Posts Tagged ‘rcl1516’

Tame the Mane

Summer Humidity- So you are trying to enjoy a nice summer day, but as soon as you go out, your hair frizzes up. Unless having a lion’s mane ever becomes a trend, you probably will want a way to tame the mane. There are two suggestions to control frizzy hair.  First is embrace the volume and go for a messy updo like a messy bun or fanned out braid. However, if you want to wear your hair down, the solution is only one word. Hair serum. Serums and other hair oils, can help smooth your hair out and weigh it down a bit so the frizz won’t be a problem. If your hair is oily from the hot weather and moisture, you can use dry shampoo, or even just grab some baby powder and sprinkle it lightly on the roots of your hair. Massage the powder in and now you are ready for a fun day at the beach or at a park!

Fall Wind- While there are many hairstyles and updos one can do when it is really windy outside, they only cover the problem. Your hair is still going to be very dry and straw like. To fix the problem or even just as a treat for yourself you can follow these tips to fix any dry hair day. There are many at home, cheap treatments like making a hair mask with natural ingredients from your own kitchen, but for a faster alternative there are moisturizing remedies like spray in leave in conditioner or just running your hands through your hair with some argon oil.

Spring Rain or Winter Snow- To beat the rain or snow this winter season, the best remedy is to put your hair in an updo or more specifically braids or a bun.

Finals Week

With finals week quickly approaching, it is almost impossible to escape the stress monster. Stress is part of everyday life, specially in college, and it comes with a lot of problems, both mental and physical. It can cause tiredness, headaches, acne, dark circles due to insomnia, which only stress us out more and may even make us feel less confident about our physical appearance. But there are ways to help de-stress yourself and prepare for this very stressful week.

  • Meditation and Working out:

Starting the day off with a good run or some meditation can greatly help manage and decrease stress. When it comes to working out, going for a jog outside, or hitting up some weights in the gym’s fitness room, or even going to a Zumba class can make a huge difference in your stress levels. All these activities help release adrenaline and endorphins which makes us feel good and helps reduce stress. Meditating or doing yoga can also greatly impact and reduce the stress levels. All you need is a quiet space and some concentration. Listening to some classical music or to a guided meditation can help you focus on the meditation, but for me, being outside at a park or by a garden is the best option.

  • Facials:

Another great stress reliever, is pampering yourself with a facial mask. This not just helps your skin feel soft and smooth, but will also relax you and make you feel better. For this de-stress facial, all you need is a tablespoon of cinnamon and three tablespoons of honey. So just blend those two ingredients together and then warm the mixture in the microwave for a couple of seconds. Then mix the mask again to disperse the heat and apply to the face. Leave on for a couple of minutes, and remove with a washcloth and some warm water.

  • Do makeup:

This final tip is based more on the mental part of stress than on the physical complications of it. But sometimes just dressing up, doing your makeup, or making yourself look good can actually make you feel good. When you feel that you look attractive, you increase your confidence, and end up feeling better about yourself, thus helping decrease stress.

There are many other ways to de-stress, but these are some of the easiest and cheapest alternatives that are proven to work, and when you are a college student, these options are the most appealing. Good luck for finals!

Shoes to Fall For

In this blog, I have already discussed popular make up looks and outfits for the fall season, but what about shoes? Shoes are a very important part of a look, and come specially handy when it comes to the weather like snow or rain. I know for me as a Penn State student, snow boots are going to be my shoe of choice once winter comes around. So here are some shoe trends for fall 2015.

  • To start, I will talk about the casual everyday shoes, such as Vans or Converse.Both these shoes come in many colors and patterns, and they can be worn for most situations. They are comfortable to wear for long periods of time and go with many outfits making it a year round favorite.
  • A more autumn related shoe is the boot. Boots is a general statement that includes snow boots, high-heeled boots, ankle boots, but for the fall knee length brown or black faux leather boots and rain boots are what people are going for. These boots again come in a variety of colors but for fall people tend to stick to neutral colors like tan, brown, and black. Rain boots however tend to be more colorful colors, but you can still style rain boots. Also boots can accessorize an outfit if they have buttons, buckles or fur on them. Or you can even style them with some boot toppers. Either way, boots can be very versatile can can take a look from casual to business casual or formal.
  • Lastly, heels. Heels are less commonly worn, specially when you are trying to get to a class on time, but there are still instances when you want to dress up or have to dress for a meeting. This year, and specially for the fall season high heeled ankle boots and platform heels are in. While they aren’t the most comfortable to wear, they make you look taller, have better posture, and are very stylish. These are more for a night out or going to a business dinner.

