I’m obsessed with everything that has to do with hair. I apply a mask before I shower almost every single time, and on the days that I don’t, I notice the difference that masks can do to my hair. Since I’m very experimental, here are the top natural hair masks that you can make at home and apply either overnight or before you shower.
Coconut Oil Mask
Since my hair is thick, I have a hard time washing off pure oil. So I usually mix the oil with other ingredients to make it less sticky. Here are the ingredients:
4 Table Spoons of coconut oil.
2 table spoons of hair conditioner.
Cognac Hair Mask
Cognac might sound like a random ingredient to use in a hair mask, but it has been used in old ages as it’s really great to restore life to damaged hair.
4 table spoons of cognac
2 table spoons of hair conditioner
1 table spoon of Olive Oil
Chamomile Mask
Chamomile is considered a natural hair lightener – which I have tried but didn’t do much for lightening my hair. I noticed that made my hair shinier and very nice smelling.
4 tea bags of chamomile
2 table spoons of Honey
A cut of hot water.
Let me know if you have any suggestions for other natural hair masks 🙂
Make sure that you leave some space for shopping 🙂
I don’t pack lightly when I travel as I prefer to have all my beauty essentials in case I need to use any of them.
To simplify my packing process, I’ve come up with this Travel Essentials for the Beauty and Fashion addict. Feel free to suggest any other items that I might have missed!
Travel Essentials for Beauty & Fashion addicts:
Morning Items:
Slippers
Perfume
Deodorant
Facial wash
Tooth Brush
Floss
Toothpaste
Facial Cotton pads
Facial toner
Day cream (SPF 25)
Eye cream
Shower gel
Body cream
Pads
Eyebrow plucker
Shaver
Manicure and Pedicure kit: Filing, Nail Polish, Cutter
Ear Buds
Sun block
Tanning oil
Hair Essentials:
Hair brush
Hair ties
Rounded Brush
Hair clips
Bobby pins
Hair Dryer
Hair Curler
Hair Straightener
Hair Spray
Shampoo
Conditioner
Makeup Essentials:
Foundation
Concealer
Eye shadow
Eyeliner
Eye pencil
Blusher
Chap Stick
Lipstick
Mascara
Clothing Essentials:
Day Clothes:
Sunglasses
Jeans (2 Pairs)
Tops
Skirts
Beach dresses
Sneakers
Ballerinas
Jeans Shorts
Bikinis
Bikini Wrap
Bags (Cross body bags preferably)
Hat
Scarf
Umbrella
Jacket
Night clothes
Evening dresses
2 high heels
Clutch bag or Small bag with strap for the evening and clubbing
Underwear:
Panties
Bras
Lingerie
Socks
Pantyhose (black and nude)
Sleep time Essentials:
Pajamas
Slippers
Eye cream
Night cream
Makeup remover
Jewelry:
Every day gold ring
1 evening ring
1 pair of nice earrings
1 nice necklace
Medicine:
Panadol, Advil
Important Essentials:
Passport
Visa
Wallet
Money
Jordanian ID and driver’s license
Ticket and hotel receipt (Might need it at the airport in the US)
Those who know me well have a clear idea about my obsession with good hair! I use a mask before I shower about 95% of the time – to be accurate, I also never let my hair air dry and use a blow dryer to prepare it to be straightened.
I have wavy-to-curly hair which needs to be tamed using a hair straightener, but it eventually ends up looking straight thanks to my rigorous hair routine. Once I’m done with the straightener, I use a curler to twirl the ends for an effortless beachy-wavy look.
They say that good hair starts from within, and that’s true, but it also has to do with how you take care of it, style it, and the kind of tools that you use. While hair straighteners are known to damage your hair, my number one tip to avoid hair damage is to only use your straightener when your hair is 100% dry.
So here’s my final verdict when it comes to the best straightener and curling wand out there:
#1 Straightner: ghd V GOLD MAX STYLER Hair Straighter
ghd V Gold Max Styler
I’m not going to get all technical here, but this is The Best hair straighter out there for the following reasons:
It reaches full heat in less than a minute.
It doesn’t burn your hair yet makes it super silky.
