Bedtime should be a sacraed place for you. Sleep is such an important part of growth. You are able to heal, restore and be refueld. As someone who suffers from bouts of insomnia pretty regularly and have much of my life, I can tell you how boosting your beauty bedtime routine will boost your life!
When I haven’t slept well for a few days my ability to think positively, be productive and even my eating habits are affected. Being tired can make things that really don’t matter become a huge mountain. On the flip side when I am well rested for days I awake and have the drive to make my dreams a reality.
I use to be #teamnosleep or #nooffdays when it came to going after my goals. But after noticing how I would crash and burn because I wasn’t well rested, I began to take notice of my life. When you don’t value yourself you will not do things that are for your future self. For example, you know you have a big interview coming up, you would ensure to eat a great meal, take a nice relaxing bath and go to bed. But when you unconciously don’t value you, you will do things that will sabtage your goals.
Beauty rest also helps you to heal physically so you can workout more powerfully. The worst workout is one when I didn’t get much sleep as my endurance and determination are shot. The best thing I could do is some nice hot yoga, take a cool shower after and get real intimate with my pillow. Sleep is a requirement ladies! It’s not up for discussion as you deserve to pour from a full cup.
Here are some ways to boost your beauty bedtime routine
1. Create a soothing essential oil diffuser mix and tea
A simple mix of Neroli,Clove, Sandalwood and Sweet Orange
2. Make sure you set the mood
I have to sleep when it’s cool, the room is dark and free of distractions like my laptop. I have my phone on night time mode so no calls or text are coming in and the blue light is turned into a warmer light to help me to be relaxed.
3. Light stretches
I’m not sure how I stumbled on yoga squats but they are a game-changer. I will do some light stretches and yoga moves like a forward fold in order to go down into a yoga squat. Yoga squats help to open up the hip which as ladies we hold a lot of tension, emotion, and energy there especially as we are working from home. I will hold for about 3-5 minutes and as I come out the move I feel a huge release.
4. Gratitude
Once I’m in the bed I will jot down a few things I’m grateful for or if I’m dozing off I will think about them. I like to think of the good things in my life when I wake up and as I go to sleep. It helps to center me and keep me in a state of constant gratitude.
I hope these tips help you boost your beauty bedtime routine as your beauty goes beyond being cute but your whole being. Let me know in the comments some things you do at night to make your sleep a win!
Gentleness is often perceived as a weakness. We feel everything has to be to the max to achieve. However, gentleness is a superpower, and I will share three ways to bounce back from failures and other life’s detours. As a woman who has endured a lot of ish, I have always been a goal setter—even living in the projects, not knowing if the lights would get paid or if there would be food to eat. I was very driven to reach goals, but I didn’t know about being gentle with myself.
Growing up, I was often beaten for the smallest of infractions and always told it was for my good and that my indefinite terms of being on “punishment” were to help me to be stronger. Instead, it made me feeble when going out in the real world. When I stepped into the world were light years ahead of me in building relationships that allowed them access that I would never be able to gain. I felt if I worked hard, it would speak for itself. That isn’t correct, yes, your work should be stellar, but you will need others to speak on your behalf in rooms you are not in. Reflecting on my 35 years on this planet, I have reflected and felt bitterness and anger bubble. I felt robbed of many opportunities from career, friendship, and love. My good body years were not enjoyed like many in the lapse of luxury but on this hamster wheel of the abyss! Now at this point, one can go into a full-on pity party, or they can pivot into a new direction.
Gentleness is a Superpower: 3 ways to bounce back
As I firmly believe we are the authors of our story, I chose to pivot after allowing myself to feel all the things. We short-change ourselves when we suppress emotions. The need to release is real, as whatever we repress will start to show up in other areas of life. Anger will come up in jealousy, envy, and fear. We have to release, so we are open to new things. If your hands are full, I can’t put money in it.
