Not long ago, I shared a timely reminder from Halle Berry to incorporate a certain food into your diet as a part of your anti-aging and beauty regimen. Her favorite youth-inducing food just happens to be bone broth. I'm sure Halle consumes lots of freshly brewed bone broth on a routine basis. Bone broth advocates recommend that we indulge in this superfood every day. That's a wonderful idea in theory but is it practical? I love a homemade cup of broth as much as the next guy but it's really time-consuming. After spending a few moments in reflection, I think I finally came up with a suitable alternative that will easily allow me to get my dose of collagen every day. Now that fall is approaching, I've quickly reinstituted my daily habit of enjoying a large cup of tea. After researching the benefits of drinking green tea, I decided to finally become a regular tea drinker once and for all. Enjoying a daily cup of green + bamboo tea seems to really have a positive impact on my well being. It's a personal ritual with a multitude of benefits. I'm ready to add one more HUGE benefit to the list because I've learned that I can lace my hot beverage with hydrolyzed collagen without worrying about impacting its integrity and effectiveness. Apparently, collagen is very heat tolerant and maintains its potency even in high temperatures. This is excellent news! Because collagen protein does so well in hot liquids, hydrolyzed collagen is the perfect choice to pair with your tea or coffee. Not long ago, I purchased some collagen in individual packets. Each packet was generously filled with ample collagen powder. After weeks of taking it, I happened to check the instructions and realized that the recommended serving was 2 packets of powder per day! That's a lot. Much more than I initially assumed. This meant that I had to really step up my consumption. The easiest solution that I can think of is to pair collagen with my tea. So far it's been working out beautifully. But then I wondered if powdered hydrolyzed collagen is comparable to the nutritious gelatin that we find in bone broth. Based on what I've learned so far, both bone broth and hydrolyzed collagen are rich in amino acids. Hydrolized collagen just happens to be in a more absorbable form. Knowing that adding collagen powder into my tea provides a similar nutritional benefit to slow-simmered bone broth makes me very happy. And, because the hydrolyzed collagen powder is processed into a highly absorbable form, we may start to notice external benefits sooner. This means that thicker hair, plumper skin, less cellulite, and improved digestion awaits us. All of these benefits can be had just by adding an extra ingredient to your coffee, tea, or smoothie. You have no idea how excited I am. Now, I have no excuse for not following Halle's advice of binging on bone broth on the regular. The easier it is for us to execute, the greater the chance that collagen consumption will become a life-long habit. JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

I can't tell you the last time I purchased a bottle of traditional body lotion. I have a few that I use on my hands and feet but body lotion just doesn't do it for me anymore. They mean well, but ar

Every so often, I'll watch esthetician training videos on Youtube for a better understanding of how to use the professional facial tools I've amassed over the years. This weekend, I invested over an hour to watch a woman painstakingly conduct a multi-step facial. After thoroughly cleansing the client's skin, she began the exfoliation process. But instead of reaching for a granulated product, she grabbed a papaya enzyme complex mask and applied it using a skin brush. She explained that the mask interacts with the enzymes in the skin to begin the dead skin cell proliferation process. Once the mask fully covered the client's face, the woman gave her a soothing facial massage. After the massage, she did the unexpected. Instead of rinsing the skin or removing the mask with a damp cloth, the esthetician reached for her ultrasonic facial scrubber. Most of you might remember when I gave my first impressions on this electronic exfoliation tool. It uses ultrasonic technology to deep clean the pores. Typically, I've used my tool after cleansing to remove the excess water from my skin. My method worked well enough but I was using it far below its fullest potential. But this esthetician showed me how to use the scrubber in a way that improved my results ten fold. Instead of rinsing the mask, she leveraged the scrubber to both remove product and to lift the dead skin cells loosened by the enzyme mask. It was like a double exfoliation. As we've learned from Beyonce's regimen, fruit enzymes have the ability to gently lift dead skin cells without disrupting healthy skin. In essence, the esthetician was "pre-loosening" her dead skin so the scrubber could easily lift and remove it from the surface. It's like letting your dishes soak in hot water before you start the scrubbing action. I thought her technique was brilliant and I could not wait to try. That night I was attending a holiday party and wanted to try out this method as part of a pre-night out ritual. Since I didn't have a papaya enzyme mask on hand, I substituted Cure Aqua Gel Exfoliator instead. As you may recall, Cure is a really gentle exfoliator which I thought would work perfect for my first experience in "double exfoliating." After using the scrubber to remove the Cure Gel, I could barely keep my hands off my face. My skin was noticeably brighter and soft to the touch. It was obvious that my skin was properly exfoliated. Best of all, both the Cure Gel and the Ultra Scrubber are extremely gentle on the skin. This means no redness or inflammation, which is a perfect way to create that glow we all want on a night out. If you don't have the scrubber, you can experiment with a pre-exfoliating product before using your Clarisonic. Or prior to us using a granulated product. Peter Roth Thomas has a pumpkin enzyme mask with fruit enzymes and skin resurfacing granules. It's like the best of both worlds. My only advice is that you don't use a chemical acid exfoliator and manual method. That may be too harsh. But a fruit acid combined with a gentle manual exfoliation seems to be a winning combination. JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content. You can check out the full ultrasonic facial video here.

I love discussing self-care. From mental & personal development to fitness, health and beauty. Today, let's explore the topic of looking polished. My definition of looking polished doesn't mean being glammed up 24/7. It's more about paying attention to the details. When you're out in public places, you might be able to spot the difference between those who got ready and those who take pride in themselves. Let's discuss the little things that demonstrate pride in our personal appearance. Law #1 Nails Must Be Cared For I chose to list nails first because nails are a small thing that make a big difference. Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who happened to happened to glance at your nails (or toes) and show a slight look of disappointment? I have. For some reason, unkept nails are a huge turnoff. They are literally the tell tale sign of "I don't take care of myself." "I allow my polish to chip beyond recognition, my fingernails to look uneven and I allow a little dirt under the fingernails.....and I do nothing about it." Unkept nails are the exact opposite of looking polished! On the flip side, you can see a girl wearing the most casual of clothes. But then you notice her well cared for hands (and feet) and you think to yourself, "she cares about the little details." We've already discussed the power of staying on top of your nail care regimen. It literally can change your life. Law #2 Skin Like (Cocoa) Butter Skin is one of those things that people use to judge us. It tells people how old we are and it represents how well we care for ourselves. People who suffer from acne are stereotyped as not taking care of their skin. Back in the day, when I suffered from cystic acne, people would subconsciously scratch/or touch the area of their face where I had a break out. It was as if my pimples were bothering them. It was a distraction, plain and simple. That's why I made it my mission to have the most flawless skin possible! I'm not there yet, but I'm working hard towards my end goal. The journey for perfect skin never ends! We must be diligent to constantly improve. If you can't remember the last time someone complimented you on your skin (face or body), there's still work to do. Law #3 Moisturize Your Situation The fastest way to look unpolished is to show physical signs of dryness. Dry cuticles, dry lips, dry hands, feet, dry anything will say to yourself and others. "I don't care about how I look." In nature, dryness is a sign of death. Nothing grows in the desert. But the amazon, which receives ample amounts of precipitation, is the mecca of abundant wildlife and exotic vegetation. Never, ever demonstrate outward signs of dryness. I have to admit that I'm guilty of violating this law in the past. And believe me, people notice. One action I've taken to tackle this issue head on is to drink water like I mean it. When the body is well hydrated, it shows. During my personal, drink your water challenge, I suddenly noticed that others around me had dry skin due to their lack of water intake. It's obvious once you know what to look for. I'd even ask some of my co-workers, "how much water do you drink?" They'd say something like..."not much....why?" "Cause I can see the scales of your skin." Next time I saw him/her, there'd be a huge bottle of water in hand. #DroppinTruthBombsOnEverybody Law #4 Your Best Hair Ever Once upon a time, I'd visit the hair salon to get it straightened. What would happen afterwards had me baffled. Suddenly people start treating me different. The attention I received from just changing my hair was a bit puzzling but it taught me how much of an affect our hair has on the way we look and feel. I rarely do anything fancy with my hair anymore which really takes away from my goal of looking polished. Since I'm not a fan of regular salon visits, I have to come up with a different strategy. First, never allow my hair to look dry. Second, I need to catch up on my micro-trimming schedule Third find some every day, low maintenance styles that still demonstrate pride in my personal appearance. I'm collecting some inspiration pics that I'll share in a separate post. Law#5 Brows Beat One skill to learn before the end of the year is to learn how to perfect your brow routine. The brows frame the face and set the foundation for everything else you do. Perfect brows are one of those things that make you look amazing even if you're one of those people who doesn't like to wear much makeup. Just cleaning them up and having the ability to fill & create the perfect natural arch will do wonders for helping your look completely polished. Law #6 Luscious Lips We have beautiful, full lips. But sometimes we miss the opportunity to adorn them. When I'm out in public, I notice that many women choose not to do anything with their lips. Especially women with fuller lips. But I'm here to say, that mastering your daily lip look will greatly enhance how polished you appear. Even if you wear a simple moisturizer on them, that's ok, just don't let them go naked. Law # 7 "Girl, you smell gooooood." One of my beloved fragrances Flowerbomb Your scent is one of the most powerful way to leave a positive impression on others. As part of your signature style, you should have a go-to fragrance that your absolutely love! Bonus points if that fragrance evokes a positive response from others. I invite you to also wear fragrance when you're at home, even if you have no where to go, as part of your personal feel good routine. Law #8 Styled to the nines. We've talked at length about the wonders of dressing your best. We've even established the importance of looking presentable even when you're loungin' at home. I'm not saying you've got to spend a lot of money on clothes. Just be strategic about it. Plan ahead to save time and create well thought out looks. Leverage outerwear to elevate your outfit looks. Pair with the perfect shoes and you're good to go. Law #9 Accessorize! If you're one of those people who like to dress down, accessories are your friend. The great thing about accessories is that they range from chunky, bold statement pieces to minimalist items that enhance your current look. You don't have to go overboard if you don't want to you. I present to you Exhibit A: Miss Jennifer Lopez looking extremely put together in the most basic of attire. Notice her strategic use of accessories (earrings, cuff bracelet, shades, pinky ring) to compliment her look. Oh, and did you notice her nails? Law #10 Shine! Shine! Shine! Lastly, ladies, I urge you to incorporate shine, in one form or another. What do I mean when I say shine? You decide. This could mean adding a little lip gloss. Shine could be having glowing skin that beautifully reflects light. Shine could be those sparkly earrings that compliment your casual looks. Shine can also mean having highly moisturized hair. Shine might be the light reflecting eyeshadow that you wear on the inner corners of your eyes. Something on you should shine, or catch someone's eye. Shine is buffing scuff marks from your shoes prior to wearing them out. Everyday, before you walk out that door, ask yourself, what is it about me that shines? If you don't have an answer, then resolve it. Cheers!

