New Year's Resolution - Get In Shape

Among the top New Year’s Resolutions of last year were “Lose Weight” (#1) and “Staying Fit and Healthy” (#5)*. I’m sure the stats for this year would look very similar. It seems like fitness is a popular resolution to make. It makes sense, since you feel better and look better.

Even if you’re like me and make goals instead of New Year’s resolutions, you may have made goals like this at one time or another. It is GOOD to want to get in shape! It show respect for your body, and therefore, respect to God, since your body is ultimately His. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. You were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.”

The stats also say only 8% of people actually succeed in achieving their resolution. Will you be that 8%? If you said yes, good for you! You’re on the right track. Because the first step to being successful is your mindset.

1)      Make healthiness a lifestyle. The way most people think is, “I’ll exercise and eat right until I reach this weight (or insert other fitness goal). What most people don’t realize is if you want to stay fit, exercising and eating right need to happen for the rest of your life.

2)      Include God in your workout. Use your stretches as a time to pray and bask in the Lord’s presence. If you run, you could pray over each house you pass. Put on some uplifting Christian music as you exercise. God in interested in all the parts of your life, and he wants to give you encouragement and help you become healthy so you can honor Him with your body.

3)      Make working out fun! First, find the best workout for your body and your goals. If you want to lose weight, do cardio. If you want to gain muscle, lift weights. If you want to maintain or improve your body, do a little of both. Then, find a form of exercise you enjoy! Hate running? Try dancing, power walking, or swimming. Hate lifting? Try pilates, trail biking, or kayaking. There are so many ways to get it shape. Try them until you find one that makes you love exercising!

4)      Have a healthy diet. You can’t out run a bad diet. No matter how much you work out, you will not see results if your diet is not right. If you are exercising like you care for your body, why not feed it like you care for it, too?

5)      Enjoy all things in moderation. With most foods, even healthy foods, you should have limits. Ever heard the term, “too much of a good thing”? Especially limit the consumption of unhealthy, processed, or sugary foods. But don’t obsess over details, it’s okay to indulge every once in a while!

If you haven’t started a healthy lifestyle, it’s never too late to start! You can start monthly goal-making at any time of the year! And for those of you who are using healthiness as this year’s resolution, I wish you the best of luck. With God’s help, all things are possible (Matt. 19:26). Be that 8%!

*Source: Statistic Brain

Holiday Gift Guide 2012

     I can’t believe its 6 days till Christmas! If you aren’t done with your Christmas shopping yet, then here are some ideas!  This is only for girls, because I have no idea what to get guys either! Haha

      Beside each gift idea I suggest some stores where you can get it.  Just click on the name and it’ll take you to the website.

Maybelline Gift Sets

Every year around Christmas Walmart has Maybelline gift sets that include eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara. This year they have three different looks you can choose from.  Here's the only link I could find for them.  http://www.walmart.com/ip/Maybelline-Illegal-Length-Fiber-Extensions-Total-Eye-Look-Kit/20932048?findingMethod=Recommendation:wm:RecentlyViewedItems

The Flared False-Lash Look | $10


ExpertWear Eyeshadow Quad in Charcoal Smokes

Line Express Eyeliner in Ebony Black
Volum' Express Falsies Flared Mascara in Very Black

The Illegal Provocative Look | $10


ExpertWear Eyeshadow Duo in Grey Matters
Line Express Eyeliner in Ebony Black
Illegal Length Mascara in Very Black

The Colossal Bold Look | $10


ExpertWear Luminous Lights Eyeshadow in Lumi Lights
Line Express Eyeliner in Brownish Black
Volum' Express The Colossal Mascara in Glam Black

Lip Balm – Baby Lips – eos – ChapStick - or make it!

Smooth Sphere Lip Balm | eos $2.99

Bath & Body Works Gift Sets

Vanilla Bean Noel I Love Dasher & Dancer | Bath & Body Works $21.50

Sweet Pea Mini Bathtub | Bath & Body Works $15.00

Lotion – Bath & Body Works – Eos – Neutrogena Norwegian Formula 

Pink Sugarplum Body Lotion | Bath & Body Works $11.00
Bath & Body Works is having a Buy 3, Get 3 Free sale. You can get an assortment of lotions, shower gels, etc., to give away. 

Nail Polish  – Revlon – NYC – OPI – Maybelline – Essie

Nail Polish in Forever Yummy | Essie $8.00

Candles – Glade – Yankee Candle – Bath & Body

Glade Candle in Shimmering Spruce | Target $2.50

Shea or Aloe Infused Socks 

Airplus Aloe Infused Socks at Target | Prices vary by store; I saw them for $2-4.

