Beauty Ban WK #6

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

It is time for my weekly update once again. Well, I have not bought any beauty products this week. I will be buying clothes this weekend and I do want to buy a certain beauty product once I run out of cleanser, which should be in the coming few weeks. Don’t relapse Selena! Anyways, I took Mooky to the vet and she was diagnosed with anxiety. I ordered her medication and it should be here within a week. Hopefully, it will calm her down, because she acts crazy a lot. She bounces all over the apartment and is destructive at times. But oh, so sweet.

Shadow’s blood work came back yesterday and she does have hyperthyroidism. I chose to try the special food first rather than the medication. Her diet does not contain Iodine, which is what her body supplies too much of. She cannot have any other food. I wish her food came in different flavors, but for now, they only come in one: Chicken liver. Shadow LOVES the food! I bought her a 4lb bag of dry food and 5 5.5 oz cans for the grand total of 40 USD. Yes, her food is expensive, but the medication is 60 USD a month on top of having to buy food to feed her any way. I’m hoping that the food will work. In 5 weeks, she is going to have a blood test to see if it is working or not. If not, we will abandon the diet and try the medication. If the food works, she will only have to be blood tested once a year instead of every six months. Right now, she’s a happy kitty and I’m a happy moma.

I’m glad the week is almost over. I’m tired, hung over on pain medication, and my freakin’ toe is KILLING ME! Seriously, I’m in SO much pain and I cannot take a shower. I have to take baths or sitting showers and my toe CANNOT be submerged in water or it will sting and burn and just kill me! My toe is still puffed out and it is turning blacker everyday. I think my nail is starting to loosen a bit. It is so scarier. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. I want to talk about something else. Serena will be going to the vet as well in the coming weeks. She is not amused.

Send me some love with a comment. I’d love to hear from you.

With Love,

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Healthy Living: September Exercise

Heya Aspring Gurus!

I thought I would also start a new segment on this blog since it will be my one year anniversary soon and I am trying to live a better, healthier life style. Now, until I move and have my own place, I cannot do a lot of healthy eating. Once I can shop for my own groceries, I will definitely let you know what I bought and what recipes I do. For now, I will satisfy with how I have been exercising in September. I usually pull out the workouts in Seventeen and do those. The September Seventeen exercises are the ones that I have been doing this month. My subscription recently ran out, so if I do not get the October issue in time (currently broke, I just started my new job and haven’t gotten paid), I will pull out the few extras that I have stock piled for that reason. So, what I have been doing is doing the following exercises twice a week (I am doing them today and I will include the exercises, if you are interested in doing them as well) and jogging on my treadmill the day before I do the exercise, the day in between the two days I do the exercises, and the day after the second exercise. I jog for 30 minutes and usually get two miles done. I have a hip defect, so I always have to take my time with exercising and not overdo it. I should mention that I am very fit and an athlete, so these exercises may be hard if you are first trying them out. I tend to be very sore, when I first try out the exercises, but by the end of the month my body is so used to it that I need to switch it up every month. I am 5’4″ and around 120lbs, which is 10lbs lighter than the weight that I am supposed to be at. These exercises keep my tummy trim, but does not build abs for me. It is not that kind of exercise. This just keeps me healthy and active. The following are the exercises that I have been doing and please, let me know if you like this and I am sure to build up on this series with yummy recipes and good for you food reviews!

1. High-Low Toe Tap:

A. With your feet a bit more than shoulder-width apart, bend your knees and jump (press through your heels when you jump to work your butt as well), bringing your arms up over your head.

B. Land in a squat and twist to the right, tapping your left hand on your right foot. Jump again and land in a squat, then twist and tap the other side. Alternate for 10 reps on each side (5 reps for each side = 10 reps) and rest for 15 seconds (or however much you need). Do 3 sets (3 rounds of 10 reps for a total of 30 reps).

