Final Post & Announcement

Hello everyone, after months of being away from you all...actually maybe not months, but at least a while...I must say that this will be the final post on TaylorRae.Co. Why? Because we have moved onto a bigger and better site. I mentioned in my last post that we had officially become a .COM site. And now I am pleased to announce the new URL to you all...

SimplyTaylorRae.Com is now OPEN!

The new URL is SimplyTaylorRae.Com! I thought it was something very easy to remember and it embodies me...because I'm a very simple person. The site is going to include much more than health and beauty. It will include just about everthing and more. I will do reviews, health posts, beauty posts, fashion posts, travel posts, food posts, and so on! Why so much? Because I am interested in all of them. I love health and beauty, I love fashion, I love to travel, and I love food. And I talk about each of them rather in equal amounts, so why not put them into a blog/website where people can find interesting facts, recipes, and other information? I am ready to put forth an enormous amount of effort to succeed with SimplyTaylorRae.Com.

With that said, I want to thank you all for continuing to support me during this transition and blessing me with advice, information, and so on. You all are the reason I want to expand and hopefully you all will be spreading the news of the new site and I hope it meets your standards! Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.

And now, I shall say farewell to blogger. Well actually, I'll still use blogger but just to read other people's blogs and show support as well. But, this marks the end of TaylorRae.Co! I love you all so very much!!!!

Thanks for reading~!

With all my love,

Taylor Rae

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!

Hello everyone!
It has been so very long since our last post! I do apologize, but it was not in vein!!! Recently, I have been so busy with work! Speaking of work, I GOT A PROMOTION, whoot whoot! Also, I am taking a semester break from college to really think about my priorities and really think about what I can major in that will help this blog advance.

Speaking of advancing the blog...

WE HAVE OFFICIALLY BECOME A .COM WEBSITE. The URL will not be revealed until August 31st! I am hoping to have everything completed with the website and when necessary, we will add new things to the site! I also will be uploading health and beauty videos on youtube soon alon with a VLOG channel! During my semester off, I will be kicking it into high gear for the blog!!!! I am hoping to gain sponsors in order to do much more for you all. I am going to put everything I possibly can in order to make this possible. My goal from here on out is to expand this website to include more than just health and beauty information and tips!  I want to include traveling and fashion information and really put my heart into it!

With that said, TaylorRae.Co is also celebrating our....

TaylorRae.Co is now one year old! And hopefully you will expect us to be around for a bit longer~! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BLOG!!! Woooooo! So, be sure to keep an eye out this friday for the unveiling of the new website! It will be announced on Twitter, Tumblr, and this Blog as well! Thank you all for the love and support for this website and I hope you will continue to support me and the website and the new direction we are being led to!
Thanks for reading~! <3
With love,
Taylor Rae

P.S. Yes, I did cut my hair short. :) I enjoy it so much~! 9 inches were chopped off...

10 More Common Beauty Myths!

I am back. After a brief hiatus due to a family emergency, I am back with a health and beauty post! Oh how I have missed you all. BUT I do have big news for you all...later this year. I am so excited, but I want to make sure everything happens before I get too ahead of myself, you know? So anyways, it feels good to be back and I hope I haven't disappointed you all! Let's begin...

I have already done a common beauty myths post before, but I keep hearing things from people and celebrities and quite frankly, I think some things need attention...like toothpaste and acne.

Beauty Myth #11 - "Preparation H Reduces Eye Puffiness"
Personally I have never heard of this one and I don't understand the logic behind it...But I've heard a lot of celebrities and websites saying it works. If you don't know what Preparation H is; it's for hemorrhoids. Unfortunately ladies, the greatest thing Preparation H can do for your eyes is making is make it dry and greasy. The maker of Preparation H, Whitehall-Robins Inc., has even mentioned that they no longer use live yeast cell in their product, which is what helps reduce eye puffiness. So, I would like to caution you readers about this technique.

