Book Review: Love, Lashes and Lipstick by Mally Roncal

    I don't know about you, but when I can't find anything on tv I automatically turn on QVC or HSN.  I've purchased quite a few things from both networks, but I must say I prefer QVC.  One of the biggest reasons why I prefer QVC is because of Mally and Mally Beauty.  If you have never watched Mally, I urge you to find out when she is on QVC next and sit back and enjoy.

    Mally is adorably happy and confident and gorgeous.  Her makeup line is fantastic and she is the makeup artist to some big stars, including Beyonce.  When I found out that she wrote a book I automatically snatched it up from my library.

   Mally's book, Love, Lashes and Lipstick: My Secrets for a Gorgeous, Happy Life, is part self-help book, part autobiography and part makeup book.  It's a very quick read and a book that I must say actually made me happy reading it.

  Mally, whose real name is Melissa (more of a reason for me to love her), tells her life story including the death of her mother from breast cancer.  She tells how her mother knew she was going to die so squeezed a lifetime full of memories into a few short years.  I must admit, I cried while reading some of this chapter.  Some people can be very bitter about suffering such a loss in their life, but Mally used it to create something beautiful in her life, which is very admirable.

   Mally also shares stories about her start in the makeup industry.  She stresses the fact that no job is too small and to say yes to everything.  You never know when a small opportunity can lead to a big one, or if you can meet someone life changing (she met her husband on a list minute shoot) by just saying yes.

   Dispersed throughout the book are pages with makeup tips and tricks.  There were a few that I really liked.

The first makeup tip I liked (and already started using) is the "starburst" mascara tip.  When I normally put mascara on I bring the wand towards the outer edge of my eye, giving a cat eye like effect to my lashes.  Mally says to bring the lashes towards the bridge of your nose which gives your eyes a more open eyed effect.  I've been doing this and I really like the result!  Especially under my glasses and with tired eyes, this does help my eyes look a bit more awake.

The second tip I really liked is her natural eyeliner tip, which it turns out is a tip I've been using for quite a while.  Mally says to use a darker liner on your top lash line and a lighter shade on your lower lash line.  This gives a more natural look and also helps cut down on such a stark contrast on your under eye.  For my daily use I prefer using an espresso brown on top and a bronze on bottom.

All in all, I must say I really enjoyed this book and I think next time I see Mally on QVC I will enjoy watching her even more.  

Have you ever used any of Mally's products or watched her on QVC? 

Book Review: The Everygirl's Guide to Life

   One of the books on my summer reading list was, The EveryGirl's Guide to Life, by Maria Menounos.  I ended up borrowing it from my library because I tend to like non-fiction books to be real books as opposed to ebooks.

       I've never really watched a whole lot of Maria Menounos on tv, but I like her personality and I'm really a sucker for any girly self-helpy type of book.  This book was a fun read and actually was full of great tips and tricks.

Here are some of my favorite tidbits from the book:

*Maria stresses the importance of having a regular cleaning schedule.  This way when guests are coming over you won't have to do a deep cleaning, things will already be spic and span.

*She recommends setting up a "black book" otherwise known as a home management binder.  As I begin condo shopping I think this will be very helpful, and I'll be setting it up more or less like this.

*Every New Year's Eve she writes out her resolutions and the steps to get them.  She then posts the goals and steps to obtain them in a very visible place.  I know we all have resolutions, but seeing the steps to get them everyday may act as a gentle reminder.

*This is a great tip for when dressing for a night out or when you know you are going to have your picture taken: take a flash photo of your outfit to make sure nothing shows up sheer or see through on camera!

*Maria emphasizes the importance of meditation in her life.  I have never once given thought to meditation, but as a frequent sufferer of anxiety and migraines, I will be looking into this.  I didn't know meditation has been proven to lessen severity of migraines.

*A tip I've never heard to help with a minor panic/anxiety attack is to use a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel placed on your chest.  The weight and the warmth of the bottle is supposed to be soothing.

*In a world where the economy still sucks, making connections is super important.  Maria recommends keeping a little notebook to collect business cards.  Glue the business card in and jot down a few notes as to how you know the person and what you may have chatted about.  It's a great resource to have.



All in all, I have to say I really enjoyed this book.  It had quite a few makeup and hair tips that were new to me, great advice on how to design your dream home on a budget, some lazy girl workouts and great recipes.  This is a book that I wouldn't mind having on my bookshelf to take out every now and then for inspiration or to use as a reference.

Are you a Maria Menounous fan?  Would you read this book?

The Many Uses of Jojoba Oil

  A few weeks ago I ordered jojoba oil from Vitacost.com.  I ordered it mainly to use as a carrier oil for tea tree oil to use as an acne treatment.  After buying such a decent size though I decided to do some research on the other uses of Jojoba oil.  Here are some of the suggestions I came across:

*Eye and face makeup remover- Apply a few drops to a cotton pad and use to remove face or eye makeup.  Rinse off with water and follow up with your regular cleanser.

*Use as a facial moisturizer- Now this is one that I see a lot of raves about, but also a lot of rants about. People either say this gives you the most smooth and plump skin ever or breaks you out like crazy.  As my skin has been misbehaving lately I'm not going to be trying this.

