Thick Thighs and Mascara Eyes: April 2015

3 Ways to Remind Yourself You're Worth It

11:54 AM

Hello Beautiful,

If you know me personally, you know I collect designer perfumes and LOVE to smell good!
When I worked in a local department store, I always loved the days I worked fragrance because I could stand around and sample perfumes with my customers. Talk about a dream come true! Now I can pretty much say I've sampled almost all of the popular perfumes made by celebs.

Here are a few of the celebrity fragrances I've either worn since my early teens, or loved so much when I was working fragrances that I ended up buying them:

With Love... by Hilary Duff

With Love... by Hilary Duff is my all time favorite perfume, hands down. This fragrance came out in 2006 when I was in the prime of my Hilary Duff obsession (ask my family to confirm the word "obsession." I was one crazy 9-year-old) and I got my first bottle for my birthday. I fell in love. I have worn it almost daily for the past 9 years and have gone through multiple bottles. It has become my signature scent (my sister even smells it and it reminds her of me.)

It contains ingredients such as Cocobolo wood, which is prized for it's rare smell, giving it warmth. This scent lasts forever on your body, which is something I really look for in a fragrance.The sad thing about this perfume is, it was discontinued a couple years back. You no longer can find it in stores, but you can buy it on amazon.com.

Fantasy by Britney Spears

Britney Spears is another one of my obsessions, and Fantasy is another example of a perfume I have loved since before puberty.

This perfume has a very unique scent and in my opinion, is Britney's best. The ingredients are things such as kiwi, white chocolate, and jasmine petals, that give it a very feminine feel. You can purchase this fragrance in stores. (I get mine at Walmart.)

Fame by Lady Gaga

Now, I know there are a lot of scary things about this fragrance. The bottle has sharp points, the liquid is BLACK, and not to mention the rumors of the use of blood and semen in the bottle. But I can tell you, this perfume is amazing. She describes the scent as smelling like a "expensive hooker." If that's what an expensive hooker smells like, I'm perfectly okay with being labeled as that! Plus the black perfume? It becomes clear once airborne. It's the first perfume to use this technology. How cool is that?!

The ingredients labeled on the box are very, let's say, Gaga. It reads ""Tears of Belladonna, crushed heart of tiger orchidea, with a black veil of incense, pulverized apricot, and, the

combinative essences of saffron and honey drops." (I'm not sure by "tears of Belladonna" she means tears of the porn star, or drops from the flower..) But when I smell it, I would say it's a mix between something fruity, with a little bit of floral, and a touch of baby powder.

Pink Friday by Nicki Minaj

Pink Friday is another one of my current favorites. I've used up my current bottle and need to pick up another one. (And can we just take a second to talk about how CUTE this bottle is? Nice job, Nicki.)

Pink Friday is a lot like Britney's Fantasy in smell. It's a very sweet, feminine smell. It contains many girly scents such as lotus, Italian mandarin, star fruit and vanilla.

Alright. Those are my current favorite perfumes.

Until next time!

(images courtesy of fragrancex.com)

Just for Fun

5 Times Disney Raised Beauty Expectations

6:05 PM

Celebs

Two Plus Size Role Models You'll Love

6:00 PM

Hello Beauties!

In a world today where society judges you more and more per pound it is hard to realize that plus size girls are just as beautiful and inspirational as every other woman.

When I really get down about myself, I find it easier to accept my own body when I can relate to other plus size females.

Here are 2 of my plus size role models:

TESS MUNSTER/HOLLIDAY

Born and raised in Mississippi, Tess is a plus size model for companies such as Torrid. She also is head of the "#EffYourBeautyStandards" movement on Instagram. She is the first model of her height and weight to be signed at a modeling agency. She describes herself as a "body positive activist" and sets out to try to help plus size women feel beautiful.

Tess has a very important place in my heart because we are both the same height and dress size. I know that comparing your body to another woman is usually a very unhealthy thing to do, but when you're looking at a beautiful, curvy woman and think "Okay, we're the same size and she is stunning. You are too," it's a different feeling. Comparing myself to Tess helps me remember that beauty comes in every size..even mine.

TRISHA PAYTAS

Trisha is a youtuber, actress, author, model and recording artist. She's been on multiple TV shows (she was the obsessive tanner on My Strange Addictions....spoiler altert...she's not really addicted to tanning. It's called acting!) and music videos. (Ever seen Eminem's We Made You video? She's "Jessica Simpson" in the Dukes of Hazard gear.)

