Bruno Mars and Lips :)

I remember growing up being teased about different aspects of my appearance. Many children who are constantly picked on either become a bully themselves later in life or they retreat within themselves and develop a complex. I did the latter. One of the the features up for regular discussion were my lips. Now I must say that my lips probably have always been the size they are now, which means I had "big lips" as a child indeed LOL. I used to try to somewhat hold them in so they wouldn't appear as large. But that behavior stopped when I realized, that was just plain stupid LOL. I remember someone telling me as a teenager, "girl you sure grew into those lips." Ummm....ok? I'm tickled even now writing this because I guess that was supposed to be a compliment. I digress.

What I did realize however, were that my lips were beautiful and I learned to love them because they were mine! Women pay big money to have the lips that I have, naturally. Other women use lip liners and many other cosmetic tricks to create the illusion of "full lips." And wouldn't you know....the same guys that relentlessly teased me growing up....now fiercely admired these BIG LIPS! LOL. I could go on and on about a few of my other traits, some I grew to love and like many women, others are still a work in progress. But I can tell you this, I love my lips, big, juicy and all! :) Point is, we all have certain parts of ourselves that we've disliked but eventually learned to love. We've all grown into MANY parts of ourselves LOL, physically, spiritually, socially, intellectually, emotionally, etc. What aspects have you learned to appreciate about yourself? Instead of focusing on the negative, look into the mirror then make a list and accentuate the positive. Change what you can and love the rest! In the words of Bruno Mars...."girl, you're amazing, just the way you are" - I love that song :)

 

Lips....Lips....And More...Lips! ;)

 

I've learn to protect and care for my lips. I always say they're too big to be cracked and ashy LOL. So I'm going to give you my steps of how I take care of my lips. Once you do this you'll have soft, sweet and smooth lips. You'll love yourself for it and your lips will thank you for it! I love this homemade Vaseline Sugar lip scrub, it leaves my lips feeling amazing. You probably have all of these items at home, so it also fits right into your budget! The Vaseline coats and moisturizes your lips, while the sugar exfoliates them and leaves sweet :)

 Here's what you'll need: Vaseline. Sugar. Toothbrush or Spoolie.

Step 1: Rub a nice amount of the Vaseline into your lips - enough to fully coat and then some

Step 2: Use your clean toothbrush or spoolie to dip and press into the Vaseline just to coat it a little

Step 3: Then dip the toothbrush or spoolie into the Sugar (just plain granulated white sugar)

Step 4: Gently rub the toothbrush in small circles all around your lips and your natural lip line

Step 5: After you've exfoliated (gently), use a moist wipe, such as a baby wipe, or a damp towel will work as well. Gently wipe off all of the sugar scrub from your lips.

Step 6: Apply your favorite lip balm or moisturizer of choice

Now....if you do not have an extra toothbrush or make up spoolie around the house, no worries, use your ring finger instead. In beauty school, I learned that your ring finger applies the least amount of pressure (or at least that's what they said lol) so whenever you use eye cream or are applying this scrub, be mindful to use your ring finger. And, If you do not have any Vaseline, Olive Oil will serve as a great substitute for the scrub.

There is one last step that I've done for as long as I can remember. My sister and daughter do this every night as well. 

Step 7: Before we go to bed, we always apply a generous amount of Vaseline (use your balm of choice) to our lips. This helps to keep them soft throughout the night and your lips feel great in the morning. Well...only if you managed to keep it on while you slept LOL.

If you try it, let me know if you love it just as much as I do!

Christian Joy

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DIY - Brown Sugar Vanilla Coffee Scrub

I absolutely love body scrubs and this particular one is one of my favorites. I used this recipe at my last Beauty Rocks! event and it was an absolute hit. Both the coffee and the sugar have amazing exfoliation properties and antioxidants. The caffeine in the ground coffee is known to be a natural way to reduce the appearance of cellulite and varicose veins. This body scrub is economical, smells divine and leaves your skin super smooth and soft! Because there is cinnamon in this I would not advise you using this on your face. However, you can also use this on concentrated areas like your hands, elbows, knees and feet. I love to use this all over whenever my body needs this decadent treat! Be sure to apply to wet or damp skin. It's best to use this scrub in the shower if you're using it as a full body exfoliator. When you get out of the shower instead of immediately drying off with a towel; use the left over oil on your wet skin and allow it air dry to completely seal in the moisture. I suggest using a full body scrub once a week all over to help keep your skin exfoliated. You can use this on your hands and feet daily though. Your skin will thank you and you will smell so yummy :)

Here's what you'll need: 

• 1 cup - Brown Sugar
• 1 cup - Ground Coffee (some use hazelnut for added aroma but regular is fine)
• 1/2 cup - White Sugar
• 1 cup - Olive Oil (or sweet almond, jojoba, coconut, etc)
• 2 tablespoons - Vanilla Extract
• 1 tablespoon - Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon - Nutmeg  

 

  

Step 1: Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl or container. If you're using the container you plan to store it in, be sure it is airtight.

Step 2: Pour in Olive Oil and Vanilla Extract. Make sure you stir as you go.

Step 3: Congrats!!! Your scrub is all ready. Be sure to rinse very well after you use.

Once you make this and try it, let me know if you love this body scrub as much as I do.

Christian Joy

I Am Not My Hair!

India.Arie has a song entitled "I Am Not My Hair", the chorus says "I am not my hair, I am not this skin, I am not your expectation...no, I am not my hair, I am not this skin, I am the soul that lives within."

How many of us describe who we are or our worth by the obvious? By the obvious I mean our relational status, career, family, physical appearance, gifts, talent, associates, financial status, etc. But what happens when one or all of those things are removed or changed at the same time? I will tell you what happens because I have experienced that immobilizing space. In this transitional space, often excruciating in nature, you realize that what you do or what you have does not define you...WHO you are does! But the question is do you really know who you are if you, yourself have always defined who you are by the obvious? When you place your worth in the obvious you miss the true essence of your existence. You are both Wonderfully Divine and Beautifully Human. We are a trichotomy - Body, Soul and Spirit. We are is 2/3 spiritual so this should not only be our dominate nature but it is the true essence of who we are. We follow traps set by the media and society that celebrates our humanity and often demonizes our divinity.

What we call "intuition", I often call the voice of GOD within us. Our intuition or sixth sense gives us subtle nudges of direction daily but if we aren't aware or tuned into we will ignore the GOD not only of us, but IN us. We need to make sure that we our aligned within our trichotomy and practice living within the balance of all three. Each serves a purpose and one isn't to be confused with the other. It's time to roll up our sleeves and do the spiritual work on our inner core. When you believe who you are is what you do then you are denying the very part of you that make you truly...YOU!

You don't have a soul you, ARE a soul. You don't have a spirit, you ARE a spirit. For believers, the body itself is just like Earth to us, a temporary home just like the beautiful song by Carrie Underwood declares. I am all about presentation so beautifying our bodies and taking care of them is important but that should never take precedence over your inner beauty. Real beauty begins within and then radiates out. When my world crashed I actually mourned who I was, because in my mind my worth was tied to what I did. It took me being stripped down to NOTHING and I do mean NOTHING to realize I am not my hair, I am not my skin, I am not your expectation....I am the soul that lives within!

His Joy,

Christian Joy

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