Friday, March 7, 2014

My Ultimate Hair Care Guide

Healthy Happy Hair the LizaBella Way ❤ 
We Heart It
In response to my long unannounced hiatus, I've decided to get back into the swing of things by posting this long hair care guide.
These are all the tips and tricks I've gathered as well as the products I love to use on my hair.
The advice given in this post will be based on hair thickness and texture not curl pattern.
So if you have very curly hair that is fine, you should try the advice for fine haired girls.
If you have very thick straight hair, you should try the tips for thick haired girls.

Let's all grow our hair long and strong

Step1: Figure Out Your Hair Natural Texture
My Hair Texture After a Huge Haircut
For this step you should wash your hair and let it air dry. 
Do not style it or manipulate it in any way.
When your hair is dry you'll see how much wave or curl you have in your hair.
Then go online to see if you have fine, medium, thick or coarse hair. 
Know your hair type or texture is the first step to having healthy hair.

Step 2: Get A Professional Haircut
Google
When you have damaged hair, the best thing to do is to cut it off and start fresh.
Go to a good hair salon and have a reputable stylist cut your hair.
Ask for either or a trim of have it cut in a new style that would be easy to maintain without heat.
You want something easy and low maintenance so that you can focus on growing healthier hair.


Step 3: Maintain Your New Healthy Ends 
LizaBella
This is the MOST IMPORTANT STEP!
Whats the point of cutting off your hair if you're not going to maintain those new and healthy ends?
In order to keep your hair healthy after your cut, you need to care for your ends every night.
Here's what you do.

Fine Hair Girls: Your hair tends to get weighed down so you want to go easy on the nightly products.
You should mix a light leave in conditioner with or filtered water and put it in a spray bottle.
Try Neutrogena's Triple-Moisture Leave-in. It's super light and smells great. 
Spray your hair every night and braid it or put it in a bun (you'll have great waves come morning)
No more sleeping with our hair all over the place!

Medium Texture Girls: Your hair can take some products without getting heavy. 
Try the same spray bottle method but add some coconut oil to your ends as well. 
Braid or bun it too and be sure to use a very small amount of the products each night.

Thick to Coarse Texture Girls: Your hair can take a heavier application of products.
Your hair also needs the moisture anyway so load up. Use the spray bottle method too like the other girls. Now add a heavier leave-in (try the Macadamia brand) on top of that.
Finally end with your choice or coconut oil or heavier oil like Moroccan argan oil and put your hair up.

Overall
Do this every night for 2 weeks and see if you like it.
If you think its too much, try it every other night.
Just know that keeping your ends moisturized will prevent damage.

Now all of you should have your hair up off your shoulders every night in a bun or in braids.
Keep your ends tucked in at night and sleep on a silk or satin pillow.
If you really want to protect your hair at night, buy a satin hair bonnet to sleep in.

I also take biotin gummy vitamins every night ^_^

Google


Step 4: Cleansing the Hair and Scalp
LizaBella
ALWAYS USE Sulfate free shampoos when you're doing regularly washing your hair.
The sudsy shampoo's strip your hair and make your scalp produce excess oil.
Using a sulfate free shampoo will keep your hair's moisture and oil balance in check.
I use the AG haircare sulfate free shampoo but you can use any brand.

You can use a clarifying shampoo twice a month if you want.
If you're someone who works out a lot, swims or lives in a place with hard water, you might want to clarify your hair more often.
Remember that these shampoos are strong and should be focused mainly on the scalp.

Now, how often should you wash your hair?
Fine Haired Girls: Wash every other day and use conditioner each time from the mid-length of your hair to the ends. Avoid heavy conditioners at the roots.
Medium Textured Girls: Twice a week with a good conditioner.
Thick to Coarse Textured Girls: Once a week or twice if you sweat a lot with a good conditioner that will help you get through any tangles.

Remember to deep condition your hair at least once a week for 15-30.
If you do comb your hair when wet, use a wide tooth comb 
and gently comb from the tips of your hair to the roots.


♥A Bella Beauty Tip♥
MichellePhan.com
Using a soft cotton t-shirt to gently squeeze the excess water from your hair will reduce frizz.
Roughly drying your hair with a towel can promote split ends.


