Random music quote of the day: Natalie Cole

“Straighten up and stay right, cool down papa don’t ya’ blow ya’ top.”

- Straighten up and fly right, Natalie Cole

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Here’s to keeping it together for just one more day this week.

Happy Friday y’alls!

Supernova

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Health Tip: Don’t drink your calories

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Eat your calories, don’t drink them.

The average 20 oz. bottle of ‘fruit juice’ contains 2.5 serving sizes and contains 30 – 40 grams of sugar per serving; more than a 20 oz. bottle of soda.

Other liquid calorie busters include alcohol and ice-cream based beverages and energy drinks.

Pass on  the juice. Drink water instead. 

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Save those calories for dessert!

 

Photo: Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Works Consulted: NBC Biggest Loser

Stragglers

The way you wear your hair tells the world a lot about you. Just like the clothing, jewelry or shoes that you choose, you can make a statement, or not, just by the way you wear your hair. Long, short, straight, curly, kinky, nappy, bleached, coloured – how you choose to wear your hair is a beautiful reflection of who you are.

Some prefer the siren glam of long flowing hair. Others prefer the chic look of a cropped ‘do. Sensually curly or sophisticatedly straight, beautiful hair is healthy hair. 

You would find that it is very difficult for hair with damaged hair ends to maintain a style. It is dry, frizzy and generally screams “HELP”. Short healthy hair is more attractive than long dry, damaged hair. 

Split ends 

Hair that is naturally curly, naturally long, chemically processed, bleached, relaxed or permed, or heat-styled by the use of blow-driers, flatirons, curling irons or pressing combs for example are at a higher risk of the dreaded split end attack.

-Naturally curly hair has a tendency to be drier than other types of hair and needs to be replenished of both water and oils regularly.

- The longer you grow your natural hair, the more the ends of your hair are put under stress. Environmental stressors include the sun, wind, salt water (beach), chlorinated water (pools) and pollution.  Daily stressors include daily wear and tear  of combing, brushing, shampooing and heat styling. Certain hair products, especially those that contain alcohol for example some types of hair sprays, also contribute to split ends. 

- A healthy cuticle gives hair it’s natural brilliance and shine. During chemical hair processes like perming, relaxing and hair colouring the structure of the hair shaft is changed. The cuticle, or the outer casing of the hair, is altered, which translates into some degree of damage.

In split ends, the hair shaft, an individual strand of hair, is split in at least two. This damage is irreversible, i.e. it cannot be repaired. Conditioners, flat irons, pomades and other innovative hair styling products/ tools can help decrease the dry frizziness associated with split ends by allowing the damaged cuticle of the hair to lay flat, but they do not repair these damaged ends. As soon as the product is washed out, or the hair is wet again, in the case of flatirons and other heat styling tools, the damaged, dry, frizzy ends will return. 

The only solution to split ends so to cut them off. 
This may be painful for some, but the good thing is that the hair:
1. Will grow back.
2. Ends will be healthy
3. Will behave/ be more manageable
4. Will hold styles longer
5. Will style better. 

To help keep split ends at bay moving forward:

- Avoid daily shampooing
Even with the use of a gentle daily shampoo, hair is stripped of hydration and oils. Shampoo every other day or every three days if your lifestyle allows it. Or, if your hair is dry, consider shampooing every other day, and just using a conditioner between shampoos.

- Moisturize hair ends
If your hair is dry, use a moisturizing conditioner after shampooing and deep condition hair ends at least once a month.

- Avoid daily heat styling
If you find yourself having to do this, consider talking with your stylist to get a ‘do that is more compatible with your hair type, texture and lifestyle.

- Avoid over processing hair
Wait the recommended time between your chosen chemical process to maintain the integrity of the hair shaft. Avoid relaxing/ perming and bleaching hair on the same day. These processes need to be at least a week, but preferably two weeks, apart. There are some types of rinses, glosses and semi-permanent colour that can be done more safely just after having done relaxer/ perm. However, these aren’t usually capable of lifting hair colour (making hair colour lighter)

- Trim ends every 6 weeks 
Or when you get your relaxer/ perm/ colour. Whichever comes first. 

 

Let’s prune those barbed hedges shall we?

Supernova

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Holy Concealer Batman!

Using concealer is an optional step. If you choose to use concealer select one in the same way that you would a foundation – one that matches your skin tone and undertone exactly. Using too light a tone will prompt the uncontrolled “Holy Concealer Batman” response from your peers; too dark and you will look like a raccoon.

 

Concealers come in liquid or cream formulations. The creamier the consistency, the more coverage imparted by the concealer i.e. the better it conceals. These formulations also spreads easier and wears longer.

It is commonly used over foundation to cover imperfections or, for more advanced makeup applications, it may be used under foundation for contouring. 

Concealers are used over foundations to cover: 
- fine lines
- redness
- breakouts
- under eye circles
- hyper-pigmentation (darker skin tone)

Application

- Apply with lip brush for smaller areas like over pimples and small blemishes, or with a flat brush, similar to the foundation brush but smaller, for larger areas.

- Even application by patting gently with a cosmetic sponge or finger. 

Advanced application

For more advanced applications,  concealers are used for makeup contouring, to even irregular lip shapes, and for camouflage reasons. 

Used under foundation, concealers may highlight or shadow an area of the face like the cheeks, to create a contoured look. Here, a concealer in a shade lighter than your skin tone is used on the cheek bone area to make cheek bones more prominent.

Alternatively, in shadowing i.e. applying concealer in one shade darker than your skin tone just under your cheek bones will create a more sculptured look. 

Highlighting and shadowing can also be achieved using foundation, and eye-shadows in the same way.

The key is, just as with clothing, lighter colours makes the area appear more prominent thereby attracting attention to the area , whereas darker colours repress an area making it appear less noticeable or slimmer. 

Face proportion issues can also be corrected with shadowing and highlighting.

Happy concealing!

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Supernova

Related GC posts:

Selecting the right foundation  
Frump to Fab in 10 Steps

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