Days until summer - get ready to shine, inside and out! (Part 2)

Although the first day of summer has already arrived (YAY!), I still feel like I want to keep doing what I have been doing in order to get in shape (phisically and mentally) for this season.
This is why I am continuing with the second part of my 'Days Until Summer' preparation. In the first part I talked a little about my phisical shape and what I am trying to do in order to look my best. Now I would like to talk about some other things.

 In order to prepare my body for summer, I have also been using some beauty tools, and this is what I meant to talk about in this post.

1. Getting rid of cellulite and that stubborn fat!
In order to achieve this, I have been using the Somatoline Cosmetic Anti-Cellulite Treatment and the Tummy and Hips Treatment. I have to say it has been working! You can actually feel the tingling.

 

 2. Body scrub - get rid of those dead skin cells!

Before shaving, and about three times a week I use a body scrub. It helps get rid of all the dead skin cells and makes your legs really smooth. It also helps with getting rid of cellulite, as it stimulates blood flow.
I have been using the Fruttini Cherry Vanilla body scrub (and really liking it!). You can also make a scrub at home by using sugar and baby oil.

 3. Lotion!
I can't even begin to tell you how important it is to moisturize the whole body every day, especially now that you are going to the beach. I have been loving the Bath and Body Works body cream in sea island cotton, but you can use any cream.











4. Hands (and feet) up!
The last thing I wanted to talk about is hands and feet. I think it is very important to bring those in shape two. Moisturize your hands and scrub those feet. You don't have to buy special creams for your feet. Just use the one for your hands (I like Dove's Rich Nourishment cream). Do not put chipped heels into those new sandals. Also, put a nice color on your fingers/toes.  I know I love looking down at them and seeing a pop of pink/orange/blue/yellow... The color I am loving now is Essie Tart Deco.

5. Enjoy your summer!
I believe it is the season you have been waiting for, so, at the end of the day, forget about how you look and concentrate on how you feel! Have fun, relax, enjoy!
Also, the thing I would like everyone to know is how important it is to work on your personality and charackter. I think it is really important to be yourself, and that is another task I am trying to achieve.
Also, work on your mind, your brain, your logics.. They say in a healthy body is a healthy mind, and I believe it works both ways. That is why it is important to me to read as much as I can, to be in touch with the latest stories and to be in touch with my field of studies (Art History and Archaeology).

Thank you for reading!
Clarissa

5 minute secret: How to make your hair a lighter color without damaging it?

It is summer. A lot of us brunettes (or alomst blondes) would like to get lighter hair. Blonde hair, however, often comes at a high price of really damaging the hair. My mother always said to put lemon in my hair and simply lay in the sun. While it might not have bothered me when I was little, it does bother me now: it also can damage the hair!
There are a lot of cheap ways I found that can lighten your hair without damaging it.



The first way to do it is going to cost you a little, depending what you go for. I know they have been out for a while now. I am talking about sprays that you spray onto your hair, they are also supposed to nourish and protect your hair, as well as make it lighter. So basically, you spray some of the product into your hair and go out into the sun. An example would be John Frieda's Lightening Spray (never tried it though), and Garnier also came out with a lightening spray. I would recommend to try it on just one strand of hair if you are afraid of counter effects.

The next few methods are using natural ingredients that you probably have around:

Lemon

I know, I know. I said lemon damages your hair. But using a good conditioner and a serum before putting it into your hair is going to prevent your hair from being damaged. So, CONDITION your hair, put some lemon in it, leave it in for at least 2 hours, and expose your hair to the sun for at least 30 minutes. Also use conditioner after you are finished with the process. Be careful not to put any lemon onto your skin as it also lightens the skin.
WARNING: If you have dark brown hair, do not use lemon as it may turn your hair orange!




  Olive oil

Not only does it condition your hair, but it also helps lighten it. Put some olive oil onto your hair, comb it through and go out into the sun. You should be in the sun for 30 minutes in order to see a difference. After you are done, rinse your hair well and apply some conditioner. Unlike the lemon, the olive oil helps darken the skin, so don't hesitate to slather some onto your legs. :)








  Tea

 Chamomille or mint tea can be added to your shampoo or conditioner, or hair mask in order to lighten your hair. Before doing this, wait for the tea to completely cool off. Again, you will have to spend 30 to 60 minutes in the sun in order for this to work.






