Instantaneous Length - Benefits of Hair Extension (Beauty Blog Post)

Fuller hair can be faked.

No joke.

My stylist from a few years ago participated in a traveling stylist group that sent him to L.A to style the stars. Yes! The super-glam type who walked on the Red Carpet. According to him, their secret to hair volume is using extensions.

"Oh! Nicole Richie, Brittany Spears...they all use extensions," he said, "I was just doing Nicole's hair last weekend...it was...like...all extensions!"

No wonder she always looks so, um, va-va-voom!

After feeling pretty impressed that he knew Nicole Richie on a first-name basis, I also felt a little shocked that extensions are so popular. Then, I started noticing a lot of beauty blog posts about hair extensions over blogosphere. They really are popular!

However, not all extensions are the same.

Post Memorial Day Clean Eating Meal Plan - and HIIT bonus!

Breakfast

Oatmeal Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 banana, chopped
• 1 table spoon of all-natural peanut butter
• 1/2 cup of cooked organic oatmeal
• 1 table spoon of real maple syrup
• 1 cup of organic unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 tea spoon of real vanilla extract
• 1 cup of ice

Directions

Add everything into a blender, and blend til' smooth.

Enjoy!

Happy (Almost) Summer! (Fashion Blog Post)

Just a few days til' Memorial Day.

I can't wait! Though there's rain in the weekend forecast, Seattle's seen nothing but blue skies this week. All this cheerful weather leads ideas to summer dressing.

Cute shorts and shoulder-bearing tops? 

Um...yes please!

Happy Friday!

And Happy (Almost) Summer!

Relaxed (Fashion Blog Post)

Do you miss Seattle?

A few people have asked. 

Of course I do! The city is raw, and lively, and has layers and layers to peel. It's always moving, ever evolving. You dream so much bigger there.

Look across the Sound. Possibilities are endless. 

 

But I also don't miss the city.

Clean Eating Meal Plan - Fit Friday's Sample

Breakfast

Banana loves avocado smoothie (makes 2)

1 frozen banana, chopped
1/2 avocado, peeled, de-cored and diced
1/2 cup of frozen Greek yogurt
3 cups of unsweetened organic almond milk
1 tea spoon of honey
1/2 tea spoon of vanilla extract

 

Add everything in a blender, and blend til' smooth.

Enjoy.

 

 

Mid Morning Snack

Roasted pistachios

 

 

Lunch

Double the protein, triple the green (makes 1)

1/2 cup of organic firm tofu, diced
4 ounces of cooked organic chicken breast, diced
2 cups of shredded lettuce
1 cup of cooked sweet peas
1/2 cup of cucumber
Fresh parsley to garnish
2 table spoons of Greek yogurt salad dressing

 

1. Lay shredded lettuce on a plate, then top with cucumber, sweet peas, chicken and tofu.
2. Garnish with parsley, and add dressing.

 

 

Mid Afternoon Snack

 

 Fresh watermelon.

Dinner

 

Chicken in homemade peanut sauce, with broccoli (makes 2-3)

Ingredients for sauce:

1 cup of coconut milk
1 cup of almond milk
1/8 cup of Thai curry powder
1/2 cup of all-natural peanut butter
1/4 tea spoon of lite and all-natural soy sauce
1/4 cup of organic agave nectar
1 table spoon of dark vinegar 

 

 Ingredients for chicken:

8 ounces of organic chicken breast, sliced into strips
1 table spoon of cooking wine
1 table spoon of olive oil
1 broccoli head, cut with head only

 

Cooking instructions:

1. Start with peanut sauce by heating sauce pan on high, and adding coconut milk, almond milk, curry powder, peanut butter, soy sauce, agave and vinegar. (If you want sauce thicker, then stir in 1-2 table spoons of corn starch mixed with water.)
2. Stir for about 1 minute. Reduce heat and let simmer for 3-5 minutes. Set sauce aside.
3. Now, you need to marinade chicken strips. Do so by add chicken, cooking wine and 1 cup of peanut sauce in a mixing bowl.
4. Marinade for at least 2 hours. (I prefer over night.)
5. To cook chicken strips, place broiler rack at 6 inches from heat source.
6. Preheat on broil - high.
7. On cooking sheet, grease with olive oil.
8. Lay chicken strips and broccoli evenly on cooking sheet.
9. Broil for 5 min.
10. Take it out, flip chicken to the other side.
11. Broil for another 3-5 minutes.
12. Done.

 

 

Thanks for reading!

Hope you picked up some clean eating ideas from today's post.

Happy Fit Friday!

For-profit blog. Non-profit post.