Terrifyingly Beautiful for Halloween

Are you debating whether to have a scary or cute Halloween costume this year? Why not be both? There are many costumes out there that can be turned creepy or beautiful, so why not be a zombified princess, or a dark fairy? Here are a few of the most popular cute/creepy combos for this Halloween season!

  • First and probably the most colorful, the sugar skull. The sugar skull costume really only needs one thing, and that is makeup. The combination of the skull and colors creates a haunting, yet enchanting look. To start a basic sugar skull look, start with white face paint all over the face. Then, set that with a white powder. Next start mapping the skull by shading in a dark color all the hollow parts of your face like your cheeks, eyes, and nose. You’ll know where to shade in dark, by pressing the brush into your skin, and if it’s hard there’s bone under your skin. Don’t forget to draw the teeth on your lips too! Now, for the next part, let your creativity take over. Use bright colors to adorn your skull face with patterns, and maybe look online for ideas. Flowers and tear shapes are most commonly used to decorate the skull. Here’s an example of a sugar skull makeup look.
  • Another popular and easier look is the porcelain doll makeup. The key to this look is big eyes, thick lashes, and rosy cheeks. Start by using a lighter foundation to imitate the flawless porcelain skin of a doll. Don’t be afraid to look a little cakey or like you have too much foundation on. Your skin is supposed to look like fake skin. Next, use a white eyeliner to line your bottom lash, and maybe even go a little past that and color your lower lid white. This will make the eye appear bigger. Then, add big, spidery lashes to the top, and bottom (where the white eyeliner ends). Finally, to finish the look color your cheeks a rosy pink, and add freckles. To make the look even creepier add some cracks with black liquid liner.
  • Finally, for this last look, all you need are safety pins, or paper clips, or anything your mind can come up with. This is a very simple look that really only involves sealing your mouth with some latex and tissue paper, and gluing safety pins or staples or string pieces to your mouth to create the illusion that your mouth really is being kept closed with those. Thus, allowing you the ability to do your makeup however you want, whether that is a dark smokey eye or a simple cat liner, you have the freedom to choose. Latex is not hard to use, but you should know how to use it before getting started. Here is an example of the safety pins look.

In the end of it all, have fun and try to pick a costume you are comfortable in wearing for most of the night. And there are still tons of ideas of costumes that can be scary and pretty at the same time, all you need is some creativity. Happy Halloween!

Fighting the Cold, Dry Weather

With the temperatures dropping, and the cold weather becoming more prominent, your body might not be handling the changes very well. Your face might be red and dry, and your hair might feel like a broom. But don’t let the lower temperatures get you down! Here are some tips to battle these season changes!

Face

  1. Start with a very gentle face wash. Wet your face with warm water or try steaming it by either using a facial steamer or putting a wash cloth under really hot water and holding it close to your face. This will open up your pores. Then rinse your face with cold water to close up and tighten the pores. Avoid anything with harsh chemicals that might irritate your already dry skin. You can purchase a cleanser, but you can also take the natural and cheap route and make a honey facial cleanser.
  2. Next, you can use a moisturizing mask. Again you can buy one, or make a homemade mask such as the honey and olive oil hydrating facial. To begin, mix two tablespoons of honey with one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a bowl. Once it is all mixed, pop the bowl in the microwave for a couple of seconds to warm it up. It shouldn’t be so hot that it melts off your skin! Try doing 10 second increments and testing it on your wrist to prevent the mask from getting too hot. After it has reached the prefect temperature apply to skin, and leave it on for 5 minutes till its cool. Lastly, rinse your face with cold water and pat dry. For additional DIY facial masks follow this link.
  3. Finally, to finish the whole process, apply a moisturizer to the skin. Try to find a specific one that is meant for dry, sensitive skin, as this one will penetrate and hydrate the skin better than a normal moisturizer.

Hair

  1. For the hair, to help with dry hair, split ends and static caused by the cold weather, start with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. Massage the shampoo gently into the scalp using your finger tips and not your nails. Massaging the scalp helps promote hair growth, as well as the release of your own body’s moisturizing hair oils. Then rinse the hair with cold water or luke warm water, as hot water tends to damage the hair further. Then condition hair, and leave the conditioner for a little longer than normal, so around 5 minutes.
  2. Next, try using a hair mask or deep conditioner, to seal moisture in and hydrate your hair. You can also make a hair mask using natural ingredients.
  3. Finally, to finish the hair you can use a hydrating hair serum. It will add shine to your hair while protecting it from the weather.

(Fall)ing in Love with This Season’s style

So the leaves have turned colors of red, orange and yellow, the temperatures have dropped, and there a whole lot of pumpkin hype…why? Cause we are in the fall season! And, in response, your style should reflect these seasonal changes.

