I wanted to talk about something a little bit different in this post. Confidence is a big part of being beautiful so I think it makes sense if i post about it on this beauty blog...
But what is confidence?
Confidence is all about being comfortable in your own skin. It sounds cliché, but it's the truth; self confidence makes a person so much more attractive. Now, it's important to understand that there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Confidence implies being humble and kind but being sure within yourself, understanding your own value and worth. Arrogance is basically just showing off and beleiving that you are better than other people...this brings me on to my next point:
We are all equal
I see girls - and boys - who constantly compare themselves to other people, talking about how they wish they could be like this person and wish they looked like that person. But what everyone needs to understand is that we are all the same. You can't compare one person to the next, everyone is unique in their own way, and perhaps that sounds corny but in reality it is the truth. No one else looks like you. You are your own person. No one is more beautiful than you, and you are no beautiful than any other person...we are all equally beautiful in different ways.
Accept the things which you cannot change
There comes a point in your life where you will have to accept your flaws and stop stressing over aspects of your appearance that you cannot change; only then will you be able to move forward in your life and feel fulfilled and satisfied. I am in no way suggesting that I am 100% comfortable in myself, I struggle with self confidence issues a lot but I am trying my best to turn all that around because I am fed up of being miserable all the time about things which I cannot change. That is not to say that you cannot take care of your body and strive to look good, but you should aim to be the best version of yourself that you can be, not someone completely different. We need to embrace what we have, accept the things we cannot change and continue to improve on the things that we can, be it physically or mentally. Be the best version of you that you can be!
xo
Tuesday 19 March 2013
My Beauty awards - hair products
In this post I will be giving out my personal awards to what I think are the best hair products out on the market.
Best Shampoo
Without a doubt, the best shampoo that I have tried is the Vanilla Garnier Dolce. The entire Garnier Dolce collection smells amazing, but this one is by far the best! The consistency is really moisturising and detangles hair easily, but the best thing about this shampoo is of course the fragrance.
Best conditioner
The best conditioner I have used comes from the Dove heat protectant range. It left my hair a lot smoother and more manageable and also has built in heat protectant which is a bonus!
Best deep conditioner
There are hundreds of deep conditioning treatments out on the market, and just because a product costs more it doesn't necessarily mean that it works better. The most effective one I have used cost a relatively modest 5 euros, it was by Garnier and consisted of 3 oils including olive oil and avacado oil which are meant to be very nutritive to the hair. It reduced the frizziness of my hair and detangled it nicely.
Best leave in conditioner
Boots do an excellent range of hair products. Their coconut and almond leave in conditioner is a favourite of mine, mainly because of the delicious fragrance. I recommend it!
Best Shampoo
Without a doubt, the best shampoo that I have tried is the Vanilla Garnier Dolce. The entire Garnier Dolce collection smells amazing, but this one is by far the best! The consistency is really moisturising and detangles hair easily, but the best thing about this shampoo is of course the fragrance.
Best conditioner
The best conditioner I have used comes from the Dove heat protectant range. It left my hair a lot smoother and more manageable and also has built in heat protectant which is a bonus!
Best deep conditioner
There are hundreds of deep conditioning treatments out on the market, and just because a product costs more it doesn't necessarily mean that it works better. The most effective one I have used cost a relatively modest 5 euros, it was by Garnier and consisted of 3 oils including olive oil and avacado oil which are meant to be very nutritive to the hair. It reduced the frizziness of my hair and detangled it nicely.
Best leave in conditioner
Boots do an excellent range of hair products. Their coconut and almond leave in conditioner is a favourite of mine, mainly because of the delicious fragrance. I recommend it!
Nutrition for your skin
Having a healthy diet with the right amount of key food groups and trace elements is one way in which you can help keep your skin looking its best. There are a variety of nutrients which are known to promote skin health and each one has a different function. I've picked out a few of the most important and suggested ways to incorporate it into your diet.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Function: Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for healthy skin. They help keep the outer layer of the skin plump, strong and intact to protect against pollution.