It has dual voltage (works in both US and Europe).
It has no temperature control making it so simple to use – YET the heat it just right.
It’s light to carry.
Doesn’t damage my hair even though I used it after every shower over the past 5 years.
It has thick plates, which is suitable for my thick long hair.
1# Curling Wand: Remington |Studio Salon Collection Pearl Digital Ceramic Curling Wand
Model and thickness: CI95AC2 T / 1/2-1 Inch, Pink
Remington Studio Salon Curling Wand
I always finish things up by curling the ends of my long hair. This takes no more than 5-minutes. The end goal is to make my hair look bouncy and full of volume. I had my doubts while reading the reviews of this curler; I mean how can something this cheap be so good? Well, it turned out to be really good for the following reasons:
It has no clip which makes it easy to twirl hair around it.
It has temperature control which I use to limit the damage to my hair.
It’s light and easy to hold.
My curls hold all day long – not overnight though.
My love for bareMinerals makeup brand is growing fonder! Bareminerals is a San Francisco based mineral makeup company that has managed to become very popular in the recent years. It can be found at any Sephora store all over the world.
I came across bareMinerals through a friend who recommended their loose mineral foundation! I ended up getting another foundation by mistake, and boy I’m glad I did. The foundation I got has become my all time favorite as it’s so light and the color perfectly matches my face.
Upon trying multiple bareMinerals makeup items, I came up with a list of my essential must haves in my beauty routine:
Prime Time™ Foundation Primer / Original
The texture of this primer seemed too oily to me at first so I didn’t really have high hopes for it – but I was wrong. It sits perfectly on the face and makes for the perfect base for my foundation. It shrinks pores and keeps my face matt for a long time.
I believe I overly discussed Bareminerals liquid foundation, so I need to chill 🙂 but to summarize: it’s light, sits perfectly on the face and doesn’t make you breakout!
This concealer / highlighter is so light with a touch of shimmer. I don’t consider this brightener my go to concealer, but I use it to brighten the edges of my eyes and my upper cheek bones.
This cream eye shadow makes for the perfect base for eye makeup. I apply a small amount of it using my finger on my eyelids before I proceed with putting eye makeup. It helps your eye makeup stay longer and makes your eyelids brighter!
Accutne is a very strong acne treatment that is effective yet brutal in tackling your acne problem. It is often prescribed as a last resort due to its intensity! Accutane reduces the amount of oil produced in the skin by shrinking your sebaceous glands in a semi permanent / permanent way – depeding on your dosing.
I suffered from verymild acne (on and off) on my jaw line, so my skin doctor prescribed a low dose Accutane (20 Milligrams) for 4 months. I welcomed his suggestion being so desperate for having clear skin and not wanting to deal with pimples anymore.
I would like to share my experience with Accutane which only lasted for 3 months as my body couldn’t take it due to elevated cholesterol levels.
First 2 weeks:
My skin became oily and my pores started to open. I got more acne in the chin area (one side only) but it wasn’t nothing out of the ordinary. I knew what to expect as I was informed that in the initial weeks on being on Accutane, it will push out the extra sebum (oil) that has been stuck inside your skin.
End of First Month:
My face became dry, and I was happy about it. I would wake up in the morning with oil free forehead and nose. I needed to apply hydrating facial creams with SPF 25 in the morning and in the evening, as sun light and regular light could damage your skin while on Accutane. I also started applying lip balm as my lips became mildly chapped.
2nd Month:
I felt so pretty in the 2nd month! I had clear skin, no pores, a glowing face. I needed to use eye drops as my eyes became a bit dry – but again it was anything major! What you need to note is that eye dryness might not be obvious to you, but you need to use hydrating eye drops anyway.
3rd Month:
My hair became noticeably less oily and I loved it. I started having lower back pain, which I never had before. I also got my liver enzymes tested and it revealed that I had elevated cholesterol (Triglycerides) levels. So I quit cold turkey! My health comes first.
