Hair Trends For 2011

Hello again lovely readers! I hope the start of your new year is going great. Remember, this is the time to start off fresh and accept change. If you are feeling a little bit "blah" with your look maybe its time for a little 2011 to get tangled up in your hair.

Middle Parting

Victoria's Secret has long been a fan of the middle parting. Allesandro Ambrosio is one of the Angels rocking this sexy look. A middle parting shows confidence. With no hair hiding your face you will look approachable and flirty. To pull off the middle parting I recommend growing bangs out to graze the cheekbones which will help to frame the face.

Natural Length

This year I am predicting more and more celebrities will trade in their ridiculously long extensions in favor of their natural locks. In my opinion, the waste-length wavy hair of 2010 (think Kim Kardashian or Miley Cyrus), will be long gone in this new year and thank God for that. I have been seeing celebrities rocking their natural length hair recently and I find it so much classier. If you favor long hair over this year's short hair trends, then grow your hair out au naturale. The perfect thickness down to the ends of the hair that extensions give you will completely blow your cover. Enjoy the process of growing your real hair and you will achieve beautiful natural length like Mila Kunis pictured above.

 

Pixie Cut

The next trend of the new year has already begun thanks to Emma Watson's incredible new look. Emma claims that the big chop was done to symbolize the end to her role as Hermione Granger. A large part of Hermione's identity was the mass of curly hair she possessed, so by Emma loping it all off she definitely made a point. If you are looking to make a statement this year about closing a chapter of your life and starting anew, what better way to do it? This cut is best worn by those with oval and heart-shaped faces.

 

Chin to Shoulder Length Bob

Running with the theme of natural hair, the bob is back but sexier than ever. This year's bob isn't the one your mom warned you about. It's an edgier take on the classic, with shaggier ends and a lot of texturizing. Celebrities like Scarlett Johanson are rocking their natural wavy texture with the bob which I think gives the cut a lot more sex appeal. Remember, neat hair is never sexy, but perfectly imperfect hair, now that is sexy.
 

Sleek and Straight

In the new year I am predicting that we will be seeing more of the sleeker, straighter styles mixed in with the messy waves still hanging on from last year. I think this look works best with a choppy fringe to avoid looking like you have freaky bad runway model hair.

St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse Review!

 Hey lovelies!!! I have an amazing product to share with you all today! I treated myself to this indulgence after receiving a Sephora gift card for Christmas.

I was feeling particularly drab and ghost-like during these rainy, wintery months and was shocked into action when I saw just how pasty and horrible I looked while trying on bridesmaid dresses for my best friend's wedding.

After some online research I found that St. Tropez is pretty much the Holy Grail of all self tanning products. Though pricey, most people raved that it was well worth the price. So here's my opinion for you all.

  
I LOVE IT! Haha, I guess you could tell from the picture of me kissing the bottle. On first application I knew this product was epic! I bought the mousse formulation after trying it in the store and determining it was the smoothest and easiest application.

The application of this product is extremely simple, easy enough for even the most novice self-tanners (i.e. myself). I will tell you that it is absolutely essential to apply this product with some sort of gloves on your hands. I simply used disposable latex gloves. This product dries EXTREMELY fast, so even though it only take a few minutes to apply this all over your body, by the time you finish, your palms will already be stained. I also suggest finding yourself a helper to apply the product to your back, since it can be very hard to reach in between your shoulder blades.

The product contains an instant bronzer that works as a guide color, meaning, you can see exactly where you have already applied the product. This is a very helpful added bonus to this tanning mousse.

The smell of this product is also quite pleasant. Wait. Did I really just say a self-tanner smelled PLEASANT?! Yes, I did. St. Tropez claims to have an odor-guard to their formula which helps neutralize the smell of the DHA's reaction with your skin, and it totally works! I usually cannot stand to sleep with self-tanner on my skin because the smell is so strong and distracting I can't even sleep but this product's smell didn't even phase me it was so subtle.

The color this product creates is what earns St. Tropez the gold medal in self-tanners. The color is 100% natural looking. There is not a stitch of fake tan orange! St. Tropez recommends using this product up to three days consecutively to build the desired intensity for your base tan, then apply once or twice a week to maintain that color. 
 
I am so in love with this product! Finally I no longer look like a tube of Elmer's glue! Let me know what your guys' favorite self-tanners are!

Here is a swatch of my natural skin tone against my newly bronzed skin after 3 appications!

Photoshoot

This young woman was simply one of the most fun people I have ever worked with. Her personality was AMAZING! She was so bubbly and full of life. Her pictures turned out amazing and I wish her the best of luck in her career!

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Review

Before

Before

After

After

So, a few weeks ago I let you guys in on my drugstore mascara wish list and the Rimmel Lash Accelerator was at the very top of the list. This mascara promises to lengthen lashes upon application up to 80% and, with continued use, promises to increase the natural lash length up to 117%.

You can see from the pictures that this mascara does a fantastic job at separating the lashes. The lashes are left looking natural but longer and darker and therefore, more defined. This mascara definitely won't give you uber drama lashes, though. My lashes are pliable and soft with this mascara which I love. I hate the crunchy lash feeling. 

I have been using this mascara everyday for 3 weeks and I can't say that I honestly look in the mirror and see this extraordinary growth in my lashes but I will say that I have noticed less lashes falling out when I remove my makeup. I also noticed that my lashes aren't breaking in half, which they often do every few months in certain spots. I think these results are due to the conditioning ingredients found in this product.

