Hair Tips From a Pro

Do you ever hear people say you should get your hair cut once every 8 weeks but you never believed them or never knew why? Do you hear these things all the time and wonder if they are true? I asked my hair stylist, Carrie Cole, if they were true and why? Here's what she had to say.

1) You should not wash your hair everyday because it robs your hair from its natural oils which keep your hair healthy.

2) You should not sleep with your hair in a clip or ponytail because it rips out your hair as you toss and turn in the night. It also knots it.

3) Never brush your wet hair. It pulls it out and makes it thin. Instead use a wide tooth comb and work from the bottom up to get the knots out. When your hair is dry, carefully use a brush and work from the bottom of the knot up.

4) Before doing any sort of swimming, put conditioner in your hair and let it sit for five minutes. It helps keep your hair healthy and help keeps it from getting damaged by the harsh chemicals in the water.

5) Even if you are trying to let your hair grow out, you need to have your hair trimmed every 8 weeks. People think not getting it trimmed will help it, but actually, they are wrong. The ends of your hair need to be kept up with. If the ends are dead, your hair will not grow as fast.

6) To protect your hair from major heat damage, add a bit of oil to your hair. The heat will burn off the oil and not your hair. Say, "bye bye, heat damage!"

7) Deep condition your hair once a month. For a cheap and quick deep condition, put lots of conditioner in your hair and put on a shower cap. Stand in the sun of 10 to 20 minutes and rinse. When you shower you should keep your conditioner in for 5 to 7 minutes.

Happy Hair Day!

How to do an at home manicure!

For the summer, it's nice to have your nails looking great! I found a website that gave me some great advice on how to get your fingernails looking like you just left the salon. I hope you enjoy the tips!

(I got this directly from: http://just-for-mom.kaboose.com/your-gorgeous-manicure.html)

Remove. Take off old color with acetone polish remover on a cotton ball. (Note: Don’t use a tissue, it will fall apart and doesn’t absorb the remover well.)

Trim. Cut and file nails to your length of choice. As for shape, there are two main options: square or rounded. And neither form will chip more than the other.

Soak. Rest hands in a bowl of warm water for five minutes, but make sure the water’s not too hot or it will dry out your hands and nails.

Soften. Apply cuticle oil or lotion on dry hands to nourish and soften rough spots.

Push. Use a cuticle or Popsicle stick to press cuticles back so they don’t get in the way of the polish.

Scrub. Exfoliate hands with a body scrub or homemade mixture of olive oil and kosher salt or raw sugar. Scrub for two to three minutes, then wash thoroughly.

Moisturize. Dry hands and apply a rich moisturizer.

Polish. Apply a base coat first, then apply two thin coats of polish. Finish with a top coat if you haven’t used one yet.

Helpful Hints:

• If you don’t have time to paint your nails, just take off the polish and moisturize. It will look much better than chipped paint.
• No file on hand? Use the rough edge of a match book.
• If you don’t have cuticle oil, olive oil works just as well.
• Light polish is easier to maintain than dark polish – chips and cracks aren’t as noticeable.
• Keep polish in a cool, dry place, like the fridge. It’ll last longer.

Hey! You With The Face (Shape)

I love face shapes. They make every person unique. The shape of your face plays a large role in determining your chin, the angle of your jaw, the size of your forehead, the set of your cheekbones, even the position of your eyes. If you aren’t familiar with the 7 basic shapes of the face, they are:

1. Oval. This is considered the “ideal” face shape. It is about ¾ as wide as it is long.

2. Round. The round face is wider than it is long.

3. Square. The square face has sharp angles with a wide forehead and square jaw.

4. Pear/Triangle. The pear or triangle-shaped face has a wider jaw than forehead.

5. Heart. The heart-shaped face has a slender chin and wide forehead with high cheekbones.

6. Diamond. This shape has a narrow forehead and narrow chin with the wideness spread across the cheekbone area.

7. Oblong. This shape is a very slender face, much longer than it is wide.

Which one are you? If you’re not sure, face your miror and take a bar of soap and trace the reflection of your head. Then step back and see which of the shapes above it looks like.

Since it’s summer, we’ll talk about sunglasses and hats that work best for your face shape!



Sunglasses

If you have an oval-shaped or diamond-shaped face, just about anything goes! Try aviators, those are really in this season and instantly make you look stylish!

If you have a round face, try square-ish or rectangular sunglasses to add shape to your face. Don’t choose too big though, this will make your face look even shorter!

If you have a square face, try big, round sunglasses to soften the angles of your face.

If you have a pear/triangle face, try top-heavy sunglasses to balance your smaller forehead and match with your wide jaw line.

If you have a heart-shaped face, try bottom-heavy sunglasses to balance your wider forehead and match your slender chin.

If you have an oblong face (longer than normal) you’ll want tall sunglasses. Avoid slender frames; they’ll make your face look even longer.

If you have larger facial features, you can take advantage of the fun oversized lenses trend! But be cautious if you have smaller features, oversized lenses may make you look teeny-tiny faced.


