Which of these bangs would be best suited to my face shape/facial features?

Side-Swept Bangs

Large and in Charge Straight Across Bangs

Longer, More Versatile Side-Swept Bangs

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I mean, this isn’t my first rodeo, so to speak. I’ve had bangs before:

This picture was taken in 2006.

And again. Look at how sweet Kirby was!

Thanks in advance for all the good advice you guys are gonna give me!

Also, Is it wrong that this Care2 article about the Top 12 Unhealthiest Holiday Drinks does little more than make me want a fat Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks? I mean, sometimes you gotta treat yourself.

Has anyone ever tried this stuff?:

Image Courtesy of Amazon.com

Happy Black Friday! Go wait in long lines of cars to get in longer lines of people to buy something that you don’t really need!

photo credit: tanakawho

Until a few days ago, perfume had always been a guilty pleasure of mine.  I successfully traded in most of my old health and beauty products for safer (and consequently, more expensive) alternatives…but perfume was kind of a hard habit to break. I’d spray just a little on top of my clothes instead of directly on my skin and hope for the best. I kept telling myself that I would make a change as soon as I finished my bottles of  Heavenly (from Victoria’s Secret) and Hot (by Ralph Lauren).  After reading the articles below, however, I can’t put it off any longer. I’ll be taking both bottles to the thrift store the next time I make a donation. In case you’re tired of me talking about articles and don’t feel like reading these, I’ll give you a short list of the high points:

• The basic formula for all perfumes is this: water+alcohol+fragrance oils+chemical compounds
• Fragrances are protected as trade secrets. For this reason, it’s nearly impossible to know how few or how many chemicals make up our favorite scents.
• Some of the most common chemicals found in perfumes are: benzaldehyde, benzyl alcohol, camphor, ethanol, ethyl acetate, linalool ,acetaldehyde,a-pinene, acetone, a-terpinene, methylene chloride, styrene oxide, dimenthyl sulphate, a-terpineol, limonene
• Side-effects from these chemicals can range from something as simple as eye irritation to much more serious things like cancer.
• “Fragrance Oils” or “Fragrant Oils” are not the same things as “Essential Oils”.
• The absence of an ingredient list should cause suspicion.

Still interested? Here are the sources:

The Toxic Effects of Perfume

Perfume Ingredients- What’s in a Scent?

Lemonade is probably second favorite beverage that’s not very good for me (Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk is my number one favorite).  I’ll occasionally tell myself that it is a fruit juice since it’s made from the juice of fruit, but in reality lemons don’t do my body nearly enough good to make up for all the bad that the sugar is doing (at least with the other fruit juices that I buy the sugar is naturally occurring).

In the midst of my most recent lemonade craving, I juiced one large lemon, added two packets of NuStevia, and slowly added water until the mixture tasted like lemonade.  I was pleasantly surprised by how authentic it tasted.  I’ve tried tea sweetened with NuStevia before, and the taste is never quite right, but the lemonade was a definite winner.  My concoction made three large glasses, which was perfect.  I drank two of them and gave to other one to my grandmother, who was also a big fan of it.

This one tastes more like pepsi than coke.

It tastes just like Fresca Sparkling Black Cherry Citrus.

The Zevia Twist is my favorite. Think gingerale mixed with sprite.

I drink a lot of water. When I’m not drinking water, I’m usually drinking fruit juice, herbal tea, or black coffee.  I swore off regular soda a few years ago after reading some really awful things about high fructose corn syrup (and settled for the occasional Mexican Coke), and I’ve never cared for the taste of artificial sweeteners that are in Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi (or the heath risks associated with them, for that matter).  I did some research on Stevia before purchasing Zevia Natural Diet Soda for the sake of making an informed decision, and I feel a lot better about my loved ones and myself consuming it occasionally than something like Aspartame.  Anyone who is curious should do their own research, though. I am by no means an authority on the subject of natural and artificial sweeteners.  In almost all cases, I am going to take the natural route because it makes the most sense to me.  For example, I prefer butter over margarine (and they’re both bad for me).

Zevia isn’t cheap. I’ve been buying it for six dollars a six pack, but I tend to spend ridiculous amounts of money on things that I can convince myself are good for me.  I’m thinking of buying a mixed case online since I can only find four flavors in Starkville. One flavor that I’ve yet to try is the Ginger Root Beer, and I have a feeling that it’s gonna be a winner.