In my journey of rebounding my life, I had to learn the art of gentleness. It’s not something I’m familiar with. In my life, I am used to blunt and brute force. But, there comes a time in your life journey when you have to acknowledge what isn’t working anymore. It’s the difference between surviving and thriving. The tactics you use to survive won’t allow you to thrive.
I wanted to get a little nerdy when it comes to the term gentleness; per Vocabulary.com, Gentleness is the quality of being kind and careful. The original meaning, from around 1300, was “inherited nature,” but by the 1600s, it had come to mean “freedom from harshness and violence. So to extend gentleness with yourself means to be kind and careful with yourself. Careful means being mindful, calculated, and kind, having a tender, considerate, and helpful nature.
Understanding what a word means can help break from any mental or emotional hangups on how to apply it to your life. Now fto3 ways to bounce back by using gentleness in your life.
1. Learn to observe without reacting
So let’s say you’re trying to find a new job because you got laid off. Instead of beating yourself up for not being locked to your laptop all day, you observe your actions and pivot. As I have been home due to my layoff, I have napped a bit and done creative things instead of the norm desperation of job searching.
By doing this, I have noticed I’m more focused when looking for jobs, and I have also seen opportunities coming to me. My energy has shifted as I don’t feel like I must take whatever scrapes out there. Allowing more ease in my life will enable me to be at my optimal level. Being reactive especially harshly wounds your inner being and causes unnecessary pain.
2. Take care of your whole self
Back in my 20’s, I felt I didn’t need to go to the doctor or that I didn’t deserve rest. So I would go days without sleeping and eating properly because I had goals. This led me down a very vicious path of burnout and unawareness. I was breaking down but couldn’t stop the ride I was on because I was bulldozing myself down.
No matter how much you have gone through, you are deserving of gentleness. You deserve to be treated with kindness and mindfulness. Often how those closest to us have treated us sets the standard for how we will treat ourselves. When you are met with rudeness from those who love you and care for you and fail miserably, you may believe that you aren’t worth the energy. This will lead you into destructive behaviors if you don’t have other people to pivot that energy.
Take time to shower, sleep in nice bedtime wear, and enjoy things that will help your future self, like working out and doing your medical checkups. Plan downtime and enjoy activities that you want. This will help you to persevere when life gets hard. Too much salt will lead to a bitter life, and too much sugar will give you diabetes. You need to balance to bloom.
When you rip a comb through your hair while it’s wet or dry for my ladies with my kinky hair what happens? You tear your hair up leaving a trail of damage. The same can be applied to your life. When you try to rip yourself you inflict trauma. Being gentle in both instances will allow you to keep things at optimal levels.
3. Release people and ideas that are harsh
I will end on this point, but it will be something that isn’t easy. When you have been accustomed to people and hold beliefs that enforce you have to be a bully to yourself to get things done, it’s not easy to undo. For the longest time, when I worked out, I talked to myself horridly. I wouldn’t ever allow anyone to talk to themselves or me the way I spoke to myself.
Failure is all relative. Some don’t see failure but as an opportunity to pivot. I see failure as what it is, which is not reaching a specific desired outcome. That could be not hitting a weight loss goal within a particular time frame or hitting those career or business goals. Failing to me means one has gone outside of what is familiar, and therefore the potential for things not going to plan is highly probable. When you meet failure with gentleness, you can be kind, see the positive, and carefully reflect on how you can improve! You can’t perfect what you never create!
Gentleness allows you to have another chance and a fresh start. It’s not easy to be gentle in a world that always glorifies rudeness or keeps it real, but those things don’t do anything but keep you stuck in a negative mental loop. Even if you do push yourself and hit a goal, you won’t even be able to acknowledge the sweetness of success because of all the bitterness.
I hope this post was helpful, as, in 2021, it’s time to live more mindful and more prosperous lives, which means working from the inside out to live more satisfying lives! Let me know if this resonated with you and how you will be more gentle with yourself.