*Body Moisturizer- Apply right after you get out of bath or shower to lock in moisture.

*Add a few drops to a bath for a moisturizing soak.

*Apply oil to hands or feet, wrap in cellophane and add some socks and gloves for an hour or so for a super luxe treatment.

*Add a few drops to your scalp and gently massage.  Make sure to double shampoo out.

*Use a quarter size drop to apply to damp hair (concentrating on ends) and leave in for 10-15 minutes for a deep conditioning treatment.

*Use as a cuticle oil

*Apply to lips in place of lip balm

*Use a carrier oil for stronger essential oils

*Apply to wet hair prior to swimming to seal hair shaft

*Massage into stretchmarks to use as a lightening treatment

*Apply a teensy tiny amount to dry hair to use as a shine serum



As you can see one super affordable product has TONS of uses!

 Do you use jojoba oil?

Fitspiration Review: The Eat Clean Diet Recharged

   I think everyone's New Year's Resolution is to be a healthier individual.  This year I've actually been able to make that positive change in my life.  For the first time in my life I have an exercise routine that involves working out on most days (I even wake up a half hour earlier to squeeze in a mini morning work out) and have been eating healthier than I ever have.
  Now don't get me wrong, my diet still needs A LOT of help, but I've made significant progress in eating healthier and consuming less calories on a regular basis.  As I started doing research on changing my dietary habits the term "Clean Eating" kept coming up.  After doing some further research on Clean Eating I was introduced to Tosca Reno.
  Tosca Reno is a clean eating activist and author.  She has published quite a few books on the topic and her website is an amazing resource (and free!).
   I purchased one of her books, The Eat Clean Diet Recharged, from Amazon and have read it cover and to cover and refer to it quite frequently.




Here's my review on her book and on her take of the Clean Eating Lifestyle.

-Tosca is all about the eating more frequently trend.  Mini-meals as opposed to the standard breakfast, lunch and dinner is a core principle of Clean Eating.  (My lifestyle at the moment just doesn't cater to this idea)

-Her take on clean eating I find to be very strict.  For instance, I just can't take my coffee black every day and I'm not going to purchase bee pollen to use in my cereals.

-The structured eating plans provided in the back of the book are super helpful.  It gives you a breakdown of the size of meals you should be eating if you are able to follow the mini meal plan.  If you aren't able to, it still is able to give you A LOT of ideas of what a clean eating day looks like.

-There are a lot of helpful tips throughout the book- which foods are important to buy organic, restaurant survival guides, how to incorporate super foods into your everyday diet and how certain foods can help in our physical appearance.

Would I recommend the book?: I wouldn't purchase this book, maybe borrow it from the library.  I've browsed through the cheaper version, The Clean Eating Diet: Just the Rules and I wish that was the book I would've purchased as it's just a condensed version of my book.  If you don't want to read her book I would SERIOUSLY recommend her website.  The site is amazing and has some fabulous recipes.

Would I recommend the clean eating lifestyle?: I have definitely implemented some of the principals of clean eating into my every day life.  I eat a considerable more amount of whole foods (foods from the earth) and make a conscientious effort to look more into what goes into my food.  I just find it super difficult to follow the lifestyle strictly as I love me some Starbucks and Reeses!

I LOVE reading books on fitness, nutrition, health, etc.  Any recommendations?

Review: Conair Jumbo Hot Rollers

   I love the look of va-va-voom hair.  I usually have to utilize heat to get the voluminous hair I desire and not teasing, because teasing and my hair and my hand just don't combine!  Since I suck at being able to do my own at home blowout, I purchased a set of jumbo hot rollers quite a while ago to achieve my va-va-voom hair.

I purchased this set of Conair Jumbo Hot Rollers from Amazon about  a year ago.  When I purchased these rollers, it didn't include the claw clips that the set includes now.  I purchased those on my own because I prefer the clips that go all the way around the roller.  This set includes only two size rollers- 4 super jumbo rollers and 8 medium to large size rollers.

On to my review:

My major complaint with these rollers is that I don't feel they get hot enough.  I've seen YouTube review of this product and the girls seem to be almost burning their fingers because the rollers are so hot and I'm able to hold them no problem.  I'm assuming this is a problem with just my set and not with all of them.

Due to the fact that my rollers don't get hot enough, I don't feel like I'm getting the best results from this set.  My friend Mamita explained that it may be the way I roll them which is preventing me from getting the most volume at the roots, so she needs to come give me a lesson soon!

Now some pics:

When you initially look at the set of the rollers, you may not think there is enough for your entire head, but I have a lot of hair and the 12 rollers fit on my head perfectly.  I definitely recommend using these types of clips for ANY hot rollers that you may use.

As you an see the rollers do give my hair a lot of movement, but not a whole lot of lift!  

Pros:

*Very affordable

*Gives straight hair great movement

*Available to purchase at a lot of different stores

Cons:

-Doesn't get hot enough

-Doesn't provide a lot of volume at roots

Would I repurchase?: Unless I realize I'm doing something wrong and these rollers give me some volume, probably not.

If you have any recommendations as to how to use these to get more volume at the roots, it would be greatly appreciated!!

Also, what's your favorite method to getting volume at the roots? I'm willing to try anything!