Homemade Body Scrubs

To me, there are few things better than having super-soft, moisturized skin.  I absolutely hate when my skin is dry, especially my hands.  It weirds me out to touch ANYTHING when my hands are dry and scaly.  I keep hand cream in my purse and on my nightstand, and I am constantly guilty of having too many lotions in the bathroom cabinets and/or counter.  I've always loved body scrubs.  The rougher, the better.  

A few months ago, I went to get a pedicure at a local nail salon and decided to splurge and get the "deluxe spa pedicure."  Oh my word.  It was amazing!  The best part was when she used a sugar scrub on my calves, shins and feet.  I could just feel it scrubbing away all the gross dry, dead skin cells and revealing fresh, beautiful soft skin underneath.  I was shocked by what a difference it made, but I really didn't feel like going over to Bath & Body Works to buy a scrub for $20.  So when I got home, I did some research to find out what it would take to make my own.  

Because I am currently obsessed with coconut oil, the first body scrub I made included coconut oil, brown sugar, white sugar and a couple drops of vanilla extract for a sweet scent.  I just mixed up all of the ingredients and scooped it into a small mason jar with a screw-on lid and put it in the shower so I could use it easily while bathing.  

Last week, I decided to make another one because I had run out of the vanilla one a while ago and was missing my super-soft skin!  This time I used coconut oil, lime juice, honey and white sugar.  This one has a very light citrusy scent, and I'm really enjoying it so far! 

There are no limits as to what you can put in your body scrub - after all, it's going on your body!  I've read about some scrubs that use coffee grounds or lavender or tea leaves, and more.  I can't wait to experiment with other ingredients!  I adore my new hobby.  :)

xoxo

My Hair Care Essentials

I have maintained a love/hate relationship with my hair since middle school, when I started really caring  about what I looked like.  Throughout high school, I kept my hair pretty short - meaning chin length or a little longer.  I occasionally let it grow to my shoulders, but it never got much longer than that.  The first time I chemically-treated my hair in any way was my junior year of high school when I died my naturally auburn hair a darker red.  Senior year of high school was a dramatic year for hair changes.

I went from blonde highlights:

Back to a closer version of my natural color:

To dark brown right before graduation:

In college, I kept it mostly a strawberry-blonde:

And red:

Basically, I've damaged my hair quite a lot over the past eight years, and I continue to damage it by getting partial highlights every eight weeks and using heat styling tools on it at least twice a week.  Despite all of this hair destruction, I manage to get tons of compliments on my hair, and I truly believe I owe it all to my current hair routine and the products I use to keep it healthy.  I am very excited to share what works for me!

First of all, I was blessed with normal/dry hair so I only wash it 2-3 times per week.  I know some people have super oily hair and have to wash it everyday, but if you have normal/dry hair like me, you're really harming your hair by washing it daily.  It's good for your hair to get a little oily - it keeps it healthy.  Because my hair is chemically-treated with color, I use color-safe shampoo and conditioner.  Now, let me tell you, I've tried a multitude of shampoos and conditioners, from cheap brands to pricey, salon brands, and Pureology is the best.  Because my hair is naturally wavy, curly, thick and frizzy, I chose Pureology Super Smooth to help relax the kinks.

After I lightly towel-dry my hair, I liberally spray it with Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Wheat Leave In Conditioner and comb through it with a wide-tooth comb until I get all the knots out. 

Then, I use my all-time favorite product - Moroccan Oil.  I use two pumps of the oil on the ends (driest part) of my hair and then smooth what's left on my hands on the rest of my hair, careful not to get too much of the oil on the top of my head because that can make it look gross and greasy.

After I use Moroccan Oil, I let my hair air-dry for at least 30 minutes, depending on how much time I have.  Before blow-drying what's left of the damp hair, I spritz on some Pureology Heat Fortifying Spray for heat protection and spray my roots with a little Pureology Root Lift for added volume at the crown of my head.  I don't always use the root lift, only if I feel like I need a boost.

After all of my hair is dry, I use one pump of Moroccan Oil to smooth over my hair before curling or straightening.

I hope you all find these products as beneficial as I do, if you should choose to try any of them out for yourself.  This has been my routine for the past couple of years, and I'm happy I finally found the right products that work for my unruly hair!