Shea-Infused Socks in Red Stripe | Bath & Body Works $7.50

Leg Warmers, Tights, or Socks – Target – Forever 21 – American Eagle

Fair Isle Crew Socks in Pink | American Eagle Outfitters $6.95
American Eagle is having a limited time 40% off sale, and free shipping till the 20th. 

Scarves, Hats, or Gloves/ Mittens

Pom Pom Earflap Hat in Coral | American Eagle Outfitters $24.95

Jewelry – Forever 21 – Charlotte Russe – American Eagle – Charming Charlie –

Jewelry is a great inexpensive gift.  Forever 21 is my favorite place to shop for jewelry because it’s inexpensive, and it isn’t prone to falling apart.  All of my jewelry from there is still intact.

Sparkling Bow Charm Necklace | Forever 21 $4.80

Mugs – Michaels – Target –

A Christmas mug is a good gift for coffee or tea lovers. 

Rachel Ray Hoot and the Snowman 4 Pack Mugs | Target $24.99

I got my mom quite a few cute holiday mugs a couple years ago at Michaels for only $1 apiece.  I couldn't find any online, but they might have them in the store.

Miscellaneous

The $1 section at Target is a good place to look for little gifts and stocking stuffers for people.  A lot of stores have a $1 bin close to the checkouts where you can find little, inexpensive gifts. Forever 21 has a gift guide for stocking stuffers, here, and here, they have ideas for what to get everyone.

Baked Goodies

Food is a creative, inexpensive gift idea, and everyone loves Christmas goodies  If you don’t want to do the basic sugar cookies, then do caramel corn, fudge, or some kind of bars.  Pinterest has a ton of ideas for holiday food.  Making Chex mix is also a great treat!

  

Christmas Card

A Christmas card is something nice to give, even if you can’t afford a gift. If you can’t afford to buy them, 

then make your own! All you need is some paper and pens, markers, or paints.

     I hope this helped some of you girls with your Christmas shopping!  Merry Christmas!!

Becca xoxo

Battling Dry Skin

      Fall is in full swing now and winter is almost here, and with it dry and itchy skin.  Combating dry skin is fairly easy; all you need are a few tips and a good lotion.

     First thing is to make sure you’re drinking plenty of water.  Water helps hydrate your skin; drinking water is good no matter what season it is.

     Limit the hot water in the shower.  I know it feels really good, but it strips your skin and hair of its natural oil, leaving it dry.  It can also be a good idea to get a moisturizing soap for your body.  I just use Ivory soap since it’s mostly natural. 

      An obvious fix to dry skin is to apply lotion throughout the day.  I put lotion on my hands all through the day to keep them soft.  Apply lotion on your hands before you go to bed, that way it has a chance to sink in while you sleep and it won’t get washed off.   It’s also a good idea to apply lotion after you shower.  Lotion will help replace the oil that has been stripped from your skin.  I apply lotion all over my body right after I’ve taken a shower and my skin is still damp.  That way the lotion locks the moisture into your skin.   If you need extra moisture, after you take a shower and dry off, spray yourself with a spray bottle of baby or body oil.  

     If you deal with dry skin on your face, there are lots of great moisturizing masks and scrubs you can make.  Honey is great for moisturizing your face and it gives you a silky complexion.  Make sure you apply face lotion every morning and night after you wash your face.  I also put face lotion on after I shower since my face is usually dry.  Michelle Phan made a great video showing how to make a sugar scrub.

     For your lips, buy a good lip balm.  Eos Sphere Lip Balm is my favorite and Chapstick also has some good ones.  Using petroleum jelly instead of a lip balm is also very moisturizing and it’s less expensive.  If your lips are dry, licking them makes them worse.  If you have dry lips, it could also mean you’re thirsty and you need to drink water.  Apply lip balm throughout the day and especially at night so it can sink in.

     Use your richest and most expensive moisturizer for your hands and feet; they take the most abuse and need lots of moisture.   If your feet are super dry and crack during the winter, rub them with a pumice stone after taking a shower, and then follow with lotion or a special formulated foot cream.  Putting socks on after will help lock in the moisture. 

Some good lotions:

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula

Baby lotion (any brand)

Jergens

Bath & Body Works

Eos

     This is my last post before Christmas, so Merry Christmas everyone! 

Becca xxoo

Kool-Aid Hair Dye!

The Trend...