Last year, I suffered what seemed like a minor injury to my knee. I was standing on the driver's side of my car ( facing the interior, on an inclined driveway) when suddenly the door shut, hitting me on the back of the knee. The force from the impact caused me to also hit the front of my knee. I experienced some mild bruising and discomfort but thought I'd be fine in like a week. The low-grade discomfort persisted which started to affect my walking. Soon I was experiencing discomfort on my right hip ( I was putting additional strain on that leg to take weight off the left knee). Eventually, I had enough and incorporated some exercises to help push the recovery process. The first idea that came to mind was yoga stretching because it was low impact. My morning routine began with a quick search on YouTube for short videos under the search "hip stretch routine or morning yoga stretch". I didn't realize it then, but those simple yoga videos could improve my body in ways I couldn't imagine. Within a few weeks of daily stretching, the knee pain was gone and the stiffness in my right hip was a distant memory. Although the main purpose for reintroducing yoga in my life was to aid in my recovery, it wasn't long before I also experienced benefits to my back and spine. I had no issues with back pain but every time I entered the downward dog pose, I made a mental note of how stiff my spine seemed. I kept telling myself "this is so good for my back." Little did I know how powerful the practice of yoga is for our backs. Yoga has such an impact on our spine that some people have reported actually becoming taller through consistent practice. Years ago, I learned how to do a yoga headstand. While following along with training videos, the instructors would often talk about how inverting the body (via headstands) releases our back from the constant pressure of gravity. Over the years, our back compresses which contributes to eventual shrinkage. I'm already a short person. One of my greatest fears in life is age-related shrinking that'll shorten me even more. According to the internet, women lose as much as 2 inches between the ages of 30-70. As someone who's already built close to the ground, I can't afford to lose any more precious inches. The bulk of my day is spent hunched over a computer or sitting with my head pointed downwards at my phone. I have no doubt that my worst fear will manifest unless I do something to stop it. After a few weeks of doing morning yoga for my hip and knee, the pain/discomfort went again and I stopped doing the exercises altogether. I lost all motivation to continue my newfound yoga routine until now. A bunch of people responded to a Twitter thread about Yoga causing people to grow taller with their own personal experiences. Being a short, petite]girl has some disadvantages. Ordering pants online is always a gamble. I can imagine the cost savings if I were just an inch or two taller and didn't have to pay for alterations. Even if I don't gain inches in height from regular yoga, just the idea that I might slow down or even stop spine shrinkage is motivation enough. At the very least, I can rid myself of the constant back stiffness that silently plagues me and finally improve my posture once and for all.

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy.

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy.

Eating non-stop throughout the day is one of the frustrating habits to have. For me, it seems to come in waves. Sometimes, I can exercise incredible amounts of will-power when it comes to eating sensibly, other times, I eat well above my normal requirements. Over the years, I've known friends who've sought out the help of supplements to aid with appetite control. I've always stayed away from this approach because I have this perception that diet pills were dangerous or unhealthy. Plus, many of them are meant to be taken for a short period of time. What happens when you stop consuming them? Recently I asked myself if there was something I could take to help control my appetite when I'm out and about. Typically, when hunger sets in while I'm away from my house, I make poor decisions. My intention is to have something (healthy) that I can take to hold me over until I got back home. It didn't take me long to come up with the perfect solution. Not only does this supplement keep me fuller, longer, it also helps to promote healthy hair, skin, and nails! When I worked in an office, I would pack a lunch in an attempt to make healthier choices. By 11:00 am, I had already eaten my prepared meal knowing that I'd be hitting up the snack machine in a couple of hours because I'd be hungry again. What if there was something I could possibly take with my lunch to help me stay fuller, longer. Years ago, when I first learned the wonders of collagen, I visited Amazon and made my first purchase. By accident, I purchased gelatin instead of hydrolyzed collagen because, honestly, I didn't know there was a difference. My morning routine was to blend a green smoothie that contained a plethora of super ingredients. I then added a heaping scoop of gelatin to my smoothie in hopes of enjoying even more benefits. Soon, I realized was that the gelatin was a thickener and would make my smoothies a lot denser. Since my smoothie was also my breakfast, I really didn't mind the thicker texture. It wasn't long before I noticed an unintended side effect. Hours would pass and I wouldn't feel any hunger or cravings. I never experienced anything like it. Next, I determined that gelatin's appetite curbing powers could be applied strategically. If I had a long day of errands ahead, I would fix a nice smoothie with ample gelatin. By the time I arrived home, I wasn't starving. This was helpful because I didn't consume everything within eyesight the moment I walked in the door. Eventually, I purchased hydrolized collagen and have been drinking that ever since. Don't get me wrong, hydrolyzed collagen is great, but it doesn't have that extra added bonus of helping to stabilize my appetite. If you tend to overdo it at mealtime, take comfort in knowing that gelatin was shown to help reduce the amount of food you consume at lunch when taken with your breakfast. I suspect the reason why gelatin is so effective is because it swells up in the stomach making you feel full. Not only does gelatin help you feel fuller, it also has the ability to regulate hormones in the body that cause hunger. But what makes gelatin so beautiful is that it's a form of collagen. Which means you can still expect to experience the same wonderful hair, skin, and nail benefits of the much more expensive hydrolyzed collagen. There are also some gut health benefits associated with gelatin as well. Oh, did I mention that gelatin is also said to help regulate the stress hormone cortisol and you can use it topically for hair? What can't gelatin do? I grabbed a bottle of some gelatin supplements for when I'm on the go. If you go the supplements route, you may have a take a couple more than the recommended dosage since capsules don't contain a lot of powder. I remember putting a small scoop into my smoothies to enjoy the thickening benefits. The best way to leverage gelatin for appetite is to incorporate it with a meal to help keep you filling fuller, longer. None of the studies I found involved people taking gelatin alone in place of food. The point is not to skip eating altogether, it's to get a little help from a product that provides a plethora of amazing benefits. JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy.

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy.

You may remember the article we shared a few weeks back where Jourdan Dunn practically invited us to have full access to her beauty cabinet. She revealed an arsenal of products, many of which landed on my wish list. Then Jourdan decided to be extra generous and reveal her Sunday evening skin perfecting routine. One of the items in her reveal was Skin Owl's Beauty Steam. It's a combination of skin loving herbs that take your facial steam to a new level. It sounded amazing.....but a bit pricey. The idea of enjoying an herbal facial steam seemed too intriguing to pass up. So I started researching for alternatives. Soon, I stumbled on an age old beauty secret that women have been enjoying for years to create their most flawless glow. Apparently, there's an herbal laxative called Swiss Kriss has become a cult skin care secret. Instead of consuming the tea for internal cleansing. Beauty advocates perform a "laxative facial" by placing the flakes in a bowl of hot water and allowing the steam to deep clean pores and remove toxins. I guess it sorta makes sense because the ingredients in the Swiss Kriss are known for their cleansing qualities. Could it also work as a mini pore purifier? According to what I've read online, it most certainly does! After checking out an interview of a woman who swears by the laxative facial on Refinary29, I was sold. She first heard of this detoxifying steaming facial from an "insanely beautiful friend, with the most flawless perfect skin." After trying the Swiss Kriss laxative facial for herself, Rachel claims that "the result is truly glowing skin." In a separate article featuring Swiss Kriss, a couple commenters shared their experience: Kathy • 2 years ago Gotta say this stuff really works! I used to steam my complexion with Swiss Kriss years (Decades!) ago and it cleared my skin up beautifully. You know how things go, though. I moved away from my local health food store where I bought it and could never find it again, and finally just forgot about it... (This was before we all had computers and Google and the ability to find just about anything on line.) Well, I was just inspecting my woefully clogged pores in my magnifying mirror and that old herbal laxative steam remedy popped into my head. I remembered how my college roommates teased me when they saw the laxative in my beauty supplies! I realized I could probably find it again online! Robertaflake • 5 months ago I read about this facial years ago in an interview with a top model who needed perfect skin for close up shots. It works very very well - just remember to moisturize your face about a half hour after steaming it with Swiss Kriss. Those are just a couple of testimonies, there are many more left by Amazon reviewers who have granted Swiss Kriss a perfect 5 star rating! I love the laxative facial as an alternative deep pore cleansing method for those who find clay masks to be too drying. This is a beauty secret that has been around for ages. And now you are officially in the know! Swiss Kriss is a much more affordable alternative to the designer brand that Jourdan uses. Thanks to Swiss Kriss, we can ALL elevate our Sunday Skin care experience to Super Model Status. JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

