Microbeads Banned in the United States

Microbeads are causing a MEGA problem in our environment

☕Coffee Beauty Perks☕

coffee + coconut oil = game changer.

whip up this magical mask,

and prepare to be wow'd by all those...

☕The Mask☕

♡ 1 part coconut oil

♡1 part finely ground coffee beans

☕Instructions☕

1.) Mix together your ingredients.

2.) Apply to your face in gentle circular motions.

3.) Let it sit for at least 15 minutes, but you can leave it for up to an hour.

4.) Rinse with warm water, and enjoy your beautiful glowing face.

SOME TIPS...

♡ If you're feeling extra eco-friendly, just use the left over coffee grounds after you make your morning coffee. As long as the grounds haven't been sitting for more than 5-10 minutes you're not skimping your skin out of too many antioxidants.

♡ Make this recipe in a larger batch and bring some into the shower with you to use as an all over body scrub!

♡ Be cautious about doing this mask late at night. I know it may sound crazy but I swear some of the caffeine gets into your system and keeps you up...it might be a total placebo effect, but hey, you can't say I didn't warn you!

☕Benefits☕

♡Treats Against Swelling and Puffiness

Caffeine constricts the blood vessels in your face, causing it took look less swollen. It may even help with dark under eye circles by reducing the blood accumulation under those tired eyes.

♡ Natural Exfoliant

The coffee grounds will help to gentle scrub off any dead skin. If you use the mask as a body scrub, it's even said to help improve the appearance of cellulite.

♡ Brightening and Tightening

The caffeine will stimulate your blood flow causing your skin to appear radiant.

♡ Loaded with Antioxidants

...And that's just science that those puppies are good for you!

♡ Prevents Clogged Pores

Which in turn will help to prevent acne, so that's a win, Win, WIN!

♡Shop the Post♡

wake-up and smell the coffee,

until next time.

x kirst

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DIY Toner // Natural Beauty Tips

21 days.

That's how long it takes to form a habit...well at least according to the Google search I just did.

Setting goals for yourself is an incredibly important practice, you should always be working towards making yourself into the best version of you. It doesn't have to be big things (yah girl over here is still trying to manage to remember to wear her retainer every night). Sometimes it's just the little things that over time add up to make a big difference. This chart is the perfect way to physically see just how often you're doing what you set out to do. Being able to add a check everyday and seeing the paper with all my goals adds just a little bit of incentive that for me just works. 

Here are some of the goals I've set for myself, just as an example for how to use this chart.

Goals, Goals, Goals

➸ meditate

I try to take a little bit of time to myself to center my thoughts every day. Even if it just means taking 5 minutes to sit and just be, with no phone or interruptions, just me, my thoughts, and I.

➸ drink water

I'm takin' meeting that 64oz marker. Staying hydrated is so important to your health!

➸ exercise

Okay so this one is definitely not an everyday thing, let's be realistic... but it's nice to be able to visualize how many times I actually hit the gym in a week.

➸ read 10 pages

Reading is something I genuinely enjoy to do, so this one is almost an automatic at this point. But sometimes you need that little reminder to reach for a book rather than an electronic.

➸ practice a language

Learning//practicing languages is something I really enjoy doing, it's one of my favorite subjects to study. I'll do a full length post on how I practice and study language at some point. It's honestly my dream to one day be a polyglot.

➸ journal

Writing just a little bit each day gets my brain thinking in a different way. I've never been much good at keeping up with journaling but, hey why not throw it on the list.

➸ wear retainers

okay, okay, I know this should be an automatic but IT'S HARD TO REMEMBER ALIGHT!

➸ smile

because it never hurts to have an extra reminder to turn that frown upside-down.
_________________________________________________________________________________

How The Chart Works

Every time I do one of the things on my list, I take a different color marker and scribble in the box of whatever it is I just did. It's simple, easy, and it works for me. To download a copy just click either {here} or the button below. The download includes my goal chart, as well as a blank chart for you to put in your own goals. This method may not work for everyone, but this is just what I do to hold myself accountable for the habits I'd like to reenforce. Maybe give this a try and see if it works for you too. It definitely can't hurt, sometimes the simple act of seeing the paper is reminder enough to take action.

until next time.

x kirst

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November Wishlist

hi all. i should probably be doing homework right now, but making lists of things i want, but probably can't actually afford is wayyyy more fun,

don't judge.

so, here's a list of somethings i've been eyeing recently.

|1|2|3|4|5|
_______________________________

♡Shop This Post♡

a dream is a wish your heart makes,

until next time.

