phan on YouTube. These are the ingredients you’ll need:

Olive Oil

Antibacterial Dish Soap (I use Palmolive)

Baby Shampoo (optional)

Here are my dirty brushes

And... here is my soap concoction: pour olive oil, baby shampoo, and antibacterial dish soap in a plate.

Dip the brushes evenly in the soap/oil mixture and rub in your hand and you can either rinse them in lukewarm water immediately or wait like i do.

Here are the brushes after they've been rinsed. A clean brush is a happy brush. :)

Now... for drying... I leave my brushes drying overnight and there are only a couple that have to dry for longer, and those are the more synthetic ones. There are different methods for drying brushes.

In the picture above, the smaller brushes are just drying on a paper towel. 

The way I dry the big brushes is with my brush guards. You can buy them on their online store: www.thebrushguard.com 

They are weaved and stretch but keep the shape of the brush. When I dry them, I put them in a cup (shown below) and gravity pulls the water down and doesn't go back into the brushes' binding to the wooden/plastic body. I'm at a loss for words because I am sleepy so forgive me. 

THE BRUSH GUARD

Here's my kabuki brush (I lost it in Michigan last summer); it stands on its own in the brush guard. 

Here's the dry kabuki brush. The fibers are tight and compact but it fans out when I use it.

I hope this post was helpful. The only thing I did different than Michelle Phan was that I added the baby shampoo. A clean brush is a happy brush. Your face will be happy too. Clean your brushes at LEAST once a week if you wear makeup every day. I also wipe them daily with baby wipes in between washes because they have to dry overnight. 

EBATES!! WHERE IT PAYS TO SHOP ONLINE!

Hey everyone! I haven't been uploading... been busy with kids and stuff. But I wanted to talk about EBATES! It's an amazing website that gives you CASH BACK for purchases on a lot of stores! You can click on the store from the ebates website and it'll give you a certain cash-back amount. Everyone should try this out! This is really quick but hope you like it! Enjoy!

Florida and Update

I know I haven't been updating this as much as I should. I've been so busy lately! I AM keeping up with the Insanity program. I am a few days late because I'm in Florida. Anyway. I am so disappointed! I haven't lost any weight yet so x_X I hope I can lose some weight soon. I am going to Michigan pretty soon. Maybe I'll lose some weight there? I'll be at a camp so it won't be so bad. I have made some posts but I need to upload the pics... etc. So anyway, have a good night everyone! I'll try to post every day when I get home. IDK if that will happen though. 

Dry, Brittle, and Dull Hair? DO THIS!!

My mom is always trying natural remedies for her hair and skin. I am usually reluctant because of the smell. I decided to try this home remedy for dry hair and the results were PHENOMENAL!!

Ok... so you get an egg yolk (one if you have short or thin hair... two if otherwise) and a tablespoon or two (eyeball it) of honey and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. I usually just pour it in a bowl until I feel like it is good enough to cover my hair... Ok so let me recap the ingredients:

EGG YOLK

HONEY

OLIVE OIL

You just stir it up with a utensil of your choosing and put it on DRY hair (BEFORE WASHING!!) Once it's in your hair, just leave it alone (put it in a shower cap or just let air dry). DO NOT try to brush out because your hair will not like it (and it gets kind of hard).

WAIT....

Watch an episode of The Office (or your favorite 20-30 minute show)....

20 minutes later...

Shower. I recommend mixing baking soda with your shampoo (sulfate-free or professional salon pH balanced shampoo of course) to get all the build-up off. I usually shampoo two or three times when I do this just to get squeaky clean hair, and then I put the conditioner in and while it's chillin and my hair is soaking it in I shave and stuff.

After this, style as usual. You will believe. The results will be completely clear. Ok here's why these things work.

Egg Yolk: Eggs contain lecithin and protein, which help strengthen and moisturize hair. Egg yolks are also a natural emulsifier, meaning it binds homemade hair mask ingredients for a smooth, homogeneous mixture. Yolks also have a high sulfur content, which can help relieve dandruff symptoms.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/221689-egg-yolk-hair-treatment/#ixzz1M688EeVW

I got this from this article, but here is what I know offhand. The protein in eggs is similar to the keratin treatments that cost hundreds of dollars in salons. Just trust me: It's good for you.