Sources: Sources include oily fish such as tuna and salmon, walnuts and eggs.
Lycopene & beta carotene
Function: These powerful antioxitants stop damaged caused by free radicals. This in turn slows down the process of ageing and helps keep your skin cells free of damage.
Sources: Lycopene is found in tomatoes. Top sources of Beta carotine include carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato, spinach and meat.
Vitamin C
Function: Promotes production of collagen which is needed to keep skin firm and healthy. It also aids in repairing any scars or cuts on the skin.
Sources: Oranges, limes, lemons and strawberries are all excellent sources. However, not many people know that kiwi's contain twice as much vitamin C as an orange!
Zinc
Function: It controls oil production in the skin and helps to regulate hormones.
Source: Eggs, brazil nuts, oats, pumpskin seeds and seafood such as oysters all contain a high zinc content
Remember, if you ever feel like you need an extra boots or are struggling to incorpotate all of these nutrients into your diet, then vitamin or mineral supplements may be a good idea. However, keep in mind that supplements can never be a substitute for a healthy and varied diet.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Function: Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for healthy skin. They help keep the outer layer of the skin plump, strong and intact to protect against pollution.
Sources: Sources include oily fish such as tuna and salmon, walnuts and eggs.
Lycopene & beta carotene
Function: These powerful antioxitants stop damaged caused by free radicals. This in turn slows down the process of ageing and helps keep your skin cells free of damage.
Sources: Lycopene is found in tomatoes. Top sources of Beta carotine include carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato, spinach and meat.
Vitamin C
Function: Promotes production of collagen which is needed to keep skin firm and healthy. It also aids in repairing any scars or cuts on the skin.
Sources: Oranges, limes, lemons and strawberries are all excellent sources. However, not many people know that kiwi's contain twice as much vitamin C as an orange!
Zinc
Function: It controls oil production in the skin and helps to regulate hormones.
Source: Eggs, brazil nuts, oats, pumpskin seeds and seafood such as oysters all contain a high zinc content
Remember, if you ever feel like you need an extra boots or are struggling to incorpotate all of these nutrients into your diet, then vitamin or mineral supplements may be a good idea. However, keep in mind that supplements can never be a substitute for a healthy and varied diet.
Nail art - reindeer design
This super cute design is simple and only takes a few minutes to complete.
Tools:
All you will need is a toothpick, black, brown, white and sparkly red nail polish.
Method:
1) At the base of your nail, draw a brown semi circle for the reindeers head and fill it in with the brown polish.
2) Using a lighter colour brown and the toothpick, draw two straight lines coming out of the head and smaller lines coming out of those two lines to create the illusion of antlers.
3) Use your sparkly red nail polish to draw a large circle for the nose at the base of the nail.
4) Add two white blobs using the toothpick to use as the whites of the eyes. Add two smaller black dots within each white eye
5) Seal with a topcoat (optional)
Tools:
All you will need is a toothpick, black, brown, white and sparkly red nail polish.
Method:
1) At the base of your nail, draw a brown semi circle for the reindeers head and fill it in with the brown polish.
2) Using a lighter colour brown and the toothpick, draw two straight lines coming out of the head and smaller lines coming out of those two lines to create the illusion of antlers.
3) Use your sparkly red nail polish to draw a large circle for the nose at the base of the nail.
4) Add two white blobs using the toothpick to use as the whites of the eyes. Add two smaller black dots within each white eye
5) Seal with a topcoat (optional)
Monday 18 March 2013
Body confidence series
Hello all! I am going to begin a new series of posts entitled 'body confidence' very soon, and I aim to empower all of you and make you feel better about yourselves. Accepting who we are is something that everyone will need to do at some point in their lives in order to move forwards and live life to the fullest, and we should be aiming to do that sooner rather than later! I hope my new series aids you in realising your true self and embracing your unique qualities.
