Today was the cool day of the week on the weather report. But with the temperature topping out at 90 degrees and a heat index of 97, still still hot! But I am not complaining.
I have been looking for a hair removal device for my underarms. As soon as I shave under my arms, the hair comes right back in only two to three days.
I did not want to try waxing (OUCH!) and the epilator that I had tried before was not that great of quality (DOUBLE OUCH!!). I had seen other devices on the market, but they were not for people with darker skin tones; which I never quite understood completely. And in addition, some of these devices cost up to three hundred dollars or more. I saw a demonstration for the ME Chic. I considered this device as a great one to try because it works on all skin tones and hair colors; is FDA approved, it cost under two hundred dollars and came with an unconditional 90 day return policy to see if you like it.
ME Chic Permanent Hair Reduction device
Not much hair grows on my legs or on my arms; so the main area that I wanted to test was under the arms.
Below is a video on how to use it. It seems pretty simple. Just turn it on and every time the light blinks; I move to a different location. The company claims that it will take about seven weeks to see a noticeable difference, thus the reason for the 90 day trial.
After ninety days, I will be back with a full review.
With slightly not as hot temperatures; but thick humidity, I have been going solely natural fibers because they are breathable and don’t stick to my body. When I say natural fibers I mean, cotton, rayon, and linen blends. When going through my closet, I realized that a lot of my summer dresses are polyester. I am not going to get rid of them. I will not wear them right now. Even though Missouri is not a southern state, it feels like it. Maybe it feels even warmer because we had a warm winter. Well when I think about 100 degrees is 100 degrees no matter the way you slice it.
Dooney and Bourke Croco Leather Satchel
I styled myself casual and cool for church. It’s really warm outside but can be chilly in church so I have on long sleeves. My blouse is by Joan Rivers and my pants are from the brand Margaritaville that was on HSN exclusively a couple of years ago. My sandals are from Earth Origins that were purchased from DSW. My glasses were received at a discount from OTTICA.com, and my wing necklace was purchased at JTV.com.
Summer Style
Inspiration
The picture of the flower in the upper left corner of the collage is a Crepe Myrtle that is in our backyard and bursting with colorful flowers. Bees are getting drunk on the nectar.
The crepe myrtle and the Hibiscus flower were the inspiration for the pants.
I have been hearing that it’s chic to wear neutral colors. That’s fine if that’s what you want to wear. However, I have never been like everybody else, even when I tried to fit in I stuck out of the crowd. I realized that it’s okay being different, peculiar, and not average.
Is your hair your favorite feature? Do you want to keep it looking as beautiful as it is right now, or even better, do you want to make it look even better? Here are some simple things you can incorporate into your beauty routine, which will help you get and maintain a healthy mane:
JT Flower in the hair
Rinse with Apple Cider Vinegar Before you shampoo your hair, rinse it in apple cider vinegar. Doing so will help to get rid of product build-up and keep your hair in healthy condition. If you also rinse with apple cider vinegar after washing, it will give your hair an extra bit of shine, which is never a bad thing.
Only Shampoo from Roots to Mid-Hair Instead of shampooing the whole of your head, just apply your product of choice from the roots to the middle of your length. When you rinse it out, the lower part of your hair will still benefit from the shampoo, but you won’t have had to use quite so much product to achieve it.
Use Sulfate- Free Shampoo Products that contain sulfates will strip all of those important natural oils that keep your hair healthy away, which is why they are best avoided. Here are the best shampoos and conditioners that are sulfate free, and which will help to keep your hair healthy. If you can choose one that is also free of silicones, that will be even better for your lovely mane.
Don’t Brush Hair After Showering If you can help it, you should never brush your hair when it has just been washed, and it’s still wet. Your hair is weaker at this time than any other, so brushing it can and does cause breakage.
Put Some Honey on It You might be more used to putting honey on your toast, but putting some of the sticky stuff on your head will not only moisturize your hair and scalp, but it’ll also kill off bacteria that caused dandruff. If you’re worried about your hair getting all sticky and gross – don’t because honey will dissolve in water, leaving you with clean, fresh and silky-smooth hair.
Wash with Cold Water If you can stand it, washing and conditioning your hair with cold water is the way to go. It will seal in more moisture and make your hair shinier than washing in warm water. I must mention that you should never wash your hair in hot water – that will cause damage and leave your hair sad and dull.
Mask with Coconut Oil Coating your dry hair with one of the coconut oils at http://www.elle.com/beauty/hair/tips/g8087/coconut-oil-hair-products/, covering it with a shower cap or plastic bag and leaving it for a couple of hours, or even overnight if you can, will leave your hair looking and feeling amazingly soft and it won’t be greasy at all. Just make sure that you shampoo your hair before applying water or you’ll be left with a greasy mess that you won’t be able to do anything with for days!
Keep it Silky If you want your hair to be silky smooth and free from split ends and broken shafts, t6hen you really do need to invest in a good set of silk pillow cases. Your hair will slip and slide across them, rather than being dragged, so it will be less likely to break or lose moisture.
