Passion.Style.Effortless.

Modern and Progressive Silicon Valley Techie, Foodie, Fashion and Beauty lover!

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Lets talk hair..

Ladies lets talk about hair..

Getting my hair done has become a ritual past time that relaxes me and I really enjoy every aspect of hair care, hair maintenance, and styling. In my eyes, having amazing hair is the most important aspect to a polished and clean look. You could have absolutely no make-up on or be in sweats at the gym and your hair has the ability to transform your look.  

Hair color .. color gives your hair great dimension! Whether it be highlights and low lights, or over all color - Color has the ability to transform dull and boring hair into something to wow over. 

One the most notable people that I absolutely drool over when it comes to hair and everything about it is Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge. It always seems as if she's got it right just about every time she steps out into public with her perfectly coiffed waves and her color has always been so rich and never brassy! Albeit, I know she is a Princess and has a whole team of stylists behind her making sure her royal tresses are looked after!

Now, I know many people allocate their budgets towards many different things and we all have different priorities in life! Since beauty has been a big interest of mine, I tend to do extensive research to make sure I am getting the bang for my hard earned dollars, I tend to allocate much of my budget towards this... The reason that I focus a lot of research on things of this nature is because there are so many beauty trends out there that are a pure waste of money and designed to rip off consumers!

I have been entrusting my lovely locks to Leanne Harris of Lock Star Salon in San Mateo, California for over 5 years and I absolutely love all of her amazing work and she is truly a gifted colorist, and her talent I feel rivals the best in the business!  

https://www.styleseat.com/lockstar

When Leanne met me, I had something that resembled a horrible hair cut.. I would be even daring to say .. a "mullet" cut? But that was something of another life time when she had first greeted by crazy hair.  I think the most important thing any woman can do is first and foremost find an amazing stylist to care for their hair.. That person needs to become your best friend and yes you can have a love/hate relationship while arguing about how short your bangs should or shouldn't be - you should never be afraid to tell them what you want and what you would envision for your hair.   Look - in all reality your hair stylist can't ever transform you into J.Lo or Angelina Jolie - so lets keep ourselves realistic!

Color! - please please please never use store bought box color!! 

There is a reason hairstylists have to complete 1600 hours of education and pass state board examines before receiving their Cosmetology license. You can’t just send away for your license like you can with other things.

"-There is a lot of time and education that goes into understanding how the color wheel works. You have to know what shades to mix together to achieve that beautiful golden blonde, that rich carmel brown or that vibrant red. With all these companies selling the idea that you can achieve that perfect shade you want with just this one simple application is such a disservice to you as the consumer.  Although we are all looking for ways to save money, if you proceed with purchasing a box color from the store, you will end up spending twice as much in color correction at the salon than you would have – had you originally gone to a professional and let them do what they have been trained to do. That $10 box color won’t feel that affordable after a $300 color correction."  - Maria Leigh, Scottsdale, Arizona

Daily Maintenance at Home: Making sure that you are using the right shampoo and conditioner is one of the basic fundamentals in proper hair care and keeping your hair healthy and looking amazing.  This is especially imperative if you have color treated hair or chemically treated hair! You will never able to find a shampoo and conditioner that will give you the highest quality of care from any drug store or convenience store. I choose to use sulfate-free products, and as seen in my last blog - I use all the Enjoy Hair Care products. 

Enjoy has a wide range of products for any hair type, and a great variety of styling aids. 

Enjoy is also the brand that Leanne my hair stylist uses for Keratin Smoothing Treatments.  - A Keratin treatment essentially infuses keratin into the cuticle to create smooth, silky and shiny hair.

Since I deal with frizzy and unruly hair, these treatments benefit me greatly when it comes to styling my hair and taming it, another plus is the way my hair feels and looks! 

So lets talk about numbers...

How much should I be paying for particular services?

I can't really tell you how much but I can help give you a 2013 realistic ball park range estimation of how much things should be realistically costing you. Or rather, what I think is realistic!

