Days in the Life

Hair Mask using Coconut Oil

2013-05-27T22:01:00.000-04:00

So here is the tragedy that was my hair.

Last year I dyed my hair a red ombré. I did this process twice. The first time I bleached my hair it was fine. I dyed from my chin to the ends. My hair was a little dry but I was using the Redken All Soft hair care line and it kept my hair moisturized and soft. Approximately 3 months later, I decided to do the ombré again and kick the red up a notch to a bright firetruck red. Instead of just touching up the parts where the bleach needed to be added, I was really smart and used the strongest developer and bleached the bottom half of my hair again. The result was dismal. It looked okay but my hair would break to the touch. It was a sad occasion.

That's me in California. YAY CALIFORNIA!

I got back and decided I needed to change my hair care routine and also just dye my hair brown and let it grow out naturally. Then I discovered coconut oil. I started out using coconut oil made specifically for hair. Then I bought the cooking coconut oil because it is (a) cheaper for the bigger container and (b) it is also more pure. The brand I use is the LouAna Pure Coconut Oil.

I also have been using this Organic Root Stimulator Hair Fertilizer to help my hair grow.

Here's the step-by-step process of how I treat my hair. This is to be done 30-40 minutes before you wash your hair or if you wash your hair in the morning you can leave it overnight for extra conditioning. My hair is really dry so if you have oily hair definitely wash it really well afterward.

I put a quarter-size amount in my palm and then run it through my scalp. This is supposed to make your hair grow strong and fast. I have been using this for months and haven't noticed any quickness in growth compared to not using it but I have noticed a significant change in how strong and soft my hair has grown in.

I use two tablespoons of coconut oil and put that in my hair. Coconut oil is solid at 75 degrees and liquid at 76. Once it touches your hands it will start melting. What I do is start at the ends and work my way up to the roots until the hair is saturated.

If I want extra conditioning I pour a little bit of olive oil in my ends too.

From here I have two options:

Leave for 30-40 minutes or overnight.

When I wash my hair, I make sure to wash it well. I use Head & Shoulders Smooth & Silky Shampoo, Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship Shampoo, and Herbal Essences Hydralicious Reconditioning Conditioner in my hair.

I have used Wen Haircare and various pH balanced shampoos and organic shampoos but I really like the Herbal Essences line and how it cleans deeply but conditions really well. Here is my hair now. As you can tell It looks a lot shinier and healthier. :) It is a lot thicker now as well.

This is a really long post but I wanted to show you my hair care routine! Let me know if you try it and if it works for you!

2012-02-01T07:48:00.001-05:00

I just joined this thing called listia. i'm hoping to start using it to give and get free stuff! :) try it out!

Our Internet - STOP PIPA/SOPA

2012-01-18T10:31:00.000-05:00

2011-12-19T12:58:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone! This is a really quick update post on everything. Here we go! J

I’m graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree on May 5^th, 2012 and then I plan on pursuing a master’s degree in music education. I’m really happy with the smooth flow of everything in my life so far! Lately I’ve been getting into the YouTube scene and I’m so happy I decided to do that. I’ve been meaning to start posting videos and it just never happened until this break! J I’m really excited and enjoy editing the videos a lot. The only thing that’s keeping me from posting more videos is that I work third shift during the holidays! I go in at 10:45pm and get off work at 7:15am. Then I sleep until I wake up! This is usually from 12-2pm. I get up and then hang out until about 7 o'clock which is when I take a pre-work nap. Some days I’m pumped and clean and film. Others I just want to lie in bed. Some days I mean to do stuff and then the computer gets ahold of me! We all know how that works. Anyway, I’m really happy about Christmas and I got my family really awesome gifts that I’m excited about. I still have 2-4 more gifts to buy but that will come later. Ok that’s all for now. I hope you have a wonderful and blessed day and a very merry Christmas!

Subscribeto my YouTube Channel!

Thisis my Twitter: @genevieve22690

Thisis my Tumblr!

2011-12-18T01:28:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! I’m really excited to share these new products and some known products with you! J I hope you enjoy this video! Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos and tutorials!