Use Heat Sparingly Hairdryers, straighteners, and curling tongs might give your hair great style, but if you use them too often they will dry out, burn and even break your hair. Instead, try to use Velcro rollers or styling serum to style your hair. They might not be quite as convenient, but they will help to prevent damage.
Wash Every Other Day No matter how much you might want to, you should never really wash your hair every day. Doing so strips the oils from your locks and makes them dry and brittle. Washing your hair every other day, or even less frequently if you can, will leave your natural oils intact and keep your hair looking healthy.
Eat a Healthy Diet Eating a healthy diet that is high in healthy fats, leafy green, fruits and vegetables will help you grow beautiful hair from the inside out. You’ll notice that your hair is thicker, shinier and more attractive after just a short time eating a clean diet, so why not give it a try.
Do you have a beautiful head of hair? What are the main things you do to keep it that way?
FTC Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post and may contain affiliate links.
It’s not easy, or cheap, providing for a big family; they eat enough food to feed a small army, all the kids have different extracurricular activities you need to pay for, and you always try to set aside enough money so you can all enjoy a nice summer vacation together. While there is a lot of advice out there to help you improve your family’s finances, there are also a few things you can do to make your money go further. Some tips do involve a few budget cuts here and there, but overall they are just ways of spending your money wisely. If you impart a few of these money-saving tips to your children, you’ll also teach them to be financially responsible when they grow up.
Cut back on unnecessary luxuries There are two different kinds of luxuries; there’s the necessary kind, which helps you to relax after work, provides you with an outlet for your stress, and which doesn’t cost too much money so cutting it out won’t make too much of a difference to your budget. Then there’s the unnecessary kind, which costs a lot of money, you barely use, and you might not even miss if you stopped doing it. For example, you might pay around $25 a month for your gym membership because you got a great deal, you wanted to get into shape, and it’s the only thing encouraging you to exercise. Unfortunately, if you don’t go to the gym at least three times a week, you’re usually not getting your money’s worth out of the membership. This is especially true when there are so many way to work out for free in the comfort of your home. Magazine subscriptions are another drain on your savings. Try cancelling all your subscriptions and only renew the ones you actually find yourself missing, or just buy the occasional issue when you see it in the stores.
Workout at home to save extra money
Look for bargains Don’t assume that the first price you see is the best price you’re going to get. There are plenty of websites such as Groupon that will give you excellent discounts on family days out, occasional treats for yourself, or even bulk household items. Believe it or not, if you want to get free stuff there are websites that can make that happen. You can legally get free things on Amazon, such as music, Kindle eBooks, and even a way to get cash back. Finally, there are always thrift stores, Craigslist, or eBay, where you can find hundreds of items at a fraction of the retail price.
Shop smart Buying groceries on a budget is a struggle for a lot of people for various reasons. The best thing you can do to keep your food bills low is to find ways to reduce the amount of waste you throw away each week. Fortunately, there are several more ways to reduce your food bill each week, including shopping for cheaper store brands, buying non-perishables items in bulk, or sticking to a shopping list. You can also save money on food by avoiding takeaways, packing a lunch to take to work, or freezing your leftovers to eat them later.
Shop wisely
Cut down your energy bills If your energy bills are the biggest expense in your household, the easiest way to start saving on this is to make your home environmentally friendly. Start by switching to energy efficient LED bulbs, unplugging all appliances you’re not using, and insulating your home so you don’t need to turn up your thermostat as much. Doing these small things can reduce your energy consumption, saving you money on your bills each month and helping the environment. If you want to do a little more to help your energy bills, you can improve the insulation in your building, and upgrade to double-glazed windows; doing this will reduce the amount of heat that escapes your house by at least 25 percent, which will cut down on your use of the thermostat each winter. Finally, if you have enough in your budget for new appliances, you could shop around for an energy-efficient fridge. Refrigerator technology has made dramatic strides since the 1970s, so you’re actually wasting more money by not buying a new fridge. Any other eco-friendly appliances, such as dishwashers and washing machines, may seem expensive initially, but it is estimated that you will use a significantly less amount of energy with a green appliance than you will with its predecessor.
Learn to repair clothes
There was a time when people knew how fix tears in dresses, holes in socks, and prolong the life of pantyhose. Clothes nowadays are made from very cheap material, therefore are more prone to tearing and wearing out. Unfortunately, most people don’t know how to fix these clothes, so they end up throwing them out and buying new items merely two months after they just went clothes shopping. Save your wallet the hassle of another shopping spree by learning how to repair the holes in your jeans; the cost of a sewing machine will certainly pay for itself with the money you save on new dresses. Once you’ve learned how to sew up the rips in your clothes, you can put off clothes shopping with a few more tricks. If you dresses are a little shorter than you would like, or your shirts pinch a little too much around the waist, you can lengthen them using lace, or use fabric inserts to add some length to shirts and sweaters. Oversized dresses can be hemmed slightly, or turned into a comfortable, baggy shirt.
