Curly Hair Shower Routine

Hellooo beautiful people! Hadiah here, I decided I didn't want to do my math homework so TA DA here is a night in the life of my hair :D. I actually only wash my hair about every 3 or 4 days. I know that sounds kind of nasty to some of you but it works for my hair and keeps it from drying out an insane amount. A website called Naturally Curly has been a life saver for me and I recommend checking it out.  

Most every day I am not going somewhere (and even some days I do go places), my hair stays in a french braid. Its quick, easy, out of my face and doesn't give me a headache like ponytails sometimes do. 

My next step is just taking out the braid and my hair sometimes looks like this xD.

Next I (sometimes) finger comb my hair and then look like a lion.

In the shower I'm using very VERY basic products right now but they actually work just fine. I take shampoo, apply it to my scalp only, massage my head with my finger tips in circular motions, and then rinse. After that I saturate my hair in conditioner all over and let it sit for the rest of my shower. At the end I rinse with cold water if I remember, hot if I don't. 

When I get out of the shower I wring out all the water I can from my hair with my hands and then wrap my hair in a t-shirt. Microfiber towels are the expensive version of this but so far I haven't forked out the money. 

Before I apply any product my hair looks like this

Right now I use a combination of these 3 products on my wet hair. If you have curly hair like me I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend EverCurl leave-in conditioner from L'oreal, it works so so so well. The got2be crazysleek is meant for straightening corse hair but I use it for smoothing fly aways. The Fructis leave in conditioner is a cheaper version of EverCurl and still works so that is another option.

*deep ragged breathing* OK we're done! Here is a wet hair no makeup selfie to show my hair after I apply product. Blessings be yours in abundance,

-Hadiah

I Am Not Beautiful

I desperately want to be valued.
To be coddled, pampered, complimented, treated like a queen.

But is that really what being valued means?

I tend to over-think everything.  And so when the conversation went like this, "You're beautiful!"
"No I'm not, I'm Maddie," my head went haywire.

Who am I, really?
That joking comment--"No I'm not, I'm Maddie"--started a deep soul searching in a quest to find what I truly should want to be identified as.  I want people to tell me I'm beautiful, to let me know that they notice me and they can see something about me that's good.

But then I realized I don't want that.  I don't want to be known for only my face or my body.  I'm not beautiful.  I'm Maddie.  I'm not tall.  I'm not skinny or fat.  I'm not some winged eyeliner or flawless foundation.

I'm Maddie.

I am hundred swirling thoughts and spectrum of actions and emotions.  I am the girl who is still struggling to find her place and her calling, who is trying to deal (unsuccessfully) with loneliness and worry.  I am a scattering of klutzy actions and foolish words escaping from my lips.  But I am also the fiercely protective older sister, the responsible daughter, the dancer twirling her heart out.  My life is a thousand contradictions and oxymorons, and I realized, that's what makes me truly me.

I don't mind being called beautiful.  But I will choose what defines me, and what defines me has nothing to do with the way I look.

I am not beautiful.  I'm Maddie.  And really, that's the most beautiful thing I can be.

Hair Hair Hair

Hey noodles it's Cat here. Don't ask me why I called you guys noodles, because I honestly don't know. Maybe it because I'm hungry. mmmmmm noodles.

Alright back to Hair. I have longish blond hair. I play sports and I am usually to lazy to do ANYTHING with my hair so *poof* ponytail. BUUUTT recently I have started to do more. Braids for example. Braids look so cute and there are so many different styles used with braids. I'll show you three different types of SUPER cute braids that I do. They don't take that long to do and they are worth the effort!


There's the little hairband braid..

There's the Fishtail braid.

And then there's the braid-around-bun.

 

 

 

 

^^And that's a sock bun FYI^^

 

 

 

All these are hair dos are super cute and quite easy. If you want a tutorial, THERE ARE THOUSANDS ALL OVER GOOGLE AND YOUTUBE MKAY? there's a tutorial for anything these days. seriously.

Until next time *bows dramatically*

 

 

~Cat

Haute Couture Week: Day 2

Monday of Haute Couture week kicked off strong with bold prints from Giambattista Valli.  Personally, I love this collection; while still keeping the trademark spring florals, it stays away from the too-quickly cliche pastels.

Image from Telegraph.uk

Following the Valli collection was Alexis Mabille AND OMG THE BUTTERFLIES.  I love the continuity from the backdrop to the headpieces.

Image from Telegraph.uk

Up next, the ever-classy Dior.  Timeless or mod?  You decide.

