Archive for the ‘Miscellaneous “Fun Stuff”’ Category:
So, I just had the opportunity to do something totally fun and relaxing. Albeit, time consuming. But nonetheless, very fun and very gratifying for me. I love natural cosmetics and body care, and in the past year or so I have really developed a consciousness for not putting any types of chemicals on my body.
I still use typical cosmetics, like mascara and foundation that may have chemicals. What I’m talking about are the things I slather on my body repeatedly throughout the day, that can have a high toxic load when you keep introducing them to your body. I’m talking about lotions, hand creams, lip balms, and other body care products that are either exposed to large parts of your body, like body lotion, or things you apply and reapply all day long.
Lip balm is a great example of something you apply and re-apply, and that’s why I figured I wanted to try to make it myself and see if I could come up with something good. It does take a little preparation and having the right tools, which you have to order most likely online.
I needed little squeeze bulbs that could suck up small amounts of liquid and measure mililiters, bees wax ( this is just one ingredient, some people don’t even use beeswax), some essential oils of my choice, a carrier oil, which I chose to be fractionated coconut oil since I love it’s skin-friendly properties,and I added a little capsule of vitamin E as an extra antioxidant.
I added the vitamin E also because it has natural properties that can help protect against spoilage. Basically, you have to heat the beeswax over the stove in water, but in a jar. Once it starts to melt, you have to add your carrier oil.
Then, you mix it all together, and add your essential oils and whatever other ingredients you want, like a flavoring oil or a scented oil that is safe for consumption. I did not add anything like that because I wanted a truly, 100% natural product in the end.
Oh, you also have to buy the little push up tubes to put the mixture in. It hardens very fast, so as you’re transferring it to the containers, you have to make sure you have it liquified at all times, or else you’ll have a caked mess on your hands. I had to reheat it several times, as the beeswax congeals very quickly.
All in all, I’m happy with the product. It’s a bit too emollient though, or too oily. I like mine a little stiffer and less oily. So next time I make the lip balm I’m going to scale back on the carrier oil and use a little more beeswax to make it a tad bit waxier. FUN though!
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Filed under Lips, Miscellaneous "Fun Stuff"
Tags:all, balm, bees, beeswax, carrier, coconut, essential oils, how, lip, make, natural, oil, own, to, wax
Eyeglasses are a necessity for so many of us for either all of the time,or often, just for reading. Depending on your age, the shape of your face and your general complexion and coloring, different styles suit different faces and fashion preferences.
Some people prefer not to wear eyeglasses and go with the option of contact lenses which have come a long way in terms of comfort and convenience. Some contact lenses can even alter or enhance your eye color without obstructing your vision and while still correcting your vision.
Certain people who need vision correction can not get used to any set of contacts or simply can’t put anything directly on their eyes. That leaves the option of eyeglasses.
For years, the trend in eyeglasses was to minimize the look, weight and appearance of the frames. The look became almost rimless and, for some people, these are still their preferred style.
There is a new trend, or several of them, coming in for eyeglass frames. As usual, the young generation is sporting the newer, yet retro, look in eyeglass frames.
The influences in the vintage look for today’s eyeglasses date back to the 1950′s through the 1980′s. Eyeglass frames making a comeback from the 1950′s are the dark thick rimmed style for men and the cat’s eye look for the women.
Rhinestones have made a comeback to the eyeglass frame fashion scene for women too, but some people, like myself, might find those a little too glitzy and brash for their taste.
From the 1970′s influence, we see aviator styles and tinted lenses. The 1980′s featured the oversized frames, dramatically shaped styles which are seen as an influence on today’s frames.
Today’s trends are a mixture of the above styles. Popular fashions in eyeglass frames for women today are tortoiseshell, pinks, pearly finishes and cat’s eye looks, some with rhinestones. The trend for men’s frames in eyeglass wear are black and brown with a bold brow line.
The vintage look in eyeglasses are often suggested as an extra pair, perhaps not for everyday use. You may find you want a sleeker look for evening wear and a different pair for going to work. Lots of people prefer classic wire rims for work and a bolder, more trendy look for evening.
Hello everyone, I wanted to make sure I got a quick holler out to all readers to have a wonderful, safe and warm Christmas day.
Hopefully you will be surrounded by family and friends, and be able to reflect on all the wonderful blessings in your life.
MERRRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
I had written about two months ago how I had purchased an eyebrow growth product by the name of Billion Dollar Brows. I did a lot of research online and found that this eyebrow growth product seemed to be the most reasonably priced for the relatively good results that most people reported while using it.
Some people may wonder, why would you want to grow your eyebrows out when most women are trying to pluck their wayward brows back into submission? Well, when I was in my early twenties, the “in” thing was very thin eyebrows. So I plucked, and plucked and plucked.
All of that plucking really caught up with me, and when I started to realize I looked better with thicker, more natural brows, I noticed that my brows would not grow where I wanted them to.
