a few of my favorite things xx

                      

i know i know.  who doesn't it make happy? lol so i wanted to make a post on a few of my favorite things. ya know.... things i cant live without, things i am in love with, and things i would highly recommend for all to use. which all of the items im going to list fall into each of those lol

so here's a list of  few of my favorite things via posting pictures of all the things i love and cannot live without =) most of the pictures i took myself, but there are a few i got off of google.com searches.
enjoy ;]

***keep in mind i will be adding to this list and/or making a part two, so stay tuned ;] ***

notebook paper.i am constantly writing down my any list you can think of! i often carry this folder which serves as my little daily organizer. This one has my "to do list, grocery list/things to buy list, my short term goals list, my long term goals list, my research list/job duties list" && of course the more colorful, the better. colors are a great way to keep organized!

*** i will be making a DIY blog on "Daily Organizer Binders";; something i came up with to not only be organized, but to stay organized. I'll include how i make the binders, where i buy my colored notebook paper (& what to do when i can't find any in stores), certain binders, and all other supplies needed, and what tabs i use that work best for me, along with different lists/tabs ive thought of that i'll list for you to choose based on which fits your life. I'll also include the importance of having one, and keeping up with it, and the importance of using colors, and much, much more!!  Stay tuned for the blog this month!!!"

 make up brushes.

These are the two biggest vases i'd recommend using, I also have two small square ones, & 1 small circular one not pictured.

 i got the vases at the Target ($3-6.99ea) and the pink sand i got at Hobby Lobby ($2.99).

each of my vases have different colored sand.

For the brushes i have w/a brush on each end, I just lie down in my make up box/chest.

candles.

i am obsessed with my apartment smelling good, and these candles do the trick perfectly. they stay lit long, expel an exuberant smell that makes me want to eat it all up!! haha ;) I get mine for usually $5.99ea at Bed Bath & Beyond, or Bath & Body Works

Ionic Blow Dryer

so light weight, my long ass hair takes 15 minutes to blow dry. as you can assume my arms gets sooo tired after a while. Not this with bad girl. Not only is the heat warm (not super hot burning your ends) but it has an amazing attachment that helps keep the blow dryer at least 4-6 inches away from the head.

brazilian keratin therapy.

okay ladies, if there is ANY hair product i would recommend, it'd be this. Brazilian Keratin Therapy makes your hair feel so amazing. I had really damaged hair, and I don't think I have a single split end any more. I get it thru my salon which has argon & morrocan oil in it as well, but most beauty stores have the ones pictured which I got from Sally's.

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matching bra & panty sets.

when i leave the house, my bra & panties have to match. its an OCD thing, i swear. problem is i wear the same bra more than just once, so i have 10 of the same colored pair to match each diff color/design bra i have amounting to thousands of panties in my dressers lol

Charm Bracelets.
 

i am obsessed with making and wearing . i made this one for my baby sister for her 6th birthday.

jewelry is so easy to make once you get the hang of it-- i make about 30 % of my jewelry!

Garnier Fructis Volume Mousse

this stuff is a miracle worker. it adds volume like you wouldn't believe. Tracy DiMarco recommended it in one of her beaty vlogs, and we alll know Tracy's volume is one to admire. So of course I want whaaaatevs that girl has! ;=]
 i teased the heck out of my hair. it looked so fab < 3
not only that but it smells sooo delicious!
&& pretty cheap too! only $7.95  per bottle!

Skintimate Shaving Gel.

 Thisis perfect for those you who want perfffectly smoooooth skin--- use this!! I give & get massages often, and my therapists always tell me how silky smooth my skin feels. and i just know it's from using this amazing product.

 Mike's Hard Lemonade

since i turned 21 this year, ive been trying to find my signature drink. i've settled with wine coolors are alway nice since they hide that god awful taste of alcohol, but still give you that amaaaazing buzz =p

 dunkin donuts/ mcdonalds mccafe shakes

i get one of these on my way to work eery morning. they wake me up, and just ooses eith strawberry flavor. extra whippppp please =]

hair teasing brush.

this brush works sooo fantastically! it's a Spornette Little Wonder -- you can buy it online at any beauty site for under $10. it works so perfectly with teasing and back combing.

straight sexy hair smoothing balm/heat protectant.

this smells like strawberries, is a pink & black bottle which i LOVE ;) and it works so fabulously. i straighten my hair alot-- even to curl it which i do often as well. this acts as a barrier between my hair and the heat, therefore keeping my strands healthy and vibrasnt as opposed to burnt.

leg warmers.

there was a time when i wore leg warmers every day throughout the fall and winter. i am obsessed with them.