The top side effects that I personally experienced:
Dry face, hair and eyes
Chapped lips
Mild hair loss 2 months after quitting – but nothing major or irreversible
Mild loss of facial fat
High cholesterol (Triglycerides) levels
Lower back pain
Final words: I highly recommend that you keep Accutane as your last resort when dealing with mild acne and only consider taking it if you have major acne.
The makeup industry has gone crazy! From contouring and highlighting to using scotch tape to apply makeup, these are some of the weird procedures that seem to be getting a lot of hype nowadays – and there’s nothing wrong with that!
Personally, I’m not a fan of major transformations using makeup as I feel that it doesn’t enhance what’s already there but rather it looks like face swap! I mean can people maintain this look 24/7?
I’m no authority in makeup, but I’ve come up with a number of makeup mistakes that can be seen in the naked eye that you can easily avoid! Here they are:
Mistake #1: Cakey Foundation
Can I have that cake?
The purpose of foundation is to hide imperfections and unify the color of your face. If your foundation shows, then you’re not doing it the right way. The first step into perfecting foundation is to apply a facial cream or primer as a base for foundation. If you ignore this step, the dryness / oiliness of your face will make your foundation look cakey or shiny – depending on your skin type.
Mistake #2: Heavy Contouring
Can I contour my life as well?
Heavy contouring will make your face look weird. Trust me, we can all see it! Contouring should add a subtle enhancement to your cheeks, nose and chin line. The best way to get a natural enhancement is to use a dab of matt bronzer and apply it with your finger underneath your eyebrows all the way to the sides of your nose, then you need to blend with foundation. This will add more depth to your eyes and can make your nose look thinner and in harmony with your eyebrows.
Mistake #3: Long Fake Lashes
Lash on!
Fake lashes don’t necessarily have to look fake. Using very long lashes defeats the whole purpose of enhancing the natural beauty of your eyes. Instead, you can use short individual lashes towards the end of your natural lashes line. I usually use 1-3 individuals depending on the occasion and finish it up with winged liner and some mascara. Fake lashes should blend in to look as natural as possible.
Mistake #4: Going Overboard with Lip Liner
Don’t try this at home
Big lips are the “ish” right now, but lip liner that touches the tip of your nose is not; it will only make you look older! When using lip liner, make sure that the color is a similar shade to your lipstick – not much darker. If you have thin lips, you can get noticeably fuller lips by outlining them with a pale lip liner on the outside of the natural lip line. Finish things up with some matt lipstick as it can give your lips a fuller appearance.
Mistake #5: Using a Concealer That’s Too Light
I see the light!
Concealer can be your best friend if applied the right way. But if you go for a very light shade, it can make the underneath or your eyes look weird. While foundation should match the color of your skin, a concealer should be 1 to 2 shades lighter than your face to neutralize the dark areas underneath and around your eyes. I always find it easier to apply foundation first and then concealer as it allows me to see the areas that need more coverage, without going overboard with it!
I’m a self-proclaimed lipstick hater, but that doesn’t mean I don’t wear lipstick every once in a while. It has to be the right shade though so I don’t end up wiping it in the car!
For those of you who hate lipstick and don’t want to go through the hassle of finding the right subtle shade, I did some research for you and found the top 5 lipstick shades that might actually change your mind 🙂
All of the below shades are subtle and can make your lips stand out in a very natural way!
1. Le Marc Lip Crèmes from Marc Jacobs Shade: 230 j’adore
2. MAC Matte Lipstick Shade: Taupe
3. MAC Cremesheen Lipstick Shade: Creme in Your Coffee
4. Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick Shade: Wooden Brown
Let’s just put it that way, I’d rather not have to wear makeup everyday, but we all need some touch-ups here and there. For someone who doesn’t wear a lot of makeup, I tend to buy so much of it for the sole purpose of experimenting – talk about wasted cash :s
So here are the top makeup items (shades for brunettes) that have proven to be a must-have in my beauty routine:
Eyebrow pencil
Brand: Mac (MECHANICAL-STYLE, SELF-SHARPENING, DEFINING)
Mac Eyebrow pencil – Shade: Stud
This pencil is so sharp that it can mimic hair strokes, it’s seriously the best out there – to me. The only downfall is that it doesn’t come with an eyebrow brush, so you have to get it separately.
