Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Silvery Eyes & Purple Lips Makeup Tutorial




So I recently enrolled in a Professional Makeup course to brush up and fine-tune my skill as an aspiring makeup artist. here's what I came up with. Enjoy!












If you have any questions, pleas feel free to leave it in the comment section. I love hearing form you guys. If there's a makeup look you'd want to see me do, please leave your requests below. Thanks guys!

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Flat Twist-Outs: Success or Fail?





Products Used:
H2O
Aunt Jackie's Curls & Coils Defining Curl Custard
Cantuu Shea Butter No Drip Hair & Scalp Oil






I wasn't too disappointed with the results except for the fact that my hair didn't dry completely which inevitably led to frizz. Its a good thing I like messy hair ;)


Sunday, May 12, 2013

Product Review


Eco-Styler Protein Gel









The wash n go’s has been my go-to style for the past few months and up until now, I have been loving it. After trying a few different gels such as World of Curls, I finally got my hands on the infamous Eco-Styler. I was looking, in particular, for the Olive Oil version but, in my desperate state (World of Curls was just not doing it for me), I bought the only one I could find which was the clear version.  This version definitely lived up to its name as it kept my curls defined for up to five days. Whereas with other gels, I’d have to do wash n go’s every two days to maintain a similar look. Needless to say, I was glad to have found a product that would save me some time in the mornings.


I was pretty much a spokeswoman for the brand to everyone I came across who inquired about my hair. That is until I ran out and the only other Eco-Styler I could get my hands on was the Protein version.  When I thought Eco-Styler could do no wrong…



After applying to my hair, my hair felt drier even though its alcohol-free. It was almost as if it had a moisture neutrailizer which nullified the softness and slip I’d have after applying my leave-in. My guess is that it’s the protein contained in the gel. I’ve read other reviews where people have given it good reviews but I personally am just not satisfied with how it makes my hair feel. What I also notice is that it leaves a grainy residue in hair, making it feel rough.  Not a good buy for me.







Sunday, May 5, 2013

So How Fit Are You?







About two weeks ago, I had gone downstairs to fix myself something to eat before I got settled down to work. I had popped a bag of popcorn and picked up a medium sized Julie mango for dinner (I prefer to eat light in the evenings to avoid the almost inevitable energy dip after eating in addition to the fact that I’m just tired). I took my meal up to my bedroom but realized I forgot my bottle of water. As I was making my second trip upstairs, I decided to run upstairs as I had usually done not more than a few months ago. Needless to say, I was a bit surprised when I found that these stairs aren’t that easy to sprint up. I know my exercise routine had been on hiatus for a while but surely walking up and down these stairs everyday must have counted for something. So it got me thinking: what does it really mean to be fit? How do you even really know how fit you are? And, how can you improve fitness?





Your level of Fitness really refers to your body’s ability to meet the demands of physical task s while still having energy and strength to feel as good as possible. This doesn’t mean you have to be an athlete but it does mean that you should be able to be and feel at your best as this lowers your risk for certain non-communicable lifestyle diseases. The basic components of fitness include the following:


·         Agility - your ability to perform a series of power movements in rapid succession in opposing directions


·         Balance - your ability to control the body's position, whether its stationary (e.g. boat pose) or while moving


·         Cardiovascular Endurance – your the heart's ability to deliver blood to working muscles and their ability to use it (think long distance running)


·         Co-ordination - your  ability to put together all components so that effective movements are achieved


·         Flexibility – your ability to achieve an extended range of motion without being impeded by excess tissue, i.e. fat or muscle (think of a leg split)


·         Local Muscle Endurance - a single muscle's ability to perform sustained work (riding a bike)


·         Power – your ability to exert the most muscular contraction immediately in a fiery burst of movements. The two components of power are strength and speed. (think of Usain Bolt in a sprint race)


·         Strength - the extent to which your muscles can exert force by contracting against resistance


·         Strength Endurance – your muscle's ability to perform a maximum contraction time after time


So now that you know what fitness is and the components that are involved, how do you know how fit you are – or if you’re even fit at all?


I’ve found a few simple tests that will help me to determine my fitness level. If you want to know just how fit you are, try them out too!



The 3-Minute Test (Measures (cardiovascular) fitness level based on how quickly your heart rate returns to usual after exercise.