And now for the hardest step...

Step 5: Avoid Heat, Chemicals and Heavy Damaging Products!
Google

FOR AT-LEAST 3 MONTHS
No Direct Heat
 No Hair Coloring 
No Chemical or Thermal Hair Straightening
No Excessive use of heavy products like gel or wax pomade.

Be aware of the ingredients in your hair products.
You can always look up any products you might want to try to see if they have good ingredients.
Look up some hair gurus on Youtube or follow some blogs.

♥ Try No Heat Hairstyles ♥
Deviant Art
Braids or twists are super fashionable and cute.

Goddesslife.com
Buns are totally in and help to protect your ends from the elements.

From Google
You can even do messy buns too but the trick is to not use heat and to keep your ends tucked in



Want that long hair right now and can' wait??
♥ Fake it until you make it! ♥
SeekHair.co.uk 
If your looking for some quick length then you should consider these awesome hair extensions.
SeekHair.co.uk is an amazing site, they have any kind of hair you might want. 
There are many textures, curl patterns, colors and lengths and you can choose from any applications from clip-ins to tape-ins

♥ Here is an awesome style I'm thinking of getting ♥   
SeekHair.co.uk

Let's take care of our hair together Bellas!


This post was sponsored by SeekHair.co.uk. All images not belonging to this Bella Blogger have been cited.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Summer Solstice Shopping Spree! part 2

Im starting this post with a quick mention of the product I bought with my sponsorship money from Apothica.com and SkincareRx.com
I bought another Too Faced eyeshadow Palette to complement my Too Faced Natural Eye Palette shown below:
From Google

From Apothica.com
This is the Natural at Night Eye Shadow Collection from Too Faced.
I've always wanted it and so I treated myself and bought it even though I have a ton of eyeshadow palettes laying around...

The colors are wonderfully pigmented and beautiful as expected from Too Faced Cosmetics
I find myself wearing theses colors day or night and wearing them together with shadows from the Natural Eye Palette

Here we have the eye look cards to help you figure out which looks to try

Here are the colors without flash

Here are the colors with flash

Here are some samples I got with my order:
Equinox Gel Cleanser
Replenix Brightening Polish
Too Faced Shadow Insurance 


From American Eagle Outfitters
From AE.com with my editing. No copyright violation intended.
Keeping with the theme of Day and Night Looks, I got these these 2 tanks from American Eagle.
They're boyfriend style racer back tanks with a metallic finish on the front.

From AE.com with my editing. No copyright violation intended.
I also got these 2 Boyfriend Cardigans on a whim :)
They're sooo comfy!


From Charlotte Russe
There was a 30% off sale at Charlotte Russe so I went in to get a bunch of stuff.
I love shopping in the store rather than online because the cashier always takes off an extra 10% when you show your student I.D.
For all this stuff I paid no more than $35...if there was no sale I'm sure I would have to twice as much
On top is an awesome wallet I got.
It has standard wallet parts but it also comes with a zipper pouch.
So it can convert from a wallet to a wristlet to a crossbody purse for day time use.
The straps are detachable so you can also use it as a clutch for the night time.
The handbag is amazing cute and fun!


I just needed some more earrings lol


The 3 above images are credited to CharlotteRusse.com
I never wore aviator shades before so I picked up 2 for $3.00 each to try them out for the summer :)


From Old Navy
Old navy was having a 30% off sale too and I had an in-store 15% off coupon to buy some summer fashion staples with.

Above image belongs to OldNavy.com 
Just bought some summer dresses for day and night looks.
I also bought a thin cardigan for cool summer nights and I picked up a cute chambray style shirt

From Forever21
I got all the tops in the sale section


Just needed some more jeans lol

Above 4 images belong to Forever21.com
I picked up a random sports bra and some jewelry

Pretty much just shoved all the new tops and dresses I bought into one of my empty drawers lol

I did the same to all my new jeans :-P

And thats the end of my super massive summer haul!
All together with coupons, giftcards, sales and birthday money I spent about $500-$600
I wont be shopping again for a while....