The other day I picked up a bottle of vitamin D capsules at a local grocery super store. For a couple of years, I've talked about the benefits of ensuring that we have enough vitamin D in our diet. Because of our melanin, most of us might actually be vitamin D deficient. For the past couple days, I've noticed a renewed sense of well-being. Not sure if it has to do with the vitamin D intake or if it's a residual effect of having just returned from a much-needed vacation. Since incorporating B vitamin shots and, now vitamin D, I'm starting to feel like my old self again. A few years ago, I took a bunch of vitamins every day and it really made a difference. Since then, I've fallen off the wagon. But as I get older, I realize that my body isn't as efficient as it used to be. Plus I'm not eating as great as I should. It's time to take my nutrition seriously again. So I started to browse around Amazon for other vitamins that I could incorporate into my daily life. While there, I somehow stumbled on vitamin A. Whenever I research a product on Amazon, I always go to the reviews and do a quick search for the word "hair" or "skin." I do this to discover products that positively impact our hair & skin. That's how I stumbled upon hyaluronic acid. When I did my customary search under vitamin A supplements, I uncovered a little-known hair growth secret that Brazillian women swear by. These crafty women of Brazil somehow determined that mixing a little liquid vitamin A to their shampoo could somehow stimulate hair growth. They call this concoction shampoo bomba. It began when these ladies experimented with combining a liquid vitamin A, primarily sold in veterinarian's offices, with shampoo. Somehow, adding vitamin A topically to the scalp made a difference in the hair growth rate for some. I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical at first. But then I remembered the time I visited a salon in L.A. that boasted of special treatments consisting of vitamin enhanced conditioners. Honestly, the idea of infusing conditioners with vitamins seemed a bit gimmicky. That was then... Since launching my own vitamin based hair enhancer, I've changed my tune. I notice a difference when I add vitamin B enriched bamboo extract to my conditioner and others do as well. The idea of lacing my shampoo with vitamin A really peaked my interest. At the very least, I'm sure my strands would feel healthier because of the process. And, maybe I'd even experience a positive benefit to the growth rate. Take a look at what one reviewer had to say after making her own "Bomba Shampoo" at home: Byizavampiraon September 22, 2016 Verified Purchase People... attention... this is the purest vitamin A I found in America... and is the " key " secret to make the famous " bomb shampoo " in South America. I have no words for how it works... my hair grows ultra fast. You can give it a try. Take a picture of your hair after mix in you shampoo without sulfate.. and compare 15 days later.... it's extremely insane how it works... plus, when you wash your hair the vitamin A runs on your face and body, making your skin baby soft ". It's like a magic potion for being young again... ( mix all the bottle with half gallon of shampoo without sulfate) You can do the same with conditioner and some body lotions...THAT'S MY SECRET Here's another one: 4.0 out of 5 starsReviewWithElly ByElly Filhoon July 9, 2016 Verified Purchase I bought this to use on my hair. Let me explain. I use a lot of chemicals on my hair by coloring it every 3 months. I started to lose all my hair. It also started to become very dried and fine. Someone told me vitamin A was great for hair growth. As I was searching Amazon I was looking for something that would make your hair grow with vitamin A. I came across this Pure vitamin I didn't really read the description where it said it was a supplemental vitamin and to take one drop daily. I was so worried and horrified about becoming bald all I wanted was a vitamin A for my hair. The one everyone was talking about was supposed to be an oil, not this liquid pure vitamin. Funny thing when It arrived I opened it and was laughing very hard at myself, then I went to read the description and was like "" Ohhhhh "" I decided to add this bottle to my shampoo anyways. I figured either it will be good or I'll just buy a wig. I bought a deeply clean Pantene shampoo and added the vitamin to it. Mixed it well and started to use it on my hair 3x a week. I would wash my hair leave it in for 3 minutes and wash it out. Condition with regular conditioner and style as I regularly did. Now before I did this I measured my hair and it was 16" long ( straight ) That was 2 months ago in May Today in July I measured my hair again as my shampoo ended ( yes it lasted that long because I used a very small amount ) My hair is 18" long and it's healthier. I'm loving the results I do have a photo but not of the final measurements sorry.. hope this helps. I do recommend this vitamin for anything I guess, it is 100% pure and it works for whatever your needs are. Ok, so here's what I got from the first review. Obviously, this vitamin A treatment worked well for her. She actually noticed a boost in her growth rate. She urges us to make sure we use sulfate free shampoo. Chemical heavy shampoos will interfere with the effectiveness of the vitamin A. My favorite part of her review is how she lets us in on a secondary benefit. Apparently, the vitamin enriched water run-off will nourish our skin as well. What could be better than that? And, just like Beautifully Bamboo vitamin extract, she mixes a little vitamin A in her conditioner and lotions. If I had acne prone skin, I'd play around with adding a little vitamin A to my skin moisturizer to apply at night. A lot of the popular, professional strength, acne treatments on the market incorporate vitamin A as a main active ingredient. I'm not saying this will work, but I'm curious about the potential. There are a bunch of videos on Youtube reviewing this vitamin A + shampoo combination. Unfortunately, none of them are in English. But most of them have impressive progress pics as their thumbnail pic so one could assume that they're experiencing positive benefits. As with any concentrated treatment, less is more. Don't go overboard with the vitamin A because this is somewhat of an experimental strategy. One person in the comments of a video recommend 1 ml of vitamin A concentrate per 100 ml of shampoo to start with then increase to 2ml per 100 ml if you don't experience any results. Start with a little and see how your hair or skin responds. JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy.

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy.

Cozy winter scarf + Jacket My last wash day experience started off like normal. It all began with a pre-poo using coconut oil. I have to admit, I was a little nervous. I waited way too long to wash and was a bit fearful about the possible consequences I'd have to face. As I gently divided each section to apply the coconut oil, I was pleasantly surprised by how little breakage I was seeing. I hadn't done a protein treatment in a while but my hair was still doing A- OK. Everything seemed to be going exceptionally well. Even while I cleansed the shedding was minimal and there were no signs of excessive breakage. I was in the clear......or so I thought. After stepping out of the shower, I began the arduous process of applying conditioner section by section. Recently, I recommitted to being diligent with my deep conditioning practices. This meant that I'd reinstitute the strand ceremony process. As I painstakingly applied conditioner, I noticed something quite alarming. Suddenly, I could see tiny broken strands as I removed the shed hair. What was happening? Why is my hair breaking all of the sudden? The answer is simple. The combination of wet strands + manipulation + unconditioned hair = recipe for disaster. Basically, I was employing heavy manipulation at the time when my hair is the weakest. Earlier, during the pre-poo, I didn't experience much breakage because the strands weren't bloated with water. As you may know, water molecules are notorious for lifting the cuticle layer (hence why we experience frizz in high humidity). Our strands are slightly swollen after washing which leaves them highly vulnerable. Suddenly I start to manhandle the hair while it's in fragile condition. It makes sense why I was seeing broken strands seemingly out of nowhere. I had to think fast. The solution came after a couple of moments of reflection. I needed to pre-condition my hair before actually conditioning it. Stay with me here...... I ran to my hair product storage area and grabbed the bottle of Grund ProDesign's Protein Leave-In. I've written about the glory of this product in the past. Basically, it strengthens my hair without ever leaving behind any protein related stiffness. To me, it feels like a hydrating leave-in that also fortifies. After grabbing the bottle, I sprayed a little to each section before applying conditioner. It was like a miracle had taken place. The breakage reduced dramatically and detangling was a breeze. I also found myself having to use much less product on each section because my hair already felt pre-conditioned. The pre-conditioning step is a must for me. I rarely comb my hair during the week and the only time I ever experience excessive breakage is on wash day. All that manipulation of wet hair is a deal breaker. If I systematically reduced wash day breakage, this could bring my retention to new levels. After reflecting, I came to the conclusion that pre-conditioning could actually enhance the deep conditioning process. It's all about penetration and I'm pretty sure that a leave-in can better penetrate than my thick conditioners. I might be conditioning the hair on 2 levels. The leave-in penetrates, while the creamy conditioner coats the exterior. I plan on experimenting with variations of this process such as misting with leave-in and allowing it to sit on the hair for a few minutes before adding conditioner. I should also mention that I still use a leave-in after rinsing conditioner prior to styling. Basically, prior to any heavy manipulation, I pre-condition. Yes, it's an extra step to an already long process, but this step is so powerful that I can't afford to skip it. JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

A couple of years ago, I set an intention to travel to new and amazing places. Unfortunately, this was around the same time that I exited corporate America. I haven't had much time to go on exotic getaways while in the early stages of building a business. To appease my desire to experience new and exciting environments, I've been living vicariously through the lives of others. As a matter of fact, I came across a new muse this past week that gained an instant follow. Via Spirited Pursuit The young traveler behind the Spirited Pursuit brand is Lee Litumbe. She's a self-proclaimed nomad with a pure and intense passion for travel. What I love about her Instajournal is that Lee isn't only seen frolicking on sandy beaches. Instead, she seems to relish in experiencing the rich cultures of the places she explores. Her love of photography is clearly evident in the images Lee shares of her adventures. Notice how Lee serves us endless style inspiration in all of her amazing posts. Her strong sense of style is what I like to call, "wanderlust chic." My favorite post of Lee's is the one where she answers the question on everyone's mind. How does one afford to finance endless escapades to faraway lands? Here's Lee's advice on how to afford your own life of adventure. "I've been asked a lot lately about how I can afford to do what I'm currently doing. My best advice is this: think about how much you may spend on eating at restaurants, shopping for new shoes/clothes, or nights out partying with friends. Imagine if instead of doing some of those things, you saved your money. When I was still in the States I never went out to fancy dinners, I never went shopping, I hardly ever partied with friends. That’s how I was able to save a bit up to be able to travel." Her wise words serve as a friendly reminder to put our money where our goals are. That, ladies & gentlemen, is exactly how to transform your life into a lifestyle. And what a beautiful lifestyle it is. Be sure to follow @spiritedpursuit on Instagram and visit Lee's blog.

