Crystal Cleansing Ritual~ Next Full Moon Aug. 31st!!!

 ~Full Moon is my time of reflection and rejuvenation. Basking in the glow of the powerful Full Moon I welcome this gift as I gaze upon it's beauty~

Your crystals are precious gifts of the earth, and should be treasured. The first thing you should consider in your crystal care is a proper storage system to prevent any damage. Keeping an assortment of crystals in a bag may cause them to harm each other. Some harder crystals, such as quartz, will begin to nick, scratch, and chip away at the softer crystals, such as calcite.
 
CLEANSING YOUR CRYSTALS AND GEMSTONESCleansing crystals is not about physically cleaning them, but about removing any negative or unwanted energies that they may have absorbed. You should clean your crystals regularly, particularly when: -you first obtain them -they are kept out in the open -they are used frequently in ritual or when traveling -after you have been ill -after you have gone through a negative ordeal -if it has come into contact with a stranger or person harboring negativity -when they feel weak, or have a strange vibration or energy
MOONLIGHT: The light of the full moon is a powerful cleanser, and is 100% safe for all of your crystals. That makes it a great method for cleansing any of your precious stones.

It’s important to remember that gems and crystals are alive. To remain alive and energized once removed from within Mother Earth, gems, crystals, and objects made from elements taken from the earth, need to be cleansed and energized on a regular basis. If you take these simple measures in caring for your crystals, they will last you longer and serve you well.~k

Chakras

Again, sticking with my new found zen mind state, I wanted to share this important part of my new lifestyle, the Chakras.

There are seven main energy centers of the body, these are known as Chakras. These Chakras are like spirals of energy, each one relating to the others.  If our energy centers become blocked or depleted then our body cannot function properly and this can lead to a variety of problems on a variety of levels. This is why it is important to learn about your Chakras, how they work and also how to align them.

The first Chakra is the Crown or Sahasrara. This Chakra is located at the top of the head and it's color is violet which relates to self knowledge/spiritual awareness. It is the union with your higher self.

The second Chakra is the Third Eye or Ajna. This Chakra is located at the center of the forehead at the brow line and it's color is indigo which relates to self responsibility. It is about being responsible for ones own life.

The third Chakra is the Throat or Anahata. This Chakra is located at the throat and it's color is blue which relates to self expression. It is about the ability to communicate our needs and requirements.

The fourth Chakra is the Heart or Anahata. This Chakra is located at the heart and it's color is green which relates to love/self love. It is the ability to give and take unconditionally.

The fifth Chakra is the Solar Plexus or Manipura. This Chakra is situated right below the ribs and it's color is yellow which relates to self worth. It is how we feel about ourselves and how we feel others perceive us.

The sixth Chakra is the Sacrum or Swahishana. This Chakra is situated in the lower abdomen and it's color is orange which relates to self respect. It connects us to our senses and and helps to remove inhibitions and makes us independent and social.

Finally the seventh Chakra is the Root or Muladhara. This Chakra is situated at the base of the spine and it relates to self awareness. It connects us to our physical body and gives energy on all levels.

Now that you have a better understanding of all the Chakras, it is important to align them. I use the 7 minute tune up with this great video I found on YouTube. I apologize, I cannot seem to figure out how to post a link into this page but if you go to YouTube.com and search Chakras: 7 Minute Tune Up by soundheals.

After you have done this you should already feel more relaxed and calm. I usually do this at night, in a dark, quiet room with candles burning. I hope you all enjoyed this post and hope it brings you all to a more peaceful mind state.

Peace, Love and Happiness

~S

message from K

Hey everyone...i guess I've gone sort if ninja on you. My apologies. I have been vacationing with family and the first couple of days back home involve laundry, unpacking, unwinding, and just getting back to normal.Got a chance to check out some great little shops on the strip and ate some really good food. So now I'm back and i feel like I've been gone for a year miss S. Whats this new zen stuff??  Please tell us more! You have me intrigued. <3 K

PS I'm sorta obsessed with this really cheep and fab nail polishes from Sinful Colors. Bought at any local Walgreen's. This is my new favorite trio- Unicorn-Rain Storm- Out of This World.~K

Golden

As I posted yesterday I have found a new zen mind state so I decided to stick with that theme for today's post. I definitely needed a nail polish change and considering I have discovered my aura color is yellow I decided to go with this golden hue from China Glaze called Lighthouse. It took a good 3 coats of this glitter based nail lacquer to get enough of the yellow to show through but it is a great end of summer color. It's neutral but bright at the same time. I find it stays on quite well and it costs about $3 at any drugstore. Hopefully it will bring me more zen!  ~S

