Valana Minerals Stardust Foundation Review

Can I just say, I LOVE this stuff! Mineral makeup is one of the most popular new trends in the makeup world right now so naturally, I had to jump in and see what the craze was all about. I’ve tried a few. The ones I liked the most were Bare Escentuals (of course) and Everyday Minerals. However, neither of these REALLY matched my skin. They were close, but unless I applied it to my neck as well, the difference was noticeable.

Valana Minerals is a line that was made specifically for tan to darker skin tones. There are 20 different colors within that range to choose from. The best part about the line is that you can order $2 samples from the website to pick your perfect color. I ordered my samples several months ago and still have about ¼ left, but I’ll definitely be buying the full size jar on my next payday. The foundation is a 4-in-1 combo of foundation, loose powder, sunblock, and concealer. For me personally, I use one of the lighter foundations as a separate concealer for those stubborn under eye circles.

If you have a more tan complexion and you love the idea behind mineral makeup but have yet to find one that really works with YOUR skin tone, give Valana Minerals a try.

The Thing They DON'T Tell you When You Get Married

It is a common practice at some point during a bridal shower, for all married women in attendance to give advice to the bride-to-be. The typical comments are usually made and generally expected. “Communication is the key.” “Remember to respect to your husband.” “Make decisions together.” “As long as you don’t deny your husband, you’ll be good to go!”

Though there are plenty of useful tokens of advice shared at these events, I’ve found the advice that helps with the ugly truths are the ones that are the most poignant. You can tell a bride-to-be that maintaining open lines of communication is what will lead to a happy marriage. However, no one tells you what to do when your husband is communicating a little too much for his own good, and in a much less than constructive tone.

The one thing I’ve noticed that is rarely ever discussed is the change of dynamic that happens once the honeymoon is over and real life begins. Fights are no longer petty. They can be ugly and hurtful, with the full intention to sting and cause shock. Once you’ve said “I do” and signed on the dotted line, you’ve vowed the usual which inevitably equates to, “I will not walk away from this relationship just because we’ve had a fight.” However, the characteristics of the fights change dramatically once you are married.

Once you feel secure in your relationship, it becomes easier to abuse it. The volumes in voices tend to, shall we say, increase significantly. Instead of biting your tongue you lash out. Insults flow with ease. Before you know it your relationship becomes something you barely even recognize.

If you are a newlywed and this sounds all too familiar to you take heart, you are not alone and your marriage is not going down the drain. This is the part where all the pre-marital advice comes into play. Communication really IS the key but more often than not, it’s not just something that happens with the flip of a switch and it’s NOT easy. Once you’ve been yelled at and insulted, why on earth would you want to communicate?!

Don’t force communication. If your husband has just verbally slapped you in the face, close your mouth. Give yourself a moment, better yet an hour or two, to cool down. Remind yourself that men and women communicate differently. Make the choice to be the bigger person. That isn’t to say that you are never at fault, so don’t become overconfident to the point where you feel like you are taking the higher road by being the bigger person. You are not always right! However, the immediate goal should be to diffuse an argument before it gets any worse. If fooling yourself into thinking you’re being the bigger person helps you to walk away from an escalating situation, so be it. Usually, once you’ve removed yourself and had a little time to think, you’ll see how you may’ve contributed to the ugliness, or even caused it all by yourself!

5 Ways to Increase Hair Growth Within 3 Months!

Contrary to what most people think, you don’t need some special product or potion to increase your hair growth. You simply need to understand what your body and scalp need to ensure there is nothing impeding your growth rate. That is where your focus should lie.

There are several important factors that may not seem like breaking news on the surface, but any one of these factors when missing from your regular hair care regimen, can cause a stumbling block on your path to long haired heaven.

Regular Conditioning

Moisture is an essential ingredient to a good hair growth recipe. So many women wash their hair on a daily basis and completely forsake the conditioning step and never even think twice about deep conditioning. We all love the way our hair feels after we leave the salon. Though much of those results can be attributed to the high priced, yet high quality products that are used, a large reason for that fabulous bouncy head of hair is because of the conditioner.

Begin a weekly regimen of deep conditioning. Not only will your hair growth rate increase, but you’ll start to notice the overall condition of your hair begin to improve dramatically. Your hair will be softer, shinier, and most importantly healthier.

Scalp Massages

Regular scalp massages help to increase blood flow and circulation which in turn helps to increase hair growth. They can also help to loosen up hair follicles and distribute your scalp’s sebum, which is basically just a natural lubricant that keeps your scalp and hair from drying out.

