A couple of months ago, I snipped off 14″ of hair to donate to Locks of Love and quite frankly, I miss my long straight hair. As much as I complained how it was such a pain in the butt to keep healthy and tangle-free, I secretly wish I hadn’t undergo such a dramatic change. That’s where clip-in hair extensions come in…

Hair extensions are a great way to add body and length to your hair. For those of us who don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on permanent hair extensions that not only wreck your hair but become ratty looking after a month or so, clip-in hair is the answer. With the right materials and a handful of patience, you can make your own clip-in hair extension at a fraction of the price of what you would pay at the salon!

What you need:

• 100% Human Hair (I went with the 18″, the longer the better!)
• Hair Glue
• Wig Clips
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Thread
• Sewing Needle

You can find 100% human hair in beauty stores and department stores. Although synthetic hair is the cheaper alternative, you should invest in 100% human hair so you can wash and condition after every use. 100% human hair will also be able to handle blow drying, curling, straightening, hair spray, and almost anything else you throw at it.

Here’s how you do it:

Measure the width of your head to where the hair piece will go. Trim 2 pieces of the same size.

Take off loose hair by combing through the pieces with your fingers. This will keep things tidy before you apply the glue.

Glue the two pieces together. It can get a little messy but you can ball up the glue and peel it off later.

Pinch the pieces together for about 30 seconds for the glue to hold and allow for 15 to 20 minutes to completely dry.

When the glue dries, sew in the clips. Sew in two clips on both ends and a third clip in the middle.

Once the clips are in, your extension is ready to use! Try this with different hair color and get streaky!

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Makeup brushes come in all sorts of materials, with the cheapest being made of sponge, plastic or synthetic hair. High quality natural brushes used by professional models and makeup artists are made of goat, badger, pony, sable or squirrel. Using high quality brushes is a big investment because one brush can put a pinch in your wallet so its a good practice to keep them clean.

Properly cleaning your makeup brushes will save you time, money and even your face! You’ll save time because clean brushes make application easier, so that loose powder goes where you want it instead of clinging to an oily brush. You’ll save money because they’ll last longer and you won’t have to replace them with new ones. You can also save your face from breakouts associated with bacteria and oil build up.

I typically wash all my brushes every two to three weeks. It takes just five minutes, a little sudsy water, and your makeup brushes will stay fresh and new for a lot longer.

1. Start by wetting the brush bristles thoroughly, then apply a small dab of shampoo or liquid soap directly to the bristles.
2. Swish the bristles around with a little water in your palm to work off any stubborn makeup residue.
3. Rinse the bristles thoroughly under lukewarm running water when your brush is free of debris.
4. Gently squeeze the excess water out and reshape the bristles to their normal shape before laying the brush on the towel in a flat position.

Always allow your brushes to air-dry. Drying your brushes with a blow dryer can damage the natural bristles and you’ll end up having to buy new brushes more frequently than if you were to lay them flat. A good practice is to clean your brushes at night so they are completely dry and ready to go in the morning. Be careful not to overwash your brushes, as this can make the bristles brittle and scratchy. And if a brush becomes stained or misshapen, throw it out and get a new one.

To read more about how to care for your makeup brushes, check out FreeBeautyTips.org.

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Hands down, one of my favorite makeup tools is the heated eyelash curler. My sister introduced this to me last year and I’m so in love with it I don’t know what I would do without it! This handy little tool is perfect for curling stubborn straight lashes, anytime, anywhere.

I use this at the very end after I’ve applied all my makeup, pre-curled with a traditional lash curler and mascara-ed up my lashes because it works best after mascara application. The heated curler warms the waxes in mascara to create stronger, longer-lasting curl.

I like to turn it on while I’m nearly done with my last coat of mascara as it does take about 15 seconds to warm up. Placing the comb directly on the lashline, I would slowly comb my lashes as I would a mascara brush. It’s best to hold for one or two seconds, then release to allow for the heat to curl the lashes.

As you can imagine, the comb can get pretty dirty over time since the mascara will transfer due to the heat and coil. So before I use it on my lashes, I like to gently rub the comb on a kleenex while its warming up. It doesn’t get all the mascara residue off but it will give you a cleaner start.