Beauty Myth #12 - "Toothpaste Helps Treats Pimples"
I don't know about you guys, but when I first started getting pimples, my mom used to hand me a tube of toothpaste and tell me to dab a little bit on the pimple. It never worked for me, but I have heard of others getting results from this treatment. So, in a sense, toothpaste can help dry out pimples. HOWEVER. Toothpaste also dries out the skin. An ingredient in toothpaste, triclosan, kills bacteria which helps with pimples. But other ingredients in toothpaste can cause the skin to dry and become red and irritated. So, you may want to stay away from toothpaste because althought it dries out the pimple...it can make it look worse also.

Beauty Myth #13 - "Sunscreen Is Only Necessary For Sunny Days"
Every day we are exposed to UVA rays which can cause wrinkles. These rays occur equally every day despite the weather.  If you don't wear sunscreen, regardless of weather, you are more susceptible to age spots, wrinkles, and even skin cancer. So even if it's cloudy, be sure to protect your skin from UVA rays!

Beauty Myth #14 - "Don't Cross Your Legs! It Causes Spider Veins"
If you don't know what spider veins are, they are veins that are red or blue, branch out like a tree or a spider web, and can occur on the legs and other areas of the body. It is believed that when you cross your legs, you are putting too much pressure on the legs cause spider veins or even varicose veins to occur. This for one has not been proven. First off, vericose veins and spider veins occur mostly because of age, genetics, and pregnancy. Secondly, pressure helps decrease the volume in the veins. So, please. Cross your legs if necessary ladies!

Beauty Myth #15 - "Washing My Face Excessively Will Get Rid of My Acne Faster"
There is a healthy limit to washing your face. Unless you have legit dirt on your face, two to three times a day should be the max. Once in the morning and once at night before bed. When you wash your face excessively, you stripping your face of natural oils thus sending your skin into oil-production overload. So try to keep the face washing down to the maximum of twice per day.

Beauty Myth #16 - "If You Stress Too Much, Your Hair Will Fall Out"
I will admit, I thought this was true. Recently, I have been under so much stress and the one thing that I would always be scared about was losing excessive amounts of hair. But, luckily, this is not true and my fears are gone. On average, you lose about 50-100 strands of hair per day. If you think you're losing more than that, the likely culprit may be a nutrition deficiency.

Beauty Myth #17 - "Moisturizers Aren't Good For Oil-Prone Skin"
The only moisturizer that is not good for oil-prone skin is Vaseline. Otherwise, moisturizers can help decrease breakouts. Most moisturizers today are non-comedogenic, meaning they don't clog pores which can cause acne breakouts. Also, moisturizer prevents dry skin flakes from clogging your pores which can also cause acne breakouts. So, if you have oily skin like me, just make sure your moisturizer is non-comedogenic, and you will be fine if not better.

Beauty Myth #18 - "If You Have A Pimple, Pop It"
I have a problem with this and I am sure many of you do also. When we have a rather large pimple or blemish, we feel the need to pop it and we think that it will just BAM go away. That's not the case and for many of us, including myself, it does lead to some problems. When you pop a pimple, you are creating a wound. This wound is prone to infections and bacteria entering the skin. And like some wounds, it can cause scarring. There are other ways to take care of a zit or pimple, but be sure not to pop it and make it worse.

Beauty Myth #19 - "Cocoa Butter Is Amazing For Stretch Marks"
As someone who has stretch marks and has tried this method...I have a few statements. But I will hold back. As I said in my post regarding eczema, cocoa butter is great for moisturizing. I use it for my arms, while I use oatmeal lotion for my legs. However, cocoa butter is not proven to cure or get rid of stretch marks. In fact, no lotion or moisturizer is. Unfortunately, stretch marks are basically a natural and permanent thing for the most part.

Beauty Myth #20 - "If You Shave Your Hair, It'll Come Back Even Thicker"
In 6th grade, my P.E. teacher told me this after I shaved my arms for the first time. I have since stopped, and now that I look at my arms...the arm hair looks fine. When we shave our armpits or legs or whereever else, you take off the thin tip leaving the thicker middle. Once you give it time to grow back, it'll feel normal and thin. Be careful not to over-shave by the way. It causes ingrown hairs. Which hurt.