Olive Oil: Extra virgin Olive Oil has a high level of mono-unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidant vitamin E that moisturizes, protects and nourishes. It makes your hair grow stronger and can be kept in a longer hairstyle without a need to cut. It is very beneficial for dry, damaged, or split hair.

Honey: Here are a couple of websites that talk about the benefits of honey:

http://www.bvhairtalk.com/2008/10/29/the-healthy-hair-benefits-of-honey/

http://www.bees-online.com/HealthBenefitsOfHoney.htm

Hope this was helpful!!

Amazon Associates!

Hey everyone! I am working on making my blog AWESOME and I just added Amazon Associates. Basically, I can choose the ads that I want to put on my blog and be more site specific. 

Day 5: LATE!

So last night I was babysitting my nephews (1 and 3 months old), so I didn't have a chance to post on the blog. Anyway, yesterday was Pure Cardio, which is basically a no break workout. Instead of doing the max interval training (where you do 3 minutes of high intensity followed by 30 seconds of recovery) Shaun T makes you do 20 minutes of increasing intensity workout WITHOUT A BREAK! So anyway, that was fun. I pushed so hard. The key is to not look at the clock because you will get distracted and not focus on the muscles you're working on. That's what helped me. When I didn't look at the clock I got through more of the workout. When I looked at the clock I would be like WHAT STILL SO MUCH LONGER?!?!?!?!

Anyway, today is Plyometric Cardio Circuit again. I haven't done it because I need a nap first. I stayed up late babysitting and woke up twice in the night and really early this morning. So anyway... That's all for right now. Maybe I'll do some more awesome makeup today. :D I'll post if anything is new!

Have a WONDERFUL Saturday!

Bright Colors Inspired by a shirt!

Hey everyone! I was sitting in my room and was trying to find some inspiration for my eyes because I've been sticking with neutrals for about 4 months now and I am about to explode! So... I looked in my closet and these colors were yelling at me by way of this shirt:

Anyway, here's what I got. It took me a while because the green would not get as opaque as I wanted it to be. I'm going to have to expand my search for a lime green and may be get a pigment. Here's what I got:

Here's the list of products that I used:

FACE

e.l.f. Mineral Infused Face Primer

e.l.f. Concealer Pencil and Brush

benefit Stay Don't Stray Eye Primer (under eyes)

Dinair Foundation in Nutmeg and Golden Olive

Crown Brush 10 Blush Palette (contour)

Sephora blush me! in peche tendre no. 4

LIPS

Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm (Natural Mint)

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Peach Me (pearl #628)

Sephora ultra-shine lip gloss #40

EYES

Urban Decay Primer Potion (eden)

120 Palette (lime greens and oranges)

88 Palette (deep pink/crease color)

Urban Decay Black Palette (jet below lashes under eye and black dog on waterline)

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Zero (waterline)

Maybelline Eye Studio Creme Liner in Blackest Black

Sephora Crayon in White (tearduct)

Sugarpill Buttercupcake Pressed Eyeshadow (tearduct) followed by...

MicaBella Shimmer Powder in Sunshine #49 (tearduct as well)

e.l.f. Eyebrow Kit in medium

e.l.f. Eyebrow Lifter & Filler (just the highlight)

MAC blanc type (highlight)

Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Mascara in Glam Black

Wow that was a lot of product but I'm really happy with how it turned out! Thanks for reading!

Insanity Day 4

This is yesterday's post. Blogger was down last night:

Today is day 4 of Insanity. I woke up super duper tired (but not sore) and thank goodness today was Cardio Recovery. It was basically a bunch of stretching and painful squatting. We did two miles again (we being my bro and I) but we walked them instead of jogged. I finally finished moving in and I mopped the floor! Ok… anyway… here are the meals because I’m really tired and am planning on going to sleep now:

Breakfast: brown sugar cinnamon oatmeal (homemade)

Lunch: Chocolate Cheerios

Snack: Plantain “fritters” don’t know what to call them; for those of you who know Spanish (specifically Dominican): TOSTONES!

