Wednesday, September 8, 2010

All-In Yoga App For Your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad!

Every morning before I get ready to go to school I like to practice Yoga for 30 minutes to an hour outside in my backyard. It makes me feel zen and energized for the day. I feel so in touch with my body. I've been practicing Yoga for almost 4 years now so I'm pretty in-the-know about poses but sometimes I want to try something new. A few days ago I was looking through the itouch apps and I came across All-In Yoga. I read the reviews on it and they all were positive. I ended up buying it to try something new and because it was only three dollars. I am extremely pleased. There are many awesome features on this app that could really improve your practice. 
                      A few are:
  • Muscle diagrams of poses
  • Videos for how to get into a pose
  • Text-To-Speech 
  • Make-Your-Own Routine Option
  • Already made routines
For three dollars this app is amazing. I have already learned three new poses safely and I don't ever have to worry about doing them wrong. Its great for all levels and when browsing the poses they are separated by experience. There are four levels beginner, intermediate, advanced, and guru! I recommend this app to all levels of yogis!

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Victoria Secret Bralettes.

Now for a limited time Victoria Secret Pink is have a sale on these special little sports bras called Bralettes. I have to say these are the most comfortable sports bra I have EVER worn. They are amazingly soft and they aren't so tight they cut off our circulation. I absolutely love to just lounge around the house in them, sleep in them, and do yoga in them. In fact, when I do yoga all I wear is a VS Bralette and VS Yoga Pants. These babies are so comfy that I forget I'm even wearing a bra! They are $16.50 a piece and as of right now they are 2 for $24. There are many ways to wear them. One way is to even layer the under a cute tank top to allow a little bit of the patter on the bra to peak out (This may sound trashy but its absolutely adorable). Another awesome thing is, the back part of the straps unhook so you can criss-cross them for when you wear razor back tanks. Its another reason to fall in love with them! There are nine different colors and patterns: plain black, grey leopard, white, purple, blue leopard, green, yellow, pink, and pink leopard print. I own the yellow, purple, blue leopard, and pink leopard ones. If there was one item that you could buy from Victoria Secret I would say to go for these bralettes, they are HOT right now and flying off the shelves! I believe the sizes either go up to Large or Extra Large. So hurry and buy yours now! Check em' out here!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Gorgeous Post-Workout Hair

I can't go one day without going to the gym. Some days, even when I'm extremely busy, I'll still go and have a sweat session at the gym. I have some awesome tips for ways to get fresh without having to redo your hair. When I'm really tight on time I like to put my hair in a shower cap or tie it back and just wash my body. The reason is, I have pretty long hair and it takes quite some time to blow dry it. I have a few awesome products and tips that I like to use after I workout to tidy my appearance. At the beginning of your workout, put your hair in a bun that you wrap around itself (like a ballerina bun) instead of a pony tail. This will help prevent those nasty hair tie bumps. If your hair won't stay in this style the whole time your at the gym try using a fabric scrunchy rather than a regular hair tie. Once your finished with your workout head into the gym bathrooms. If there is a blow dryer available (or even a hand dryer), flip your head upside down so that way your roots of your hair are exposed, then blast it with the cold setting on the blow dryer until your hair is dry. Once you flip your hair over it should have a bit more life than before. Now, use a dry shampoo, a few good brands are Pssssst, Fredric Fekkai, or Ojon. You can find these at either Target or Sephora. Lift your hair at the roots and spray where it greasy or dull looking, then allow it to dry for a few seconds. After it dries, finger fluff your hair to give it a bit more volume. Lastly, set your hair with hairspray to get the finishing look. Hair spray will make it look glossy and fresh.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Cupids Bow

If you have naturally thin lips it can be really frustrating trying to make them appear fuller. The best way to make them look plumper is after applying lipstick you dab a bit of lip gloss on your cupids bow (this is the top of the lip area right beneath the nose). This lures the eyes to look at the top of the lips which is the fullest, sexiest part. Now you don't have spend money on expensive lip plumping treatments! If you want your lips to get that tingling sensation that lip plumpers give try to find a lip product that has cinnamon in it. It will give your lips a natural plump.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

You Ate It, Negate It!


