Collages for my Art Class

Natural Avocado Hair and Face Masks

Dry, flaky summer skin or damaged hair? Okay, let's get to business. 

Here are two great recipes I found and they work wonders for your skin and hair.

The first recipe is for your skin. 

Ingredients:

1/2 Avocado, pitted

1 tsp honey

2 Tbs hot water

Directions:

Dissolve the honey in the hot water by stirring it. Add this mixture to the avocado and combine ingredients until smooth. You can use a fork or a mixer. 

I used a fork, and it took a few minutes to mix up.

Apply the mixture to your face. Make sure you coat your face with a thick enough mask.

Set a timer for 10-20 minutes until the avocado has dried and then rinse the mask off. It's best to rinse off the mask in the shower because it is a little messy,

A little frightening, but I look like a ninja turtle "chya chya." 

The second recipe is the hair mask. This one is strictly for your hair, the other one can be added to the hair mask, if you do not have enough.

Ingredients:

1/2 Avocado, pitted

1 Tbs Honey

1 TbsAvocado oil

Directions:

Put ingredients in mixing bowl and mix on high until combined and smooth. You want this to be completely smooth or you will have trouble getting the clumps of avocado out of your hair. I don't know too many people who like green chunks in their freshly washed hair.

Distribute the mixture throughout the hair. Use only on tips of hair first then apply the rest to the roots. The tips tend to be the most damaged because they've been around much longer than the hair closer to the scalp.

Enjoy!

Expensive College Books? Look for Alternatives.

As an incoming freshmen, buying books was foreign territory. So like any other inexperienced and under educated new college student, I ran straight to the school's bookstore. My books totaled to be over $500. Yes, ridiculous. I even had to buy a $200 book for Biology. 

Anyways, the good stuff, the alternatives. First of all, ask ask ask! Plenty of upper level students have taken these courses, and some of them may still have the books. You can ask to borrow them or ask to pay them a few bucks to rent them. It beats spending hundreds of dollars on books that you're not even gonna get half the price for when it is time to sell them back.

Next, find the book titles and look for them on Ebay.com or Bookholders.com. You can even find some books that ring in at $80 at the bookstore for as cheap as a penny at Bookholders.com.

Another option is to ask on your school's Facebook page to see if other students have a book you need and are selling it for cheaper than the bookstore.

Sometimes you have to buy a book from the school bookstore, but it doesn't hurt to try and save a penny here and there.

Good luck with purchasing your books this semester and save some money!

Natural Makeup Ideas for Interview

Heading to a job interview? This means you may need a makeup makeover.

You don't want to show up caked in makeup and bright eye shadow. You just want to enhance your natural look without overpowering it.

For your face, use a light foundation and a loose powder. A few dabs of the powder should do the trick and rub a quick swab of a tissue to pick up the extra foundation off your skin.

For your eyes, use a natural shade of eye shadow like brown, tan or any color that is a shade or two darker than your skin color. You just want to add some shine to your eyes, but not make them the only thing you can focus on. Definitely skip the liquid eyeliner. It may be cute, but it isn't very professional. Save it for casual events like parties and gatherings. Mascara and eyeliner are fine, but don't wear too much or it can make you look intense and overdone.

Skip the lip gloss and opt for a light lipstick close to your natural lip color or stick with chap stick.

Make sure you use the right shade of foundation too and don't get any on your collar.

My favorite makeup items:

The Naked Palette is perfect for finding eye shadow colors that match or are the closest to your skin color. They have a light dusting of shimmer to them to help make your eyes pop.

Covergirl has an amazing foundation that helps with oil control. Do you know what that means? Less acne. It's a perfect creamy foundation that isn't too thick like a lot of other liquid foundations I have used in the past.

Ofra mascara is stunning. In one swipe you have instantly bolder eyelashes, without the clumpy mascara residue most mascaras leave behind.

My favorite eyeline is Clinique's quickliner. It is easy to apply and doesn't run or smudge easily. It will smudge if you cry or sweat a lot, but it is pretty resistant to water.

