Tip of the Day

Put your Best Skin forward! Before you slip into you beach wear exfoiliate your entire body, this will wash away dead skin and prep skin for hair removal hair. Shave or wax hair, this will allow light to reflect more evenly off the smooth surface giving your body a more sleek and defined look. Next apply a Gel based moisturizer that contains caffine ( I like Nivea Good Cellulite Cream), the caffeine will help to minimize the appearance of Cellulite. Last (optional) Apply a liquid body bronzer to give your body a little extra glow. (don't forget to apply Sunblock SPF 30 and above) Tweet

"I would hate for someone to look at my shoe and say, 'Oh my God! That looks so comfortable!' That's not what I want to project. But I'm not a sadist. I don't believe suffering makes you beautiful. But comfort is not part of my creative process." - Christian Louboutin
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New Smoothie Alert: (via fitforinfinity).

This recipe is super cheap per serving, extra healthy, and full of yummy-ness!!)

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“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'!”
― Audrey Hepburn

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The Curly Girl Method

(If you don't know what the Curly Girl Method is click to read more before you continue.)

1. Clarify with a NON sulfate shampoo before beginning.

2. Have your ends trimmed. ( This step is relative, only trim if your ends need to be trimmed)

3. Replace your brush with a wide tooth comb, using fingers is better, and brings out the curls

4. Stop Shampoo-ing your hair.

5. Cleanse your scalp with conditioner (co-washing).

6.) Distribute conditioner throughout all of your hair and detangle gently.

7.) Do the final rinse of you hair with cool or cold water.

8.) Apply products to your hair, (do it while your hair is soaking wet for curlier hair)Put products in your hands and rub them together to emulsify then smooth or rake through hair by sections. A common method is to begin with a leave in cream or conditioner to decrease frizz and then follow with a gel, for hold and definition (using your normal conditioner to as a leave-in, is fine too.)

9.) Gently scrunch hair with a t-shirt, paper towel, or a microfiber towel to remove excess moisture as a generic terry towel cloth will make you hair frizzy.

10.) Decrease drying time of your hair by Plopping (not recommended for short hair)

11.) Dry your hair- air drying is the best, but if you need your hair dried fast use a diffuser on the lowest setting. Do NOT touch hair while it is drying it will mess up the curl and cause frizz.

12.) Find an experienced hairstylist.

13.) Have you ends trimmed every 4 to 6 months.

14.) It may take your hair 2 to 6 weeks for your hair to adjust to using a sulfate free cleanser, and it may look worse at first. Hair is a long term commitment and it may take a couple of weeks for it to retain its health after being stripped of moisture for years. Tweet

Tip of The day:

You protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun with Sun Block, why not do the same for your hair? Here are my 2 quick and cost effective ways to protect your tressess.

1.) Mix 1 teaspoon of SPF 25 or higher sunblock with 1/2 cup of water and lightly spray on hair.

2.) Coat hair with a dollop of conditioner for color treated hair ( it usually contains product to protect hair from sun damage)

*For added protection pull hair into a low or high pony tail and twist hair into a bun to protect the ends of your hair. If your hair is to short, either accessorize with a cute sun hat or apply extra condish to your ends.

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                                  Super Green Breakfast Smoothie Recipe

What you Need:

Blender

1Green Apple or Pear

1Cup of almond milk or coconut milk

1Generous handful of Spinach

1Generous Handful of Kale

1Tablespoon of Flax Seed or Chia Seeds

1Frozen Ripe Banana*

2 Tablespoons of Fat Free Greek Yogurt, OR Nut Butter (i.e peanut, almond, cashew, etc) **

Preparation:

Chop up your pear or apple into chunks ( don't worry about the size)

Chop up Banana in (again, don't worry about the size)

Directions:

Dump all your ingredients into the blender and blend on medium to high speed, for 30 secs approx ( this time will vary depending on the type and quality of your blender) Be careful not over blend, as you do not want the smoothie to become too liquefied. Pour into Cup and enjoy!

*If you do not like bananas then swap for half cup of ice, and reduce the amount of almond or coconut milk by a half cup.

** This step is optional I add Greek Yougurt or nut butter for the added protein because I am a vegetarian and it also aides in creating a creamier consistency.

