Get Your Goddess On With A Fishtail Plait

 I absolutely love this braid!  Its messy, fun and definitely eye catching.  Although it can be a little bit difficult, practice makes perfect!


Here’s how to do it: 

We can all agree that Leona Lewis looks
stunning in this messy fishtail plait.



•  Pull all of your hair to the right or left side of your head (style looks best if you have the braid on the same side your bangs fall).
• Part your hair into two sections.  Begin taking small pieces of hair from the outside of the first section, and then repeat with the second section. (This creates a X effect in the middle of the sections of hair)
• Repeat these steps, alternating sides until you reach the end of your hair.
• For the messy look, gently tug at your braid as if you are pulling it apart and mist with hairspray 

Tip: Perfection is not the key to achieving this look! Be as carefree as possible as you braid your hair. Messy is sexy!

I hope you enjoy this hairstyle, let me know in the comments below!

Love Always,

Alexandra

 





REVIEW: SEPHORA Self-Tanning Tinted Bronzing Mist



A gorg tan for under $20?
Sign me up!

 I am LOVING this self tanner from Sephora.  It's super afordable compared to spray tan booths or tanning beds, and it saves your skin from wrinkles and dehydration!

Click below to watch my review on YouTube and don't forget to subscribe to my channel! :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60JQxgie3Ok&context=C3559b3bADOEgsToPDskKAEFoflXPvGwwbaegAk_7h

Love Always,
Alexandra

The Blowout

 

Adriana Lima and Heidi Klum looked effortlessly
gorgeous at a Victoria Secret after party. 



Lets face it, every morning most of us spend at least 10 minutes curling, teasing or straightening our hair trying to achieve the perfect curl or the sleekest straight possible.  2012 is all about pumped up natural looking hair and makeup.  So this may mean that you can take a break from damaging your hair every morning, and do a gorgeous blowout with only a blow dryer and some spray! It will save your hair, and your time!

You can easily achieve this look, here’s how:

After you get out of the shower, let your hair dry until it is damp.  Apply your favorite product if you have one, this could include a shine serum or a anti-frizz cream or gel.  However, you should apply a heat protector liberally to protect the shaft of your hair from breaking or splitting (I like Tresemme Thermal Creations).

• When your hair is damp, divide your hair into at least 2 sections.  If you have thick hair you may want to divide your hair into more than 2 sections.
• Tie the first section up on the top of your head, out of the way.  Guide your hair through a round brush while applying your hair dryer at a low heat. Repeat with each small section until your whole head is dried.
• Set your hair by blowing cool hair through your roots, and finish by misting your hair with a light hairspray

Tip: Make sure as you pull your hair through the round brush, you are curling the brush under.  This will give your hair a bouncy voluminous look.

I hope you all love this look as much as I do!

Love Always,
Alexandra Goedecke

Quick Fix for Oily Skin!

Since summer is right around the corner, I thought I’d share one of the most simple, natural beauty solutions that are guaranteed to get you glowing for the summer heat!

Many girls are faced with an oily complexion.  Not fun, right?  I to have normal to oily skin, and for the longest time I thought that oil was my worst enemy.  I used to buy oil blotting papers, and blot my face when I got that horrible shine across my T-Zone.

However, in the past year, I have acquired one of the most helpful beauty tips to cure oily skin: olive oil!
I know your first thought was probably olive oil? on your skin? Yes.  The main reason young girls have oily skin, is because they actually don’t have enough oil.  When you use a oil blotting sheet, or constantly wash your face to remove the excess oil, your skin hurries to produce more oil.  Resulting in an extremely oily complexion.
Ever since I have learned this trick, I have been putting oil on my skin every night.  It is best to only use the oil at night before you sleep, because the hours that you are asleep give your skin the chance to heal and be replenished.

However, here are the steps to help keep your complexion glowing, not greasy.

You Will Need: Your cleanser, a face towel, and a dollop of olive oil.

Directions:  Cleanse your face thoroughly and pat your skin damp/dry.  Next, pour the dollop of oil into the palm of your hand (tip: the dollop should be no bigger than a nickel) and spread evenly over your face. 

Allow yourself 5 minutes before getting into bed, so the oil has a chance to absorb into your skin.
The next day, cleanse your face in the morning as usual and repeat any regular routine you may have!  You will notice your skin is glowing and oil free throughout the day.  Time to throw away those oil-blotting papers!

I would love to hear how this works out for my readers!  Leave a comment below and let me know.

Love Always,
Alexandra Goedecke

The Quest is Over: My FAV Mascara!

It seems every girl is on a quest for a good part of their life trying to find an amazing mascara, to make their lashes as flirty and bold as possible.  I believe I have found the perfect mascara:  L’Oreal Volumous Mascara in ‘Carbon Black’.

