10 Steps to Real Beauty, We'll Change That!

As a beauty student, I've learned so many things about what to do and what not to do to obtain real beauty. I've been reading an amazing book by Rona Berg called Beauty - The New Basics, which is filled with tips, remedies and how-to's on everything from hair, skin, face and so much more. She outlines a easy 10-step routine to getting a beautiful glow from the inside out! I myself, by no means, follow every single step, but I'm working on it! Here's what she says:

1. Eat a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables. Five servings of each is highly recommended daily.
*I for sure don't eat enough of either, we'll change that!*

2. Take a high-quality multiple vitamin every day, not as a substitute for food, but as a supplement. Vitamin A, C, B, B2 and E are all good choices.
*I USED to be really good at taking my Flintstone vitamins daily, we'll change that!*

3. Fat-in moderation-is a well-kept but invaluable beauty secret. Fat helps your body and skin utilize protein. Do NOT overload on cholesterol-raising saturated animal fats, but unsaturated fats from vegetable oils such as olive, corn, safflower, or canola every day.
*I do get my unsaturated fats, but I also get too much saturated fats, we'll change that!*

4. Drink at least eight glasses of water each day. The best way to keep your skin hydrated is to moisturize from the inside out. The human body, like the earth, is made up of approx. 70 percent water and water accounts for 70 percent of our skin weight, so it is highly important that we continuously replenish with water.
*I drink lots of water, but not eight glasses a day, we'll change that!*

5. Exercise. Daily exercise will get your blood flowing and stimulate the oxygen flow to feed the skin. 20 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week is necessary. Try to breathe deeply from the diaphragm and avoid taking shallow, quick breaths.
*Exercise......we'll change that?!*

6. Don't drink too much coffee, tea, or alcohol. All are fine in moderation, but don't overdo it. These three liquids are diuretics (increasing the volume urine) that dehydrate the body and sap it of the Vitamin B we need to keep our nails hard, hair think, and skin luminous. A deficiency of Vitamin B can result in dry, thin skin.
*I don't drink much coffee, not into alcohol and I drink tea in moderation. Yes!

7. Don't smoke. Enough said! It has been scientifically proven that smoking wrecks havoc on your skin and is very harmful to your health . Smoking depletes the body of Vitamin B and damages the capillary walls which deprives the skin cells of oxygen. Nicotine retards cell growth in the skin and reduces the blood supply. Smokers also age at four times the normal rate!
*I HATE smoke!*

8. Use sun protection every day, all year round, rain or shine. Conscientious use of sunscreen will prevent up to 90 percent of the skin damage cause by ultraviolet rays.
*I rarely use sunscreen, some of my makeup has SPF (sun protection factor), but I don't use a sunscreen lotion to protect myself from the UV rays, we'll change that!*

9. Get you fair share of shut-eye. lack of sleep can dehydrate the skin and cause flaky patches, pale or ashy skin, brittle nails and hair loss. And lets not forget about the unattractive puffiness around the eyes.
*I ALWAYS get enough sleep, sometimes too much sleep!*

10. Laugh. Relax. Enjoy life. "Exuberance is Beauty." - William Blake
*I practice all three, sometimes not enough, we'll change that!*

So there you have it! I already follow some of these tips, but there are others that I really need to work on! We'll change that! If you would like to pick up Ms. Berg's amazing book, it can be purchased at Borders Books or on her website http://www.ronaberg.com/.

Stiletto's for your Lashes!

I recently did a research paper for the world's largest cosmetic company in the world: Maybelline New York. I've always have been a fan of their products and an even bigger fan of their mascara's. While doing the paper and going in depth with the background of the company I gained a whole new respect for them. There was so much about the company that I did not know that it made me want to buy more of their products. I already have their classic pink tube green top Great Lash mascara and I love it. I decided to try their latest mascara called Lash Stiletto. The marketing advertisements and concepts for this product are genius! "The only mascara that does for the lashes what stilettos do for the legs," is the tag line and I LOVE IT! I'm totally obsessed with mascaras so I had to have this one. I say this a lot but Lash Stiletto truly is the best mascara I've used thus far! I couldn't believe how long my eyelashes were extended and with no clumps. I found these before and after photos of a girl who used the product, and look at how long her eyelashes became! This product definitely gives prestige cosmetics a run for their money, retailing between $7 and $10 and with stellar results, you can't go wrong! Highly recommend this product to any an everyone that will listen! "Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's Maybelline!"

Finish Control!