Let me know if you want me to do any kind of special tutorials! I don’t have my camera charger/USB cord so I can’t upload just yet but there’s one in the mail for me and it should be here by Wednesday so I can start uploading videos with nice quality! Enjoy everyone! Have a wonderful night.

Genevieve.

My Tumblr.

My YouTube Channel

13 Questions Personal Tag.wmv

2011-12-14T17:24:00.000-05:00

Washing Your Makeup Brushes :)

2011-11-17T16:07:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone. I have been meaning to do this blog post for the longest time but this semester has been really crazy and I haven’t blogged since the summer. Anyway… here it is!

I learned this cleaning method from Michelle Phan on YouTube. These are the ingredients you’ll need:

Olive Oil

Antibacterial Dish Soap (I use Palmolive)

Baby Shampoo (optional)

Here are my dirty brushes

And... here is my soap concoction: pour olive oil, baby shampoo, and antibacterial dish soap in a plate.

Dip the brushes evenly in the soap/oil mixture and rub in your hand and you can either rinse them in lukewarm water immediately or wait like i do.

Here are the brushes after they've been rinsed. A clean brush is a happy brush. :)

Now... for drying... I leave my brushes drying overnight and there are only a couple that have to dry for longer, and those are the more synthetic ones. There are different methods for drying brushes.

In the picture above, the smaller brushes are just drying on a paper towel.

The way I dry the big brushes is with my brush guards. You can buy them on their online store: www.thebrushguard.com

They are weaved and stretch but keep the shape of the brush. When I dry them, I put them in a cup (shown below) and gravity pulls the water down and doesn't go back into the brushes' binding to the wooden/plastic body. I'm at a loss for words because I am sleepy so forgive me.

THE BRUSH GUARD

Here's my kabuki brush (I lost it in Michigan last summer); it stands on its own in the brush guard.

Here's the dry kabuki brush. The fibers are tight and compact but it fans out when I use it.

I hope this post was helpful. The only thing I did different than Michelle Phan was that I added the baby shampoo. A clean brush is a happy brush. Your face will be happy too. Clean your brushes at LEAST once a week if you wear makeup every day. I also wipe them daily with baby wipes in between washes because they have to dry overnight.

EBATES!! WHERE IT PAYS TO SHOP ONLINE!

2011-06-09T16:12:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone! I haven't been uploading... been busy with kids and stuff. But I wanted to talk about EBATES! It's an amazing website that gives you CASH BACK for purchases on a lot of stores! You can click on the store from the ebates website and it'll give you a certain cash-back amount. Everyone should try this out! This is really quick but hope you like it! Enjoy!

Florida and Update

2011-05-29T19:44:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't been updating this as much as I should. I've been so busy lately! I AM keeping up with the Insanity program. I am a few days late because I'm in Florida. Anyway. I am so disappointed! I haven't lost any weight yet so x_X I hope I can lose some weight soon. I am going to Michigan pretty soon. Maybe I'll lose some weight there? I'll be at a camp so it won't be so bad. I have made some posts but I need to upload the pics... etc. So anyway, have a good night everyone! I'll try to post every day when I get home. IDK if that will happen though.

Dry, Brittle, and Dull Hair? DO THIS!!

2011-05-17T17:14:00.000-04:00

My mom is always trying natural remedies for her hair and skin. I am usually reluctant because of the smell. I decided to try this home remedy for dry hair and the results were PHENOMENAL!!

Ok... so you get an egg yolk (one if you have short or thin hair... two if otherwise) and a tablespoon or two (eyeball it) of honey and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. I usually just pour it in a bowl until I feel like it is good enough to cover my hair... Ok so let me recap the ingredients:

EGG YOLK

HONEY

OLIVE OIL

You just stir it up with a utensil of your choosing and put it on DRY hair (BEFORE WASHING!!) Once it's in your hair, just leave it alone (put it in a shower cap or just let air dry). DO NOT try to brush out because your hair will not like it (and it gets kind of hard).

WAIT....

