Single is the New Finding Me

There was a time in my life when I thought that for me to experience true happiness, I had to be in a relationship then that person would make me happy. Such a sad thought don't you think. I remember when I just started dating my boyfriend I would never refer to him by name to my girlfriends, I always referred to him as "my boyfriend". A true obsession. But then I got a reality check, being in a relationship does not make someone happy, instead you are to take your happiness with you into the relationship to enhance it.

If you are single, I say to you embrace it. I'm sure being married and having children is a gift from God, however, if you do not have that special someone in your life, do not feel as if you are lacking. Take your time being single as a time to grow into character, to truly understand what you love, enjoy "me" time, and spend quality time with friends.

People are attracted to personality and self confidence. Interestingly enough these are attributes that can easily be seen, without you even uttering a word. Work on the inside, make yourself happy. What do you truly love or enjoy, do you love going out to dinner? Then go out, drag one of your friends along with you, mix, mingle, embrace your singleness. Take a drive out to the country, explore things you have never done before. There are many things that require money to do them, and there are things that are inexpensive and even free. If you happen to be in NYC go hang out in Union Square in the summer time or Central Park. One of the things I used to do was I would go out to dinner with a friend of mine every Thursday night or go to the Promenade downtown Brooklyn (love it) something else that I really enjoy doing is sitting in Barnes and Nobles and reading.

Do not focus on the fact that you are single. Listen I get it all the time "so where is the ring?" Well don't get upset, most people do not mean anything by it. Give them a generic answer like "God knows best" and keep it moving. Take the time to improve on your talents or create new ones. My plan for this winter is to teach myself the violin (we'll see about that). So as this Christmas comes around I will be learning more about Danielle, challenging myself to take on new tasks, and loving myself a lot more. Well until we chat, I will be either shopping, window shopping or trying out new makeup brands. Or, WRITING A PAPER.....

One Love
Danni

Beauty that is Skin Deep

Due to the fact that I am in the business of beauty I wanted to do a blog about skin care. The first half of the blog I will be talking about different types of skin which is important for both males and females to know and the other portion of the blog will be for females who wear foundation.

People generally have four types of skin; oily, dry, normal and combination
These are the characteristics of the four:
Oily- Oily skin as the name implies looks shine or greasy or oily all the time. It is usually blemished prone and usually has very large pores.
Dry- Dry skin tends to be dry all the time, has very small pores and tends to require more moisturizing. Wrinkles are quick to form on dry skin.
Normal- Normal skin looks health, has a balance in moisture, does not appear to be blemish prone, neither does it appear over dry.
Combination- Of all the different skin types this is the one that tends to be overlooked or misunderstood. Combination skin gets oily in the forehead and nose and chin regions, so these portions may have more clogged pores and be blemish prone. However, the other parts of the face will be normal skin.

It is important to be able to identify your skin type so you will have an idea of what type of products to use on your skin. Your daily skincare routine should involve cleansing your skin, exfoliate your skin and moisturizing. It is also important that you use sunblock to protect your skin from sun damage. Many people who live in areas that experience seasonal changes like myself have to take into consideration that your skin may change due to the season. For example in the winter I have dry skin, summer, combination.

If you require any information on suitable products for your skin type or if you want me to give you a facial and a skin evaluation, please leave me a comment with your questions or give me a call.


FOR THE LADIES:

Most of us love makeup. It enhances our beauty and makes up feel a little more confident about ourselves sometimes. Foundation can be good but not all types of foundations are for your skin. Know the differences and choose the one that is best suited for you. I am going to discuss the three most popular types of foundations.

Liquid Foundation - This is one of the more popular foundations. These foundations have a liquid consistency and are usually in a tube and can be applied with the fingers. These foundations are good for people who are looking for a very natural look because it does not appear heavy on the skin. Not good for blemish prone skin.

CREME - This foundation is probably the most popular foundation. It has a creamy texture and usually requires a sponge for application. It gives way more coverage than a liquid foundation. I personally do not recommend this for people who live in very warm climates and those with oily skin. This foundation can prevent your skin from breathing and will cause you to sweat a lot, again not good for blemish prone skin.

MINERAL POWDER- Highly recommended, this contains minerals and vitamins that are very healthy for the skin. This is a loose powder that you can apply with a brush. Though I do not recommend using foundation if you have blemish prone skin, if you are willing to take a chance, then this would be the best foundation for you.