It's been a while since I've done an Instagram Beauty Secrets roundup. One reason for this is because I want to keep the integrity of posts to ensure that these are beauty products that celebrities & Instagrammers actually love. Nothing #sponsored here. Let's get started! Hannah Bronfman (pictured above) is no stranger here. We've already peeked insider of her fridge, it seems only fair to know what skin products she's obsessed with. Not too long ago she shared an Instagram story featuring a product created by a woman with more than 20 years of development experience in the cosmetics industry. The backstory behind this brand is that the founder discovered its main active ingredient (Centella Asiatica) while researching ways to eliminate a stubborn scar. Essence 27 is described as "a moisturizing booster fluid which provides the skin with the moisture it needs while enhancing cell tone." I have no idea what "enhancing cell tone" means. But, if I had to guess, I suspect that it has something to do with keeping the skin cells plump and firm. That's why they load this product with hyaluronic acid, known for its uber moisture retention properties. Centella extract is been shown to have a positive effect on wound healing and collagen synthesis. I would've loved to have a serum like this back when I was suffering from cystic acne. All I cared about was finding products to reduce/eliminate acne. I didn't even think about using serums that helped the skin to properly repair and heal. Years later, I'm spending lots of money to correct these deeper scars. Looking at the price point, this is definitely a splurge item. But, for what it claims to do, it could be a great investment. Anytime someone with great skin gets excited about a product, I listen because it means that they notice a real difference even though their skin was already perfect. Here's a vid featuring Hannah as she runs through her morning skin routine. A post shared by Hannah Fallis Bronfman (@hannahbronfman) on Oct 15, 2017 at 8:44pm PDT Did you notice all the steps involved? Here's a rundown of all the products used. Line Botancials Cleanser Lotion P50 from Biologique Reserche Niod Copper Activator Cosmetic 27 Essence + their Eye Cream Bloodcream from Dr. Barbara Sterm AMREZY OLEVIC Mega-makeup influencer Amrezy Olevic is known for creating flawless makeup looks. Everyone knows that in order to create a flawless look, one must start with a flawless face. I follow her on Snapchat and have seen her without makeup countless times. This woman's skin is impeccable. For the longest time, she never shared any of her favorite skin care products. Then.....one day.....she posted this with the simple caption "New Favorite Mask." The highlight of this mask is that it both DETOXIFIES and BRIGHTENS most detoxifying masks clean your pores and that's it. But Brilliant Skin claims to do both. We know that the pink clay will cleanse deeply but how does the mask brighten? According to the brand, it brightens by helping to prevent free radical damage via ingredients like mangosteen and kelp. If you're in the market for a clay-based mask that also brightens through exfoliation you may want to check out this brand which features pink clay + rice enzymes to gently exfoliate the skin. It's also about half the price. SHENEKA ADAMS I check in on Sheneka's SnapChat stories because this woman a great example of consistency. She works out almost on a daily basis and she enjoys the finer things in life. Every so often, she'll share a glimpse of her favorite beauty items. Years ago, when I first learned of the benefits of collagen, I tried and fell in love with, collagen chews. It seems as if Sheneka is also a fan of these chewy anti-aging treats. Hers seem way more powerful than the ones I tried. These Collagen Replenish chews also contain hyaluronic acid to preserve internal moisture and vitamin C which is essential for collagen building. Sheneka deemed them as one of her best-kept beauty secrets. I co-sign on the goodness of collagen. If you haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet, I suggest you start soon. Sheneka is under the age of 30 and she's already ahead of the game. Don't wait until you start noticing collagen loss to supplement. Collagen decline starts at around 20. Once we hit 30, the rate of loss increases and it only gets worse from there. Take Sheneka's advice of supplementing now so you can thank her later. JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy.

The moment when summer transitions into to fall, I'm hit with the realization that soon I will be battling my greatest enemy--dryness. Low humidity weather hates me! My skin gets obscenely dry and itchy. My lips are dry, my cuticles are dry. But none of that compares to the level of dryness that occurs to my scalp. I don't just experience dry scalp. Low humidity weather actually causes my seborrheic dermatitis to flare up. This type of dermatitis induces the skin to peel on the face. Worst of all, it completely takes over my scalp. Think of it like a bad case of dandruff...on crack. My hairline usually suffers the most. It gets so bad that I lose hair around the area where flaking is present. Typically, the hair loss isn't permanent but who walks to walk around with a sparse hairline? This year, I'm not having none of that! I've come up with an ingenious plan to keep my scalp as healthy as possible this fall & winter. The idea was inspired by a product purchase that I recently made that I raved about. After discovering exfoliating cotton rounds, nothing has ever been the same. Exfoliating cotton pads will serve as my newest weapon in the battle against dry/itchy scalp. If you've followed the blog for a while, you know that I turn all of my attention to caring for my scalp during fall and winter. Over the years, I've stumbled on a few gems to help calm my active scalp. Of all the remedies, scalp only seems to truly respond to apple cider vinegar. In the past, I've used spray misters and bottle applicators to access my scalp. They did their job but I've stumbled on a method that's proven to be way better. Like I stated earlier, my dermatitis flare up manifests in the form of very obvious flaking around the perimeter of my hairline. It's not attractive. This year, I decided to try a completely different strategy. Every day, I apply a little apple cider vinegar on a cotton round and use it on my face as a healing toner. Recently, I decided to get a little adventurous and exfoliate my scalp using the ACV soaked cotton pad. Within days of repeating this routine, the flaking around my hairline was completely gone! My hairline looks perfectly normal again. I couldn't believe how well that worked. The textured cotton pads added an exfoliating component that I can't replicate using a spray mister. All the dead skin on my scalp was removed leaving behind healthy skin. Healthy, flake-free skin is a big deal because that means that my hairline will remain intact. I love this method so much that I plan on experimenting with exfoliating my entire scalp on wash day. Perhaps I might dip the cotton pads in a homemade solution of ACV, water, and a few drops of eucalyptus. What I love most about the exfoliating pads is that they provide easier access to my scalp. I own several scalp cleansing products but I had concerns that the products could bypass my thick roots to actually reach the scalp. With these pads, I have direct access and much more control of my scalp cleansing. Even if you don't suffer from dermatitis you might still want to try this technique. Maybe you try this after gym visits in between wash days. Or maybe try it as a way to pre-cleanse the scalp before washing. A great alternative to ACV (for those without scalp issues or who don't like the smell) is micellar water. Check out this post to learn more on why micellar water makes for an excellent scalp cleanser. JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy.

I'm telling you right now that I have no plans on wearing a plain ol' boring bun this spring & summer. Protective styling is a high priority but that doesn't we have to settle for the basic bun. In lieu of the bun, I'm going for jumbo braids. This style can work on pretty much any length and looks absolutely fabulous. Would you like to take a moment and become inspired to find your newest signature summer look? With all the options available, how can anyone get bored? What I also love about this style is that it can last several days with little to no manipulation. This style also give me the option of wearing my hair in loose waves once I've unbraided. Let's all join me in saying goodbye to the bland bun.

This summer has been especially hot. Just recently while running errands, I decided to run into a nearby grocery store to grab something hydrating. But instead of reaching for a cold beverage, I opted to grab a bowl of pre-cut fruit. While snacking on the cold pieces of fruit, I noticed that my thirst was quenched. I'm not a big fruit eater (I typically snack on salty treats), so this experience gave me a bit more motivation to reach for more fruit. To add to that, I've stumbled on a couple of studies that fully converted me to consuming fruit on a regular basis. Besides the antioxidants, fruit's claim to fame is its water content. That's why my craving for fruit was off the charts on that sweltering hot day. I opted to grab some fruit for immediate hydration, but if I were to turn this into a habit, I'd enjoy an unexpected beauty benefit as well. For the past few years, all of my skin related purchases have focused almost solely on skin hydration. The older I get, the drier my skin appears. My skin seems to look its best when at peak hydration levels so I invested a small fortune into stocking up on my favorite sheet masks. Sheet masks are amazing but I'm turning my attention back to internal skin hydration. ...and increasing my fruit intake might just be the answer. Researchers have tested this theory out and the data looks extremely promising. In one study, they found that women who consumed reality small amounts of fruit daily enjoyed significant statistical increases in skin hydration along with a noticeable decrease in transdermal water loss....meaning their skin was able to retain moisture longer. So basically, eating fruit on a regular basis means that your skin will be more hydrated from the inside out. Now let's talk about the other potential skin benefits possible with more fruit intake. I'm a huge proponent of drinking more water for healthier skin. But now I'm going all in on doing both. Water is great and should be our main source of hydration. But fruit can take things to the next level mainly due to its micronutrient levels and antioxidants. Fruits are notorious for being a quality source of vitamin C. I've talked at length about the visible effects that high-quality vitamin C supplementation can have on the skin. Vitamin C is good for a healthy immune system which is a plus. If take collagen supplements, make sure you're also getting enough vitamin C because it's necessary for collagen production. At a cellular level, increased fruit consumption also means that we're supplying our bodies with more antioxidants. Think of antioxidants as foot soldiers that help fight free radicals that cause cell damage. When free radicals get out of control, the aging process accelerates. Taking on simple step to incorporate fruit into your daily diet will help combat unnecessary aging. For instance, they did this study where women aged 27-73 were asked to eat one avocado daily for 8 weeks. The control group continued to eat their normal diet. After the 8 week process, researchers used a device to analyze the skin of the women. They particularly looked at the skin of the undereye and the forehead. What they found was the avocado group demonstrated a significant improvement in elasticity and firmness of the skin...particularly on the forehead. Skin elasticity is important because it can help in slowing down the appearance of wrinkles. If you're someone who gets Botox on the forehead, maybe adding avocado to your daily diet can help extend the results. If botox treatments aren't part of your beauty budget, try adding avocados as part of your strategy. I remember a time when I checked Facebook marketplace and saw people with avocado trees selling a ton of avocados at a low price. At the time, I was like, who needs to buy that many avocados at once? Now I'm rethinking everything. I've done a decent job of avoiding forehead wrinkles by staying on top of my facial massage routine. Imagine how much better my results could be if I supplemented the skin with ample amounts of healthy fats and vitamin E from a simple avocado? Moral of the story: eat lots of water fruits and veggies to increase skin hydration (internally) and throw in lots of avocados for firmness and elasticity.