2. Lunge Kick Back:

A. Step your left foot into a lunge, with your hands down at your sides.

B. Jump up, bring your arms overhead and kick your left leg behind you (it can be a small hop, you don’t need to jump high for this exercise to work). Land and dip back down into a lunge position. Complete 8 reps on one side and switch legs for 8 more. Rest for 15 seconds (or however much you need) and do 3 sets (that is 3 sets of 16, for a total of 48 reps).

3. Jumping Jog:

A. Bring your arms up as you would for a traditional jumping jack, but raise your right knee at a 90 degree angle.

B. Drop your hands down to your sides and bring your left knee up. Continue to alternate knees ( he faster you go, the more you get out of it) for 30 seconds, then rest for 15 seconds (or however long you need). Do 3 sets (so do this 3 times for 30 seconds).

4. Irish Jig:

A. Bring your right leg up, then cross it in front of you, keeping your left leg straight. Tap your ankle with your left hand, with your right arm raised (for balance and it works out your core).

B. Hop in the air and switch sides, so you are alternating arms and legs, go faster once you get the hang of it. Keep alternating for 30 seconds, then rest for 15 seconds (or however much you need). do 3 sets (of thirty seconds each).

Like this post if you want to see more from this series and let me know in the comments if you plan to join me in these exercises for the rest of the month. Until my next post!

With Love,

Hannahxoxoxo

FTC DISCLAIMER: All opinions are my own. I pay for every Seventeen issue that I get and I have taken the exercises from Seventeen and give them total credit for the exercises. I have included some of my own interpretation into the exercises for better understanding.

Mini Haul, Challenge, & Sample!

Heya Fellow Gurus!

I recently went out and bought a few basics at the store. Nothing too big or really exciting, but I still thought that I’d share what I purchased with all of you. So, here it goes.

Shadow couldn’t help, but be in the picture. She was more excited to see the new stuff than even I was!

These candies are the best! I only buy them when they are on sale and during that time of the month. They are purely delicious and lifesavers! Oh! I want that candy now, too! Anyways, these usually last me around two to three months. I don’t eat tem often or eat a lot at a time. I don’t really hae a sweet tooth and a couple of these satisfies my cravings for something sweet. The bag was 2.99 US DOLLARS.

These hand towels from Kleenex cost as much as the candy I bought, which I thought was a good deal, because it is only a dollar more than the tissues. It comes with 60 “towels”. I have tried them for two days already and they are very absorbent and strong. I use them to dry my face off after cleansing. I am doing a 30 day <b>CHALLENGE</b> with these “towels”, if my face appears clearer and healthier after thirty days, these will be repurchased. I am trying to see if using an actual towel to dry your face spreads germs and can spread acne causing bacteria on your face. I am not changing any product in my routine that would affect my acne. We will see if that myth is true or false. If it is true, than my face will be clearer and less acne prone. If it is false, then my face will look the same as ever with no difference. After two days, I am not seeing any improvement, but only time will tell.

As women, we have all been there and have purchased these types of things. I love U for its bright pretty packaging. Everyone just thinks that they are kleenex packages, if they have never seen this brand before. I’m not embarrassed to whip this out of my purse to give to a friend in need or if it falls on the floor. (I frequently drop things.) My boyfriend is also not terrified of these when he has to pick some up for me. 😉 This package was 7.99 for 32, which is a really good deal and it should last me awhile. I am very satisfied with his purchase. Don’t mind my cat as the big black blob in the corner.

She’s a show off and would not stop bothering me, until I took a picture of her.

My sample came in from target!!!!

While it wasn’t the sample that I sent out for (it was for an eye cream), I still love that I can get the product that I want with the coupon for 2 US DOLLARS off any moisturizer. The same that I got is for wrinkles. I do have a baby fine line on my forehead. I will be using this for my forehead and will let you guys know the results. Since I am only doing a small area of my face, this sample should last me one to two weeks of use. You will know in the near future what I think. If this is supposed to help major wrinkles, it should improve my baby fine line.

Well, this is it for now, I’ll be blogging tomorrow! Please comment and request to see something specific on my blog. I’m always looking for new things to write about.

With Love,
Hannahxoxoxo

Morning Skin care Routine

Heya Fellow Gurus!