Now I got this idea from Shape Magazine. I thought it would be a great thing to post on my blog every once and a while to remind people how many calories certain treats really are and what would would have to do to burn it off! So today I thought, since its Summer and all, that I would list a few things that may be at a Summer BBQ.

One Serving of Chocolate Ice Cream (1/2 Cup)
Calories: 143
Total Fat: 7g
Carbs: 18g
Protein: 2g
How To Burn It Off: Going on a leisure bike ride (under 10 mph) for 40 minutes.

One Serving of Lays Potato Chips (1 oz)
Calories: 150
Total Fat: 10g
Carbs: 15g
Protein: 2g
How To Burn If Off: Kick Boxing for 18 minutes

One Cup of Home Made Potato Salad
Calories: 358
Total Fat: 20g
Carbs: 27g
Protein: 6g
How To Burn If Off: Playing a game of Soccer for 55 minutes

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Can I Have A Venti Passion Iced Tea Lemonade, Please?

I don't know you guys but where I live the Passion Iced Tea Lemonade is the new fad drink at Starbucks. I've had it and I loved it! But, then again I love any type of tea iced or hot! If your trying to watch your figure this is defiantly a drink for you. Its pretty low in calories for a Starbucks drink and it satisfies your sweet tooth! Its 190 calories for a Venti and zero fat. The only downside to this drink is its high in sugar, it has 49 grams! Eeekk, right?! Well, I was thinking and you can easily cut that sugar in half by ordering it in a different way. All you have to says it you don't want it sweetened. It will cut about 31 grams of sugar! Now, this won't change the flavor of the drink at all (in my opinion). Now, there's only 18 grams of sugar! If you've ever watched the Baristas at Starbucks make this drink, its quite gross. I watched them the other day and I realized they put six full squirts of this liquid sweetener in your drink and I'm not exaggerating, I counted! It made me wonder how much crap was in that sweetener that was going into my body! Gross, right?! Anyway, hope this quick little tip will help you out in the future! Have a healthy day! P.S I'm going to try to do a regular "Healthy Body Swap," this will be when I find a popular food or drink and explain the nutritional value of it. They will usually be pretty unhealthy but I'll find ways to make it healthier. Just like this post! I hope you guys will enjoy them!

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Happy Fourth of July!

I feel that the Fourth of July really puts you in that Summer mood! I'm totally excited for fireworks (: I know that many of my readers out there are trying to stay healthy and not eat a lot of junk food! So, I wanted to share with you guys a couple recipes that I'm making with my dad today and a few tips on how to snack lightly! 

  • First off, don't be too uptight on what you eat today, meaning, allow yourself so wiggle room. Just think, you can work extra hard on your workout tomorrow and be fine. The more you restrict yourself, the more likely you will binge!
  • If you have already started munching on all the junk food and can't stop, don't beat yourself up about. There's always a new day tomorrow. I like to do a detox the day after I eat super unhealthy meaning drinking nothing but water the day after and munching on fruits and veggies all day. Also remember, one pound is equal to 3,500 calories.
  • Before you eat, drink a glass of water it will fill up a little bit of space in your stomach and not make you over eat.
  • If your craving something sweet, try adding a low-cal Crystal Light packet to your water to curve your sweet tooth. If your still craving whatever it is after 20 minutes, then go ahead and have a piece of the darn thing! Just make it a reasonably sized one!
  • When at parties, try to stay away from the snack table. For instance, don't stand and chat by it that will make you more likely to grab things to snack on. 
  • If you think that there won't be any healthy snacks, pack your own. ( I always pack a couple things just in case.) A few of my favorite things to pack are portion controlled low-fat chips, an apple or a kiwi, grapes, edamame, and a granola bar.
  • If you want to snack on things go for things that aren't too sugary, fried, or grease soaked. So if you want chips, lean more toward the ones that have less grease.
This Forth of July my parents are trying to watch what they eat. Our family decided to make  kabobs on the grill, which is extremely easy and fun. Each person in our family is able to customize their kabob. There really isn't a recipe we use for this because we just pick out stuff that sounds good. All you need is skewers and your good to go. We like to put things like shrimp, scallops, lean mean, chicken, green and red peppers, mushrooms, and more! Of course, those don't all go on one. We usually pick three to four things we like and create a pattern on the skewer. Another great thing about kabobs is, you can make dessert ones too! We like to buy apples, pineapple, mango, and strawberries. Then you place them on the skewers and grill them until they get a nice golden color.  Squeeze a bit of lemon juice on them to add a little bit to the flavor. Then you can either allow them to cool and drizzle with a bit of white and milk chocolate or create a special dip for them. The dip is very simple, its just plain vanilla yogurt with cinnamon added to your taste. Once you've mixed that together, your finished!

