Flat Irons!

Let's talk about hair baby! It's been awhile, right? My sweet cousin Cathy was asking me a question about flat irons, so this post is for you Cathy!  The main goal for flat ironing the hair is to get it sleek and straight right? They make it so complicated with all the different kinds and different prices, then through in words like, Ceramic, tourmaline, titanium, infrared heat, negative ions, say wha? It's not that complicated, I promise. First, start with a shampoo that is SLS free, use a good oil to lube up your hair ( that sounded weird) Like Argan oil, and never flat iron wet hair, that is a no!

Use these guidelines to choose your flat iron:

Ceramic: good for thick to thin hair, frequent use, normal or moderately damaged hair.

Example: Chi flat iron around $90


Tourmaline : Thin to Coarse Hair, normal to Damaged, frequent use


Example:  the GHD flat iron,  around $155 but we are talking semi precious stones people, tourmaline doesn't play. It is crushed and fused together or layered on top of the ceramic to give it that negative ion boost, it is healthy for the hair, and creates less damage, and gives the hair some TLC.  It is worth the extra bucks.

Which one will you choose?

Love you Cathy!

Luvocracy and a Givaway for 10 credit!

Hi Everyone! So, one question…. how much do you love Pinterest? LOVE it right? That's what I thought. Now, I am going to introduce something new to "Luv," it is a social website that you can pin items that you like to different boards, but actually BUY the products, brilliant! You can follow people that you "trust" and then see what things they like and if you like it you can purchase it directly on the Luvocracy  website. I love how you can see what other people like and try their favorite things.

I have created a Spring and Summer board that shows my favorite fashion looks, shoes, accessories as well as beauty must have's for the warmer season ahead. Now here comes the fun part. Luvocracy is giving away a $10.00 credit towards your first purchase to one of my lucky readers! How much do you Luv that?

Here is how to enter the giveaway…. You must click on this Luvocracy link http://www.luvocracy.com/kraft and sign up through my link. ( yes, it's free) Check out my Spring and Summer board! You will "LUV" it "TRUST" me! Can't wait to trust you all on Luvocracy as well!


The Giveaway ends March. 24th and the winner will be announced on April. 1st. Giveaway rules


Good Luck and Happy Spring!

Detangling Spray

Hi Everyone! Do you have issues with tangled hair when you get out of the shower? I always have a spray detangler on hand for myself and my kids. It is not fun when you go to brush you or your kids hair, especially the girls, and hear the complaining because of the knots and tangles. It can be painful!

The first tip to know to avoid tangles and knots in the hair is to apply your shampoo to the scalp and massage it in, let the shampoo coat the rest of the hair and rub into the underside of the hair near the neck. Try not to bring the hair up to the top of your head and rub all around, that will cause knots. No bueno!

In addition, use a good conditioner in the shower and brush it through with a wide tooth comb before rinsing.

After you get out of the shower towel dry the hair and apply a leave on conditioner or detangling spray and comb through.

The detangler that I have been loving is also a heat protectant, so it protects the hair from blow drying as well. It smells so wonderful, very island like, it has a coconut smell that I adore. It is called Beauty Protector and I got it from Birchbox.  However, I also have heard wonderful things about Unite 7 seconds detangler and Its a 10 Miracle leave in.  I plan on buying the Unite after my Beauty Protector is gone so I can compare! Stay tuned!

I also think it is very important to get a good paddle brush to comb through the hair really well to aid in getting out the knots and tangles. Hope this post helps! xxoo

The cutest bracelet and a coupon code!

Hey Everyone!

I hope you all had a beautiful weekend! I wanted to share with you today the cutest bracelet I had gotten for myself and my daughter for Valentine's day. Yes, I bought myself a gift for Valentine's day. I seriously have a habit of buying for myself, while I am buying for others! It happens at Christmas time too! Do you all do that? I tell myself it's okay to treat myself, it's practicing self love :) So, remind yourself of that when you buy something for yourself while buying for others, you deserve it! Be your own best friend!

So, onto the arm candy. I found this adorable shop on Etsy called Tom Design Shop and fell in LOVE.  All the jewelry is adorable, but I chose the gold bangle with a lowercase initial attached. I plan on ordering more. It's so cute layered with your initials or maybe with your kids initials.

Here is the description from Tom Design Shop….

"This charming bangle bracelet is made with a tiny, gold plated, lowercase initial charm, and a gold plated self-closure bangle. Simple enough for everyday wear, and looks great stacked and layered with multiple bangles. Also makes great gifts for bridal parties, birthdays, Valentine’s, graduation or any special event!

Debbie at Tom Design shop was nice enough to give my reader a code to get 20% off! Click HERE to be directed to their shop on Etsy. At Checkout enter code ILOVEDEALS

Let me know how you love their shop! 

February Favorites

Hi Everyone! We are one step closer to Spring and it can't come fast enough! This has been such a cold winter, but that will make us appreciate Spring that much more! That is the beauty of living here and experiencing all 4 seasons. I have had some beauty favorites in the month of February that I thought I would share with you.

