Being a girl who is constantly coloring, flat ironing, and styling my hair, it’s hard to wash my hair every single day without a struggle. With all of the damage we put our hair through, it isn’t easy on your hair to do it every single day. So yes, it’s definitely more convenient to wash your hair every other day.

Because I use hair products constantly (hair spray, moroccan oil, leave in conditioners, etc.,) I realized that every other day, my unwashed hair gets on my nerves. I used to be okay with it back in high school washing it every other day but now I try to wash my hair 5 out of 7 days of the week. It gets tiresome sometimes and I also put a lot of stress on my hair since I have to style my hair more often.

Then I noticed the increasingly popular idea of a “dry shampoo.” I noticed it a long time ago on Sephora’s website and it always stayed in the back of my mind. It was an interesting concept but I didn’t really believe it and I didn’t understand how it worked. Well I’ve tried a few but there is one that I really like. It’s the Victoria’s Secret Dry Shampoo.

Victoria’s Secret Dry Shampoo: 8/10 Stars

It sprays out in aerosol form and it almost feels like water coming out but the water dries instantly and you’re left with more refreshed hair. I didn’t think it worked but there was a tester to try it out. I was with my cousin and we both noticed a difference. The best part is that I actually felt a difference. I felt better about my hair and wasn’t  paranoid about my hair looking oily or greasy. And I love the smell of it…Victoria’s Secret is usually good about that.

I picked it up for about $14 and I absolutely love it. I used to think it was a waste but it actually works and is a must-have for travel or for those times your hair needs a little pick me up! It’s my dirty little secret!!

xoxo Hunni

Warmer weather has been upon us and before you know it, it’s summertime! Short shorts, bikini bods, strappy sandals and of course, showing off some skin! I don’t know about you but during the winter season, I turn paler than Edward Cullen!

But I have a few juicy secrets that keep me looking healthy than ever with glowing skin.
Here are the products I use on a daily basis…and now that summer’s approaching, I’ll have a beach-ready tan!

1.  Cover Girl Smoothers
 

This is a great tanning primer to wear under powder. I wash my face everyday, then I apply this face cream which triples as a foundation and tanning lotion. These evens out my skin similar to liquid foundation and gives my skin a slight glow, while moisturizing at the same time. I’m hooked; I can’t go a day without this cream; I feel naked!

2. Coppertone Gradual Tan Tanning Lotion

I am rarely religious about products. I tend to switch from one product to the next. For about 4 years, I’ve been using only one tanning lotion and that’s this Coppertone Gradual Tan. It’s the only tanning lotion I use that doesn’t streak and gives me a tan in a short amount of time. After I shower, I put this on and when I wake up the next morning, my legs are golden bronze! I love this lotion but I use so much on my body that I tend to restock fast; even though there is a generous amount in this bottle. I wish it came in a larger bottle.

3. Coppertone Continuous Spray Mist

My friend introduced me to this tanning spray. I never really believed in tanning sprays because I thought it wasn’t comparable to a lotion. This tanning mist is awesome! I use it over my gradual tan lotion or when I want touch-ups and it gives an amazing tan. It’s so fun and easy to use…it’s like giving yourself a spray tan. I highly recommend this product.

4. Ulta Sunless Mitt

I haven’t tried this yet but I’m definitely going to pick one up soon after reading good reviews about it. It’s meant to help you apply tanning lotion evenly without any streaks and without any leftover gunk left on your hands. One of my pet peeves with tanning lotions is I have to wash my hands extra thoroughly with soap and a sponge. I feel like I literally have to scrub my hands clean or else I’ll get tanning streaks in between my fingers. I definitely need all the help I can get so I’m looking forward to picking one of these up.

If I find any cool tanning products, I’ll be sure to do another review.

xoxo Hunni

I recently added honey-caramel highlights to my dark brown hair because it’s almost springtime and I needed some oomph in my hair. Being Asian and having stubborn hair, it came out a little more golden/yellow than I wanted. YUCK! So I invested in Clairol Shimmer Lights which promises to get rid of brassiness and help give your hair an ashy color.

