Beauty
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7 Easy Nail Art Tutorials
I use to have a favorite thing to do, in the privacy of my room, when no one was watching. No, not sing karaoke, with a hair brush for a mic. Who do you think I am, Susan? Seriously. *cough* Nay, my hobby was to practice doing fancy nail art tricks on myself. For a long time I had the aspiration to be a world famous nail artist, who, you know, did Beyonce’s nails inbetween shows, and stuff. That dream has since passed (and the crowd goes: “yayy”) because, let’s face it, I was pretty putrid at nail art. And I’m just not patient enough to sit and do Beyonce’s nails. Or any other person’s actually. But I mean, if I could turn down Beyonce, that says a lot.
Anyways, in my years of attempting to do my own nails, I picked up quite a few easy nail art tutorials that really helped me. I mean, honestly, they don’t require a lot of brain work and you can literally do them with stuff you find in the kitchen. But, while going through my blog posts the other day, I found a bunch of them and was like, “hey, I really should share this with the world… again…” So, I’m re-sharing them with you guys. Please don’t laugh. But if you really have to, atleast scroll through your phone randomly, and pretend to be laughing for something else. Here are 7 easy nail art tutorials:
Newspaper Nail ArtI share this tutorial often because it’s probably the one that I am most pleased with. Newspaper print makes for excellent nail art and all you need is some strips of newspaper and a bowl of water. Easy peasy lemon squeezy! Plus it looks really cute on shorter nails. How’s that for a score? Read more…
Glitter Nail ArtIf you’re looking to score some trendy points, without really doing much, how about giving this glitter mani a go. Simply apply your fave glitter polish on the bottom edge of your nails (I prefer dabs, not strokes) and ta daaaa! Instant stardom. Read more…
Nail Art using Holostripes
This is another favorite of all my nail tuts, because I once again show that you don’t need an expensive nail polish in order to get the best results! These Pretty Paints cost like, 25 bux, and are stunning! Worried about premature chipping? With the right base coat and top coat, you can extend your mani life. Read more…
Polka Dot Nail Art
One of my proudest mani moments (which says a lot about my capacity to do nail art) was when I figured out how make these pretty polka dots, using a hair grip. I know, right?! Genius, Papa! Check out this tut to see how I did it. Read more…
The Sponge Effect
I once took a kitchen sponged (a new one, duh) and tried to do some nail art with it. The result? Meh. BUT it did inspire this little beaut. What do you think? Would you try something like this? The tutorial features a matte paint, but I think it would look better with a glossy finish. Read more…
Leopard Print Nail ArtIf you’re looking to channel your inner Jersey Shore, how about this leopard print manicure? All you need is… well, love… but also, a koki pen (fiber tip marker)! Don’t worry, your base coat, and polish, will protect your nail from the koki and it comes off in a jiffy. Read more…
The Scribbled Look
One of my more, uh, higher grade tutorials include using a plastic baggie. That’s right girl! I said plastic bag! What do you think about this scribbled nail art though? You could literally do any pattern but my mommy-brain did not allow for it. Read more…
So what do you guys think? Which of these would you try?
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Styled by my 3 year old: The KellyKariKollab
A few weeks ago, the very sweet Kelly Adams of Basically Kelly asked me if she could do a blog feature with my 3 year old Karis Leigh. Kelly wanted to be styled by my 3 year old and I knew that Karis would totally eat that up! Now, if you guys frequent my Instastories you’ll know that my Kari is full of sass. She loves the camera. She loves to dress up. She loves make up. And she loves to tell other people what to do. (I’ve been told it’s a toddler thing. Her dad says she got it from her mama. You decide.)
The wonderful staff of The Windermere Hotel, located in Summerstrand, Nelson Mandela Bay, agreed to give us their stunning venue as the location and we were so thrilled at the opportunity to feature some of our fave Nelson Mandela Bay kiddies online boutiques.
