Today's Inspiration: Utah Woman Loses 100 Pounds in One Year

"I used to think that everything was a quick fix...and it's not that way. It's just hard work."

We all know how difficult it can be to achieve our optimum health and weight goal, whether its 5 pounds or a 100 pounds. It's definitely a struggle and one that can be motivating one moment and frustrating the next. But today, instead of focusing on the negative, I want to introduce you to a woman named Diana Smith and her inspirational story about getting healthy and happy.

Everyone's goal of a healthy weight, of course, differs. While this statement is pretty much common sense, the concept that everyone's healthy weight is different from others is, surprisingly, not widely recognized or at least truly understood. The media and so many people focus too much on obtaining the "cover girl" weight and body type where big boobs, a small waist, and a sculpted apple bottom is considered the ideal body type. 

Let's just state it straight and simple: Everyone has different weight goals in order to achieve a healthy body and lifestyle. 

Diana's Story
Diana was your typical person who would work out, lose some weight and gain it all back. Frustrating? Definitely. Her real inspiration and new weight loss plan came in the form of her brother. When he returned from a church mission from Africa, she was surprised to see that he had lost 100 pounds! 

His strategy? Walking a lot and eating less. If it worked for him why not her?

Her Journey
At first, she started with long walks daily with her two children. Those walks turned into runs and a year later, she is running half marathons and is preparing for her first full marathon.

Supplementing her increased physical activity, she started using a calorie tracking app to help her recognize what and how much she was eating. She also cut out any junk food such as fast food, soda and common things that were not good for her.

Another factor that kept her motivated was, surprisingly, Instagram. With more than 23,000 followers following her journey, she often received praise and recognition for all her hard work (proof with pictures that she posted on her account).

"I've had major, major applause, congratulations, just from so many people I've never met. It's been amazing. That's been on of the motivators to keep going, because I realize, like, people need to see that even though I'm just a mom that doesn't really understand nutrition and never [has] really been trained...that I can lose this weight. And it's really helped me help others see that they can do it."

Today
Diane is now at a fantastic 185 pounds (from 285) - round of applause please. Her goal is to lose 10-20 more pounds but, as she states it, "That's my healthy range." Again, it is her healthy range. 


So what are your personal health goals? Set them, plan for them, and achieve! You are your best motivator and the best thing to keep you going. Be your best friend through a tough but rewarding journey.

Easy Goddess Hairstyle Tutorial

I came up with the greatest little hair tutorial the other day. It was one of those days where my hair was doing its own thing, but it turned out to work to my benefit. My hair ended up turning into a goddess-esque hairstyle that was completely effortless, yet so chic. Here is the quick tutorial that literally took me a couple of minutes to achieve.

Natural Dry With Scrunching
Every girl has scrunched their hair a time or two, and this is just another. In order to achieve that wavy, scrunch look, I instantly scrunched my hair with the towel as I stepped out of the shower and then threw it up in the towel. I let my hair dry like this for a couple of minutes before removing it from my towel and scrunching some more, with just the towel. Once it was a little more dry, I added in some serum and scrunched that it and allowed my hair to air dry. If your hair is pin-straight, getting the scrunchy look may not be as easy for you, so you may have to use scrunching product specifically.

Bring In The Braids
I actually put the braids in my hair to pull them off of my face. I grabbed a section of hair from the front of my face on one side and brought it to the back, just behind my ear. I then grabbed a section from the back crown area and conjoined the two. I loosely created three sections from them and created an extremely loose and short braid. Since scrunching leaves your hair kind of tangled, I didn't use a hair elastic and sprayed the entire hair style, including the ends of my braid. I then repeated on the other side.

Effortless Achieved
Since there are no elastics securing the braids, the ends fell into the rest of the hair naturally, allowing the entire look to come together completely. My hair was off my face so that I could run errands, cook, clean and do whatever else that I needed to do, without being bothered by bangs and the front of my hair.

We all have those days where we just want our hair to look fabulous without us doing anything to it. Luckily, I have created this fabulous little goddess hairstyle that is modern enough for today's trends, yet easy enough for everyone to be able to achieve and pull off.

