Decisions are useless, you have to make a choice.

This month is wrapping up.  It's time to stop and do a little assessment on how things are going.  Remember the two months ago when you were all excited about everything you'd get accomplished this year?  How's it going so far? Sure, we still have many months ahead but we all know how fast time flies by.

At the start of the year, I set a few goals.  In actuality, I made several decisions about the direction of 2017.  Making a decision is a great starting point.  It's like getting into a car and turning the keys.  But, I gotta be honest.  Most "decisions" take us absolutely nowhere.  There is another key element required if you actually want to achieve your goal.

The 7 Day Experiment That Saved My Skin

I had such a great result the last time I did a 7-day experiment that I decided to do another one.  The inspiration for this challenge was two-fold.  First, there's road construction just outside my home which essentially turned my street into a dirt road.  Every time I step outside, I'm surrounded by dust. The second reason why I tried a new technique for 7 days was due to a revelation I received after watching a YouTube video.

Working on Your Summer Body? The Collagen Bed May Be a Beauty Treatment You Need

Yesterday, I was strolling through a small, hip part of town when suddenly I saw a building that looked somewhat familiar.  I'd never been there before. The familiarity came from having seen it online.  It's a local skin spa owned by a WOC.  When I first discovered it online, I made a little promise to myself that I would visit.  I loved the fact that she offered many "up to date" treatments like microcurrent and skin needling.

When I walked into the luxuriously decorated waiting area, I had no expectations. I just wanted to check things out.  Little did I know that I would be introduced to a full body beauty treatment of the future.

@king_khaila enjoying a collagen bed experience

This is How to Keep Your Eyes Looking Younger Forever.

I was asked via email if I could share a few recommendations for a decent brand of eye cream.  After a few moments of reflection, I decided to respond by writing an entire article dedicated to creating a well-rounded eye care routine.

Naomi Campbell's Makeup Artist Taught Me the Secret to Perfecting My Mascara Application

Naomi wearing a glamorous sequence dress + diamond accessories

I love watching beauty gurus on Youtube as much as the next guy. Even though they're a talented group of young women, there's nothing that compares to learning makeup application techniques from seasoned professionals.

They offer up simple tips and tweaks that make an immense impact on the final result.  So far I've learned quite a bit from Sir John, the man notorious for keeping Beyonce looking flawless. When I recreated a look from Kim Kardashian's makeup artist, I loved it!

This time, I learned the ultimate tip from the woman who's artistry helps to perfect Naomi Campbell's face.

Remove Your Self-Imposed Limitations to Make Room for the Impossible

Once upon a time, I attended a small gathering with a group of people who were on a path to personal success.  At the meeting, we were all encouraged to talk about our current intentions and share goals we achieved in our past.

When it was my turn to speak, I felt pretty good.  For at least a year, I was hard at work on my goals and I had some great news to share.  My story began with the reveal of how I utilized the principles learned from "Write It Down, Make It Happen" to nearly double my annual salary.  In my mind, I had achieved a huge feat.  I was certain that the facilitator would use my story as an example of how to do it right.

But the exact opposite happened.

It's Time to Create Your Perfect Weekend Morning Routine.

 Today I came to the realization that I'm missing a critical component of my life.  I'm currently without an established weekend morning routine.  I have a morning routine that I carry out during the week but on the weekend, I just sort of go with the flow. Some of you might be wondering why such a routine is even necessary.

My answer to you is this.....

For most, the weekend is your time. You have full control of it.  There aren't any stresses hanging over your head causing you to rush through your mornings just to get to work on time. The weekend is all yours.  But if you aren't careful, those two days zoom by. Before you know it, you're laying out clothes to wear on Monday morning.

We need to savor our weekends like a delicious glass of wine.  Let's do that by creating the weekend morning ritual.

Adding This Step on Wash Day Could Mean Major Length Retention.

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.

This fitness guru recommends a snack that can actually help you lose weight.

I was checking out some fitness tips from Lana Ector, half of the mother-daughter duo responsible for Gymnetics fitness program.  They often coach women who are ready to create physical transformations in their lives.

