Pure Brazilian Treatment = Brazilian Model Hair!

     Recently, I decided to get a Pure Brazilian smoothing treatment (different than the Brazilian Blowout), because I was getting tired of my wild mane. I've been called Mufasa since my freshman year of high school so you can probably get an idea of how my hair has looked. I actually loved my wild curls and big hair at times, but I was tired of it being frizzy, dry, and tangled all the time. I'm getting married soon and wanted to do some good to my hair for once and get it in tip-top shape fast!

After talking to my best friend, Andrea, who's an incredible hair dresser, she told me I could try the Pure Brazilian smoothing treatment to get it healthy and it will last for 2-4 months. I was scared of getting rid of my curls, because I've heard of Brazilian Blowouts and smoothing treatments straightening your hair and just having chemicals, but her and Rico, the owner of Salon NV, told me it's different and won't get rid of the curls, just the frizz, and it'll put protein back in my hair, which is exactly what I needed. I wasn't sure if I should also color my hair, but they told me that since my hair color was nice and just missing shine, the treatment would help revive the color. I was sold pretty quickly so we began the session.

Andrea washed my hair with clarifying shampoo, which was preparation for the treatment and might I add, smelled uh-mazing! She then parted my hair in sections and combed my hair with the treatment throughout my hair till it surrounded each hair shaft. Then she blow dried my hair and went over it with the straightener about 4-6 times in each section. She said she could go over it 10 times, but 4-6 times would just defrizz and loosen the curls and 10 times would straighten it more, which I didn't want.

In the end, my hair looked extremely straight and sleek and I have never in my life had my hair this straight and shiny. They were right about the color. It never looked better and we didn't have to color it at all. It was a miracle! I knew it wasn't the end result as I had to actually wash it to see what it would look like after, but I knew that if I had shine in my hair without her even using serum, it was a good sign that it was going to look pretty darn fabuloso. They also recommended I use their J Beverly Hills "Rescue" Shampoo which puts protein and shine in your hair and their Masque conditioner to keep it softer and stronger. I figured if I'm going to spend money on a big treatment like this, I'm going to want to follow their regimen to keep my hair healthy for as long as I can.

Three days later, I finally washed my hair, (Don't judge me, I wanted to have it this straight as long as possible). Well, I think I know why they call it a "Brazilian" treatment...because it leaves you with Brazilian model looking hair! No, I'm not kidding. I washed it at night and let it air dry so I can do it in the morning, and normally when I do that, I'll wake up with a frizzy fro and curls with a mind of their own, which I have to tame with mousse and curl creme. Definitely not the case this wonderful morning as I woke up with my hair frizz-free and beach-wavy looking hair. I won't lie, it did scare me at first as my hair didn't have as many curls as before and had less volume, so I'll probably miss my wild hair a tad, but I feel like I finally tamed the wild beast and my hair is incredibly softer and manageable. My co-workers keep complimenting me on it and I've never been so happy with my hair! It was so easy to style this morning as it looked already done. I put some leave-in conditioner and was ready to go!

Point of the story, if you have dry, brittle, frizzy, unruly hair and want soft, tamed hair, get a Pure Brazilian treatment. Yay for healthy, gorgeous hair!

P.S. I will post a pic soon of the end results :)

Tobi Shopaholic!

Hey Ladies!

I wanted to let you know about this little gem that I found through a friend a couple months ago called Tobi.com. It's an online women's fashion site and it has the most ADORABLE clothes and is one of the main reasons for breaking my bank account. I've always been a shopaholic but now I think it might be a real addiction...Do they make pills for that? :P

I've already purchased through them four times in the past two months. That to me is a lot. Their clothes are similar to Forever21 and Lulu's, but just about every item is feminine and sexy and not hipster. They're just a tad pricier than Forever21's clothing, but I think the quality is better. Aside from having super cute clothes, they also have really good customer service and I mean REALLY good. Anytime I've had a question about an exchange or a specific item they respond to me via email really quickly and they've always had a good answer. Their items also ship and deliver quickly and their shipping is FREE and even returns are FREE! Can you say shopping heaven?! Another great thing about them is that they always have deals going on. When you're a member, they send emails daily on new items and those new items will be 30% off for up to 7 days. They also occasionally have 50% off on the entire site and they've been having 40% off on everything through the end of December as a holiday special. The code is DECEMBER40. Yes, I took advantage of that discount...twice. However, NOW they're having 50% off till 11:59pm PST December 26th! I realize that's just today, but take advantage of that discount and get your shopping on! The code is MERRYXMAS50.