Watch an episode of The Office (or your favorite 20-30 minute show)....

20 minutes later...

Shower. I recommend mixing baking soda with your shampoo (sulfate-free or professional salon pH balanced shampoo of course) to get all the build-up off. I usually shampoo two or three times when I do this just to get squeaky clean hair, and then I put the conditioner in and while it's chillin and my hair is soaking it in I shave and stuff.

After this, style as usual. You will believe. The results will be completely clear. Ok here's why these things work.

Egg Yolk: Eggs contain lecithin and protein, which help strengthen and moisturize hair. Egg yolks are also a natural emulsifier, meaning it binds homemade hair mask ingredients for a smooth, homogeneous mixture. Yolks also have a high sulfur content, which can help relieve dandruff symptoms.

I got this from this article, but here is what I know offhand. The protein in eggs is similar to the keratin treatments that cost hundreds of dollars in salons. Just trust me: It's good for you.

Olive Oil: Extra virgin Olive Oil has a high level of mono-unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidant vitamin E that moisturizes, protects and nourishes. It makes your hair grow stronger and can be kept in a longer hairstyle without a need to cut. It is very beneficial for dry, damaged, or split hair.

Honey: Here are a couple of websites that talk about the benefits of honey:

http://www.bvhairtalk.com/2008/10/29/the-healthy-hair-benefits-of-honey/

http://www.bees-online.com/HealthBenefitsOfHoney.htm

Hope this was helpful!!

Amazon Associates!

2011-05-14T11:04:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! I am working on making my blog AWESOME and I just added Amazon Associates. Basically, I can choose the ads that I want to put on my blog and be more site specific.

Day 5: LATE!

2011-05-14T10:22:00.000-04:00

So last night I was babysitting my nephews (1 and 3 months old), so I didn't have a chance to post on the blog. Anyway, yesterday was Pure Cardio, which is basically a no break workout. Instead of doing the max interval training (where you do 3 minutes of high intensity followed by 30 seconds of recovery) Shaun T makes you do 20 minutes of increasing intensity workout WITHOUT A BREAK! So anyway, that was fun. I pushed so hard. The key is to not look at the clock because you will get distracted and not focus on the muscles you're working on. That's what helped me. When I didn't look at the clock I got through more of the workout. When I looked at the clock I would be like WHAT STILL SO MUCH LONGER?!?!?!?!

Anyway, today is Plyometric Cardio Circuit again. I haven't done it because I need a nap first. I stayed up late babysitting and woke up twice in the night and really early this morning. So anyway... That's all for right now. Maybe I'll do some more awesome makeup today. :D I'll post if anything is new!

Have a WONDERFUL Saturday!

Bright Colors Inspired by a shirt!

2011-05-13T16:00:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! I was sitting in my room and was trying to find some inspiration for my eyes because I've been sticking with neutrals for about 4 months now and I am about to explode! So... I looked in my closet and these colors were yelling at me by way of this shirt:

Anyway, here's what I got. It took me a while because the green would not get as opaque as I wanted it to be. I'm going to have to expand my search for a lime green and may be get a pigment. Here's what I got:

Here's the list of products that I used:

FACE

e.l.f. Mineral Infused Face Primer

e.l.f. Concealer Pencil and Brush

benefit Stay Don't Stray Eye Primer (under eyes)

Dinair Foundation in Nutmeg and Golden Olive

Crown Brush 10 Blush Palette (contour)

Sephora blush me! in peche tendre no. 4

LIPS

Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm (Natural Mint)

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Peach Me (pearl #628)

Sephora ultra-shine lip gloss #40

EYES

Urban Decay Primer Potion (eden)

120 Palette (lime greens and oranges)

88 Palette (deep pink/crease color)

Urban Decay Black Palette (jet below lashes under eye and black dog on waterline)

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Zero (waterline)

Maybelline Eye Studio Creme Liner in Blackest Black

Sephora Crayon in White (tearduct)

Sugarpill Buttercupcake Pressed Eyeshadow (tearduct) followed by...