Hats

A lot of the same rules for sunglasses also apply to hats. Larger hats will overpower smaller features, much like sunglasses.

You can wear just about any hat if you have an oval or diamond face shape. Try a beanie or a beret. These styles work on just about any face shape!

For a round face, fedoras are the way to go! They’re totally stylish, and since it extends past the top of your head, it will add length.

For a square face, choose a rounder hat to soften the angles, like a cute floppy hat.

If you’re pear/triangle-shaped, a big ol’ hat will look adorable on you, and create the illusion of widening your narrow forehead.

If you’re a heart shape, try a smaller hat with a medium rim instead of large to avoid making your forehead look any larger, like a cowgirl hat or a bowler.

For an oblong face, try a newsboy or cadet cap; a hat more fitted to the top of your head, to avoid making it appear longer.

Going to the Beach?

Going to the beach? Ready to have some fun in the sun and soak up them rays of sunshine? Not sure what you need to bring? Here's a list of things that you should not go without, and some fun games and activities you can do as well.

~ Your modest swimsuit! After all, the Mod Style Lounge staff did spend a month writing articles for y'all. :)

~ Beach Bag! You need a nice big bag to keep all your stuff in! Here's what you need to fill it!
     ~ Sunscreen/ sunblock; depending on whether or not you're going to tan.
     ~ Conditioner. Five minutes before you get in the water, put some conditioner in your hair. It will help keep it soft and protected.
     ~ Two towels. You always seem to need more than one!
     ~ Roll of quarters. You may need to fill the meter where you parked, or there may be an ice cream stand somewhere near by! Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough! YUM!
     ~ Book/Magazine. The Christy Miller Series by Robin Jones Gunn is a good beach read mainly because they take place on a beach! It always seems to come to life more when you are actually there! Susie Magazine is a good, godly, christian teen girl magazine to read. It's full of helpful tips about God, music, boys, and even fashion!
     ~ Trash Bags. Because no one likes a litter bug!
     ~ Face Moisturizer with sunblock. Once you get out of the water and dry off, apply a layer of moisturizer to help skin from peeling and cracking.
     ~ Camera and Cell Phone. A camera is my best friend on the beach. Pictures help keep memories and lots of memories can be made at the beach. Snap away! Cell phones are good for taking pictures too. They also help you if you run to that ice cream cart and forgot where you left your beach towel!
     ~Ziploc bag. You know you take shells back with you  :)

~ Chair/Blanket. The sand can get really hot and you don't want to burn your bottom. It's much more comfortable to bring a chair or beach blanket to lay on.

~ Umbrella. Sometimes you just want to stay cool and not soak up the rays! :) An umbrella is the way to go then.

~ Cooler. You always get hungry and thirsty so here's what to bring.
     ~ Light Sandwich. Ham and Cheese or PB&J is the way to go!
     ~ Fruit. Apples, bananas and grapes are easiest because you'll have less to throw away.
     ~ Nuts. Light little snack with that little bit of salt.
     ~ WATER! Lots and lots of water! Stay hydrated!
     ~ Soda. If you want a soda, get one with no sugar in it. Diet Rite, Coke Zero and Sprite would be some to consider.


~Activities! There are plenty of ways to have fun at the beach! Here are some of my favorite things!
    ~ Nerf ball! Many stores have dollar sections and you can almost always find a Nerf ball in one. Stand in the ocean knee deep and throw the ball back and forth! It's loads of fun and it'll work out your arms :)
    ~ Inner Tubes and Boogie Boards! Grab one of these and head into the water! Sit on top of your inner tube, not in it, and ride the waves. Lay in top of your boogie board and paddle like crazy! So much fun!
    ~ Beach Ball! Bounce the beach ball back and forth with a friend, or get a group together and play some beach volleyball, well, attempt too.
    ~ Sand Castle! You doesn't like to build a sand castle?!
    ~ Bury People! If you're with your friends or siblings, have one of them bet buried in the sand! Or have everyone get buried at least once! This is where the camera comes in :)
    ~ Search for Shells! They are always so pretty, but try to limit yourself to 10. I get carried away very easily :)


Enjoy the rest of your summer!

God's Word

Girls, let me tell you, this week has been such a bummer for me. I've felt this overwhelming sense of worthlessness and ugliness. I know that God thinks we are SO BEAUTIFUL but sometimes it's hard to remember and believe that. Unfortunately, it has been like that for me this week. It's like I know God loves every single tiny part of me but I just couldn't grasp it. But then again, I hadn't been reading my Bible much either.

That's when it donged on me. I have to constantly feed myself with the word of God to be able to understand his undying love for me. Because I wasn't doing that, I was feeling down on myself and all I am worth. Ladies, the bottom line here is to be able to radiate beauty on the outside, we have to get it from the inside. Reading God's love story to us is the way to stay inwardly beautiful.

So next time you start to feel like you are nothing or aren't beautiful, think about how much you have been intaking God's Word. Don't be afraid to dig deep! And remember "Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God." Proverbs 31:31