Rantings of a Creole Princess

TRUTH DOT COM

Tell the truth and shame the devil!

When you look in the mirror...what do you see?

Work It OUT!

How much have you worked out this week so far?  Did you work out today?  Are you going to?  What are you working on today?

Foot Maintenance

I'm good to my feet.  EXTREMELY good.  I get that from my mommy.  See...she never went anywhere for her personal maintenance really...she took care of it all at home and she was always right with it.

At least three times a week I use this on my feet while taking a bath: Mr. Pumice Two Sided Ultimate Pumice Bar 

I use the lavender side when I haven't rocked heels and the purple side when I have rocked heels.  I find it's extremely gentle and doesn't take much effort.  Whenever I get a pedicure I'm always told how lucky I am that I don't need to  use the shaver.  I'm like...doesn't have anything to do with luck.  That's all personal maintenance cuz I'm vain as hell and like my feet.  LOL!  I also have a little brush thingy I use to brush under and around my nail beds.  I keep them in one of these little things right on side of the tub within reach so it's never a chore: Sterilite 16078024 Slim Storage Tray 

Whenever I workout or take the dogs out for a good walk, I slather my feet with Aquaphor Healing Ointment Advanced Therapy, 14-Ounce Jars (Pack of 2) and put on socks and sneakers.  The walking, etc. works with the Aquaphor to make sure my feet stay soft and callous free.  In the winter I do this while I'm sleeping too.

One of the most unattractive things to me is seeing a woman with crusty heels.  That's not cute in the least.

When I wear polish on my toes I generally do it myself.  I know it's not as perfect as the nail salon does it but I've gotten pretty good at "correcting" mistakes.  LOL!  I use these: Tweezerman Manicure and Pedicures Sticks, total of 10  by taking the pointy part and rolling in into a cheap cotton ball so that there is a bit of cotton covering the end like a pointy Q-tip. Then I dip that in polish remover and remove the polish my uncoordinated behind has all over the sides and fronts of my nails. LOL! SIP: Whatever...I know we aren't the ONLY ones who can't seem to paint within the lines so don't EVEN.MUCH.TRY!

So yeah...the kid's feet are never, EVER crustycracked!

Do you have a regular maintenance routine for YOUR feet?  Any products you swear by we might want to know about?  In your area...where do you get the best pedicures?  How much are they?

Stop Self Abuse

I was watching a movie once and one of the characters was into that self-mutilation stuff.  Like...she cut herself and wore long sleeves all the time in order to hide the cuts.  She ended up having a mental breakdown and had to go to therapy where she told the doctor that she cut herself just so she could FEEL something.  She described how the pain made her feel ALIVE and acutely in the moment and that she NEEDED that feeling because without it...she wouldn't know she existed.

WOW.

Mrs. Carlos Santana

Carlos Santana, 63 just married Cindy Blackman who is...51.  She's 51. 

For real.

Talk about keeping your stride STANK!

From SIP:

Forward Notion is going through some things regarding a career decision.  SIP decided to answer his queries today using the gloves off approach:

When you are pursuing what you believe to be your passion or your calling, and you want something so bad you can taste it, how in the world do you know if it’s right for you???

Because I would do it for free. Because I would do it on 2 hours of sleep. Because even if I have to be on set for 4:00am…I don’t need an alarm clock to wake me. Because it doesn’t feel like WORK…it feels like moving in the middle of my LIFE.

All that to say, what we think will help us get closer to our dreams can turn out to be the very thing that takes us further away from it. So how do tell the difference??

I truly believe that God will send you the pebbles. He always has in my life. I’ve always known when I wasn’t following my life’s dream but never believed it was something I could actually do. I’ve always known because I know my work ethic and I know when I’m not giving something my all. AND…I know that I’m happiest when I’m giving something my all. Listen to how you feel. In order to do that…you have to REALLY know and trust yourself and not give a shit about what anyone else thinks. Once you get there…in that personal ZONE…you can flipping FLY off that power. I PROMISE YOU.

