Author: justanothertaylor

3 ways to keep bleached hair healthy

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Balayage and Ombre are so big right now it’s hard to not want to be part of the trend.

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But, as we all know bleaching hair can really damage it. I’ve learned from experience. Chopping all your hair off is usually the result. (Why my hair is so short in both pictures!)

Now, I’m on the road to recovery. I  LOVE my ombre because there is NO upkeep. I can let my natural color grow for as long as I want and save so much money from going to the salon less.

It’s just the ends I have to worry about. Here are some ways to take care of your hair to keep it healthier and longer.

  1. Make sure you are washing it correctly. 

Don’t wash it everyday! Seriously, dry shampoo works wonders. When you do wash it, put conditioner on just the ends of your hair before you shampoo it. Try to keep shampoo only towards your scalp & try to keep condition just towards the ends.

2. Use Anti-Snap

I can’t use any oils or serums on my hair because it will make it too oily. But I can’t use nothing because my hair is too dry on the ends. Extreme_AntiSnap_150x250

I use Redken extreme anti-snap and LOVE it. Anti-Snap has made it harder for my hair to break off, which has made it grow more.

3. Weekly hair treatments

Coconut oil is my #1. On nights that my hair is dirty and I know I will wash it the next morning, I COVER my hair in coconut oil & sleep in it.

You can also buy weekly hair treatments at Wal-Mart or Ulta, I just think coconut oil is easiest because I use it for other things as well.

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Things Could Always Be Worse

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This morning I woke up at 5:45 to go workout like always. Chugged some pre-workout, slipped my shoes on and tied my ratty hair up into a bun. My brother-in-law was in the kitchen waiting on me so I yelled “I’ll drive to the gym!”

Little did I know 8 minutes later I’d be getting pulled over for ignoring a “Road Closed” sign that I literally have gone around everyday the last month. (not exaggerating.) One $139 ticket later, I was pissed. Why did I say I’d drive? Why couldn’t that cop just have told me not to do it again?

Needless to say my workout was horrible. When we got home I knew my day was going to be that much worse if I didn’t get a good sweat in so I decided to go run. (Exercise is seriously the BEST stress reliever, next to eating a huge cheeseburger)

As I was running by an Arby’s restaurant (wishing I was inside eating a huge #2 with curly fries) I thought to myself “thank god I don’t have to work at a fast food restaurant.” I’ve had my fair share of bad jobs, and that is one that I would never want to have to do.

My point here is things could always be worse.

The rest of my run I focused on all the positives I have in my life. Focusing on the good made a $139 seem so pointless in the scheme of life.

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Flash Tattoos & Bull Riding

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This weekend was my sister’s bachelorette party which called for something special. Something flashy. Something awesome. Something you can wear all day long AND get wet. (From pool water to sweat from dancing all night long.)

Have you ever heard of flash tattoos?! They are basically exactly like the temporary tattoos we wore when we were little, only more appropriate since we aren’t 7 anymore.

Seriously, they are awesome! I got so many compliments from my sister’s friends, and most of them decided they wanted to wear one too!

EVEN my mom decided she wanted to wear one:

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Awesome, right? (Find them here)

After the pool party we had going on, we went out to the bars to celebrate Kylie’s last fling before the ring.

This is how it ended:

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Fun times & Great memories. (P.S. Kylie isn’t passed out, just wanted to snuggle me for the picture lol)

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1980’s Ray-Bans

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So…

My birthday was last Sunday and I am officially 22. And yes, for those of you who are wondering, I still have no idea what I am going to do with my life.

I wish that when I woke up Sunday morning there would’ve been a magical card with details of which path to choose and where I would end up, laying next to my head. But instead I woke up with my sticky bra half on/half off and a headache that would have stopped Marlin from trying to find Nemo. (Had a little too much fun at a wedding the night before.)

Anyway, the day really turned around when I went to meet my family for lunch. Everyone was there, which is a birthday present in itself because they are my favorite people on the planet.

After lunch my dad came to my car and handed me his pair of 1980’s Ray-Ban sunglasses and said “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”. I had told him that I wanted them awhile back, but I never thought he’d trust me with something of his that was old and valuable.

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Cool right?? (My other accessories are pretty on-point today as well)

It makes me feel good that I have people who care about me and want to spend time with me on my birthday, even if I feel like I don’t deserve it sometimes.

They’re just sunglasses right? You’re probably wondering why I am so happy about them. I don’t really know how to answer that, but I do know that I will cherish these sunglasses forever and ever. Even when they go out of style again I will hold onto them and remember the day, my 22nd birthday, that my dad gave me something of his to keep.

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Firefly Lane

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I am not much of a reader, but at night when I am having trouble falling asleep I can read a few chapters in a book and sleep like a baby. (Seriously, it works every time)

I started a book called “Firefly Lane”  by Kristin Hannah a few weeks ago and I REALLY like it. It takes a lot to keep me interested, especially when it’s something like reading. But this book has kept my interest and actually WANTING to read it!

The story is based around a family that has lost their mother and how they are dealing with the struggles that losing her has brought.

