Girls-Only Yoga Book: my review!

Yoga to the Rescue: Remedies for Real Girls by Amy Luwis is a book I recently picked up at my local Barnes & Noble. I don't have much experience with yoga, but I've always been interested in it- not for the meditation aspect, but because I love the stretches and poses that are beneficial to your body. I've been looking for a good yoga book for awhile. I wanted something fun, easy, but also informative, and I have definitely found it in Amy Luwis' book! I wanted to share it with you so you can check it out for yourself.

The first thing I noticed about this book was how cute it was! It's bright pink, compact, and every page is filled with funny illustrations by Amy herself. This book might not seem serious, but you definitely get a lot out of it!

Another thing I like about this book is that each of the 48 poses is divided into a category- the categories are Sexy, Calm, Energy, Restore, Sanity, Cleanse, and Ragtime.  These categories will do multiple things for you- whether you want to tone a certain area, boost your confidence, get some sleep, stretch a particular area or organ, improve your posture, or relieve PMS symptoms- it's all in this book, and so much more!

Each page has a helpful (and super funny!) illustration of the pose, as well as an easy-to-understand instruction guide, helpful pointers, and a list of the physical and mental benefits the pose will provide. 

You  name what you want your pose to do for you, and there is something in this book that will aid in that area! It doesn't matter if you're 8 or 80, flexible or stiff, a yoga newbie like myself or a master of the thing, you're sure to love this book! It's great for any girl who's interested in learning more about yoga.

If you're tired of the super-serious yoga books featuring perfect women in perfect poses, Yoga to the Rescue swaps spirituality and skinny minnies for cartoon women with tummy rolls without sacrificing top-notch yoga instruction. I highly recommend this fresh approach to yoga. It's fun, beneficial, and affordable (check it out at your bookstore or Amazon.com)!

Have you ever tried yoga? What are your favorite resources to learn it? Let me know what you think about this post in the comments!

Love,

Alli

P.S. Don't forget to follow our blog so you can stay up to date on all the girly things we post about! We have some exciting giveaways coming up soon! :-)

School Picture Tips

HAIR

-Keep your hairstyle classic for school photos. Just try a simple blowdry with a slightly off center part. You'll regret anything complicated or super-trendy in a few years.

-I suggest leaving your hair down, or putting it half up/half down. Sometimes having your hair back in a tight bun or ponytail can make you look bald in photos!

-Wavy hair is actually a lot more photogenic on most people than stick straight hair, so keep that in mind when styling!

-Use a bit of cream or de-frizzer in your hair so it is smooth and healthy looking.


CLOTHES

-Wear a color that is flattering on you- or something that brings out your eyes and looks good with your skintone.

-Avoid loud colors and patterns.

-Make sure whatever you wear won't clash with the background of the photograph!


MAKEUP

-Do your makeup the way you usually do- your school photo is supposed to look like YOU!

-Apply a little extra bronzer- flash cameras can usually make you look washed out.

-Today isn't the day to skimp on concealer or foundation! Make sure your blemished and undereye circles and concealed so your skin looks as flawless as possible in the picture.

-Don't go overboard on eye makeup. This isn't the time for bright colors. Do a neutral eyeshadow (nothing dark, but a light shadow will make you look awake and is always flattering), some mascara, and maybe a bit of eyeliner to define your eyes. A little blush is nice too, to give you a healthy glow.

-Leave your lips natural with just a little balm or gloss. You'll regret doing a wild lip color.


SMILE

-Bring a travel toothbrush or some dental floss with you to school- you want to make sure you don't have anything in your teeth!

-Optional: Use teeth whitening strips or paste leading up to picture day. That way, you'll have an extra pearly grin!

-Rather than trying to look a certain way in your photos (serious, cool, smart, etc.), just muster a relaxed and genuine smile. Laugh slightly, or open your mouth a little bit so get a flattering smile.

-If you always blink in photos, ask the photographer to count to three before they take the picture. Then, you can blink on "two" and be wide eyed for the capture.


Most importantly, just BE YOURSELF. Pictures always turn out the best when you don't try to hard and just keep it natural.

xoxo
Love,

Alli

10 Beauty Tips for SCHOOL

That's right, girls, back to school time is upon us! (HALLOWEEN decorations are already in stores!!?? It's still summer!) Here are 10 fun, easy, back to school beauty tips to help keep you looking your best.

1. Carry face blotting papers with you to soak up oil without smudging your makeup.

2. Smell good all day by spraying perfume at the nape of your neck. The fine hairs there will absorb and hold fragrance longer than your skin does.

3. Use a shimmery gloss if you want your lips to seem fuller, and a matte lipstick to make them seem thinner.

4. If you don't have time to wash and style your hair every morning, shower before bed, then put your damp hair in a braid or bun. Your hair will have natural looking waves in the morning, and you'll be clean and ready to go!

5. Drink as much H2O as possible every day. Carry a water bottle around with you at school if you can! It has been said that staying hydrated can keep your complexion clear, and I've definitely noticed that myself.

6. Store a beauty touch-up kit in your locker. If you rushed to school, you can apply any steps you missed once you get there.

7. Massage your scalp for 3 minutes to increase blood flow- some say it will make your hair grow faster! You can also strengthen your hair by eating foods rich in sulfur, like milk, fish, and eggs.

