A Glimpse of Glam

Hey everyone!

One thing that always will ring true is that beauty starts from within. That being said, no matter how much makeup you pile on your face, you will look your best if you start instead by taking care of your skin. One product that has fascinated me immensely, and has become quite trendy lately, is activated charcoal as a beauty product.

Today I've got a guest post to share with you all by Zara, a writer who I've featured here on my blog in the past with a guest post other skincare tips. Keep on reading to gain more tips on how to integrate activated charcoal into your beauty routine!

Is Activated Charcoal the New Black in Beauty?

Chances are you’ve heard of or even used activated charcoal in some form or another. Famous for its detoxifying properties, it has been prescribed for ages as a go-to dietary supplement to “trap” and prevent toxins from entering your bloodstream. It has also been used for cleansing in everything from water filters, soaps and gas masks to toothpaste and exfoliating facial scrubs.

This strange, all-around substance definitely has its perks as a beauty-enhancing tool, but has it earned the reputation of being the latest trend to take over the beauty world, much like the coconut oil craze before it? Let’s take a look at some of the useful applications of activated charcoal as a beauty ingredient, and why it might soon become the new black in beauty trends!

Youthful radiance

What country first comes to mind when you think of sun-kissed women of untamed beauty and their absolute devotion to a holistic, healthy lifestyle? Australia, of course! Absolute goddesses of DIY, all-natural beauty tricks, these ladies know a healthy ingredient when they see one. No matter if you opt for a pure home-made solution such as a facemask of nothing but water and activated charcoal, or a store-bought product such as Buddy Scrub, you’ll reap the rewards in no time.

As Australian women know well, caring for your skin requires nothing more than a simple touch of nature to nourish your complexion. So for best results, introduce a facemask or a scrub with activated charcoal, and you will be able to simplify your routine while increasing its impact. It will cleanse your pores, keep away that pesky acne, pimples, and other imperfections, while at the same time detoxing it from daily exposure to harmful elements.

A dashing smile

Charcoal as a teeth-whitening tool? As contradictory as it may sound, activated charcoal can do wonders for your dental hygiene, and not just from a cleansing point of view, but also in terms of beautifying your smile. Add a pinch of powdered activated charcoal to your regular toothpaste and voila! You have a healthy, whitening paste to cleanse your teeth and protect your wonderful inner flora.

However, since some people have exceptionally sensitive gums and enamel, we once again turn to the experts from Down Under for health advice. According to some eminent dental specialists, a safe, effective alternative to this is a technique called internal bleaching, which takes about two weeks to show results and keeps your teeth healthy. This is why lots of Aussies turn to Australian Dental Specialists and some other clinics to get the best possible results. Also, it would be wise to consult your dentist if it is okay to use an activated charcoal toothpaste after the treatment, to maintain the desired results.

Lush hair

Instead of shampoos with harmful chemicals or heavy oils that supposedly nourish your hair and scalp, you can actually find hair products that are based on this wonder-substance, combined with other natural minerals and ingredients that will give you a deep cleanse, detox your hair, rid you of dandruff and restore your skin’s natural pH value.

When used regularly, activated charcoal can help your hair regain its volume and lush look, without excessive use of styling products. As opposed to other all-natural DIY shampoos and masks that tend to be time-consuming and easy to spend quickly, you can browse through a selection of shampoo bars and soaps that are designed to thoroughly cleanse your hair and scalp without depriving it of natural oils.

Eliminate toxins

Til next time,
~A

Hey everyone!

Long time no see! I hope you are all doing well! I’m just chillin here greeting you guys while wearing this men’s dress shirt I borrowed from a friend. No big deal. Nothing out of the ordinary for me. Just kidding, because it is. It’s definitely something different for me. I’ve seen all over Pinterest and Instagram ways to style a men’s shirt for women, whether it be transforming it into a dress, or simply wearing an oversized one for a casual outfit, but I’ve never actually gone and tried it out myself. Today I wanted to give you guys something fun and creative for some style inspiration, and hopefully I succeeded in styling this men’s shirt!




This post was inspired (but not sponsored) by a company called Dia & Co, which is a curated shopping experience that allows you to try out various clothing items before you decide whether it is for you and purchase it! It’s all online, so it’s perfect for all you lazy hermits out there (myself included). Through a Dia & Co subscription, you essentially get a Dia box that has 5 items that are hand-picked just for you. By creating a personal style profile, stylists will be able to figure out the best pieces for you. You get to try them on in the comfort of your own home, return the ones you don’t like and only buy the ones you like.

With that, having a personal stylist through this online shopping experience gives you the opportunity to experiment with things you wouldn’t have thought of before. This allows you to try out things you normally wouldn’t wear. Sometimes it’s good to break that barrier, and toss away the security blanket. You can’t always resort to the things that fit within your comfort zone, or else you will never get the chance to try out new styles that you love but haven’t dared to wear.






