Beauty Tuesday: Double-D Recovery to be Double-D Ready

Double D is for …

Dissertation Defense * Dr. Dispo * BiG Day: December 8 ~ Save the Date!

After I passed my presentation with full faculty on Veterans’ Day, I followed my Bestie Evie‘s advice:

Take a Me QT Day.

While I still worked on revising my paper, I also set aside Spa Time this past weekend!

Facial Mask

Based on Fleur De Force‘s The Glam Guide, I used these ingredients for *acne  and **dark spots:

• Banana*
• Honey*
• Lemon***

Manicure

Then I treated myself to an at-home mani with the following gift sets:

• Mary Kay Satin Hands from María Elena
• four-step nail block from my R.E. student
• buffer and shine sticks from my Tita Susan

and polished my finger nails with my own lacquers:

• starting with Sally Hansen 18K Gold Hardener
• painting red for the season and plaid accents
• finishing off with Sally Hansen Miracle Gel

O•P•I Got the Blues for Red & Sally Hansen 18K Gold Hardener + Revlon Orchid & Silver Screen + Sally Hansen i ♥ Nail Art Striper in black

My top tip to achieving a lasting nail paint job:

Run freshly coated nails in cold water and dodge hot water!

• Cold water seals in moisture, while hot water repels and drys it out
• If I hand wash dishes, I wear special gloves
• I also wear gloves during hands-on activity

Massage

My good †Christian† friend and fellow prayer warrior, Lisa, came through again, introducing me

• previously to the rolling pin technique
• plus post-massage detox mocktails
• and this time to Biblical oils!

Thank GOD for these special gifts of blessings and wonderful company!

Beauty Tuesday: All-Weather Non-Leather

Regardless of the season, we must treat our skin, hair and nails as we would our finest silk and favorite fabrics ~ with the best care!

One of my main go to basics: Eucerin Aquaphor (petroleum-based ointment)

I dig the *NEW* Eucerin Aquaphor “no-touch” applicator ~ with user-friendly sponge surface & plastic cap (sometimes packaging works if it’s functional)

• I started using it several years ago to keep the ink on my tats fresh, but it now goes way beyond my body art
• I apply it under my eyes before bedtime as a safe buffer from those dark circles (especially after pulling all-nighters)
• I lather it on my lips with or without color to keep them soft and moist (and kissable)
• I dab it on any areas that are prone to getting ashy or chaffing ~ its purpose is to soothe dry skin, after all
• I smooth it on my feet, then cover them with socks while I sleep for  the ultimate moisturizer

Now here’s one of my newbies: L’Oréal® Nutri-Gloss Gylco-Silk

You too can score a *FREE* sample of L’Oréal® Advanced HairCare here! Choose among different selections depending on your hair type & needs ~ endorsed by celebrities (such as Ryan Reynolds wifey Blake Lively)

• smells refreshing
• shiny and nourishing
• soft and manageable to comb through
• great for two days between washing
• my first time to gloss my hair since my college grad photos!

Beauty Tuesday: Cosmo Mag Tag

🔨Nailed💅🏽 it, thanks to this mo‘s 👛Cosmo!

Tri-Tone Nails💅🏽

  From 🙆🏻head💁🏻 …

I didn’t just score this H&S shampoo for Sofia Vergara … The Peppermint & Tea Tree entice me! 🙅🏻💇🏻💆🏻🍭🌲

… & face …

S is for … Simple * Sample * Smile (: Thanks to my sample & coupon + CVS ExtraCare BeautyBucks$, I scored this Simple cleanser that doesn’t call for water for practically nada! It removes makeup & oil effectively + is simply refreshing! 💸💰🏆💧💦😅☺️😍

➕ all 💐🌷🌺🌸🌼🌻🌹over! 💟💕💞💓💗💖💝❤️💛💚💙💜

Beauty Tuesday: Summer Edition ~ S is for …

Summer ☼Sun☼-kissed Skin!

My neck of the woods has reached our peak heat lately. How about you?

Bearing this in mind, as much as some of us out there crave the great outdoors, we must take care of our skin.

My fave go-tos for fun ‘n the sun 

☼ Sunscreen (even when the skies are cloudy because my skin’s still exposed)

• including SPF for your Lips ~ one of my top’s from Tone It Up!

☼ Lotion that reduces …

• visibility of hair (especially on my legs ~ after laser hair removal)
• and cellulite!