Haircuts for Women: $45-75

Partial Highlights: $80-110

Full Highlights: $150 and up

Color: $75-120

Toner: $10-39

Keratin Treatments: $200-300

Thank you for reading!

and remember life is always to be continued :)

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Honeymoon Planning 101

I don’t know about you but honeymoon planning has been a very interesting endeavour for me. Wedding planning has really been a piece of cake as far as I’m concerned because the biggest stresses were getting venues and dates locked down. Once those 2 big items were set - it was onwards and upwards from there. For me personally, I saw planning a wedding as fitting all possible pieces of the puzzle together and building on from there. Honeymoon planning was a far different beast! Picking a destination wasn’t really an issue as I knew I wanted to go somewhere hot, and for all intensive purposes - a “young persons destination.” For me the Maldives fit the bill! It was certainly something a bit different, a bit younger, and more akin to what perhaps - someone of my generation with a little bit more of a spending budget would do for a honeymoon. In my opinion, being from California - I’ve seen so many couples take honeymoons to the South Pacific. Hot destinations that I’ve seen are: French Polynesia (i.e. Bora Bora, Tahiti) and Fiji. I really wasn’t feeling the South Pacific - it just didn’t appeal to me at all, and I felt it’s been overly done by so many of my peers. (Not to undermine the beauty of the South Pacific! It is a wonderful destination, just not my cup of tea.) For those of you that are unfamiliar with the Maldives here’s the scoop! The Republic of the Maldives is located in the Indian Ocean, situated in the Arabian Sea. It lies southwest of India and Sri Lanka. The Maldives is comprised of a chain of 26 atolls.

Once we agreed on a date, I thought it was a matter of picking a hotel I liked and booking it. I had a rude awakening because little did I know there were so many things to take into consideration. Most resorts require taking a private sea plane on top of your commercial travel to get to the capital city of Male. These plane rides aren’t cheap either! $250-450 per person! Yikes! This certainly steered me away from many of the big resorts. I did a lot of homework on resorts, ratings, services - I had an entire laundry list of items that I wanted fulfilled.. Go big or go home right? You only get married once, so I really wanted to put the effort and time in finding a place we would be happy spending a week at, and getting the most bang for my buck.

I found just what I was looking for! A Thai Resort called Centara Ras Fushi. It was close in proximity to the Male International Airport, and was accessible by a 25 minute high speed boat ride complimentary to any guest staying at the resort.

From the get go, I knew I wanted to stay in a over the water villa. I don’t know what it is, but the over the water villas just have this air of romance and magic all tied in one. There was just something about being able to walk into the water from your villa and go swimming in pristine blue water with fishes and manta rays everywhere! My husband certainly agreed with me on this too! Who wouldn’t want to wake up to this every morning?!

Factors that swayed me further in booking this resort: I loved the fact it was all inclusive. Hey - If I’m going to be stuck on an island I don’t want to be nickel and dimed for food and drinks. Based on the ratings and my research, many people praised the variety of restaurants available, room service, and high quality of food. The bar looked super cozy with the fun seating! I could definitely see myself sipping foo-foo umbrella drinks like that!

Activities!!

I most look forward to scuba diving all the amazing coral reefs and ship wrecks! The “Shipyard” is a famous wreck diving site, and one of the most iconic landmarks of the Lhaviyani atoll, near Kuredu Island Resort. The wrecks are now excellent dive sites with an abundance of marine life. - My sweet husband is a product of the mid-west :) being from Minnesota it did take some encouragement for him to want to dive in the open ocean.. Someone has seen Jaws one to many times…

I really wanted to create this blog because I found booking my Honeymoon to the Maldives as some what of a tedious process, because it took a lot of my own research to really plan the “perfect” itinerary.

As with everything in life - if we had no budget, the sky would truly be the limit. But in my case, I realistically had an $8,000 budget (my budget included airfare, accommodations, and food/beverages) and at many of the resorts I was looking at - It was a whooping $1,000+/night in over the water villas, which I thought was reasonable for the location but certainly not within the confines of the budget for a weeks long stay.