In 2021 we all want to be where the money resides. So I got to thinking about how can I incorporate this in my day to day and makeup does it. Wearing a mask and makeup can be a interesting dance. Heat, makeup, and friction are not things we want to play with in 2021. So I created what I like to call the money look with Becca Cosmetics which you can adapt to your liking. I like to focus on my eyes as I love them lol. This look also can be a great face for the many Zoom calls we have.
The main event in this look is the new Becca Light Gleam Primer and Topper Liquid Eyeshadow. I got the color Luna which is a gorgeous green primer and topper combo. As we are all meditating on the notion I am where the money resides, green was a befitting color.
This duo is perfect for anyone who wants a bit of razzle-dazzle but isn’t confident in their glitter application. I found the primer very pigmented and easy to apply and then top with the glitter topper. It took me maybe 5 mins total to add this to my look and I was out the door. You can do a little more by adding a crease and transition shadow if you want to make them look even more dramatic as I did in the pics.
They have a bunch of other colors if green is too bold or not your fav color. I am eyeing a few more as I think this will be one of my go-to’s for makeup while I am interviewing and new job!
I hope this The Money Look with Becca Cosmetics inspires you to add a little sparkle to your day and life. Have you heard about this product? Let me know in the comment!
Happy New Year! Cues the confetti and balloons. If your reading this we made it to 2021. To kick this year off, I want to share about the Living Proof for Coily Hairline. This was sent this last year and wanted to get a few wash days with this before sharing.
Normally I don’t share about hair products as I’m kinda shy about showing my hair. My love for hair products runs deep especially things that say they benefit curly/coily hair types. I have seen the Living Proof brand for a long time but never felt called to it because every brand isn’t for everybody.
I was sent this by PinchMe.com and was excited about giving these a whirl. As a reformed product junkie but at the top of the stay at home orders, I got really focused on only keeping products that my hair liked since I was wearing it out. Being a hardcore wig person, the time to just rock my own hair out aside from Zoom calls has been a blessing.
Products that I tend to be drawn to are those that focus on moisture as my hair can be a bit parched especially as the temps drop here in the Midwest. Now with the Living Proof for Coily Hair line, their products are it’s powered by Living Proof’s Healthy Curl Complex, which prevents damage, makes curls stronger, enhances frizz protection, significantly reduces cuticle lift for shinier curls, encourages curl groupings for enhanced definition, and creates visibly healthier curls instantly and overtime per the Sephora.com site.
Living Proof for Coily Hair Review
First product out of the collection I tried was their Curl Shampoo which has the most delightful scent and texture. The focus of this item is to help to strengthen your curls, boost curl formation, and cut down on frizz.
All the products have the same floral scent and thick creamy texture. I felt my hair was cleansed without being stripped which is a major concern for my 4a hair type. I did my normal 2 rounds of shampoo and my hair felt so soft and balanced. I felt my hair felt tamed after use and mildly stronger.
The next product was their accompanying Curl Conditioner which is a instant conditioner with a lush texture and does a wonderful job of conditioning the hair without weighing it down. The claims are the same as the shampoo which is to boost the strength of your hair while helping your curls pop and cut down on damage.
I have a love for a deep conditioner but this has been really great when I’m not in the mood to pull my stand dryer out. I felt this was incredibly moisturizing which was a big thing as I was scared I would need to do a deep conditioning treatment after. My hair felt surprisingly supple days after my wash day which is often not the norm.
To round out the set, as a styler I used their Curl Elongator, which I will say out the gate I didn’t have high hopes for as a 4a girl. The product claims to help with curl enhancement, frizz control and help with damage aka split ends and shredding.
I found this product sparked me to do individual twists on my hair and see how my twist would come out. As a style challenged girl, I was quite surprised at how my hair stayed supple, and when I did undo my twist, the pattern was very unified and supple. I’m not a pro styler but it provides a gentle hold and helped my hair which likes to hide aka shrink not go so tight.
All in all, I’m quite impressed by this line from Living Proof. You can find the entire line exclusively at Sephora and Sephora.com! Have you tried anything from the Living Proof line? Drop that in the comments!
