The secret to firming up for good? Lifting weights. 12 Reasons You Should Start Lifting Weights Today

Finally, summer is here. Many hours spent studying in the library and attending class are replaced with relaxing in the heat and enjoying the sun. Although this “island-time” schedule is blissful, it can interfere with a healthy lifestyle.  Summer is full of cookouts and parties with tempting treats and refreshing adult beverages. You prioritize other things on your to-do list than getting up and hitting the gym. It’s all fun and games until your health gets hurt, so start with a fitness kick that will continue throughout the season. Consider these tips to stay in shape over summer!

3 Simple Methods to Safely Remove Acne Scars

Lemon juice possesses natural skin bleaching features, and can help in successfully lighten your acne marks. Simply mix equal parts water and lemon juice and apply this mixture straight onto your marks, trying to dodge the surrounding skin. Rinse your face after 15 to 20 minutes or – for extensive treatment, you might decide to leave this diluted lemon juice blend on overnight as a mask. Don't apply this mixture too often as the lemon acidity might generate a chemical burn on the skin making the problem even worse.

DIY Effective Stretch Mark Cream

Many women struggle every day to get rid of stretch marks. Very often this struggle turns out to be pointless and the results most women get are not always the expected ones.

This happens with most of the creams that flood the market.

For the preparation you will need:

1/4 cup cocoa butter

1/4 olive oil

1 tbsp natural raw honey

3-4 drops lavender oil

Melt the cocoa butter over a hot water bath.

Add the same amount of olive oil.

Add 1 tbsp of honey and 3-4 drops of lavender oil.

Then leave the mixture to cool down.

Your DIY stretch mark cream is ready, you can keep it in a glass jar afterwards.

How to Stay in Shape over Summer

Finally, summer is here. Many hours spent studying in the library and attending class are replaced with relaxing in the heat and enjoying the sun. Although this “island-time” schedule is blissful, it can interfere with a healthy lifestyle.  Summer is full of cookouts and parties with tempting treats and refreshing adult beverages. You prioritize other things on your to-do list than getting up and hitting the gym. It’s all fun and games until your health gets hurt, so start with a fitness kick that will continue throughout the season. Consider these tips to stay in shape over summer!

This Technique is so QUICK and easy!! 60 second smokey eye!

Step one: Use a mid color and a fluffy eye brush to wash over your eye lid from lash to crease and down around your lower lash line. Don’t be shy with it down there either, it seems weird but a heavy dose of midtown brown under the eye is what’s going to make it look really blended in the end. And it’s gonna make your eyes look BIG.

Step two: Take a black eyeliner to fill in your tear line and lightly right on the lash line on top and bottom.

Step three: Using a small shadow brush and a dark eye shadow smudge and blend the eyeliner line all the way around.

Step four: Highlight beneath the arch of your brow with a soft light colored shadow (preferably with a touch of shimmer!)

Then mascarify.

Easy, Right? (The 7 sins of a smokey eye is also a good post to check out if you feel like your smokeys aren’t workin!)

Tired of that stubborn back fat? Try this workout!

It’s easier to work the muscles you see in the mirror, but what about your back? Founder and Skinny Mom CEO Brooke Griffin mixes creative and basic exercises for an intense back workout. These exercises do require some balance on your part, so if you feel that you can’t quite manage it, try it without the equipment. Otherwise, you’ll be using a stability ball and a pair of dumbbells. Keep the abdominal wall tight and engaged to support the back muscles as they work. Exhale on the contraction of the movement like you’ll see Brooke do.

Moves You’ll See

Frog Crunches

Back Extensions

Bent Over Row

Superman

Scorpion Twists

Brooke is wearing a top from Zohba and bright green capris from Splits59.

Easy, cheap and natural way to remove your makeup. I've never tried another way I liked better!

You wanna have a second helping of ice cream? I’ll totally support you in that.

Have a secret love for trash TV? Dude, I love Miama Housewives too!

6 days of unwashed hair? I’m happily handing you another shot of dry shampoo as we speak.

Want to call in sick today? Hells yeah, you do.

coconut oil eye makeup remover

Some people were put on this earth to volunteer for the homeowners association, to hand out tickets and to otherwise keep us on our best behavior…

but others  have been put here for the exact opposite reason. To convince those with an overactive conscience that they should take  a break.

And 99% of the time, that’s me….

except when it comes to Sleeping in your makeup.

I’m not going to make you feel good about that.

I’m sorry.

It’s an awkward position for me too.

And I’m not just talking about washing your face either, I’m talking about removing your eye makeup as well.

Your eyes and lashes will thank you if you give them some time to breath each night. Your makeup will look much better applied to a fresh face than it will applied to one with yesterdays remnants.

Perfect summer red lip

This look was so simple! First I HAC-ed (shocking, I know) using the tickled for her blush, next I lined her eyes (just in the inner rims) with black liner.

I added lashes that really made her eyes pop without having to use more shadow (cause I didn’t want it to fight with the lips). Next I lined her pout with this, (but any dark red liner will do) and topped them off with Showstopper. Then spray (my fav setting spray) to set it. If you’re like me and your teeth slightly jut out of your mouth you’ll probably want to check your smile a few times to make sure your teeth aren’t hogging all the lipstick. It really kills the drama:)

I’m flying to New York on Monday for my Allure photo shoot and I CANNOT WAIT! I’ll try to smuggle my camera into the backstage and get some inside info for you all. Vegas is supposed to be something like 11500000000 degrees this weekend so I’ll probably be hanging out by the sprinklers until my flight.

Happy Sunday!

Finally! Some really good tips for hooded eyes!

These are just a few of our modern day beauties that share your eye shape. So you are in FABULOUS company.

The number one trick to making those peepers sparkle is REALIZING that!

I know that it can be a bummer to see a gorgeous shadow displayed on prominent eyes (where there is plenty of lid showing even in a wide eyed gaze) and try to duplicate it to no avail. (my eyes aren’t quite hooded but they don’t show much of my lid either, so I feel ya) Not all eyes are meant to look the same. That would be so boring.

But all eyes are meant to be beautiful. Above any other feature even. Hooded eyes can really show off those lashes, they look soft and genuine and they give you the option of having a peek-a-boo pop of shadow that only shows up when you blink!

So once you feel genuinely happy to have beautiful hooded eyes, you may proceed (of course that only applies to those of you who have hoods)