 i have a pair in every color, i really love wearing them with sweater dresses in the fall or winter.

 you can wear them over your knee high boots, or with closed/open toed pumps.

fruit smoothies.

i love fruit smoothies in general but Naked fruit smoothies are sooo yummy.
 this is soo very healthy for your body.

 i believe they are around $4 a bottle but so worth it.

they're super healthy, super yummy, and are sold in any grocery store near the produce section. They have various different flavors as well.

old perfume bottles.

am i the only one who collects all my pretty perfume bottles, even after they are empty? i like setting them up as a display cus they look soo pretty :) i set all of mine on a cake stand holder I got from bed bath & beyond, it's a round glass peice that really looks so elegant.

Flawless Fake Bake Tan.

                       

 if you want the perfect tan but don't want to get skin cancer from tanning beds, and not enough time or patience to sit in the sun --- use this product!! it's my secret to my glowing tan. not only does it smell good, but it smoothes on soo evenly, I cannot get over how great and easy it is too apply it.

 it comes with a professional mitt too. it is kind of on the pricey side at $25.00 per bottle at Ulta, but probably online you can get it for half that--- but defff worth it!

 Magazines.

this is a current pictures of my latest, but I seriously am a magazine addict. i have to buy any latest, and have about four subscriptions to popular magazines including cosmopolitan & people, and even more catelog sibscriptions.

i am very artsy crafty, and am always looking thru mags for things to cut out to put on a poster or in my scrapbook. =)

O.P.I. Nail Polish

this nail polish is obviously known for being non chip, and having the best colors!
They have any color you can think of, and i have about 30 of them! my nail polish collection has expanded tremendouly within the past few months.

victoria's secret beauty products.

the body spray, body butter & body lotion sets are so amazing. not only are they very affordable (which very rarely do you see that word in the same sentence  w/Victoria's secret lol) but they are good quality as well. the fragrance lingers on your body for hours, the body butter moisturizes your skin so intensely, & i can't begin to count how many compliments i get on how great i smell. my favorite is Endless Love(blue liquid bottle) Strawberries In Champagne (purplepink pictured) & Love Spell (purple body butter bottle).

hand sanitizer.

because i am SUCH a clean freak and germophobe, i have hand sanitizer in my purse/pocket at all times. not only that but im constantly washing my hands.

 this also results in extremely dry skin, so that leads to me carrying lotion around at all times too!

fav store sales.

not only sales at stores, but my favorite stores!! nothing makes me smile bigger than when i get the biggest bang for my buck.

 this is especially satisfying when it happens at Victoria's secret since they are normally pretty pricey!

fun slides.

oh em gee. i know this isn't necessarily a thing, but def one of my must do at any festival/carnival/ theme park. fun slides have always been my absolute favorites enter to win. well that one & the big Egyptian boat hehe =P

at stated in the beginning, stay tuned for a part two !!!

self control

i seriously have so many topics going through my mind right now, that i decided to write about none of them and instead turn to something that i have been lacking lately.

&& that is self control.

self-control is a vital part of who we are. Thoughts are our foundation because they direct our feelings. People with high self control don’t react to someone else’s emotions. They are able to think clearly and stay focused under pressure. No one can control the events or the people surrounding them, but they can control their own emotions and actions. I personally like to think i maintain self control in thee situations, but when i am alone i tend to slip.

[ x ] one thing i do to exercise my self control is choosing what i think about. when i feel i am able to control what feelings my thoughts are producing, i feel as if i am able to dictate what i will do or will not do, which in return leads me to be careful on what i dwell on. I started with meditation - this helped my anxiety tremendously.

[ x ]  i try not to let my feelings get the best of me. if, for instance, i know i am upset with someone or i am craving something i know i should not consume or have, i do something to get my mind off the situation; listen to music, write on this blog, scrapbook, write letters to my lil sister, exercise, or read to name a few. And if i still find myself dwelling on those things, i just simply pick up on another activity again.. and yes, this may take me doing this same activity several times before i am able to conquer your feelings but i eventually am able to do it.)