I left it on for a good 10 minutes and rinsed it out with a sulfate free shampoo. It worked! Here are my reviews:

Clairol Shimmer Lights Shampoo: 8/10

This product does exactly what it claims to do. I put this on my hair and leave it on for 10 minutes while I shower. This shampoo is hard to rinse out fully so I rinse it off with a sulfate-free shampoo. (Tip: I use sulfate-free because sulfate is the ingredient that strips your hair color, so since I’m using a color-enhancing product, it wouldn’t make sense to undo it with a sulfate shampoo)

After I use this product, I immediately see the difference in my hair color. The only reason I’m giving this product an 8 and not a 9 is that it dries out your hair like crazy. So after I rinse it out with shampoo, I immediately lather on an intense conditioner.

Schwarzkopf Color Save Duo (Sulfate-Free) 9/10

Huge fan of Schwarzkopf products! The shampoo is amazing and really does preserve my color! The conditioner is very moisturizing and the entire duo is lightweight, not overly moisturizing and heavy. I definitely see a difference in my hair color combining these products.

One last tip I can give you is to protect your hair from the sun. The sun is a major factor in making your hair more brassy. I’m still on the lookout for a good color protector but once I find it, I will def. review it here. I never used a color protector and I forgot how stripping chlorine water can be. I def. need a color protector, esp. since the past couple of days have been getting warmer. =/ eek!

Hope my tips helped!

xoxo Hunni

Warning: This post might have TMI. It’s all about nausea and sickness. lol

Here in LA, it’s been raining like crazy and instead of enjoying the soothing sounds of the rain like I normally would, I actually have been hit with a stomach virus. A stomach virus, which for a split second, I considered to be swine flu. I am literally sitting in bed as I type half awake with nausea and half drunk on Nyquil. After seriously thinking it through and analyzing all of my symptoms, I discovered that I have a bad, highly contagious stomach flu. One that makes me dizzy, gives me stomach cramps, gives me all over body aches,  gives me extreme chills (although there are 2 heaters facing me and 2 blankets on top of me and I’m wearing a jacket and socks!), and worst of all gives me 24 hr nausea. 

Now ever since I was a kid, I’ve always had a problem with nausea: I refuse to throw up. I don’t know what it is, whether it’s the feeling of the actual process or maybe the fear that it’ll never stop. Whatever it is, I know it’s irrational therefore I’ve claimed it to be a vomit phobia. I know that in a lot of cases, vomiting helps you to get better faster but for me, it’s never something I’m willing to oblige to.

Anyhow, I did a lot of research while sick (I’m such a nerd but I needed guidance okay?!) and I found a lot of helpful tips that helped to temporarily relieve my symptoms and I thought I should take this opportunity to share it with all of you out there who are sick and researching online too! (All four of you.)

So here are some ideas that worked for me:

1. when i’m not sick, I looove all the bad, greasy foods with all the spices. Mickey D’s, thai food, spicy mexican food, etc. But when I’m sick, the thought of those foods would make me want to throw up. And things that I don’t usually like a.k.a. healthy foods, actually taste really good to me when I’m sick. So just make sure you’re eating a lot of healthy, fresh foods. I ate a lot of porridge, fish, or chicken noodle soup. I’ve heard jello works too. If you’re nauseous or have an upset stomach, gatorade does WONDERS! it really is better than water for me. Plus it replenishes all the electrolytes that you’ve lost from vomiting.

2. Chewing on 1 or 2 plain crackers will also help ease nausea. Just don’t overdo it because then it will only make you want to throw up more. A slice of apple or pear helps too but whatever you do, don’t over do it.

3. Orange juice really does taste good when you’re sick, trust me, I was craving it the whole time. But it’s acidic and can cause you to be more nauseous. Also stay away from milk or dairy products. They tend to take longer to digest and would definitely help with nausea.

4. Wear socks, jacket, whatever and stay warm. I was extremely chilly and shivering yet I was sweating all the time during the first 2 days I was sick. I did whatever to make myself stay warm, especially during this time of year.

5. Get plenty of rest and make sure, if you can, sleep in a comfortable bed with lots of room. I slept on the couch for the first 2 days and ouch! My whole body was aching and I know the couch couldn’t have helped. Then I slept in my room on a queen sized soft bed and I felt a lot better. Also make sure the air you sleep in is as clean as possible. You can use an air purifier or Lysol anti-bacterial room spray. This will kill all of the harmful bacteria in the air that can keep you sick.

Hope these work and let me know if you know of anything that will work for me, since I’m still sick

xoxo Hunni

So here are some really easy-to-do beauty tips that have really helped me:

1. Get your perfume to last longer:
Before you put on perfume, make sure you put on non-scented to light-scented lotion on your body. Then spray the perfume on your chest/neck, on the back of your neck, and then your wrists and rub them together. The moisture from the lotion will help lock in the perfume smell. When you have dry skin, your skin absorbs the perfume and causes the smell to disappear. The more you moisturize, the more your skin will keep in the scent. You can also spray it on your hair because it stays longer on your hair. 

