Deity of the Day: Ganesha

Ganesha is one of the most popular Hindu deities perhaps second to Kali. Ganesha is considered as the deity that represents wealth, materialism, knowledge and destroys all things evil and obstacles in your life that may be holding you back. Ganesha is depicted with an elephant head in which there are several stories as to how his head came about. Before any prayers or ritual Ganesha is prayed to and acknowledged before the start of any ritual to ensure prosperity in whichever endeavor the devotee wishes to undertake.

Most paintings of Ganesha depict Ganesha with many symbols relating mostly to the elements of the earth, such as the ego, pride, material gains etc. Which makes sense since Ganesha also rules over the root chakra which is primarily based on the material world, or earth rather. Not only does Ganesha destroys all obstacles but he also places them on your path to teach you lessons and of course remind you that earth is a school and you can’t leave it without learning.

The photos depicting Ganesha are elaborate and with a lot of symbolism. He is celebrated between August and September and his color is red. Ganesha likes to be offered sesame seeds as well as pomegranates and of course all things sweet will also suffice. His favorite plants are the lotus and waterlilies. It is great to work with Ganesha when you are at the threshold of a new life or any start in life for that matter such as moving, new job etc. Ganesha can also be used to work in matters of literature, intelligence,wisdom and all things beneficial to your self realization.

Symbolism of Ganesha (more info on Ganesha)

This is my small altar dedicated to Ganesha. I just printed out a picture of Ganesha and taped it. When I turned 16 my mother gave me this small iron statue of Ganesha so I also placed it on the altar along with pretty things and pink candles. Ganesha really likes red but pink also serves it’s purpose. Ganesha rules over success, obstacles and all things that may hinder you from your true spiritual self. Also Ganesha is attributed with success which is obvious because if you can master your worldly desires everything falls into place.

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What Kind of E are you on?

So what kind of “E” are you on??? Vitamin E that is. Vitamin E has been known to be a great antioxidant fighting off those pesky free radicals trying to latch on to whatever good cells you may have to ultimately destroy them.

However like many other supplements on the market, your Vitamin E may be a fake or rather a synthetic form of Vitamin E. I have been doing a little research on Vitamin E oil since I bought these Vitamin E  capsules at Walmart about a month ago. I bought the capsules because I have been reading about how great Vitamin E oil works for dark spots left by blemishes on your skin. Despite trying it on my skin for the last month I been meaning to drink a few capsules but decided to read more into Vitamin E in capsule form and how it compares to just eating a diet rich in Vitamin E.

So I have and want you to ask yourself how do you know if you are purchasing all natural Vitamin E or not? In the scientific world Vitamin E is know as Alpha-Tocopherol. Along with Alpha tocopherol other natural forms exist such as Beta, Gamma, and Delta tocopherol. These are the kinds of natural existing Vitamin E that our bodies uses more efficiently.

On the other hand synthetic versions of Vitamin E oil are also available but not used as efficiently by our bodies. The synthetic version is known as DL- Alpha tocopherol (derived from petroleum).

When you are reading the label for anything claiming to contain Vitamin E you have to look out for the D and DL which tells you it’s chemical composition, natural or synthetic.

Natural= d alpha tocopherol

Synthetic= dl alpha tocopherol

As opposed to the natural Vitamin E which you can find in beta, gamma, delta, the synthetic version can only be found in the the alpha form.

So after I felt I had the information I needed to decipher between the two forms I picked up my Vitamin e oil bottle I have in capsules and read the label. In the front it says natural Vitamin e oil 1,000 d alpha made by spring valley. However when you turn it over it says d alpha TOCOPHERYL ACETATE. As opposed to tocopherol. Immediately I researched tocopheryl acetate.

What I learned was that in order for the natural raw Vitamin E to be stored in capsules a carrier must be added such as acetate. So long as the d is present in front (opposed to dl) and when taken orally it breaks down it is still considered natural. However tocopheryl acetate has been linked with cancer and other toxins.

So I guess after all this running around trying to figure out the best way for my skin and nerves to benefit  from Vitamin E I came up with the best conclusion for myself. Just consume the real deal of  Vitamin E which is in basically most of the foods I love.

