Halloween Time!

With Halloween less than a week away, its time to pick a fierce costume (if you haven't already). So for my girls out there, here are some glamourous ideas so that you can have the hostest costume this Halloween.

Why not dress up like your favourite celebrity this hHalloween, below are a couple of celebrity halloween costumes that are inexpensive and quite easy to pull off.

1. Snooki
Snooki always wears something extremely short and revealing so to dress like Snooki this Halloween all you will need to do is wear a tight mini dress preferably black or cheetah. Accompanied by a her classic poof  and plaster yourself in bronzer and your ready to go!


2.Cristina Aguliera
The Christina Aguliera look is also another easy costume to imitate. For your make up all you need to do is a really good smokey eye and wear a bright red lipstick which is her trademark. Then for your hair, if you are not a blond then you can go out to your local costume store and buy a blond wig preferably in ringlets. If you are blond then simply curl your hair into ringlets. Then for your outfit you can wear a black minidress with either lace tights or semi transparent black tights accompanied with a pair black booties and you will look identical to Christina this Halloween.

                                          

3. Beyonce
Beyonce is a very glamourous girl and she loves to shine, so to dress up like beyonce this Halloween, try by wearing something that is glitzy like silver or gold. I suggest wearing something short because Beyonce loves to show off her legs. Also to ensure that you will appear like Beyonce, wear big sparkly earrings and as a fun prop you can carry a prop bedazzled microphone.
                                

4. Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga is always dressed in these crazy outfits so we can be extremely creative when imitating her, but if we had to narrow it down to her classic look it would be her trademark minnie mouse look with her long blond hair and front bangs with a hair bow and 60's black minnie mouse flip up sunglasses, so if you go to the nearest costume store you can buy a blond wig with front bangs and small circular sunglasses. For your makeup, in the pictures below, you will see that she keeps it pretty nude with a nude lip or you can do something more bold by doing the minnie mouse lips and wearing big black fake lashes.  Wear a black mini dress with pair of black stilletos and your ready to hit the road!

   

5. Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj is a very colourful person. she loves to be bright and loud so to imitate Nicki Minaj this Halloween you can start buy going to your local costume store and buy a colourful wig like blue or pink with front bangs. For your make up you can do a dramatic smokey eye with rosie pink lips and a pink blush. Then for your outfit you can either wear a bright mini dress, something that will catch your eye from a mile a way or some funky looking pants with a more laid back shirt. Top it off with a bedazzled pink prop microphone or a barbie chain. Put on a pair of pink stilletos and I'm sure you will often be mistaken for Nicki Minaj.

                                      

So there you have it, 5 celebrity costumes that will make you the star of the party! Happy Halloween Everybody!

Healthy Lunches: Back 2 School edition

School has started and as we finally get re-adjusted to our daily routines, we should remeber to stay healthy and keep our bodies in shape. When school starts people often become so busy with their new routines that they often make half- fast lunches packed with things that are not good for them or they simply skip making a lunch and start going to fast- food joints or the school cafeteria (which isn't always so bad if you pick healthy choices).
So I decided to help out myself and any other readers that may need some help balancing their crazy busy lives with a healthy lifestyle. check out below some quick and easy healthy recipes that I have found to hopefully take some of the brain work out of making a delicious lunch!

Recipes

Italian Chicken Wrap
Ingredients
1 chicken breast (skinless)
1 cup of shredded lettuce
1 cup of chopped up tomatoes
4 tbsp of fat free Italian dressing
splash of lemon juice
black pepper to taste

Directions
Dice up chicken, the pan-fry with the lemon juice, pepper and 3 tbsp of the Italian dressing. cook on low- medium heat until there is no more pink in it.
Next place lettuce tomatoes,and cooked chicken into the tortillas. sprinkle remaining dressing onto the contents.
If you are preparing your lunch in advance, keep tortilla separate from the lettuce, tomatoes, salad dressing and chicken.
*Also to change it up you can use this recipe with pita pocket as well!

