It has always been my advocacy to be eco-friendly, but I took the leap when I got pregnant 2 years ago. I started with a lippie product because I deemed lipsticks to be the most harmful to the baby because I was ingesting the chemicals. I wasn't able to expand on this, opting for a bare face and relying on the pregnancy glow to look decent (except that the glow only lasted the first trimester, but let's not dwell on that).
It was only until after I had the baby when I got more products that are natural/organic but mostly they were baby's stuff.Of the ones I tried for myself, one of them is a natural shampoo that I bought from Human ❤️ Nature.
Reasons for testing out a natural shampoo
So aside from going chemical-free that is harmful to the earth and to myself, another reason why I tried a natural shampoo is because I read that SLS could cause frizzy hair. I had straight locks earlier in my childhood but it slowly transitioned to frizzy when I stepped into high school which resulted in my hair to constantly being up in a ponytail.
This new information we have on the effects of SLS on hair, particulary curly hair, has been eye-opening. My sisters both have wavy hair and I suspected that mine had transitioned into wavy back when I was a teenager and using the same products for straight hair wasn't working thus resulting in frizz.
The way to combat this is to get rid of SLS and silicone in hair products to not comb the hair frequently.
What happened then?
A shampoo without SLS and silicone needs some getting use to. My hair while in the shower felt like a mop head. Because silicone keeps the hair strands smooth, the lack of it results in the strands being all tangled.
When dry, it doesn't feel like that hair you see in shampoo commercials. It's not soft and smooth and bouncy that you'd like to keep flipping it off your shoulder.
Instead,
My hair seems airy and volumized like I've sprayed it with hair spray. It looks gorgeous in the morning after waking up, and there's less frizz. The waves are more defined too - which proves that I might really be wavy haired now.
The biggest thing I've noticed?
I don't have dandruff now. For the longest time, I have dandruff come and go. I don't wash my hair daily, usually every 3 days. And now that I'm a mom, sometimes even longer than that. The itch and flakes were constant. Maybe it was also because of the sudden fluctuation of hormones as I was also losing a lot of hair. But after using a natural shampoo, the dandruff was gone although I still keep losing hair - but not as much anymore.
So, what now?
Well, I'm gonna try out more natural shampoos, in fact I'm eyeing a shampoo bar to try next. Or a shampoo and conditioner in one and see if that helps with the mop head situation in the shower.
I hope you enjoyed my post. I would love to hear your experience on using natural shampoos and which ones are your favorites. See you in the comments.
Good morning everyone! I was nominated by Natasha Durant for the Sunshine Blogger Award and that is what we'll be doing today. I'll be answering questions from Natasha and then I'll be passing the award on to other bloggers with a new set of questions.
But first,
let's show some love for Natasha. Natasha blogs at Simply Durant writing about motherhood and lifestyle. She's been blogging since 2011 and has a huge archive of good content, so I highly recommend that you check her blog out.
What is the Sunshine Blogger Award?
The Sunshine Blogger Award is given to bloggers by other bloggers who are creative, inspiring, and radiate positivity. (thank you, I try my best but positivity is a hit and miss)
The Rules are:
Thank the blogger who nominated you and link their blog so others can find them.
Answer the 11 questions which the blogger who nominated you asked.
Nominate 11 bloggers and ask them 11 different questions.
List the rules and display the Sunshine blogger award logo in your post and/or on your blog site.
Questions from Natasha
What is the meaning behind your blog name? How did you choose it? Why did you pick it?
My blog name used to be Keep Calm & Beautify. It was during the time when "keep calm" was still trendy. I thought it was apt for me because I was already going through some mental issues then - anxiety is one of them. Back then, discovering and playing with makeup served as a good distraction for me. It was fun.
Just recently I've changed my blog name to xoxo Dawn because I feel as if the old title is limiting to what I wanted to write. I want to write more lifestyle and graphic design tutorial posts. 😁
What is your favorite post that you have shared on your blog and why?
I enjoyed working on my favicon post. It's a tutorial of how to add one to the blog. It's not really my favorite but it's the first tutorial blog post I made after I decided to do more graphics tutorials. I felt free having made that.
