Kristin Ess is a Hair Goddess

For quite some time now I have followed Kristin Ess on Instagram to see what amazing hair styles and colors she does on her clients. Honestly, it is a dream of mine to one day have my hair done by her, but for now I am more than happy using her haircare line from Target. While it was not easy to purchase them, it was well worth the wait in the end, because I love the products. The products I decided to start out with are the signature shampoo, signature conditioner, strand strengthening reconstructive moisture mask, leave-in conditioner, and the signature finishing spray. All products are link at the bottom of the post. Last night I used the shampoo and conditioner, which I am raving about now. Most women don't know that the only part they should be shampooing is their scalp and that conditioner should only go from the middle of their hair to the end, so all instructions are on the bottles and are worded perfectly. It doesn't sound like a robot telling you how to use the products, but it's like Kristin is there herself telling you how to use the products. Since I have color treated hair, it can be a little tricky to find products that provide enough moisture to my hair, but these definitely are perfect for my hair. After my shower I sprayed the leave-in conditioner, just as the instructions advised me to, 5-10 sprays all over. I have naturally wavy hair, and since it is process, I have to brush it after my showers in order to not wake up looking like an actual lion. The spray is ideal for this because it helps act as a detangle spray, and leaves your hair soft and glowing. All of the products I purchased have the same fragrance, which I absolutely love and as my mother described it, "it smells expensive". But what is great is that they really are not expensive, but you are still getting that same salon quality with them. I am a lady who does not wear perfume, so this allows me to smell fabulous without having to drench myself in a perfume. Tomorrow night I am trying the hair mask, and I am sure I will have great things to say about it as well. I highly recommend these products for anyone who has color treated hair, or even natural hair because these are made for all hair types. It's easier than having to look through all of the shampoo and conditioner options for many different hair types. This is a haircare line that I will be using forever. Run out to Target now and try these!

Minimalism

Minimalism is a topic that has been on the forefront of social media for quite some time now, but I am now finally looking at it and watching the documentary about this topic with the same name; Minimalism. This isn't something I would have thought to describe myself or anyone in my family because I have noticed that we all just have a lot of "stuff". Growing up, I always knew my grandmother was a hoarder, not quite as bad as the ones you see on tv, but she was still pretty deep into it. She was a woman who liked to collect a lot of different things and find different hobbies, but once she found a hobby, she was all in for it and had to buy everything to do it. When she passed away about two and a half years ago, my household were the main people who were in charge of going through her things. While there was a lot of sentimental items and ones we decided to hold onto, but a lot of the items were truly just "stuff". While having a lot of items can mean different things about the person, from being financially well off to needing to fill a void in their life with this "stuff". I make it a point to put the word "stuff" in quotations because it has a different meaning for everyone, since some people find more meaning to the items than other people. So when I started to think of minimalism, this was the first thought that came to mind was growing up around someone who was the complete opposite. In the documentary, they discuss "fast fashion", because this is a very current problem, especially in America. People used to buy clothes because theirs were simply too torn and used to continue wearing. Now, people buy clothing to keep up with the fashion trends, instead of investing in clothing that will last them for a long time and are more staples in their wardrobe. I do not consider myself a minimalist by any means, but I do think that changing some of the ways you view things in your life, is beneficial for many people. In my opinion, people definitely do not have to go to the extreme and only own things they could fit into one box. I have known people who will say "I can fit my entire life into this one box", but I don't think this is necessarily something that needs to be done and going to the extreme level of minimalism. If there are things in your life that all have meaning and bring you joy, but is not in excess, then they are alright to own. The problem is when things are bought in excess and are bought for no reason because that is when they just become "stuff". My favorite sentence that was said in the entire documentary was "Imagine your life with less". This resonated with me because it caused me to imagine my life with less stuff than I have no, which was surprisingly not hard to imagine. Having too much in your life, can cause unnecessary stress and anxiety, because there is a certain amount of worrying that makes sense, and a certain amount that does not make sense. Just ask yourself "is this useful?". This was pointed out by a Good Morning America new anchor, who suffered an anxiety attack while on television. It is simple things that can be done to reduce the clutter in your life, and while this documentary shows a lot of different angles to the idea of minimalism, is creates a realistic lifestyle change for people. It is a personal choice if you want to go to extreme minimalism, or you can change little things in your life to reduce the clutter, but not throw out everything you own. Live deliberately instead and have meaning to everything in your life. I do highly recommend watching this documentary right now, especially while it is still on Netflix!