First up is a, drum roll please, you guessed it,  mascara! I had to try the new L'oreal Butterfly Mascara.

At first I didn't like it at all. It was to wet and made my lashes clumpy. But after I opened it and it sat for about a week, I tried it again, and LOVED it.  So don't give up on your mascara if at first you don't like it, try, try again!
It's really black, it didn't flake, it wasn't hard to remove and just gave a great lifted voluminous effect. Definitely, the mascara I have been reaching for all month long.

Another drugstore winner for me was the Maybelline Dream bouncy blush. I am a HUGE fan of blush. I LOVE it! I may even put too much on, but I don't care, hehe.
 I have heard mixed reviews on the dream bouncy blush, but decided to see for myself, and I am so glad I did. I put it on with my real techniques stippling brush and applied a little bit of a powered blush on top to set it in place. I like the glow of a cream blush and the dream bouncy did just that, worked like a dream. My new favorite cream blush. Maybelline, you did it again.


Next up is a body wash. There is an organic market right up the street from my house that I am obsessed with. I go at least 3 times per week, sometimes more. I am like a kid in a candy shop with health food stores, I will get my drink, walk around a look at all the natural products, smell the oils, look at the books, buy a new tea ( another obsession my tea cabinet looks like the shelf of a grocery store) and yes, pick up some groceries. On one of my market hauls, I bought THE BEST body wash ever. It smells like a creamsicle. Remember those as a kid? The orange Popsicles with the vanilla cream in the middle? They were my favorite! Well, this body wash smells just like that. Best of all it  is natural with no yucky chemicals.  I'M. IN. LOVE. By the way, I am craving a creamsicle, I may just bribe the kids to get them instead of their normal choice of scribblers!

Andalou Naturals Mandrin and Vanilla Body Wash, with aloe vera and mandarin vanilla, ahhh, smells SO good. I can't wait to buy the lotion.

Last, but not least, my MyChelle Fabulous Eye Cream. I have tried my share of eye creams, and this one is not the cheapest but not the most expensive either. It is priced right in the middle and works better at hydrating than the more expensive brands I have used. I like that it's all natural, and it smells really nice and floral and we will see if it helps with the fine lines. Stay tuned.

What have you  been loving this month??

Insta Awake!

Rimmel Nude Eyeliner 005

Hey Guys! Hope you had a great weekend! Ours was good and filled with 5 basketball games, a birthday party, a sleepover, and some school projects. Needless to say, It was busy and it was so nice to enjoy the warmer temperatures, we needed a little break of the cold and snow!

Today I wanted to talk about a little trick to fake that you had a good night sleep :) I'm sure all you moms out there can appreciate something that can make you look a little more rested!  I sometimes pull this trick to open my eyes, and try to look a little more awake. It is a simple trick of lining the waterline of your eye with a nude eyeliner and also curling the eyelashes to open up the eye for "wide eyed" look. The eyeliner I choose to use is the Rimmel Nude eyeliner. It is a creamy eyeliner, and is a great price. You can find it anywhere Rimmel is sold. I purchased mine at Ulta.

I also curl my eyelashes, not everyday, but when I remember :) The eyelash curlers that I love are the Shiseido and the Shu Uemura, they both are great, they grab the lashes at the root and give them a lifted appearance.

Rapsberry Lemonade cake

I know this is a beauty blog but cake is beautiful don't you agree??  In honor of my daughters birthday, I decided to post a cake recipe. We have had so many cold and snowy days, I am thinking spring and what screams spring and summer better than strawberries and lemonade?

 This one is a wonderful cake that should be in your recipe box. It is the perfect summer cake that is light and full of flavor. It is easy to prepare and you can make it a day ahead of time ( minus the cool whip step), because it gets more delicious as it gets colder. My family loves "poke"cakes and I have made so many variations but this one is a top favorite next to the lemon lime and basic strawberry of course. A no fuss cake that is easy to bring along to your next holiday gathering or barbecue. Enjoy!


Raspberry Lemonade Cake via Betty Crocker

 12 servings

 1 cup very hot water 1 box (4-serving size) raspberry-flavored gelatin 1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® white cake mix 1/2 cup frozen (thawed) lemonade concentrate 1/4 cup water 1/3 cup vegetable oil 4 egg whites 1 container (12 ounces) Betty Crocker® Whipped vanilla frosting 1 cup frozen (thawed) whipped topping 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries, if desired Lemon peel strips, if desired 1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with baking spray with flour. In small bowl, mix hot water and gelatin until gelatin is completely dissolved; cool slightly. 2. In large bowl, beat cake mix, 1/4 cup of the gelatin mixture, 1/4 cup of the lemonade concentrate, the water, oil, and egg whites with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Pour into pan. Reserve remaining gelatin mixture and lemonade concentrate. 3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Poke warm cake every inch with fork tines. Remove 1 tablespoon of the reserved gelatin mixture to microwavable custard cup or small bowl. In another small bowl, mix remaining gelatin mixture and remaining 1/4 cup lemonade concentrate; pour slowly over cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour. -

Here's to Spring!