Beauty Products I Want To Try Out This Year!

There are so many interesting beauty products out on the market and so many seem to claim to provide miraculous results. Not all live up to their claims, but some do, and a majority of people rave about them.^_^ However, not everyone gets the same results, and the only way to find out if these products will work for you is if you try them out yourself! There are quite a few that I'm really interested in testing out this year. Some of the products I'll be listing have been around for awhile, but some will be newer, more recently released products as well! :) So without any further ado, let's start!

1. Mane 'n Tail Shampoo and Conditioner

Technically, this shampoo and conditioner is meant for horses, but it can also be used safely on human hair, too. There are many positive reviews about Mane 'n Tail shampoo and conditioner that state that it makes hair thicker, softer, and shinier, and that it even promotes faster hair growth. While my hair is already thick, it's bit on the dry side and can sometimes look dull, so I'm hoping that it would help my hair look healthier. Also, I wouldn't mind if it can help me out a bit with hair growth as well, as I'd like my hair to be just a little bit longer. :)

2. Holika Holika Aqua Petit Jelly BB Cream

Currently, I've been using Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in No. 21. It's the first BB Cream I have ever tried and I really love how it feels so nice and light on my skin and how it seems to help some of my blemishes go away faster, but sometimes it just doesn't provide enough coverage for me and I land up having to use some concealer along with it. Holika Holika Aqua Petit Jelly supposedly provides more coverage than most bb creams, and that's what mainly is drawing me to this. I'm hoping that I won't have to use as much concealer with this during the times a small zit or two or three decide to spring up on my skin. Another plus I've heard about this is that this product doesn't have to oxidize, which I've noticed that Missha Perfect Cover has to do. Missha Perfect Cover has a gray-ish cast to it when it's first applied to the skin, and has to sit for a little while before it blends in. The only thing that seems to be a downside with Aqua Jelly is that it only comes in two shades, so it's kind of a gamble on whether or not either of the two shades would be a match with my skin.

3. Maybelline The Rocket Volum'Express Mascara

I really really hate most mascaras that I've tried. My lashes are a decent length, not too short, not too long, but they sure lack in volume. Almost every mascara I've tried seems to just either clump my lashes together our just make them look longer and stringier than they really are, and that's just not a good look. There is SO much hype over Mabelline's new Rocket mascara though, with many people saying how much thicker their lashes look after using it and how it doesn't clump at all. It sounds like it has exactly what I need in a mascara, so I'm really looking forward to picking up a tube and seeing if it really does deliver. Hopefully I won't be left disappointed!

4. Henna Hair Dye

I've been dying my hair burgundy since I turned 14 using Revlon's Colorstay hair dye, and really, I believe that that's really been taking a toll on my hair's condition. Henna hair dye is supposedly much less damaging to hair and it apparently can help make your hair healthier and stronger since it's all natural, though there are some brands of henna dye that contain metallic compounds that aren't so good for the hair, so it's important to find one that doesn't have those. It also doesn't become brassy as the color fades out, too. I really don't want to give up coloring my hair, so I figured this may be a better alternative to coloring it without abusing my hair to oblivion. I still need to find exactly which brand I should go with, though.

5. Snail Street Snail Cream

It's weird, a cream with the base ingredient of snail excretions, but it's said to help prevent and reduce wrinkles, lighten and fade acne scars, evens over all skin tone, and leaves your skin looking radiant! It just sounds so interesting and there seems to be a lot of benefits from using it, so I'm really curious about it and want to try it out! ^.^

6. Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm

The packaging for these look so cute and colorful, and the idea of it being tinted and nourishing for the lips really appeals to me. I'm kind of a sucker for tinted balms and lip glosses, since I really don't like wearing bold colors on my lips and prefer just a soft, subtle hint of color. I'm looking forward to picking up a couple of these! 

Simple Matcha Green Tea Mask!

As I've stated in my Bath Time Beauty Tips post, green tea is great for your skin. ^.^ It's loaded with antioxidants and does wonders for your complexion! So, here I'm going to teach you how to make your own homemade matcha green tea mask! It's all natural, and won't irritate your skin at all! You will need:

1) A clean face
2) A small bowl or container
3) A spoon
4) Matcha powder (the brand shouldn't matter)
5) Some water


Instructions:

Take about a fourth cup of matcha powder and pour it into your container. Next, add in 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of water (adjust as necessary). With the spoon, mix the two ingredients together until it becomes thick and gooey. You are now ready to start applying it to your face! Leave it on for 10-15 minutes, then rinse off with warm water!


Easy, right? So the next time you treat yourself to an at home spa day, be sure to try this out!