  • Starting with the makeup, the colors of this season are warm and earthy tones. Colors like bronze, gold, and brown are perfect for the autumn. So for an easy shadow look start with applying lightly a bronzey or orangey tone to the enitre lid. Don’t be too heavy-handed applying these colors because they are only being used as a wash of color to warm up the eye. Afterwards apply a brown shadow to the crease and outer V of the eye (the outside corner of the eye), and make it look a little smoky by using a fluffy brush. The darker the brown the more intense the eyes will be. Finally, add a shimmery gold to the inner half of the lid, and finish off with eyeliner and mascara, and you are done with the eyes! As for the rest of the face, darker contours are in, as well as a dark matte lipstick.
  • Now for the hair. As far as hair colors for this fall, a lot of people dye their hair light shades of brunette, and add highlights like balayage, or ombre. However, not everyone is willing to dye their hair, so spice up your fall with these hairstyles. In recent years, I have noticed that during this season, natural waves are very in, and even if you don’t have wavy hair, the style is easily recreated with a curling wand. For an updo, buns and top knots are also very in style.
  • Finally, for the outfit, they don’t call this sweater weather for no reason! Sweaters, cardigans, and basically any knitted item of clothing is very fashionable in this season. People also use a lot of flannel around this time. As far as accessories, scarves, gold and bronze jewelry, and knitted boot cuffs and toppers are the way to go.

Now you are ready to jump in the piles of leaves, get some pumpkin spice latte, and enjoy this fall season!

Easy, Last-minute Halloween Costumes Tips

So we are in the month of October, which means the fall season is in full bloom (well not really, nothing is blooming), but this means pumpkin spiced lattes are back, its sweater weather, and Halloween is right around the corner! However, as a college student, with exams, and homecoming week, who really has time or money to look for a nice Halloween store-bought costume? So here are two top tips to look cute without becoming broke for Halloween.

  • My first suggestion is just use a black dress or a black leotard, (or any single color dress or leotard to match your costume idea) as a base for most costumes, and just buy accessories or a costume kit to turn it into a proper Halloween costume. Here are some simple ideas that usually come from a costume kit:
    • Animals- Almost all animal costumes, only need a set of ears, and a tail, and the rest usually involves make up, so drawing a nose, whiskers or even just relying on the accessories to get the costume across. No matter what though, animal costumes are cute and they haven’t gotten out of style. They are purrfect for a quick Halloween costume! 
    • Uniforms- Another very simple concept, that can be shown with just accessories. For example a cop costume really only needs the cop hat, a pair of handcuffs and maybe some aviator glasses. Or a sailor costumer where you only need a sailor hat, white dress instead of black, and maybe a navy scarf around the neck. Whatever the uniform costume may be, it usually only relies on the accessories. 
    • Another idea is just use your own wardrobe or just go to a thrift shop, Some costumes don’t require that you go to a Halloween store for accessories, sometimes you already have what you need. Here are some ideas:
      • Cowboy- All you need is a flannel shirt, maybe some boots and of course a cowboy hat!
      • Nerd- Just use glasses or buy a cheap pair, a white button up shirt, suspenders if you have them, a bowtie or tie, and you are done. For a bonus effect, wrap tape around the nose bridge part of the glasses.
      • Ninja- Just wear all black, and have a black t-shirt ready for your mask. Watch the video to see how to turn the shirt into a ninja mask

There are a lot of other Halloween costume ideas, but if all else fails, just use your old bed sheets, cut two eye holes, and be a college-budget ghost! Happy Halloween season!

3 Makeup Looks for the Day

When people first start using makeup, they normally don’t know when to do what, or how much to use at a time. In our everyday lives, we see people dress very differently and wear equally different makeup looks. So here is a basic guide to three staple makeup looks any makeup rookie needs!

This is a pretty easy makeup look to achieve. It only requires a couple of products, and the level of intensity  can be changed depending on preference. For the face, you should avoid thick foundation, and try to go for a lighter look using lighter foundation or a good BB cream. Also apply concealer to cover dark spots, redness and so on. Then just use a bit of blush and some bronzer and you are done! For the eyes, avoid using too much eye shadow.  Stick to neutral colors, and don’t use super glittery eye shadow. Then apply a thin line of eyeliner,  some mascara and voila the everyday makeup look is complete!

For this look, you’ll need even less products! Start out with some BB cream or tinted moisturizer to even out the skin tone. Avoid using a lot of concealer because it is a natural look, so embrace the small flaws, and rock those freckles, or beauty marks! And for the eyes, try using only one matte eye shadow all over the lid, and finish the look off with some mascara.

