"Confidence is like a light that emanates from you and makes your skin glow."
Queen Latifah's new fragrance is a wonderful sensorial reflection of an amazing woman. It is inviting, surprising, bold, comfortable and luxurious. Her passion for life and self-assured sexiness, along with her limitless artistic talent and style are all embodied in her debut scent. Purchase Queen by Queen Latifah at any Macy*s Department store TODAY Friday August 21, 2009 and receive a free gift bag!
For years comedian Mo'Nique has bashed and blasted skinny women and promoted the message of self-love to women who are plus-size. All of her jokes stemmed around why plus-size women were better and that skinny women can't offer men anything. She mimicked Beyonce and showed plus-size women that they could wear whatever they want (I don't agree with this! Skinny women can't even wear whatever they want lol) I applaud Mo'Nique and her confidence. She did not let her size deter her from her dreams of becoming one of the most successful comedians of our generation. It wasn't unitl recently Mo'Nique had a change of heart, which also resulted in a change of size being that she lost 40lbs. Mo'Nique, the woman who let it be known that it was ok to have a little extra meat on your bones has lost weight and wants to lose more. So people are asking, "why does she want to be skinny?" Mo'Nique stated "it's not about being skinny, it's about being healthy." Mo'Nique is 5'6 and was over 200lbs. She was subjected to diseases like diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and so forth. As a mother of 3 children, ages 3 (twins) and 19 she began to think about them. She said losing the weight has made a huge difference in all aspects of her life. She doesn't want to be the size of models you see in the magazine but she does want to live a healthier lifestyle so that she can be around to raise her children and God-willing see her grandchildren.
Sherri Shephard of the view also lost some weight 41lbs and she looks fabulous. It is one thing to be comfortable in your body, but be comfortable while being healthy. As stated in a previous post about self-image, every women isn't meant to be a size 2. Size does not matter, what matter is being healthy. Whether you are a size 4 or a size 14 you should exercise regularly and be selective of what goes inside of your body (food, drinks, etc.) You are stuck with that body for the rest of your life, so you should do whatever it takes to make sure you stay healthy. Kudos to Sherri and Mo'Nique for not only changing their size but also changing their lifestyle! Being healthy is a lifestyle and so lets do right by ourselves by doing right by our bodies.
I am a sucker for new makeup products! The commercials are so enticing that I give in and run to Target to get the latest from Maybelline, CoverGirl, and L'Oreal. I'm always trying different types of mascara because I have yet to find the perfect one for volume and length. Its either one or the other. When I saw the commerical for the "New Pulse Perfection" I was immediately hooked. So of course I went to Target and spent $12 and went home to see my eyelashes transformed. I was SOLDand was convinced that this was a great buy after the first two applications. The third day that I used the mascara I was a little annoyed. I realized it took forever to apply the mascara. The pulses were very weak and I found myself applying it manually. To top it off the vibrating noise was too annoying. I tried again and still wasn't impressed, the mascara wasn't separating my lashes as well as I would have liked and so I just stop using it and went back to my Colossal and Lash Blast mascaras.
I am not going to buy it again. It did not live up to my expectation. I'm going to continue my quest for the best mascara. Hopefully other people's experiences with the "Pulse Perfection" was better than mine.
Hair accessories are fun ways to spice up your dominican doobie wraps or add a touch of class to a classic updo. Here are some hair accessories that you can use to change up your hair style.
I personally love head bands, but I try to stay away from headbands with bows and flowers on them because I begin to look like a 12-year old. Garcelle Beauvais' headband gives her the image of a Greek Goddess! It is the perfect accessory for her long locks
Decorative hair pins, clips and push-back combs are perfect for holding your flawless swoop in place! If you do not want to use an actual clip, comb, or pin, use a flower like Billie Holiday. My best friend is a fan of this look. If we are walking and she sees a flower next thing I know the flower she was admiring was in her hair...lol
Tyra's Butterfly Clip is the perfect accessory. The earrings and necklace were not needed because they would have clashed with the dress, so the hair clip accessorizes the outfit nicely.
The decorative scrunchie puts a whole new twist on the classic pony tail. The "Goody" brand colorful bobo's are to juvenile. Sometimes a plain scrunchie doesn't cut it! On those humid or rainy days or any day where you are experiencing "hair trauma" rock a pony with one of these and it will glam up any hairstyl and any outfit.
The good thing about hair accessories is that they are very inexpensive. You can find any of these at your local beauty supply store, Target, Walmart, Duane Read or Rite Aid, even Forever21 and H&M have tonse of accessories to revamp your hair.