x kirst

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A Makeup Artists Perspective on Beauty

you are enough, 

without apology, without reason, and without justification,

you are beautifully you.

keep moving on in love,

until next time.

x kirst

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My Everyday Makeup Routine

typically i keep my makeup pretty minimal, and by minimal i mean that most of the time i'm not actually wearing any. so this make-up look is something i would do when i actually feel like taking 10 minutes to myself in the morning to start my day with a little extra TLC and pampering. 

apply L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation in shade 104 Golden Beige with a Beauty Blender.

apply Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in shade light.

blend.

go over the areas where concealer was just applied with a matte highlight powder from the Shade and Light Palette, using this Real Techniques brush.

using the same palette with a contour color, lightly apply bronzer in an "E" shape, using this brush also from Real Techniques.

highlight with my favorite highlighter from Colourpop, in the shade Butterfly Beach.

fill brows using Anastasia Beverley Hills Dipbrow pomade in the shade Dark Brown.

using my fingers I apply Coulorpop's shadow in the shade Plunge (similar).

curl.

Maybelline New York Lash Sensational Mascara.

coat one.

L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Butterfly Intenza Mascara.

coat two.

Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Moss Lipstick in shade 104.

pucker up.

then try to make seductive faces into the camera so people take you seriously...clearly this last step needs some work.

♡Shop the Post♡

kisses,

until next time.

x kirst

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Oil Pulling || WTF is All The Hype For?

Oil pulling is an ancient all natural method used for purifying and detoxifying the body. There's loads of potential health benefits (although not too many of them have any scientific research backing them), and tons of online testimonials with people swearing by this practice.

Basically, all you do is swish an form of vegetable-based oil in your mouth for 20 minutes, many people prefer coconut oil for its MANY antibacterial properties. If you didn't already read this post, you should know that I'm a firm believer in the power of coconut oil.

How To Oil Pull

1.) Use about 1-2 teaspoons of oil. 

Again, my preference is coconut oil, but the choice is entirely your own. Another extremely popular oil used is sesame oil. I like to let my coconut oil melt down to its liquid form before I put it in my mouth, it just makes the process easier for me.

2.) Get to swishing for 20 minutes. 

Timing is pretty important in this process, so try your best to get to the suggested 20 minutes, but it's alright if you can't quite make it there. The magical 20 minutes come from the idea that it is long enough to break through plaque and bacteria, but not long enough for your body to start re-absorbing the toxins. As you swish the oil will mix with your saliva and begin to get thicker in consistency, that's normal. By the time you spit it out it will be whitish in color.

3.) Spit the oil into a TRASH CAN. 

This is especially important when using coconut oil, as it resolidifies above a certain temperature, which can lead to drainage issues (and nobody wants to deal with that)

4.) Rinse with warm water.

Just to get out any remaining oil.

5.) Brush those pearly whites. 

Now that your mouth is clean and refreshed, give everything a final brush over, for an extra clean feeling.

It's super simple and ideally you should be doing it once a day, or at least a couple of times a week. Personally, I fall in and out of the habit of doing it but the best results are achieved with consistency. But, that still doesn't answer the question of why anyone would voluntarily swish oil in their mouth for that long. So let's talk about...

The Benefits

♡ Whitens teeth, without the use of chemicals.

♡ Detoxes the body

♡ Helps to reduce headaches (and possibly hangovers too...)

♡ Promotes good oral hygiene 

♡ Improves energy levels

♡ Helps to keep skin clear

♡ Helps improve bad breath

♡ Improves jaw strength (which is especially helpful if you struggle with TMJ)

♡ Prevents cavities

♡ Soothes dry throat

♡ Boosts your immune system

Even if you don't buy into all of this, the good news is that there's no risk in trying it (that is as long as you're not allergic to the oil you swish with). For me, I instantly notice how clean my mouth feels, imagine that after the dentist feeling whenever you want. It definitely does help with bad breath, and I did notice a little whitening effect, but I don't ever do it for a long enough time period to notice drastic differences.

This is just a little information, that you can either choose to add to your beauty arsenal, or completely enjoy.

either way,

keep smiling,

until next time.

x kirst

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♡Shop The Post♡

5 Things Nobody Tells You About Having Colored Hair

Sometimes you just need some change in your life, and for me it just so happens that that change usually comes contained in a bottle of Manic Panic.  

Colored hair is becoming more and more trendy by the minute, and seeing as I've been around the block a few times, it only seemed fair that I shared what I've learned along the way.

1.) You Can Do It Without Destroying Your Hair

The first thing a lot of people say to me after seeing my hair is 

"Well aren't you worried all your hair is going to fallout?"