My best advice for anyone planning a honeymoon is: Make a list of all the important things you want out of your honeymoon. Big items should be: where you want to stay, how luxury you want your accommodations, do you want to stay in one place or move to another resort to change your surroundings. - So many things to think about.

Once you have a solid idea of your honeymoon “must haves” then you can start narrowing down - based on budget, and don’t be afraid to read all the TripAdvisor.com customer reviews. You may be surprised that they could answer questions that you have about your potential stay.

I hope all this information is valuable to anyone planning a honeymoon or thinking about a trip to the Maldives! Always remember - life is always to be continued.. Cheers!

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one gifset per appearance → visit to nyc, day 2: nets v. cavaliers, brooklyn [3/3] (08/12/2014)

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s last engagement of the day was an appearance at an NBA Basketball game (Nets v Cavaliers) to help launch a new collaboration between The Royal Foundation, United for Wildlife and the NBA. This is meant to raise awareness about the importance of international wildlife conservation.

After the third quarter, Jay-Z and Beyoncé were led across the court to meet the royal couple. Jay-Z was a part-owner of the Nets and has kept his seats next to the team’s bench. The Duke and Duchess also met LeBron James, who gifted them with a mini jersey for Prince George. He had previously spoken of the “honor” it would be to play in front of the couple.

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One of the most talented Congressmen out there ! Eric Swalwell at Lyft Headquarters

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Crepes in Eze, France

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Adventures of my "hard" working dog! Johnny loves hopping on Caltrain and going to work with me on Friday's! He's currently learning sales, ruby and rails, and client success! Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?? Ha! TGIF!

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Throwback Thursday! Secretary of Defense and Former CIA Director Leon Panetta, Jimmy Panetta, Jerome Pandell, Windy McNearny, Congressman Eric Swalwell.

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10 Eating Habits of The Queen Revealed by Royal Chef

Even Royal Pets have Standards

As one of his first travel assignments, McGrady and roughly 99 other staff members traveled with Queen Elizabeth for her annual summer stay in Balmoral Castle. “I was so excited to be there,” McGrady beamed. “Not only for the royal family, but to see her.” One morning, the head chef called McGrady in for the special task of preparing carrots for her Majesty. He was told to peel three carrots, chop them finger-length and trim the edges so they are perfectly tidy. He placed them delicately into a small bag and went back to the chef. “She really likes her carrots, doesn’t she?” McGrady recalls asking the head chef. “He then replied, ‘No, they are not for the Queen but for her horse’. That was my first job, cooking for The Queen’s horse.”

Royals Don’t Eat Garlic

While McGrady observes The Queen is not a picky eater, she does have her preferences. “We can never serve anything with garlic or too much onions,” McGrady said. “We also couldn’t serve meat that was rare, as she liked her meat more well done.” Whenever having a Sunday Roast, McGrady and other chefs would ensure the ends were cooked perfectly for The Queen — the part of the meat she always takes.

There is a “Royal Way” of Cooking

Though McGrady was by experience a Senior Chef, he started in Buckingham Palace as chef #20 of twenty. “It would be the same if Gordon Ramsay or anybody else went in there,” McGrady explains. “It’s not that they don’t trust you to cook, it’s that they want your to learn the royal way of cooking.” McGrady explains that if he were to hypothetically send the Queen a Beef Stroganoff in Savoy style (heavy on onions and paprika) rather than the Buckingham Palace recipe of Beef Stroganoff (centuries old recipe of barely any onions and no paprika), the Queen would notice immediately and send it back. It was important that any chef start at the bottom and learn the authentic and traditional royal way of cooking. “The Queen was like many elderly ladies in the sense that they like things the way they are, all the time,” McGrady explained. “They don’t like change.”

The Royals Eat Seasonally

"You can send strawberries every day to The Queen during summer at Balmoral and she’ll never say a word," McGrady said. "Try including strawberries on the menu in January and she’ll scrub out the line and say don’t dare send me genetically modified strawberries. She absolutely does eat seasonal." At Balmoral castle in the highlands of Scotland (The Queen’s annual summer retreat), there is a special garden within the castle from which the strawberries and produce are grown.