So I was on TotalBeauty.com and came across this article "7 Deadly Skin Sins" Healthy skin is very important. No one wants to look older than what they really are and how well you take care of your skin can sometimes determine your age. I love when Essence covers the women who are like 70 and look 50!!! That is my inspiration and if you read their stories its all about how you take care of your skin. So here are the 7 Deadly Skin Sins...please do not commit any!
#1 Thou Shalt Not: SMOKE!!!! POINT BLANK PERIOD!! Yes you know that smoking causes lung cancer and heart problems. Also it stains your teeth and makes your breath smell like a tobacco shop, but it also prevents your skin from getting the oxygen it needs to rejuvenate. It speeds up the wrinkling process and smoking makes your skin lose its luster causing it to look dry and dull.
PLEASE QUITE SMOKING IF NOT FOR YOUR HEART AND LUNGS AT LEAST FOR YOUR BEAUTY!
#2 Thou ShaltNot: Use a tanning bed. 10 minutes in a tanning bed equals one day of unprotected sun exposure. Try bronzers to get the summer golden glow.
#3 Thou Shalt Not: Get unprotected skin exposure. Even if you have a darker complexion, you are still prone to sun poisioning and skin cancer. You should wear sunblock at least SPF 30 on a daily basis, applying it to the areas that will be exposed to the sun. This rule applies all year round, not just in the summer. The sun rays are deadly especially with the depletion of the ozone layer which leaves us lest protected. Reapply the sunblock every two-hours depending on how often you are exposed to the sun. This will prevent premature aging.
#4 Thou Shalt Not: Wear Makeup to bed!! I don't care what you see in the movies or in videos (chicks waking up with a face full of makeup) please take the time to remove ALL of the makeup from your face. At night your skin needs to rejuvenate and this cannot happen with your pores clogged with foundation, eye shadow, concealer, blush, etc. Your skin needs oxgyen and when you sleep with makeup on you are suffocating your skin. If you do not wash your face at night you are more prone to get more breakouts.
#5 Thou Shalt Not: Avoid the dermatologist. The dermatologist is not just for people with acne or other skin problems. The dermatologist can help those with clear skin maintain that appearance by providing various skin regimens and also detecting things like skin cancer.
#6 Thou Shalt Not: STRESS!!! I have a problem with this! Every year from September to about mid October I suffer from breakouts. The beginning of the school year always makes me a nervous wreck. I realized that what I was stressing over wasn't worth it and I was making myself sick. I quickly "let it go and let God" and once I regained my composure my face cleared up. I won't let this happen this year. Its nerve-wrecking!
When your body is stressed, it pours out a stress hormone called cortisol," says Bank. This causes a multitude of things. "It robs the skin of its blood supply and can elevate blood sugar, which can cause cells to function abnormally," says Bank. It can also affect acne oil glands. So bottom line, when you stress out your skin may be more prone to breakouts and is likely to look dull and sallow.
#7 Thou Shalt Not: Skip Sleep!!!-no one looks great with 50lb bags under their eyes! Get the recommended amount of sleep 7-8hrs every night and you will look and feel refreshed. If you only average about 5hrs of sleep...like me...I take naps during the day. My friends laugh but it helps.
Chris Rock is a genius, finding a new and innovative way to tackle an issue that has been affecting the Black Community for decades!!! What is "Good Hair?"
If you do not have access to youtube at work, please watch this when you get home"
In my ignorance I have used this term plenty of times before, and even to this day I may say "oooh you got that good hair" jokingly, because I have learned that there is no such thing as "GOOD HAIR!" I remember every other Sunday, my mom would use a hot comb to straighten my hair along with my sister's hair. I HATED IT!!! The smell, the steam, and the grease burning my scalp, it was painful, but my hair was, and still is, extremely thick and coarse. So my mom had to use the hot comb to make my hair more manageable ( shout out to Madame CJ Walker for this). I think I was in 5th grade when I got my first perm and I wasn't using PCJ for too long either.
People of African decent have a unique hair texture. I absolutely love it because we can do so many things with our hair that people of other races are unable to do. When I travel to the caribbean there are so many caucasians on the beach trying to get cornrows, even Asians! We are fortunate enough to have a hair texture that can be worked into multiple styles. There is no other race that can have an afro one week, the Hawaiian silky the next, kinky twist the next, and locs within a few months!
The term "good hair" just creates a complex within African-American girls, which causes some type of insecurity. My sister's hair texture is slightly different from mine. Her hair gets a little wavy and curly when its time for a touch-up, my hair, along with my mom's, gets very coarse and thick. Yeah some times my kitchen is a little reckless but its nothing that Precise can't handle lol (the relaxer that I use), but that does not mean her hair is better than ours.