HOW DO I KNOW THE RIGHT FOUNDATION COLOR

The best way to choose the color that is right for you is by conducting a stripe test in a well lit area. The best part of the body to perform this test would be on your neck. Especially in dark skin women, the back of the face and neck tend to be darker. What you want is a foundation that blends in well with the back of your face towards the ear and the neck.

These are just a few tips to consider when choosing your foundation. I have many tips that I can share with you regarding beauty and skincare that I could not share in this blog. However, feel free to email me or leave me a question in the comment portion of this blog or hit me up on facebook and I would love to answer your question. Do not forget, I am a beauty consultant with Marykay cosmetics so feel free to ask about my products and services such as facials and skincare classes.

One Love

Soaring to New Heights

"The heights by great men reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight but they while their companions slept were toiling upwards in the night"Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Today if I have failed to motivate you to aim higher and live your dreams then I have written this blog in vain. I sat pondering life's many challenges, I thought about those who are successful in their own right. What differentiates those who have and those who have not? Is our definition of success skewed in that we equate success with wealth? How do we determine what living our dream is, are we truly living up to our potential or are we simply settling for mediocrity? Hmm well some of these questions are personal, others are debatable.

I remember perusing the facebook page of someone who recently got married. The caption to one of her pictures was "for richer and for richer, poverty is a state of mind". Although this statement is a little controversial and can be debated, I am an advocate for hard work. Those that have excelled differentiated themselves from others by not only believing that they could live their dreams but putting their dreams into action. Therefore the question is not whether or not your dreams are attainable, because they are, what you really should be asking yourself is what steps must I and have I taken to attain them.

Attitude determines altitude, in other words how high you aim and how far you reach is largely dependent on you. You have to be clear about your goals, the time frame in which you want to have them accomplished and how you are going to get there. Begin this process by putting these goals in writing. Your goals do not have to be big ones, it may involve taking a dance class just for recreation or it may involve a lifestyle change like eating healthy. Place your goals at a point where you are constantly reminded of them. Therefore if you are sitting at your desk for forty hours each week, you may want to have your goals in front of you.

We all have strengths and weaknesses. My best-friend does well at interacting with people and taking control I am comfortable on the sidelines. Determine what your strenghts are and how you can use them to reach your goals, acknowledge and challenge your weaknesses that way they no longer hinder you. If you find that you are not eloquent enough, begin reading more. It is possible that you will do well in a managerial position but the fear of having to deal with your subordinates maybe a draw back. Learn to be more assertive, do not allow your insecurities to prevent you from aiming high.

Eliminate negative thoughts and conversations. Whenever they pop up in your head, reaffirm yourself with positive thoughts. It may mean that you write an affirmation and tell it to yourself constantly. Weird at it sounds, if you compliment yourself about how beautiful you look, you begin to see the beauty in yourself. Some people never have anything positive to say. Limit your contact with them. Negative conversations are to be avoided at all times. If you feed yourself with negativity, you will always have negative results. Also, shy away from idle conversations. They may not necessarily fall within the negative conversation category but at the end of the day they will not uplift you, hence they should be avoided. Always evaluate your conversations to see if you learned anything of worth from it if you did not then you should begin finding other things to converse about and people to converse with.

Feed yourself daily and I don't mean with burgers and fries. I always tell myself, an article a day keeps ignorance away. Instead of listening to Cd's with music all the time, pop in a motivational speech or something spiritual. Take time to increase your knowledge on current events. Your brain is like a sponge, it soaks up everything that it is fed. You may not have the time to read the whole NY times however, reading at least three articles a day and or listening to talk shows that deal with current issues can expand your knowledge on issues that affect us and our world.

Do not fear disappointments. So you did not get the dream job. Life is not perfect, we are constantly being bombarded with disappointing situations. Always learn from your mistakes or past experiences, pick up the pieces, and work harder at it. Sometimes, the venture that you are working on is not for you, be willing to accept that and move on. You cannot allow the fear of disappointments to hold you back. Always evaluate yourself to see what you could have done better, no matter what it is, a failed relationship or a lost job, evaluate yourself and reenter the game making sure this time you do better at it.

Success should never be evaluated by richer and richer, however, within yourself you will know if you have reached your full potential. Living your dream is attainable, but is largely determined by the effort that you put in it. And always remember that there is a Deity who is in control.

One Love.