The Brazilian Wax

Since the age of 19 I've been getting regular brazilian waxes and I just thought I'd share my opinion and experience of them. I first wanted to get a brazilian because I wanted to "clean up" down there. Prior to that I was all natural, I never did a thing to it. As you can imagine it was quite the bush.

My first ever brazilian wasn't as painful as I had anticipated. From the horror stories I had read, I had prepared myself to be in extreme pain during the procedure. But it really wasn't too bad. The worst part was the strip down the middle (yes, I get it ALL off!) As for my dignity, I wasn't embarrassed at all to be lying down half naked with my legs splayed open. It's all business to me. The beautician does this day to day, what is there to be embarrassed about? Usually you're too busy chatting to be worried anyway!

The feeling afterward is amazing. It feels really nice to have nothing there. I feel all clean and pornstar like, even if I don't look it from head to toe (remind me to get a boob job!) Most boys appreciate it. And you can wear a tiny white bikini without any worries!

The only con to getting the brazilian, besides the pain, is that you'll sometimes get nasty ingrown hairs which your waxer will need to extract for you. Some people may not get any ingrowns, but the majority do and I have had a few really bad episodes. But as long as you exfoliate and moisturise, you'll keep it to a minimum. I also rely on a product called Ingrow Go which works wonders!

It's recommended that you get a wax every 4-6 weeks. Initially I would get one every month but because of ingrowns, I reduced it to every two months and I think that's the perfect waiting time. There is less ingrowns and because I don't get it as often, it means I'm saving money too!

It's important to go to a good salon with a reasonable price. I'm lucky that I was introduced to a wonderful waxer through a friend who only charges $30 AUD. The usual price for a full brazilian is $40-$70 AUD! And she's hygienic too. You don't want to go to a place that doesn't care for your hygiene. Yuck! And if the salon uses strip wax, forget it! You really need to use the wax that hardens which you peel off to get rid of the hair.

I got a brazilian wax today because it's been two months and I'm planning on going for a swim at a la-de-da place. I don't want to be self conscious the whole time, like I was at the local pools when I took my son just the other day. The whole time I kept wondering if I had any stray hair poking out. TMI, I know. Sorry! Just keeping it real. If you're contemplating getting a brazilian done, I say yes! Do it!

Oh, and if you're curious about the picture... yes, that's me! Ho-ing it up for the camera, as usual. Tsk tsk!

Beauty School

Apologies for my MIA status. I have been... lazy. At least I'm honest! But I have some very exciting news to share. I am enrolling into a college, I suppose you could call it a beauty school (but they also offer business and floristry). I will be studying for a diploma in beauty therapy!

I will be starting in October and doing a full time course. I'm actually really excited, even though I'm not officially enrolled yet. I need to first come up with the administration fee, student kit and full course fee. I have applied for government funding but I'm not sure yet if I'll be eligible. It would be great though, I would save about $14,000 in fees. I need to save for a car as well, before the course starts because it's about a 20 min drive from my place. Public transport is not an option (for me, anyway)!

Studying a diploma of beauty therapy will enable me to work in a beauty salon, spa, cruise ship etc. Anywhere that offers beauty services. I could even manage or own my own salon. I know a few girls who have studied the diploma and are now running their own salon from home or have great jobs in a salon. For me, the main reason I want to study it is because I have a yearning to learn more and therefore teach what I know to others, or help them physically.

Like I said before, I am looking forward to doing the course and I will definately be updating on my progress and what I've learnt :-). PS- I apologise if this page looks messy, I am blogging from my phone!

If Only I Had Time...

... I would get to brush my hair more often. I could use a deep conditioning mask on my hair every week and my nails wouldn't grow so long that they'd weaken and break.

Welcome to the life of a mother! Before I had kids, I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted or needed to. After the birth of my first child, I put the focus on him and not on me... not until he was several years old. Then I started looking after myself agian. Giving myself manicures and pedicures and taking the time to shampoo my hair properly.

Then I had my second child, and suddenly I have no time for me agian. These days I am sporting unwashed hair in a bun and only get to wash my face when I'm in the shower. *sigh* I wish I had more time to focus on me agian!

Breast Implants... Should I?

I've always wanted bigger breasts but never really thought about it seriously. I always said that if I were to get breast implants, I'd wait until after I had kids. So now I've had my kids, who were both breastfed, and now that I'm totally lacking in the breast department, it's time to give it some serious thought.

Pros: you can wear a bikini with confidence, you'll fill out your tops better, you'll have more shape and confidence. Cons: cost, having to go through surgery. Hmmm! I'm sure there are more pros and cons, I just can't be bothered typing them in.

I guess I've already made the decision to get them done, my only major hurdle now is money, finding a good surgeon and actually setting up a consultation. The reason why I want them done is because I breastfed my first son for two years and four months, and my second son is turning two at the end of June and I'm still breastfeeding him. Suffice to say, my boobs are somewhat non-existent. I'm very self concious of the fact that I no longer have a bust. Push up bras are my best friend. But there are certain tops I have that no matter what, you still look as flat as a surf board. I know my confidence will improve a great deal if I had a chest to speak of!