 



Honey

 You can apply honey directly onto wet hair and let it sit for 2 hours. Since honey is very sticky, it can sometimes be very hard to wash it out of your hair. To avoid this, you can mix it with some lemon and olive oil and put those in a spray bottle to use. You will have to stay in the sun for about an hour. Another way is to mix honey with a conditioner, cover it with a shower cap and leave it for 8 hours (go to sleep).











 Cinnamon

Mix 3 tablespoons of cinnamon in with 4 tablespoons of your favorite conditioner to create a paste. Massage this paste into your hair and comb it through with a wide tooth comb.Cover this with a shower cap. It may irritate your scalp, but it should pass quickly. If it bothers you too much, try something else. Leave this mixture in your hair for a minimum of 4 hours for it to work. I would, again, recommend for you to sleep on it. It is said that cinnamon can lighten your hair up to three shades.
WARNING: Be careful not to make the paste too thick as it may get pretty hard to wash off.



Beer

  Last but not least, beer can also help lightening your hair. It has to be LIGHT, not dark beer. Put it into your hair and go out in the sun for an hour. After that, rinse your hair with cold water.














You can also mix some of the ingredients together. You can mix lemon juice and olive oil, honey and olive oil, honey, lemon juice and olive oil, etc.
I hope this helped!
Thank you for reading!
Clarissa

Days until summer - get ready to shine, inside and out!

Summer is the season I find inspires me most. Even though I consider myself a big autumn and winter fan, when summer comes along, something inside me shifts. Of course it is the anticipation,  the waiting for beach vacation and long warm nights spent with your best friends, music and cocktails. However, there is also always that thought of how your body is going to look on the beach, how confident you are going to feel in those heels and how many heads you are going to turn. All of this being said, it seems to be important to be prepared for summer. This is why I have decided to change some of my habits in order to look and feel as good as possible. Now, I am not only talking about diet and excercise, losing weight and looking good on the outside. Of course everyone finds that very important, but my goal is achieving this by loving and respecting myself, taking care of my body and not letting any of those bad thoughts in.

I have found Pinterest to be a very big inspiration. There is the possibility to find anything you need. It has been my main resource for finding excercises for morning and evening and for finding motivation when I don't feel like doing anything. I have really been loving yoga, which turned out to be much harder than I thought. Running has also taken part in my routine. It might be good to mention that I have been doing this for a week and a half now. Here are some excercises I have been doing on a daily basis:

 

  I have read once that the best way of achieving your goals is by adding tasks a little bit at a time. I decided to follow this advice and started my first week as a ''workout week''. This week, which is my second week, I decided to add in a healthy diet. This means I am not going after any popular diets or eating methods or whatever, I am simply creating my own meal plans and being careful of not overeating or eating after 6 p.m. There are no specific foods I don't eat but I try to keep the fridge full of fruits and vegetables and nibbling on those if I feel like going after something sweet. Also, I find it to be important to eat seasonal fruits and vegetables, especially because this time of the year gives so many options to choose from.

In the mornings I usually start with plain yogurt and a banana, sometimes I also add some cereal. Lunch usually makes the biggest meal of my day, in which I eat meat and some sort of vegetable and protein. In the evening I try to stay away from heavy foods, also because my stomach seems to really dislike those late in the day. So I eat some vegetable (yesterday it was corn) and maybe greek yogurt or dark bread with some spread. I found not eating after 6 p.m. to be extremely effective. The picture below is something I find to be filling enough to be a nice, healthy lunch: it is a salad with ettuce, chicken, rucola, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, some olive oil and balsamico vinegar.

I am gradually starting to drink more and more water, also because I plan goal for next week to be drinking at least 5 glasses of water every day. This task may look very easy, but I personally find it pretty hard to do.

That is going to be it for now, I am going to post another post on this topic regarding also the beauty of a healthy and stable mind.

Thank you for reading!
Clarissa