I would recommend this book to young and old (my mom is actually the one who gave it to me!)

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What to Wear: Shark Week Party edition!

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So, your boyfriend is obsessed with Shark Week just like the other 80% of the male population. Or maybe you are the one with the passion for those great white beasts! Either way, Shark Week viewing parties are a fun, and a great way to get your friends and your significant others’ friends together!

Drinks and snacks such as the “Shark Attack” and “Great White Shark Cocktail” will of course be involved.

But the most important part of this day is hands down going to be the outfit. You could of course go the cliche way and wear something with a shark on it. OR you could wear an adorable styling outfit INSPIRED by a shark.

1. Tiger Shark:

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Wear a blue colored maxi (get one with some thin stripes to make it even more dramatic) Add some sea-colored stack-able bracelets and your favorite necklace.

2. Great White:

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Some adorable grey denim and a grayish-blue top will do the trick for this one! And how could you ever go wrong with those sandals?!

Shop lovecocos.com for these looks and have a GREAT SHARK WEEK!

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Breaking bad habits

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Seriously, the amount of bad habits I posses are annoying. Eating too fast, touching my face, spending too much time on social media, etc.

So, I have decided that I am going to pick one bad habit that I don’t like that and work on breaking it.

I did some researching and found that it only takes 21 days to break a habit. 21 days in the scheme of life is NOTHING. I also read that if you become conscious of that habit, then switch it with something else (like gum if you bite your nails) then it becomes a lot easier to break.

I wrote myself a post it note of all the habits that I want to break and I am going to work on a new one each week! I will keep you updated on how it is working, but I already feel better just acknowledging what I want to change. If you feel like you have habits that you want to break, I definitely suggest writing them down!

If you have any suggestions for me, leave a comment and let me know what they are!

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Stacking your bracelets

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Okay, so I am a little biased because I work for the wonderful ladies that came up with this bracelet line, BUT even if I didn’t I would still be obsessed with them. They come in sets and they are literally to die for.

Each bracelet set is a few single bracelets stacked together:

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(Me wearing Erimish)

This is a HUGE trend right now and Erimish honestly has the cutest sets I’ve seen.

Check out all their bracelet stacks if you are looking for this style!

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How to achieve good college graduation photos

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So you’re graduating from college? It has become a trend to put your photo on/with your graduation announcement but you don’t know what will look good without being cheesy like your high school senior pictures.

Well, here are some tips on how to achieve a mature, appropriate graduation photo to add to your announcement!

1. Include the school mascot in the background:

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Most schools have a statue, large painting, etc. Taking your picture in-front of one screams school spirit and also has tradition written all over it. I love this one by Creations by Kelsie. (Go check her out!)

2. Pose with a funny sign/or decorated graduation cap.

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Another by Creations by Kelsie that is cleaver and gets the point across. “I’M DONE!” is exactly how I felt, too!

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How cute is this photo of this graduating couple and her decorated cap? That is actually the cap I decorated/wore at my graduation! Although I didn’t get near as cute of a picture!

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(No one kissed me…)

3. Go simple and just use the school colors:

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Every campus has beautiful features, incorporate them! Pitt State always has red and yellow flowers (their colors) in the spring and they went perfectly with Haleigh’s girly outfit.

4. Use props:

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How adorable are these balloon pics!? Nothing says “Come help me celebrate” more than balloons!!! (Okay, maybe alcohol but I don’t think grandma would appreciate that.)

Creating a unique, fun graduation announcement can be quick and easy if you incorporate a photo! Show some examples to your photographer and they will definitely help you achieve the look you’re going for.

(Please feel free to share on your Facebook and Pinterest pages!!!)

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The “Facebook” effect

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So you think that girl/guy you’re so jealous of and stalk on social media has the perfect life right? They seem happy 24/7. They are beautiful, smart, funny. Everything YOU want to be. And to top is off, their boyfriends/girlfriends seem even more perfect.

I catch myself doing this a lot. Looking at other people’s lives and finding myself disappointed with my own. Yesterday I was looking at a fellow bloggers Instagram upload where her boyfriend had gotten her Gerber Daisies (my favorite flower) “just because.” At first I was all like “What the hell Austin, you suck!”

Then I realized him not getting me flowers for no reason doesn’t mean he’s a bad boyfriend to me. There are plenty of other things that he does for me that make me happy. People (including myself) mostly share the good things and rarely share the bad.

The point is, don’t be so quick to get unhappy with your own life. Think of all the shitty things that happen to us in REALITY. Do we share those things? No. Neither do those that you are jealous of.

I’m mad at myself for even comparing my life to others’s based off of social media. Sure, some of the stuff shared on social media is genuine, but ask yourself, if someone is THAT happy with their life, why do they have to share it and let everyone else know just how happy they are? I’d say at least 50% of peoples posts are pretty sugar coated.

We share our “Ideal” selves on social media, not our REAL selves.

We ALL have something beautiful to bring to the table. It may not seem like you have the perfect life, but no one does. Just remember that.

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