I thought that I would share my morning skin care routine with all of you. I know that I find it helpful when other people post this on their blogs as well. Before I begin, let me give you my skin profile. I have oily, acne prone skin that is also ingredient sensitive. I am allergic to gluten and chemical sunscreen. I am against parabens, oils (mineral), and alcohol ingredients in my skin care. My skin also suffers from hyperpigmentation from acne. It’s a real pain. Time to begin!

Step 1: I always wash my hands first and wet my face. Then, I dry my hands.

Step 2: I either use The Body Shop Vitamin C Microdermabrasion or Lush’s Aquamarina in the morning to wash my face with. If I’m using the scrub, I’ll apply it directly to my Clarisonic Mia and go on to step 3. If I’m using the clay wash, I’ll rub it directly onto my face and add a bit of water to get a good paste layer on my face, before going onto step 3.

Step 3: I use my Clarisonic Mia for one minute on my face massaging the product into my pores. I concentrate on my problem areas. Then, I rinse the device and rinse my face of any remaining cleanser. I either pat my face dry or go onto step 3.5.

Step 3.5: I use Lush Aquamarina if I used the scrub. I paste it up on my face and leave it on for a minute or two. This relieves any redness my face might have from being exfoliated.

Step 4: I spray my dry face with my toner and then rub a dry cotton ball over my face to catch any cleanser residue. The toner I use is The Body Shop Vitamin C Energizing Face Spritz, because it is gentle enough for daytime use and it has vitamin skin which helps to lighten hyperpigmentation.

Step 4.5: When my skin is spotty, I apply a acne medication sample that I got from my dermatologist. It is called Clindagel and it’s just a topical gel that I apply to my active breakouts.

Step 5: I always apply a serum in the morning. It helps with my makeup application and I bought this once, because I was told it would help with acne. While it doesn’t help for me with my acne issues, I like the feel of the serum and that it is preventing wrinkles. When I run out, I will be looking for something different. The one I use is The Body Shop Nuriganics Drops of Youth. I was on a Body Shop craze until May. Now, I’m more laid back with the store and have learned what works and doesn’t work with my skin.

Step 6: I use Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream as my daily moisturizer. It is a gel, so it helps my face not to be as oily and it really sinks into my skin after a couple of minutes. I love the smell and the way it feels. A little dab of this is enough for my whole entire face.

Step 7: I always remember to put on spf due to my hyperpigmentation and skin cancer scars. I am trying out Aveeno Active Naturals Natural Protection Mineral Block with SPF 30 because of its UVA and UVB protection and it is supposed to be non-irritating. My skin has little irritation bumps on my forehead and I hate them. I can only see them, but they are annoying. Exfoliation seems to help, but I think it’s also from irritation. My skin always seems to get a little worse in the summer months.

And that is my daily morning routine for my skin! Until Tomorrow!

With Love,
Hannahxoxoxo

My Crazy College Life

So, now that I am done with college for the summer, I have many things that I want to do, including finishing the last few chapters of Finding You. I am going through some health issues right now and my computer got fried during an electrical storm. So, my posts are going to be very different from now on and they are going to be done by my Kindle Fire. I am going to be doing a lot more beauty reviews and book reviews. They are just going to be done a bit differently. I cannot upload photos, but I can recycle old ones. So, it will be interesting to keep things fresh. I’m just sad, because I really like uploading photos of the product and writing really long reviews. I am going to write everything in long hand, before writing on here. I do not want to get too rambly. I am going to try to write a post everyday, but in July, I am going to be posting everyday and doing a special Julamorous. All throughout July I will be reviewing cosmetics, skincare, fragrances, and other things. I am also going to be posting book reviews and writing my beauty hauls. If any fashion hauls happen, I will post that as well. I will also he doing little life updates to keep you guys posted. I want to be very active again. I am super excited! I’m posting a review of bath salts tomorrow, so check in soon!

Love Ya!

Hannah xoxo

Self-Abuse After Trauma

Scars by Cheryl Rainfield

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I promise to be brutally honest with my opinion, but it should not be taken as fact. Any reader should read it for themselves, before they decide if this book has any merit or not. Do not judge this book biased solely on my opinion. If you do, you might miss out on a great read. You never know. It could happen.