Lemon Chicken Salad
Ingredients
1 chicken breast, skinless
1 cup of shredded lettuce tomato
squeezed lemon juice and vinegar

Directions
Slice chicken into thin pieces, season with pepper, salt etc. pan fry with a drop of olive oil and squeeze lemon juice over the chicken.
Prepare salad by chopping up lettuce and tomatoes
Prepare a low cal salad dressing by mixing 3 parts vinegar and 1 part lemon juice
If you are preparing your lunch in advance be sure to keep the chicken and the salad dressing separate from the lettuce.

Tuna Pita pocket
Ingredients
Tin of tuna
Caesar salad dressing
Green onion stalk
Pepper to taste
Pita pocket
Finely shredded lettuce

Directions
Empty the tin of tuna into a bowl draining the liquid
Then mix the tuna with about 1tbsp of Caesar salad dressing
Finely chop up the green onion and the lettuce, (you want the lettuce to be extremely fine)
Add the green onion and pepper to the tuna mix and  stir
Stuff the pita pocket with the lettuce and the tomatoes

If prepared in advance I wouldn't prepare it the night before as this is a very quick recipe, it can be made in 5 minutes the morning of.

Okay so for those who have absolutely ZERO amount of time to make a lunch or don't want to feel excluded when their friends go out to fast- food restaurants, here are some healthier (note that I say healthier, not healthy) options below from 5 top fast- food restaurants:

1) Okay so of course Subway is # 1 on my list as they are probably the healthiest fast food restaurant there is ! Offering many low fat sandwiches, how could they not be? So as long as you stay away from any of the more fattening dressings you should be okay! If you don't have a certain sub in mind, I would suggest the 6" Veggie Delite on Italian bread. This sub only has 230 calories, 3 g of fat, 500 mg of sodium, and 5 g of fiber.

2) The Fresco Crunchy Taco at Taco Bell is the second item on my list as this item is much lower in sodium compared to other items on the menu and on this list! It has 150 calories, 8 g of fat, 2.5 sat. fat, 20 mg cholestorl, 370 mg of sodium, 13 carbs, 3 g of fiber and 7 g of protein. And even though its lower in calories and in salt it still comes with great flavour!

3) From Wendy's, the small chili has been said to be quite fulfilling and at only 190 calories, 6 g of fat (although it does have about 830 mg of sodium). it's one of the healthiest things on the Wendy's menu. If your not a fan of chili, they also offer salads and they have been said to have one of the healthiest salads out of all the other fast-food restaurants because they offer low cal salad dressings.

4) At KFC, they offer the roasted Caesar salad which if you skip the croutons and top it with fat free ranch dressing you can definitely save some calories. this salad has 250 calories, 8 g of fat, 1240 mg sodium, and14 g carbs.

5) And finally, we have McDonalds. if you must eat at McDonalds, the best choice would be to pick a salad with nothing fatty or overprocessed on top and a low cal salad dressing or better yet the premium grilled chicken classic sandwich ( without mayo of course!)

So there you have it, these are a few of the healthiest options you can get from a fast food restaurant, I definitely wouldn't suggest going to one of these restaurants more than once a week (at most) because as you can see most of the options include a lot of sodium. I wish you the best of luck with re-adjusting and remember just because you are busy doesn't mean that your body should pay the price! :)

The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards

Okay as everyone on the entire plant probably knows last night was the 63rd Emmy Primetime Awards! I had a blast watching them with my family and watching and picking out Best Dressed and Worst dressed (which I will totally share with you). Also for those who did not get a chance to watch I have all the highlights for you!

The Emmy ´s were hosted by Jane lynch ( which may i say she looked absolutely fabulous; the best i´ve ever seen her.)
okay so some of the awards that you may find of interest are:

outstanding actress in comedy : Melissa McCarthy from "Mike and Molly"
outstanding actor in a comedy: Jim parsons from "Big Bang Theory"
outstanding actress in a drama: Julianna Marguiles from "The Good Wife"
outstanding actor in drama: Kyle chandler from " Friday Night Lights"
outstanding leading actress in mini series or movie : Kate Winslet "Mildred Pierce"
outstanding leading actor in mini series or movie: Barry Pepper " The Kennedys"
outstanding Tv mini series or movie: " Downtown Abbey"
outstanding drama series : "Mad Men"
outstanding comedy series " Modern Family"
outstanding competitive reality program: "Amazing Race"

but now onto the best part of the  Emmy ´s...... The Red Carpet!