Their meal recommendations contained commonly known fitness advice like avoiding white carbs, drinking lots of water, etc.  But there was one tip in particular that immediately caught my attention.

[Try This] Mariah Carey's Bed Time Beauty Secret.

I was on SnapChat the other day living vicariously through bloggers traveling for New York Fashion Week.  This blogger happened to share several pics of her travel essentials.  One image in particular immediately caught my attention.  Sitting near her bedside was a gadget that looked very familiar.

But what was most interesting was the caption included with the image.

Oily Skin Girls Rejoice! Matte Powder Foundation is Here to Save The Day.

We're embarking on that time of year where the days are getting longer.  This means that warm weather is approaching.  And with warm weather comes increased oil production.  Oily skin is both a blessing and a curse.  On the one hand, it keeps your skin nice and supple.  But, at the same time, overly oily skin can look unpolished.

Last year, I discovered the importance of building a matte skin routine.  This year, I'm continuing to build on that routine.   I've picked up just a beauty staple that can finally help control oil production over the warm summer months.

The 7 Day Experiment that Created My Ideal Self

Last week I posted on Instagram about an experiment where I would visualize at least twice a day.  I set this intention was to see if I could impact my ability to manifest.  In the past, whenever I placed a lot of mental energy to focus on a clear outcome, that outcome would (eventually) take form.

Most of the time, it takes a while for the intention to show up in reality.  I very aware of that. So when I embarked on this little experiment, I didn't expect to notice any results right away.  But, in just a few short days, I noticed a shift start to occur.

Instagram Beauty Secrets // Simone's Complete Flawless Skin Routine

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.

Your Pre-Summer Skin Detox Starts Now!

I have a friend with perfect skin. Her bare skin looks like she's wearing high-end foundation.  She doesn't even own foundation. She wears eye makeup, lipstick, and a little under eye concealer yet it looks like she's wearing a full face of makeup.   Part of the reason why her skin is so pretty is because she never has breakouts.  She doesn't have to worry about covering blemishes or scars.

Recently she really increased her water intake.  Not too long afterward, she started to break out.  A little confused, she reached out to talk about how her skin was behaving out of character.  But I wasn't all that surprised.  Then I went on to explain my theory about why her skin was freaking out.

Not All Heat Is Created Equal. Why Infrared Heat May Be Your Hair's Best Friend.

@twolala1

I already have several flat irons in my arsenal. But yesterday I made the last minute decision to purchase yet another one.  This new flat iron will come into my life because it's quite different from everything else I own.

Why We Fall out of Routines and How to End the Vicious Cycle

I love watching Morning Routine videos on Youtube.  The other day I stumbled on a video that sparked a little self-reflection.  At the start of the video, the Youtuber proclaimed that she recently started her routine again.  She goes on to say "I'm back to into my routine and it feels so good.  I just fee like my week just flows better when I'm in a nice routine. It just really makes things a lot easier throughout the week."

My first thought was "me too!"  Whenever I follow a certain routine, things go incredibly well.  But, for some reason, I can't get these routines to stick.  Why?

How to Take Your Sheet Mask Routine to New Levels

There was a time when I attempted to try the 7-day sheet mask challenge.  Although I put forth a valiant effort, things didn't quite work out.  Subconsciously there was some resistance.  After a little bit of self-exploration, I realized the source of my issues.

First, I struggled with having to throw away the sheet mask packet which still contained tons of product.  That's when I realized I had to come up with a way to salvage the rest of the hydrating serum.  Then I wanted to find a way to be more efficient while enjoying my mask. In a previous post, I talked about an inexpensive item that could solve all of my woes.

How spraying on bacteria could do "wonders for your skin."

You might recall when we discussed the benefits of leveraging probiotics in the war against acne and other skin ailments.  And I'm not just talking about taking probiotics supplements (even though you should do that religiously).  I'm referring to a new wave of beauty products which feature probiotics as an active ingredient.

It makes sense that some of our skin woes could be attributed to an imbalance of the bacterial ecosystem of our skin.  But, I nearly forgot that I absolutely needed to include a probiotic rich product into my skin reggie until I stumbled on a recent beauty secret reveal.

@cleowade