DIY Sometimes the best way to save money is by doing little things by yourself. When things break around the house, try doing your own home repairs instead of calling a professional (as long as it’s nothing too serious). Blocked pipes can be easily sorted with a solution of baking soda and vinegar, and then using a plunger to push out the blockage.
DIY is not just limited to fixing things that are broken. There are plenty of home remedies online for face masks, or hair products, which only require things you’d put on your grocery list. You could even set aside a Saturday and do a spa day in the comfort of your home for a fraction of the price.
Caffeine lovers can save dollars every week by brewing their own coffee at home instead of getting a takeaway from a cafe. A really good coffee machine will soon pay for itself with the savings you make from skipping the visit to your local Starbucks. If you also go to cafes for the delicious pastries, then learn to bake your own treats at home.
Transportation With the price of gas constantly changing, your car is an unpredictable money pit, and that’s before you even factor in the monthly payments, insurance, and unexpected repairs. You can save money and still keep your car by only using it for long trips, such as family vacations. In the meantime, there are plenty of public transport options to suit your lifestyle. Monthly bus passes are more than worth their value if you take the bus to work every day. Carpooling with a colleague splits the cost of gas, and can reduce traffic if enough people get in on the scheme. Finally, if you’re going out for the night and don’t have a volunteer for designated driver, Uber can save you the trouble of standing out in the cold to call a cab.
FTC Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post and may contain affiliate links.
Breakouts. Nobody likes them, but unless you’re one of the lucky few who seem to have been blessed with perfect genes, they’re a part of life or are they? Although there is no 100 percent guaranteed way to ensure that you never get a breakout again, it’s fair to say that health and diet play a huge part in skin health and getting them under control could see you wave bye-bye to breakouts once and for all!
Sound good? Here are some simple things you can do to (hopefully) banish breakouts from your life:
Cleanse Gently We all know that cleansing is a vital part of maintaining healthy, clear skin, but it’s important that you implement a gentle cleansing routine if you want to avoid breakouts. In fact, if you can, cleanse with natural ingredients like honey, water, and coconut oil to avoid damaging your skin. You should also aim to cleanse no more than twice a day because doing so any more than that could cause your skin to produce too much oil resulting in pimples.
Tone with Vinegar Toning with apple cider vinegar every morning and just before bed will help your skin to maintain its natural pH levels, which means that it will be much healthier and less likely to suffer from breakouts. This works because apple cider vinegar is filled with potassium, magnesium and a number of other ingredients which fight bacteria on the skin.
Take L-Lysine If you want to avoid breakouts, promote healthy glowing skin and stop cold sores from forming (if you’re susceptible to them) using l-lysine daily, in supplement form will really help you out. Studies have shown that the supplement is fantastic for curing and reducing the recurrence of cold sores rapidly and great at fighting acne. Some studies even suggest taking it regularly could reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, although more research needs to be done in that area.
Eat Healthy
As I mentioned earlier, healthy skin, at least in part, comes down to our diet. So, if you want to banish breakouts for good, you may need to clean up your diet. If you’re eating a lot of fatty junk foods and sugary snacks, these will be causing your insulin levels to spike, which really isn’t good for your skin. By cutting down on these foods and upping your intake of fresh fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens, you should notice your skin becoming brighter and clearer in a matter of weeks. Keep eating healthy, and it will stay that way.
Hydrate with Healing Face Masks Hydration is very important to the skin, so as well as drinking plenty of water each day, you should ideally apply a healing face mask at least twice a week. If you can, making your own from natural ingredients like yogurt, avocados, and honey will get you the best results, but buying a store bought mask is better than not applying a mask at all.
Gentle Exfoliation If you want to avoid blackheads and zits, then getting rid of your dead skin is a must. Exfoliating regularly will clear out your pores and expose your fresh, radiant skin, but you need to do it gently and not too often if you don’t want to damage your skin. Making your own exfoliator with brown sugar and coconut oil is a good way to minimize the impact of exfoliating, while maximizing its benefits. Unless you have very bad skin, exfoliating 2-3 times a week should be more than enough.
Treat with Tea Tree Oil If, despite your best efforts, a spot does appear on your otherwise perfect skin, treating it with a few drops of tea tree oil mixed with a teaspoon of coconut or jojoba oil should see an instant improvement and get rid of the problem as quickly as possible.
Both sweet and holy basil essential oils have been found to be effective at fighting acne that is caused by bacteria on the skin. In fact, it is better than most of the products you’ll find in the store. So, taking herbal basil tea daily, and perhaps even adding a few drops of the oil to your moisturizer (and you should moisturize twice daily for best results), might be enough to help you wave goodbye to your acne once and for all.
I hope some of these breakouts banishing tips work for you. Do let me know how effective they were if you try any of them for yourself.
FTC Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post and may contain affiliate links.
Learn More About JT Bubbling with Elegance and Grace is a place for life long learners. The Bubbling With Elegance And Grace team was created 14 years ago. A passion for fashion sparked a lifestyle blog for our Elegant Community to enjoy. We are thankful and in gratitude to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for those who have been with us from the beginning and those who have just started riding with us on this lovely journey.
FTC Disclaimer:
Follow!