1. Strong Main Character/ Female Heroine: Kendra is a teenager going through hell. She has been raped multiple times by an unknown rapist and fills horrified once she starts to remember. She cuts herself to get rid of the overwhelming pain that she feels. To me, Kendra is truly strong. She could kill herself and not have to deal with the pain anymore. She is not a coward or suicidal. She wants to live, but she wants to live life happy, not depressed and scared. She empowers herself with help from the people who love and support her and she grows stronger to the point where she fights back. She gets her life slowly back under her control and learns to live without cutting, although she still cuts sometimes. Kendra is a real eye-opener to me. It scares me to think that I could have been like her. I could have cut to release the pain I felt over being abandoned by my parents, but unlike Kendra I sought the route of exercise anorexia. So, I never got to the skinniness that most people get to, but I was thirty pounds underweight and that really woke me up when I could start seeing the columns on my spine. *(shivers* Like Kendra, it takes years to get over the trauma and the disorders that come with them. It is hard for me to tell anyone that I used to have an eating disorder…that I still do, because you never truly recover. I am still around ten to fifteen pounds underweight. It took me two years to eat a single slice of pizza and now I can have two or three. I still feel the need to exercise like crazy, but I living and loving my life. I still have pain….It never really goes away and Kendra helped me to see that I am truly not alone. 5 out of 5 stars

2. Strong Minor Characters: Megan has an abusive mother, but can still find the strength to love Kendra. So, I am not into the lesbian relationship, but I realize that the emphasis was not on that. It was on the loving relationship between the two girls. Who cares that they love each other? I don’t. I am totally fine reading about their love and how it develops. It made this story REAL, because not EVERY girl falls in love with a guy and I’m cool with that. I can totally relate to Kendra and her mother’s relationship. My relationship to my own mother mirrors her, except more so if you can imagine it. The relationship did seem real, although a bit forced. I love the art teacher and Caroline! They were definite mother figures in the book and it makes me so happy that she had them in her life. I also looked to my teachers as mother figures for myself, especially since I have a mother who never wanted to be my mother. Sandy is an amazingly real character. Out of all the minor characters, I thought he was the second realist character in the book. His relation with Kendra was smooth and flawless. I quite enjoyed reading about all of them. 4 out of 5 stars

3. The Setting: The author creates a beautifully vivid place, where dreams, nightmares, and reality are blurred; a place where a bump in the night could be the last thing that you hear. The setting is chilling and heart-wrenching. It is written in such descriptive detail that it is almost too painful to read. I have to warn my fellow readers; do not read this book with a faint heart for this book will surely rip it out. It contains mature elements that should not be looked over lightly. The author can write a good realistic story with realistic details and places, because she has been in similar shoes. It brings realism into the story. 5 out of 5 stars

4. The Plot: The story really brought me to my knees. I cried out many tears and nights of sobbing with this book. It brought out so much contained pain in myself and helped me bring it to the surface and let it out. The book held my hand as I cried, just like Kendra did with Megan in the park. It opened up such emotion in me that I had to take little breaks from the book. It had so much heartbreak in it, but so much empowerment, too. When Kendra was happy, my heart soared for her and myself and when she was hurt and depressed, I shared those bouts of misery with her as well. This book is like nothing I have ever read before. It was breathtaking and breath-giving. I have nothing, but positive things to say about this book, not because I can relate to it, although that is a part of it. I can relate to it, because it is beautifully as well as accurately written. This book will haunt me for quite some time. I will definitely read more from this author. 5 out of 5 stars

I think I have discovered a new genre that people might be into. I am definitely into this kind of genre and I will get my hands on as many books like this as I can and I will be reviewing them here. I believe that the books we read reflect something about ourselves and what we want to believe in. I like to escape from reality, but sometimes, it is refreshing to read a good dose of fiction reality, because then, you can comfort yourself knowing that the story is not real….But for someone out there in the world, this story is all too real.

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