I'm very envious of girls who have a nice bust. I believe that I deserve to feel confident, so I will be getting mine done. I just need to do my research and get my hands on some cash. Although I must admit, cash won't really be a problem as my bf said he'd pay for them (lucky me)! But I will pay him back, so I'll need to eventually get a job. But for now, my focus is on finding a good surgeon and getting the process started.

Sorry this post is a little messy, I'm just writing it for my own benefit. I guess this is my way of getting the ball rolling! I will update on later developements :-)

Update

It has been a very long time since my last update, I can't even remember when it was... or what it was about! Ever since I got my iPhone I just stopped using my laptop, which meant I couldn't do posts. Well, technically I could but I couldn't be bothered setting it up to blog via email.

So here I am, finally updating. Not much has changed, except for adding to my closet. I used to buy inexpensive knits which looked nice but didn't last very long, now I've discovered new brands that will last me many seasons. I've gotten several Tommy Hilfiger knits which I love. I've gotten a few Guess tops (my fav brand) and a Gant hoodie which is actually mens, but I love hoodies and it was the one I wanted so I didn't let that stop me from getting it.

Also I got a pair of G-Star boots which I can't wait to wear. They're black and super comfy. The weather just needs to get colder for me to be able to wear it.

I've been so lazy in the looks department lately. I go out without bothering with make up and I can't remember the last time I styled my hair. I've just been wearing it in a bun everyday! I think this needs to change, because I'm feeling super frumpy and while I hate going out without getting done up, I do it anyway because I'm so lazy! Must get motivated to get hot again!

Anyway I want to talk about something I'm considering, breast implants. But I think I'll do that in it's own post because I have a lot to say on the subject. Watch out for it next!

My Makeup Brushes

I have a somewhat small collection of makeup brushes that I use regularly, but I have found that they work well and I don't really need any other brushes. Here's my collection:

MAC 150: I use this brush for setting powder or mineral powder. It's large and fluffy but I find that it can be a bit scratchy. It does the job, however.

MAC 187: This brush is a foundation brush but I use it for blush as I don't have an actual blush brush. It works really well for blush though, I can't imagine using anything else for it! This brush ensures that I don't put too much blush on and feels really soft. I've never tried using this brush to apply foundation... maybe one day when I'm sick of using the 109 for it!

MAC 109: I love this brush for foundation! It's perfect... very precise and applies evenly with no streaks (I use MAC Studio Sculpt foundation). I also use it for contouring along my checkbones.

MAC 224: This large fluffly blending brush does the job perfectly for my eye makeup. I mainly use it to blend out my eyeshadow, apply highlight under my brows or sweep colour into and above my crease.

MAC 219: This is mainly used to add colour to my outer v and line my lower lashline with colour. I also use it to add a crease colour then blend it out with the 224.

MAC 217: This brush is pretty versatile. I use it to put colour on my lids (sometimes), blend out colour, sweep colour into and above my crease or use it to add depth with a darker colour on my outer V.

MAC 239: I only ever use this brush for applying colour to my lids. Boring, I know.

MAC 210: This super tiny brush is perfect for lining my lids with Blacktrack Fluidline. That's all I use it for. I think that's all it can be used for!

MAC 195: I use this brush to apply my concealer to my under eyes and around my face, but it's not as good as using your fingers. I always end up using my fingers anyway, although if you want a more opaque finish then using the brush is good.

I store all my brushes in a MAC brush roll, and it all fits perfectly! I would keep them stored in a container but I heard that it collects dust and I don't want to be dusting that stuff on my face! So that's my brush collection and what I use each one for. Not a very big collection, but I don't really need any other brushes. In the picture I'm missing the MAC 210, btw. So I hope this was helpful to someone!

My Braces Are Coming Off!

I'm so excited, I just got back from an orthodontic appointment and I'm told that my braces can come off on the 15th of December. Yay! I've been wearing braces since January 2008, it has been just under two years since I got them on. In the beginning they used to hurt so much everytime I got an adjustment and I wouldn't be able to eat for days, but now when I get adjustments they don't bother me as much.

It's kind of ironic, my sister is going to be getting braces on the 8th of December, and I'm getting mine off soon after! It would've been nice if we'd had them on at the same time. I'm really looking forward to seeing what I look like without braces. It seems like I've had them forever! I got braces to fix my overcrowding problem and I never had them in my teens. Now my teeth are straight and I'm looking forward to flossing without wires in the way!

Here's a pic of me with braces, I usually don't smile in pics because of them but in this one you can see the wires. I wear clear on the top and regular metal on the bottom. My friend Khem on the left also wears braces. Horray for not being the only adult in braces!