☼ Aloe Vera ~ to help repair the skin from sun exposure and bug bites, both in

• topical form
• and oral! The drink tastes amazing (like bubble tea) and is nourishing!

☼ H2O ~ so we can glow from the inside out!

What about when we’re back inside to cool off?

Introducing …

CeraVe!

Special delivery, thanks to promo!

Since I received this two-step skin care pack, I’ve observed more softness from my skin ~ which needs hydration after being out and about in the ☼sun☼

You can $ave on CeraVe too!

Happy Last Day of my ☼Summer☼ Speech Class!

Sink Space Solutions: As my decluttering continues past ♣Spring♣ Cleaning into ☼summer☼, I’ve packed skin care sets my R.E. experiment vases ~ CeraVe * MK‘s Satin Hands * R+F

Beauty Tuesday: From Head to Toe ~ Year-Round Hair Care & Summer Happy Feet Tips

Restore your hair💁🏻 and keep your feet👣 in tip-top shape this season! 

Head’s Start: Our Hair💁🏻 

Effortless look: Hair up (yet always time to take hair down [more to follow below]) * flawless make-up * statement dress … Impress = Success #DISPObustAFlow

💁🏻Any hair breakage or loss probs? Look no further; Dr. Oz😷 and yours truly to the rescue!

As someone who’s had healthy hair and has attempted to revitalize it after chemically-treating it (color and curl), I swear by coconut oil and now Marvelous Oil to moisturize it!

💁🏻On 📺The Dr. Oz Show, a professional guest who appeared introduced a pre-treatment

*Pre-Poo ~ comb through approximately 20 minutes before shampooing💆🏻

• Thin Hair: Coconut
• Medium: Ampro
• Thick: Castor

👦🏻Now as someone who’s been more self-conscious about receding hairlines, I’m all about this

Thinning Hair Breakthrough

*Color Powder ~ hides bald spots and grays👴🏽

I personally use the dry shampoo from my Birthday Birchbox to cover up

*Change the part to cover the spots👸🏻

➕Plus, I’d like to pony … I mean, point out the obvious (thanks, auto-correct/subliminal message in my subconscious):

🚫DON’T always pull your hair back in tight buns🍘 or ponytails🐴

👧🏻It may be common sense that these up-dos tend to impose damage on hair follicles, as well as loosening from the scalp. However, for some of us who have long 💇🏼hair, we need to wear our hair up for daily activities (i.e., work, workout) to keep it away from our face.

👧🏻Just like our diets, we may wish to consider that our hairstyles🙆🏽 (chemicals, heat, etc.) must be done in moderation to prevent long-term effects, like losing it. #YOLO

Finish with Our Feet👣

Now that we’ve hit more ☼sunshine☼ past our lingering snowy & rainy seasons, I’m storing my boots at the very top tier of my dress/accessory closet, but they’re still easy to access if I occasionally need them!

👣I read this article that addressed how to exercise good foot and shoe hygiene, especially with the sweat that accompanies the summer heat. It reminds me of how I adopted a practice from my AF wife bestie, who’d at the very least wash her feet before bed (especially after a ladies’ night full of dancing at the club) ~ that way, we don’t stink up our bedtime sheets and wake up with the stench in the air!

👣Similarly, our shoes👟 ~ especially those open-toed ones (flats, flip flops, sandals, stilettos) that we don’t wear with socks ~ need loving too! When I’d work at shoe stores during h.s. and college, I’d always stock up on mint balls to freshen up my footwear. Due to some stains on the insides of our shoes actually coming from dead skin, we must clean and spray those off (I typically pre-treat them with water repellent to prevent marks)! Also, upon removing those shoes, I go back to the above guideline: wash my feet!

🌅Since I’m about to teach my ☼summer☼ speech class about **persuasive speaking, I’ve used two types of testimonies to sway you:

♪We Never Go Out of Style♫ This season/teaching session, my VS ☼Summer☼ ♥Love♥ tote holds my textbook + M•A•C HK cosmetics bag …

• Expert Testimony ~ Dr. Oz and his guests as the specialists in their respective fields
• Lay/Peer Testimony ~ I’m just an average joe who can show how these have worked for me!

… to store my Dry-Erase Board Markers & Cleaner!