Finding Zen

I recently woke up feeling like I needed a change. I wanted to weed out all the negativity in my life and fill it with positvity. I did a little research and discovered a way to live life zen and carefree. I have been mixing a little Feng Shui with the study of Chakras and mediation. I have only been at it for about 2 days but already I'm feeling more at peace. I cleaned my entire house, think spring cleaning on steroids. I then went through the rooms in my house and made sure they were properly set up according to the Feng Shui recomendations so I can allow the negative energy to flow out and positive energy to flow in. I now take at least 10 minutes a day to meditate, as a beginer I use a free app on my smartphone called Learn to Meditate which is a guided meditation and it's very relaxing. I also am learning about cleansing my house as well as cleansing my aura and aligning my chakras. I will have to get into this further before I can give you all a total overall experience so stay tuned for my next zen update!

~S

Got Frizz??

There is no way you can tell me you don;t have frizz with all this New England humidity! Even the greatest hair, which I happen to have :), gets frizzy. Well my friends don't fear the frizz anymore with this product from Garnier. I personally use this everyday and it's magic in a bottle! This anti-humidity smoothing milk uses fruit micro-waxes to wrap hair strands with humidity-resistant formulas. It also makes my hair silky smooth all day! You can pick some up at any drugstore for about $3-$5 and go smooth and frizz free all day!! You're welcome!   ~S

What I'm Wearing Right Now

I have fallen in love....with a perfume. It is the first fragrance ever from Grammy nominated platinum recording artist and Broadway star, Jordin Sparks. She named it "Because of You" as a tribute to her fans that have helped her and cheered her along the way with her career.The perfume is dinstinct, innovative, elegant, and subtle, this fragrance offers a long lasting sensuality. It celebrates the renaissance of extreme femininity and power of spontaneous emotion. This fragrance is a unique combination of luxury, art, and modernity for timeless elegance. With top notes of clementine, white imperial currant and orange blossom; a heart of nectarine, sharry baby orchid and coral charm peony, and a drydown of sheer musks, vanilla bean, Baltic amber and blond woods. This fragrance surprised me so much I just had to write a post about it. Silage is good, after the initial spray it stays close to the skin but you can still smell it. Another great surprise is that longevity is about 4-5 hours on me which is better than other more expensive fragrances I've used. Best part of all...its wicked inexpensive! ~K

Stoppin' by to say Hi!

Hey guys, sorry I haven't been around for the past few days, had to go into reality and do the work thing! I was going to write something longer tonight but I'm too exhausted from working and cleaning the house today! I promise I'll be back to my posting-self tomorrow!! In the meantime, here's some eye candy for you to look at, since you took the time out to read this boring post!!

~S

Water Marble Manicure!

Are you looking for a new nail technique that will create designs that are unique and all your own??

As a creative and crafty DIY-er I just had to try out this new trend! It is easy and I think it’s a perfect option for beginners. My mother who is in her 60’s and my daughter and nieces who are pre- teens LOVE it. Its for any ages. Marbled patterns make an excellent choice to express an outfit, holiday, or mood. You can add designs using gemstones or other elements, but it also looks great on it’s own! With just a little practice, each time you will create a unique design that will leave others speechless. I received so many complements, even the hubby thought it was cool.

Here’s some of MY easy steps that should get you started on your next water marble manicure!

A List of tools you will need.
Set aside 30-40 mins.

*Scotch Tape!

*Small bowl or manicure bowl with luke warm FILTERED water

*Lots of tooth picks or marble tool (needle, end of a thin paint brush ect. )

*A Base coat ( preferably white or lighter hues ) remember the marble design goes OVER your base color

*3-4 Nail polish colors of your choice (do NOT use quick dry polish- stick to the watery ones)

*Top Coat

**Just a side note in my experience it helps if your in a room with NO ceiling fan, fan, or AC is on. It tends to dry out the polish in the water faster.**

1. Paint your nails with the Base color- let dry

2. Tape Up your fingers, across the bottom of the cuticle and two up and down each side. Some choose to put an extra strip on the top of the finger as well.
3. Now, proceed by placing a few of drops of your choice nail polish( make a color rotation with your choice colors) at the centre of the pool. For the first layer of polish, it’s important to use several drops, otherwise the base coat could dry out too quickly. Just place one drop at a time and watch the polish slowly stretch outwards towards the edge of the bowl as you see above. This will create what is called the bulls-eye effect. If you can, try to use thin nail polish whenever possible. If you use nail polish which has a high viscosity, the technique will NOT be successful. Once the color spreads out to the sides of the bowl continue on with your repetitive color rotation until you have enough rows for a design.