I just go for it. That can’t be the right way, can it??

God has given you everything you will need to succeed and this is where a lot of people go wrong. They FORGET or BYPASS the things in front of them. You can’t just jump out there unprepared. God gave you what you need to be prepared. You got good sense. You have Mr. Google. You have the fortitude to read and process what you learn. Put that to work and WRITE IT DOWN AND MAKE IT HAPPEN! Folks step out all willy nilly without a plan and then…fall on their faces talking about they guess it wasn’t meant for them. I don’t agree. Milton Hershey went bankrupt 15 times trying to make chocolate candy before his research and proper planning caught up with his hard work. He had the passion but didn’t have the plan for a long damn time. He figured it out finally through preparation and PLANNING.

If I REALLY think this out and pray on it and decide that this is the direction I need to go, and THEN the daggum committee tells me that I wasn’t selected, then what?!?!?

So what you might not be selected. What does that say about you? About your body of work? About your passion? About your dream? Not a GOT.DAMN.THING other than the selection committee didn’t believe in you as much as you do, as much as your family, framily and friends do, as much as the most random person who gets to meet you does. Fuck them. You want this…then we have faith that you’ve done everything possible to get this. Hell…you could be bypassed because of a selection committee’s second cousin’s niece for all we know hell. The true great ones get this and they know one monkey don’t stop no show. Do it your damn self. Make your own rules and if you need help getting there…the beauty of being a child of God is that you never know who you already know that could be a blessing to you and your dream. Open your mouth and start talking. Once the Universe is made aware of what you want…the pieces will start coming together and you will already have the plan in place to follow.

So, how have ya’ll handled these sorts of things? Any advice?

Don’t be scared of shit. Least of all…failing. That’s just dumb. True failure is sitting on your azz doing nothing scared of how it’s going to look if you don’t get what you want once you’ve tried once. ‘GONE GET YOUR DREAM HELL.

I’m waiting and while I’m waiting…I’m getting mineZ.

SIP has spoken. Don’t make me fight you.

This is the same thing I'd tell any of yall.  If you have a dream...don't be dumb about following it.  WRITE IT DOWN and then?  MAKE IT FLIPPING HAPPEN!  Keep the naysayers out of your space, surround yourself with likemindeds and have a core group of people you TRUST to be your focus group.  You can do anything you fucking want to do.  Period.  Stop counting yourself out.

What say you?

Skin Tone

I use fancy moisturizer on my face. 

Daily wash is back to Neutrogena liquid (I miss Brown Skin so!).

Unless I wear makeup then it's Fresh Soy.

Inside?

That's what counts.

I eat right.

Workout.

Drink lots of water.

Take my vitamins.

And every person I know who does the same has GREAT skin.

Inside is what counts. 

If you're putting crappy processed food inside your body all the time...then that's what the body has to work with.  All the breakouts I've ever had have been induced by medicine I had to take and I can pinpoint it every.single.time.  My body doesn't like foreign crappola so I try my DARNEDEST to not put much crappola inside of me.

Do better...look better.

Pretty simple.

What say you?

Spa

What's your favorite spa in your area?  What services do you recommend?  How's the price point?

That WOW Factor!

When you are doing makeup for a special occasion what do you do for your WOW factor?  Be specific.  Brand name, color, etc.

Bryn Keith, Custom Tailor

I dress The Robinator pretty okay.  I know fabrics and enjoy seeing him in a well cut suit.  I think I have a flair for awesome shirt and tie combinations and I do believe his business wardrobe reflects that.

But at our age...it was time to step us his game.

How do you step up such a game you ask?

Custom playa...CUSTOM.

Off to Mr. Bryn Keith we went for the best service and saavy this side of the Mason Dixie line.

We had an appointment and Bryn stepped out of his spot to greet us like old family.  Bryn's height makes you think of an athlete and makes you wonder just what this man knows about the art of gentlemen wares but baaaaaaaby...you soon recognize dude knows his stuff.