MicaBella Shimmer Powder in Sunshine #49 (tearduct as well)

e.l.f. Eyebrow Kit in medium

e.l.f. Eyebrow Lifter & Filler (just the highlight)

MAC blanc type (highlight)

Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Mascara in Glam Black

Wow that was a lot of product but I'm really happy with how it turned out! Thanks for reading!

Insanity Day 4

2011-05-13T15:59:00.000-04:00

This is yesterday's post. Blogger was down last night:

Today is day 4 of Insanity. I woke up super duper tired (but not sore) and thank goodness today was Cardio Recovery. It was basically a bunch of stretching and painful squatting. We did two miles again (we being my bro and I) but we walked them instead of jogged. I finally finished moving in and I mopped the floor! Ok… anyway… here are the meals because I’m really tired and am planning on going to sleep now:

Breakfast: brown sugar cinnamon oatmeal (homemade)

Lunch: Chocolate Cheerios

Snack: Plantain “fritters” don’t know what to call them; for those of you who know Spanish (specifically Dominican): TOSTONES!

Dinner: Pizza. I know I know… it’s so bad for you; but I was craving. Anywho. I’m hoping to do better tomorrow. I’m ready for bed.

No beauty tips today. I’m gonna do my nails tomorrow (hopefully); I’m thinking of using Finger Paints Tangerine Tint with China Glaze’s Crushed Candy Crackle Polish… Hmm…. complimentary colors… zzzz…. have a good night people!

Dry, Brittle, and Dull Hair? DO THIS!!

2011-05-11T21:23:00.000-04:00

My mom is always trying natural remedies for her hair and skin. I am usually reluctant because of the smell. I decided to try this home remedy for dry hair and the results were PHENOMENAL!!

EGG YOLK

HONEY

OLIVE OIL

WAIT....

Watch an episode of The Office (or your favorite 20-30 minute show)....

20 minutes later...

After this, style as usual. You will believe. The results will be completely clear. Ok here's why these things work.

I got this from this article, but here is what I know offhand. The protein in eggs is similar to the keratin treatments that cost hundreds of dollars in salons. Just trust me: It's good for you.

Honey: Here are a couple of websites that talk about the benefits of honey:

http://www.bvhairtalk.com/2008/10/29/the-healthy-hair-benefits-of-honey/

http://www.bees-online.com/HealthBenefitsOfHoney.htm

Hope this was helpful!!

Insanity Day 3

2011-05-11T21:06:00.000-04:00

Today I walked one mile and ran another mile. I'm SO SORE!!!! I also did Cardio Power and Resistance in the Insanity Program. It was very difficult but I did it! Let me tell you... I was dripping sweat (literally... dripping from my face to the floor) at the end, and my shirt was soaked. It felt awesome! :D Unfortunately, my soft hair suffered because I did not fix it afterward. I have 37 days left to change my body.

The Cardio Power and Resistance video is difficult but not as plyometric (jumping) as the Plyometric Cardio Circuit (duh). I tend to like this one better because I have flat feet and they are in extreme pain after jumping for 30 minutes. I usually work out barefoot because of that. No shoe is comfortable for me and my feet. Well, I've only tried a few but I like working out barefoot.

On another note, I tried roasting a chicken today. Failed. It lo

oked so nice after 2 hours in the oven, but then I started cutting it and the middle was raw. I was so disappointed, so I turned it around (even though it was so

beautiful) and cooked it. I blame it on the fact that I didn't

have a rack to cook it on and just put it in the pan. Anyway, this is what it looked like:

Awesome, right? NOT. The most important thing was that the breast was not dry, which I succeeded. So I'm happy with that. Anyway... This is what I ate today:

Breakfast: Banana

Lunch: 2 Waffles

Snack: Sweet Potato

Dinner: White Rice, Roasted Chicken, and a little bit of ice cream for dessert.

Hope this was helpful! I'll keep you updated with the workouts!