My top 5 Best dressed list
Nina Dobrev (stunning as always)
Kaley Cuoco (i loved her off the shoulder black dress)
Sarah Hyland
Cat Deeley
Cara Buono

And my personal worst dressed list
Leah Michelle ( I personally didn't like the front of the dress and the pleating in the shoulder blades, the back was ok but not great enough to make up for the front.)
Paula Abdul
Julianna Marguiles
Padma Lakshmi

So those were my picks feel free to tell me what were yours!

Oh and don´t forget to catch some great laughs and to see if the "Fashion Police" agree with your choices, check out Fashion Police this week on E!

Back to School Trends

It's time to get back in the gear of things, now that school is soon to begin you all might be shopping for back to school clothes, and while that is very exciting some of you may not be quite ready to let go of  summer. Well, good news, this year I have noticed that some of trends that are being done for back to school can include some of your summer clothes. This season it's all about cuffed jeans to your mid calf, paired with a tank covered by some sort of jacket or blazer, you can even still wear those flirty little skirts or even your prettiest summer dresses, all you have to do to change up your outfit and make it back to school ready is cover up with either a jean jacket, cardigan, blazer or  a biker style jacket (preferably leather/pleather). also a fun twist for when it starts to get a bit cooler is to double of the jackets over a tank top, like if you pair a cardigan with a jean jacket it can look really cool. If you are going shopping this weekend and you still don't know what to buy, I suggest these 5 essential things to make any outfit work.

1. straight legged jeans, any wash you like (straight legged jeans are much easier to roll up then skinnys) 
2. cardigan, blazer, jean jacket and/or pleather jacket with tons of snaps
3. fun t-shirts with quirky quotes or pictures on them
4. accessories like straw hats, cool messenger purse, waist pouches
5. and finally you cant forget about the shoes; flats, ankle converse, ankle high booties with a kitty heel, and/or colourful pumps can complete any outfit!

Things that you could take from you summer wardrobe would include:

• tank tops (loose, fitted, flirty floral prints, captioned tanks)
• sundresses (long, short, frilly, tight fitted)
• skirts (high waisted is most preferred but can also have long maxi ones or frilly mini skirts with cool prints on them)
• your favourite jeans ( just roll them up making a thick cuff to about the mid point in your calf)

Note: To add that classy chic element to your outfits I highly suggest, loosely tucking in your shirts!

So seeing how its back to school time and you still have the last couple of days to relax, you can have some fun by inviting some friends over and making some fun D.I.Y projects.

Below is the link to this purse that I found through another fellow blogger that I thought was really cool and easy to make!

Also here is a D.I.Y project that I came up with that would make great accessory to some of your outfits. since fringe is totally in this season, I thought why not make an accessory that can spice up some outfits or even a plain white tank top/ t-shirt. so I decided to make a fringe necklace. Below are the steps of how I made this really easy necklace.

Steps:

1. fold in half and then fold the fringe once more in half. (so it should look like a quarter of the original length once folded.)
2. sew the trim of the fringe together so that it will not become loose and will be easier to work with.)
3. drape the chain from side to side creating layers as you hook each point onto the jump ring.
4. sew the jump rings including all of your chain to the trim.
5. measure out chain to go around your neck and connect at your desired placement on your neck (ideally the chain should be approximately 1 1/6 feet.)
6. join the chain to the fringe by connecting the jump rings with the jump ring that is sewn to the fringe.
7. cut the chain in half and put jump rings on each end.
8. and finally add a clasp to one of the jump rings.

Here is the link on how to make a really cute D.I.Y waist pouch.

I love MOCKTAILS!