We should not focus on "good hair" but focus on promoting young girls to have"HEALTHY HAIR" That is what is important. Whether or not you are natural or you are a fan weaves, keeping your hair healthy is what is important because who really wants to walk around the street without any edges or a stingy ponytail! When I was in 7th grade (going into 8th) I went to Florida and I swore I was a mermaid and I was in the pool everyday! Unlike my sister I didn't feel like washing my hair and my hair fell out. I was devastated, but I didn't take care of it. My mom ended up putting my hair in a "pony tail" and she cut off all of my dead ends. It was horrible. I ended up getting braids for about a year and a half. Every 6-8wks I would get a different style and that made my hair so healthy. During the spring of my 1st year in high school I was able to get my hair relaxed and it was long, luscious, and beautiful! I had to learn about healthy hair the hardway, but I'm glad I learned that lesson.
Everyone is not meant to have hair down their backs. Weaves are very damaging if they are not put in correctly or taken care of. So Ladies, lets not encourage the use of the term "good hair""healthy hair" is more appropriate. My best friend has locs, just because she no longer relaxes her hair does that mean it is not "good?" We must accept the different textures and styles and just make sure that it is healthy. Oh yeah and fellas listen to the men in the movie....keep ya hands out of our hair...unless you are going to take me to get another Dominican Wash & Set.!
One of this season's major trends is the Lacquer Nail Polish Manicure. With it's rich thickness & array of colors, shades & hues, I'm definitely a major fan. Fan & all I can sometimes be annoyed, when days after my DIY nails or walking out of the salon, my Perfect Manicure is already chipping & Dam only three days ago. I'm sure you can relate. On my quest to preserve my manicure, I discovered in order to prevent chips, & Maintain Your Manicure for days to come, brush a top coat in both directions across the end of your nails & viola they last longer!
Jumping back into yesterday....Turn utensils into allies Make a habit of putting down your fork or spoon after each bite; don't pick it up again until you've swallowed. If your eating handheld foods such as a sandwich or burger, place them on your plate between bites. Note: to really slow yourself down, try eating with chopsticks
Take breaks
once or twice during a meal, stop eating for about a minute or so. Talk, socialize, drink some water & take note of how full you're becoming
Try different dishes
If you have the same meals all the time, you're more likely to eat quickly & mindlessly
As you adjust to a slower pace, a watch or timer can help you set goals & set more realistic ones too!
Ever felt so hungry you practically inhaled your food, then felt so overstuffed you had to pop open your pants or just sit still for a minute, thinking to yourself, why did I eat this much? Too late now...you should've paced yourself, honestly it really works. People who wolf down their food are more likely to be overweight & suffer from digestive problems. Take the Yellow Light Approach,(slow down) when eating & refer to these few tips to help you set a healthier pace. Stop eating before you feel stuffed It takes 15 to 20 min for your digestive system to tell your brain that you've had enough. If you keep eating until that feeling registers, you pack in lots of extra calories. Instead, put down your fork when you start to feel satisfied- not full or stuffed Chew Well
Take small bites of food & chew each one about four or five times before you swallow. Don't take the next bite until your mouth is empty. You also can take a sip of water between mouthfuls .
Concentrate on your meal
Distractions such as watching T.V can keep you from noticing how quickly you're eating & filling up.Take the time to enjoy the many flavors, smells & texture of foods.
Try to schedule mealtimes when you can sit down & take your time. If you can, set the mood & play soft background music-studies have shown it makes people slow down when eating. The food isn't going to run off the plate before you get the chance to eat it so relax & take your time, you'll be grateful when you hit the beach!
Wispy Twist A classic with lots of flirty, floaty pieces-definitely date-night material! Starting from the bottom of your hair, tightly twist & roll it up toward the crown of your head: pin it in place. Tuck the ends under & secure those with more pins. Now pull out a few strays to complete the finish. Celebs rock it too!
I love wearing my hair like this, especially when I want that innocent school-girl look, (i.e add nerd glass & red lips )
Forget about a master plan- let this mellow style take shape as you go. It's perfect. If you don't want to be too dolled up, opt for this. Wanna attempt it, twirl a piece of hair, lift it up to your head, coil into a loose loop & bobby-pin down the end. Keep going until all hair is up, then hit with a light spray. Be as effortless as possible.
