Winterize Your Hair

The cold weather can really drag the life out of your hair. The lack of humidity that comes with winter, this causes breakages, fly-aways, and a dry scalp. With the proper hair care and products, you can defy the will of winter. 

Preventing dry and dull hair:

Twice a week apply a hair mask to strengthen and hydrate your hair. To minimize the typically heat-related damage, wait until your hair is at least seventy percent dry before you blow dry it. Blow drying your hair can cause it to be quite dull, and it takes the life out of it. After blow drying your hair, mist it from the root to the tip with a heat protectant spray. My personal favorite is TRESemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Protective Spray. 

Dry and Dull hair quick fixes: 

Just brush your hair. It is as simple as that. Brushing your hair redistributes the natural oils from your scalp throughout your hair, adding shine. It is a tip I learned from Jen Atkin. If you want more of a polished look, placed a dime-sized amount of hand cream or olive oil onto your ends. Do not apply to much or your hair will appear greasy. 

Preventing fly-aways:

Use a moisturising shampoo and conditioner, and apply a leave-in conditioner from midway down your hair to your tips. If you were to apply it at the roots, it would leave your hair feeling,and appearing greasy. The moisture will help neutralize the electrons that cause the static electricity that forms the fly-aways in your hair.

Fly-Aways quick fixes:

A lightweight hairspray will do the trick. The polymers located in hairspray will help keep the fly-aways in place. Nourishing your hair will keep them annoying fly-aways away!

Flat Hair? Mist strands from root to tip with a volumizing spray, then repeat only at the roots. Next, blow-dry your hair upside down. Afterwards, twist your hair into a loose topknot until your locks cool, allowing the roots to set. 

Itchy, Flaky Scalp? Treat your hair with some treatments such as a hair mask. The scalp is an area often overlooked.

The Three Upsides to Winter

Okay, as much as we hate winter for taking a toll on our hair, it has its benefits as well... Three to be exact:

1. Sleeker Strands: The lack of humidity ensures that we have no frizz
2. Vibrant Color: No soaking up of sun rays, no chlorine, or salt water, your hue, whether natural or fake, will be richer.
3. Fast Showers: No need to shampoo daily - unless you've worked up a sweat. 

Eyebrows: Thick or Thin?

Some people look better with thick eyebrows, and some people look better with thin. Personally, I find I look better with thick. Having an oval face, I believe it fills it in nicely. Whereas, other people with smaller faces need to be careful, because having thick eyebrows can easily overcrowd the face.

My thin eyebrows: (May 2013)

My thick eyebrows: (October 2013) 

See how they make my eyes pop more, rather than making them sink into my head? It is up to you to determine whether having thick eyebrows is going to be beneficial to you or not. If not, do not waste your time growing them in. It typically takes about three months and is a real pain. 

To see the tips and tricks I learned while growing mine out, check out my blogpost by clicking here.

Model's everywhere are even growing thick eyebrows. It is in style. 

How To Make Your Tan Last

Miranda Kerr

I do not own this photo.

Whether your tan is fake or natural, having it fade and going back to being pale is a real hit to the self-esteem. So here is the tips that I have learned to get the most out of your tan.
Moisturize
The best and biggest chance you have to making your tan last longer is to moisturize. It is crucial. Lathering on the lotion multiple times a day will help keep the beautiful bronze tone in your skin. Keeping the skin hydrated is what prevents the tan from peeling, making it last longer than normal.
Fake It
Whether you like it or not your natural tan will eventually fade. However, you do not need to result to tanning beds to maintain your tan. To keep up your tan, apply a sunless tanning lotion one to two times a week. Personally, I love the St. Tropez Everyday Gradual Tan Mousse which I purchased from Sephora for $49.50. If you are looking for a cheaper alternative, here are a couple:

Traditional

• Banana Boat Summer Color Sunless Lotion
• Hawaiian Tropic Island Radiance Self Tanner

Gradual

• L’Oreal Sublime Glow Daily Moisturizer
• Jergen’s Natural Glow Firming Moisturizer

Our Past Does Not Define Our Future

Growing up, that was me. Not so cute, hey? I was a kid who never brushed her hair, showered maybe once a week, came to school in the same clothes as I wore the day before, bushy eyebrows, and nerd glasses. I wish I could have showed you how bad it truly was. I burned the evidence. This is probably the worst picture I have left, and it is in my kindergarten yearbook. The reason I am showing you this is because we all feel like we are in a position where we cannot change and feel stuck at one point. Little did I know, it did not take much effort to change from that to who I am now...

