T-minus 3 days to Paleo

So I'm finally going for it...Paleo. I have no upcoming marathons....which is my excuse for never having tried it before.  "I needs my carbs when I'm running," so whats my excuse now?

I have none. So until October 12th (vacation time) I'm going full blown paleo.  Goodbye mac and cheese, farewell my morning oatmeal, and as Heidi Klum would say auf Wiedhersen my Asian staple rice.

I'm starting to think it won't be so bad, lots of people are doing it. (Thats what they all say before they drink the Kool-Aid..which is not paleo btw).

Schwarzkopf products - MUST...GET..MORE

So I tried this product last week on already dry hair and it gave me some volume and made it easier to texturizing, puff, and curl.  

Well today after a 7am boot camp I sprinkled some into my limp hair, rubbed it in and I've got the best post-gym hair ever.  I've never been able to get any volume into my hair after it ring sweaty, wet, and limp.  Not to mention I'm way over due for a haircut so my hair weighs about 10lbs right now!  

Miracle in a little red bottle? Yes! I can't wait to try more of their products!!  This stuff is a must have...had my hair not been a little wet....I could have really had some big fabulous hair. 

Manicure in a flash

So we all love the look of a unique nail for a night on the town right?  But who has one to DIY or spend a ton of time waiting in the salon?  

Well Impress Mani had the perfect solution.  In a variety of colors an even some wild animal prints, you can have fabulous nails in 10-15 minutes.  It took me about a minute to just do two nails!!! And they'll last through the night and you'll get plenty of compliments on your trendy fingernails :) 

Secret's not so secret....

So I normally wear Secret's clinical strength deodorant because I'm really active.  But pulling my tops and sports bra on a couple times a day - I'm left with white marks up and down my tops.  I've gotten used to putting them on a certain way to avoid those pesky deodorant marks.

But recently, I tried Secret's Outlast which is made to avoid those gross white marks that will never come out of your little black dress until it's next visit to the dry cleaners.

How did it work? Well..no white marks for me so far. I think I sweat a bit more during my runs BUT how much is a little more sweat when you're running 13 miles? Exactly..not noticeable at all :)

A good deodorant to have on hand when you know you'll be in a wardrobe change :)

Glam Glow - tried and tested

So I bought Glam Glow which is all the rage in Hollywood right now.  It's pretty expensive at 70 from sephora for 1.2oz.  

Luckily I was able to get mine for 1/2 off by waiting a few months and looking for online deals :) 

I washed my face thoroughly and applied the mask as indicated.  It seems to have a charcoal base similar to that of the Origins purifying mask.  Glam Glow also has little black bits of something in it - not sure what they were.  

The mask went on smoothly and a little goes a long way.  It immediately started drying and tightening...at the end of the 20 minutes the mask had obviously absorbed a lot of oil in the t-zone.  I wasn't brave enough to capture those results, maybe next time :) 

My skin felt soft, smooth, and the pores looked a little smaller.  Is Glam Glow with all the hype???  Maybe.  I'd buy it again at the cheaper price but I think origins might work just as well.  

American Sniper

Another book done!  I just finished American Sniper by Chris Kyle - non fiction and autobiographical as the cover says.  

This book gives you a new perspective of the war in Iraq....and the life of a Navy Seal. Its a great, quick read that makes you think about what you hear on the news and media.  Chemical weapons in Iraq? Yes....never reported because???? Well the stuff came from western allies....

Getting an honest peek into a seals life was really interesting.  It's a huge sacrifice for them and their family - patents, siblings, children.  It also offers a unique perspective of someone trained to kill and kill a lot.  How do you stop doing that when its time to move on? 

As you know Chris' story ended well up until this past February where he was shot and killed at a Texas gun range by an ex-military guy suffering from PTSD.  Worth the read??? Definitely :) 

Unbroken - another must read

I'm not a huge non-fiction fan, but for some reason I've read 2 in a row and started another last night.  This book was good...it was great!

Unbroken is written by the same author that wrote Seabiscuit, so if you're a fan of that piece of work, you're sure to be a fan of this one. Hillenbrand takes you through the courageous story of L. Zamperini, an Italian American slated to become a famous Olympic runner but is drafted during WWII as a bombardier.