All you need is some scrunching product if your hair doesn't hold the waves in naturally, and some hair spray and voila! Your look is complete.

Photo Credit: Beauty with Chantilliscious

Fast Dry Nails

 

 



    Hello ladies, I hope you are all doing well this Friday. In today's blog I would like to share with you some awesome tips and tricks how to dry your nails. These are things I have discovered or have been informed of, and they work great. It's amazing not having to wait for my nails to dry in order to do something; having to wait drives me crazy. I'm clearly not a patient person when it comes to waiting. Anyways, here are the best solutions for drying your nails.

1. Nails Polish: If you don't like waiting for your nails to dry, try a different brand of nail polish, one that guarantees fast dry nails. The only problem here is that you many not find the perfect colour you're looking for.


2. Buy a Fast Dry Top Coat: After painting your nails top them off with a clear fast dry top coat. Give them about two minutes to dry. The dry coat will also give your nails a shiny and smooth look. There is no way you can go wrong with this option.

3. Cold Water: Okay, this is a very inexpensive solution and it works wonders; it's what I do. All you need to so after painting your nails is soak them in cold water for 2-3 minutes. Once you take them out all you will need to do is dry your hands. The nail polish will be completely dry! This is by far my favorite method to use.

 

Blow Dryer: Okay, I suppose you could use the blow dryer to dry your nails. However, it is important that the dryer is set to blow cold air. It will take a little about five minutes or so. The key to it is the cold temperature, just like if you were to dip them in cold water.  

    Okay ladies, I hope you found these tips helpful and give them a shot. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend ahead. And please comment if you have tried any other ways of drying your nails.

Photo citation:  http://www.funadvice.com . 21 February 2014 

Ombre: Head to Toe

While the ombre look has hit the hair industry by storm, ombre is definitely not limited to just your tresses. If you're hesitant to take a permanent route and dye your hair, try the ombre look in other fun places that require a little less commitment. Besides your hair, try your nails, lips, clothes, and accessories! I'm talking head to toe ombre (but of course not at the same time!!!).

Nails

Getting fun and funky ombre nails doesn't have to be a headache. You'll only need seven main tools:

• Two color polishes that compliment each other or totally that totally clash and makes a statement!

• Good quality topcoat

• Sponge

• Plastic Sheet (like a paper protector insert)

• Toothpicks

• Cotton Bud or small brush.

• Acetone

How To:

1. Apply one of the colors to your entire nail, allowing time for the polish to dry completely.
2. On the plastic sheet, paint a good amount of each color right next to each other (almost touching).
3. Using a toothpick, mix the two colors together.
4. Please the sponge right onto the color and apply it directly to your nail (this may get a little messy). Allow to dry. If extra layers need to be added, please be sure to let the polish completely dry.
5. Use a cotton bud or small brush and acetone to clean up and remove any polish on your skin.
6. Apply two to three topcoats and viola! Easy as pie.

Lips

Now this look can definitely be fun! Ombre on your lips? A little patience and a lot of practice will get you a neat looking pucker. For this, you'll only need three items:

• Lipstick color 1

• Lipstick color 2

• Colorful eye shadow for dusting

• Concealer -- of course that matches your skin

How To:

1. Apply the darker lipstick only to the middle part of your lower lip, smudging it with the top lip. Then line your lips with the darker color essentially outlining your lips.
2. Apply the lighter color to the center of the lips.
3. Place a touch of colorful eye shadow or shimmer to the middle of your lips. 
4. Apply concealer to the outside of your lips and blend. This will create a sharp and clean line.

Clothes and Accessories

Don't want to make the effort to apply ombre to your hair, lips or nails? Try adorning ombre with clothing! Because ombre is such a hit in the fashion industry, many designers are incorporating the ombre fade into their fashion lines. Think shirts, skinnies, and jackets. Too expensive? Try a purse or a scarf. Have fun with it and learn something new!

