Five Ways to Stay Hydrated During the Summer Months

When we are laughing and playing in the sun we don’t think of much else. But, even if you don’t think about anything else, remember that keeping up your fluid intake is important. Learn to stay hydrated during the hot months of the year.

The heat of the sun feels good on your skin. The summer months are a time to get outdoors and breathe the fresh air and have a bit of fun. Some people don’t pay attention to the weather when it is warm. If it were raining or storming, umbrellas would go up and people would drive slower.

In the heat, we should also take care. There are many heat-related deaths each year. And, it’s not only the elderly and children that have to be careful. Anyone can be affected by too much heat and too little fluids.

So, if you need to be outside, remember to keep some form of hydration close at hand.

Five Ways to Stay Hydrated During the Summer Months:

1. Drink water before, during and after a workout – When the weather gets warm, you’ll lose even more fluid through sweat during a workout, indoors or out. Drink at least two or three glasses of water before a workout and eight ounces for each 15 minutes that you exercise. Afterwards, recharge those cells with another glass or two of water. It quenches your thirst like no other drink.

2. Eat fresh fruit – Fruit has high water content. It is one way to increase your intake of fluids, especially if you don’t like drinking a lot of water. For a treat, freeze a fruit, like grapes, and then munch on them as a cooler when hanging out outdoors.

3. Avoid drinks that steal water from your body – One thing to avoid is drinking caffeine and alcohol. Both can dehydrate your body. If you want something more than water, try using drink mix sticks or lemon and a sprig of mint.

4. Have a sports drink after heavy prolonged exercise – The body doesn't just lose water but also electrolytes. Too much heat without replenishment of sodium and potassium can lead to an electrolyte imbalance in the tissues, which is serious. Choose a drink that is low on sugar but high in the electrolytes that you need.

5. Drink throughout the day – Even if you are not participating in organized activity, you are still moving around outdoors so the heat can affect you. Keep a bottle of water with you at all times. It can also help you eat less. Most of the time when we eat, it is not actually hunger but thirst that we suffer from.

Water is important to every living thing and that includes you. During warm weather, stay hydrated.

{summer stock photo by www.pixmac.com}


Now it's YOUR turn: How do you like to stay hydrated during the warmer weather? Share your tips with us in the comments!

5 Simple Tips To Fix 5 Mistakes We Almost All Make When We Put On Makeup

photo credit

Have you ever been putting on your makeup and when everything is going well, you suddenly make a mistake that ruins all of your effort? Have you had to take off your makeup some time because, without meaning to, you've ruined your makeup? Surely you have; it happens to all of us.

In today's makeup post, you will find five of the most common mistakes and the best tips to quickly fix them without having to take off all of your makeup...


"I'VE PUT ON TOO MUCH FOUNDATION"
This is a very common mistake that we all make when we put on makeup. If you are totally made up, to take off any excess foundation, do the following:

Lightly moisten a clean sponge with water (the sponge should be almost dry and without any makeup residue) and sponge all of your face with downward movements.

TIP: It's very important, most of all, to avoid excess foundation and concealer around the eyes. To eliminate any excess in this area, perform the same step and afterwards use your fingertips to softly blur the product in that area.

"MY EYESHADOW LOOKS TOO DARK"
If you've put on too much eyeshadow, or it looks too dark, follow these steps to quickly fix the problem:

If it happened on your upper eyelid, blur the eyeshadow toward the edges with a clean brush to reduce the color. If it still looks very dark, apply a little bit of matte cream eyeshadow with a brush (if you don't have cream eyeshadow, you can use translucent powder) and blur the eyeshadow.

If it happened on the lower part of your eye, use a fine, clean brush to blur, or pat it softly with a Q-tip.

If as you were blurring, you've left the contour of the eyelid and the shadow looks very dark, blur it with a clean sponge and afterwards apply a little bit of foundation, patting lightly to fix the foundation.

"I'VE PUT ON TOO MUCH BLUSH"
If you applied too much blush, try the following tip:

Stroke your cheek with a thick, loose powder bush the brush should be completely clean. If you still have too much blush on, apply translucent or clear powder with the same brush, just over the blush. That way the two powders should mix, clarifying the original color.

"I'VE PUT TOO MUCH MAKEUP ON MY EYEBROWS"
When we put too much makeup on our eyebrows, we look harsh and we can't even recognize ourselves. Follow the following tip to quickly solve this:

Simply brush the eyebrow with a clean Q-tip, going against the grain of your eyebrow. You will see how quickly the color you initially applied disappears.

"I'VE SMEARED MASCARA ON MY EYELID"
That's all right. Just follow these next steps and you'll see how you can quickly fix the problem:


Continue applying makeup and when you have finished, allowing enough time for the mascara to dry, apply a Q-tip right over the smudge. You'll see how it quickly disappears and you don't need to remove the makeup from your whole eye.

TIP: A good trick to avoid smudging yourself is applying makeup first to your inferior eyelashes and then to the superior.


Now it's YOUR turn:  Do you have any makeup tips you want to share? Let us know in the comments!

Easy Do It Yourself Manicure

Today's easy do it yourself post is going to kill two birds with one stone. How? Well, it just so happens to be Day 9 of the Latina Lifestyle Photo Challenge and today's daily prompt is nail art. {To see what the photo challenge is about and join in on the fun click HERE}. 

Now that one bird has been whacked {poor birdie!} let's get our stones together and tackle this Easy Do it Yourself Manicure post.

Putting makeup on or dressing up for a special occasion is very easy, but has it ever happened to you that when you're all dressed up, some broken or badly manicured nails ruin your image? Most likely this has happened to you, it's happened to all of us. It's hard to get a manicure every week, and also expensive. That's why in this article we're sharing with you the best tips we know of to do your own manicure at home and always have impeccable hands.

