The Deal With Fatty Hair: Malibu Shampoo

Hey everyone!

I've had some issues with having really fatty hair. What I mean by fatty hair is that it gets greasy after one day of being washed due to excessive sebum. Excessive sebum is the opposite of having a dry scalp (here's more info on excessive sebum --> LoveToKnow). Over the past few years I have noticed my hair thinning, and struggled to follow the 'wash 2-3 times a week' routine without covering my head with a hat because of the grease. Also, rather than having flakes, like dandruff, tiny balls of oily skin gather. I know, sounds kind of gross, right? Well it isn't. This is something that is completely normal that a lot of people deal with! I haven't had the issue of this being visible, but I have felt it, and know that many people do have problems with is being some what visible. Like I said, this is normal and nothing to be embarrassed about. Having oily hair has also caused minor acne around my hair line, just as an oily face can cause acne. For a long while, I never knew the cause of my hair loss, the small clogs of oily sebum were.

After some long research, I have found out that the best thing for my hair was an all natural organic shampoo that contained no chemicals, sulfates, parabens, etc. I took a trip to the grocery store (the one near me is Wegmans), and took a look around for the best, cleanest, clear shampoo I could find and felt like I could trust. Malibu Scalp Wellness Shampoo is the one I started using and even after one wash I could feel the difference.

Here's what it looks like:

 ($16.00 on Malibu website)

It's a 100% vegan shampoo, is clear in color, is free of sulfates, parabens, & more, and works to normalize the state of your scalp.

I've been using it for 3 weeks now and the difference in my hair is astonishing. I have volume and a lightness to my hair after every wash, and a feeling of coolness to my scalp. I can practice an every-other-day shampooing routine and not have unbearable greasy hair on the second day. I even have gone as far as to rub the shampoo on my hair line and mid-forehead area where the spots were arising, and it worked! The shampoo dries the area up and keeps my hair line from getting oily.

I started my first week with washing my hair with the shampoo daily. I personally feel that this routine worked best for my oily hair, especially since skipping a day leaves me with oily hair and sebum build up on my scalp when the third day rolls around, and I know that that's washing day, but it leaves me feeling that I am allowing the excessive sebum to come back rather than eliminate it and have normal hair, with no ball-like build up. So if anyone else has any experience or info on this matter and has some great advice, I would love to hear it :)

I hope this can help! I know how embarrassing it can be and uncomfortable, but don't be shy to ask any questions.

-A xo

The Easy Elegant Up-do

Hey beauties!

I’m not hairdresser, nor am I the best at hair, but I was asked by my boyfriends mom to do her hair for an office holiday party. I said sure, why not right?

She sent me the picture and I pretty much crapped myself. Now, I love doing all things girly and love experimenting and playing around with makeup and hair and style, but trying something like this for my first time, when it has to look good the first try? I was freaking myself out haha. After looking up some Pinterest how-to’s, I gave it a go, and to my surprise? It came out pretty damn well!!
So I decided, if it was that easy for me, it is definitely do-able for everyone else.
Here are the tips I used to get it done:

I also pulled some of her hair from the front and put it into a small bobble, so at the end she could have some free pieces.
Now, before I put the elastic at the bottom, I curled the hair in the pony. For this tutorial I found on Pintrest, the next step was the tuck the pony piece under, like this:

What I found easier was pulling the hair up towards the top rather than under, and tucking the bit under in somewhat of a rolled way. This diagram somewhat explains it :

I pinned the sides so it would stay, like this :

Then I continued to add bobby pins throughout to hold some of the curls, and added hairspray as well.
This is what it looked like:

I then braided the two side pieces, put elastic a on them, and crossed them at the back. I tucked in the end but into the bun bit.

I then grabbed the bit in the tiny pony at the top of her head and blow dried it with a round brush to give it some volume, and then curled the ends.

That’s it!

I hope you like it and can have an easier, more simple time after this post!!

Enjoy :)
XO, A

Beginner Lipstick for Olive Skin

Hey guys!
So, I've been really into lipstick for quite awhile, but never explored different types because i've always felt, and known, that I can't get a grip of the look on myself. Therefore, I've sadly admired other girls beauty as they transitioned their looks with eye popping colors. After a trip to Sephora, and a trip to Mac, I was given a bit of guidance and able to pick a few. Trying on drastic colors like reds, and other brights were scary to me. I wasn't and still am not used to wearing lipstick that I just thought I looked so strange! I'm sure many lipstick beginners feel the same. With my olive skin tone, I realized that all those amazing colors that many light skinned blondes can pull off will never work for me, but there are many other options that will glow beautifully with my olive tone. Here are a few that I've been wearing that aren't too drastic, look good with olive skin, and don't scare the ba-jezus out of me.

I know all of these somewhat look the same, but once they're on they don't at all.





The first one (starting from the top - or left) is Nars Mayflower, which I just got at Sephora for $26.







The next one I'm still a bit uncomfortable and scared to wear (haha) but it looks great with olive skin and I absolutely adoooreeee matte. This one I'd say is not a beginner lip because it's a bright pop of color. It's e.l.f. Matte Lip Color in Rich Red. It was hard to get a picture of it because unfortunately it melted in the car :( but I got it from Target for only a few dollars so it's no problem to get a new one :)








The third one is MAC Frost; Creme de la Femme. This one looks a lot brighter once it's on lips rather than on my hand or just in the tube. This one also gives me a bit of anxiety but is more subtle than the red and is gorgeous for summer.






Lastly, this one I got at Target also. It was recommended by a friend and is such a lovely color. It's more bold than the first NARS color but is very similar. I had a MAC one that looked just like it but my little sister used all of it.. mostly on her face haha :). This one if my favorite!







Here are a few of my favorite pics of olive skinned celebs wearing lovely colored lipsticks :)














Hope this helps :)
-A xo

July Nail Art

Living my entire life in a town that celebrates the Fourth of July for the entire month of July, and holds the oldest parade in the history of the Nation just for the occasion, being patriotic isn't just a one day thing. I goat gel manicure done the day before the Fourth! All red nails, a white accented nail with a navy anchor, they don't go out of style for the entire summer!

Here are a few other cute ideas for July Nails:

This picture I saw on Alex and Ani's Instagram page. Check out their page here

These last four pictures I got from another Instagram page. The nail artist who created there, Alex Leonti, works at a nail salon in Bristol, RI, but no matter where you are from, you can follow her to see great nail designs and to create your own unique designs!

Check out her page here!

-A xo

Sources:

www.instagram.com/nailsbyalexleonti

www.instagram.com/alexandani