4. Using your tooth pick or marbling tool, start making a design. Gently move the tool through the bulls-eye pattern to create lines and curves in any pattern that you like.
For beginners go ahead and have fun with it. After each line that you make, remove the tooth pick and give it a quick cleaning. This will ensure that your lines are as clearly. But make sure you do your work QUICKLY the nail polish can dry out while sitting on top of the water.

5. Now the pattern is complete, carefully insert your finger into the water (FLAT) at the edge of the bowl, being careful to make sure that you don't mess up the polish pattern. Then bring the fingernail under the polish pattern and slowly lift it up so that the polish adheres to the surface of the nail. With your free hand take a tooth pick and clear out the rest of the remaining polish. You can do this by twirling the tool and going in circles collecting the extra polish. Once cleared take your finger up out of the water.

Repeat these steps on each finger. Take off the tape and using a Q-tip use acetone to remove any polish that is on the skin around the nail.

6. Finally, apply any embellishments and your top coat!

　
It should only take you a few times to master. I wouldn’t worry or get discouraged if the first few results aren’t favorable. ~ K

Bye Bye Brown, Hello Blonde!

I would like to start off by saying that if you have brown hair and want to go blonde, don't ask a hairdresser what to do because they will tell you that you NEED to do it at a salon and by a professional. Well guess what, I did it by myself and so can you! I stared off a medium brown and have dyed my way to a nice golden blonde hue. First of all you will need a bleaching kit, I prefer Clairol Nice 'n Easy Born Blonde Blonding, Maxi. It costs about $10 and you can get it at any drugstore. I apply it to my unwashed dry hair and I leave the bleach in for about an hour, checking every so often if it's the color I want, don't forget that your hair will be wet from the dye so it will be a shade darker than what the actual color will look like on dry hair. Then I wash that all out with shampoo and I put in a toner which you can get at any beauty supply store for about $6. I prefer Wella Color Charm in T18, White Lady. The name may have changed but as long as it is T18. Following the instructions I mix the entire bottle of toner with 3oz of a 20 volume creme developer like Sally Beauty Supply brand Salon Care which costs about $2. I then apply the mixture to my dry hair and leave in for about 10-15 minutes. This product works very quickly so I check it every couple minutes to make sure it doesn't turn too grey. Then I wash it all out, shampoo, condition, blow dry and style as usual. Voilà, the perfect blonde for under $20!   ~S

Mommy "Me" Time

No matter how busy you are with kids and work, it's important to set aside a little "me" time every week. Its not only okay, its required! Have someone else watch the kids, even just for an half hour or so. Take a bubble bath with all your favorite soaps, salts and oils (maybe even light a candle or two) ,put on some music or read gossip magazines, or put your feet up and watch TV, maybe catch up on your DVR. Give yourself a home facial or manicure... or better yet, take a quick trip to a salon. As a mom you never get a break otherwise and at times we feel overwhelmed and unappreciated. We all get a little frazzled with the day to day craziness of running a family and a work schedule. Its ok to allow ourselves to recharge. When we are tired and stressed out we aren’t any good for the kids nor ourselves. Once a week I go grab a DD coffee, turn the radio on loud and go for a little drive. I don’t have much time away from my son so this works perfectly for me. I get to release any of the bad energy I was feeling and I really do feel better as I pull back into the driveway. You are still your own person and although you may have to change a few things in order to get your "me time" it is VERY important for you to stay tapped into the person you were before the family.   ~K

Airbrush in a Bottle

How smoothly does your makeup go on? This dream in a bottle is Victoria's Secret VS PRO Airbrush FX Perfecting Primer SPF 20. Smooth this silky soft formula on after you mousturize and before applying any makeup, even on eyelids. Not only does this stuff really make your makeup last throught the day but it also makes application of makeup super smooth. It comes with a hefty price tag of $18 for .75 oz but you only need a drop which makes it last about 8-10 months depending on how often you use it. It also has an added bonus of SPF in it!

Let's Talk!

Since both Katie and I love nail polish more than any other beauty product I decided to review one in particular for our first post! This color is called "Let's Talk" by Sinful Colors. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It has a bright purple/blue hue in the daylight and gradually gets darker as the daylight turns to night which then the nail polish transforms into a dark purple/blue hue. It lasts for 3-4 days and that's even including cleaning the house! I can't tell you how much I enjoy this collection of polish and I will be buying more colors for sure. You can pick yours up at any Walgreens store and the best part, they range in price from $0.99 to $1.99!

Welcome!

Welcome to our Beauty Blog. We are going to be reviewing beauty products, testing them and passing on our secrets to you. If you would like us to post about something in particular please feel free to contact us! We hope you enjoy our blog!

Sabrina & Katie