Beauty File : Black, white & Gold

 There's no doubting that anything black, white, and gold is hot right now - especially when it comes to interiors.  So why not bring this gorgeous color trio into your beauty routine as well?  A little glam can go a looong way!

The Face Oil Collection | Xen - Tan Tanner | Lipstick Holder |Nail Rock 3D | Cosmetic Brush Set | Floral Headband | Claudine Cateye Sunglasses | Sunday Riley Lipstick

#ShortHairDon'tCare

When it comes to styling my hair I pretty much stick to the same routine.  It's almost always straight or maybe I'll add a few loose curls to it.  *waw*waw*waw* So boring.  With wedding season upon us I'd like to try out a few new hair styles.  It's a little bit harder now that I've chopped off nearly all of my hair.  But, who knows, maybe the shorter length will make it easier to deal with - not to mention, save me some time.  

Easy Updo via The Small Things Blog

Teased Half Up updo

Ballerina Bun (wish I knew the source of this / had a tutorial on how to do it!)

I'm sure you've seen some of her hairstyles on Pinterest, but Kate from The Small Things Blog has a ton of really helpful hair tutorials.  And as always, you can turn to YouTube for a never ending spiral of hair tutorials and inspiration.

April Fools : Beauty Myths Busted

I recently received an email from a PR rep for P&G beauty.  Since her clients include Covergirl, Olay, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and many more I figured I better pay attention.  They've asked celebrity stylists, make-up artists, and scientists to take on and take down some of the most common beauty myths.  Now, that's one less thing to worry about on April Fools.

Good luck not getting tricked today!  

May the odds be ever in your favor.

<< Make-up Must Haves >>

Benetint | Buxom

So you're on your on lunch break and you head to the mirror for a quick hair & make-up check and it's not there anymore - you know, the make-up you applied ever so carefully earlier that morning.  This happens to me all. the . time.  Primer or not, by mid-afternoon my make-up seems to have vanished leaving me looking sick and yellow faced. 

Yuck.

Luckily, I've recently discovered two new (to me) products that leave me looking fresh-faced all day.  Cheek stains, which usually double as lip stains as well, are the perfect solution to keep your face looking lively all day.  I just swipe a little of this onto the apples of my cheeks and rub it in.  I'll be getting off of a 12- hour shift and this stuff is still on my cheeks.  Love it.

For years, I've searched for the perfect mascara.  I'll start off loving the fresh tube, but then after a few applications it just gets clumpy.  Not to mention, I was using two different mascaras to get both longer and voluminous lashes. Not fun.  I've been using Buxom Amplified Lash for a few months now and - oh my gosh- I'm in love.  This stuff rocks!  It gives me long, thick, clump free lashes.  I just twist the mascara wand to tighten up the bristles et voila  I've got a denser brush to give me more volume.  I absolutely adore this stuff.  And did I mention it stays on forever?  And doesn't flake?  Perfection!

Organic Beauty

One of my new years resolutions last year was to take better care of my skin.  Surprisingly, it's the only resolution that I made an attempt to fulfill.  As much as I love trying out new products I don't love shelling out money left and right for things that will undoubtedly be banished under my bathroom sink.  Also, I'm trying to live a healthier lifestyle.  I've always tried to be "healthy" in some sort of fashion.  Who wants to look like they're 60 when in reality, they're 40?  I think spending time as a nurse in the ICU really enforced my desire to be healthy.  It's sad to see young adults dying of preventable illness, yet at the same time it's incredibly inspiring to see elderly adults looking and feeling amazing.  That got me thinking about how so many people "back home" have such gorgeous skin and live long lives.  I decided to try some "home-remedies" that I grew up hearing my family talk about.  You may have heard this before (if you're Arab I'm SURE you've heard this before!)  And I can guarantee that 99% of you have it in your pantry right now.

Olive Oil.

Yep, the "secret" to gorgeous skin is using olive oil.  Growing up, olive oil was basically the cure-all antidote to any ache, pain, or problem. 

 Got a backache?  Warm up some olive oil and massage it onto your skin.

Earache?  Repeat above.

Want gorgeous shiny hair?  Massage olive oil into your hair and leave for a few hours or overnight.

So now I'm sharing with you my tried and true, in-expensive "secret" to healthy skin and hair.

After washing my face before bed I apply a small amount of  olive oil to my face.  I put just enough that it covers my whole face, yet dries by the time I get to my pillow.  We're talking less than quarter size here.  Also, after you shower use a little bit of olive oil instead of lotion..your skin will be SO smooth the next day.  And last but not least, give your hair a hot oil treatment by massaging in a little bit of olive oil for a few hours.  I usually do mine overnight so I can just shower it out in the morning.  

And here's another beauty tip for you.  If you're like me you HATE having chapped lips, but in the winter it's so hard to avoid!  

Try using this honey and sugar scrub to exfoliate chapped lips:

I usually make a small batch and keep it next to the sink to use before bed and before putting on my lipstick/make-up.  It's great-not to mention, you don't have to worry about a bad taste getting into your mouth.

Do you have any organic beauty tips?  If so, I'd LOVE to hear them!

{Olive oil bottle and lip scrub container were purchased in the travel section of Wal-mart.}

Slumber Party

My sister surprised me by sleeping over last night.  I was pretty excited because well...no one sleeps over.  Excuses excuses..tsk tsk.  We're nice people..I swear!

