5 Tips to a More Beautiful You!

By Miss Rikki

Tip #1 for your…….EYEBROWS:  SistaGirlz are you getting your eyebrows waxed or razored?  Well stop and try out the ancient East Indian technique called “threading.”  Basically a spool of thread and a little bit of head movement is used to pluck out the hairs on your eyebrows row by row.  I know, it sounds crazy but I promise it is a must try.  Eyebrows usually stay groomed for 3-4 weeks – possibly longer with a little maintenance plucking of your own – and the cost can be anywhere from $10 to $15.  Most places will also take care of other unwanted facial hair like mustaches for a separate fee.  Yes, SistaGirlz it does hurt a little, but it won’t leave you tender and swollen like waxing and it lasts longer than both waxing and the razor.  And for some reason the end result looks so much cleaner than with any other alternative.  I started getting my eyebrows threaded back in 2004 and haven’t stopped since.  It’s wonderful.  I can’t say enough about it; so try it and let me know what you think!   

Tip #2 for your…EYELIDS:  Have you always wondered how people get that well blended smoky eye look?  Are you a novice to putting on eye shadow beyond slapping one color on your lids?  Try Maybelline’s Expert Wear Shadow Quads or Trios or L’Oreal Wear Infinite Eye Shadow Quads.  Both give you directions on for applying the shadow and creating beautiful eyes.  Maybelline puts in right in the makeup and L’Oreal comes with instructions.  I have Maybelline’s Expert Wear Shadow Quads in Charcoal Smokes and the Trios in Positively Purple and Blissfully Blue and I LOVE them.  I don’t wear makeup often, but when I do I turn to these staples so my face can look professionally BEAT!  These items can be found in any grocery store, Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, and anywhere those brands are sold.

Tip #3 for your…FACE: If you want to give your face a finished, toned, even look without heavy foundations try tinted moisturizer.  It’s sheer lightweight coverage that won’t settle on your face and give you an unnatural made up look.  Right now, when I wear make-up, I live by Mary Kay’s tinted moisturizer in Bronze 2.  For my dark skin SistaGirlz, it is a definite win.  There are also other brands like NP Set and Boots No7 that carry tinted moisturizers with a range of colors for melanin rich skin tones.

 

Tip #4 for your…SKIN:  Spring is here and it’s getting warm fast.  So, I’m sure you will be finding all kinds of ways to how more skin.  Heaven forbid that skin be ashy…or shiny with grease.  How do you stay moisturized without the greasy look?  Baby oil.  Put it on after you shower, but before you dry off.  Rub it into your skin and then air dry (if you live alone) or pat yourself dry with a towel.  Your pores are open from the warm shower and your skin is receptive to moisture.  The oil can then help your skin hold the moisture it’s gained from the shower.  And you don’t just have to use baby oil.  Neutrogena has a wonderful sesame oil that works as well.

 

Tip #5 for your…HAIR:  If the natural state of your hair is a curl of any type then this tip is for you.  Shampoo your hair once.  Do not shampoo, rinse, and repeat as the bottle says.  Why?  Shampoo strips the hair of dirt and consequently moisture.  The more often you shampoo your hair the harder it becomes for your hair to keep moisture.  Anyone whose hair has a curl pattern to it (this is includes my SistaGirlz who get relaxers – your natural hair has a curl pattern) needs moisture.  In fact, the tighter the natural curl the more moisture the hair needs.  So, when you wash your hair at home the first thing you want to do is rinse it very well.  I mean really rinse your hair.  Then shampoo it once, rinse, and condition.  You will notice a difference in the way your hair holds moisture right away.  Plus lathering agents are just put into soaps to make consumers feel like they work.  If you’ve ever noticed, when you wash your hands and their really dirty, the soap doesn’t lather.  Still you rinse and feel confident your hands are clean.  Treat your hair the same way.

Save Major $$$ on the Net!!

So SistaGirlz, in between catching up with your friends on Facebook & Twitter, get your shop on for dinner, clothing and more at these discount sites! Some have been around for years, but I am just finding out about them, and I thought I’d share! LOL!

Groupon.com: Every day the site lists a deal for food, clothing or something to do in your city. If enough people click that they want to buy that deal, you can seize the opportunity. If enough people don’t sign up, that day’s deal will be cancelled.

Woot.com: Similar to Groupon in that they have daily deals, but Woot is not specific to your city. Recently they had a deal for a digital camera for $6.99. They sell the items until they run out of product. Great deals, and cool gadgets.