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Early Birthday Present!

I JUST GOT A NEW EBOOK READER FOR MY BIRTHDAY (Its an early Birthday Present, my real Birthday isn't until July 26th) ! Its called The Nook and its pretty awesome. I'm actually typing this blog post on it right now! I just wanted to let you guys know I made it through summer school, finally! I was beginning to feel like I made a mistake by taking it! Anyway just wanted to give a quick update and promises more posts (but only if you guys promise to comment on the posts!) I will be going to Maui (Hawaii) on July 7th to July 14th so you may not see any posts until after those dates! But I may post a few things about traveling (i.e travel essentials, tips, etc...). The picture to the right is actually one I took in Hawaii two years ago! Hope you guys have an awesome Summer!

Monday, May 31, 2010

You Can Spin It!

I'm really into staying in shape and eating healthy. I love trying new things and challenging my fitness level! I know that there are many people out there that are trying to get into shape but get bored with the same old routine on the elliptical or are scared at the thought of running; I know that I used to be that way! I actually suffer from allergy induced asthma meaning, that when a normal person's allergies act up and they get itchy watery eyes or a runny nose, I get the feeling of a tight and heavy chest. It feels as if I had an elephant sitting on my chest and I need to take super deep breaths in order to breathe properly. The only way I was able to relieve the feeling temporary was to take puffs from my inhaler, which I absolutely hated. My inhaler made me feel jittery and like I couldn't sit still. One day I turned toward exercise just to see if it would help, and it sort of did. Granite, it didn't work on the first day I exercised, but I promised myself to stick with it for at least a month to see if there would be any results. The first full fledged cardio activity I got into was Spinning. Spinning is indoor cycling class that is usually held at a gym. Its great during those hot Summers when you don't want to exercise outdoors! When I first started it I was terrified that I wasn't going to be able to keep up because I felt as if it were only people that were in shape were going to the classes. Luckily, that was not the case, Spinning is a great workout that is low impact on your joints and you can take it at your own level. I've been doing Spin (and other workouts) at the gym for over 2 years now and I absolutely love it! My lungs have become a lot stronger and things that I never imagined doing before I am now able to do it. I don't even need my inhaler anymore because of my strength now. I highly recommend finding a gym near you that offers Spin classes. You can visit this website and get a free pass to take a class! All you have to do is type your zip code in the box at the top of the page. Then a list of gyms near you that hold the classes will pop up. Look for an icon on the side that says "Free Pass," that means that you can take this class for free once. Click the icon and print out your free pass. Then grab your gym gear and your good to go!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Quick Update!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to give you guys an update on where I've been the last month! I've just been so busy I haven't had any time! I just finished taking my ACT and SAT tests for school a few weeks ago. Then I've been having dance rehearsals like crazy for the past two weeks! Then all of this week I had 3 dance concerts. Lastly, I just finished my first Triathlon today which was really exciting for me (: I finished first in my age group! I probably won't be posting for a bit until like the beginning of June because I will be studying for my finals at school all of this week and then next week I'll be taking them! The week after that I will FINALLY be coming to an end to my Junior year in High School! Its so crazy how fast it goes, I can't believe I'm almost a Senior! AHHHH! It scares me sometimes to think about it! Anyway, I'm starting to ramble, so expect to see more regular blog posting in June! Hope you all have a fantastic rest of the Month!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Happy Earth Day Everyone!