Sources

*The Dr. Oz Show, “Secrets to Thicker, Fuller, Stronger Hair”

**Ford-Brown, L. A. (2014). DK guide to public speaking, 2nd ed. NY: Pearson Education.

Spa Saturday: Satin Hands & Lips

Congratulations to the Couple (my R.E. student‘s parents) whose †Church† ♥Wedding♥ where I’m proclaiming the Readings today!

• Old Testament: Sirach 26: 1-4, 16-21
• Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 128: 1-2, 3, 4-5
• New Testament: Romans 15: 1b-3a, 5-7, 13
• Gospel: John 17: 20-26
  

#1 Hand Softener * #2 Hand Smoothie * #3 Hand Cream

For spa treatment, I must commend María‘s Mary Kay gifts ~ in particular:

DON’T slack on ’em smackers!

• Satin Hands (3-step program at home + travel sizes for at my desk and on-the-go)
• Satin Lips (mask to exfoliate then balm to moisturize)

Beauty Tuesday: Spa Days

Happy Belated Dr. MLK Jr. Day!

Tomorrow, my spring semester starts for the speech class that I teach. For the week and-a-half prior, I had my simple spa days:

• got my “hair did” by Geana

Cornrow Care: Bandanas & scarves + dry shampoo ~ including this one from my Birthday/B2S Birchbox and from my fave raves ~ come in handy for my braided hair and Asia!

Mo’ Cornrow Main(tenance) for my Mane: Annie backs me on more bandanas & scarves!

• got my skin care* on

S is for … ☼Sunday☼ Skin Care/Face Mask Selfie ~ Clean in 2015 * NO Makeup * Bare Face * I Woke Up Like This … It also stood for Superbowl-bound ~ until my *DALLAS COWBOYS* were defeated

• got my massage from Lisa
• gave myself a mani-pedi

* Another acne treatment:

Toothpaste!

Both mi comadre y mi amigo suggested this skin care mode for me ~ so I noticed the effectiveness when I spot-treat! When I compared ingredients between my toothpaste and my astringent, it made sense:

Benzoic Acid!

Well, we all need to make time out of our busy schedules to take care of ourselves! In the midst of serving my Church, working on my dissertation, teaching and tutoring, photographing, I must be mindful of my own maintenance in order to keep up my mood and momentum plus stay effective.

CHEERS to ♣Spring♣ 2015!

Beauty Tuesday: Showered with Gifts

Happy 3 Kings👑

The 🎅holiday🎅 season has brought me these 👛beauty💄 products that come in handy!

I started using the Rodan+Fields UnBlemish acne treatment system from my sister, who also gave me the Birchbox travel treats, including the facial sea salts ~ which, along with the towelettes, also from her, as well as the mud mask, were *refreshing* to *exfoliate* on my recent snow day off! The Nivea Creme and Neutrogena lip balm are great moisturizers. I’m grateful for the sleep mask too!

What a perfect slogan for this Year of Finishing!

Beauty Tuesday: Bonita * Hermosa * Linda

While I do my best to pack light and stay somewhat low maintenance while traveling, I admit that I must maintain a grain of vain!

Therefore, during my EP trip, I brought trial-sized travel-friendly products, including:

• Birchbox (birthday gift from my sister)
• Mary Kay Clean Proof pack

Also, I visited A’GACI at Ft. Bliss …

… and ended up with this!

My friend and I represented her husband’s UTEP school colors ~ orange and blue ~ and she got this cute hair-do too!

Check out how to have bow braids like hers here: How to Create a Diagonal Bow Braid tutorial.

Beauty Tuesday: Mary Kay Holiday & Everyday

Happy HOLYdays with Mary Kay on this Beauty Tuesday!

I feel so fortunate to have both my sister and my friend who are Mary Kay 💄beauty💄 💋consultants💋.

My friend gave me this Ultimate Lash Mascara (which must be her own secret to long, volumous, separated eyelashes) and Eye Makeup Remover.

Since my fellow Air Force brat swears by the acne solution, she suggested that I try MK’s, so my friend gave me this 👛trial/travel size👛 pack of Clear Proof products, that have worked spot-on!

Recently, my sister also gave me this MK Mineral Powder with applicator brush that has been perfect coverage for a smooth finish!

As a matter of fact, I featured it in my Fall Faves Tag!

Mary Kay has been known to support wonderful worthy causes, including 🎀Breast Cancer Awareness🎀, plus it gives consultants the opportunity to earn 💸extra income💸 by enhancing the beauty of their clients!