There you are everyone! 10 More Common Beauty Myths. I hope these were helpful! Once again, I am sorry for taking so long and I know I said I had big new for you all later on this year...but I just found out some more good news. WE'VE REACHED OVER 1000 PAGE VIEWS! I am so happy. You should've heard me when I told Anthony! I hope we reach many more and even more subscribers!!! I love you all and I am so thankful for you all taking the time out of your days to read TaylorRae.co. I hope you all have an amazing rest of the week!
Thanks for reading~! <3
With love,
Taylor Rae

P.S. Hey everyone! I want you all to meet Marlon Vincent!
He is a great friend of mine and Anthony's and has released a brand new mixtape, "Life After Death" and I would definitely appreciate it if you all could show him some love and support by downloading his mixtape, which includes the single above, "Rigamortis." You can download it HERE and while you're there, go ahead and go through his website. With that said, you can follow me and Marlon on Twitter @_MarlonVincent and @TaylorRae319. Thanks everyone for your support!

Review: FaceQ Grape Seed + Green Tea Facial Masks

Hello everyone! Ah, finally found some time to relax and post for you guys! Yesterday was so fun. I got to spend some well needed time with my parents and we went to the Korean bakeries in Annandale and got to stop by my favorite store, Lil' Thingamajigs and my favorite restaurant in Annandale which is Yechon. I splurged on myself this time since I got a bonus in my paycheck. Don't worry, I put money in my savings!! I will put pictures up after the post! (OH AND I DYED MY HAIR!!!) Anyways, today I want to do a review on a product I have been using since December and have gotten pretty good results from. So I hope you all enjoy and find it useful!

I would like to state that this is not a sponsored review. This is an item I have purchased with my own money and used on my own time. Also, keep in mind that everyone has different skin types, so you may get a different result from using this product.

So FaceQ is actually the first brand of facial masks that I ever used. I ordered the full box from SaSa.com and didn't get a chance to use them right away, however once I got a chance to use them...I was pretty pleased and have been ever since.

What are the main details?

FaceQ boxes are so cute. They always feature a little female character along with a patterned background. This box carries a little girl with lavender hair and clothes swinging with a floral background. Cute, right? The box carries 10 masks in individual packages. I paid $12.50 for the whole box on SaSa.com, however you may be able to get individual masks, although I cannot find them.

What's in the product?

The main ingredient for these masks are grape seeds. Grape seeds contain proanthocyanidin, which prevent the formation of wrinkles, loss of lustre, and resilience that can occur from damage by oxidation. The masks also have hyaluronic acid which replenishes moisture along with green tea and wasabi extracts which brighten and smooths skin and minimizes pores.

Has it been tested?

If you can read Chinese and tell me, that'd be great. SaSa.com does not indicate whether or not it has been tested.

Thoughts on the product?

I will admit, I have extremely high hopes for this face mask since it was my very first box. It didn't live up to the CRAZY expectations I had, but I do enjoy using the masks. I try to use them as often as possible to keep my skin moisturized and brightened since my acne has been flaring up again. The very first time I used them, I didn't see immediate results, so don't get your hopes up. But, with constant and weekly use, your skin will improve in brightness and your face will feel tighter. I personally, do not go by the directions on the box which say to keep the mask on for like 15-20 minutes. I leave the mask on until it is almost completely dry so my skin can absorb the goodness on its own. Once I take it off, I rub the mask on my face once more then my neck. Then throw it away.  It's something so simple and it does help with relaxing and pampering yourself.

Pros:

Price is rather cheap for an overseas brand.

Shipping is cheap as well.

Very cool and relaxing on the skin.

Smells great.

Results are great as well.

Cons:

Takes a while to arrive in the mail.

Results are not immediate.

Box is in Chinese, which I cannot read.

Would I recommend this product?

I would indeed. I would personally give this product a 3.9 out of 5 maybe even a 4. I may buy another brand, but I will always keep a box of FaceQ around just in case. :)

So that's my review. I hoped you all found it helpful...but now it's time to move on to the mini-haul and the picture of my new hair color!