The Queen Must Approve Every Recipe and Menu

Through a note, the Queen would routinely approve of proposed menus, recipes and courses and put a line through everything she didn’t want to include. “I found a new dish called ‘Veiled Farmer’s Daughter’ and sent it up as a suggestion to the Queen and she could look at it and decide if was to her liking,” Darren explained with a smile. “She sent a note back saying who or what are the ‘Veiled Farmer’s Daughter’. She has a very hands-on approach to the menu, McGrady said.

The Queen isn’t a Foodie

"She eats to live while Prince Philip is the one who lives to eat," McGrady claims. "Prince Phillip loves to cook on the grill, he’s a great chef." The Queen on the other hand eats very small portions of her four meals throughout the day — except when it came to chocolate.

The Queen’s Chocolate Cake Follows her Across the Country

McGrady explained that several types of cake are made for The Queen routinely and the staff would end up finishing them off after she took a small slice (they are served after The Queen), but the one she couldn’t get enough of was Chocolate Biscuit Cake. “Now the Chocolate Biscuit Cake is the only cake that goes back again and again and again everyday until it’s all gone,” McGrady said. “She’ll take a small slice every day until eventually there is only one tiny piece, but you have to send that up, she wants to finish the whole of that cake.” Oh, and the staff not dare take a piece of her chocolate cake. McGrady says if a slice were missing, she would notice. Also, if Her Majesty were traveling to Windsor Castle and there was Chocolate Biscuit Cake left over, the senior chef would follow on a train with the cake in tow.

The State Banquets are Out of this World

The State Banquets are military-run with precision, meticulous details and the upmost punctuality, McGrady explained. “The Queen’s page would stand behind her Royal Majesty with a little zapper, and as soon as The Queen put down her knife and fork from the first course, he pressed a button that changed the traffic light colours and the footmen entered and started clearing the table,” McGrady said. “Even if you are not finished, the course is over.”

Fun fact: The Queen’s china dates back to the era of King George V and the early 1800s, while the knives and forks were silver and coated with pure gold.

The Queen Doesn’t Eat Starches, Potatoes or Pasta

Unless for special occassions and dinner parties, The Queen would avoid these foods. Her daily eating menu typically consists of grilled fish or chicken with two types of vegetables. She is also a fan of big bowls of salad, oh, and don’t forget fresh fruit.

The Queen Schools Humanity on How to Eat Fruit

While we at RecipesPlus rejoiced once we discovered you can peel a banana easily from the bottom (not the stem) and reach the banana more efficiently, this conversation with Darren put us to shame. “With a banana, she’ll cut off the bottoms and cut the banana length-wise, and then cut the banana into tiny slices to eat with a fork. She eats her pears like boiled eggs. She’ll cut off the top and scoop out the insides with a spoon.”

We could cope with our primal eating habits, we thought, we aren’t technically animals. Then our lovely friend Darren reminded us: “There is no eating like a monkey at Buckingham Palace.”

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Eye Lash Perm

Literally my best kept secret until now!

I have been perming my eyelashes since 2006, I have stick straight Asian lashes and even with a heated eye lash curler nothing can ever get these lash to curl! The only problem with getting my lashes permed is I have to set aside about an hour of time to have my eyes closed shut every 3 months. But, for 3 months of beautifully curled lashes, it is completely worth it.

They start by putting your eyes into rollers and they add the perming lotion - which is safe as long as you have an esthetician or cosmetologist who knows what they are doing. You don't want to be getting any eye lash perming lotion on anything else except the eye lashes. There will be 2 seperate applications of the solution between 15-20 minutes apart. Once the two applications are completed, warm water is gently rubbed on the lashes to release them from eye lash curling roller - and to neutralize the perming lotions. You will go from curling and mascara, to no mascara needed in just 40 minutes!

I will post my before's and after's!