The follicles simply were plucked too much, and would not grow back due to years of plucking damage. So I decided I’d at least try a brow growth product, which, much like eyelash growth products, helps to boost the growth of these delicate little hairs and make them healthier and stronger so they are not as prone to fall out or “shed”.
There are a lot of eyebrow growth serums and formulas that promise to make the brows grow more abundantly, but some of them I looked at ran as high as $100 for a tube. That’s just too much, especially since the reviews on almost every product were mixed. What if you blew that much money and it didn’t make a lick of difference in your brows?
So I went middle of the road with Billion Dollar Brows. It took a long while to start seeing a difference, but after two months of using the product religiously every night after washing and moisturizing my face, I’m starting to see darker, more full growth in my sparse areas that really needed help.
My arches were where the sparsest parts were, which in my opinion are the most important part of the eyebrow, because they really define the eyes and are the most pivotal part of the appearance of the brows.
My arches are now not only growing in bit by bit (very slowly) but I think the hair is also growing back darker – maybe? I can’t tell for sure, but it seems like it. I still have a whole ‘nother tube left, and I haven’t even gone through the first one yet in two months of use, so I’m actually getting more mileage out of one tube than I thought.
I’ll report final results with Billion Dollar Brows when I’m done using the product, probably another 4 months or so…
Just wanted to take time before we head out the door to Pennsylvania for our Thanksgiving gathering, to wish all of my awesome readers a wonderful, safe, and more importantly delicious Thanksgiving! Indulge, give thanks and enjoy the warmth and comfort of family and friends. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!
Dermal fillers are by and large a safe cosmetic procedure to undergo, and women and men ailke are fans of their natural look, since they fill in lines, wrinkles and other skin imperfections just as naturally as your own collagen would do. Aside from their high cost – they usually run about $500 for a syringe, which can cover a decent amount of area, except for deep wrinkles, which will take up one full syringe on their own usually.
Dermal fillers such as Juvederm, Restylane and Perlane, usually last in the human body for up to six months. When I say “up to”, that’s usually the best case scenario, as some people’s body’s absorb the largely natural material harmlessly on their own in less time. It depends on your body chemistry really.
As I said before, by and large, dermal fillers are a fairly painless, natural looking and safe procedure that results in the filling of wrinkles and lines. It’s also extremely popular for nasolobial folds, which are the lines that come down around the sides of the mouth and below the nose.
Once in a while though, there are some pretty bad results, usually because a person is intolerant or allergic to the material that is being injected. Although these side effects are rare, they are a cautionary tale that no cosmetic procedure that involves injecting foreign bodies into your blood stream is fool proof. There are ALWAYS potential side effects.
Some of the rarely experienced side effects from dermal filler injections are redness and swelling, and the worst are the bumps. There are some people who have experienced a bumpiness of the skin area that received the injections .
This is the reason that so many are resorting to natural creams and lotions and other products for wrinkles and anti aging rather than invasive procedures. This is most often due to an allergic reaction of some sort, but it can also result from an inexperienced physician performing the injection.
It’s important to make sure that your physician is not only certified and credentialed to do what they are doing, but also that they have experience. As with any other procedure, when it goes wrong, the outcome can be worse than the very thing that you went into the office to fix in the first place.
Juvederm is known for being a smoother formula, and is often used to fill in lips and small lines, because it is more fluid and easy to work with, so perhaps this is the best filler to ask your practitioner for if this is your first time. But it’s always best to get whatever they are most comfortable working with as well.
Every time I buy toothpaste, I always buy a whitening formula. So, needless to say, sincce toothpaste is something me and my husband use every day and night, we have bought quite a few teeth whitening toothpastes.
We also both drink coffee and tea, and I happen to also like juices and smoothies that use really dark berries like acai and blueberries, which also are known for staining the teeth.
This means that we both need a regular teeth whitening agent as well, because no matter how good your whitening toothpaste is, you still also need to do a good whitening gel or tray system, or whatever it is you happen to use to get your teeth white and to really periodically get a deep cleaning for those stains that accumulate every week or month.
The last whitening toothpaste I bought was one that is from a fairly new line of toothpaste and tooth care by Colgate called Pro Clinical. They have a few different kinds of Pro Clinical pastes, and one of them was for whitening. It’s not badly priced at about $4 for a tube of it.
It has a great taste, a very mild mint, and you can tell that it’s a great polisher because your teeth feel “squeaky clean” when you’re done scrubbing your teeth with it. I’ve been using the Colgate Pro Clinical for about a week now, and I do notice that my teeth look a bit brighter. I think that it will take a little while longer before I figure out if it is a significatn whitening agent.
Of course, it doesn’t help when I start drinking coffee and tea every morning again, and drinking my beloved fruit juices that are darkly colored. If you partake in these types of foods and beverages, it’s important to make sure you are using a high quality teeth whitener pretty much all the time.