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy

A new year is fast approaching. The upcoming year means new goals! Or perhaps you might still be working on goals that seem to be lingering around for years. I thought about the goals that I chased for years and wondered why they remained stagnant for so long. After a bit of reflection, I realized that all of my outstanding goals had one thing in common. Although I seemed well versed in various law of attraction principles I still had challenges in manifesting certain outcomes. What was confusing was that I was still manifesting wonderful things in my life, but some of my desires wouldn't budge. What was the difference? I suspect that the one thing that separates my achieved outcomes from the ones that haven't manifested are my own limiting beliefs. One major example that comes to mind is my journey to entrepreneurship. I've wanted to work for myself since probably 2007. But for years I continued to work in the traditional job market. The more success I experienced at work, the more I struggled to build my side hustle. Eventually, I got to the point where I had to look introspectively as to why I wasn't experiencing my freedom. After a bit of reflection, I came to a realization that marked the beginning of my greatest manifestation. Although I desperately wanted to work for myself, I held a limiting belief that kept me from achieving what I want. Even though I dreamed of launching a business, I maintained a deeply held belief that working within the corporate system was the key to financial security. This belief was the result of me holding positions that provided company cars, corporate spending accounts, free travel, quarterly bonuses, you name it. Heck, I didn't have to pay for car insurance, car repairs or gas for like 6 years. The thought of being fully responsible for all of my expenses frightened me. That limiting belief laid dormant as I worked feverishly to create my escape from corporate America. No matter how hard I worked, nothing changed. Sure I made a little progress here and there, but that little bit of income only further secured my belief that working for myself would never produce enough money to support my lifestyle. Once I realized what was happening, I went into overdrive to annihilate that belief. I had to recondition my mind to accept the possibility of earning more than enough revenue (from my business) to support the business and all of my personal expenses. Limiting beliefs are like the termites of our intentions. They lurk in the background eating away at the foundation of our desires. If we allow them to fester, we'll make little to no progress on our goals. For every unmanifested intention, chances are there's a limiting belief associated with it. So what do you do? The first step is to identify the beliefs you have that hold you back. Sometimes you have several associated with one goal. Once you understand which beliefs that don't serve you, it's time to get to work. Basically, you want to develop a belief that helps drive you towards your goal. There are several ways to do this. One of my favorite techniques is to find countless real-life examples of people who are enjoying the experience I wish to have. Another technique that I utilize is the act of normalizing your intended outcomes. Sometimes we hold goals to such high standards that they seem unreachable. You can counteract this way of thinking through immersion which normalizes your goals, making them seem real and attainable. Insert glimpses of your goal into your current life and see how quickly you can attract what you desire. You can get really creative in the "normalization process." When I quit my job, the first thing I did was to try to find other stable entrepreneurs to associate with. This helped me to overcome the fear of failing at my new venture and gave me the confidence to have a successful transition into my new life. I recently identified a limiting belief I held in the area of financial abundance. In 2018, my monthly living expenses seemed to climb drastically. I invested quite a bit into the renovation of my home, a bunch of unexpected expenses came up and I just was spending more money on a day to day basis. I found myself complaining a lot about all the money going out. All I talked about was how much I was spending on a monthly basis. Every time another major expense came up, I was overcome with frustration. After months of this, I realized that I was reacting to a deeply held negative belief that spending a lot of money will lead to me becoming broke. I mean, in theory that's true, but that's not the only outcome. When I challenged this limited belief, I realized that perhaps now I should invest time and attention towards increasing the financial flow into my life. On the one hand, I dream about financial independence but I seemed to forget that the lifestyle I wish to live requires a greater monthly expenditure. I wasn't complaining because I was running out of money, I was complaining because I was spending more than I was used to. This higher monthly spending took me outside of my comfort zone and I immediately attached a negative belief to the circumstance. There's no way that I can continue this way of thinking and expect to attract more abundance into my life. That way of thinking is too contradictory to where I want to be. So, I decided to no longer focus on the money going out, but to turn my attention towards nurturing what comes in. If I need to slow down on spending, I will. But I won't put too much mental energy on scarcity based thoughts. **(disclaimer, my growing expenses did not cause/create any debt. So the scarcity thinking was not based on spending more than I have. I advocate having a healthy savings fund in place so that you can accommodate unexpected expenses without going into debt)** Now that I have identified my limiting belief, I'll now a goal to replace it with an empowering belief that will create my ideal outcome. Maybe something like believing that my bank account can continue to grow even as my expenses expand. Then I'll work tirelessly to find examples of this reality and work towards creating it in my own life. But if I continued to feel a strong sense of scarcity about every large expense that came up, it would be so difficult to achieve lofty financial goals. This same premise works if you want to work any other area of your life. Make sure that you don't have your foot on the gas and the brake pedal at the same time. That's the fastest way to get to where you are going.

Wearing protective face masks every day has really caused me to finally focus on the part of my beauty routine that I've been pretty much ignoring.....my eyes. When the bottom half of your face is covered up, all attention land on our eyes by default. At my big age, I should have a robust anti-aging routine for my eyes. But I don't. Sure, I rub a little facial moisturizer into my eye creases, but that's about it. Before I invest hundreds into eye creams, I thought I'd take an internal approach instead. Thankfully, I've stumbled on a supplement proven to improve eye wrinkles in weeks.... I'll give you a hint, it's not collagen. Sure, collagen is great but there's another wrinkle-fighting powerhouse you should absolutely know about. Actually, probably are already aware of this supplement but may have forgotten all about it thanks to the collagen craze that's taken over. I'm not here to bash collagen. I'm here to remind you that MSM has been clinically proven to reduce facial wrinkles in weeks. MSM is a sulfur-containing compound found naturally occurring in our bodies. Supplementing with MSM can provide a wide variety of beauty and health benefits. Today, we're focusing on the skin health potential of MSM. A study was done where participants were divided into groups of 2. Group 1 consumed three grams of MSM daily for 4 months (16 weeks). The conclusion of this study proved that taking MSM daily for 16 weeks resulted in a huge reduction in eye wrinkles. That's pretty exciting news but I was a little concerned with having to take 3 grams of MSM daily. Most MSM supplements on the market are about 1000 mg (1 gram) per serving. Just because the study participants took 3X the recommended dose doesn't mean that you have to take it to that extreme. Why? Because a second study took place where those involved consumed 1 gram (1000 milligrams). Instead of being pitted against a group who took a placebo, they were compared to women who took 3 grams of MSM. The good news is that both groups experienced a reduction in the number and size of their facial wrinkles. By the way, the wrinkles they specifically measured were crow's feet. So basically, if you supplement with at least 1gram of MSM consistently for 16 weeks, you're likely to experience a noticeable difference with eye wrinkles. I suspect that results would improve even more if coupled with a powerful eye serum. MSM is one of those supplements that benefit the body in multiple ways which may account for why it takes months to see results. My theory is that certain minerals are distributed throughout the body in order of importance. Since MSM is a critical component in bone and joint health, it's probably allocated to our internal framework before we experience external (skin) benefits. Just because the 3 mg/day group showed increased anti-aging benefits doesn't mean that you should start off with taking 3X the recommended amount. MSM can come with some side effects. People react to it differently so if you want to incorporate MSM into your routine, start slow and build up. My plans include adding a pinch of powdered MSM (and bamboo silica) to my homemade collagen drinks. Along with that, I'm going to experiment with applying MSM topically as a skin booster. Years ago, I wrote this article about the infinite number of ways to incorporate MSM into one's beauty routine. Next on my list of projects is to make this very simple, very effective MSM eye serum to pair with internal supplementation to really keep those eye wrinkles at bay.

Traditionally, the last two weeks of the year has always held a special place in my heart. I normally work year round then request that time off. It was special because, during those two weeks, I'd conduct various experiments. One year, I decided to live the life of a "polished woman." Basically, this is a girl who takes great pride in her appearance and self-care routine. Little did I know how life-transforming that experience would be. Super Model Jas Tookes I consider myself average in the looks department, but during my experiment, I managed to upgrade to "pretty girl" status. My facial features didn't change or anything like that, but I did present myself very differently than my usual self. There are essentially two types of attractive people: 1. Someone who is born a natural beauty 2. Someone who places care and attention into highlighting their best features. I fell into the (2nd) category of the person who chooses to intentionally become pretty. Like Helena Rubenstein once said, "there are no ugly women, just lazy ones." THE PROCESS From what I recall, my transformation process first began in the mind. I understood that in order to become the polished woman, I must first think like one. I definitely didn't think like one at the time so I had to take drastic measures to elevate my mindset. What I did was save a series of pictures, on my iPad, of women who embodied the image of what I wanted to be. I had countless pics in my collection. Each morning, I would play a slideshow of the images to my favorite songs. Every time I watched the slideshow, I tried to absorb these women into my psyche. It served as a morning visualization tool to get me in the right state of mind. Immediately afterward, I began the transformation process. I studied those women very closely and paid careful attention to the little details. For instance, I noticed the type of earrings they wore, their nail polish color of choice, how flawless their skin appeared, etc. It wasn't long before I picked up on commonalities between them and applied their techniques into my own routine. Throughout the experiment, I set up some ground rules that I COULD NOT BREAK THE RULES 1. Nails had to be painted and chip free at all times (no exceptions). 2. Makeup every day (even if it's natural, minimal makeup). 3. I had to improve my makeup technique & final result with each application. 4. Always apply the finishing touches (jewelry, fragrance, etc) even if I never left the house. 5. Ensure my environment was well maintained (clean car, home, organized bag. I wanted everything I looked at to be pretty). 6. Worked out regularly to maintain my physique. This is just a short list but, in reality, I followed each one of the 10 UNBREAKABLE LAWS of Always Looking Polished. Keep in mind that I wasn't working during this time. I challenged myself to get fully ready even when I had nothing planned for the day. Whether anyone saw me or not, I had to follow the rules. It was my way of ensuring that I experienced NO ZERO DAYS. To save time, I wore a top-knot as my signature hair style. It framed my face well and allowed me the time I need to focus on other details. THE OUTCOME After diligently presenting the best version of myself to the world, I was rewarded greatly. First off, I learned that the attractive version of me lives a totally different life than normal me. The attractive me gets lots of attention. And I don't just mean attention from the gentlemen. It goes way beyond that. When I took care of myself, it seemed like people were drawn to me. Strangers struck up conversations and everyone went out of their way to be nice. It was really bizarre. I guess that's the reason why "attract" is in the word attractive. I felt like I was attracting all day long. Another new phenomenon was that other attractive people seemed to take notice as well. Pretty girls would come up to me and ask where I got my bag or some other random question. I received compliments on the regular and more stares that I felt comfortable with. It was weird, but I suddenly noticed other polished women staring (which never happened before). It was like I had been finally accepted into their exclusive, elite club. I'm not bragging to say that I was breathtaking or anything like that. I was walking around with a new type of energy and people really responded. Looking back, I realize that this type of investment can have a big payoff. Firstly, if I wanted to make new friends, this would be an effective way to do it. Because people tend to open up more when I'm a "polished woman" it's easy to have conversations that can lead to friendships. Fun fact, I met one of my best friends during that time of consistent self-care. She's the epitome of the polished woman and takes great pride in herself. The lifestyle she enjoys is a direct reflection of that. Another huge benefit from this experience was that my confidence was through the roof. If you look good, you feel good. There's no doubt about it. During my experiment, I remember feeling like I had no fear. That feeling of fearlessness is absolutely INVALUABLE. Fearlessness is worth more than anything because you can leverage that feeling to take you promise land just outside of your comfort zone. This can and will change your life. ( Please go back and reread the previous paragraph). What I'm about to say may not sound politically correct but you might be experiencing a life that's below its fullest potential. Present your best self to the world and the world will reciprocate. When you set up high expectations for yourself, it's like the universe rises to meet those expectations. I could be absolutely wrong about this but you'll never know unless you try this experience for yourself.