Bath Time Beauty Tips

It didn't cross my mind until a couple of days ago, but I had pretty much just realized that I can actually take a bath where we currently live now! Back where we used to live, our tub was way too small and cramped, and fairly shallow, so it made taking a nice, soothing bath somewhat difficult. Anyways, I've been taking an advantage of soaking in the tub over here, and I thought that it might be a good idea to share some of my bath time beauty tips with everyone! So, here they are...!

1.  Just add milk!

We all know that drinking milk helps build strong bones, but it also does wonders for the skin, too! The lactic acid helps exfoliate and remove dead skin cells, and the protein helps keep your skin hydrated, leaving it feeling soft and silky to the touch! All you need to do is add 2-3 cups of milk into your bath water (you may also use powdered milk, I just prefer to use normal drinking milk), and then let yourself soak in it. After about 5-10 minutes of soaking, take a loofah and gently scrub your skin.  Then allow yourself to soak some more for another 10 minutes. This will help your skin look more healthy and radiant, and also, it seems to help very much with keratosis pilaris (they're usually little reddish bumps that resemble chicken skin. Keratosis pilaris is more commonly found on the upper arms, thighs, and sometimes even the face). I personally have keratosis pilaris on my upper arms (mainly on my right side), and doing this has proven to be quite effective in helping it clear up!

2.  Or would you prefer tea, instead?

Another option is to add green tea to your bath! You can use either matcha or teabags, it doesn't really matter much either way (if you use tea bags, I suggest using either two or three of them, and I would keep them in the water for the entire duration of your bath). Green tea baths are great for cleansing your skin, helping with acne, and can even help speed up the healing process of cuts and scrapes! It also has lots of antioxidants and vitamins that can keep your skin looking younger. Not only that, but it'll make you feel very relaxed and rejuvenated after your bath is done! 

3. Don't just sit there!

Okay, So most people take a bath to relax and wind down, but did you know that exercising in the bath is quite good for you, too? The water provides some resistance, so you can get a nice, light workout from it! I like to start off by doing some stretches, such as trying to reach for my toes as I sit down in the tub with my legs stretched out, bringing my knees to my chest, and stretching my arms up toward the ceiling. Then, I follow this exercise routine (be sure to place a bath mat down at the bottom of the tub before you start, though!):

A) Reverse Crunches

Lay back as far as you can without submerging your head under water. Keep your arms to your sides and use them as an anchor to keep yourself from floating. Lift up your legs and bend them at a 90 degree angle. Using only the lower half of your body, lift your legs toward you, then bring them down away from you. Try not to bring them down too low!

B) Sit ups

Lay as far back as you can in the tub (without submerging your head under water) and place your hands behind your head. Place one foot on each side of the water faucet and press them a bit against the wall. Have your knees slightly bent (they should be pointing toward you a little bit) and begin doing your sit ups!

C) Body Lifts (?)

So, I don't really know what to call this exercise or it's proper name, but what you have to do is sit straight up, with your legs stretched out (again, keep them together) and toes pointed. Your body should be at a 90 degree angle. Then, take your arms to your sides (palms facing down at the bottom of the tub) and then slide them back a couple of inches. Use your arms to lift your body up and hold it for as long as you can. If your bottom touches the floor of the tub, set yourself back down, and try again.

D) Flutter Kicks

Lay out far enough to where you can stretch out your legs out comfortably. Place your arms at your side with your palms face down on the bottom of the tub. Point your toes up. Now, start kicking, but don't let your legs go above the water or touch the bottom of the tub.

After doing these, finish off with more light stretches and some breathing exercises, and you're done! ^_^

Extra Tips

* You can add in some essential oils along with your milk or tea bath such as sandalwood, rose, jasmine, or lavender to make your bath even more relaxing and beneficial!

* Be sure to rinse off and wash up after a bath! Bath water contains all of your dead skin and dirt, so you definitely don't want to keep all of that on you!

* Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! It's always good to re-hydrate your skin, especially after rinsing off!

And there you have it! Hopefully you guys find this information to be helpful! :D

Hair Color Dilemma

After all these years of dying my hair burgundy, I've recently been thinking about dying my hair a different color. The issue I've been having is deciding exactly which direction to go with it. >.< What I know already is that I can't go too dark (I have naturally black hair, and all it did was wash me out) and I don't think I can pull off any shade of blonde. Honestly, I don't even want to go that route (not that there's anything wrong with blondes!). I also really want something that is kind of fun yet not too bold, so it won't clash with my style, if there is such a color other than burgundy (that just makes me wonder if I should just stick with it...? Or maybe I should just give in and go with either an unnatural color or a more natural color... I have no idea...).

