about

Hello! I am studying esthetics at an Aveda Institute after spending years in retail. I am proof that nothing turns out how you think it will, and that's a good thing. When you think you've got it figured out, you don't. Life would be boring otherwise, right?
Makeup, skincare, and psychology are my passions and I'm also happy to give advice on relationships, particularly for teenagers (so many things I wish I could have told myself a decade ago!) I'm happy to help fellow abuse survivors as well.
I'm a diehard SF Giants fan and also enjoy watching the Sharks and Niners. Addicted to music, especially The Gaslight Anthem. Oh, and my name is Krista. :)

advice

should you wash your face daily?

Yes. Twice a day, in fact, especially if you're a girl and wear makeup. It's really bad for your skin to not wash it and let all the dirt and oil just sit there.

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I'm 16/f and I'm going to have sex but I obviously want to be safe. I know I should use condoms but I know it would be better for me to be on birth control right? It's just, I don't know if I can without my parents getting involved?
I live in California if that helps any. I mean it's gonna happen so telling me not to isn't really gonna help. So is there any way I could get birth control?

I live in California too, and if you go to Planned Parenthood, you can get free birth control for up to a year (and cheap after) and they will keep it completely confidential. Just call and make an appointment, they're great.

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Okay, so I'm 5'7" and somewhere between 125 - 130 pounds. I want to lose some weight and get a little bit in shape for the summer. I don't think I'm fat or anything, but I have an incredibly shitty diet. I only have a slight muffin top, but with my pear body shape, my hips look even bigger and it's very noticeable. :( My thighs are pretty big, too.

Anyway, I want to get under 120 pounds (maybe 115?) the HEALTHY way. Is this even possible to do before June? If not, how long would it take? What kind of diet should I stick to? What foods should I avoid? (Please be specific) Also, I have access to my University gym until about May 20; what kind of workouts / machines should I stick to? For how long / how many times a week?

Thank you!

I'm five eight and have lost quite a bit of weight, down to about 120 now, so here's what worked for me.

I highly recommend the ToneItUp Bikini Challenge. Katrina and Karena are two amazing trainers who do videos on youtube...for the bikini challenge, they send you emails with tips, recipes, and workouts (videos and printable versions). You can sign up here, it's totally free:
http://toneitup.com/blog/2011/03/spring-into-bikini-season-8-week-series-to-get-bikini-ready-with-tone-it-up/
(It's started already but once you sign up, they will catch you up on everything.)

In terms of food, you want to eat a lot of all natural, organic, "clean" food. That means staying away from processed food- chips, crackers, most cereals, frozen food. The basic rule is that if you read the ingredient list and there's something you don't recognize or a really long word, don't eat it. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables will help keep you full. Also, drinking water is very important for your metabolism- you want to drink half your weight in ounces every day.
The key is replacements.
For example-
Whole wheat bread instead of white bread
Fruit instead of dessert
Brown rice or quinoa instead of white rice or pasta
Sparkling mineral water instead of soda
Egg whites instead of whole scrambled eggs
Almond milk or soy milk instead of regular milk
Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt
Stevia instead of sugar

Also, stay the heck away from "diet" products with fake sugar like aspartame and saccharine. They have been shown to cause weight gain (they slow down your metabolism). Use all-natural stevia instead. (NOT Truvia!)

You need to set a daily calorie goal. For the first few weeks, keeping an online 'food diary' is really helpful to see how much you're really eating and what you need to work on. Here's an awesome free one:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

For most people, eating several small, healthy meals throughout the day works best to curb hunger. Here's an example of what I eat for a day. I aim for around 1400 calories and 28 grams of sugar.
Breakfast- organic hemp protein shake mix with almond milk, cinnamon, and stevia
Mid-morning snack- Apple slices or pomegranate arils
Lunch- Fruit smoothie made with Zico coconut water (no added sugar and super good for you), frozen strawberries, pineapple, mango, raspberry, peach.
Mid-afternoon snack- Either some kind of snack bar, fruit, or nuts.
Dinner- protein and veggies- no starches.