Now ladies, let me tell you something, I learnt that if you want to unlock your little girls inner diva, give her your make up to play with! Karis got into that make up, styling Kelly like it’s nobodies business! (I sat on the couch, with some chicken nuggets, and chilled. I mean, it was like an afternoon off for me. Who’s complaining?)The girls did each other’s make up (aren’t they cute) and chose outfits for one another. Both went for a pink ensemble and Kelly got a pair of high heels, picked out by Miss Kari, who had been eyeing them. (She has a thing for shoes).
A fresh hair-do later, and they were ready to work the camera, with “Uncle Human” (Kelly’s boyfriend, Hughan) behind the camera, making the girls look as fabulous as they are. We honestly had so much fun and I would totally do something like this again! But hey, check out the vid below for more: -
Everybody come see my new hair
This post is a few days late, but I had to dedicate a whole blog post to my new look. Why? Well, Coco Chanel says when woman cuts her hair, she is about to do something super duper amazing (okay that was part Coco Chanel, part “I cant remember so I put my own words in that quote”). But you guys, considering the fact that my hair has been the same length and color for most of my adult life, changing it was a big deal to me, okay? There, I said it. Don’t judge me. Well, if you’re going to judge me, only do it quietly behind my back, please. Kidding! Where was I going with this? Oh yes, my new hair. Well, this is the story all about how my life got flip turned upside down…
If you’re still around after that horrendous intro (complete with incorrect Coco Chanel quotes and a Will Smith rap piece) then you must really love me. So hello, friend! Let me tell you, the past few days have been straight up ridonkulous. For starters it was ECMeetUp and with that came enough craziness to render a successful Dr Phil reboot. But also, I decided to chop all my hair off on Friday. (And by “all”, I do mean “a little bit of it but it feels life changing okay?!”)
Why the big chop? Well, my hair has been breaking off so much that I pretty much freaked out like, alot (for those of you who sat through countless Instastories of me talking about my hair, I salute you). I do think that my brittle hair was due to postpartum hair loss coupled with the recent onslaught of grey hair. Guys, if I didn’t tell you before, let me say it now: my grey hair is poppin’ AND they seem to be duplicating. Let’s just say I became intimately acquainted with boxed hair dyes recently and yep, the ammonia has definitely damaged my tresses.
Enter: Michelle Kritzinger, the “hair whisperer” over at Stylish Steppers. You may recall, I’ve chatted about Michelle and her super powers a while ago. I am ashamed to admit that Friday was my first visit to her salon. Shocking, I know. Especially since half of Nelson Mandela Bay knows her and swears by her expert fingers. Anyways, Mish took one look at my hair and was like “we’re going to give you a whole new look!” Insert the loud, screeching “aaack” right here.
One thing I appreciated about Michelle is that she shared SO MUCH knowledge and information with me, while she was seeing to my mane. I’ll be sharing more about that soon! But for now, I can tell you that she decided to cut off all my dead hair because it was definitely weighing my tresses down. I think Michelle kept some of the length, because she didn’t want to give me a heart attack. She’s so kind.
She also decided to give me a lighter look because of my grey hair. She explained that the lighter your hair, the easier it is to conceal those grey hairs, when they come in. (Duh, Luchae.) So I might be going even lighter than this, over the next few months.
How do I feel about my hair? Well, guys, let’s be honest. I love the whole Kardashian look. I love having my hair long and dark (and easy and basic). I don’t have the time or energy to worry about styling my hair every morning. BUT I do love the versatility of this look. I do feel a bit more spunkier and a sense of freedom. Will I cut it again? Not sure. Do I love the color? Yep, I think a change from the all black was good. Would I recommend Michelle of Stylish Steppers to my friends? Heck to the yes!
So what do you ladies think? Do you like my new hair? Anything I should change, when I go back to Michelle next month?