As the summer enters it`s last few weeks, it is now most important that you sit back and relax and enjoy every last minute of it! Now imagine you're sitting, relaxing poolside or even just on a patio chair in your backyard and you feel the warmth of the sun on your skin and the nice cool breeze and you think to yourself, what could be better than this? Well I know something that could take that relaxing moment up a notch, what's better than sitting back and relaxing with a nice cool beverage! Hmm, I don't think anything can beat that, so ladies get out your blenders and get ready to try one of these recipes to make an icy cold treat!

Fruity concoctions

Strawberry Lemonade Daiquiri

1/2 cup of lemonade

1/2 cup of strawberries

crushed ice

Recipe

Add lemonade, strawberries, and 5 ice cubes to the blender.

Blend until slushy.

Place a sugared strawberry on the rim of the glass and add a little umbrella for style

Best served in a margarita glass

Watermelon Mojito
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 limes
4 1/2 cups of watermelon (seedless)
1/2 spoons of sugar
3 cups of mineral water
40 mint leaves

Recipe

Cut the limes in quarters

Squeeze the limes in a glass

Add pureed watermelon, mint leaves and the sugar

Crush all of the ingredients with a spoon for 2 to 3 minutes for the flavours to incorporate.

Add the mineral water and mix well

Best served in a tall glass with ice

Decorate with mint leave, little pieces of watermelon and a slice of lime

Very Berry Mix
Serves 8
Ingredients
3 cups of blackberries
1 cup of raspberries
1/2 cup of sugar syrup ( 1 cup of sugar
                                          1/2 cup of boiled water, you might have extra so measure out 1 cup of the syrup
                                           click this link for further instruction)
1/2 cup of of grape juice
1/3 cup of lime juice
1 cup of cold  mineral water

Recipe
Blend blackberries, raspberries, sugar syrup, grape juice, lime juice
Mix until everything is completely blended together
Strain the mixture to remove the remaining solids
Fill 8 tall glasses with ice
Serve the mixture equally between the glass and finish with adding mineral water
Serve immediately

Cucumber Lemonade
( I know what your thinking cucumber with lemonade but it actually looks extremely refreshing!!)
Ingredients
1 large cucumber
1/4 sea salt
2 limes
1 1/2 cups of water
1 cup of ice
1/4 cups of sugar

Recipe
Peel the cucumber and remove the seeds
Slice the cucumber and cut the slices in half
Blend the cucumber pieces, the water, sugar, salt, and the ice until smooth
Serve in tall glasses and decorate with slices of cucumber

Shirley Temple (completely virgin of course)
Ingredients
1/2 cups of chilled Ginger Ale
1 tablespoon of grenadine*
2 limes
And Ice

Recipe
Add all the ingredients and squeeze limes for the juice
Stir all ingredients
Pour over Ice
Garnish with a cherry
Serve in a frosted high ball glass

Sex on the Beach (mocktail)
Ingredients
3 tablespoons peach nectar
1/2 cup of cranberry juice
1/2 of pineapple juice
Ice

Recipe
Place ice at the bottom of the glass
Pour nectar followed by cranberry juice and pineapple juice

Chocolate Lovers' Concoctions

Chocolate Martini  
Ingredients
1/2 cups of milk
3 tablespoons of chocolate syrup
Crushed ice

Recipe
Place milk, chocolate syrup, and crushed ice in the blender.
Blend until icy and slushy
Coat the glass with chocolate syrup on the inside walls of the glass
Rim the edges with chocolate powder
Pour chocolate slushy into the glass
Top with a chocolate covered cheery or strawberry
Best served in a martini glass

White Chocolate Milkshake
Ingredients
1/4 cup of Vanilla Chocolate Syrup
2 1/2 cups of Vanilla Ice Cream
1/4 cup of milk
Recipe

Combine all ingredients into blender
Blend on high until smooth
Serve in a tall pre-chilled glass

Coffee Lovers

Caramel Frappuchino
Ingredients
Chocolate powder mix
1 cup of skim milk
1tbsp of instant coffee
Ice cubes
Caramel
Whip cream