Eye Lash Perm done by Shirley Lee at Beauty Wand , Millbrae, California

Thank you for reading!

and remember life is always to be continued :)

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Laser Tattoo Removal

The process itself took less than 1 minute and due to the Lidocane, I felt absolutely nothing! You can see the video below:

http://youtu.be/AZXuI1pmIHw

I first went in for a consult with Annie Coots the P.A (whom is absolutely fabulous!) at my Dermatologist office. She examined my tattoo took measurements, explained to the risks and realistic expectations involved with the procedure. I was also very pleased because I learned that my tattoo color was the perfect color for removal. Apparently once you get into different colors: i.e. : pinks, greens, purples ect. It is rather a difficult process to remove, if removal is possible at all. Annie, also gave me a quote for each session for the size and complexity of my tattoo removal it would be $250 each session which is a great deal. I will be in every 6 weeks to see her until this tattoo is gone! I will post after every session so you can see my progress!

Thank you for reading!

and remember life is always to be continued :)

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My Laser Hair Removal Journey

I'm here to shake up the status quo!

So, I have been dealing with unwanted hair since I don't know when.. Literally, as a 10 year old, I was obsessing over my upper lip hair and even resorted to taking my Mothers razor and shaving it... Well at the time I didn't know any better, and my Mother has never been one of those women whom always has to be on top of the latest and greatest in the beauty world. Most people that know me, definitely will tell you that I am the complete opposite, I research, read, and will do anything to tap into the latest and greatest when it comes to anything beauty related. However, I am also a very practical and realistic person when it comes to trying new things, so that has definitely been a positive thing for me when deciding to try a new product, treatment, or procedure.

If I added up all the times I had gotten a Brazilian wax and upper lip wax in my lifetime; I think I'd have to say that I've spent somewhere in the ball park range of $10,000. This year after my break up with my boyfriend, I started to do some self reflection and I realized that I was always doing things for others and neglecting myself. I promised myself that I would put myself first and practice better self-care, so I decided to finally go for Laser Hair Removal. I started doing my due diligence and research by asking others who have had the treatments done about their experience, looking online at reviews from 3rd parties, and what types of lasers would have the best results for me.

When I started looking at different establishments that provided the treatments I had specific criteria that they needed for me to consider:

The level of professionalism and comfort level I had during my initial consultation.

The type of Laser they used - I decided from my research the Gentle Max Pro (Candela) or LightSheer Duet (Lumenis) would be the best lasers for me and most affective.

The pricing and business stability. I have heard horror stories of people that had bought expensive laser hair removal packages for different areas of their bodies, and then the establishment went out of business. Resulting in, never finishing their treatments, and not getting their money back either.

I booked myself a consultation with 3 different establishments to compare and see which would be the best fit for me. I went to a MedSpa, my dermatologist office, and a nationwide laser hair removal chain.             After taking all of the above into consideration, I settled on American Laser Skincare Center. American Laser, is practically in every major city in the country and every state except for Hawaii and Alaska. The particular laser they used is Candela's Gentle Max Pro - which is also what my dermatologist office was also using as well.  The pricing was spectacular! They had a 70% off special so I signed up for the following areas: Full Brazilian, Under Arms, Face, and Legs. They offered me 0% financing for 18 months, so that was a plus as well! Even though I had the cash to spend right then and there - I figure if it's free financing, why not pay it over the duration of 6 months time (even though I had 18 months to pay it off)  rather than shelling out a couple of thousands of dollars in one sitting. plus it builds your credit :) Win win!

My first session was amazing! The Laser did not hurt and was tolerable. I had reservations about my upper lip - I was hoping I wouldn't hyperpigment or burn. It was so easy and my skin didn't even get red!  Within about 3 weeks from my first session I started to notice a bit of a difference with the hair being thinner, less hair growth, and the hair being less apparent. By the second session 6 weeks later, the results kept getting better and better. I decided I was addicted! The only areas that were probably remotely uncomfortable for me was my backside during the Brazilian. In between my butt cheeks was the uncomfortable and felt like a rubber band snapping on my skin. But it was over soon enough.

If anyone has any hesitation about doing Laser hair removal, I have to say as long as you find an establishment with awesome Laser's and great clinicians, you will not regret it! The best money I have ever spent. I will also give someone a Groupon or Living Social Deal for Laser Hair Removal because I feel it is so worth it!