***Add a touch of honey if this isn't sweet enough, DO NOT add white sugar.

Here's why I like Smoothies: They are the easiest and healthiest way to consume your daily serving of fruits and veggies and it's quick and cheap. This smoothie in particular is great for your digestive system, skin, and weight loss. Trust me this smoothie will fill you up, if you don't like some of the ingredients feel free to swap out or double up ingredients just make sure it's a veggie or fruit.

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I am SUPPPPEEERRR (Capital) O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D,  with finding quick simple ways to incorporate

a good total body toning regimen in to supplement my Zumba (Cardio) Workout. Remember that you need to balance out cardio with strength training. The cardio (of your choice) will burn the fat, but the strength training will help create muscle definition! Strength training doesnt  have to mean using heavy bulky weights. You can acheive sleek and defined muscles using your own body weight, light hand wieghts, and yoga. Check out the video above. I am a huge fan of the YT channel InsaneHomeFatloss. http://www.youtube.com/user/insanehomefatloss

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                                 Building  A Better You..... In Four Minutes!

If your like me and you love the results of a good hard workout, but hate the time it takes? Then This workout is PERFECT, NO EXCUSES, you can spare Four Minutes!( Per Round) 

confidentinsecurity:

losefatnotweight:

going to do this 3 or 4 times this morning

Do it. Now. It’s JUST 4 minutes.

(via blkgirlsrock)

Source: weheartit.com

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READY!

SET!

ZUMBAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm (capital) O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D with ZUMBA, and I know you will be too! Stay tuned to for the details and start date of this challenge.

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                                            Losing your Mind but nothing else?

This picture made me laugh hysterically because its truly describes how we all feel in regards to weight loss at some point in life. I don't recommend taking this drastic approach as we live in a very litigious society, and i imagine that (if this were even remotely real) that this bullet would completely miss the scale, and go through the floor into the apartment below. Wait what? I swear I have conversational ADD. OK so back to the MAIN reason for this blog. We rack our brain and stress our nerves in the fight against the bulge. I'm gonna say something that people use to say to me that would make me wanna shoot them. Here goes............LOSING WEIGHT IS EASY! Yep you heard me right. The weight loss question is quiet simple. Wait here me out! The logic behind weight loss is quite simple, in order to lose weight you must burn more then you consume. The hard part is implementing this into your day to day life. Now I'm no fitness or health guru, BUT what I am is someone who wanted to lose weight. I have tried EVERYTHING, EVERY fad diet, pill, smoothie, exercise, blah, blah, blah. Here's what, you will NEVER lose weight until you have MENTALLY prepared yourself mentally. You can have every ingredient know to man to make the perfect weight loss concoction, and you will fail miserably if your mind is not prepared. Here are some small steps to help you kick start you Mental mindset for weight loss.

1. DO NOT GO COLD TURKEY. Simply put do not make several lifestyle changes in one day. don't set yourself up to fail before you even start. If you want to be successful ease your way into changes. if you drink soda/juices everyday try sub a glass of water instead, then the next week try replacing two sodas/juices with two glasses of water. See the pattern each week you build up to another replacement. Continue this replacement with other foods.
2. DO NOT DEPRIVE YOURSELF. No I'm not a hypocrite. if you work hard and dedicate yourself to being more aware of what foods that you put in your body then you deserve a reward. You can still eat the things that you love, but you have to strike a balance. eating one candy bar a week, hell eating three candy bars a week NEVER made anyone fat. Eating three candy bars, 5 cans of soda, McDonalds, and then sitting around 7 days a week makes people fat.
3. TRY SOMETHING NEW! Some people are very stuck in there ways. If it works for you, then more power to you, but if something is not working why keep doing it over and over again. Shock your mind and body by doing something new. Try going on a 15 minute walk and each week increase the time by 5 minutes, and then work up to walking 3 times a week( or what is relative to you). If your looking for something to shock you stomach and skin, try going vegetarian (tune into my up coming blog on my life as a vegetarian). Consuming a Vegetarian diet just once a week will have PROFOUND impact.
4. GET ZUMBA WASTED (or any aerobic exercise). I'm a lush (jk) aren't we all, however my cocktail of choice is ZUMBA! Now if you aren't sure what the heck zumba is then follow these steps. 1.) Drop what ever you are doing (NOW) ill wait.... 2.) Open up your web browser and type in ZUMBA. ( I don't expect you to to read the 9,999,999,9999,999 article that pop up. I recommend viewing Wikipedia). Now for those of you who know what zumba is but have never taken a class then i encourage you to head to your nearest gym, regardless if you have a membership or not. Here is a little known secret most gym will extend a trial membership, all you have to do is ask. I have been taking zumba for over 4 months and I have lost over 25 lbs, (stay tuned for my zumba fitness weight loss challenge). I HATED working out until I found my workout niche. I love my instructors who make it feel like I'm beyonce, and like I'm a performer. My point is find your niche an get wasted.
5. CHIA-CHIA! OK I swore that i wasn't going to be a commitment conscious-product pushing blogger, but this will be my exception. If you aren't at a point that you are ready to make any changes in your regimen then try this. Its low cost, and low commitment, with FAB results. Get some Chis Seeds!