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy.

Summer's here. Are you sporting your softest, most even toned skin ever? If not, then listen closely. You all know I'm a huge advocate for regular exfoliation. The warmer it gets the more we have to aggressively remove the excess dirt and sweat that accumulates. Baby soft, glowing skin will not happen unless exfoliation is a part of your regular routine. A little while ago, I expressed my desire to recreate the ultimate body exfoliation experience at home. After learning of the infamous Italy towel used to slough off layers of dead skin at Korean bathhouses , I immediately ordered. When the towel finally arrived, I couldn't wait to try it. But, I was a bit disappointed after my first experience. Everyone boasted about seeing visible evidence of exfoliated skin after one use. I, on the other hand, was very underwhelmed. Little did I know that I wasn't applying the right technique to create optimal results. I used the Italy towel in the same way as my Salux cloth. Meaning, I lathered the towel with soap and used it like a wash cloth. Unfortunately, it didn't yield mind blowing results. So, I put the Italy towel away thinking that it wasn't meant to be. But today I learned of the proper way to use the towel and I'm excited again to create magnificently flawless skin. The real technique involves first soaking in a tub filled with warm/hot water. The warm water opens up the pores and soaking in it for 15-20 minutes loosens up dead skin & debris. Then you scrub your wet skin with the Italy towel (no soap or other product required). Check out this ultra low quality video for a visual demonstration. This, my friends, is the method that yields the "smooth as a baby's butt skin" that we all long for. CREATING EVEN SKIN TONE For those of you who have a bit of discoloration on the skin, regular exfoliation is your answer. I've read countless accounts of women, just like us, who've created even toned skin simply by exfoliating. I've read that this works for tougher areas like the knees, elbows, underarms and even your tush. Recently, I learned that "armpit peels" are actually a thing. At first, I was intrigued but, after thinking about it, I was like "it's not that serious." Why use harsh chemicals when we could produce similar results with an amazing exfoliation routine? Keep in mind that lightening dark areas is a process that requires consistent action. If you have severe discoloration, you can pair these exfoliating super cloths with products like kojic acid soap or lotions with glycolic acid. Please remember to protect your freshly exposed skin cells with sunscreen which will help preserve your hard work. Going forward, if you're not constantly receiving compliments about how soft and buttery your skin is, don't blame me. You are now in possession of very valuable information. Go forth and be flawless. JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

It's that time of year when I start thinking about how I should tweak my beauty routine to prepare for spring and summer. Lately, I've pondered on why I have sooooo many lip products that I barely use. Years ago, I went on this lifelong search to find the perfect lip products. Yes, I found a lot that I liked. But I still haven't found my "signature lip" combo that I want to wear every day. I'm still sorta experimenting until I stumble on a look I absolutely love. But now I realize what's getting in the way of achieving my ultimate signature lip. The issue is that the lip products I own don't appear as vibrant on my overly pigmented lips. I sought out solutions for this issue and even considered having my lips lightened. Booking a treatment to manually lighten my lips seemed like my last option. Instead, I wondered if I could uncover a more natural approach. Yes, there a lot of DIY treatments online that involve regular sugar exfoliation along with copious use of lemon but I didn't want to go there yet because I felt it was a temporary solution. So then I wondered if I could gradually and naturally lighten my lips by taking the most obvious action that I never thought of before.....wearing SPF on my lip. I can't recall a day in my entire life when I've ever worn sunscreen on my lips. Could this have contributed to the deep pigmentation of my lips? We all know that sun exposure leads to the darkening of the skin. It's why we're darker during the summer. I'm obsessed with how my skin glows when it tans but I'd prefer if my lips had a more natural tone. The skin on our lips is more fragile and delicate than the rest of the face yet many of us do nothing to protect it from the drying, aging, and darkening effects of the sun. Theoretically, we're aware that UV rays can lead to recessive pigment on the lips, but I wanted to know if anyone had personal experience with returning their lips to a more natural color by simply applying daily sunscreen on their lips. Someone on Reddit shared that they noticed an obvious change in the deep pigment of their lips once they started wearing sunscreen lip balm daily. We've talked a bunch about how using regular sun protection is an ideal way to help treat pigmentation from acne scars. Of course it makes sense that protecting our lips could also preserve our natural lip color. The commenter on Reddit convinced me to get serious SPF on my lips consistently from this day forth. I have a multitude of lip balm and glosses at home, but literally, none of them contain any SPF. Why is UV protection for the lips something that beauty brands ignore? Once I realized that I needed an SPF lip product asap, I immediately made my way to Amazon and purchased Aquaphor's Lip Protection. It's affordable and effective. Aquaphor can do no wrong in my opinion. I also like the fact that the SPF is 30 which is a decent level of UV protection. Most other products offer much lower levels. Next on my list of balms to try is Burt Bees' Sienna Rose Tinted Balm (SPF 30). I have a few of their (non-SPF) tinted balms that I love. They do a great job of keeping the lips moisturized. I need this version in my life. And, for those days when I'll be exposed to a lot of direct sunlight, I'm thinking about picking up Target's Sport Lip Balm with a much higher level of protection (SPF 50) If you're not yet convinced of the importance of protection on the lips, take a look at this video below to see it in action. @likeskin helps prevent sun spots on lips #spflipbalm #sunprotection #lipbalm #lipbalmspf15 #sunspots ♬ original sound - 🫵 Under UV lights, our lips appear black when SPF is applied. This represents the shield of protection our lips experience from the damaging sunlight. Just like when we apply SPF on our faces, we must also remember to reapply our lip-protecting balms frequently throughout the day since we're always eating, drinking, or licking our lips. It's a known fact that recessive sun exposure is likely the cause of most of the visible premature aging we experience. The skin on our lips is fragile and probably needs even more sun protection than other exposed areas. If you want younger-looking, hydrated lips with a more natural color, try this 5-step lip care routine and get serious about protecting them with SPF. JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy.

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy.

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy

Y'all know that I love a. There's nothing like reading the excitement of when someone shares a product they can't live without. Whenever that happens, I always take notice because I could have been introduced to my newest obsession. Since spring is officially here, so I must turn my attention to transforming myself into a golden, glowy, goddess. I'm a little behind on my body exfoliation routine so I need a little help to get the process started. Thankfully, the help I've been looking for seems to have just landed on my lap timeline. TikTok creator and Columbia graduate, Clarke Peoples, is currently on an island getaway in Curaso. She's a New Yorker, who just endured the long winter. Her skin probably hasn't seen the sun in months. But you really couldn't tell based on this picture she dropped on stories that featured her bronzy, golden skin. How did she get sunkissed skin so quickly? Thankfully, Clark took to Twitter to reveal her beauty secret. Clake says we NEEEED this bronze glow oil so I immediately went to check out the comments to see what others had to say and was not disappointed. Everyone basically co-signed Clarke's obsession with her new holy grail bronzer. The only feedback received in the comments was that sometimes the color will transfer if you don't let it dry down. Clarke put those concerns to bed by sharing that she experienced no color transfer but she made sure it was fully dry just to be safe. I have always wanted to try tanning my skin but never got around to it. The only time I get to enjoy the wonders of bronzed skin is on the rare occasion when I go on vacation. So, for now, Sol De Janeiro's Bronze Glow Oil might be my next best option. At $35.00, it's not cheap but it seems to do its job so this purchase might be worth the investment. But if $35.00 isn't within the budget, don't worry.... When asked for suggestions for a suitable dupe, someone mentioned Colourpop's Sol Body Glow. Colourpop's collection looks promising but I'm really digging Copacabana's bronzy tint which might come in handy if you want to blur light imperfections while creating your luminous glow. Thank you, Clarke, for not gatekeeping this must have glowing skin secret. JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

I'm pretty sure that my reason for following Simone a.ka. @cocoaflowerr was partly because of her amazing skin. If you just spend a few minutes scrolling through her feed, you'll silently wonder what she does do keep her skin so smooth and blemish free. That's probably because she receives daily messages and comments from her followers wanting to know the details. Good thing for us, Simone isn't stingy with her skin secrets. Over the past several weeks, she's been sharing her favorites products via Instastories and I was there to capture it all. Simone posted her reggie on her feed over six months ago. Since then, she's updated her lineup to include her new faves. Let's take a look back the original compilation of products that supported her perfect skin. -Cleanse with Shea Butter Black Soap (2x) a day. -Exfoliate with St Ives Apricot Scrub daily. -Shea Moisture's Problem Skin Facial Wash & Scrub (2-3X a week) -Noxema Anti-Blemish Pads (every other day) -Lush's Cup O' Coffee Face & Body Mask (2-3X a week) -Shea Moisture Clarifying Mud Mask (2X a week) At a glance, we can tell that masking and scrubbing are her favorite means of achieving clear skin. Her comment section was ablaze with concerned followers who warned Simone against using St. Ives on her face. Actually, she might not be using St. Ives on her face at all. That's because Simone has Shea Moisture's Problem Skin scrub on hand. My guess is that St. Ives is her body scrub of choice but if I were to make a suggestion, I'd recommend she try Shea Sugar Scrub instead. @cocoaflowerr Now let's move on to Simone's current regimen revealed through Instagram Stories. Current favorite cleansers: Lush's Herbalism & Let the Good Times Roll (exfoliating cleanser). Looks like she switched from using black soap to Lush cleansers. I'm guessing the change was promote hydration throughout the winter months. Are you noticing that Simone has a love for exfoliating products? I checked out the details of Let the Good Times Roll and it appears to gently exfoliate using corn meal. Sounds interesting. Another thing I love about her routine is how she doesn't just focus on her face. She wants the skin on her body to be just as perfect & flawless. Hence the reason why Simone loves Shea Moisture's Black Soap Body Wash. Let's move on to her favorite masks. As you can see, Cup O' Coffee is still one of her faves. In her story, Simone informs us that this mask gives her skin that glow. I may need to give Cup O' Coffee a try. For deep pore cleansing. Simone has Fresh's Umbrian Fresh Clay purifying mask. This one is one of my staples. I've used it (as a clay bar) for years. This mask is a little on the pricier side so feel free to try Aztec Secret (which she also uses) or Origins Clear Improvement as alternatives. Lastly, she completes her facial care routine with a tea tree toner from Lush. To hydrate her skin, Simone mists with Mario Badescu's Rosewater spray. I've tested it at the store and I love the way it feels on the skin. Beyond external skin care, Simone also focuses on her internal health. You can imagine how excited I was when she posted a pic of her home brewed "skinny detox tonic." Looks like she whips up a large batch of it to sip throughout the day. The combination of lemon, ginger, and cayenne helps promote internal circulation while alkalizing the body. This is the foundation for healthy skin. Another healthy habit of Simone's is drinking (at least) a cup of green tea daily. Both green tea and her lemon-ginger tonic work wonders in helping to eliminate bloat, aid in digestion and promote weight loss. When we mask and exfoliate regularly, we can look flawless. But if we support a bomb skin regimen with healthy tonics and nutrient rich foods, we glow from the inside out. JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