Ideeli.com: I think this is my favorite out of the three. Ideeli is a members-only shopping site that features luxury items for up to 80% off! New events are posted daily at 11am and last until the product sells out, usually around three days. SistaGirlz, they have an abundance of shoes and clothes, so get to spring shopping!

Now that you know the info, scour the net and post pics of your finds! Leave me comments one the sites, too. I want to know if you join any!

**New Couple Alert** You & Your Internet Hook up!

SistaGirlz, it’s time to empower ourselves in the dating arena. I have plenty of friends that are single, fabulous and LONELY.  Why are they sitting home on Saturdays nights cuddled up with Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby and the remote? Survey says: They’re afraid of exploring non-traditional dating options.  I just had this discussion with one of my good friends, and she explained that she’d tried online dating (probably when AOL first came out, LOL) but that her experience was negative.  She has since allowed that one experience to predict her dating future.But alas ladies, I am here to offer you hope! LOL! It’s spring, the season of renewal, and blossoming. Let your dating life spring forward with the help of these dating sites!

MatureBlackandSingle.com is a new site geared toward the 35 & older. I couldn’t get a look at the prospects because you have to join first, but I think it’s worth a try. Test it out and give me feedback! Too young for that site? Cool, keep reading!

PlentyofFish.com is a pretty basic site created by an out of work exec, who now has the largest dating site around! I scoped some of the fellas under my qualifications and they were HOT. I then reminded myself that I am already involved, and clicked off! LOL! But check it out! Who knows what could happen?!

For my Christian Black Singles,  you can check out Black Singles.com. They have a wide variety of men to choose from as well. Let your first date be church followed by coffee! Hmm. Maybe I should play matchmaker! LOL! But seriously, SistaGirlz, step out of your comfort zone and try it. You just might meet Mr. Right.!

**Leave comments about your internet dating experiences**

Be Safe! Self-Defense Class 4/17!!

So are you gonna come and defend yourself, Sistagirlz?! I wanna see you there!

Write for SistaGirlz! Express Yourself!

Join the SistaGirlz writing team as a contributor. Have your work published on this site. Express yourself, SistaGirlz! Email deja [at] sistagirlz [dot] com for more info! In the meantime, happy reading!

Who Has the Next “You Go Girl” Spotlight Story?

Do you know a SistaGirl that is doin’ her thing? Is she handling her business in the corporate world or the community? Is she a go-getter and fired up? Let us know! We want to spotlight her in our “You Go Girl” Category!  Please send an email with info on this fabulous SistaGirl, so that we can be EMPOWERED by her story! All submission should be sent to deja [at] sistagirlz [dot] com

Save Our Planet!

April 22, 2010 marked the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Did you celebrate?  Hmm. I know, I know. I shouted it out on the air, but did I do anything? No. Can I be honest? It’s hard enough trying to remember to recycle! For real!

Do you actually separate your plastics and cardboards from your regular trash? I must admit, I forget to do it sometimes. Then on the days I do remember, I place my empty water bottle on top of the carton from my blender I bought three months ago. Yep, those and other things are stashed in my kitchen next to the garbage. I have yet to take it down to my town’s recycle center. Sigh.

I say this because, I know we must ALL MAKE THE EFFORT to save our planet. Do you think all of these earthquakes and rain storms are normal? The frequency of such things is really making me believe in the Al Gore Global Warming Theory. What about you?

Let’s start today! Let’s make a pact to empower ourselves and our planet by taking care of BOTH of them.  For real! Share stories of your recycling efforts with me! Let’s keep each other on track, okay!

FYI…I checked out Environmental Protection Agency’s site, and found out  that SistaGirl Lisa Jackson is the first African American Administrator of the EPA! Loves it!

Check out Lisa and her activities for the EPA :

http://epa.gov

http://twitter.com/lisapjackson

Title Me You!

Dear Life,

What is in a title … I had an in-depth discussion with a lady on twitter about being a Taurus and how we are very territorial. She advised me to be careful and learn to enjoy the ride. I sat back and thought for a moment before I responded….. Why were titles and territory important to me …..? Not just me but most women. Here is what I could come up with.

When you’re dating someone and you put all your blocks in their bucket, (not dating anyone else, intimacy and family meetings) you want to know they care the same. In the break of all these cheating cases and married men is it the title that gets us caught up feeling secure?

When chatting with girlfriends, guy friends and family when you are “just talking” “just seeing each other” the level of your loved is weighed and by some the level of commitment. When you break up or when mistakes are made you often get the dreaded “he/she wasn’t yours anyway” or people telling you to “move on” and there are “more fish in the sea”. But when loving do titles bump up your feelings or solidify them?