I’ve been using this for over a year now and my lashes look fabulous every time.

Pick one up from Sephora for only $16!

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Dry.

Beat up.

Cut up.

Ugly.

Sore.

These are all descriptions of my HANDS! Not very lady-like huh? Well, it’s the truth. I’ve been helping out at my boyfriend’s new restaurant and every night I would come home with a new cut or scrap and really rough, dry hands. I realized I have to do something about them fast before I have nothing left but unattractive ugly stumps rather than soft feminine hands.

You use your hands a lot no matter what your daily responsibilities, and dry, chapped hands can make the whole day miserable. The dryness can be even worse in the winter when cold weather strikes. Regular hand washing, which is important to keep germs at bay, can take its toll on your skin. Using a moisturizing soap will help, but contact with water still dries out skin by rinsing away its protective layer of moisture, so the more you wash, the more your hands are at risk of becoming chapped.

What I like to do is apply hand cream at night and wear moisturizing gloves to sleep to give my skin the extra boost they need to see it through the dry season. Various kinds of gloves are available — some are designed to be used with lotions, and others will get the job done on their own. They’re sometimes called “spa gloves” and can cost anywhere from $10 to almost $50, available at drugstores and specialty retailers.

Moisturizing gloves contain a number of ingredients to help your skin, such as oils, vitamins and aloe. Often, these ingredients are part of a lining inside the gloves, although sometimes the fabrics themselves are infused with moisturizing agents. Some gloves are even scented, so if you have any fragrance allergies, be sure to check the label before you choose your gloves.

If you’re thinking about giving moisturizing gloves a try, check out How Stuff Works to find out which type could be the right fit for you.

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So this is what I’ve been feeling all week long… Bummed out like someone walking around with a bag over her head. Why you ask? Because a week ago on Friday, I broke out with 4 monstrous zits on my face. Every day since then, they’ve invited their friends and family to come out and play. I woke up with 8 on Saturday, then 4 more appeared on Sunday, until finally I counted 15 red throbbing zits on my face on Monday morning. All of which were visible on my T-zone.

No amount of makeup could cover them because they’re huge and three dimensional. They cast their own shadows and have their own area codes. I was so depressed I stayed tucked away at home like a hermit.

I can’t remember the last time I broke out like this. I’m 26 years old and well over the awkward acne years. Even as a kid I had very little acne issues. My face was clear for the most part and every once in a while, I had the occasional one or two pimples that went away fairly quickly. I’m not stressed either! So why is this happening to me?????

According to Acne.org, adult acne affects 25% of all adult men and 50% of adult women at some time in our adult lives. Dermatologists are seeing more adult acne than in previous decades. Some can still get acne in their forties and fifties. So when do you stop getting zits? The answer is never!

Although the causes of adult acne are unknown, possible causes include stress, cosmetics, hormones, and an increase of resistant bacteria. Some things that can make acne worse is leaning on or rubbing the skin, squeezing or picking at pimples, and hard scrubbing of the skin.

So what have I been doing to keep my breakout in check?

Neosporin. The active ingredients and powerful antibiotics in Neosporin are far more effective than benzoyl peroxide. Although applying this topical gel can be greasy and uncomfortable, the oil base helps from drying out your skin. It speeds up the healing process and prevents scarring.

I’ve also been using the minimal amount of makeup and coverup; most days I opt for no makeup and stay home like a hermit. Also, use a light facial scrub to clean your pores and wash away dead skin cells. Finish with a clean face cloth and warm water.

Its been almost a week after the breakout and I noticed over half of the acne that appeared on my face shrank notably and the redness has lightened considerably. I intend to keep using Neosporin in the morning and before I go to sleep.

Getting adult acne is common and there is nothing you can do about it. It can be very depressing. It’s definitely put a slump in my confidence level. But nothing can be done to make acne magically disappear so learn to take care of your skin and get the right treatment. Like everything else, healing takes time.

To read more about acne, check out Acne.org.

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