Recipe
Combine hot chocolate mix, skim milk and instant coffee in a blender
Add the ice to the blender and blend until smooth
Coat the inside of the glass with drizzles of caramel then pour the frappuchino in
Add whip cream to the top
Drizzle caramel over the whip cream and add a dash of cinnamon on top

******* Featured Smoothie*********
Sandra`s Mango- Banana-Strawberry Smoothie
Sandra is a fellow blogger and I just thought this smoothie was very creative and certainly presentable which is why I wanted to share it!
Try this oust and check out her blog  for all types of food recipes.
Ingredients

***1st layer:

1 mango, peeled, pitted and chopped
½ cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lime juice

2 tablespoons honey                                            
3 medium ice cubes

***2nd Layer:                                                      

1 banana, chopped
10 strawberries, cut in half
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 medium ice cubes

Method
In a blender, puree the mango, orange juice, lime juice, honey, and ice cubes, until smooth, and divide amongst 2 straight-sided 8 oz. glasses, and set aside.
Rinse blender, then puree banana, strawberries, lemon juice, and ice cubes, until smooth, and gently pour into glasses while trying to maintain a line separating the layers. – Enjoy!

*Note: if you don't have grenadine and can not find it in your local stores, it isn't a problem, I have done my research of an easy way to make a Grenadine Substitute

Grenadine Substitute
2 cups of pomegranate juice
1 cup sugar syrup             ( 1 cup of sugar
                                          1/2 cup of boiled water, you might have extra so measure out 1 cup of the syrup
                                           click this link for further instruction)

Shake the liquids together in a tight jar

So there you have it along list of cool drinks to try that scream summer. Have fun and Enjoy making and drinking your summer concoctions.

P.S I would love to add additional photos to these drinks so, if any of you dare to make them send in a picture and I will feature it giving you credit! Also if any of you have a favourite drink, don`t be shy, and let me know, I'm always looking for a great summer drink!!!

WHO LOVES A PARTY, I KNOW I DO!!!

At the point that I am in , in my life, I am still trying to figure out what I want to do for my future career. I can't seem to choose only one career path so instead of buckling down now and eliminating possible options, I am trying my hand in everything that interests me. One career that has gotten my attention is event planning. I think the idea of throwing parties as a job sounds so glamorous and exciting. So when my mom's birthday came up and she said that she wanted a party I saw it as the perfect opportunity to test out my skills and so I opted to throw it for her.

I treated my mom as if i she were the client, I sat with her and we had a consultation. During this time, she told me what she was looking for and what kind of decorations she wanted. She told me details from what kind of cake she wanted, even showing me the recipe. We went out and shopped together for her decorations and because she was a very specific client I let her her pick out which decorations she wanted, she told me that she wanted to feel like a princess that day and I told her that whatever she wished was my command.

When it came to the day of the party I arranged for her to go out, so that I could get her out of the house that way I could decorate and this is what she came home to find.....

The process was everything from slightly stressful to exhilarating and even though, everything looked incredible in the end, there were quite a few challenges. Like the balloons I had blown up with a specific vision of hanging them from the ceiling like chandlers would refuse to hang, then not having the right equipment to make the client's (my mom's) desired cake. in the beginning, i thought that nothing was going my way and that the party would look like a disaster, but after taking a deep breath and just chilling out a bit, i was able to find solutions to all of the problems. In the end, everything worked out beautifully and was worthwhile when i saw my mom's face light up. It was an amazing experience; not only did i get to be hands-on and feel like i was an actual event planner by doing task like consulting with the client and creating a design layout but i also learned that if i am going to be an event planner of some sort, then it is KEY to be patient, creative, a quick problem solver as well as how important it is not to sweat over the small stuff.

Doing this was so rewarding and i just encourage anybody that may be like me and is perhaps a bit indecisive to just try out as many things as you want and keep your options open because you will never know what you might love to do and every experience is a life lesson!

For more pictures, check out below.

Summer Nails!

Are you looking for a new nail polish colour in the spirit of summer?