What you’ll need:




What to do: Set the metronome to 96 beats per minute. Stand facing the step. When ready to begin, start the stopwatch and march up and down on the step to the metronome beat (up, up, down, down) for 3 successive minutes. (You can rest if you need to, but remain standing.) When time is up, stop immediately, sit down and count your pulse (use your wrist or neck) for one full minute.


Results:


Chicks
18-25
26-35
36-45
46-55
56-65
65+
Excellent
52-81
58-80
51-84
63-91
60-92
70-92
Good
85-93
85-92
89-96
95-101
97-103
96-101
Above Average
96-102
95-101
100-104
104-110
106-111
104-111
Average
104-110
104-110
107-112
113-118
113-118
116-121
Below Average
113-120
113-119
115-120
120-124
119-127
123-126
Poor
122-131
122-129
124-132
126-132
129-135
128-133
Very Poor
135-169
134-171
137-169
137-171
141-174
135-155




Dudes
18-25
26-35
36-45
46-55
56-65
65+
Excellent
50-76
51-76
49-76
56-82
60-77
59-81
Good
79-84
79-85
80-88
87-93
86-94
87-92
Above Average
88-93
88-94
92-88
95-101
97-100
94-102
Average
95-100
96-102
100-105
103-111
103-109
104-110
Below Average
102-107
104-110
108-113
113-119
111-117
114-118
Poor
111-119
114-121
116-124
121-126
119-128
121-126
Very Poor
124-157
126-161
130-163
131-159
131-154
130-151






The Crunch Test (Measures abdominal strength and endurance)


What you’ll need:


  •  Stopwatch
  •   Ruler


What to do: Lie on your back with your knees bent.  Your feet should be flat on the floor and your heels are about 18 inches away from your butt. Place your arms at your sides with your palms facing down. Place a ruler next to your fingertips in this position and measure 6 inches further. Put a piece of tape to mark the spot.

Throughout the test, your hands must remain on the floor. Lift your head, neck and shoulder blades off the floor, using your abdominal muscles, and allowing fingers to slide to the 6-inch marker.
  Return to the floor for one rep. Do as many as you can for 60 seconds but only counting the reps that your fingers actually reached the marker.


Results:


Dudes
< 35 years
35-44 years
> 45 years
Excellent
60
50
40
Good
45
40
25
Marginal
30
25
15
Needs Work
15
10
5




Chicks
< 35 years
35-44 years
> 45 years
Excellent
50
40
30
Good
40
25
15
Marginal
25
15
10
Needs Work
10
6
4








The Push-Up Test (Measures Muscular strength and endurance)


What you’ll need:


  •  Stopwatch
  •  Friend


What to do: Dudes can assume a traditional push-up position and chicks can use the modified version (where you’re on your knees). Push yourself up with arms fully extended and then lower yourself until your chest is about three inches from the floor. Do as many as you can in one minute.


Results:


Dudes
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60+
Excellent
> 54
> 44
> 39
> 34
> 29
Good
45-54
35-44
30-39
25-34
20-29
Average
35-44
24-34
20-29
15-24
10-19
Poor
20-34
15-24
12-19
8-14
5-9
Very Poor
< 20
< 15
< 12
< 8
< 5




Chicks
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60+
Excellent
>48
>39
>34
>29
>19
Good
34-48
25-39
20-34
15-29
5-19
Average
17-33
12-24
8-19
6-14
3-4
Poor
6-16
4-11
3-7
2-5
1-2
Very Poor
< 6
< 4
< 3
< 2
< 1




My Results:


For the step-up test, I came in at disappointing “below average”. I guess my cardio fitness has plenty room for improvement. Fortunately for me, the others tests were a bit more heartening. I completed 35 reps which put me somewhere between “marginal” and “good” and considering I’m not a gal for crunches (Hey, there are way more fun and interesting ways to engage my abs than the standard crunch exercise), I think I did pretty well. And, last but not least, I completed 27 reps for the push-up test which puts me at “average”.


            I’m not too thrilled about my overall results because I know I can be much stronger if I only push myself a little more. Now I know where to focus on in order to improve my overall fitness.


Let me know just how fit you are by leaving a comment.


Until next time, keep it tight.