Ways To Decrease The Damage Placed On Your Hair At Night

As you lay your head down at night, you probably don't think that much damage could be done while doing so. You may throw your hair up in a tight bun, or even braids to find the comfiest position possible on your pillow. However, the way you wear your hair at night can actually cause as much breakage of your strands as heat styling products can. Awful, right? Since it simply isn't unrealistic to completely get rid of your hair iron, curling wands and styling products, any little extra tips to decrease the damage of your hair is appreciated. Here are the best night time practices for your hair at night that will deter split ends, frizz and breakage.

90s Scrunchie
Oh, the scrunchie. Don't you just dread when you see people rocking their 90s era hair band? The good thing is that no one will have to see you indulge in this outdated hair accessory. Well, unless you're having some sort of sleepover. Throwing your hair up into a bun is okay, as long as you don't tie an elastic tightly around it. The best option is to use a scrunchie as they keep your hair loosely tucked away.

Avoid All Wet Braids
Although a stylish way to get effortless curls the next morning, braids are the culprit of damaged caused on your hair overnight. They basically encourage split ends more than any other hairstyle. If your hair is dry, then braids are an okay option, but still aren't necessarily recommended. You do always want to remember to keep your hair loose if you still wish to braid your hair at night.

Always Keep It Dry
Never go to bed with wet hair. However, you shouldn't necessarily opt to blow dry your hair prior to bed because we want to decrease the amount of stress that you put on your strands. If you must shower before night, try to do so with enough time for your hair to completely air dry prior to laying your head down at night.

Let It Fall
The best option for nighttime hairstyles is to let your hair fall as it may. Make sure that it is dry, and brush your hair through before you head to bed. This will get rid of any tangles that can get worse overnight, which causes more breakage - and it will also decrease the amount of restriction that is placed on your hair.

These simple tricks will promote your hair to healthier days, and they are absolutely effortless, so there is truly no reason to put more damage into your tresses. No one wants split ends, frizzies and breaking ends. This is one way to decrease those three awful things right now.

Have a good nights rest knowing that your hair is not being damaged as you catch your zzz's.

Photo Credit: http://idiva.com/news-style-beauty/seal-em-up-banish-your-split-ends/22780

Target Does It Again: Introduces New Peter Pilotto Clothing Line

Target is on fire with their introduction of yet another amazing designer: Peter Pilotto. Target unveiled this new collaboration nationwide on February 9 with pieces that range from tops, swimwear, and fun sunglasses-with of course the awesome and very affordable Target price tag to boot! Sunday's reveal saw an impressive and record-breaking sales with most of the items being sold out and very much coveted by all those who snoozed.

Brand: Peter Pilotto

History: Peter Pilotto is a brand designed by Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos. The vision of Peter Pilotto's womenswear "embraces both new and classic perspectives on elegance. Otherwordly prints combine with soft sculptural shapes to form the handwriting of the design duo, something which evolves and is explored each season as opposed to being reactionary."

The two designers combine their individual art forms to create beautiful pieces. Whereas "Pilotto is focused toward textiles and print and De Vos concentrates more on silhouette and drape...the duo work beyond their individual perimeters to create something new, their process being very organic and beyond an integration of the two fields." 

Today, they are considered a "pioneer in applying 3-D digital technology to fabric a few years back, Pilotto and De Vos mixed and clashed high-definition prints and patterns in what became one of the most influential trends of the past decade."

Popularity: The Peter Pilotto label is currently sold in over 49 countries, primarily in luxury stores. Famous followers include Miranda Kerr, Diane Kruger, Cate Blanchett and Michelle Obama. While not a household name just yet, their creativity and designs have been award the 2014 BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund award. 

Influence: The design of the Peter Pilotto line heavily focuses on geometric and floral prints. Their signature includes bright patterns and neon colors. For this new line, the designers wanted "to produce a collection that was fresh and summery--perfect to brighten up February when the line will be available." 

Target Consumers: Peter Pilotto says, "The great thing about this collection is that we think it will appeal to a wide audience--everyone can find something for their wardrobe. This collaboration is different from out mainline collection, but the Peter Pilotto woman is the same. She is always playful with her style and tends to dress in a modern way--mixing high end with high0street. We're always impressed by how all our customers make our designs their own." 