Make sure to carry a water bottle and healthy snack with you so you don't slip up. They sell presliced apples in those little packs, and same with nuts (just make sure there's no added sugar or salt.)
Larabars are really awesome- they usually have around 3 ingredients, all natural, and taste pretty good (the Apple Pie one is my favorite.)
I also like Thinkthin Bars- the Brownie Crunch kind is the best.

The ToneItUp website has tons of healthy recipes. Here's one of my favorite meals- easy to make, delicious, and good for you:
http://toneitup.com/blog/2010/03/turkey-burger-recipe-healthy-recipe/

As for working out...if you want to lose the weight pretty quickly, you'll need to incorporate cardio every day- around 30 minutes. This can be something like a walk, a run (can be on the treadmill) or dancing, and it's best to do first thing in the morning- gives you a boost of energy.
If you sign up for the ToneItUp Bikini Challenge, they send you a calendar with what to do on different days. I try to do different body parts on different days- i.e. Monday arms, Tuesday legs, Wednesday abs. The ToneItUp workouts are really great- not too hard but you see results pretty quickly. I find it helpful to watch the video version first. Women's magazines also have good workouts- try Shape.

Best of luck and let me know if you have any more questions! :)
-Krista, 20/f

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If you could recommend any book in the world to someone, fiction or non-fiction, what would it be and why? I don't mean just a girly piece of chick lit that had an exciting plot line but a book which inspired you, made you think, changed your outlook etc.

Thanks.

Tuesdays With Morrie truly changed my life...the description on the back of it makes it sound super cheesy, but it's really an amazing book and a true story. I reread it every couple of months and find something new in it every time. Definitely worth a read, I recommend it to everyone.

I also love American Gods by Neil Gaiman- it's not inspiring like Tuesdays with Morrie, but it's a truly incredible book that does make you think. (All of his books are amazing and so hard to describe.)

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What do you do when the child you're babysitting makes threats such as "I'm going to tell my mom what you're doing!" when what you're benefits the kid and their health?

For example, the child would not wipe himself properly after pooping in his pants, so I made him take a bath and wash himself, so that he would not get an infection.

Although, I don't care if he tells his parents how I handled the situation, I feel completely disrespected when I'm treated like the enemy. What would you do?

Tell him that that's fine and that you will tell them yourself. And when you tell the parents, mention that you've had a bit of a problem with him threatening to tell on you all the time. They should have a talk with him about how you're the boss when they're gone, he needs to respect you, etc. (Not all parents will do that, though.)

As someone who babysat for years, I can tell you that unfortunately, it is a job where you are going to constantly feel disrespected, whether it's by parents or a child. You'll either adapt (after all, does it really matter that a small child doesn't treat you with respect?) or find something you like doing better.

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I smoked weed a lot this summer. I enjoyed it a LOT. I'd smoke two or three times a week and I just loved it. I had a bad high once or twice but it wasn't a big deal (I have generalized anxiety disorder so I figured this would happen sometimes).

My anxiety got really bad after that summer (I'm talking panic attacks and depersonalization, which I'd never had before), so I stopped smoking for the three months that my anxiety was very bad for. After it cleared up I tried smoking again, and it was nice, but it wasn't that great content feeling I'd had before. I mean I laughed and had fun, etc, but it wasn't that great.

I don't look forward to smoking and honestly I don't want to do it much, maybe on occasion at a party but not often. Most of my friends like to smoke multiple times a week and love getting fucked up but I just don't. Drinking is okay and so is smoking but it's not something I'd go out of my way for.

People thought I was a lot cooler when I smoked all the time. I want to enjoy smoking again. I don't know how. Ideas?

I'm not sure why you think it's a bad thing...not that weed is the most dangerous thing ever, but if it made your anxiety worse and made you feel crappy, you really aren't missing out, right? If people really don't like you or think you're cool without smoking, either they're lame or you need to care less. Don't be that person that does something because everyone else is.

(Note: I'm not one of those super-anti-weed people- in fact I used to smoke. So please don't think I'm preaching at you.)

