BEAUTY SECRET: My $6 Nighttime Moisturizer

My latest and greatest beauty secret has got to be one of the most amazing yet cheap thing EVER! I used to use this stuff on my hair a few years ago but somehow forgot about it and never realized the other amazing things that it is capable of. For those of you who do not know what I am talking about... this amazing product is called Coconut Oil!

Coconut Oil is great for so many things however, for the past few days I have been using it for my overall health and as a nighttime moisturizer. For those of you who know me very well, I have EXTREMELY dry skin. It's disgusting! I literally cannot smile without some sort of moisturizer on my face.

For the past few nights, I have been putting on a little bit of Coconut Oil on my face right before bedtime and I literally saw instant results! My dull and dry skin suddenly became hydrated and bright. I was so amazed that something so cheap and easy could be this good on my face. And the best part of it all is that it does not make me break out! In this photo above, I used the coconut oil the night before. So you can see how smooth, clear, hydrated, and vibrant my skin looks.

I bought the Coconut Oil at the grocery store for $6. It comes with a lot of it and you do not need that much for your face which is great! Another great fact about it is that it helps shed belly fat. So in order to keep my flat tummy, I have been consuming 2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil every single day! However, it takes a few weeks/months to see the results... so I am not sure whether or not that works yet but I will let you guys know once I do! I've heard that it does work so I am hoping that it does a good job on me!

Fact: Coconut Oil comes as a solid. You must melt it in the microwave or on a stove top in order to turn it into a liquid state! But be careful because if you keep it on the stove or in the microwave for too long, it can catch on fire. So you want to make sure you only heat it up for a few seconds! I only heated it in my microwave for 30 seconds and let it cool for a minute or so.

I hope you guys try and love the amazing benefits of Coconut Oil! Xoxo ♡

Thanks for reading everyone!

Xoxo,

Amanda ♡

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Why You Should Continue Your Education After High School

It isn't necessarily true that in order to be successful in life... You need to go to college. However, having a degree will make it a lot easier and you will have a higher chance at becoming successful compared to not having a degree or certificate in something.

College isn't for everyone and unless you are going to take it seriously, then don't waste your time and money because college is a HUGE investment. But it is an investment that is well worth it. A degree isn't JUST a piece of paper. It's an accomplishment that you made and that is something that you will take with you for the rest of your life. Nobody can take that away from you. You earned it and it is something to be extremely proud of. 

The most common excuse that I hear from people who don't attend college is: "I cannot afford college because I don't make enough money for it."

Well I'm here to tell you that NOBODY DOES! Trust me. We are all on the same boat as you. But that is what financial aid, grants, and student loans are for! And the whole point of getting a degree is to get a higher paying career so you will earn the money back to pay it off eventually :) 

I know so many people who have applied for school and because their income is low, they are recieving grants and do not have to pay a dime for college. For those who do not know what a grant is, it is when the school gives you money towards your tuition and you do not have to pay it back. Which is awesome! So many people do not know the many options that are out there for them! Unfortunately, I was one of them. Being an only child made it rough when figuring everything out and applying for colleges because my parents never attended college so they knew nothing about it and figuring it out was all on me. I don't have any older siblings to help guide me. But it has helped me become more independent.. And like I said.. NO EXCUSES! 😂

Like I said, a college degree will not guarantee success because success comes from hard work and the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it. BUT... you'll be a lot more likely to become successful with a degree than if you didn't have one. My parents never went to college and luckily, my father still became very successful with his own business and even though he didn't attend college, he still makes a lot of money. But it was a lot easier back when he was younger to be successful without a degree than it is now... he just got lucky. As time has gone by, unfortunately, nowadays, people with a degree even have trouble finding jobs with their profession which is why aiming high is always the best thing to do!

Whether you graduate high school and join the military, go to college, or even attend a trade school. I promise you that it will be well worth it in the end because earning a degree is extremely rewarding and is an amazing accomplishment and j highly recommend everybody to follow your dreams and BE SOMETHING! 

I hope that this blog has inspired you in some way and I hope that you end up following your dreams no matter what pathway you choose :)

Thanks for reading everyone!

Xoxo,

Amanda ♡

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Why You Should Be More Important Than Anyone Else

“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Many people do not like to put themselves before others but you should know that it is okay to be a little selfish and take care of yourself. I'm constantly being asked how I find the time to get up and do my hair and makeup and dress nicely to look good for absolutely nothing. I'm always being asked, "Who are you trying to look good for?" and when I respond, people are always shocked with my answer. My answer is always that I try looking good for myself. I'm not saying that in order to feel good about yourself, you need to make yourself look good. Because everybody is different and has different things that make them feel good about themselves but that is what makes me feel good about myself. I personally enjoy pampering myself with a massage every once and a while... Or even getting a facial or taking a nice and relaxing bubble bath. I love doing things like that because I love to take the time for myself to reflect on my life and my goals that I am still pursuing.

I am not trying to impress anybody by doing my hair or my makeup. It just makes me happy and I have fun doing it. And I'd rather wake up a half an hour earlier to be able to make myself feel good.