How long have you been blogging, and what made you start blogging?
This blog was created in 2013 but I have been blogging longer than that, I think circa 2005. I said goodbye to my blog in Multiply when the site closed and have opened blogs in Blogger (I'm still here). I have 2 other blogs in Blogger that are still up, and a few that I've already deleted. I don't know why I like making new blogs.
What made me start? Hmm, I think it's because I kept a diary as a kid, then as a teen. I just really love to write in journals.
If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go?
Japan or Scotland. Japan because I love anime, j-dorama, and j-pop. Scotland because I love the history and culture.
Who are your top three favorite bloggers and what do you like about them? What keeps you going back to their blogs?
Shane | Queen of All You See - I think we started out just about the same time but she has never stopped blogging and now her blog is so amazing! She's become someone I would categorized as a successful blogger. Her aesthetics appeal to me and she does crafts too.
Myra | Myra's Beauty Diary - Same with Shane, Myra is a blogger friend I've known since I started blogging. She has grown so much since, she's bought a domain for her blog, take stunning photos, and recently she's been featured on Althea (it's a popular Korean makeup store/brand here in Asia). I enjoy reading her blog, like catching up with an old friend.
Helen | Love Cats Inc - Helen is someone I used to compare myself to. haha. I could never be a fashion blogger, but the way she writes posts and promotes them, I try to learn from them. Her blog is one that I study to try to improve mine.
Do you take your own blog photos or do you hire someone to do them for you?
I used to take them when I was still beauty blogging. But now that I don't wear makeup as much, as well as time constraints, I use free stock photos for my blog images.
What is your favorite social media platform for your blog and why do you use it?
Pinterest. Because it's so much easier than Twitter and Instagram. You just pin an image with a link to your blog and that is practically evergreen. Compared to Twitter where you have to keep promoting your links. Instagram is worse because you don't get to link at all. That's why I started Instagram late.
Even if we're not talking about blogs, I'd still choose Pinterest to while my time away. It's like my black hole. And it's so easy to find what you're searching for.
If you could work with any brand, which companies would you work with?
I haven't really thought about that. I haven't put a focus on reaching out to brands as I'm steering towards wanting to work with bloggers more. That being said, I'd love to work with Happy Skin because they have such an amazing array of products and they're a homegrown brand, but it's a slim chance. Maybe BeautyMNL again.
What is your favorite musical artist? And what song do you play on repeat the most?
J-pop group Arashi. They're my happy pill. The light in the darkness. They never fail to make me smile even on the worst days.
It's difficult to choose one song yo! But I'll just go for We Can Make It because I sometimes just sing that out of the blue. And dance to it too, of course.
We all have a go-to lip color. What shade of lipstick is your favorite?
Mauve, because it's closest to my natural lip color. I won't have to worry if it matches my skintone or washed me out. And I also don't have to worry if I applied it perfectly because it blends well with my lip.
What is your goal for the year to accomplish on your blog?
Well, I want to gain a decent amount of followers and traffic (this was something I didn't work on before). I also want to start earning from my blog again (because I took a long hiatus), enough for me to be able to buy a domain and/or get self-hosted. I also am planning on setting up a shop on my blog selling graphics for blogs (headers, icons, etc) and hopefully I start earning from it by the end of the year. It's scary that time is flying by so fast.
The Nominees | Twitter Handles
Myra | @myrabeautydiary
Glaiza | @glaizabinayas
Briana | @BlogBriana
Nicay | @imanerdyqueen
Paper Pages | @paperpagesph
Becca | @BeccaBlogsItOut
ImMissMountain | @immissmountain1
Maggie | @maggiethemuser
TopseyLife | @LifeTopsey
Natonya | @JustNatonya
The Ordinary Blogger | @BloggerOrdinary
My 11 Questions for the Nominees
The Sunshine Blogger Award is awarded to bloggers who are creative, inspiring, and radiate positivity. Of the three, which one do you most resonate with?
If you could have any animal as pet, what would you choose and why?
What's your number one tip for taking pictures for the blog?
Where do you often read blogs? Phone, tablet, or computer?
What is your day job? And how do you find time to blog?
Do you play games on your phone? What's your fave?