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[royalpleasuree]

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I love this picture of them

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Interviewer: Now it has to be said, you both look incredibly happy and relaxed.  William: We are, we are. (x)

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I love this!

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Love love love love!

As many of you who know me and know my background I am an intensive researcher. If I am curious about something or want to know something I am always googling and researching about it. I feel that this is much of a dying art! I feel that everything in the world is always progressing and evolving (especially here in the Tech capital of the world) that its hard to stay up to date on the newest discoveries in the world of beauty and products.

So I thought I'd share a few of my "must have" products for my daily beauty regiment that I swear by!

Murad

Murad Anti Aging Moisturizer - For Blemish Prone Skin 1.7oz

$27.44 - Murad on Amazon

Looking for an amazing face cream with 20 SPF (Yes, SPF is a must on your face! No one likes wrinkles) that doesn't make your skin break out? Well I found a winner! In fact I love just about any Dr. Murad product I have ever used! (It's all about definitely seeing what works and what does not work with your skin!)

Exuviance Hydrating Eye Cream

$35 for 0.5oz - Ulta/Sephora

The best eye cream I have ever used! It is sort of a middle ground between a cream and a serum. I am so prone to dark circles and puffy eyes that this has been absolutely amazing for me!

Bliss Triple Oxygen Energizing Mask

$34 - Bliss on Amazon Another fabulous under eye treatment that is fabulous at hydrating under eyes!

Pur 4 in 1 Pressed Mineral Foundation I am a person who loves to take care of my skin and this foundation has done wonders for it. It is paraben-free, vegan friendly, and gluten free, and it is not tested on animals. It has many natural ingredients to prevent your skin from breaking out!

  Shu Uemura Eye Lash Curler

$17.15 - Shu Uemura - Amazon.com

Eye lashes! I love pretty lashes! I have used this eye lash curler for years! The quality is unmatched and as many of you know quality is number one for me! But investing in quality tools is of the upmost importance. You can skimp to try and save some money but in the long run - paying a little extra goes a long way, in my book!

They're Real! Mascara - Benefit Cosmetics  $19.99 - Benefit, Ulta, Amazon.com Quality mascara ! Make sure to never buy mascara and stock up because they tend to dry out within 6 months to a year. Always purchase as needed.

Hair - My passion.. my love .. I droll at amazing hair

Shampoo and Conditioners, Serums, Tools - all of the above! I stand by all the Enjoy products, they are all sulfate free and not tested on animals. I have been using Enjoy since 2009 and my hair has never felt as great as it does now! I also love their Keratin Smoothing Treatment - find an Enjoy stylist near you to try one - you won't regret it! I take a lot of pride in my hair, and always keep it healthy - with bounce and a glossy shine. My hair is color treated so it is so important that I keep up on hydrating it and taking care of it.

Enjoy Sulfate-Free Hydrating Shampoo 

$18/bottle - Ulta

Enjoy Shine and Smooth Serum 

$15/bottle Ulta.com

Before blow drying or thermal treatment I use Enjoy Shine and Smooth. It smells lovely and leaves your hair feeling amazing!

Tools: 

GHD and T3 are my top favorites. I have personally chosen to invest in hair tools that will not "fry" my hair and use ionic technology.

These products come with free replacement warranties which I like because when you spend a pretty penny on hair tools you want to get the best bang for your buck!

GHD Hair Straightener 1 inch

$195 - Sephora

Universal voltage - so if you travel, its perfect! Mine has been around the world and more with me for the past 2-3 years! Heats up quickly within 30 seconds, uses ionic technology - as to not overheat and burn your hair. I've been using GHD products since 2008 - I truly stand by them and the quality of their product.

T3 Featherweight 2 Hair Dryer 

$146.00 - T3 - Amazon.com

A professional, Tourmaline-infused hair dryer that delivers lightening-fast drying and healthy, beautiful results!

  Thanks for letting me share! 

Life is always to be continued..