Dinner: Pizza. I know I know… it’s so bad for you; but I was craving. Anywho. I’m hoping to do better tomorrow. I’m ready for bed.

No beauty tips today. I’m gonna do my nails tomorrow (hopefully); I’m thinking of using Finger Paints Tangerine Tint with China Glaze’s Crushed Candy Crackle Polish… Hmm…. complimentary colors… zzzz…. have a good night people!

Dry, Brittle, and Dull Hair? DO THIS!!

My mom is always trying natural remedies for her hair and skin. I am usually reluctant because of the smell. I decided to try this home remedy for dry hair and the results were PHENOMENAL!!

Ok... so you get an egg yolk (one if you have short or thin hair... two if otherwise) and a tablespoon or two (eyeball it) of honey and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. I usually just pour it in a bowl until I feel like it is good enough to cover my hair... Ok so let me recap the ingredients:

EGG YOLK

HONEY

OLIVE OIL

You just stir it up with a utensil of your choosing and put it on DRY hair (BEFORE WASHING!!) Once it's in your hair, just leave it alone (put it in a shower cap or just let air dry). DO NOT try to brush out because your hair will not like it (and it gets kind of hard).

WAIT....

Watch an episode of The Office (or your favorite 20-30 minute show)....

20 minutes later...

Shower. I recommend mixing baking soda with your shampoo (sulfate-free or professional salon pH balanced shampoo of course) to get all the build-up off. I usually shampoo two or three times when I do this just to get squeaky clean hair, and then I put the conditioner in and while it's chillin and my hair is soaking it in I shave and stuff.

After this, style as usual. You will believe. The results will be completely clear. Ok here's why these things work.

Egg Yolk: Eggs contain lecithin and protein, which help strengthen and moisturize hair. Egg yolks are also a natural emulsifier, meaning it binds homemade hair mask ingredients for a smooth, homogeneous mixture. Yolks also have a high sulfur content, which can help relieve dandruff symptoms.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/221689-egg-yolk-hair-treatment/#ixzz1M688EeVW

I got this from this article, but here is what I know offhand. The protein in eggs is similar to the keratin treatments that cost hundreds of dollars in salons. Just trust me: It's good for you.

Olive Oil: Extra virgin Olive Oil has a high level of mono-unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidant vitamin E that moisturizes, protects and nourishes. It makes your hair grow stronger and can be kept in a longer hairstyle without a need to cut. It is very beneficial for dry, damaged, or split hair.

Honey: Here are a couple of websites that talk about the benefits of honey:

http://www.bvhairtalk.com/2008/10/29/the-healthy-hair-benefits-of-honey/

http://www.bees-online.com/HealthBenefitsOfHoney.htm

Hope this was helpful!!

Insanity Day 3

Today I walked one mile and ran another mile. I'm SO SORE!!!! I also did Cardio Power and Resistance in the Insanity Program. It was very difficult but I did it! Let me tell you... I was dripping sweat (literally... dripping from my face to the floor) at the end, and my shirt was soaked. It felt awesome! :D Unfortunately, my soft hair suffered because I did not fix it afterward. I have 37 days left to change my body.

The Cardio Power and Resistance video is difficult but not as plyometric (jumping) as the Plyometric Cardio Circuit (duh). I tend to like this one better because I have flat feet and they are in extreme pain after jumping for 30 minutes. I usually work out barefoot because of that. No shoe is comfortable for me and my feet. Well, I've only tried a few but I like working out barefoot.

On another note, I tried roasting a chicken today. Failed. It lo

oked so nice after 2 hours in the oven, but then I started cutting it and the middle was raw. I was so disappointed, so I turned it around (even though it was so

beautiful) and cooked it. I blame it on the fact that I didn't

have a rack to cook it on and just put it in the pan. Anyway, this is what it looked like:

Awesome, right? NOT. The most important thing was that the breast was not dry, which I succeeded. So I'm happy with that. Anyway... This is what I ate today:

Breakfast: Banana

Lunch: 2 Waffles

Snack: Sweet Potato

Dinner: White Rice, Roasted Chicken, and a little bit of ice cream for dessert.

Hope this was helpful! I'll keep you updated with the workouts!