My New Favorite Beauty Tool To Save Time

My New Favorite Beauty Tool To Save Time

by Mark Garro | Reviews, Better You, Save Time

Have you ever heard of a hairbrush straightener?

If you’ve been around for a while, you may have noticed one thing that’s become pretty regular when it comes to me and my “branding” – and that is the awesome side-po’ I typically rock (almost always braided).

Boardwalk Buy Review

(Disclaimer: Affiliate links within, which means I earn commission at no extra cost to you. This is no way impacts my review of products or services.)

Now you maybe think it’s just a look I love or a purposeful part of my branding, and in truth, that’s part of it, but really…I’ve got a secret.

A secret I’ve battled for 29+ years now…

And that is…

I hate my hair.

Throughout high school, I tried EVERYTHING to tame my white girl fro. Gels, creams, flat-irons out the wazoo…nothing worked.

My hair has always seemed to be at war with itself, wanting to be curly and then thinking it’s straight, and in the end, I look like a poodle if I don’t tie it back.

 

Finally, I met a friend/hair stylist in college who introduced me to her Chi Flat Iron and oh. my. goodness. My prayers had been answered!!

Using a Chi Flat Iron

 

Oh, but hello nearly $100 price tag!! Luckily, my college friend took pity on me and gave me her older Chi when it became time for her to get a new one. I was ecstatic and for years, it was my most prized possession.

Even with the amazing Chi, though, it still took me nearly an hour to straighten my hair. Fortunately, I was then introduced to dry shampoo and HELLO game changer. Now I could straighten my hair and now have to worry about it for days on end.

Batiste is by far and away my most favorite beauty tool…heh well pretty much my ONLY beauty tool most days.

But then…

Tragedy struck. My Chi stopped working.

Thus was birthed my awesome side po’.

Now I’m a fan of my look (obviously) but I have *LONG* hair and there are certainly days I want to celebrate that. As I’ve gotten older, I appreciate my hair for the wild chaos that it is and have begun to look at it as a challenge to tame it. I picked up a straightener from Walgreens, but every time I use it, my arms threaten to fall off about halfway through.

Then one day, I came across an ad for Boardwalk Buy. Oooh, good ol’ Facebook ads…

Boardwalk Buy Brush Straightener

Now if you’re new here, you should know – I *LOVE* to shop online. Seriously. But more than that – I LOVE to save money!!

So I was torn as to whether or not to click through to the product, but after reading a few of the comments in the ad, I knew this was something I had to try out.

It arrived from Boardwalk Buy less than a week after I ordered it and I was beyond excited to try it out. It looked like fun if nothing else! Plus both my toddlers napped that day which meant I had the rare opportunity to actually shower AND wash my hair. Ah, the exciting life of motherhood.

The brush heated up in just a couple of minutes and luckily I had some heat defense spray on hand as the brush gets up to about 450 degrees Fahrenheit and I knew my thick hair needed the heat but also needed to not look like I’d stuck my finger in an electric socket.

 

Four minutes later…

YES – FOUR MINUTES LATER…

 

And I was done. I couldn’t believe it. Thank you, Boardwalk Buy!!

Check out the video (sped up 2x for your viewing pleasure):

Boardwalk Buy has a LOT of great items that I’m eager to try out, given how much success I’ve seen saving time with this one item.

Go check ’em out and let me know which item you think would be great to try out! Use code “SAVE5” to save 5% should you decide to order anything!

What’s YOUR go-to hairstyle to save time and energy?

The Most Delectable Mother’s Day Brunch Idea Ever

The Most Delectable Mother’s Day Brunch Idea Ever

by Mark Garro | Recipes, Holiday Fun

Mother’s Day brunch is one of my favorite times of the year, especially when it comes with delicious food! As I covered in my Valentine’s Day post, I think holidays like this should serve as an opportunity to do nothing but enjoy the day as a family. That’s not to say when Mother’s Day comes around, I wouldn’t love a crafty present from my babies, but beyond that, all I want is time…oh and maybe some French Toast Bake…

Overnight french toast bake covered in melted brown sugar caramel

Yeah, it looks as unhealthy as it is. But it’s such a quick breakfast and is by far the most decadent, mouthwatering dish I’ve ever had.

I don’t normally share recipes (or at least ones that aren’t somewhat healthy) but if ever you were to break your diet over a dish, this one should be it! The best part is that this dish will cost you little money and even less time, especially since you prepare it the night before.

Chances are you already have all of the ingredients necessary to make this succulent dish and it’s sure to make for a great start to your Mother’s Day or Father’s Day celebrations.

Mother’s Day Brunch Idea

Overnight French Toast Bake Recipe

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
bread
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar + 3T + additional for sprinkling
Vanilla
Cinnamon

  • Melt the butter and mix in the brown sugar then pour into a 9×13 pan.
  • Mix the eggs, milk, 3t vanilla, 2t cinnamon, 3T brown sugar together.
  • Place a layer of bread down evenly into the 9×13 pan then pour half the custard onto the bread.
  • Sprinkle some cinnamon and brown.sugar on top of the bread then another layer of bread then the rest of the custard, then more cinnamon and sugar.
  • Put in fridge overnight.
  • Pull out in the morning as your oven is preheating to 350 degrees.
  • Cook for approximately 1 hour or until the top is golden brown.

If you prefer it to be a bit more like custard, you can stop there. I prefer to pull it out, slice it up so that caramel bottom runs golden sugar rivers between the slices, then put back in for 5 more minutes.

When you dish the bread, use a spatula to serve it and flip it so that the sugary bottom is now the top. You’ll want to dish it while it’s still hot and you’ll want to do so quickly, before the sugar hardens.

close up of overnight french toast bake with melted brown sugar

I’m not normally a fan of French toast but this…oh this is so different.

The cooked sugar creates this crisp shell that serves as a perfect complement to the fluffy, rich bread underneath. No syrup is needed, though a warm cup of coffee or a bowl of fresh strawberries would certainly round out what is sure to be one of the best breakfasts you’ve ever had.

Believe me, the whole family will thank you.

What are you doing to celebrate Mother’s Day this year?

Save

What Is Effective Time Management?

by Mark Garro | Save Time, Thrifty Tips

Last night, you spent a little too much time on Facebook, so you had to stay up late to finish prepping for the next day. When you finally did get to bed, you were so frazzled by all you had to get done that it took you forty-five minutes to fall asleep, despite being exhausted. Your alarm sounds, despite you feeling as though you’d JUST fallen asleep, so you hit the snooze button over and over. Suddenly you’re ten minutes behind schedule, there’s no time for breakfast, and you are C-R-A-N-K-Y!

(more…)