Flaxseed Gel: Miracle in a...Bottle?

I don't know where to start. This stuff is amazing and I love it cause its overly cheap. So what I'm talking about is flaxseed gel. You can make it at home in under 10 minutes. Plus there are many benefits to it. They contain Omega-3 fatty acids which are not only good for your health but your hair. Flaxseed gel will leave your hair shiny, moisturized, and pretty defined for those curly girls out there. Plus it provides a light hold. It also mixes well with other products so you won't have to worry about little chunks of product staying in your hair or your hair looking white. I used organic golden whole flax seeds, I recommend whole rather than milled because its easier to strain.

What You'll Need:

1. 1/8 cup -1/4 cup flax seeds (this all depends on how thick you want your gel, I make mine thin to make it easy to strain )
2. 1 1/2 cup water
3. Saucepan
4. Strainer
5. Bowl
6. Funnel
7. Container to store it in the fridge (I used an old SheaMoisture bottle to make it easier to pour when I use it)

Step 1: Boil the flax seeds and water over medium to low heat. Stir it occasionally to keep the seeds from sticking to the saucepan.

Step 2: Once it reaches a gel-like consistency boil it more to thicken or take it off the heat and strain it into a bowl.

Step 3: Funnel the gel into your container and let it cool. It should thicken up a bit as it cools.

Step 4: Use it!

 

Your gel should be okay if refrigerated for up to 3 weeks. You can add in a preservative such as vitamin e to help it last a bit longer (maybe another two weeks?) You can also add in other ingredients for added benefits such as oils, aloe vera juice, or rose water but these are optional.

HOTD: Family BBQ

So for this particular day I decided to do a fresh twist out and pin back one side to give the appearance of a shaved side. 

So I washed my hair in 4 sections the night before with Keracare's Cleansing Cream, conditioned and detangled with Herbal Essences Hello Hydration and a wide tooth comb. These aren't anything special its just what I had on hand.

 

Once I had finished detangling and rinsed out my conditioner, wrapped an old but clean t-shirt around my hair to soak up some excess water. After 30 minutes with a shirt on my head I decided it was time to twist. Now this is what I ALWAYS use if I'm braiding or twisting my hair for a twist out or braid out. I smooth a quarter sized amount of Paul Mitchell The Conditioner through each section of my four sections, then I use homemade flaxseed gel to twist.  I smooth a nickel sized amount of it through each twist. Each piece of hair I use for twisting is about 1 inch wide but my hair is thin so it doesn't amount to much.

When I'm done I pin the twists in the front in the direction I want them to fall when they're untwisted. For this particular style I basically made a side part on the right side of my scalp with the twists and the twists on the left of the part were pinned to the left.

So I slept on them and didn't untwist them until the next afternoon. But just wait until they are completely dry. Some people use oil to untwist their hair but I don't, I'm just too lazy. So I untwist each twist, splitting them into two pieces. Then I split each of those two pieces which means 1 twist = 4 pieces. That's how I make up for how thin my hair is. Once all my hair is untwisted and pieced apart I pin back the hair on the right of that initial part, all the way to the back. And thats it, just add in accessories if you'd like.

ThredUP mini haul

I recently found an app called ThredUP. They also have a website ThredUP.com. Its basically an online thrift store where people sell their gently used, practically new, clean clothing for others to buy. These clothes are inspected by ThredUp staff to make sure they are suitable for sale. For now the site offers clothing, shoes, and accessories for children, women, and juniors (sorry guys!). I downloaded the app which is currently only available to iOS users. Shipping is free if you spend over $50. For the first item shipping is $2.99 and for each item afterwards shipping is $.99

I spent the day looking through the app and found a lot of good items. Now let me just say their prices are REALLY cheap and the quality is great but as with any thrift shop, you have to take your time and search for what you want. Here's what I ordered (which they conveniently put into a collage for me).

ORDER DETAILS
6 - Levis Jegging 6   info		$5.99
28 - Uniqlo Jeans 28   info		$4.49
4 - H&M Jegging 4 (Tiny Flaw)   info		$3.99
28 - Forever 21 Jeans 28 (NWT with Tiny Flaw)   info		$5.99
28 - H&M Jeans 28   info		$3.49
5 - Just USA Distressed Jean 5   info		$3.49
Sm - Express Cardigan Sm   info		$3.99

Then I found a promo code: EWG which took off about $9 so I got seven items for $30 and change. According to ThredUP I saved $215.37 off retail price. 

Just Fab mini haul

So JustFab.com was having this wonderful summer clearance sale and I couldn't resist. Its a monthly subscription website which sells handbags, shoes, accessories, and apparel, but you can always skip the month by the 5th of each month or cancel your subscription to avoid being charged. I signed up and was given an automatic coupon that would make my first item $19.99. Now all their items are $39.95 and under, except for their new LUXE collection which is made of real leather, so I was a bit hyped about the half off coupon.

With that I decided to get a handbag,The Pantheon. Now let me just say this is a large bag. The dimensions are 18L x 12H x 5W in inches. I compared it to a magazine in the last picture. But I love it and it'll be the perfect carry on or traveler. There is a zipper under the strap and one main compartment with a smaller interior pocket with a zipper.
 


