you don't need makeup

it has been a phenomenon since a couple of years and exponencially growing. video platforms, specially youtube, are full of girls sharing beauty tips for makeup, hair, clothing, skincare. I've even seen some recipes for bleaching your teeth (!) at home (!!!). what the heck is going on?

if we look at how "old" these girls are, it turns out scary: some are still children wearing the thickest, heaviest makeup you're used to seeing on a grown up woman. their hair is so elaborately done sometimes I think we're back to the 18th century. the shoes these girls wear would make victoria beckham cry of envy.

they have the softest skin, no wrinkles at all (they're teenagers for god's sake!) and they're told everyday by other girls on youtube that they need 3 layers of makeup before heading to school.

the cruel part about it is that these videos are pure advertisement, a travesty of home videos of girls sharing tips. they're not sharing tips, they are earning money to tell the viewers to buy that stuff, it might happen that they don't wear all that makeup themselves everyday.

so, little girls, when you see adult women covering their face with cement, for your information, they're trying to look like they were as young as you are now. why would you want to look as old as them?

you simply don't need it.

defined curls

only people with curly hair know what a big deal it is to fight for beautiful curls.

if you're lazy and are looking for a magical product that will miraculously give you perfect hair without any work, skip this post, there isn't such a thing, I guarantee you.

keep in mind it doesn't matter which product you use, it will always depend on some mechanical method. check all the famous methods out there: tightly curly, jessicurl, rake&shake, curlisto, twist out, curly girl, skip curl, be curly, etc. it's never about applying the product, combing and that's it, it always involves a soothing technique.
 
how to get defined curls then? it's actually simple, but it takes some time and work.

so, if you want to get curls like these, you gotta learn how to make the "ribbons". it pays off!

for this you will need a styling product, I recommend goo, but you can use whatever styling product you're used to (gel, mousse, leave in conditioner...), styling your hair like this will feel a bit difficult in the beginning, but after some practice, you'll do it quite fast (I need no longer than 10-15 minutes for the whole process). the biggest advantage of the "ribbons" technique are long lasting curls. mine stay 24-48 hours.

work always with wet hair. curls should never be combed or brushed when dry!

detangle and part your hair in layers.

apply the goo (or the product you prefer) to each layer separatedly while you're working on it, that will help to distribute it evenly.

comb it through with a wide tooth comb or a denman brush to make sure it's detangled.

now it's time to make the "ribbons".

hold that layer firmly, letting your fingers go through it like a comb, it's not necessary to pull your hair, just slide your fingers down in one firm move, these "ribbons" will be your curls.

repeat the same process with each layer. detangle, goo, ribbons, detangle, goo, ribbons, detangle, goo, ribbons...

when you're done, let your hair be! don't touch it while it's drying because the curls have to set. messing around with your hair will only undo all the work you just did.

you ought to let it air dry, but if you must blow dry, never ever do it without a diffuser.

I still prefer to let it air dry because heat damage is irreversible. I might blow dry my hair once a year at most.

that's all.

everybody I know who tried the "ribbons" technique once was blown away by the result and never wanted to finish the hair in a different way.

take time for yourself and take care of your curls cause we are all beautiful and gotta show it :-P a famous slogan says "cause you're worth it", and you sure as hell are!

rosemary potatoes

looks fancy on your plate and anybody can make it.

i n g r e d i e n t s :

• potatoes
• rosemary
• olive oil
• salt

p r e p a r a t i o n :

pre-heat the oven to 200°C, pour some olive oil on the bottom of an ovenproof dish, lay the rosemary on the oil. slice the potatoes, but not through, so they remain in one piece. lay the potatoes on the oil and rosemary.

pour some salt and drops of olive oil on each potato. put it in the oven for about 30 minutes. serve immediatelly.

rice pudding

very good and simple dessert, it goes cold or warm (specially delicious in cold days) and easy to vary too.

i n g r e d i e n t s (f o r  3 - 4  p e r s o n s) :

• 2 cups of rice (no parboiled!)
• 1 cup of sugar
• milk
• cherries, cinammon, raisins, prunes, strawberries, cocoa powder, sliced bananas, whatever your imagination wishes to eat with it!  

p r e p a r a t i o n :

overcook the rice in water for 30 minutes in medium temperature. strain it.

add a cup of sugar to the overcooked rice, mix it well, then pour milk until the rice is completely covered. cook it for another 30 minutes, stirring it every now and then.

ready to serve! have a good one!

notice I don't add any fat, cream or flavour to it. I know some people cook it with butter or vanilla sugar, etc. etc. believe me, it's not necessary. your rice pudding will taste great like this, there's absolutely no need to add artificial substances or merely fat to your meal.

goo (aka linseed gel)

this one goes for curly girls who are tired of looking for the ideal gel or leave in for their coils, spirals and ringlets. I call it goo (cause it's a goo!) but its result will impress you.

i n g r e d i e n t s :

• linseed
• water
• a little cup for good measure
• a piece of pantihose
• a little pot with lid

p r e p a r a t i o n :

add in a cooking pan 1/4 of linseed to 2 cups of water. let the water boil, always stirring.

when it starts cooking, it will give a kind of foam, that's ok. continue stirring and let it cook in medium temperature for about 2 minutes. the liquid will turn a bit thicker but not yet into a goo, however, that's the time to turn off the oven.

use the pantihose to strain the goo. let it cool down.

that's it! you'll want to store your goo in the fridge cause it's a 100% natural product, therefor preservative free. the color might vary, mine always turns out brown, but I've seen others that turn out transparent. it smells like nothing and will define your curls without drying them out, greasing them or damaging them. apply generously and enjoy bouncing curls!

a t t e n t i o n !

strain the goo while it's still hot and liquid, else you won't make it!