Unfortunately, I got caught up in it all. I have been trying so hard to bury my past, and I still am, I am forgetting to make these days count, and am still paying the price of beauty. Once I started I felt like I could not stop. It went from brushing my hair, showering daily, and changing my clothes, to buying fifty dollar shampoo and conditioner to make my hair shinier, healthier, and softer. That is not even the crazy part. I went from not caring to what people think, to only relying on other people's opinions. Getting away from that is quite hard. It made me very insecure and I am trying as hard as I can to do what I do for me, not for anyone else. I have done the unthinkable for beauty. I currently wear fifty dollar foundation, that works just the same as the eight dollar ones at the drugstore. At the time, I though waxing was the most dramatic thing I could have done. Now I have had broad band light treatment, microdermabrasion, and even laser hair removal. Aside from the microdermabrasion, all of which are extremely painful. Beauty is like an addiction that I cannot get away from. Now, instead of doing it for others, I am doing it for me. I am exercising vigorously, and eating healthy for my own well being. Although, continuing to wear contacts may seem like it is for others, it is a personal self-esteem item for me. I spent so much time trying to fit in, that I almost ended up losing myself. If I be someone else, who is going to be me? I spent so much time wishing I could be someone else or be more like them that I actually tried. Extensions were bought, and as were clothes that were nearly identical. Now that that phase is thankfully over, I have time to be myself. Although I absolutely hate my bushy eyebrows, bushy is back in style, but not as bushy as mine were. Which is why I am growing mine back, only slightly. It saves me a little bit of pain from waxing and plucking. Going back to being myself I have never felt so at peace and happy with myself. I am no longer spending every waking minute wishing I was someone else, I am now spending every minute thankful for who I am and what God blessed me with. I only wish I could have realized this earlier. Everything does truly happen for a reason. That phase made me realize the importance of personal hygiene and fitness. I went from being that gross girl that people could not get away from fast enough, to the one who turns heads. While trying to become someone else, I created myself. I know that sounds weird but that is how it happened. I have also come around to be less judgmental of people. I honestly saw people who was not classified as the high school status of "pretty" and I judged them on the spot. Who am I to judge with a past like that, and I am not perfect myself. I have come to realize that before I better make sure I am perfect before I point out other's flaws. No one is perfect. Some may be close, but I am far from it. I have a lot of work to do both on the inside and out. Now, I try to focus on the greatness of a person, rather than the flaws and it has helped me to see the world differently. Who am I to judge someone I do not even know? 

I spent so much time trying to cover up my past that it took me until now to show people how far I have come. That is something I should truly be proud of and thankful for. I hope my story lets you know that our past does not define us, or our future. It is not something that can just be covered up. It is something that should be exposed for the world to see and hear to prove to them how far you have come and how much of a better person you are now because of it. No one can be you, except yourself.

-Samantha 

Motivation

Changing your lifestyle to become more healthy and fit is very challenging. You need to have someone there to support you and luckily I do! Out of everyone helping and supporting me though, one stands out more than the rest: my best friend, Hannah. 

We originally hated each other back in elementary school. However, as time went on and we grew up we became best friends. All though we grew up, our maturity level has stayed in the past, which is why we never have a hard time finding a way to laugh. Since we became friends we have done everything together. From camping, horseback riding, and road trips, to working out, and our past addiction of tanning. She decided long before me to change into a healthier lifestyle, so this is a little easier for her than me. When I am with her and we are on our nine kilometre walks she gives me advice on what to cook, how to cook it, and how to resist junk food and it is a lot of help. 

Unfortunately, Hannah cannot be monitoring me all the time, and the other day I caved to junk food! I spent nearly thirty dollars buying chips, candy, and chocolate. The addiction I have to junk food is bad and sometimes the cravings just come randomly. How to avoid it is the trick! I manage to try keep myself motivated to stay fit and healthy by viewing others with the same lifestyle. I know that eventually my metabolism will not be functioning so quickly and this is all going to catch up to me. Fear of the future is one motivator for me. Another big one for me, is the Internet! 

I used to have a horrible addiction to the Internet! I would be on it from the moment I woke up until I fell asleep! Now, it is not as bad! I decided to utilize that habit against my unhealthy lifestyle. I have deleted Facebook to stop comparing myself to my "friends". On Instagram, an iPhone and android application, I have searched and found many health and fitness accounts to follow. So when I check my Instagram several times a day, I get motivation from the pictures they upload. On Pinterest, I also follow a ton of health and fitness boards. My motivation on there comes from pictures, phrases, workout routines, and recipes. Some of my favorite pictures are: 

There are so many inspiring and motivational quotes and pictures on Pinterest. It is part of the reason that I will never give it up! 

The final at home motivator for me is YouTube! Growing up with your mom living ten hours away I was unaware of the feminine side of things. Things such as how to do your hair or your makeup! So I have watching beauty gurus on YouTube since I was little and my skills have changed immensely. Recently, a few of the channels that I follow began uploading fitness videos and how-tos. That gave me the idea to start watching fitness videos, and subscribe to their channel. That way, whenever I check YouTube there is a new fitness tutorial video from the channels I follow which gives me the drive to want to work out! Hopefully you can manage to push yourself to be who you want to be, and find your motivation. I will let you in on a little secret though, your biggest motivator is yourself!

-Samantha