I am probably one of the biggest Trisha Paytas fans. I've read her books, Seen all of her YouTube videos, and probably fangirled harder than any person has ever fangirled when she responded to my tweet on Twitter in 2013. I consider Trish a role model for many reasons including her confidence in herself, but many others do not. She was a stripper when she first started in Hollywood and has spoken openly about this experience. Although that was years ago, she still dresses risque and makes jokes about sexual subjects. But really, those things shouldn't matter. Everyone makes mistakes. Trish truly loves who she is personality and body wise. And that's why she is my Role Model.

(By the way..Look up "Your Body is Beautiful by Trisha Paytas" on YouTube if you need a confidence boost. You won't regret it!)

There you have it! Two of my plus size role models.

Until next time!

xo

(Image of Tess courtesy of Vogue; Not sure on the credits of Trisha photo..message me if you know!)

Hair

Caring for Curly Hair

5:17 PM

Hello Beautiful,

For years before I cut my hair into a pixie, I had to deal with long, crazy, unmanageable, curly hair. I can remember standing in my mother's bathroom sobbing as she brushed the tangles out of my hair as a child. As time went on and I entered my teens I started doing research on how to manage my curls and it made my life 100 times easier!

my curls

Here are some tips, tricks, and products to help you manage your curls.

First of all, I want to introduce you to a website that will change your life. It's called naturallycurly.com. This website is filled with articles and message boards about all things curly hair. When you first sign up for the site, you take a survey that takes about 10 minutes that shows you images of women with curly hair and you select the one that looks most like your curls. Then they will give you a number to describe your curls on the site. (Mine is 2B - Wavy Curly.) Then you can communicate with stylists and other curly girls about what is best for your hair type. Check it out! You'll learn so much!

Okay, now let's get into this!
Caring for your curls takes place in the shower. When washing your hair, you should use a sulfate-free shampoo. No sulfate keeps your curls defined because it doesn't strip all of the oil from your hair. My favorite one is the Beyond the Zone Noodle Head 2 in 1 Curl Cleansing Creme (you can get it at Sally's Beauty.) It has conditioner in it too, so it saves space and time.

When you're using this product, apply it like you would any other shampoo. You then need to scrub your scalp more than you normally would because the sulfate isn't there to lift up all of the dirt and oil, causing it to bubble up. Rubbing your scalp will break free that dirt and remove it. (Plus, a scalp massage is nice.)

**You still need to use a shampoo with sulfate (It's called clarifying shampoo) about once a week just to completely remove all buildup. Buildup causes your hair to go flat. Just use the same process.**

I'd then comb my hair with a widetooth come in the shower to remove any tangles (yes, do it in the shower, not when you get out.) because it will keep definition of the curls better when it is wet being brushed compared to dry later, that causes frizz. And rinse out the product.
When you get out of the shower DO NOT wrap your hair in a towel. Take your towel, flip your head upside down, and pat dry using a scrunching motion until your hair is about 75% dry, or isn't dripping. (I assume you know the word "scrunch" in terms of curly hair..the same motion you use when applying gel.) You can blow dry your hair if you need to hurry, but use a diffuser.
Next you need to put a leave in conditioner on the ends. This keeps your hair moisturized and seals the cuticle of the hair, reducing frizz. like the Healthy Sexy Hair Soy-Tri Wheat Leave in Conditioner spray. You can also get this at Sally's Beauty, but I've also seen it at Walmart.

Lastly, Put in some defining creme. I used to live by the Garnier Fructis Style Curl Sculpting Creme Gel. You can get it at any drug store. It is amazing! It has the perfect amount of hold. It keeps the curls defined and tame, but still makes them look smooth and bouncy, not crusty.

Alright, to wrap this up, here are some tips for you curly girls. These are some things I used to live by when it came to my curls..

Invest in a 100% polyester pillowcase. Cotton smashes your curls and makes them look frizzy the next day.
Instead of using a towel to dry your hair, use an old t shirt. It reduces frizz when drying.
Start brushing your hair from the bottom, not the roots. It makes it easier to handle tangles.
When you do straighten your hair, use an Instyler. Just trust me, it'll cut you time in half.

Hopefully these tips help you embrace your curls, because life is much easier without a straightener.

Until next time!

(Images courtesy of Sally's Beauty Supply)