Simply using your fingertips (NOT your fingernails) for a few minutes at least once a day will do the trick. However, there are several decently priced little massaging tools out there that can make the job easier. My favorite is the Tingler. Enlist your significant other to do the massages for you then you can relax and de-stress your way into longer hair!

Food For Thought… or Better Yet, Growth

An imbalanced diet will show through in the condition of your hair. You can easily notice stunted growth, split ends, and breakage from not getting the appropriate nutrients necessary for long, healthy hair. No matter how many different products you try to use to repair your damaged hair, the health of your hair won’t actually improve if you aren’t treating the problem from the inside out.

Aside from a healthy, balanced diet, there are a few foods you can eat that specifically help to increase your growth rate. An important thing to remember is that hair is made of protein. So a diet rich in protein is necessary for long healthy hair. Some foods with high protein content are: fish, eggs, beans, cottage cheese, tofu, liver, and lean meats. Another important nutrient is iron which you can get from dark leefy greens. Include also foods high in essential fatty acids and vitamin E like, nuts, fish, soy, avocados, seeds, legumes, and olive oil.

Vitamin Supplements: Biotin and MSM Supplements

Biotin is a vitamin B supplement recommended by many nutritionists to increase hair growth. It also can play a significant role in preventing hair loss. Instead of taking a vitamin, you can simply eat foods with a high biotin content such as brewer's yeast, green peas, oats, soybeans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, green peas, bulgur and brown rice.

MSM is another supplement that aids in increasing growth. MSM stands for methyl-sulfonyl-methane and is a sulfur compound that has positive benefits in the body and the hair since sulfur is a natural growth stimulant. Specifically, it helps to lengthen the hair growth phase.

As with anything, you should always discuss any dietary supplements with your doctor before use.

Exercise

Nowadays, it almost seems that exercise is recommended for everything. Regular exercise keeps you healthy. A healthy person usually has healthy hair. End of story. Specifically, with regard to hair growth though, exercise increases blood flow to the scalp which again, aids in increasing hair growth.

If you lead a more sedentary lifestyle, much like myself, start small. Start with 20-30 min 1-2 days a week. Gradually increase to at least 30 min workouts 3 days a week and you can easily start to see a notable increase in growth.

An Exfoliation Tool That ACTUALLY Works: Clarisonic Skin Care Brush

There are plenty of methods for exfoliation out there along with plenty of little gadgets intended to be the best possible at-home alternative to a professional microdermabrasion treatment. However, there is one tool out there that can gently clarify the skin by removing dead skin cells without harsh abrasives, all with the use of the patented Sonicare technology.



It’s called the Clarisonic Skin Care Brush made by the creators of the Sonicare toothbrush! "Clarisonic is the sonic technology proven to gently yet effectively loosen dirt and oil to clear your pores. The Clarisonic Skin Care Brush uses a patented sonic frequency of more than 300 movements per second to clean, soften and smooth your skin. In just 60 seconds a day, the Clarisonic micro-massage action cleans more than twice as effectively as manual cleansing." The amount of time needed makes it perfect for the girl on the go who doesn’t have time for a drawn out skin care regimen.

I was so surprised to discover how much dirt and makeup can be leftover on your face after manual cleansing. It’s insane! After a face full of makeup, I washed my face with my Aveeno face wash as I usually do, before heading to Sephora to try out some new makeup. The Clarisonic was a current display item and they were trying it out on anyone willing to step up and be a guinea pig. I stepped up to be their next victim and was astonished at how dirty the brush looked after using it. I had washed my face before I left!

The Clarisonic is not only useful for deep cleansing, but you’ll also notice a reduced look in the size of your pores, improved skin tone, reduction in fine lines and wrinkles, and improved absorption of products. After one week, I noticed a distinct difference in the texture and overall brightness of my skin. It even helped to even out my skin tone a bit, though that took closer to 2 months to notice.

Another marked benefit, probably the most important to most people, is the distinct reduction in acne. A co-worker of mine had a regular prescription to keep her acne at bay. Even with the prescription, she still had breakouts. She bought the Clarisonic Skin Care Brush and was off the medication within a month. Now she only suffers from an occasional pimple here and there, which typically only comes when she has a few days of slacking off on using the brush.

For me personally, the only downside to the Clarisonic Skin Care Brush is the price; A whopping $195. Then if you want the Clarisonic Plus, which can be used for spot treatments all over your body instead of just your face, that’ll be $225, please! However, I will say that in my experience, it’s well worth the money. The results are amazing and I love it!