Well if you are, today I'm here to give you the 411 on what are the hot summer colours of 2011 and which go great with which skin tone!

The colours for summer are usually bright and brilliant colours, which guarantees to put you in a happy summertime mood! So, starting with some eye-poppers, canary yellow, fluorescent lime green, blue, and tangerine orange are some really great bright colours. They will not only grab the attention of many but will also go really well with any little summer dresses you may have!

Summer is all about lounging around the pool/beach, so why not be inspired by the colour of the water and paint your nails either a nice turquoise blue or a beautiful royal blue.

If you are looking for a classy but seductive look you can never go wrong with a classic ruby red. This nail colour is great for evening  dates and  can really give you that wild but sophisticated look to any outfit!

Or perhaps you need a more professional summer look  or you are just the type of gal that enjoys neutral colours but doesn't want to miss out on all the fun, well no need to worry because there are so many amazing summer colours that are neutral. for instance you can try some more earthy natural tones like a nice slate grey or a pretty lilac colour, olive green, a cafe colour or even a nice light peachy colour will match any outfit.

Also if you are the type of girl who is that is quite indecisive and you can't seem to choose only one colour for your nails, you can spice it up by painting your nails french manicure style, which means painting your nail whichever colour is the lighter one out of your 2 preferences and then using french manicure strips, carefully separate the tips and paint them the darker colour of your two preferences. this is a fun quirky way to grab the attention of all your peers and is also my personal favorite way to paint my nails!

Finally, sometimes we choose colours that don't necessarily look the best on our skin types. so I'm going to give you a rule of thumb if you are fair-skinned choose a light colour or a lighter shade of a really rich dark colour, usually something with a blue-ish undertone. This avoids looking Gothic. If you are dark-skinned, you have much more freedom to choose from a wide variety of colours and can take the risk of painting your nails a dark colour but for the best look try and find shades with a yellow undertone, this will complement your skin beautifully!!

Note: To find out the difference, when you are out shopping for fingernail polish, take a piece of plain paper with you and hold the nail polish up against the paper and you will see a reflection of the color. If you don't have any paper, use your wrist.

Check out these websites for more ideas of amazing summertime colours!!!
http://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/makeup-articles/summer-nail-polish-trends
http://www.refinery29.com/summer-2011-nail-polish-colors-trends

How to Get that Bikini Bod in Just 2 weeks!

So many people procrastinate until the middle of June, and just wake up one morning and realize that summer is only 2 weeks away! well if you are one of those people then don't fret, i can show you some exercise moves and a couple of food tips that can help you get your idea bikini bod!

                          


Exercise!

I know, I feel your pain, but there is a way to make exercising somewhat enjoyable. Try picking out some fat burning activities you do like. For example recreational swimming, a sport like soccer or tennis (something that will keep you running, so unfortunately mini golfing doesn't count!) As important as aerobic exercise is for your health and your body, to get that toned look you will also have to do some resistant exercise.  Try joining an exercise class like pilates. and to make it more enjoyable try dragging along a friend, not only will this make it more fun but will also encourage you to stay in the class and not back out! If you can't get to a gym, for whatever reason, you don't have to worry about a thing because you can still do exercises from home by popping in a exercise DVD. Don't have any? Well that's OK you can still exercise by following the routine below.

For the following exercises do 3 sets of 10- 15 reps 3-4 times a week.

Side Lunges         

One Leg Bicep Curl                          

     Dips

Swimmers  

(you can do this one without a ball, but it is more challenging.)

Exercise Ball Lifts 

Lateral Raise

Triceps Kickbacks

Front Lunges

Superman/Superwoman

Do any type of resistance exercise you want but be sure to do it 3- 4 times a week and aerobic exercises for at least 30 minutes a day to ensure results!