Summer, I Will Miss You.

It's already August. That means Fall is approaching fast, and I am going to miss summer dearly for two big reasons. First reason, I have to go back to school. Second reason, it's going to start getting dreadfully cold.

I hate the cold for a few very good reasons. 1.) There's no watermelon in season in the fall. 2.) I can never find anything warm enough to wear when it starts to get cold. 3.) Cold temperatures give me the blues

Did you know there is a condition called SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder; Seasonal depression)? And there are more than 3 Million reported cases a year.

What is SAD? It is a mood disorder that is characterized by depression and typically occurs at the same time very year. It can cause fatigue, depression, and social withdraw. 

If you have this disorder, you may experience many changes to your mental and physical being when the seasons change. some these changes include, mood changes, psychological changes, sleep pattern changes, weight and behavioral changes.

Its a disorder that's worth reading about because maybe that's why winter puts you in a funk.

Are You Eating Enough?

I once thought, the less you ate the healthier you would be, but I was so wrong. You need a certain amount of fuel to meet your daily tasks. This amount depends on a majority of factors like height, weight, gender, and daily activity. 

People always say you need to burn more than you eat in order to lose weight, and it seems simple "eat less, burn more." It's not that simple because people tend to cut out things their body needs, like essential fats and nutrients to get a higher calorie deficit. And then on top of losing the fuel your body needs to complete daily tasks, you add more intense exercises to further deplete your body's leftover energy, if there is any energy left to deplete at all. 

This constant war of not eating enough can cause severe damage to the body, and if the torture isn't already enough on your physical and mental well-being, it sure will be when you notice the numbers on the scale don't even budge. So, now what? You start think maybe, I'm eating too much and not exercising enough, and continue to put your body through more torture just to not see any positive results. By this time, you should've realized cutting the calories isn't helping. You need to eat right, not less. If you need to calculate calories to get an idea of how much you can have, then so be it. You should never feel deprived from food. You should never feel completely drained from working out. You should feel good, satisfied and most importantly, you should feel alive.

So next time you are thinking about a new diet, remember to eat healthily and to be happy doing so. 

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Millybridal/Wedding Dresses UK

Are you looking for an elegant dress for your wedding, prom, or homecoming? All special events that require the perfect dress. 
Well you are in luck because http://uk.millybridal.org/ and http://uk.millybridal.org/browse/wedding-dress-c-130/ offer a beautiful selection of elegant wedding dresses and special occasion dresses. Not only are their dresses beautiful, but they also keep your timely needs in mind too. When ordering the dress, their site tells you the earliest you will receive your dress if you order it right then and there. Receiving time includes tailoring time + shipping time. It's always nice, especially when your special day is right around the corner.

This is a dress featured on their site (you can click the photo to head over to it's exact location). It is absolutely stunning. A must-have for the perfect wedding, and if you're looking to break the traditional white wedding dress trend, this dress is offered in a variety of beautiful colors like, burgundy and champagne.

Millybridal has a very diverse selection of dresses to suit the desires of everyone. There is a dress that is perfect for everyone out there, Millybridal just happens to have them all. Head on over to find yours today.

Oh, don't forget to check out the prom and homecoming dresses too. They are stunning. Exactly what every girl wants for that special night, a showstopping dress. 

This red dress is absolutely perfect for prom. You will be stunning in pictures and on the dance floor. It will surely light up the night and have people admiring your gown for days after prom.

This blue cocktail dress is a little less formal. It would be perfect for homecoming or another school dance. It is also available in 18 colors, so you'll be able find the perfect color to suit your style.

That's my favorite part about Millybridal, almost all of the dresses are available in more than two colors. It makes looking for the perfect one a little easier.

So go ahead and take a look around Millybridal and do some shopping.

If you like one of the dress here, just click on the picture to head over to it on Millybridal. You won't regret buying one of these dresses. They are perfect for any special occasion. 

Hurry up and check out these elegant dresses now!