Image from Telegraph.uk

But, staying true to the spring pastels, Georges Hobeika.  I'm in love with the pale blue one.  And the yellow dress.  And the pink skirt.  And maybe just all of it.

Image from Telegraph.uk

And, finally, Schiaparelli.  I salute them for pushing the boundaries of everyday fashion and bringing art into everyday life.

But I wouldn't wear these, at least not in public.

Image from Telegraph.uk

Stay tuned for Tuesday's post on fashion week.  

Stay lovely ladies.

Day 1 Haute Couture Week: Versace

IT'S PARIS HAUTE COUTURE WEEK FASHION WEEK SPARKLES GOWNS CELEBRITIES FASHION OH EM GEEEEE
Fashion week kicked off today with Versace's Spring/Summer Atelier collection and while they're not my favorite designer the outfits are still gorgeous of course.

Picture: Getty/AFP

The pastels and rich blues of this collection contrast nicely with last season's colors, which, to be fair, was mainly sparkles.

Left and right: Versace Fall/Winter 2013-2014 

Paris Couture Week has kicked off with Versace and will follow with more designers and more collections.  Which designer are you most looking forward to seeing?

Exfoliating Scrub

Hi guys, Liz here!

I just wanted to pop by + check out the new blog + contribute a bit :)
I decided I should share this new + super easy face-cleansing trick I discovered because it has worked wonders for me.

My face is often clear because I like to take good care of it + try to wash it every night. I've found recently it's been more oily and just all around ew + I haven't changed my diet/everyday lifestyle that much (besides staying up later to watch Doctor Who...er I mean study). I wasn't that worried, but I mentioned it to my doctor because I was just tired of it being so shiny + looking dirty. I talked to my doctor + she said it's probably just another hormonal teenage phase (don't we all love those). She recommended I wash my face daily + start exfoliating.

Anyway, I had completely forgot what my doctor had suggested until I decided recently that I was going to wear absolutely no makeup until February + I wanted a way to brighten my face. I found this on Pinterest and decided to try it. Better late then never, right? I tried this scrub at the beginning of this week + I have noticed a huge difference in the appearance of my skin.

What you do: Combine 2 tablespoons of baking soda with 2 tablespoons of water until it's a white, watery substance. Then dip your fingers in the mixture (try to get mostly baking soda on your fingertips) + spread the mixture all over your face, leaving it on for 2 minutes or more. After the 2 minutes are up, use warm water to rinse the dried mixture off your face + pat it dry with a clean towel. After you do this, take a few drops of coconut oil + spread them evenly over your face. Now I know it sounds bad to put oil on already oily skin, but when your skin is oily, it's producing more oil because you aren't providing your skin enough oil as it is. Oily skin is basically your skin's way of telling you it's lacking moisture. I like to keep coconut oil around the house anyway because it can be used for so many different things + it makes for a quick + easy moisturizer when I need it. It doesn't smell too bad either;)

How it works: The baking soda easily removes the top layer of dead skin cells that happen to settle upon your face. When the dead skin cells are just resting on your face, it blocks the natural glow + beauty of your skin, causing your skin to look, well pretty gross :(

I have been using this for the past few days + it definitely works on my skin. My skin glows so much more + looks much healthier now! The dark circles under my eyes from all that "studying" have also seemed to grow dimmer!

Overall, I would really suggest this scrub. It takes no time at all + it really works. Just letting you know it may not work on your skin since all skin types are different but it's worth a try! :)

Anyway, I hope you ladies have a wonderful exam week! I'll definitely be praying for all of you. Stay lovely!

xoxo,
Elisabeth Fuqua

Hey-llo, Ladies!

Okay so I mentioned on my profile that I'm a fan of dailygrace (http://www.youtube.com/user/dailygrace?feature=watch), and also her makeup and style. 

Soooo, I'm going to link you to a makeup tutorial that she did. It's very simple. And humorous. 

Basically that's the reason I like Grace. Woohoo. xD She proves that you can do simple makeup, and it looks great. It's really natural-looking. Whichhhhh I've discovered that boys really like. That sounds so shallow, but you know what I mean. Guys want to see your lovely face, not a lovely face covered up by mask-like and geisha-style eye-makeup. If that makes sense... 

Okay I'll shut up because I don't even know what I'm saying. xD

SO HERE IS GRACE'S TUTORIAL. Andsheisseriouslylikethecutestthingever. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6qgwAlomKg

Enjoyyyyyyy.

~Rebekah<3