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My hair is breaking off
My hair is breaking off, you guys! What the heck does this evens mean?! I honestly don’t even notice these things, because my hair goes up in a bun at home, and I pretty much finger brush it en route to work. I’m very low maintenance like that (because of my many, many children). But alarm bells went off when people kept asking me if I had gone for a hair cut (which I didn’t btw). I decided to do my own inspection and noticed that sections of my hair are definitely shorter than the rest. (If you’re following me on Instagram, I’m sure my hair rants in my Instastories must have had you rolling your eyes) Anyways, panic ensued and I almost went to the emergency room. Kidding! But I did I chat to a few experts and did my research on hair breakage. It’s a matter of “process of elimination” for me now. I need to figure out what is causing my mane to become brittle. Here’s what I found:
Lay off the heat
You guys, I’m a brown person. And like most brown people, I grew up heat styling my hair. I think the introduction to my best friend, the flat iron, may have taken my relationship with heat styling to the next level. Heat styling is obviously not natural and it does damage your hair and makes it weaker and more susceptible to breakage. I only flat iron my hair once a week but I don’t use a heat protector before doing so. I know, right? I could totally give myself a stern talking to right about now.Chemicals
Overprocessed hair is not healthy hair. I mean, even your simple boxed hair dyes contain chemicals and solutions that strip your hair of its natural protection. And, for those who don’t know, guys I’m greyer than the most ashiest elbows in the world. I pretty much dye my hair, at home, every six weeks to avoid looking like a Golden Girl. The chemicals in boxed dyes are not brilliant for your hair. Apparently I am meant to apply a salon-grade treatment to my hair every now and then to make it feel loved and special. I obviously don’t do that (many kids, little time, remember?). Could this be my hairs passive aggressive way of telling me that it wants to be loved?
Basics
You guys, I am so shocked to learn that sleeping on a cotton pillowcase could be damaging my hair! Say what?! Cotton creates friction between the fabric, and the hair. Satin or silk pillowcases are apparently way more gentle on the hair. Did you know that even towel drying is a bad thing? Tying your hair in a towel can lead to breakage and tangling. I read that you need to swop your towel for an old, soft T-shirt instead, which is more absorbent and less abbrasive. Go figure. And duh, combing versus brushing your wet hair is way more smarter.Thirsty hair
Yes, you read it, my hair is probably just thirsty. Dry hair is more prone to breakage. Make sure you’re using the correct shampoo and conditioner, friends! I mean, I generally grab whatever is on the shelf (and cheaper, let’s be honest Maggie) but in order to ensure that your hair receives ample moisture, you need to make sure the product you use contains ingredients that help to hydrate your locks. Also, did you know that the more you wash your hair, the more you’re stripping it of natural oils?! So yes… that.All in all, my hair is breaking off. Excuse me while I freak out.
I’m considering going for a super dramatic hair chop. I need to get rid of the damaged hair. And getting it all to one length again, would also be a great idea. The lopsided look is not working for me. I must admit, I am freaking out. Oh wait, I told you that already. The thing is, I’ve always had long hair, but I guess with long hair, comes great responsibility (I’m sure I heard that on Spiderman). If you’ve had experience with hair breakage, and have some advice to share, please drop it in the comments section. You guys, I don’t want to chop all my hair off! Help!
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Husband, do you still think I’m pretty?
This morning en route to work, I asked my dear ol’ Hubstopher: “babe, do you still think I’m pretty?” How needy of me, right? But the thing is, it’s almost a year since I gave birth to Jo and I pretty much feel as if I’m still pregnant. Maybe it’s the constant need to shove food in my face, or the fact that I want to live in gym pants. Maybe it’s the excessive tiredness or that my waist band has expanded and it clearly has no desire to return to it’s former state. I mean, we can mull over the details some other time guys. But for now, I just wanted to come here to let you guys know that I feel like a fat slob and I often wonder if my husband thinks it too.