Millybridal: http://uk.millybridal.org/ Wedding Dresses UK: http://uk.millybridal.org/browse/wedding-dress-c-130/

Swimme Boutique Swimwear

www.swimme.com offers a wide selection of absolutely beautiful designer swim pieces. They are all breathtaking and absolutely stunning. You won't be able to settle for just one. 

I received the Otun top and bottom set and fell in love instantly. Especially because of the top. It ties in the front, has removable cups and beautiful multi-strap detail. I've never seen a striped patterned bikini set look so good before. I also love ow perfectly the bikini forms to your shape. It feels natural and comfortable. 

The bottoms to this set are low-rise and provide moderate coverage. 

        

Swimme's swimsuits come in different sizes ranging Small to extra-large. They have a size chart to ensure that you order the correct size as well. This set is available in Small, Medium and Large. If you'd like to get a better look at this exact swim set click on the photo above to head over to this set on Swimme's site.

I absolutely love the suit and I am sure you will too!

SLIMQUICK Pure protein Review SPONSORED POST

SLIMQUICK pure protein powder is the perfect supplement to get the results you are seeking. It is the only protein powder designed with BioPure Green Tea to help women lose 3 times the weight. It packs 20g of protein in a one scoop serving. It's perfect for those struggling to control their appetites and lose weight.

The bottle suggests to take a one scoop serving mixed with 4oz water in the morning and another 6 hours later. 

I found it better to mix it in the Nutribullet or any blender with half of a banana, 1 tsp cocoa powder (because I love chocolate), and some ice and use it to replace breakfast. 

It kept me completely satisfied until lunch time. 

The shake works best when used in conjunction with a reduced calorie diet.

1 week using drink. Also, I didn't have much weight to lose, I would've lost a ton of weight if I weighed more. I lost 2 inches from my waist using this product and working out 6x a week.

Left: Before 

Weight: 135lbs

Waist: 28 inches

Right: After

Weight: 132lbs

Waist: 26 inches

Visit www.myslimquick.com to start your journey today.

Disclaimer: Products were given in exchange of an honest review.

Sponsored Post

Cucumber Tomato & Cheese No Bread Sandwiches

Ingredients:

10 cucumber slices, peeled

5 tomato slices, seeded

1oz cheese sliced into 5 slices

Salt

Pepper

5 toothpicks

Directions:

Top each of the 5 cucumbers with 1 slice of tomato and 1 slice of cheese. Dash with salt and pepper then add a top cucumber. Insert a toothpick into each "sandwich" to keep it from falling apart.

Enjoy.

Green Tea Vanilla Honey Sorbet

Ingredients:

2 Green tea bags

2-1/2 cups hot water

1/4 cup honey

1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

In medium sauce pan, bring 2-1/2 cups of water to boil. Remove pan from heat and add tea bags. Steep tea for 2-3 minutes until water turns light green. Return pan to heat and add honey. Bring honey and tea to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Add vanilla. 

Pour mixture in dish and place in freezer. Stir every 30-45 minutes until shaved ice consistency is reached.

Makes 5 half cup servings. 56 calories per serving.

This recipe is the best recipe ever, honestly. It is the perfect skinny summer snack because it is refreshing and low in calories. It is super sweet and perfect for the whole family. The kids will love it. They might be afraid to try it because it is green, but they'll love it once they do. 

You can also add your own personal twist to this treat, like a sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice. 

I think my next plan is to make a spiced Chai version of this sorbet. If I do, I'll post the recipe.

Cinnamon Grilled Pineapple & Greek Yogurt Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 tbs coconut oil or coconut oil cooking spray

1 cup sliced pineapple

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

Directions:

Heat oil in grill pan until hot. Place pineapple in the hot pan (it should make a sizzling noise). Sprinkle upright side of pineapple slices with all of the  cinnamon. Cook pineapple for two minutes, until desired grill marks are achieved. Flip and cook other side for two minutes as well.

Remove pineapple from heat and serve over Greek yogurt. Enjoy.

 Voila, here is what your finished snack will look like. It is sweet, crunchy, tangy, and all under 200 calories for the entire recipe.