I am the type of girl drawn to mascara’s with adorable bright, fun packaging, such as Covergirl ‘LashBlast‘ or Rimmel London’s ‘Sexy Curves’, so naturally, this simplistic mascara has never caught my eye in the past.

I was watching a video of Kim Kardashian’s makeup artist Stephen Moleski, as he was applying her makeup he said that out of all the drug store mascara’s, L’Oreal Volumous is one of his favorites, and could even be comparable to a department store brand.

My immediate thought was, if Kim Kardashian’s makeup artist uses it, it must be great.  So sure enough, I bought it for $9.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart, and I love it!  It really brings your lashes to their full potential, it has great definition and volume and NO CLUMPS!  In addition, this mascara will not smudge onto the upper lids or underneath the eyes as the day progresses, this is especially important during spring when the weather gets warmer and your body begins to perspire more often.
This mascara is a definite must-have for spring!

What's your favorite mascara?  Let me know in the comment section below!

Love Always,

Alexandra

Get a Year Round Bikini Body!



Before I competed in Miss Teen Canada-World
I used these eating habits to tone and get bikini ready!



It’s important to take care of your body, especially when you are young.  Studies have shown that the routines and habits you develop as a young adult are likely to stick with you for a lifetime, whether they are good or bad habits.  Therefore it’s important to create and maintain effective routines, so that you develop a healthy and happy lifestyle.

Here Are My TOP Recommendations for Eating Healthy
(and they’re super yummy!)

Hot Peppers

Spicy food is my favourite.  I put hot sauce and hot peppers on everything except desert (which I don’t eat).  Not only does it taste amazing, but it is a fat burner.  Hot pepper speeds up your metabolism and burns fat.  Enough said.
Here is my favourite type of peppers, mixed banana pepper rings.  You can find these at any local grocery store.  If you can handle the spice, add it to eggs, pasta, hamburgers, chicken, anything!
Just make sure you have a glass of cold water near by!

Water

Ladies I cannot stress water enough.  You need 6-8 glasses of water every day.  This is not just so your body can stay hydrated, but water also helps flush toxins out of the body.  For example, this can be gross chemicals we experience from our hairspray or perfume, but it can also be the toxins that we ingest as we eat processed foods.  If we are not drinking enough water each day, these toxins will sit inside our bodies and create fat, cellulite, blemishes and other body issues.
“But I drink juice and pop!  Isn’t it practically the same thing?”
No!  Juice and pop as most of us know are filled with sugar.  When we drink pop, our bodies actually need more water than they did before we drank the pop.  Think of it like this: if you need 8 glasses each day, and you have drank 7 glasses today: you only need one more glass of water.  However, if you drink a can of pop, because of the sugar and caffeine levels, you now need to drink 2 glasses of water to make up for the can of pop.  If you are a pop-drinker, it is important for you to make up for the dehydration that the fizzy drink is doing to you.
That being said, make sure you are keeping yourself hydrated.  You will notice clearer skin, reduced cellulite, and you will feel healthy and energetic!

Lemon

Lemon is a great fruit for keeping in shape and glowing.  Because lemon’s are antibacterial and packed with Vitamin C, they help fight off sicknesses, as well as boost your immunity against cold and flu.
Tip: Squeeze 1/4 of a lemon into a glass of water, with an ice cube.  This is a great way to get both lemon and water, daily necessities, as well as refresh you on a hot day.

Berries

Berries are one of the best foods to improve your skin.  They have an abundance of antioxidants which are an essential part of your diet and they also help prevent cancer!

The best berries to help with these things are, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.  Wondering how to get berries into your diet?  Here’s one of my favorite snacks:  Mix a bowl of vanilla yogurt with half a cup of mixed berries, depending on what you prefer, with 4 tablespoons of mixed granola.

This yummy treat is healthy, but most importantly it fills you up!  It’s great for breakfast before you go to school or work.

I hope you enjoy these tips and try them out!

Love Always,
Allie Goedecke

3 Reasons to Skip That Pedi & Splurge On A Facial!

Your skin is so important, and it is essential that you take care of it when you are young to prevent aging and more importantly, skin diseases and cancer.

This includes: washing all your makeup off every night as well as cleansing your skin, exfoliating your skin at least once a week, wearing protective sunscreen on your face, and treating yourself to a facial at least once every season.

Why Get a Facial?

Now that we are well into spring, and quickly feeling the warmer summer weather, it’s important to have your skin professionally cleansed and exfoliate.  One common issue during the winter is dry skin.  Having a facial done by a trained professional will allow all that dead skin to be removed, and allow your skin to breathe.