They say fake it till you make it. I keep that phrase in my head whenever I hesitate to wear something different from what I normally do. But you don’t need to take a huge leap. Small baby steps work too. Which is pretty much what I did here today. Confidence is key when rocking any and all outfits.

As mentioned before, I always see pictures on Pinterest and Instagram of women incorporating men’s shirts into their own outfits. They would do things like wrap it around in a certain way and tie the sleeves to create a strapless dress, or pull down the collar and button it up only enough for an off-the-shoulder style. Or just simply throwing it on and wearing it as a casual shirt-dress. I come across many of those, and I always wanted to try. But never actually got around to doing it. Today, though. I did. I finally tried that out. And I gotta say, it was really exciting and fun to wear something that makes me just a bit nervous and hesitant.





I borrowed a shirt from my friend that is a color I actually do not own at all. I literally own nothing lavender. And yet, surprisingly, that color worked really well with things I already had. I guess this style challenge almost goes two ways, styling a men’s shirt and trying out a color I never really thought of wearing before. All my clothes are typically brighter and vibrant in color and pattern, or else they are muted and neutral. I don’t think I own anything that’s pastel hued, except for maybe some pajamas or tank tops. I am definitely pleasantly surprised that this worked out so well with items from my existing wardrobe.




In a way, I branched out and tried something fun and out of my comfort zone, while still maintaining a good grasp on my security blanket. I didn’t go and wear something completely crazy and wild. Like I mentioned previously, baby steps. Just different enough to make you question if this actually works, without giving you too much anxiety that you need a paper bag over your head to leave the house.





Here I styled the lavender shirt with a black and white printed skirt I got last year. You might recognize it from one of the posts from my New England cruise travel series I wrote last fall. I had to wear tights because it is still a bit chilly here in Seattle, even though it’s April. It was actually rainy out in the morning, but the sun came out just in time for these photos! I finished off the outfit with these grey ankle boots. The grey brings out the soft pastel lavender from the dress shirt because they are both cool-toned. If it was warmer out so that I hadn’t worn tights, I would have gone with my black lace-up ballerina flats, or some sandals instead. But, with the nearly opaque black tights, the grey shoes broke up the monotony of the black by bringing out the lavender of the top.






That same friend who I borrowed this shirt from happens to be my model for the JORD wood watch post from a while ago! He’s also an art major, and I got him to help me take these photos. You probably can tell the difference between these photos and ones I’ve had before in previous posts. Working with someone who is an artist is so different from working with my sister for photos. I usually get my sister to take my outfit photos, and for the most part I tell her where to stand to shoot from, essentially acting as part director. However, for these photos I acted only as the model, and my friend took prerogative as the photographer. There is such a distinct composition and technique difference when I got my friend to take these photos. I’ve never really worked with anyone else before for my outfit photos, so I am definitely considering getting more of my fellow artist friends to take photos for me to see that would turn out.

What do you think? Lemme know in the comments below your experiences working with photographers, and who usually takes your photos for you!






We really got lucky when the sun came out in time for these photos. It was a gloomy rainy day all morning. At first, I was planning on just going to this covered area for the pictures, but I am so glad we got to take these photos out in the sun by the blooming cherry blossom trees. These cherry blossoms are out later this year than previous years. They typically bloom mid March, but this year it took until late March to appear. As with every year, this is the time when the Quad gets insanely crowded with people because of the cherry blossoms. There were so many people out lounging on the grass, having picnics, bringing out their dogs, and of course taking pictures. It gets almost irritating with so many people there because it’s hard to get by. But yesterday ended up perfect because it wasn’t as crowded as it had been last week.




I love how the flowers and cherry blossoms created the perfect backdrop for these photos. They helped accentuate the spring feel. When there is a slight breeze, some of the petals would fall and flutter in the air, almost creating the effect of snow. Even though it is annoying how these cherry blossoms increase tourism, there is definitely something magical about it nevertheless. Where you guys live, do you get to experience the beauty of these cherry blossoms? 

I don't know if you guys noticed or not, but I actually recently cut my hair quite a bit! I chopped off about 7 inches or so. It feels really different when I'm styling my hair now! But, now that I've cut my hair to a shorter length, I'm tempted to chop it even shorter. Perhaps to a lob. Or even a bob. I probably won't because last time I did, it took awhile for it to grow back. And I always feel more limited in terms of styling my hair when my hair is shorter. Though I do really love having shorter hair too. Comment down below if you know what I mean! Also, lemme know what your biggest hair transformation ever was!

Comment down below what you thought! As a female, how would you style a men’s dress shirt? Do you like shopping in the men’s section? Lemme know down in the comments below what you think! I would love for more ideas on how you guys would style a men’s shirt! 

Thank you all for stopping by and reading! I hope you guys are having a fabulous week, and a wonderful April so far!


Til next time,
~A