Benefits of Weightlifting

Exercise is a must for a healthy mind and body. Everyone knows cardio is a must for a healthy mind and body, but did you know weightlifting and resistance training is another must for a healthier body. 

Weight training improves bone density, lean muscle tissue, strength of muscles and tendons, and it helps you maintain your weight or burn more calories. 

Weight training isn't only for men. That's right, ladies it is time to grab some weights and bust out a few reps. It is impossible to get as bulky as a man without taking steroids or other testosterone boosting supplements, so you don't have to fear lifting heavy.

Another bonus from weight training is that it actually helps you burn more fat. It burns calories to do the exercises and after your body continues to burn calories to heal the muscle fibers. So, why wouldn't you want to lift weights?

When I can't get to the gym, I use 8 lb weights for my arms, 15 lb weight when squatting and resistance bands for everything else. these three items can make any space like a gym. There is so much you can do with free weights and resistance bands that you'll never get bored or need a gym membership.

Muscle Milk

Muscle Milk protein powder makes the best tasting protein shakes ever.

They have Vanilla Creme and Chocolate flavored protein powders that are only 150 calories a serving. This 150 calories gives you roughly 32 grams of protein. Sounds good, right? Just wait, the recipes I made using this powder are even better.

The first recipe is a super easy pumpkin pie protein packed smoothie.

Pumpkin Pie Protein Smoothie Recipe:

1/2 cup canned pumpkin 

1 tbs coconut milk

1 cup water

1 scoop Muscle Milk vanilla creme protein powder

1/2 tbs pumpkin spice

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup ice

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy. This recipe is absolutely delicious. It tastes like a mix between a pumpkin pie and a spice cake. You will enjoy your workout even more with this drink. It supplies lasting energy and keeps you full longer than most protein smoothies. Also pumpkin aids in fat burning, so it is the perfect smoothie for your diet and your health.

The next recipe I made using the Chocolate Muscle Milk protein powder. This drink is better if you have chocolate cravings that are hard to control.

Chocolate Protein Icee Recipe:

1 cup water

1tbs coconut milk

1 scoop chocolate Muscle Milk protein powder

1/2 banana

1 tsp cocoa powder

1 tbs Almond butter

1 1/2 cups ice

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until icy. 

Disclaimer: Products were given in exchange for my honest opinions. All opinions and pictures are my own.

Ecco Bella

Hurry and check out www.eccobella.com for Ecco Bella's Paperback Single Compact and Natural Blush Refills. The compact is a hot, new release. It is refillable, biodegradable, eco-friendly, and will last you years. Ecco Bella's products come in cute flower matchboxes that are biodegradable.

Here is the Paperback Single Compact. It is perfect for travel and on-the-go make up kits because it isn't a bulky compact. It also features an elastic band to keep the compact closed.
You buy this empty compact and then fill it with Ecco Bella eye shadow, eyeliner, shimmer and blush colors. It only holds one of your choice.

On the inside you can secure your favorite Ecco Bella blush. This is Ecco Bella's Natural Blush Refill. It is infused with FlowerColor Waxes. If you like this color, it is called Peach Rose. 

I love Ecco Bella's compact. It's a great compact for busy people. It conveniently fits in any purse. 

The blush is perfect for a natural look. It's not too thick and doesn't make your face look caked in powder. It actually looks like a natural blushed face, the way make-up should look. All you need is a light swipe of the blush on each cheek. This blush will last a long time because you need very little to brighten your cheeks.

Disclaimer: Products were given in exchange for my honest opinions.

Double the Dough

Vanilla Rich Extra Large Pecan Cookies

2 cups (4 Sticks) butter, softened

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 eggs

4-1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups (11.5-oz package) HERSHEY'S Milk Chocolate Chips

1 Cup pecan halves

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Beat butter until creamy.
3. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar to butter and beat until creamy and smooth.
4. Add vanilla and eggs. Beat well.
5. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until completely blended. 
6. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
7. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool Completely.