Anyways, my sister is a make-up maniac and so she gave me a mini makeover.  I'm sure the results would have been far superior had she had her own make-up utensils ( mine are not up to par to say the least).  Pizza, eyeliner, curling irons, & sisters...what could be more fun?

And here is the debut of my bangs.  I mentioned before that I was on the line about getting bangs.  Well, I finally did!  Truthfully, I don't think they're my thing.  I think my cheeks are too chubby to have such full bangs.  It just feels like a lot of commotion around my face.  Or maybe I'm still not used to the look yet?

This was supposed to be a shot of the make-up.  There was a ton of eyeliner..something I'm always so scared to do.  But as usual, my sister did a good job.

Hope your all having a fabulous day!

xoxo

Beauty Routine

I'm always curious about other girls beauty routines.  I've never been big on cosmetics, and my make-up routine is pretty boring.  My older sister however, could open up a small make-up store with all of the cool things she has.  I miss the days that I could sneak into her room and test out all of her make-up gadgets.

This is basically what my whole beauty routine consists of.

1. Victoria Secret black eyeliner.  I alternate between V.S. and Sephora.  Eyeliner is the love of my life.

2.  Covergirl TRUblend Minerals (435) - This is a life saver, but it takes a little technique...too much and you could look like Snooki

3. Maybelline One by One - This is a new mascara that I'm using, and let's be honest....I only bought it because a.) I needed new mascara and b.) I thought it was pretty. (I'm big on aesthetics)

4.)Aquaphor - Um, if you haven't tried this lets just say that you've been missing out...big time. I use this as my lip balm, just a little goes a long way. (Want to know how obsessed I am with this stuff?  I've got one in every purse, school bag, car, bathroom, night stand, and one right in front of me.  We're soul mates.)

5.) Neutrogena anti-residue Shampoo -  My hair gets oily incredibly fast.  Sometimes as soon as I touch the flat iron to my hair it gets oily.  This shampoo has been a life saver and is basically like soap in my hair.

6.) St. Ives apricot scrub- I'm pretty bad about taking off my make-up, but this stuff smells pretty good so I kinda look forward to my before bed exfoliation :)

7.) Neutrogena Triple Moisture hair mask - Remember how I said my hair is fried?  This has really helped  to moisturize and revive it.

8.) Lush Brazened Honey mud mask - My sister recently introduced me to this stuff.  Its another face mask, but I usually use it a few times a week.  I really feel a difference after I've washed it all off.  Plus, it's made from all-natural ingredients.  (P.S. they've got the funnest names too!)

9.) Johnson & Johnson baby oil gel  in coconut - I absolutely love this stuff!  The smell, the consistency, the silky smooth feeling after you've put it on.  This is perfect for after shower/before bed lotion.   I'm pretty sure I've used it as a suntan oil too because it's resistant to water.  And I like that this is a gel consistency, makes it less messier than its older sibling  - the oil.

10. Moroccan Hair Oil - Again, this is something my sister introduced me to (She's got pretty hair!).  I'm still fairly new to this, but I'm hoping it'll help in the moisturizing department!

11.  Natural glow self tanner  (not pictured) - I don't put this on everyday, but I always like to have it handy.  I think I would put it on every day if it didn't smell like poop!  Anyone have a good self-tanner that doesn't smell bad?

Overall the things that I simply cannot live without is my eyeliner, bronzer, and Aquaphor. I want to be Aquaphors poster girl.  I love them.  I cannot leave the house without my eyeliner and bronzer, I'm afraid they'll call the cops on me if I do.  During the summer I get pretty tan, so the bronzer is usually during non-summer months. 

So that's it.  No foundations or eye shadows, I feel like I'm a bit too "made- up" when I have them on.  But a lot of times I'll add a little blue eyeliner to my lower lid.  Kind of like this:

What are you're favorite beauty item?  Any suggestions?

Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder

Mel over at  a Perfect Peace came up with the idea of the Beautiful Belly Challenge.  The idea is that regardless of how self-concious you are...to others you are beautiful. (Oh, and you're supposed to attach a photo of your belly, but I thought I'd spare you all that.)

I remember growing up as a first generation Arab-American.  I went to school with my unruly thick and curly black hair and ate spinach pies.  My best friend had thin, straight glossy blonde hair and ate a pepperoni pizza.  I felt like an outsider.  The hair on her legs only showed in the sunlight...mine showed ALL THE TIME.  I was picked on and picked on and picked on.  I never felt pretty enough, skinny enough, or cool enough.

And to be honest, a lot of times I still don't.

One day a friend of mine posted a status on facebook that read something like

 "I wonder if the people that I am envious of are ever envious of others?"

Wait, did she really just write that?

I was definitely envious of this girl..she had it all: gorgeous looks & hair, she was smart & cool, and worked at a great job. 

 Who in the world could she be envious of?!

 But then it hit me, no matter how strong or cool a person looks..they always have their doubts about themselves.

I feel a pang of resentment towards myself when I see mothers of three with better bodies than mine.

I feel disappointment when I've gained 1+ pound the day after I've worked my butt off at the gym.

I feel guilty when I see girls thinner or smarter than me.

I feel stupid when the single mom makes better grades than me.

Why can't I be her?

My husband deserves someone like that.

 I'm curious..what are your doubts?