He obviously gave me the standard “I think you’re the most beautiful girl in the world” response, which I guess is a better option than “get out of the car, fatso”. And I obviously wasn’t happy with his reply. I was all “yeah, you HAVE to say that, because I’m your wife”.
And he sighed.
The sigh said a lot. The sigh said things he probably didn’t have the time or energy to get into. His sigh reminded me that to him my loveliness isn’t dependent on what I’m wearing or whether I brushed my hair. To him my beauty has nothing to do with the size of my clothing or whether my eyebrows are on fleek. He doesn’t base his opinion of my worth on whether I can successfully wear a pair of hot shorts in public. Heck, my hubstopher isn’t even concerned about whether my shoes and handbag matches. And that’s because when he looks at me, he sees his bride. And he sighs because he doesn’t feel as if he needs to justify why he thinks I am the most beautiful girl in the world.
It got me thinking: “what the heck is your problem, woman?!” No, seriously, I asked myself that question in a candid one-girl conversation. What the heck is your problem?! Why do you base your beauty on superficial things like weight and appearance? Moms, why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to look like a super model, post-kids? It’s almost as if we want our appearance to be UNCHANGED by motherhood. But the truth is that being someone’s Mama changes you in every single way!I don’t know about you guys, but my children have completely rearranged me! Their little hearts have reshaped and molded me into a woman I never thought I had the capacity to become. And when my daughter looks at me, the last thing I worry about is whether she thinks I’m beautiful. When my boys talk to me, I’m not standing there wondering if they are impressed by my carefully applied face beat.
When my kids think about me, I want them to remember a kind and compassionate heart and a willingness to serve others. I want them to remember a strength to stand up for what is right and a humble soul, not driven by ego. When they think about their mom, and associate me with beauty, I want them to find the glory in how I helped to draw them closer to God… and NOT in a perfect, size 6 appearance.
All of this from a simple sigh, this morning, when I asked my hubstopher “babe, do you still think I’m pretty?”
Oh and disclaimer, guys: I do believe that we should look after ourselves… caring about your health and how you present yourself, is important. But set healthy expectations for yourself. Your face is not the most important thing about you! The size of your legs and flatness (or lack thereof) of your belly does not determine how valuable you are. And you, my dear, are far more beautiful than you realize.
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Stopping the clock with Oh So Heavenly
So I’m almost 40 years old. No, this is not an exaggeration. My birthday, this year, has me knee deep in feelings and I don’t know how to make it stop! I must admit, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time, looking in the mirror and wondering when the mommy bags under my eyes decided to make permanent residency on my face. I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve never had a legit skin care regime simply because I didn’t think I needed to have one. But this year – oh this year – everything’s changing! And fortunately, Oh So Heavenly has decided to help me “stop the clock” with their delicious range of skin care and facial treatments. And since it’s my birthday, we’ve got a hamper to give away to one of you too! Eeeek!
Turn back the clock on ageing
You guys, the Oh So Heavenly Stop The Clock range is divine! Besides for the pretty packaging (Mother’s Day gift, anyone?) and amazing scent, it is also clinically proven to reduce wrinkle depth by up to 15% and improves skin firmness by up to 16%. The range is specially formulated for dry and/or mature skin. The Anti-Wrinkle Complex actually helps to replenish moisture and reduce the signs of wrinkles. With extracts of Argan Oil, Shea Butter, Flower Extract Complex and Avocado, these babies help to increase elasticity in your skin, while keeping it hydrated and fabulous looking.
I’ve been using it for the past month and immediately feel a difference on my skin. I love that the Stop The Clock Facial Wash doesn’t leave my skin dry. The Stop The Clock Eye Cream reduces the appearance of mommy-luggage (under the eyes) and the lifting and tightening active ingredients works within 5 minutes to give your eyes a more radiant appearance!I am totally enjoying the Stop The Clock Day and Night Creams. The night cream boosts cell regeneration and replenishes skin overnight. The day cream has SPF 15 against UVA and UVB sun rays and provides long lasting hydration.