Yesterday, I got to spend time with my parents and we decided to go to Annandale since it has a lot of Korean stores, bakeries, and restaurants. And I kind of...had a little too much fun with buying pastries, stuff for school, and what not...

I got 3 packs of origami lucky star paper, some pencils and markers, a notebook, 2 facial masks, box of eye masks, 4 packages of mochi cakes, strawberry cookies, box of macarons, red bean donut, and red bean bread. And yes, this is splurging for me. I tend not to buy a lot of stuff lately, so I can save up for potential expenses...like paying off my car. Or an apartment. T'would be nice, right? But God blessed me with a bonus and a day to spend with my family! So I am thankful.

Now onto my hair...

Black & Blonde BABY! I told the lady that I wanted something classy with a hint of edge and she got it perfect! I am so thrilled...I can't wait to style it and my goal for the summer is to perfect curling. I think I am going to do braids tomorrow!! Ahhh...Sorry I got excited. :)

Alrighty guys! That is all I have for you today! I hope you ladies enjoyed~! Have a wonderful rest of the week and take care!!

Thanks for reading~! <3

With love,

Taylor Rae

P.S. Don't forget to buy MC Jin's latest single "Brand New Me" on iTunes!! Listen here:

Also, you can follow me on twitter at @TaylorRae319 and MC Jin at @iammcjin for updates and what not!!

A Letter to My 16 Year Old Self

Good morning everyone! I hope you all are having a wonderful Monday so far. I am so glad to be posting! I have been at work for the past week since we had a huge sale in the parking lot. It's been so incredibly busy. Plus, the summer semester has begun and I am trying to get my associate's like ASAP. So I am trying to get as many classes as I can afford. But with that said, it's been a bit rough these past couple days. My right foot has been swelling up in two areas and it's been causing excrutiating pain. I'm hoping it's temporary and that after I have give it some rest, it'll get better. But, we'll see.
Anyways, this morning I went onto facebook and saw that Lindy (BubzBeauty) had a new post on her blog. It was titled "Advice for My 16 Year Old Self." Something so simple and yet meaningful in a sense. I read hers and it really made me go back 3 years ago when I was probably at the lowest point in my life. So, I decided to do one of my own.

A Letter to My 16 Year Old Self

Dear Taylor Rae,
Right now, you are probably at home sleeping...or out and about with your friends. You are trying to mask the depression and sadness you have. You're starting to lose weight. Be sure not to lose too much. Your back will give out if you do. You're starting to hang out with an older crowd, be sure to stay close to your friends in school. They might not be older than you, but they certainly have your best interests at heart.
Do not get attached to the people you meet. They won't be around long. But you won't be alone. Mommy and daddy are still there. Even though they will argue still and things are going to happen. They are still there. And you will gain new friends. And you will meet your future husband. He may not be what you thought you were looking for, but he is everything you need in a person. And you will love him unconditionally.
You will gain a new perspective on life. And you will grow out of the partying stage. I would advise you to stay away from the hookah bars. You'll get sucked in and the habit will be hard to break. You will find God, though it may seem unlikely now. And he will show you a better way of living. A healthier way. Something to be proud of.
Do not worry about your appearance. The excessive amount of pimples are only temporary. Try sticking to gentle cleansers and exfoliaters. It will do much better than ProActiv, I promise. You may lose the weight now, but you will gain some of it back...and you will have to work to get it off. Start exercising to maintain your healthy weight. Your nose is not too big. It is perfect for you. Everything on your body is perfect JUST FOR YOU. No one else can pull off what you have. You are your own person.
Be strong. Things are going to happen and you will feel helpless and vulnerable. Just know that it won't last long, so stay strong during the most difficult of times. You can do it. Have faith.
Continue to sing. Don't go out to the hookah bars. Don't start smoking cigarettes because everyone else is. Take care of your voice, because it can change the world. Practice. Sing every chance you get. Your voice is can be heard through your singing. That is how you will express yourself. That is your life, your calling, and your comfort. Don't ruin it.
Do not, and I say, do not give up. On life. On your dreams. On your family. Some much is going to happen; good and bad. But every single moment is going to make you stronger, wiser, and more human. You can cry. You can laugh. You can love.
One last thing: Never Forget to Smile.