[ x ] this one may seem a bit obvious and silly, but really taking deep breaths is very VERY helpful. it seems to just calm me down, and also takes my mind off of it for a while. this is most helpful when i feel like i am losing my mind!

these basic little things are what i do to give myself a bit more control, and this is where perseverance comes it. it won’t be better the first time you try to have control but like everything else you will be able to control yourself better and faster with practice.

the reason why i wanted to make a blog out of this is because i'd like to point out that i don't think self control is only about keeping your cool when you are angry. its concept is more than that, it can also be about not complaining about a situation or someone, or even waiting to get something you really want now, or even choosing not to eat that extra cookie. these situations can affect our every day lives, and that is why i believe it is important to instill self control into ourselves so our younger generations can fall onto it as well. maybe by doing this we will have less anger impulse shootings and murders going on.

a quote by Aristotle was said to me by my sophomore year English teacher that has stuck with me ever since.. it's “I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.”

the greatest victories we can have in our life is over ourselves. Self-control might be hard, but it is possible. encourage yourself and others to maintain control over themselves.

tanning 101 xx

disclaimer: this is going to be a very thorough post-- very long and picture heavy. i was not paid by any company, these are all items I purchased on my own based on my results. this post is for informational purposes only. please refrain from posting negative comments. thank you :)

We all want our natural Summer tan to last all throughout the cold harsh Winter, so in order to do that we can maintain it with indoor tanning. I want to share what I know about tanning!

tanning background xx
ok, here is the boring but very necessary knowledge you should know prior to indoor tanning. first let us begin with how the beds work.

There is the vertical or 'stand up' beds. These are my favorite as I am a germaphobe and do not like to lay down on a bed millions of others were on unless I know the tanning girl who cleans the beds, and trust her cleaning. Stand Up beds also provide a 100% even tan, as opposed to the horizontal beds which cannot get your pressure points (parts of body you're putting most pressure on when laying down) such as your lower back, and under your butt cheeks ;] Also under your arms, and your feet! The horizontal beds are ideal for relaxing though.

Then there are low pressured beds with UVB rays and high pressured beds with UVA rays.
Okay, so there are level 1-6 tanning beds. Every salon has different beds, but usually the levels 1, 2 and 3 are UVB bulbs. Beds 4, 5, and 6 are UVA bulbs. The difference between the two is UVB bulbs penetrate the skin plateau way deeper giving you a base tan that lasts longer because it goes deeper. This is why it is pertinent you start with a level one bed if you are new to tanning, or if you are fair skinned. The UVA Bulbs only penetrate the top two layers of the skin which is beneficial for maintaining a tan. The higher the level, the more high pressured the bulbs are. So in short, UVB starts the tanning process by stimulating the tanning cells to produce pigment, and UVA rays darken the melanin that has been produced maintaining an overall tan.


tanning necessities & wants xx
okay, so now that we got the boring technical stuff out of the way -- onto the goodies! this involves shopping-- woo hoo ;) what do you need when you are going to tan? personally, I have my own purse for tanning LOL what that bag includes are: 

[-] hair tie to tie your hair up
[-] lip balm because your lips are very likely to burn or dry out quickly
[-] my jewelry holder case to store my jewelry in when I am in the tanning bed
[-] change of clothes-- usually sweats/gym clothes I don't care if they get stained, etc.
[-] my tanning lotions-- my body lotion, face lotion, accelerator,& post-tan extender. 
[-] my stickers, eye protectors, hair net protector. 
[-] mini towel to wipe myself off after tanning
[-] hair heat protectant spray-- yes I am a freak about it! my hair is past my butt, so I am very anal on keeping it healthy, and tanning beds are extreme damage.

well, by law, you absolutely need eye protection. Sunglasses do not cut it. These are eye protectors that all tanning salons sell, but they are universally the same thing. Little half egg couplets that rest on your eyes. I have a picture of mine, plus the convenient case they come in. I have two, one I keep in my car and the other in my tanning purse.

In addition to the tanning stickers to place any where on your skin to judge the depth of your tan after every session, there are many other cosmetics you can use while tanning. Check out the picture to the side, you can really see the difference in shading huh?? I just love this idea of tanning stickers! :)

Tanning salons have many different kinds of stickers including peace signs, thunder bolts, hearts, play boy bunnies, stars, palm trees, little guns, hello kitty, and many many more. the main three are hearts, thunder bolts, playboy bunnies, and palm trees. i love the hearts and stars, but switch it up in the summer time. it usually takes 2-4 sessions to notice a different in shade. the stomach is the best spot as our stomachs seem to tan the hardest.

 
 Another product I absolutely love are the sprays my tanning salon carries. 

One is GLO Naked which is a body shimmering spray. It makes you skin silky smooth, and shimmers the right amount without overdoing it. I use it on my legs only unless I am going somewhere where I will be in water-- then I will do my entire body. 

The other product is Bare Shine Hair Spray. This spray is ideal for protecting it from heat, especially tanning bed heat which is why it is recommended to apply to hair prior to tanning.
I love the smell of both the sprays, and they were about $16 each.

