How I Conserve Water and Help Our Planet

This post is sponsored by Waterl<ss Hair Care. I love being a part of the #WaterlessFam, but as always, all opinions expressed are my own. 

Lately I have been focusing my energy on ways to conserve our planet and it’s precious resources.

This means little adjustments like bringing reusable take-out containers when I go to restaurants to declining a straw when they offer it. The past few months, I have really honed in on the little things we can be doing that add up to make a BIG difference.

One of our earth’s most precious resources is water. The majority of our planet consists of water. The EPA actually projects that because the U.S.’ population has increased so significantly, they anticipate at least 40 states will have water shortages by 2024. So, I decided in 2020 to cut back on my water usage. But, I am a blogger, right? I talk about hair, beauty, and travel?! So, my hair has to look fresh and clean but I was dying to make an impact on this world by limiting my water consumption!

Enter Waterl<ss.

If you have followed my blog for any period of time, you know I love Waterl<ss. Not only do their products make my hair look, feel, and even smell clean. The heart of their organization aligns with mine. Waterl<ss started in Cape Town, South Africa during the Day Zero water crisis in 2018. Cape Town was bombarded with unprecedented water shortages due to intense droughts. People were faced with running completely out of drinkable water unless they could cut the city’s water usage to build back up a supply. Watlerl<ss was born in a time of crisis.

They made a haircare line that caters to all hair types that can be used without a single drop of water. Did you know a single shower can use over 10 gallons of water? That is water that can be conserved and used for other more important and dire needs. 

I know I am just one person, but it more people take small steps to save and converse our precious resources (like water!) our planet would be a lot better off! I challenge you to join me. You can start small, just cut out one shower a week! Instead opt to use Waterl<ss amazing products like their Dry Shampoos, Dry Conditioners, and Fragrance Mists. Forgo just one shower a week for a year and you will have made a big impact!

Their entire collection is available at Sally Beauty here – grab yours in-store or online!

How to Use Sin to Draw Closer to God

How to Use Sin to Draw Closer to God
Have you ever done something wrong and felt so awful and convicted that you thought you were beyond the salvation of Christ? Have you ever done something and then the next few days had a horrible feeling in your stomach and felt so disgusted about it that you felt like you could get sick at any second?

 

If you’ve ever felt this way, I have some great news for you. You are free from sin through Christ.
Any sin.
Every sin.
All sin.
Once you have realized your brokenness and accepted God’s gift of salvation through His Son, you are set free from all condemnation.
This is liberating.
This is exciting.
This is life changing.

But that feeling of the weight of your sin still won’t go away. You still feel convicted. I am going to go through some helpful pointers to remind you of your identity and some truths that should never be forgotten.

  1. A CHRISTIAN’S LIFE IS NOT MARKED BY SINLESSNESS, BUT BY REPENTANCE

Being a Christian does not magically mean you will never sin again. 1 John:8-9 states, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to forgive us from all unrighteousness.”

In fact the closer you get to the Lord, the more aware of your sin you will be. That means God will shed the light on sins that you used to think may not have mattered as much. Martin Luther said it best, “All of life is repentance.” As a Christian, you will mess up. And you will mess up bad. But the difference is having a repentant heart. That means turning away from the sin and looking to the cross.

2. YOUR SIN IS A CATALYST FOR WORSHIPPING JESUS

So you messed up again. You did that thing you PROMISED yourself you would never do again. You got convicted, prayed, and repented of the sin.

Now what?

Now you praise God for His unending mercy and grace for covering that sin by sending His perfect Son to die for you. Your sin reveals how much you desperately need God and revives a thankfulness within you to praise His Name all the more. Jesus is our advocate. He fights for us. 1 John 2:1-2 states, “If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.” He loves us.

3. YOUR FAITH IS STRONG BECAUSE OF WHO YOU TRUST IN

Your faith is rooted in the everlasting, all-powerful, all knowing God. That is where your faith gets its strength. It doesn’t get it from you being able to “be good” or follow every rule perfectly. If it was dependent upon that, you would fail. But no, your faith is derived from GOD. That is where it’s strength is from, not you. So you don’t have to fear because His love never fails (Psalm 136:1).

4. THERE IS HOPE

There will be a time when we are reunited with our Lord. At that time, all our sinfulness will be stripped away and we will be in perfect union with Him once more. Revelation 22:5 states, “No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and the Lamb of God will be in it and the servants will worship Him. […] And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”

We live in a broken world. We are sinful people who will mess up over and over again. But the mark of a believer is one who repents and is reminded of God’s salvation through His Son and praises the Lord through that trial. Whenever you sin, praise God for His unending and overflowing mercy that covers your life.

-Rachel

For the Girl Who Doesn’t Know Her Calling

For the Girl Who Doesn’t Know Her Calling
The wind gently pushed back her auburn hair as she gazed out over the hill country. She felt deep longing well up inside her-a desire to run, to be free, to see the world, to get away from the monotony of her 9-5.

She just wanted to go.

To impact others and do something big-something that mattered.