Do not fear if you miss the deadline! If you sign up here with your Facebook account you can get 50% off your first order and help me get 50% off my next order as well, and when you share with your friends, they can help you get another 50% off your next order. I call it the friendly shopping cycle. :)

Also, keep in mind that most items sell out pretty quickly. I recently had a gorgeous dress in my shopping bag, and when I was going to check out, the item was no longer available and now I check regularly for it to come back. Don't let it happen to you!

The dress I'm wearing below is called the Mackenzie Midi Dress. It hugged all the right curves without showing bulges and got me a lot of compliments the night I wore it to a 1920's themed holiday party.

My Personal Top 10 $0-$20 Inside Out Self Help DIY Tips

     Everyday, people are looking for the greatest products or remedies to make themselves look or feel better, but usually the products that are ranked the best are the most expensive and not everyone can afford to even try them, because who knows if they'll even really work just because of the brand name? My whole life, I have been one of those people always trying to figure out what's best for my hair, skin, body, and mind so I feel like I should share my personal head to toe & inside out self help DIY tips that cost under $20. :)

*Please take note that these are my personal tips and some may not work for your skin type. I have pretty thick, normal, olive toned skin, so if you have for example, very sensitive and/or pink skin that easily sunburns and/or are prone to breakouts, some of these may NOT work for your skin, so use your instinct when reading these. :)

1. For a home made toner, acne treatment, and/or in-grown hairs

Mash several aspirin pills and put them in a small bottle mixed with part witch hazel & part rubbing alcohol, and always shake before using. This remedy makes for a great toner and make up remover to really get dirt out and tone your skin before applying moisturizer as well as an acne healer. It's also good to treat and prevent ingrown hairs.

2. To make your skin refreshed & glowing

Ever experience your face feeling dry and sucking up the moisturizer just seconds after applying it? It's not pretty! For more moisture, I mix about two drops of Vitamin E oil with a half dime sized amount of moisturizer to give me that dewy glow, more so on my cheeks. Don't be afraid of looking too shiny, because once you apply make up over your moisturizer it will absorb, and you'll end up with just the right amount of glow. For a refreshed look, splash your face with ice cold water about 10 times after cleansing as it tightens pores and skin like a toner would and it will make your skin look much more vibrant as opposed to red and blotchy after washing your face with warm-hot water.

3. For unwashed or over shiny hair
I think we've all accidentally put too much serum in our hair before and caused it to look like it hasn't been washed in days or maybe we skipped a few days of washing, because we haven't had time to wash it and needed some of that extra oil. Well, this solution is super easy and all it takes is some baby powder or body powder and rubbing it into your scalp and hair to absorb that extra moisture and to give it a clean feeling. You can buy some at the dollar or drug store, so stop buying expensive dry shampoo that just leaves residue in your hair and feels icky. Yuck!

4. To get rid of split ends

For split ends, I typically do this when my hair is dry and straight so I can see the dead ends better. I take my hair in sections and twist from root to ends. Then, I cut all the hairs sticking out that have white tips at the ends. I use moroccan oil, vitamin E, or coconut oil, and leave it in my hair over night on my ends about once every or every other week. For a more detailed version of this, feel free to watch my tutorial here.

5. Dry, rough feet to silky, smooth soles
Typically, people go to the salon to get pedicures when they feel their toesies need some attention, but nail spas can't really help TOO much with the dry skin on our feet no matter how much paraffin wax or callus remover they put, so we need to give it extra TLC at home. Don't be deceived by pumice stones or cheese grater looking contraptions, as they can actually be too abrasive and get rid of the layer of skin we need to protect our feet causing cuts and more time needed to heal. To make your feet smooth as a baby's bottom, do this procedure before going to bed. Soak your feet in warm water and use a gentle scrub all over your feet, primarily focusing on the rough areas, but don't rub too hard. Rinse & dry your feet and wrap your finger with a napkin or tissue and scrape the rough areas. It sounds gross, but I swear it works and besides, it's your feet and in the privacy of your own home. Then, rinse and dry your feet again and rub your feet with olive or coconut oil. Follow up with a thick moisturizer such as cocoa butter or Nivea moisturizer for very dry skin. Wearing sandals a lot or shoes without socks, and walking barefooted can cause a lot of dryness so be sure to put on some moisturizer on your feet before putting on your flip-flops or when you get home daily.