Everyone should know that it is okay to take care of yourself and set out what I call "Me Time." It's something that I feel everybody needs. Especially after a long day of work or school. Even working out is something that I consider "Me Time." Because I am improving myself and I want to be the best version of myself that I can possibly be.

By taking care of yourself and putting yourself first every once and a while it helps relieve stress and relax... and it even helps build your confidence!

Sometimes I am so overwhelmed by the amount of school work that I have with the amount of hours I have from working and all it takes is 30 minutes for me to just walk away from it all and forget about it all to try and lift those bricks off of my shoulders. We are only human and it is not healthy to be so stressed out and not take any time for yourself.

Advice for when you're overwhelmed with stress:

1) Take 30 minutes out of your day and do something that you love that is positive! Whether or not it's exercising or taking a warm bubble bath or doing your hair differently... do it.

2) Grab a pencil & a piece of paper and make a chart. Make a chart with one side stating your problems and stresses and the other side stating how you can fix it or make it better. Take that piece of paper and post it somewhere where you will see it often such as the mirror in your bathroom or your refrigerator. By seeing that piece of paper everyday, it should help encourage you and push you more towards your goals and by mapping it all out, it makes it much easier to accomplish due to the fact that it is just more organized.

Goal setting is a great trait to have. One of my goals that I am currently working on to set some time for myself is that I am saving money for a vacation. Nothing is more relaxing than going away to a beautiful island and sitting on a beach sipping some lemonade :)

So think about yourself a little more...

The most important thing to remember is to believe in yourself & have faith in your abilities because the only thing that could hold you back is yourself.

My Experience Competing For Miss New Jersey USA

I apologize for the delay in blogs guys! These past two months have been so extremely busy for me that I barely even had time to sleep and now that I have caught up with all of my work and rest... I can now share my lovely experience that I had a little over 3 weeks ago.

About 3 weeks ago was the weekend that I left to compete for the title of Miss NJ USA. This wasn't my first time competing. It was actually my third time competing and it was one of the best experiences that I have ever had! The Miss NJ USA pageant is a part of the Miss Universe Organization so if you win the title of Miss NJ USA, you go on to compete for the title of Miss USA and if you win Miss USA, you go on to compete for the title of Miss Universe.

The Miss Universe Organization is the most prestige pageant that you could possibly be in and being able to be apart of it has been a huge honor. Being in this pageant has taught me many things about myself that I never knew before competing. It helped me choose the career path that I wanted to pursue and it has helped me network with many well known people that I would not know today if it wasn't for this pageant.

Many people have a misperception on beauty pageants and think that they're all about beauty and they're not. They're about who you are as a person, what you stand for, and what you believe in and want to be. They're not like what you see when you watch Toddlers and Tiaras... especially since we are teens and adults and not children. Our parents aren't there running around having panic attacks and screaming at each other because we lost a bobby pin. Our parents aren't even there for the most part until we are onstage. But what I love the most about beauty pageants is the friends that I have made from competing throughout the years. Many people have the misperception that we hate each other because we are competing with one another but we don't. We absolutely love each other and support one another and we always keep in-touch throughout the year when we aren't even close to competition season.

We gain many opportunities by winning a pageant. When you win, you are considered a role model and you will make endless appearances to many different events such as going to children's hospitals and attending other charity events. We do a lot of community service and one of the things that I would love to do if I were to win is to visit a children's hospital and bring them presents or candy to make their day. Many of the children like to play with your sash or crown because it makes them feel like a princess and I would love to be able to make a child's day like that.

We also gain a lot of publicity do to the fact that we appear on television and go to many appearances and that helps us career wise. Especially if you are into Broadcast Journalism like I am. It can be a great start to your career and good training for it as well since you get used to being on stage and constantly being interviewed and asked questions.

One thing that is phenomenal about pageants is the scholarship prizes. If you win a pageant or even place in the top 15, you win a very large scholarship and it has given many girls the opportunity to go to school when they really could not afford it.

Although I did not win, it was an amazing experience and I hope that I am lucky enough to be able to experience it again next year :)
I recommend that every girl does a pageant at least once in their lifetime. Not only is it an extreme confidence booster but you end up having a great time, build long-lasting friendships, and create memories that you will remember for the rest of your life!

All of the girls competing for the title of Miss New Jersey USA 2016! Spot me? :)


Me with a few of the girls who competed with me:

This is me competing in the swimsuit competition:

Me and my best friend Kasey who came to support me ♡:

Me and Miss New Jersey USA 2015, Vanessa Oriolo!

Me and my favorite news reporter from CBS 3 news, Jim Donovan!

Congratulations to Miss New Jersey USA 2016, Jessielyn Palumbo!
I couldn't think of anybody more deserving to have this title than you! I remember seeing you in your gown and I told you that you were going to win and I'm SO glad that I was right! :)
I cannot wait to see you compete for the title of Miss USA! You could totally take it! Good luck with the rest of your year! ♡

Thanks for reading everyone!

Xoxo,

Amanda ♡

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Create The Perfect Bombshell Curls!