There's nothing like the feeling of working hard in hopes of reaching a worthwhile goal. Sometimes we dedicate weeks, months, or even years toward creating the reality we envisioned in our minds. But once we get there, something unusual happens.... Suddenly we find ourselves in a place of being completely unmotivated to continue. I noticed this pattern while listening to a group coaching call. A few of the callers had actualized some of their major goals. One woman up-leveled her lifestyle by moving into the home of her dreams situated in a beautiful neighborhood on water. Another woman manifested income that took care of all her needs (and then some) for several months. Both were struggling to stay motivated enough to keep working on their goals. The woman who just moved into her dream home found herself wanting to enjoy the home rather than work on her business. The woman who attracted abundance was neglecting her clients that she once relied on. Both asked for help because soon they would need to refocus on earning income again or they'd lose their current reality. Woman #1 was afraid that she couldn't continue to pay on her new, glorious home, and woman #2 was becoming anxious because the newly acquired funds would soon run low. We've all been there, grinding relentlessly until you finally reach the desired milestone, and suddenly your motivation to keep going falls off. I've experienced it first hand. I wonder if that has to do with why I sometimes slow down my efforts before reaching my goals. Perhaps I don't want to get to the peak then completely lose steam. So how do we deal with this? Actually, there are two possible strategies: SET NEW GOALS. After woman #1 moved into her dream home, her goals fully manifested so she spent all of her time enjoying her new life (as she should). But if she didn't want to lose access to this new lifestyle, she needed to create a new goal to keep her motivated. The new goal doesn't have to be another upgrade in lifestyle, perhaps she could create a goal to automate her business so she can have more free time to dedicate towards her new experience. That new goal could motivate her enough to restructure how she runs her business so she could fully enjoy her new living space. If you launched a business that's suddenly doing very well, perhaps you consider staying in your current lifestyle for six months to a year before suddenly increasing your cost of living. This allows you to save several months' worth of rent or mortgage payments. If woman #1 had done this, she could enjoy her new place for a while before having to try to motivate herself into working long days once again. Instead, she'd probably have to work harder than previously just to sustain the income that corresponds to her new lifestyle. When new income enters your life, try to sustain it for as long as possible so that it becomes your new normal. SWITCH FROM MOTIVATION TO DISCIPLINE. There's motivation and then there's discipline. Both women didn't really feel like working on their business because they didn't really have to (for the time being). If they allowed their feelings to continue to rule their actions, they'd find themselves suddenly motivated to take action out of fear of losing out on their current lifestyles. But if they focused on developing new disciplines, they could potentially avoid experiencing worst-case scenarios. When you're developing the art of discipline, you take action for the sake of consistency, not an outcome. People who work out several times a week even though they're already fit are doing it as a discipline. Discipline is doing what needs to be done whether we feel like it or not. When things are going well and you aren't motivated, it's time to develop disciplines. I'm assuming that both women no longer carried out fundamental habits that probably led to their positive outcomes. Whenever you are unmotivated, focus squarely on developing habits that will carry you forward. Motivation comes and goes, we can't rely on it to always be around to fuel our actions. Discipline is a much more reliable and worthwhile strategy to ensure that your new results become truly sustainable.

Years ago, after receiving a nice bonus at work, I mosied down to the local Neiman Marcus so I could treat myself to something nice. While there, I noticed a distinguished-looking older woman standing near a display of fragrances. For some reason, I felt drawn to her. Typically, I avoid department store salespeople but this time was different. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of her, saying hello. She eagerly treated me with her English accent. After exchanging pleasantries, I informed her that I was a novice when it came to fragrances. She took the opportunity to share her background. This woman was no ordinary Neiman Marcus associate, she was a representative visiting directly from the fragrance house. In fact, she had decades of experience working with various Parisian fragrance brands. She delighted me with stories of how she's traveled the world representing well-respected perfume empires. She then invited me to sample some fragrances from Atelier. The scents are heavily citrus-based. Because I was looking for a fresh, everyday, summery scent, I was sold. I grabbed a bottle of their signature scent, Orange Sanguine, and one that was scented like deliciously sweet lime. Prior to completing our transaction, the lovely woman demonstrated, in full detail, how to properly apply cologne for maximum effectiveness. She instructed me to take a "bottom-up" approach. This meant that I should start by misting behind my knees then work my way upward to the inner elbows, wrist, and finally behind the ears. Although I listened closely, I had no intention of following her advice. Instead, I continued to spray perfume directly on my chest like a barbarian. ....and guess what happened. I was likely triggering breakouts on my chest. I've suffered from acne pretty much all of my life. But I've been focused on the pimples on my face that I didn't stop to reflect on why I also dealing with chest breakouts. Looking back, it makes sense that my fragrance application technique was flawed and likely caused my skin woes. Perfumes can sometimes contain synthetic oils and alcohols that can dry the skin. Couple that with friction from clothing and suddenly you have a potential breeding ground for acne. When covid first became widespread, I spent more time at home than ever. Which meant that I wasn't really wearing any fragrance. Whenever I wanted to wear a scent, I'd opt to use a rollerball and wear a little on my wrist. It took me a while to realize but, over time, my chest acne pretty much went away. The scars from past breakouts are now fading into obscurity. I just wanted to share my experience in case anyone might be dealing with the same issue. Following that nice lady's advice could've solved a lot of my issues. From now on, I'm only applying my fragrance like a french girl. JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy.

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy

I wanna share something with you. It's probably something you've heard before but I'm sure someone needs to hear this again. We're heading directly into winter. I dunno about you but cold-weather season always means that I'll be slowly packing on a few pounds. This year I want things to be a little different. I'm tired of trying to shed extra weight when summer rolls around. Instead, I want to discover the secret to staying lean and implement that habit into my life. What's the secret to staying lean, you ask? Well, I'm happy to share it with you. And, best of all, this secret is much easier than you can imagine. This summer I reached my lowest weight in over a year. Before that, I seemed to plateau at an undesirable weight. Not only did I weigh less, I felt lean and healthy. Today, I'm about 3 pounds heavier than my lowest weight. But this time, I'm not nearly as lean as before. Sure, I weigh more so I should be thicker but it's only a few pounds, so why is my body composition so different? Here's my theory. In order to understand what I need to do to get back to my leaner "summer body" I had to reflect on what I did to get there. I tried to follow the rule of keeping my carb consumption to the first part of the day. And that helped! As a matter of fact, I've recently lost a couple of pounds by reinstating this rule. But again, my body fat still seems a little high relative to my current weight. After thinking about it some more, I remembered the only other thing I did differently this summer was incorporating a long daily walk into the mix. The walks weren't really meant for weight management. I primarily used them as a means of getting away from a computer screen to clear my thoughts. Little did I know that this simple daily habit was having such a powerful effect on my body composition. My father calls regularly to catch up. Often, he'll boast about how many steps he got in for the day. His average is at least 10k steps and sometimes he'll surpass his average by a few thousand additional steps. Life gets busy so I hadn't seen him for a while. When I finally got a chance to visit, I immediately noticed his lean, toned physique. He barely had an ounce of fat on his body. His muscles were well defined even though he admitted to falling off his strength training regimen. Currently, I'm losing weight, but I don't seem to be getting much leaner. If I had to choose between the two, I'd much rather have lower body fat even if the number on the scale remained the same. Could waking be the solution? According to a recent study, older women who live an active lifestyle (meaning they walk 10k steps a day or more) all have one thing in common. They all have a favorable body mass index compared to their less active peers. This basically means that they weighed less and enjoyed a lower body fat percentage. In other words, walking helps keep you lean. Staying lean isn't just for vanity purposes. I can still fit into every article of clothing in my closet but that doesn't necessarily correlate with my health. Carrying around more body fat is very harmful to the body. The last thing we want to experience is a greater amount of fat surrounding our organs. Ideally, we want to stay lean and have a healthy amount of muscle. Although I weigh almost the same as my lowest recent weight, I can tell that my composition isn't the same. Which means that I gotta get back to walking again. Obviously, diet does play a major role in how much body fat your body will store. But sometimes we tend to forget how powerful an ally walking can be.