He welcomed us into his office and simply sat and talked to us for a bit.  Just got comfy ya know?  He asked Robby (me) a lot of questions about his wardrobe and what he was looking for and Robby (I) answered.  Sitting there talking to him was cool because dude is really quite knowledgeable about it all. 

 

 

While talking to Bryn we realized he had some MAJOR fancy clients so we were waiting for him to realize we were frauds at any minute.  LOL!  The funniest part to me?  The Robinator looking at swatches!  BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  I NEVER, EVER, EVER THOUGHT I'D SEE THE DAY!  LOL!

Dude has a clear thing for the color blue when left to his own devices so I had to intervene.  When he argued about the differences in the color blue I pointed out the hypocrisy of said argument after the argument over the color I want to paint the main level of our home.  ROFL!

After we picked out some colors, cuts, styles, pleats, cuffs, monograms, collars, etc...Robby got measured up good.

 

And then we rolled out feeling good, feeling great, how are you!  I'm thinking custom is going to be The Robinator's one, two from here on out and Bryn Keith is definitely going to be our place to go.  With Robby's measurements on file as well as a wish list...he can get new duds with a phone call.

Check out Bryn Keith on Facebook and on Twitter too!  He has all sorts of classes for men regarding style and fashion and I know a WHOLE LOTTA men folk who need their biz wardrobe stepped up several notches!  GO YOU!

Oh...and you KNOW he does clothing for women too!  Um...yall know I'm a sucker for that hot, fiyah!  :)  If you go...tell him The Robinator sent you as Robby thinks he's an expert now.  o_0

When was the last time YOU had something custom made?  (Erica Bunker may not answer this question.  LOL!)

Being FABULOUS!

"The 10 Best Foods for Your Looks"

Being FABULOUS!

As you guys know our G-Baby started being really serious about BEING MORE VAIN and made some changes to her lifestyle.  She works out regularly, makes better food choices and is taking more time out for herself.

When I met G-Baby I loved her on the spot.  She has one of those genuine personalities and truly is one of the best people I have come to consider framily.

Yesterday she posted some pictures online and one picture really stood out to me.  Not necessarily based on what she was wearing but HOW she was wearing it.  Shoulders thrown back, head held high, gorgeous smile with a PURELY confident look on her face.  ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!

Tyra Banks ain't playing witchall...

 

You NEED to watch this!

I promise.  I post stuff all the time and many of you don't even click on it but baaaaaaaaaaby...you NEED to watch this one!

"It's Not Too Late to Get Started"

From Jamie

Just Cuz I can! (thank me later Robby)

 

AUTHOR - oneblackman

The Key to Aging BEAUTIFULLY!

 I'm 40 years old and whenever I'm carded...folks express surprise that I was born in 1969.  They look at my license then back up at me and I smile my "I-want-to-look-extra-pretty" smile.  :)  LOL!  This blows them away.

After looking at pics this morning (I didn't read any emails or write last night so I'm trying to put some stuff out here for yall this morning) of the Botox-y chicks I recognized that there is an enormous amount of pressure on folks in the public eye to look a certain way and that regular people like you and I can get caught up in this too.

My major secret to looking good while aging?  Being happy.  That...and laughing.  A LOT!  

If you think about it those two things will affect everything in your life that would age you prematurely.  If you're laughing and happy you are SERIOUSLY going to always be youthful and full of life on the inside and that will show on the outside.

Of course there are things you should NOT do and, of course, you should take care of your body and skin but...if you're happy...you'll be doing those things anyway.

FOR.YOU.

I hope you're happy and I hope, if you're not...you recognize it and are going to put in the work to get there.

The key to aging gracefully?  HAPPINESS.

That's all I got.

Are YOU happy?  Does it show?

From My Inbox:

Good morning Monica!  I've noticed that you don't talk about working out as much as you used to.  Are you taking a break from the gym?  I like reading about your workout routines because it helps me stay motivated too.