Avocadoes, peaches, tomatoes, olive oil, safflower oil, nectarines, grapes, salmon, whole grains, nuts and I’m sure the list goes on.

I’ll be doing a review soon on the Vitamin E oil capsules I bought and how I use it for my skin and whether or not it has helped fade dark spots since using it.

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Walmart’s Bronzer Brush

I have been on the hunt for a good bronzer brush Under 10 bucks and lately have not had the luck of finding one. Instead I have been using Ecotools Powder brush as a bronzer brush. Last weekend I went to walmart and saw that they have a new makeup brush section and as usual I got curious and picked up their lip brush.

Walmart lipbrush review

So on thursday I went back for groceries and picked up the bronzer brush for about $8 bucks. When I got to the register I read it says Mineral makeup and since I dont wear mineral bronzer I was going to put it back but was curious anyway so I bought it.

 This brush is kind of weird and when I first tried it the first thought that went through my mind was “dam this feels like a closed fist swiping across my face.” It’s just so freaking hard and dense it’s crazy. I swiped it across my temples, nose etc and it was just a funny feeling and I did not feel it applied good enough.

However I have these revlon creme blushes lying around and was wondering how it would help blend with creme blushes. It did an ok job but then it felt like a giant kabuki brush. The creme blush blended well with this brush but it’s too big for that i’ll just get a small kabuki if that’s the case.

This bronzer brush is very dense and hard. Application especially down my nose is horrible. It picks up the brozer powder slightly and application is ok.

This brush is perhaps good for blending foundation or perhaps with mineral makeup but I would not know since I don’t wear foundation or mineral makeup. As far as shedding it did not shed as much as I expected considering how much I have used it. Botton line is I don’t like it and it’s not an ideal bronzer brush. When you think bronzer brush you think powder brush’s cousin, soft long handle etc. This brush it’s truly on it’s own. I may end up using it for creme blushes when I’m in a rush or something.

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Wet N Wild Lip Shimmers

Wet n Wild has been trying to jump on this organic/natural bandwagon with some of  their products. A few weeks ago I stumbled into their section and saw a few of their natural wear Lip shimmers. They also have bronzers, powders etc with this line.

 Lip Shimmer 106

I was curious and picked up two. They come in numbers so I got 101 which is like this soft coral peachy color. My favorite is 106 it’s this really nice soft pink with warm undertones. I usually pair this lip stick with a gloss and my jane blushing baby doll blush. I like the way it looks with my skin tone and I usually always get comments on the color. However 106 has no shimmer at all as opposed to 101 which has a slight shimmer/frost look.

Lip shimmer 101 like I said is a soft coral color with light shimmers. I like to pair this with maybelline’s apricot flush blush. It helps bring out thepeachy tone.They pair rather nicely and as usual I always pair these with clear gloss.

 Lip Shimmer 101

As far as being natural I suppose it’s just the name of the line I doubt they are “natural” but for 2 bucks you can’t go wrong. I have like 4 106’s because for the summer that is what i’ll be mostly wearing with blush. So I keep one in each bag. They have no scent and color payoff is pretty good.

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Miracle berry

I have always been into natural unpackaged foods especially fruits. And of course with the sweet tooth I tend to have on a regular basis what better way to substitute artificial sugar than with fruits? Sometimes on our quest to find healthier foods to eat we always end up encountering very bland, tasteless and just plain nasty alternatives. This usually always leaves you wanting to go back to your tasty (unhealthy) comfort foods.

But just imagine a fruit that can  trick your taste buds into thinking a lemon is sweet? Well there is a berry that actually exists and its called miracle berry (Synsepalum dulcificum).

This fruit will actually trick your taste buds into thinking that every sour/bitter thing possible taste sweet. Native to Africa, this berry could most likely substitute or even eliminate your need for sugar and artificial sweetners. The FDA however did not approve miraculin perhaps fearing the great losses the sugar companies would encounter.