It is girl’s night out, and you are dressing up and going out to have fun, and what better way to make an outfit than with a bold make up look. For this one, try using a more long wear foundation, and maybe do some contouring with bronzer and highlighter. For the eyes, go for darker shadows, maybe with some shimmer, and finish it off with a strong winged liner. If you are feeling extra bold that night, try using false lashes instead of just mascara for the eyes, or go for a bright red lip color, or any other color that suits you. And with that, you are done. And remember no matter what look you wear you are beautiful everyday!

How to Pamper Yourself While in College

So it is exam week, and you are stressed. You have been staying up to study, eating late night pizza and fries to feed the stress monster and your body is suffering. You deserve a little TLC, so these are some cheap alternatives to giving yourself a spa service without the spa price.

  • First one is an exfoliating face mask.

The aspirin honey mask helps clean dirty pores, clarify skin, treat acne, reduce redness and acne swelling.All you need is aspirin, honey and a little bit of water.You start by grabbing 3-4 aspirins and adding a few drops of water to dissolve the aspirin into a paste. Then you add about a teaspoon or so of honey to the mixture, and once everything is combined apply the mask in circular motions to your face. Gently scrub your face with the mask to remove dead skin cells and impurities, and leave it on for 15 minutes. Finally, wash the mask away with cold water, and your skin will be soft, supple and clear! For an additional treatment, take an egg white, beat it, and let dry on your face. Then wash it off to tighten your pores and give yourself a healthy glow.

  • Next is the hair mask.

For soft, healthy hair the avocado hair mask is for you. It moisturizes the hair and repairs damaged ends. All you need is one teaspoon of olive oil, half an avocado and one egg yolk (the one leftover from the face mask). To begin you mash the avocado into a paste and mix the olive oil and the yolk into it. Then apply the mixture starting at the ends of your hair, and leave the hair mask on your hair for 30 minutes or more if you can. And after you have washed off the mask you will feel that your hair is stronger and healthier.

  • Finally a cuticle treatment.

 

After a long day of writing down notes and typing up papers, your hands could use some pampering. For a quick cuticle treatment, just pour olive oil into a bowl and warm the oil in a microwave making sure it’s not too hot. And leave your fingers inside the bowl for 15 to 20 minutes, then massage the rest of the oil on your hands to use as a moisturizer. After washing the oil off, you will notice that your hands and cuticles will be softer. And there are other great nail treatments that use olive oil.

All these methods are great ways to treat yourself while having a college budget, as they all include some of the same cheap ingredients and you’re not wasting any of them on one use. I also have personally tried these tricks, and have come up with great results. And there is no better way to end exam week, than with an at-dorm spa. So study hard, and treat yourself, you deserve it!

Cheap Makeup Hacks for the College Student

As a college student, you have a lot of limitation when it comes to finances. Whether you are getting money sent from home or even earning it yourself at a job, it still isn’t enough for all the college related expenses (TEXTBOOKS!!!!!). At the end of the day, you are still doing as much as you can to save money like saving last night’s leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch, or using coupons, or maybe even looking up some ways to save money in college. Well for those who wear makeup, or even want to learn more about it, but are afraid of how expensive it can be, here are 3 inexpensive makeup tricks to save you some moola!

  • First tip is using art brushes instead of buying makeup brush sets

comparison of makeup brushes and art brushes

Makeup brush sets are crucial tools for any makeup fan, as they can help accomplish a variety of looks. They can give a lot of precision when it comes to eye-shadow looks, or even aid in the covering of blemishes with foundation and smoothing out of pores. The only downside is that the sets can be expensive and they have to be cleaned. However, if one buys art brushes instead of an actual set, you can save yourself a lot of cash, and even buy more brushes than are included in an expensive makeup brush set.

  • Second tip is DIY makeup brush cleaner

So as mentioned before, the only other downside to brushes is keeping them clean, and while you can buy spray cleaners or special soaps for them, these can all become a bit pricey over time. However, you can also turn to the cheaper side, and make your own DIY makeup cleaner. The one I personally use is 1 part extra virgin olive oil, and 1 part baby shampoo, but there are other ideas, and they all only require household products.

  • Third tip is using some household products as makeup tools

    baby powder can be used as a setting powder too

So all makeup products, whether department or even drug store, can start to become much bigger expenses while in college. However, there are certain products one can use to replace some of these makeup products. For example using, baby powder as loose powder instead of actually buying a translucent or specific setting powder. The baby powder comes in larger quantities and for cheaper. Same goes for using hairspray as a makeup setting spray. You’d have to use the hairspray sparingly, but it accomplishes the same purpose as any other expensive makeup setting spray.

College is a place where saving money is a part of life, and often people have to change their lifestyles to accommodate their college budget. So hopefully with these tips and more, those who love and wear makeup can save some cash and still look amazing!

 

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