Overall, this is a good mascara. Very long-lasting. It doesn't flake or run and give you raccoon eyes. I have been reaching for this mascara over all my other ones the last 3 weeks and have to say it has become a favorite.

Update on Life

Wow, I have missed all of my subscribers and blog followers so much! Seriously, it has been way to long that I took the time to upload a video or make a blog post. I admit to letting the stress in my life get away with keeping me from engaging in anything fun that demands my time.

Today, after uploading a couple videos and reading your guys' comments, I just felt so uplifted. Truly I feel so purposeful when I get videos out there and I get to communicate with you all. I have several ideas for upcoming videos including more hair care tips, tutorials, and hauls.

I hope all of you are enjoying this holiday season and I wish you all a Merry Christmas! This time of year is a time for happiness and celebration and thankfulness for what you have. I am trying to remember this to keep myself from worrying about the future too much. Anyways, keep a look out for some upcoming posts. I will be getting them up soon.

And for those who don't know, I now have a twitter  http://twitter.com/#!/beeyourself7 so follow me for daily updates and to ask me any questions.

Drugstore Mascaras I'm Dying to Try

My number 1 most wanted drugstore mascara at the moment is the Rimmel Lash Accelerator. I have seen some great reviews on this product and I am itching to buy this one as soon as I can. It claims to make lashes instantly look 80% longer and, with continued use, improve the natural lash length 117%.

My second most wanted is the Maybelline Full N' Soft which claims to make your lashes look naturally full and voluptuous while still maintaining their soft, natural feel. No crunchy lashes here. I have seen this on many peoples' top drugstore mascara lists so its a must try for me.

The L'oreal Telescopic is another one that I have heard a lot of hype about. I adore L'oreal Voluminous Original and L'oreal Voluminous Million Lash so I have high hopes for this guy.

I don't know what it is about this mascara but everytime I see it in stores it's like I am a moth drawn to the light. The packaging just catches my attention and I always want to pick it up and give it a try. A name like "Falsies" kinda appeals to me as well.

Ear Stretching

Hey loves! I hope all of you are doing fantastic. I am really eager to get writing on this topic because I feel like I have a lot to say about it. If you aren't familiar with the term "ear stretching" you may be more familiar with "ear gauging." The proper way to say it is stretching but I know where I come from it is more often referred to as "gauging."

The reason I am writing about this topic is because, for me, this body modification has a lot more meaning and symbolism behind it then I think other people realize and I feel the need to rant about it. Those of you reading this who know me personally, know that I am a pretty "girly" girl. I am very conservative, polite, modest, etc. I am also very outspoken and strong-willed. And you also know that I have had a share of piercings before, my latest retired piercing being my Monroe Piercing.

I personally am not into sporting multiple piercings at once. I think it is overwhelming and it doesn't convey the message I am trying to put out there. So when I got my Monroe, I took out my nose ring, and when I took out my Monroe, I got my tragus pierced (that's an ear piercing). I adore having at least one "unique" piercing that stands out on my otherwise conservative body. I feel like it is a symbol of that little bit of rebellion and strength that only those who know me well know I possess.

I love anything unconventional because to me it is a message of acceptance. When I have a unique piercing I feel like I am making a statement that you don't have to be a "bad kid" to have piercings and tattoos. Hard-asses aren't the only ones who can rock stretched ears and inked bodies. A lot of times those people who look the most put together and clean cut can be way more shady then that tatted up guy with the septum ring at Hot Topic. It is nobodies place to judge someone by the way they look.

And to those who think Body Modifications such as tattoos and piercings are disrespectful to our bodies, I have a rebuttal for that too. My tattoo was done out of the utmost respect and celebration for my body. I made the decision to get a beautiful hibiscus flower on my body as a symbol of all things I deem beautiful in my life. Tattoos and piercings are an enhancement to your body that you have complete control of. Nobody but you can make the decision to get your body pierced or tattooed. To me this is a sign of empowerment because it gives you a sense of control over your body.

So why do some people feel the need to look negatively at body modification art? For some reason in our culture it has become taboo because of the times when tattoos and piercings were more limited to gang members and crime. Thankfully I do feel like my generation and the generations after me are becoming much more accepting of these forms of expression. We need to remember that these body modifications have been around long before gang members were wearing them, so why do they need to be looked at negatively? Saying all people with tattoos and piercings are "troubled" or gang members is like saying all Italians are a part of the mob.

I just wanted to share with you all my reasons for loving body modification and hopefully I gave you a different perspective on the art and symbolism behind it. Right now I am expressing myself through my tragus piercing and the process of stretching out my ears. And those who haven't learned their lesson yet, don't jump to conclusions. I am not seeking a dime-sized hole in my ear. I am after a 6g which is a very small gauge size that still allows you to escape the traditional earring style. The plugs for stretched ears can be more beautiful, feminine, and ornate than those dangly earrings everyone else wears and that I find EXTREMELY uncomfortable.

These are some of the most beautiful plugs I have found and ones I will definitely be purchasing when I reach my goal size. Yes, my goal size is that super tiny one lying down that you can barely make out. See? Don't freak out! 

 I also love these ones. They are so gorgeous they look like water!

 I'm a big fan of the organic materials like these wooden plugs. Very hippy chic.

 These plugs are all from bodyartforms.com which is an AMAZING site for any body jewelry you want!

My tragus and 14g ear piercing. :)