Find your perfect balance!
I also tried out the Oh So Heavenly Healthy Balance range. This rich product smells like something I’d like to eat please (it’s the coconut, blame the coconut) and contains milk proteins, omegas and vitamins. The range – filled with good stuff, such as Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Prebiotics and Coconut Extract – has been specially formulated for normal and combination skin.My faves in the range include the Healthy Balance 3-in-1 Spa Facial which can be used as a balancing mask, exfoliating scrub and deep cleansing face wash. I’m also a huge fan of the 3-in-1 Facial Wipes. So legit! The range also contains a night cream, day cream, facial beauty bar and a face wash
Something for everyone!
I love that the Oh So Heavenly skin care range caters for everyone. The Oh So Heavenly Set The Tone range is specifically formulated for even skin tones. It improves skin complexion, reducing pigmentation and dark marks. The Oh So Heavenly Bye-Bye Shine range has an Oil Control Complex that reduces shine, to mattify skin. With ingredients such as Green Tea, Grapeseed and Aloe Vera, the range helps to prevent excess oil build up that can cause problem skin.
It is quite easy to determine your own skin type; you just need to understand what the different skin types are:
• Normal – soft, smooth and even skin tone with not much oil.
• Combination – skin has an oily T-zone (the skin on the forehead, nose and chin). This may be accompanied by larger pores in this area as well. The skin on the cheeks is then drier and may even be patchy or flakey if it is exceptionally dry.
• Oily – skin produces oil in all areas (you can pick this up by blotting the skin with a tissue in the morning). It can be caused by hereditary factors, diet, hormone levels, pregnancy or stress to name a few things.
• Mature / Dry – skin has a low oil level and may thus feel tight and/or be flakey.
• Sensitive – skin is irritated easily and may become inflamed or itchy.
WIN an Oh So Heavenly skin care hamper for YOUR skin!
Come and celebrate my birthday with me! Win an Oh So Heavenly skin care hamper, designed just for your skin. Here’s how to enter:
1. Find the specially marked posts on either Facebook or Instagram, and tag a friend.
2. Complete the form below
3. Grab a bonus entry by tweeting something along these lines: You guys, @luchaewilliams over at #myspreadsheetbrain is giving away a legit Oh So Heavenly skincare hamper! #giveaway4. Winner announced on March 30th!
[contact-form to=”luchaeg@gmail.com” subject=”Oh So Heavenly Giveaway”][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Which social media did you respond on? (Facebook, Instagram or both?) ” type=”text” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Want to grab a bonus entry? Share the following (or something along these lines) on Twitter: You guys, @luchaewilliams over at #myspreadsheetbrain is giving away a legit Oh So Heavenly skincare hamper! #giveaway” type=”checkbox”][/contact-form]
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Easy peasy mommy makeup with Essence {Giveaway!}
Moms, I get it. Putting on a full face of makeup is probably on your list of things to do one day when you’re kids are old enough to move out of the house. Until then, lip gloss and eye pencil should be enough to get rid of the zombie-esque look, right? I mean, who has the time to apply copious amounts of product using 103 makeup brushes that pretty much all look the same?! Mommy makeup should be an uncomplicated thing! Well, what if I told you that it’s not that difficult, yo. And it doesn’t have to take you 20 minutes to look like a superstar. To prove this to you, my friends over at Essence has agreed to help me help you uhh… help yourself. AND they are giving away a fabulous make up hamper to one lucky mama!
How I do my mommy makeup with Essence
When you fall out of bed in the morning, reaching for coffee and a toothbrush at the same time, putting on foundation is probably the last thing on your mind. I love that the Essence All I need concealer palette and Essence Stay All Day foundation is uncomplicated and so easy to use. Seriously though, on most days I even use my fingers to apply! If you’re looking at the concealer palette with a confused heart, please know that yes, the green part really does look green on your skin. But that’s the cleverness of it, yo! The green shade hides redness. Beige covers imperfections, pink hides tired skin and the yellow conceals under eye shadow. So clever. I apply dabs of the concealer to my skin first, before applying the Stay All Day foundation (which lasts for 16 hours, you guys!)