Peter Pilotto Target Fashion Line: Retail prices will range from $14.99 to $79.99, where creativity meets pocket friendly, where "less intricately engineered parts are layered and pieced together to achieve illusion of depth."

Do I have you drooling yet? Or feeling fashion envy? Fuel the fever and go check it out!

Treat Your Dry Scalp With The Best Home Remedies

Suffering from a dry scalp? Aren't we all! 'Tis the season, right ladies? If you have no idea whether you are suffering from a dry scalp, just think about these two things; are you scratching your head and are you seeing dandruff in your hair or after brushing? Yes to either one of those, and you need some dry scalp treatment.

The first thing that you need to do is give yourself some hardcore deep hair and scalp treatment. It's basically like giving your conditioner steroids, or in better words, it's absolutely incredible!  Whether you have an intense rehydrating hair care cream, or want to go the more natural route by whipping something up in the kitchen, this will immediately soothe the itch and start adding the moisture back into your scalp to deter the flakes. Here are 3 of the best home remedies that you can mix up right now to get your scalp back to the way it should be.


Eggs and Olive Oil
If you are making a natural product from home, include some eggs as they and rich in the nutrients your hair is craving. Add in some olive oil and a little bit of water and mix them all together until it has a consistency that will coat your hair and not drip straight out of it. Keep it in your hair for 15 minutes and then rinse with warm water thoroughly.

Mayo Madness
Mayonnaise is mainly made up from eggs and oil, so if you don't want to actually make your concoction, grab a jar of this white stuff. Mayo also has vinegar in it, which will disinfect any fungus or bacteria that may be causing your dry scalp, allowing it to heal faster.  All you have to do is mix 1/2 cup of mayo into your dry hair, and massage it thoroughly into your hair before covering it with a shower wrap for 15 minutes. Then, rinse as normal and wash your hair.

Add in Oil With Oil... Duh
Your scalp is itchy because it is lacking the oils that you need to keep it hydrated. So naturally, mixing up some oils is one of the best dry scalp treatments. I do recommend coconut oil or olive oil - Whatever you have will work.  Warm some oil in a saucepan for 30 seconds before applying it to your scalp. Of course, making sure that it isn't hot prior to lathering your hair with it. Try to apply it to your hair in sections and clip them up to keep them from hitting your face. No one likes zits. Cover your hair with a plastic wrap or shower cap and let it stand for 30 minutes.

For all of these home remedies, be sure to massage thoroughly into the scalp because that is what is causing the problem - not your actual hair strands.

If this all seems like too much trouble, you can easily go out and purchase a dry scalp product to receive the same results.

Photo Credit: http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/how-to-get-rid-of-dry-itchy-scalp-6293.html

Buffing the Nails

Hey ladies, I hope all is well, and may you all enjoy this weekend. For today's I blog I would like to talk about nail buffing and about the nail products I have been using. I highly recommend them for anyone. And without further or due  here are the products.

3 Step Nail Buffer:  These buffers are quite easy to buy. You can get them online of from a body shop store. The first step requires you to scrape a little bit of your nail. These second step is to is to buff them and soothe them. Finally, the third step consists polishing them! It is the best, it's like magic. The best thing about this nail buffer is that it leaves your nails looking as if they had clear nail polish on.

Cuticle Solution: Using this before or after buffing your nails is key to giving them a wonderful look, especially if you want to paint them. gives them a clean overall look.

Filing: Always cut your nails and file them. In doing this you give your nails a nice shape and have a clean solid look.

Cream: Finally, after all of that make sure to moisture your hands. Your hands always have to be looking pretty, and almost fake, if they are long.

Alright ladies, those are some of the products I recommend using. Especially if you work with your hands along and don't have time to keep polishing your nails all the time. It's a good alternative to keep them looking great, and at a very inexpensive cost. Well ladies, until next time, enjoy your weekend.
Photo Citation:Seacret care mail collection reviews. viewpoints.com. Web. Feb 9, 2014

Secret To Your Love's Heart: Valentine Day Sweets!!!