I have read of “flavor tripping parties” where people indulge in all things sour and it kind of sounds like fun. You can purchase Miraculin in tablet form or the fruit itself. I’m curious and will have to check out my local natural health store to see if they carry some. I  wonder what it does with vegetables or cod liver oil? Also I  wonder how effective if it would help diabetics and those unforgiving coffee lovers.

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Concha De Nacar Review

The other day on my quest to the beauty supply store I stumbled into the skin care section and immediately was reminded of this Vitamin E with chamomile facial moisturizer I was using about 2 years ago. Back then my skin was very clear hardly any breakouts and dark blemish spots were unheard of while using this facial moisturizer. So I got excited when I spotted the line “Concha de Nacar”. The place I used to buy it from stopped stocking it so I switched to a few others (currently using cethaphil), but have been really meaning to head out and buy this moisturizer again.

So I ran into the Concha de Nacar line and mistakenly picked up the bleach cream instead of the daily moisturizer like I thought. The packaging are all very similar so it was bound to happen. I have never used a bleach cream in my life, but seems like my subconscious mind made me pick it up because I’ve got some really ugly nasty breakouts from trying Revlon’s photo ready foundation, (nothing against Revlon photo ready, just that my skin is super sensitive with basically ALL foundations I have tried so far) and so I really needed something to deal with those dark spots left from my breakout.

I became very skeptical of this cream because my first thought was Hydroquinone and all the issues surrounding it. But then I remembered that Concha De nacar prides itself in using natural ingredients, so then I turned to read the box when I got home that night and was impressed with the ingredients.

Glycerin, zinc oxide, ground barley, water, oyster shell powder, lemon juice, honey, witch hazel bentonite, papain, irish moss powder, salicyclic acid, fragrance.

It contains several natural lightening agents I’m familiar with such as papain and lime juice. It also contains bentonite and witch hazel which helps draw out dirt and impurities deep down in your pores. Another set of ingredients I’m not too familiar with are Irish moss powder, ground barley and oyster shell powder. Oyster shell powder is basically what the Skin care line is named after since most if not all of their products contains oyster shell powder hence the company’s name in spanish. It also contains salicylic acid, Fragrance and zinc oxide. The fragrance part put me off a little but I was still curious to see what this cream can do.

To start this is not a cream really. It’s more like a face scrub with very fine grains. When applied, it goes on white, and has a light scent to it. The box recommended that you leave it on for 30 mins but since my skin tends to be sensitive I left it on for 15 mins.

I did not notice any fades ( obviously first try ) but my face was very soft, bright and had this very soft glow. After I rinsed and moisturized with cethaphil I put on some concealer a jane blush, bronzer and mascara and was on my way. My face day one had a very nice glow, the blackheads on my nose, who have taken up permanent residence there, were less noticeable. The pimples I had on my forehead from my foundation nightmare were shrinking and were less noticeable.

By day two I still had that nice glow so I waited 2 more days and tried it again and this time it was for 20 mins or so. My boyfriend was over that day and had these very ugly pimples on the one side of his face so I suggested he try the mask and of course he refused it like the plague. But I insisted and he tried it and left it on while he showered and 10 mins later they were gone! Even he was impressed, he even had that same glow I had.

I have been using the concha de nacar bleach cream for about 2 weeks every 3-4 days just to see how long it will take to ligthen my dark spots like it claims. So far so good in terms of decent results. Although I’m also using Vitamin E capules to fade my dark spots as well, going on three weeks, I have to admit I’m noticing improvements in terms of the blackheads on my nose since using this cream.

The Concha de Nacar line is a very versatile skin care line with a variety of products to choose from and very affordable as well. Check out their website:

*I’m in no way affiliated with concha de nacar I paid for this cream with my own money and i’m posting my own opinions

 Perlop costmetics Concha Nacar

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Dominican Hair care: Nacidt Deep Conditioners

(nacidt olive oil, lacio lacio, nacidt avocado)

This is going to be a double review of both Nacidt Olive Oil and Nacidt Avocado. First Off I have very dry curly hair which can be tamed with moisture. My hair is very dry and course along the edges (3a- 3c depending), my hair kind of resembles alicia keys’s hair to give you all an idea.

