Hello 2011

So, here we are.  A new year year, a new beginning.  So, what changes do you plan on making?

Updating
I know I always say that I I plan on updating more often (and I really do want to), but I am always busy with some project. I have tons of articles that I want to write, but I need to get off my lazy butt and write them for you guys!

Taking care of myself
This is a full body deal!  I mean head-to-toe and from the inside out!  I am going to start eating better (no more fast food!), staying properly hydrated (with lots of freshly made lemon water) and working out.  I want to start doing yoga or pilates every morning, meditate, floss/use mouth wash (I have only been brushing and that isn't good enough!), wearing contacts and make-up, taking my vitamins, waking up earlier, making my hands look like I just got a professional manicure, and dry-brushing my skin.  I have all these things planned out!  I even started some of these before the new year just to get used to it!

Organize
My apartment is a mess and my car isn't much better.  I plan on keeping EVERYTHING super clean!  I will also do a once a month clean of all my bags to make sure that I have everything under control!  I also want to start using my organizer.  I am sick of having tests sneak up on me!  NO MORE!  I also would like this to include being more financially organized.  I have already started by doing a preliminary clean of my car and clearing out my closet.  I also have a few storage containers for under my bed (for all my current craft projects).  I feel that it might also be easier to be organized if I wasn't living in such a small apartment.  My bedroom is also a living room and office.  Too much stuff going on for my liking.

Miscellaneous
Stay in better contact with friends
Put together awesome outfits
Take more pictures (of the outfits?)
Go out more
Finish my craft projects

I also want to send my full support for anybody who has the resolution to quit smoking.  Many of my friends share this resolution and I think it is great that they want to take care of their bodies by doing this!  You have everything to gain by doing this!  GOOD LUCK!

What do you want to do in 2011?  Let me know!

How To: Beautiful and Healthy Looking Nails

Not all of us has the time/money to spend on getting manicures all the time, but we still want to have nice nails.  While getting pampered at a salon is nice, you can get great results from home for a fraction of the price!

Tools:
♥ Bowl of soapy hot water
♥ Cuticle trimmers
♥ Nail cutters
♥ Nail file (non-metals work best)
♥ Nail buffer
♥ Cuticle Oil
♥ Cotton Balls
♥ Lotion
♥ Clear base coat on nail polic
♥ Colored nail polish and topcoat (optional)

Start by soaking your hands in the hot soapy water (ordinary liquid hand soap is just fine, we don't need fancy stuff) for about 5 minutes.  This softens the cuticles and makes it easier to manipulate.  Once you are done soaking, push the cuticle back as far as it will go (you will see a semi-circle shape.  That is entirely fine).  Trim off any dead cuticle (hard/dry and white in color).  DO NOT cut living cuticle skin as it will hurt and can cause infection!

Now, trim nails to desired length (making sure to cut off any damaged nail (if your nail is chipping/spitting into small sheets) and file them into shape.  Note while filing: make sure to only go one way, not back and forth, as this could damage your nail and this is about taking care of damaged nails!  Once your nails are at desired length/shape, get out your buffer and have at it!  You can find a buffer at any beauty supply place.  I like the buffer blocks because they look fun!

Now that all the trimming is done, we move onto the easy stuff!  The next time we do is apply cuticle oil to all the fingers.  You only need a small amount of this to be effective.  Take a cotton ball and message the oil into the cuticle area and the nails.  Here is a guide to make your own cuticle oil, otherwise, I found it for about $6 just by doing a Google search (Ulta has the $6 cuticle pen which seems like it would offer high quality).

After you messaged the oil into your nails, apply a lotion to your hands.  Any lotion seems like it would be effective, but if your collect lotions, you probably have a collection of both hand and body lotions.  After the lotion, apply the clear base coat.  This will chip and take damage so your nails won't!  You also have the option of appling all the color in the world to your nails at this step (or what colors of nail polish you own).

Pro Tip: This process also works well on your feet!  For particularly stubborn dryness in your feet, use a pumice stone in the shower on calluses then, while feet still have some water on them, apply a lotion and put socks on.  The socks take up some of the lotion so your feet get the lotion applied all over for hours!  You will have softer feet in just a day!

This entire process takes about 15-ish minutes and after doing it just once, you see amazing results.  Plus, all you are purchasing is supplies (which will last for a long time) so it is ultimately much cheaper.  In the eyes of a poor college student, this is amazing news!

I hope after doing this you have happy and healthy nails!

♥Mag-elicious♥

A Few More Costume Ideas

Ok, so I forgot to mention these in my previous post about costume ideas. Sorry!!!

T-shirt ninja: Ninjas are awesome, so why not be one for halloween??? Pretty easy costume to put together too it seems like. 2 black shirts, black pants, and black shoes! Have fun!

Three-hole punched self: This should be recognized by anybody who has seen the office. Jim takes 3 black construction paper circles and tapes them to his shirt all in a row. I would recommend 6 (3 front 3 back). This is a super-easy cop-out costume that people will sure to giggle at!

Hello my name is...: Another of Jim's cop-out costumes. Take a "hello my name is" sticker and just fill it in with another name. Bonus points if you put together a new personality with this new name. Steve could be an under cover agent, while Jenny is a stripping murderer. Have fun with it!

Ok, ideas have been had. Now, make a costume already!

<3
Mag~elicious

Home Remedies

Happy Thursday everybody! Today, I have some tips for how to feel better when your body is against you! I figured that these things happen to everybody and since these are all symptoms I am helping you treat, then this time of year would be perfect for it (seeing as how lots of people get sick this time of year). These are all things that an be easily done in your own home!

