Motivation | Why it’s okay to rock your hair however you want it

June 20, 2017July 14, 2017Leave a comment

A good friend of mine was making fun of me about my blog name, curlsxoxo. She said, “How can you have a blog named curls and not show your curls?” And she was right. I rarely wear my hair naturally. I’ve always had a difcult time embracing it. Mainly because the comments I get and stares (I’m assuming because of my hair). Naturally, my hair is volumonous. I’ve been known to make hairdressers sweat. Growing up in the 90’s, I was on trend. Big volumonous curls lathered in gel and mouse for that wet look. I thought I was soooo cool. 😎

I started straightening it as soon as I could afford my own straightener. I was never really good with a roundbrush and blowdryer. That’s more for people with time and patience. Something that I’m consistently having to work on. Then in the late 2000’s, the evolution of the Brazilian blowout became popular in Los Angeles. It was definitely out of my price range, but luckily for me, I knew someone that would give me a friends and family discount. And that’s how my brazilian blowout obsession started. I no longer had to spend hundreds of dollars on hair gels, creams, milks, or serums. My once tedious hair routine was no longer existent. I had a new found confidence and an even sexier swag. But why give all that power to my hair? Who am I? Samson? Does all of my strength lie on my head?

No! My hair is curly and crazy and voluminous… and I love it! ❤️ It doesn’t have to be straight to give me confidence. My friend was completely right to make fun of me for the irony of my blog name. I guess I never sat down to really think about it. I still plan on styling my hair however I want, but I’ll be rocking the curls more often.

Do what makes you happy. Natural is beautiful and confidence is even sexier. Remember that your strength doesn’t lie on your head. It’s being comfortable in your own skin and paying attention to your mind and body that gives you your strength. Do you boo and rock your hair however you want it!

Hello, would you like some hair?

XOXO

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– ♥ ♥ ♥ –

Motivation | Why it’s okay to take some time for yourself

June 1, 2017June 1, 2017Leave a comment

It has definitely been quite a while since I’ve posted. Mainly because I’ve been spending more time experiencing things and not so much documenting them. My own fault for not being more proactive with my time. But, I really needed it.

I needed that time alone, to reflect and gather my thoughts, and to really just take some time to work on myself. We all really need that sometimes. This past year my life has changed so much. You never really realize how much change is occurring until you stop and reflect on how much time has actually passed. Much of the change has definitely been for the better. I definitely have gathered a lot of interesting stories and some crazy experiences, and I want to make sure to share all of that.

I really feel like I’m in a much different place. More calm with myself and more accepting of life. Let me tell you. No one’s life is easy. Everyone is drawn a different set of cards. Some more complicated than others, but different depending on the perspective. But that’s just how life goes. And that’s why it’s important for you to take some time for yourself. It’s easy to fall into a pattern and get stuck in the monotony of things. You almost forget how to think outside the box because of routine and comfort. Stepping outside of the norm is what helps ground you back into reality. It helps you to look at things from a different perspective, a different mindset, maybe a different thought process.

Different is good. Change is good because it helps you to evolve and grow as an individual. You need that growth in order to not be stagnant and to not let the gunk of every day cloud your judgement. You have to be of sound mind and sound thought to make a sound decision, if that makes any sense.

It’s okay to retreate to spend that time healing and working on yourself. You don’t have to feel guilty about it. Know that it’s completely healthy and normal, and it’s definitely more than okay.

Travel | Santorini, Greece

July 7, 2016July 8, 2016Leave a comment

This spring, my best gal pal and I took a European adventure from France to Greece! Out of all the locations we visited, Santorini, Greece, was hands-down the most amazing.

Santorini is actually the most active volcanic center in the Aegean Sea. The island is known for being the site of one the largest volcanic eruptions ever recorded in history. The eruption caused a portion of the island to collapse, giving the area the crescent shape of today.

Today, Santorini is best known for their blue top buildings and marvelous sunsets. The food is not so bad either and the locals are kind and friendly. Things to do on the island range from sailing to wine tasting.

During our trip, we rented a car and explored every town. The rental was $40 euros for 24 hours. They didn’t even check for a driver’s license!

That day we had lunch in Pyrgos, explored the black sand beaches of Kamari, and caught the sunset in Oia.

The following day we set sail on a snorkeling sunset excursion. It ended up being too cold to snorkel, but catching the sunset off the ocean was worth it. The boat sailed around the island stopping at all of the various beaches – black sand, red sand, and white sand beach. The crew made us a great meal and shared their stories with us.

While being on that island was so surreal, hearing people’s stories made the experience humbling. I can’t even tell you how many times we were asked what is what like to be living the “American Dream.” Hearing locals’ first-hand accounts of Greece’s economic state and how they had limited access to money during the initial stages of the banking crisis really put things into perspective. It wasn’t something that we asked, but it was the stories the locals wanted to share… so, we listened. The most amazing part of all is that through it all they were still happy and kind because they have a love of Santorni…. and that’s what made me fall in love with Santorini even more.

XOXO

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Motivation | Love life and it will love you back

February 4, 2016February 7, 2016Leave a comment

She loved life and it loved her right back

One of the hardest lessons I ever had to learn in life was when to move on. Challenges are not easy by any means. If they didn’t test your will, they wouldn’t be considered hardships. Swallowing your pride and moving away from a situation that is not healthy or is not going anywhere shows strength. Removing yourself from the negative is probably the best thing you can do to live a more fulfilled life. It is not a weakness by any means.

You were meant to live a happy life. You were meant to learn, create, explore, and enjoy all the wonders that life has to offer. You were not meant to be in miserable relationships or dead end jobs. Learning when to let something go and move on isn’t a sign a weakness. In fact, it’s the opposite. It takes a lot of courage and awareness to know when something is not healthy for you and to move on. To not let situations or people hold you back or keep you stagnant.

Haven’t you ever spent time in a situation that when you look back on you think to yourself, why didn’t you just let go of it sooner? That maybe it wasn’t worth the time and effort that you spent, it was petty, or maybe you didn’t want to let go because it was a matter of pride?

I truely believe that once you you learn how to remove yourself from negative situations/people, you learn to not lose sleep over the petty things. You start to have a better appreciation for the good. The good moments in life start to feel even better! You start to love life even more and life loves you right back.

I’m not saying that moving on is a magic solution that will make things better for your life. It’s that moving away from the negative forces you to perform some retrospect on the situation and gives you a better appreciation for the positive. It makes the smaller things more meaningful. It will slowly start to help you realize what is most important to you, and that, in turn, gives you the strength and confidence to make better decisions. I’m telling you, once you realize what you love, it becomes easier to not let petty or negative things get in the way of your happiness.

Learn to love life. It’s waiting to love you back.