The book starts at the beginning of Louie's life to give you a background into his character, personality, and perseverance...all setting the stage for the trials and tribulations he will endure over 3 periods as a Japanese POW.

Louie's story is riveting. It took me about 1 1/2 days to finish 398 pages.  If you're not familiar with the story, the book cover and synopsis gives it away - yes Louie survives, but how long does he suffer, how does he suffer, and how he manages is remarkable.  If you're at all spiritual, you'll enjoy the end of the book a lot.  The last 10 pages or so were really touching.  They made me think..... I walked away from the book in amazement.

Tastykake

So I received a s'mores flavored tastykake in my sample box from #influenster and decided to dig in....

Does it taste like a amore - sure.  It's chocolate covering reminds me of the waxy chocolate of a Ho-Ho while the cake and inner creme are good but not great.  

I'm not the biggest fan of this type of treat but if you're into packaged ready to eat goods....it's better than others on the market.  

A must read...

I read Escape from Camp 14 after hearing about it somewhere on the expansive World Wide Web.  I thought it would be an interesting read with all the news about North Korea - their new leader, nuclear weapons, and the infamous labor camps.  

I didn't expect most of what I read.  Every now and again you hear about North Korea and their hard labor camps for those deemed criminals.  So who cares if a criminal is charged with hard labour? But we forget that such nations don't follow laws according to our own - were what is deemed criminal activity has less to do with violent and heinous acts....but more to do with what you believe, who your parents are, etc. 

After reading this book I'm surprised that there aren't more organizations and people trying to end these hard labour camps in North Korea.  These camps that N. Korea claims don't exist have killed hundreds of thousands since their inception over 50 years ago.  What's also different from Nazi concentration camps is that children are born and raised in these camps - they know nothing of the outside world.  And so you are introduced to Shin Hyuk...the only known person to be born and escape from one of these camps.  

What's it like to not understand the term "family"....but to see blood relatives as nothing more than competition for food.  To say that Shin grew up as an animal is too kind....here in America we treat our animals like family.  Our animals know and experience love....

I just can't fathom some of the things I have read.  I urge you to read the book....experience it all for yourself.  There are moments where the book is slow as you read about history, events of that time, and seemingly non-related stories.  But in the end it's all there to provide you with a background story...to provide a frame of reference and to give you a moment to digest the horror.  

Magnetic pedi

Sally Hansen's magnetic nail polish is fun and easy to use.  I did this polish change in about 10 minutes, toe by toe.  

Follow the instructions exactly - one toe at a time.  Don't use a base coat or the magnet won't work as it should.  The only con - these polishes are a pretty penny and will set you back about 10.00 a bottle. There aren't that many colors to choose from but I'm sure you will find one that suits you :) 

Summer is upon us....

Happy Friday! Today I thought I would douse myself in color....so I opted for my turquoise Kut pants and my red leather wrap Stella bracelet with some layering. Needless to say - all this color had really pepped up my day!

I recently tried a few new products....so I'm back to offer you my two cents.

In CVS last weekend I saw an Essie magnet polish that leaves your nails with a python look. At 12.00 a bottle, I thought this better look good! Well, it looked great and I even got some comments on my nails. A tip to make this work better for you, no base coat! Just apply the polish to your natural nail and ONLY DO ONE NAIL at a time....

I also threw revolution organically freedom glow beauty balm in my bag. I've used a lot of blush sticks in the paste...my preference for on the go since you need have to worry about broken powder. Well this one was underwhelming. The coverage is very light, almost too light I have to add bronzed to my face just for additional highlighting. I still prefer stainiacs and smashbox much more.

Until my next post, adieu.

Back to books..

I've just started reading "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" which was also adapted into movie during '09.  It was on the  NYT bestseller's list for over a year.

Will it be a cherished part of my reading repitoire? Maybe not, but so far I've run into some of the best quotes I've seen in a book in a loooooong time.

"I don't really know how to explain it, but when we move, we are in a way de-structured by our movement toward something; we are both here and at the same time not here because we're already in the process of going elsewhere."