Nope. Not Really.

You're definitely going to need to give your hair a little extra TLC, but if you treat your hair well you can really minimize the damage done. Here are a few simple tips

♡ Try to minimize how often you wash your hair

♡ Deep Condition your hair...FREQUENTLY! I use coconut oil (for everything), but you can just mess around and figure out what works for you

♡ Avoid heat (as far as hair health tips go... this one's an oldie, but a goodie)

♡ Invest in a good leave in conditioner // hair treatment.  I recommend this one to everyone, it instantly makes my hair feel 1000x healthier.

2.) People Will Judge You 

Not everyone is going to be a fan, but as long as you're happy (and your parents won't disown you) then it's all good! 

Sometimes people will make assumptions (PSA: just because my hair is blue doesn't mean I do crazy rave drugs and exclusively listen to deep house music).  But that's on them, not you.  Even if sometimes the dirty looks from the little old ladies in the grocery store get annoying...

Just own that cute highlighter head of yours and keep doing you.

3.) It Probably Won't Turn Out To Be The Exact Shade You Imagined

Every time before I dye my hair I take to Pinterest and start repinning like crazy until I've cultivated the perfect collection of possible colors  to dye my hair.  I like to give myself an idea of the range of colors my hair could turn, because even if your hair is the exact same shade as in a picture,

it is going to look different on your head, so prepare accordingly.

Dying hair isn't an exact science and you're most likely not going to end up with the shade you envisioned right off the rip, but you can't let that discourage you.  It will be okay I promise! You can always try again, let it fade, or rock the color you wound up with.

4.) You Can't Take Yourself Too Seriously

Your hair is the color of a skittle, so let loose! People will try to make funny jokes (no I didn't dye my hair because I lost a dare), laugh 'em off. It's all in good fun, so try not to take it personally.

{HA, funny guys}

5.) Everyone Can Pull it Off

People always say to me "I could NEVER dye my hair that color and look good!" 

Newsflash...

nobody and everybody simultaneously looks good with colored hair.  It's not a matter of whether you can pull it off or not...you just have to OWN IT!

Good luck, and happy hair

until next time.

x, kirst

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3 Things You Should Be Doing With Coconut Oil

{aka liquid gold}

Let me lay it to you clean and simple, coconut oil is the shit.

It truly is the be all end all of the beauty world.

Any problem you have, slap a little coconut oil on that sucker and you'll be good to go (...well not exactly, but you know what I mean).  There's about a million things you can do with coconut oil, but here are 3 things you ABSOLUTELY SHOULD be doing with it.

1.) Moisturizing

I used to have so SERIOUS Keratosis Pilaris (think eczema, but nastier and a hell of a lot more stubborn).  I tried everything, like seriously everything and NOTHING was working to combat these tricky little bumps on my arms, then I tried coconut oil, and...

BAM, my skin cleared right up!

I put it on really focusing on the trouble spots on my arms every night when I get out of the shower. If you don't mind the feeling, it makes for a great all over body moisturizer but,

I don’t like the feeling of being covered in oil so I only use coconut oil for some serious moisture.  It really nourishes deep down and keeps your skin super moisturized and lush.

2.)Makeup Removing

I'm a fan of waterproof mascara,

I like knowing that if I have a meltdown, at least my lashes will still be intact.

But, I am NOT a fan of waking up with raccoon eyes because your makeup remover didn't do a job well done (c'mon dude you have ONE RESPONSIBILITY). Coconut oil gets even the TOUGHEST makeup off, without too much effort.  A little bit goes a long way, so just put the tiniest bit on a cotton ball and you're good to go.  I like to do this before I wash my face, just so i can rinse off the extra oil from my lids and really lift that last little bit of makeup.

3.) Oil Pulling

If my Mom's reading this (hey Mama) she's definitely rolling her eyes at me, she thinks this whole thing is ridiculous but...

Whatever Mom, this isn't just a phase!

I like to take a tablespoon of melted coconut oil and get to swishing for 20 minutes.

It goes by quicker than you'd think I promise.

After you swish just spit out all that gunk in your mouth, JUST MAKE SURE IT'S INTO THE GARBAGE, NOT DOWN THE DRAIN (nobody wants to deal with clogged pipes).

There are endless benefits and I'll do a full post soon but for now just take my word for it, after all who doesn't love...

 ♡ whiter teeth

♡ healthier gums

♡ maybe even some disease prevention

{read full oil pulling post here}

Coconut oil, we salute you and all that you do.

until next time.

x, kirst

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