What Curly Hair Products Does Lorde Use?

From the Interview Magazine piece with the curl hair Holy Grail.

When researching Lorde, the new 16 year old pop sensation, I couldn’t help but love that she wears her hair natural and curly. Thank God, finally curls are getting some notice. I posted about it here because looking at her curls you can tell they (a) aren’t brushed and (b) are not “fresh” curls. If any of you reading this have natural curls like me, you understand.

In my research I also found what products she used in this photo shoot – the fucking Holy Grail because us natural curly ladies are always searching for that perfect product.

In the Interview photo shoot they share she uses:

BUMBLE AND BUMBLE, INCLUDING CURL CONSCIOUS SMOOTHING SHAMPOO.

Now on my list of things to buy, you can also check out the website of Bumble & Bumble — Curl Conscious. So many amazing [and expensive] products!

love, Sarah

DIY Honeymoon Postcard Keepsake Book

Postcard Image Source from Etsy Shop Sherdellah.

For our honeymoon we have the pleasure of partaking in the Cloud 9 Adventures organized trip called Mayan Holidaze in Cancun, Mexico. It is amazing because my fiancée loves all the bands and djs [like the Disco Biscuits], I get to eat and drink unlimited amounts, and – most importantly – I get to finally pay my fiancée back for THE INFAMOUS big drunken mess of 2007. At this time in my life I was still figuring out that I can’t drink an obscene amount of alcohol [that is what college is for, right?]. I was visiting him when he lived in NY and he bought us tickets to one of his favorite bands Sound Tribe Sector 9. As soon as we got there I drank way to much and I immediately went missing. He spent the night looking for me and found me in the women’s bathroom crying my eyes out for no other reason than I was drunk. It was one of those rare blackout nights I am not proud of. He missed the entire concert and, as fate would have it, that band will be playing on our honeymoon! Sometimes life just works out.

Back to the adorable honeymoon keepsake… While on your honeymoon, mail yourself a postcard each day with inside jokes and memories from your honeymoon. Then you bind it together when you come home. Yes, completely freaking adorable.

Two different websites have separate techniques, and great tutorials, on how to make this a reality.

Design Sponge’s Japanese Stab Book Binding.

Design Sponge shares how to do Japanese Stab Binding. This technique allows you to use papers of different weights and styles. It uses a binding needle and thread to bind pages together.

Dream Green DIY Washi Bound Postcard Book.

The other contender is Dream Green DIY using only colorful washi tape. You use the super cute fabric tape to bind together the postcards. It seems so simple with endless creative possibilities and washi tape as the sole item to purchase. Score!

Personally, I think I will try to do the stab binding as I have some knowledge with sewing and it looks a little more stable and durable. The idea is kind of perfect for any vacation, but since our honeymoon is in less than 2 months, it is a the best memento I can ask for.

love, Sarah

Olive Oil Solves Stainless Steel Woes

 

 

Don’t you hate when you just clean your stainless steel and, after you wash you hands, there are little smudges and fingerprints all over? Well, olive oil solves this cleaning woe. Just put a thin layer of olive oil on a cloth or paper towel and rub it on your stainless-steel. It adds a layer of protection from grubby fingers.

love, Sarah

Beauty Secret #4: Honey is the CURE for Those Nasty Blackheads

Image from the amazing blog Crunchy Betty.

For the first time since I was 12, my skin is starting to clear up from acne! Hallelujah! However, this clearer skin has brought an increase in those dreaded blackheads. We all know popping blackheads is wrong and a horrible habit to get into, but I could not just stare at all those blackheads and do nothing about it!

First, what exactly are blackheads? As Dr. Oz explains in this really strange segment on his show [they pop the most disgusting and gigantic fake blackheads as a demonstration] blackheads are caused by bacteria and oil getting in your pores – just like a pimple. On one hand pimples’ heads are closed which makes them swell up and get red, while blackheads have an open head which allows air to get in the pore and then appear black! Fucking disgusting! Don’t you want to pop them even more now? Well my friend, I found the cure for you — HONEY. I scoured the internet looking for a cheap and natural remedy for these blackheads and hit the jackpot on Crunch Betty with a article titled 5 Natural Ways to Remove Blackheads.

Crunchy Betty’s Honey Pat-Down

Ingredients:

1. Honey
2. Clean and dry face

Directions:

1. Wash your face and allow your skin to completely dry — this includes your hands. Dry is essential for this to work properly because if your skin is moist it will just spread the honey all over your face rather than get the stickiness you want.
2. Put a small amount of honey on your fingers and start quickly patting your face where you have blackheads. The honey will stick to your pores and pull out the blackheads like those blackhead strips. From personal trial and error, it seems skin on skin is the only thing that works. I tried toilet paper [the paper stuck to my face] and wax strips [the honey wasn’t sticky enough to grab onto the wax strips].
3. You may need to wash your hands between areas because you will start to see little blackhead chunks on your fingers. I have even done it with the palm of my hands and back of my hands.
4. After your feel you have yanked all the blackheads out of your pores, wash your face again.
5. Your skin will look a little bit red from the sticky honey. This will fade but your face will feel so soft and clean – like you just had a facial!

Honey is so great for your skin. The Huffington Post shares in their article 9 Super Sweet Facts About Honey,

Honey’s anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties draw out impurities from the skin, thus targeting breakouts, reducing redness and calming inflammation.

This means that if there is honey left in your pores it will not quickly turn into another blackhead or an angry pimple.

