My friday "un"favorite ~ KHROMA by the Kardashians Lip gloss

With every favorite, we have our "un"favorites! Well, meet my unfavorite... The KHROMA lipgloss by Kourtney, Kim and Khole Kardashian. I love the Kardashians and I am not ashamed to say it. I watch the show every season, Don't judge, its my guilty pleasure! As mom's we all have our guilty pleasures, don't we?

 So, when they came out with a make up line I was super excited to try it out! It has taken me a while, but I went to Ulta and made my first purchase, starting out small and simple I picked up the Orange Blossom Honey lip gloss. Here is my review~ the color payoff is not good, there was really no color or shine. Also, the smell of it was not great. It has a scent of honey, and I like the smell of honey. But, not in this lip gloss. That is the worst when your lips smell bad, that is just gross. I feel the same way about Nars lip glosses ~ they stink!

Now, this is just my opinion, you may love the smell and love the gloss. My lips are small ( they really bug me!) maybe it would look good on some nice full plump lips! Maybe I just made a bad color choice, but regardless, this gloss is going back to the store and I will not purchase another shade. However, I will not give up on my girls! I will be trying out more KHROMA products and I will let you know how they are. Have you tried anything from the KHROMA line..... do tell.....

Have a beautiful weekend!

Fight The Frizzz

With Summer approaching, I thought it would be fitting to talk about frizzy hair and how to fight it! We get such humid summers here and that is a recipe for the hair to frizz up. I remember the days when I was young girl I could let my hair air dry and it be straight and shiny, with obviously no products.  Those were the days :) But, as we get older, our hair changes, and that is no longer our reality. We have to work at getting our hair to cooperate, and with the right tools and products we can achieve great results.  I had my husband Eddie weigh in and give his professional opinion. Here is some advice on fighting the frizz this summer or anytime.

• Apply a good serum to the hair while it is freshly washed and towel dried. Our favorite is  Kerastase Ultime Elixir
• A great Blow dryer.... our favorites are Sam Villa, Parlux, and Elchim. I currently have the Parlux. It is an Italian dryer that has a ceramic heater that creates ionic heat.  It comes out with great force and gets nice and hot. An important note to fight the frizz is to use the NOZZLE that comes with the dryer. This will direct the heat and control the air flow.
• Use a good round brush. Fekkai Large round brush  a drugstore choice : Conair Ceramic
• Finish with a good flat iron * use a straightening spray while flat ironing. Redken Silk 07

• Polish the hair with a shine cream or shine spray. My current favorite Redken Outshine

Enjoy your polished, shiny, smooth and frizz free hair!

FRIDAY FAVORITE!

Hey there!  Sorry I didn't post this Friday favorite yesterday, but better late than never! I just wanted to share with you my absolute favorite hand cream/ foot cream that I have been loving for the past few months. I will never turn back, it's just THAT good. It is Weleda Skin Food

It does not have the greatest scent, I will admit that. However, at this point, I am looking for more from a moisturizer than just a sweet scent. I don't really mind the scent of this, it smells similar to an Aveda product. It is very natural and "earthy" very herbal like. Skin food contains organic sunflower seeds~ they have has tons of essential fatty acids and vitamin E, which work to restore dry and damaged skin.  My hands and feet drink this stuff! 

Organic pansy and rosemary leaf are both natural antiseptics that help to soothe irritation, while calendula adds marathon hydration.   I apply this every night to my hands and feet and it has done wonders for me. If you are a mom whose hands are constantly in water like mine, dishes, bathing the kids, etc... they need the extra moisture. Let me know if you buy this cream and like it! You can also get it at Whole Foods as well as Target ~ Yay!

The Heart & Throat Chakra Smoothie

Tibetan monks believe the body has seven chakras, or energy centers, that power health. This ancient diet aims to nourish each chakra to restore balance in your body. To be beautiful inside and out you can use the smoothie to balance out your heart and throat chakras. The 4th chakra is the heart chakra. It is located in the center of the chest right above the heart. Emotional issues that can effect the heart chakra are;  love, joy and inner peace. The color that represents your is heart chakra is green.  Seek out foods in the color green to heal your heart chakra and open your guarded self and let love in.  Green vegetables and leafy greens  such as spinach and kale are great choices as is green tea.

The 5th chakra, the throat chakra,  is your communication center. Some chakra enthusiast believe that some of our emotions are stored in the base of our throat. The healing color of the throat chakra is blue. While shopping at the grocery store think blueberries, blue potatoes and plums. 

The heart and throat chakra go hand in hand and we all need to balance this out from time to time. You get what you give, and you will radiate beauty when balancing out these two chakras. You  will feel good from the inside out.  Use this smoothie as energy to feed your heart and throat chakras.

To learn more about your 7 Chakras please click here

* I said Chakra 16  times! hahaha!

Heart and Throat Chakra Smoothie

by: Nicole Kraft

1 cup of Kale or Spinach 
1/2 cup Blueberries 
1/2 cup frozen pineapple 
1tsp. coconut oil
1tsp. ground flax (this will feed your solar plexus Chakra)
1tsp. hemp seeds
1 T. organic honey or Agave
1 cup of water or you could use almond, hemp or rice milk
1/2 cup crushed ice if your blueberries are fresh and not frozen.

Blend together and Enjoy! * add more or less sweetener to taste.

 Namaste

Dry Shampoo

Klorane Dry Shampoo

Raise your hand if you wash your hair everyday. I do. I shouldn't. I'm trying not to. I promise.
My husband as well as everyone out there knows that it is better for your hair to not wash it everyday. Eddie always tells me to try to wash it less, that it will be healthier. You still shower everyday people. It's not a free pass to be a dirty girl! Eddie got me a shower cap and I look ridiculous, but I am now trying my hardest to shampoo every other day. We will see how that works out this summer!

