sharing my secrets.

three simple beauty tricks i swear by:

{at least lately.}

{source}

1. wash your hair with cold water.

{literally, as cold as you can stand it. pun intended.}

have you heard this one a billion times already?

if so, chances are you still aren't doing it.

why? because let's be honest- who wants to take a cold shower?

{we are spoiled with warm steamy showers and take them for granted, folks.}

but, by doing this, your hair will instantly start to shine.

i'm converted, and never going back to rinsing my hair in warm water-

even as much as i hate being covered in giant goosebumps those first five minutes. 

it's well worth it- the shine is fantastic. 

2. spray your perfume before getting dressed. 

i recently talked to a "perfume specialist" who gave me the low down.

she emphasized on how important the sense of smell is to the human;

without knowing it, one of the first ways we evaluate a person is by their scent.

we even tend to hang out with people who have a similar scent to ourself.

oh, and that list of cute boys you have hanging on your fridge...?

chances are they wear similar, if not the same, cologne. 

interesting right?

most importantly, she taught me a beauty trick-

spraying your perfume before you get dressed, helps the scent last much longer. 

so, next time: shower, moisturize and spray your perfume, immediately, all over your body.

3.ond word: aquaphor.

especially, as these fall and winter seasons arrive;

bringing with them, dry skin and chapped lips.

aquaphor is the perfect remedy- it cures all.

i'm simply in love and have been hooked for years.

i rub it on my knuckles and lips every single night, without fail. 

trick of the trade: coat your lips before applying a bright lipstick. 

allow enough time for the aquaphor to sink into your lips, then apply your lipstick.

ta-da!! your lipstick glides right on as smooth as can be,

and you don't have to worry about your lipstick 

separating in those tiny cracks of your chapped lips. 

{we all hate that. so annoying, right?}

i'm curious now, 

what's the one beauty trick you swear by at the moment?

do share- i'm already anxious to try it. 

necessities.

{source. p.s. don't you just love her!?}

five things i just can't live without:

{at least for now}

1. neutrogena sun screen. the absolute best.

doesn't clog pores, lightly scented and blocks those harmful rays.

what could be better? nothing.

2. salmon. it's my new go to dinner and lunch, for that matter.

lovebird and i have mastered a delicious way of grilling those bad boys-

 thanks to papa carlson for showing us his tricks. 

simply delicious, mouthwatering and irresistible.
3. burt's bee chapstick. {grapefruit flavor, please!}

known fact: i have a secret stash of burt's bee chapstick tucked away at all times.

i'm never without it, literally.

4. bikinis. yes, you heard me correctly.

i've been living in one all summer long; pool day after pool day. 

right now, i have to steer clear of the clearance bathing suits in target,

or else i'd be coming home with armfuls of them. 

5. longchamp bag. i'm convinced every girl needs one.

so practical, fashionable and the perfect size.

don't let it's simplicity fool you. 

one tip: given it's large open pocket, keep things organized inside. lots of little bags! 

go on, tell me something you can't live with out.

at least, for the moment. 

surprise!

{before......and.......after}

i'm officially a brunette. 

kind of crazy, right?

i have never been anything but blonde.

but, now i can check something off my bucket list.

i am still getting used to seeing myself in the mirror.
it's kind of shocking every time.

it's weird finding brown hair on my clothes rather than blonde.

touching my hair feels like i'm playing with someone else's' hair. crazy, right?

all and all, i like the change.

change is good.

a drastic change is a good thing too.

i didn't tell lovebird i was doing it... so he was in for a surprise last night

when he picked me up at the airport.

{i tried filming his reaction, but i wasn't close enough to him when he realized.} 

it took him a few minutes to realize it was actually me. 

and when he did, his eyes grew ten time larger

and his head did the biggest double take i've ever seen.

thank goodness, he likes it. actually, loves it.

he's now in love with a brunette.

thanks goodness for change in life.

what's the biggest drastic change you've "experienced"?

p.s. if you live in utah and want a rockin' new do, 

i have just the gal for you!

michelle is simply gorgeous, has an adorable personality and is a dear friend. 

{she'll make you jealous of her eyelashes. just wait and see}

she is also looking to add to her cliental- so help her out! 

check her out at:

tangles salon 

7076 s. highland dr. 84121

salt lake city, ut.

801.424.2724

*email me if you want more details. also, mention my name when you call

to make an appointment and you may get a friendly discount.

xoxo

attracted to you.

fun and interesting fact of the day:

{and surprisingly, i learned this in my anthro class}

universally, what are the top two traits we {as humans} are attracted to?

any guesses out there before i tell you the answers?

number one: clear skin.

number two: youth. 

clear skin:

are you surprised clear skin is number one?

i was... until i ended up thinking about this long and hard all day. 

personally, the one thing i obsess over daily, is having clear skin.

eyes are pretty with or without makeup, hair can be thrown up into a ponytail and look gorgeous,

fashionable clothes can make you look like million bucks and perfume adds the final touch...

 however, if you have a blemish on your face- you feel completely self conscious.

not to mention you feel like you are going through puberty all over again.

or you feel like when people talk to you- all they look at is that stinkin' blemish. 

universally, clear skin is a sign of health. 

interesting, right? but completely accurate.

p.s. think about it- how many products are out there advertising clean and beautiful skin?

foundation, powder, face wash, body wash, self tanners, lotion and the list goes on and on....

youth:

this one is a bit strange to me. 

i understand why. but i'm shocked it ranked number two on the list.

youth meaning.... the average human naturally desires to look, be and feel young.

you'd have to agree with that, right? and also-

universally, most men look to "mate" with younger women. 

pretty accurate. {except for those "cougars" out there}.

what is number one and two on your list?

 remember, this is just the universe's list. 

i'm curious to hear what you think about these two being ranked highest.

photo: inspiration to this post.

it was a perfect find after the lecture in anthro class.

she is simply beautiful. her skin is flawless.

and i'm slightly obsessing over her bun and long eyelashes. 

messy to the next level.

i'm in love:

in love with this new fad of doing your hair over-the-top messy.

{considering the fact that my hair is put into a neat and clean bun every single day for ballet....}

my insides jump for joy at the idea of doing this hairdo on the weekend.

is this flattering to you?

or do you feel as though it looks like a case of bed head and laziness?

regardless, i'm in love with messy, easy and beautiful.

i'll let you know how it turns out.

happy sunday, by the way.

xoxo

trick of the trade.

here's a little tip. a tip you are going to love.

it will change your life.

{or at least my makeup life was changed.}

you know how when you apply your mascara and it gets all over your eyelid?

all over the beautiful eyeshadow you just applied.

and now you are frustrated because you have to start all over again.

well go no further! i have your solution.

it's rather silly, but it works like a gem.

meet your best friend in this case:

yep, a plastic "mascara wand".

you know, the ones that are at sephora or mac counters for 

you to use, when trying their products?

well next time you're there, grab a few. 

now for the tip:

when your mascara gets all over the place,

wait for it to dry completely.

then simply rub this little wand back and forth over the mess up.

and ta-da, your eyeshadow remains perfect and the spot is gone!

it's that easy. and works perfectly.

i hope you enjoyed this little tip. 

love, me.

little obsessions

isn't she beautiful?

me-o-my. 

gorgeous skin, hair and lips.

love it. 

(picture via anne koch)