Keratin Hair Treatment

For Christmas Jake got me something that has been on my wish list for a long time; a Keratin Hair Treatment

A Keratin Hair Treatment is a revolutionary smoothing system that infuses keratin deep into the hair cuticle. 

It reduces up to 95% of frizz and curl, leaving the hair smooth and shiny. 

The benefits include: 

Promotes Healing of the hair

Blocks the effects of humidity

Prevents environmental toxins from entering the hair

Unlike most salon services, the more you treat your hair the healthier it becomes. 

Keratin Hair Treatments are safe for all hair types: 

Color Treated 

Chemically Processed

Bleached or Highlighted

With each treatment, the build up of Keratin leaves hair: 

Smoother and Silkier

Straighter and Shiner

Easier and faster to blow-dry

The cost is around $150 - $300 depending on the salon and how much product your hair requires. 

The results last from 3 - 5 months depending on how well you take care of the treatment. 

Before you have your Keratin Hair Treatment done your stylist will use a clarifying shampoo to remove any product build up. This will prep the hair to receive the treatment. 

After care is simple: 

Use the Keratin Complex Shampoo and Conditioner daily to replenish any lost Keratin

Use the Keratin Complex Deep Conditioner once a week to maintain silky smooth hair. 

Use none or all of the styling products to keep hair healthy while styling. 

I had this treatment done about a year ago and loved it. So naturally when Christmas came around I asked Jake to get it for me again. So far the results are amazing! 

Introducing Odin

Jake and I are excited to officially introduce the newest member of our family, Odin our little puppy!

 He is a 12 week old alaskan malamute, husky mix. His dad was a 90 pound alaskan malamute, and his mom was  a 50 pound siberian husky. We think he will be around 60 - 70 pounds when he is full grown. 

 He is playful yet calm. He loves to chew his toys. 

He is learning sit, leave it and come! 

Loki is slowly warming up to him and we hope by the end of the month they will be best friends! 

A little about his name; we currently have Loki the cat, and Thor the fish, so naturally we wanted to choose a name that would fit in our little family. After looking over all of the Thor characters we decided on Odin. Odin is Thor and Loki's father and is a strong alpha male in the movie. We wanted a strong name for our pup and decided Odin was it. 

We have had him for a little less then a week, and he has already stolen our hearts. 

Here are a few things we did as a family this week to bond: 

Coming home for the first time

First trip to the dog park. He loved it. He ran like a crazy pup, and tired himself out in 15 minutes

His first bath. He was a stinky puppy when we brought him home, so a bath was much needed for both him and us!

His first hike was a success! He loved laying and rolling around in the fresh clean grass. However we did find 2 ticks on him later that day. Luckily enough we caught them before they embedded. 

His first time at the beach. He enjoyed running around on the sand, digging holes, and chasing waves. 

Cheese! He is the cuttest thing ever when he smiles for the camera. He shows his little front teeth and give the cuttest look!

Our Handsome Boy

We are so excited to have this cute little fur ball in our lives and can't wait to watch him grow and become a part of our family. 

 

The Best Drugstore Dupes

I am all about saving money but not compromising quality, so here are a few of the best drugstore dupes I have found. 

Loreal in Eve's Nude $6 vs. OPI Dulce de Leche $9

Loreal Shadow in Always Pearly Pink $8 vs. M.A.C Naked Lunch $15

Maybelline Lipstick in Blushing Beige $5 vs. M.A.C in High Tea $16

Revlon Photoready concealer $9 vs. YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Concealer $41

Clinque Chubby Sticks $16 vs. Covergirl Lip Perfection $7

Nars Blush & Bronzer Duo $39 vs. e.l.f Blush & Bronzer Duo $3

Bobbie Brown Concealer $23 vs. Garnier Skin Renew $12.99

Diorshow Mascara $24.50 vs. Loreal Voluminous $8

I hope you try a few of these great dupes, and save a little money in the process! 

Photo Credit: http://www.charminglystyled.com/2014/02/the-best-drugstore-dupes.html?showComment=1393292703272#c4039413264109942546

The Story of Our Tree

As promised; here is the story of our tree this year!

Like last year we wanted to cut down our own tree again. We feel this is the ONLY way to pick a tree! 

For one you select the tree that you want! You make the memories of cutting it down wrapping it and getting it on the car. Unlike Christmas Tree Lots you only cut down 1 tree. 

Have you ever noticed that right before Christmas there are still tons and tons of trees in the Christmas Tree lots? We have and it breaks our hearts. All those trees were cut for nothing... They could have lived another year and been even bigger and better the next year, but nope they got cut, and sat in a lot and never went home with a family... 

This is why we choose to cut our own tree. We feel it makes more sense to cut our own down then support tree lots that cut MORE then there is demand for. 

Also we choose a fresh tree rather then a fake plastic one because to us it makes more sense and we feel it is more ecological. When you are finished with your fake plastic tree after a few years, because of what ever reason, then what... It is thrown in the trash and sits in a land fill for years and years. Fake plastic trees NEVER break down and will always be in that land fill. 

Fresh real trees at the end of the season are picked up by the local disposal company and are either composted, or like our city does is milled down to make ground cover for freeway entrances. 

So enough about why we choose to cut down our tree, lets get to the how!

We went on Saturday December 6th, the start of the Christmas Season. 

We always go to small lots in Santa Cruz to support local business. 

This year we found the cutest lot! It was one man with a small naturally growing farm. This meaning that there was no maintenance, no chemicals, no grooming... Nothing, just natural trees to choose from. Most were even regrows witch means that the tree had been previously cut and grew back again. 

To us this is the kind of farm and small business we like to support. 

Once we found this little gem of a farm we started with the photos. Did I mention I wanted to take lots so we could have the memory forever. 

Looking for our tree was so fun

and... a little silly!

Finally we FOUND IT! 

This was the first tree we saw when we entered the farm, and after walking through the entire lot, we looked at each other and knew we had to go back and get it! It was perfect... so we thought!

When your in the lot ALL trees look small... (keep that in mind until we get home)

So we found it and Jake started cutting! Yay!

He was so cute I had to snap a few photos!

Yay its down and ours!

It was so big Jake could hardly carry it!

When we finally got it home we realized how BIG it really was! Our small cute tree in the lot turned out to be an 8 foot tree! Now mind you we do have and 8 foot ceilings in our apartment, but this tree was not going to fit as is...

We had picked a spot in the living room that we thought would be great, and it only required us moving one piece of furniture. Well as you can guess that little spot was NOT going to hold this tree. 

We had to move every single piece of furniture in our living room to make the perfect spot, and still it hardly fit. 

We ended up cutting about a foot off the top to make room for the star, and cut the back side completely off. So our tree was beautiful from the front side but completely flat on the back side... 

This was the only way this tree was going to fit in our tiny apartment, and honestly we wouldn't have it any other way. We got so many laughs our of this tree, and created so many memories it was worth every second of laughter, frustration, and pure amusement. 

However next year we certainly have a plan of action to pick a tree a little smaller!

Hope you enjoyed your tree as much as we did this year!