The Girlie Blog is a for-profit blog. My other blogs and websites are for-profit too.

None of them make a huge profit -- and with the increasing demands of motherhood they makes even less now -- but they make something, and I'm happy about that. 

Earning, after tax, goes towards sustaining the sites themselves (hosting, SEO, research, marketing, etc.), as well as kids' extracurricular projects and activities that my husband and I would otherwise think twice about spending money on.

For-profit blogs are often frowned upon.

It's been a controversy in the blogging community for a long time. Whatever opinions you have, I respect. However, do realize that many, many NON-PROFIT blogs are written to drive traffic to for-profit businesses and services. (I've actively studied the IM forums for years; I know what goes on.) These bloggers often disclose their real names that can be easily found through social platforms like Linkedin, or post links to businesses they support. These blogs scream so righteously that they are non-profit, but indirectly they make quite a pretty penny.

Why. So. Sneaky.

This blog is for-profit.

I proudly disclose that, and urge you to do the same. There is no shame in getting paid for the hard work you do. At least you're not paying five dollars to a kid in a third world country to pump out really bad content that you'll stuff with keywords -- and on a .org too.

Once in a while, for-profit blogs do non-profits deeds.

What I'm Loving Right Now (Skincare, Beauty and Fashion Blog Post)

1. Chain-rimmed bags

If you're aiming for an edgier style, but don't want to draw too far outside of the box, adding metal details is a great way to go.

I found the bag below on clearance at Marshall's. MSRP's $98 but sale price was $30. It's a great tote -- clean n' simple, but still alternative-looking with neatly aligned metal chains.

2. Summer-y prints

While May in most places in the U.S signifies summer's arrival, May in Seattle is still cold and rainy. Even with this week's surprise sun break, we Seattllites know that this is merely a tease.

Well, rain or shine, we still love to wear vibrant hues and summer-y prints. Sky's blah but not our clothes.

See all the colors in my 8-dollar skirt below? Blindingly exciting, right?

3. ROC facial cleanser

Always appreciate multi-purpose products.

This ROC cleanser is great in that it cleans but also exfoliates. The formula creates a bit of a foam through gentle rubbing, and the micro-beads do a great job exfoliating. I thoroughly enjoyed the refreshing sensation after use.

4. Biore self heating charcoal mask

Charcoal is the new rage in skin care right now, and I'm not surprised. When activated, charcoal becomes quite absorbing of surrounding particles. (Ever seen burning charcoal and how it kind of suctions itself until near disappearance?) When charcoal mask is applied and heated on skin, it vacuums impurities from pores.

This Biore mask was neat. After wetting fingers with warm water, you rub the gooey formula on, and it heats up instantly to absorb dirt and oil. It leaves a tingly sensation that feels fresh and clean.

5. Pastel polishes

It's spring. It's fine to wear pastels.

The Essie polish below is in the color "To Buy or Not to Buy." I don't know why makeup has such complicated names, but they sound charming and girlie, so I guess it's all-good.

Thanks for reading.

Happy May Day!

Mother's Day Present Ideas (Fashion Blog Post)

Hello girlies. 

How's your week going so far? 

Seattle has been blessed with sunshine lately, and I've been taking the girls to a quaint beach on the Northeastern border of Lake Washington called Juanita Beach. There's not much there, but the place is serene and scenic, and offers hiking trails, dirt-sand beach, play ground, and a shopping strip full of local coffee shops, boutique stores and restaurants.

Mommy's tired, but the girls had a wonderful few days in the sun.

Today we came home around three, and while the toddler napped upstairs...

and the 3-year-old played in the yard, I opened up my email box to find messages about Mother's Day sales.

Couldn't believe it! Is it almost Mother's Day already?!?!?

There was also an email about a sponsor offer on a jewelry store called Chic Jewelry. Of course, I checked it out.

About Chic Jewelry

Chic Jewelry specializes in high-end cubic zirconia jewelry. Now I understand that the word "cubic zirconia" sounds rather cheap, Chic Jewelry is, however, anything but. The store prides itself on the quality of its jewelry. Its website claims that "While other synthetic gem manufacturers have disappointed customers with cloudy, brittle jewelry, we have impressed ours with a clarity and color so perfect, it’s hard to tell a difference between our CZ stones and the real thing."

In fact, Chic Jewelry has such high quality that some of its merchandise cost in the thousands.

I took a look at their web site, and found amazing pieces that are good enough even for mom.

Below are a few items I've picked out to consider as Mother's Day present. They're beautiful, thoughtful and certainly not cheap-looking. I hope you read on to see each one of them.