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. 

Thick Eyebrows Are In

To you girls who pluck and wax your eyebrows so they are only one-hair thin, thick eyebrows are the trend again! Thank goodness for that! My natural eyebrows are thick, so the less I have to wax and pluck, the better. Who likes doing that anyway? IT HURTS!

Celebrities and models that rock their thick eyebrows:

Lily Collins is one of the first people that come to mind when it comes to fabulous thick eyebrows.

Other Models and Celebrities Who Rock It:

Now if you are like me and have been waxing your eyebrows thinner, here are some tips and tricks for growing out your eyebrows:
Just a forewarning, eyebrows take a long time to grow back in fully; we are talking months here. The trick is, with a little strategy and a lot of patience, full brows can be yours again once more.
Tweezing is the most precise way of removing facial hair. What I would recommend is first going to get your eyebrows professionally done and shaped. After they are well groomed by a professional, you should be able to tidy them up yourself every two weeks. Before plucking, however, it is recommended that you first pencil in your brows to prevent yourself  from making any mistakes. When plucking, allow your eyebrow hairs to come back in rows. So those hairs closest to the brows can stay, and those that are not can be plucked. Simply grow them out one row at a time, and slowly they will become thicker.
TO GROW THEM OUT FASTER: It is simple... DO NOT PLUCK! If you are wanting them to look not as gross, then plucking is recommended. However, if you are wanting to get them grown out as fast as possible do not pluck!
Tip: Exfoliating the area with a soft or baby toothbrush will help stimulate the hair growth.
Tip: Do not use a magnifying mirror - you will end up losing your perspective and over-tweezing, which can be fatal to the life of your beautiful eyebrows.
Tip: Avoid bright lights - they will make you tweeze more than is basically visible. Those little thin hairs, no one should be close enough to your face to even see. You cannot even see it yourself when you are in the mirror so why bother?
Tip: Prevent yourself from applying lotions and creams to the brow bone. They tend to clog the hair follicle which not only weakens the hair, but causes shedding and prevents growth. Not really what you want when growing in your eyebrows is it?
On average, it takes approximately three months for your eyebrows to grow in. Until that time, create a mantra for yourself. A mantra is a commonly repeated word or phrase that people often use to calm them down, or allow them to keep focus on the goal. In this case Refinery 29 suggests that your mantra when growing out your eyebrows should be, "fake it until you make it." Meaning, fill in your brows. I suggest that for the best result, to not use brow pencils that are waxy.
When filling out your eyebrows it is best to lightly trace around the outline before blending through. Not only will this enhance and shape your brows, it will make them appear fuller. Best of all, you can hide that nasty growing out process. YUCK! Afterwards run a spoolie brush through them until you've reached the desired shade, then finish by coating them with a clear gloss to help keep them in shape.
Tip: Do not want to spend all that money on a clear eyebrow gel? You do not have to! Simply purchase a clear mascara for a third of the cost, and it works just as well.
Want to see a video for how to fill in eyebrows? Well I found just the one for you by beauty guru SMLx0: Steph uses gel liner rather than pencil, but it looks amazing and it is waterproof!
To go directly to the eyebrow tutorial and skip the introduction go to 1:50 -

If you follow these simple steps and tricks, even though your eyebrows will not grow overnight, you will still have them, and can kind of avoid the gross ungroomed look.

-Samantha

Memory Monday: Graduation Hair

I have got my hair done for many special occasions in the past. None have I loved as much as the hair for my high school graduation. Seeing this picture is making me regret cutting my hair to the collarbone.
This half-up look was inspired by none other than the beautiful Julianne Hough:

My only instruction from that was "more curl" and to "cover the bobby pins", and that is what I got. I absolutely love the stylists at my hair salon. I basically go to three different ones. The one who cuts my hair I followed there from her old salon. I am not faithful to a company, I am faithful to a stylist. If someone can cut over six inches off my hair and I can still love my hair and them, they are worth keeping around, but I do have someone else who also cuts my hair. She is also one of the only people I will have color my hair. She managed to bleach it and dye it three times in one month to get it to a specific color without making my hair even look slightly damaged. She actually works at the company my other stylist switched from. The final stylist is the one who did the look in the picture above. Granted, she is not exactly gentle on the head, but she knows what to do to make your hair look amazing.
This has got to be one of my most favorite Julianne Hough hairstyles with her long hair before she cut it. I guess if she was an inspiration for my long hair, she might have been the muse for cutting my hair short. Hopefully when I go back to the salon in about a month to get my hair lightened, I do not use her as my muse otherwise I will end up looking like fried carrot.
Click here to read my next post on my ACTUAL muse, Miranda Kerr.

Until Next Time,

Samantha.

Nina Dobrev's Fitness Tips

If you are a die-hard Vampire Diaries fan like I am, you would love to know what keeps the lead actress, Nina Dobrev (Elena Gilbert), in such good shape. Well good to know that she tells Self magazine that she would never starve herself to be skinny. She even eats dessert.
Nina Dobrev works out four days a week. She loves to attend spin classes with her fellow co-star, Candice Accola, and the stunning British that we all love, The Originals star, Claire Holt. Running however, is something that Nina likes to do all by herself because it is her "me" time. She does not run for the fitness. She runs for the endorphins and energy that it gives her. Exercising outdoors is better for the soul, according to Nina Dobrev. That honestly does not surprise me coming from her. She is the one whose motto is "Breathe deep, and let things go", and ends nearly every tweet with "namaste". Is it any shock to you that she is a yoga-nut? Watching YouTube videos of Nina doing yoga are amazing. She does very intense and hard positions, which we of course need to work our way up to.

Her personal trainer, Steve Moyer, did a video with Popsugar TV's Fitness channel on YouTube to show us three moves that Nina loves to do. Apparently she loves to work her core: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYUIQrQGHgc

Nina is a big inspiration in my life. She is a kind hearted person, and works hard to keep her body in shape. She is truly beautiful on the inside and out. This is a reason I created this blog, is to help make people have as pure of hearts as hers and maintain a healthy lifestyle like her. 

- Samantha

Until Tomorrow, 

Namaste

Retro Bombshell: Brigitte Bardot

For those of you who do not know, Brigitte Bardot is a former French actress, singer and fashion model in the 1950's and 1960's. Her sexy bed head hair, and smudged eye liner had guys lined up at her doorstep. Do you blame them? She is a stunner. 

So today, I am going to let you in on the secrets achieved from Self Magazine as to how to achieve the "Brigitte Bardot look".
For Her Tousled Hair: 

Use a two inch barrel curling iron to create waves all around your head; holding each piece for fifteen to twenty seconds. Once the entire head is completed gently comb through your hair with your fingers to break apart the curls to give it more of a tousled, bed head look.

The "Smudged Makeup" Look with Sultry Lips:

For this look it is recommended that you use a jet-black gel eyeliner to achieve the best results. Now dab a liner brush into the gel eyeliner and apply a thick border all the way around the lash line, on both the top and bottom. It is probably best if you use a dark, smokey, eyeshadow for this look as well. Now that you have completed the eyeliner, it is time you apply the mascara very generously. Apply one coat to both the top and bottom lashes, and then apply another, and another, and another. You may even use false eyelashes if you want to complete the eye makeup. 

For Brigitte's look, her eyes are most definitely where all the attention goes, so that is the main part of the look. You do, however, still want those kissable and seductive lips. So as far as most of Brigitte's looks goes, I recommend using either a nude or baby pink color that is to your liking.

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