Insanity - Day 2

2011-05-10T21:43:00.000-04:00

So today I did Plyometric Cardio Circuit. It is a pretty hard video but because I have done Insanity before I can make it through more than I could the first time I tried this. (BY NO MEANS IS THIS EASY IN ANY WAY). I woke up around 7 and at 7:30 my brother and I went walking/jogging and we jogged/walked for 2 miles. I came home and immediately started the DVD.

Needless to say, I'm sore. I'm a little scared of what tomorrow is going to hold... and what my quadriceps are going to act like in the morning. Hopefully nothing too horrible because we're getting up at 7 to jog again and I will be coming back to do Insanity. Here's my diet for today (I need to work on eating and drinking more water); I don't consider myself a health food expert at all and am probably failing horribly at eating habits, just so you know.

Breakfast: Soy Protein with Lactaid (actually measured out serving size!)

Lunch: "Fried" Rice (I didn't really fry it) with leftover Rotisserie chicken and eggs in it, and beans (yum)

Dinner: Same as lunch, just smaller portion because I ate dinner WAY too late (because I ate lunch around 4... just not hungry)

So... I bought this ice cream from Ben & Jerry's and I don't plan to eat it tonight, but I am very curious as to what it is going to taste like. It's called Late Night Snack. It's vanilla bean ice cream with salty caramel and fudge-covered potato chips. WHOA! The only things it's missing are hot wings and pizza to be a heart attack in a pint! Anyway, I'm excited to try it and I don't want to eat it just yet because it will ruin my workout but I believe in enjoying life too. I'm not going to die a rabbit (although I am totally not against vegetarianism or really super healthy people).

Anyway... I'm rambling so I'll be done. Have a good night.

INSANITY: Day 1

2011-05-09T20:58:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Today is my first day of Insanity! I am posting about it to (hopefully) give me incentive to not stop. I started it while still at school but i had to stop because of papers and finals... BLEH. Now I have no excuse and I have no nasty Sodexo (school) food to inhibit my results.

The first day is a fit test, which goes like this: you do a few exercises at a high intensity level to see how much you can get in 1 minute. The different exercises go as follows, and my results are the numbers:

Switch Kicks, 76

Power Jacks, 37

Power Knees, 67

Power Jumps, 15

Globe Jumps, 8

Suicide Jumps, 8

Push-up Jacks, 22

Low Plank Oblique, 41

and yes... they are as scary as they sound! I'm exhausted but I feel like I could do more. I am excited about the next 40 days (I'll be leaving for Michigan in 40 days so I have to cut the program down to that). I want to lose 20-30 pounds. Hopefully I can do it.

For breakfast I ate a mango, a sweet potato (YUM) for lunch, and homemade Chicken Parmesan and whole wheat pasta for dinner. I decided that I don't like whole wheat/grain pasta. It's good for bread, but definitely not for pasta (in my opinion). It's a texture thing. Anyway, here is how I made the sweet potato (if you're interested).

I sliced it down the middle and put it in the microwave for 6 minutes, and then I let it cool for about 3 minutes. I took it out, put 1/2 tablespoon of butter (the real stuff not that processed fake junk) and a tablespoon of "natural" brown sugar (in the raw? - not name brand stuff).

The chicken parmesan was a little harder to make and I will (hopefully) post the recipe at another date, but it was DELICIOUS! (and I kind of made the recipe up)

Tomorrow I want to focus on drinking 3 bottles of water. I'm not talking about the regular ones. I'm talking about my big Camelbak bottle. I believe it is .75 liters. Anyway, I want to drink 3-4 of those.

Okay that's enough of me. Let me know if this is helpful! Thanks!

School's Out For the Summer!

2011-05-03T22:17:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone. Monday and Today have been extremely busy days. I've been working on my last finals and I'm finally done! I am now officially a senior in college! I remember graduating... well, not that far back, but I remember freshman year of college and I can't believe how quickly time passes!! Anyway, I want to let you know that tomorrow I'm going to (hopefully) do some nice makeup and do a blog post. I am also doing my nails (along with laundry). I'm getting ready to go home for the summer and am hoping to really get this blog going and more followers. Well that is all for today. Tomorrow will be more creative! Also I am going to save and get a camera over the summer. Alright. Have a good night everyone!