Frustration ebbed at her core- why hadn’t God revealed His plan for her? Shouldn’t she know what she wants to do with her life? At 25, shouldn’t she know her calling?

Deep inside all of us, we have a need to impact others-to make a difference. We all want to matter. Sometimes it is so frustrating to feel like we don’t know or understand God’s plan for our lives. Trusting Him can be difficult. Handing control over to Him can be one of the hardest things we’ll ever have to do. I mean we’re boss babes, right? We fix our problems. So completely relinquishing that power and control to the Lord can feel impossible, it can even make you feel sick to your stomach. Last year I remember not knowing at all what God’s plan held in store for me and I am still learning. I remember praying everyday that He would reveal His will for my life. I’ve come up with a few tips and things to remember as you are soul-searching and asking God for guidance.

  1. IF GOD IS YOUR #1, YOU CANNOT LOSE

If the Lord is at the root of your being-your guiding force in your life, you cannot lose. Remember Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?

Who can stand against the Creator of the Universe? Oh yeah and don’t forget-He is your Father.
God is for you.
He loves you, He is fighting for you.

Psalm 18:32-33 says,
“It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights.”
God enables you.
He allows you to stand before His presence in confidence. Keep the Lord where He belongs-as the priority of your life and you simply cannot lose.

2. WAIT ON THE LORD

Today I was reading my Bible and I stumbled upon Psalm 27:14, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
Sometimes God wants us to wait.
With our culture (and myself tbh) that probably doesn’t sit too well. I mean we live for instant gratification-we can see what all our friends are doing instantly on IG, be entertained instantly on TikTok, or if we’re hungry we just drive through Chick Fil A (AKA the Lawd’s chicken). So God telling us to wait seems contrary to what is ingrained within us. But through waiting-God is perfecting us-He is building trust within us and building our patience. When we wait on the Lord and seek Him that is making us grow increasingly more Christlike. And that is the ultimate goal- to resemble our Lord more and more as each day passes.

3. PRAY

If you are frustrated-tell that to God. He wants to hear about your sadness and annoyances. He wants to know.
He wants to know everything.
Remember Matthew 6:26, “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” We have a God who is alive and active, He wants to hear your prayers. He isn’t passive eating bonbons in heaven, out of touch and uncaring. I know it can feel like that sometimes, I’ll be the first to admit it. But remember He died and defeated death just to know you. In Philippians 4:7 God reminds us,
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Talk to God.
If you don’t have time-make time. Lately I have been setting five alarms and getting up extra early because it is literally the only time of the day I can find for the Lord.

You always make time for the things that matter to you, you wouldn’t ignore your BFF or your bf. You make time for those you love-including God.

Waiting on the Lord and wanting him to reveal His plan for your life is difficult. It takes trusting in the Lord and allowing him to work in His own timing. Focusing your heart on Him through prayer and making sure that He is Lord of your life is the best way to let him open your heart and reveal to you what His plan for you is. Remember Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”

Trust in Him and lean into His perfect strength, because when we are weak, He is strong.

-Rach

My 10 Beauty Must-Haves

My 10 Beauty Must-Haves
She stepped past the threshold of Sephora, eyes alight with excitement.

Everything was beautiful and sparkly and the scent of Chanel wafted through the air. She felt excited with all the possibilities before her. She knew what she needed: bronzer. As she wandered down each aisle, things became more muddled-should she get the Tarte shimmery bronzer or the Hourglass lighting bronzer? Oh no-or the Nars blush/bronzer duo? Slowly her excitement began to ebb. There were so many options here. She scanned the store for a sales associate-but no one came to her aid-all were busy helping other customers. Her excitement soon faded into a feeling of overwhelming frustration. This was supposed to be a fun trip! But there were just so many options and she didn’t know which to choose.

 

If you’ve been in that same scenario-I feel ya girl. There have been so many times I’ve wandered into Sephora or Ulta and been totally lost. But through some ok years of trial and error, I have tried hundreds of products and found my top 10 Beauty must haves. This way, you can go into Sephora like the girl boss that you are and confidently snag these products and know they are bomb! Alright, let’s jump right in sista.

 

 1. Dress Code Elchim Blow Dryer

This is the Rolls Royce of blow driers. It runs a little pricey, but girl-it is literally amazing. I will do anything to cut my blow drying time and this bad boy cuts it right in half. My hair went from taking 45 minutes to blow dry to 15. Reminder that whenever you blow dry, use heat protector. Apply it twice: first before blowdrying and then again before you style your hair. The heat from the blow-drier evaporates the first layer and you gotta protect those gorgeous locks! This is 100% worth every penny I spent on it. I bought it straight from Amazon because prime shipping is life.

2. Origins Out of Trouble Mask

This mask is perfect for anyone with acne prone skin. I use it once a week and it always leaves my skin so smooth. Plus it never dries out your skin! Just leaves it feeling perfectly supple and radiant. Ever since I started using this, I rarely break out. And as someone who used to have severe cystic acne-I am so thankful I found this mask! It’s the only mask I consistently use.