In my experience I gain a security and trust that I wouldn’t have without the title. But it’s also because of the people that we choose, in life we know who we are with, we know their tendencies and they reflect in our actions. You want to believe someone’s trustworthy but your stomach only stops flip flopping when they walk in the door. Your horns perk up when they receive a text.

My advice to you and myself is to find someone to make you feel secure without titles without a promise commitment. Find someone that makes you feel safe and loved without a word spoken. Trust them before you claim them and maybe you’ll find yourself in a better place. A better place then a cheating “husband/wife” “boyfriend/Girlfriend”. Your feelings give them significance not their title.

Sincerely,

Bellington

Bellington is a fab blogger and contributor for SistaGirlz.com. Check out her blog below:

Site: http://bellingtonsway.wordpress.com/

Protect our Kids!

It’s bad enough that teens have to deal with their hormones flaring up, cyber-bullying and drama in their lives, now it seems our kids have to watch their backs (and the rest of their bodies) in school! More and more  stories are coming out about teachers molesting students! In New York, ten students have come forward to say that they were molested by their teacher, 38yr old Simon Watts.

Watts is facing felony  charges for molesting girls as far back as 2007.He had previously been investigated in 2005, but the charges weren’t substantiated.  Then, there is Kirsten Sullivan, a twenty-six year old middle school teacher in Lauderdale, Florida. She is accused of having a year-long consensual sexual relationship with one of her 14yr old students.  She was busted by his teen girlfriend, who she noticed texts from the teacher to her boyfriend.

This situation has been escalating ever since we first heard about Mary Kay Letourneau and her student having sex and BABIES together.

Parents, I admonish you to question anything that may seem out of the ordianry with your children.  Keep the lines of communication open, so that they feel comfortable telling you things about their lives.  And lastly, know what’s going on in your children’s school system.

I am not a parent, but I am a mentor, a daughter, cousin and I have played all of those roles at my family member’ schools. Get to know those teachers and participate in PTA. The more active you are the more sensitive you’ll be to your children’s actions and reactions to things going on at school.

Just a Lil’ Motivation! Yes You Can!

As a new season has come and we are springing ahead, there isn’t a better time to reflect on where you have been, but more importantly where you are going. Life is about choices and often times we tend to forget just that.

As we get caught up in the things that we want to happen, we forget that it actually requires an action, better yet a plan to make that vision a definite reality.

That is why it is important to make goals that are achievable.  This will motivate you to keep pursuing your goals/dreams.

Fear often plays a factor. It is the feeling of not knowing if you can really do something. Then we tend to get lackadaisical when it comes to making things happen because of that same feeling of fear. Just flat out, lack of motivation. Failure is a hard pill to swallow, but if you set realistic goals that are going to be obtainable then the success rate might be greater.

No one is perfect and we all have to take responsibility for his/her own actions, but one will never know if they don’t at least TRY!

I look at television today and we (when I say we I am referring to society as a whole) are obsessed with reality television and make-overs, but I have a suggestion. Instead of trying to turn a so-called ugly ducklings into a swan, prepping her to be a model when she clearly has deep rooted issues that will only make her crash and burn later, or renovating shacks- let’s work on the inside first! Then after that, begin to work on the physical. That will contribute to being a better person.

Become the person who actually says what they mean and means what they say. Whether it is to become a better mother, father, son, daughter, worker, friend or whatever the case- put forth an effort to make a positive change. If you go through life only giving 40%, can you really complain when you only get 40% or even less back?

I mean really, who is to blame in that situation? It’s true, you get in what you put in but we sometimes take that a little to the extreme and get caught up; feeling like “nice guys finish last” so why even bother?  That is a poor attitude to have, and those continued thoughts only set you up for more disappointment in the long run. There should never be the need to hold grudges or attitudes about something you ultimately CAN’T change! At the end of each day just like you throw away garbage, discard the poor attitude that prevents you from achieving your goals. If it happened on Monday it should be left there because carrying the heavy weight for long periods of time will eventually take its toll on you and your health.

I do not think that I have all of the answers but these are just my suggestions to attempt to solve some of life’s miniature problems before they escalate into larger ones. So basically don’t sweat the small stuff!

Get out there and DO something because life is indeed TOO short!

Kisha Green is an author and owner of Diva Books Inc.

http://twitter.com/KISHAGREEN

http://www.divabooksinconline.com