I have to say that this is my favorite Dominican moisturizing deep conditioner. Everytime I rollerset and use Nacidt Olive oil with heat for 15 mins the results are fabulous. My hair is shiny, moisturized and bouncy and I have yet to try another deep condtioner that leaves me with the same results. It just never fails to deliver especially when I pair it with Lacio Lacio ( review soon ). Nacidt Olive Oil  has a very light scent to it and it’s kind of creamy but not too heavy.

Lacio Lacio to me is what really gives it the finishing shiny results after I rollerset but the LASTING results are another thing. I say lasting reults because Nacidt Olive Oil leaves my hair  moisturized even after five days. I moisturize and seal with ORS moisturizer in a jar along with castor oil to seal and the results are truly everlasting. Braidouts are beautiful and bouncy and my hair feels very thick soft and shiny.

(Nacidt olive oil in hair)

(Nacidt Avocado)

 Nacidt avocado unfortunately does not deliver the same for me in terms of softness. When I used it with the same procedure as I did with the olive oil one it left me disappointed. However I have to consider that the olive oil one says in spanish ( para cabellos quimicamente processados) which means for chemically processed hair and mind you I’m natural no relaxer or hair colors. So i’m guessing that for those with chemicaly porcessed hair Nacidt Olive Oil will provide more than enough moisture.

On the other hand Nacidt avocado is for ( cabellos secos/ quebradizos) meaning for dry brittle broken hair.

So I guess Nacidt avocado tends to have a little more protein to it than Nacidt Olive Oil. It did not leave me with that moisture or slip I was looking for. It left my hair a little hard and was not as bouncy as with the olive oil kind.

So this week I headed to the beauty supply store and picked myself up the larger version of  Nacidt olive Oil and was so curious that on my way picked up the Rinse (conditioner). I want to see how it turns out using the rest of Nacidt’s products. I’m also eyeing the coconut oil hair masque as well.

This is how my hair looked the next day. It was very shiny and soft and as usual my hair felt moisturized as opposed to dry and hard. I also did not have to put extra hair moisturizer to make it soft again. This weekend I will try nacidt’s olive oil hair conditioner (Rinse) and see how well it turns out!

This weekends regimen:

Hair One Shampoo

Nacidt Olive Oil ( 15 mins w/ heat )

Silicon Mix (When needed, this week I did)

Hello hydration Conditioner

Chi Keratin Mist

Lacio Lacio

Rollerset

I usually switch it up every other week and my hair just does not look or feel the same unless I use this method. But I know it’s Nacidt Olive oil which is why This week I headed to my local BSS and got me the biggest jar since this one has passed the test for sure. 

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What’s That??: Candle Magic

Candles and magic are two of the most ancient practices known to humans and both aspects have been used to manifest an array of powers latent and existing within ourselves and the planet. Candles are primarily used to create an environment, an ambiance or to the most basic, in case the lights go out. But little do people know the great powers your mind coupled with your intentions, a few candles and colors can achieve.

Attraction is a powerful potential and we use it everyday in the ways we speak, think, dress and express ourselves. When working with candles intent and attraction are your two main goals. The candle is what you are going to use to focus your intent and manifest the energy you intend to put out. The mind if you (Real eyes) attracts many things whether it be negative or positive it is ultimately up to you as to how you may want to direct that energy.

Just like you light a candle to attract peace, love, health, and, prosperity and it comes back to you in abundance, so can negative thoughts and intentions manifest itself and find its way right back to its originator. Just remember that energy cannot be destroyed whatever you intend to put out will find its way right back to you be it good or bad.

Magic should always be used to benefit you and your surroundings. Never harm anyone. If someone or something is causing imbalance in your life , whether it be a gossiping neighbor or a conspiring co-worker look into yourself and ask what is it about YOU that attracts these type of people and/or situations.

This is where candles and magic becomes a great self help tool. A great tool because like meditation, what you are trying to do is focus your intentions, manifest them, and ultimately achieve results. What may be results for you may not become results for me. For me results may be a candle for my aura, health or peace. Whatever your intent it is unique to you. Basically what you are doing is attracting good and positive things relative to you.