Today is the 40th Anniversary that were are celebrating Earth Day! For those of you that don't know, Earth Day is a day where people from all over the world try to conserve the Earth as much as they can. People who are really environmentally aware like to keep going all throughout the year! I'm one of those people, I love our Earth and I want to keep it going as long as we can! I even devoted a blog to it! (Check that out here (:). For today on my Beauty Blog I wanted to make an updated list of all the great brands that are either Vegan or Eco-Friendly! Hope you all have an amazing Earth Day! Remember, use candles tonight instead of electricity! It'll make Earth Day even more fun than it already is! 
Eco-Friendly Brands:


Friday, April 9, 2010

How To Get Fabulous Flat Abs!

This has been a very popular question that people all around the world want the answer to. Its pretty simple, and I'm not just saying that. Its a few simple lifestyle changes. Such as working out more often, limiting sugar, and eating flat belly friendly foods! I will try to make this into a series so that I focus on one part of the body each post (i.e. legs, arms, etc). Now first, onto the exercise!

Exercising;
Tons of people have made the mistake of assuming that the only way to get a flat tummy its to do hundreds and hundreds of crunches. Well, that is part of it but not all of it. You actually have to do Cardio along with all the crunches! Yeah, you heard me! The reason why is when you get your heart rate up that speeds up the fat burning process, which leads to burning belly fat and fat other places! Have a sweat session also will slightly increase your metabolism leading you to burn fat all throughout the day more than you usually would. See how Cardio is an important factor? So, try to keep a steady Cardio plan to do along with the exercises I'm about to explain. Cardio includes anything that gets your heart pumping! It could be dancing (Zumba!), swimming, running, cycling, power walking, or hiking! (Of course there's always more than those options too!) Now FINALLY, on to my ab workouts! The only equipment you need is a Yoga Mat which is optional and 3-8 pound dumbbells! P.S "A" is the beginning pose and "B" is the ending pose.

 A)                                                                          
B)
3 Count Leg Lowers 10 Repetitions- Place your hands lightly behind your head and raise your head only off of the pat. Lower legs down in three counts then in one count pull them back to the beginning pose without using momentum.

3 Count Leg Lifts 10 Repetitions- This is the same as the exercise above accept reversed. So starting down ("B" would be the beginning pose now) and raise your legs in three counts then in one count lower them back into the beginning pose.


Bicycle 30 Seconds (Fast or Slow)- Place your hands gently behind your head. Then pull one knee into your chest while extending the other leg. Twist toward the knee that's into your chest. Its as if you were trying to touch your shoulder to your knee while keeping your arms extended, so you can't see them when you look straight forward. Then switch and pull the other leg in and twist the other way.

A)                                                                        
B)
 
Dead Bug 12 Repetitions- Start with arms crossed over your chest and your knees lifted at a 90 degree angle (Picture "A"). Then extend your legs out as if you were trying to touch something far away with your feet. (Picture "B")



Crunches With Knees Down 20 Repetitions- This is just your basic crunch. Place your hands lightly behind your head without interlacing the fingers. Then try to lift your shoulders off of your mat. When doing this exercise try not to have your chin to your chest or you chin to the ceiling. Also, avoid pulling on the neck.



Crunches With Knees Up 20 Repetitions- Same crunch as the exercise above but while holding your knees at a 90 degree angle.



Crunches With Legs Up 20 Repetitions- Once again, same exercise as the "Crunch with Knees Down" but you have your legs extended in the air. 


Ankle Touchers 20 Repetitions- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet out far enough that you can't touch your ankles just lying there. Lift your shoulders off of the mat. Then extend and lift your arms along side of you. Try to lean to one side and touch your ankle. (When you do it right, you should feel a very tight feeling in your side, this is working your Obliques which are your side abs.) Once you lean to once side, reach toward the other side and touch the other ankle. Once on each side is considered once. So you would reach right then left and that'd be considered one.



