Last year,  I revealed the three ingredient beverage that helped my friend to easily lose 10 lbs.  She consumed a tonic before each meal which consisted of lemon, apple cider vinegar and cranberry juice (preferably unsweetened).   Before she knew it, clothes started fitting better and she was well on her way to her old weight again.

When I tried to determine the root cause of the weight loss, I came up with several possible reasons. After going back to and reading my post, I realized that I kinda skimmed over the real reason why this healthy weight recipe is so effective. Lately, I've been listening to quite a few talks presented by medical doctors on the mechanics of healthy weight loss. Now, I feel confident in understanding the power of apple cider vinegar when it comes to maintaining a healthy body weight.

I stumbled on a random piece of information the other day that lead to hours of research on the internal effects of hydration/dehydration.  I've talked a ton about drinking water on this site. But it was mainly geared towards the external beauty benefits.

We all know that if we don't get enough water that our skin could be affected.  But many of us aren't aware of the impact it could have on our weight.  I mean, sure, some individuals experience positive weight benefits when they switch from drinking soda to water, but I'm not talking about that.

There's another type of impact that water intake can have on your weight and eating habits that you should know about.

For most of my adult life, I've been on this journey to build effective habits.  For the most part, it's been a real struggle. I try hard. I even do the habit for consecutive days to try to imprint them in my subconscious.   None of that really worked.  So I had to deal with the disappointment and failing to develop yet another habit.  No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get some of the habits to become permanent.

But, looking back, I realize that a few habits have really stuck and I've executed them on a daily basis for years.  If I could just figure out why some habits were lifelong and why others fizzled away, I could change the course of my future.  After a bit of reflection, I think I figured out the key to making habits a permanent fixture in your life.

Yesterday, I decided to start enjoying morning smoothies again.  A few years back, morning smoothies were my favorite activity of the day.  It was the easiest way to pack a multitude of nutritional products in one, easy to consume, beverage.

via @supanovaslam

I peeked in the cupboard where I keep all of my smoothie approved ingredients.  Sitting near the back was a large bottle of powdered chlorella. After reaching for the bottle, I noticed that it was nearly full.  A feeling of dread came over me once I realized that it was well past its expiration date.

Soon, my fears were confirmed.  Engraved under the bottle was a "use by date" of 2016.   I was screwed.  There was no way I was going to risk consuming this potentially expired powder.  But, perhaps there was another, much better, use for my super chlorella powder.

Every one of us working on our personal development has one thing in common.  We seem to go through these cycles of either being super-motivated or not.  It's a struggle.  We get pumped up and move quickly in the right direction, then it seems that we start losing steam.  If we allow that lull to continue, we can lose valuable momentum. Worse yet, we could forfeit some of the progress made during our high-motivation phase.

If we can master the art of maintaining momentum, we can accomplish pretty much anything.  Let's talk about ways to keep our motivation fire burning.

Because it's Fashion Week in New York, a bunch of models are coming out of the wood work with tips on how they get ready for the biggest fashion event of the year.  I checked out a recent article where the interviewer asked a slew of models to share one skin tip.

I casually read through the various pieces of advice but it wasn't until I stumbled on one model in particular that I stopped and took notice.

The woman's skin was absolutely glowing.  Of all the models interviewed, she appeared to have the healthiest skin of all. What was her secret?

Actress Laura Harrier is an up and coming actress who made her box office debut in this summer's Spider Man movie.   Her next project is an HBO original (Fahrenheit 451) where she'll star opposite of Michael B. Jordan.  Not only is Laura a bona fide movie star, she's also a model who's graced the pages of Elle, Cosmo, and Vogue.   Laura is truly living her best life.

You all know that whenever someone pops on the scene, I'm always curious to learn about their beauty rituals.  Luckily for us, Laura gave an interview where she reveals the cleansing mask that keeps her skin hydrated and acne free.

Earlier this year I received a package of selected products from The Body Shop.  After inspecting the various items, I immediately reached for the charcoal mask.  As you know, I was quite smitten with this perfect dupe for GlamGlow.

The mud mask wasn't the only item I loved.  There was a small tube of vitamin C sunscreen that peaked my interest.  After my first application, I closely inspected my skin and concluded that this was the ultimate winter sunscreen.

The closer we get to fall, the more I start thinking about ways to improve my consumption of nutritious foods.  Sometimes I don't eat as healthy as I should so I make up for it by incorporating with various food based supplements.  I classify food based supplements as items that aren't pills but still provide ample amounts of nutrition.

I thought I was the queen of enjoying food based supplements, but it seems like I may have met my match.

Celebrity makeup launches aren't that exciting anymore.  MAC pioneered the celebrity inspired makeup craze and the rest was history.  How many Snap stories have you seen where some pseudo-celebrity is swiping self-branded lip colors on their inner forearm?

It's kinda the norm now.  But, this month, a new line is set to enter the market and it's one of the most highly anticipated makeup launches for women of color (WOC).

With fall so close on the horizon, I'm frantically thinking ahead of all the ways I can prepare for a successful fall/winter season.  The biggest woe I face every year is a dry, itchy scalp.  But it goes beyond that.  The flakier my scalp is, the more my hair sheds.  The more shedding, the more tangles.  Tangles rob us of length and I'm not trying to deal with that this year.

When I think back to all the remedies that worked in the past, on the top of the list were scalp rinses. Shame on me for not paying much attention to my scalp this past summer.  But it's time to get serious again and I know just where to start.