The Things You Should (and shouldn’t be) Doing in Your Hair Care Routine!

My hair care routine is one of things that I take the most pride in. This is one area that I feel is so important in taking care of yourself. In addition, there are so many misconceptions about maintaining your hair, and specifically washing your hair, that many girls are misled by. Through my own routine, I am going to share some of these errors that you might be doing yourself!

Stop washing your hair

Now obviously I do not mean this in literally never ever washing your hair. However many girls are washing your hair much    more than it needs to be. I used to wash my hair religiously every other day, no matter what. Shampooing your hair every day strips it of its natural oils and therefore leaves your hair extremely damaged. Now I know what you’re saying, “my hair gets so greasy after one day I have to wash it”. This may be true but the reason for it is because you’re continuing to wash it everyday so the oils are overproducing. Instead, you should learn to train your hair; first go one day without washing it, and then two, and then three. You’re hair will learn and no longer produce as much oil. Believe it or not, I now only wash my hair once a week (and no my hair is not a huge grease ball, I promise!). Although washing it once a week might not be possible for everyone depending on the thickness and type of hair your have, you should definitely go as long as possible without washing.

Shampoo roots, condition ends

A good rule of thumb to follow when washing your hair is to only shampoo from the ears up and to only condition from the ears down. Your roots, scalp, and hairline are the only parts of your hair that need to be shampooed considering those are the only parts of your hair that produce oils. Shampooing your ends will only damage them rather than “clean them”. Similarly with conditioner, your ends are where the most damage is caused from heat and other products that you use on your hair. Focus most of your conditioner on your ends and only use whatever is left sparingly through your roots. Too much conditioner on your roots will make your hair dirtier more quickly.

Deep condition/hair masks

You should use a deep conditioner or hair mask once a week or once every other week. These masks will really rejuvenate and help to protect your hair in a way that regular conditioner doesn’t. My favorite is the Macadamia Deep Repair Masque in which I use once every two weeks.

Controlling humidity

One small trick I’ve found when controlling your frizz is to blast your hair with cold water right before you get out. This locks in and controls your frizz better than if the hot water was the last thing that it was in contact with.

Dry shampoo and heat protectant

I could not finish this hair care post without mentioning my favorite and most used product: dry shampoo. Once I hit my fourth day or so, I use dry shampoo to soak up any oils that are visible around my hairline. This product is super helpful in allowing me to wash my hair the amount that I do. My favorite by far is Batiste in the original and clean scent. Another product that I can’t preach about enough is a good heat protectant. I put heat on my hair almost everyday (straightener or curler) and as a result my ends are pretty damaged. To control this and create the least amount of damage I use a heat protectant each time I apply heat (again, mainly on the ends).

Effortless Summer Outfit of the Day

Hey girls!  Today I wanted to share a summer outfit of the day for an effortless, put together look.  I wore this look to a local restaurant and bar that I work at and am constantly running around.  Although it is a skirt, I felt completely comfortable and did not mind at all being in it all day.  This two layer skirt in particular is from Charolette Russe where I got it for around $15.  What I like about this skirt is how the first layer only goes to above the knee while the top sheer layer is the full maxi length, leaving a more flattering look and also cooler in the high temps of summer.

This shirt is originally from Hollister for probably an obscene amount of money.  I however purchased this floral, mesh, white tank top at Plato’s Closet for $7!  Contrary to others, I am very pro-Plato’s Closet! I think that you can find so many great deals there for much lesser of a price than the original retail price.  You will find that I buy many of my clothing pieces from Plato’s and other similar warehouse stores.  This shirt added a little bit of texture and excitement to the otherwise blander skirt.

These shoes added a pop of color to the outfit with the other neutral pieces.  The coral of the shoes went well with the beige skirt without being too flashy.  These sandals are from The Shoe Factory in Philadelphia for only about $10!

Big earrings are my favorite part to add to an outfit.  Personally I think jewelry adds something to every outfit and makes it look more put together as a whole.  Again, these earrings are from Charolette Russe on the clearance rack for $1.99!

Lastly, this was my makeup look that I was wearing with the outfit.  I will say that this is kind of my “everyday look”.  Since I work everyday I am usually guilty of wearing a full face on most days of the week.  If you guys are interested I can do a tutorial on this eye look but for now I will share that I used a mixture of Too Face’s Day and Night Palette and the original Naked Palette by Urban Decay.