For my hair I don't use too much hairspray. I'm more of a oil sheen kind of gal because if i don't have oils in my hair it gets very dry, brittle and unpretty! Most oil sheens I use have the same sort of scent: light, airy, with a hint of some kind natural oil such as jojoba or tea tree. I've recently tried using an actual hairspray and not sheen. It's by Jonathan Product and it's called Finish Control High Shine Flexible hairspray. The first time I sprayed it I was very pleased because it smells so good. The scent has hints of cucumber and rose water, I could picture this scent being a fragrance. Since I'm not used to hairspray I did not like the fact that this product made my hair some what hard like what spritz does to your hair. I like my hair to be soft and silky, not hard and stale. My hair is not very good with holding curls either and even with this holding spray my curls still managed to fall before I even left the house. I still may use this product on top of my oil sheens but not by itself. I will not be re-purchasing this either, it retails for $30, my oil sheen retails for $8. Jonathan offers a whole line of products but since this is the first of his that I've tried I'm not interested in the others. Here is his website to check the other products. http://www.jonathanproduct.com/home.php

Quench Your Skin's Thirst!

I have pretty oily skin. When I wash my face it becomes very dry and sometimes peely. A fear that most people, including myself, with oily skin have is that if they use moisturizers it will make their skin even oilier. Earlier this year I found a product that moisturizes my skin without making it greasy. Moisture Surge by Clinique does the trick! This gel goes on a thin layer to lock in moisture to my face all day long. What I also love about this gel is that it doesn't make my face sticky, a lot of moisturizers tend to leave a sticky film, but this one doesn't. I use it every night almost as a mask to protect my skin overnight. I love it for my oily skin but this product is for all skin types!

What Are Your Rituals? Pt 2 - Hand Lotion

Another product from the SpaRitual line that I have fallen in love with is the Instinctual Organic Moisturizing Lotion. I'm a person who is constantly washing their hands (this is a germ filled world ya know!) so I'm always applying lotion to stop my hands from drying out. The current lotions that I use from Bath and Body Works and Victoria's Secret do a great job of moisturizing but since I wash my hands so much the lotion wears off very quickly. The SpaRitual lotion has a long wear stay and moisturizes deep down in the skin. It is a vegan product that features an amazing ginger essential oil and contains 83% certified organic ingredients and is paraben free. I use this lotion a few times throughout the day, not that I need it but as an excuse to smell it! I also like to use it on my hands and arms before I go sleep. Great product!

What Are Your Rituals? Pt 1 - Nail Lacquer!

For many years I was 'the' girl who ALWAYS wore the fake acrylic nails! Not only did I wear the fake nails but I wore them extremely long! My main reason for wearing the fake nails was because my natural nails just won't grow, they'll grow a little and then they'll break. My natural nails are also very thin, I've tried numerous nail strengtheners and hardeners but I can't seem to find the right one. After moving across the country (Kansas City, Mo to Los Angeles, CA) on my own for college, I had to put myself on a budget. Getting my nails done did not make that list! I come from a family of beautician's and nail techs so I know how to do my own but its so time consuming. I had to find a way for my nails to be cute and look healthy so I decided to just go all natural and try to grow my own. It takes a long time for nails to recover once they've gotten used to the acrylic, so I had to be patient. I found that getting manicures and using fun and pretty nail polishes helped speed up the process. Back in July I talked about how much I was loving Orly nail polishes (http://tyechampagne.blogspot.com/2009/07/nailed-it.html) and now I've found another line that has great nail lacquers as well. SpaRitual is a brand that I wasn't too familiar with until recently, in one of my classes we had to do research and present a new product for the founder of the company, Mrs. Shell Pink (she picked my team as the winner!!). What I really love about this brand is that most of their products are vegan and certified organic, which is a huge deal! The shade that I have is called Airhead from the Airy Sopranos collection of shades. Its very sheer and once applied makes your nails look like you came straight from the nail salon! Check out their whole collection of nail lacquers here: http://www.sparitual.com/nail_lacquers/

p.s. here's a throwback picture of me at my high school prom (5/4/2007), long nails in tow!