 It has been understood that colors, symbols and aromas are all magical systems unto themselves waiting to correspond with your intent, what you desire to attract. Colors are present in our daily lives and most of the times we dress in colors based the way we may feel on a certain day or what kind of mood you feel in. So it can be very interesting to notice what colors correspond for what aspect of your intent and how we can use them to benefit our everyday lives.

Red promotes courage, strength, enthusiasm, love, sex

Orange Promotes, honesty, integrity, attraction, adaptability

Yellow represents friendship, communication, strength

Green promotes fertility, healing, happiness, money

Blue promotes honesty, sincerity, thoughtfulness, spirituality

Purple power, spirituality, ambition healing

White purity, honesty, truth,innocence
Pink love, romance, hope, marriage

Gray wisdom, maturity, common sense

Brown practicality, feet on ground, steady progress

The candle also represents all four elements:

Flame = fire

wax = symbolizes water

smoke =air

candle= symbolizes earth

There are many ways you can use and work with these elements.

There are also hundreds of types of candles from plain ones to decorated ones, to scented candles and pull out candles. There are many varities in which you can experiment with in terms of the candles, scent and purpose you wish to use it for. You can also use essential oils to “dress” or anoint your candles with your desired intent and aroma relative to what you wish to achieve.

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Look what I found: Walmart Makeup Brushes

I have a thing for lip brushes lately and I like them especially to blend my lip liner when pairing it with a gloss or lipstick. So today I headed out to walmart and was surprised to see them finally put up a makeup brush/tools section. A few caught my eye but I went for the lip brush just to try.

(left Sally’s, Right Walmart )

When I got home I tried it and compared it with the beauty secrets one I got from sally’s a while back. The walmart lipbrush comes in this metal or aluminum tubing with the same retractable feature as the Sally one. The sally’s lip brush is rather stiff and not as full as the one I got from walmart. As far as blending the lip liner the Walmart brush did an OK job I guess. The good part was how soft the walmart lip brush felt on my lips. I tried it with my Butter Scotch drop lip gloss by l’oreal it glided smoothly actually no tugging or anything.

Then I tried it with a red matte lipstick with Revlon’s in the red. It applied rather sheer with the lipbrush as opposed to just gliding the lipstick across my lips. I like this brush however and it goes on better with gloss actually so if you have those glosses in a jar and don’t want to use your finger tips I would recommend this brush. For just two bucks you can’t go wrong. The brush did not shed but it is rather flimsy as opposed to my other brush which is firmer. I did like how soft it was and it did cover a lot of territory.

Walmart seems to want to step up their cosmetics tools game and thankfully they have. There was a wide selection actually, from bronzer brushes, blush, eyeshadow, powder just quite a variety of makeup brushes. Which left me impressed since It i svery hard to find good drugstore makeup tools. Revlon’s brushes were on top and looks like they came out with new ones too. I was eyeing the bronzer brush and may head back and pick it up this week to see how well it can hold up. I was also reading that the makers of Eco Tools make these brushes so I hope they are as good as the Eco tool brushes I have.

I wanted to take pictures of the display but my Walmart would freak out but it was pretty full and decent compared to no makeup brushes available at all.

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Exfoliate! Brown Sugar & Coconut Oil

So spring is right around the corner and soon our elbows, knees and everything else will finally see the light of day. This means that keeping the skin soft shiny and moisturised will be a weekly ritual for me. During the warmer months I tend to exfoliate more often and what better way to exfoliate than with brown sugar and coconut oil.

Today I made a small batch since I had some brown sugar left and and needed a soothing body scrub. I just took about half cup of brown sugar and 2 spoons of coconut oil and mashed together and voila a brown sugar and coconut oil scrub. This scrub leaves your skin feeling so supple and leaves a great shine also. If your elbows or knees tend to be darker you can add about a teaspoon of fresh lime juice to help lighten the skin on your knees and elbows.

You can use any type of sugar I tend to favor brown sugar for my scrubs. Happy scrubbing.

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