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I'm kind of between an alto and a soprano and am not sure what to sing. I'm in to country but will also sing pop songs. A few songs I was thinking about singing were:

Just A Dream- Carrie Underwood
Let The Rain- Sara Bareilles
Think Of Me- Phantom Of The Opera
King Of Anything- Sara Bareilles

My friend stole my idea of doing think of me so I need help before my friends decide to take my songs. I want to do a song that people may not know very well, but to people who know it, its popular. PLEASE no rap songs I cant stand it!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd go with Just A Dream....but are you open to other ideas? Cuz if you like Carrie Underwood, I think a faster, more "exciting" song like Before He Cheats, Undo It, or Cowboy Casanova would be a better choice.
I'm an alto and one of my favorite songs to perform is Criminal by Fiona Apple (she does have a weird voice if you're not used to it, but it's a really good song):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFOzayDpWoI
Do you know anyone who plays guitar? The acoustic version would sound really good for a talent show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DgUOTpbIAI
I'll admit I don't listen to a lot of pop...but if you want any kinda more pop-rock-y suggestions, let me know :)

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Recently my mate and I have decided to spice up our intimate life.. He told me to look into it sometime. There's only one problem.. When it comes to looking at pictures of real people being intimate, I honestly don't like it. I was wondering if there was a site or maybe an e book that has drawings instead of photographs of people.. or whatever.. Thanks.

While I'm not comfortable giving specific advice, I know the Cosmopolitan Kama Sutra book (Amazon and bookstores have it) has just drawings, not graphic photos, and is pretty easy to understand.

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I have to quit junk food tomorrow cold turkey. I can no longer eat it. Any tips on how to go about doing this?

Find substitutes. For instance, when I'm having sugar cravings, I will eat fruit or have cinnamon tea instead. When I want a burger, I'll make a spinach turkey burger on a whole wheat bun. If I want fries, I'll make sweet potato fries. Sugar-free flavored mineral/seltzer water instead of soda, Larabars instead of dessert, and so on.

The first few days are gonna be really hard, so try to distract yourself- it's easy to mess up and eat junk if you're just sitting at home thinking about food haha.

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16/f.

I know I'm young, but I was just wondering. I have dark circles like an old lady's and nothing seems to work. I can't afford expensive stuff either. The things I've tried are--

All CG concealers (minus the Queen and Simply Ageless collections)
Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer
Maybelline Coverstick

And none have had enough pigmentation to make them any less noticeable. So I'm wondering if I need to step it up to the anti-aging formulas or if they don't help any more, but just a different consumer group.

Undereye concealer is tricky, because you don't want something too thin (your circles will show) or too thick (you'll look like you have wrinkles). I really love the Revlon Photoready concealer, have you tried that? And here's a video on proper application:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL3m0E8xULk

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I just recently applied to Victoria's secret to be a sales associate and I got an interview. I really want to get this job, but I've never worked in sales...does anyone have any tips on how to get the job? does any on work at VS and know what types of questions they ask in an interview? or what things i should say? thanks so much!

I worked at Victoria's Secret for three months and...well, to be honest, I hated it, but maybe my store just sucked.

I worked on the Beauty side of my store doing sales or as a greeter. It was alright when the store was busy but painfully boring the rest of the time. They also have a policy of assigning regular hours, then "call-in" hours- so they schedule you for, say, tuesday 4-8, and you have to call the store one or two hours before and find out if they want you to come in or not. Some weeks all they'd give me was one call-in, and unless the store was really busy, they wouldn't have me come in. Also, sometimes I would come in for a regular shift and they'd say I was canceled (without giving me prior notice) and send me home. Some of this may have just been my store, I don't know. Definitely worth at least giving the job a try.

The interview was a group interview. They have you fill out papers then ask questions, and each person gets a chance to answer. It can be hard not being repetitive if you're the last person. Here's what I remember them asking:
Name, age
Why you want to work at VS (pretty much everyone says "because I love the products" so try to think of something more original)
Previous retail experience
What you like about VS
Tell about a time that you provided exceptional costumer service
Tell about a time you were faced with a tough choice and did the right thing (or something you're the most proud of)

I've also heard that other stores may have you go into the store and do a sales demo- pick a product and pitch it to the interviewer.

