Vain Roxy

If you, like the name of our blog, are a little vain, you will love the following beauty tips for healthy hair.

-To avoid washing your hair too much and removing natural oils, try to wash your hair every two to four days. Brush out your hair nightly to evenly distribute natural oils over your locks and avoid looking greasy at the roots.

-To keep your hair from looking oily between washings, put conditioner only on the ends of your hair and not at the roots when showering.

-On days when you can skip the washing, take advice from New York City-based stylist Eva Scrivo: “Touch up the front and crown of the head by misting a little water on each section, following up with a blow dryer.”

-If you want to have silky hair, make a hair mask conditioner at home. Get 1 tsp. baby oil,1 egg yolk, and 1 cup water. Beat the egg yolk until its frothy, add the oil then beat again. Add to the water. Massage into the scalp and throughout your hair. Rinse well.

-If you on the other hand, want to remove build-up, just rub in some baking soda, rinse thoroughly, then shampoo as normal.

-For shiny hair, rinse your hair in cold water. In addition, use cold water if you have color-treated hair because it will keep the color lasting longer

Although we haven’t addressed this on the blog before, I wanted to say a little about managing finances. Although I had the typical college overspending habits and was in debt at one time from credit cards and student loans, today I am striving to be debt-free.

The only debt I have at the moment is my mortgage. So, in accordance with my debt-free living, I’ve been trying to pay that off sooner than 30 years. Rather than trying to switch to a 15-year loan or refinance, I’ve been using the money merge account from U1st. It helps me be more disciplined and apply more of my paycheck towards the principal balance of my mortgage.

In a short time, I’ll be completely debt-free and own my house. I am excited to start investing in other things once I payoff my mortgage. That way I can retire early and enjoy the years ahead without financial worries!

Since I’m not much of a coffee drinker, I’ve had to find other ways to get going in the mornings. Occasionally, I can get up early enough to exercise, which always gets me hyped for the rest of the day.

However, most of the time I prefer to take a Zantrex energy pill. It has caffeine just like coffee, but is much easier for me to swallow. It gives me the energy I need to get going, particularly when those difficult Monday mornings come around. Try it and see if you don’t like it better than coffee. However, be sure to eat breakfast or some food after you take it or you’ll be really wired!

In the past, I’ve dressed up in costumes using anything I could find. I even managed to pull of a pirate one year. I don’t like to spend too much money on costumes, but I like to be original and creative.

Since Halloween falls on a Wednesday this year, my work decided to have a creative costume contest. I need help thinking up the best Halloween costume so I can win! Any ideas anyone?

I’m so excited that Halloween is less than a week away! I’m seeing Saw IV this weekend and I’ve got two Halloween parties lined up for the big night. I’m even planning on going to a haunted house, despite the fact that I’m easily scared.

As you can tell, I love Halloween. I found a gold mine of information online, featuring the best Denver Halloween attraction. They review the best haunted corn mazes, haunted houses, and even tell you about the new scary movies. It’s my favorite place to explore because it deals with all things spooky and has links to other places too.

Now that it is fall, I am anticipating the arrival of the three biggest holidays of the year-Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I’m co-hosting a fabulous Halloween costume bash and I already have plans for Thanksgiving with my family, but what I don’t know what I’m doing about Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

I can’t help but wonder, should I throw a holiday party for Christmas or New Year’s Eve? I’ve been entertaining more lately with the purchase of my new house, and I have to say that I actually enjoy being a hostess. I already have a recommendation from my Mom about a great Utah holiday catering company. All I would need is some decorations and invitations and I’d be ready to party at my place. I think I’ll do it, but I’ll probably throw a few more little parties to get the ball rolling. Wish me luck! I’ll keep you posted on how my parties go!

I live in Utah Valley and it seems like every time I turn around someone is getting married. Although I’m not even engaged, I already have the best Utah wedding photographer, Utah wedding caterer, and Utah reception hall all picked out. I probably have most of my wedding tasks already planned and ready to go when I do get officially engaged. Although it sounds sad, at least I’ll save myself some time and frustration during my wedding planning! If you know someone that is getting married, maybe they could use this useful information until I need it. Congratulations if you are getting married in Utah! And be sure to check out the great sites my engaged friend recommended, including her blog and theknot.com.

Choosing a caterer for any event, whether it is a wedding, party, or business affair, can be a daunting task; after all, the quality of the food can make or break an event.  I used a Utah catering service for my engagement party way back when, and now it is the only catering company I will use.  However, it took quite a bit of research on my part until I found the perfect one.  Consider the following tips when you are in the thick of your search for a caterer.

- One of the best places to start your search is to get recommendations from family, friends, and co-workers.  Chances are that the names of reputable caterers within an area will overlap.

- The longer the catering company has been around, the more experience they have in the industry. 

- Make sure to sample dishes when interviewing potential caterers.  You never want to underestimate the quality of the food, so make sure you know what they are capable of.

- Choose a caterer with enthusiasm and spunk, someone who will go that extra mile and make sure your event is absolutely perfect.

- Inquire about insurance; make sure the caterer has all the proper licenses, permits, and insurance.  This includes workers compensation.  If something happened to a catering employee, you would not be held liable.

Surrogacy is often a popular infertility alternative because it allows a couple to have a biological child. Surrogacy entails an embryo made of the egg and sperm of the intended parents being inseminated into the woman who will be carrying the child to term. Most couples are able to form a close relationship with a surrogate and be involved in the pregnancy of the child. It is always recommended to go through a surrogacy agency when utilizing the process of surrogacy to have a child.

In areas where surrogacy is legal, the most common way for couples to find a surrogate is through a surrogacy agency. An agency will screen all potential surrogates through medical and psychological tests before they consent to take a woman on as their client. Most agencies have a legal department that handles all legal aspects of a surrogate relationship (rights of the birth mother, rights of the intended recipients, etc.) The lawyers will also set forth a contract for the surrogate to enter into. It is always wise to have your own lawyer look over all the contracts and written agreements before you sign anything.

Once a couple chooses the surrogate, both groups need to decide and agree on the terms of the pregnancy. Since there are so man legal aspects to consider when it comes to surrogacy, both parties should have their own lawyers to ensure that they and their rights are protected. The surrogate and couple should also consider receiving psychological counseling from the surrogacy agency because there are numerous emotional issues that can arise as a result of a surrogate pregnancy. You should make sure all concerns, emotionally, physically, and mentally are addressed before you become too involved in the process.

I decided to finally update everyone on my weight loss progress. I started taking the Akavar weight loss pill about three and a half weeks ago and I’m already seeing progress. Along with the weight loss pills that I take in the morning, I take a multivitamin two times a day.

I’ve also added exercise to my weight loss plan. Although I planned to exercise about four or five days a week, I have been exercising about three days a week, which is still an improvement from me.

The first time I went to the gym when starting the program, I lifted weights and walked on the treadmill for about 20 minutes. You wouldn’t believe how sore I was the next few days. However, I’ve stuck with it and I think my strength and endurance is increasing. Plus I have more energy and feel a little better about my body when I look in the mirror now (I’m five pounds lighter)!

Although my eating hasn’t been perfect, I’ve tried to eat my favorite junk foods like ice cream, pizza, and Wendy’s on the weekends only. I slip up occasionally, but I always get back on track. I’ve also found it helpful to take smaller portions, which has really helped me cut back on calories. I eat slower too, which along with the Akavar pills, helps me feel fuller longer.

If you’re trying to lose some weight like me, I’ve found the previous post on dieting tips to be very useful. I’ll post another update later. Good luck to all you dieters, and if you want to add any helpful tips or talk about weight loss, I’m always listening!