2. Moisturize your eyelashes:
I do this every once in a while. I put a tiny itty bitty dab of baby oil or thin lotion on my eyelashes before I sleep or after I wash my face. Once it sets in, apply your mascara. This helps it from sticking together and it also moisturizes your lashes and protects them from harsh mascara chemicals. (especially waterproof mascara) 

3. Choose wisely with your concealer shade:
I can’t stress this enough. Really choose a lighter shade than your skin. It makes an amazing difference. I made a mistake and chose one like my skin color or a tad bit darker and it looks horrible sometimes. When you sweat off your foundation or powder, you start to see a huge difference between your powder and where you put the concealer. Having a light concealer also highlights your eyes and gives you an amazing flawless look. Even if its 2 shades lighter, it’s still better than 1 shade darker.

4.  Line on the water line…in moderation:
I learned this from my optometrist. I know it’s hard for all you girly gals out there to accept this but, constantly putting eyeliner on your actual water line is not too good for your eyes. The water line on your eyes actually provides special oils to moisturize your eyes. You can put eyeliner on it once a while when you go out but don’t overdo it and have it everyday. It can cause a lot of eye problems in the long run. My eyes actually dried out once and became irritated because of it. Not having it on all the time will let your eyes breathe naturally.

5. Get rid of oily/dry hair:
It’s really simple. If you have oily hair, shampoo twice and try not to use conditioner as often. If you have dry hair, do the opposite: shampoo once and condition twice in the shower. I have dry hair and this really works for me. For long-haired gals, if you have oily hair towards your scalp but dry hair towards the bottom half of your hair, put shampoo mainly in the top area and then when you condition, you of course should put it towards the bottom half and not so much towards your scalp. Amazingly easy and it works!

6. Exfoliate once a month:
 Especially for people who don’t completely wash off their makeup every night, this is such a must! I like to use St. Ives but for some people, it’s too harsh. So really try to find something that works for you. Aveeno has these facial makeup remover pads that are awesome for sensitive skin. You will be surprised how amazing your skin will feel and how different you skin will look once you do this. It’s like giving yourself a mini facial! But for a better price!

7. Get bigger, poutier lips without the botox:
 I actually heard this from Tyra Banks but after you brush your teeth, run the toothbrush over your lips with toothpaste and lightly brush it for a few seconds. After you rinse, you will notice poutier lips. This actually works!!!

8. Don’t get bored with your looks, switch it up:
 I’m apart of a makeup community and I always promote this idea. Makeup can seem like work after a while. But that’s when you have to make little changes to your routine and not be afraid to try different looks. Trust me, once I found a look I liked, I would stick to it but then it would look a little drab. Once I changed it up, I found joy in makeup again!  Sometimes I would put very natural, sheer eyeshadow and then put a hot pink/bubblegum pink lip gloss and tons of mascara. This gives you a barbie look definitely!

Then I would try putting dark eyeshadow and liner and really emphasizing midnight eyes. And I would put either clear lipgloss or chapstick or a very pale nude/pink color. This is a nice look for when you’re going out with the girls or going on a date! 

Try these out and let me know if they work. They did for me!

xoxo Hunni

I learned a very interesting fact this weekend. Apparently MAC studio fix is horrible for your skin! The worst part: I’ve been an avid fan of the powder for about 5 years!  No wonder my skin is so horrible… I talked to a makeup artist who told me MAC powder tends to clog your pores, cause breakouts, and dry out your skin. She also told me to try this out: Stop using the powder for about a week and see the difference. I do remember my skin being not as dry when I was without it.

But now, where do I turn to for face makeup? I’ve been trying to think of a mineral powder for an alternative. Sorry for all you Bare Escentuals lovers out there but it didn’t really work for me. It really didn’t cover any of my blemishes or redness. Sheer cover was okay but not enough coverage for me either, and I don’t like the MAC mineral power either. One of my girlfriends told me that Kirkland actually came out with a mineral powder and she said it was amazing. Her skin looked flawless! So I might check into that pretty soon!