Want these bombshell curls? Let me tell you my secrets... 😏

Recently, I decided to purchase a NuMe curling wand. I was extremely skeptical because I have bought super expensive curling irons in the past and they never got the job done. As skeptical as I was, I just had to try it because it has been getting amazing reviews! So I invested my money into one and these are the results! 

The products that I used with my NuMe wand were:

1) Paul Mitchell Fast Drying Sculpting Spray

2) John Frieda Frizz Ease Original Formula Hair Serum

I used the Paul Mitchell spray first to hold the curls and once I was done I applied the John Frieda serum to smooth it out.

The NuMe wand that I used was the NuMe 25MM Classic Curling wand.

Here is a link to my tutorial on my very first experience with my NuMe Wand:

http://youtu.be/oGgv6Te-nNQ

NuMe is an amazing brand! They're extremely generous and give many coupons! Their curling wands start at $139 but they're always giving large amounts of discounts! 

Coupon:

- 60% off of any styling tool!

Click this link for the coupon: http://bptracks.com/?a=2073&c=221&p=r&s1=

(Coupon is automatically added to your cart! You just have to add whichever tool you want to your cart!)

Expires: October 31, 2015

Another coupon:

- Any wand for $38. Included with the wand, you will receive a free Argan Oil as well as a thermal pouch to carry your curling wand in even if it's hot after use! 

Click this link for the coupon: http://bptracks.com/?a=2073&c=219&p=r&s1=

(Coupon is automatically added to your cart! You just have to add whichever tool you want to your cart!)

Expires: October 31, 2015

Enjoy and stay you :)

Xoxo,

Amanda ♡

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Twitter: @amanda__saez

(Both usernames are with two underscores) 

:) 

NuMe Curling Wand Tutorial

So I'm sure that many of you have heard of the beauty brand called NuMe... and if you haven't well here it is! :) So I saw all over Instagram and Facebook photos of girls using the NuMe curling wands and curling my hair has always been something that I am bad at... well not anymore! I decided to invest in one of their curling irons of my own and boy am I glad that I did! It is FABULOUS! I feel like a movie star with this hair! I went out after styling my hair and got so many compliments and it made me feel great! 

The results of my very first time trying out my NuMe Curling wand:

I feel like a gingerly modernized Barbie Doll!

(Since you know.. I'm a redhead and all)

The curls stayed all day and I got the job done in about 35-40 minutes which is super fast for me because I have a lot of hair and it is very very thick. It did not burn my hair or make it smell burnt. I didn't even have to put any hairspray in it after (which was extremely surprising because normally I need a half of a can of hairspray to keep it curled)... and since I didn't use any hairspray... my hair is soft :) I AM OBSESSED. Being that I am extremely picky when it comes to my hair products and tools... I am very surprised that I love this curling wand so much. The best part is that I purchased the NuMe 25MM Classic Wand which is regularly priced at $139 and because NuMe is so generous with their coupons, I got the iron for $27! It was a steal! I highly recommend everyone and anyone to purchase this curling iron because it is truly that amazing. I have bought $200-$300 curling wands that aren't even close to as good as this wand. It is absolutely phenomenal! Below I have attached a link that directs you to a coupon for the NuMe products incase you or someone that you know is interested in purchasing one of their products. For $37 you can get any curling wand that you choose, a massaging brush, and a bottle of Argan Oil. Just click on this link and pick any curling iron that you desire and add it to the cart. The link automatically adds the coupon onto your cart so you don't have to!

Click Link: http://bptracks.com/?a=2073&c=169&p=r&s1=

Another coupon code that I have is $100 off of any styling set plus free U.S. Shipping! So if you want to get one of those wands with multiple interchangeable barrels, this is the coupon you want!

Click on this link for the coupon code for $100 off any styling set:  http://bptracks.com/?a=2073&c=182&p=r&s1=

I guarantee that you will not regret spending the money! I hope you all enjoyed the tutorial video I posted ♡ If you have any questions feel free to comment on my tutorial video or on my blog! Coupons expire September 30, 2015!

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:)

Why You Should Travel

Traveling can be extremely therapeutic. I have always travelled from such a young age. I've been to the Bahamas, Florida, Puerto Rico, Texas, Virginia, NYC, etc. Every single place that I have ever visited has always had a unique and special thing about them that the other places that I have visited never had. I was just recently on a vacation for about 10 days... I went to upstate New York to the point where I was boarderline Canada and the day after I came back from upstate New York, I flew to Florida and visited Orlando and Miami... Which was SO much fun! I ended up visiting the University of Miami which was an incredibly beautiful school with an amazing program for Journalism (which makes it even more awesome) and I ended up visiting Miami Beach as well as Universal Studios in Orlando. It was quite exhausting but quite the adventure! I went on all of these trips with my boyfriend of 7 years named Matt. We love to travel together and see what the world has to offer.

Traveling helps me escape reality but also opens my eyes to the better things in life. Although I love to shop, I'd much rather spend my money on a fabulous vacation. It is certainly money well spent and I plan on saving up more money so that we can go on many more adventures together.

My first tour with the University of Miami! 

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Thanks for reading!