I then get into the seriously pretty Essence All About That Nudes eye shadow palette. This palette has an array of shimmering, long lasting nudes in various tones. I love that Essence gives us super moms (amateur makeup artists) instructions on how to use their product. I apply the lightest shade to my brow and the top of my eyelid. The medium colors go on the upper eyelid, blended in to form a nice gradient. The darker colors would be used on my eyelid crease on the outer eye. Hows that for impressive! And I’m not evens a YouTube beauty blogger!I use the Essence Blush Play sculpting palette in shade 10 Play It Peach, to make my otherwise zombie looking palour a bit more pleasing to the eye. Again, the Essence team has made my life easier by actually engraving instructions on the pressed powders. How cool! The highlight section is used to create a soft glow. The define section is used to accentuate the cheeks and the sculpt section is added to the cheek bones as a hint of color.
My favorite Essence products are the long lasting eye pencil and their range of amazing mascaras. Seriously guys, the Essence mascara is my friend. This time around I gave the Essence Lash Princess false lash effect mascara a go and I am super duper impressed! I also used their Essence Make Me Brow eyebrow gel mascara to make my eyebrows match, somewhat. (They secretly hate each other, I’m convinced).To finish the look I use two Essence lippies. I don’t have to, but I love the look and longevity of these two together. The Essence Ultra Last instant lip color goes on really smoothly and the color is intense. The Essence Matt Matt Matt lip gloss is a long lasting matte effect gloss that comes in the most gorgeous colors! I’m a fan!
And that’s that. What do you moms think? Is this something you could try at home? Well, guess what, Essence would like to help you with that! We are giving away a fabulous Essence makeup hamper to the value of R500, as part of my March birthday giveaway month. That’s right! It’s my birthday and I want you to celebrate with me! Whoop whoop!
To enter, simply check out the corresponding post on either Instagram or Facebook, and tag a friend to let them in on the sweeeeet deal! Once done, complete the entry below so that I can know where to contact you, if you win! Aaaack! Winners of all my March birthday giveaways will be announced on my Facebook page on March 30th.[contact-form to=”luchaeg@gmail.com” subject=”Essence competition”][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Which social media did you respond on? (Facebook, Instagram or both?)” type=”text” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Want to grab a bonus entry? Share the following on Twitter: Aack! I’ve entered the fab @essence_za competition with @luchaewilliams and #myspreadsheetbrain! #giveaway ” type=”checkbox”][/contact-form]
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How to do newspaper nail art
Moms, ever find yourself with a few minutes to spare and you’re not sure whether you should wash the dishes, take a nap, or ditch the country? Well, how about spending that hard earned “me time” on some quick and easy nail art! Yep, I said “quick and easy” and “nail art” in the same sentence. It’s totally possible. Well, that’s what I learnt this weekend when I tried out newspaper nail art. It took me all of 15 minutes (if that) and left me with all kinds of “wow, I’m so cool right now” feelings. -
How to do an easy peasy glitter mani in 10 minutes
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Well, it’s BEEN looking like Christmas. Just ask the malls. But I thought “hey, let’s take this Christmas feeling to my nails!” And in about 10 minutes, I did a super duper easy peasy glitter mani that was so easy to do, I feel like it might not even deserve this blog post. But it does. It definitely does! -
How to DIY festive nail art with Essence {And a major giveaway for you!}
So it’s a couple of days before Christmas and everyone’s feeling pretty merry ’round about these parts. I decided to get you guys in on the action too with this really easy DIY festive nail art tut. Oh and while you’re at it, you should totally enter the most amazing Essence giveaway the world has ever seen! (I may be exaggerating a tad bit).