Unused Conditioner becomes Shaving Cream!

2011-05-01T14:35:00.000-04:00

Have you ever noticed that you go through shampoo much faster than you go through conditioner? I often find myself having leftover conditioner after every single bottle of shampoo. I like to switch it up when it comes to shampoos so I end up with bottles and bottles of conditioner just sitting there.

WHATS THE SOLUTION????????

Well, I started using my conditioner along with my Ivory Simply Aloe body wash when I shave, and OMG my legs feel so soft after, and they are super smooth! I just mix in a couple of pumps (I’m using the Nexxus Dualiste Color Protection + Volume - green one) into my loofah with my ivory soap and voila!

The best thing about it is that it saves me money because I don’t have to buy shaving cream (which I don’t really like in the first place). Hope this tip was helpful to you! :D

HEADBAND!!

2011-04-30T21:36:00.001-04:00

I was bored... and was going to do some makeup, but my eyes are kind of tired, and so i was on stumbleupon and decided to make a headband from a tutorial i saw online.

here's the link to the tutorial

http://zakkalife.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-to-make-t-shirt-headband.html

enjoy everyone!

Brown/Red Neutral Date Look

2011-04-30T19:11:00.000-04:00

So today was mine and my boyfriend's 1 year and 3 month-aversary and I decided to get dolled up. I decided to curl my hair and fix my makeup super nice. I think I am going to start this blog and try to keep it up.

The Products I used are as follows:

120 Palette Brick Red color

88 Palette (see photo for all colors)

Crown Brush 10 Blush Set

L'Oreal new true match makeup in Caramel beige w7

L'Oreal Paris Hydra Perfecte Perfecting Loose Powder in Translucent #916

e.l.f. Lip Liner & Blending Blush in Natural

e.l.f. eybrow Lifter & Filler in Medium

ULTA Professional eye primer

Maybelline NY Line Stiletto in G800 Blackest Black

Benefit Erase Paste in No. 2. Medium

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Zero

Stila Glamoureyes Mascara Black

MAC Blanc Type Matte Eyeshadow

Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey

e.l.f. Eyeshadow "C" Brush

Crown Brush C431 Precision Detail Brush

Crown Brush PP27 Bullet Crease Brush

Day 4

2009-06-19T10:27:00.001-04:00

I have lost 9 pounds so far and I'm on my fourth day.

Granted, it is probably just water weight but I can tell a difference in my tummy and in my face.

Today I eat bananas all day with the soup. I am going to make the soup now.

I am excited about this diet. I am going to do it until the weekend of July 4th.

I can't wait until then! :D

I need to lose 40-50 pounds by then.

Day 3

2009-06-18T13:07:00.000-04:00

Day 3 - 161 lbs.

As you can see, I have lost 6 pounds! :D

YAY!

Okay, today I haven't been hungry so I have only eaten a bowl of soup.

My mom and I are going to buy some more baby carrots because I ate them all yesterday.

YUM!

I drank Nopalina today with Sunny D (smooth)

and am planning on drinking it again tomorrow.

When I get back I will have a mango, some strawberries, and carrots!

Okay, I will keep you posted tomorrow :D

Day 2

2009-06-17T11:46:00.000-04:00

Day 2 - 165 lbs.

I have made my second batch of soup, and it is better than yesterday's soup. Much saltier, but better. I will put less salt tomorrow. I used the wrong kind of onion, as I may have mentioned before, but today I used the right kind and I still put like half of it in the blender. Today's soup. A+

I feel way better today than yesterday, and I have eaten some baby carrots.

Before I got out of bed I drank a pint of water. YUM. Hopefully water won't get old. lollz

So yesterday I ate another nectarine and a mango. I feel better today and tomorrow I can tell will be a good day.

Today I get to eat a baked potato with butter! :D YAY!

I LOVE BUTTER.

I am going to go work out in a little bit so I can burn some fat. I want to lose all 17 pounds, not just 5, or 10.

Okay, will keep you posted. :D