Valentines day is right around the corner. Have you thought what you were going to gift that special someone(s)? While a dinner or a card is always pleasant, sweeten up the day by baking some delectable edibles for loved ones, romantic and platonic alike! 

Sweets are definitely the way to anyone's heart: man or woman; friend or lover. Gift them to coworkers and let them know how much they are appreciated; to a best friend to let them know that they are your soul buds for life; to a family member to remind them that you are always thinking of them; or to a lover to let them know you are truly, madly, deeply.

Here is a delicious baking idea for a special valentines day, but don't let Valentines Day be the only day you bake. Sweeten up someone's day everyday if you can :) Plus baking is just good for the soul!

bake sweet nothings so they forget you not...

This great meringue recipe by Martha Stewart is perfect for leaving sweet notes for giftee.  Find the recipe and how to below. Total bake time is 2 hours, requiring only 20 minutes of prep time. The recipe makes (12) four inch letters and (16) one inch hearts. Need more cookies than just 12 letters? Multiply the recipe by the amount you need. Need 24? Double the recipe. 36? Triple it.

Ingredients: 

(3) large egg whites at room temperature; (3/4 cup) sugar; (large) pinch of coarse salt; (large) pinch of cream of tarter.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees, with racks in upper and lower third of oven. Combine egg whites and sugar in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water; stir until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm, about 3 minutes. Add salt and cream of tartar.
2. Beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form and meringue is mostly cooled, about 7 minutes.Transfer meringue to a piping bag fitted with a ?-inch plain pastry tip (such as Ateco #805). Pipe the letters onto a parchment-lined baking sheet; each letter should be about 4 inches tall and spaced 1 inch apart. Pipe 16 hearts, 1 inch tall and 1 inch apart, onto another parchment-lined baking sheet.
3. Bake meringues until crisp on the outside but still soft inside, about 1 hour for letters and 40 minutes for hearts. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 day.

And don't forget to leave a heart or two for yourself. Savor and enjoy since you should also give yourself some love, if not everyday, then on this day of endearment and care.

Easiest Wet Hair Styles

When you step out of the shower, sometimes the last thing that you want to do is let your hair air dry as it drips down your back. We have all been there, haven't we ladies? Well lucky for us, there are a variety of hairstyles that we can do that will not only give our hair a break from the heat treatments such as blow drying and ironing, but it will also style your hair for when it is dry. These hair styles are also perfect for days when you're running late and need to get ready fast. Towel dry your hair, and prepare for a flawless and effortless style.

French Braid
This is a great hair style for damp hair because it pulls it off of your face - and off of your neck. That's also not to mention that it only takes a couple of minutes to do, and once you unravel your french braid, you'll have beach style waves. One of my favorite things to do with this hairstyle is to wear the first day as a french braid, and then the second day - wear the waves.

Top Sock Bun
The sock bun trend isn't full out like it used to be, but it still isn't completely against the trends of hair either. The best way to take advantage of your damp hair and the top sock bun is to make it look messy as opposed to precise and perfect. This will accentuate a messy bun appearance and will give you stunning curls once you unravel your hair. Plus, all you need is a sock! It doesn't get much easier than that.

Messy Bun
Let's go back to the classic, ladies. We have all thrown our hair up in a messy ball at the top of our head, only to discover the stunning curls that it gives you - once you're crawling into bed for the night. Scrunch your towel-dried hair with your hands and loosely and messily tie it back into a messy bun. Spritz some hair spray and let it dry a bit before letting it down and rocking the effortless appearance.

Let It Loose
If you don't want to tie your hair up, scrunch your towel dry hair with your hands and wisp your fingers through the roots as you flip your hair over. Spritz in some hair spray and curl infuser and let your hair dry loose and by air.

Gone are the wet hair problems. Of course, if you refuse to leave the house with wet hair, you can always dry your hair with a blow dryer once it is up in the hairstyle of your choice. This will further accentuate the waves and curls that you will get once you take your hair out.

Photo Credit: http://hair.allwomenstalk.com/fabulous-and-easy-hairstyles-that-dont-require-any-heat