Dress as you would for any interview- professional and polished. They are pretty strict about appearance- make sure your nails and hair are done nicely and your makeup isn't super loud.
One mistake I noticed several of the girls in my interview group make...they thought that because Victoria's Secret projects a "sexy" image, they should dress sexy. I saw plenty of short skirts, low cut tops/spaghetti straps, stilettos, smoky eyes, red lips, big earrings, etc. Don't do it- they want someone professional.
Capri length black dress pants should be fine, with a nice shirt, shoes, and jewelry- they want someone who looks put-together.

Best of luck :) Above all, remember to smile and be bubbly and positive!

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who sing the old pop song " i wanna be bad , it makes me looks so good

Haha I used to love that song back in the day...it's I Wanna Be Bad by Willa Ford, yeah?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbZEqT9280A

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I already have my prom dress. It's an aqua blue color and is 1 shoulder. Its length runs all the way down to the floor.

I'm trying to look for good hairstyles that would match with a 1 shoulder dress. I'm not a big fan of an entire updo. I would really like to show the length of my hair and not hide it. So I was thinking about curling it and then pulling half of it up? But my mom said that's too casual for prom. What do you think? I was also thinking about a side swept French braid or fishtail braid. Would that hairstyle fit with a 1 shoulder dress?

I think a curled side ponytail would look really cute with a one-shoulder dress. Here are some examples of what i mean:
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQUlSOkMzGrYU4jchmpbXrUrJWOYxbF9Yl8JZFgOIg2yS4XEwK_&t=1
http://www.easy-hairstyles.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/homecoming-side-ponytail-style.jpg
http://images.beautifulhairstyles.com/teen/pictures/071117carrieunderwood2.jpg

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I met someone new and when yet texted me in the very beginning ofthe Text it said *high* and then a red exclamation point by their name before I read it.

What does that mean?

It means the message was sent as "high-priority" or "urgent"- it's a setting on phones that you can do. They might've done it by accident.

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A girl classmate of mine (I'm also a girl) looks at me like I'm an alien or something. I found out that she hates me because when I was walking past her while she was talking to her best friend, I heard her say (they were talking really loud), "I really hate her! She's acts so..." I know that they were talking about me 'cause they said my name. Many people actually has a crush on her, 'cause they think that she's pretty and nice. But they don't know that she calls me mean names sometimes. What should I do?

Girls are ridiculous sometimes, aren't they? Best thing to do is to ignore her when you can, and be super nice when you can't- sounds counter-intuitive, but you don't wanna lower yourself to her level, you're better than that. And she's probably doing it to get a reaction out of you anyway.
Here's some articles from one of my favorite people on dealing with stuff like that:
http://kandeethemakeupartist.blogspot.com/2011/02/you-hurt-my-feelings.html
http://kandeethemakeupartist.blogspot.com/2010/07/7-tips-to-deal-with-haters.html

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18/f

I'm a teenage girl.. obviously I want money so i can spend it on things I like. I haven't gone shopping since last summer.. I can't remember the last time I even bought something for myself just for the hell of it.

Just an FYI, i'm suffering with minor depression (personal issues going on). My friend told me that I should try to splurge and buy stuff for myself to make me feel better about myself. Like buying a new outfit or buying new makeup etc. But the thing is.. I HAVE NO MONEY! :(

I'm looking for jobs but here's the thing.. i play volleyball and its all year round. Plus I play competitively which means I practice 3 times per week and have tournaments every other weekend. When i'm not playing ball, i'm at school or doing homework. If i'm not doing that, i'm doing house work (don't have a mom) so i have to cook and clean and do laundry for me and my dad. (he's no help). If i'm not doing house work or homework or sports, i hang out with my boyfriend. Simply put.. i have no time for myself. Like i said, i have minor depression and I would really like to spend more time for myself. I'd like to get my hair done, or nails done, go shopping etc. but i have no money :(

do you have any advice or tips on how i can get some money? like i said before, i'm a really busy person. I don't have much time for a job. if i did have one, i could work 1 day per week. MAYBE 2 or 3 times every other week. Is there any sort of job that is flexible enough for me? Or any other ways to attain money? I've tried selling useless things on craigslist but its really slow :/ HELP! (no garage sale. i live in a very very small town in the middle of no where and nobody would want my rotten stuff anyways haha)

thank you!!!