Diet

In order to have success you will have to tweak your diet at least for this 2 week program.
To be successful you will have to cut back on all processed foods like white bread, white rice, pasta, delicious pastries that are made with white flour.Also you will have to eliminate sugary drinks like juice, pop (that includes diet pop too! pshh who needs pop anyways besides pop totally makes you bloated :) !!!) Try to stay away from red meats and instead eat turkey, chicken, or fish. Try to stay away from saturated fats and instead enjoy the good fats. Make sure you do not eliminate good fats and carbs (like nuts, veggies, avocado, brown rice and beans, etc.) or else you will never feel full and end up overeating other stuff! And of course STAY FAR AWAY FROM DRIVE-THRU'S.

I know it sucks but just picture yourself and how you will look in 2 weeks in your bikini. Hopefully that will keep you motivated.

Good luck!

Don't forget to tell me how it works out for you, and if you want send in pics I would love to see your Bikini Bods!

Sincerely,
Keys


** new update** july 14 2011

Facials, Facials, Facials! - Beauty & Health

As summer break approaches fast and steadily, it's time to get ourselves in tip top shape. I figure since your face is the first person someone should see, that we would start there. Now for the summer, I would imagine that most would want to have that fresh face summer glow. The best way to get that would be to treat your skin with a facial. So today, I'm going to show you how you can get clear radiant skin with these all natural homemade facial mask for every type of skin. The following masks will all be fairly simple to make and will be using common kitchen ingredients, which will insure you that the ingredients are safe and natural.

An Exfoliating Scrub
The Sugar Scrub
Ingredients: 2 tbsp of sugar
                  3 tbsp of water
Instructions: Stir sugar into warm water, so that it melts. It is important that the granules dissolve or else they can tear your skin. Rinse with warm water or a warm steamed washcloth. (NOTE: make sure wash cloth isn't too hot, to avoid skin injury.)

Face Masks

The Baking Soda Mask
This mask is the easiest to make as it only uses 2 ingredients. It is most idea for normal to oily skin, and it also fights against acne.
Ingredients: Baking Soda
                  Water
Instructions: Mix enough baking soda and water to
                   make a thick paste.
                   Apply mask to skin, avoiding your eyes.
                   Relax with the mask on for 20 minutes.
                   After 20 minutes, you can wash your face
                   and feel the softness and the clarity of
                   your skin.

The Egg Yolk Mask
There are two variations of this mask, one that uses only the egg white and the other that use only egg yolk.

The egg white mask is good for oily skin, because it draws out the oils, as well as tightens the pores.

The egg yolk mask is good for dry to normal skin and is also great for scarring as it contains Vitamin A.

Egg white instructions: Beat egg white until frothy, then apply to the face with either clean fingers or a clean sponge/makeup brush. Leave on for 20 minutes. Wash off with lukewarm water.

Egg yolk instructions: Beat egg yolk , and then apply to face with clean fingers or a clean sponge/makeup brush. Leave on for 20 minutes. Wash off with lukewarm water.

The Apple and Honey Face Mask.
This is another tightening pores mask.
Ingredients: 1/2 apple
                  3 tbsp of honey
Instructions: Peel and Cut apple into thin slices.
                   Blend apple pieces and 3 tbsp of honey to
                   make a smooth paste.
                   Apply to skin and let it sit for 15 minutes.
                   Rinse with lukewarm water.

The Oatmeal Mask
This mask is like an all purpose mask, it does everything from getting rid of excess oil and pimples to getting rid of dead skin and cleaning pores with the properties from apple then the honey works as antibacterial ointment that gets rid of bacteria that can cause infections. It is also idea for sensitive skin.
Ingredients: 1/2 boiled apple.
                  1 tsp. of honey
                  2 tsp. of ground oatmeal.
Instructions: Mix all ingredients to get a consistent
                   paste.
                   Apply and Relax for 10- 15 minutes.
                   Then wash off carefully with
                   lukewarm water.

Bonus Facial Mask

The Chocolate Mask
This mask is great for moisturizing your skin which will give you a glow as well as put you in a great mood!
Ingredients: 2 dark chocolate bars
                  2/3 cup of milk
                  2 tsp. of sea salt
Instructions: Melt dark chocolate using either a double boiler or simply by popping in the microwave. (NOTE: Make sure you use a microwave safe dish and take precaution when removing from the microwave)
                   Mix salt with 2/3 of milk.
                   Mix heated chocolate with salt/ milk
                   mixture.
                   Allow to cool.
                   Apply to your face when cool but not
                   hardened.
                   Relax for 15- 20 minutes.
                   Chip or wash of with warm water and a
                   mild cleanser.