I also am a huuge fan of Everyday Minerals! (everydayminerals.com) I think they are amazing and I love the colors but I just want to see if there is anything out there that’s better. If you guys know of any good face makeup, let me know! ttyl…

xoxo Hunni

So someone in my comments asked for my top 10 fave facial skincare products and I’ve come across quite a lot of affordable/drugstore products that have worked wonders for me! 
FYI, I have combination dry/oily skin with some patches of redness.

(these are in no particular order)

1. Biore SkinPreservation Nourishing Gel Cleanser - $8
This is definitely one of my fave cleansers. It dispenses as a gel which is pretty unique to me since my usual cleansers are foamy or creamy. I like how it feels against my skin right away and just one or two pumps will be enough to lather your entire face. The light cucumber-esque smell is really invigorating and after you wash your face, this cleanser leaves it feeling squeaky clean. I currently use this in the shower and it even takes off all my makeup.

2. Clean & Clear Deep Cream Cleanser, Sensitive – $5
A really great cream cleanser! I have used this cleanser for a few years now and it feels so nice and thick to lather all over your face. It doesn’t really remove all of my makeup (since I use a lot of tough waterproof stuff) but it leaves my face baby-soft. I don’t even need a moisturizer afterward!

3. St. Ives Apricot Scrub – $4
This is a GREAT one to use every once in a while. I like using it in the shower or maybe when I’m feeling a bit oily or need a good deep mini-facial. It basically has a grainy, rough, sandpaper-like texture to it which some people think gets messy. (Use it in the shower if you think it’s too much) You rub it into your skin; I rub roughly because I have tough skin but if you have sensitive skin, use very little and be gentle. You will truly see a difference with this product. I feel like I’ve uncovered a new layer of skin! Definitely a must-have!

4. Clean & Clear Soft Day/Night Moisturizer – $7
So I’m bummed because this has been discontinued. It was literally MY FAVORITE moisturizer because of the amazing price and the texture was simply unbelievably perfect!  This is the only moisturizer so far that moisturizes my skin, yet doesn’t cause me to break out with oil the rest of the day. I loved the scent, although a lot of people said it was too strong. I wish this was back; IT’S WONDERFUL! I guess I’m just going to have to stock up online!

5. Clean & Clear Morning Burst – $6
I guess you can tell I’m a fan of Clean & Clear. lol So this product didn’t do anything to improve my skin per se, but considering that I am NOT a morning person, this really helped in waking me up and invigorating me! I stuck by this cleanser religiously throughout college. It was so helpful in waking me up. It has small beads that disperse immediately onto your skin.

6. Aveeno Positively Ageless Daily Exfoliating Cleanser – $10
If you want something like the St. Ives Apricot Cleanser mixed with an anti-aging formula, then this is it! It’s a very good cleanser with slightly rough granules like the St. Ives one and it’s a definite good-buy! I don’t know if the anti-aging part totally works but I can say, I saw a minor improvement in my skin’s texture.

7. Pond’s Clean Sweep Wet Cleansing Towelettes – $6
I don’t know how I’ve ever lived without these! Thanks to my roommate Lil for giving me a box of these a year ago; I haven’t gone without them ever since. I basically live all around Southern California at my friend’s houses and travel from house to house so these are nice to leave around for a fast makeup remover. These towelettes are gentle and don’t irritate my skin at all, which is rare for towelettes. I love how quick and easy these are to use because sometimes I’m in a hurry and need my makeup off QUICK!

8. CoverGirl Smoothers Tinted Coverage, light to medium $8
This is such a cool moisturizer slash light foundation. It not only softens my skin but adds color! I am obsessed with this during the winter season when I’m feeling a little vampire-pale and need some color. I definitely stock up on this as soon as I see a sale!

9. Clean & Clear Acne Moisturizer – $6
I liked this a lot and when I discovered Clean & Clear discontinued their Day/Night Moisturizer, I tried this out. I really liked it and it’s very light, although I prefer a heavier moisturizer. But this comes to a close second and I didn’t get to use it long enough to notice if it treated acne, but I did notice that my skin was a lot softer afterward.

10. Curel Ultra Healing Intensive Lotion – $8
Yes I know this is a body lotion but it works so well at making my body feel like silk, so I sometimes use this on my face when I run out of moisturizers. It’s the BEST lotion I’ve ever used for the price and I have used nearly every drugstore lotion. This is by far the best! Trust me and go try it!

And please please please, let me know in the comments if you guys use anything good! I’ll try anything and everything…because you never know which products could be the gems.

Wow, I should be sleeping! I will catch you guys later!
xoxo Hunni