The upside of not washing your hair everyday is not having to blow dry! Yay! Who actually likes blow drying. You get hot, your arm hurts, it takes a while and you still need to heat style afterwards. It takes a lot of time! So on the day off from your hair washing routine, spray in some dry shampoo at the roots. It will absorb the oils and you will feel less greasy. Some people like the texture that the dry shampoo gives that they use it at the roots on freshly washed hair. My favorite is Klorane, pictured above.

Do you shampoo every day? What is your favorite dry shampoo? Leave a comment below!

Hey There Sugar Lips!

DIY Sugar Lip Scrub

Every ones lips need a little TLC! It feels so good when your lips are smooth and conditioned. Your lipstick will apply better and your gloss will look better. I have dry lips no matter what the season. I have a few favorite lip scrubs that I share at the end of this post, but I also wanted to share how fun and easy it is to make one yourself!  Get your kids involved, little girls, or boys, love this stuff!  You just need a few items that you probably have in your kitchen. By the way, if you don't have coconut oil, you can substitute Vaseline or aquaphor!

Sugar Scrub:

1 tsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. Raw Honey
2 T. of raw or granulated sugar or brown sugar
Dash of lemon juice

An old toothbrush!

Mix together to make a sugary paste, apply to the lips and scrub with a toothbrush ( a child size toothbrush is perfect) Use a cotton pad to wipe off any excess. Follow up with your favorite lip balm.

Coconut Oil ~ Vitamin E & K
Raw Honey~ Amino Acids that moisturize, antibacterial.
Raw Sugar~ Produces glycolic acid/ alpha hydroxy which exfoliates
Lemon Juice~ Vitamin C and Citric Acid

If you do not want to make you own scrub, here are my favorite ones you can buy! Follow up with your favorite balm.

From Fresh~Fresh Sugar Scrub

From Lush~
Bubblegum or Mint Julip

The lip Scrub by Sara Happ

10 Rules of Self Tanning

Now that you have seen my favorite self tanning products, I thought I'd share some helpful tips for getting the perfect faux glow.

10 RULES TO THE PERFECT TAN:

1. If you need to get a mani/pedi, wax or shave your legs do that first!
2. Exfoliate with a NON oil based exfoliator.
3. Have skin 100% dry
4. Dab some lightweight lotion on dry patches such as elbows, knees and ankles since the self tanner likes to cling to those dry patches.
5. Pick your Potion! Choose your favorite product.
6. Bottoms Up! Start from the bottom and work your way up.
7. Go lightweight on the face. Keep in mind if you wear bronzer during the day, you don't want your face darker than your body. It will look like your face went to the Bahamas and your body stayed home!
8. Let it dry before you get dressed or add a dusting of baby powder to prevent transferring to your clothes, and you will smell good too!
9. Wash your Hands! If you have trouble getting it off, rub some lemon on your hands and scrub, scrub, scrub.
10. Avoid Showering for 8 to 10 hours.

Happy Tanning!

OH SHE GLOWS

It is that time of year again, when the weather suddenly turns warm and we pull out our shorts. The only problem is that our legs are pale!  What is a girl to do! Sometimes I turn to self tanning products. When you get the right one they can look very natural and not orange or streaky. The most important part is to exfoliate before you apply. You do not need to get a body scrub, although, a sugar body scrub is nice to do once per week. To get a great exfoliation, pick up some exfoliating gloves and use your favorite body wash! I have been loving Caress Tahitian Renewal Silkening Body wash. It is like a vacation in a bottle. It smells so "beachy". 

Now onto the Self Tanners! Here are my tried and true favorites. I hope this helps when you go try to find one for yourself! You Glow Girl!

For the Face:

Dior BronzeSelf tanner natural face glow

Or.... Dr. Gross Alpha Beta Glow Pads







For the Body:

St. Tropez Everyday Gradual Tan Mousse
 ~ Use with the mitt to apply!

Or...Tan Towels








What are your favorites?

I'm back but it's not a cooking blog!

For those of you who use to follow my cooking blog "Bliss n Tell", I thank you! It was so much fun and I still have a passion for cooking and baking! I cook home cooked, fresh meal every night, except for friday and Saturdays.. hey, a cook has to have some days off! However,  I just don't have the time to document my cooking, so that led me to end my cooking blog. But,  I really missed the "bloggers -sphere", and I thought I would bring to you my other obsessions.. it still has a lot to do with cooking as well, so you may find some healthy recipes every now and then. It is a focus on overall health and Beauty, nutrition, skin care, make-up, and hair care. With my husband a hairdresser, and his wife a product junkie,  I have tried it all and  can provide my readers with  a lot of good and not so good experiences with products.

When I say a "Beauty Blog" I am talking about beauty as a WHOLE.  Beauty from WITHIN that beams through the outside in combination with  grace,  good character, and a "light in the heart" such as Kahlil Gibran says. 

To nurture the mind, body and spirit will help to be your Best Beautiful Self.

In addition to whole "mindful" beauty and tips, this blog will feature product reviews, gotta haves and must try's. I will do my best to blog once a week, maybe twice. If you would like to follow this blog, please hit the follow button.. I love to know who I am blogging for! Also, please leave friendly comments on your opinions and experiences!

 Stayed tuned until next week! I have a great starting line up! Starting with Self Tanners! Thanks for reading and I am so excited to be back!