So there are the homemade facial masks that you can use, below are instructions for a full spa like treatment.

First use a cleanser of your choice to remove some of the dirt and grease off your face.
Then use the Sugar Exfoliating Scrub, to remove dead skin and traces of makeup and dirt. This will give your skin a healthy, smooth glowing look.
Next you want open to up those pores, so that you can give your skin a deep clean. do this by standing over a pot of steaming water, or jumping in a hot shower. ( Make sure that the water isn't too hot) you can finish off with splashing slightly hot water on your face just to  make sure your pores are open.
Now you can apply one of the homemade mask above to you face and leave on for the designated time. This is a great time to just sit and relax by reading a book/magazine, listening to music, or just getting lost in your own thoughts. Optional: For an extra rejuvenating feel try cutting up 2 slices of cucumber for the eyes.
After the designated time of the face mask, wash off with lukewarm water, and additionally seal the deal with a splash of cold water to close your pores.

So there you have it, to jazz things up and make it more exciting invite some of your friends over for a spa day at your house or for a sleepover party!

Don't forget to comment and let me know how things worked out for you, or which was your personal fave.

Hot TV Shows for your Summer Break

As summer approaches, some of you may be saddened by the fact that your favourite television series has come to the end of their season, but don't fret, TV won't be a complete bore this summer, because I've done some research to find out which series will be on this season.

On my personal TV guide there will be some returning series, and some will be potentially interesting new series.

Starting in the month of June ABC Family has some of our favourite returning series, like Pretty Little Liars starting June 14 which is a mystery about a teenage girl and clique with many secrets, speaking of secrets;   The Secret Life of the American Teenager which had the season finale of season 3 this week, returns this Monday, June 13 with season 4, yay! Some other shows that will be premiering this summer on ABC Family are The Nine Lives of Chloe King which is about a girl who discovers she has special powers and has to figure out what entails with them based on the novel by Celia Thomson, The Great State of Georgia is a 30 minute sitcom about an aspiring actress from the south who wants to make a household name, she embarks on a great adventure and moves to New York, and in Switched at Birth this scripted drama is about two teenage girls who find out that they were switched as newborns in a hospital, this premiered June 6. All of these series are seemingly promising.

On MTV, a new series called Teen Wolf actually premiered this past Sunday, June 5. I haven't quite had the chance to watch it yet, but it does look intriguing and I plan to watch it after I finish writing this post.

If you are in to "reality shows" here are three that will be returning, Keeping up with the Kardashians starts their 6th season this weekend on June 12, in this season it is suppose to show a little about the newly engaged couple Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries. In July, Teen Mom comes back for their third season about the struggles of 4 teenage mothers, Amber, Leah, Catelynn, and Farah(July 5). Later in July, E!News's Giuliana Rancic returns with her 4th season of Giuliana& Bill(July 18). And finally near the end of the summer a new series begins, The Lying Game based on the original novel by Sara Shepard presents its pilot on August 15.

So there you have it your 2011 Summer TV Guide so that there will never be a dull moment!

Below are the links for some of the trailers for these series:

Pretty Little Liars http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_0xiWwPcVA&feature=related
The Great State of Georgia http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/state-georgia/videos-details/promos/state-of-georgia-meet-georgia-and-joe/pl_PL55120582/vd_VD55129858
Switched at Birth http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GD4xFZjneQ
Teen Wolf http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku6MC6a5Ur8
Keeping up with the Kardashians http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-pYsWNtAQM
And` the Promo for The Nine Lives of Chloe King and The Secret Life of the American Teenager http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAe6NhgBFWA

Enjoy! Check Back in for possible reviews and share your comments about any shows you may end up watching I would love to hear your opinions!

Sincerely yours,
keys