New Trend: Feathers?

As I am sure some of you have already noticed, I had a feather installed in my hair last week.

Colorful, beautiful hair extensions in a variety of shades are popping up on the trendy heads of women across the country. Woven into their own hair, just like other extensions, bright grizzly feathers are the next big thing for beauty buffs.

I have seen this trend quickly picking up, and wanted to try it out. I think it is a great way to express your self.

I know that for myself, it makes me feel edgy, sexy, trendy, and creative.

I love when people come up to me and ask me what is in my hair. I love telling them that it is a set of feathers!

They come in all different colors, from solid, to grizzly ( stripped ). They also come in different lengths, and sizes.

They will last up to 2 months in your hair. You can wash, blow dry, flat iron, curl, and anything else to them. I treat mine like it is part of my hair.

I dont have any pictures of mine because the pictures didnt come out very well, but here are a few pictures of other people that have them in.

As you can see from looking at the pictures, some are bold and some blend in a little more.

I have one that blends in a little better. I like it because you can see it but it is not an in your face look at me type of thing.

I would 100% recommend this for any woman. I absolutely love mine. If you need a recommendation on where to get them done just leave a comment and I will let you know!

Hope you all enjoyed this!

Eye Brow Tips & Tricks

I get asked about my eyebrows a lot so I figured I'd post a few little helpful tips and good products to use when doing your brows. Whether you're maintaining their shape or enhancing them with makeup products, hopefully you'll find this helpful!

Now keep in mind, eyebrows are a tricky business. Remember that everyone's preferences are different when it comes to brows. Everyone has a slightly different natural shape and arch to theirs. Also I am not an expert by any means, but these are the things I do to keep mine in check.

1. Go with what nature intended. Play up your natural arch and brow shape. If you don't have a very "arched" natural arch, don't force it. It will never look smooth or natural and you'll be stuck maintaining them like CRAZY. If you "clean up" your natural shape, it will be much more flattering to your face.

Also consider the length of your actual arch. While it shouldn't extend too far down your brow bone, tweezing or waxing them off too short can really throw off the proportion and balance of your face.

2. Don't overpluck the "tail" of your brows. Here is a little trick I use to find where to start and stop. Use a pencil and hold it aginist the inner part of your eye. This should be where your brows start. Do the same at the end edge of your eye, this is where your brow should stop. To find where your natural arch should be use a the pencial and find the iris of your eye, your arch should be directly about that. This should give you the perfect starting and stopping point for your particular face.

3. Don't pluck with a magnifying mirror. Ever. Seems like a great idea, and it makes seeing the hair so much easier, but if you need a 10x magnifying mirror to see the hair, you don't need to pluck it. Unless you have serious vision issues, you don't need one of these ever.

4. If you are unsure about tweezing a certain hair, just don't do it. Chances are, if you can't decide if it really needs to go, it doesn't. Plucking just one hair can leave a gap or mess with the shape of your brows.

5. Only trim if necessary. I could type a lengthy how-to about this, but just use my demonstration in the video to help you. There are some some very important things to remember when doing this.

6. If your brows look uneven (I've been there MANY times), DON'T pluck the one that appears larger in order to make it match the smaller one. Chances are, you'll end up with not one, but two over-plucked brows. Just fill-in the area of the "smaller" one that appears not to match the other. Even them up with a brow pencil or eyeshadow while that area grows out.

7. If you've over-plucked or over-trimmed in any way, put the tweezers down and step AWAY from the mirror. Trust me, a few weeks of letting them grow back out will be worth it. During that time, just wear some large sunglasses. This doesn't mean you have to neglect the obvious re-growth that shouldn't be there. AKA hair in the uni-brow area or hair that is far above or below the natural arch. Just leave the hair to grow right around the natural shape you want.

So what the heck do I do now that they've grown out?

8. To get the shape you want, whether you've grown out an over-plucked situation and need to start fresh, or you just want to do something with your brows for the first time, I'd strongly suggest going to a reputable salon to get them waxed. Tell them not to go overboard and bring pictures if you want. Just be realistic and choose pictures of brows that are similar to your natural arch and shape.

9. After you've gotten your perfect shape, you can maintain them yourself! As they grow back, you'll notice the shorter hairs that had been waxed (or plucked) from before. Tweeze ONLY those. Don't get happy and tweeze any longer hairs.

10. NEVER and I mean NEVER use one of those "eyebrow razors". Invented by the devil. Any hair that is growing in a large enough area where you'd need to use a razor should probably be waxed. Trust me. It will last longer and look a lot better. If you take a razor to any area around your brows, you're just asking for a mishap.

11. When filling them in, use less product than you think. It's easy to go overboard here. Also, use a product a little lighter than you'd think you'd need.

Also, don't forget to comb back through them with a spoolie-type brush after filling just to blend any products you've used. Makes them look a bit more natural as well.

Happy grooming

Food's I try to Avoid

People always ask me what foods I avoid in order to keep my skin clear.

As you know, I’m not an expert by any means, but here is a list of the top 3 food categories I try to stay away from:

Fatty Foods: hamburgers, excessive use of butter, cheese and greasy/fried foods

Extra Sugary Foods: cakes, pastries, cupcakes, soda, donuts, and candy

Super Salty Foods: potato chips, popcorn, French fries

I'm not saying I never eat these foods (because I do), but I do try my best to avoid eating them on a regular basis.