A trend that I have seen since this past summer is colorful streaks in your hair, or fun colorful tips. I always wanted to try it, but I would be nervous about going and getting it dyed somewhere, and not liking it. So I've seen the idea of dying your hair with Kool-Aid online and thought it looked like a great alternative. Depending on your hair type, it is very temporary, but I've heard that it can last anywhere from a couple washes to several months. Using Kool-Aid (or I've also heard that you can use a jello mix) is an easy way to add fun pop of color to your hair without committing to a long term dye. *Please be sure your parents are ok with this before you try it though!* You can do streaks in your hair, the tips of your hair, or even do your whole head and add a colorful tint to your natural color. Kool-Aid dye works best on light colored hair. If your hair is darker, and you really want to try this, you would need to bleach the section of hair first.

I did some quick research online, and it received mostly positive reviews. But like always there are people who post warnings and negatives they discovered when they tried it. A few common complaints were that if you use red Kool-Aid it can last too long...Some say that this washes out too quickly while others say they couldn't get theirs out and that they had to grow it out. I'd do some checking before you try it, even if it is a simple and temporary method.

Good tutorials on how to die your hair are very easy to find. I think this post was my favorite though. It explains different methods of using the Kool-Aid dye, gives instructions, and includes a video.

My Little Experiment...

I decided I'd give this a try today and picked up some purple (SUGAR FREE!) Kool-Aid packets at the store. When I was ready, I pulled out a small strip of my hair and ponytailed the rest on the opposite side. It's important that you keep all hair back except that hair you're wanting to dye. The tutorial will tell you this, but I boiled 2 cups of water and when the water had cooled a tad I added the 2 packets. When mixed dipped the hair into the bowl and kept my head there for about 5 minutes. I started with really thin pieces and added more when I liked the results. I took a napkin and dried the excess Kool-Aid and then blow dryed the section of hair. Although the results were more subtle than I was expecting, I was very pleased with it. I am a dirty blond and the color looks like a dark auburn/plumb. I will be definitely be trying this again, and maybe I will use a different method next time (like painting the hair and then wrapping with foil). I've included a picture, the quality isn't terribly great but you should be able to get an idea of how it looks. 

If you try this, or have done it before, let me know how it works for you! I'm curious how the results differ with different hair types, methods, and colors. Have fun ~Erin

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Review

     Hi girls!  You know that terrible moment when you look in the mirror and you see that your eye makeup has creased and is all smudged?  I have good news; there’s a great product called Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion to keep your eye makeup long lasting.  An eyeshadow primer is used to keep your eye makeup from creasing, smudging, and it makes your eyeshadow more vibrant.

     Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion is one of the most popular eye primers.  I’ve had my Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion for almost a year now, and I love it. 

Pros:

Long lasting - My eyeshadow lasts a lot longer when I wear primer.  What I love about this primer is it allows you to wear drugstore eyeshadow without worrying about it not being long lasting.  It claims to keep your eyeshadow on for 24 hours, but my eyeshadow hasn’t lasted longer than 10 hours at times.  If you use high end eyeshadow with the primer it might last for 24 hours, but I don’t think most drugstore eyeshadow would.  I do have oily eye lids so that plays a factor in how long your eyeshadow lasts.

Vibrant- It makes your eyeshadow more vibrant because it creates a base for the eyeshadow and it’s easier to build the color.

Goes on smooth- It has a creamy texture and it goes on smooth.

Different colors- It has four different colors to choose from: Greed (gold), Sin (shimmering champagne), Eden (matte tawny), and Original (sheer nude). 

Use it instead of eyeshadow- You can use the colored primers as eyeshadow if you only want one color.

A little goes a long way- It only takes a little dab of product to cover each eye.  I’ve had mine for over a year, and I still have enough left for a couple more months.  I don’t use it every day since I don’t wear makeup every day, but if you did, it should still last for quite a while.

It has great reviews- Before I’m willing to spend over $15 on a makeup product, I usually check the reviews to see what other people think about it, and I go to a store and get a sample.  That way I can be sure I’m buying something that will work with me.

Moderately priced- For one squeeze tube with .37 oz., it’s only $20.  For some people that might be a splurge, but it’s totally worth it!

Cons:

     The old tube was very flimsy.  I dropped it once and that container cracked and the product oozed out when I used it.  I dropped it another time and it cracked in half.  I had to put the product in another container because it starting drying out.  They made new squeeze tubes since then which I’ve heard work much better. That’s been about my only complaint besides the one I said earlier about drugstore makeup not lasting as long as they claimed.

     Overall I still love this primer and it works so much better than going without one.  Once it runs out, I’m pretty sure I’ll be repurchasing. 

    Do any of you guys use an eyeshadow primer? If so what brand and how do you like it? Let me know in the comments!

Becca xxoo