Leave any questions or comments down below :) 


Friday, July 19, 2013

Summer Solstice Shopping Spree! part 1


Heres the first post of the things I bought a few weeks agos during the Summer Solstice.
My friends and I shopped around the city and many of the stores stayed open really late.
We shopped and ate and have loads of fun watching the sun go down.


From MAC

Left-Right: Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Medium Deep 

CremeBlend Blush in  So Sweet So Easy

 Viva Glam Nicki Lip Glass


From Ulta

Top L-R: Tigi BedHead Foxy Curls Cream and After Party Smoothing Cream

Neutrogena Triple Moisture Leave-in Cream

Bottom L-R: Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe, Too Cool and Audacious Asphalt

Tigi BedHead Dumb Blonde Smoothing Stuff Frizz Tamer

NYX Love in Rio Eyeshadow Trio in Amazon Babes and Cabana Boy  

From CVS

L-R: Suave Deodorant Twin Pack in Original Scent

Thayers Witch Hazel Skin Toner with Aloe Vera and Rose Petal (Highly Recommend!)

Skintimate Lotionized Shave Gel for Dry Skin

BIC Soleil Razors

Cantu Shea Butter Growth Treatment (My 3rd one! Highly Recommend)

Real Techniques Pink Blush Brush

VitaFusion Berry Flavored Womens Gummy Vitamins

Real Techniques Gold Buffing Brush (Love It!) 

From Juicy Couture
I got 2 Viva La Juicy Perfume Samples and 1 Couture La La Sample
I bought a cute pair of heart earrings, a heart necklace and three heart friendship bracelets
I also bought a purse (which is what I originally went in to buy lol) and got all the jewelry 40% off!

The service at the store was wonderful and the girls really helped me pick things out 


The earrings are super cute 

The necklace is very long and pretty

I love how cute and fun these bracelets are...I just had to buy three!

I like the bag a lot and bought it with a giftcard


Leave any questions or comments down below :)

Stay tuned for part 2 of this massive shopping spree!

P.S. Keep scrolling down to check out some recent posts :)


Friday, July 12, 2013

Sephora Haul part 4

This is the final installment of my super Sephora haul. 
I love going to the ultra chic Sephora Stores in NYC!
The sales staff are very kind and knowledgeable.

From Left to Right:
Sephora Collection The Perfectionist Makeup Sponge in Purple
Soap and Glory Hand Food Hand Lotion
Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Petal
Sephora Collection Colorful Dual Antibacterial Sharper in Pink
Sephora Collection Perfecting Cover Concealer in Sand

I went to a small event introducing the Urban Decay travel-size De-Slick oil controlling makeup setting spray.
Its now being sold at sephora stores and on their website.
I got a bunch of Lancome skincare and foundation samples while I was there.

Fun Fact about Sephora Stores:
If you want free samples just tell one of the sales people that your interested in buying something.
They'll most likely fill up samples of things you want (but they skimp on product) themselves or let you fill sample containers by yourself if the store is busy.

I always go when the store is busy and load up on samples myself
If you run out of the containers they give you, there are more sample holders under the makeup tables with the big mirrors :)

If you feel guilty about taking so many free samples then buy something cheap.


A deluxe sample set of the different Becca Satin Finish Foundation shades

The topmost image is from Google

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Sephora Haul part 3



Too Faced Sweet Indulgences Set (Love This!)

Comes with 16 amazing eyeshadows with various colors and finishes

Also comes with a full size Shadow Insurance Eye Primer.
And has 2 Bronzers and Blushes and 1 Highlighter and brush.
It also has look cards to guide you when using the kit. 

Too Faced Amazing Face Powder Foundation, Sephora Travel Kabuki and Sephora Facial Brush.
Clinique Lash Primer, Korres Lip Butter in Quince and Sephora mini Lipliner

Too Faced Shadow Brush Set (So SOFT!)



Tarte BB Cream Deluxe Sample Set and Perfect Skin Perfection Gel sample

More Deluxe samples

Stila Eye Pallete Sample Set

Regular Samples


This is some more of the stuff I got at sephora. 

I really love the Too Faced Makeup kit I got.

Leave any questions or comments down below


The first image is from Google