As you can probably tell, I'm quite confused. Lols! Because of that, I've been doing my research on possible ways I can find out what colors would look good on me, and which I should steer clear of. Here are some tips and facts that I have learned so far from other sites that I thought might be good to share with everyone who might be having the same problem as I am (I hope it helps!):

* If you're dying your hair at home, don't go more than 2 shades lighter or darker than your natural hair color.

* Determine whether you are either a warm, cool, or neutral skin tone - you can do so by trying out these tests:

The Jewelry Test

- Warm skin tone: gold jewelry looks best on you

- Cool skin tone: silver jewelry looks best on you

- Neutral skin tone: both gold and silver jewelry look equally good on you

(Note: be sure to get unbiased opinions on this to help you determine which is true for you)

The Vein Test

Look at the veins in your arms.... Are they blue or are they more green? If they're blue, then you might be a cool skin tone. If they're green, you may be more on the warm side. However, keep in mind that this isn't always 100% accurate.

The White Cloth Test

Pull your hair away from your face and place a white towel around your neck and shoulders. If your skin reflects a more yellow shade, you're warm; if your skin looks more blue, you're cool.

* Keep in mind that if you are of Asian descent, you don't automatically fall into the olive category! You can find out more about this in here! This will also help you see that there are many different types of overtone and undertone combinations and that there's always exceptions!

* Once you figure out what your skin tone is, you may start looking up shades that will compliment it! 

Remember, warm skin tones look best with warm hair colors, cool skin tones look best with cool colors, and neutral skin tones can pull off both!

(cooler colors have blue, green, purple, black and grey tones in them, and warmer colors have red, yellow, orange, and brown tones in them)

* Consult your hairstylist! Chances are, they can help you find a shade that will work for you. 

* If you're a little more brave, then experiment with colors. Sometimes the best way to find out whether or not something works for you is by trying things out for yourself. Be sure to take proper care of your hair though and don't overdo the coloring as to not damage it!

Hopefully this proves to be useful! Lols! I know I've learned quite a bit looking up information on this. I think with the information I've found, I have more of an idea on which colors will work for me, though I still haven't decided on an exact shade just yet. ^^; Wish me luck on my hair journey, and good luck to those of you who are searching for their own perfect shades! ^_^

Baking Soda: Miracle in a Box

For the past couple of weeks or so, I've decided to use baking soda to wash my face in the mornings and at night in place of the cleansers and soaps sold in stores. I had my doubts about it at first, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot since I ran out of my La Roche-Posay Purifying Foaming Gel and use it temporarily until I could go out and buy more. To my pleasant surprise, I actually find that I like using it so much more than what I had been using before. Don't get me wrong, La Roche-Posay is great as it's not drying and it's really gentle on the skin, and it brought my skin back to life after it was destroyed by Proactiv (Proactiv seriously dried out my skin and made my acne and breakouts even worse and more inflamed), but I didn't see much improvement in my complexion after that. With the baking soda, I can see that my skin is smoother, softer, more radiant, and clearer than before. ^_^ I've also noticed that my face feels cleaner after washing it, too, and that it helps get rid of my blemishes quicker than any other product I have used in the past. So, with that being said, baking soda has earned a permanent place in my skin care regimen. Good bye, all of you expensive serums, toners, and soaps! I don't need you anymore!

Haha! It almost seems as if I'm trying to campaign against Proactiv. xD

My love for baking soda doesn't just stop at skin care... I've also recently found out that it's also great for cleaning hair as well! It helps remove build up and residue from shampoos and styling products. A lot of people who don't use shampoo swear by using it to wash their hair, and seeing how well it worked for my skin, I decided to give it a try. I mixed a half cup of baking soda with about a cup of water (I use the same measurements and mixture for my skin), took it in the shower with me and lathered my hair and scalp with it like I would with shampoo. After that, I rinsed out my hair thoroughly with water and then finished with an apple cider vinegar rinse (it's highly recommended that you use that afterward). I noticed that my hair really did feel cleaner (just like with my skin!) and that my hair also felt lighter in weight. When my hair had dried, my hair also looked really shiny and was bouncy, too! ^_^ I've also found that my hair didn't become oily near the roots the next day and remained dry. :)  As much as I love the results that it had on my hair, I'm afraid that I cannot completely give up shampoo, since my hair is color treated.  Baking soda can cause colored hair to fade quickly with frequent use, so instead, I think I'm going to use it once a month for a deep cleansing.

In conclusion, I would definitely recommend others to try out baking soda for either hair or skin care. However, it may not be the best option for those who have really dry skin or hair, as it may make it worse. If that is the case and you still want to try it out, the best thing to do might be to mix a very small amount into your shampoo or facial cleanser and use it that way.

I hope this provided some useful information to all of you, and I hope that if you decide to try it, that you'll love it as much as I do!