Enjoy your really big and delicious cookies!

Fitbit Charge

I absolutely love my Fitbit. It keeps me going. It's funny to think something like a wrist pedometer can keep you going, but it sure does. I've seen myself progress from 10,000-30,000 steps a day. It allows me to see if I've had enough activity for a day or if I need to step it up a bit. It helps with every aspect of your health, like diet, exercise and portion control. 

This is the Fitbit I purchased from Best Buy about 2 months ago. I have to say it was worth it. I feel so much healthier now that I have this device. Well, it isn't only the device that makes you healthier, it takes a little work on your end too. The Fitbit makes the challenge more exciting and visible. 

You can see how many steps you get each day and the steps from previous days too. It vibrates when you reach your daily step goals and cheers you to keep up the good work. Not only does the Fitbit want you to keep going, but you and your friends will want you to too. The Fitbit app allows you to friend other people who have Fitbits and set challenges between you and them. It's really exciting to cheer and taunt your friends.

Here is the tracking of my steps for the week. It not only keeps this record, but it also keeps a record all the way back to when you first put your Fitbit on. You'll always know how much progress you've made or if you need to put a little more work into your routine. It's a great way to keep you motivated.

It also tracks how many miles you walked and you can set distance goals as well as step and calorie goals.

It tracks how many calories you burn naturally and how many you've burned from walking and exercising. This is one of my favorite features on the Fitbit. It has a food log and you can log food by scanning the bar card on common food labels or typing in the food and calories. The log keeps track of how many calories you've eaten throughout the day and if you have burned enough calories to lose or maintain your weight.

The only thing it doesn't have is a goal source for individuals looking to gain weight.

It keeps all of these logs in a tidy little page inside of your Fitbit app. Along with these, it tracks how many steps you've climbed, how much food you logged, and how long you were active for each day.

You can challenge your friends and other Fitbit users to daily/weekly challenges and earn badges. It's a really fun way to stay motivated in your fitness journey. It's really fun to see how many badges you and your friends will earn.

It also has a place to send messages, taunts, and cheers to your friends, to help them keep up with their journey too.

I haven't found one reason to not love my Fitbit and I'm sure I never will. 

Paleo Pro Products

www.paleoproproducts.com offers a wide variety of proteins that don't contain ingredients that aren't paleo friendly, unlike other common protein powders and products.

This is the Chocolate protein powder. It is delicious mixed with coconut milk or Silk Soy Milk. I tried it in 8oz of Water, 1 Tablespoon of coconut milk and 30g of the Paleo Pro protein powder and it was excellent and very satisfying. They also offer this protein powder in Aztec Vanilla and Plain Naked.  

For the Plain protein powder I made a Blueberry Smoothie. 

It was the best smoothie I've made so far.

RECIPE:

1/2 Cup Blueberries

2 Tbs PB Fit Peanut Butter Powder

1 Tbs Coconut Milk

1 Cup Water

1 Cup Ice

30g Plain Naked Paleo Pro Protein Powder

Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. The smoothies tasted exactly like blueberry pancakes. It is sweet and peanut buttery and very smooth. Most Protein powders have a chalky, weird aftertaste, but this one tastes exactly like the ingredients I put in it and nothing more.

For the Aztec Vanilla Paleo Pro protein powder, I made protein pancakes.

They turned out to be better than normal pancakes. 

RECIPE:

1 egg

1 banana

30g Aztec Vanilla Paleo Pro protein powder

1/4 cup blueberries (optional)

1 Tbs coconut oil

2 Tbs Peanut Butter (optional)

Cut and mash the banana up into a pulp using a fork. Add the egg and protein powder and mix until combined. Add Blueberries to the mix. 

Place coconut oil in pan and heat. Spoon out batter like normal pancakes in pan and cook like a pancake. Use peanut butter spread on top of pancakes for additional protein and flavor.

The Paleo Recovery Powder is perfect after any workout and will leave you feeling refreshed. It is perfect mixed in water or in a smoothie.

Disclaimer: Samples were given in exchange for an honest review.