Naked Urban Decay Concealer – Shade: Medium Neutral
I hate having to wear concealer, but I kinda feel naked without it! What I hate more than having to wear concealer is those ugly concealer lines that form when you smile! This concealer is the best in terms of not showing or forming concealer laugh lines.
Foundation
Brand: Bare Minerals – bareSkin® Pure Brightening Serum Foundation
Broad Spectrum SPF 20
Bareskin Pure Brightening Serum foundation – Shade: Bare Natural
This is the lightest foundation I’ve ever tried. It is a clinically proven tone-correcting mineral foundation and brightening serum in one. It gives your face this natural glow without making it look overly cakey. I mean let’s get real, we can always spot foundation on girls’ faces and we don’t want that happening to us.
Blusher:
DIORBLUSH – vibrant color powder blush
DIORBLUSH – Shade: shocking coral
If you don’t like glittery cheeks and prefer light matt blushers, this is the one for you. It gives a natural pinkish glow to your cheek bones without ending up looking like a barbie doll!
Eyeliner
Yves Saint Laurent -‘Eyeliner Noir’ Liquid Eyeliner
YSL “Eyeliner Noir” – Shade: Black
If you’re looking for a very thin eyeliner brush that is easy to hold and apply – since it’s not too long – this is the one for you. It doesn’t get smudgy at the end of the day, even though it’s not waterproof. I won’t be looking for any other eyeliner options; I found The One!
If you have any other makeup items that you’d like me to add, just drop me a comment 🙂
I love trying out new hair products. I always feel so hopeful whenever I come across a new brand of shampoo or serum thinking that it might be the best thing I’ve ever used. Well, most of the times, I was wrong . I end up going back to my usual hair products which never seem to fail me.
Shampoo: Elvive Re-Nutrition hair care from L’Oréal – Royal Jelly
This shampoo is a real life proof that affordable shampoos can also get you shockingly amazing results. It leaves my hair feeling healthy and soft. It’s like a non-greasy version of a conditioner.
Conditioner:L’Oreal Elvive Re-Nutrition Replenishing Masque (with Royal Jelly)
I cannot live without this Mask / Conditioner. I use it before I get into the shower as a leave-in treatment for about half an hour, and I use it again when combing my hair while showering.
Serum: Schwarzkopf GLISS KUR Hair Repair Total Repair 19 Wunder-Serum-Spray
I spray on this liquid serum while blow drying my hair. It makes it so soft and tangle-free. Its texture is so not greasy and it also smells great.
Mask: Kerastase Nutritive Oleo-Relax Masque
I use this mask whenever my hair is feeling dry and lifeless. After putting it on for about an hour, my hair becomes so soft and easy to manage and style.
As you might have noticed, I’m obsessed with cabbage – namely red cabbage. I eat one whole cabbage almost everyday. Not only is red cabbage low in carbs but it tastes delicious. Here’s a very simple recipe for a red cabbage salad that takes 3 minutes to make.
Remove outer leaves of cabbage head and throw it away.
Cut head in quarters and chop each quarter the size you prefer.
Add olive oil, salt and lemon juice and it’s good to be served!
Here are the nutrition facts of Raw Red Cabbage from Wikipedia.
Amount Per
1 head, medium (839 g)
Calories261
% Daily Value*
Total Fat1.3 g
2%
Saturated fat 0.2 g
1%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.7 g
Monounsaturated fat 0.1 g
Cholesterol0 mg
0%
Sodium227 mg
9%
Potassium2,039 mg
58%
Total Carbohydrate62 g
20%
Dietary fiber 18 g
72%
Sugar 32 g
Protein12 g
24%
Vitamin A
187%
Vitamin C
797%
Calcium
37%
Iron
37%
Vitamin D
0%
Vitamin B-6
90%
Vitamin B-12
0%
Magnesium
33%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
I cannot live without this Mask / Conditioner. I use it before I get into the shower as a leave-in treatment for about half an hour, and I use it again when combing my hair while showering.
I finally found a leave in oil that won’t weigh my hair down. It smells great and you can use it on both wet and dry hair.
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