6. Feeling down, tired, and need a quick pick-me-up?
Most people can feel depressed, lonely, or down and a lot of times they can't think of a single reason why, and usually we feel our worst in the mornings and need a boost to fully wake up and feel good. There are several things I do to kick those "off" moods to the curb. 1. Forget coffee & energy drinks. No one actually NEEDS them. It's all in your head. Start your day by opening all the curtains or blinds in your house and letting light in. Darkness affects our moods big time and can bring us down, so make sure there's plenty of light around you. 2. Turn on some music and make sure it's something upbeat, not sappy slow jams or I'm-angry-at-the-world metal music, but something you can dance or bob your head to as that will boost your mood and help you ignore the things that might frustrate you easily, such as traffic, a bad meeting with your boss, or even the ugly weather outside. 3. Stretch throughout the day, especially right when you wake up. Stretching relaxes your muscles, brings oxygen to the brain which wakes you up, and it releases toxins out of your tissues. 4. Eat some tangerines or spray some tropical air fresheners around you. Research shows that the smell of citrus triggers our happy moods and makes us feel more energized so go on and sniff those oranges in the fruit aisle! :)

                                          7. For a smooth, close shave
Coconut oil is good for soooo many things such as cooking, dry hair & skin, and it's even good for shaving. I haven't tried coconut oil by itself to shave yet, but I've been using First Aid Beauty Smooth Shave Cream and it has coconut oil in it and it works great! It also doesn't leave that oily residue on your razor when shaving that some oils would do. Plus, it moisturizes your legs at the same time. For that close shave, make sure your skin has been in warm water for a while to soften the hair and then exfoliate to get rid of the dead skin. Lather on some coconut oil or the product I previously mentioned and shave. If you're shaving your legs, shave against the grain, if you're shaving thicker hair such as underarms, facial hair, or other areas you want to prevent ingrown hairs, then shave with the grain.


8. For Pearly White Teeth
No need to get your teeth whitened at the dentist for hundreds of dollars nor even use whitening strips. Just swish around some hydrogen peroxide in your mouth once or twice a day for 30-60 seconds, and your teeth will really become whiter and brighter. It's actually one of the first ingredients you'll see in teeth whitening products and it really does work alone. Aside from whitening, hydrogen peroxide is also great for oral hygiene, because it kills bacteria. So pull out that brown bottle from your first aid kit and keep it next to your toothpaste instead!



9. For a nice tan without the damage from UV rays & without the streaks & $$$ of spray tansI'm olive toned skin, so I can look pretty fair and yellowish in the winter, but I can tan really quick in the summer. However, there's no way I'll wait 5-6 months to get some color. I try to avoid using tanning beds too often, because of the health risks and I hate how self tanners or spray tans can be pricey, fade quickly, smell badly, and can make you orange. I know... I'm picky, BUT there is finally a great, cheap solution!!(I'm pretty thrifty in case you haven't noticed yet.)I've been using the new and improved Jergen's Natural Glow Moisturizers. They finally smell so much better and they give a nice color gradually instead of looking like
orange fake & bake and they don't streak! They carry a quick 3 day moisturizer that works AWESOME if you need a tan for a special occasion coming up, instead of waiting 5 days to a week to see some color. I mix it with a scented body lotion just in case the odor they say it no longer has somehow manages to come out, and I also mix some with my facial moisturizer to enhance color on my face, because that's ironically the whitest part of me. I now swear by this product and what's great is you only need to use it a few times a week to keep the color.

10. Home made antibiotics
One word...GARLIC. It works wonders to help cure illnesses such as the cold and even body aches. I did research on it when I was sick with the flu and apparently garlic works as strong, if not stronger than penicillin. I read that it even helps fight viruses such as HIV, herpes, and the flu. Amazing! What I do when I feel I'm coming down with something is take a garlic clove or two and slice it up. They say it's best to chew it to really get the juices out, but that is too potent for me, so I just swallow the slices of garlic like a pill and follow it with OJ or tea.


I hope you like my personal self help tips and perhaps they will help you someday. Thanks for reading and God bless. Namaste. :)