6 Tips for budgeting

Hi girls! Being a college student and entering my sophomore year, being on a budget and watching my spending is crucial. Finding new ways to cut corners and save a couple dollars is not only necessary for me but also fun! Today, I am going to share some tips and secrets that I have found on saving money and stretching your dollar to make living a little bit more comfortable!

1.  Make a budget:

This one seems like a no-brainer but it is the most important step to saving money. Having a clear and set budget helps to start on the right foot in organizing how much money you have in total and in what areas you want to spend it on. For me I like to create monthly budgets, especially if I know that I have multiple or large expenses in the future. I normally separate my budget into categories of groceries, clothing, school (textbook, fees, tuition, or any other expenses), rent, misc. bills, and recreational expenses. I also find that writing it down with a pen and paper is more beneficial than typing it out or making a note on my phone. Although I don’t always stick to it down to the dollar, I try my best to stay around the allotted amount of money that I have set for each area.

2.  Pick your stores wisely

Make sure you pick the places that you shop at wisely. I mainly stick to Target and sometimes Walmart for groceries, makeup, toiletries, and any other necessities or home products. Try to steer clear from drugstores like CVS or Riteaid where the prices are jacked up a lot higher, especially for makeup. My school is in the city where prices are naturally lower meaning that I try to always make purchases while I’m at school rather than at my hometown in the suburbs.

3.  Coupons

I used to think that coupons were lame and didn’t really make a difference in the long run, but I have found that the couple of dollars you might save each week really add up! Now I don’t go all “Extreme Couponer”, but I do like to check the weekly ads for coupons on things that I need for that month. My favorite way of doing this is through Target’s coupon app “Cartwheel”. Each week Target puts up new coupons that last for about a month to use on your weekly trips. This makes couponing a lot easier and less of a hassle to do being that it is all electronic. Once you pick all your coupons that you want to use, the cashier will scan your barcode right on your phone and apply your discounts!

4.  Student Discounts

You would be surprised at how many places offer student discounts for college or even high school kids (and how little they advertise them). One site that I like is studentrate.com, where it lists the student discounts that are offered at various stores.

5.  Use change when you can

One thing that I make sure I do is use my spare change when I can. If your total is $3.20, it is a waste to give $4.00 and basically lose that dollar especially if you are prone to throwing the extra change in your endless pit of a bag. Make it a habit to keep your change in one place and use it when you can! I say that anything under .50 cents in change you should definitely give coins, and I even try to when I am over that amount as well. Using up change not only frees up space in your purse but ends up saving you money too!

6.  Save and Spend

My last tip is something that I like to call, “Save and Spend”. Of course being a teenage girl in college there are things that I want to buy for fun or personal use (mostly makeup and fashion) that I might justify splurging. Since I know that makeup and fashion are a part of my budget, I have gotten into the habit of saving now and spending later. It sounds simple but is definitely easier said than done. I go through about three to four months of a “saving period” where I try not to spend money on things that I do not actually need and rather save my paychecks. After a substantial amount of time, I allow myself a week or so to spend (rationally) on some of the things I have been eyeing lately or been waiting to get. This way, I set a goal that I want to reach before I spoil myself with things that aren’t necessarily necessities.

Introduction…Welcome to Obsessed Living!

Hello ladies!  I want to first start off by saying thank you for taking the time to visit my blog, something that I have wanted to create for a very long time.  My goal for this blog is to provide posts about tips and secrets regarding primarily fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and relationships.  When creating this blog, I was sure not to categorize it as an “advice column”; I do not think that I am any more qualified to give advice than the next 19 year old girl.  Rather, I want this to be a place for me to share anything that I have found or figured out throughout the years that I think would be helpful to my fellow chicas.  My goal is for this to be a safe place for everyone filled with positivity and communication among everyone visiting.  I have so many ideas and thoughts that I cannot wait to translate into blog posts for you guys in the upcoming weeks.  Keep your eyes peeled for new posts until I figure out an actual schedule!  Feel free to provide feedback or any requests on blogposts that you would want to see; communicating with my followers is one of the biggest things I’m excited for.  And lastly, I would love for you guys to share my blog with friends and family or anyone who you think might enjoy it!  Thanks again for visiting and I hope to see you again soon!