From,
Your 19 Year Old Self

Is it wierd, that I actually got just a tad bit emotional about this? I invite you all to do this for yourself. I want to thank Lindy from BubzBeauty for inspiring me to do this, because honestly, it does help overcome past obstacles or traumas. With that, I say goodnight everyone. Have a wonderful, amazing, and blessed week!
Thanks for reading~! <3
With love,
Taylor Rae

I am Home from Israel!

I am so glad to be back everyone! I am glad to be home and glad to be sleeping in my own bed. You guys don't understand how home-sick I was. Despite how home-sick I was though, I had an amazing time in Israel. It's taken me a couple days just to even get started on this post simply because of a terrible case of jet lag and well, I have been trying to get back into the swing of things. But I have finally finished a slideshow for you all and it is the first official video for my youtube account: TaylorRae319. But as I was saying, Israel was amazing. I learned so much on this trip, not just about where Jesus walked and where many Biblical stories actually took place...but it helped me learn more about myself as a person. One of the things being that I am a little too soft spoken still and a bit more dependent than I would like. I know this post is a bit short, but I'm going to start working on videos and reviews for you all now that I know how to work my video editor and all that. I wanted to let you all know that I am indeed home safe and so thrilled to be home.
With that said, I leave you with the first official TaylorRae.co video!
I hope you guys enjoy it! It's nothing fancy, but I think it's really good for my first time creating a slideshow...let alone editing.
Thanks for reading~! <3
With love,
Taylor Rae

Leaving for Israel! ~*Israel Bound*~

Hello everyone! I am incredibly sorry for not posting too much this month. My goal was to post at least once a week, but because I am leaving for Israel a week before college finals, I have been completeing the rest of my work for my classes and taking my finals a week early...and trying to catch up on some rest because I have been so stressed out and tired! Why? Because I dread packing for international trips...although I don't think I had quite a hard time when I went to Japan...But that is beside the point.
Anyways, the day is finally here. Well, almost. Tomorrow, me and Anthony will be on our way to Israel. We've been looking forward to this for months now! I have finally finished packing and making sure my luggage meets the weight requirements. I am so exhausted though.

Sorry for my room being a tad messy. I've tried to pick up as much as I could, but my tiredness is making me lazy as well. Anyways...recently, I have been addicted to the new Nickelodeon show "The Legend of Korra"...and it is has turned me into a fool. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it's got me hooked and there's only been 4 episodes. I have bought all of them on iTunes too...so so bad. I liked the original Avatar show, but this one just seems a bit better. Sorry for that random tidbit, but I'm trying to get you up to speed with how things have been going!!Aside from school and work, nothing has really happened lately. Well actually....

The very first TaylorRae.co shirt has been made!!!!! It was made earlier this month, but I haven't really had a chance to share it with you all! Anthony and his friend were able to get the equipment to make t-shirts and TA-DA!! I am so happy about how it came out and it will make its debut in Israel!!! It was so funny though, the letters were a bit small so Anthony had to place them one at a time instead of the whole vinyl. He did such a wonderful job! I am so excited to wear it and spread TaylorRae.co across to the Middle East!
Moving on...
I am having a hard time staying awake. I have to wake up at 2:30am and get ready for the trip...but I don't want to sleep because I have all that time in the car to Washington and the bus to New York and the flight to Israel. But I am so tired from work. I guess I will just start loading up my iPod for the trip.
With that said...I'm going to get some things done before we leave, I just want you all to know..I'm not dead, but I will be gone until May 9th! So please, wish us travling mercies and safety! I will definitely create a video for you all to see everything I saw and the different experiences! I am so excited!!!! >:O I can't hardly contain myself. But thank you all for your understanding! And we are close to 800 page views! Whoot whoot! Another achievement!!! Anyways, I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Passport & iPod in hand!

Thanks for reading~! <3

With love,

Taylor Rae