25 clever ideas to make life easier

I saw this on the daily buzz and had to share it. it's totally amelia!

one gotta love learning how to fold a fitted sheet.

so, have fun visiting the daily buzz, they're full of cool stuff. enjoy!

vegetable oils

this is a very easy and natural way to make dry hair glossy and healthy.

despite the amount of products out there, promising beautiful healthy hair (with the price tag on it) I still prefer to use natural products on my hair.

people with straight hair tend to have less problems with dry hair than curly people like me cause the natural oils produced by the sebaceous glands easily slides down the shaft, lubricating the hair evenly from the roots until the ends.

when you have waves or curls, this doesn't happen so, the tighter the curl the harder will be to have it perfectly lubricated, which might lead to a greasy hair close to the scalp and very dry ends.

if your hair is dry it will get frizzy, and that not only on foggy days, you'll always have frizz! dry hair might also lead to breakage and dullness.

in order to treat your hair well, you can use vegetable oils. pure vegetable oils.

you can generously apply on your hair, specially the ends, before washing it, distribute it thoroughly, make a bun and wait 1 or 2 hours, the longer the better. when you wash your hair, don't wash it as if it would be a piece of cloth, this is a bad bad mistake, you'll just strip away the oil your hair needs, mind the scalp with your fingertips. the foam that runs down when you rinse your hair will take care of the rest.

if you've got a whole day for yourself, apply the oil in the morning and wash your hair in the evening.

this is a pretty simple solution with an extraordinary result. you just have to take care to buy the right oils, it has to be pure, 100% vegetable, some manufacturers mix it with mineral oils (no go!!!) and also prefer the ones extracted primarily from seeds. the ones I recommend are:

• olive
• macadamia
• avocado
• coconut
• almond
• argan

depending on how dry your hair is, you'll need to repeat this process on a weekly basis and decrease the frequency as your hair gets better and better, however, I do it on a monthly basis to make sure my hair won't turn into a witch's broom.

furthermore, having straight hair doesn't automatically mean your hair can't dry out, particularly if you dye, bleach, perm, blow dry or use the flat iron on a regular basis. sun, chlorine, sea water and cold also damage the hair structure.

if you treat your hair well it will grow long and strong, you won't have to trim the ends so frequently anymore.

beer bread

super delicious, super easy and super quick to bake.

i n g r e d i e n t s :

• 3 cups of flour
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1/2 liter of beer
• 3 tea spoons of backing powder
• 1 tea spoon of salt
• some butter to grease the loaf pan

p r e p a r a t i o n :

pre-heat oven (180° ~ 190°C) mix dry ingredients, don't forget using the sifter, you have to sift sift sift! if you don't, your bread will turn into a brick, and you don't want this. after dry ingredients are mixed, add the beer.

 use a mixer now, the dough will turn thick but nothing too dramatic, I like mixing for at least 5 minutes. grease a loaf pan with some butter and gently pour the dough in it, trying to distribute it evenly, however, do not try to distribute the dough once it is already in the pan.

put it in the oven for 1 hour, when it's done, take it out of the pan and let it cool down for about 15 minutes. voilá!

it is simply lovely with good butter, actually it goes with everything, cheese, salami, jam, honey, nutella, ham, eggs... I've just never tried it with vegemite.
the cup I use is actually a 300 ml mug.

shepherd's pie

good old recipe that always brings me to my soviet childhood haha :)

i n g r e d i e n t s (for 3-4 persons):

• 500g of minced meat (I prefer beef)
• 800g of potatoes
• 1 onion, garlic
• 100g of parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• olive oil
• 150ml milk or cream
• salt, pepper, thyme, whatever spices you like

p r e p a r a t i o n

skin the potatoes and start cooking them.
add 1-2 spoons of oil in a frying pan. cut the onion and garlic the smallest possible, then start frying it on a medium fire until "onion smell". add thyme. when the onion is golden, add the meat and cook it until it's done but not too dry, always mixing. add salt and pepper up to your taste.

preheat the oven to 180°C.
don't forget to salt the potatoes when the water starts boiling :) preheat the milk, and grate the cheese. when the potatoes are ready, mash them the finest you can, adding 1/3 of parmesan into it, the milk, and the egg. mix well. put half of the mashed potatoes in the form, making a bottom layer.

then add the meat, and the second half of  the purée as a third layer. rest of the cheese on top. put it inside the oven for about 20 minutes.

the dish is done, and it's tasty, so good appetite! :)

headbands

summer is almost there and for those with long hair who aren't interested in a "summer haircut" life can become very hard on the really hot days. not everybody has the time or the patience to spend on styling the hair, but this is no excuse to go around wearing your hair in a bun secured with an ordinary hair clip (leave that for the days you have to clean your place).

headbands and accessories are a very quick solution!

all you'll need are a discreet rubber band (the closer to your hair color the better) and different models of headbands or hair clips.

put your hair together in a loose bun

mess up with the bun a bit, messed up hair is fashion nowadays,we're not in the 50's

finish your updo with some decoration and you're ready to go!

this works for absolutely any type of hair, with or without bangs, and the best part is that it takes you only one or two minutes to get ready.