Nope.  I don't talk about taking bubble baths, showers, brushing my teeth, washing my face and breathing either and they are also parts of my daily routine.  Working out for me is not something that is optional.  It's SERIOUSLY part of my daily routine.  Just because I don't say EVERY.DAY what I did doesn't mean I'm not doing it.  It simply means the repetition of saying the same thing day after day gets a bit boring I believe.  Please know that I am entirely TOO.VAIN. to EVER slack off.  LOL!  I was just looking at my abs yesterday thinking to myself...DAMN MONNIE!  LOOKING GOOD LOOKING GREAT HOW ARE YOU!

I never thought about my talking about working out helps others stay motivated so...I'll try and do better about incorporating it into the blog more often.  

I hope you, too, get to the point where you consider working out a part of your daily routine and not as something optional.  

Beauty Issues

I can count on two hands the amount of times I wear ANY makeup in 6 months.  Sure...I have everything I need to get my polished look on, of course, but really...I'm a t-shirt chick daily and don't reach for anything except Eucerin Aquaphor Healing Ointment, 14 Oz (396 G) for my lips in order to keep my cute on.

A lot of folks think this is some sort of blessing but to be honest...it's hard dang work keeping your skin in the type of shape where you don't NEED to wear anything if you don't want to.

And that's the  honest truth of it.

I'm so anal about my skincare that when I find something I stick with it and am loyal to a FAULT!  Oh...and I spread the news of it far and wide as if I was on the payroll of the company.

I was so excited about Rx for Brown Skin Bright and Even Exfoliating Moisturizer because I knew the work Dr. Susan Taylor put into the product to make it especially for women of color.  We all complain that nothing is manufactured with our skin in mind and yet...when something is we don't support it.

But let it be some weave.

Moving on...

I just placed a call in to Dr. Taylor to find out what's what with Sephora no longer carrying the product and I'll let you guys know as soon as possible what's what directly from her. 

THAT SAID...

I introduced Vitamin C into my regimen recently because some fancy people told me that I should.  These fancy people know their stuff...so I listened up and did a bit of research into a product with Vitamin C in it.  After reading pretty much EVERY.SINGLE.THING out there regarding...I decided on:

Murad Active Radiance(TM) Serum Featuring Resilient-C(TM) Complex

Yall know I freaks clean the hell out if something breaks me out so I was EXTREMELY careful in my research and selection.  I put it on after washing and wait a full minute to allow it to dry before I put on my moisturizer.

I'm on week two now and I notice serious benefits.  I've never been big on exfoliating my face with scrubs even though I've tried them in the past so I'm more than pleasantly surprised that it looks like my skin is younger (which says a lot to my old azz) WITHOUT scrubbing the heck outta my face.  And yeah...that radiance factor is really there.

GO.ME!

I said all that to say I'm annoyed as hell that I can no longer find RX for Brown Skin at Sephora, I like this new Vitamin C stuff and I shall STROKE CLEAN THE HELL OUT SHOULD THEY EVER, EVER, EVER STOP SELLING PHYTOSPECIFIC PRODUCTS!

Seriously.

I.WOULD.HAVE.A.STROKE.

Are YOU using a Vitamin C product? Which one? Do you likey it? Would you recommend? Why? Why not? Oh...and if you still don't have this book in your home...you should consider it. It's the real deal about beauty issues that women of color are concerned with:

Arms to Guns

I get the most irked with people who say they don't have the time or a gym membership to workout.  Time is subjective and I be you can ALWAYS find a bit of time to do SOMETHING.  The gym?  Bleh...folks in the Army workout using their body and the ground.  LOL!

Seriously.

Here is something you can do at home.  We listen to Music Choice's Classic Hip Hop channel at 13700 and there is ALWAYS something that makes ya MOVE!  Put some music on and getcha twerk on playas!  You have absolutely NO.REASON to not get it in.  BE.MORE.VAIN! IT'S THE LIFELYMPICS AND YOU SHOULD BE A CONTENDER TO WIN THE GOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Special shout out to Spoony Gee! WHAT???????????? THAT'S MUSIC BABY! GODFATHER!!!!!!