Wednesday Summer Inspiration

I don't know about you guys, but I am beach-dreaming like MAD!  Grooving to the Beach Boys, craving pina coladas, pining for a new pair of oversized sunnies, inhaling the summer air and wishing I could go swimming in the sea...

XOXO

A Sweet Celebration of Love

Well, Helen and Corey's wedding celebration came and went so quickly!  It feels like just yesterday we were celebrating their engagement at Peche downtown.  I had been looking forward to this wedding for months because I knew Helen would make sure it was the classiest of all affairs, and it truly was.  Both the ceremony and the reception took place at The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.  It was a beautiful and breathtaking venue, the weather was perfect (a tad on the chilly side but we weren't outdoors for very long) and the food was delicious - catered by Whole Foods.  It was such a treat getting to meet their families and other friends and to catch up with Krista and Kyle, who we don't get to see too often because they live in San Francisco.  Some of my favorite parts of the wedding include Helen's signature cocktail (Pimm's Cup), the table centerpieces (little finished wooden boxes filled with succulents made by Corey's grandfather), the tiny pecan, lemon and buttermilk pies for dessert, and, of course, the visible ora of happiness that surrounded both Corey and Helen the entire evening.  I am so glad I got to be a part of the celebration of this new union between two wonderful people.

Like Crazy

Like Crazy is one of the sweetest, most realistic movies I have ever seen.  I am so mad at myself for letting it just sit on my Netflix queue for months without checking it out.  The actors are brilliant, the story is haunting and lovely, and I just can't stop thinking about it.  Definitely one of my new favorite films.

The story begins with two young college students who meet in a class in Los Angeles.  Anna is an ambitious writer from the UK studying in LA on a student visa.  Jacob is starting his own custom-made furniture business with his degree in architecture.  She pursues him by writing him a love letter and leaving it on his car.  He is smitten with her tenacity and beauty and calls her up and of course they fall madly in love.  Then the sad part happens - she's only in the states for as long as her visa allows and must go back to the UK.  Time runs out, and she panics and on a whim decides to ignore the requirements of the visa and just stay in LA with Jacob for the summer.  That, of course, comes back to bite her as the government doesn't mess around when it comes to immigration policies.  After a week's vacation to the UK to see her parents, U.S. Customs at LAX will not let Anna back into the states because of her visa violation so she is forced on a plane back to the UK, away from Jacob.  The remaining length of the movie illustrates the struggles and insecurities of their long distance relationship as they both build separate, successful lives in totally different countries.  

I highly recommend seeing this film if you're into love stories.  It's one of the best that I've seen.  It's a story about first love, being human, making decisions, facing consequences and the reminder that change is beautiful and devastating all at once.

Adolescence

It's 1993.  

I am five years old sprawled out on the green carpet of Nana's "big room" upstairs.  I'm playing an intricately planned game of Barbies.  Ken has just asked Barbie to be his wife, only their names aren't Ken and Barbie - they are Chris and Lisa.  Lisa has a younger sister, Amanda (Skipper), and the little neighbor girl, Kelly, has just come over to help bake cookies.  Life is good in Barbie world.  I have decided all of their ages, occupations and personalities.

I am the master of Barbie universe.
I like playing independently.  This way it's all up to me; everything goes according to my predetermined plan.  I have always been quite imaginative.  I enjoy creating circumstances and story lines.

I am tired of playing Barbies for now; my brain aches.
I go outside to swing on the little round swing that hangs from a thick branch of a large tree in Nana's yard.  I push my legs out and pull them back in until I'm breezing quickly back and forth, back and forth.  I begin to sing a song, but no one knows it except for me.  I am making up the words as I go along.  Such is life...

back
and
forth.

Back

and

Forth.

Leif Erikson // Bathing Beauties

Sue Lyon, Lolita, 1962

"She feels that my sentimental side should be held with kids' gloves,

But she doesn't know that I left my urge in the icebox.

She swears I'm just prey to the female.

Well then hook me up and throw me, babycakes, 'cause I like to get hooked."

Rita Hayworth

"I'll bring you when my lifeboat sails through the night

That is supposing you don't sleep tonight."*

*lyrics from "Leif Erikson" by Interpol

Photo credit: filmnoirphotos.blogspot.com