Pull a few loose strands so it doesn't look so neat. Add a headband
Rain appears to be on the forcast for the week, need a new quick & easy hair-do? On dry hair. Start with a wet-n-wavy hairspray, & a Fredrick Douglas part, (side part). Down tha sides, place two corn braids. Leave the braids in overnight, & in the morning (or as long as you can take them in) take out & mess up a bit... voila a KrinklyKinkle! Your ready, it's pretty fast & easy to maintain I've been personally rockin it for two days (my beautician is on a two week vaca, she didn't even tell me she was goin either (curse words....))~Ms.Francois
Health Myths Uncovered Have you ever heard the sayings: "Beer Before Liquor Never Sicker", or "If You Shave, the Hair Grows Back Darker & Thicker"...I'm sure you have & wondered to yourself, is this true or not. If you have, read on to uncover the truth behind these Health Lies.
Beer Before Liquor, Never Sicker (Keep this in mind when sampling Thirsty Thursday Drinks!) The truth is, it's not the order of consumption that affects your potential hangover; it's the amount of booze & how fast you drink it, (take into consideration your body mass, & what amount of intake is enough for your size). There's only one surefire way to avoid feeling sick: Don't drink too much! If You Shave, The Hair Grows Back Darker & Thicker The shaved ends of your hairs are blunt, so they look a lot fatter, researchers have found. Leg hair may appear darker when it first grows in bcuz it hasn't had a chance to be lightened by the sun yet...who knew the Sun lightened your ingrowing hairs.
If Your Thirsty, You're Already Dehydrated Being that it's Summer & dehydration is very popular during this season sharing the truth about this health myth is very important to me. Your body has a way of telling you what it wants. Thirst is a normal sign of a need for fluids, & you feel it well before it's gone too far. Sure signs your Dehydrated, a headache & sluggishness. Dehydration definitely exists & sometimes we underestimate this happening to us (trust me I know from experience). Remember to Drink Plenty of Water, & Gatorade helps too.
Ever had one of those days when you come outside looking all cute with your fresh dubee & before you can even reach your destination your hair goes, "KUPUT" or "POOF". Try these surefire ways to Fight tha Frizz!For sleekness, some hair pros swear by dark beer-poured on just-washed hair, rinsed out after two minutes & followed by conditioner. (Take a swig if absolutely can't resist). Try a weekly coconut-oil scalp massage; it's how Indian women keep their hair silky smooth.
For a midday touch-up, dab a drop of hand cream onto frizzy spots.
To protect hair from the drying, frizz-inducing sun, wear a hat!
I came across this article, (That I had to share with you guys), that instantly brought a faithful reader (& commenter!) to mind... Kelly of *AF*! She was the inspiration for this post & commented on a previous post, on a perfume Don't. Sometimes we spray too much perfume or rub it in on tha wrong places, assuming we smell great...say GOOD-BYE to mind boggling! Here are a few Perfume Do's & Don't's so take note & enjoy! (I would tell y'all what she said but its between Kelly & HGB) Lol
This month's issue of Glamour magazine, interviews Patrick Robinson on Perfume Do's. As Gap's executive vice president of design, he helped to create their scent, Close, known for it's "Fresh" scent. That's all I need to know as far as taking advice on maintaining my smell good is concerned.
Gap's New Fragrance, Close"Do buy a fragrance because it speaks to you-NOT because of the name or because your friends have it."
"Do put on less in the Summer ; hot weather makes perfume smell MORE INTENSE. Spritz the air in front of you once or twice & walk through the mist."
"Do wear a MEN'S FRAGRANCE when the mood strikes. It's sexy, & a great way to feel close to your GUY if your apart for a while."
"Do leave the concocting to perfumers. Mixing two scents together may be tempting, but can be hard to pull off."
"Do have a perfume for special occasions. You'll start to associate the smell with good memories."
Mission to create and preserve the ultimate “Goody Woman.” It is HGB's goal to have the women come to this site and leave with a feeling of confidence. She will be a risk-taking, classy, confident, and trendsetting woman. She is here! Fashionably late but the ultimate “Goody Woman” has arrived! So, grab your bags and get ready for the GOODIES!
Purple Passion
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Danity Who?
Dawn Richard
Simmons Sisters
Vanessa and Angela Simmons
Moguls In The Making
Vanessa Simmons
Moguls In The Making
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Food For Thought
I'm not intimidated by anyone. Everyone is made with two arms, two legs, a stomach and a head. Just think about that. -Josephine Baker
Take Risk
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Under the Radar
LaLa Vazquez
Nobody or Nothing Will Ever Come Between Us
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Goody Bag
Delectably S.W.E.E.T...Style with Ease, Elegance & Taste We are more than just fashion!
Queen Latifah's new fragrance is a wonderful sensorial reflection of an amazing woman. It is inviting, surprising, bold, comfortable and luxurious. Her passion for life and self-assured sexiness, along with her limitless artistic talent and style are all embodied in her debut scent.
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