New posts will be up soon!
xxx
New posts will be up soon!
xxx
Caring for heat damaged hair
Damaged hair can be caused by an excessive use of heat styling tools, resulting in dry, frizzy hair. Here are my top tips to restore some vitality back into your locks!!
TIP NO.1
Try to use a deep conditioner three times a week. Make sure you choose one with nutrient rich ingredients such as keratin, carrot oil, argan oil, coconut oil and natural extracts. Leave it on for at least 10 minutes to allow the formula to work to its full potential.
TIP NO.2
Be gentle with your hair! Only comb your hair using a wide toothed comb when it is wet, preferably whilst you have a conditioner on. When you dry your hair, choose to air dry to avoid the damaging heat from a blow dryer, and towel dry your hair by patting your hair carefully rather than tugging and rubbing at your hair and encouraging breakage.
TIP NO.3
Use heat protectant spray, every single time you pick up a styling tool. I cannot stress this one enough! It is just a necessary item and can save you damage in the long run.
TIP NO.4
Hair health comes from not only what you put on your hair, but also from what you put into your body. Eat healthy, nutritious foods including plenty of lean protein such as fish, and healthy fats like olive oil. Fruit and vegetables are a must, and for that extra boost you can take a supplement containting vitamins and trace elements such as selenium which are good for hair health.
TIP NO.1
Try to use a deep conditioner three times a week. Make sure you choose one with nutrient rich ingredients such as keratin, carrot oil, argan oil, coconut oil and natural extracts. Leave it on for at least 10 minutes to allow the formula to work to its full potential.
TIP NO.2
Be gentle with your hair! Only comb your hair using a wide toothed comb when it is wet, preferably whilst you have a conditioner on. When you dry your hair, choose to air dry to avoid the damaging heat from a blow dryer, and towel dry your hair by patting your hair carefully rather than tugging and rubbing at your hair and encouraging breakage.
TIP NO.3
Use heat protectant spray, every single time you pick up a styling tool. I cannot stress this one enough! It is just a necessary item and can save you damage in the long run.
TIP NO.4
Hair health comes from not only what you put on your hair, but also from what you put into your body. Eat healthy, nutritious foods including plenty of lean protein such as fish, and healthy fats like olive oil. Fruit and vegetables are a must, and for that extra boost you can take a supplement containting vitamins and trace elements such as selenium which are good for hair health.
Nail art - stained glass
As part of my nail art series, i thought i would include one of my favourite designs. It is very colourful and looks very complicated, but it's really simple once you break it down into a few basic steps!
Tools
You will need several bright nail polishes of your choice, including black, and a tooth pick. That's it!
Method
1) Using the toothpick and the black nail polish, begin drawing jagged, uneven squares, diamonds or whatever other shape you want starting from the bottom corner of your nail
2)Once all of these shapes have been drawn, using a different toothpick begin to fill in each individual shape with a bright colour. Make sure you have at least 4 or 5 colours to get that stained glass window effect!
3) If you wish you may seal in your design with a topcoat. Wait for it to be fully dried before resuiming activites.
HOT TIP
Run your semi-dry nails under cold water for a few seconds. It ensures that the design sets properly and won't smudge later on.
Tools
You will need several bright nail polishes of your choice, including black, and a tooth pick. That's it!
Method
1) Using the toothpick and the black nail polish, begin drawing jagged, uneven squares, diamonds or whatever other shape you want starting from the bottom corner of your nail
2)Once all of these shapes have been drawn, using a different toothpick begin to fill in each individual shape with a bright colour. Make sure you have at least 4 or 5 colours to get that stained glass window effect!
3) If you wish you may seal in your design with a topcoat. Wait for it to be fully dried before resuiming activites.
HOT TIP
Run your semi-dry nails under cold water for a few seconds. It ensures that the design sets properly and won't smudge later on.
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