Do you sometimes feel like you're always here but not here? Live in the moment...pause, take a breath.  Breathe. 

Put a lid on it (eye primer)

I recently received this product as part of my #birchbox and the results were great.

I wore eye makeup two days in a row to test and give a fair review. The results were amazing. With the primer my eye makeup lasted over 10hrs and two workouts (one of those workouts being a pretty intense crossfit session).

The next day I wore eye makeup and again after 10 hours and a dance class (where i did little to no sweating) - there were creases in my eye lids and the shadow had noticeably faded.

So the pictures speak for themselves. Just a dab on the lids will keep your eyeshadow in place for many hours.

Juice Beauty

So I tried my sample of Juice Beauty - organics to go which is a 3 part face cleansing system.The picture shows additional items that you get if you purchase it - but I sampled the cleansing milk, serum, and nourishing moisturizer.

The cleansing milk was nice but seemed to leave a layer of film no matter how much water I put on my face. I used my clarisonic so I'm not sure if it would have been different had I just rubbed it on with my hands.  So I used a toner before I applied the serum.  The serum is GREAT.  I liked the way it made my skin look and feel. The serum was thick so I was afraid it was going to be heavy on my face but it wasn't.  The website states the serum is an antioxidant that helps prevent free radical cell damage and is 45.00 for 2oz. 

 The nourishing cream though was a bit heavy and thick. It also left my face feeling a little sticky.  May buy the serum separately...but for now I'm still on the fence. 

Things I've tried...

So I've been hacking away at all my samples because what's the use in hoarding tons of product?

So for the past couple weeks I've tried Klorane' dry shampoo. In the winter I'm able to go without washing my hair 2-3 days. So I thought I'd try a little dry shampoo during my in between days. The verdict?? It seems as though the shampoo works in the interim. It soaks up all the oil and leaves you looking less greasy but by days end my hair looks as thought it could use a wash. So this is definitely a temporary solution. I also used it a couple times after the gym and that worked well too.

Last week I received juicy's perfume spray sample. I tried it out this morning and though the sent smells great, it's simply not for me. It was very floral but youthful - if that's makes any sense to you. We've all smelled those perfumes that smell like a bouquet and would be spritzed on some 60 and older.

Next up is the aveeno bath wash. I tend to change between bath wash and dove beauty bar soap as I'm not particular to one version of soap over another. I will say I do like aveeno products and this one did not disappoint. The later was great without having to use too much body wash. It smelled nice and fresh and didn't leave me feeling flakey or dry afterwards.

And I've been using this eye makeup remover for years but I had to post my love for clean and clear's soothing eye makeup remover. It doesn't take too much to get your makeup off, it's gentle and best of all CHEAP and result available at all major stores!

And then we have the Clark's Botanicals smoothing marine cream. For some reason you can't apply this product to red or peeling skin- couldn't tell you why. I do like the cream but not enough to purchase. It has a very oceanic smell...that's almost a bit manly. This product actually reminds me of some male hair product Or something but I can place my finger on it. On this one too I shall pass...
And last but not least I've been using Merle Normans percentage forming eye cream and I am neither here nor there about it....it seems to work well. It goes on lightly and makeup doesn't tend to crease under it but there are others I like better. I like an eye cream that feels cool and makes your eyes feel like thy just drank a tall cup of coffee. But it does have spf15 so that's a nice plus. This is another I won't buy but it's actually a really good product.

So I bid you adieu until I either finish a book or try more products :)
Stay hydrated and moisturized!!!!

I tried it...

I tried this the past two nights. I got this from #birchbox and I'm on the fence.  The smell of the product is a bit "strange" - I think as you work it through your hair it starts to smell better but maybe that is just my imagination.

I read another person's review on this same product and they were overwhelmed with the smell. I compare it to a 90's salon where they're putting perms in people's hair.  But smell aside, the product is great.  My hair has had 2x the volume after each use.  I didn't do much to my hair but blow dry and go to bed. I woke up to fabulous big bed hair....will I buy it. Well that's debatable. I saw sites selling the product for about 40.00+, might be skipping on this one.  I'll have to see.