Super Gorgeous At-home Tips for Skin

1.  Girls often don’t think about what can cause pimples and breakouts beyond, “I ate too much chocolate today.” Although it is important to eat a balanced diet for clear skin, your pillow may be what is causing your breakouts.  All the dust, dirt and excess makeup as well as the natural oils from your skin are rubbed off on your pillow each night and this often results in skin problems.  So make sure to wash your makeup off thoroughly, and change your pillow case once a week.

2.  Purchase a dead-sea mud and apply it to pimple’s and problem areas on your t-zone.  You can find dead-sea mud at health food stores, and drug stores.  The natural vitamins and minerals found in this mud are excellent for your skin.  It doesn’t look pretty, but it works!

3.  Can’t afford a facial each month?  Try this luscious home-made facial.  Your skin will feel refreshed and cleansed.

What You Need:
Apple ………………  1/4

Peach ………………  1/2

Tomato…………….  1/2

Milk …………………  1/4 Cup

Almond Oil……….  1 Tablespoon

Directions:

a.) Peel all the fruits and mash them

b.) Add the milk and oil to the mashed fruits and use moderate heat with stirring, untill the mixture acquires the consistency of of a cream

c.) Leave to cool

d.) Apply a thick layer to the skin and leave for 30 minutes

e.) Remove the mask with a washcloth and water.

I hope you enjoy these tips and your beautiful skin, comment below and let me know how they workout for you!

Love Always,
Allie Goedecke

Get Healthy & Clear Beautiful Skin!

I think you all will agree: as the summer months approach, we start to show a little more skin. Whether its a skirt, frilly tank top, or a bikini, we want our skin to look youthful and glowing as it should. But many girls suffer body acne mostly found on the chest and upper back and sometimes on the back of the arms. I want to let you all know the immediate quick fix for these problems but I also want to allow readers some insight as to how to prevent blemishes and breakouts from occurring in the first place.　

The Quick Fix 
  

If your getting ready for an event, trying on you new super cute dress that you just had to have, and you notice a few unsightly blemishes on your back or chest – or even both! Eeek! Try this quick fix to reduce the irritation or rosiness of your blemishes.
Caution: This is only for girls and boys 14+, due to the dangers of Aspirin use with children
You will need:

• 2 Aspirin
• Water
• Honey

Directions:
Crush two aspirin tablets, and mix with a drop of water and a drop of honey to create a paste. Leave it on for 10 minutes and then blot to remove with a damp washcloth.

How it Works:
Advil has acetyl-salicylic (I know, I could not say it either.) acid to dry out the pimple and eliminate inflammation, while the honey and water act as a natural paste to hold the crushed pill on your skin.

  The Long Term Solution
 

If you have blemishes on your chest or upper back and neck, the best thing to do is go natural. This means using less perfume, scented creams or lotions and try and stay away from excess hair products. Perfume sprayed on your chest may block the pores and cause dirt and oil build-up resulting in blemishes. Excess hairspray or gel can rub off on your neck or upper back, and do the same. As for scented creams, this does not mean you need to let your skin go dry! Try to use a natural cream that is hydrating but lighter on the scent. You can find creams or lotions like this at pharmacies and grocery stores. Try to look for creams that include “Coco Butter” or “Shea Butter” and make sure they don’t have whacky scents such as ocean breeze or cupcake. Think about it, if you don’t believe the scent could be physically captured in a bottle, than it’s probably an artificial scent.



  Hungry? Snack On A Bowl of This!

Eating healthy can be this delicious.

The next step to clearing chest, back and neck blemishes is to improve your diet. If you have read my other posts, you know I am always stressing the fact that each and every person needs 8 glasses of water each day. Try to eat fruits that are high in antioxidants like berries, as they will improve your skin quickly. Eat fruits and vegetables as a snack, and try to eat less carbohydrates. I know this is my weakness: If I get hungry, the first thing I reach for is a slice of toast, chips or cookies. These are all okay in moderation but the nutritional value is much lower. One of the best sources of Vitamin C is a strawberry. Look for locally grown strawberries because, when fruits are imported they lose a substantial amount of their nutritional value.

If you find you have redness and bumps on the backs of your arms, from your elbow to your shoulder, you may have a Vitamin C deficiency.  The easiest solution is to increase your vitamin C intake with a daily chewable Vitamin C tablet.  You can find these at the grocery store or local pharmacy.

Click here to watch my Skin Care Routine on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJv0SkwGtBk&feature=context&context=C3559b3bADOEgsToPDskKAEFoflXPvGwwbaegAk_7h

I hope you find this information useful! Leave a comment below and let me know how it works out for you, I would love to hear!

Love Always,
Alexandra