Remember, white, bright teeth are an important part of maintaining that youthful appearance and brightening your whole face and smile. Studies have done on the things that make your face look older, and one of them shows that one of the biggest common denominators in older appearance in one’s face is darker, stained teeth.
This is a really cheap way to make sure you stay young and vibrant looking. And who doesn’t love having a great smile!?
I planned a wedding reception back in March of this year. I tried to keep calm and cool, but it wasn’t always easy when I saw how many details there were that had to be decided on, acted on, and ultimately executed. I’m not the best “party planner” as I tend to be a perfectionist, and tend to fret the smallest details that may not really have much impact on the end result.
What I did was make a list of exactly what I needed to accomplish, and what the reception banquet hall that we had booked would take care of. I also consulted a lot with the girl who was handling the reception details at the reception hall, which was also a hotel, and finalized all details with her. I had a great partner in her, because she really helped to ease my mind and offered guidance on some of the things that I wasn’t sure about.
It’s really important that you get a good, reliable source to be your contact when planning a wedding reception. They can help you all the mind boggling details, and offer important advice on the little things, like table decorations and dj choice.
Here’s a list of things to consider that you may not think about:
1.) Getting a DJ
2.) Invitations and RSVP letters
3.) Who’s going to do the toast?
4.) Table decorations
5.) Party favors – I went without these as I felt they were unnecessary
6.) Order of events and songs
7.) Menu at reception
8.) Full bar or select drinks?
9.) Organized dances and events during the reception
10.) How you’re going to do your hair and makeup of course, also how you’re going to get a manicure and pedicure – I did a do it yourself.
11.) Are you going to change out of your wedding gown?
I chew gum just about every day. I don’t chew it to whiten my teeth though, I really just chew it because it’s enjoyable, and because it freshens my breath better than just putting a mint in my mouth and calling it a day. I also like it because it keeps my mouth busy. I’m somewhat of a habitual snacker, and I like chewing on things, so for me, sugar free gum is the ultimate weapon against putting on weight because otherwise I’d probably be ten pounds heavier.
However, there are some great new teeth whitening chewing gums that are out on the market, and some people like to use them instead of regular chewing gum because they believe that it helps their teeth keep that white look, and helps to bar stains from happening to the teeth. I’ve tried Trident whitening gum, and I really liked the somewhat baking soda flavor (trust me, it’s not overpowering) it had, because it added freshness to my breath. Not just minty freshness, but I felt like it was actually “deodorizing” my mouth as well.
I do notice when I chew it also, that my teeth kind of feel squeaky clean when I run my tongue over them. This is common after you whiten or polish your teeth too, because they are ultra clean and you can literally feel them squeak when you run your tongue over them. I can’t say I noticed much of a whitening, but I thought it would be good measure to pop one of these tooth whitening gums in your mouth after you drink a cup of coffee or tea.
Not only could it get rid of your coffee breath, but the polishers and bleachers could definitely help to remove stains before they happen. I think it could be terrific as a preventative measure against staining your teeth.
While whitening our teeth with a gentle teeth whitening gel, powder, or tray, or whatever it is we use, can definitely boost our confidence in our smile, there are some things that you want to be aware of. I love having white teeth. However, I am very careful not to over whiten my teeth. I use my gentle teeth whitening product only about once every two weeks on my teeth, and I am careful to pick out whitening toothpastes, and like to try to brush my teeth after coffee or other staining agents, but I do not go overboard.
I do notice here and there that my gums get a bit sensitive if the gel gets on them, and they sting a bit. Apparently you have to be careful with this. Why? Because apparently your whitening agent can contain some heavy oxidation agents.
Which means that it may whiten the teeth very effectively, but over time and with excessive use, you can actually wear away your tooth enamel, and also you can damage the soft tissue in you mouth – your gums. This can often be painful, and damaging the enamel on your teeth can take years to undo, or even may take some sophisticated dental treatments to restore it.
You can use Pronamel, the toothpaste that is supposed to help strengthen and fortify your tooth enamel if you are worried about this as well. Even better, you should use the most gentle teeth whiteners you can, so that you still get the teeth whitening you desire, but you’re not damaging the enamel or putting yourself in unnecessary pain.
I’ve always been a little worried about my enamel, so I do use Pronamel here and there, but it’s a product you can’t use for weeks on end anyways. I do feel like it sort of helps to build up a protective barrier that helps my enamel be preserved. If you are concerned, I’d highly recommend you buy this toothpaste to replace your current one and use it for a few weeks, or whatever the recommendations on the back say.
Over whitening your teeth has also been reported to cause excess sensitivity in the teeth and gums of it’s abusers, so this is another reason to be mindful that you are not over whitening your teeth. However, there are plenty of safe ways to whiten and fend off those brown/yellow stains that look so unsightly, so take heart!
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