Enjoy getting rid of your blackheads! It has now become a nightly ritual for me after I wash my face and I can admit it feels so awesome to know I am fighting those blackheads with something delicious. No need to buy expensive pore strips or washes, honey does the trick better than any of them [trust me, I have tried them all].

Check out more beauty secrets here.

love, Sarah

The Shutdown and How it Shutdown My Life

From the cartoonist Joe Heller.

It has been a bit of a anxiety filled 10 days for me and my partner due to the stupid government shutdown. I am a very dedicated Democrat, so I will avoid any mean name calling, try to understand why the Republicans are shutting down the government, and Avoid my urge to have a pity party for one (millions are affected just like me). I don’t want to be political or stir up any emotions because I just don’t feel one person can make change like I use to when I was 16. All I know is that this government shitstorm is affecting me and it feels really shitty to be used as a pawn for government rhetoric.

How is it affecting me? Do I work for the federal government? Nope. But the job I did get requires a government background check before I can officially start. I did all the necessary paperwork on time and when it was sent to the government I knew it was out of my hands (and my employers). I was suppose to start my new job this Monday but most federal employees are on furlow, including those that do the security checks. OMFG! I can’t start my fucking job! There is nothing I can do but wait with the rest of America.

I know a lot of people aren’t affected by the shutdown in the way I am. People just don’t realize how important things are until they don’t have them. For example, not having government open has highlighted to me how it is needed. Or health insurance. I have been uninsured for 10 months because I wasn’t offered it by my previous employer and I cannot afford it from a private company. Or marriage. If someone said you could not get married than you might realize what an important right that is. The prospect of marrying my long time partner is such a special chose. Even education. Look at the courageous Malala Yousafzai who stood up for women’s education in Pakistan and continues to amaze all of us.

I guess my point is to share how a non-government person is effected by the shutdown. My life is literally on hold and I am in financial limbo. There are so many sad stories about wives of fallen soldiers not getting benefits, our gem of national parks being inaccessible to the public, and men and women who work for our government waiting to see how, and when, the Political parties will come together and do their jobs.

I am just so over it.

love, Sarah

My Favorite Cleaning Supplies

I hate cleaning. I hate it more than cooking [is that possible?] Yet, I have to do it because it is what being an adult is all about. In the dream world I would have a cleaning lady, but that isn’t the greatest DIY mentality, is it?

Since I have been home for a while now, I have found a few products that really work. This is your guide to cleaning the laziest and easiest way possible. As I discover more, I will share and update this page! All of these products can be found at Target.

 

Viva Paper Towels

Viva Paper Towels: I can be a bit of a paper towel whore and waste a ton of paper towels around the house. I know, I am horrible! But when I found Viva, my world has changed! They feel like rags and you really can clean up way more than with those cheap paper towels. Totally worth the extra $1 [and much less wasteful].

 

Windex Multi-Surface Cleaner

Windex Multi-Surface Cleaner: I use this for every surface in the house! Windows, tv, tables, sinks, counters, dressers, whatever! It is anti-bacterial and doesn’t bleach whatever you are wearing. I have ruined a few different pieces of clothes by spraying 409 with Bleach in close proximity. I really love this product and have it stashed in multiple rooms.

 

Dawn Platinum Dish Soap

Dawn Platinum Dish Soap: I am one of those unfortunate souls who doesn’t own a dish washing machine. I know, #1stworldproblems. But I have gone back and forth between many dish soaps and this is by far the most amazing dish soap ever. It cleans quickly and it really does give you the quality of an overnight soak in 5 minutes. Plus, Dawn was the foremost product used to clean animals during the BP oil spill – I love supporting them.

 

Dish Gloves

Dish Gloves: I have yet to try these adorable Fred and Friends Tuff Dish Tattoo Kitchen Gloves (as pictured) but I hope to one day soon! I never do dishes without my dish gloves. Often the cheap ones rip easily, so I recommend buying a little better quality gloves. When they do rip, I will go on strike until new ones are purchased.  I can’t stand dishes anymore without gloves.

 

Microfiber Cloths

Microfiber Cloths: I bought three microfiber cloths at Big Lots a few years ago and they are my best friend while dusting. I live in the desert so dust is a pretty annoying, and constant, issue. They pick up dust in one swipe and then can be thrown in the wash for a next round.

love, Sarah

Britney’s “Work Bitch” Video is Exact Perfection

The premiere of “Work Bitch” came at the perfect time in my life. Isn’t that just how Britney does it? I am getting married in 2 months (!) and I have fallen off the working out train. This was due to many reasons including the rash from HELL that was spread by overheating. Maybe one day I will share that story with you. If there is any time in my life I need to be reminded to work, it is now. As Britney says,

You want a hot body? You want a Bugatti?
You want a Maserati? You better work bitch
You want a Lamborghini? Sip martinis?
Look hot in a bikini? You better work bitch

YAnnotateou wanna live fancy? Live in a big mansion?
Party in France?
You better work bitch, you better work bitch

It is nice to be reminded that that shit takes WORK. I do want a hot body! I want to look hot in a bikini [honeymoon in Cancun]! I want to live fancy! So, I gotta get to work, bitch.

Of course, the video is just mind-blowing and amazing in the way only Britney can pull off. It makes no sense at all. She is dancing in the desert, in a pool of hammerhead sharks, being pulled around by women dressed as S&M cats, exploding manikin heads … just perfection.

Thank you, Britney, for reminding me I gotta work hard, like it’s my profession.

love, Sarah