Then I order two pairs of shoes. Kishani  in camel and Gardenia in grey. Kishani on sale was $15 and Gardenia on sale was $10. They're both great shoes. I have just a slight problem with Kishani. You can see rings on the studs where they were screwed in. But they're not noticeable from a distance.

The last thing i ordered was a handbag, Morrison. Its a cute compact tote. It was $10 on sale I believe. It comes with a shoulder strap and its dimensions are 15L x 8H x 4W in inches. The buckles aren't functional but there is a zipper under the flap. Its barely bigger than a magazine. There are multiple interior pockets

 

OOTD: Family BBQ

This past weekend we had a small family gathering and I decided this was a good opportunity to get in my first Outfit Of The Day. Sorry the pictures don't necessarily match the post, I wasn't expecting to blog about it.

                          


So I ended up wearing a simple yellow dress from H&M with a lace back and lace cutouts, which I got  in early spring. The yellow is actually much paler than it is on H&M's website. I got it on sale and actually don't remember how much it was. Since it was a simple gathering I didn't dress up the outfit but I'll put in a glam outfit which would be perfect for a night out.

I honestly LOVE getting accessories from Charlotte Russe, sooo I'll try getting all the accessories from there. Here's a quick outfit I put together with the help of Polyvore:

P.S. There will be a hair tutorial from this outfit, and possibly a sugaring post on how to get those smooth hairless legs.

H M short cocktail dress

$20 - hm.com



Charlotte russe boots

charlotterusse.com



Charlotte Russe peep toe pumps

charlotterusse.com


Charlotte Russe flower print purse

charlotterusse.com



Charlotte Russe long necklace

charlotterusse.com



Charlotte Russe rhinestone dangle earrings

charlotterusse.com


Charlotte Russe bow ring

charlotterusse.com

Charlotte Russe skinny belt

charlotterusse.com




Charlotte Russe half frame sunglasses

charlotterusse.com

Simple Water Marbling Nail Tutorial

Hey everyone! I am here to show you a tutorial for water marbling. There are two important things to use when doing this:
        1) Use nail polish that is not too thick because you don't want it to take forever to drip.
        2) Use water that is room temperature.

Supplies used for this look:

                                

1) Apply a base as usual.

2) Next you want to apply a base color so the design looks opaque on you nail. For my design I am using white(NYC 134 "French White Tip") as my base. Then i taped all around my nail because i don't want the excess nail polish to get on my finger when i dip it. An alternative to the tape is petroleum jelly but i find it to be more of a hassle.

3) Now you need to get a cup of room temperature water in a cup(that you do not plan on using except for water marbling). This is where you begin the process of dripping. Take whatever colors you desire and one after the other hold the wand over the water till it drips and spreads out. Do this until you have the desired amount of rings of nail polish.

4) Take a toothpick and lightly drag to create little lines. I typically start from the center and drag towards the outside. When you see a design you want on you nail, simply dip your nail into the water. You want to hold your finger for a quick 5 seconds. Then with a toothpick,moving in a spinning motion, clean the excess nail polish in the water.

5) Remove tape from around nail and Ta-da!

                                  
                                  

Lightening Storm Anyone???

So there's been the occasional thunderstorm here in NYC and what better way to spend a rainy day than to capture the moment with nail art!

Step 1: start with a dark base. After a base coat of course!
I chose Sinful Color's Secret Admirer which is a gunmetal color with very fine glitter.

Step 2: make your lightening. 

I decided on one huge lightening bolt but a few smaller ones could work too. I chose Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri in Lightening. I then outlined it with a black striper such as the LA colors Nail Art Deco in black

Step 3: clouds!
Using a dotting tool and a gray polish such as Revlon's Top Speed in Hazy create fluffy monstrous clouds. Then using the same black striper outline them to give them dimension.

Step 4: FINISH THEM!!!!!!
Add your preferred top coat and dry those babies. I chose Seche Vite.

Where Have We Been?

That IS a very good question, where exactly have we been? I'll tell you where we haven't been: here.
I know we've been slacking without so much as a warning. But life happens, laziness seeps in, and before you know it its been nearly a year since your last post.

Well truth is we haven't only been lazy. We're both high school students about to hit senior year and junior year can get pretty crazy with the SAT, the ACT, AP classes, working on the perfect GPA, extracurriculars and making time for friends, family, and most importantly yourself. Personally I know I've had more than my fair share of legit breakdowns this past school year. Staying up past midnight to complete various assignments only to wake up at 5A.M. to do it all over again, can drive you a bit nuts.

But no prob we're back with a gameplan for serious commitment. Yea, we left the blog wheezing away on life support but we're back with a remedy of blog posts, ready to pick up where we left off. If you'll have us that is. So please accept our sincere apology and allow us to make it up to you guys.

P.S. the blog will be expanding to other topics although nail tuts will be regular guests on our show, we are hoping to get fashion topics along with other beauty topics with a sprinkling of random shenanigans.

P.P.S if a junior in high school happens to stumble past this production of ours a great free app in the app store for SAT prep is SAT Up.