This stuff is amazing. Check it Out http://mychiaseeds.com/Articles/Top10ChiaBenefits.html.

You purchase Chia seeds at your local health food store, or in the health/vitamin isle a retail store. They are inexpensive, and very easy to incorporate into your diet.I put them in my smoothies, on my salad, in my water, the possibilities are endless.

                                                                        

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                                                         The Unconventional Natural

Good MornTing! It has been over 6 months since i have actively blogged, so lets get to it! I have become borderline (capital) O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D with watching YouTube videos on all things hair. One of the great things about YT is that you can find information or tutorials on ANYTHING, whether you want to learn how to tie a shoe string to building a house, there is a YT Video.If you don't believe me, try it out for yourself, type in anything that you want to learn to do and it will pop up! So on to the topic of this blog entry.
I have been natural for almost 1.5 years, and let me tell you it was an adjustment, heck I'm still tyring to make "adjustments". Here's the thing, whenever you take a detour from the main road there is a potential for something to wrong, or for you to become lost, so apply that same logic to real life situations. Let me say something that most seasoned naturals may not tell you, being natural is a melting pot of emotions. Period! You essentially have to learn how to care for your hair like its the first time, you will be excited, intrigued, defeated, elated, stressed, indifferent, and that's only the beginning. Here are a few thoughts that maybe helpful whether your, a full blown natural, transitioning, relaxed, or just curious.

1.)Do your Homework! Yes that's what I said. If you like me then maybe this rule wont apply to you in literal context. When I went Natural it was sort of unintentional, i had gone over 6 months with out a relaxer, due to having extensions, i didn't really have a plan to become natural, i just wore my hair of in a bun for weeks. Then one day i just decided I'm done with relaxers. I was on YT looking up hair styling options for relaxer free hair, when i came across the term Natural hair care. I'm a very impulsive person so literally after that one video i went and chopped off ALL my relaxed ends. I BC (big chopped) before i even knew what it was or the amount of dedication it would take to be natural) If  you are a person that needs a plan for a plan, or just likes to do your due diligence before committing to something, DO your Homework.
2.) Do what works for you! There are several books, blogs, videos, and natural-nistas that will provide guidelines, techniques, and qualifications for being natural. This is not a credit card application, there are no rules or qualifications to being natural, you define what natural is for you and your lifestyle. Take all the information that you read or research and incorporate as much or as little into your life.
3.) Be Green with Envy! (before you reach for the phone and call your therapist)
I think that one of the main "rules" ( i use this term loosely) that i encountered in my journey is
"Thou shalt not envy another Girls Curls" I'm going against the grain, be envious, be a seething envious curl. Let me explain, when you first start out as a natural, part of that journey is researching. There will be countless pictures, tutorials, and product reviews that will promises to give you boing-y poppin curls. *snap out of it* ( I know I told you be green with envy) the truth is no curl is the same. Here is where the Green with envy logic creeps in, envy the TECHNIQUES and not the end result. Find out what that person did to reach there goals. Do they line up with your techniques and hair care regimen.
4.) Be a Free Spirit! ( get out of 1970) lol. My explanation for this is SIMPLE, being natural has a different definition for everyone! There will be people that will tell you that your not a natural if you use this product, or if you color your hair, or use commercial products. The ONLY definition that matters is the definition that you create for your own life. Do what works for you!
I will NEVER define what a Natural is on my blog, because i don't think think there is one, you can only do what is natural for you.

*This article was previously uploaded in December 2010, and has been edited on June 25, 2012* Tweet

                                                       Under Construction....


I currently in the proces of reposting and updating my blog. I havent posted any new blog postings in over six months. If there are topics, questions, or comments please inbox me, I would love to know what you think! Tweet