To be honest, no job is going to hire you to work one day a week. At my part-time job (bagger at a grocery store), I'm getting a minimum of 16 hours a week, which usually means working 4 days a week- and some weeks, I'm there 6 days.

Your best bet would be something where you pick your availability, like babysitting.

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I have been in a 6 month long relationship with my girlfriend. Over the time I have realized she doesn't respect who I really am and seems to degrade me for it.

She's pulling me away from my music (which I enjoy and want to make a career out of), insults my friends (who mean allot to me and helped me through so much hard times) and wants me to cut my hair and shave my beard (I'm a huge hippie).

It seems to her, everything is wrong with me, and she is absoloutely perfect. I am just a disgrace.

I feel she wants to make me the kind of guy which I REALLY HATE which will make her happy yet me lifeless and miserable, not feeling HAPPY.

What is your opinion on this?

Well, honestly...why the heck are you still with her? You sound like you don't even like her, and I think it's definitely time for your relationship to come to an end.

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What do i do? im 13 and i wont to put blue streaks in my hair and my mom even said i could but, i dont wont to bleach my hair. i've looked on the cumputer for ideas on what to do because my hair is little brown (becuase i have died it many times). i don't know what to do! but i was wondering if i should just die my hair blond then put blue streaks in my hair.

Another option besides clipons is feather extensions- really cute, you can get blue, and they only stay in about a month.
You can do it yourself, too. Try famousfeathers.com- you just pick your color and get the tools to do it.
Here's an example of what it'd look like:
http://blog.prettycity.com/johannalindsay/files/2011/02/girl-with-feather-extensions.jpg
They also make clip-in feather extensions- try searching on Etsy.com.

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20 female.

So every one tells me that i still look really pretty without make-up. I won't lie i will go out in public without make-up and it doesn't bother me. I do usually wear make-up when I go outbut I'm not like some girls where they have to always have make-up on. Usually when I'm around guys, and its night time or something I'll take a shower and so I'll have no make-up on and my hair will be all gross haha (my hair is kind of wavy, but not cute when i leave it naturally) My best friend that i'm always with freaks out whenever a guy might have to see her without make-up and I don't see it as a big deal. Sometimes I feel less pretty around her because I won't have any make-up after a shower and she will be all done up still though.

For instance. Last weekend we were at a hotel and four of our guys friends stayed with us in the same room. I just had to take a shower because I always do at night so I don't feel gross. So i had no make-up on and my hair not done. I guess I didn't really care. But my friend got in the shower and just washed her body off and didn't get her hair wet and didn't take her make-up off.

I guess my question is, do guys really care if a girl doesn't ALWAYS have her make-up on? I asked one of my guy friends that night at the hotel if i looked different without make-up because people tell me i don't look that different and he said "no, but that's a good thing!" i don't want to be walking around sometimes without make-up with me thinking it's not a big deal and guys are thinking "oh gross, whats she doing"

Any comments are welcomed thanks!

It depends on the guy, really...some guys prefer a girl who isn't makeup-obsessed or high-maintenance, but others want a girl who takes care of herself and keeps herself looking good.
If you're comfortable that way, good for you, and I'm sure you'll find a guy who's fine with that eventually. However, if you're going on a date or hanging out with a guy you like, it is nice to put a little effort in- do your hair and maybe some eyeliner, mascara, lipgloss. Doesn't have to be an hour of getting ready or anything.

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OMg.... sometimes just because, i call my bestfrend/ boyfriends old landline, and its not supposed to ring. He lived with his grandpa and his grandpa died over the summer while he and his half brother were gone for a little while and the trailer and its contents r allready gone. well anyway, i called the number (even though i knew i would just get the whole "This number is dissconnected" thing, and it rang!!! It rang and then white noise followed after it had been "answered".... His grandpa did die of a heartattack in the house.... Coiuld he hav answered?

PS Ive allways wished i would calll and Brendon would answer; just like normal...Like he had never left and his grandpaw had never died. I allways hoped it was just a dream, and thts y i call sometimes; I want to think its just a bad dream and it never happened.... but i guess i cant do tht can i? (sigh)

Probably they've just given the phone number to someone else- the white noise could just be a bad connection or someone who doesn't have an answering machine.

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