Tan Extenders
 Below are three different lotions I love to use. White bottle is the HEMP NATION tan extender, middle blue bottle is Kardashian Glow Tan Extender, and far right is Aloe There tan Extender. 
I have used HEMP NATION and Kardashian Glow, not the Aloe There yet. 

My favorite is the Kardashian Glow Tan Extender. There was a time I was on vacation and did not tan for over three weeks, and still maintained my sun kissed bronze and I believe it was due to this lotion.

 Next we have two products most tanning bed users do not know about. They are 'Nail Savers."
As you tan more and more, if you have acrylic nails on all the time like I do, you will notice your nails start turning green or yellow. it is disgusting, and I do not ever want to see it happen to my nails so I use prevention and use these babies on my nails! I do not have any thing but polish on my toes, so I do not use the toe savers, but some girls do! to each their own, right? =]

tanning basics  xx

Many people wonder what they should wear to the tanning salon. This is very much based on your own preference. I know many women who come right from work in their dressy work clothes and do not mind. I personally carry a change of clothes in my tanning tote bag for when i get out of the tanning bed, so what i wear TO the salon is irrelevant.

Now, when it comes to what you should wear IN the bed -- this is also personal preference. Some people are absolutely appalled at the mere thought of laying in a tanning bed naked, especially knowing that someone else laid in that tanning bed naked. Others could care less, and trust their tanning salon to properly sanitize the bed before they get into it. Their are a lot of different views on this particular question, and it all comes down to one very simply answer: wear whatever you are comfortable in, and remember that you will get tan lines. if you wear your bathing suit every time, you will have tan lines that reflect that. This is why I go 100% naked!!! ;]

tanning lotions xx
I will add a few basics here but I have a separate blog post on lotions which answers which lotions are my favorite and least favorite; why do we need lotions; what is inside the lotions; why are they so expensive; and what the different types of lotions are and which are beneficial to your skin type. Very informative post!! The link will be provided when i am finished with it. For now here are some of the basic lotions i use. Face lotion and a body lotion. Designer Skin is my favorite brand.

sunless tanning xx
Most salons do have a market for sunless tanning, as with the very well known tanning horror stories-- many people turn to sunless tanning to as a means to an end. lol Below are products that L.A. Tan has which is my go to tanning salon. VersaSpa Pro is the newest machine they have which provides an amazingly even sunless glow with four different levels to choose from. Below are pre tan exfoliants, moisturizers, and after tan extenders all used with sunless tanning for a better, richer, longer lasting glow.

I sunless tan when i want a dark bronze color in the shortest amount of time -- for instance a couple days before a wedding, etc. always sunless tan 48-72 hours prior to an event! You may have streaking, but more importantly the sunless tan takes that long for its truest color to develop!

very frequently asked questions xx
I hear these questions asked in the salon I go to the most. if you have any other questions, chances are I will more than likely know the answer. Please just leave it in the comment section below and depending on the question, I might even add it to my post, of course with your name and blog next to it for the great recommendation, and my best and most honest answer! thanks babes! xx

[x] why doesn't the entire body tan at the same rate? there are lotions specifically made for the face, for the legs, etc as those tend to not tan as fast/dark as the mid section of the body. my abs tan the hardest-- my stomach is SUPER dark. The fact, however, is an exposed area. With a mix of  the day's lotions, make-up, sweat, bacteria and other substances-- they all act as a barrier to a portion of the UV light.  Also, we all wash our face which  tends to rub off skin cells more so than on other parts of the body.

[x] why doesn't the tan last? well some of you may not know this but, the skin's repair mechanism consists of the top skin layer (epidermis) replacing all it's skin cells every 28 to 30 days. A tan can only be maintained by repeated exposure to the UV light in the beds.

[x] should I shower before or after tanning?
It would be better if you showered first, exfoliate and MOISTURIZE ---then used the bronzer. The easiest way to make a distinction is to think of bronzers as a form of make-up. Self-tanners can last up to a few days, even with showering, because they produce a chemical reaction in the skin. If you’re after a longer lasting effect, exfoliate your skin prior to using a self-tanner. If you don’t exfoliate first, it’s like using car polish on a paint job that is oxidized. For a longer lasting effect you would first use a compound to get rid of the oxidized paint, and then use a polish! get it!? also, you do not want to be streaky because you showered prior to the recommended 4-6 hours. However, there are now types of tanning lotions such as natural bronzers which allow you to shower immediately after you tan for situations such as you going out that night, etc.

Last but not least -- stay hydrated!!! your skin needs to regenerate, and stay moisturized!! keeping hydrated it very important in developing a great, but safe tan!! 

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Always do your research!!!

thank you my lovelies <3