If you could work with any brand, which companies would you work with?
On your birthday, what's for breakfast?
What is your goal for the year to accomplish on your blog?
A book that you love but you're embarrassed to tell?
Favorite drink to order?
That's all we have for today. Thank you for taking time to read my answers to Natasha's questions. To the nominees, leave your links in the comments section with the answers so we can all get to know you better too. Have a nice day!
How long has it been since my last Favorite Youtubers post? It's been years! Although my Youtuber viewing has waxed and waned these past few years, there are several Youtubers I go back to and rely on whenever I need some inspiration, get my mind off things, and maybe to catch up on what's new in Beauty (since being a mom means I don't get to indulge as much).
This time though, I'd like to put the focus on Asian (descent) Beauty Youtubers since they are the ones who inspire me most (beauty-wise). I just really need someone with monolids to show me how to do an eye look on my monolids. And since the typical Western makeup doesn't look as good on me, I've also been going more into natural-looking makeup and Korean style makeup, that is why those Beauty Youtubers who do that kind of look is what I enjoy watching the most.
Anyhoo, without further ado, my 4 Favorite Asian Beauty Youtubers.
My 4 Favorite Asian Beauty Youtubers
Jenn Chae | From Head To Toe
Jenn is the first Beauty Youtuber I've ever discovered when I was searching for a tutorial on how to apply BB Cream. BB Creams then was only sold in Korea, years before Western market started producing them.
Until now, I am still keeping tabs on Jenn. So much has changed since I first watched her. She now has a child (which is about a year older than mine - so I was also able to relate to her pregnancy and baby videos).
Beauty-wise, she's my go-to whenever I need a special look because she makes smokey eye makeup on monolids look so natural! It's like she doesn't have monolids at all, until she removes her makeup.
That being said, I do have to say that my favorite look of her was when she visited Korea and came back with a new hair and copping the Korean makeup look. It looks so refreshing after being used to seeing her all smokey and sultry.
Jenn Im | Clothes Encounters
Jenn started out as a Fashion Youtuber, she still is, but her topics has expanded into Beauty these recent years. She is also one of those I've watched for years and has witnessed bloomed before our eyes. She is recently married and is doing so well on her fitness goals as she most of her "baby" weight and has now blossomed into a fine young woman so full of life.
Jenn is spunky, and you'll see that in her clothes, especially ones she used to wear when she was younger. Now, I see her venturing out into different styles, ones that I could see myself wear too 😄 . She talks fast, but not in the I'll-talk-over-everyone-in-a-loud-voice kind of fast. She's actually a breath of fresh air.
Makeup-wise, she's more relatable than Jenn Chae who is more precise. She reminds me of how I put on my own makeup: no fuss, cross fingers I don't mess this up.
Morgan Stewart | Beauty Breakdown
Morgan's channel is different from the 2 Jenns' in a way that she's more focused on reviewing beauty products, getting the lowdown on what's good and bad, comparing between products, and finding dupes of high ends. She's very much into Korean Beauty. She hauls Korean makeup and skin care and spends as much time breaking down these items and comparing them with the Western counterparts.
Morgan is a good resource when you are trying to find a good product that fits your budget. If you're looking into trying out Korean beauty, you'll find lots of information and recommendations in her channel too.
Morgan is also self-confessed skincare obsessed. Skincare doesn't get the back seat in her blog which is what usually happens in other beauty youtubers' channels.
Pony | Pony Syndrome
This list wouldn't be complete without Pony. If you're a beauty enthusiast in Asia and haven't heard of Pony, I don't know what rock on the internet you're under. She has done collabs with big beauty brands before releasing her own line of makeup called Pony Effect.
She is as precise as they come as she is also working as a makeup artist for some Korean celebrities. Fair warning: her videos are all in Korean but they are subbed in English and her tutorials are done well that you wouldn't have problems following along.
Among the 4 on this list, she's the boldest in her colors but not in her personality. She's soft spoken and easy to relate to.
So there you have it. The 4 Asian Beauty Youtubers I can't stop watching. They are all different from one another but each one as irreplaceable as the next. What about you? Who are your favorites on Youtube? Share them in the comments.