3. Olaplex No 3

If you want bomb hair-get this treatment and use it every week! I’ve gotten my hair so long and healthy thanks to this treatment and my amazing hairstylist who takes amazing care of my locks. Many of you comment on my hair and I want you to know-my hair wasn’t always long and healthy! I used to have extensions 24/7. Getting my hair healthy was a journey and this treatment was a huge part of it. This is different than a hair mask because it rebuilds your hair from the shaft, fixing the damage done by color or highlights. I cannot recommend this product enough!

Pro-tip: Whenever you get your hair highlighted, colored, or balayaged, ask your stylist to mix in Olaplex No 2. It’s a more concentrated version of No 3 and is a game changer.

4. e.l.f. Poreless Face Primer

Apply this below your makeup and your skin looks so smooth and flawless! I also love that its affordable. It’s comparable to the Smashbox primers-but this one is cheaper 😉

5. SmashBox Studio Skin 24 Hour Concealer

This is the best concealer of all time. Even when I’ve gotten 3 hours of sleep and am exhausted, I just put this bad boy under my eyes and no one is the wiser! I swear by this concealer-its that good.

6. The Perfect Face Loose Powder in Y2

This is another hack I have learned for those pesky under-eye circles. After I do my concealer and foundation, I put this on liberally under my eyes and then proceed to do my eyeshadow. Then I take my powder brush and brush it away! And voila-no under eye circles ever again!

7. Milk & Honey Cream Deodorant in Coconut Vanilla

You know how everyone is switching to natural deodorant but then everyone kind of smells bad? That was my worst fear, so when setting out to find a natural deodorant that worked, I asked my boyfriend, best friend, and my mom to tell me if I ever smelt bad. Tbh there was no way I was gonna sacrifice smelling good to make the switch. Luckily, I found this natural deodorant from Milk & Honey and its amazing. Not only does it smell good, but it works. Just like regular deodorant, you apply it every morning! I seriously love it. The only drawback is that its cream, so you apply it differently. But I heard they were developing a stick form which I am stoked about!

8. Hoola Bronzer

I will never, ever use another bronzer. I love it because there’s zero sparkle in it. Its completely matte with brown undertones-giving you a sun baked glow that looks completely natural. I use it for my contour and its simply amazing.

9. Clean and Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets

Ok-I love love love these things. As you could’ve guessed, I have oily skin. So usually about 9 hours into the day, my skin begins to produce lots of oil and get shiny. I love strategically using shine for highlighter-but looking super shiny all over isn’t my jam. So I’ll bring these little guys with me-especially during shoots because they don’t disturb your make-up!

10. Conair Xtreme Heat Rollers

Wanna know how I achieve those big curls? This is my secret! Yes, you may definitely will look like a grandma when getting ready, but who cares! Your hair will end up looking crazy awesome in the end!

There ya go! Take this list with you next time you venture into Sephora or Ulta and never feel overwhelmed by all the options again! I got chu girlfriend! Feel free to share this list with your friends. And better yet, if you have a product I have to try-let me know in the comments below!

LYLAS-

Rach

 

10 Perfect (& Affordable!) Holiday Party Looks

10 Perfect (& Affordable!) Holiday Party Looks

Tis’ the season for holiday parties! Holiday parties are my fave-especially being a plus one! If you’re anything like me-you have a myriad of holiday parties approaching. Some ranging from black tie to tacky Christmas sweater to more conservative work parties. If you’e also like me-you love dressing super classy but-ya girl has a budget. I have gathered all my favorite finds this December to compile this list of all my favorite holiday party looks for every single get together you have this season! And-the greatest news of all-they’re all affordable-the most affordable being $19.90 (wait-what?!) to the most pricey being $118. Hope you enjoy this guide and have a wonderful time at your plethora of holiday parties this season!

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Jumpsuit: Forever 21 $19.90     Bag: Tory Burch      Shoes: Top Shop

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Dress: Nordstrom $118     Bag: Tory Burch

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Top: Forever 21 $18     Skirt: Forever 21 $17.90

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Dress: Nordstrom (Top Shop) $65      Earrings: Kendra Scott      Bag: Madewell

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Dress: Nordstrom (Lulu’s) $72     Earrings: Kendra Scott

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Sweater: Target $34

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Dress: Francesca’s    Shoes: Prada

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Dress: Zara $39

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Dress: Nordstrom $100      Shoes: Prada

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Dress: Forever 21 $19.90

I hope that each of you have a wonderful time at all your holiday parties-whether it’s a black tie event or a group of girls in tacky sweaters drinking champagne and playing How Do you Meme or a cozy family get together with your precious nieces and nephews watching Elf and drinking hot cocoa! It’s my prayer that each of you take time this crazy holiday season to rest in Jesus. To take time away from all the parties-to sit and think about how wonderful it is that our Savior humbled himself to live in this world so that we can have a sympathetic God who understands what it is to be human! I also pray that your Christmas season is filled with special memories that you will always cherish. Take time to play silly games with your little cousins and family. Laugh hard, don’t take yourself too seriously-alright?! Instead of getting wrapped up in staging Insta-worthy photos, put your phone down and make real memories! I love you all and hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

 

LYLAS-

Rach