Matcha has become extremely popular in the last few years. Even before TikTok catapulted the "it girl" archetype who's never without a matcha in hand, matcha lattes were already gaining traction. After my first taste of a matcha latte, I was hooked. Little did I know that drinking this delicious beverage, during the right time of year, could have a positive effect on my acne-prone skin. Sure, I knew that matcha had some potential health and beauty benefits but today I learned that one of the side effects of drinking matcha tea could help keep my skin clear all summer long. Summer is bittersweet for me. I love the warm weather and longer days, but to be honest, winter is so much gentler on my skin. Aside from the potential dryness, my skin is relatively calm in the wintertime. Oil production is so much lower which means fewer clogged pores and rarely any breakouts. In the winter, my skin behaves so well that I actually start to believe that I’ve reigned victorious in my battle with acne. Then summer comes along and humbles me real quick. Instinctively, my skin responds to the hotter temps by supercharging its oil production. Next thing you know, I’m dealing with oily skin, pimples, and acne scars as a little souvenir. It’s a vicious cycle that has to end. And I think I know how… Never in my life have I tried to address acne issues by attempting to control sebum production. This summer, I’m trying something different. Managing my skin’s oil production is at the top of my list and matcha green tea will be part of my winning strategy. A study was done in Taiwan which consisted of 80 women (ages 20-45) who were instructed to take decaffeinated green tea capsules or a placebo. The green tea group took the green tea capsules 3 times a day (after a meal) for 4 weeks. The green tea group experienced a significant difference in the number of acne lesions on their face. I’m a fan of drinking hot green tea, but I only seem to drink it consistently in the winter (is it possible that regular green tea consumption is part of the reason my skin behaves so well in the winter???). This time, I’m switching the strategy up. Along with drinking green teas, I’m also incorporating either matcha lattes or green tea capsules in my summer routine. Buying green tea lattes can get pricey so I’m getting store-bought powder and making it at home. For those days when I don’t feel like making lattes, green tea extract capsules will be my go-to. The study I read didn’t touch on the other benefits of taking green tea capsules so I headed on over to Amazon to check out reviews. Most of the glowing reviews talked about experiencing more energy a boost in metabolism, appetite suppression, and weight loss. A few reviewers specifically mentioned a decline in belly fat. If you’re looking to help shed a few stubborn pounds from the holiday eating season, green tea capsules might help get your skin clear and your tummy flat. The good news is that we have options. You could drink a few cups of green tea a day and see how your skin responds. You can try green tea capsules for added convenience and to control how many milligrams of EGCG you take in. Or you can go for the ultra-concentrated matcha green tea powder in a delicious latte. Just make sure you manage the sugar intake if your lattes are what you prefer. Another thing necessary to mention is that matcha powder gets its bright green color because it's chock full of chlorophyll. We already know how amazing chlorophyll is for the skin and body. I created a regimen of drinking green tea in the winter and experienced a noticeable improvement in my skin. Now I'm wondering what took me so long to carry my green tea ritual into my summer skin routine. All it took was a testimonial found online from a guy who swears that matcha green tea eradicated his breakouts..and now I can’t wait to see how my skin responds this summer. JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy

Celebrity Beauty Secrets, motivation & tips that transform your life. Get style advice, healthy hair ideas & details on how to stay fit & healthy.

I don't know about you guys but I've been enjoying my Hada Labo Hyaluronic Acid products. My skin absolutely looks it's best when well hydrated so I made a commitment to make moisture my first priority. Hada Labo's products are good but I thought to myself, what would make them even better? I'll tell you what....more hyaluronic acid! But how is that even possible? Two winters ago, I experimented with taking a bunch of supplements purchased explicitly for their skin benefits. One of those supplements on that list was hyaluronic acid. While purchasing them in capsule form, I made a mental note to eventually try HA powder one day. That day has now arrived! On a whim, I went to Amazon and purchased the purest form of HA I could find. Now that my powder is here, it's finally time to execute my master plan. Check out all the ways I plan on maximizing my anti-aging beauty powder. I'm Gonna Eat It! When time is scarce, I some times will substitute a meal for a protein shake. Lately, I've been playing around with a recipe that supports healthy hair, skin, and nails. I'm certain that hyaluronic acid would make a wonderful skin boosting ingredient. Y'all remember that article I wrote a while back about how Olivia Nunn raved about how eating purple sweet potatoes made her look younger? That's because those purple yams are chock full of hyaluronic acid. We know that an entire group of people from the "village of long life" are thriving on these potatoes. I try to eat these potatoes when I can but sometimes it isn't always convenient. Now I can just add a small spoonful into my smoothie or water and enjoy HA any time I want. Protip: Because hyaluronic acid quickly binds to water, it's hard to dissolve in liquids. It clumps almost immediately. Stirring doesn't really help either. It eventually dissolves over time so I'll add a little to lukewarm water then drink it later once the powder has dissolved. I'm Gonna Create A Hyaluronic Acid Super Serum What good is pure Hyaluronic Acid powder if I don't make a super potent serum with it? The first order of business, now that I have my powder, is to make an all natural hyaluronic serum. One that I can pair with my current faves. My skin really likes the Hada Labo brand but I want to be extra by pairing them with a highly concentrated serum. Hada Labo uses a hydrolyzed form of HA. Hydrolyzed means it has a low molecular weight. The lower the weight means that it might hydrate a bit more deeply than HA powders that aren't hydrolyzed. A higher molecular weight isn't necessarily bad either. That just means that the skin's surface will stay hydrated longer....and I'm ok with that. My strategy is to experience the best of both worlds by pairing my homemade serum with a low molecular weight counterpart and see what unfolds. Once I've mastered the art of making my own serums, I plan on making a thicker hyaluronic acid gel (by adding a higher concentration of powder to water). At around 20% you can create a thick HA gel ready to moisturize your skin to the max. What will I be doing with this gel? Glad you asked. Here's the plan.... I want to grab a pair of gel eye patches and lace them with my HA gel for maximum impact. Did you know that reusable under eye gel patches exist? Paper disposable patches are great but I have a feeling that I can get more bang for my buck by owning gel patches (like the ones above) that I can use over and over again. I'm Gonna Put It In My Deep Conditioner Lastly, I'm super excited about adding HA to my hair products. Based on my test experiments with HA powder so far, I think it would make an excellent addition to my wash routine. I'm relying on HA's moisture-binding power to transform my moisturizing conditioners into powerhouses. But first I'll start by dissolving a small amount of HA powder into my favorite spray bottle of life. If you suffer from dry scalp like I do, hyaluronic acid could become a lifesaver. What if HA mixed with my daily moisturizer helps my hair to retain moisture even longer? I'm salivating at the mouth just thinking about it. I'm Gonna Bathe In It! Well not literally (although I am crazy enough to try). Prior to procuring powdered HA, I was very stingy with hyaluronic acid products. Basically, I only used them on my face (and maybe the neck). Now, I can create an HA based solution that I'll use on my entire body. After showering, I can mist my skin with HA water prior to applying lotion. I'm convinced that it will boost the moisturizing power of all my lotions and butters. I accidentally got some HA powder on my fingers and tried to rinse it off with water. What happened next was exciting. As soon as the fine powder on my fingers came in contact with water, it transformed into a hydrating serum. I then proceed to rub that serum all over my hands and marveled at how soft they felt. Hyaluronic acid powder has so many possibilities and I can't wait to try them all. JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

In 2016, I vow not to neglect my hair as much as I did last year. One thing I'm famous for is putting my hair away in an uncared for bun and forgetting about it until wash day. Even though I'm still lazy when it comes to my hair, that doesn't mean that I can't put in a little effort to look presentable. So I'm compiling a short list of cute "lazy girl" hair styles to rock when lounging around. I stayed away from cornrows for a long time because of a misconception that they weren't feminine enough to flatter my face. Truth is, I never took the time to do them right. But then I changed my strategy. I started paying attention to the details, making sure the braids were hydrated, edges neat, and I accessorized the look with cute earrings & makeup. Because of my efforts, cornrows became a great go-to summer protective style and I've not looked back. Goddess braids are a favorite of mine because they can be dressed up or down. I love this variation with a couple of loose, soft ringlets. Whenever I wear this style (braided or twisted) I enjoy a head full of waves after the take down. That's two hair styles in one. It's a lazy girl's dream come true. And who can forget the ultimate cute look with little effort....the top knot. Moving the topknot forward makes it a bit more casual and effortless. The bigger the top knot, the better. I'm a huge fan of creating two braids or twists to keep hair away from the face. It's a small effort but the final look is really stylish and feminine. I love this alternate version of creating two twists on each side just to make the look a bit more interesting. Today, I think I'll experiment with this half top knot with larger ringlets. Shouldn't take long to recreate. Just throw on some flexi rods and wear 'em while I clean up around the house. If I don't have time to wait, I'll mist them lightly to help the curls set. The sleek top knot creates the perfect balance to the giant waves. Not only is this look effortless, but it's a great 2nd or 3rd day style post braid out or twist out. No more excuses....go do something cute with your hair.

As the end of the year approaches, one thing that always pops up in my mind is how I'm going to reach my end of year hair goals. Unfortunately, the end of year also coincides with the annual slowing down of our hair growth rate. This means that we've got to work harder if we wish to make huge progress between now and the end of the year. Today while reading up on Adriana Lima's beauty secrets, I was reminded of a hair growth promoting tip that could give us a slight edge. In the past, I've shared my theory on how I believe seasonal hair growth rates may be connected to a slowdown in internal circulation. It seems like everything slows with the temperature drops. Part of the reason why our feet get cold in the winter is 'cause of reduced blood circulation to our outer extremities. Since we know what lies ahead, it makes sense to employ strategies to combat the inevitable. Basically, what we want to do is promote adequate blood flow as much possible. According to Adriana Lima, her hair growth promoting secret is exercise. Adrianna boldly proclaimed that "the more I work out, the faster it grows!" **Let's also remember that Adriana is serious about her water intake which also does wonders for your hair.** This isn't the first time I've heard exercise touted as a powerful hair growth strategy. I've read multiple testimonials from women who noticed increased hair growth as an unexpected side effect of their workout regimen. Not only do your muscles receive the benefits of your hard work, your hair follicles reap the rewards as well. As mentioned in my last post of this topic, eating healthy while on your workout plan makes a huge difference in your overall results. Increased blood flow is one thing, but increased nutrient-rich flow is on a new level. Don't forget to capitalize on the post workout circulation boost which can make a major impact on your hair journey. While doing my research, I stumbled on this video of a woman who claims to have doubled her hair growth rate in just five weeks post thanks to her Insanity Workout Regimen. Several commenters cosigned with having the same experience thanks to regular exercise. If having a toned, fit body wasn't enough. Maybe this might be the motivation we need to get moving again. JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.