Ankle Reaches With Weights 20 Repetition- This is similar to the "Ankle Touches" but your standing. It targets the same area of the abs. First, stand up straight with your legs at hip distance. With your arms down at your sides holding 3-8 pound dumbbells. Reach down once side of your body and then come back to center. Then reach to the opposite side. Once again, doing one on each side is considered one. 


Oblique Crunches 20 Repetitions Each Side- Lie flat on your back and extend one arm to the side and place the other behind your head. The side that the arm is extended on that leg will cross over your other legs knee. So if you have your left arm extended you will cross your left leg over your right knee. Raise up like you are trying to touch your shoulder to your knee but keeping your arms the way they arm. Then switch and do the opposite side. 

Eating Right:

Another huge role in the process to getting flat abs is eating healthy. If you try to cut out at least one bad thing a day it gets you one step closer to that amazing stomach you've always dreamed of! 

What To Eat/Drink:
Fruits and Veggies
Whole Grain or Wheat Bread (Instead of White!)
Almonds (Natural fat fighters!)
Yogurt
Veggie Soup
Salmon and Halibut
Green Tea (Its a natural fat burner!) 
TONS AND TONS AND TONS OF WATER! (I can't stress this enough that you need to drink tons of water!)

These foods/drinks are proven to be great for a flat belly! Just make sure you watch your serving sizes, accept for the fruits and veggies you can have as many of those as you want!

What Not To Eat/Drink:

Foods that are high in bad fat, unhealthy carbs, and sugar.
Soda

Its pretty easy to tell what you should and shouldn't eat. If you just start looking at the nutritional value you'll learn that not everything is flat belly friendly. 

Tips:

When doing the exercises above and just whenever you remember to, pull your belly button into your stomach. That means always keep your abs tightened.

Sometimes when you feel hungry, your aren't actually hungry. Your body just gets confused with thirst. So before you start cooking up a meal. Drink a glass of water and see if that helps.

Blast fun music when working out, it'll make it go a lot faster.

Don't feel guilty if you splurge a bit on a fattening food or something, there's always the next day to fix it.

Keep a log of all your progress, its motivating and keeps you going toward your goal! Also, set a designated time to workout, it'll help you keep on track!


This is an actual picture of me and I wanted to put this in here to show you that it is possible! I'm proof and I actually practice what I preach! If you work hard enough you can get to your goals!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Random, I know!

I just wanted to post this picture of my doggy! (: I thought he looked super cute and cozy! It was kinda sad though he was scared ): His name is Sammy by the way and he's a Yorkie Terrior.

Benefit Legally Bronze

So about three weeks ago I ran into Sephora to return some stuff that didn't really work out for me. I walked around to check out all the new products out for Spring. The new Legally Bronze kit from Benefit caught my eye. It has everything I've been dying to buy! All the best sellers are in there Hula Bronzer, High Beam, Gilded Eyeliner, and Bad Gal Brown Mascara. Plus it comes in an adorable little make-up bag. To me, all the products in there together would be perfect for Summer. I have actually tried them all together and it makes a perfect care-free look. Which is what I'm guessing Benefit is going for. Its great for those days when you feel lazy with your make-up or you just don't feel like wearing a lot. Another great thing about this nifty little kit is most of the products in there you can use a numerous amount of ways. For instance, the Gilded Eyeliner can be used as an eyeshadow base, which I have actually tried and it looks great. Another product that is a multitasker is the High Beam, you can use it as a highlighter, blush, or a lip product. I have no bad comments for any of the products, I'm %100 satisfied! This kit is a $105 value but you only pay $32 which is awesome! You can buy it here!

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Happy Easter!

So I had a fun little post for Easter. I've noticed so many new Peep Marshmallow colors have come out and I've realized I have a lot of eyeshadows the same color! I wanted to share with you the colors that matched them so if you can use the to do festive make-up!


  • Green Peep- Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow in Graffiti
  • Yellow Peep- Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow in Honey
  • Blue Peep- Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow in Peace
  • Purple Peep- Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow in Ransom
  • Orange Peep- Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow in Shag
  • Pink Peep- Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow in Fishnet

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Outfit of The Day!