~Ginger Ale: Everybody knows that ginger helps an upset stomach. Ginger ale is what many people go right for when their stomach is angry. When ginger ale is nowhere to be found, however (at a restaurant or a convenience store), you can make your own! Just get Sierra Mist and Pepsi (or their coke counter parts). You fill the glass up mostly with Sierra Mist, then a splash of Pepsi, and you have ginger ale. I was skeptical of this at first, but I really found that this worked! Give it a try before you discount it.

~Baby Wipes: Immodium can only help so much when you have diarrhea. It helps in stopping it, sure. However, you are still left with the pain. Baby wipes are gentle and a better alternative to toilet paper (especially in this case). It really helps to take the pain away and isn't that expensive!

~Exercise: Light exercise gets your heart rate up and increases your metabolism. This means that whatever is making you feel ill will get processed faster! Exercise is also a good idea in general. Get in shape and fix a stomach ache? Sign me up!

~Vinegar: I was surprised to learn all the amazing things vinegar can do. This site has just a small list of things vinegar can do. It can also get rid of athletes foot, reduce the risk of getting type 2 diabetes, and reduce muscular fatigue. AMAZING! There are still more things it can do!

~Cinnemon: Similarly to vinegar, cinnemon is amazing! Here are just some of the things it can do!

~Sports Drinks: So anybody who has experianced a hangover knows how much it sucks! Hangovers are no more than severe dehydration. Sports drinks hydrate better than water alone. So, sports drinks will make you feel better. Also, don't use Ibuprofen if you have a hangover headache. Ibuprofen attacks the liver (in the same way aprin attack stomachs). Trying that could result in hospitalization.

Anybody else have home remedies that they swear by?

<3
Mag~elicious!

Halloween in 3 days!

Happy Wednesday! So Halloween is closing in on us...and FAST! The other night at work, I had some people come in and ask me for some cheap, last minute ideas for some costumes. Well, I got inspired! Here are the things I came up with!

Homer Simpson: A recognizable costume. For this, all you need is an (over-sized depending on your body type) white shirt, blue pants, and a bald cap, and maybe some pillows (depending on if you need to fill out an over-sized shirt). If you don't have these items, they are easily found at thrift stores. Bonus points for either a can of Buzz Cola, or a can of Duff Beer (you can find novelty cans that have a deck of playing cards in them)

Philip Fry: Slightly less recognizable (Futurama wasn't as popular I believe), but just as easy to do. White shirt, blue pants, and a red jacket. Bonus points if you have a can of Slurm (same deal with homers cans) and/or the crazy orange hair.

Fairy (Girls): Froofy skirt (hot topic has really cute skirts in many colors), any kind of top (plain shirt, printed, whatever. I use my hot pink tinkerbell shirt), tights, and wings (threadbanger has an AMAZING tutorial for how to make your own if you don't have the money to buy your own. These are really cute and aparently, more durable than store-bought. I highly recommend this)

Fairy (Guys): green shorts and shirt. Really, just try to look as much like Peter Pan as possible. I would still recommend the wings because when people think of fairies, they think of wings.

Zombie: Zombies are pretty popular, so I figured why not!?!? Take a pair of pants and any shirt you own (make sure it isn't nice clothing that you would still want to wear). Cut some holes in them and toss them in the mud. You might also want to get some zombie make-up (seeing as how your skin looks too alive for a zombie)

A friend: This is for somebody who has none of the above available to them and literally no money (or somebody who was looking for an excuse to wear their friends clothes). This can be either for a guy or a girl (just make sure you can get the hair similar). Just raid a friends closet and put together an outfit that they would wear. Consider the pieces carefully and don't put things together your friend wouldn't. If you are a guy dressing like a girl, find some way to give yourself a chest (find a bra and lots of tissue would be my suggestion). Girls going as guys, find a way to minimize your chest (sports bras work great). If that is not available to you, then just wear one of your friends larger shirts (or a jacket over it).


Lolita: If you have the time/money, you can always make yourself a lolita dress. There are many styles, but I highly recommend looking on ebay for Chii costumes to get inspired. You can always keep t his in mind for next Halloween!

I hope this helps anybody who was stuck for ideas!

<3
Mag~elicious

Make it your own!

Wow, so it has been a long time since I made a real post. Not a lot has happened...working mostly and not being around a computer has contributed to a lack of new posts. Also, finishing up Final Fantasy 6 is eating up most of my free time. Having a few friends over tonight just to hang out (all people I work with, plus their significant other and kids). I WILL get back on track with posting though! Now, for your feature presentation:

I bought myself a new purse! It is bright blue and awesome. I think that I can make it more me...more personalized. I like to modify things by adding something to it. So, I went to a few craft stores (Joanns, Michaels, and a local bead shop) and picked up a few charms (mostly heart shaped ones since my focal piece is a large purple heart). Now, I know how to weave some chain mail (a basic European 4-in-1). I am going to make a diamond shaped 4-in-1 and at the base of it, attach the main heart. I will learn how to make one of the many styles of cord and attach the rest of the charms. All of this is going on the large ring that attaches to the purse strap. Project finished!

Find something you like and make it your own. Modifying stuff isn't that hard. All you need are a few tools and a sourse of inspiration. Google can be your friend. Many other people modify lots of stuff and you can just look at what they did, and try to re-create it. Give it a try! If you are hesitant, try a practice run (or don't do modification that involves cutting).

~LOVE~
Mag-elicious!