Just remember, you are what you eat! Our inner heath is reflected through our outer appearance. If something is bad for your insides, it will most likely reflect on the outside.

I suggest eating the foods I listed above in moderation and to always drink lots, and lots of water to keep your skin glowing, hydrated and acne-free!

Hope you enjoyed these tips!

Does Makeup Expire?

As I am sure most of you know, almost everything expires. We all know foods eventually spoils, but did you know makeup products can spoil too? Cosmetics may not grow mold or show visible signs of expiring, but most (if not all) products expire and become unusable after a certain amount of time.

First things first: Expiration dates begin from the second you open the product for the first time.

Here is a basic breakdown to help you determine when to trash your old makeup:

Concealer: Between 6 months and 1 year

Foundation: Between 6 months and 1 year

Pressed Powder Cosmetics: (face powder, eye shadow, blush etc.): 1 year to 18 months

Lipstick and gloss: 1 year

Lip and eye pencils: If you sharpen your pencils regularly and they are not crumbly or dry, you will get 1 year to 1.5 years out of them!

Mascara and liquid eyeliners: Always (I cannot stress this enough), replace every 3 months. If you get an eye infection, throw your mascara and liner away ASAP and replace with a fresh mascara once the infection has completely cleared up.

Natural cosmetics: Any organic, all-natural, products must be disposed of after 6 months because these cosmetics are preservative free.

Here are some Do’s & Don’ts to help make the most of your makeup:

Do: Always wash hands first when applying makeup with fingers.

Don’t: Share your cosmetics. Ever.

Do: Keep containers tightly shut and store them in cool, dry places—out of direct sunlight.

Do: Toss products if they change color, texture or consistency. This also goes for products that start to smell funny, too!

Don’t: Use saliva or water to moisten your brushes for a smoother application.

Do: Clean your makeup brushes weekly using a mild detergent or gentle face cleanser.

Do: Replace your makeup sponges as soon as they become saturated and soiled. A sponge typically lasts about one week.

Don’t: Use eye products if you have an eye infection.

Hope this helps!

Praise God

I want to take a few minutes and praise God for all that he is doing in my life!

I can honestly say that I have never been happier in my life, and I owe it all to God.

Over the summer I was having a really hard time understanding the season of life that I am in. I had just graduated from collage, didn't have a job, wasn't in a relationship, and was living with my parents.

I had never felt so lost. For the first time in my life I didn't know what was next. That was scary. I have always known what I was going to do next in my life. This left me questioning God. Was He real, did I believe, why wasn't He doing anything in my life?

I ended up finding a life group. I started to attend on a regular basis, and found there were so many other young adults in the same situation that I found my self in. I wasn't sure if I should be happy other people were experiencing the same things I was or be sad that they were going through the same thing. In some sense it was nice to know that I wasn't alone.

I now know that during this time, I was doing everything on my own. Sitting in my sorrow, applying for all kids of jobs, and dating random people. I know that I was in control of my life. Well so I though. I had to be. I didn't know where I was going and I needed anything to keep me from loosing it. So keeping hold of my life and "making" it go where "I" wanted it to go seemed like the only answer.

I remember going through this time and being very depressed. I remember not knowing what to do. So I prayed, and prayed a lot. Not knowing if God was listening or if He would even answer. But I did have faith and I did believe that He loved me and He knew what was best for me.

Little did I know that my prayers were being answered. During this time that "I" was in control of my life God was teaching me a very big lession. I later came to realize that when I was in control nothing happened. I almost felt as if I was drowning and that the longer I ran my life the deeper I got into nothingness.

As I prayed through this time God showed me something profound that I will never forget. When I run my life I fail, but if I give my life to Him and follow the path he has chosen for me, He will provide. When I give my life over to God and allow him to show me the path I am called to be on He provides.

Over the last few months I have done just that. Given my life back to God and surrendered to Him. I know that I am safe in his arms, and know that by obeying Him and trusting in Him I will not have to worry, seek, sorrow, or anything else for that matter. Now I know there will be hard times, but knowing that my life is in Gods hands reassures me that I will be ok, and that He will never give me more then I can handle.

So back to the praising of God. I never thought I would be where I am at 25 and be so happy. I am so blessed by the friendships I have made this year, and know that this is Gods work.

I have always known that I was called to be something more, but never knew what that looked like. Now that I have given my life back to God he is providing so much. I feel like I am living the life I was created for, and I know that this pleases God.

I am so grateful for the people I have in my life and for what God has provided. Just to name a few things He has provided in the last few months:

Friends

Finical Security

A Job

Happiness

Forgiveness

Love

Security

Peace

Wisdom

I am so thankful that God is a stable piece of my life. I have never been so happy before, and been happy at where I was in life. I feel as if my relationship with God is stringer then ever and I know that it is because I gave my life to Him once again. I am no longer living for myself but living the life that God has provided.

I thank God for what He has given me and thank Him for all that Has has yet to give. I know that He will provide all of my days!