I'm really loving my outfit today so I wanted to share it with you guys! My shorts are from Forever 21, the scarf is from Ross, and the shirt is from a store called California Grlz. Sorry about the first picture! Its a bit blurry because I was in a hurry and couldn't hold the camera still! Haha.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Ulta Salon Nail Polish

Today, I was browsing through Sephora just looking at all the goodies they have to offer. Then I came across their nail polish. I noticed a HUGE sign that said $2, of course I had to look. All of the colors of the nail polish were very unique and bright! Usually, when looking at nail polish what you see in the bottle is not always what you get. Assuming they weren't going to be very pigmented I tried some on my nail and was pleasantly surprised, the color was amazing! All I needed was about two swipes of the polish and the color was flamboyant. I was so amazed that I started playing with all of the colors. When I finally made my decision on which ones to buy I contained myself to only buy three. I probably would have bought all of the colors if I wasn't careful! I highly recommend checking these polishes out! I mean two dollars! Come on, that's like couch cushion money! This deal lasts a limited time only! I'm pretty sure it ends on April 1st or 2nd but don't hold that against me, I could be wrong! You just have to check it out for yourself. The colors I bought were Goddess, Jaded, and After Party. Tell me what shades of polish your going to buy! P.S Sorry for the short stubby fingernails! That's how they grow, not long and pretty like some other people! The first picture I'm wearing Goddes, the second is After Party, and the third is Jaded!



Sunday, March 14, 2010

Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Palette Dupes.

Now as you may have know by now, Urban Decay's Alice in Wonderland Palette is sold out! Before you start searching for one on ebay, read this post! I was looking at a tester of the palette at Sephora. As I was looking at the shadows I was swatching them on the back of my hand. I was deciding whether or not I really wanted one or not (before they were sold out). Then, I realized that the shadows I swatched looked a lot like ones I already had. It ended up they were all shadows that were already out as singles or in palettes but just renamed. I played around more with the single eye shadows until I got matches and I researched more about it. The names of the shadows in blue are from the Alice Palette while the other names in green are normal single shadows you could purchase from Urban Decay.
 
  • Underland - Flash
  • Alice - Painkiller
  • Chessur- Chopper
  • White Rabbit - Polyester Bride
  • Oraculum- Baked
  • Queen- Last Call
  • Wonderland- Maui Wowie
  • Curiouser- Grifter
  • Muchness- X
  • Mushroom - Mushroom
  • Absolem- Homegrown
  • Drink Me Eat Me- Sin
  • Midnight Tea Party- Midnight Cowboy Rides Again
  • Vorpal- S&M
  • Mad Hatter- Twice Baked  
  • Jabberwocky- Oil Slick 
P.S The only color I don't have a swatch of is S&M sorry guys!


Saturday, March 6, 2010

How To Get Healthy Hair!

Our hair goes through so much everyday. It has to deal with hot styling tools, hair products, and pollution. All of those factors contribute greatly to unhealthy hair. Sometimes, it just needs some TLC to keep it looking fabulous! The tips listed below are ones that I have discovered that work well for me!
  • Have a lazy day! Pick a day that you can give your hair a rest from hot styling tools. Braid your hair or put it in a bun the night before so when you wake up and take it out you'll have gorgeous waves!
  • Before you dive into the pool (or ocean), rinse your hair with water and apply a leave in conditioner. The hair follicle is very porous so it will absorb pretty much any chemical in the pool. This will cause it to become dry. Applying a deep conditioner makes the hair absorb that instead of the icky chlorine and salt water. (Try Garnier Fructis Leave-in Conditioning Cream)
  • If you want extra volume instead of teasing it try hair rollers. It gives you that all around beautiful lift, not to mention it makes it look shinier too! Use bigger sized rollers for more volume and smaller ones for a curlier look (that has volume of course!) (Try Conair CHV14J Instant Heat Jumbo and Super Jumbo-Sized Rollers)

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