8. Apply a bold, shiny lip color to draw attention to your face. You'll instantly appear confident.

9. Pair a chic headband with a messy bun for a casual, but cute daytime style. Or, if you don't have time to curl all of your hair, just curl the ends of a basic ponytail to make it more polished.

10. Microwave a small bowl of your body moisturizer for 20 seconds before you apply it- warm lotion is great for soothing tired muscles and dry feet. Or, if it's a really hot day, pop your lotion into the fridge for 10 minutes before applying it for a cooling effect.

I hope these helped you out! Comment below and let me know which idea was your favorite, or leave me your own beauty tips and tricks. Good luck!

Love,

Alli

Morning Fog: Ways to get over your morning drowsiness

Hey Girls!

In the mornings are you ever tired and groggy but don't want to hype yourself up with a cup of coffee? Well, if it's looks you're worrying about, a good under-eye eye roller like a Garnier Nutritionist Caffeine Eye Roll-On eye roller may help... It targets eye puffiness that makes you look tired on those early mornings.

Another morning trick is to avoid being stressed in the mornings. It makes you feel stressed and look it too. By setting an alarm a few minutes early and setting out your things the night before both saves you time and lets you have a few minutes to yourself to get collected before you leave, which, avoids forgetting things!

Now, we all know of people who don't eat breakfast or are the kind of people to just avoid the concept all together. Studies show that those that do eat a good breakfast in the mornings have better focus throughout the day, have a higher metabolism, and tend to be in a better mood. For those of us that don't have time in the mornings to make a five star breakfast, a granola bar like Quaker Oats Chewy Granola Bars are a good alternative. You can grab and go and they're pretty yummy too!

If you'd like something a little healthier, Special K has great breakfast bars and meal bars that are a fulfilling breakfast for all of you that are on the go.

Hopefully, these tips will help all you girls out there in your slew of mornings!

Lots of Love,

Amii

Makeup Organization

Hi girls!

I've been looking for a new way to store my ever-growing makeup collection for awhile now. I don't like having it in a makeup bag because I can't find everything. I used to have a system of small plastic drawers, but it was easy for everything to get lost and disorganized. Here is my newest solution:

 I love it! It's a Lori Greiner cosmetic organizer and you can purchase it for only $20. It's really well made, and it spins so you can see all 6 sides!

 Each side has different sized compartments and slots for keeping all your cosmetics.

 The top is really useful, too- tons of spaces to keep mascara, lipsticks, eyeliners, etc.

Just wanted to share my latest organization attempt with you. I really like this one! What do you use to store your makeup?

Love,

Alli

Bad Hair Day Help

Believe me, ladies, I know all about bad hair days. I've experienced the no-time-to-shower hair, flat hair, bad haircuts, bad hair COLOR (which is what I'm going through now, unfortunately), frizzy hair... you name it! I wanted to give you a couple of tricks to help improve your bad hair day. Here we go!

1. Try teasing or backcombing your hair with a comb to give it more volume if it's looking flat.

2. If your hair lacks shine, spray it with icy cold water in the shower, right before you get out. It will make your hair follicles look more shiny!

3. Use dry shampoo at the roots if your hair is looking greasy. This is great for school mornings when you sleep late and don't have time to wash your hair!

4. Try parting your hair on the opposite side you usually do. It can help a bad hair color or cut look much better, and it definitely adds body to your hair.

5. If all else fails, remember you can always put your hair in a ponytail or messy bun. Try adding a mini braid to the look to make it more polished. Also, hats can be your best friend at a time like this. ;-)

I hope these ideas helped you out!  If you have any questions or comments about this topic, you can leave a comment below (feel free to do so anonymously) or email us at GirlTalkTime@yahoo.com.

Good luck!

Love,

Alli

How to discreetly store your pads and tampons

Many teenage girls worry that people will notice they have a purse full of pads, or that they will have their purse open or someone will look through it and notice the tampons or other feminine products. If you worry about how to conceal these items (or keep them from getting banged up when they're floating around in your purse), I'm here to offer you some alternatives. There are lots of cute ways to store your pads/tampons so they will be discreet and also stay unharmed. This is especially important once school starts! You always want to make sure you are prepared and can quickly find protection whenever you need it. Here are some ideas I love.

-Glitzy Glam sells Pad holders and Tampon holders that keep your feminine products in a small, cute holder. You can pick lots of different fabrics and designs based on what you like. It's a fun way to store them in your purse!

-Try something you already have around your house, like a makeup bag, small clutch, or pencil case. You can easily put your feminine products in there and if your purse is open or spills, it won't look out of the ordinary. (this is what I do)

-Next time you're out of tampons, consider trying Compak Tampons by Tampax. They're more discreet since they're much smaller. They start out about half the size of a regular tampon, and you pull it to make it regular size. They're great for girls on the go, and easier to conceal!

-There are also whole companies dedicated to products like this, such as

http://www.myladylike.com/ ("Keeping Personal Products Private")

-http://www.tboxgirl.com/  The Tbox is a box you can store your tampons in. It has a suction cup on one side so you can easily attatch it to your locker or by your toilet, so you'll always have products on hand, but no one will know what's inside! It's a really clever idea, and it would also make a great gift for the tweens or teens in your life.

I hope these ideas helped you out!  If you have any questions or comments about this topic, you can leave a comment below (feel free to do so anonymously) or email us at GirlTalkTime@yahoo.com.

Good luck!

Love,

Alli