1. START AT THE BEGINNING

Set a day of the week to dedicate a few minutes to your hands. That way it will be easier to always keep them impeccable. For me, for example, I know that Sundays are my day of "beauty at home"; I take advantage of the day to take care of my hands, apply a facial masque and then fix my hair. I set apart some hours every week to dedicate them to me. It's great. Try it! What's more, you deserve it.

2. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO A MANICURE AT HOME?

To do your own manicure at home, you don't need much more than the following tools:

Orange stick:
Orange Wood Stick Cuticle Pusher Manicure Lot of 100
The orange stick removes the cuticle and the dirt from your nails. They are very economical and are very useful. I also use them to remove nail polish from around the fingers when I accidentally paint outside my fingernail contour. Just soak the orange stick in nail polish remover and quickly remove the edges.

Nail clipper:
JMK 06820 Nail Clipper Set - 3 Piece
It's better to file your nails to shape them, but sometimes it's necessary to cut them to equal lengths. Use a nail clipper instead of scissors.

File or emery board:
Tweezerman Nail File Collection Pack of Emery Boards, 0.7 Ounce
Invest in a good, long-lasting file. The best ones are made of cardboard. Choose a size that you like and keep it. Also, there are some files that are stronger on one side than on the other. These are the ideal kind because that way you only have to buy one.

Nail buffer and polisher:
FPO Lil' Whistler 3-Way Nail Buffer 3.25"
Usually files have one side to file the nail and another to give it shine. If it's not the case with yours, obtain a nail buffer and polisher. These smooth out your nails if they're peeling.

Transparent treatment nail polish:
You need to choose something that works well with you. If your nails are always breaking, you need a nail hardener, of if they're dry, you need a moisturizing treatment. Usually any pharmacy will have an entire treatment range at very accessible prices. This nail polish also serves as a transparent nail polish when you don't feel like painting them.

Cuticle oil:
Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil Nail Treatment
This is one of the best buys you can make to have impeccable hands. These oils soften and moisturize the cuticle. If you are not very good at cutting your cuticles, you can skip this step by using this product.

Colored nail polish:
Choose the colors you like and that coordinate with the image you want to project. For example, if you have a special dinner, paint your nails a wine red. It looks very nice, especially if your nails aren't too long. Or, for example, if you have a business lunch, paint your fingernails a porcelain tone; it's very elegant and discrete. If you feel like adding a touch of color and fun, paint your nails a dark pink. Why not?

Protective/strengthening polish:
This foundation will help your colored nail polish to last longer and will also add a nice shine to your polish.

Exfoliating lotion:
Veris Dead Sea Natural Cosmetics - Nourishing and Moisturizing Hand & Nail Cream
You can use a body exfoliating lotion or else you can make a natural one with sugar and olive oil. Try it it's amazing! This is one of my most ancient tips. I don't remember where I read it or from whom I learned it, but the truth is that I use it every week and I love it! All you need are two teaspoons of white sugar and four tablespoons of virgin olive oil (if you prefer, you can use moisturizing body oil, but olive oil has worked well for me. Mix together well and apply to your hands, rubbing them gently. Don't forget the fingers and the nails. You can also use this exfoliating lotion on your forearms and elbows; then rinse yourself with lukewarm water. Your hands will feel soft and like new!

Moisturizing hand cream:
Buy a good moisturizer for your hands, one that adapts to your needs. For example, if your hands crack easily or you have dark spots...buy what you need.

Nail polish remover:
Super Nail Non Acetone Polish Remover, 16 Ounce
The ones that are especially good are those that don't contain acetone, as this is very aggressive and many people are allergic to it.

3. Now that you have all your supplies, follow these simple steps: 

1. Remove all nail polish from your nails.

2. Cut your nails to an equal length.

3. File your nails and use the buffer to leave them smooth.

4. Use the orange stick to eliminate any leftover dirt and to softly remove the cuticles (I don't recommend cutting the cuticles at home, as I think this is very difficult and a job best left to professionals. I know that some of you do this. If you already do this and you're happy with the result, continue doing so. If not, just try to soften them with cuticle oil.)

5. Exfoliate your hands. Follow the advice we gave you previously. You'll see the result immediately.

6. Dry your hands well. This step is very important. If you've exfoliated your hands with olive oil and you don't dry your hands off well, especially the nails, the nail polish will not last long. Remember to dry yourself carefully.

7. Paint your nails. Follow this order: treatment foundation, colored nail polish, another coat of colored nail polish, and protective/strengthening nail polish. I know, it's a lot of coats, but remember that you want your nails to look perfect all week long.

8. Moisturize your hands. Lastly and once at least an hour has gone by (yes, one hour if not, after all the effort, your nails will be immediately ruined when you apply the moisturizer), moisturize your hands carefully. You will feel like new!

Here are a few extras for you: 

Paint your fingernails while you watch TV or listen to music or read a magazine. Take some time to relax, and take advantage of it while the polish dries.  You can follow the majority of these steps on your feet as well. The exfoliating cream is great for your feet...

Once a month, you should cover your hands in a moisturizing face masque and put on some cotton gloves. Sleep in them, and the next day your hands will feel like new.  Do this manicure every two months. It's a pleasant luxury, and that way your hands will need much less care, especially the cuticles.

Whenever a cuticle acts up, apply oil on it. You will see how upon moisturizing it, it will immediately soften and won't bother you.

Remember: Our hands are an important part of our personal image. Don't neglect them!

Now it's your turn:  How often do you like to give yourself a manicure?