I'm A 'Bad Gal'

If you were stranded on a deserted island and you could only bring one beauty product, what would it be? My answer to this would be mascara, I couldn't live without mascara! In my opinion mascara is the single cosmetic product that could change your whole look. When I apply my makeup mascara is always the last thing I put on because I love seeing the dramatic difference it makes in my look. A mascara that I have been using for a while now is the Bad Gal line of mascaras from Benefit. I use both the Bad Gal Lash (black) and the Bad Gal Blue. They also have Bad Gal Plum. It gives my lashes length and volume. Bad Gal Blue makes my eyes 'pop' even more since it has color. Great product and even better price: $19 for a 0.30oz tube! Check it out!

http://www.benefitcosmetics.com/gp/browse.html/ref=sc_bb_c_3_169082011_3/188-9693552-6171846?ie=UTF8&node=1289302011&no=169082011&me=A2CD3UT466CEX4&bcBrand=core&clicked=center-34

I Vote Pur~lisse for Best~kisse!

Every since I can remember I have had an on going problem with lip glosses and lip sticks: they make my lips peel! I never, and still can't understand why it happens. To prevent my lips from peeling I would use Vaseline under my lip gloss or lip stick almost as a primer, but that just dries my lips out. I've heard people say that 'oh when your lips peel it just means your gloss or lip stick is old', but even if I buy a brand new gloss or stick I would have the same problem. I've come across this amazing product from Pur~lisse called Pur~lip Comfort Daily Lip Nourisher, and it does just that! I was truly amazed that it did NOT make my lips peel! You have to understand that I have tried so many things to make it stop and nothing worked!! This see-through/yellowish jelly is made with blue lotus, lupine peptides, sea silk, soy proteins and white tea. It's not a lip gloss or lip stick but more of a lip treatment. Keeps my lips smooth and kissable all day long! You can also use this product under your gloss or lip stick. I'm saying 'bye-bye' to my vaseline and 'hello' to Pur~lisse, and for $22 per 0.5oz tube, I'm definitely sticking to it!

Finishing Spray Saves the Day!

As a girl who is always on the go, I don't have a lot of time to touch-up my makeup throughout the day. I've recently found a product that holds your makeup in place all day through. It's called Makeup Finishing Spray - The Original Makeup Saver by Skindinavia. Its claims a 16 hour hold on your makeup, I've been using it for about a week now and I love it. It has become a staple in my already overflowing purse! You can buy it on the Skindanavia website http://www.skindinavia.com/web/index.html, 4fl oz for $29 and 6fl oz for $39 (I got mine for free as a sample but I will definitely be buying more because its so worth it!)

Relaxed Identity!

As a woman of color, I prefer to relax my hair. Yes relaxing your hair can be very damaging but what isn't damaging to the hair these days?! I've been receiving relaxers on my hair since I was about six or seven years old, it's just easier for me to manage it when it is relaxed. I relax my hair because I like the way it looks and feels. I do NOT, however, relax my hair to fit the standards of the society in which we live in. For a long time and especially recently, woman in the African American community have been blasted for choosing to relax their hair. Some have said that we aren't satisfied with how God made us, and that we just want to 'fit in' and be what everyone else is. These statements upset me so much! To add insult to injury, the 'people' who are making these comments are African American men! Really? Are we seriously dissing the 'Sistas' over our hair? When we don't have our perms we're nappy headed, but when we do get perms we're ashamed of our heritage? I'm not too sure how this works! I don't think a perm is any different than woman going to get plastic surgery, a boob job, nose job or whatever. Obviously they want to enhance their beauty, a perm is no different. I actually think a perm is less severe because it doesn't physically change or alter a part of your body, just a new hair style.

This is just my take on it, as I said before...I'm perfectly fine with getting my hair relaxed. But what does bother me is that there are women and young girls who struggle with not having 'good hair'. Initially, I didn't think it was such a strong issue, maybe because I'm content, but there are layers and layers of reasons why women want perms. Here is a clip from The Tyra Bank show when she focused on the isse of 'good hair', she even wore her hair in cornrolls (braids)!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeXUm8OOUA8


So do we relax our hair because it's the closest we will get to having 'good hair'? Well with all the debate of the relaxers comes the question of what exactly is 'good hair'? Many people have a different opinions of what it means to have 'good hair'. Growing up, it was the assumption that someone who had good hair was mixed or Caucasian. I'm not mixed...or Caucasian...or any other race but I think I have a good grade of hair, its lengthy (having length in the African American community is huge!) and most of the time its easy to manage. Comedian Chris Rock has put his own take on relaxers and what it means to have 'good hair' in a new film entitled 'Good Hair'. He researched for this film for twon years after his 4-year old daughter came to him and asked 'Daddy, why don't I have 'good hair'? by the looks of the preview this is something I definitely want to see! Here's the trailor:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu7ID4Vz6-E